Rolling across the floor, Peter ignored the throbbing on his cheek from where he had been hit by the goblin-like figure, he had affectionately called the Green Goblin. Instead, Spier-Man shot a few webs to slow the Green Goblin down, firing another that latched onto a nearby desk, throwing it towards his foe.
The trajectory was true, knocking the Green Goblin from the air where he slammed into the wall.
However, the Green Goblin had been winding up to throw his bombs, managing to throw them before the desk struck, Spider-Man propelling himself like a slingshot across the room out of harm's way with two webs. But upon coming to a stop, he was forced to react as dozens of sharp projectiles were launched at him at high speeds, courtesy of his second foe who had referred to his wingsuit as Project Vulture, hence the name he had given him, Vulture.
Peter darted around the room, the sharpened feathers of the wings, firing out with mighty flaps of the suit, all the while closing in on the Vulture. Then, as the salvo ended, Spider-Man used the walls as a way to propel himself up, flipping around and lashing out with a kick to the raised guard, one that was shockingly firm.
Even then, it knocked him to the ground, but he managed to land on his feet, skidding back as his wings flapped, firing out more sharpened feathers just as Peter was landing on the ground. He dodged most, his body responding beyond his mind's ability to process everything, one lightly grazing his chest.
This singular feather distracted Peter long enough for the Vulture to close the distance between them, fist striking him across the cheek and sending Peter stumbling back.
Green Goblin then tackled Peter into the air, the two momentarily wrestling midair with the former emerging victorious, hand latching onto Peter's neck and squeezing tightly, cutting off his air supply. A blow to his cheek though led to the Green Goblin cackling, throwing Peter through the wall as he followed close behind.
It was not quick enough though as Peter while spinning through the air, fired out a web to a nearby wall, using that to pull him away from the punch that would have struck his ribs.
Yet, the web that saved him was suddenly cut by a feather that embedded deeply into a wall.
Crying out, Peter rose his arms to protect himself as he smashed through a door, bouncing off the floor and through another. 'This is not going well.' Peter thought to himself, pushing himself up onto his knees and shaking his head, dust and bits of debris falling off his body as he looked to see Green Goblin closing in.
Quickly, he shot out two webs on either side of the wall from where broke through the door, but held himself, pulling the webs tight. Then, timing it just right, stopped resisting the pull and flung himself forwards, firing out like a bullet that struck the Green Goblin, both feet smashing into his chest and propelling them both back.
As they landed, Peter using his opponent almost like a surfboard, landed a few blows to his face, powerful punches striking him across the face. Yet all he got in return was laughter as they slowly came to a stop, laughter that grew when the Green Goblin caught one of his fists in one hand and pulled him into a punch that Peter just managed to catch.
That was when his Vulture came in from the side, smashing into him, right into his exposed ribs, Peter was unsure whether one or a few had been broken from that blow alone.
One thing was sure though, he was getting his ass handed to him.
-X-
"Warren, don't rush yourself," Amelia said calmly, helping lower the Mutant to the floor, off the bed, his movements sluggish and subdued. His eyes were glazed, not really focusing on anything around him just glossing over it, not really certain what was around him was real.
He was drugged and by the few punctures in the skin, surrounding his veins, possibly suffering from a Class Three, perhaps Class Four Hyplovemic Shock. They had drained him of his blood, more than thirty percent, but how much precisely she was uncertain. However, he was by no means in a good state and it was possible this could prove fatal.
Yet, as young men were prone to be, he was stubborn and instead of taking a moment to rest, free of restraints, he instead tried to get to his feet. Moving him would not be easy, especially not in the fight taking place a few rooms away from them.
She could still hear the sound of explosions and super-powered bodies breaking through walls. Trying to safely move him normally would be by no means an easy feat to accomplish, but one she would have to do.
So, lowering him onto the floor, Amelia crouched down over him, hands bracing on his chest. Her powers were things she avoided using, the last few days the most she had used them in months. There was less risk of being caught as a Mutant the less she used them, or so she had told herself.
It was precisely because of this frequent use recently that she was so wary of Scott. He was pushing her and others into situations they weren't ready for, forcing them to use their powers and increasing the risk of exposure.
Eventually, under his leadership, there would be no hiding.
But now was not the time to focus on that, instead, she steadied her breathing, ignoring the sounds of battle taking place between the Spider-Man and the two strange figures who had attacked him. As she did, her body began to break apart, turning into mist and vapour as she drifted away, beginning from her head.
Her body continued to transform until it reached her hands that were contacting Warren's chest, he still dazed and confused. It worked in her favour, he was unable to panic as his body also began to turn into vapour, nor did he attempt to go his own way. She was instead able to direct him, trapping the vapour that was his body in a cocoon of her own as they moved through the walls and out into the main foyer of the Oscorp building.
They then travelled down the winding hallways, Amelia able to see the Spider-Man flipping through the air, webs firing out at his two flying opponents. He was doing well, but the double-footed stomp that struck him in the back and sent him crashing through the glass railing showed that he was still struggling.
Yet the winged figure was suddenly struck in the chest by a red beam of energy, he smashing into the flooring of a walkway two stories above them. The force behind his sudden movement caused the concrete to crack as he plummeted to the floor below.
It would have been to his death, had it not been for a second blast to clip him in the side, his body spinning rapidly into another floor. He disappeared from sight, but as Amelia continued down the many floors of the Oscorp building, she didn't see him again. The force of that first blast was seemingly enough to have taken him out of the fight for good.
Both Spider-Man and the flying figure seemed to have also noticed the arrival of a third figure, Scott stood on the third floor and moved up slowly, police just beginning to approach the entrance. Things were rapidly coming to an end, that much all of them could tell and by the looks on Spider-Mans, he was trying to figure out what to do next.
He wasn't provided much time to think as the green figure rushed him, cackling madly as he did, only to swerve out of the way of a blast, giving Spider-Man plenty of time to react, flipping across the gap and firing numerous more webs, pinning him to the wall, though he ripped a chunk of the wall out, using it as a weapon to strike Spider-Man across the face.
"Let's go," Scott ordered as Amelia began to approach him, the three dissolving into vapour and disappearing from Oscorp.
-X-
Sighing tiredly, Peter collapsed back onto his bed, Spider-Man mask clutched in one hand and still in his suit as he rested one hand on his forehead. Things had not gone as he had expected, not in the slightest.
Oscorp had been attacked putting Norman in danger.
He had fought against two strange figures, one on a floating platform looking like some sort of Goblin dressed in a strange purple outfit with powerful bombs and incredible strength. His jaw still ached from where he had been hit, it was the first time he had been hit since getting his powers and by someone of strength nearly equal to his own.
The other had been a guy with some sort of wingsuit, looking like a copycat of that other hero in New York, the Avenging Angel. It was only after leaving Oscorp and getting some time to think properly that he recognised who the guy was from his few visits to Oscorp with Harry, one of Norman's chief engineers, Adrian Toomes.
Peter honestly didn't think he was going to win that fight, he had been getting hit progressively more and more as the fight dragged on. It was only thanks to the very same Mutant that attacked Oscorp in the first place taking out Adrian and distracting the goblin that he was able to get out of there.
But it told him one thing, despite what the news was saying right now as it reported on the attack, the guy they were calling Atomic Red, not the best of names but one more as a placeholder until something more popular came around, as well as the others they were calling Vulture and Green Goblin were not allies, the latter two had been his suggestions to his boss.
This had not been a preplanned attack with the three of them working together.
This had been a chain of events that all started with the Atomic Reds' attack upon Oscorp and the one thing that stuck out to Spider-Man most of all, was that mist. The strangely moving mist that enabled Atomic Red to escape Oscorp despite it being surrounded by the police.
He had tried following but had lost them.
All he had managed to find was a ringing phone on a rooftop that had been on the trail he was following. At that point he had lost them, so he stopped and picked up the phone, answering the call only to receive no answer, then moments later received a text message, telling him to keep hold of the phone.
Honestly, Peter didn't know what to do. 'But my jaws killing me, perhaps I should get some ice?' He wasn't lying when he said those punches from Green Goblin hurt and so did his back from where Adrian, or Vulture kicked him.
A beep then made Peter look up, seeing that the phone he had picked up was lit. It was not ringing, but a message had been sent and with a groan, Peter got up and moved towards it. The message was simple with no real instructions or anything like that, just a link.
Then a message appeared.
"You want answers, this is what I've got from a few days of digging." He read aloud, shrugging and clicking on the link, his curiosity getting the better of him.
The first page alone was shocking.
"Holy fuck."
Pushing open the door to the hotel room, Scott shifted the grip on the paper bag in his hand, the heat from the food making his fingers sweat a little. He then stepped inside, pausing as he looked upon the TV displaying the news of the recent incident at Oscorp, one that showed Norman addressing the public.
"This is proof!" Norman proclaimed loudly, slamming his fist down upon the stand in front of him, his voice carrying out over the crowd thanks to the microphone. "Proof that the so-called heroes like Spider-Man are menaces to society! Mutants like him have been given free rein to do as they wish without care for the laws which we citizens abide by!"
He was a gifted orator, something Scott had always known.
It was what made Norman a dangerous figure to go against, despite the lack of power he possessed. He knew what, when and how to say his words to get the most visceral reaction from the people watching, and no doubt there were people on his payroll within the crowd, cheering his words. Those around them, like most people, copied their actions, trying to fit in with the rest leading to a chain reaction that was mass applause.
"That is why Oscorp has been at the forefront of developing our own superpowered entities." Those words created a hush and Scott frowned deeply. "The scourge known as Atomic Red killed one." Here, Norman's voice lowered, the faked sympathy earning empathetic murmurs from the crowd. "A kind man with a family, who I will personally ensure live comfortably as payment for his ultimate sacrifice. It is the least I can do."
'Strange.' Scott thought to himself. 'I had no clue that Sandman was killed. Though perhaps it's all just a story meant to incur sympathy.' He wouldn't put it past Norman to pull off such a ploy, he did manage to take advantage of the Avengers civil war and the Skrull Invasion of Earth in Cyclops' memories. Faking the death of one of his subjects, or killing one personally for the failure and then blaming it on him was well within Norman's abilities.
"However, one member proved themselves invaluable in their defence of Oscorp." Norman stepped to the side, extending his hand out.
Shouts and cries of fear filled the air as the camera panned up, showing a figure falling towards the ground rapidly, having seemingly jumped off the top of Oscorp. Only for him to slow down, riding atop a flying platform, the Goblin Glider. Because there, hovering just above the stand beside Norman, was the Green Goblin.
"I present to you my son, Harry Osborn!" Norman exclaimed, the Green Goblin removing the helmet to reveal the heir to Oscorp. "My son had been plagued by illness since his birth, it is why I focused so much money into this avenue of research, to find a cure. I succeeded and yet, when I was threatened, my son rushed to my aid, battling against the Spider-Man, defending Oscorp from its threats, a true hero to this city! I present to you, my son, Harry Osborn, the Green Goblin!"
Grabbing the remote, Scott switched off the tv, threw it onto the sofa, standing there in thought deeply for a moment. 'Well played, Norman. Well played.' Scott thought, frowning as he moved towards the bedroom.
Not only had he advertised what Oscorp could do with its new avenue of research into creating superpowered soldiers to the government, but it had also given living proof in the form of his own son, Harry Osborn. A change that stuck out to Scott especially, considering that the first Green Goblin had been Norman himself.
The Green Goblin was also no longer going to be seen as the villain of Queens but as the hero. By implying that he, Atomic Red and Spider-Man had been working together, or at the very least, targeting Oscorp at the same time, as well as hinting at Spider-Man possibly being a Mutant, it would make Spider-Man the villain.
It was a very well-played move.
The best move Norman could have made in this situation.
Adrian Toomes was missing, having seemingly runaway after the attack on Oscorp, taking with it the flight suit. Sandman was also missing, though Norman had claimed that he had been taken by Oscorp to be healed after their battle. As for Rhino, little had been said about him, but it was more than likely that he was still in Oscorp receiving treatment.
Spider-Man would have his work cut out for him, that was for sure.
Yet, Scott had already given him a burner phone, filled with the information he had gathered on Oscorp from research online. It would not be enough to convict Norman, but it was enough to make Spider-Man target Oscorp. However, Scott would have to keep an eye on things in Queens, there was a lot to come and Spider-Man might not be able to handle everything on his own. Reaching into his pocket as he moved towards the bedroom, Scott sent a single message to the young hero of Queens, "Find Adrian Toomes."
If there was one person who could give Spider-Man more information on the inner workings of Oscorp, it was going to be Adrian Toomes. He had been the one to experiment on Warren after all and if he could reveal to Spider-Man that Norman had known and even given the order for it, then there was no doubt the young hero would focus his efforts on Oscorp.
The biggest problem though would be the idea of fighting his friend.
Dismissing this for now though, Scott entered the bedroom to see Warren sitting on the bed as Amelia did a number of checks. "How are you feeling?" Scott asked, closing the door and raising the bag of food into the air. "Hungry?"
"Starving," Warren replied, Amelia moved away and wiped her hands.
Handing over the bag of food, Scott then looked to Amelia for answers as Warren began to eat. "Physically, he's fine. A full recovery, you have your unique physiology to thank for that." She directed the last part towards Warren who didn't spare her a glance. "But I recommend you see a doctor in a few days to make sure and also, a therapist."
"Nah, I'm good." Warren shrugged off, tensing momentarily, something both Scott and Amelia picked up on. "I just want to find that bastard Toomes, that's probably the best therapy I can have."
"It's not," Amelia replied.
"You should still see a therapist as well" Scott added.
"What do you know anyway." Warren snapped. "I don't remember you being strapped to a table and being experimented on. Either of you. I'm thankful that you guys saved me and all, but I don't need a therapist. I'm fine, physically and mentally."
There was a pause.
Then Scott sighed.
"You'll freeze," Scott stated, Warren glaring at him. "People deal with trauma in different ways. Some get angry, some want revenge, others break down, and others hide away. There are a lot of different ways people react to trauma, and when you know what to look for, it becomes obvious what will happen when you face the cause of your trauma."
Warren clenched his fist tightly. "Oh yeah, like what?" He mockingly asked. "What's going to happen? I'll freeze? I doubt it, I'm gonna rip that bastard apart."
"No, you won't." Scott's response was sharp and cutting. "The bravado you're putting on right now is an act, you just don't realise it. When you face Toomes, you'll remember everything he did to you, big and small and you won't be able to breathe or think. Your body will freeze up, making you think your back, strapped at that table, vulnerable and helpless before him."
"How do you know that exactly?" Warren angrily snapped, getting in Scott's face who stared out at him calmly.
Amelia tried to intervene and calm the situation. "I think you both need to calm down."
"No!" Warren shouted, never once tearing his gaze from Scott. "Go on. Tell me how you know what I'll do better than I will."
"Because I've been in the exact same situation." Those words didn't fully register with Warren, but they did to Amelia, who seemed to almost recoil in shock as if looking at him in a different way. "Because when I faced the cause of my trauma, I felt like I was strapped back on that table." That seemed to have done the trick though, Warren blinking and seemingly breaking from the haze of anger that had befallen him.
"W-what? You?"
Scott nodded his head. "I was seven, it was at the orphanage my brother and I was staying in, the manager knew I was a Mutant. I could have escaped a long time ago, convinced myself that I was staying because of something else. But the thing was, I froze. Every time I met the manager, whether it was just seeing him in another room, passing by him in the corridor or when he was talking to me, I froze."
He had tried to convince himself that it had been to find where his brother was staying, but he could have done that easily. Yet he hadn't because he was afraid, a helpless little child that had been too weak to try and escape despite having all the tools and skills he needed.
Fear had consumed him.
"Facing your trauma is easy to say but much harder to do." Scott continued. "It's only when you're in a situation where everything is threatened that you can find the strength to face it head-on. That's why I want you to join the X-Men so that Mutants don't have to suffer what we did. Never again."
"You're still trying to recruit me?" Warren questioned dubiously, recognising the tactic for what it was. "You really are determined, aren't you?"
"It's why I've survived and why I will win." Scott then extended a hand. "But I need you by my side to do it."
-X-
Exiting the room, Scott ran a hand through his hair as he sat down sofa, grabbed hold of his laptop and started it up. Though the situation in Queens had reached a point of temporary calm, Scott knew that he could not do anymore without things getting even more out of hand. He was in no position to do that without a proper team to back him up and relying on Spider-Man was not something Scott was entirely convinced was a good thing.
To distract Norman while Scott prepared in the background, Scott was fine with that.
Spider-Man had a certain way of doing things that made him quite effective, but he had one of the strongest moral codes of any of the heroes which would make a proper team-up between them difficult. No, for now, while Scott focused on other areas, leaving Queens and Norman to Spider-Man was the best plan, though that might change in the future.
But in order to ensure that he took advantage of this time, Scott needed more allies, the Morlocks were not enough. The Fantastic Four were down in Los Angeles, another difference between his and Cyclops' worlds, it was too far away for Scott right now. Especially not when he already had proof of Hank McCoy being in a similar situation to his counterpart in Cyclops' world as he looked upon the news headline surrounding Illinois, one in particular. about a small town called Dunfee.
'Bard College Star Football Play, a Suspected Mutant that Stopped Robbers at Local Game.'
Though he didn't have the details, Scott knew from his instincts that something was meant to happen following this, Hank was in danger. But the exact details behind it had yet to appear, or perhaps like they sometimes were, this was a small event that didn't need any further information. 'I'll have to contact the Professor and let Alex know that I'll be extending my trip. But if this goes well, I could have potentially recruited two X-Men. However, I know that it's not enough.'
Hearing the door open, Scott looked to see Amelia closing the door behind her and she paused upon looking at him. He could see the question and emotions in her eyes, there was definitely a difference from the usual look, his revelation making her question things about herself and the world around her.
But she didn't ask.
Instead, she walked across the room and left.
She was overwhelmed, trying to rectify what she thought she knew with what she now knew, it was always a difficult thing to do. It would take time, but that was fine, Scott had purposefully revealed the information to not only Warren but to her as well.
So, another chapter is done and with it, Scott tries one last attempt at convinced Warren to join him, even revealing his experimentation at the hands of Mr Milbury. This also shocks and changes Amelia as well, who is trying to come to terms with what she has learned about a boy she once thought she knew. However, most importantly, Scott turns his attention towards Hank. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.