Chapter Sixty Seven: A World on the Edge Part Six:
“I don't believe it,” said Spider-Man in astonishment as he
looked up at Captain America, as the hero stood before him in the
flesh.
“Yes, I'm having trouble believing it as well, I never thought I'd
be dragged back into this again,” said Captain America, and the
truth was it was almost like he had never stepped down. “A very
enlightening man told me he thought I was a hero and I decided that
it would be for the best to live up to that reputation but I'm going
to need all the help than I can get to take down the Red Skull once
and for all and that's where you come in...Spider-Man isn't it?”
“Yes, but my help?” asked Spider-Man in confusion as he was not
quite sure if he understood Captain America correctly. “I mean, of
all people, I appreciate it but really, I haven't been doing all that
good today. I mean, every time I try to do good, I keep screwing up.”
“You'll come through when it counts,” said Captain America
wisely. “You might be rough around the edges, but you have more
fight in you than most people would. They would have folded, given it
up but you kept pulling yourself back up, to fight. You've got to
believe in yourself in the darkest days and when the light of the end
of the tunnel comes through, everyone else will follow.”
“The Red Skull, he's never been stopped for good, not even by you,”
said Spider-Man slowly. “How can we...”
“Don't worry about the how right now Spider-Man, time is running
out, we're just going to do it,” said Captain America, as he took a
deep breath. The time for talking was long over, now it was time for
action, quick and decisive. They barely had time to blink and the
world was on the brink.
XXXXX-XXXXX
The Red Skull sat, with a twisted grin on his face. He looked at his
device, if he listened hard enough, he could still hear the faint
screams of that trapped fool Dillon and it was music to his ears. The
Skull turned around as he saw Mr. Sinister return to the room. He
greeted Sinister with a crisp nod, just enough to acknowledge his
presence.
“Essex, just in time, in less than ten minutes, if the world
leaders don't comply, the first of many cities will vanish into
oblivion,” said the Red Skull.
“All the people, the disturbed chaos, the agony of trying to save
themselves, but there is no way to,” said Sinister with a smirk,
but he stood ready. The moment that the Red Skull would let his guard
down, it would be his time and the device would be under his control.
Those who were not fit to survive the next evolution would perish.
Sabretooth stood at the ready, but Sinister gave him a look that
indicated the time was not right, at least not yet.
Loud footsteps echoed from outside, which signified the arrival
nearby. He pushed open the door to see what was approaching.
“This way,” ordered Sinister as watched with amused curiosity, as
one of his diabolical creations dragged in a limp, battered, bruised,
and bloodied figure. Had it not been for his remarkable healing
factor, he would have been long dead several times over.
“Well, well, look what we got here,” said Sabretooth with a
twisted grin as he looked over his old hated enemy. “A runty
mongrel. I think we should drown it, Mr. Sinister.”
“In due time, Sabretooth,” said Sinister with a nightmare
inducing smirk as he turned his attention to Wolverine. “Remarkable,
Wolverine, you seem to have survived a battle with my latest creation
but they seem to have drawn blood on you and those cuts haven't quite
healed. Better clean those up a bit, don't want to have them get
infected, now do we?”
Sinister pulled out a cotton swab and a test tube, swabbing the cuts
on Wolverine's face, that were tinged with a yellowish-purple color.
Wolverine gave a grunt, but the creature held him in place.
“Throw him in with Fury, they can enjoy the destruction of the
Capital together,” said Sinister, as the creature gave a brutish
nod, before he dragged Wolverine off and Sabretooth looked a bit put
off. “Don't worry, my friend, you're have the pleasure of disposing
of Wolverine permanently once I've gotten what I come for. And that
will be...”
“In a moment, Essex, if that mongrel got inside, someone else was
in here,” said Red Skull, as he punched up security camera footage
outside of the gate, to reveal an image of a certain web slinger. He
looked over it for a mere second, a dismissive shake of the head.
“Just a mere child in a Halloween costume. Means nothing.”
“Spider-Man is more capable than you believe,” cautioned
Sinister. “He is an indirect product of my work, pure accident, but
his accident did serve a purpose and will allow me to stumble upon
the greatest genetic breakthrough ever.”
Red Skull stood and pondered. He knew that if this foolish child had
powers as a resort of a project cooked up by Sinister, it could give
him a mild headache.
“Take care of this Spider-Man,” ordered the Red Skull to
Sabretooth and Sabretooth nodded stiffly, not daring to say a word
directly to the Skull, as he moved out. “A minor threat, but I
won't have any further distractions.”
XXXXX-XXXXX
Captain America and Spider-Man made their way down to a set of doors
and Captain America forced them open. There was a corridor, one going
to the right and one going to the left.
“Great, now what?” asked Spider-Man as he doubted there was
little time to figure out which one went there.
“Take the right, I'll take the left, one of them has to lead
somewhere tangible,” said Captain America as before he paused. “And
if you reach the Red Skull, remember, you can still fight, as long as
you believe in yourself. The battle is not lost as long as that
happens.”
“Any other person in the world and that statement would be
lame,” thought Spider-Man as he parted from Captain American. “Yet,
from him, its appropriate. Okay, Spidey, run and keep your wits about
you, what little you do have left after today.”
Spider-Man carefully scaled the walls but his spider sense went into
overdrive, as a huge figure jumped right at him and knocked him to
the ground. He found himself face to face with Sabretooth as
Spider-Man was thrown right to the ground. Sabretooth raised a foot
in the air and attempted to stomp on the web slinger, but Spider-Man
rolled out of the way and went for a punch, but Sabretooth avoided it
and pounced right at Spider-Man. The hero crashed to the ground with
a thud.
“Alright, you little pest, I'm going to exterminate you!” growled
Sabretooth, as he jumped up but Spider-Man avoided the attack but
collapsed to his knees, the cumulative effort of battle taking its
toil.
“I don't have anything left,” thought Spider-Man as he
collapsed to the ground a second time after he got to his feet for a
brief second and just managed to duck. “No, Spidey, think what Cap
said. You're not useless, you got to believe in yourself. Think of
Gwen, when she wakes up, she deserves to wake up in a world that is
free from the Red Skull. Think of the billions of people around the
world, most of them that will die if he wins!”
Sabretooth grabbed Spider-Man and threw him up against the wall and
tried to choke him but Spider-Man grabbed both hands and twisted them
with his spider strength.
CRACK!
CRACK!
Sabretooth gave a howl in pain, as he felt several bones shattering
at once. Even with a healing factor, the pain was not pleasant and
the bone break was not clean.
“You little brat, I'll get you for that!” grunted Sabretooth
wincing at the broken bones but Spider-Man waylaid Sabretooth right
in the face, causing him to smash right against the wall. The mutant
pulled to his feet, only to get nailed right in the teeth as hard as
Spider-Man could manage.
“I've just about had it with everyone today!” shouted Spider-Man
angrily as he blasted Sabretooth with punch after punch in the face.
“I'm not having a good day and you just caught me at the worst time
you overgrown hairball!”
Sabretooth dropped to the floor and Spider-Man launched himself,
kicking Sabretooth right in the face, before he grabbed the mutant
and with strength, he launched Sabretooth right into the some pipes
in the ceiling and with several blasts of webbing, Sabretooth was
suspended right from the ceiling. He tried to get free, but
Spider-Man just looked at him with utter contempt beneath his mask.
“Try and break it, go ahead I dare you,” said Spider-Man
dangerously, as Sabretooth attempted to struggle free, cursing up a
blue storm and growling, as Spider-Man continued his journey through
the hall, as the mutant continued his agonized struggle to free
himself without taking a nasty spill.
XXXXX-XXXXX
Captain
America walked down the hallway, straight up and proud, confident and
ready to fight as if sixty years had not passed. Yet, there were
doubts in his mind, like there would be in the mind of every other
man in his shoes. His time was long ago and a lot could change in
sixty years. He felt like he had not lost a step during the battle
with those twisted creatures that had the misfortune of serving the
Red Skull, but the man himself was another matter entirely. He had
not won the last time, as history had believed. He had not lost
either, but he merely survived. He feared that one day, the greatest
evil the world has ever seen would return.
Plus
guilt that he sent a young hero, that was not even a man yet, into
battle where he sat back for hours on end. Had he interjected sooner,
when Fury had met him the first time, the Red Skull would not have
unleashed his deadly doomsday device on that farm town, killing the
community of hundreds there.
Still,
what was done was down and now it was time to made things right. He
was not only fighting for the country that he served with a passion
in the past but also the fate of countless of innocent lives, men,
women, and children, around the world.
Captain
America edged down the hall, quickening his steps. He would fight the
Red Skull and he would win. There was no choice.
If he did
not win, there would be no hope. And a dangerous man would have the
world at his command, to do as he wish. Which could be a lot.
XXXXX-XXXXX
“The
Coordinates, now Dr. Ohnn,” ordered the Red Skull coldly. “In two
minutes, we will lock onto Washington DC and this entire nation will
be without leadership.”
Ohnn sat,
hands shaking, he did not want to do this. All those people but the
Red Skull had blackmailed him, threatening to kill his family, should
be refuse to comply and he would be forced to watch, as they slowly
died. He wished he could somehow set the machine to self destruct,
blowing up the lab. He might die, but he would save everyone. Yet,
there appeared to be no self destruct function built into the machine
by the Red Skull.
“Coordinates,
completed,” said Ohnn with a deep sigh.
“Very
good, its now time to teach them a lesson,” said the Red Skull, as
he stepped forward but a figure flung himself into the room and
knocked the Skull right to the ground. The Red Skull rolled to his
feet and he saw who attacked him. “You.”
“Yes
me, Skull, it's time to put an end to this,” said Captain America
as the Red Skull pulled a gun from underneath his coat and fired two
shots at Captain America, but he ducked and threw his shield right at
the Skull's hand, knocking the gun right out of his hand and he began
to go forward.
“I see
time has not changed you,” said the Red Skull, as he locked
knuckles with Captain America as they engaged in a battle of strength
and determination. “Too bad everything else has changed, made you
weak, irrelevant, a relic of the past. Face if, Captain America,
you're useless.”
Captain
America grabbed the Red Skull and flung him right to the ground. The
Red Skull bounced up and went for an attempt, but Captain America
ducked it and tried to force the Red Skull to his knees with his
strength, before giving him a swift punch right to the face. The Red
Skull aimed a punch but his enemy blocked it and Captain America
threw the Red Skull to the ground. The Red Skull bounced up and he
dodged an attack. The two men circled each other.
“Time
to put an end to your evil,” said Captain America in a confident
voice.
“Sixty
years in isolation, and you still have sappy dialogue,” said the
Red Skull with disdain, as he tried to cheap shot Captain America
with a knee below the belt but it was blocked and Captain America
threw the Red Skull around the room like a cheap piece of tissue
paper. The Skull was strong, but he appeared to be outmatched. He
found himself knocked around more and more by Captain America.
Yet he
refused to cave in and concede defeat. So the battle between the two
long time enemies continued.
Casually
during the battle, Mr. Sinister appeared from the shadows, before he
picked up a case that the Red Skull had brought into the room. This
would have to contain his payment. He work return to pick up the
pieces later and perhaps salvage what was left of the device, but he
had what he wanted.
More than
he wanted as he slipped the vial in his pocket.
XXXXX-XXXXX
Wolverine
began to hack away at the bars of the cell that he and Fury were
trapped inside but Fury just sat, calmly, as if he had accepted his
fate.
“You
can give up, the Red Skull's not going to make things that easily,”
said Fury, as he looked up at the monitor that had been installed,
waiting for the moment that he would see Washington DC disappear.
“I'll
break through somehow,” said Wolverine, but he was still not at a
hundred percent after the severe beating that he suffered. His claws
clanged against the metal but the next time, a jolt of electricity
had blasted him backwards. “Shouldn't that psychopath have pulled
the trigger by now? Its been more than an hour. Unless the world
leaders actually caved in.”
“No,
they won't,” said Fury, but he wondered what was happening, as he
saw the brutish guard. He had no way to radio for help from the
outside world, the Red Skull had made sure of that and the next time
he would see that foul twisted individual, it would be his execution.
He had weathered many storms and kept this country secure and safe,
but there was bound to be a time where the law of averages were going
to catch up with him. Fury sat in the cell, frown upon his face, as
he prepared to brace himself for the end.
Moments
past. There was nothing that happened. The brutish guard looked
around, confused, as a sound echoed from outside. It walked outside
to the door, before it looked around and looked down the stairs.
Spider-Man
dropped down and connected with the back of the head of the creature,
before he kicked it right down the steps. The creature was sent
spiraling down the steps and landed at the bottom with a thud.
Spider-Man swung down and grabbed the keys from the belt of the key,
before he swung up, to face Fury and Wolverine.
“About
time you showed up,” grumbled Wolverine loudly, as he sat in the
cell, a focused look on his face but Fury just looked at Spider-Man,
who just stood, arms crossed, and contempt obvious towards Fury even
beneath his mask.
“Just
let us out, we need to stop the Red Skull,” said Fury but
Spider-Man just stood there silent for a short moment, before he
managed to bite his tongue enough to not rip into Fury.
“So,
you admit that you need my help, Fury,” said Spider-Man in a crisp
voice and Fury just balled his fists and he began to get to his feet.
“Don't
screw with me now, you've done enough,” said Fury and Spider-Man
stood right in front of them, as he mentally exercised his options.
“You
have some nerve Fury, but I'm going to let you out, because I don't
have any time,” said Spider-Man, as he pulled the keys, before he
jammed it right in the key lock and opened it up. Fury stepped
outside and Spider-Man stared him down. “We need to find Captain
America, in case he needs help.”
“Captain
America?” asked Fury in confusion. “He's here.”
“Very
good Fury, I managed to talk some sense into him,” said Spider-Man.
“Not bad for some punk kid who got bitten by the right type of bug,
wouldn't you say?”
Fury just
looked away. He had a sense that Spider-Man found out everything and
there would need to be some severe damage control.
Providing
they all survived this.
A loud
growl and the door busted open. The guard had managed to recover from
his trip down the stairs and to say the creature was not happy.
“Got
this one,” grunted Wolverine as he rushed forward, with a renewed
sense of fight and he began to engage the creature in battle. Several
sounds of battle echoed from behind them and Spider-Man just turned,
barely paying Fury any mind and not even acknowledging his presence.
“He's
not my focus, worry about him and his lies later,” thought
Spider-Man. “The Red Skull and that Doomsday Device is...hopefully
Captain America's shut it down.”
XXXXX-XXXXX
The Red Skull bounced off the wall, as Captain America forced him
down. Captain America looked for something to restrain the Red Skull
but he was not going to be completely at ease until he was rendered
unconscious. A fact that was easier said than done and the Red Skull
struggled, grabbing a pipe but he dropped it with a loud clang.
Captain America fired a pair of rapid fire punches right into the
ribs of the Red Skull, that rattled him and dropped to his knees,
before he threw the villain to the floor. The Skull landed with a
crash, right next to several wires, as Captain America stood over the
Red Skull.
“Had enough yet?” asked Captain America.
“Not quite,” said the Red Skull, as he ripped out one of the
wires, before he sent a blast of sparks right in the face of Captain
America. The hero was staggered backwards and the Red Skull aimed a
punch right to the ribs, before he grabbed the cable and jabbed it
right into the ribs of Captain America, causing a severe electrical
jolt that brought his adversary to his knees. The Red Skull wrapped
the wire around the throat of Captain America.
Captain America tried to fight out, but the Red Skull managed to grab
a second cable and tie his hands together viciously, bending the
cable up, and ripped it, so sparks blasted right into the face of
Captain America.
“You made the biggest mistake of your life, trying to oppose me one
more time,” said the Red Skull, as he began to drive a blunt metal
object right into the back of Captain America's neck again and again.
The hero struggled, before the Red Skull just simply tried to choke
him. “On your knees, just as you should be. Cowered by my
superiority. But I don't want you to pass out. Not just that. I want
you to see it vanish. The capitol of the United States, that
symbolizes all of the lies you foolishly fight against!”
A loud clang signified The Red Skull nailing Captain America right in
the back with a solid steel pipe. Captain America dropped to his
hands and knees and the Red Skull kicked him like a soccer ball and
rolled over, before he grabbed Captain America and rubbed his face
into the concrete like he was a mongrel dog.
“Press the button Professor Ohnn!” ordered the Red Skull, as he
held a gun to the temple of the downed Captain America. “I want
that to be the last thing he sees before I blow his head off of his
body.”
Ohnn sat, finger over the button but the Red Skull just looked at
him. A mere look was more than any threat could do and he prepared to
press the button.
A blink of an eye, he found his arms webbed together and he was
pulled out of his chair and Nick Fury quickly dove right into the
room and went right for the Red Skull.
One gunshot caught Fury right in the shoulder, but Fury managed to
knock the gun out of the Red Skull's hand, as the Red Skull staggered
a bit from the impact. Fury rolled over, blood oozing from his arm, a
pained grimace as the Red Skull went for the gun again, but
Spider-Man knocked the Red Skull away, before he kicked the gun right
out of reach on the other end of the Red Skull as he prepared to go
face to face with pure evil.
“Guess, I'm the last one left,” thought Spider-Man as he saw
Fury down on the floor and Captain America also rather worse for
ware. Spider-Man rushed forward and aimed a punch right at the Red
Skull.
The Red Skull caught Spider-Man's arm with expert accuracy and
twisted it around, before he slammed Spider-Man right to the ground.
The web slinger did not have time to register that, before the Red
Skull brought his feet down full force right onto the chest of
Spider-Man. The next move, as simple as drawing a breath, was Red
Skull forcing Spider-Man over and drilling a knee into the side of
the head, before he removed a web shooter. The Red Skull put it on
and shot a line of webbing, before he pulled the pipe over, and
rolled Spider-Man over, before he tucked the pipe underneath the chin
of Spider-Man.
“You won't live to regret the mistake you made,” said the Red
Skull viciously, as he reached forward and pulled Spider-Man's mask
off with disdain and threw the mask right to the side casually, as he
looked at the bruised and sullen face of his enemy, before he just
sneered right in the face of his enemy. It appeared to be no one
important. “A disappointment.”
Peter fell unconscious and the Red Skull picked up the pipe, and drew
it back as far as he could. Fury rolled over, but two guards grabbed
Fury and held him, as blood dripped from his arms.
His pipe was suddenly magnetized and The Red Skull was staggered, as
Magneto stepped forward into the room, as he drew his full power. The
guards moved forward, but Magneto directed the pipe casually.
CLANG!
CLANG!
The pipe bounced right off of the skulls of the two guards and
rendered them completely unconscious.
“I told you I would find a way inside, discreetly,” said Magneto,
as Peter groggily managed to shake the cobwebs off, not realizing
what would happen. Captain America and Fury, both battered made their
way up and the final creature dropped to the ground, as Wolverine
stepped inside.
“It's over,” said Captain America, as the Red Skull stepped back.
Five against one and none of the scientists looked too eager to help
the man who had kidnapped and blackmailed them.
“It is,” agreed the Red Skull coldly, as he gracefully flipped
backwards over the control panel, before he began to enter in
coordinates in rapid fire selections and then smashed his fist right
on the button.
He had created multiple black holes.
Once the transporter had completely fired up, it would send them to
different parts of the planet, simultaneously.
The instability would cause the entire planet to be destroyed,
rendered unfit for habitation.
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