Aboard the Quinjet screaming across the African sky, Clint Barton relayed the update from Tony's team. "Good news, everyone," he announced over the internal comms. "Tony's team took down the Water Elemental."
"Already?" the second Peter Parker exclaimed from the passenger bay, surprised by their speed. "That was fast!"
"Yeah. They're cleaning up and heading to back up Thor's group now," Clint confirmed.
"Alright! Guess that means we need to step up our game!" Peter said, a cheerful energy radiating from him.
The first Peter, however, remained thoughtful, a small frown creasing his brow. Could it really be that easy? he wondered. If these creatures could be defeated so quickly, they hardly qualified as a world-ending catastrophe. There had to be a missing piece to this puzzle, some detail they didn't yet understand. But with their destination fast approaching, he pushed the thought aside.
"Hold on," Clint's voice cut in again, his tone shifting from casual to urgent. "Got more news, and this one's bad. The Earth Elemental has surfaced. It's on the move and heading straight for Nairobi."
"Of course," Harry Osborn muttered, looking at the tactical map. "It manifested in the Great Rift Valley, the closest major geologic feature to the city. It was planning this from the start."
"Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, one of the largest cities in East Africa," Clint added grimly. "If that thing reaches downtown, the casualties will be catastrophic."
"Speed it up, Agent Barton!" Nick Fury's voice commanded over their secure channel, patched in from a remote command center.
"I'm already red-lining the engines!" Barton shot back. "Best I can do is get us there in thirty minutes!"
The first Harry leaned forward. "Can the elemental get there in half an hour?"
"Don't know," Barton admitted. "We haven't clocked its speed yet. We just have to hope we can catch it in time."
"I'm notifying the Kenyan authorities," Fury stated. "Get them ready."
By the time the Quinjet arrived, the battle was already joined. On the vast plains of the savanna, a small contingent of armored vehicles from the local military was desperately engaging the target. It was a futile effort. The Earth Elemental wasn't as tall as its aquatic counterpart, but it was immensely broader—a seventy-meter-tall walking mountain of granite and compressed earth. Its form was crude and powerful, a thick, rocky hide that shrugged off machine-gun fire and cannon shells as if they were pebbles.
"Well, this doesn't look good," the second Harry observed, peering down through the viewport.
Barton brought the jet down for a rough landing on the savanna floor and popped the rear hatch. "Alright, everyone, showtime! Let's get to work!"
"Let's go!" the second Peter yelled, already sprinting out of the jet. He couldn't wait to test the limits of the new suit Tony had given him.
The first Peter watched him go with an amused shake of his head before following. "Come on."
As the team deployed, Barton lifted the jet back into the air, hovering at a safe distance as he nocked an arrow.
Dr. Banner, sealed within a heavy-duty suit of armor, was the first to engage. He flew straight at the elemental, his shoulder pods popping open to unleash a salvo of dozens of missiles. They streaked across the sky and detonated against the creature's body in a series of fiery explosions. But when the smoke cleared, the rock titan stood unscathed, having shed only a few loose bits of dirt.
"Its defenses are too high!" Banner reported, his voice tight. "Standard ordnance is useless! We need heavier firepower!"
The two Harrys soared in on their respective gliders. "This thing is massive!" the second one yelled over the wind. "It's like a skyscraper decided to go for a walk!"
"Don't get cocky," the first warned. "Its power is off the charts."
As they closed in, the first Harry's glider launched a volley of pumpkin bombs. They exploded against the elemental's face with bright flashes of orange, but to the same effect as Banner's missiles—none.
At that moment, Marko took a deep breath. His body dissolved into a cascade of sand that swirled into the sky. The grit and dust of the savanna were drawn to him, coalescing around his consciousness. Within seconds, a new giant stood on the battlefield—a Sandman easily as large as the Earth Elemental.
The rock monster immediately sensed the new threat, turning its massive, featureless head to face him. Marko could feel its immense, silent gaze upon him. With a grinding roar, the Sandman took a lumbering step forward, and the Earth Elemental charged to meet him.
The two titans collided like continents shifting. The impact was like a sledgehammer hitting a sandcastle. The Earth Elemental's stony fist tore through Marko's form, and half of his body exploded into a shower of sand that rained down on the plains. The elemental swung its truck-sized fist again, carving another deep gash through what remained of Marko's body.
In just a few seconds, Marko knew he couldn't win a direct brawl. A body of loose sand had no chance against solid rock. He immediately changed tactics, his form dissolving into a blinding sandstorm that enveloped the stone giant. The sand then re-condensed, not into a body, but into thick, coarse chains that wrapped around the elemental's limbs and torso, binding it tightly.
"Good chance! Attack!" the two Harrys shouted in unison, swooping in to pepper its face with more pumpkin grenades. Banner followed up with a charged blast from his chest repulsor. The combined attacks kicked up another cloud of dust, but when it settled, the elemental was still unharmed.
"Damn it! How tough is this thing?" Barton cursed, loosing another specialized arrow that did little more than chip its stone hide.
The Earth Elemental flexed, and with a guttural groan, it drove its head forward in a powerful headbutt, striking the chains binding its torso. The sand constructs couldn't withstand the force and shattered. It shrugged its massive shoulders, and the rest of the chains broke apart. It was free again.
"Marko, you alright?!" Banner yelled, flying past to fire his palm repulsors into its back.
"Yeah, I'm okay!" Marko's face materialized from a dune on the ground. "I can't beat it! It's too strong!"
"Alright, just find a way to keep it busy! Leave the rest to the Hulk!" Banner knew his armor was useless here. This wasn't a problem technology could solve. With a final decision made, he ejected from the suit, his body arcing through the air. As he fell toward the elemental, his form began to swell, his skin shifting to a deep, powerful green.
It was only then that the two Spider-Men finally arrived on the scene. With no buildings to swing from, they had been forced to run across the open plains, their incredible speed still no match for a Quinjet.
And they weren't alone. Keeping pace with them, their forms sleek and predatory, were the first and second Gwens, both now completely enveloped in shifting symbiotes.
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