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***
It had all happened too fast.
Gwen and Pete's night walk and search for their first opponents had quickly turned into a race for survival, where instead of a gang of junkies and petty criminals we were forced to pull people out from under the rubble while magic raged and sorcerous projectiles exploded around us.
The streets were drowning in a variety of colours, confusing reality with fiction. Orange rings sliced through space, linking heaven and earth, and huge lightning bolts collapsed buildings while the Fantastic Four team, aided by local sorcerers, fought a single creature.... I'd be afraid to call him human.
-Come on, Gwen!
My best friend and the girl were now running around with dumbfounded faces, using their superpowers to the fullest, pulling people from the other side of the world. They were clearing rubble, piecing together collapsing buildings with their webs, and simply bringing those lost in fear to safety. But I could see how they were finding it harder by the second to use their power.
-We need to brace the walls," Parker lifted his arms more and more, fighting the fatigue and exhaustion of his body, "they're ready to collapse...
-Let me do it-
Pushing Pete aside, Gwen began to patch the breaches, fixing the crumbling building. A heavy sigh escaped her mouth, showing that she was holding on by sheer stubbornness. The same went for my best friend.
Parker was starting to slouch, and Gwen was sometimes stumbling or just leaning on the rubble trying to catch her breath. They still had little control over their strength, and a run like this was too harsh a first test.
"Even too steep a first outing."
My head turned to the sky, to where the supers and mages were racing across the rooftops, pouring everything they could at one point and receiving portions of multi-coloured lightning in return.
A new, powerful blast shook the five-storey building, stitching it through and collapsing it in place. All of Pete and Gwen's efforts had gone for naught because of one random strike that missed its target.
Something had to be done. The best option was to somehow take the battle away from these parts, I didn't hold out much hope though, my skills certainly wouldn't be enough to finish off a threat of this level, but I could distract him. Give the others a chance to put the man in his place....
A name flashed through my mind, a name I could barely make out but never understood. My brain was trying to tell me who I was fighting with, and I even started to remember slowly, but the new panic screams of people distracted me from these useless, at the moment, reflections.
The cat hook habitually rushed upwards, clinging to the building and lifting me into an improvised arena between the local gladiators.
-R-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!
With his arms raised to the sky, the creature of stone surged forward, tearing down the barriers of vents, pipes, and satellite dishes with his body. Its heavy, monotonous stomping shook the entire roof and would have looked impressive, but.... Even I could easily dodge his lunges and punches. It's all about not getting hit directly. Let alone a guy in an iron mask who can operate a lightning bolt better than Emperor Palpatine.
-I watched as the purple-coloured electric whip snapped across the stone creature's chest, sending him flying.
The performance continued. Several monks with sticks, swords and hoops were charging at the only enemy, showering it with orange projectiles. They galloped around without staying still for long, and from behind their backs, the rubber arms of the head of the Fantastic Four occasionally flew out. Under the cover of his wife's kinetic shield, Reed Richards kept a steady eye on his opponent. From a safe distance, this... cunning scientist husband acted carefully and pragmatically while the others took the stranger's blows.
A news bulletin flashed in my mind, where a pair of attentive, haughty eyes looked towards the camera from the front pages. Victor von Doom.
The memory flickered with recollection. As soon as I rolled the name around on my tongue, all my thoughts about this extremely dangerous guy popped into my head. A magician, a king, a mad genius with a God-like IQ.
-Victor! Let's stop this madness!Confirming my words, Richards tried to appeal to the mind of his old enemy and former friend, but all he got in response was an arrogant snicker from beneath the sinister steel mask.
Doom was spinning round and round, and he clearly didn't have time to respond to the rubber man's provocations. Especially when a torrent of flame rained down on him from the sky, setting his cloak on fire and melting the roof beneath his feet.
-Now, come on!
Apparently it was all part of the plan and Reed was biding his time, but it couldn't end so easily. The roof exploded with thousands of electric arcs, most of which went into the milk, but a couple reached their targets.
First to fall like the famous Icarus was Johnny Storm. Smoking and glistening with his burnt arse, the lad plummeted downwards like a stone, followed by the stone creature.
A few more lightning bolts struck the mages, throwing their dead bodies to the edge of the roof. The last one struck Reed himself, but it was successfully caught on his shield, splattering it blue across the sky.
The sparks, flashes, and remnants of the flames made quite a spectacle, blinding the eyes and making it hard to make out what was going on at all. But the intrigue of the battle never seemed to end.
With a crack of broken glass, a new figure appeared in the very centre of the battle, evoking vague memories and a sense of slight fear.
It was definitely a woman. Slender, graceful wrists with long fingers. A slim figure with a bowed head under an orange hood, and a voice.... Deep, penetrating, sending tonnes of panicky shivers down my body.
-You didn't think it would keep me long, did you?
Her words echoed through space. Fading in and out, then getting louder.
-"Enough for me to deal with most of your kids," Doom's voice was a match for her. It was an eerie scraping of metal, full of hidden rage and contempt for the world he held beneath him, -and now I can finish you off.
-Certainly not today.
The woman's certainty put everyone in a stupor. Not just me and the rest of the Fantastic Four, but Doom himself.
He threw his arms out to the sides and threw his head skyward, circling his companion.
-And who's going to stop me? Maybe the Vishanti themselves will come down here...
Victor continued speaking, savouring his own superiority. He did not relax, constantly keeping his enemies in sight, and his body, tensed to the limit, was ready to break into battle at any moment.
The duel of glances continued between him and the sorceress.
-Sometimes," I shuddered at that moment. Raising her head so that her hood no longer hid the eyes of such an ancient creature, the woman looked directly at me, giving me a slight smile before returning her attention to Doom.
-I guess your service has become too difficult for you, High Sorcerer," Victor said with a sneer as he returned to his seat, standing across from her. He gazed into her face, "Tomorrow your handmaidens will have to look for a new Guardian of the Earth.
In the next second, several things happened at once. Doom and the head sorceress fired their strongest blows at each other, creating a veritable fireworks display. The woman had no trouble holding herself in place, smiling calmly and relaxedly at the angry man.
At the same time, Richards' rubber hands tried to grab the King of Latveria, but were thrown back with a careless swing, causing Doom to take timid steps backwards, constantly looking around for more surprises from his opponents, waiting for the attack of Susan Richards, who had vanished into invisibility.
I, on the other hand, shot a hook under his feet, securing the rope and breaking into a run, drawing on all my few reserves of Qi.
The climax didn't go quite as I'd hoped. Doom stumbled, but it would be foolish to believe that would be the cause of his defeat. Quickly orientating himself, the king took a knee, bringing his power down on the remains of the roof, causing the building to groan painfully. He continued to fight the High Warlock, atomising the remnants of his strength and focus.
His gaze locked onto my approaching figure and a true beastly growl erupted from von Doom's mouth, sending a stream of green flames in my direction.
"Shit...."
My whole life flashed before my eyes as the shaft of fire swiftly swept towards me, leaving a black gash in its wake. The faces of parents, acquaintances, and friends flashed by. A few lost memories flew past my consciousness, giving me back a full understanding of Von Doom's capabilities, and most importantly, I remembered a little about the identity of his opponent.
Closing my eyes, nose, ears and mouth with Qi, relying more on luck and chance than on my own strength, I tore through the flames, easily overcoming the barrier with a shock, leaving behind me a riot of magical fire. The force barrier around my body began to disintegrate, and only my coat and mask slowly smouldered, threatening to burst into green fire again.
Meanwhile, the battle did not end. Distracted by me, Victor had let Richards's rubber arms get too close, and now one of them was wrapped around his body like a python, breaking the bones in his left forearm and hand.
The ancient one wasn't standing still either, entangling and overwhelming the powerful sorcerer and demonologist, sending dozens of orange whips at a time.
-Ahhh, you think you've won-.
Victor raged, shouting and showering everyone with threats.... But his resistance grew weaker, and when I finally reached him, von Doom was already on his knees, crucified by Richards and the Ancient's whips.
The runes on Victor's armour plates had faded, and the crushing atmosphere of power and magic around him was gone. The winds no longer raged and the lightning no longer raged.
Without thinking, I began pounding him with my Qi-infused fists, feeling each blow grow weaker. My strength was waning, and instead of a whole combination, I decided to put the rest of it into a single blow.
With a golden flash, the metal on Doom's chest sagged, knocking the air out of the man, causing him to cough.
His head hung down and he wheezed incoherently, cursing in a mixture of languages. I slumped to the ground beside him, feeling like a squeezed lemon. My arms felt like lead, and my whole body ached. The adrenaline that had drained from my blood was replaced by an unpleasant burning in every vessel.
My right cheek burned unpleasantly, but before I could even reach out a hand, a figure in an orange robe was beside me. Her eyes were hidden by the hood again, but she still had a smile on her face as she did something I didn't understand, extinguishing the flames on my mask and coat. In one motion, she ripped off the remains of the Rorschach mask.
-And here's the little pebble," she ran her fingers over my cheek, and the Ancient One smoothed the new scar that would adorn my face. As if reading my thoughts, she smiled even brighter, sneering as if nothing had happened." "It's not that noticeable. A small price to pay for such a victory.
Her eyes darted to the fallen figure of the Latverian king, then travelled around the area.
-If you still want to save face, I suggest you cover yourself. As far as I know, Mr Storm is not known for his silence.
The woman opened her palm again, revealing an entire mask.... And not just any mask, but that real, classic one, with moving ink constantly folding into shapes from a psychological test.
-А... How? How?
-Magic is capable of many things," anticipating my question, she put her hand in front of my face, saying the following words with unplayed sadness, "Unfortunately, you are not gifted in the mystical arts.
I felt like I was experiencing deja vu. My head tingled, and I wanted to ask the Ancient One more questions, but she sensed my mood and deftly rose to her feet, pulling away and walking toward Richards and his reunited crew.
The Fantastic Four were walking straight toward us, so I had no choice but to slip my mask on, marvelling at the comfort and convenience. It slipped over my head so easily, and my whole body felt like it was getting a second wind.
-Witchcraft, my arse. That's cool.
-That's your little trump card, then," Reed looked impressively at the dent in the armour and stepped forward, holding out his hand to me... from three metres away." "Nice to meet you. Sorry about that, but it's best not to turn your back on Victor.
-Yeah.
I wanted to make a joke about the soap or some other nonsense, but I managed to hold it together.
Getting acquainted with the rest of the team was a bit stilted and without much passion. Only modest shaking of hands, duty American questions and tired smiles, where each of us sadly looked around and looked in the direction of the defeated Doom.
-I'm afraid it's time for me to leave, as much as I hate to interrupt such an emotional encounter,‖ stepping aside, Ancient placed her hand on the King's shoulder, enveloping them both in an orange circle. Nodding to the Fantastic Four, the woman met my eyes one last time, -See you soon, Mr Rorschach.
-It was a good thing my mask was hiding my face, for awkwardness, embarrassment, and fear made for an unbelievable gamut," I should probably go too.
Without listening to the words of Richards and his chanting, I grabbed my hook, jumping down. I wanted to get to Peter and Gwen as soon as possible so I could leave this stupid place with them.
***
-It was...
-That was just...
-Say it, I'm not a pussycat.
-This is fucked up.
-It's fucked up.
In a moment of solidarity and unity, Pete and I bumped fists to Gwen's tired laughter. We were now hanging out on the roof of the building next door to Gwen's flat. The streets were quiet, yet New York City was bustling. Night had already fallen, and the city still didn't want to go to sleep.
The battle between Von Doom and the Four had caused a stir, although it was funny that there was no video footage or eyewitness accounts. Only ridiculous ramblings about flashes, explosions and other joys of this mad metropolis.
The news screamed about a gas leak, a terrorist bombing or a trivial mistake. And not a word about the real people involved.-I could use a beer right now.
-Oh, don't even start," I put my shabby hat on Gwen and held her against my chest, inhaling the scent of burning gas from her hair, "I'd rather take a shower, if you know what I mean.
Playing with my eyebrows, all I got was a sceptical look from Stacy and an embarrassed laugh from Parker.
-Well, maybe I'd just shower.
-Loch.
-Fuck off, mate.
-Okay, boys," Gwen rose to her feet and gave me a humble kiss on the cheek, while Pete got a friendly hug, "you guys are fun, but I'm too tired. You know, Shawn. If it's gonna be like this every day, I think I'm gonna pass.
We laughed at the joke, because we all knew we couldn't stop, especially after today, and said goodbye to my girlfriend, heading for Parker's house, where I intended to dump this walking corpse and get the hell out of the house.
Surprisingly, I wasn't feeling as tired as the guys were. My body felt great, ready for new feats and accomplishments. Probably, I was stopped from new trips for crime by moral exhaustion and solidarity with my friends, who asked me to rest and recover today.
Twenty minutes of running on the roofs, clumsy descents on the cable and here we are standing in front of the house that I could just as boldly call home.
-I'm going to bed. I'll even wash tomorrow. I have no strength at all. I'm hungry too.
-Come on, come on, hero. Go back to your cubicle.
Leaving my words unanswered, Pete sluggishly went into the house, stumbling up the veranda stairs.
There was no heartfelt conversation or speech of any kind. Parker really did look too tired, so I quietly shut the door behind him, alone in the silence of the night streets.
Looking around, breathing in the night air, I felt a real rush of energy. An uplifting feeling, and most importantly, well deserved. Victor von Doom. One of the true titans of Marvel's world. Strong, intelligent, gifted in many areas. Yes, I didn't defeat him alone... Or should I say, I didn't beat him, but still!
A real step forward. The realisation of which pushed me to go on and be a hero.
-No, no. I promised," I said, my hands hid habitually in my ragged coat, while I myself, slouching and hiding my eyes behind my hat, staggered towards the house, "I'll just walk quietly.... And if I meet anyone, I'll help, but otherwise.... But who am I kidding? What a schemer. Time to go home, potty and cot. I've really had enough heroics for today.
***
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