Peter spotted the vial rolling across the warehouse floor and reacted instantly.
"Got it!"
He fired a web line, ready to pull the antidote to safety.
However, the web was quickly severed by a crimson lightsaber before its wielder lunged for the precious vial.
"Thank you for the assist, boy," Prosset Dibs said mockingly, snatching up the container.
"Not happening!" Anakin shouted, executing a Force-enhanced flip that brought his lightsaber down toward Dibs, who barely managed to block with his free arm.
Moments later, the vial was pulled from Dibs' grasp by Obi-Wan using the Force, but the Jedi Master immediately found himself under attack from Rodry, whose lightsaber slashed dangerously close to his neck.
The assault distracted Kenobi enough for Dibs to Force-push Anakin backward while simultaneously yanking the vial from Obi-Wan's hand.
However, the antidote was immediately caught by Peter's webbing again, and this time it made its way into the young hero's grasp.
He barely had time to secure it before Kadrian Sey materialized directly in front of him, her sudden appearance causing him to fumble the vial.
Fortunately, it was close enough to the ground that it didn't shatter upon impact.
Everyone immediately lunged desperately toward the fallen antidote.
Prosset reached out and attempted to use the Force to summon the vial into his hand, but it was yanked away by another of Peter's web lines.
Rumlow shoved Anakin aside and charged for the container, only to be struck in the back of the head by Steve's hurled shield.
Kadrian and Rodry rushed toward the vial while Anakin and Obi-Wan ignited their azure lightsabers to intercept the crimson blades of both acolytes.
As their weapons clashed, the opposing Force users immediately began pushing against each other through the Force.
In an instant, both sides were locked in a deadly struggle of will and power. Everything around them began to vibrate and fracture under the immense invisible pressure.
Eventually, with Steve's tactical support, Obi-Wan managed to overpower his opponent and send him crashing into the warehouse wall. The veteran Jedi then turned to assist Anakin in overwhelming his own adversary.
"Blast these Jedi!" Rodry snarled, only to have his mouth covered by a ball of webbing. Multiple web lines immediately shot out, striking various parts of his body.
Within moments, he was pinned against a nearby wall, completely immobilized in a web cocoon that covered everything except his nose and eyes for breathing.
Rumlow gritted his teeth, recognizing that this had become a lost cause.
Prosset, Dibs, and Kadrian were fighting a losing battle against two Jedi Masters and Steve Rogers. He could see it was only a matter of time before the trio overpowered the acolytes—one of whom was already being "gift-wrapped" by the youngest Avenger.
Rumlow quickly input commands into his wrist device, then slid behind the far wall, opened a concealed access panel, and crawled inside the maintenance tunnel. As the cover sealed, he pulled out a remote detonator and pressed the activation button.
The mercenary sprinted toward his backup escape vessel, knowing he had only moments before his insurance policy activated.
BOOM!
A devastating chain reaction began as explosive charges throughout the ceiling, support beams, and foundation of the entire warehouse detonated in sequence.
The entire structure shook violently as multiple explosions erupted both inside and outside the building.
"That treacherous mercenary!" Kadrian roared in fury.
"We must evacuate immediately!" Prosset commanded, rushing to free the still-trapped Rodry while Kadrian assisted.
The floor began collapsing beneath everyone's feet, forcing the Force users to leap high into the air to reach safety before making a desperate escape from the disintegrating structure.
The acolytes knew they would pursue Rumlow later for this act of betrayal, but right now they needed to flee before Republic forces arrived to investigate.
The two Jedi Masters quickly used the Force to help Steve become airborne so he could land at a safe distance from the collapsing building. After touchdown, he ran toward the nearest exit.
As this evacuation unfolded, Obi-Wan followed behind Steve with Anakin close beside him.
However, when Anakin looked back, he saw Peter running in the opposite direction.
"Peter! We need to get out of here!"
Peter didn't respond, instead sprinting at full speed toward the section of collapsed flooring where the antidote had fallen.
As the floor continued to disintegrate, the vial tumbled through the widening gap. Peter dove headfirst into the opening to catch the descending object.
He fired multiple web lines to the surrounding walls, using them to swing closer to the precious antidote.
He was mere centimeters from grasping the vial when his spider-sense exploded with warning. But he was too focused on the mission, and everything went black as tons of debris crashed down upon him.
The last sounds he heard were Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Steve shouting his name as he was buried under the rubble of the collapsed warehouse.
The three stood before the massive crater that had been Rumlow's hideout, expressions of panic and desperation etched on their faces.
"I can't sense him through the Force!" Anakin said desperately, then turned to Steve with anguish. "Damn it, why couldn't you have Force sensitivity?"
"That's not helping anyone right now!"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan cautioned gently.
"I know, I know!" Skywalker replied, running his hands through his hair. "It's just... we should have anticipated this. What were we thinking? We charged in like a squad of battle droids without proper reconnaissance, and—"
"Enough," Steve interrupted, leaping into the crater. "We need to find him. Now."
When consciousness returned, Peter found himself gasping for air, barely able to breathe properly.
Everything hurt—waves of pain shooting through his body from head to toe.
He could barely move, pinned beneath countless pieces of twisted metal and concrete debris that had nearly crushed him completely.
He frantically clawed at his mask, pulling it away as he breathed heavily, taking desperate gulps of air thick with dust and particles.
He could barely move his arms as he discarded the mask and tried to find a way to escape his concrete prison.
When people hear the expression that "the weight of the world rests on someone's shoulders," most assume it's a metaphor—a psychological burden.
But Peter Parker was experiencing it in the most literal way possible, feeling the crushing weight of tons of debris pressing down on him.
Peter began to feel his breath becoming labored, and he started to panic, struggling desperately to lift the massive metal beam pinning his back, but to no avail.
Fear was setting in now.
"Okay, okay, okay," Peter whispered to himself, pushing against the metal beam again, but failing once more.
His panic was escalating, and Peter looked up as best he could through the small gaps in the rubble.
"Help! Help me! Anyone?!" he called out desperately. "Cap? Anakin! Obi-Wan! I—I'm stuck! I'm down here! I'm trapped! I can't move! I can't..."
As his consciousness began to fade and his strength ebbed away, Peter's eyes fluttered closed as his head dropped forward.
The antidote lay just inches from his outstretched fingertips, tantalizingly close yet impossibly far away.