Chapter 34: Hurry! Hurry!!
Kingpin's rage was immense, but his mind was still sharp. As he roared his challenge into the shadows, he gave a sharp hand signal to Tombstone. One man might not be able to handle the shadowy intruder, but two would surely be enough.
The surviving researchers, trembling from the sudden blackout and explosion, cowered under their lab tables, utterly useless. A few, however, hid with practiced calm. They hadn't expected a hero to lead with an EMP. Weren't they afraid of destabilizing the collider and swallowing Brooklyn in a singularity? The perpetrator's confidence in his device's precision was either genius or madness. One female researcher gritted her teeth, furious at this disruptive vigilante, but her complaint was lost in the chaos.
Tombstone moved to the blown-open laboratory door, his heavy pistol raised. He would empty the entire magazine into the first thing that moved.
BOOM!
A concussive blast wave hit him like a freight train, slamming him off his feet and into a console before he could even squeeze the trigger.
Kingpin barely had time to register his lieutenant flying sideways before a grapple line snapped around his thick neck from behind. A dark figure used the tension to swing into his field of vision, boots-first.
The Bat had revealed himself.
Fisk reacted with shocking speed for his size, the pistol in his hand coming up to aim. But a small, magnetic disc was already stuck to its barrel, a tiny red light blinking.
Using the grapple line for leverage, Bruce pivoted behind the massive crime lord.
POP!
CRASH!
Two impacts sounded almost as one. The first was the small charge on the pistol detonating, shredding the weapon in Fisk's hand. The second was Kingpin's bulk slamming through a heavy lab table as Bruce executed a perfect hip throw.
The Bat landed in a crouch, already reassessing. The big man was getting up, slowly, methodically. His durability was on par with Bane's—impressive for someone without venom enhancement.
Fisk stood, looking at the ruined metal in his palm, then crushing it into a tighter ball. He glared at the dark figure. "I don't know why you people always come between a man and his family!"
"You aren't saving your family," Bruce's voice was a cold, steady counterpoint to Fisk's heat. "You're trying to fill a hole you created." Bruce's muscles were coiled, every sense tuned for the counter-assault he knew was coming.
Backlit by the chaotic glow of the unstable collider, Kingpin looked like a demon made flesh. "I've already killed one spider," he growled. "I won't mind crushing a bat!"
He moved. The burst of speed from his colossal frame was terrifying. A fist like a cinder block shot toward Bruce's head.
Bruce didn't block. He dropped, a fluid descent that let the fist pass over him, and slipped inside Fisk's guard. He planted his feet and drove a piston-straight punch into the man's floating ribs.
Even Kingpin grunted, stumbling two steps sideways.
Bruce gave him no quarter. He stepped in, a low, devastating kick crashing into the side of Fisk's knee. A half-ton of focused force made the joint buckle.
A successful strike. Bruce spun, a back-fist aimed for the temple.
This time, Fisk was ready. He raised a massive forearm, taking the blow, and his other hand shot out, catching Bruce's ankle in a vise-like grip. With a roar of effort, he hurled the Bat across the room.
CRUNCH!
Bruce's body impacted the reinforced window frame of the lab. A pained grunt was forced from his lips.
Hnng—
Nearby, Tombstone groaned, shaking off the blast's effects. His blurry vision cleared on the sight of the Bat slumped against the frame. He lurched forward, driving a punch into Bruce's midsection.
Bruce absorbed the blow, his arms shooting up to trap Tombstone's punching arm in a cross-lock. Using his own weight and momentum, he twisted, dragging the larger man down with him. As they hit the floor, Tombstone tried to land another punch.
Bruce was faster. He arched his back, using the leverage to slam Tombstone's pinned arm against the floor. SNAP.
"AAAAAGH!" Tombstone's scream was cut short as Bruce reared up and delivered a crushing hammer-fist to his jaw. The enforcer went still.
Bruce pushed himself up, breathing heavily now. It wasn't fatigue; it was the blooming pain from the impact with the frame, starting to interfere with his fluidity.
Careful! Thomas's warning voice flashed in his mind.
Bruce reacted, but it was a fraction too slow. Tombstone, in his last moment of consciousness, had locked his functional hand around Bruce's ankle in a death grip. The grip was weakening, but in a fight like this, any delay was lethal.
Kingpin, limping but unstoppable, was already charging. A human battering ram fueled by grief and rage.
"GO TO HELL WITH ME!" Fisk screamed, his face a mask of psychotic fury. He didn't care about the collider, the plan, anything. He slammed into Bruce, the unconscious Tombstone still tangled at the Bat's feet.
The combined mass of the three men crashed through the laboratory's wall in an explosion of drywall and steel framing, tumbling out into the vast, open space surrounding the active collider chamber.
The few remaining researchers scattered like roaches, fleeing through the hole Bruce had originally made.
"BAT!!!"
Peter B. Parker's shout echoed through the chamber. He was already in motion, kicking off a wall, web-shooters aimed.
Gwen, having just thrown the Prowler across the room, spun toward the new crisis. Her wrist flicked, a web-line shooting with pinpoint accuracy toward the falling, tangled mass.
In her mind, a desperate mantra screamed against the roar of the collider and the sounds of battle:
Hurry up! HURRY UP!!
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
💕Patreon members get early access to chapters, bonus content, and voting power on future ideas.💕
Every bit of support helps me write more and faster. Thank you so much for reading! 🥰
✨✨ I'll release an extra chapter for every 5 reviews! ✨✨🥳🥳 For every 50 power stones! 🥳🥳
Lets hit the goal of 60 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕