"PART IV"

Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man and/or related characters.

Vulture was in charge and he knew it. He had drained Johnny Storm of his power and there was nothing that Spider-Man could do to stop him.

Aflame, Vulture turned up the heat, and Spider-Man's costume clung to his body as if it were painted on. Drenched in sweat it was difficult for Spider-Man to think much less act, and his vision was blurred from the sweat that bled into his eyes. He felt dizzy as the heat started to affect him physically, holding onto a tree to keep upright.

"You'll be the first to fall to my awesome power, Spider-Man, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I have become the flame; the Phoenix rising from the ashes. . .I have become a god!"

"More like an anti-god," Spider-Man fired back, finding it difficult to breath through his mask. It was so hot that he dropped to his knees. And he started to feel tired, so tired. All he wanted to do was to close his eyes and sleep, but he couldn't succumb to the heat because he knew he would never wake up. He started to see things in the heat: an outline of something, moving, but his vision was so blurry, and his mind so warped from the heat, that he couldn't identity what that something was, if anything other than a trick of the mind. Quickly that outline burst into flames and Spider-Man knew it only be one thing.

"Go gettem, Johnny!" He softly said.

Johnny Storm grabbed Vulture by the legs as Vulture hovered a meter and half off the ground; Johnny was youthful again and had he regained his strength. Vulture looked down at what had grabbed his legs and saw Johnny. "But how? I drained you!" Vulture wondered perplexed.

"I'm the human torch, buddy!" Johnny said. "I exist as the flame, I am the flame. The moment you flamed-on, the fire begin to regenerate the cells your drained. Apart from Jean Grey, I am the Phoenix. Not you!"

That's right, Spider-Man thought. That should've occurred to me. When Johnny's cells were changed in space, his physiology also changed, so his body is able to generate and control fire. So it would only stand to reason that fire would work as a recuperative escalate to regenerate his body too.

"You can't defeat me, boy," Vulture said, rising higher above the ground, and then above Central park with Johnny holding on to him. "I can control these powers now. I can do more to you with your own powers then you have even conceived."

"Not in this lifetime," Johnny said smirking, and quickly flew up to eye level and put an arm around Vulture's neck, choking him, stopping the flow of oxygen to his brain. If could render Vulture unconscious his flame would extinguish.

Vulture struggled to free himself, choking out the words: "Stop it! You're…killing me."

"I'm gonna put out your flame for good, Vulture." Johnny said. "You'll never use my powers for evil again."

Vulture took this as a threat to kill him, and choked out, "No!"

Spider-Man listened to Johnny's words and also took that as a means to kill Vulture. Feeling not so affected by the heat, he shouted at Johnny saying: "Johnny, don't kill him. He has to pay for his crimes. If you kill him, justice won't be served."

"Spider-Man's right," Johnny said to Vulture. "Your kind of scum isn't worth blood on my hands." And released him, hovering back a few meters.

Vulture sucked in air and then turned around to face Johnny. "Hero-worship is overrated," Vulture said. "You're a fool! You could've killed me and rid the world of one less individual who threats it."

"Well, I guess that's the difference between you and me. I know what it means to be burdened with the responsibility of protecting people from scum like you. I use my power to help people, revenge is a distraction from that pursuit. I had forgotten that, but it's people like you who reinforce the belief that I was given this power for a reason."

Vulture smirked sinisterly. "Such heroic babble. You may have gotten your power by freak of nature, but technology will be your downfall. I'll suck you dry!" Vulture flew towards Johnny speedily with his arms out-stretched and his talons opened wide. "I won't be denied this opportunity to rule this miserable city!"

But suddenly and without warning Vulture was hit sideways by a large ball of water and it extinguished his fire. It was delivered from some where at lakeside. Soaked, and unable to use his wings because they were wet, Vulture plummeted and hit the ground hard.

Spider-Man looked over at the lake and saw Reed Richards transformed into a flexible catapult, his waist curved back from the rest of his body, and Sue using her mental powers to bring in water, so her husband could fire it at Vulture.

Vulture felt his head and then looked at the three members of the Fantastic Four by the lake. "I'll destroy you all for this insolence!" And tried to ignite his fire, but couldn't. "No! It's gone! How dare you rob me of my glorious power!"

Spider-Man went over to Vulture and picked him up by his costume forcefully. Vulture looked concerned that now Spider-Man had the upper hand, and that Vulture was now an old man and Spider-Man was much stronger. He had used up all his youthful energy that he drained from both Spider-Man and Johnny Storm. "You robbed yourself, Vulture," Spider-Man said. "You should have known fire begets fire, and Johnny Storm is the human flame."

Johnny landed and went over to them. "That's right, dirt bag," he said to Vulture. "And if you ever try this again, I'll fry you to ashes."

"Fools!" Vulture said, suddenly coming up with a plan. "You may have foiled my plan, but I'm not defeated yet." And he grabbed the shoulders of both Spider-Man and Johnny Storm, and started to drain them of their strength and youth, but only enough to restore his own vitality. Spider-Man released Vulture in a bout with weakness and Vulture took to the air. His wings now dry he flapped them to hover. "I'll be back, Spider-Man, and next time things will be different. And as for you, boy…I'm not finished with you! Not by a long shot." He said to Johnny Storm. "I'll be back to finish what I started."

But suddenly Vulture clamped together tightly as if he were tied up and the bird man dropped like a stone, screaming in fear. He landed with a thud and let out a groan, and lay there immobile. Vulture wasn't dead because Spider-Man could see his chest rising, so he was breathing. But that was a hard fall. What happened? Spider-Man then saw that Vulture was indeed tied up, with webbing.

It was then that Venom came out of the shadows and stood over the man. Spider-Man looked at Venom but didn't say anything. Venom nodded to Spider-Man, and then said, "Justice will be served." He draped Vulture over his right shoulder, shot out a web and took to the air. Spider-Man tried to see where Venom had gone, but the sun blinded him.

Reed Richards, Sue Richards and Ben Grimm, joined Spider-Man and Johnny Storm and had a talk after putting out the fires in the Central Park.

"Gotta apologise for before, Reed," Johnny said.

"I came across as a little callous myself," Reed replied. "I'm not your keeper, but I am your friend. And we heard what you said about being responsible for your own actions. If you can admit that, that's all the apology needed."

"Thanks Reed."

"We're all a family," Sue added. "And I love you, Johnny. We all have to be mindful of our powers. Yours are more hazardous, but a life is more important and I'm glad you're okay." Sue turned to Spider-Man. "Thank you, Spider-Man."

"As we superheroes say: All in a days work." Spider-Man said. "I'm just glad we stopped Vulture."

"Where do you suppose Venom took Vulture anyway?" Johnny asked.

"I don't know," Spider-Man replied, looking up into the sky. "But wherever it is I wouldn't want to be in Vulture's shoes right about now."

- TBC