Symbiotic Boots 2: The Spawning
Chapter 13: Structural Integrity
by Boofka

Watching from his helicopter platform, Doctor Doom was not happy. He saw his men retreating out of the warehouse. What was more alarming was that flames had begun to shoot up out of the top of the building. In the distance, he could hear police sirens, helicopters, and fire-trucks.

He sighed. The symbiote research, and all of the specimens were most likely destroyed in the fire. The American forces would probably arrest his troops and scientists, and they would be sent to be dealt with by SHIELD where they would proceed to spill his secrets.

He couldn't win the war in Symkaria. He would not defeat the Avengers. It was over.

Doctor Doom sighed again. "We will not be retrieving the specimens. Take me to my plane. It's over." he told his pilot as he got on board his helicopter.

The pilot took off, just as other helicopters were approaching. Doctor Doom took a quick look out of his window to witness the burning warehouse. All the work, planning, everything… it had all come to this.

Then he thought that this was no way a leader of Latveria to act. This was a mere temporary, and not at all permanent, setback. He strengthened himself out, and began preparing for his next plan in his mind as his helicopter set out into the setting sun...

"Okay, everyone, out of the building! NOW!" Reed Richards screamed to the scientists. They, panicked, followed his command, and ran out of the building. Reed followed behind, before glancing behind him, noticing that Johnny, Sue, and Ben were staring at the Booted Beauty, who was being held by the Pink Devil. Next to them… was that a dead man? Reed had no time to ask questions as he escorted the scientists out of the building. It was not going to last too much longer…

Amy was the first to notice that the flames were slowly taking over the warehouse. She looked above her as she held MJ, and MJ cried into her chest.

"MJ…" she whispered.

MJ looked at her. Her face was still exposed, and her eyes were watery from crying.

"MJ… this building… we need to get out of here… this building's not gonna last."

MJ did nothing for a second, then sighed and nodded. She turned around to survey the damage, and accidentally made eye contact with Susan.

Susan recognized the girl in the symbiote suit, but from where? She tried to place that face, she knew she knew it from somewhere, she just wasn't sure… Of course!

"But… no, it can't be…" Susan said, as MJ stood up to face the other three, her face still exposed.

Ben and Johnny appeared to be having the same sort of revelation: that the face of the young woman in front of them belonged to Spider-Man's girlfriend, Mary-Jane Watson. She was the Booted Beauty, and they had just seen her kill someone.

MJ sniffed, and wiped her eyes again. The jaws of the three superheroes she was standing in front of all dropped.

"You're… you're Mary Jane…" Johnny said, surprised and dismayed.

MJ nodded, still overcome with emotion.

"Why?" Ben asked. "Why'd you do it?"

"He… touched me. Fondled me. When he captured… me. While I was… naked." MJ began crying again. Amy walked over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to… I was just so… so… sooooo… angry!"

Sue nodded. "You're symbiote got the better of you? Of your emotions?"

MJ nodded, looking down at the ground, unwilling to look up at the members of the Fantastic Four with whom she was talking.

It was Sue who walked over and embraced MJ. MJ put a hand on Sue's back, making it a mutual hug.

"I know it must be so hard. To be violated. Your symbiote just reacted to that anger you were feeling." Sue backed away so she could lift MJ's chin up. "Mary Jane, you didn't kill that man. You are a good person. I admire what you do as the Booted Beauty."

MJ blushed.

"I truly do, dear. Things just got out of hand. That's not your fault. He did wrong. Not you."

MJ embraced Sue again, and after a few seconds, released Sue and turned to face Ben and Johnny.

"Does Peter know…?" Johnny asked.

"No." MJ said, allowing the mask to reform on her face. "Please, don't tell Peter..."

Johnny paused for a few seconds, contemplating the full implication of what she had just said, before nodding.

"Our lips are sealed, sweetheart." Ben said with a sympathetic smile.

Just then, a large piece of roof fell right down next to where they were all standing.

"Uh oh, we gotta get outta here!" Ben screamed. Johnny nodded, and flames erupted around his body, and he took off and flew through a hole in the ceiling.

Ben scoffed. "Typical…"

The flames had completely engulfed the warehouse at this point, and more and more of it was falling apart. Loud creaking noises echoed throughout the building. Ben quickly punched a hole in the side of the building just as one of the structural support beams started coming down.

"In here!" he screamed to the women, who followed him in running out of the hole and into the outside. When they were a safe distance away, they turned around to watch as the building finally lurched, and began collapsing in on itself. A fireball shot into the sky, and there was a big cloud of smoke that blanketed the compound.

It was over, MJ thought to herself. It was finally over…

Firetrucks began putting out the fire in the burned-out warehouse, while the scientists and soldiers surrendered to the SHIELD forces that arrived shortly after the explosion. They were escorted into and hauled away into several SHIELD vans that took off away from the compound. While the police, firemen, and SHIELD agents dug around the burned out warehouse, a helicopter landed next to the burned out building. MJ looked up to discover Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, stepping off of the helicopter.

"Reed!" he shouted at Mr. Fantastic. Reed turned around, and shook hands.

"Any sign of Doctor Doom?" Fury asked.

"We think he took off right before you guys arrived. He's probably on a plane headed straight for Latveria at the moment…" Reed said to Fury.

"Well, whatever you guys did here, it worked. Doom has asked for a full retreat of his soldiers from the border with Symkaria. The Avengers will be returning any day now."

"That's great news!" Reed said.

Fury turned around to discover MJ and Amy.

"I don't believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, though I know a lot about you, Booted Beauty."

Fury stuck a hand, and MJ shook it. "Pleasure is all mine, sir."

"From what I understand, they kidnapped you and attempted to make an army based on the successful symbiote formula of your boots?"

"Yes." MJ said.

Fury was contemplative. "Booted Beauty, you are a vigilante. You have not made yourself known to me, or to law enforcement, despite several questions about how you attained your boots. You have appeared to be a risk at best and a threat at worst. "

Fury then pulled MJ close, and whispered in her ear "I know it was you attacked the Oscorp building, and I know you hired someone or you yourself stole the boots back after they were taken from you. And I know you nearly killed your accomplice just yesterday under the influence of your symbiote..." He nodded towards Amy, who was some distance away from them.

MJ was scared. She didn't know what Fury was going to say next. Fury backed away from her to address her again.

"However," Fury continued, "from what I have gathered, you have performed extremely admirably. Your symbiotes incapacitated two assassins, and you took your boots back. You alerted my friends in the Fantastic Four as to Doctor Doom's plan, how to stop him, and you helped hold off the soldiers. For that," Fury paused for effect, "I'm granting the Booted Beauty a full pardon. SHIELD will override and cancel the NYPD's warrant for your arrest. So long as you are on our side…"

Fury leaned into whisper again, "If there is any reason to doubt you, or any incident where you prove to be a threat to yourself or others, I will not be as forgiving as I am tonight… You're on our team now, and will be held to the highest of standards."

MJ gulped. She was scared about what would happen if Fury ever found out what happened in the warehouse tonight. Despite that, she nodded and said "Deal."

"I look forward to working with you again in the future, Booted Beauty." With that, Fury walked away, and Amy came up behind her friend.

"Well, that's it then?" Amy asked.

"Not quite. C'mon, let's say goodbye to the Fantastic Four. After that, we head home, but I got something special planned for you…" MJ said.

MJ and Amy walked to where the Fantastic Four had assembled.

"The Pink Devil and I, well, we wanted to thank you. For helping us out." MJ said.

"The pleasure was ours. You were a big help. I can't imagine the stress you've been under, being kidnapped, having to save the world. But, we're always onto Victor. We keep an eye on him, and let me tell you, he won't ever mess with you two again." Reed said. The other three nodded.

MJ and Amy shook Reed's hand. "You ever need anything, anything at all, just let us know. In fact, you guys want a ride back into town?"

MJ and Amy looked at each other. "No, thanks. I think we're gonna go swinging instead. You know, it's going to be such a lovely night out…"

Reed shrugged. "Suit yourself" he said as the other Fantastic Four members waved goodbye and made their way to the hover car.

"C'mon, Pink Devil. I owe you a swing around the city…" MJ said to her partner, holding her hand up for a high five. Amy gave it, then grabbed MJ's hand.

"Deal." she whispered in MJ's ear.

A fireman was digging out the remains of the warehouse, which had smoldered into mostly a pile of ashes and discarded metal, when he heard a noise.

He went over to the source of it, and saw a hand poking out of several layers of the aluminum roofing, and moaning underneath the metal.

"Oh, my God! Get somebody! We got a live one! Get a nurse! We got someone! Alive! We got a live survivor!" he screamed...