I am so done with this chapter I swear

Chapter Thirty-Four

Ex Dolo Malo

"You still think this was a good idea?" I shouted, currently in the middle of fighting both Montana and Richochet, who was being impossible to catch.

Spider-Man, who was being wrangled by Doctor Octopus and drowning in sand at the same time, called back, "Shut up! I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Easy now, girly," Montana said, raising his fists at me. I still had no idea how any of these guys got their stuff back, or how they all managed to break out at exactly the same time we were, but I sure wasn't appreciating the coincidence. "We don't want anyone to get hurt, do we?"

"Oh, please," I grimaced, throwing a broken bench at him. The cell block had been utterly destroyed in what had only been minutes, but felt like an eternity. "I can't even remember your name!"

The only reason we were all still in here was because of Ryker's security system, the doors having barricaded themselves and some guards providing (mostly unhelpful) cover fire. So far, they only managed to take down the non-powered inmates.
"What?" Montana spluttered as I tried to land a punch on Ricochet, only for him to bounce away like a rabbit on caffeine. "The name is Shocker!"

"Shocker?" I asked, knowing full well who he was, and just enjoying the utter look of nuisance on the cowboy's face. I flew after Ricochet, trying to find space to maneuver in this tight space, while Montana followed me with a shockwave. "Doesn't Electro have the whole 'shocking' shtick down already?"

"I will not tolerate disrespect, missy!" Montana shouted, aiming his next barrage of shockwaves at me.

Luckily, I had learned from the last time we fought and managed to avoid it just in time to tackle Ricochet — and then use him as a shield when the shockwave finally hit.

It knocked the both of us back, crashing through metal, head over heels, and I lost my grip on Ricochet. I hit my head and for a moment the world went dark.

When I came to, my shoulder was bruised and every bone in my back cracked as I stood up. Shaking my head, I found myself standing in another hallway, outside of the cell block — and to find my way back barred by another metal wall.

"No!" I ran over, slamming my fist against the metal. Through the small portholes I could see Spider-Man continuing the fight on his own. "Damn it!"

I couldn't risk opening the door and allowing more criminals to escape. Frustrated, I turned away, deciding to find my own way out, maybe reconnect with Spider-Man some other way.

Ricochet had just gained consciousness as I walked over. His helmet had been knocked off by the blast, and there was a manic grin on his face as he looked around. "Hey, I'm free — oof!"

"Not today," I muttered, knocking him across the head and casting him back into oblivion once more. I almost wanted to leave him there, to get on with my mission, but figured that he'd probably wake up soon, and I wasn't going to let even one guy get out if I could help it.

So I had to drag his useless body over to nearby closet and stuff him inside, using a combination of extra wiring and some hasty knot-making to tie him up and keep him from getting lose while I was gone. After disabling the battery pack on his suit, I closed the door on Ricochet, locking him inside.

Clapping my hands together, I started making my way down the hall.

"Orange suits you, Falcon."

"Ross?" I whipped my head back up, alarmed. What the hell was he doing here? Did he follow me back from Detroit? I glared at the speakers as if I could send mental daggers to the man himself. "What happened to Captain Stacy? Norman Osborn?"

"Norman had other business to attend to. As for Stacy? He's a little preoccupied at the moment." Ross said, his tone far too light. "There was an incident down at City Hall, and he's doing his job. Not wasting his time with you."

"Why? What happened at City Hall?" my stomach dropped. It had to be pretty bad if Stacy had to deal with it in person. "Is the city in danger?"
"That's no longer your concern," Ross replied. Suddenly, all around me I heard machinery clanking. Then the door to my left slammed shut, a thick sheet of metal coming down and blocking the exit. "I'm afraid you'll be staying in the Vault for the foreseeable future."

I just barely managed to throw myself through the next door before the metal barrier came slamming down. My heart was pounding as I looked left and right, desperate to find a way out. I couldn't stop, though, I had to keep running, to just stay ahead and not get caught in the halls. If Ross wanted to keep me in here, then this was about to get a lot harder.

I cursed under my breath as I continued sprinting down the hall, outrunning each door as it passed by, each coming down like dominoes. This was definitely not what I planned to be doing on my return to being Falcon. What a great start.

Then I saw a doorway to a maintenance room on my right, not yet barred. Galvanized, I changed direction on a dime, slamming my shoulder into the door. The metal dented under the force, but it didn't give until I flicked my hand and unlocked it first. The hinges gave immediately, and I stumbled, catching myself on the railing of the stairs. I had turned my head just as the door behind me slammed shut, another metal barrier coming down.

"I lost visual!" I heard Ross say, although he sounded far away, like he were shouting at someone in the room with him while the mic was still on. "Someone get in there and find her!"

"You probably should've installed cameras, Ross," I said, then frowned when I didn't get a response. Maybe this part was even less equipped then I thought — Ross couldn't hear anything I said.

Excellent.

As I looked up into the large dark room, Ross's presence reminded me the very obvious fact that I lied to the Doc about what happened. That he was, what, the monster? Something that I couldn't see in that humble, almost non-descript man who also occasionally saved lives at the local hospital. He took me in when I had no place else to go, he gave me food, and he asked surprisingly fewer questions than I imagined. How was that a monster?

I didn't know if Ross was just trying to play tricks on me. Did he know that I knew Bruce Banner? It seemed so unlikely, yet here I was, in that specific situation. What could the Doc have done to earn him such a title? Did he just run away from something he didn't like, or did something more sinister happened?

Whatever it was, I couldn't focus on it right now. Climbing onto the railing, I unfurled my wings. First, I had to get out of this hellhole and see what was going on outside. Something had happened, something bad, possibly because me and Spider-Man were very clearly stuck in here. If Jameson had anything to do about it, then the whole world would know we were in here.

I decided I would deal with the whole 'monster' idea later, when I had more information, when I knew more about the Doc as a person. If I was closed off, then he was even more so, and for my own sake I couldn't pry just yet.

Taking off, I shot up into the massive room, rounding about the large machinery and hydraulics system that acted as the main function for Ryker's security. The Vault was already deep underground, an added defense mechanism to make it harder for inmate to escape. I imagined those in Ryker's who had a bad enough record would be sent down into the Vault once it was done testing.

Then I saw a flash of red and blue out of the corner of my eye, and flared my wings, dropping back down. "Spidey!"

"Birdbrain! You got out!" Spider-Man called back when I came back around, grabbing hold of the catwalk's railing to catch myself, only for the metal to bend under my grip. It started to break, until he reached out and caught my hand, pulling me to the landing. "I knew you could do it!"

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, then did a double take when I realized we weren't alone. I recognized the white hair and domino mask instantly. "…Is that Black Cat? Are you breaking her out?"

"What? No!"

"Actually, I'm breaking in," Black Cat purred, giving me a slightly dissatisfied smirk. She prodded Spider-Man's shoulder, "Aw, sugar, you should've told me we weren't going to be alone."

"Wow, ew," I held up my hands, shaking my head, while Spider-Man ducked away, embarrassed. I hadn't been away for five minutes and already he was in cahoots with a known criminal. I should not be surprised. "I didn't need to hear that. Anyways, what the hell are you guys doing?"

"There's been a, er, jailbreak." Spider-Man said, just as the door behind him opened and out came a middle-aged man in an orange jumpsuit.

"Okay, that should hold them off for a while," the man was saying as he turned around. He wiped his hands on his chest, but froze when he saw me. "Oh, no, not another hero."

I appraised the man, who didn't exactly look like the type of 'dangerous criminal' I expected to find in here. "Uh, who're you?"

The man opened his mouth, but Spider-Man held up a hand, pushing the man back. "He's no one. Let's go."

I was startled by the tone of Spider-Man's voice, his brusqueness as he suddenly turned away and leapt up the stairs. The sudden change in demeanor alone had me pausing a bit; but also the fact that I had never seen him act this way, in or outside of the mask. Something must be bothering him.

Something bad.

Throwing one last glance behind me at the two criminals, I went after Spider-Man, catching up with him. Making sure we were far enough away, I bowed my head and whispered, "Peter, what's going on? Who is he?"

"He's Black Cat's dad. Walter, I guess his name is." he responded, tone still carefully neutral, yet strained. I could see his hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Another red flag. "A burglar. A murderer."

"Murderer?" My mind went back, trying to think of some important political figure who might've been offed, or some other public murder that got a lot of news attention, but I came up with a blank. "Who did he kill?"

"You know who."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, speechless. What was Peter saying? I mean, there weren't a lot of options when it came to important people between us. It could only be the one… did Peter — was he talking about Uncle Ben?

I had stopped in my shock, but Spider-Man had kept walking, shoulders hunched. With the two criminals catching up, I surged forward, grabbing him by the arm, pulling Spider-Man to a halt. "Wait, stop! You mean — you mean Uncle Ben? That man, he's the one — he's the one who-who shot —"

"Yeah."

I just stared at him. I wished I could see Peter's face. I wanted him to see mine, for him to know we weren't alone in this. The shock, the pain. I wanted him to know I understood.

But I also wanted to know: "And you're helping him escape? After what he did?"

He threw up his arms, pushing me away. "Of course not! He doesn't deserve that! But he's the only one who knows the Vault the best, a-and he's willing to help us stop the-the other ones trying to escape. The Sinister Six. They've got their-their stuff back and I am not up for another fight with them —"

"Okay, no, I get it, that's fine," I waved my hands, deciding not to push the matter. "But are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" he demanded, and didn't give me a chance to answer, just turning on his heel and opening the door behind him, disappearing inside. "Let's just get this over with."

I bit my lip and followed him, glancing over my shoulder at Black Cat and the older man, Walter. They returned my look with suspicion and nervousness, respectively. For a murderer, Walter certainly appeared…underwhelming. Almost fatherly.

I decided the best thing for Peter right now was to stay focused. Calling after him, I asked, "So, what's the plan, then?"

"We have to stop the other prisoners from escaping," Spider-Man said, and although his voice was still tense, his anger seemed to be abating a little. Or maybe he was just suppressing it for a later point. I couldn't be sure. "I don't know how, but the Sinister Six managed to get their old equipment sent back to themselves, must've been planning this for a while. If we didn't show up, I doubt Ryker's would've been able to stop them."

"Fantastic," I muttered under my breath, just as I heard loud clanking reverberate through the building walls. I pointed up, "Uh, is that them?"

"Probably," Black Cat answered as Spider-Man tilted his head to reply. She strode past us, her white hair swishing back and forth. She appeared to be older than us, but I got the feeling she was younger than she looked. "The point is, all four of us get out of here, and make sure the rest of those goons stay inside."

"I'm not letting a murderer escape," Spider-Man said, his voice hard. I honestly thought he'd yell, so I was surprised by how quiet his voice was.

At the same time, Walter said, "Felicity, sweetheart, it's fine, I'm not —"

"No." Black Cat held up her hands, setting her jaw and glaring at the three of us. She pointed at her father, "I broke in here to get you out, Daddy. I'm not leaving until I do. I don't care who I have to fight on the way to make that happen."

Spider-Man threw his hands at Walter. "He's in here for a reason, can't you see that —"

"That goes for you, too, Webhead," Black Cat snarled, so fiercely that Spider-Man leaned back a little. "If you so much as lay a sticky finger on my father, I swear, I'll —"

"Okay, enough!" I snapped, throwing out my hands and unwittingly sending a blast of cold air around us. It nearly knocked the others off their feet, throwing up hair and clothes, and was enough to silence them long enough for me to talk. "I get it, you guys got issues and some conflicting motivations, but!" I threw a glare at Spider-Man in particular. "We have a bigger problem. Let's focus on stopping the Sinister Six, then we can deal with Mr. Walter over here, okay? I'm sure we'll all be in a better mood to think when we aren't being hounded by a bunch of angry supervillains out for revenge."

"Depending on how this night goes," Black Cat sniffed, turning on her heel and stalking away. "They might not be the only ones."

Then she broke into a run, suddenly sprinting down the halls. The rest of us exchanged looks of surprise before going after her.

Black Cat must have been really ticked, because she didn't slow down even after we asked. It wasn't until Walter mentioned something about his heart did she finally glance back and come to a stop, taking a second to check on him while Spider-Man and I darted forward.

I threw a hand back, looking to Spider-Man. "Shouldn't we —"

"No," he said, not even looking at me. "We keep going. That's the plan, right?"

"Right, but—" I paused to suck in breath "— I should probably mention—" I panted, skidding around the corner just as Spider-Man came to a stop. I barely avoided crashing into him, before seeing what blocked our path.

A dozen armed soldiers in black gear, visors, and guns, aimed at us.

Black Cat and her father appeared a second after me, gasping in surprise. I managed to finish, "— General Ross is here."

"Ross?" Spider-Man hissed, taking a half-step back with his hands up. "You mean that guy from Detroit you met? I haven't heard about him since you told me two weeks ago."

"You mean your bird friend here's got beef with a U.S. general?" Black Cat demanded, and I couldn't tell if she sounded more irritated or impressed. "This day just keeps getting more interested, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, funny." I muttered, as the speakers over our heads crackled to life.

"This is your last chance, Falcon," Ross warned, and the soldiers in front of us shifted in unison. The four of us pressed closer together, silently agreeing that this was a very bad situation. "Surrender now, and I'll spare you and your friends."

"Peter," I said under my breath, and he tilted his head towards me. "On the count of three, I want you guys to run."

"What?" He hissed. "Are you nuts?"

Ross kept talking over us, completely oblivious. "Maybe you'll even get a hearing, although after all the crimes you've committed against this country, I don't have high hopes for that —"

"Just trust me!" I snapped, raising my hands, as if in surrender. The other three did the same, although now they were tensed. Black Cat was slowly backing up, pushing her father behind her. "Go back the way you came, close the Vault. I'll handle this."

"Falcon, I'm not —" Spider-Man started to protest.

I wasn't listening anymore. Turning my gaze towards the soldiers, I started flexing my fingers. "Three —"

"— Wait, stop —" Spider-Man grabbed my shoulder.

"— What's going on? What's she doing?" Black Cat demanded.

"— Two —"

"Crap! Fine!" Spider-Man finally let me go, stumbling back. To Black Cat and her father, he said, "We gotta go!"

"Falcon, if you so much as twitch—" Ross snarled, alarmed by the sight of the other three suddenly retreating. "— I order you to stand down or —"

"One!" I cried, just as the three disappeared around the corner. At the same time, I threw down my arms, sweeping them out as I dropped to a crouch.

"Fire!" Ross bellowed.

FWOOM!

Just as the soldiers were about to pull their triggers, a massive wind came barreling through the corridor — I dropped to a crouch to avoid the brunt of it hitting my back. I raised my head just in time to see all soldiers get knocked back, caught completely off guard as my telekinesis sent them flying.

Guns and helmets were scattered as the soldiers landed haphazardly across the corridor. Before any of them could retrieve their weapons, I raised my hands again, drawing up the weapons into the air. I clapped my hands together, and metal crunched as the guns were mashed into an incomprehensible ball of bent and twisted metal.

I let it fall with a loud crunch. Returning to my feet, I launched myself forward, leaping over the bodies and making headway for the end of the corridor. There was a wide window at the end, showing a dark sky, and all I could think of was how easy it would be to fly out of here.

My plans of escape were abruptly cut short when a hand wrapped around my hand, and I fell, landing hard on my chest. "Oof!"

"If you think I'm letting you out of here alive, Falcon," Ross said over the speakers as the soldier continued to drag me back. I rolled around, kicked at his head until he let go, and just barely managed to dodge the strike from another soldier who had also gotten up. "You're a menace to society. You cause rampant destruction wherever you go. You can't control your emotions, and people, innocent people, get hurt. Is that what you call a superhero?"

"That hasn't happened in months!" I shouted back, getting back to my feet and swiping a kick at the second soldier, sending him flying back into a wall. "I've changed, I've learned, I know better —"

"Know better?" came Ross's snort, just as a blow to my back sent me to my knees. My radar was alive with activity as all around me the soldiers got back to their feet, surrounded me. The next blow came from a stun baton that had me seizing and on the ground, while he continued, "Do you have any idea what you really are? Do you have any idea of the true threat you pose? Can you really claim that all the lives you've supposedly saved are worth the price of chaos you've sown?"

I grit my teeth against the pain, clenching my fists and unfurling my wings around me as protection. "That's rich, coming from a warmonger like you! You're the one who plowed tanks straight through Harlem! If it weren't for you, the Abomination would've never existed!"

Swinging my arms wide, I knocked several men off their feet, before spinning around and knocking more back. With my telekinesis, I brought up my hands, then threw them down — a cascade of ceiling tile crashed down on the heads of three soldiers, downing them for good.

"You fail to see the bigger picture," Ross said, as I turned on my heel. "Destruction is negligible when it's for a greater cause — one you don't happen to work for, Falcon. You're just a vigilante, a wild card, that no one can trust, and no one should trust."

"Or maybe you just don't know responsibility. At least I don't blame my actions on someone else!" I brought up my arms to protect myself as I forced my mind against the glass ahead of me.

It shattered instantly, and cold March air blew in, a refreshing taste after the stale air of the prison.

Ross managed one last call before I dove out the window. "I'll find you, Falcon. You can't escape from me!"

"We'll see about that," I muttered, as my wings caught a draft and I soared upwards.

The taste of freedom was sweet, if that wasn't too much of cliché for me to say. I angled my wings, relishing the wind and the sky and the distance from the ground. I circled around Ryker's spotting Spider-Man on the roof. He was with Black Cat, but there was someone noticeably missing. Walter wasn't with them, and Black Cat seemed pissed.

She had just jumped away when I landed. "What's wrong? Where did Walter go?"

Spider-Man huffed, crossing his arms and turning to scowl at the cityscape. "He stayed behind. Sacrificed himself to stop the Sinister Six from escaping."

"Oh." I felt a little awkward bringing it up now, but with no one chasing after us anymore, and with the wide open air before us, it felt all right now. After a second, I asked, "…And?"

"And what?"

"Do you still hate him?"

"I…" Peter sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I don't know. He…he said he never wanted to kill anyone. He was just a cat burglar, never carried a gun with him before, he was getting old, he only wanted to protect himself. When I caught him, he just gave up. Because he wanted to. Because he felt guilty."

"Which he should." I reminded him.

"Yeah, I know, I just —" Peter clenched his fists, then let them go. "I wish it was…simpler. That it wasn't just…I don't know."

"Just an accident?" I said. "You wanted it to mean something?"

"I guess?" Spider-Man threw out his hands helplessly. "I don't know. I just didn't expect him to be so…kind, or normal, I guess. I didn't think he'd have kids, too. It would've made it easier to hurt him."

"And did you?"

"No."

I gave a tentative smile at that, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I think that's good. And coming from me, Queen of Bad Decisions, that's saying a lot."

Spider-Man actually laughed at that, even if was tired, a little half-hearted. "Yeah, I guess so. This whole night kind of just sucked, didn't it?"
"Uh, yeah. You're not so good at making decisions, either."

"Wow, thanks —"

But Spider-Man's sarcastic reply was cut short by a cackle, and something bright orange sailing out of the darkness and landing out of our feet.

I just barely recognized the pumpkin shape, the smoke, before Spider-Man shoved me out of the way. "Bomb! Get down!"

But he wasn't fast enough. With a shriek, the pumpkin exploded, the sharp blast catching us and sending us into the wall of Ryker's. My back hit brick wall and I felt a twinge in my shoulder as the old wound took the brunt of the force. I landed back on the roof with a groan, grimacing as I tried to pick myself up.

I heard Spider-Man whisper beside me. "No way…"

"Ah, Spider-Man!" came that all-too-familiar laugh. I looked up, staring in horror as the spiked hoverboard came swooping down from the black sky, like a demon out of the night. Aboard it stood the one person I didn't think I'd ever see again. "What a lovely night this is!"

The Green Goblin.