A/N: It's been a week... I think it's time for an update! Thus begins the last battle!
Elleira: I've been worried I've been going OOC with Peter / Spidey. Glad I was wrong, at least in your view!
ShadowShock: Muchas gracias!
Skittles: You're about to find out!
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Spider-Man took to his webs quickly, desperate to find Magneto. His fight with Toad had lasted no more than a few minutes, but that was enough for the first float to have made it through perhaps half the route. The parade was well underway, and Rockefeller Plaza was full to overflowing with people.
He swung high enough that he couldn't easily be observed by the crowds below, but when it came to the reverence that the Brotherhood afforded the man, Spider-Man wasn't satisfied that Magneto would be unable to see him. From the single meeting that they'd had, the wall crawler knew that Magneto was quite observant.
He felt his spider-sense buzzing faintly. He still didn't know what its limits were... direct physical danger was what it interpreted the best, but other threats present and invisible at first glance were also detected, through some mysterious pre-cognition passed on to him by the spider that had bitten him.
Feeling decidedly desperate, he swung low, allowing himself to be seen by the crowds. Hopefully Magneto won't have enough time... but knowing how sharp he is, I wouldn't doubt if it'd take him half a second to figure out that I whipped his lackey...
The sense buzzed harder, and he glanced over his shoulder in time to see a stray piece of metal debris flying straight at him.
He ducked his head and released his webline, tucking into a cannonball for a moment. The debris sailed over his head and slammed into the building to his left. He fired off a line at the building's wall then, swinging around and coming to rest high above the crowd.
He glanced around in all directions, the spider-sense dragging his eyes into a general area across the plaza. And he saw his quarry hanging in midair, twice as high as he was.
Magneto was no longer wearing the gentlemanly suit he'd had the night they had met... he had exchanged that for a black one-piece jumpsuit, over which he wore a crimson chest plate and matching shoulder guards, wristbands, and boots. There was a giant, beautiful, painstakingly carved amethyst inset into the center of the chest plate. A long, flowing, royal purple cape draped his shoulders and extended all the way to the heels of his boots, and he wore a crimson helmet.
Spider-Man spun another web and swung up to meet the Master of Magnetism, but Magneto wordlessly gestured off to his left, and a piece of pipe slammed into Spider-Man midair. The webslinger recovered and shot a line at Magneto himself, but a manhole cover came up to cover for the powerful mutant.
Then it shot backward and hit Spider-Man in the chest, throwing him against the wall of an office building. Spider-Man recovered just enough to stick himself against the wall, to keep himself from falling on top of the people below.
The manhole cover came up at him from below and forcibly lifted him onto the top of the building. As soon as he landed face-down on the gravel, the cover pressed down on his back, nearly depriving him of breath.
Magneto floated through the air and came to a stop over Spider-Man. He hovered there for a few moments as Spider-Man struggled against the magnetic field holding the manhole cover down on him.
"You still don't understand what you're doing, Spider-Man," said Magneto. "The humans believe they can lash out against mutants without the possibility of retaliation. They knew the food that Pyro burned was poisoned. The councilman that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch went after was content to let us die in internment camps... abominable places no more worthy of this so-called land of peace and tolerance than the German concentration camps of sixty years ago. J. Jonah Jameson even directly attacked you, as well as the rest of the mutant population, in that detestable article."
"And believe me, it took all of my will to even attempt to save him," Spider-Man responded, still pushing against the heavy metal artifice.
"Then why did you feel he deserved to live any more than Sabretooth believed he deserved it?"
"I didn't. But the humans are afraid of mutants... that's how it's going to work, whether you like it or not... and they project their fear that way. They can't help being afraid any more than you can help being a mutant."
"Perhaps. But now they will become like us, and see what it is like to be persecuted so. I don't understand... do you wish for the mutant population to be persecuted and exterminated?"
"No... but I'm not going to stop protecting the humans from people like you... people who take advantage of human fear and turn it into your greatest ally. Your way, we'll always be feared, but we'll never be respected. My way, there will be a time when humans and mutants can come to an understanding and live with each other."
Magneto scoffed. "You are as foolish and blind as Charles Xavier and his lot. Humans and mutants can never live together in peace. It will be one or the other... and I do not choose to die without a fight!"
Spider-Man arched an arm behind his back and sprayed webbing at Magneto. He wasn't being very particular about where it hit, or even if it hit... only that it might have some sort of effect on the man.
It did, at that... the webline struck Magneto in the thigh, and he jerked backward in midair in surprise. He lost control of the magnetic field that was preventing Spider-Man from tossing away the manhole cover, and Spider-Man leapt to his feet. He yanked backward on the webline, pulling Magneto down from his perch in the air, and he slammed his fist into the side of the mutant's helmet.
Magneto stumbled backward, not used to being physically attacked, and especially not as quickly as this. He let his power take over, and street lamps, trash cans, and even benches soared to his defense, creating a whirling vortex around the wall crawler.
Spider-Man jumped over the edge of the building and web-swung his way over the streets, not wanting any of the people below to be hurt. He felt the metal in his web-shooters giving slight sway to the roiling magnetic fields around him, but his strength seemed to be holding out against them for the moment. They weren't slowing him down, for now.
He attached a webline to a crane arm and swung hard. He revolved in a complete circle around the arm, then came back around for another turn before releasing the line. The g-force of his momentum was enough to carry him to another office building, where he latched onto a flagpole and made a sharp turnaround, debris following him all the while.
He came in for another attack on Magneto, but yet another piece of debris flew up and struck his in the face. Whatever else the debris was, it was sharp, and a huge gash was sliced across his mask, extending from the bridge of his nose to his left jaw.
He fell from his webline and only barely managed to hang onto consciousness. He fired another webline at a building and dangled wildly on the end of it before coming to a crashing halt against the wall.
Chunks of metal debris pounded his back, one after the other, and pressed against him tightly. He shot a stream at the ledge of the roof above and pulled himself away from the objects, then returned to his erratic maneuvers meant to trip up the Master of Magnetism.
Spider-Man finally managed to make his way back to the building where Magneto was located. The mutant was facing the opposite direction, and his attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. The wall crawler raced up to attack Magneto with a drop-kick to the small of his back, but more debris came up to block his path. A trash can slammed him in the chest, and a broken television smacked his shoulder.
Magneto turned around and approached the downed webslinger. He smiled grimly. "We can play this game all day, Spider-Man. I have the time for it, as well as the will and the patience. Especially since the device is now set to activate; there's no way to deactivate it. I have needed a good exercise for my abilities, and you're providing a healthy dose of it. I thank you for that."
"Obliged, I'm sure," Spider-Man snorted, and he brought a foot up to meet Magneto's chest. The mutant was thrown into the air, but Spider-Man fired a line of web at him, brought him back down to the roof, and repeated the action. He pulled Magneto back down again when he soared into the air, and this time he brought his other foot up to slam into the metal manipulator's helmet.
Magneto frantically called for his metal protection, and a street lamp answered. It streaked straight at the wall crawler, but Spider-Man leapt high over it and fired off a webline after it. At the same time, he shot one at Magneto and mashed the ends of the lines together.
Magneto, caught by his shoulder, was suddenly and violently jerked off his feet by the webbing and his own flying metal.
Spider-Man leapt into the air once again, looking to finish his job, when his spider-sense buzzed even more faintly than it had when he'd first sensed Magneto. It was just enough to make him turn his head.
His eyes involuntarily set on one of the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, one that looked like Snoopy from the world-popular comic strip Peanuts.
That could be where the M-bomb is... Spider-Man aborted any further action against Magneto and headed for that balloon. It would make sense for it to be in a balloon... minimum cover for the bomb's effects and maximum fallout effect, as well as maximum radius. He had this well-planned.
He swung low and hard over the center of the parade, almost striking members of a marching band in their plumes and sousaphones. He made a mental note to apologize later, and pushed up as high as he could swing before releasing his line. The momentum carried him up to the top of the balloon.
He landed lightly atop the giant floating structure, his feet sinking three inches into the material. He got down on one knee and pressed his hand firmly against the material. The miniature, razored "claws" residing in his digits extended, and he dragged his hand across the material, leaving multiple miniature slashes in the fabric. One solid heel was all it took to put a hole in it, and he stuck his head and arm inside.
The balloon -- naturally -- smelled of helium, and he knew that he'd have to get out pretty quickly if he didn't want to get any more lightheaded than he already was. He searched around quickly for a device that didn't look as if it should belong there, and in moments, he discovered the device suspended on Snoopy's spine.
Mystique certainly is mystic, Spider-Man thought. The device certainly did look to be no larger than a businessman's suitcase, although those tended to be large enough. He wasn't quite sure how Magneto had managed to get it in here, but at this point, he didn't really care. He released a line of web at it and pulled with all his might, which caused the balloon to expel quite a large amount of helium in the process.
The device loosened from its mooring and flew up to meet Spider-Man. He shoved his other hand in through the opening just in time to catch the device with both hands, and he pulled himself out of the hole as fast as he possibly could.
Spider-Man webbed the device securely to his back and leapt off Snoopy, who was seriously deflating. He web-swung as far away from the crowd as far as he felt safe taking the device, but he was sure it was going to go off in the next few minutes or so... the floats meant for the middle of the parade were making their way down the streets now, and the middle would be just where and when Magneto would want the device to go off, when the concentration of people is at its highest.
He landed in an alleyway and stayed there just long enough to pry open a manhole cover. He struggled with it for a few precious moments, his fingers fumbling with it.
His spider-sense buzzed hard.
"Here, let me help you with that."
The manhole cover flew up and slammed Spider-Man in the forehead, knocking him backward. He stumbled back into the alley wall and rubbed his forehead, dazed.
"You can still end the pain for yourself, Spider-Man," said Magneto, floating down between the buildings. "My offer stands... at any time, you can join my Brotherhood. We can free our brothers and sisters from where they are being held... we can recruit more to our cause and let our voices be heard! Don't you wish, as a mutant, for your voice to be heard?"
Spider-Man ignored Magneto and jumped for the manhole. The cover was sealing it now, however, and when he tried to pry it up, it smacked him in the face again, lightning quick. This time, Spider-Man fell to the ground.
Magneto shook his head. "You still don't understand. You're protecting the humans for no reason. They will come to despise you and call for you to be hanged, just as they did during the Salem witch trials of old. Why bother defending those that wish to be your enemies?"
"Because... the humans... still have so much... to contribute," Spider-Man responded, out of breath. "And you're not... the one who gets... to decide when one will dominate another."
Magneto's eyes hardened. "My boy, you have chosen a long, hard path that will ultimately leave you alone and unwanted by anyone."
Spider-Man shook his head. "No... that's the path you chose. My path will take me somewhere... I know it will."
"Not if it ends here." Magneto's grim smile returned. "And without the help of any of your so-called allies, you have no hope of matching me."
"I was doing well enough."
"The only thing you're doing well at now is your dazzling riposte, and even that is quickly fading away. So you'll forgive me if I choose to skip that and take back what is mine... and soon to be the gift of New York..."
Magneto exerted his power to pull the device away from Spider-Man's back.
Spider-Man snapped up and fired a web bolt at Magneto. The bolt knocked him off-balance, and Spider-Man used that to pull him down from the air and slam his fist into the mutant's abdomen. Magneto staggered and slammed into the opposite wall, but Spider-Man didn't let it stop there... he weblined the mutant, pulled him close, and used his feet to pull Magneto's helmet off his head. He shoved the helmet into the pit of Magneto's stomach, and when the mutant staggered back, Spider-Man pulled him close again with the web.
He punched the Master of Magnetism directly between the eyes.
Magneto fell back, dazed.
Spider-Man picked up the device and ran across the street, where there was another alley and another manhole cover. He pried it up, tossed it to the side, and jumped through the opening, taking the device with him.
The fall seemed to last forever... he was descending into the sub-sewer, far below the streets of New York. When he landed, he almost fell back due to the near-unbearable shock to his knees. However, he managed to withstand the pressure and he bounded for the nearest point furthest away from water.
Just a little further... just a little further...
And then a golden light emerged from the device he was carrying, followed by a strange warmth. The light expanded outward, enveloping everything in its glow and warmth.
It's going off...!
Spider-Man curled into a fetal position around the device, trying to cover its radiation with his own body, even as little protection as that might provide.
Let's hope these tunnels are enough...
He closed his eyes and waited for it to pass.
***
Magneto lay there, stunned by the seemingly spontaneous beating Spider-Man had administered him. His body ached, most of all his abdomen. He could barely move without feeling sickened, and he had little doubt that he would be black and blue in several places for a while.
He pulled his wrist into the air, just high enough for him to see what time his watch told him.
The device should have gone off by now.
He closed his eyes and slumped his head back to the ground.
If the effects of the radiation could not be seen, that meant that the device had been enclosed somewhere, its intensity lessened to the point of ineffectiveness.
Spider-Man had won the battle.
And he had cast his lot with the humans permanently.
***
Spider-Man slowly climbed his way back to the surface, feeling hopeful and discouraged at the same time. He wasn't sure which one to feel more of now...
Is everyone all right? What if it got through?
He climbed through the manhole and made his way over to where Magneto lay. He slumped down on his butt and sat there for several long moments.
"I hope... you're happy," Magneto muttered. "You've just condemned mutantkind to hideous death by humanity's ignorance. Now we shall never be heard. How could you turn against your own kind like this? I don't understand..."
"No," said Spider-Man. "You don't understand. And you never will, as long as you refuse to accept that you're as human as you are mutant. That's your problem: you allow what you are to govern who you are. Life has hardened you into the man that I see now, a man who has rejected his humanity in favor of his mutantcy.
"But mutants are born of humans, just as humans are born of humans. We're just as diverse... just as fallible as any human that walks this Earth. That's something no one can deny, as much as he might want to."
Spider-Man looked down at Magneto. "You're Erik Lehnsherr when circumstances demand, but you are Magneto. That's where the rift between mutants like you and mutants like me begin. I choose to wrangle my identities equally because I recognize that I'm as much of a human as I am a mutant." He smiled slightly under his mask. "And, believe it or not, I wasn't born a mutant. I was fully human. I didn't receive that special gene. It was forced onto me. Now I live with it from day to day... the only way I know how.
"Mutantkind won't die because of humanity's ignorance. If anything, mutantkind will sooner die because of our own. It's our stubbornness, a gift and a curse granted to us by our human parents, that might very well be our downfall. But you can't attribute an event that may never take place solely to humanity. You can't put them on trial and bring about judgment for a crime they have yet to commit."
"But they shall, if you have your way and mutants do not fight back," said Magneto. "If people like you choose mutantkind's fate, we'll live eternally on our knees."
Spider-Man shook his head. "No. Cooperation will happen. I've found that for every one radical that wants to 'do something about the mutants', there's almost always five others that want that 'something' to be a positive thing. Give them time."
"Humans have time. We don't."
"We'll see about that. I, for one, believe that they'll accept us... they'll come to see us for what we truly are."
"And what, precisely, would that be?"
Spider-Man got to his feet, exited the alley, and searched for the nearest payphone. The police would have a field day with Magneto in their prison once again. He spotted a phone down the block, then turned back to the mutant and allowed his smile to grow.
"What else would we be? We're all part of our own vast, unique, diverse... and ultimately human Brotherhood of Mutants."
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