Peter found himself detached from the wall; he instinctively reached out with hands and feet and touched solid concrete a finger's length away. Wow. That's precision teleporting! Thor hovered nearby, watching until Peter nodded to show that he was ready. The Echthroi below spread out as much as the tunnel's width would allow. The light was again dim, and Peter took a moment to get his bearings. "Um, no offense, but I don't see any dragons."
"No. I brought us in at a distance so everyone had time to adjust to the move without alerting the dragon to our presence."
"Oh." Okay, that was smart.
Thor was watching the Echthroi spread out below them. He glanced up at Spider-man. "Whatever happens, try to stay out of the water as much as possible. The chemicals the Echthroi need to simulate their natural environment are diluted out here, but they're still strong enough to make a human sick with prolonged exposure."
"You don't happen to know what chemicals those are, by any chance?" Peter asked. Seeing Thor's raised eyebrows, he added, "That stuff interests me. I mean, what kind of environment did the Echthroi evolve in? The idea of life coming from an environment that no human could tolerate is just fascinating. Is the liquid acidic, basic, or—" He peered down at the Echthroi, who were all staring back up at him, floating patiently. "Sorry. Every once in a while I kind of geek out."
Thor smiled slightly.
"So, uh, is there a game plan?" Spider-man asked.
"Yes. A simple one. I'm going to keep the dragon focused on me. You bind its mouth and any other part of its body you can. Once it's immobile, the Echthroi should be able to mind-stun it, and I'll transport us all back to the staging area."
"Is that what they did with the other one they caught? When they put their hands on it?"
"Yes. It reduces the possibility of injury for everyone. Before the dragon wakes up, I'll have transported it to a place where it can live out its life without hurting anyone else."
"Um, where?"
Thor blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Where exactly are you going to release these things? I mean, they eat people, right? Are you going to just drop it in the middle of Yellowstone National Park and hope for the best?"
Thor chuckled. "No, nothing like that. I know a place where it won't have any possibility of contact with humans. Don't worry." With that, he drifted downward toward the water.
Me, worried? Do I look worried? Naaaah... Peter thought dryly. Why is it that every time we think we have everything under control, it turns around and bites us in the aaaa—
The Echthroi below suddenly uttered a group cry, a high-pitched shriek. A massive rush of water scattered them in all directions as a gaping pair of jaws erupted from the surface. The dragon surged upward to swallow Thor.
Holeeee— Spider-man sprang forward in a leap across the tunnel to the opposite wall. Where did that thing come from?
The dragon crashed back into the water, the waves rolling the aliens still further away. The monster began to thrash back and forth in the water, keeping the Echthroi at bay as they struggled against the swells. Its neck jerking, jaws tightly closed around Thor's waist, the dragon snarled.
Thor had one hand braced against each of the dragon's jaws, trying to pry them apart. The hammer Mjolnir hovered just over his shoulder as Thor strained, trying to get a better grip on the monster's jaws while the dragon whipped him back and forth.
That's enough, Peter muttered inwardly. Hold still, you... Webbing shot from his wrists and cemented a hind leg to the edge of walkway.
The dragon's tail slammed into the wall beside him. Spider-man sprang forward, dodging the tail a second time. As he landed again, the dragon leaped upward, slashing at him with its claws. The walkway concrete crumbled, freeing the dragon, and it all but ran up the wall at him.
Peter dropped straight down, pushed off the bottom of the wall, and vaulted over the water toward the far side of the tunnel. Something shot past him and slammed into the side of the dragon's head with a metallic clang. A moment later the dragon staggered and slid back into the water, dazed. Thor shoved downward with both hands, forcing dragon's mouth open and freeing his legs. Mjolnir flew to his right hand and a moment later he was hovering in the air.
The dragon suddenly rolled headfirst under the water. Peter braced his feet against the tunnel wall and snared the monster's tail in a single stand of webbing before it could disappear. Not gonna be the one that got away.
The Echthroi suddenly sent up a wailing cry; several of them were swimming after the retreating dragon, but others were merely bobbing in the water. Thor flew forward after the dragon. Below him on the walkway, Peter could see one of the Echthroi (impossible to tell which one in the dim lighting) leap onto the concrete and sprint forward after them.
The webbing snapped taut and Peter clung to the strand with both hands, toes curled around a concrete outcropping. The jolt strained his arms and shoulders. The lone Echthroi sprinter caught up with Thor; gathering itself, it leaped upward to wrap its arms around the man's waist.
Startled, Thor instinctively grabbed for the Echthroi as it pressed its face against his bare arm. He faltered in midair, body jerking at the mental contact. For a moment Peter thought they were both going to end up in the water.
The dragon had jerked to a halt. It turned, jaws open. The Echthroi wriggled free of Thor's grasp and dropped downward. The dragon snapped at it. The Echthroi landed in the dragon's mouth, claws on fingers and toes extended, and sank its teeth into the dragon's tongue for good measure. The dragon squealed and began frantically trying to spit the Echthroi out.
Thor shook his head. Shifting Mjolnir to both hands, he drew the hammer back and slammed the side of it into the dragon's temple. The monster grunted; Thor hit it a second time with a backhand swing and it rolled over in the water, stunned. The Echthroi in its mouth slithered free.
"Spider-man! The other dragon has attacked the base camp!" Thor was shouting over his shoulder. "We need to get there now!"
The Echthroi in the tunnel below him regrouped and plunged toward the dragon and their injured colleague. Peter dropped the webbing and anchored a second strand to the ceiling for a swing down the tunnel, settling onto the wall. "Cover your eyes!"
A flash of light later, the tunnel was empty except for the water lapping against the walkway.
Evans snapped off two more shots at the dragon's eyes, the only good target she could see in the dim light. The dragon shrieked. Its forepaw swiped at Dixon; then it flowed in almost a complete circle and charged at the woman.
Jennings snatched at a piece of the gurney, twisting the metal off into a club — a poor weapon against a large animal, but the best she could find.
Suddenly the Echthroi collectively uttered a single note and flung their hands over their eyes. In a flash of light another huge shape appeared — and the second dragon dropped out of the air on top of the first, roaring. Both tangled in enclosed space, thrashing. One of the Echthroi bounded off the floor to shove Dixon out of the way of a flailing tail; adults grabbed for youngsters. Jennings threw herself backwards toward the exit door. Evans sprinted for the walkway in the side tunnel behind her.
"As much netting as you can make!" Thor called to Spider-man, and strands of webbing began to glue the two dragons to the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. In a second flash of light, Thor vanished, returning a few moments later over the water in the tunnel. The Echthroi he had left behind on the first teleport splashed into the water and quickly swarmed into the base camp, joined by most of the remaining adult Echthroi. Thor landed next to the head of the uppermost dragon, which growled at him. He raised Mjolnir, and the dragon, hissing, lowered its head in submission. It uttered three staccato roars, and the second dragon stopped thrashing. It too hissed angrily, but quit struggling.
Gerald Dixon picked himself up off the floor and limped to where Thor was standing. The Echthroi cautiously approached the two bound dragons, which snarled at them. The dragon Thor had teleported watched him warily.
"They understand that's a weapon, don't they?" Dixon remarked, indicating Mjolnir.
"Yes."
"That double attack was too finely coordinated for mere animals," Dixon continued. "And did it sound to you as though one of them communicated with the other?"
"Yes, it did." Thor lowered the hammer to his waist.
"You think they're intelligent?" Peter asked, lowering himself headfirst to Dixon's eye level.
"The Echthroi suspected that might become the case," Dixon admitted. "It looks like they might be right. One of the reasons we were trying to capture the dragons without killing them."
Peter slowly rolled himself over until his feet touched the floor. "Did the dragons come with the Echthroi from their homeworld?" he asked.
"No," came Evans' voice. She still had the gun in her hand, although it was now pointed at the floor. "We think the dragons are actually native to this area, predating the arrival of the European explorers to this continent. If you look at Native American legends and mythology, you'll find stories of river and lake monsters that sound an awful lot like the conventional description of dragons, or at least really large snakes. It's possible that these are among the last survivors of one or more races of dragon-like creatures that once lived here. How they got into the water and sewer tunnels under New York City and how long they've been here is anyone's guess."
"Only now, they're more like nuisance wildlife," Dixon broke in. "They're threatening the Echthroi offspring, and obviously these two are big enough to be a danger to the adults as well. There's a possibility that they could move out of the sewers and into our local rivers, or even into other parts of the New York underground."
"So that comes back to a question I asked earlier," Peter said. "Where are you going to put them?"
All eyes turned to Thor, who smiled. "Somewhere else, where they won't harm any other intelligent life. That's one reason the Echthroi asked for me." He glanced around at the Echthroi who had gathered. "I'm going to take the adults dragons now. I'll come back for the youngsters in a few minutes."
We will have them ready, one of the Echthroi signed.
"Thank you, Blackheart." Gripping Mjolnir, Thor rose straight upward. The dragons watched him, still hissing softly, coiling up in the webbing as much as possible. The Echthroi ducked their heads and covered their eyes. Thor and the two adult dragons vanished.
Spider-man turned to Evans. "So where is he taking them?"
She shook her head. "I haven't the faintest idea. Your guess is as good as mine."
Beside Spider-man, Dixon sighed wearily. "I can't wait to do the paperwork on this one," he muttered. He turned to Jennings. "Let's call the paramedics back down," he told her. She nodded.
"I'll give headquarters the 'all clear' and call off the troops," Evans said.
"No. I'll do that. You and Spider-man and the Echthroi need to talk." Dixon gave her a significant glance and turned away.
"That sounded ominous," Peter remarked. Evans smiled tiredly.
"Not really. How curious about the Echthroi are you, Mr. Parker?"
Peter jumped. "You — you...! Does everyone in New York know my identity?"
She grinned. "No. A handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel above a certain clearance level, and that's it. I know because our paths cross every so often. But if I were you, I'd make sure Spider-man doesn't give Ben Urich any in-depth personal interviews. He might recognize your voice."
Gah... Hadn't thought of that, Peter groaned inwardly.
"The Echthroi want to talk to you. The same way they've been talking to me."
Spider-man eyed her warily. "Are they going to scramble my memories?"
Evans glanced from him to Blackheart and back. "Well, I guess that will depend on you."
"I could just swing out of there."
"You could. But then you wouldn't have your questions answered. And how do you plan to find your way out of here?"
Peter wavered. If I had any brains at all, I would be out of here so fast... "Will I come out of this remembering who I am?" he asked suspiciously.
Evans smiled and nodded. "I guarantee it."
"Okay. Let's talk."
Evans, Spider-man, Blackheart, and the two remaining adult Echthroi set the screens back up around what had been the medical area, completely enclosing an area large enough to house everyone. Evans settled into a chair, offered Spider-man another, and waited. Blackheart took up a position to Peter's left. "This will require skin to skin contact," Evans said.
After a moment's hesitation, Peter pulled off his mask and the goggles underneath.