Issue #14: The Gauntlet, Part I

Hell's Kitchen, New York

Two escaped criminals made their way to a dark alleyway in hopes of causing mayhem, "Aw yeah, finally a break!" one of them said, enthusiastic from the breakout.

"Quick find a weapon! The Spider and his friend might still be out there!" the other guy said.

"It's not him you have to worry about."

The mysterious deep voice sent chills down the goons' spines. They trembled as a shadowy figure appeared on the rooftop above them. "Oh crap! No!" they yelled, scared of what was about to happen next.

Jumping down, the figure dive-kicked one of the goons and batted the other down with his escrima sticks. It was an easy effort for him at this point despite his lack of powers. The figure in red grunted loudly, his eyes narrowing under his horned cowl.

"What the hell is happening tonight?" asked Daredevil, unaware of what was really happening.

Harlem, New York

Facing more of the escaped convicts were Luke Cage and Iron Fist, the noted Heroes for Hire, who decided to work together once more to save their district. "How the hell did these guys get out so easily?" Luke asked.

"Something must've went down without us knowing." Iron Fist replied, punching another criminal right onto Cage, who smacked him aside easily.

"Whatever it is, better hope someone can get to the bottom of it quickly. Seems like our hands are full." Luke stated.

"No kidding." quipped Iron Fist, using his chi-covered fist to deck a criminal.

Oscorp

Zero the Jackal landed on the roof of Norman Osborn's building, greeted by the six villains that just escaped. He quipped, "You're welcome."

Doctor Octopus spoke, "Why has Eggman chosen to break us out?"

The jackal shrugged, "Said something about thinking you all had what it takes to beat Sonic and Spider-Man. However, that victory alone won't give you the satisfaction you seek."

"And how do you know this, creature?" Scorpion asked.

"Even if you beat them, they got tons of allies and friends waiting to pound you all to a pulp. Some less forgiving than others I'm sure. That's why the Doc wanted to give you these." he tossed each of them a Chaos Emerald and a harness.

"What are these supposed to be?" Vulture questioned the mercenary.

Zero explained, "Chaos Emeralds, magic emeralds with near limitless power. As for the metal stuff on your feet, those are Chaos Harnesses, put them on and the emerald in them, and you'd have that same power flowing through you."

Octavius nodded, "I see. Such fascinating gems. Eggman is quite a resourceful one, I'll admit."

"He won't stop bragging about it. Just use those and go nuts, I got a job to finish up." Zero said before using Chaos Control to leave the Sinister Six.

Doctor Octopus said, "As much as I despise being an unwitting pawn. So long as this doctor forgoes any attempt to meddle in our plans, it's in our best option to join in."

"Yeah yeah, just as long as we get to revenge." Rhino agreed.

The Sinister Six put on their harnesses and the Chaos Emeralds, feeling a surge of energy rush through them. "Oh yes!" Scorpion shouted in excitement, "This will do nicely!"

Vulture nodded, "I must admit, I feel like how I did when I first made my wings. These emeralds, they are that powerful."

Doc Ock smirked, "That appears to be the case. Let us go around and claim as much turf as possible with this power."

Avengers Tower

"Peter!" May gasped in shock at the state her nephew was in, looking at his unconscious form rest on the bed. On the bed next to him was Sonic, who looked just as beaten and worn down as him. Knuckles and Wolverine rejoined the group, having gotten word of what happened.

MJ wrapped an arm around her in an effort to comfort her, "It… never gets easier seeing him like this, Aunt May… I wish I could say something… but I always have trouble talking to myself about this, let alone someone else."

Ollie chose to clear the air, "They're still alive. They just need some time to recover." he pointed to the monitors.

Knuckles punched the wall, denting it, "I should've been there! Grah!"

"Don't blame this on yourself, Knuckles. Peter would've been too stubborn to ask for more help." Mary Jane admitted to the echidna.

Kaine crossed his arms, "I hate that they're like this but shit is happening right outside this tower. If we don't do something, whoever masterminded this might be coming soon."

Osnick nodded, "Indeed. The Sinister Six are out causing mayhem and everyone in New York is occupied in calming the riots. It seems it's up to us to stop the six themselves."

"No… we… gotta help…" Spider-Man groaned, waking up from his brief coma.

"Peter!" May shouted, carefully pushing him down back into the bed as he tried sitting up, "No sit down, you have to rest."

Peter grunted, "Sorry Aunt May… but the city needs me… the six are my responsibility…"

"I will not let you go after them in this state. Please Peter… for us." May pleaded with her nephew.

With another heavy groan, Peter replied, "Ngh… Fine… I can't do much like… this anyway…"

Sonic yawned, "Guess… I'm… not doing much either…"

"Sonic!" Tails yelled.

"Hey… little bro… I'll be fine… just tired…" Sonic assured his old friend.

Knuckles frowned, "You better."

Spider-Man shook his head, "New York… saving it… is up to you guys…"

Tails rubbed his head, "But how? If what we were told is true, then if Spider-Man and Sonic couldn't do it together, then we might be outmatched for once."

"You're not wrong. Something tells me the six would be prepared for all of us if Eggman and Osborn were behind this." Ollie added.

"Not quite." Madame Web revealed.

"The old woman huh? Guess she's here to lend a hand too." Kaine realized.

"What is it, Madame Web?" Tails wondered.

"The Sinister Six have triumphed over the heroes as I sadly feared… despite the odds, there is a way to turn the coming battle in your favor." Madame Web explained to the remaining heroes.

Ollie asked, "And what is that?"

Madame Web added, "Divide and conquer. Tikal senses that the Sinister Six have the Chaos Emeralds in their possession."

"They do? It just sounds like they got a power boost then." Knuckles added.

"They do, but even with that, they can only do so much so long as the six remain separate. They are formidable together, but paired off would give you a fighting chance to take victory." Madame Web revealed.

Wolverine shrugged, "I could use a good reason to use these claws again."

Tails nodded, "We'll do that then. I have a feeling we're the only ones who can go after them while the city's in chaos."

"You have to. The fate of the Web of Life as well as Sonic and Spider-Man's lives lies upon all of you." Madame Web revealed to them.

Kaine groaned, "Just what we needed. More prophecies."

Knuckles held his head, "Grr… But what choice do we have?!"

"I already have a plan formulated." Tails said.

Sonic managed a chuckle, "That's… Tails for ya… Say it, little bro…"

"We'll branch off and each handle 3 members of the six. Ollie, myself and Kaine can face Vulture, Metal Sonic and Doctor Octopus. Knuckles, Wolverine, you two can go to Rhino, Scorpion and Shadow." Tails explained.

"Heh. Goin' after the big guys huh? You already know me well, kid." Logan quipped.

"I… hate to… leave you guys like this…" Peter commented.

"Just rest up, Pete." Kaine told his brother, "I owe ya for keeping me from being a pawn to Osborn and Eggman."

"Guess… I got no choice then. MJ… check my closet… I left a little something for you…" Peter grunted out to his wife. Curious, Mary Jane opened up the doors and her jaw opened in shock.

"Pete, are you… are you serious?" MJ asked, commenting on the red and gold suit of armor hung up.

Peter smiled, "I know you… you wouldn't want to standby and do nothing… So I'm giving you the Iron Spider, someone might come here when we're away and bedridden… so I know you can keep yourself and May safe until we get better…"

"You're the best, Tiger." she complimented him.

"Then I guess we have everything figured out. Alright guys, let's save New York!" Tails shouted out, ready for a fight.

May sighed, "Do be careful. I am stressed for Peter's sake as is."

"We'll be fine… Aunt May." Kaine assured her, getting used to having a family now.

Vulture and Metal Sonic patrolled the sky, watching the chaos unfold. "I gotta say, Metal or whatever your name is, this is satisfying to watch! For once the Vulture comes out on top!"

Metal Sonic beeped, just following his intended programming and sticking by Toomes for the sake of having strength in numbers.

Toomes watched the rioting prisoners set up makeshift fortresses throughout the city, on the roofs, "Keep at it! The remaining heroes shall not stand a chance against us!"

Before Toomes could do anything else however, a yellow blur hit his harness, causing him to fall onto one of the buildings. Vulture growled, "Who dares assault me?!"

"That'd be me!" Tails boasted, landing in front of the Vulture.

"Oh you're one of those annoying animals I heard so much about recently! You don't know who you are messing with, child!" Vulture declared to the two-tailed fox.

Tails swiped his namesakes at the elder man, getting blocked by his wings, "I did my research! You're nothing more than an old man with faulty wings!"

Toomes gritted his teeth and hovered, throwing his new wing blades down at the fox, "I will show you faulty, freak!"

One of the blades nearly hit Tails, however it was webbed up from the shadows and flung back at Toomes, damaging his exo suit, "WHAT?!"

Scarlet Spider jumped from his spot and gave Vulture a right hook, "You think the kid would come alone? You're more senile than I thought!"

"Another Spider-Man?! Bah! No matter, you shall fall too!" Vulture gasped before declaring his threat to the clone.

Tails smiled, "Thanks for the save, Scarlet!"

Kaine landed on a knee, "Hmph. Someone's gotta keep you in one piece."

"I can take care of myself." Tails quipped.

Vulture pressed the button on the chest of his new harness, activating the Chaos Energy from the Chaos Emerald in his possession, "I do not have time for these games! Metal Sonic! It's time to show them what we can do!"

Metal Sonic nodded and also activated his Chaos Emerald harness, surrounding himself in a powerful aura.

"They got those Chaos Emeralds you mentioned earlier, don't they…?" Kaine groaned.

Tails sighed, "Yeah…"

Out of the blue, Steel Spider tackled Metal Sonic and used one of his metallic spider arms to jab at the downed robot, "I got ya! Fascinating design, but it's nothing compared to this armor!" Ollie boasted.

"I have heard of this brat!" Vulture recognized Ollie.

"I was only Spidey's partner for one day! How?" Steel Spider wondered, kicking Metal Sonic, the robot sliding on a knee to get his bearings.

Metal beeped and lunged at the armored spider, prompting him to use his arm to jab right through his metallic surface. In response, Metal Sonic activated the Chaos Emerald inserted into his system and launched Steel Spider back, "Whoa!" he screamed in surprise.

Scarlet Spider webbed up his back and threw him to the roof they were at, "Get your head back in the game, kid." he scolded the younger Spider.

"We have to give it our all. The Chaos Emeralds are giving them an edge!" Tails shouted.

"Oh yes! I feel… younger! More lively! I wish I had this years ago!" Vulture cackled, diving down to attack Tails. The fox curled into a ball and hit Toomes' exo harness, shattering it a bit more and causing it to briefly short out.

Vulture hissed, "N-No! You insolent child!" he threw down more magnetic wing blades at the heroes.

The Scarlet Spider leaped into the air and webbed one up, grabbing it and rammed it right into Metal Sonic's back, causing the Chaos Emerald in his possession to fall out of his turbine. The robot glared at the clone and grabbed him by the throat, holding him up. Kaine gagged, trying to break free of Metal Sonic's grip.

"Dumbass… robot…" Kaine grunted, using a hand to web up the loose Chaos Emerald, intending to try something with it. "Damn thing… work!"

Steel Spider shouted, "Scarlet!" he ran and aimed his repulsor at Metal's head, "You want me, right Metal? Then come on!"

Gasping for air, Kaine held his throat, "...Nice one, kid…" he complimented, webbing up Metal Sonic's leg now that he was free and he yanked back, making the robot trip and fall on his face.

Metal whirred and was about to strike back, but Steel Spider stabbed right through him, making him malfunction and shut down, "That did it." Ollie said.

"Stupid worthless pile of scrap!" Vulture insulted Metal Sonic while he was holding off Tails, "GRAH!" he grunted, throwing more blades at the two tailed fox. Tails dodged each and every single one of them and tried to use a Spin Jump on Vulture, but his newly enhanced abilities deflected his attack, "Nice try, child! But this Chaos Emerald is doing me wonders!"

"It's only one Chaos Emerald! I once faced a monster with four at the same time!" Tails boasted, using his namesakes to hit the Vulture, it kept him distracted long enough for him to kick his chest and Spin Stomp him to the ground.

While Toomes tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head, Scarlet Spider shot a webline at the Chaos Emerald on his chest and yanked it out, putting it in his hand and weakening the elder man, "NO!" Toomes yelled, trying to get up, but Kaine webbed up his body with Ollie's help.

"It's over, you old coot." Kaine mocked Toomes.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this! The Vulture was supposed to be at the top!" Toomes yelled before getting his mouth webbed up as well.

"Two goons down. Four more to go." Steel Spider observed, kicking Metal's broken deactivated body.

Tails observed the yellow and cyan gems in their possession and pumped a fist, "At the very least, we got the Chaos Emeralds. I hope Knuckles and Wolverine are okay…"

Wolverine sniffed the air of the warehouse, "...Hm. Acid. Definitely the right spot."

"Which one of them smells like acid?" Knuckles wondered.

"...The one with the scorpion tail." Logan bluntly answered, "I thought you animal freaks knew what ya'll can do?"

Knuckles rubbed his head, "Just because I'm a Mobian, it doesn't mean I know everything about every species."

"Aww look at that, they're arguing!" Scorpion hissed from the shadows. Wolverine immediately unsheathed his claws at the sound of Gargan's voice.

Knuckles raised his fists, shouting, "Show yourself!"

"With pleasure!" replied Rhino, charging after the heroes using the blue Chaos Emerald to enhance his power.

The echidna put his hands out, "I can take ya easily- AH!" he shouted, taking the force of Rhino's charge and getting pinned to a wall, creating a small crater in it.

"Idiot…" Wolverine grumbled, noticing Gargan crawl from the shadows.

"What's the matter? The bug couldn't come to play?" Scorpion mocked.

Wolverine smirked, "You wish you were facing 'em." he lunged at Scorpion and drove his claws through his armor. Scorpion laughed, using the green Chaos Emerald to power himself up.

The X-Man snarled, "You think that piece of jewelry is gonna do ya any good?" he used his claws to deflect Scorpion's tail, barely avoiding getting sprayed with acid.

While he was distracted, Rhino charged from behind and drove his horn through Wolverine's chest, causing him to collapse, "Haha! I have defeated you!" Aleksei mocked the mutant.

"W-Wolverine!" Knuckles shouted, getting a second wind and bashing his fist directly at Rhino, actually managing to make him stagger back.

"You!" Rhino growled at the echidna, holding his cheek.

Knuckles tried to carry Wolverine's body to safety, noticing the large stab wound close up, "What the…?" he gasped out.

"Healin' factor." Wolverine revealed, "They can't do nuthin' with me."

Scorpion hissed at Rhino, "You idiot! Did you forget Wolverine could heal from physical wounds?"

"I did not!" Rhino retorted at his criminal ally.

"I was trying to use my tail for a reason!" Scorpion yelled back.

"They look like they're busy." Knuckles said.

Wolverine grinned, "Let's use that then!"

"Grah! Forget this, let's just do our jobs!" Scorpion told his ally.

Rhino charged at Knuckles once more, the echidna using his strength to hold the villain back, "WHAT?"

"I know the emeralds better than anyone!" Knuckles revealed, getting a moment to uppercut the Rhino. In response, Aleksei gave Knuckles a right hook, making him fall back a bit. Annoyed, the echidna used his Spin Attack to strike the harness.

Ensuring that the Chaos Emerald didn't fall out, Rhino grabbed Knuckles by the throat and slammed him on the floor, creating a crater, "You made big mistake!" Rhino mocked the panting echidna. He used the Chaos Energy getting absorbed in the harness to make his chokehold stronger than it normally was.

Mustering all his energy, Knuckles lifted the Rhino's arm and spun into a ball, forcing Aleksei to let go. Using the window of opportunity, Knuckles dove in and yanked the Chaos Emerald from Rhino's harness, "NO!" Rhino shouted.

Using the Chaos Energy from the emerald, Knuckles delivered a powerful blue uppercut directly onto Rhino's jaw before adding a flurry of punches to his chest. The sheer strength of his attacks successfully managed to knock the Rhino unconscious and he fell to the floor, unable to withstand all the pressure and trauma to his armor.

Meanwhile Scorpion swiped his tail at Wolverine. The X-Man dodged it and tackled Gargan to the floor, slashing through his armor as much as he could, "Ha! That won't work on me!" Scorpion mocked Wolverine.

In a second, he used his acid on Wolverine's eyes, causing him to momentarily be blind, "GRAH! SHIT!" Wolverine snarled, covering his now burning eyes.

"Now, I can end this before you can do anything!" Scorpion taunted the now blind mutant. However, as he tried to get a good slash on Wolverine, he grabbed his arm.

Wolverine managed a grin, "Can still smell yer stench, dumbass." he drove his claws directly into Gargan's flesh, causing him to reel back in pain.

Scorpion snarled, "That was supposed to work!"

The X-Man sniffed the air, "Too bad for ya. I don't go down that easily."

"I should've never faced an X-Man!" Scorpion grunted in disgust, trying to use his Chaos Emerald to put Wolverine down for good.

"Damn right." Wolverine replied, getting his sight back. He dashed and drove his claws through the harness, getting the emerald out and tossing it to Knuckles, "All yours, Red!"

"Nice throw, Wolvie!" Knuckles caught the green Chaos Emerald and pounded at Scorpion's armored body, knocking him unconscious as well.

"...Don't call me Wolvie." Logan quipped.

Knuckles examined the two emeralds, "We got two in one, not bad. These emerald hunts are usually more scattered."

Logan shrugged, "If ya say so. Now I'm wonderin' where the rest of these guys are at."

"I'm sure Tails' group found some of them and got more emeralds." Knuckles explained, "We might as well keep exploring."

Logan said, "I'll keep a nose out."

Outside Avengers Tower

"If my intel is correct, Avengers Tower is currently unoccupied. Perfect, such a beacon of heroism is filled with utilities I can use to my advantage." boasted Doctor Octopus, "...And then make better than before."

Nodding in agreement was Shadow, who was still under Osborn's control, "Let's get this over with. I've been itching for a rematch against that Faker."

"Soon, my hedgehog acquaintance. And I shall prove to the Spider that I am Superior once and for all!" Doctor Octopus cackled, him and Shadow going to Avengers Tower, unaware that another battle was about to brew.

And so the big two of the Sinister Six are about to face Sonic and Spider-Man themselves. How will the fight ensue? What will Sonic and Peter do on the ropes? Next time shall be a battle for the ages!