The battle raged outside of Beck's compound, with the Avengers starting to pull into the lead. At least half of the drones Beck had stolen were now destroyed, with the rest retreating back towards the compound itself.
"Stark, we've pushed the drones back!" Wanda reported, throwing a ball of energy right into another drone, sending it spiralling into the ground and exploding. "Have you heard from Peter or Wade?"
"Not yet." Tony replied, still soaring towards the signal transmitting to the drones. "Just buy me another minute!"
Before Wanda could respond, a deafening explosion rocked the entrance of the compound, catching the attention of all heroes present. Out of the flames, the form of Peter Parker stumbled out onto the street, hauling behind him what looked like Wade Wilson.
"Peter!" Scott called out, before starting to approach the webslinger alongside his fellow Avengers. However, Peter quickly waved them away, his voice loud and shrill.
"NO, GET BACK!" He cried, not noticing the rumble of energy from the flames behind him. "BECK'S TRICKING HER! HE'S TRICKING-"
The rest of Peter's warning was cut off as Carol Danver collided with him full force, throwing him into a far building. He managed to stick the landing, managing to fire off a few webs at the approaching hybrid before she grabbed him by his arm and yanked him off the building.
Pain shot through his left arm as Carol threw him again, this time colliding with another building and crashing through its wall. She started to advance on him again, only to pause as a red glow enveloped her body.
"Carol, stop!" Wanda demanded, restraining her fellow Avenger with ease. "You're not thinking straight, you just need to-AH!"
Wanda's grip on Carol weakened as a bullet collided with her arm, fired by one of the remaining drones, who had reengaged the Avengers. The shock was enough to allow Carol to spin around and fire a single blast into the witch, sending her flying and allowing the captain to continue her assault on Peter.
Within the now battered and shuddering building, Peter allowed a series of ragged, pained breaths to escape his mouth as he hid in an abandoned apartment.
"K-karen, vitals scan please." He whispered, disconcerted that his left arm wasn't responding to him.
"You have three cracked ribs, a broken toe, and minor internal bleeding. Also, your left arm is completely out of its socket." Karne reported, her synthetic voice tense with worry for her user. "I would recommend leaving the battlefield. You're in no condition to fight."
"Yeah...yeah, I think you're right." Peter muttered, wiping the dribble of blood that had started to leak from his mouth and attempting to sit up. As much as he hated running away, he knew he couldn't fight anyone with a dislocated arm. "Call Tony, tell him I'm gonna wait at the evac point unti-"
In the middle of Peter's instructions, the wall behind him exploded into a show of brick and dust, sending him to the ground. He cried out as pain shot up both his arm and leg, followed by a hand latching onto his suit, and throwing him back against another wall hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Before he could recover, a hand wrapped around his throat, leaving him breathless as Carol hefted him into the air.
"I'm done listening to your shit, Beck." She growled, eyes burning a fiery yellow. "You're done."
"C-carol, please listen!" Peter wheezed, squeezing the woman's hands in an attempt to loosen her grip. "I'm not Beck! He's t-tricking you! It's just the drones! Please!"
For a moment, the briefest expression of recognition flickered in Carol's eyes. Almost like she was pushing past the illusion. Then that snarl reappeared, and she punched Peter full force. It took every ounce of strength he had not to howl in pain as something in his chest cracked audibly.
"You're not gonna hurt him. Never again." Carol promised, before she listed her free hand and curled it into a fist, allowing energy to wash over it as she did so. "Never. Again."
Line Break
"That's right, Carol. Finish it." Beck hummed from the car that he and William watched the fight through the cameras on the drones. "End that meddling little idiot, once and for all."
Suddenly, the feed went out and the car came to a sudden stop. Any objections Beck had were squashed as an armored hand shot through his door, and yanked him out from the vehicle. Seconds later, the car itself flipped over violently and skidded to a halt several feet away, leaving Beck on the side of the road, still in the grasp of the armored hand.
"Hey there, Beck."
The illusionist flinched at the words, recognizing the voice they came from. Slowly, he tilted his head to face Stark, the red and gold of his armor shining in the dimming sunset. He didn't need to see that man's face to see the enraged look in his eyes.
"Let's go for a ride, pal."
Line Break
"I'm done listening to your shit, Beck." Carol growled, pinning the man to the wall and taking hold of his throat. She had finally caught him, after all that running. "You're done."
"Wait, wait! Easy there, captain! I'm sure your new bosses wouldn't like it if you killed me!" He sputtered, clearly terrified. Rightfully so. Still, Carol considered his words. She knew that she had a duty to turn him into the proper authorities. All thoughts of mercy ceased, however, as Beck continued with a sinister grin on his face. "Of course, you let me live and I'll come right on back. I will do whatever it takes to make sure all your friends die around you. Starting with Parker."
And just like that, something in Carol broke. Her hand shot out before she could think better of it, colliding with the man's chest and making him wheeze in pain. She tried to ignore the sadistic enjoyment she felt following the punch as she raised her other fist, prepared to finish this once and for all.
"You're not gonna hurt him. Never again." She promised, hoping that if Peter did hear about what she was about to do, he'd forgive her. "Never. Again."
She pulled back, prepared to throw the punch…
And then the world around her shattered.
Everything flashed an obnoxious, blinding blue, followed by the sound of metal colliding with the ground. After regaining her senses, she glanced around and noticed several drones scattered amongst the area, all deactivated.
"C-carol?"
The word cut through the air like a knife, and as Carol turned her head towards the area it came from, her heart shattered. Peter Parker watched her fearly, trembling as blood leaked from his nose and mouth. The pieces connected in her mind, and she released him and allowed both her hands to shoot over her mouth as the horrifying realization hit her.
She hit him. She hurt him.
She almost killed him.
"Peter." She whispered, taking a step back, trembling slightly. "I-I didn't know...I-"
Any other words died before they could reach her mouth as Peter slumped to the ground, prompting her to rush forward in an attempt to support him. As she did so, his eyes flicked to hers, the briefest flash of fear reaching them before they fluttered closed, and he drifted off into unconsciousness.
Line Break
Outside, the Avengers stood on guard despite the sudden deactivation of the drones. After a few seconds, Sam activated his comms and pinged Tony.
"Tony, we're all good here. I'm guessing you cut off the signal?"
"Yup. Drones are all down." Tony replied, a smirk audible in his tone. "And I ran into a certain someone trying to escape."
Seconds later, a familiar hum filled the air as the Iron Man suit landed in the street, holding a now restrained Beck.
"Well, look who finally bit off more than he could chew." Scott quipped, receiving a glare from the illusionist before opening his own comm. "I'll contact Barnes and tell him we need to pick up."
"Tell him to send some moist towelettes!" Wade demanded from his spot on the ground, slapping duct tape over what was left of his legs and right arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "I'm making a bit of a mess here."
"Wait...wait a second." Wanda interrupted, a look of realization rising on her face. "Where are Peter and Carol?"
The street went completely silent following the witch's words, before Beck started to laugh. A low, amused chuckle bubbled up from his chest, hitching laughs echoing off the surrounding buildings. Tony hefted the man off his feet, and turned him around so he could look the illusionist in the eyes.
"What the hell did you do, Beck?" He growled, his repulsors humming in preparation. Beck just nodded over Tony's shoulder and continued to laugh. Tony dropped the man, and whipped around, the sight before him making whatever heart he had lurch in his chest.
Carol stumbled out of a ruined apartment building, clutching a bleeding and broken looking Peter Parker, who's arm hung lifelessly at his side. She made eye contact with the nearest Avenger, and only managed a single, broken word.
"Help."