-Another chapter to make up for the long wait of the previous one.-
"Watch out!"
"It's coming for you!"
"Get down!"
It is chaos in the warehouse.
Heroes, sanctioned of course, are tossed left and right by the large, inky creature.
"Sweet Christmas!" Luke Cage screams as he's tossed into a shipping container.
Peter doesn't even look up from his work. "You're doing great Luke", he comments absently.
Daredevil stands a little in front and to the side sipping a steaming cup. "Done with that yet?"
"Patience is a virtue", Peter says from behind an impromptu table with scattered electronics.
"Not right now it isn't", Misty Knight lands a back flip next to the red clad hero. She turns to the scientist. "You're the expert on this right? How about a little muscle?"
Peter sighs and rearranges some wires. "Can't. Promised Steve. 'Spider-Man' is officially retired for the time being. I'm here as just plain old Peter Parker. That's why DD is "gaurding" me."
Daredevil pauses mid sip and casually deflects some debris away from Peter's work with a swipe from his billy club. "So why don't you lend them a hand without the suit?"
"You going to finish this gizmo horn head?"
Horn head shrugged and watched the scene in front of him.
Luke was back in the middle of it, wrestling with a pair of black tendrils. Iron Fist was avoiding a few out of the creature's back. Venom, freshly deputized by Steve Rogers himself, held one of its massive arms. Jessica Jones was darting in to attack the creature, while Elektra sank her sais into the other arm.
Doctor Strange sat off in a corner, floating in the air, mumbling some archaic language and glowing a light blue.
Venom is suddenly hurled, colliding with Jessica, and flies toward the small group.
Daredevil grabs Misty at the last minute and pulls her out of the way. Peter keeps his focus on his device and tilts his head slightly to avoid a flying limb.
Venom grabs Jessica and takes the majority of the impact into the warehouse wall. They fall in a heap on the floor.
Jessica pushes the larger person off of her and stands before Venom's gasp catches her attention.
"Coma girl?"
Her eyes narrow at the speaker. Venom's mask pulls away revealing a blonde man.
"Hey, coma girl! It's me, Flash Thompson."
Hundreds of cruel events run through her memory.
"Remember me? We went to highschool together!"
She takes his outstretched hand, "yeah, I remember you."
Iron Fist is helped to his feet by Misty. She shakes her head, "this is hopeless. It's too strong. We need more muscle or some kind of distract-"
She's cut off by Venom's scream as he's thrown into the similar looking creature, catching it by surprise and causing it to stumble slightly.
Misty grins, "that'll work."
The veteran heroes capitalize on the distraction and as a group they pile on the creature. It loses it's balance and falls into its front. Luke and Venom grab one arm, Jessica and Misty grab the other.
Iron Fist and Elektra fight off any flailing tendrils.
Strange finishes his chant and plants his feet. He strolls toward the creature with his hands pulsing with energy.
"Showtime", Daredevil announces and steps aside. Peter tosses him a futuristic looking jar and arms himself with fancy looking gauntlets.
Doc chants a line and white light shoots from a glowing circle on the floor and binds the creature. The group containing it back away, leaving Strange and Peter just outside circle, facing the creature from behind it and in front respectively.
Doctor Strange points the index and pinky fingers of both hands at the creature and the glow around them brightens.
Peter flicks a switch and twists knobs on both gauntlets, generating a low humming vibration.
"By the light of the seraphim", Strange begins, "mark of the Menacing One begon!"
The creature roars as a glowing red mark appears on its chest. The mark is being pulled away by some invisible force, but remains stubbornly stuck to the black hide of the creature.
"It is as I feared", Strange informs Peter. He maintains his posture but sweat begins to pour off him. "The Hell Mark is bound to the creature and the human host both, increasing its power and its hold."
"Kay, time to rock then", Peter grins and turns the knobs to the '11' setting.
He crosses the threshold of the circle and is immediately beset by angry tendrils. Easily, he wastes little movement bending and twisting slightly to avoid any attacks.
Peter gets close to the large thing, and lets loose weaponized soul.
"YOU KNOW YOUR LOVE!"
The gauntlets, cobbled from old Shocker weapons and a design from Hank McCoy he used with one of his students, shake with the volume and intensity of "Higher and Higher".
The creature's roars are drowned out and it thrashes in apparent pain. The mark is pulled further off, hanging by strands.
Doctor Strange and Peter pour on the pressure and the stands snap, piece by piece, until the mark is freed and shatters in a flare of crimson.
As soon as the mark disappears, the creature shrinks in on itself and its dark bulk flies from its host from the concentrated sound bombarding it.
Daredevil swiftly moves and contains the symbiote in the high tech jar.
Peter releases the triggers on his gloves and catches the young girl that was possessed.
The heroes gather around him and watch as Venom and Doctor Strange take the girl and examine her.
Strange addresses the group. "Her vitals are fine, she is merely exhausted."
The mask shakily pulls away again revealing Flash's pained but relieved expression. "Great. Thanks for the help everyone."
Venom takes the girl, intending to ship her back to her relatives.
Strange parts, handing Jessica a conjured invoice for his official assistance with the Marvel Knights. He leaves in a classic puff of smoke.
"Well that does it", Luke exclaims with a smile. "Job well done."
"Surprised you called us in on this Peter", Jessica stands next to her husband.
Peter sheepishly removes the gauntlets. "Yeah well, it was pointed out I may try to take on too much on my own."
Daredevil huffs, "does Moonknight use too much bleach?"
The collected heroes laugh at the joke and begin packing up. They leave the warehouse and approach a few modified patrol cars and a van.
Marvel Knight personnel exit the van and take the gauntlets and canister and enter the warehouse to work, leaving the group alone.
"So it's", Misty looks at a small screen on her metal arm, "4:27 in the morning. Anyone up for breakfast?"
Most of the others murmur their consent and move to the cars.
Peter watches them for a moment before movement catches his eye. Looking at the roof of a nearby building, he sees Kaine, April, and the other Spiders, along with Doreen, watching the scene. Peter gives them a subtle thumbs-up.
Kaine gives him a nod and he leads the others away.
"Hey Peter", Daredevil calls to him, sporting a knowing grin. "Coming this time?"
Peter thinks for a moment and smiles. "Yeah, yeah I think I will."
-Swinging Away-
"So we're already dressed up and keyed to fight", Pete speaks to the group swinging away.
Kaine grunts an affirmative. "It was in case we were needed. Seems we weren't."
"Shame though", Mary chimes in. "Was itching a bit for a fight.
The others speak their agreement.
Kaine sighs. "Well what do you want? We were pushing it already. The Knights aren't taking it easy on us anymore."
A store alarm starts ringing nearby. Landing on a rooftop, the heroes watch White Rabbit and a gang of D List villains robbing a pawn shop.
And no cop or Knight in sight.
The others turn to Kaine.
Sighing again heavily, he slumps his shoulders. "I swear, someone somewhere is setting us up half the time."
He stands straight and takes a deep breathe.
"Well what are you waiting for?"
-Miguel's Apartment-
It was a late night, but productive.
They stopped at about 2 and left the lab. Making plans for the weekend, they went their own way and Miguel went to his apartment.
He yawned and checked his primitive wall clock, noting the time as 5:13.
Time flies as you're having fun, or working on your own projects.
The casing was ancient by his standards, but the modifications he made to his laptop were more to his liking.
His stomach rumbled and he decided to grab something to eat before trying to sleep.
Leaving, his laptop continued to run through its programs.
Glancing through his barren, 20th century refrigerator, Miguel shuts the door and grabs an apple.
He takes a bite and decides to finally crash on his bed.
He goes to take another bite while he's passing near his laptop until a beep catches his attention.
He turns to look and drops his apple in shock at the words emblazoned on his desktop.
TIME STORM STABILIZATION SOLVED