"Elektra?"
"Hello, Spider-Man. A bounty has been placed on you and your...friends, and I am here to collect it."
"Over my dead body," Spider-Man said. Then again, she probably is intending to kill us all. "Axel, Blaze, Eddie, take care of the ninjas." Murdock's ex is all mine.
Elektra launched one of her sai at him, the weapon razor-sharp. His reflexes were just fast enough to duck, and then avoid Elektra's sweeping kick. He blocked her kicks. She blocked his punches. In standard, no-power combat, neither fighter had any noticeable edge over the other.
"Be honest, Elektra. You're not just doing this for the money, are you?" She lunged at him with another sai, Spider-Man just barely flinging a table at her to take the brunt of the attack.
"No. The Hand covets something far more valuable: Power. There will be nothing to stop us from eliminating the Kingpin and taking over his criminal empire by eliminating you. Once that is accomplished, this city will be ours."
He could taste wet, liquid fear in his mouth. The intoxicating scent of alcohol permeated, along with metal clashing against flesh. He could not worry about his comrades. Spider-Man had to finish this. And fast. Elektra made another attempt to stab him. He shot forth a web and smashed her over the head with a tankard. Taking advantage of the ninja's momentary dazed state, he grabbed a pool cue, knocking her over the head. He looked down at her face, marred by beer and blood. Spider-Man was glad he'd ended it quickly before things could escalate. He couldn't kill Elektra. The deed was not in him. Luckily, no one else needed to be hurt. His three companions had thoroughly dealt with Elektra's clan. The bodies of Hand assassins combined with those of Mr X's underlings to form a blur of colours and body parts on the floor. Judging from her breathing being ever so slightly heavier, Spider-Man figured that Blaze had also been involved in the conflict- even more odd was that her wounds had completely disappeared.
"Just a second ago you couldn't so much as walk without your dashing blonde prince's help. What gives?"
"I ate an apple. Do they not heal you where you're from?" Blaze said.
"No, usually they just keep the doctor away."
Axel, not understanding, opened his mouth to ask his spandex-clad companion about the relation between apples and medical professionals before realising there were more important matters at hand than trivial questions, matters relating to one particularly adventurous little boy. He turned his head… only to see that Eddie wasn't next to or beside him. Eddie Hunter was nowhere to be seen.
"Eddie? Eddie, where are you?" His shouts were aided by Blaze, but they were to no avail. There was no sign of him, and no word from him.
"Hey, you guys, I think I figured out where Eddie went." Spider-Man's pointed a finger overhead. Swiftly, a figure too high up to make out ascended further into the midnight skyline, holding Eddie tightly within the clutches of emerald-coloured wings that wouldn't look too out of place at a Brazilian carnival and heading towards a structure that to Spider-Man looked very reminiscent of the Golden Gate Bridge. The trio ran as fast as humanly (or superhumanly in Spider-Man's case) possible in a bid to catch up with whatever man, woman or bird had ensnared their friend.
"Follow that bird!" Axel called out, ignoring in his desperation the muscles begging for him to give them a rest. "Or whatever that thing is!"
NEXT: A swim on the bridge...and a fight in the air!