Spider-Bat: New Way Home
Chapter 34: Ring of Fire
Bruce Wayne, Peter Wayne Parker, Dr. Banner, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm made their way to Xavier's Mansion with a singular purpose—to uncover the truth about Brainiac, the missing symbiote, and, most importantly, Clark Kent's whereabouts.
As they approached the grand estate, they were met with immediate hesitation. The X-Men had been dealing with too many betrayals as of late, and trust was not something easily given. Tension hung in the air until Professor Charles Xavier himself intervened.
"We're all on the same side," Xavier assured his team, his calm voice diffusing the unease. His gaze settled on the newcomers. Though this was his first time meeting Dr. Banner and the Fantastic Four, he remembered Peter from a previous encounter. His eyes lingered on Bruce Wayne as well, recalling their battle against the symbiote-infused Wolverine.
Peter wasted no time. "We're hoping you can help us figure out what happened to Clark Kent," he said.
"And what you might know about the other symbiote," Bruce added, his voice firm.
Xavier nodded solemnly before speaking. "Brainiac is an artificial alien intelligence with one goal—to absorb all the knowledge of this planet." His expression darkened. "What he intends to do once he succeeds, I do not know."
The group listened intently as Xavier continued. "My team encountered Brainiac in Central City. He was working alongside an old adversary of mine—Magneto. They sought to harness the power of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak to create more mutants, or what some would call meta-humans. Magneto believes war between mutants and humans is inevitable, and his plan was to accelerate the process by forcing evolution." Xavier sighed. "Fortunately, my team managed to stop them before it escalated further."
Peter's eyes widened at the mention of Magneto. "And what about Wolverine?" he pressed.
Xavier's face grew even more serious. "I believe Bolivar Trask is responsible for what has happened to Logan. Trask is obsessed with creating weapons to eradicate mutants. He hired Lobo to kidnap Clark Kent, and somehow, he has managed to harness Clark's unique energy—his indestructible biological structure—and bond it to Wolverine's skeletal frame. That, combined with adamantium—the strongest metal on the planet—has made Logan nearly unstoppable."
Bruce clenched his jaw. "And now you're telling us he has a symbiote on top of all that?"
Xavier nodded. "Yes. The symbiote has bonded with him, enhancing his abilities beyond anything we've ever seen." His expression turned grave. "It took everything I had to break into Logan's mind and stop him in France. If he resurfaces, we may not be able to stop him again so easily."
A heavy silence filled the room as the weight of the situation sank in.
But Xavier wasn't finished. He turned to Banner. "There is something else—someone you may know well, Dr. Banner."
Banner narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
"Samuel Sterns," Xavier revealed. "He is not the man you once knew. His mind has evolved, altered beyond recognition. He is wiser than anyone you have ever encountered, and if he is involved in any of this… he could be an even greater threat than we realize."
Peter let out a low whistle. "Wow. This is a lot to take in," he admitted. "And here I was thinking Goblins were my biggest problem."
The team exchanged uncertain glances. They had come looking for answers, but all they had found were more questions—and the unsettling realization that their battle was only just beginning.
Bruce Wayne clenched his fist, pressing it into his open palm. "Where do we start?" he asked, his voice sharp with determination.
Professor X surveyed the assembled heroes—Bruce Wayne, Peter Wayne Parker, Doctor Banner, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, and the X-Men. Their faces were set with a mix of resolve and uncertainty.
"We start right here," Xavier said, his tone steady. "You are all willing to fight for this planet, to protect the innocent. But willingness isn't enough—we need skill, strategy, and unity. We must train. And we must recruit others who share our cause."
Everyone exchanged glances. The line between ally and enemy had blurred too many times in recent battles. Trust was no longer a given—it had to be earned.
Bruce broke the silence. "What are we waiting for?" His voice was firm, his eyes burning with focus. "Show me the training grounds."
Reed Richards folded his arms, his mind already racing with calculations. "Alright. Let's get to work."
The Danger Room – A Battlefield Reimagined
Professor X led them through the sleek corridors of the X-Mansion and into the depths of its underground complex. As the doors to the Danger Room slid open, an immense high-tech chamber stretched before them. The metallic walls gleamed under artificial lighting, ready to morph into any combat scenario imaginable.
"This room adapts to any environment," Xavier explained. "It will push you to your limits. You must treat this as real—because soon, it will be."
Dr. Banner shook his head. "I don't know if it's such a good idea for me to go inside there. When I change, I become the bad guy."
Charles moved in closer to Banner. "I will help you control your rage. You have to trust me."
Banner was hesitant at first, but there was something reassuring in the professor's voice that made him feel comfortable enough to proceed.
And then, with the press of a button, the chamber darkened. The floor rumbled, shifting beneath their feet. Buildings rose from the ground, smoke billowed in the air, and sirens wailed in the distance. The simulated city was under siege.
Then, their enemies materialized—each one a living nightmare.
ROUND ONE: SYMBIOTE WOLVERINE
A bestial roar tore through the battlefield as Wolverine—transformed by the alien symbiote—emerged from the shadows. His form was monstrous, his adamantium claws elongated and dripping with tendrils of living darkness. His glowing red eyes locked onto them like a predator sighting prey.
In a blur of motion, he lunged.
Bruce dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the swipe of razor-sharp claws. Peter flipped backward, his Spider-Sense screaming as tendrils lashed out, nearly impaling him.
"Keep him contained!" Reed Richards shouted, stretching his limbs to coil around Wolverine's arms.
Wolverine snarled, his symbiote-enhanced strength ripping through Reed's elastic hold. Johnny Storm ignited mid-air, unleashing a wave of fire.
FWOOOOSH!
The symbiote screeched but didn't retreat—it absorbed the flames, twisting and reforming like molten tar.
"Great," Johnny muttered. "That just made him mad."
Ben Grimm—the Thing—charged, throwing a haymaker. The punch connected, sending Wolverine skidding across the pavement.
But he didn't stay down. He healed instantly, his symbiote wrapping tighter around his body. He leapt onto Hulk, claws slashing. Hulk roared, grabbing Wolverine and slamming him into the pavement with bone-crushing force.
Sue Storm threw up a force field, boxing Wolverine in. "We need to finish this before he breaks free!"
Bruce pulled an explosive Batarang from his belt. "Let's test his regeneration limits." He flung the device, and the resulting explosion sent Wolverine crashing into a collapsing building.
The dust settled. Wolverine was down—for now.
But there was no time to rest.
ROUND TWO: MAGNETO & JUGGERNAUT
The battlefield shifted again. The sky darkened, filled with metallic debris twisting under an unseen force. From above, Magneto descended, arms outstretched, his cape billowing. Beside him, Juggernaut stomped forward, the ground trembling beneath his weight.
"You waste your strength fighting shadows," Magneto said coldly. "Join us, or be crushed beneath the future."
Juggernaut didn't wait for a response. With a deafening roar, he charged.
Ben Grimm stepped forward. "Oh, I got this guy."
The Thing met Juggernaut head-on, the impact creating a shockwave that cracked the pavement. The two powerhouses wrestled, fists flying in a brutal contest of strength.
Meanwhile, Magneto raised both hands. The metallic debris around them twisted into lethal spikes, launching toward the team.
Sue reacted instantly, throwing up a protective field. "Reed, we need a counter-strategy—fast!"
Reed stretched his arms, weaving through the debris and aiming for Magneto's position. But Magneto flicked his wrist, and suddenly Reed's body contorted against his will, caught in an invisible magnetic field.
"Can't… move…" Reed strained.
Peter webbed onto a building and swung in. "Okay, Mags, ever hear of too much metal?" He fired a glob of webbing at Magneto's helmet, temporarily blinding him.
Bruce took advantage of the distraction, launching himself from the shadows and delivering a devastating kick. Magneto reeled back, just as Johnny unleashed a fire blast.
Meanwhile, Hulk grabbed Juggernaut by the helmet, lifting him with a herculean effort. "Puny helmet comes OFF!" Hulk bellowed, yanking it free.
Juggernaut's eyes widened. "Wait—"
Ben Grimm delivered a knockout punch, sending Juggernaut crashing into a simulated building.
With Magneto and Juggernaut down, the battlefield shifted once more.
FINAL ROUND: BRAINIAC & GREEN GOBLIN
A new horror emerged. Brainiac hovered above them, his cold, cybernetic eyes scanning the battlefield.
"All knowledge must be assimilated," he declared. "You are… expendable."
From above, a cackling laugh echoed. Green Goblin soared in on his glider, hurling pumpkin bombs. "And here I thought I'd have to crash this party myself!"
Peter shot a web, snagging a bomb mid-air. "This guy again?"
Bruce hurled a Batarang, severing one of the glider's wings. Goblin spiraled but recovered, launching razor bats toward them.
Meanwhile, Brainiac extended mechanical tendrils, attempting to interface with Xavier's mind. The Professor gritted his teeth. "His intelligence is evolving—faster than I can counter!"
Reed's mind raced. "We have to overload him. Hit him with everything!"
Johnny erupted into a Nova Blast, engulfing Brainiac in flames. Hulk and Thing simultaneously slammed into him, causing massive structural damage to his cybernetic shell.
Bruce and Peter worked together, disarming Goblin mid-air. Peter slung a web-line, yanking Goblin from his glider, while Bruce landed a knockout strike.
Brainiac's systems flickered. Sparks flew. His form convulsed—and then collapsed.
The simulation ended. The battlefield faded. The Danger Room returned to its neutral state. The Hulk slowly changed back into Banner.
Breathing heavily, Bruce wiped sweat from his brow. "That… was intense."
Peter grinned, stretching his arms. "So, uh… when do we fight the real guys?"
Xavier smiled knowingly. "Soon. And now, you're ready."
"Now, we go and look for Clark," Peter declared.
"Can you find out where they are keeping him?" he asked Xavier.
Charles let out a quiet sigh, his brows furrowed in concentration. "I haven't been able to locate him yet. There is a strong force keeping me from finding Trask's hideout. I've tried using Cerebro, but I still can't get a fix on him," he admitted.
A silence fell over the room until Jean Grey suddenly stepped forward.
"Perhaps I can help," she suggested. "If both of us are connected into Cerebro together, we might have a chance."
Charles's expression darkened. He had reasons—very real, very troubling reasons—for why he didn't want Jean pushing herself to her fullest potential. Reasons even she didn't know about.
"We can figure out a different way," Charles replied, his tone careful.
Jean frowned. "But if we—"
"No." His response was firm, almost too firm.
Jean's confusion was evident, and Charles could see the same uncertainty mirrored in the faces of the others. They didn't understand—how could they?
"If there is a chance to save Clark, shouldn't we give Jean a try?" Peter pressed, folding his arms.
Charles hesitated. He had been hoping to keep Jean from reaching into the unknown depths of her power, but they were running out of options. He had no choice.
"Fine," Charles finally said. "But I'm going to need everyone to step out while we attempt to find him. Things could get out of control."
One by one, the others filed out of the room, leaving Charles and Jean alone with Cerebro. As they positioned themselves and Charles placed the metal helmet over Jean's head, the machine came to life, humming with energy.
The moment the connection was made, Jean gasped.
She felt everything—every human, every mutant, every conscious thought across the planet. It was like being submerged in an ocean of minds, thousands of voices speaking at once. The sheer magnitude of it was overwhelming.
"You must calm your mind and concentrate," Charles instructed.
Jean steadied her breathing, forcing herself to focus. Slowly, the spinning sensation in her mind settled, and she was able to block out the distractions.
"Good," Charles said, his voice reassuring. "We are trying to fix our senses on Clark. He is not of this world, so his anatomy will have a different aura about him."
Jean pushed her mind deeper into Cerebro's network, searching for something—anything—that felt like Clark. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find him.
Charles continued to scan as well, his focus so intent that for a moment, he lost track of Jean.
That was his mistake.
Jean strained, pushing herself past her limits, searching through the void. The machine trembled, and then—
"There!" she gasped. "That cave."
Charles immediately followed her mental link. In his mind's eye, he saw it—a dark cavern, its walls damp and jagged. And there, at its center, was Clark.
He was restrained, suspended in a viscous green liquid, his body motionless. An ominous red light pulsed above him, keeping him weak and powerless.
Before they could see any more, a loud BANG erupted around them.
Sparks shot from Cerebro's control panels. Jean's helmet caught fire, but she didn't move—she was frozen, her eyes wide, her body trembling.
Then, the flames spread—not just from the machine, but from her.
Her skin began to glow, her fingertips crackling with energy as fire burst from her shoulders, engulfing her entire form. Her hair lifted, weightless, caught in a force unseen.
Charles felt it immediately—the shift in her mind, the presence stirring within her.
No… it's too soon.
"Jean," Charles said urgently, stepping closer despite the unbearable heat. "You must calm your mind!"
But Jean wasn't listening. Her breathing was erratic, her eyes unfocused. The energy inside her was waking up—an ancient, cosmic force that had remained dormant… until now.
"I—" Jean's voice trembled. "I can feel… everything."
The fire intensified, licking at the walls, bending around Charles but not harming him. The sheer force of her telepathic power threatened to crack the very foundation of the room.
She's losing control.
Charles clenched his jaw and reached out with his mind, pressing his hands against her temples.
Jean, listen to me! he projected, his voice reverberating through her consciousness.
Jean flinched as if she had been struck.
You are Jean Grey. You are in control. This power does not control you.
"I… I can't hold it back," she gasped, her voice laced with panic. "It's too strong."
Charles gritted his teeth, focusing all his energy on stabilizing her mind. He had done this before—helped others suppress the chaos within—but Jean was different. There was something else inside her, something that wanted to come out.
The fire roared, but Charles refused to let go.
Breathe, Jean. Let go of the fear. Let go of the power.
Jean gasped as her body trembled violently. But then—
It stopped.
The fire flickered, dimmed, and then vanished.
Jean collapsed into Charles's arms, her body weak, her breaths shallow.
He held her gently, his heart heavy with the weight of what he had just seen.
She had come so close—too close—to becoming something that not even he could stop.
Jean's eyes fluttered open. "What… what happened?"
Charles hesitated. She deserved the truth. But if she knew—if she realized what lay dormant inside her—it would only be a matter of time before it awakened again.
"You pushed yourself too hard," Charles said carefully, offering a reassuring smile. "But we found Clark. That's all that matters."
Jean nodded slowly, still dazed.
And then, before she could ask anything more, Charles gently placed two fingers against her temple.
"I'm sorry, Jean."
A soft pulse of energy flowed from his fingertips into her mind. Her body relaxed, her eyes fluttering shut as the memories of what had just transpired faded into nothingness.
When she woke, she would remember searching for Clark. She would remember the strain of Cerebro.
But she would not remember the fire.
She would not remember the Phoenix.
Charles let out a weary sigh, glancing at Jean one last time before turning away.
This was only a temporary fix.
Because one day, no matter how much he tried to stop it…
The Phoenix would rise again.