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justwriteryan · 5 months

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MARVEL X GEARS OF WAR.

CHAPTER FIVE

On the other side of town, a squad of soldiers are returning fire on their advancing enemies. One man lobs a grenade into the Locust ranks. It detonates with a FOOM! Some Locust bodies hit the floor, others scatter. A sergeant surveys the bottom of the street.

SERGEANT: Okay, we’ve slowed ‘em down for now! Get moving

Groups of civilians rush out from inside buildings and under debris. Like a herd of frightened animals, they all head towards a set of stairs leading to an underground subway platform.

SERGEANT: Everyone get underground! Get to the subway!

SOLDIER: Incoming!

All eyes swing skyward. A small object hurtles through the air toward them. Lightning sears the sky behind it, a bolt strikes it. It collides with the side of a nearby building, ricochets off it, bounces off another, and crashes into the road a few feet from where the soldiers hold the line.

SERGEANT: What the hell…?

Grumbling, dirty, bruised and burnt, Wolverine rises from the smashed concrete. The soldiers watch, amazed.

WOLVERINE: What’re you lookin’ at?

He shakes his thick, black hair, letting glass rubble and soot fall to the ground. He spots the civilians fleeing down the steps.

WOLVERINE: What’s all this?

SERGEANT: That’s classified.

Wolverine walks over to the sergeant. Though the military man towers over the mutant, the smaller man looks him square in the eyes.

WOLVERINE: Listen, bub. I don’t know where you got your orders from, but mine come from Steve Rogers. I answer to him, so you answer to me. Now, spill!

The sergeant remains tight lipped. A man behind pipes up.

CURRAN: We’re on evacuation detail, sir.

SERGEANT: Curran!

CURRAN: C’mon, Sarge, he’s an Avenger! We’re here to defend civilians, sir. Guide them outta the city, search and rescue that sorta thing.

WOLVERINE: Ask me, those people would feel a lot safer if you were down those tunnels with them, instead of watchin’ their backs up here.

SERGEANT: Well even if your opinion mattered, short round, who the hells gonna watch out backs up here?

SNIKT! Logan pops his claws. At that moment, the cries of the Locust horde begin anew. They regroup and prepare to advance at the bottom of the street.

WOLVERINE: Get outta here!

Some of the men run to the tunnels. Others are unsure.

SERGEANT: Are you crazy? You’re just one man!!!

CURRAN: Sarge, relax! Haven’t you heard? He’s the best there is at what he does!

Reluctantly, the other soldiers follow their comrades down to the subway. Wolverine stands alone, in the middle of a deserted street. As the Locust rush nearer, the last thing we hear is his growling, as his face twists into a feral grin.

High above the skirmish, the aerial battle rages on. The Reavers are everywhere. Thor and Iron Man lead the assault, embracing the ferocity of the fight. Falcon, Miss Marvel, Jessica Jones and Spider-Woman engage any of the creatures that stray from the main battle, keeping them back from civilians and any rescue effort aircraft. A small squad of Locust reach a rooftop and set up a vantage point. They immediately open fire on both the civilians on the streets below and the superheroes in the sky above.

VOICE: Oh, I bet you guys thought you were sooooo clever!

Spider-man drops out of the sky amidst the shrieking Locust. He lands smoothly onto the roof and kicks one in the face, sending him hurtling over the edge. The others begin shooting erratically.

SPIDER-MAN: Hey, now! Didn’t your Locust drill sergeant ever teach you guys to keep your cool when confronted with a man in lycra??

He spins on his heel and uppercuts a Locust grunt as it tries to pull out a sidearm. Shoots a blast of web-fluid into the face of another, then roundhouse kicks it in the chest. Spins around again and elbows another in the face, then throws him to the floor. The last Locust grunt rushes towards him and runs right into a vicious head-butt from the wall-crawler.

SPIDER-MAN: Okay, so, for future reference: basic knowledge of firearms, but virtually no experience with close quarter’s unarmed combat. Seriously, if you guys really want to invade Earth, then you need to…

He stops. His spider-sense goes berserk. He scans the rooftop, but can’t see any foes. On another rooftop a few buildings away, a Locust sniper brings his weapon to bear, just as Spider-Woman flies unwittingly into its path.

SPIDER-MAN: LOOK OUT!!!

Too late. The Locust fires a round. It misses her skull but explodes through her shoulder and collarbone. She screams.

SPIDER-MAN: JESSICA!!!

He leaps into the air and swings over to her, just as the injured Avenger begins to fall from the sky. He catches her in mid-air. As they head back to the Tower, he picks up the sound of the sniper reloading his weapon. A string of web fluid drags him over the edge, and flings him down into the violence of the streets below.

SPIDER-MAN: Hey, Logan! Make this guy feel at home will ya?

He swings away and lands on a rooftop to examine his wounded passenger. Blood is gushing down her torso in streams, and her right arm is all but hanging off her.

SPIDER-WOMAN: GAAAARRRGH!!!

SPIDER-MAN: Hold still, Jess, I can help you here.

He holds her right arm steady and with his free hand spins a makeshift sling/bandage out of his webbing. The bleeding slightly recedes, but it does nothing to dull the pain of almost having your arm shot off.

SPIDER-MAN: How’s that? How does that feel?

SPIDER-WOMAN: Grrrrnnnhhh…thank you….

SPIDER-MAN: I’ll get you to the Tower. Hold on.

He picks her up gently and holds her in both his arms. He shoots web fluid to the side of a building and swings away. They pass over countless signs of battle and destruction across the city; smouldering buildings, street fires, looting, and innumerable gunfights.

A stray Reaver rears up in front of them, screeching wildly and knocks them out of the sky. Its Locust rider opens fire on them, as they scramble to stay in the air.

Spider-man grabs hold of the side of a building as the Reaver dives at them, bullets raining down on them.

SPIDER-MAN:I have an idea. It’s kinda crazy, but it’ll get you back home quicker!

SPIDER-WOMAN: DO IT!!!

With Spider-woman in tow, he rushes head-on to meet the enormous tentacle monster.

The scene switches back to Avengers Tower. Steve Rogers is surveying the sky battle through high powered binoculars. Behind him, Maria Hill and a small army of technicians are trying to keep visuals and communications running. On one screen, the face of Nick Fury appears, unbidden.

FURY: Rogers.

Steve spins around at the sound of the old Colonel’s voice.

ROGERS: Fury?

FURY: Put me on your private channel. This is for your ears only.

Steve clicks a button on the comm device on his wrist. Fury’s face and voice disappear from the screen, and his voice comes through Steve’s earpiece.

ROGERS: Where are you, Nick? Where are you in all of this?

FURY: At a safe place. Out of the city. I’m sending the co-ordinates to you now.

ROGERS: And why would you do that?

FURY: Because, right now, the President and his heads of staff are discussing levelling the city in order to end your “Locust” threat. And we both know that before long, it won’t be a discussion anymore.

ROGERS: He wouldn’t…

FURY: He will, and you know it. Your army of Avengers can’t fight forever. Even Thor and the Red Hulk will run outta steam. Look at the battlefield, soldier; all you’re doing is stalling them.

ROGERS: If the least we can do is get the civilians to safety…

FURY: That won’t be enough for the powers that be. My place is big enough and has enough quarters for all of your people, a new base for you to fight from. So when he calls you, and tells you to give up the fight, make the right call. Fury out.

ROGERS: Fury? Fury!

HILL: Sir, Red Hulk just radioed in. Luke Cage and his people have arrived downstairs.

Steve stands motionless, his mind reeling from Fury’s words.

HILL: Sir?

Still grappling with the troubling news, he slowly turns to face his second-in-command. Before he can utter a word, the building trembles and a rumble comes from upstairs. The two of them reach for their guns and race to the cause of the disturbance.

On the roof of the Tower, the carcass of a Reaver has crash landed. Steve and Maria slowly approach it, weapons drawn. As they get closer, they notice around the beast’s mouth, layers of webbing are wrapped like a set of reins. Slowly, two figures slide off its back.

HILL: Oh my God…

Spider-man slowly walks over, supporting Spider-woman, almost delirious with pain.

SPIDER-MAN: Cap, take her. She needs a medic right now.

Steve races over to them and picks up the wounded hero with both arms, holding her like a child.

ROGERS: I’ve got her. Are you hurt?

SPIDER-MAN: Ah, you know, usual alien battle bumps and bruises

He turns around and heads to the edge of the rooftop.

ROGERS: Peter, wait! Where are you going?

Spider-man turns back to face him. His mask obscures his face, but he’s bewildered at the absurdity of the question.

SPIDER-MAN: Back into the fight. You, of all people should know that.

He dives off the ledge, momentarily disappears from view, then Steve spots him swinging back into the chaos. He watches him for a second, thoughtfully. Then a groan from Spider-Woman brings him back to senses, and they return inside.

Far below, and seven blocks away, Captain America moves cautiously amidst the ruin in the street. Head down, he races behind a destroyed car. He spots commotion in an alleyway across the street. Adjusting the shield on his back, cocks his rifle, takes a deep breath then charges onto the now-abandoned road. As he moves through the open space, bullets ricochet off his shield.

The single Locust rises from its hiding place behind a ruined bus. Bucky levels his machine gun and, in one swift reflex, let’s loose a volley into his assailant’s chest, then lowers his weapon and runs on.

As he reaches the entrance to the alley, he hears the howls and screeches of a pack of Wretches huddled in the far corner. One of them sniffs the air and turns on the intruder. Bucky opens fire again and kills them all, one by one as they pounce at him. When the last of them falls to the ground, riddled with bullet holes, the walls of the alley are splashed with blood and gore.

He surveys the scene, and finds something in the corner where the Locust were gathered.

BUCKY: Oh, no…

Its Squirrel Girl.

Her body has been ripped to pieces. There are cuts and bites all over her arms, her throat, her torso. Some of her organs are showing, and so is one of her eyes.

Bucky slowly, reverently, approaches. He can’t take his eyes from the Avenger’s devastated body.

BUCKY: I’m sorry…I should’ve found you sooner. I’m so…

A noise from behind distracts him. He snaps back to life, gun poised.

Behind a dumpster, covered in a small blanket and making sobbing sounds, is Danielle Cage.

Amazed, the new Captain America drops his weapon and runs to pick up the baby. He turns back to the desecrated body of Squirrel Girl. He understands how she died now.

BUCKY: You were being chased, so you hid the baby while you had the chance and let them corner you. You tried to fight them, they overwhelmed you, but you fought on. You fought to make sure they didn’t notice the girl.

With his free hand, he raises his arm in a stiff salute.

BUCKY: Rest in peace, Avenger.

He lowers his arm, lifts his rifle from the ground and holds it with one arm. He heads back out of the alley and towards home.

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