Spider-Man: Black and Blue (AU) Chapter 22: Showdown (2)

[Third person POV] 


Max pulled his arm back and launched a fierce bolt of electricity toward Damon. A jagged stream of searing energy tore through the air, crackling with raw, chaotic power as it exited from his palm. 


Damon’s Spider-Sense flared violently. Instinct kicked in. His muscles tensed, and in a split-second reaction, he twisted his body in mid-air. The jagged storm of forking bolts lit up the night sky, their reflections dancing wildly across his lenses as the deadly energy screamed past him—barely missing his face by less than a centimeter.


Without missing a beat, Damon appeared in front of Max. He swung his fist forward with full force, colliding against the invisible barrier of Max’s electric field. The air sizzled, but Damon’s momentum overpowered it. His punch broke through and connected squarely with Max’s jaw.


“Ugh!!” Max cried out as he was sent flying backward like a meteor, his body tumbling uncontrollably through the narrow alley between buildings. Sparks and arcs of electricity burst from him, lashing out in all directions, scorching the concrete and leaving trails of glowing lines etched into the pavement and walls.


He spun mid-air before managing to stabilize himself, hovering just above the ground in a shaky float. His limbs trembled slightly as he dropped down with a grunt, landing unsteadily but refusing to fall. Gritting his teeth, he stomped his foot down to lock his stance.


“You won't get in my way! She will be mine!” Max roared, his voice ragged, as he waved his arms frantically. Streams of blinding power shot from his hands in rapid succession, streaking through the air like lightning bolts aimed to kill.


“What? Did you ask for consent first?” Damon called out as he flipped away mid-air, firing a web to a nearby lamppost and swinging through the incoming barrage. The bolts passed close—far too close—singing the edge of his suit and zapping the space behind him.


Explosions rang out as the erratic blasts struck nearby buildings. Windows shattered. Cobblestone ripped apart, erupting into rubble that rained down like shrapnel. Some chunks slammed into parked cars, flattening their roofs and triggering their alarms in a chorus of frantic beeps.


Damon spotted a massive chunk of debris about to crash down on a huddled couple in the street. He quickly fired a webline, grabbing the stone mid-air. “Consent is important, y’know!” he shouted, swinging it off-course. “Maybe try a different approach!”


“To kill her, I don’t need her consent!!” Max screamed in fury, his eyes glowing. With a roar, he unleashed another pulse of energy, obliterating the slab into a cloud of dust and smoke.


Damon emerged from the smoke like a missile. “Sorry, Maxy,” he said grimly, “but if you want to harm a babe like her, you’ll have to go through me first.”


His punch smashed into Max’s face—once, then twice, then a third time. The impacts landed with sharp cracks, finally drawing blood as crimson droplets sprayed from Max’s lips.


“ARGHHH!! Get away from me!!!” Max roared, his energy reaching a breaking point. A massive surge of electricity burst outward from his body, tearing across the ground in violent arcs. Jagged veins of lightning carved through the street, one of them striking Damon square in the chest.


Damon was launched like a cannonball. He crashed through the street, skipped across the asphalt, and slammed directly into the windshield of a police cruiser speeding down the road. The glass shattered on impact as he tumbled over the top and landed hard in front of a line of other cruisers skidding to a halt.


“Ughhh… yeah, that’s gonna leave a bruise…” Damon groaned, pushing himself up slowly as blue and red lights swirled around him. Officers piled out of the vehicles, drawing their weapons and aiming them straight at Max.


Then came the sound of rotor blades overhead. Damon looked up to see a helicopter hovering above the street, its blinding spotlight pinning Max in place.


“Stand down immediately or we will open fire! You have five seconds to comply!” a voice boomed from a loudspeaker, echoing down the street.


Max panted heavily, his chest rising and falling as the weight of the situation crashed down on him. He was surrounded. Nowhere to run. No one on his side. His vision blurred as panic crept into his expression.


“Why…? What did I do to deserve this…?” he whispered, voice trembling. He looked down at his hands, sparks flickering from his fingertips. His lip quivered.


Damon tilted his head slightly, having caught the quiet words through the commotion.


Suddenly, Max snapped his head up and screamed. “Like hell I’ll let them capture me!!” With a blinding burst of light, he rocketed into the sky, tearing through the clouds as he fled.


“Hey! Max, come back! Let’s talk this out!” Damon yelled, immediately firing a webline and launching after him, the wind roaring past his ears.


“Stay away from me!!” Max bellowed from above, twisting mid-flight. He turned and fired a powerful blast of electricity directly at Damon.


Damon spun in mid-air, dodging the bolt by a hair’s breadth. He latched onto the side of a building with a web and sprinted along its wall, eyes locked on Max.


High above the city, Max’s eyes widened. There she was—Anastasia—standing at the edge of a rooftop, watching the battle unfold below, her face pale with worry.


“I got you now!!” Max bellowed with rage, his eyes wild as he hurled a violent blast of electricity directly toward Anastasia.


“NO!” Damon’s voice cracked. In a single fluid motion, he launched himself forward with explosive momentum, his legs coiled and aimed like a missile. His boots slammed into Max’s side with a powerful dropkick, sending the crazed attacker flying backward through the air. Max’s body tore through the outer wall of a nearby apartment building with a thunderous crash, shattering windows and crumbling concrete as he vanished in the debris.


The redirected blast missed Anastasia—but not without consequence. The beam struck the edge of the rooftop near where she stood. The ledge cracked violently, stone and steel screaming under pressure before it gave way beneath her feet.


Anastasia screamed as the rooftop crumbled beneath her, and she plummeted. Her arms flailed instinctively, trying to grasp anything within reach. Debris rained down beside her, chunks of stone and metal plunging in a deadly cascade.


But then—a sudden jolt. She felt something thick and strong wrap around her torso.


A web.


Before she could process what was happening, her descent was halted mid-air. She was yanked up and toward the safety of a pair of arms. Damon’s arm cradled her tightly as he swung them both to safety, spinning through the air like a pendulum toward solid ground.


“We really have to stop meeting like this, beautiful~” Damon quipped through labored breaths, trying to ease the adrenaline with his signature grin.


Anastasia clung to him tightly, her chest heaving with each panicked breath. “This… this is the second time you’ve saved my life…” she gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief and gratitude.


“If I get to hold a gorgeous woman like you in my arms, I’ll risk it every time~” he replied, still smiling.


“As much as I appreciate the compliment, this really isn’t the—”


Suddenly, Damon’s Spider-Sense flared like a siren in his skull. Anastasia’s expression shifted in a heartbeat—eyes wide, jaw slack.


“LOOK OUT!!” she screamed, pointing past his shoulder.


Max, scorched and furious, had reemerged from the shattered apartment. Half of his face was burned, his eyes glowing with fury. He raised his hand, and a bolt of electricity screamed toward them—this time, aimed directly at Anastasia.


Damon didn’t hesitate.


He shoved Anastasia aside, catching the full brunt of the blast across his back. “AAAAAHHHH!!” he screamed in agony as the electricity surged through his body, his muscles convulsing violently. His back arched, the power writhing over him like venomous snakes.


Anastasia hit the ground with a cry, rolling to a stop. She looked back just in time to see Damon writhe in pain, smoke rising from his back, his suit charred and burning.


Max, unrelenting, raised his other hand and fired a second blast—this one aimed directly at her again.


But Damon, watery eyes and trembling, forced himself back into the air. With a burst of sheer willpower, he threw his body between her and the second oncoming bolt.


The energy hit him again, now he was being hit with two streams of power. 


Another scream tore from his throat as he took the second blast head-on. He crashed back down, twitching, smoke now pouring off him. His limbs quivered violently as he gasped for air.


“GO!!!” he shouted through clenched teeth, voice raw. “HURRY! RUN!!”


Anastasia’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at his broken, smoking body. But she knew what she had to do. Swallowing her fear, she turned and sprinted toward the line of police in the distance.



---


Richard slammed his fists against a flickering keyboard. “Damon!!” he shouted, the monitor in front of him fizzling into static. The entire system had short-circuited. Their communicator was dead.


“Damn it!” he growled. “I can't get into contact with him!”



---


Back on the battlefield, Damon was sprawled across the asphalt. His breath came in short, painful gasps. His nerves were on fire. The back of his suit had been obliterated, revealing the scorched, blistering skin beneath. Smoke rose from him like incense.


He tried to move, but pain lanced through every muscle. He could barely support his body as he went on all four.


Then—a rush of wind overhead.


Max soared past him in a blur, trailing sparks. He zeroed in on Anastasia, who was just reaching the police barricade.


But suddenly, Max jolted in mid-air.


Something was holding him back.


He glanced behind him with confusion and fury—only to see Damon, still on the ground, clutching a webline that was holding tightly onto Max’s back.


“Stop…” Damon wheezed, tugging the web tighter. His fingers trembled as he slowly reeled Max back in.


“You insufferable pest!!” Max roared, livid. “Why do you keep getting in the way of my revenge?! Why do you care?!”


Damon met his gaze with bloodshot, pain-glazed eyes. “I won’t let you kill her…” he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. He wrapped the web around his hand and pulled back as Max pulled against him. “I don’t know what she did to you… but I won’t let you murder anyone.”


“FINE!! THEN I’LL KILL YOU FIRST!!” Max howled.


Using the momentum of the web-pull, he rocketed back toward Damon like a bullet, teeth bared.


He tackled him, lifting him off the ground and into the air once more. His fingers wrapped around Damon’s throat, tightening with murderous intent.


“I’ve already killed someone before,” Max growled, his face inches from Damon’s. “What’s one more, right?”


Damon struggled, gasping. His feet dangled helplessly as Max flew higher, preparing for the final blow.