Chapter 76 - Red Menace [2]

Though there were several concerns swirling in Prime and Sara's minds at that moment, there was only one they were truly focused on: saving Annie and Ema. Obviously, they would prioritize both, but what would they think upon seeing the bridge being destroyed, knowing it could have been avoided?.

Prime and Sara didn't consider themselves heroes, nor were they seen as such. Until now, the occasions seemed perfectly aligned, which likely led others to think they helped people, but honestly, that was far from reflecting who Prime and Sara really were. They wouldn't act simply if there wasn't something to gain from it.

But this situation is completely different from previous ones. Even if they didn't care about others' lives, they were dealing with dozens of them now. Neither Prime nor Sara could believe they could simply ignore the matter this time, especially when both were clearly responsible for this event from the start.

(Prime, look at the water, something's not right) Sara commented in Prime's mind, drawing his attention.

As soon as Prime turned his attention to the water, he confirmed what Sara had said: the change was visible. Bubbles were incessantly emerging from the water, indicating it was boiling. That was the exact spot where Prime had thrown the Red Hulk, which basically indicated the situation wasn't good at all.

While pondering how to get out of that situation, Prime closed his eyes, concentrating to use all his brainpower. When he opened them again, he was surprised by what he saw: Peter, now dressed as Spider-Man, was upside down, watching him.

"Mr. Ryan, this is crazy, isn't it? Is that guy down there your friend?" Peter said, pointing to the boiling water.

Besides the mystery of Peter's sudden appearance in front of Prime, he was genuinely curious about how Peter knew something was wrong there. However, keeping that thought to himself, Prime asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since Peter appeared.

"Boy, where did you come from?" Prime and Sara asked simultaneously, their voices overlapping.

"Oh, hi to you too, Sara. So, I was on a date with Gwen nearby. I heard on the restaurant's radio we were at that this bridge seemed about to collapse, so I decided to come help" Peter replied.

"... Long story short, you left Gwen at the restaurant alone and came here without giving any explanation for your weird behavior to her?" Prime asked.

As soon as Prime uttered those words, even under the mask, he realized Peter's expression changed completely, assuming an anxious look.

"I... messed up, huh?" Peter asked, clearly a bit more desperate than before.

Though there were several things Prime felt he should say, unfortunately, time seemed to be against him. He heard the sound of concrete breaking again. Looking at the pillar once more, Prime noticed it wouldn't hold for much longer.

"Look, I really think you're not so screwed, Gwen's a smart and cool girl. I'm sure she'd understand if you made up some excuse. But we have a more serious problem now" Prime said, urgency evident in his voice. "This bridge won't hold for much longer. One of the pillars is broken. If we don't hurry now, the bridge will probably..."

Before he could finish his words, Prime saw something leaping from the boiling water towards him. He raised his two arms along with his tentacles in front of him, but still got dragged backward. Feeling his back hit something, Prime cursed mentally, as from where he was, there was only one object that could have hit.

And as Prime feared, the sound of the bridge cracking began to echo again. However, besides that, a new problem arose before Prime.

"Why is this guy so hot? It feels like my skin is being burned alive" Prime commented.

"You are not worthy of this power. Power without control is something I cannot let loose" the Red Hulk said, increasing the pressure on Prime even more.

Honestly, Prime had no clue what exactly the man was talking about, and he didn't intend to try to understand either. But setting that aside, the fact was that Prime was running out of time. Though he didn't want to admit it, because it made him feel weird, he saw no other choice but to continue the fight without causing even more havoc.

Slowly, from the pillar where Prime stood, darkness began to gather, extending up to the underside of the bridge's ceiling. It was obvious that Prime still hadn't fully mastered this power. In fact, the last time he had used it, he could barely say it was really him. The only thing Prime could remember was the strange sensation of becoming one with the void.

Suddenly, flames were unleashed from the ceiling towards the Red Hulk. However, even this wasn't enough to stop him. But then, something that completely defied Prime's logic happened: huge wings emerged from the shadows, followed by a creature that leaped out and grabbed the Red Hulk with its jaws.

After that, the creature took flight, keeping the Red Hulk trapped in its jaws. Prime was completely baffled by the situation. Honestly, he hadn't expected something like that to emerge. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he had summoned that entity. Though apprehensive about the possibility of having unleashed something he shouldn't have, Prime had other pressing matters to deal with now.

For better or worse, that creature that emerged from his shadow was dealing with the Red Hulk, and Prime decided to make use of the time he had to deal with the bridge situation. With that in mind, he turned and observed the pillar for a few seconds, pondering on how he should proceed.

Prime didn't exactly have means to hold the pillar. In fact, his powers were more inclined towards destruction than reconstruction. It was while pondering on this that Peter's voice suddenly echoed beside him.

"Mr. Ryan, Sara, are you okay?" Peter asked, with a worried tone in his voice.

Hearing Peter's words, Prime turned to him and then looked at the broken pillar from earlier. He noticed that the pillar was completely covered by something. Prime recalled that Peter could shoot webs. Well, he wasn't sure if it was really web, but the important thing was that it seemed sturdy.

"What was that thing that flew earlier? It had huge wings and even breathed fire? Looked like a dragon to me" Peter commented, his eyes clearly showing interest.

"Boy, let's focus on the objective now. We'll talk about that later. I want you to do the same thing you did on the previous pillar, on this one now" Prime said, pointing to the shattered pillar beside him.

Peter simply nodded, and Prime, for some reason, noticed that Peter's expression had become more serious. He just shook his head, reminding himself that Peter was still a kid, quite different from Sara in general.

(Why do I feel like I just got insulted right now?) Sara asked mentally.

"Don't worry, it was a compliment" Prime replied with a small smile on his lips.

Ignoring Sara's words that continued to echo in his mind, Prime began to climb the bridge, reaching the track again. As he emerged, the first thing he noticed was several people out of their cars, probably trying to understand what was going on. However, upon spotting Prime, they quickly backed away, clearly showing fear.

(Well, can't blame them. Guess I'd be scared too if I were in their place) Sara commented in Prime's mind, letting out a small laugh.

Letting out a small sigh, Prime began to walk slowly towards his car. He didn't know how much time he still had before the Red Hulk or, worse yet, before that creature he had unleashed returned. So, Prime prioritized getting his daughters off the bridge first.