You’re Surrounded
Beneath the towering Osborn Industries building, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s convoy surged past the police barricades, unloading a team of fully armed agents.
"Where did these people come from?" The question echoed in the minds of the NYPD officers, yet no answer came.
It wasn't until they saw Captain America, shield in hand, stepping out of the convoy that the astonished crowd finally understood.
For Americans, Captain Steve Rogers held a place of reverence not unlike Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. The fact that this WWII legend had been brought back from the ice was no secret. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed eager to turn him into a brand.
While many had heard of Captain America's miraculous return, few had seen the hero in person. Now, as his figure appeared, not only did the police step back in awe, but onlookers and the media erupted in excitement.
"We'll handle this. Block off the surrounding streets for two blocks," Captain Rogers ordered.
The police instantly complied, pulling back their barricades and leaving the area entirely in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Rapid Response Unit.
At the same time, Miss Stark's Quinjet had arrived, hovering in stealth mode just above the building.
"Oh my God—is that... is that Captain America, Miss Stark?"
Peter Parker, like many post-war children, had grown up hearing the heroic tales of Captain America. His eyes lit up with excitement, much like the starstruck gaze of a fan meeting their favorite celebrity. For Peter, Captain America wasn't just a hero; he was an American icon, and it was clear that Peter could hardly contain himself.
"Miss Stark, can I go down and fight alongside them? I'm so pumped!"
With an exasperated shake of her head, Miss Stark looked away from the boy's eager face and turned her focus back to the building.
"Leave that to them. I have a different task for you. Afterward, I'll introduce you to him," she said.
Down below, S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken over from the NYPD, completely surrounding Osborn Tower.
The Inner Demons inside noticed the change in the situation, quickly realizing that S.H.I.E.L.D. was now in control. These transformed followers of Mister Negative were surrounded by swirling negative energy, which they could even channel into their bullets.
These energy-infused rounds were far more dangerous than standard bullets, capable of causing powerful explosions upon impact.
A barrage of these negative energy bullets struck Captain America's vibranium shield, sending shockwaves through the air, reminding Rogers of the days he had faced Hydra's energy weapons during WWII.
Fortunately, nothing could penetrate vibranium. The shield absorbed the impact from the explosive rounds, allowing Captain Rogers to act as a moving shield for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents behind him.
While taking the brunt of the fire, he occasionally hurled his shield, knocking several Inner Demons unconscious with precision.
Miss Stark had recently upgraded the magnetic system in Rogers' wrist guards, an improvement to the original design created by her father, Howard Stark. A fitting update, as it was only natural for Howard's daughter to build upon her father's work.
Rumlow led his team forward, relentlessly firing at the Inner Demons with no hesitation, while Frank Castle stood guard by the truck containing the energy-neutralizing equipment, calmly lighting a cigarette.
Miss Stark had witnessed superhero battles before, but being physically present in the chaos was a different experience altogether. Though it was hard for her to pinpoint exactly what felt different, she knew something was.
The Quinjet hovering overhead turned slightly, and Miss Stark opened the rear hatch.
"Your turn—get those hostages out. I'll provide support from here," she said to Peter.
Among the hostages were not only Osborn Industries' new CFO, Charles Standish, but also some innocent employees from the accounting department.
With the wind from the jet's turbines whipping around, Peter nodded, shot a web onto the hatch, and leaped into the air.
Using the momentum from his jump, Peter swung in a graceful arc toward the building's floor-to-ceiling windows.
At the top floor, where the Osborn Industries finance department was located, only a few Inner Demons remained to guard the hostages. Most of their forces had been deployed throughout the building to counter the police, or had gone downstairs to assist.
As Peter's drone automatically activated, it darted through the air like a sentient being, scouting ahead to locate an open window for entry.
Moments later, the drone led Peter to an unlocked window, allowing him to successfully infiltrate the building.
Inside, however, one of the Inner Demons heard the noise as Peter slipped in.
Spider-Man noticed the guard immediately, but before the Demon could raise the alarm, the drone shot out a burst of webbing, cocooning the guard and sticking him to the glass window.
"Whoa, thanks—you're really handy," Peter muttered to the drone, but his gratitude was short-lived.
More Inner Demons, alerted by the commotion, burst into the room.
"What the hell is going on—Intruder! It's Spider-Man!"
The sudden appearance of Spider-Man shocked the Inner Demons, but their surprise didn't last long. They quickly opened fire, sending a hail of negative energy bullets toward both Peter and the drone.
Spider-Man's enhanced reflexes allowed him to dodge the incoming fire with ease, but what surprised him was how agile the drone was, dodging the bullets with incredible skill.
Impressed with his new partner, Peter grinned and began working in tandem with the drone to neutralize the remaining Inner Demons in the building.
Unbeknownst to Peter, outside the building's glass facade, Miss Stark was controlling the drone with a special app on her phone, smiling as she directed the drone to assist him.
The drone was her creation, equipped with not only a basic AI mode but also manual control, allowing her to guide it with pinpoint accuracy.
While Peter was inside fighting for his life, Miss Stark remained comfortably seated in the Quinjet, controlling the drone like she was playing a video game.
Together, Peter and Miss Stark swiftly incapacitated the remaining Inner Demons inside the building.
Peter made his way to the hostages, but before he could speak with them, the door behind him was violently kicked open.
A group of heavily armed Inner Demons stormed the room, surrounding Spider-Man.
Faced with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highly trained agents, the Inner Demons were no match. Moreover, with Miss Stark's energy-neutralizing devices nullifying their powers, they found themselves losing ground quickly.
Forced to retreat, the Inner Demons regrouped on the top floor, where they came face-to-face with Spider-Man.
The Inner Demons had already clashed with the hero on multiple occasions and held a deep grudge against him. And now, faced with a lone Spider-Man protecting a group of defenseless civilians, they closed in.
Peter quickly assessed the situation—the number of enemies was far greater than he had anticipated. These must be the remaining Inner Demons in the building, and now they were all focused on him.
With only himself to defend the hostages, Peter hesitated for a moment. Should he run?
"Rogers, cut the building's power—quick!" Miss Stark's voice crackled through Rogers' earpiece as she assessed Peter's predicament.
Without a second thought, Rogers acted, hurling his vibranium shield toward the building's main circuit breaker.
As a soldier, his body reacted to commands instinctively.
The shield flew through the air in a perfect arc, slicing into the building's relay system.
Instantly, the entire building plunged into darkness, silencing the chaos.
Amid the pitch-black silence, the Quinjet's imposing silhouette materialized, hovering just outside the shattered glass walls.
Accompanying the jet's arrival was the low, ominous hum of its M61 Vulcan Gatling gun spinning up.
The mechanical whirring echoed through the darkened building, sending a clear message to the Inner Demons: they were outmatched.
While the jet was equipped with some offensive weapons, Miss Stark's primary focus wasn't destruction but intimidation.
Instead of regular bullets, the jet was armed with specialized tranquilizer rounds filled with high doses of sedatives.
Using infrared targeting, the jet's systems locked onto every Inner Demon still radiating negative energy.
The moment any of them left cover, they were hit with tranquilizer rounds, instantly incapacitating them.
This was Miss Stark's final act of mercy. Despite orders from the government permitting lethal force, she chose to spare them, allowing the law to decide their fate.
Most of the Inner Demons were ordinary people under Mister Negative's control, committing terrible acts while being manipulated by his powers.
Though they weren't innocent, they didn't deserve to die. Miss Stark would leave it to the courts to administer justice.
"Attention, everyone inside—you're surrounded. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately," Miss Stark's voice boomed through the Quinjet's loudspeakers.
Her words echoed through the building, causing the remaining Inner Demons to glance at each other in confusion.
"Your actions have gravely endangered national security, violating federal law. Surrender now!" she commanded.
Following direct orders from both the White House and Congress, the Inner Demons had been classified as a severe terrorist threat, giving S.H.I.E.L.D. full authorization to use lethal force.
Nick Fury, never one to show leniency, had also given the green light to shoot on sight.
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