Home of Magic

The moment Wolverine lunged, Felix's Spider-Sense flared like an alarm, sharp and insistent. Felix stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly sweep of Adamantium claws aimed at his throat. The strike carved through the air with a sickening schiing, the sound of metal slicing nothing but space. It was an unnatural sound. It was Adamantium, the Earth's hardest metal. It was different. 

Schiing! Schiing! Schiing!

Lung after lunge after lunge. Miss after miss after miss. He lunged, literally throwing himself like a feral beast.

Wolverine's last strike caused a momentary pause. The SHIELD agent landed, a hand on the floor, rolling his shoulders with a cat-like grace. "You can run, but you ain't fast enough, bub." 

His Spider-Sense flared up. 

'He's going to go faster—!' 

He couldn't go all out here—any hint of his true abilities would raise too many questions. He had to keep dodging, play it smart and accidental. He wasn't here for a brawl, but Logan wouldn't let him walk away easy.

Another leap—Wolverine came at him, claws bared. At the very, very last moment...

"Whoop."

Felix dropped to a crouch. Wolverine flew over and his claws gouged deep into the wall. Felix did a spin-kick. His strength was at about fifty-percent. Not everything he had but definitely enough to shatter steel.

Bam!

Felix's foot rattled. 

The Spider-Man in the golden mask sprang back, keeping his distance, his foot in pain.

'Jesus! I thought maybe I could dent Adamantium but fuck! It's impossible!'

Fifty-percent, a hundred-percent, two-hundred percent, or a thousand-percent. No way. Breaking Adamantium was going to be impossible.

His strike was apparently so ineffective that Wolverine didn't even notice it. He pulled his claw from the wall and turned.

'Can't use my web-shooters or my invisibility. Just have to wear him down,' he thought. 'Somehow.'

But then—

PHYSIOLOGY ANALYZED! AGE: OVER 200 YEARS OLD.

POWERS: SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH AND REFLEXES, ENHANCED SENSES AND TRACKING ABILITIES, AND A SPECIAL HEALING POWER.

BETA LEVEL MUTANT.

DANGER LEVEL HIGH! 

'Healing? Are you kidding me?' Herbie didn't need to tell him that. Felix could already tell the man was itching to tear him apart.

Meanwhile, Ashley was faring no better—or at least, that's what it looked like. Kitty Pryde—no, Shadowcat—stalked her like a predator, her shorter Adamantium claws extended. There was something almost playful in her movements, like a cat toying with a mouse.

Ashley was retreating. Walking back, back, back, her shoulder brushing the wall.

"You're no fun," Kitty said, a twisted grin on her face. "Always dodging, I thought you'd be more of a challenge."

Ashley exhaled and her lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, sweetie, I'm just getting started."

Adamantium claws sliced toward Ashley's throat. Slices that purposely missed. It was a feint and she tackled the white-haired woman in the black dress into the wall. 

"Gotcha!"

Kitty snarled in triumph, straddling her, and her claws flew at Ashley's throat. 

Too slow. Ashley's hand had already darted to her waist, pulling out a small tin of pepper spray. With a press of her thumb....

Psssht! 

The contents went straight into Kitty's face. Her eyes and nose went red in all the wrong places.

"¡Mierda!" Kitty screeched, stumbling back, clawing at her eyes. Due to the her enhanced senses, the pepper spray was made ten times worse; especially on her nose. "You FUCKING…! FIGHT ME!" Her claws swiped wildly at the air, trying to find her opponent through the tears and irritation.

But rather than press her advantage…

The white-haired woman winked and then skipped to the final door. Felix saw everything from the corner of his eye but—

Schiing! Schiing! Schiing!

"Watch your foot, pal!"

Felix nearly tripped when facing the two-hundred year old mutant. 'Shit, fuck—' 

This wasn't a mutant that he could casually dodge. His movements were amazing. He was as skilled as Captain America! He was heavier, clunkier, and seemingly impossible to dodge. 

As a result…

"Toodeloo~!"

…Ashley blew a kiss and disappeared into the door leading to Jefferson Davis. 

'Damn it.'

He'd been ready to intervene, to pull Ashley out of the fire, but she'd proven herself one step ahead. The pepper spray trick had been slick. Resourceful. He admired that.

His Spider-Sense tingled again as Wolverine's claws came perilously close to slashing his side. Felix twisted out of the way, trying his best to make it look like an accident, his spider-like agility and spider-sense keeping him three steps ahead of the beast.

'I know we're not allies, Ashley, but you could have at least done some damage before leaving!'

Indeed, Felix probably wouldn't have the same thing but that was because other people weren't heroes. He knew who Ashley was from when he met her: a mercenary-thief. Her morals were always going to be different. She probably thought this little alliance to be more of a competition than anything else.

"Stand! Still! Bub!"

Swing, swing, swing.

Wolverine relied on his aggression, but he was coming to see Felix was not some normal guy. He was dodging everything. His feet shifted. Felix could already read what he was about to do. He was going step on his foot to keep Felix within distance and fuck him up that way. 

Kitty Pryde wasn't going to let Ashley go that easily. Snarling, she blinked away the peppermint burn and stomped over to chase after her prey. But before she could take a single step—

BANG! 

A gun went off. 

Kitty froze and she looked down at her stomach. Yelena Belova stood several feet behind Felix, gun trained on her, smoke rising from the barrel.

But Kitty was no ordinary opponent. She growled, the bullet pulling out of her skin as the wound began to heal almost instantly. "Cute trick," she spat. "But that won't work on me."

Schiing! Schiing! Schiing!

Felix jumped back, far enough that Wolverine did not consider chasing after him.

Why? What could make the great mutant stop?

The Prowler.

His allies were here. Finally.

The lights flickered for a brief second, and then, like a shadow that came to life, the Prowler appeared.

Aaron Davis, the Prowler, was a blur to everyone but Felix. One moment, he wasn't there, and the next, Wolverine was being ripped from his feet by an unseen force. His massive frame crashed straight into Kitty Pryde, sending both of them sprawling across the floor.

Aaron landed in a crouch, silent and deadly, his mechanical gauntlets humming with suppressed energy. He didn't say a word—he didn't need to. The sheer ferocity of his attack spoke volumes. In a split second, he was moving again, his body a black-and-purple blur.

THWACK! A brutal, lightning-fast punch landed square on Wolverine's jaw before he could fully recover. Logan grunted and tried to counter but the Prowler was already gone, disappearing from his line of sight.

But his nose picked him up.

Wolverine swiped at metal, his claws slashing through the chest of the suit. Blood stained the tip of his claws. Prowler was too fast. Far too fast. But still within his means.

Drip, drip. Blood fell.

Wolverine barely had time to register the attack before the next barrage came—SMACK! A kick to the ribs and Logan bounced off the wall and into another strike.

The Prowler wasn't letting up. No gasp of pain would make him stop. 

It wasn't just speed. It was precision. Every strike from the Prowler was placed perfectly, timed to perfection. He moved like a panther, sleek and terrifying. No wasted effort. No hesitation. 

'That's Thai boxing…!' 

Without any sort of suit, the Prowler could have been the Thai boxing world champion. His skill was that advanced. 

And with the suit, well…

Felix had seen the Prowler's suit before. He already knew it was made of Carbonadium. A well-renowned replacement for Adamantium due to its cheaper and more malleable form. Oh, sure, it was less durable than True Adamantium, but in a fight where momentum and speed mattered, that difference was negligible. 

A nasty punch sent Wolverine down to the ground. 

The mutant pushed himself off the ground with a low growl. His skin was bleeding on the cheek and his black SHIELD agent clothing was ripped at several places. His healing factor kicked in, but it wasn't fast enough to counter the sheer onslaught of hits raining down on him. 

The moment he raised his claws, the Prowler hit like a freight train, attacking from every angle. Bam! Bam! Bam!

"FUCK OFF!" 

Wolverine tanked the attacks. He had obviously been through worse and lunged through it all, his Adamantium claws swiping at Aaron's chest.

But Prowler was gone again, moving before Logan's claws could even graze him. He was behind Wolverine in an instant, delivering a punishing kick to the back of his knees, forcing the feral mutant to stumble forward.

Wolverine whirled around, swinging wildly, but Aaron ducked low, sweeping Wolverine's legs out from under him with a brutal spin-kick. Logan hit the floor hard, and in the next instant, Prowler was on top of him, fists flying in a blur.

CRACK!

The sound of bone hitting metal echoed through the hall as Aaron's gauntleted fists connected again and again with Wolverine's skull. Blow after blow. Fast. Relentless. Merciless.

The ferocity of his attacks was on par with Logan's, but his speed—his speed—was something else entirely. Every strike landed, keeping Wolverine pinned, overwhelmed.

Five seconds of pure devastation to his face.

Logan roared, managing to throw his claws up to defend himself, but it was too late. The Prowler leaped up and to Wolverine's side, hammering a kick straight into his ribs, sending him rolling into Kitty Pryde. Kitty had been busy facing off against Yelena. She had sent out three strikes before this second tumble. 

Wolverine struggled to his feet, growling with frustration, but there was something in his eyes—something he hadn't expected.

Fear.

The Prowler had him on the ropes, and for the first time in a long while, Logan knew he wasn't the fastest predator in the room.

Aaron Davis remained silent, his chest rising and falling fast. The single clean strike down his chest was two inches long. Blood had been drawn and Wolverine had done it first. That had taken a lot out of him to do the same back. Not to blood but the pain. Wolverine felt pain regularly to the point that didn't matter. 

Against Prowler, it did. 

Where others would already be dead, Logan lived. The Prowler rolled his neck slowly and casually widened his feet to adjust his stance.

Logan narrowed his eyes, wiping blood from his mouth. "You got claws too?" he grunted.

The Prowler didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Yelena had both guns trained on Kitty Pryde. However, something was different. Felix could see it with the x-ray vision of his Advanced Glasses. The bullets were also made of Carbonadium. By sheer coincidence from the looks of it and for different purposes too.

'Carbonadium is highly radioactive and, in a bullet shape…yeah, no question. It can slow accelerated healing factors such as Wolverine's.'

So this fight wasn't one-sided. This fight wasn't decided by the Adamantium advantage. Not one bit. With Carbonadium, the Prowler and Yelena stood a fighting chance.

"Here." Without looking, Yelena threw him something. Felix caught it with a single hand. "Stun taser. A couple seconds and you can knock out a whale."

"So…"

"Go," Yelena said. "Knock out the Scorpion, get Little Thief, and get the hell out. We'll take care of this."

Felix would ask, "Are you sure?" but there was no time. Ashley was already there. That woman worked fast. 

He dashed and bullets went off. Yelena was protecting him from Kitty Pryde, who was honestly not interested in him anyway. She wanted to kill. Didn't matter who.

Door 137 opened and Felix went inside.

The room Felix found himself in was not like the one he went in. It was expansive and clearly designed to cater to the wealthiest patrons. A grand exhibition chamber where a single prized auctioned item lay. 

Yes, just one.

At the center of the room was a wide, polished marble pedestal, on top of which stood an empty glass case. The case itself was state-of-the-art, thick, reinforced with invisible sensors that, minutes or seconds ago, must have safeguarded the Little Thief device. Now, it stood hollow.

"Who the hell are you?"

Jefferson Davis was talking—and not to Felix. 

He glared at the figure perched on the pole lamp above him—Ashley, who wore a black dress that clung to her like shadows and a mask that represented the eternity of space. She held the Little Thief device in her hands, twirling it like a toy.

'Ashley has Little Thief and…' 

Jefferson Davis, his target, stood with his hands in his pockets, visibly agitated. 

To Felix's left was Princess Ororo reclined lazily on a velvet chaise, surrounded by armed guards. Her allure was undeniable, but there was an edge of danger in her posture, like a viper coiled and waiting. Her guards were alert, their weapons pointed toward Felix the second he stepped in, though none of them seemed particularly nervous. 

After all, this was their turf, their operation. 

Felix wasn't intimidated either. His eyes zeroed in on Jefferson, who seemed moments away from lashing out.

Felix sprinted across the room. So fast that the guards near the princess could not fire off their guns. His feet were silent on the plush carpet too, and before anyone could react, he pressed the stun gun to Jefferson's back and pulled the trigger. The device buzzed with electrical energy.

'Got you!' 

But instead of collapsing, as Felix had expected, Jefferson turned slowly, a smirk forming beneath his black sunglasses. "What do you think you're doing?" The auction master saw the golden mask and squinted. "Who the hell are you?"

Green electricity crackled. At first, Felix thought it was his stun gun but no. Jefferson Davis' suit crackled with electricity. His Spider-Sense kicked in but there was no dodging this close. No, even if he wanted to dodge—

"Ngh!"

The stun gun exploded in his hand. He was already distracted. The green electricity spread through him, striking every damn nerve, and then hurled Felix across the room. 

He slammed into the wall next to the door, the wind knocked out of him. Felix dropped to his knees, one hand down and in a pool of blood. 

UNDERNEATH THE SUIT, JEFFERSON DAVIS IS WEARING SUPPORTING ARMOUR CAPABLE OF DISCHARGING LETHAL ELECTRIC BURSTS.

'Should have analyzed first before attacking. Ugh…' 

Felix didn't push himself up. The guards had shifted their aim to him. They hadn't shot him for a reason. They were aware Jefferson Davis would be fine. 

Ororo's voice, smooth and commanding, echoed through the room. "Kill him."

The guards opened fire.

Felix bounced to his feet but…

Bang! 

But something strange happened. The bullets whizzed past Felix, not a single one hitting him. They ricocheted off walls, floor, and ceiling, as though the room itself was bending the shots. Felix blinked, confused for a second, until he heard Ashley's soft, amused laugh.

From her perch, Ashley hopped down gracefully, still holding the Little Thief in one hand as she walked forward—calm, almost leisurely. Jefferson snarled, pivoting and charging at her with a raised fist crackling with electricity.

But before he could reach her, the pole lamp suddenly snapped from its base and swung out, cutting off his path perfectly. Ashley didn't even flinch as it happened, her laughter rising in pitch as she walked past the fallen pole. Jefferson Davis was about to jump up and attack her but—

The bullets that missed Felix? Several of them came back and Jefferson reeled back. One bullet struck his shoulder and another his knee. He staggered backward, hit but not bleeding. That armour under his suit was something… 

The guards turned their guns on the thief known as Ashley, firing round after round.

Every bullet missed.

It was as if the room itself was cursed. Felix watched in disbelief as Ashley walked through the mess of bullets, completely unscathed. "Oh sweeties…" she said, sultry and mocking, "don't you know where we are? We're under the Sanctum Sanctorum. We're in the earth of magic and magic…"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"...loves more magic. It's a rule of law where I come from." 

'Magic?'

Magic-shmagic, that didn't mean shit if Felix just charged at her full speed.

He took one step, his intention fully to get to Ashley and snatch the Little Thief from her hands. But just as he did, a bullet nicked his shoulder. He hissed in pain, clutching the wound, and covered it with one hand to hide the healing.

'That bullet…' 

Was the very first bullet that had been shot and had been increasing in momentum until it struck him. What the hell kind of magical luck was that? His Spider-Sense barely sensed it! 

Ashley, now at the door, glanced over her shoulder. The mask she wore was of stars and space and yet he could feel the playful smirk underneath. "Oops! My bad." She winked before stepping out of the room with Little Thief in tow. 

Gone, just like that.

Felix cursed under his breath. He had wanted that device for Kate Bishop, but now Ashley had beaten him to it. Worse, Jefferson Davis looked enraged, and Princess Ororo, lounging on her seat like a queen, was shouting orders.

"Go after her!" Ororo snapped at Jefferson, her patience gone. "I want that device!"

But Felix, now standing between Jefferson and the door, had other plans. He was not about to let Princess Ororo walk away with Little Thief. If it ended up in her hands, it would be locked away in Kenya, a country she ruled in her father's stead, far out of reach.

'Kate is in the car. She stands a much better chance against Ashley than Princess Ororo with her guards.' 

"Whoever you are," Ororo's voice sharpened, "move aside."

Felix turned toward the princess. 

'I'm wearing this stupid mask so…they can't identify me. No way.' 

Neither Ororo nor Jefferson Davis had ever met Felix Faeth either. Technically there was that time at the Empire State Building with Princess Ororo but Felix was quite sure he did not make an impression on her. All she remembered that night was Spider-Man. Spider-Man jumping out the building and saving her. Spider-Man bringing her back. 

That meant Felix Faeth could go all out.

That meant he could flick on his invisibility. 

There was a collective gasp.

"Where did he—!?"

The next thing anyone knew, two of Ororo's guards were on the ground, unconscious. Ororo barely had time to react before Felix's invisible hand chopped into the side of her neck, and she crumpled into a heap on her throne.

That left Jefferson Davis.

The suited male stood there, cracking his knuckles, an amused grin curling at his lips. "Cute trick. But I can still see you." He tapped the edge of his sunglasses, his smirk widening.

In a blink, Jefferson threw out his hand, releasing a surge of electricity. Felix's spider-sense screamed at him, and he instinctively wanted to dodge—but his mind and body argued otherwise at the last moment.

Felix raised his hands. The invisibility wore off and black electricity appeared at the tips of his fingertip. 

The green electricity surged into his body, and instead of being burned or fried, Felix felt the charge dissipate, absorbed into him. White electricity spread across Felix, strengthening him.

'Thank you, Mr. Negative.' 

Jefferson's grin faltered. "Huh." He tilted his head, intrigued. "That's something."

Black and white electricity versus green electricity.