41 Burning Body

The world flickered in colour, from black to white then back to normal. Herbie's glitchy interface returned. The desk and the room dissipated into nothing. The feel of the ground also returned. Felix was back in the real world—or so it seemed. He was here, he was standing on the construction site, but like a dome, the sky was blocked by a barrier formed of his coursing negative energy. 

Mr. Negative levitated five feet into the air, his form bathed in a sickly glow as he channeled the power of his corrupted energy. Felix watched in awe and horror as Mr. Negative created a demonic avatar of some kind. The face was of the same design as the Inner Demon gang's masks. 

'What the hell is going on?' 

Lines of code flickered erratically across his interface, glitching and distorting with each passing moment. The face became more and more detailed, floating up higher and higher, its features warping into a grotesque visage of rage and malevolence.

Suddenly, with a roar that shook the very foundations of the construction site, Mr. Negative amped his dark powers, conjuring forth a ten-foot-tall demonic avatar. The creature materialized before Felix, its form towering over him with a menacing presence. Felix felt a chill run down his spine as he stared into the giant demon's glowing white eyes, filled with malice and hatred. With a guttural growl, the demon lashed out at him with clawed hands. 

His Spider-Sense activated and he flipped back. 'There's no way—is this an illusion!?' Couldn't be, it felt too real. 'This must be the ultimate evolution of his abilities.' 

Good god, it was terrifying. No webs, no Herbie. Felix was all on his own here. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's razor-sharp claws as they sliced through the air where he had just been standing.

Felix landed gracefully on his feet, his mind racing as he assessed the situation. The demon's attacks were relentless, its movements fueled by Mr. Negative's dark energy. With each step it took, the ground trembled beneath Felix's feet. This avatar thing wasn't just strong but heavy too. 

Felix knew he needed to find a weakness, a way to exploit the creature's defenses. With a burst of speed, he jumped over another swipe at him, using the limb to somersault through the air. He aimed to strike at the demon's neck. If Mr. Negative was in there, then it had to be in the head. He prepared a fist, ready to crack open that mask of his, but the creature anticipated his movements, swatting him aside with a powerful swipe of its massive claw.

Pain shot through Felix's body as he crashed into an electrical barrier, the force of the impact knocking the wind from his lungs and scorching his back. 'What the hell…?' He stumbled forward, nearly falling to his knees. No wonder he felt like he was still in the illusion. The dome didn't just encompass the sky, he created a small battle arena and a perimeter with it too. Forty by forty feet, if his estimations were correct. 

But he refused to give in to despair. With gritted teeth, he straightened himself, determination burning in his eyes, ignoring the smoke fuming off his back. The avatar was dark black save for its face, which was white. The horns gave it a demonic appearance. Each step felt like the world was going to end.

Felix refused to let that happen.

'Come on, you big ugly brute,' Felix muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with defiance. 'Let's see what you've got.'

He closed the distance between them, ducking and weaving through the creature's sweeping strikes. With each movement, he searched for an opening, a chance to deliver a decisive blow.

His Spider-Sense tingled, warning him of impending danger as the demon lashed out with renewed fury. Felix reacted instinctively, somersaulting over the creature's outstretched arm and launching himself toward its head.

He delivered a powerful punch aimed at the demon's face, aiming to shatter the mask concealing Mr. Negative within. He didn't quite shatter it but—

"You insect!" 

He came pretty damn close. The demonic avatar backpedaled from the force of his punch. He landed on the ground and immediately sprung forward again. He feinted left, then right, keeping the demon off balance as he searched for an opening. With a sudden burst of speed, he darted up its body, his fist cocked back for a devastating strike.

Bam! 

The fist landed. Keeping himself stuck to the avatar's shoulder, he followed up with a second hook, then a two-foot kick that bounced him off the avatar. His Spider-Sense warmed him of an attack and he reacted before it could happen. He was playing it safe, maybe, but he was playing it well. His scorched back was healing fast and so were his other wounds. He could do this! He could win!

He leaped forward, meeting the massive fist of the avatar head-on. He placed a hand on it, using his sticky fingers to flip onto the limb, and ran. His sheer dexterity and speed were too much. He leaped again and threw a nasty kick. Crack! At last, a glowing white split appeared in the demonic face. 

Smiling behind his mask, he landed on the demon's shoulder, only for his Spider-Sense to go off. He tried to move, but his feet felt stuck. He glanced down and saw that tendrils had trapped him.

He couldn't break free in time and the demon's massive hand shot out, seizing him in its iron grip. The mere contact caused him pain. He was burning, burning, burning! Hot, hot, hot! The demon's other hand joined in, entrapping him completely, and bringing him out in front of him. Felix struggled against its grasp, his muscles straining with the effort, but before he could break free, he felt a surge of dark energy coursing through his veins, a cold and insidious presence invading his mind. 

BANG!

In his mind's eye, he found himself standing in a dark and desolate landscape, surrounded by swirling shadows that whispered of doubt and fear. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and every second sent tremors of dread coursing through his soul. 

Then he saw him. 

"Miles!"

Across the dark land, he saw Miles. He was staring at him, smiling. He wasn't dead yet—he wasn't! He tried to fight back, to push against the encroaching darkness with all his strength, but it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with his bare hands. The darkness consumed him, twisting his thoughts and emotions into a chaotic whirlwind of pain and anguish.

BANG!

His smile fell. Blood gushed out and slowly drew toward him, tainting his face. "No! No!" 

Miles' face became replaced with Rio's. "W-why…?" she muttered. "Felix…?"

"Hey, come on!" His arm broke through. "You're not dying! You're not!" 

Then it was replaced with Reed's. "H-hey…" Reed called out weakly. "I forgot to tell you, man…" Felix froze up. "Happy birthday, Felix. Felix, you've been my best friend, always there when I needed it. Even now, you..."

BANG!

Blood splattered from Reed's head.

BANG!

It was too late. Another shot.

Felix's world went red. The shadows, the tendrils, he broke through all of it and found himself flying at the demon avatar's head. Felix unleashed the full force of his pent-up fury, channeling it into a devastating blow aimed straight at the demon avatar's head. His fist connected with a resounding crack, and for a moment, time seemed to slow as the creature's grotesque visage twisted in pain.

As the blow landed, the cracks in the demonic mask widened, fissures spreading like spider webs across its surface. Mr. Negative was expelled from the avatar's form, sent hurtling through the air with a guttural cry of shock and disbelief. His body tumbled end over end, crashing to the ground in a heap of broken limbs. Along with the avatar, the dome of electrical energy crumbled too.

For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the sound of ragged breaths and the distant hum of the city. Then, Spider-Man surged forward, his senses ablaze with adrenaline as he closed in on his fallen foe. He was prepared to strike him down. But as he witnessed Mr. Negative's form wither away, all he saw was the man known as Martin Li. 

Drained of his powers, Martin Li lay there, staring up at the night sky. He looked peaceful despite the blood streaming down his eyes and nose. "Haa…ha…I thought by killing Osborn, I could put my evil side to rest. But it seems…that's not quite the case. I can't feel him anymore."

Him? Was Mr. Negative an opposing personality of his?

"But…don't be mistaken. We work as one. I still believe Osborn should die." Martin Li glanced over at him. "I'm also not stupid enough to not acknowledge my misdeeds. So tell me…what will you do? Will you let Osborn go? You saw what he did, didn't you? My parents begged him for his help and what did we get?" He took a deep breath, angry and ragged. "Death. Not just them, but me. It's all I've known since that day."

Spider-Man didn't say anything.

"If you're really a hero, then kill him. He's done far worse than I ever could and don't think he will stop. Unlike me, Osborn is pure evil. He won't stop. He will never stop." Martin Li closed his eyes, exhaling softly. He was done. It was over. Spider-Man had won.

Felix lowered his head. He understood. He more than understood. He might have been on the side of the angels but that didn't mean he didn't want revenge. As for how far he would go for it…even he didn't know.

'Hm?' Out of nowhere, his Spider-Sense went off. But what…? 'Huh!?' 

A red dot appeared on Martin Li's forehead. He turned and suddenly became aware of a new presence in the darkness. The sound of footsteps echoed through the night, accompanied by the unmistakable click of weapons being cocked and loaded and carried. A swarm of agents in black entered the construction site. From the perimeter walls and from the entrance, all of them appeared from the shadows with training and skill equal to the members of the Hand. 

Turning slowly, Spider-Man found himself face-to-face with a group of armed individuals, their guns trained squarely on him. He counted twenty red dots on him. 'Must be from the rooftops,' he thought. 

"Back away from him, Spider-Man!" one of the agents barked, his voice harsh and commanding. One more sniper dot appeared, this time on his head. "Raise your hands and step away from Martin Li slowly!"

His Spidey Sense was going crazy. These guys were for real. As the tension hung thick in the air, Spider-Man could feel the weight of the moment pressing down upon him. His muscles tensed, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, but he held himself back, knowing that any sudden movements could spell disaster.

'Shit..!' At that moment, he felt his limbs ache with pain. He wanted to fall. He couldn't stand. Out of sheer stubbornness, he kept himself upright. 'Fuck…! Just give me…haa…a minute…!' The corruption had done a number on not just his mental state, but physical too. White burn marks tainted his suit. Luckily, the suit itself remained unbroken, though clearly it had sustained great damage. He attempted to stay still. His left arm shook terribly and his knees nearly buckled. The snipers refused to leave him and so his Spider-Sense throbbed till it hurt.

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

Twenty agents in front of him, fifteen to his left and right, and another twenty on the surrounding rooftops. Without Herbie, that was all he could glean. 

"Back away from him, Spider-Man," a deep womanly voice commanded, authoritative and firm. "Raise your hands and step forward slowly."

Spider-Man's gaze flicked to the figure stepping forward between agents. Instinctively, everyone stiffened and stepped to the side and he understood why. This woman was clad in the iconic red, white, and blue uniform of Captain America. Her presence was imposing, her posture radiating strength and determination as she leveled a stern gaze at him.

She was here. Samantha Wilson—Captain America. Dark skin, red goggles, tall and lean, and carrying the one-of-a-kind star-striped shield made of Vibranium. There was nothing like it. There was nothing like her.

"Tell us," Captain America began. "Martin Li, Mr. Negative, is behind you, correct?"

He didn't respond.

"There's no need to be secretive. SHIELD has already suspected as much," she said. "We were planning to defeat him and his gang in one fell swoop—before you came in tonight. Who are you? Are you affiliated with Gwen Stacy?"

He was vaguely listening only because Herbie was rebooting and making a shit-tone of noise. It was harder to listen to the captain when electrical wiring and machinery were popping off in your ears. 

"Are you listening to me?" the captain asked. "I'm not asking for much, I just want answers—"

"Let's calm down. He's probably a little tense from all the snipers on him."

This time, Felix shifted and the guns moved with him. 'What?' This couldn't be. His eyes must still be playing tricks on him. 'What the hell are you doing here?' 

The slender frame that arrived was adorned with a harness that cradled four robotic tentacles. The tentacles were a marvel of engineering, crafted from a soft yet sturdy material that allowed them to bend and flex with fluid precision. Thus, the newcomer didn't walk with her traditional legs; she walked with four AI-controlled mechanical tentacles. As she moved, the tentacles coiled and shifted in perfect synchronization with her movements.

'Liv…?' 

"Captain Wilson, stand down," Dr. Olivia Octavius commanded, her tone measured and chirpy. "I believe our masked friend here has more pressing matters to attend to than answering your questions. Namely, the snipers."

Captain America regarded Dr. Octavius and reluctantly raised a finger. A silent order to everyone to lower her weapon. One-by-one, the dots on his spider-emblem and head disappeared. His Spider-Sense was still tingling and his gaze flicked between the two women as he tried to gauge the situation. 

'What the hell!? Liv is with SHIELD? When? How!? I mean…her brother. Right, he was a part of SHIELD once.' While thinking, lines of code blurred his vision. Herbie was rebooting for the fourth time. 

Dr. Octavius smiled at Spider-Man, her expression unreadable behind the lenses of her glasses. "I apologize for the abrupt interruption, but I believe we have a common goal here. You've defeated Martin Li over there and we'd like to take him."

Slowly, he nodded.

"Great then. We'd also like your cooperation. We're a bit confused as to how you, well…exist," Dr. Octavius said. "I hope that isn't offensive." 

Herbie still wasn't rebooted and his body was killing him. He was dizzy, his flesh was burning from its desperate attempts to heal, and his vision was ruined by the glitchy interface. Shit, this was fucking bad. Was he really going to have to go with these guys? Taking on Captain America was one thing but he was well aware of the potential of Dr. Octavius' AI arms. He saw the schematics. He read the tests. Those things could crush steel pipes like they were twigs. They were intended for high-intensity experimentation; when human precision wasn't possible, the tentacles were. 

He could feel the tension in the air thickening with each passing second, the standoff reaching a boiling point as both sides braced for action.

'What should I do? Try to escape? Or cooperate with SHIELD? Who knows what those guys are planning for me...'