Spectre's Chronicles: Chap #22

"Yow," I called out to the woman, suspecting that she was who I thought she was.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at me, assessing my presence.

Standing before her in my black trench coat and a mirror mask, I couldn't help but take in her striking appearance. Damn... Black Widow looks stunning. Stupid thoughts ran through my head, but Natasha noticed my gaze.

"Stared enough?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Not yet," I replied, taking one last look up and down before diverting my attention.

"Now I'm done. You already called it in?" I asked, curious about the status of her communication.

"Yeah," she confirmed, tapping on the mirror mask that provided her safe breathing amidst the green smoke.

"What is this?" Natasha inquired, examining the peculiar helmet.

"Trade secret," I replied mysteriously. I had created multiple masks for different kinds of situations, and these masks is my first combined magic and technology creation.

Its glass was made up of the glass from the mirror dimension, and with the help of advanced technology, I made it more comfortable and functional in some ways, but it is not perfect yet.

Opening a small mirror just enough to retrieve a sleek black handle. It was a prototype weapon I had recently created. Handing it to her, I explained its purpose.

"Wanna help me deal with these not-so-people?" I gestured towards the transformed civilians, their growls directed at us.

"What's this?" she asked, pressing a button on the prototype weapon. Instantly, it extended into a two-meter scepter, crackling with electrifying energy at its tip.

"Point it at their heads, and it'll fry their brains. Don't worry, it won't kill them," I assured her, brandishing my own scepter. We needed to paralyze them for a few hours, giving us enough time to handle the situation. I had my own destination to reach, after all.

"Looks like the Lizard has already escaped, probably heading to OSCORP," I stated, spinning the scepter in my hands.

"What? I need to report this. Why are you telling me now, kid?" Natasha exclaimed, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Hey! I'm not a kid, you know?" I protested, slightly offended by the remark.

"Heh! Yeah, right..." She rattled as she attempted to touch her earpiece only to be stopped by the mirror helmet covering her head.

"Shit." She cursed out.

"We don't have to worry about the Lizard, for the meantime, let's deal with the current situation first," I said as I readied my stance, dashing toward the incoming lizard enemy, I pointed the tip of the scepter at its head and stabbed it directly through its eyes.

In an instant, a surge of blue lightning fried its brain, resulting in smoke rising from within the creature. After a few seconds, I retrieved my scepter and observed the unconscious mutated lizard before me. Kneeling down, I checked its pulse and felt the steady rhythm.

"Success."

"You mean to say you've only tried that now? What if you killed that thing? What then?" Natasha questioned, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"I'm confident in my creations, okay? Also, the lightning from the tip will automatically stop once their fully unconscious." I explained, defending my approach.

"Got it," Natasha replied, her voice focused and determined. She skillfully evaded the mutated lizard's slashing claws, executing a series of precise movements. With agility, she leaped onto the creature's back and swiftly rode along its spine.

Aligning the tip of her scepter with the mutant lizard's head, Natasha struck with precision, driving the weapon deep into its skull. She unleashed a surge of energy, frying its brain until the creature collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud.

Watching the two unconscious forms of lizard on the floor, they noticed that it was already healing at an extremely fast pace.

"Told you," I commented breathlessly as I sprinted away from the scene, desperate to put some distance between us and the swarm of mutated lizards closing in. Their growls and saliva-dripping tongues only fueled our urgency.

"There are too many of them," Natasha spoke, her voice laced with concern as she assessed the perilous situation we found ourselves in.

Suddenly, one of the windows in Grand Central Terminal shattered, showering the ground with a cascade of glass shards.

Our attention turned to the intruder, and Natasha's expression shifted to one of shock while I regarded the newcomer with an intrigued gaze.

"Am I too late for the party?" A flying red and golden humanoid robot quipped, its voice cutting through the chaos.

A lizard lunged toward the robot, aiming to ensnare him with its razor-sharp claws. However, with lightning-fast reflexes, the humanoid robot raised his arm and pointed his palm at the mutated lizard.

*TWINGG BOOSHH!*

A powerful energy blast erupted from the robot's palm, engulfing the lizard in a brilliant burst of light and force. The impact sent the mutated creature hurtling backward, crashing into a nearby wall with a resounding thud. Smoke rose from the lizard's smoldering body as it lay motionless on the ground.

The robot floated calmly in the air, his metallic eyes scanning the area with unwavering focus. He turned to Natasha and me, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Seems like I arrived just in time to crash this party. Need a hand?"
..........................

'Dr. Connors is too far gone...' Different thoughts clouded Peter Parker's mind as he swung through the streets of New York, his destination set on Oscorp Tower.

'And what the heck is the OZ serum?' he pondered, his face scrunching beneath his mask. Suddenly, the urgent voice of an authoritative figure pierced the air through a megaphone.

"Stand down immediately, or we will be forced to open fire!" the voice warned.

Peter swiftly dodged the projectiles fired by the police officers with his supernatural reflexes.

He shot his webbing, propelling himself forward, aiming to elude the pursuing authorities and finally confront the Lizard, putting an end to his sinister plans.

However, his attention was momentarily diverted by the unexpected arrival of a helicopter, causing him to squint and strain his eyes to make out the details. Before he could react, it was too late. The helicopter fired a shot, striking Peter directly and causing him to lose control of his swing.

Paralyzed by the impact, he plummeted down towards the unforgiving concrete, his body crashing violently onto the street below. The pain seared through his nerves as darkness threatened to consume him.

Noticing him lying motionless on the ground, the SWAT team swiftly descended upon Peter, their tasers aimed at his prone form. They approached with caution, aware of the potential danger the masked vigilante posed.

Peter struggled to maintain his composure, his head spinning from the impact. Despite his disoriented state, he could feel the weight of the handcuffs being secured around his wrists, his freedom slipping away. As the SWAT team completed the arrest, they made way for the man in charge, George Stacy, who had disembarked from the helicopter moments ago. He approached Peter, a mixture of frustration and concern etched on his face, reaching out to remove the vigilante's mask.

However, before George could proceed, Peter's widened eyes caught something peculiar on the ground beneath him. Sensing an unexpected shift, he glanced up, locking eyes with George Stacy through his mask.

"Stay bac--" Peter uttered with shock-filled eyes as his spider senses warned him of the incoming event, but before he could go on, the ground beneath him swiftly engulfed him. It was as if the solid earth had transformed into a formless void, consuming the vigilante without a trace.

The onlookers, including George Stacy and the surrounding officers, stood frozen in shock and confusion, unable to comprehend the inexplicable event that had just unfolded before their eyes.

"ALL UNITS, SPIDER-MAN HAS ESCAPED! SPREAD OUT! SEARCH THE AREA! KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE BUILDINGS! I REPEAT..." George Stacy's urgent voice boomed over the communication devices, his words echoing with a sense of urgency as they scrambled to find any trace of the elusive web-slinger.

As George Stacy and the officers continued their search, the police radio crackled to life, catching their attention. The voice on the other end delivered the news that sent a chill down George's spine.

The Lizard has already wreaked his havoc at Oscorp.
........................

"--ck!" Shouted Spider-Man at the top of his lungs, still kneeling on the ground with handcuffs on. Confusion washed over his face as he surveyed his surroundings.

"Wh...ere?" he uttered, his voice filled with bewilderment, as he locked eyes with the familiar black-clad figure standing before him.

"I hope I didn't intrude on something..." The individual spoke, his expression deadpan, as he observed Spider-Man intently.

"You can take those cuffs off now. The Lizard is coming... and he's stronger than ever, so I hope you stop pulling your punches." The man in the mirror mask said as he adjusted his black gloves on his hands, preparing for the imminent battle.

He stood in front of Spider-Man, facing the door of the entrance of the rooftop with caution in his eyes.

Turning his head back a little to look at the standing-up Spider-Man, he uttered under his breath.

Taking his position in front of Spider-Man, he faced the entrance to the rooftop with a cautious gaze.

Casting a quick glance back at Spider-Man, who had risen to his feet, he muttered under his breath, "After all... this isn't a game."

"GKRAHHHHH!!!" The Lizard has emerged.