[Deep Green Sacrificial Item Detected: Dr. Zola's Digital Life System]
Description: An electronic life-support system developed by the terminally ill Dr. Zola to extend his lifespan. It holds immense research value for entities on the brink of death.[Sacrifice for: 800 Points]
"And then there's this..." Peter thought, pulling out a pair of mechanical gauntlets. They belonged to Crossbones—the very gear the mercenary would have used in the future "Civil War."
[Green Sacrificial Item Detected: Crossbones' Exoskeleton Armguards]Description: Tactical combat equipment developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. Due to an outdated power source, its operational duration is extremely short.[Sacrifice for: 500 Points]
"Sacrifice!"
With a silent command, 1,300 points hit his account. Looking at his balance of 22,200 points, Peter began to salivate at the thought of next week's shop refresh.
He did a quick sweep with his Byakugan to ensure the old base was picked clean. Just as he was about to depart with Felicia, his phone rang. It was Tony.
The moment he picked up, the screeching sound of melting metal and the roar of heavy combat erupted from the speaker. Tony's voice was strained, coming out in short, ragged bursts:
"Peter! You done yet? We're... we're hitting a wall over here!"
Peter paused, a literal question mark almost appearing over his head. "Wait, for real? You guys can't handle a few grunts?"
Tony, clearly annoyed at having his competence questioned, barked back, "These aren't grunts! Pierce has four 'freaks' under his command, and every one of them is a handful!"
Before Tony could elaborate, a sharp burst of static cut him off, and the line went dead.
Peter frowned. Four freaks? That wasn't in the movie script. It seemed his presence had rippled through the timeline, or Hydra had pulled from its deeper, comic-inspired reserves. Either way, he couldn't afford to fly Felicia back slowly.
"Sorry, Felicia. Change of plans. I need to get to Seattle—fast."
Felicia chuckled, stepping forward to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "Go on, my hero. I'll be waiting in New York for the good news."
Seattle: Hydra's Secret Underground Facility
The scales of victory had tipped visibly toward Hydra. In the vast underground space, Captain America was being double-teamed by a burly middle-aged man and youth.
The man—Isaiah Bradley, or a variant of him—matched Steve's strength blow for blow, while the youth acted like a deadly Bullseye clone, pinning Steve down with expertly thrown boomerangs.
Bucky was in even worse shape. He was surrounded by a literal cloud of bees—Swarm. His vibranium arm was useless against ten thousand stinging insects.
Despite his Hydra-enhanced constitution, he was covered in welts, and his vision was blurring from the neurotoxins.
Not far away, Tony was struggling. His opponent was a man composed entirely of molten gold-red metal—Molten Man.
Physical projectiles and repulsor blasts passed harmlessly through his liquid body, while his touch left glowing, melted gouges in the Mark III's plating.
In a secure room deep within the base, Alexander Pierce watched the feed, a smug grin on his face. He toggled the intercom to taunt them.
"Stark! Rogers! Did you really think you were the only ones with hidden aces? Hydra has been nesting for seventy years! We have resources you can't imagine!"
"I don't know how you found me, but the game ends here. I'll make you disappear so quietly that even Peter Parker won't know who to blame. Hydra—"
BOOM!
Tony ignored his armor's overheating warnings and fired a micro-missile, vaporizing the nearest speaker.
"Persistent to the end," Pierce huffed. "Molten Man, finish that loudmouthed brat. Now!"
The creature of liquid fire turned, grumbling, "This wasn't in the contract, Pierce! I'm only supposed to restrain them! And remember, you promised to separate me from this radioactive slag afterward!"
Despite the complaints, his movements were lethal. He lunged at Tony, whose leg thrusters were now too damaged to dodge.
Tony's pupils contracted as he watched a fist hot enough to melt structural steel grow larger in his field of vision. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the scream of his suit failing.
Sizzzzzz—
He heard the sound of extreme heat hitting something, but the pain never came.
Tony opened his eyes to find a shimmering purple hexagonal barrier between him and the molten fist. The heat, which had been turning his cockpit into an oven, was completely neutralized.
Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that shield. He'd seen it in Brooklyn.
The purple light intensified, and in the next heartbeat, a tall, familiar figure materialized between Tony and Molten Man.
"Looks like I got here just in time," Peter said, his voice echoing with calm authority. "Any later and I'd be delivering a eulogy for the three of you."
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