Spider-Man: Duty and Loss Chapter 100: You're Better

*Ping* Tony looked down at his wrists. "Jarvis is it ready?" "Yes Sir." Tony cracked a smile as he looked up to see what was happening and whispered to himself. "Try this chrome dome."

Magneto frowned as he watched a promising mutant become a cripple, not only that, the power contained in that small girl was something powerful, something to be coveted, he could see that from a distance. His eyes flickered for a second as he watched Captain America and Wolverine rush to her, everyone else frozen at the scene they were witnessing.

Magneto started to evaluate the situation while they were distracted. He was surrounded by powerful combatants, especially the so called god of thunder, the Brotherhood was on the retreat and likely to be captured soon.

They had no hope of recruiting the girl and had lost the other unknown mutant; there was no reason for them to continue this farce. Just as he was about to tell Mystique they were leaving a new voice rose above the others.

"Try this you Magnetic Wonder!" Most of those on the street turned to Iron-Man in wonder as he stood tall on one of the surrounding buildings. He held his hand high as he slowly pressed something glowing above his wrists.

*Ping* *Buzz* The arc reactor in his chest lit up for a minute before sending a type of pulse outwards. *Bztt* Electricity flew and crackled over the street, but nothing else happened. *Gasp* Mystique was shocked for a second as she noticed what happened, before she sprinted forwards to catch Magneto.

He was falling from the sky!

Magneto splayed his arms outwards to try and stop his fall but his powers weren't responding, he tried to grab a discarded car to cushion his fall, but even that didn't work. Finally just before he hit the ground Mystique caught his body breaking his fall.

Everyone attention, bar a few, were now back on the master of magnetism. Trying to move any and all objects in the vicinity, Eric's face turned into a scowl as he starred daggers at Tony who wore a smug expression under his mask.

Just to rub in his awesomeness he shouted out to his fuming foe. "That my dear friend was an Electro Magnetic Pulse or EMP if you couldn't understand the big words…." Magneto clenched his hands, already knowing what happened.

"…Basically I just de-magnetised everything within a 1km radius. Suck on that!" Magneto's expression got even worse as he spat out words, trying to control his anger. "Mystique we are leaving. Now." Mystique only gave a small nod as she motioned to Blink.

Pink portals began to appear all over the battle field, gathering all of the brotherhood that were scattered about the place. "You're not going anywhere cretin!" Thor roared as he twirled his hammer before slinging forwards.

Magneto looked at Thor closing in for a second before turning his back and walking to join the group of dishevelled mutants. Just as Thor closed in and was about to deliver a blow, Blink appeared before him and opened a portal, before quickly closing it.

Thor looked around in confusion for a second as he stood on the moon, before looking back at earth where he once was. Wasting no time he quickly started to make his way back to earth.

Magneto walked up to the defeated Brotherhood and they said nothing as they felt the anger radiating off him. Blink created another portal back to their base, while Rogue and Storm let them go, they had been through this quite a few times by now.

But just as they were leaving Magneto had to move his body to the side as an arrow whizzed by where his head used to be! Stopping to turn around he stared at Hawkeye, who was giving him a small smirk. 'I will remember this humiliation.' He said nothing but his eyes spat fire as he turned back and left the area.

The portal closed and both the X-men and Avengers let out a small breath of relief, before turning to the one place still in high tension.

"Argh! Stop bitch stop!!!!" Kimura screamed out loud as terror gripped her heart. She wasn't dead yet, but she wished she were. She could only feel one of her legs, and both her arms were gone. There were small pieces of her body that just didn't seem to exist anymore.

The raging form of Laura was straddled over her body as she slowly drove her claws into her shoulders. Her movements had gotten slower after she took off her arms, and it was for that reason that Kimura was still alive. Laura had regained some clarity after the first outburst.

She pulled her claws out of Kimura's shoulders and brought them up to eye level. It was like for the first time she could see the difference in her black claws. They glowed a faint, dull black and Laura took a moment to look at them. They mesmerised her for some reason, but she couldn't place it.

When she came back to herself, she realised that there were now multiple people standing around her, the X-men and Avengers, all waiting to see what she would do. Laura looked down at the blood on her hands, the scared person underneath her.

Her thoughts ran wild as if she were in a trance as she looked down at Kimura's form. She had done it, she had taken down her tormentor, the one who made her life a living hell, she wanted nothing more than to plunge her claws through her heart, her throat anything to kill her. She enjoyed the scared look Kimura had as she looked at up her. The power she had over her.

Laura slowly pulled back her hand, starring only at the scared eyes Kimura was giving her, just one motion forwards and she would kill her. Just as Laura prepared herself, prepared to get the satisfaction of the kill, the deep voice of Captain America spoke from the side.

"Are you sure you want to do this kid?" Laura stopped for a moment letting the words sink in. No one else around said a word. "Do you want to kill her?" Laura's hand was steady as she replied. "She made my life a living hell, she deserves to die!"

Steve took a step forwards. "But if you kill her, you're no better." Laura gripped her fist tightly, the words entering a part of her heart she thought was closed off. 'Do I want to be like Kimura...a monster? Do I want to be better? Do I want to be a person? Or do I want to be a weapon?'

Laura's hands started to shake as she felt tears in her eyes. She wanted more than anything to kill her right now, while she could, while no one could stop her. But as she tried to do it, her hand wouldn't move. It was frozen in place as if something was holding it. Something was stopping her.

What was it!?!

Suddenly an image appeared in Laura's mind. One of a boy in tattered clothes, a bit malnourished, but he had a smile that would light up her world. Then he started to speak... "Look I don't care what you are; all I know is that you came here to help me. That's why you took down these guys right?"…It was when he found out she was a mutant.

He was so nice, so normal after all she had been through. "Hey, it's ok. You helped me. Thanks for the help." "You really helped me out there." He could have run away after seeing her attack those thugs, hurting them in unspeakable ways, doing what she had been trained to do.

"I would have been in trouble without your help." But he stuck around. He came back and talked to her, became her friends, something irreplaceable. He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want me to become a weapon. He just wanted me to be myself.

The Peter in her mind held her arm gently stopping her from finishing the job as he smiled brightly. "I don't think I've ever said my name." Laura's whole body shook as tears freely flowed down. She shook her head stiffly. "Names Peter. I owe you one now; anytime you need help I'll be there for you, ok. Anytime, remember that…"

The voice trailed off as Laura lowered her hand. She couldn't become a monster, she just….couldn't *Snikt* Her claws slowly retracted as those around gave a sigh of relief. Kimura starred up at the girl she tormented, the one that let her live.

Her emotion were complex, if she had been in the situation she would have killed her in seconds, gotten it over with. As she mused in her thoughts through… *Bang* … A fist came and rattled her brain. Not expecting the sudden blow she forgot to reinforce her density and her head slammed to the ground making her enter the land of dreams.

Steve who was standing to the side and had just released his held breath, stiffened for a second at the brutality of the punch.

Laura got up with a smile on her face glancing at the look of shock Steve was sending her; she just shrugged as she fixed up her hair. "She deserved that." Steve just gave a small nod, shook his head and then smiled.

With the fight over, soon both the X-men and Avengers; plus Felicia moved back into the apartment building, avoiding the incoming press that were about to swarm the street. Both teams looked at each other, Charles Xavier and Steve Rogers assessing each other.

Tony nudged Clint as they stood in the building. "I told you there was a mutant that could phase through walls." Clint just rolled his eyes and smacked his hand away. "Shhh, not now Tony." Charles was the first to speak, holding out his hand as a sign of peace. "We have a lot to talk about Captain Rogers."

Steve looked at the hand for a second before putting out his own. "Yes, yes we do."

Peter looked blankly into the window of the ship as it closed in on Wakanda. He would have taken in the sights that were flying by, but what Crystal had just said took his full attention.

"Sorry Crystal could you please repeat that." If he could see Crystal, he would have easily noticed her eyes roll at the question. "I said, while you've been gone a certain few things have happened in New York…"

Chapter end