Spider-Man of Earth 65

Dust, sadness, and the distant sound of collapsing buildings punctuated by the deep, guttural roars.

It wasn't the roars that did the damage or the lasers. It was the steps. The weights. The casual seismic earthquakes.

The effects spread and destroyed without discrimination. They spread from Manhattan all the way to Harlem.

To buildings that only broke college students and single mothers could afford. 

To Felix Faeth's apartment building.

To the Morales family.

Miles Morales coughed violently, waving his hand in front of his face as he struggled to see through the haze. The apartment was unrecognizable. The once-cozy living room was now a chaotic mess of shattered furniture, jagged concrete, and splintered wood.

It wasn't close. The monster wasn't even damn close and yet it did all this. This was what it meant to be a monster. This was what it meant to threaten a city.

The little guys suffered the most.

"Mom!" Miles shouted, his voice cracking with panic. He dropped to his knees beside Rio Morales, who was pinned beneath a massive slab of the ceiling that had caved in during the last tremor. Her face was pale, her lips tight as she tried to keep the pain from showing too much.

"I'm okay," Rio heaved out, practically gasping. She forced a smile. "It's just… my leg. I can't move it."

Miles grabbed the edge of the slab. He tried to lift it. Immediately, he thought he couldn't. "I-I'm gonna get you out of here, Mom. Just hang on. Hang...on!"

Rio managed a weak smile, her hand reaching up to touch his face. "You're strong, mijo. I know you can do it."

But Miles wasn't strong enough. He strained, his muscles screaming in protest as he threw his entire weight into lifting the debris. It didn't budge. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. He couldn't fall apart—not now. He wasn't a fucking kid.

'Come on! Push! PUSH!'

Outside, the world was a nightmare. The earth quaked with each step of the massive creature rampaging through Manhattan. Windows rattled and the floor beneath them groaned.

He heard its roar. On the television, he saw the Lizard was in Manhattan. Six fucking miles away.

"Come on," Miles muttered through gritted teeth, sweat dripping down his face as he tried again. His palms slipped against the cold, rough concrete and a gash opened up on his palm. "S-shit! Come on!"

He tried again. The blood, it started dripping.

"Miles!" Rio cried out. "Stop! You'll hurt yourself!"

"I can't leave you here!" he yelled back, frustration boiling over. His fists clenched, ignoring the blood and his body shaking. "I won't leave you here, Mom!"

A sudden noise from the hallway—a heavy thud followed by the sound of splintering wood—made both of them freeze. Miles turned toward the door, his heart racing. Was it another tremor? Or worse—had the monster come closer?

Was it heading to Harlem?

The door burst open with a crash. Blue and black...? Miles squinted through the haze, his breath catching when he saw the broad shoulders, the gleaming bald head, and the officer's uniform.

"Hey, I see you!"

The man himself stepped fully into the apartment, his face set in a grim scowl. "Officer Cage speaking, this building's coming down," Luke said into the radio. To his left was the hallway with rooms. To the right, the living room, kitchen, and utter destruction.

Miles waved a hand. "O-officer! She's stuck—I can't move it!"

Luke didn't waste another second. He knelt beside Rio, his hands gripping the edge of the debris that had trapped her. "I've got this," he said. He glanced at Rio, giving her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, ma'am. Hold your breath. It might sting when it gets off."

Rio managed a faint smile, her eyes watering. "Thank you…"

Luke's muscles flexed as he heaved against the massive slab. The floor creaked beneath the strain, and for a moment, it seemed like even he might struggle with the weight. But then, with a grunt of effort, he lifted the rubble enough to free Rio's leg. He was shaking, however. He couldn't keep it up for long.

Miles scrambled to her side, gently pulling her out from underneath as Luke held the slab aloft. Once she was clear, Luke let the debris crash back down, the impact shaking the room.

"Haah...shit..." Luke took a breath. He then glanced at Rio and the bloody leg. "Can you stand?"

Rio winced, leaning heavily on Miles as she tested her injured leg. "I-I don't think so."

"I got you, Mom."

"Let's move. This building isn't safe."

The three of them made their way out of the apartment, the walls around them groaning with every aftershock. Luke flicked an eye over at the door right across from them. "Is anyone in there?"

"H-huh? Felix?" Miles and Rio exchanged glances. "I-I don't know..."

"H-he should be at work. O-out of city, I think."

Luke was about to dart, except something stopped again. "A girlfriend. Does he have a girlfriend?"

Another look between mother and son. This time, Miles responded, "I-I don't know...?"

Luke was torn. He decided to check on the door knob. Locked. Bam, bam, bam. He slammed his fist on the door. "Jessica! Jessica, if you're in there, say something!"

"Jessica...?" Miles repeated.

However, for as much as Luke called out the name, there was no response. He seemed nervous and pulled out his phone. He tried to text. His message didn't go through. "Fucking hell...hopefully you're alright, Jessica." He turned over at the mother and son. "Sorry about that. Let's get going. Elevator's don't work. That monster has been fucking everything up. We're taking the stairs."

Which, luckily, was right beside them.

The three went down the stairs. Every sound made Miles flinch—the creak of the floorboards, the distant rumble of destruction, the roar of the creature that seemed to shake the entire city.

When they finally emerged onto outside the apartment, the scale of the devastation hit them like a punch to the gut. Creature Z wasn't here but because of that, everybody was trying to flee. There were so many cars, traffic like no nothing Rio had seen before in her life. This was a small neighbourhood in Harlem and yet, because of the attack, everybody was packing up to leave the city. 

"Shit, my car..."

Stolen. Luke clenched his fist. He checked on Rio's condition. As bad as her leg was, she wasn't in critical condition. Was it worth calling over first responders...? Resources were scarce right now...

Fuck. His fist tightened till they were bleeding. Never in his life had he felt so damn useless...

Miles didn't speak. He was carrying his mother and sweating bullets. Not because of the traffic but because sight in the distance.

Creature Z.

The Lizard.

The kaiju towered above the Manhattan skyline—or what was left of it. Its massive frame was illuminated by the glow of fires raging across the city. Each step it took sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, toppling more skyscrapers like they were made of matchsticks. Its dorsal fins pulsed with an eerie, radioactive green glow, and its massive tail swung in slow arcs, carving through the cityscape with devastating force.

Miles stared, his mouth dry. He had seen the news footage, of course, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. The creature was too big, too powerful. It didn't seem real.

Luke followed the young teen's gaze and grimaced. "Jesus Christ. This thing's tearing the city apart."

Miles clenched his fists, his mind racing. He felt so small, so powerless. He was just a kid—a fifteen-year-old trying to protect his mom in a world gone mad. What could he possibly do against something like that?

How could anyone? 

***

Rubble was everywhere.

From the shores of Brighton Beach in south Brooklyn, through Flatbush and Central Brooklyn...

Across the Manhattan Bridge, destroying it. Creature Z had made a long, long journey. Where it started, however, down in south Brooklyn was where it did the least damage. It had grown stronger. The combat and missiles more fierce.

So, this could also be said: while south Brooklyn were the first victims, they were also the least effected.

From the fires of a trashed helicopter, one woman emerged. The helicopter had crashed through a building and into another. Death should have been all but certain.

Not for her. Not for Captain Samantha Wilson who pulled herself free from the wreckage, streaked with blood and limbs that were burned.

Panting, she activated her SHIELD comm, the static crackling before stabilizing. "This is Captain Wilson," she rasped, "reporting. Creature Z is out of sight."

A moment of stunned silence followed before the comms exploded with overlapping voices.

"Captain Wilson?! You're alive?!"

"All personnel, Captain America did indeed survive the crash—"

"Status location, Captain!"

Incredulous shouts and fear ran rampant.

"One at a time," Samantha heaved out, spitting acid from her mouth. Her shield had clung to her arm despite everything that ensued. The fire, the crash, the explosion. If it wasn't for the shield, she certainly would have died. It was made of an impossible, one-of-a-kind combination of Wakandan Vibranium and Proto-Adamantium alloy that has never been duplicated in the past hundred years. 

For the first time in her life, she saw a tiny burn mark on it. Insignificant, perhaps, but this shield was said to be capable of withstanding the core of the Earth. Nothing could melt it. Nothing could destroy it. The SHIELD scientists outright told there was nothing in the galaxy that could destroy it—not even the fabled supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way.

This monster somehow managed the impossible with its Gamma Breath and caused a burn that would not leave.

Captain America climbed out of the rubble. Half of the building had come down. She stood at what would have been the sixth floor. Nobody else had survived. She looked toward the towering silhouette of Creature Z. Its rampage had not stopped.

Samantha glanced back. She recalled every detail of what happened.

"I have other news," Captain America said. "The Chameleon is dead. She won't make it to her prison."

Yes, she saw it for herself. The fiery Gamma Breath had consumed the Chameleon till she was a crisp.

"I'm going after the kaiju. Where's its heading?"

"Captain, good to hear from you," a new voice cut in—Maria Hill, cool and authoritative, but with an edge of relief. "We're tracking it now. It's already swam and destroyed the Manhattan Bridge. It seems that it's heading straight for Oscorp Tower. You've got seven minutes before it reaches the building."

"You're not SHIELD personnel…"

Maria did not have time for this. "I was in the area and Fury put me in charge of communications. Captain, you are either with us or doing nothing."

"I didn't mean to criticize. What I meant to say was if a non-SHIELD authority is here that the situation is that desperate. What's our headcount? Who are we working with? The military?"

"Yes, the military is already here." There was no joy in her voice. The captain figured what was up. 

She stared at the creature in the distance and could hear the thrums and lights of explosions. 

They were attacking.

She suspected they would have little luck with it.

***

The kaiju's monstrous form loomed over the shattered streets, its jagged dorsal fins still smoldering from the earlier gamma breath. Its tail swayed lazily, the motion alone toppling buildings in its wake. Tanks lined the streets, their cannons firing in unison, but the shells did little more than leave harmless scorch marks on the creature's armored hide.

With a single, casual step, Creature Z crushed a tank beneath its foot, the metal crumpling like paper. The crew inside didn't even have time to scream.

Jets roared overhead, their missiles streaking toward the beast. The explosions lit up the sky, sending plumes of fire and smoke into the air. The kaiju paused, its massive head tilting slightly as if to acknowledge the annoyance. Its glowing eyes narrowed, focusing on the jets as they circled for another pass.

"This is Bravo Squadron," a pilot's voice crackled over the military comms. "Direct hit confirmed. Target is… completely unfazed. Repeat, no damage sustained."

"Seven direct hits and nothing," muttered the commander on the other end. "Roger that, Bravo Squadron. Hold position. SHIELD has deployed new assets. Stand by."

The jets pulled back.

The skies above Manhattan darkened, not from the plumes of smoke billowing from the city's devastation, but from the colossal shadow cast by the SHIELD Helicarrier.

The behemoth of a vessel appeared almost out of nowhere, descending from the upper atmosphere with a low, reverberating hum that seemed to shake the very air around it. At nearly two thousand feet in length, the Helicarrier was a masterpiece of engineering—a floating fortress that blended cutting-edge stealth technology with sheer, overwhelming presence. A titanium-reinforced hull, a stealth mode that camouflaged it from ordinary eyes, and so much more.

Four massive turbine engines, each larger than the wingspan of a commercial airliner, churned with a deafening roar, keeping the carrier aloft. Antennae and radar dishes bristled from its upper deck. Rows of missile launchers and anti-aircraft turrets lined its sides, ready to deploy against threats from the sky or ground.

Tracking, hunting, hiding.

It was among the greatest technological feats of mankind on this Earth.

The central command tower loomed high above the main deck. The SHIELD agents inside scrambled to coordinate the next stage of their desperate operation.

"Everything ready?"

Deputy Director of SHIELD: Nick Fury. Arms crossed, he sat in the middle of holograms and computers and SHIELD agents.

Beside him stood Maria Hill. Among all the SHIELD outfitted men and women, she alone stood as a trench-coated detective. On her ear was a comm that only an agent of high-standing could receive. A Level 8 Clearance only given to those such as Phil Coulson. In her prime, she had been that vital. That important.

Now, in desperate times, she was back.

"This is the SHIELD Helicarrier, standing by," came the commanding voice of Maria Hill, transmitted into the comms of the US army pilots. "Circle around at a far distance. Do not interfere unless we permit it."

Then, she pressed the earbud and switched to the SHIELD exclusive comms.

"Spider-Slayer units, prepare for deployment."

The belly of the Helicarrier began to open, revealing a cavernous hangar bathed in blue emergency lights. Rows of advanced drones—SHIELD's Spider-Slayer prototypes—were lined up inside, suspended by magnetic clamps. These were no ordinary drones; each was modeled after the efficiency of a spider, a design salvaged from the late Alistair Smythe's blueprints.

From the start, they had been vaguely aware of Project SSS. However, up until Alistair's death, they did not know the details Now they did. The project had only just started constructing prototypes. Nothing was complete.

SHIELD, however, had their own drones and managed to adapt what they could fast. Alistair's work was genius, it was like fitting missing pieces of a puzzle. 

The three Spider-Slayers were massive machines, standing twelve feet tall when fully extended. Their sleek, black chassis gleamed like obsidian, and their eight jointed legs bristled with high-tech weaponry: laser cannons, missile pods, and advanced plasma cutters.

The hangar bay rumbled as the Spider-Slayers were released from their clamps one by one. They hovered in place for a moment, their legs curling and uncurling like a spider testing its web. Then, with a synchronized burst of energy, they shot downward, out of the Helicarrier and toward the God of Destruction.

From the ground, the sight was awe-inspiring. The Helicarrier loomed overhead like a god of war, its massive form blotting out the sun. The Spider-Slayers descended in perfect formation. Glowing red eyes were completely honed in on their target: Creature Z.

The lead Spider-Slayer scuttled forward, its missile bays opening with a mechanical hiss. A volley of high-powered explosives streaked toward Creature Z, detonating against its face and shoulders in rapid succession. The monster roared. 

The two Spider-Slayers circled the kaiju and maintained what the lead Spider-Slayer did. Their missiles were faster, their targeting systems more accurate than anything the military had deployed so far. Creature Z swiped at them with its massive claws, but the machines darted out of reach with unnatural speed.

Yes, despite their bulk, they were designed for speed and agility, their hovering technology allowing them to move with eerie, spider-like fluidity. It had not been tested on the field. Nothing was better than actual combat.

These things were not AI-powered, they were piloted by men inside. Indeed, these were not Alistair's Spider-Slayers. They were SHIELD's. They were an upgrade to the drones they already possessed. Drones that required manual piloting.

"Direct hits confirmed," one of the SHIELD operators inside the Spider-Slayers reported.

"Target is responding," Maria replied. "Keep up the pressure."

One fired a concentrated beam of energy at the kaiju's legs, searing into its thick hide. Another launched a cluster of micro-missiles that detonated in unison, sending the monster staggering back a step.

Two Spider-Slayer darted together and side-by-side their laser cannons fired directly at the monster's face. The conjoined beam struck its left eye, earning an enraged bellow as the creature stumbled backward. It was too slow especially as its massive claws swiped at the offending drone who had already backed away.

These were no jets. They did not move in straight lines or in rolls. These Spider-Slayers could bounce anywhere and that was what SHIELD had taken from Alistair's designs. The maneuverability. Everything else, the lasers and missiles and the weaponry, they were all SHIELD inventions.

For a moment, it seemed like the tide was turning.

"Faster, faster!" Maria yelled. "We're reporting healing!"

Creature Z's wounds began to heal, the glowing tissue knitting itself back together with alarming speed. Suddenly, after a barrage of missiles as its knee, it stopped swiping blindly and instead began anticipating the Spider-Slayers' movements.

One claw snapped out and managed to strike down a Spider-Slayer's legs.

"It's learning," a SHIELD technician reported, dread creeping into their voice.

"Energy levels are low! The Spider-Slayers can only maintain this offence for forty more seconds!"

"Forty more seconds? Motherfucker, it's barely been two minutes. My grandmother would last longer against Mike Tyson," Deputy Director Fury snarled. "I want agents at the Spider-Slayer deployment zone, now! There better be a way to get those things charging."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Switch to secondary objective," Hill ordered. "Deploy the Laser Webbing. Now."

Originally, they were more like trap nets. Even now, they technically were since this was all SHIELD weaponry. However, to keep in-line with the spider theme that Alistair brought, Maria went for Laser Webbing.

"Drain the battery now, stop it for a few seconds, and get 'em back, eh? Do it," Fury said.

The Spider-Slayers and pilots did as they were told. Coming into a triangle formation, they fired streams of concentrated laser filament from their abdomen-like attachments. The glowing webs wrapped around Creature Z's legs, burning into its flesh and causing it to stagger.

The lasers were the most effective against the kaiju—and also the most draining. The forty seconds they had left were going to cut down to twenty. The kaiju roared in pain, its massive body buckling as the webs tightened, forcing it down onto one knee.

"Initial Laser Webbing is a success," a pilot reported. "We have it down. Final Webs preparing to spin."

The Spider-Slayers moved in unison, maintain that triangle formation and weaving more of the laser webbing around the kaiju. The legs and the tail, that was their focus. Trap those and it couldn't move. The burning filaments sizzled as they dug into its skin. Burning, bleeding, ensnaring.

For the first time, there was a glimmer of hope.

But it was short-lived.

The kaiju's dorsal fins began to glow once more, the light building in intensity as the monster let out a pained roar. The Spider-Slayers and the pilots did not immediately bounce back, their systems still in the middle of loading the sudden energy spike.

They should have been faster.

"Energy buildup detected!" a technician shouted. "It's charging its dorsal lasers!"

Before anyone could react, beams of green energy erupted from the kaiju's back, slicing through the Spider-Slayers with devastating precision. The first was bisected instantly, its metallic carcass collapsing to the ground in a heap of molten slag. The second tried to retreat but ended up crashing into a building and getting caught by two beams that tore through its core, leaving nothing but a smoldering husk.

The third Spider-Slayer managed to dodge the initial barrage. The pilot was truly exceptional and his instincts lended to the hovering technology, allowing it to zigzag erratically. It fired off one last desperate volley of missiles. It wasn't enough. Another dorsal laser struck the machine.

In mere seconds, the Spider-Slayers were gone. The pilots were dead.

Nick Fury stared down at the creature. The holographic image did not do it justice.

It was a true, reprehensible monster.

Nick Fury broke the silence: "Deploy the next phase. Operation Bird."

***

The helicopter blades roared through the ash-filled skies, slicing through the thick veil of smoke rising from Manhattan's devastated skyline. The once-thriving city below was unrecognizable—a sprawling graveyard of toppled skyscrapers, shattered streets, and countless fires burning like candles of despair. The rhythmic thump of the rotors was the only constant sound as Captain America—Samantha Wilson—stood at the open side door of the aircraft, her gaze locked on Creature Z.

"I never thought I'd have to see this view again," Samantha said. "Not here."

A grotesque, reptilian body hunched in the smoldering ruins of Manhattan. It seemed to struggle with its own weight. Reports confirmed that in terms of walking speed, it was actually growing slower.

"It's like it's searching for something," Samantha muttered, "but what? What could possibly be in New York that this thing wants?"

Trajectory-wise, it was headed for Central Manhattan. The Empire State Building and Oscorp Tower. That was where it was headed.

"Report confirmed: arrival to Oscorp Tower in rough fifteen minutes," SHIELD's voice crackled over the comms.

"Then we stick to the plan," Samantha said. She turned toward her two teammates, Agent Wolverine and Agent Shadowcat.

Wolverine sat on one of the benches, his hands resting on his knees. On the outside, he may have the flesh of a woman but his skeleton was completely different. His unbreakable Adamantium skeleton made him look almost unbothered by the intense vibrations of the helicopter.

That was exactly why he was garbed in black and strapped with a nuclear device to his chest.

Across from him sat Shadowcat—Kitty Pryde—leaning back with one leg crossed over the other, her expression one of bitter amusement. Her dark hair framed her face, and her cold, calculating eyes flitted to Wolverine as if daring him to suggest she couldn't handle what was about to come.

They were both of Adamantium Skeletons. The difference was quality. From her understanding, Wolverine's bones were replaced with True Adamantium. It was an attempt at the recreation of Proto-Adamantium that her SHIELD had and the formula for its creation was known only to the top brass of US and Wakanda. SHIELD and King T'Challa and his royal family.

But Shadowcat? Her skeleton was of Adamantium but of a different, cheaper type: Secondary Adamantium. Weaker, cheaper, more suitable for her age during the experiment. A sadistic smile tugged at the corner of Agent Shadowcat's lips, though her fingers drummed anxiously on the hilt of the combat knife strapped to her thigh.

"I'm going in," Wolverine said, breaking the tense silence.

Shadowcat clicked her tongue, shaking her head as if disappointed. "Oh, come on, Logan," she said mockingly. "You're really gonna hog all the fun? I've been dreaming about this all day."

"This ain't a game, kid," Wolverine said without missing a beat. He stood up and walked toward her, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. "One bomb is enough to level half the damn city. Both? Overkill. And if this doesn't kill it… well…"

Shadowcat arched a brow, unbothered by his imposing presence. "What, you think I don't know that? I'm just saying, maybe I'd do a better job than you."

Wolverine smirked, his rugged face softening for a moment. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He reached down and ruffled her hair like she was a kid, ignoring her scowl as she batted his hand away. "But not this time, Kitty. You stay here."

She rolled her eyes, her earlier amusement fading into a faint scowl as he turned toward Captain America. "You good with this, Cap?"

Samantha nodded, her jaw tight. "Do it, Logan."

She wished she could say, "And come back. That's an order." However, they both knew that might not happen. They both knew what this was.

This was what he was born. This was why they fitted him with such expensive metal. To throw down his life and make the sacrifice play that no one else could.

Wolverine let out a dry chuckle and stepped toward the edge of the helicopter, the wind whipping against his face. "Yeah, sure. I'll do my best."

He glanced back one last time, his eyes lingering on Shadowcat. She crossed her arms and gave him a mock salute. "Don't screw it up, old man."

Wolverine leapt from the helicopter, plummeting toward the monster below. The wind roared past him, and he braced himself as he aimed straight for the gaping maw of Creature Z. The monster's mouth was partially open, its jagged teeth glinting like shattered glass, its massive tongue twitching.

"Haaa!"

Snikt!

Adamantium claws popped out and he pointed them down. Legs out and arms forward, he barreled and broke through its teeth and into its throat.

The stench hit Wolverine first—sulfur, decay, and radiation mixed into a nauseating cocktail. He landed hard on the creature's tongue, the slick, burning surface sizzling against his boots. He barely had time to register the heat before the tongue shifted, trying to toss him back out.

"Not so fast." The Adamantium blades stabbed them into the fleshy surface, anchoring himself. He pulled the nuke from his vest and activated the timer.

The countdown began: 00:10.

Wolverine growled, yanking his claws free and clambering toward the base of the throat. The creature's body rumbled around him. Fuck, it was hot enough in here. His skin was beginning to melt. If anyone else had gone in here, they would have died instantly. The radiation combined with the heat was impossible for normal humans to survive in, even if they wore those yellow radiation suit.

Only Wolverine could survive.

He jumped and stabbed the tunnel wall, the flesh. His claws carved down its throat.

The heat was unbearable now, his healing factor working overtime to keep him alive. He kept going down, down, down this impossibly long tunnel.

"Come on, you ugly bastard," he snarled. "Take me to your stomach."

The timer ticked down: 00:05… 00:04…

He saw green. He saw a pool of acid. He smirked. The stomach.

00:02… 00:01…

KA-THOOMMMMMMMMMM-CRACK!

BWOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Almost immediately, all that was left was his Adamantium skeleton.

The nuke exploded with a force that turned night into day. The ground beneath Manhattan split apart, the shockwave rippling outward in a deafening roar that obliterated the city block that the monster stood at.

A mushroom cloud of fire and smoke erupted from Creature Z's mouth, rising high into the sky.

The helicopter rocked violently in the air as Captain America and Shadowcat shielded their eyes from the blinding light. Shadowcat's grin faded into a rare moment of silence, her eyes glued to the monstrous eruption.

When the light finally dimmed, the smoke began to clear.

Death was unveiled, although not how they desired. Grey and dead and full of holes. A husk of its former self. Creature Z was slumped over, its massive body riddled with smoking holes where the bomb had torn through its flesh. Blood and radiation oozed from its wounds, pooling into the ruined streets below.

"Is it… dead?" Shadowcat asked, uncharacteristically subdued.

Captain America didn't answer immediately. She was focused on the readings coming through her comms.

Then came the chilling report from Maria Hill: "Radiation levels are increasing."

Shadowcat furrowed her brows. "What do you mean increasing?"

"That thing absorbed the radiation," Maria Hill said. "That nuke didn't kill it. It is going to make it stronger."

The two women on the helicopter stared in horror as Creature Z's massive body began to stir. The glowing cracks in its scales began to seal themselves, the wounds knitting together with sickening speed. Smoke poured from its gaping mouth as it let out a whimper.

A whimper and nothing more.

It...wasn't moving?

Why wasn't it moving? Any second, they expected an attack. Another burst of Gamma Breath. But nothing. It didn't move.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes....

Maria's voice crackled over the comms again. "It appears Creature Z is hibernating. We're scanning its biological readings and estimated time until reawakening is thirty minutes."

Shadowcat clenched her fists, her earlier bravado replaced with simmering rage. "So what now? Should be start shoving as many nukes as we have?"

"Regarding portable nuclear devices, we only have five. It's dangerous technology that can very easily fall into the wrong hands." That was Nick Fury speaking. When he spoke, everyone listened. "They were all only to be used by Agent Shadowcat and Wolverine. We've lost one and now we know one nuke won't do."

"So, like I said, just shove a bunch and kill it!"

"And what if it absorbs the nuke into itself while you're coming to and fro? What if it denotates early because of the atmosphere inside?" Nick Fury countered, and he didn't stop either. "What if we shove a bunch of them and destroy this whole damn city? What if...nukes don't work anymore? We'll be killing everyone and everything just for this thing to get stronger. Ever think of that, genius?" 

Shadowcat clicked her tongue. Samantha's eyes remained locked on the creature. It had not moved an inch. It wasn't breathing either.

"Does it need to breathe?" Captain America suddenly asked.

"Good question," Fury said through the comms. "Come on, people, does it need oxygen? The captain and I need an answer, pronto!"

He received murmurs in response. They didn't know. They had to double-check.

The helicopter was high above, quite close to the Helicarrier, and circled the monster. Its massive, reptilian features were scarred and burned and grey. It healed both rapidly and gradually.

From the Helicarrier and Nick Fury's point of view, the holograms zoomed in on the creature's face, capturing every grotesque detail.

And then the focus shifted to its eyes.

Closed. Silent.

For now.