Military grade armour. Military weapons. Emergency alarms. Ten—no, fifteen men, swarming the fortified laboratory.
Felix trembled as he put his hands behind him. A gun pointed right at his forehead, he followed the directions and went to the side of the room, shortly joined by everyone else. Reed, Dr. Octavius, Bobbi, Maya, Kavita, Alistair, Jane, and Darcy. The intern was particularly shaken up and nearly tripped over on her feet.
'Why is this happening? Why now? Who are these people!?'
This was something straight out of a movie. This was—
"You! Dr. Octavius, correct?" One of the men beckoned the doctor over, who nervously laughed and inclined her head. The man in the black mask directed her to follow. All guns were at the ready as the doctor slowly went over.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Calm down, people," Dr. Octavius muttered.
'How is she so calm!?' Felix asked, his heart feeling like it was about to burst. Thumping as if it was hammering his ribcage. 'This is—oh my god…they're collecting the spiders!'
Beside him, Alistair exhaled heavily. His life's work was being taken right in front of him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do. Ten of the soldiers collected the spiders while five of them were guarding.
Hopeless. The situation was hopeless.
As Dr. Octavius was taken out, another soldier came in. Felix held his breath. This soldier was different from the others, taller and buffer. He stood well-over six feet and adorned in a dark, combat-ready outfit. Like the others, his face was concealed, except rather than a military gas mask, the man wore a skull-mask.
Blood stained his shirt. Felix swallowed nervously.
"Crossbones, sir!" said one soldier. "We have secured the perimeter. We have twenty minutes before local reinforcements arrive."
"Good." Crossbones, which Felix assumed was his codename, pulled out a pistol and reloaded it. "Anyone want to protest? Anyone wish to be the hero?"
Nobody spoke nor did they move. Hands behind them, the scientists let their courage dwindle in face of this massive behemoth of a man.
"Good." Crossbones turned and glanced at his team. "Are those nasty little spider shits gathered?"
"One of the cases broke when we entered," a soldier replied. "We're trying to search for the missing three spiders."
"There are twenty-three spiders in this room!" Crossbones yelled. "I want each and every one of them accounted for, got it?"
The soldiers were collecting the spiders through a portable tube that sucked them up and placed them inside. A cylinder that was no longer and wider than a foot. A piece of technology that purposely intended to collect the spiders safely and without issue.
"It's like they planned for this," Reed muttered.
"What was that!?" Crossbones marched over to him. Immediately, fear crossed their faces and Reed stepped back. "What. Did. You. Say?"
Crossbones came up on Reed's face, a gun pointed at his temple. Reed exhaled and replied, "I-I think this was…planned."
Felix's expression twisted. 'Dammit, Reed! Why didn't you just stay quiet!?'
Crossbones tilted his head, the nuzzle of metal leaving Reed. "...I suppose you are scientists. You've gotta have a little smarts to you. Although…" He reloaded his gun again. "...the fact that you're so young does piss me off."
"Wait, no, not them." Alistair, who could neither get down or move in any meaningful way, spoke up. His courage and willingness caught nearly everyone off guard. "Reed is just a boy—"
"Do you think the bullets change whether it's you or him?" Crossbones sneered, aimed his gun at Alistair's leg, and—
Bang!
Shot him right then and there. Alistair's breath hitched and he gasped for air as blood spread through his disabled leg.
"S-still…please, I beg you," Alistair managed to say. "Let him go."
Reed went wide eyed and nearly ran to him, "Alistair—"
Felix put a hand on Reed's mouth. He could feel several guns trained on him. 'Shit, shit, shit! This is bad! So bad!'
Felix had never felt so powerless. He had never felt so terrible about not being able to do anything. Alistair, a proud man that pushed himself and others to attain his dreams. Dreams that were being crushed. Dreams that threatened the livelihood of his coworkers. In spite of his disability, Alistair did what was right while Felix remained afraid. Looking out for Reed because he knew it would spell doom for the rest of them.
Felix half-expected himself to get shot, especially with the way Reed was struggling in his arms, but they didn't.
Crossbones raised a hand, telling his soldiers to stand down. They did. Reed also relaxed and Felix calmly removed his hand.
"I was given strict orders not to kill anyone," said Crossbones. "But I've always wanted to shoot a disabled person. Do you even feel it?"
Alistair gathered a breath, his skin growing whiter by the second. "All the time."
Frankly, Felix's surprise was greater than Reed's. To think he would stand up for him like that.
Crossbones put a finger to his ear. He must have gotten what he wanted because he gestured at his soldiers. "Come on, we're going. Have the spiders been found?"
A solider hesitated to respond, "One is still missing…"
"One? Well, if it's just one, then screw it. Leave it."
Crossbones casted the scientists a look. "Don't bother calling your security. They're all already dead." He snickered, then with his team behind him exited the room.
Click! The door closed.
"Everybody, there's a bomb in here! We have to get out!" Bobbi announced.
"W-what?" Darcy stammered. "A bomb? Where?"
"One of the guys was building something," Maya explained, running over to the corner of the room. "Oh my god—it is a bomb! Ten minutes till detonation!"
"The door isn't opening either! Shit!" Kavita slammed on the closed door. "Didn't that guy say he wasn't allowed to kill us!?"
"M-maybe he's trying to make it look like an accident," Darcy suggested.
"Does it matter!?" Bobbi ran over to the left corner of the room and looked at the bomb. Felix, who was busy checking on Alistair, decided to join them.
The bomb nestled inconspicuously at the corner of the room, its design sleek and menacing. It was an intricate amalgamation of wires, metallic casings, and a digital countdown timer ticking away in relentless anticipation. Felix's heart nearly stopped: nine minutes and twelve seconds remained.
"Does anybody know how to deactivate a bomb?" Maya asked. "I-I do bioengineering, not bomb defusing!"
"Alistair!" Bobbie called over. "You're a mechanical engineer! Can't you do something!?"
Tending to him were Jane and Reed, the latter of whom responded in his stead. "Alistair got shot! He's not going to be able to do anything in his condition!"
"The bullet is still inside, luckily," said Jane. "I'm putting pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. He won't die but he needs medical attention in the next thirty minutes."
"He won't have thirty minutes," Kavita exclaimed. She kicked a table and recoiled in pain. "Fuck!"
Felix's head went from Alistair at the other end of the room to the bomb right beside him. He didn't know what to do. Where would his services be better in use?
"Felix!" Bobbi called out, snapping him from his thoughts. "You've been our resident engineer. Do you have a clue on how to diffuse this?"
"Uh…" Felix looked at the bomb again. Resembling a cylindrical canister like the ones used to collect the spiders and coated in a dark metallic casing, the digital display counted down with alarming red digits. Some wires were exposed but not all.
"I…"
"Felix! Come on!" Bobbi shook him by the shoulders. "You can do this! You're our last hope!"
"R-Reed!" Felix called out. "He's much better than me at this sort of thing! Reed!"
Reed quickly came over and saw the bomb. He licked his lips, his breathing growing heavy. Bobbi casted him a worried look. "Are you sure about—"
"I can defuse it," Reed said. "I've built bombs before. This is nothing new."
"H-huh?"
Bobbi shifted back and let Reed do his thing. Felix smiled in relief. Thank god the boy genius was here.
"We've got this," said Reed. "Bobbi, please watch over Alistair."
"I'm watching him," Felix told Bobbi, nudging his head at Reed. He knew she didn't completely trust Reed's skills. Her concern was as palpable as her fear. "He won't mess up. I promise."
Two of them worked on defusing the bomb and the remaining five went to take care of Alistair. Jane and Darcy were doing most of the work, with Bobbi and Maya offering moral support. Kavita went in circles, too afraid to get close to the bomb and too nervous to watch what was happening with Alistair's leg.
Opening up the display was impossible without proper tools. Luckily, they found a whole toolkit in the table cabinets. Unfortunately, by the time they did, they were down to eight minutes. Reed quickly opened up the small LED screen and peered into the wiring of the bomb.
"I contacted Herbie through my phone," Reed whispered. "The Fantastic Computer is sending out a probe."
"What? What are you talking about?" Felix asked in an equally low whisper. "To probe what?"
"Okay, not a probe," Reed said while nudging at the wires with his screwdriver. "A container, to be exact, containing the Extremis."
"W-what?"
"Herbie calibrated it to our blood," said Reed. "If I'm not able to defuse this, then there's a chance we'll live."
"W-what about the others?"
"What about them?" Reed said. "We don't have their blood so we can't create a specialized dose for them."
That was…surprisingly cold of him. 'I must have influenced him more than I thought.'
"How will the probe get in?" Felix hissed.
"It's the F.L.Y—the Flight-Lift Yielder I built last month, remember? It's small but can go up to Mach 1 in speed. It should be here in seven minutes."
All of a sudden, there was a hope. All of a sudden, Felix felt like he might really make it out.
"But try and defuse the bomb," Felix encouraged.
"I know, I know." Reed licked his lips. "Whoever built this is smart. Definitely no slouch."
The clock ticked.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes…
"Are you boys making progress?" Kavita asked.
"We are," Felix replied, a little irritated. "We need time and we need space."
Kavita threw her hands up in the air, blowing her frustrations elsewhere for once. "Fine, fine."
Felix wasn't too knowledgeable on bomb defusal but he did understand what Reed was doing. Resetting the timer wasn't an option because it was a radio clock that was being transmitted the time. Put simply, there were several fail safes in place. However, there was one way to buy time: they needed to sync it up with another, different transmission. That way, they would gain additional time.
It was a stupid, two-in-the-morning kind of an idea. An idea that only a teenage Reed Richards could think up of.
"There!"
It worked! They went from five minutes to thirty minutes!
The two of them shook hands, grinning. Exhilarated, Felix stood up and announced, "We managed to go up to thirty minutes!"
"Thirty minutes…?" Bobbi muttered, in disbelief. Slowly, all of them came to the realization…
"Reinforcements should come!" Kavita pumped a fist. "Alright! Nice going!"
High-fives went around, as did hugs. The bomb might still be activated but they had time. So much time.
"Reed, I…apologize for always underestimating you. You are a truly capable scientist."
"Thank you, Bobbi."
However, despite the additional time, tension hung thick in the air. Twenty eight minutes were remaining and the digital timer ticked down relentlessly.
"So we have time, but…what if no one finds us?" Darcy asked.
"We know, we know. Reed," Felix said.
"Any progress disarming it then?" Kavita asked, her temper returning.
Reed furrowed his brow, eyes deep in the wires of the console. "I'm trying, but I've never disarmed a bomb like this," he replied, frustration etching lines on his face. "But I think I should be able to do it in ten minutes—"
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Dr. Octavius rushed in. Felix had never been so glad to see her. One of her spectacles cracked, her expression was one of controlled urgency as she addressed the team. "We have to evacuate immediately! There's been a breach, and mercenaries have infiltrated the building."
"You think we haven't noticed that?" Kavita said.
Felix's heart pounded as he nodded. "Let's just go!" He glanced at Alistair and Jane. "Do you have him?"
"I do," Jane said. "Alistair, hold on tight." With that, Jane wheeled Alistair's chair towards the exit.
They hurried to the elevator, anxiety palpable as the doors closed behind them. Each of them swiped their ID.
"Is this gonna work?" Kavita asked.
"Entering and exiting are different," said Dr. Octavius. "We should be fine."
She was correct and the elevator started to move. The ascent to the ground floor was agonizingly slow.
As the elevator doors slid open on the ground level, a scene of sheer pandemonium greeted them. Fire blazed in corners, and explosions echoed through the building. Mercenaries clad in tactical gear ran across the field, shooting at the NYPD outside.
Felix's breath hitched as he surveyed the chaos, his teammates equally stunned by the unfolding mayhem.
"Let's go back down," Dr. Octavius suggested, finger smashing the close button.
Creeeek!
An ear-splitting explosion rocked the building and the elevator creaked and shuddered violently. Felix's heart lurched as the elevator seemed to shift as if having lost its integrity. The ominous creaking of metal signaled imminent danger.
It was now or never. Either stay in the elevator or run. Felix chose to run.
"Get out! Now!" Felix's voice cut through the commotion. The group jumped out of the elevator. Right on time too, because two seconds later, the elevator broke and disappeared within view, like a puppet having lost its strong.
Boom!
Everybody winced as they heard the soft echo. How far down did it go? And how bad was the fall?
Their brief thoughts were interrupted by the deafening sound of gunfire and crashing debris. Scanning the area for cover, Felix spotted a secretary's desk a short distance away. "To the desk, quickly!" he shouted, guiding his teammates toward the makeshift shelter.
Alas, they were scientists and not sprinters. They were fast but not fast enough. While Felix led the group in speed, somebody hung back. Somebody slow, somebody young, somebody that athletically weak.
Bang!
"F-Felix!"
His heart stopped from the cry of pain. Felix turned and found Reed stumbling to his knees, a pained gasp escaping his lips. "Reed!" Felix cried out. While everyone else made it to the secretary's desk, Reed didn't.
Felix raced to his side.
The team reached the secretary's desk, huddling behind it for shelter. Felix's hands pressed against the wound on Reed's shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding as best as he could. Fear seeped into the teen's eyes, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
"Come on, man, you'll make it." Felix kept his hand firm, stopping the blood. But there was so, so much…
"Y-yeah! Haa….I know, I know!" Reed smiled weakly. "I'm making it, I know. I hear the sirens. The ambulance isn't too far."
Felix smiled back. He was right, the ambulance was nearby.
Bang!
He dropped to the floor when he heard another loud firing of a gun, taking Reed with him. His ears rung with pain. His hand, however, kept itself to Reed's wound. "Come on, we have to go," Felix muttered, picking him up and wrapping an arm around him. Slowly, he dragged him along. His team was desperately beckoning him forward, telling him to come faster.
"Phew!" They made it. Through sheer luck and grit, they made it. Felix let Jane and Darcy take Reed from him, knowing the medical professionals would know what to do.
Felix quietly checked to see what was happening.
What lay ahead was a view of destruction.
At one end of the foyer, near the entrance, a line of NYPD officers took cover behind police cars and trucks, exchanging gunfire with mercenaries clad in tactical gear. The mercenaries had taken strategic positions near the central fountain, using it as cover as they fired shots at the law enforcement.
The central fountain's waters were stained crimson.
The reception desk, where once the friendly faces of receptionists greeted visitors, now served as a makeshift barricade for those seeking cover from the gunfire. Felix and his team had taken refuge at one end of the receptionist desk, crouched behind and low its protective cover.
"I hope Czarina got out," Felix mused to himself.
Smoke hung thick in the air, mingling with the acrid scent of burning debris, creating a haze that obscured parts of the foyer. The occasional sound of crumbling walls and distant shouts echoed in his ears, as the struggle between law enforcement and the armed mercenaries intensified within Oscorp's grand entrance hall.
"Hey, hey, you alright?" Blue eyes, brown hair, and a square head, the officer that appeared in front of them was a knight in shining armour. A source of goodness in the middle of this warzone. Decked in thick bulletproof armour and mask shields, as well as a gun in hand, he glanced over them and locked in on Reed. "Shit, they got one of you, eh?"
"I'm a doctor," Jane explained. "He needs medical attention in the next ten minutes or else he will bleed to death!"
"Dammit!" The officer looked back, then joined them in their cover. "Alright, listen up! I'm Officer Grimm! We're gonna be doin' something real stupid, you hear me!? We're gonna run!" His eyes flicked to Alistair. "I suppose in your case, wheel your way."
"T-that's suicide!" Darcy exclaimed.
"These covers aren't bulletproof, lady! One bad shot and your head is gone!" Officer Grimm gestured at Reed. "And that kid is a kid. I'm not letting him die. We're gonna run, I'll cover you, and you'll make it."
"But—"
Darcy was cut off by the sound of the radio. Office Grimm brought it close and said, "Unit 7-Alpha to all units, we're pinned down in the north-east. Need diversion cover for civilians attempting escape. Shift gunfire away from our location," he relayed.
Static crackled in response, followed by a series of terse acknowledgments from his fellow officers. The radio chatter intensified as the officer coordinated with his colleagues, orchestrating a diversion to draw the mercenaries' attention away from Felix and the team.
"We're on it, Unit 7-Alpha. Hold tight," came the static-laden response from another officer.
Felix glanced at the officer, gratitude evident in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Officer Grimm nodded. "It's what I do. Stay low, stay together. Move on my signal," he instructed, his eyes scanning their surroundings for any opportunity to escape amidst the chaos of the ongoing diversion.
Ten seconds passed. Reed's pained gasps were heard, as were Alistair's. The officer hadn't noticed his injury.
"Now!"
The sounds of gunfire shifted, creating a momentary diversion in the chaotic firefight. Taking advantage of the distraction, Felix and his team seized the opportunity to move.
"Run, run, run!"
They did. With Felix carrying Reed, everyone ran as fast as they could. Even Alistair, who had needed someone to wheel him most of the time, was able to do it by himself. He pushed through the pain and summoned all the willpower he could for a burst of miraculous energy.
They ran. They ran and didn't look back.
Bullets went off. Pushing past the fear, Felix kept going. Reed on his shoulder, slowing him down, it didn't matter.
"Go, go, go!" Officer Grimm shouted, urging them forward. "Don't stop!"
With grit and determination, Felix and his teammates reached the safety of the NYPD officers, who immediately enveloped them in a protective perimeter. The officers provided cover, directing their gunfire toward the mercenaries to keep them at bay.
"Get them to safety!" one of the officers barked,
"W-we made it!" Darcy let out a laugh. "We made it!"
All of them had made it. Not a single one of them was left behind.
Outside the chaos of Oscorp, amidst the relative safety of the city streets, Felix and his team gathered, their faces a mix of relief and concern. They took a moment to catch their breath, their adrenaline-fueled escape still fresh in their minds.
"Felix, are you okay?" Maya asked as she glanced over to him.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken," Felix replied, offering a reassuring smile. He quickly scanned his teammates, ensuring everyone was accounted for.
Alistair, in his wheelchair, nodded reassuringly. "We made it out, that is what matters," he chimed in.
Reed winced slightly, nursing his wounded shoulder. "It's not too bad, just a graze," he assured them, though his discomfort was evident. Felix let him lean on him.
Dr. Octavius scanned their surroundings, her eyes assessing the situation for any lingering threats. There were ambulances and police cars all around them. The Oscorp Tower, once a bright light of the city, was smoking. "Good Lord…."
It should have been the end. They should have been far enough from whatever violence was happening in the tower.
They weren't.
BOOM!
The world went white.
His ears were filled with a ringing noise that wouldn't stop.
The sudden explosion tore through the street, a deafening blast that sent shockwaves through the air. Ambulances and cars were flung aside like toys. Objects careened violently, metal screeching and glass shattering.
Dazed and disoriented, Felix staggered to his feet amidst the smoke and debris, his ears ringing from the impact. 'S-something exploded...? Ngh...' Panic surged through him as he frantically scanned the mayhem, trying to locate his teammates amidst the overturned vehicles and scattered wreckage.
The world went from white to disarray.
"Reed! Where are you?" Felix called out, his voice strained and desperate. "Reed!?"
His heart lurched as he caught sight of Reed, trapped beneath a mangled car, unable to move. Felix's mind raced with urgency as he fought through the haze of shock, every instinct driving him to reach his colleague.
Pushing through the debris, Felix sprinted toward the overturned car, his hands trembling as he tried to lift the heavy car wreckage. "Reed, hold on! I'll get you out," he shouted, his voice strained with effort and concern.
But the car's weight was too much, and despite Felix's desperate attempts, he couldn't budge it. Panic surged within him as he realized the gravity of the situation. His lower body was utterly submerged.
"Help! We need help here!" Felix called out, desperation colouring his voice, hoping someone would come to their aid. Anyone! "Please!"
The explosion had scattered his teammates, and in that moment, all Felix could focus on was the urgent need to free Reed from the entrapment. Time seemed to slow as he tried to find a way to help his colleague, his mind racing with fear and determination.
"H-hey…" Reed called out weakly. "I forgot to tell you, man…"
"Huh? What? Don't talk, Reed." Felix wiped the scoot off his forehead. "Just…breath. You're still shot."
Reed shook his head. "Happy birthday, Felix."
Felix blinked and his eyes softened.
Despite the dire circumstances, Reed, trapped under the car, managed a strained but reassuring smile. "Felix, you've been my best friend, always there when I needed it. Even now, you..."
Felix's breath hitched at Reed's words, his heart heavy with the weight of the situation. "I won't leave you, Reed. I'll find a way to get you out of there," he vowed, his voice trembling with emotion.
Before Felix could make another attempt to rescue Reed, an ominous silence descended. The air crackled with tension as a shadow loomed over them.
He turned and saw Crossbones.
"You."
Less than three feet away, Crossbones surveyed the scene, his expression inscrutable as he lingered between Felix and Reed. A gun was in his hand. Felix tensed. The gunman considered Reed, then Felix, then back to Reed. The nuzzle shook as his fingers curled. Without a word, he made a chilling decision.
BANG!
Blood splattered from Reed's head.
BANG!
It was too late. Another shot.
Felix's world went red.