The realization struck Leroy like a bolt of lightning. The device wasn't just amplifying the web's energy—it was opening a door to something larger, something beyond his comprehension. The threads in his mind expanded, each one pulling at him, connecting the machine to a vast, unseen network.
Behind him, the sounds of the fight raged on. Aisha shouted something, her voice muffled by the web's thrumming presence in Leroy's head. He gritted his teeth, focusing on the machine in front of him. If he didn't act now, the consequences could be catastrophic.
"Leroy!" Aisha's voice finally broke through. "Whatever you're doing, do it faster!"
Leroy nodded, his hands trembling as the web surged through him. He pressed his palms against the machine's surface, feeling the energy coursing through it. The threads in his mind pulsed with urgency, guiding him to the core of the device.
"This is going to hurt," he muttered to himself.
The moment Leroy focused his energy into the machine, the world seemed to explode with light. The web within him connected to the machine's core, a collision of raw power and intent that sent shockwaves rippling through the room.
The figures around the device staggered, their weapons falling to the floor as the machine's glow intensified. Leroy felt the web pulling him deeper, its threads wrapping around his mind, his body, his very essence.
"You can't stop it!" one of the workers shouted, their voice frantic. "It's already begun!"
Leroy didn't respond. He could feel the machine fighting back, its energy chaotic and overwhelming. But he wasn't alone—the web was with him, guiding him, showing him the patterns within the chaos.
A sudden crack split the air, and the machine's surface fractured. Sparks flew, and the glow began to flicker erratically. Leroy's hands burned, the heat searing through his skin, but he didn't let go.
"Leroy, get out of there!" Aisha screamed.
"I can't!" Leroy shouted back. "If I let go, it'll—"
Before he could finish, the machine let out a deafening roar, its energy imploding in a burst of light and sound. Leroy was thrown backward, the impact slamming him into a stack of crates.
When the dust settled, the warehouse was eerily quiet. The machine was destroyed, its once-glowing core reduced to a pile of smoldering debris. The workers who had been guarding it were either unconscious or gone, their weapons abandoned on the floor.
Aisha ran to Leroy, dropping to her knees beside him. "Leroy! Are you okay?"
Leroy groaned, his head spinning as he tried to sit up. His hands were blistered, the faint glow of the web still visible beneath his skin. "I've been better," he muttered.
Aisha helped him to his feet, her grip steady despite the tremor in her hands. "You did it. The machine's gone."
Leroy nodded, his gaze fixed on the wreckage. "Yeah. But for how long?"
They didn't stay in the warehouse. The air felt charged, heavy with the aftermath of what had just occurred. As they stepped into the cool night, the city seemed impossibly quiet, the stillness almost unsettling.
"We have to figure out who's behind this," Aisha said, her voice firm.
"We will," Leroy replied, though his tone was heavy with doubt.
The web within him felt quieter now, its energy subdued but still present. Leroy knew they had won a battle, but the war was far from over. Whoever was behind the machines wasn't going to stop—they had a plan, and destroying one device wasn't going to derail it.
Aisha glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "What now?"
Leroy looked out at the city, the faint glow of distant fires still visible on the horizon. The web pulsed faintly in his chest, its threads connecting him to something far beyond Baltimore.
"Now," he said, his voice steady, "we find the next thread."