Chapter 9: Ch.9 Captain, Times Have Changed
"Don't fire, you'll alert Norman," Nick Fury's voice came through the earpiece.
"Understood." Barton silently observed the scene.
Meanwhile, Steve and Natasha jumped out of the helicopter, sneaking toward Norman's office.
At the same time, Charlie used his webs to swing into the building.
Inside, the building was pitch black, except for the ticking of a clock on the wall.
Charlie silently crawled along the ceiling, making no noise as he moved.
The armed agents who had infiltrated the building were not as cautious.
Click~
As a trap in the stairwell was triggered, an explosion rocked the floor, flames bursting through the walls and spreading rapidly.
Debris flew down the hallway, dust filling the air.
In the office, Norman poked his head out of the window upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing the police cars gathering below, he laughed maniacally at the board members, "Hahaha, your rescuers have arrived."
"Don't worry, I won't kill you here. I'll take my time playing this game with you. Let's see how it ends!"
With that, he threw a pumpkin bomb out of the window.
Boom!!
Outside, Steve was about to break through the window when the bomb detonated violently.
He barely had time to raise his shield in defense before the powerful blast sent him flying.
Fortunately, he managed to grab onto a protruding ledge, saving himself from falling.
"Hahaha! You SHIELD kids are still far from beating me!"
Norman cackled as he flew out of the window on his glider, only to be hit in the head by Steve's shield, sending him tumbling down the corridor.
"Damn it, what the hell is that?" Norman groaned, his head spinning.
Recovering quickly, Steve flipped into the room, catching his returning shield with ease.
"Mr. Goblin, here's a lesson: you're the one who's the punk around here," Steve quipped, taking a deep breath before charging at Norman. As soon as Norman got up, Steve hit him with a powerful punch right to his goblin mask.
Boom!
The fight intensified as Steve's relentless attacks with his fists and shield pushed Norman into a corner.
In the next moment, Steve performed a suplex, driving Norman's head into the floor, making it seem like the fight was over.
Watching the motionless Norman, Steve caught his breath and calmly spoke into his earpiece.
"All clear." He was confident in his combat skills.
Beep beep beep-
Suddenly, the floating glider outside the window began flashing a dangerous red light.
Sensing something was wrong, Steve raised his shield quickly. "Wait, I think I didn't finish this!"
Boom!!
An enormous explosion erupted, engulfing Steve in flames and debris.
The wall crumbled, and rocks flew everywhere as Norman got up, twisting his neck, his goblin mask now more terrifying than ever.
"Gahaha! Military combat techniques from decades ago are outdated. This is what's in style now."
Norman's eyes gleamed with cruelty as several more pumpkin bombs rolled into the wreckage.
Boom, boom, boom!!
Fire engulfed the building's exterior as Steve, curled up, used his shield to absorb the force of the explosions. He fell from the building's height, crashing onto a car below.
Bang!
With a loud thud, the car was crushed into a heap of scrap metal. Alarms blared as Steve slowly got up from the wreckage, grimacing as he retrieved his shield.
"This world changes too fast," he muttered, gasping for air as he looked up at the building still covered in flames.
Onlookers, shocked at the sight, couldn't believe what they were witnessing.
"Oh my God, did that soldier fall from up there?"
"And he's still alive?"
"His uniform looks great."
"Tight-fitting too."
Meanwhile, Barton observed the building, "You shouldn't have knocked him back into the building. I can't get a clear shot."
"No, I've got a lock. Wait—no, it's not Norman. It's Spider-Man," he corrected himself.
Boom!
As debris continued to fall from the upper floors, Norman suddenly realized that his glider had been sabotaged. He couldn't connect to it, and as he looked around, he saw remnants of webbing.
"What? Webbing? Spider-Man!!"
First, he was startled, then he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, so you didn't die after all! That's fantastic! No, wait—how did you survive? That doesn't make sense. I saw you..."
Before he could finish, he threw another pumpkin bomb behind him.
Goblins are not only terrifying but also cunning.
"Again with this move?"
From the ceiling, Charlie, who had been preparing to strike, shot out a web, grabbing the bomb and flinging it into the adjacent room.
Boom!!
Ahhh!
Screams immediately followed as the bomb exploded, collapsing a wall and burying the mutilated board members beneath it.
[You played the friendly neighborhood hero, punishing criminals. +1 restart opportunity.]
A notification appeared in front of Charlie, catching him off guard.
It seemed the villains were just unlucky.
Meanwhile, Norman clapped his hands in glee, completely unaware. "It's really you, Charlie! Congratulations on getting a new suit.
But you just killed people. Still a hero for the city?"
His tone was filled with mockery.
Charlie shrugged, unconcerned. "Oh, so you think I'm a hero, Uncle Norman? I might have to sue you for defamation!"
With that, he shot webs from both hands, launching himself forward like a slingshot.
Before Norman could throw another bomb, Charlie's powerful impact sent him crashing through the wall, leaving him hanging outside the building.
"I've got a lock," Barton said, narrowing his eyes as he fired an arrow without hesitation.
Swoosh!
The alloy-tipped arrow hit Norman square in the chest, followed by an explosion.
Boom!!
The explosion lit up the street below as Norman's body tumbled down, causing pedestrians to scream and scatter. George led his officers to surround Norman.
Meanwhile, Charlie, gripping a web, hung below a billboard, relieved but wary of the rooftop where he had almost been caught in the blast.
Hawkeye, huh?
Great. Next time, I'll take out your "hawk" eyes!
Seeing Norman fleeing in a stolen car, Charlie quickly shot a web and disappeared into a nearby alley.
If Norman fell into SHIELD's hands, there was a risk his identity would be exposed.
He wasn't sure what kind of SHIELD existed in this world, but there was a good chance it was Hydra-infested.
Having Hydra know his identity would be a huge problem.
He had to get Norman back!
As he swung between buildings, avoiding Hawkeye's sight, Charlie considered the situation carefully. That guy's arrows were no joke.
Sirens echoed through the streets as the chase continued.
"Gahaha, drive faster! Faster!"
Norman sped through the city, recklessly crashing through everything in his way, with police cars hot on his trail.
Rat-tat-tat-
Above the city, a helicopter followed, and Hawkeye released another arrow, hitting Norman's car with precision.
Boom!!
The arrow exploded, sending Norman flying.
"Gahaha, these agents are impressive these days!"
Norman tumbled across the ground, unfazed by the bullets fired at him. A flicker from his wrist device signaled the arrival of a new glider, which swooped down from the sky.
"Farewell, little ones. This has been fun."
With that, Norman leapt onto the glider and vanished into the residential area.
Seeing this, Barton quickly loaded another arrow.
"Wait, there are too many civilians," Natasha stopped him.
Barton frowned, "You should trust me."
Natasha reassured him, "Listen, I do trust you, but Norman will target innocent people nearby."
"Fine, I get it."
Reluctantly, Barton lowered his bow.
Meanwhile, Steve, watching as Spider-Man also disappeared into the residential area, pulled out a bill from his pocket.
"Ten bucks says he catches the Goblin."
Barton: "..."
Natasha: "..."