Preview to Chapter 37

(Underground)

The base was a flurry of activity, with flashing red lights and blaring alarms adding to the chaotic scene. A thick layer of dust and debris filled the air, making it difficult to see or breathe. The once-secure ceiling now had a gaping hole, revealing the night sky above. Soldiers frantically ran about, shouting orders and attempting to cover the breach with anything they could find.

Military vehicles were being hastily repositioned to create makeshift barriers. The panic and confusion on the soldiers' faces was evident as they waited for orders from their missing commander, General Whadon. The sense of urgency was palpable in the air as everyone scrambled to fix the situation before it escalated further.

And because of all the chaos, Spider-Man, Widow, Sable, and Betty moved quickly and quietly through the base. Their movements were swift and calculated, made easier by Widow and Sable's expert training and Spider-Man's heightened senses. They weaved between crates and ducked behind overturned vehicles and debris, using every bit of cover they could find to remain undetected.

Finally, they reached a secluded area away from the frenzied soldiers. Behind a stack of crates, they peered out cautiously at their surroundings, assessing their next move carefully. The tension in the air was thick as they awaited their next course of action.

“Okay, based on the layout here, I’d say were in the storage section of this place,” Spider-Man shares his observation.

Natasha nods, “There were no blueprints to this place, so it was likely an unofficial overnight job.”

Spidey looks at her in surprise, “They can do that?”

“You’d be surprised,” Betty chimes in, recalling her experience with military operations with her father.

Spidey lets out a humorless laugh, “Great, so we’re dealing with a fly-by-night operation,” he quips, “Just what I wanted. A DIY villain lair.”

“Well, this fly-by-night operation is messing with cosmic powers,” Betty retorts as she shoots a pointed look at the hero, “So I’d take it a little more seriously.”

“Believe me I am,” he states as he spots a tunnel that soldiers are coming out of, “When it comes to Osborn, I know better than anyone to take that man seriously.”

They raise a brow at the man before they duck down as some soldiers run by. Widow peers out again before she motions for them to move forward. Together they creep around crates and through the equipment, Spider-Man sticking close to Betty while glancing back at Natasha and Silver Sable.

They come to the mouth of the tunnel where the soldiers were pouring out. There are two standing guard at the entrance, their rifles held tight against their chests, eyes darting up at the gaping hole above. Ready to shoot at anything they see come through. Fortunately they didn’t see the heroes'.

Spider-Man aims his web shooters at them and waits for the perfect moment to avoid detection by trusting his spider sense. The moment he flet no danger of detection, he fired two lines at the guards and yanked them fast. With all the commotion above and below the base, their surprised yelps were not heard. Neither were the ones they let out when Widow shocks them.

Webbing them up and stuffing them inside of a crate, the four of them go into the tunnel. They don’t go far when they come across a forked pathway.

Looking between the two paths, the Wall Crawler asks his companions input, “Which way do we go?”

Spider-Man and his team looked at the fork in the tunnel, weighing their options. Time being of the essence, they needed to find Norman Osborn and shut down Project Cosmic before it was too late.

Spider-Man then feels a tingle, but not one of warning or his new future sense. Instead, this one feels more in tune with his surroundings. He closes his eyes for a moment, and then feels like a pulse wave is sent from his mind, scanning for something. He sees the activity of the soldiers in the tunnels, rooms of the place, and even can see some men and women in lab coats running around.

But one presence in particular has his attention.

He opens his eyes, “Left,” he declares, pointing decisively. “I can feel it. Osborn’s down that way.”

They look at him curiously as Betty asks, “How do you know?”

He looks down the dark corridor and says simply, "Trust me." They pause to consider his words before he speaks again, this time with conviction. "We have to split up," he declares, "We need to handle Osborn, but we also need to find out who authorized and funded this. We can't let them bury this and walk away after all the damage they’ve done."

He is not only talking about the destruction of property, but also the damage to the reputation of Scott and his people. As a result, the X-Men are now seen as less trustworthy, which also affects the credibility of the Unity team. This makes it even more difficult for their cause to gain traction.

Widow steps forward and says, “In that case, Spider-Man and Betty, you two go after Osborn. Silver and I will find what we can on who approved this project and why."

Spider-Man hesitated for a split second before nodding. "Okay. But stay in contact. If you run into more trouble than you can handle, call out.”

"Same goes for you," Widow replied, her eyes meeting his with an unspoken understanding.

Silver Sable checked her weapons, her posture tense and ready. "Let's move. We don't have much time." Her accent lent a sharp edge to her words.

With that, the team split off down their respective tunnels. Spider-Man and Betty moved swiftly and silently, his senses on high alert. Making sure to stay close to the wall as they traveled down the way. They pass by some doors and stop to peak inside in case there is something they need to see or deal with. But most rooms were living quarters or break rooms. Spider-Man just keeps moving to where his spider sense is telling him to go, and Betty is following him.

“So are you going to tell me how you know Osborn is this way,” Betty asks the hero as they hurry down the large hallway, “You have some sort of power that allows you to track people?”

“I do actually,” he responds as they come to a stop at an intersecting hallway. He looks down left and right to see if the coast is clear, “It’s sort of new. Got it when I came back to life not too long ago.”

Betty raises a brow in surprise as she leans on the wall beside, “You died?”

Spidey glances at her looking back down the hallways, “Yeah not a pleasant experience,” he says. He sees sowadws moving down all three ways and wants to avoid fighting the soldiers if possible. He then spots a grate on the wall and his eyes light up, “Perfect.”

He quickly climbs up before gently pulling off the vent. He looks inisde the air vent, then turns and holds his hand out for his partner, “Come on, we can avoid being seen through here.”

Without hesitation, Betty grasped his hand, and Spider-Man pulled her into the cramped space of the vent. She scrambles up into the vent, hitting her knees on the cold metal as she crawls in behind him. The passage is narrow, forcing them into close quarters. The metallic scent filled their noses as they crawled forward, the sound of their movements muffled by the ventilation system's hum.

“Nice choice,” Betty whispered, crawling behind the hero. “Though I’m not sure how much I like being inside a giant air duct.”

“Just think of it as an express route,” he replies, and one can tell by his voice he has a cheeky grin. “We’re making use of the buildings infrastructure. Very eco-friendly.”

“So we’re saving the world more than one way?” Betty dryly retorts.

“Got to learn how to multitask in this business,” he says.

They travel a good distance before they come to the end of the ventilation system. Looking down from it, Spider-Man sees they’ve stopped above some very large bunker doors that have several doxen guards in front.

Seeing now other way in, Spider-Man whispers his plan to his partner, “Okay, so there is no easy way in. Which means, we’re gonna have to resort to the ole tactics of punch and smash.”

Betty snorts as her eyes begin to glow yellow, “Good thing that’s what I’m best for.”

Spider-Man swiftly kicks the vent cover and leaps out as the vent creaks and crumbles under the weight of Betty’s transformation before finally the whole thing is torn open like a soda can. Red She Hulk lands with a resounding thud, making the ground shake and her towering form intimidating the guards before they even registered what was happening. Her eyes blazed with fire as she surveys the scene, muscles coiling and ready for action.

The startled soldiers scramble to fire but Spider-Man swings into action. Spider-Man flips over one of the guards and webs up another before he could react. "You’d think they’d learn after all these years," he quips, dodging some rapid firing aimed at his head, “Granted, my usual guys are goons and hired thugs, but soldiers should still be informed on what they’re going to be dealing with.”

His accomplice swiftly takes down two guards with a pair of clotheslines, disregarding the bullets that are being shot at her. They merely bounce off her impervious skin, causing only minor discomfort. She pushes through the sensation and focuses on neutralizing the soldiers in around her. She grabs one by his uniform and tosses him to two more, knocking them down like bowling pins.

In the air, Spider-Man webs them to the ground before he pushes off the ceiling to propel himself to another soldier, twisting out of the way of the bullets coming at him, and punches the man in the face.

The fighting ends when only one guard is left and is shaking in fear as he keeps his automatic rifle pointed at them, “S-Stop! O-Or I’ll sh-shoot!”

Both heroes look at the last soldier standing dubious expressions before looking at his comrades. They both look back at the soldier and Spider-Man says, “I admire a guy willing to hold the line when the odds are not in his favor, but in this case dude, I recommend you play possum.”

Red punches her palm, the sound like a thunderclap, and says “Or don’t and you’ll be possum on the road.”

The guard’s shaking only becomes worse before his eyes roll back and he drops like a ragdoll.

Spider-Man tilts his head, “Huh, you think he actually passed out or he took my advice?”

She does not answer and walks over all the unconscious soldiers. She stops in front of the massive bunker doors and grabs on to the interlocking bolts and pulls. The doors groan under her immense strength but they do not give in. Betty grunts as her muscles strain, veins bulging, and Spider-Man can see the ground under feet cracking but the door doesn’t budge.

“Need a hand?” Spider-Man asks, his brow raised as he watches Betty grunt and struggle against the stubborn metal.

“Only if you’ve got a wrecking ball in your pocket,” she shoots back, her muscles flexing with effort. The doors groan but remain strong.

"Well, I wouldn’t call it a wrecking ball, but-I’m gonna stop right there,” he says with a shake if his head before he steps up. Red She-Hulk steps back as he inspects the door closely, “Looks like tis a composite of metals like tungsten and chromium. So brute force is gonna take a minute.”

Red She-Hulk growls, “Unless we soften it up,” she says before she spits on the bolts. Her spit then begins to sizzle and corrode the metal.

“Woah,” Spider-Man looks at it in surprise, “Xenomorphs got mothing on you huh. Got a mouth tongue too?”

She smirks at him, “Play your cards right, and you might see.”

Taken back by her flirting for a moment, Spider-Man refocuses as the spit corrodes the metal bolts. He and she step up and grab the large interlocking bolts, “Count of three,” he says and she nods in response, “One. Two. Three!”