FIREWEAVER | A Spiderverse Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Seven

In the stark moment Esme's eyes met the shiny blue material of spider-man's hand, poised and frozen in time, she noted something she hadn't before. What she thought were claws were actually protruding on the pads of his fingers rather than the elongated nails she imagined them to be. They were wrapped perfectly in that elastic material of his suit- or maybe that was a hologram too, and arched like a bird's.

Many things were running through her mind, yet why she had honed in on that one detail was a mystery to her. Perhaps it was a mechanism to cope with the rapidly unfolding events. The way those talons swiped such a perfect arc, piercing the purple fabric of the mask and tugging it away. She didn't know what she had expected.

But what she saw beneath that mask, left her screaming.

"Why does he have no head?! Where's his head?!" This was honestly worse than spiders- looking at a headless body that was much more sickening than gazing at the mess of squished guts.

Spider-man didn't even spare her a glare, just stared at the empty space that should have been occupied by a face. The mask he held in his head moved in a way she could only describe as glitching, a bloom of pixels fleeting between his fingers before the mask was gone entirely. The same thing happened to the body, and then there was nothing. Gone, just like the time she had tried to capture the man before.

"Why did- how did," she stammered, glancing between the empty space on the hovercraft and the very dark city street.

"It was a decoy. He's long gone." Spider-man bitterly muttered, clenching his fists on either side of his torso. "Retreated probably as soon as he realized the trap he was heading for."

Weaver opened her mouth but then paused. There was no reason why he should have ran, he could have easily flown out of the way if he saw her webs- and then why go to the trouble of trying to hunt down spider-man at all just to leave as soon as he arrived? And what was it that he had said to spider-man?

She looked to him, desperate for answers, but couldn't bring herself to as his shoulders tensed.

The cape he wore was torn, but not in complete shambles. It was his arm that dripped with blood, but whatever wound that was there had been concealed by his suit.

Sirens rang in the distance. The situation had probably been so prolonged that Lyla couldn't keep the public eye from getting involved anymore. Probably for the best, there was a lot of clean up to do. And, she was tired.

Despite all the questions, a part of her was ashamed to admit she was relieved the Goblin was gone. Fear had drained her of every energy she had, barely being able to stand now as it is.

"I... I think we should head back and debrief." She spoke, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

He nodded, still unmoving. She was about to move when there was a rumble to their right. So many pins pricked her skin down her back, but she couldn't move. The pricks was worse in her injured leg, somewhat sharper- like a cramp, and even her heart seemed to freeze.

The building there had an overhanging section, a large cube without any supports or beams to hold it up that must have made it a marvel to architecture- one she would have loved to enjoy from a distance in better circumstances. But now it was like a jenga piece, falling rapidly and heading straight for her.

Was it another illusion? A ploy from the Goblin to throw them off?

She couldn't move to duck out of the way. Should she try to stop it? There could be civilians inside! She needed to do something either way, the white was beginning to fill her vision and-

Something crashed into her side before everything after became a blur. She faintly remembered that during the chase through the depths of the city, the ground had actually become visible, so would it be much of a fall? She was sure she'd feel it soon.