Mary Jane stayed in the back room, listening to the fight. She heard sobbing just down the hall. She walked a few steps and turned the corner, only to find Cynthia and Ashley crouched on the floor, hands covering their heads.
"Oh my god, oh my god," they kept chanting.
"Get a grip, girls. He's not coming back here. And it's not like it's the first time you've been in a situation like this. Crazy guys come out of the woodwork in this city." Oh, please, don't let the irony come back to bite me in the ass just this once. I mean, I'm sure there are guys who pop out of wood . . . I'm not going there . . .
"Wait. You smell that?" Ashley asked.
"Smoke," MJ replied.
"The building's on fire?!" Cynthia shouted. She jumped up and starting running in circles. MJ grabbed her shoulders and slapped her across the face, something she had been waiting years to do.
"Snap out of it! Running around like headless chickens doesn't help. Now, we have to get out of here!"
In the stockroom, Victor, Jimmy, and Flash were waiting for the fight to be over.
"You guys smell that?" Jimmy asked as the fight sounds began to die down.
Victor sniffed. "Something's on fire."
"We gotta get out of here!" Flash exclaimed, running through the door.
"Flash, wait!" Victor tried to warn him, not completely sure if Molten Man was gone. No sense letting Flash run into a surefire ticket to the hospital, he thought. Even if he is a jackass sometimes, he doesn't deserve to get the crap beat out of him by Molten Man.
"Back off, Cranston!" Flash shouted, knocking Victor back before rushing out of the stockroom.
Victor got up. "What the hell is wrong with that boy?"
"Don't worry about him too much," Jimmy replied. "He just did the same he does anytime he is given any sort of intelligent information."
"What's that?"
"He ignores it."
"Hmm. Well, it doesn't sound like he's in agony."
"Might as well check it out," Jimmy said, pushing the door forward slightly. "Uh, Vic? That burning smell?"
"Yeah . . . "
"I figured out what it is."
"What?"
"The building."
"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here!"
The sun was starting to set as the firefighters finally got the fire under control. Mary Jane was among the onlookers, watching the end of an era for the city's youth. She felt an arm around her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Peter.
"Shouldn't you be looking for Liz?"
"I have a better chance letting the police track Molten Man."
"But what if he kills her?"
"I think if he wanted her dead, he'd have done it inside."
"I hope you're right."
Peter hugged her. "I guess you're out of a job?"
"Eh, I was going to quit this summer anyway." She sighed. "I guess this means we have to call tonight off."
"Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how fast this can get resolved."
"Is this going to be a pattern? You needing to break dates to go off as Spider-Man?"
"Huh?"
"You know what I mean. I know this isn't going to be an isolated incident. I just don't want every date to end up canceled."
"You seemed fine with it after the prom by the lake," Peter said.
"That was at three in the morning, after one hell of a romantic evening. And you weren't running off at that moment."
"Look, I know how you feel. I hate leaving you behind even more than you hate me leaving."
Mary Jane sighed, and kissed him. "Go. Liz needs you."
Natalie opened the door to find Victor waiting for her.
"Care to explain what happened?" he asked.
"Explain? Seems pretty simple to me."
"On the surface, yeah. But I want to know why. That's not like you, Natalie. You don't just start picking fights with people."
"Why don't you just read my mind and find out firsthand?" Natalie countered.
"I'd rather have you tell me."
Natalie began to turn back inside.
"Can I come in?" Victor asked.
Natalie shook her head, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
"Hold me," she said, with tears beginning to roll down her cheek.
"Of course," Victor replied, putting his arms around her. "But why?"
"I don't know. I was mad. Her brother . . . he hurt you. Didn't know he was coming . . . " she said between sobs. "I'm so confused . . . "
"Does this have anything to do with you going to LA in the fall?"
"What do you think? Ever since I told you, I haven't been able to think straight about much of anything."
"Why?"
"It's like I told you on senior skip day. I tried to make a decision that didn't revolve around you. Specifically you and me. Us. But now, I'm not so sure it's that simple. It's never really been about you. It's been me. My heart chose you, but now it's the time for my brain to take center stage."
The couple stood for a while, just embracing each other. Finally, Natalie looked up. "Go, help Peter. Save the world."
"I really don't think Molten Man is a global threat yet."
"Maybe not," Natalie said with a smile.
Spider-Man dropped down in the street behind them and cleared his throat.
"Uh, I don't mean to intrude, but I need some back-up."
"Be right there," Vic said, turning back to Natalie.
"Go," she said, kissing him.
Victor turned around to join Spider-Man. "Found anything out yet?"
"I've been using heat vision to try to get a trace on him, but there's too much interference."
"Understandable," Victor said, adjusting some of his clothing to get into his Shadow outfit as the two ran down the street. A few seconds later he added, "He hurt me pretty bad, you know."
"He's too much for you. He's almost too much for me. I don't want you going one on one with him unless you absolutely have to."
"You have a plan?"
"Not really, but I have some special webbing I cooked up that should give me some protection against him."
"I want a crack at him."
"I know you do, but I don't want you getting hurt again . . . But remember how you said he'd probably show up again at the worst possible time?"
"Sometimes I hate being right . . . "
"So the Crib is history?" Harry Osborn asked Jason Todd as they were walking across the city. It was already dark.
"Completely. I was hearing some talking, and the owner is just giving up on it all," Jason replied. Just then, he saw Flash Thompson walking toward them with a baseball bat in one hand and a fire extinguisher in the other. "What the hell are you doing?"
"That fire freak has Liz. I'm going to save her," Flash replied, pushing past the two.
"Hold it," Jason said, putting a hand on Flash's chest. "Save the heroics for cops or Spider-Man. You're just asking for trouble, charging in there like an idiot."
"Get off of me before I use this stuff on you," Flash growled.
"Okay," Jason said, pulling his hands back, and putting them up in the air. "Go ahead, be a dumbass."
Jason and Harry watched as Flash continued on.
"How do you even know where to find them?" Jason shouted.
Almost, as if on cue, there was an explosion in the distance. Flash perked up and turned to look at it. He began running.
"That's in the warehouse district," Harry observed. "Should we follow him?"
"Not like we can do much, but we might talk him out of doing something stupid."
Liz had been crying for most of the evening. After being taken away from the Crib, her brother had kept her in a warehouse, where he had just punched a hole in the wall, creating an explosion that was probably heard through half the city. Fortunately, this building had not caught fire.
"Why, Mark? What's happened to you? You were so trying so hard," she said between sobs.
"Shut up! That's all you've been asking since we got here," Molten Man shouted back. "Why can't you accept the fact that all of the treatment, the therapy, it didn't work!"
"So now you go around burning and blowing up buildings?"
"Yes! No!"
"What?"
"Look. I've been locked away for years, ever since the accident. You and mom moved away, ashamed of me, even changing your name."
"I was eight. I had nothing to do with any of it."
Molten Man came over and hugged his sister. "I know," he said, quickly drawing back, so not to burn her. "But I needed to talk to you."
"And you couldn't just call?"
"I tried, but mom kept driving me away."
"So you attack me at the after prom party."
"It was the first time I'd seen you away from mom."
"Ever hear of subtlety?" Liz shouted.
"It's not like I meant to attack. I just wanted to talk to you, but everyone got scared and starting screaming. Then that idiot Spider-Man came and started a fight."
"And this afternoon?"
Mark inhaled deeply. Just as he was ready to answer, one of the doors flew open.
"Get away from her, freak!" the newcomer shouted.
"Flash?!" Liz exclaimed. "Get out! Get out before you get yourself hurt!"
"Too late," Molten Man said, loud enough for only Liz to hear.
"Mark, no!"
But Liz's pleas fell on deaf ears.
"Good, you're not backing down from this one!" Flash taunted.
Molten Man continued to walk forward.
"Flash, you are a freaking dumbass!" Jason exclaimed, running into the warehouse. He had not wanted to come in, but with Flash calling Molten Man out, there was no choice. The only chance Flash had of not getting seriously hurt was to leave immediately.
And he showed no signs of doing that willingly.
"Get back, Jason!" he yelled. "This is my fight!"
"What? So he can toss you halfway across the building again? For once in your life, use your head and get the hell out of here!"
Flash turned his upper body fast and backhanded Jason across the face. Jason fell to the floor. Harry rushed in to help Jason out.
At that moment, Molten Man was only a few feet from Flash. Flash started spraying him with the fire extinguisher.
Molten Man continued to walk through the mist. He grabbed Flash by the throat and picked him up, at least three feet off of the floor. Flash dropped the fire extinguisher, and used the bat to hit Molten Man on the head. The bat shattered on contact.
Molten Man growled and squeezed harder on Flash's throat.
" . . . can't . . . bre . . . th . . . " he gasped.
"Good," Molten Man replied, throwing Flash against the wall. Hard.
Liz finally knew that there was no hope for saving her brother, so she took the opportunity of the distraction to run out one of the other warehouse doors. She heard sirens in the distance, and getting closer. They had to be coming for Mark.
Flash coughed up some blood. He could barely see straight. Suddenly, reality came flooding back to him.
"Oh, $@!+," he whispered, realizing what he had gotten himself into. He looked up to see Molten Man coming closer. He froze in fear as he saw Molten Man's fist coming straight for his face. He head jolted back and hit the wall hard again. He would have felt more blood trickling down his head if he could feel much at all anymore.
Molten Man brought the palm of his hand down on Flash's face. His flesh burned Flash's face. Flash screamed in agony.
Harry and Jason stumbled out of the warehouse, to find Spider-Man and the Shadow - in his visible form - standing in front of them.
"Are you okay?" Spidey asked, bending down to talk to Jason.
"Yeah," Jason said weakly. "It's just a regular punch. But Flash is getting his ass kicked."
"Flash is in there with Molten Man?!" Spidey said, not believing exactly how stupid his rival was.
Jason nodded. Spidey turned to the Shadow, but he wasn't there.
"Shadow? You there?"
"He just ran in," Harry said.
Spidey looked into the warehouse, seeing the fire build up around Molten Man. "You guys run and get the hell out of here."
"But Flash -- !" Jason interjected.
"We'll take care of it!" Spidey replied. "Go!"
Spidey rushed in to find the Shadow standing behind Molten Man, trying to draw his attention away from the limp, bleeding form of Flash Thompson.
"Shadow, back up. I'll handle Molten Man! You get Flash out!"
"Check. Good luck."
"Thanks."
Spidey pressed his webshooters real quick, and whipped up some web gloves. He leapt up and landed on Molten Man. Being careful not to stay in contact for too long, he grabbed Molten Man's shoulders and tossed him back. The Shadow rushed in and grabbed the unconscious Flash.
He dragged Flash out of the warehouse, just as the police were arriving. Several officers swarmed out of their cars. Captain Stacy was in the lead car. He saw the Shadow, and ran over to help him.
"Spider-Man's fighting Molten Man inside," the Shadow said. "I grabbed Flash here. He needs a medic!"
They put Flash down on the ground. Stacy put two fingers on Flash's neck to check for a pulse. His eyes grew wide.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
"He's dead."
The Shadow was stunned. "Are you sure? I mean, he could just be unconscious . . . "
"Not with these cuts and burns."
Inside, Spidey was trading punches with Molten Man. Fortunately, his agility and speed allowed him to miss most of Molten Man's. The few that did land only grazed him.
This could go on forever, or until I get tired, Spidey thought. There's only one way to stop this, even though I hate to resort to this . . .
He brought his knee up straight into Molten Man's groin. Molten Man doubled over in pain. Spidey used every bit of his strength to thrown Molten Man against the wall. He tore off his web gloves and unloaded as much webbing as he could onto Molten Man, just as the cops and the Super Unit Police swarmed into the building.
"You're here in time," Spidey said.
"We'll take it from here," Doc Samson said, coming up behind Spidey.
"For once, I won't argue. I'm glad to be done with him."
Spidey walked out to find the Shadow waiting for him. He could tell by his expression something was wrong. He looked down to see Flash's body on the ground.
"Is he going to be okay?" Spidey asked.
"I'm sorry," Captain Stacy said, coming over and putting a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder.
Victor came up to the Daily Planet's roof to find Peter standing at the edge, looking out at the city.
"I guess clubbing is out of the picture," Victor said, coming over to join Peter.
Peter chuckled. "I just couldn't bring myself to go partying after Flash died. I almost feel like I failed."
"Dude, don't. We had no idea. Please don't start with the maybes or if-onlys."
"We're going to go to school on Monday, and I'm actually going to get through a day without Flash trying to insult me somehow. I never thought that would happen as long as . . . "
"I get it."
"It's weird. I hardly cared about him at all. But now that he's dead, I just feel so . . . well, not quite sad . . . but it's something."
"It hasn't sunk in yet."
Peter turned to look at Victor. "How come you're so calm?"
"I think I was able to get my shock out by being the one to drag him out."
"Damn Molten Man. He ruined two nights of my life that should have been damn near perfect with Mary Jane."
"Uh oh, I smell girl problems."
"Not quite. It's just that prom night was interrupted by him, and now tonight. And with Ezekiel showing up on senior skip day . . . I just haven't been able to have quite the time with MJ I would like to have."
"I kinda know how you feel, but in a different way."
"You dealing any better about Natalie going to California?"
Victor looked down at the street below. "I'm less sure about our future than I was six hours ago."
And then, neither of them had anything to say. They just stood on the roof, looking out at the vast city.
Next issue: The countdown to graduation continues with Midtown High's senior picnic!