[Third person POV]
Nightwing caught sight of Peter in the distance, the glint of the Spider emblem lighting up again as his suit reactivated. A second later, web lines shot out, sticking to the ceiling above.
Peter vaulted upward in pursuit of the Hulk, disappearing overhead. Nightwing felt a flicker of curiosity, but he shoved the thought aside. First things first. The opponent in front of him was far from a pushover.
Betty Ross—transformed into the raging, crimson-skinned Red She-Hulk—lunged forward, her sheer size and ferocity enough to send a wave of displaced air rushing toward him. She swung low, attempting to sweep his legs from under him, but Nightwing sprang upward, twisting in midair to avoid the strike. Her hand shot out, reclaiming her weapon from the floor, and without hesitation, she unleashed a deafening barrage of plasma bolts.
Blinding streaks of neon-red energy screamed through the air, each one sizzling against the walls and floor, leaving behind smoking craters. But Nightwing was a blur—rolling, sidestepping, and vaulting over incoming blasts with acrobatic precision. His gloved fingers dipped into his utility belt, pulling free a trio of wing-dings. With a flick of his wrist, they spun through the air like razor-edged knives, magnetizing to the weapon in her grip.
A sharp series of beeps began to echo from the device. Betty's eyes narrowed, and a low growl vibrated in her throat as the weapon exploded violently in her hands. She snarled and charged, abandoning ranged firepower for raw brute force.
Nightwing waited until the last second before leaping clean over her broad shoulders,. Mid-flip, he tossed down a cluster of smoke bombs that burst open with a muted pop, flooding the area with a dense, swirling green cloud laced with potent sleeping gas.
Betty coughed, her crimson features contorting in irritation. She waved a massive hand in front of her face, trying to disperse the choking haze, but her momentary disorientation cost her. Nightwing swept in low and drove his heel into the back of her leg. The impact made her knee buckle, forcing her down hard onto one knee.
In an instant, he was behind her, his twin escrima batons pressed firmly against her temples. His voice was calm but edged with grim resolve. "I hear electro-shock therapy works wonders," he said. "Hope you understand—this is for your own good, Betty."
Before she could respond, he triggered the discharge. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Betty's roar tore through the air, her whole body convulsing violently as arcs of electricity danced across her massive frame.
Her wild hair fanned out from the static, and for a moment, she looked almost like a living storm. The voltage—enough to instantly kill a normal person—drove her face-first into the floor with a heavy, echoing thud.
For a long second, she didn't move. Wisps of smoke curled upward from her skin. Then, with a groan, she managed to plant her hands on the ground, straining to rise. Her muscles trembled, but the sleeping gas finally began to take hold. She collapsed again, this time completely still except for the slow, heavy rhythm of her breathing.
From above, Harry's HUD swept over her unmoving form, a red targeting ring circling her before fading into a green confirmation display. The readout confirmed she was unconscious, vitals stable—but an ominous green aura flickered around her brain scan, revealing the telltale signature of mind control.
Harry let out a long breath, shaking his head. "Scarlet, I'm leaving Betty in your care!" he called, before firing a web line upward and vaulting toward the ceiling after Spider-Man.
Down below, the fight raged on. MJ, perched high on She-Hulk's shoulders, suddenly found herself snatched mid-movement and hurled down into the cracked and heaving ground. The impact sent a sharp shockwave through her bones, as she laid on the ground she raised a thumbs-up.
"Got it!" she said, though her expression quickly shifted into something far more focused. Her eyes narrowed. "Kat, let's finish this quickly."
"Alright, Queeny. You lead, I follow!" Felicia shot back without hesitation.
A glowing oval of swirling energy bloomed beneath her feet—a portal. The moment She-Hulk's enormous fist came crashing down toward her, MJ let gravity pull her through. The portal winked shut, and She-Hulk's blow struck nothing but the ground, detonating with a thunderous wham that rattled the battlefield and cracked the pavement like glass.
In the same heartbeat, MJ reappeared above her target. She twisted midair into a flawless flip, driving her heel down in an axe kick directly onto the crown of She-Hulk's head. The strike landed with enough force to create a shockwave that rippled outward, sending dust and debris flying. She-Hulk's head snapped forward, blood bursting from a gash as the blow rattled her skull.
Felicia took the opening. Sliding across the torn-up ground, she lashed out with her claws, severing the tendons in both of She-Hulk's legs with surgical precision.
"ARRRGHHHHHH!!!" She-Hulk bellowed, her head jerking back in pain, hair hanging wild and eyes blazing with fury as she dropped to both knees.
MJ was already in motion. She vaulted up, twisting around She-Hulk's neck to lock herself across her shoulders in a tight hold. "Hit me!" she called out.
Felicia grinned, raising her hands as silver magic circles spun into existence before her palms. "Let's go gambling!" she declared.
A flurry of glowing cards burst from the circles, flying upward before snapping together in midair, shuffling themselves in a blur of motion. Even as the magic surged through her, Felicia instinctively grasped the mechanics of her ability, the same ability she gained from the cosmic storm, which gave her range on how she could manifest her control over probability.
In this case it was a deck of cards. Black clovers and clubs meant bad luck; red hearts and diamonds meant good luck. The higher the card's rank, the more intense the effect—an Ace of Clubs might bring a minor stroke of misfortune, but a King of Clubs could tip the scales into catastrophic disaster.
MJ's eyes flashed as she summoned her psychic constructs. Violet light flared from her hands, coalescing into solid, glowing shackles that clamped around She-Hulk's thick neck, massive wrists, and ankles. Each link pulsed with psychic energy, anchoring the raging titan both to the cracked floor and the fractured wall behind her. The restraints tightened, humming with the pressure of MJ's will.
Beside her, Felicia's magic circles spun faster, the deck of enchanted cards whirling in midair. With a snap of her fingers, the deck shuffled itself and offered up the top card—its face turning toward them like a revelation.
A Queen of Hearts.
Felicia smirked. "Well, aren't you lucky? You pulled a big one. Here—try this on for size!"
She flicked the card forward with a fluid motion, and it zipped through the air like a crimson comet. It struck MJ square in the chest, exploding into a shower of shimmering silver shards that dissolved into her skin.
MJ gasped, her pulse spiking. A sudden wave of absolute clarity crashed over her, every step she needed to take burning itself into her mind like a map. The hesitation in her movements evaporated—replaced by a strange, unshakable certainty. Her irises glowed, now streaked with threads of violet fire as she summoned twin magic circles in her palms.
"Time to end this," she whispered.
She pressed her hand to the side of She-Hulk's head.
The world around her shattered.
…
MJ blinked and found herself standing inside a vast, warped mental-scape. The air was heavy, tinged green, and the ground beneath her feet pulsed like the surface of some great, living thing. Towering above her were massive chains made entirely of emerald light, each one clamping down on a figure kneeling in the center.
Jennifer Walters.
Her head was bowed, her body limp, eyes shut tight as though trapped in a nightmare. The glowing chains snaked around her wrists, ankles, and torso, all radiating the oily presence of the Leader's control. Her brows were knit with pain, her breathing shallow.
MJ's jaw tightened.
From her back, a single psionic spider-leg unfolded, gleaming violet against the green glow. She strode forward and sliced through the first chain with a swift motion. The shackle disintegrated into sparks. Another cut. And another. One by one, the Leader's hold shattered.
Jennifer swayed forward, free for the first time, but too weak to stand. Before she could hit the ground, MJ caught her, lowering her gently until Jennifer's head rested in her lap.
MJ cradled her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. Her voice softened. "It's time to wake up. You've slept long enough."
Jennifer's eyelids fluttered, the pain fading from her expression. When she finally opened her eyes, she found MJ looking down at her with a warm smile. Relief washed over her features. And then, MJ's form dissolved into countless motes of violet light, scattering into the air.
…
Back in reality, She-Hulk's towering form began to shrink, muscles melting away as the vibrant green skin faded to pale. The restraints sagged, suddenly too large, before falling away entirely. Jennifer Walters collapsed forward—human once more.
"Woah—easy there, big girl. I gotcha," Felicia said, darting in to catch her before she hit the ground. She guided Jennifer down gently, keeping her steady.
Meanwhile, MJ swung away, her mind already fixed on their next target. She landed in a crouch beside Betty's unconscious Red She-Hulk form. Placing her palm against the back of Betty's head, MJ summoned her psionic magic again, letting the violet glow spill from her fingers.
The Leader's grip shattered just as before. Betty's massive, crimson frame shrank rapidly, features softening back into her human form. Her breathing steadied, and the tension drained from her face.
Two more allies—freed.
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