Suddenly—whoosh!
Bite!
A specially crafted alloy arrow punched through the outer plating of Scorpion's armor, lodging itself deep into the inner joint mechanisms.
The sudden impact made MacDonald "Mac" Gargan stumble forward and crash to the ground.
The man he had been gripping—Walter—tumbled to the side.
"Damn it!" Gargan cursed, scrambling to grab Walter—
Thwack!
Hawkeye's arrow struck his arm mid-reach, forcing him back.
The brief delay gave Melinda May and her S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team enough time to close in, surrounding the armored villain.
"MacDonald Gargan!" May leveled her gun at Scorpion, her voice sharp. "You're under suspicion of threatening national security! Step away and remove the armor!"
She knew full well the chances of him surrendering were slim, but protocol demanded the offer.
Gargan smirked. "Even if all of you came at me together, you wouldn't stand a chance."
With casual contempt, he reached for Walter again. "Leave now if you don't want to end up as hamburger meat."
"Over here!"
A tall figure dropped from above—silver and black armor gleaming, a faint glow burning at the soles of her boots. Her long ponytail whipped in the air from the force of descent.
Jessica Drew landed smoothly, eyes locked on the Scorpion.
From the side, a line of webbing swung down, and Gwen Stacy—Spider-Woman in her white-and-pink suit—landed behind Gargan, cutting off one route of escape.
Nearby, Cindy Moon—Silk—crouched low against a wall, muscles coiled like a spring. "Criminal! Let Felicia's dad go!"
The three heroines formed a triangle, blocking any retreat.
"Criminal?" Gargan sneered. "The guy I'm holding isn't exactly a saint either."
He hefted Walter in one armored hand, fingers tightening like a vice. "If you want him alive, you'd better back off."
Thunk!
An arrow tipped with a weighted hammerhead smashed into Gargan's forearm, making his grip falter.
"Now!" Jessica shouted.
She leapt into the air, twisting mid-flight. Using her enhanced strength and suit's thrusters, she drove a kick into the crook of Gargan's arm.
The force cracked through the armor plating, sending a shock of pain through the villain's limb. His grip on Walter slipped.
"Knight in shining armor, huh?" Gargan growled, swinging his other arm at her.
Jessica caught the blow, snapping the thick armored gauntlet aside with a grunt. "Why is it that every other supervillain is ridiculously strong and insists on wearing green?"
"Got him!" Gwen fired a webline, latching onto Walter and yanking him to safety.
Cindy had been waiting for her opening.
At that precise moment, her tense legs uncoiled like a coiled spring, and she launched herself from the wall with the grace of a jumping spider.
Bang!
A flicker of movement—a shadow cutting through the air.
In the blink of an eye, she was airborne to Gargan's right flank. The girl's red-and-black sneakers caught the light as her toned legs arced through the air, her instep connecting sharply with his jaw—
Clang!
From that instant, the fight tilted sharply in one direction.
The Scorpion was now facing three attackers at once, and his ability to counter was almost nonexistent—especially with Hawkeye landing pinpoint shots from a distance.
And as Gwen and the others adjusted to each other's rhythms, the "almost" in his lack of defense became completely unnecessary.
"Oh my God! What kind of super-criminal gets pounded by three superheroes at once?"
The spectacle drew the attention of bystanders, who began to gather at a safe distance, phones out and recording.
"Is that the Lady Knight and Ghost-Spider?" "They've got new suits!" "Who's the other Spider-Woman?" "She looks amazing too!" "And someone's firing arrows from the shadows!" "Who's that?" "Doesn't matter—he looks kind of goofy."
Hawkeye: "…"
Really? Is no one polite anymore? Was the world now completely ruled by face value?
In truth, it wasn't just about looks. Gwen and the others fought with a style that was more visually captivating than Hawkeye's precision sniping. Agile maneuvers, smooth dodges, sharp bursts of offense—every hit landed on the Scorpion's armor with a satisfying, rhythmic clang-clang-clang.
Within minutes, several key pieces of Gargan's armored suit were stripped away.
"Damn it!" he snarled. His heavy blows couldn't match the rapid strikes from three sets of slender, fast-moving limbs. Rage boiling over, he barked, "You call yourselves superheroes?! Three-on-one isn't justice—it's cheating!"
Gwen and the others ignored him. They struck from three angles at once.
The combined force slammed into Gargan's body, sending blood to his lips and dropping him to his knees.
Battle over.
With Cindy joining the fray, the takedown had been almost too quick.
"Thanks for the assist," Melinda said warmly once her S.H.I.E.L.D. agents moved in to secure the scene. She gave the girls a grateful smile. "We couldn't have done it as cleanly without you."
Cindy stepped forward. "Chief George mentioned you're handling the case involving Felicia's father. What's going to happen to him?"
"Don't worry," Melinda replied evenly. "We're just taking back what's ours." She glanced between them and, sensing an opportunity to strengthen ties with these young heroes, added, "This isn't the best place to talk. Why don't we continue somewhere more private?"
Jessica and Gwen exchanged a look. They knew plenty about Melinda's team from Skye.
The question was—should they get involved?
After a silent moment, they decided they'd bring it to Jack Kadere, their anchor, before making any commitments.
...
Meanwhile, Jack was having the time of his life.
Lydia had gone out to look for ways to raise funds.
With her gone, Felicia had no reason to hold back.
Neighbors overhearing? Not a problem—as long as her mother never found out.
The "battlefield" had already shifted from the bedroom to the living room… and then into the kitchen.