Crashing Down

Loss

I didn't know someone would die.

I was eating my lunch on top of Stark Tower, my legs swinging below. 

'Spider-Woman.' The screens flashed and Dr Octopus arrived, a menacing smile plastered on his face.

'You have a great amount of friends, do you not? Well, I'm giving you ten minutes to arrive at the tallest building in Queens, or a precious citizen of yours will die.' He moved to the side, showing a tentacle holding MJ over the side, her screams for my heroic alter-ego evident. 

"MJ!" I yelled, standing up and abandoning my sandwich, regardless of whether the sandwich would land on someone's head or not. 

'Remember, you have ten minutes, and if you're a second late, she'll be thrown off. What will everyone think of their beloved Spider-Woman let someone die? Ten minutes.' The screen went static, returning to the TIER ad just a second ago. I wasted no time in jumping in the air, going to find the tallest building in Queens. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"OCTOPUS!" I yelled, kicking open the door to the library/office's roof. I found MJ tied to a precarious pole, standing at the edge of the roof, blood running down the side of her head. 

"I guess the threat hit home." He cackled, slowly clanking his way towards MJ. 

"Let her go, Octopus. You promised," I growled, jerking my hand, my electric web setting turning on. 

"Oh, I did, didn't I? Come and get her." My Spidey-Senses flared up, so I bent backwards in time for a tentacle to fly where my face once was, before somersaulting over it but was knocked over, pushing the wind out of me. 

"Oh geez, I shouldn't have had that empanada." I coughed, taking out my staff and spinning it, swatting away the tentacles before one picked me up from behind, so I shot a web and activated the electricity, but it reached me, so, yelling in pain, I dropped, finding him going towards MJ in my blurry vision. Blinking furiously, I cleared it, running forward just as she was shoved off, the ropes cut. 

"PIPER!" She screamed, the world slowing down as I stretched my hand out, trying to grasp MJ's fingers as they were touching, my fingers hitting my web shooter accidentally. It latched onto something and my attempts were futile, stopping with a jerk and losing my grip, screaming as MJ fell into the water. I tugged on the silky rope, trying to get it to snap...

One minute.

I summoned my super strength, snapping the rope and launching myself into the water, finding MJ, her eyes closed and mouth open, body unresponsive. I pushed her out, gasping at finding oxygen, not caring that my muscles ached, neither that my suit contained lots of bruises underneath, I ran to MJ, shaking her and performing CPR, but there was no response. I checked her heartbeat, but the comforting drum beat that I should've heard wasn't there. 

"Why...?" Tears, hot tears, rolled down my cheeks, mingling with the the cold water that dropped off me in pea-sized droplets.

First Uncle Ben, now MJ. 

People gathered round me before MJ's parents barged through the crowd, dropping to their knees at the sight of MJ's lifeless body. 

"It should have been me."

If it was me who fell, maybe MJ would be alive.