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⋆ twenty-five ⋆
A new voice comes out of nowhere, emanating from the clouds. All three Peters whirl around, ready for battle, before the voice adds, "Aunt May wasn't enough for you? Try this on for size!"
Then suddenly Norman Osborn – on his own glider – appears from the sky, rushing towards them. Xara's caught off-guard when he suddenly grabs her by the throat, rushing back into the air as Peter 1 screams her name.
She cries out in surprise, struggling for breath from the pressure, before Maddy jumps into action. She's quick to shoot a fireball at the unsuspecting Norman, who throws Xara in surprise.
From the great height, she goes screaming before going crashing straight through wooden boards, knocking against a pole before seeming to drop to the ground.
"XARA!"
There's nothing but raw panic in Peter 1's voice as he rushes down, swinging as fast as possible and constantly yelling her name before skidding to a stop beside her. He gently lifts her so she's sitting up, calling for Karen to lower her mask, before seeing her fluttering eyes. "Xara. Xar. You okay?! Xara, you okay?!"
"I'm–" She gets cut off by a sudden bout of coughing, which only makes her cry out from the shuddering her body goes through.
It's then that shit hits the fan.
There's an explosion from up top, then the familiar colours and runes of the spell seem to grow in size, stretching into the night sky as they transform from orange to a deep, dangerous purple.
Then there's a scream, and Xara recognises it instantly, waking up all her senses. "NO!"
She tries to reach out, but she can barely move, collapsing back onto the boards as she hears MJ falling from the top. The tears streak down her cheeks immediately, none of them able to move fast enough.
Then Peter 3's voice through the comms. "It's okay. I've got her. MJ is okay."
Xara's head drops in relief, shaking fist wiping at her tears as she just whispers, "Shit." And then again, "Shit."
Peter is quick to pull her into a hug, and she doesn't realise he's crying till the tears affect his wobbly voice. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Above, Otto manages to catch the unarmed Max as part of the construction falls apart, the new Captain America shield on the Statue of Liberty breaking off, crashing onto the surface of the ocean. The others jump into action too, Maddy grabbing Connors and Lily getting Flint Marko before finding their respective Peters in the rush.
Peter 1 helps Xara to her feet, seeing her struggle with the agony radiating through her back and her chest. It's only then that he notices the blood trickling down the side of her head, his heart palpitating at the sight. This is his fault, it's all his fault...
