Spider-Man: Far From Home [5]

8

Carnival of Lights, Prague

"We're in position, Fury," Astra said into her earpiece. She and Peter were at the top of the cathedral tower and they had a bird's eye view of the whole carnival.

"As soon as I see something, Beck, I'll let you know," Peter added. To Astra he said, "Do you not have a suit?"

"I do have one, but you don't see it till I fight," she replied. She tied her bandana around her head and pulled down her bun.

"Roger that," said Beck.

"Energy spiking," Fury warned.

"We have seismic activity," said Hill.

Astra watched as the ground below a statue in the middle of the square cracked open and what looked like hot orange tentacles swarmed the statue, melting it. Then the statue exploded, revealing a lava monster. It towered above the carnival and roared, and people began yelling in terror.

"Okay, he's here!" Peter yelled. "Beck, Astra, you ready?"

"You both know what to do! On your lead, Spider-Man," said Beck as he flew into view.

Astra projected her wings, jumped out of the tower, and flew above the monster. It smashed into a car, spewing up flames and smoke.

Beck landed in front of the monster and started spewing out green smoke. Peter swung over, flinging a piece of wood at the monster. Astra used her powers to explode a fire hydrant, which shot water at the monster. At the same time, Beck shot smoke from his triangles, and the combined power went up in an explosion of grey smoke.

"Peter, heads up!" Astra yelled. Peter jumped off the building he was holding on to just as the creature smashed a fist into where he had just been clinging. He landed on top of a carousel, which was still moving up until the creature smashed it to bits.

"He's got the carousel! He's getting bigger!" Peter yelled.

Astra fired an energy blast at it in an attempt to slow it down.

"Don't blast anything at it! Your powers are hot like him and he'll only absorb them!" Beck yelled at her. "Keep civilians out of its way."

As he spoke, screaming could be heard from the nearby Ferris wheel. "Indigo Fairy! Night Monkey! Help! Save us! We're stuck!"

It was Ned and Betty. At the top of the Ferris wheel.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Astra muttered. To them she shouted, "Stop shouting! You'll just-"

A roar from the monster as it lumbered over to the Ferris wheel cut her off.

"Lure it to you," she finished. The creature made its way over to Peter, who was directly underneath the Ferris wheel, and he was about to smash him when Beck flew over and covered himself, Peter, and Astra in a dome-shaped green force field.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked him.

"On to Plan B?" said Beck.

"Yeah! We gotta hit him with something he can't absorb!" said Peter.

"I go left, you go right-" He looked at Peter- "and you go up and keep it away from the Ferris wheel." He looked at Astra. "Now!" He dropped the dome and the three split up.

Peter swung around and used his webs to hook up a wooden post and hurl it at the monster's torso. It roared in pain.

"Shoot him!" Astra yelled at Beck. Beck shot him with green energy, leaving a green scar in its belly as he howled in pain again.

"That hurt him. Keep it going!" Beck shouted. Astra used her powers to pick up a nearby rock and hurl it at the monster and Beck shot it again.

"Spider-Man! Indigo! Keep your distance!" said Beck.

"We're trying!" Peter replied.

"Can't let it get near the Ferris wheel!"

"We're on it," said Astra.

The monster clearly heard them and punched the ground, sending cracks through until they dislodged the ground the Ferris wheel was standing on. Astra heard Ned and Betty scream and flew over. The monster, hearing their screams, began lumbering over, and Astra blocked its punches with her force field until Beck could blast it with green power.

Astra watched as Peter shot a web at the Ferris wheel, but it got caught on something invisible.

"Whoa, what is that?" he shouted, yanking the web back. Some invisible object was attached to it and fell into an alley, but Astra couldn't pay much attention to it as she ducked to avoid the monster's fist.

Ned and Betty continued screaming as the Ferris wheel continued to tip over. Astra projected two force fields - one to slow the tipping of the wheel and one to block the elemental's fists. She was able to reciprocate his punches using the force field - and accidentally knocked him back into a metal construction bridge.

"No!" she yelled, realizing what had just happened. She watched as the elemental got bigger and more powerful.

Beck blasted it with more energy. Then he turned to Astra and Peter.

"Whatever happens," he said as the fishbowl came down to reveal his face, "I'm glad we met."

"Beck, what are you doing?!" Peter yelled from where he was holding on to the Ferris wheel now wrapped in webs.

The fishbowl materialized. "What I should have done last time." He gathered up as much green energy as he could, up until the point where he started groaning.

"Beck, no!" Astra cried, realizing what he was about to do.

"Don't do it!" Peter yelled.

Astra could only watch as Beck flew inside the creature. It roared in pain and veered back from the Ferris wheel as it began to turn green. It roared again, reaching out its giant hand feebly before it exploded into a huge green wave.

Peter secured the web on the Ferris wheel before jumping down and running to Beck.

Astra turned to Ned and Betty.

"I would totally kiss you, but I think I just threw up in my mouth a little," said Betty.

"Okay, guys, stop with the cringy stuff, why don't you two just slide down and you'll be okay," Astra said, a bit disgusted as she projected a slanted force field.

Ned stammered, "I might have a mint," before sliding down. Betty slid after him, before Astra's wings disappeared and she ran to Beck.

"Is he okay?" she demanded, seeing how Peter had gotten him in a sitting position.

"So it's over?" Hill asked; Astra had not seen her, Fury, or Dimitri arrive.

"That was the last of them," Beck confirmed.

"Oh, thank God," Astra breathed.

"But not the last threat we'll ever face," Fury warned. "We need to stay vigilant. There's a void in this world for someone like you. Hill and I are going to Europol headquarters in Berlin tomorrow. You should join us."

Beck stood up to shake hands with Fury. "Thank you. I might just take you up on that."

Then Fury turned to Peter, lecturing him about how he'd been chosen by Tony and needed to step up. Astra ignored them and turned to Ned and Betty. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," said Betty. "We're good."

"Thanks for saving us," Ned added.

She nodded at them and turned back to Peter.

"I need to do something with Beck," he said.

"That's fine. Meet me back at the hotel when you're done," she replied.