UNKNOWN GUEST

#116 To Titan

James' POV-

I opened my eyes, the world spinning around me, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Dizzy and disoriented, it took a second to register that my body wasn't on solid ground. No... it felt like I was floating—or flying.

Wait. Why does everything look upside down?

It hit me suddenly: I was hanging upside down. My ankles were bound with some sort of tight strap, leaving my body to dangle helplessly like a bat. The blood rushed to my head, making my vision blur. I wriggled my arms and craned my neck to look around, but only saw metal walls, cold and uninviting. Who the hell hung me up like this?

Grunting, I twisted my torso upward, trying to reach my ankles to free myself. My abs protested immediately. Come on... just a little higher. My fingertips grazed the strap, but my strength gave out and I dropped back down with a grunt, arms dangling uselessly. The cold metallic smell of the air made my head throb.

Then, in the distance, I heard it—a faint, tortured scream. My pulse quickened.

That had to be Dr. Strange. Ebony Maw must be working on him, trying to squeeze the Time Stone out of the poor wizard. I clenched my fists and tried again to pull myself up. "Come on..." I hissed through gritted teeth, but my core gave out again, leaving me swinging pathetically in mid-air.

Before I could curse my luck, faint footsteps echoed behind me. I twisted awkwardly in the straps, craning my head. Peter Parker came into view first, running toward me with that wide-eyed, eager expression he always had, followed closely by Uncle Tony. Relief flooded through me.

"Hey, dude. You okay?" Tony asked, helmet retracting to reveal his face, looking down at me with genuine concern.

I blinked a few times. "I guess?" I muttered, still disoriented. "Come on, Mr. Stark, I'm seeing you guys upside down. I'm seriously starting to lose my mind here."

Tony shook his head with a smirk, hovering up in the air using his thrusters. "Alright, let's get you down before you pass out." He lifted his arm and shot a quick repulsor beam, cutting the straps holding me in place.

I tumbled down, flipping mid-air, and landed on my feet with a little flourish.

"Ta-da!" I smirked and turned to Peter, brushing imaginary dust off my shoulders. "How was that?"

Peter gave me a grin and shrugged. "Cool. But I've done cooler."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Parker.

"Alright, kids, we've got a problem," Tony interrupted, his voice more serious this time. We both turned toward him as he motioned toward the far end of the ship.

Dr. Strange was suspended mid-air, surrounded by a wicked array of glowing, sharp-edged blades, each hovering dangerously close to his skin. The wizard looked exhausted, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he floated, helpless, in some kind of magical trap.

I sighed. "The bony guy wants the Time Stone. What happened to the 'axe master,' by the way?"

"Gone," Tony muttered grimly, "probably off scheming somewhere. Right now, we've gotta figure out how to get the wizard out before he gets turned into sushi."

Peter's face lit up, and he snapped his fingers. "Oh! I've seen this in a movie—"

Tony's face darkened, and he gave Parker the look. "Kid, I swear, if you bring up another movie reference—"

I raised my hand to cut Tony off, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. "Wait, wait. It might work. Go on, Parker."

Peter shot me a grateful look. "Okay, so here's the plan: We blow a hole in the ship and suck Maw out into space. When the vacuum pulls Dr. Strange out with him, I'll be ready with a web to catch the doc."