Batman/Spider-Man: Secret Weapon [DEFENDERS OF EARTH BOOK III]

Ultimate Weapon

The HellSpawn made a noise in between a growl and a moan, and leaped at them, claw-like fingers slashing at them. They dodged to the side, sending him rolling.
"My ultimate weapon."'the voice said. "His... or its powers are beyond anything I've ever seen."
He turned back to them, and built up a ball of green energy in his hand, his green eyes narrowed.
"This isn't good!" Spidey said, and the ball was thrown. Even though they rolled out of the way, the radius knocked them forwards onto their chests. "Any ideas?"
"If this is the same Al Simmons I think it is, I don't think we have much of a chance." Batman said, getting to his feet.
"You know him?!"
"No- but I remember hearing of a certain Al Simmons being part of a special ops team- quite the miracle soldier apparently. A whole team of terrorists once flooded to Gotham thanks to him." Batman explained. "He was killed in a mission to Santa Prisca, the suspect never caught."
"You can't be serious..." Peter remarked, and sprinted at Simmons.
"Don't try and fight him- he was a specially trained military professional when he was alive!" Batman shouted to him, but it was too late. Spider-Man swung the punch, but the HellSpawn blocked it with his arm. Spidey quickly lifted his leg up to kick him in the face, but Simmons was quicker. He grabbed his leg, and threw him into the wall on his left. His hand began glowing again.
Batman dashed over, throwing Batarangs at him. Simmons caught very single one with his left hand, and threw the ball. Batman, however, threw and explosive Batarang at the ball, causing and explosion that blasted Batman into the wall. Simmons emerged from the smoke, and he wasn't happy.
"What do you mean 'when he was living'?" Spidey groaned as he got up. "You don't seriously think he's the literal Spawn of the Devil?"
"That is EXACTLY what I am." The HellSpawn said angrily. Spidey looked at Batman.
"You sure we can't beat him?" He asked.
"His power is immense. What did you do to him?" He shouted to the loudspeakers.
"I boosted him. Gave him more potential." The voice replied.
"What else?"
"I had to strip him of some unnecessary clutter first. Most of his memories, being one of them."
Batman straightened up. "Thank you."
Spider-Man could almost hear the man frown. "What?"
Batman took a step forwards and breathed out. "Stay here." He told Spidey.
He walked slowly and calmly towards Simmons, who was also making his way towards them. "Al Simmons?" He asked. The HellSpawn made no reply.
"You are the Al Simmons who died in Santa Prisca, on a military operation?" He continued. "You are, aren't you?"
The HellSpawn stopped right in front of Batman. He was a good few inches taller than the Dark Knight. He squinted his eyes at him. For the longest time, they were left glaring at each other. Then, all of a sudden, Batman was punched in the chest, and was sent all the way back to the wall. Peter looked at him.
"I think that's him." He said brightly, and turned back round to the beast. But he wasn't there. "Where the hell?"
He looked around- nothing. Then, a hand on his shoulder. He was flung backwards, and punched across the face. This then proceeded with a kick to the stomach and an elbow to the cheek. He then grabbed his head and hit it against the wall. The HellSpawn materialised in front of him.
"Invisibility." Batman said, back on his feet. "How long is your list of powers, Simmons?"
"I did not come here to talk." He responded, the chains around his armour sliding out and coiling around him.
"No." Batman continued. "You didn't come here for anything. Not by choice, at least. Al Simmons. Age 38 at time of death. Husband of Wanda Blake. Lived in New York. Couldn't have any children."
"SHUT IT!" Simmons said, punching Batman to the ground. He groaned, but got onto one knee.
"You remember, don't you?" He said, rubbing his chin. "Or at least parts of it. Your family. Your friends, your life. How did you come back?" The HellSpawn kicked him onto his back, and put a foot on his chest, his eyes glowing a more furious green.
"Al Simmons is a dead memory, of a time worth forgetting!" He yelled. Batman grunted, but continued.
"Who's telling you this? Yourself, or the man behind the walls?" Batman replied. More pressure was put on his chest. "Or maybe... the creature that brought you back?"
Simmons instantly drew back his foot and took a few steps back. Batman got back up, struggling, but managed. "Malebolgia is no creature!" He responded. "He's not worth even that!"
"So why did you come back?" Batman asked him, walking back up to him. "You don't care for the form..."
"I DETEST IT." He shrieked. Batman, despite this, took no steps back. He remained calm.
"So why come back? What did you leave behind that you desperately want back?"
Simmons looked at him with a deathly glare. Batman took another step towards him. "I already know the answer to that, don't I? It's your wife, you want her back, don't you?"
"Don't pretend you understand!" Al shouted. "You don't understand anything about me! You don't know anything about me!"
"You don't want her back, do you?" Batman narrowed his eyes. "You didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her. That's all you want."
"Don't think you can get out of this by offering to take me to her!" Spawn said, pinning him to the wall with one arm. "I've already tried that, you son of a bitch. There's nothing you can say that will make me stop."
"You were found in the dirt-ridden alleys of New York." Batman said, not even wavering. "What did you see, Simmons?"
It took a few moments, but Spawn finally hung his head. "My wife... and Terry. With their child..."
Spider-Man slowly walked towards them. The guy's like a time bomb. He thought. Who the hell knows when he's gonna go off?
"I see." Batman said. Spawn once again drew his head up and snarled.
"No, you don't!" He shouted. "How the hell do you know about me, my family, anything?!"
"Because I looked into your murder!" Batman replied. There was a silence. "I always admired, in a way, how you got things done. Your methods were all wrong, but you were efficient. Nothing could stop you. So I looked into your murder."
"Who?!" Spawn demanded. "Who the fuck did it?!"
"I don't know. They didn't leave behind a single bit of evidence. I'm sorry, Al." Batman said. "But you have to let us go." The grip loosened, but immediately tightened again.
"I can't!"
"Yes, you can!" Spider-Man shouted. The other two turned to him. "You're being played, Al. You're being controlled by whoever runs this facility. Is that what you really want to make of this new life you've got?"
"Do not listen to the fools!" The voice exclaimed. "You'll be hailed as a hero! A symbol of protection!"
"You'll be used as a tool for him to look like the big hero." Batman said. "You know that. You want to be a pawn to someone's path to heroism? Be my guest. Killing us won't achieve anything for you. But for him..."
Spawn stopped to consider this. Spider-Man stepped back, not expecting what he'd do. Simmons carried on staring at Batman, but after a few moments, dropped his arm.
"No!" The voice screeched. "Kill them both, you foo-" Spawn shot an energy blast from his eyes, destroying the loudspeakers. Spider-Man turned to Batman.
"Unbelievable..." He shook his head. "How the hell did you do it?"
"He had to have some memories left- I just had to trigger them. It was a form of repressed memories, I just had to try and unblock them."
"You defeated the spawn of the devil using just words..." Spidey laughed. "Sometimes I find it hard to believe you don't have any special powers. Except, if you count..."
"Don't start this again." Batman irritably said, interrupting him. He walked over to Spawn.
"Can you get us out of here?" He asked. Simmons turned to him.
"I can destroy the gate, yes. But I want in on him." He clenched his fist. "He'll pay for what he did to me."
"We'll get to that when we get to it." Batman said. "For now, you just need to destroy the gate."
"With pleasure."