Ambition {𝟙𝟛} | Marvel √

chapter twenty-two

Running down the streets, going as fast as he can to get to the Monument, Spider-Man panicked when Emma hung up the phone. "Emma? Emma? Damn it!" he snapped as he continued to run, faster even, towards the monument as passing civilians watched him oddly.

At the Monument, Ned nervously stayed close to Emma after she told him that the alien core was a bomb. She assured him everything would be okay, but even she knew that was a lie. She just told him to stay close to her as they entered the elevator together.

"Hey, Mr. Harrington..." Flash began as the elevator doors closed, "Can I be the one to tell Peter he's expelled?"

Emma shot him a hard glare, and would have said something snarky but was too worried about the literal bomb in her friend's backpack.

Just a block away from the Washington Monument, Spider-Man threw his backpack towards a tree and webbed it before continuing to run towards the landmark.

The elevator steadily climbed upward, with the core in Ned's backpack beginning to glow even more. And both Emma and Ned tried to remain calm as possible as the tour guide said, "The Washington Monument is five-hundred and fifty-five feet, five and ⅛ inches tall. Notice how the marble and granite are cut around the stone."

Abruptly, the energy core erupted with light, breaking the glass at the top of the building causing the tip of the monument to crack. Emma flinched, both her and Ned gripping onto each other tightly.

———

Finally, Spider-Man arrived at the base of the monument just when it shook. He stared in panic as people nearby watched the landmark as well.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," he murmured, "Karen, what's going on up there?"

"The Chitauri core has detonated and caused severe structural damage to the elevator."

The spider suit provided him a view inside the monument, showing that several people were gathered inside the elevator. Including Emma and Ned.

"Oh, no," he murmured as Michelle jumped up from her spot, staring at the monument in worry.

"My friends are up there!" she said and Spider-Man spun back towards her.

"What?" he asked and she looked at him, "Uh, don't worry, ma'am. Everything's gonna be okay." He then ran right towards the monument, pushing past the gathering crowd, "Excuse me, excuse me." He glanced up at the last second and murmured, "Oh, my god, that's tall," before he leaped onto the monument and began to crawl up.

———

In the elevator, Emma quickly pulled off Ned's backpack, and dropped it to the ground before the two watched as the small space filled with smoke. She pulled them into a corner, slowly beginning to panic even more.

"Oh, my god, look at the ceiling," Charles murmured.

Instantly, Emma and Ned glanced up to find a glowing, red crack cut across the elevator ceiling. Emma's heart rate spiked again.

"Just stay calm, everyone," Liz said, everyone staying completely still.

"Oh, we are all going to die here," Abe said and Emma shot him a look.

"Don't say that, we don't need more panic," she told him, but she was just screwing herself. She was panicking more than she ever did.

———

Spider-Man continued to climb the monument while Michelle peered up at him, worry fueling her for Emma. He had climbed up so far and so fast that he was merely a dot seen from below.