It all flies by in a blur as I ride on the back of the motorcycle, trying my damnedest to keep the Raft together with what amounts to chewing gum and duct tape. I don't know if it's going to be enough, but we're making headway, and getting people out as we do. I may not be able to fight the Surfer with any discernible effect, but at least I can do what I do best. That's save people. That's why I started doing this in the first place. Not to fight aliens. To save people.
A tinge in the back of my mind tells me that's a lie, though. It irks me that I was basically useless against the Surfer. All I could do was dance around and hope he doesn't kill me in hopes that someone would show up and save little old me. It burns me that I was the superpowered equivalent of a damsel in distress.
Even more so, however, is the other voice in my head telling me what really bothers me about all this.
I'm afraid of the Surfer. Even if I don't want to admit it, seeing that level of raw power, something way out of my league, has shaken me to the core. The Surfer is here for one reason: to subjugate Earth. If I can't do anything to stop that, what good am I? What worth do I have if I can't stand up to someone like that?
The motorcycle skidding to a stop rouses me from going through the motions of webbing the weak points up. I hear the driver curse as the corridor we're traveling down begins to collapse. But I can also see a group of Raft guards about to be trapped by the falling debris.
"Thanks for the ride, cowboy," I say to the Rider, springing off the bike.
Flying through the air, I kick off a falling piece of ceiling, propelling myself to the other side of the collapsing ceiling. I go about twenty yards, twisting, twirling, and tumbling around, over, and through collapsing concrete and steel. I narrowly escape getting trapped myself, but my spider sense keeps me one step ahead of the cave in.
The guards are not so lucky. I can see debris begin falling their way. Webbing slows its fall as I run to help, but some of it still falls towards potential victims. Luckily, I get there before it finds its home. The steel girders and concrete fall onto my shoulders instead of onto the three guards below me. I feel the pounds of force pressing down on me. My knees shake under the stress, and every muscle in my body feels like their on fire.
My right knee buckles, and I fall to it. Above me, I can hear the rest of the structure around me just waiting to bury me like the tomb of some ancient pharaoh. Around me, panic fills the faces of the two men and one woman who I'm currently keeping from being crushed alongside me. One of the men is praying. The other looks resigned to his fate. The woman is crying, her mascara running down her face.
You got into this to save people, a voice says in the back of my mind.
They're right in front of you. They're all that matters now."Don't..." I cough, my body protesting my desire to do anything other than keep the Raft's collapsing bones at bay,
"don't be afraid. We're gonna get out of this. I promise."Taking deep, purposeful breaths, I manage to get my feet back under me. My pain begins to fade away, and any doubts I may have been having moments ago are erased by a realization that this is my purpose. If I can save three people here, right now, I've done my job. I don't need to save all of humanity. I don't need to beat the Surfer. I just need to make sure the Surfer and his bastard master don't make these people suffer. They won't end these lives. Not while I'm here.
Under my mask, I grit my teeth and begin to push back against the avalanche of fallen building. Steel groans and scrapes in protest as I make my way to a standing position, the three people around me staring in amazement. With one final push, I extend my arms, and manage to fire webbing, securing the collapsed portion of the building together for now. With my labor done, I fall to my knees for a moment.
"Spider-Woman," the female guard puts her hand on my shoulder, "are you okay?"
"Yea," I respond weakly, and begin to stand,
"yea I'm okay. You guys good?""We are now," one of the men chuckles nervously.
"Be better if we could get out of here," the other mutters. I shoot him a look, "Hey, just saying."
He's right of course. We'll still die horrible deaths when the Raft finally disintegrates for good. I look up, and see a hole in the ceiling, and, beyond that, daylight.
"Okay, I know I just held a damn building up on my back, but everyone jump on. We're getting out through that hole. And then you're all buying me a lifetime supply of gold bond ointment. Because damn am I sore."After a few more moments, we emerge into the fresh air, and I see a rescue boat below. Swinging down, I deposit the three survivors onto it. As I turn to head back to the Raft, the woman grabs me in a bear hug. It sets my muscles on fire again, and it makes me realize I probably busted up my shoulder real bad with that stunt.
"Thank you. I have kids at home. I'm going to get to see them because of you."
"Thanks," I grimace.
"But I need to get back up there.""Why? Haven't you done enough?" she asks as she steps back.
I fire a web to the Raft,
"Not if there's still people over there in danger."
Simple Unicycle
Izurich
Morden Man
