Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“Tombstone’s leading an army of men to your doorstep as we speak, and now I know what you AND your granddaughter’s faces look like. I want the secret to your cores. The EXACT specs. And maybe throw in the blueprints for those wings while you’re at it.”</span> you demanded, getting right up in his face and grabbing the hem of his jacket. <span class="mu-r">“Then, I want you and your granddaughter to leave this city. I don’t want you picking up those wings again, either. I’ll know if you do. Trust me.”</span>
You leaned back, lowering your gun a bit and giving him time to think about your proposition for a minute. You were also hoping that he didn’t notice the tracer that you placed within the folds of his jacket. <span class="mu-r">“Do that, and I’ll let you and yours walk. But…try to stay where I can reach you. I might need your help getting rid of Tombsy sometime in the future.”</span> you said, slowly backing away from him and holstering your gun.
Suddenly, a green pellet flew past your ear and splattered all over your webbing. It was starting to dissolve now, along with the webbing that was holding the Vulture hostage. You looked back to see Prowler and Cat, perched along the railing of the workshop’s second level. The Goblin, however, was mysteriously absent.
<span class="mu-g">“Time’s up!”</span> Prowler announced. And almost as if to punctuate the statement, you immediately heard the sounds of gunfire and shouting coming from outside.
<span class="mu-r">“That must be him now! Think about my proposal, will ya? From this day forward, we’re gonna be the best of pals!”</span> you said, before leaping up the second level and slipping back out through the window after Cat and Prowler.
You shouldn’t have been surprised to see the Goblin flying around and blowing up Vultures left and right, but you were a bit startled by the ear-piercing shriek that those explosions created. It took you a while to realize that they were coming from the bombs themselves, and not his victims.
As promised, Tombstone's men had arrived and began opening fire almost immediately. The Vultures that had been caught unawares were quickly mowed down, but more than a few were lucky enough to get behind cover, grab a weapon or slip into their suits. Soon enough, the ground and skies became a target rich environment.
Now, there was nothing left to do but join the fighting and hope that the Vulture’s leader could get away before Tombstone got to him.
—---
A few minutes after the battle began, you learned something very important. Apparently, before you got here, and before you had that nice little chat with the Vulture, he somehow had time to alter his flight suits. They had an additional feature.
Specifically, he installed a heartbeat sensor that sent a signal to the energy core when the user flatlined. That chain reaction resulted in a very volatile explosion, not unlike the one that decimated your hideout.
(Cont.)
