Whirlwind was dead.
Peter stood frozen in the rain-slicked plaza of Naples, staring at the empty space where the howling tornado had been seconds ago. He hadn't seen this coming. But he was absolutely certain of one thing: Madame Viper was behind it. Less than an hour ago, in the holding cell of the Wild Pack's freighter, he had seen that exact same green, magical smoke consume Molten Man.
Two members of the Elementals, completely eradicated within sixty minutes. But why? Why had Hydra suddenly started burning their own assets?
Just because Spider-Man had figured out how to catch them? That didn't make tactical sense. Hydra wouldn't torch millions of dollars in bioweapons just because of a minor setback.
Peter dragged a hand down his face, completely bewildered.
The Black Knight—who had spent the entire battle fulfilling his assignment of standing protectively in front of the hotel lounge window—jogged over. As a descendant of Arthurian nobility, Dane Whitman possessed extensive theoretical knowledge of the occult, even if he couldn't cast a spell himself. He knelt down, examining the scorch marks on the cobblestones.
He stood up, turning to Spider-Man with a grim expression. "This is dark magic. We've seen this specific energetic signature before when battling demons and Morgan le Fay."
"Morgan le Fay?" Peter asked, the name clicking into place from his own magical studies. "You mean King Arthur's half-sister? The dark sorceress?"
"Yes," Captain Britain said, landing heavily beside them. "She, her dark son Mordred, and their associated demonic forces are Excalibur's primary adversaries." Brian gestured vaguely toward the north. "Old London is steeped in ancient magic. The supervillains we regularly encounter tend to be magically inclined."
Peter frowned, thinking through the global magical hierarchy. "Wouldn't the Holy See of England step in to help you guys? Or the Sorcerer Supreme?"
"The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj provide support when catastrophic boundaries are breached, but we rely primarily on Merlin," Brian explained. "Furthermore, it appears the Sorcerer Supreme and Merlin have a standing accord. The Supreme avoids entangling too deeply in London's localized magical affairs."
Brian crouched down, hovering his hand over the residual green smoke. "Whirlwind spirit was cursed. And judging by the rapid degradation rate of the magical residue, the curse was not ancient. It was placed upon him very recently."
Placed recently. But why?
Peter's brain was spinning in circles when his burner phone vibrated. He pulled it out, reading a brief, encrypted text from Cindy.
VIP guest on the boat. Wants to see you.
Peter looked up at Excalibur. "Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Fury just arrived at the docks and requested an audience. Care to join me?"
A few minutes later, the group stood in the lower decks of the Wild Pack's cargo freighter. The ship was still listing slightly, crewmen frantically patching leaks and repairing the shredded bulkheads from Viper Security's assault.
Nick Fury stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring into the enchanted holding cell. Not long ago, the cage had contained Molten Man. Now, it held nothing but scorched air. The unconscious, cybernetic Viper mercs lying on the floor nearby clearly held zero interest for the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I received word Molten Man had been permanently neutralized, so I took a fast transport," Fury said, his voice flat. "Coincidentally, I arrive just in time to see Whirlwind suffer the exact same fate." Fury let out a heavy sigh and turned to face Peter and Excalibur. "I'm told this was the result of a magical purge. Magic is above my paygrade. What's the expert consensus?"
"It was a temporary, localized curse," the Black Knight explained, stepping forward. "Executing a targeted soul-purge of that magnitude requires the caster to pay a considerable personal price. In other words, whoever did this willingly sacrificed a great deal of their own vitality to ensure Whirlwind was completely destroyed." The Knight shook his head. "It defies tactical logic. We need to investigate this thoroughly."
Nick Fury remained silent. He knew exactly why Hydra had triggered the purge, but he had zero intention of sharing classified S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence with a British superhero team.
"I appreciate the insight," Fury said smoothly. "Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently operating blind on the magical front. I need Excalibur's help. I need you to return and research how we can prevent these curses, or potentially lift them if they haven't been fully triggered. I can't just keep killing the enemy; I need them alive for interrogation. I need intelligence."
"What about the remaining Elementals?" Brian asked.
"We shift from a capture-and-detain strategy to a holding action. We stop them from causing civilian casualties, but we don't corner them. They've likely gone to ground anyway after watching their teammates get vaporized," Fury said dismissively. He looked at Silver Sable, who was standing quietly in the corner, and nodded. "Since the Wild Pack initiated your contract, S.H.I.E.L.D. will compensate your time."
The members of Excalibur exchanged a glance and nodded.
"We will return to London immediately," Brian said. "We will begin the investigation and provide a counter-measure as soon as possible. There is clearly a sinister conspiracy manipulating these Elementals, and Excalibur will do its part."
Fury nodded his thanks. He waited until Excalibur had departed the lower decks, leaving him alone in the corridor with Peter. Sable, Cindy, and Felicia had already moved topside to oversee the repairs.
Fury pushed his trench coat back, hooking his hands on his hips. He stared at the empty cage, his voice dropping to a low rumble.
"You know you were just the decoy, Parker," Fury said. "While you were out here making noise, I sent another team to investigate Hydra directly."
"Yeah, I figured," Peter said. "What went wrong?"
"The team I sent went to Taranto."
Peter stared at him, genuinely shocked. "I was just in Taranto. There was absolutely no trace of Hydra operations there."
"Exactly. That's the strangest part," Fury said, his single eye locking onto Peter. "If there is zero Hydra intelligence in Taranto, then why did Hydra send the most terrifying assassin I've ever encountered, alongside the most skilled mercenary on the planet, to slaughter my investigation team?"
Fury took a step closer. "I can confirm the Winter Soldier's operational history. He has only surfaced twice in my tenure. Once when he blinded me. And once when he put your parents in the ground. He was in Taranto today."
Peter's mind raced. Fury's team had gone to Taranto, triggered a massive, high-level Hydra response, and barely survived an assassination attempt by the Winter Soldier.
Peter suddenly realized two distinct things.
"Wait," Peter said, holding up a hand. "Who exactly did you send to Taranto?"
"Steve Rogers and Logan," Fury replied. "They were operating under deep cover. But the Winter Soldier and Taskmaster ambushed them. Steve and Logan had to burn their cover and engage."
The final piece of the puzzle slammed into place. Peter finally understood why Hydra had suddenly started murdering their own captured Elementals.
Captain America had fought the Winter Soldier. Captain America knew the Winter Soldier was James Buchanan Barnes. Since the Winter Soldier was nominally classified as an old Soviet cybernetic ghost, Steve identifying him as a captured American POW would trigger a massive, joint U.S.-Russian intelligence investigation.
Hydra was about to be dragged out into the light. To prevent any intelligence leaks, they were initiating an emergency, scorched-earth purge of all vulnerable assets.
"We spooked them," Fury growled, confirming Peter's thoughts. "It proves our theory was correct. But it also proves how relentlessly cautious these bastards are. Damn it. I can already run the actuarial math on how many 'accidents' are going to happen worldwide tonight. Hydra is going to scrub their entire exposed network and vanish back into the woodwork."
Peter looked at Nick Fury. He asked his second question.
"You have a third team, don't you? I was the first decoy. Cap and Logan were the second decoy. You set up a third, completely unmonitored team to do the actual investigating while Hydra was busy hunting us."
Nick Fury offered a slow, deeply satisfied smile.
PS: Marvel Fun Fact!
Morgan le Fay, mentioned by the Black Knight, is one of the most powerful sorceresses in the Marvel Universe! Based on Arthurian legend, she first appeared in Black Knight #1 (1955). As a half-faerie priestess of the Darkhold (an ancient book of evil magic), she is effectively immortal. She frequently clashes with Excalibur, the Avengers, and even Doctor Doom as she constantly tries to conquer Britain and plunge the world back into the Dark Ages!