While Peter, Cindy, and Felicia were off chasing ancient spider-gods in Taranto, the main Midtown High group headed for Naples. And right on cue, Excalibur finally intercepted the Elementals.
Britain might not have been as massive as the United States, and Londoners certainly didn't have the apocalyptic flair of New Yorkers, but the UK still had its fair share of super-powered crime. Still, the British team had pushed their domestic issues to the back burner to hunt the Elementals down in Italy.
Because these European-hopping natural disasters were proving to be a massive headache.
"The Elementals are composed of spiritual energy, which might explain why they haven't targeted London yet. They know we have the magical counter-measures to handle them," Brian Braddock—Captain Britain—said, his voice carrying the authority of a seasoned leader despite still being in college. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Let's review the roster. Who are we missing? S.H.I.E.L.D. confirmed Spider-Man captured Molten-Man in Prague. Which means we're only dealing with three combatants."
"Perfect timing," Brian added, glancing over his shoulder. "Dane can't lead the vanguard in this specific fight, so three-on-three keeps the odds clean."
For reasons known only to Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. had deliberately neglected to inform Excalibur that the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond
The 'Dane' Brian mentioned was Dane Whitman. The Black Knight. Dane didn't possess an X-gene or a magical amulet. He was simply a man with unparalleled swordsmanship, magnificent horsemanship, and a cursed blade. The Ebony Blade, forged by Merlin from a fallen meteor, was the indestructible, magic-deflecting counterpart to Excalibur. Furthermore, Merlin had laid an enchantment upon the sword: as long as Dane wielded it, he could not be killed, regardless of the severity of his injuries.
While the Elementals were entirely magical in nature—which usually made them a prime target for the Black Knight—they functioned by manipulating raw environmental forces. Trying to stab a localized hurricane with a sword wasn't an ideal tactical approach. Dane's combat style simply wasn't suited for crowd-controlling weather anomalies.
Psylocke, on the other hand, was exactly what they needed. The telepathic mutant would serve as the primary strike force, tasked with locating the Elementals' consciousness within the storms and directly neutralizing them. Captain Britain would rely on his idealism-fueled magical strength, teaming up with the shapeshifting Meggan to physically batter the Elementals' manifested forms.
The Black Knight's assignment? Babysit the Midtown High students.
With their roles locked in, Excalibur scattered into the shadows of Naples, waiting for the storm to hit.
They didn't wait long. Psylocke's telepathy flared.
In the center of the historic plaza, the Midtown students were treated to an encore performance. The same swirling, gritty sandstorm they had barely survived in Lisbon suddenly erupted across the cobblestones. The Elementals never missed an opportunity for a theatrical entrance.
Gwen Stacy crouched behind a marble fountain, her eyes darting toward the LMD versions of Peter and Cindy. She glared at fake-Peter. It wasn't just worry; she was profoundly annoyed that Peter was currently an un-dateable robot. Worse, since Cindy was also a robot, the two LMDs had defaulted to their programming and were currently 'dating' each other for cover.
Everyone in the tour group probably thought Peter and Cindy were a legitimate item now.
Gwen let out a long, exhausted sigh. She was brilliant, intuitive, and currently wishing she had a power that allowed her to throw a bus. She tucked her knees to her chest, keeping a close eye on the androids. If the Elementals destroyed the LMDs, explaining the exposed wiring to Mr. Harrington was going to be a nightmare.
Luckily, Spider-Man wasn't on the menu today.
Silver Sable's Wild Pack struck first. They hadn't fully retreated. Heavily armed mercenaries flooded the surrounding alleyways, raising specialized grenade launchers. They didn't fire explosives; they fired concentrated rain-seeding rounds directly into the sky above the plaza.
Dark clouds instantly coalesced. Rain poured down in sheets. But the water never hit the pavement. Instead, the sandstorm sucked the moisture inward, churning and expanding until a colossal Hydro-Man stood towering over the buildings.
The Wild Pack seamlessly swapped to sonic-vibration rounds, unloading heavy fire into the water giant. But a sudden, roaring whirlwind swept the bullets away like confetti. A second titan, formed entirely of spinning air and debris, materialized beside Hydro-Man.
And then, a figure wreathed in blinding fire dropped from the sky, hovering dead center between the water, the wind, and the churning face of the sandstorm.
"Didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. say there were only three?" Captain Britain muttered, staring up at the flaming android. He let out a sharp breath, keying his comms. "Dane, prioritize the students. Meggan, you're with me on the heavy hitters. Betsy, find an opening and telepathically spike whichever one looks vulnerable. Excalibur, move out."
High above the plaza, the Elementals were waiting for the familiar Spider-Man to swing into view. Instead, a towering man wearing a skintight Union Jack suit dropped onto the cobblestones.
The sandstorm churned, solidifying into a massive, granular humanoid. Sandman stared down at the British hero.
"Are you ever going to stop?" Sandman boomed, its voice grinding like stone.
Captain Britain blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Wearing the British flag was already pushing it," Sandman roared. "Now you aren't even wearing a mask!"
Because Brian Braddock's colorful suit was vaguely similar to Peter's earlier Spider-UK, the Elementals genuinely thought Spider-Man was just trying out a new, confusing bit.
"I don't know who you've mistaken me for, villain!" Captain Britain shouted, utterly baffled by the exchange. "But you are dealing with Captain Britain!"
"Right, sure, we're doing the accent now!" Sandman mocked.
Enraged, the massive sand construct shaped its arm into a boulder-sized fist and swung it down at Brian with crushing force.
Captain Britain didn't dodge. He planted his feet, drew on the magic of the Amulet of Right, and threw a punch straight up into the descending boulder.
CRACK.
The sheer concussive force vibrated up Sandman's arm, shattering the construct into a shower of harmless grit. Brian didn't lose an ounce of momentum. He launched himself into the air like a cruise missile, hurtling directly toward Hydro-Man.
Panicking, the water giant manipulated the rain, shaping it into high-speed, spinning water-blades designed to slice through steel. They slammed into Brian's chest.
They shattered instantly against his magical force field. Brian crashed directly through Hydro-Man's chest, causing the entire liquid structure to violently burst outward like a popped balloon.
A few seconds later, the water began pooling back together, struggling to reform its humanoid shape.
"That's definitely not Spider-Man," Hydro-Man gurgled, shifting its gaze toward the sandstorm. "He's enveloped in an invisible, repelling force field. I couldn't get a single drop of water near him."
"My sand couldn't penetrate it either," Sandman agreed, reforming its shattered arm. It was finally dawning on them that the very angry British man was, in fact, an entirely new problem.
So, where exactly was Spider-Man?
Peter hadn't made it to Naples. He was currently miles out on the Mediterranean Sea, aboard a heavily fortified Wild Pack cargo freighter. The very same freighter that was secretly transporting the captured Molten Man.
And unfortunately for Peter, a highly trained Hydra infiltration team had chosen that exact moment to board the ship and execute a rescue op.