Chapter Text
Bullets were fast. Frank knew this well.
He hadn’t known Spider-Man was faster.
In hindsight, he could have figured it out. He had enhanced agility, that danger sense, and his power had been growing. But why the fuck would Spider-Man move?
He could see them. Not well, but well enough to take aim. Spider-Man and that Grey kid were standing near ramrod straight facing each other, utterly unmoving. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening. She was in his head, and that meant she was distracted, and that meant Frank had to take the shot.
And then Peter took it instead.
He saw him move, and he saw him fall.
And Frank took off running.
It wasn’t hard to get on Roosevelt Island. Frank lived a certain type of lifestyle that gave him access to a lot of vehicles, including ones that could get him onto an island. It still took a long time, though. A drive to the coastline, and then a ride out to the island, and then a sprint through the base itself.
He moved as fast as he could, but he knew it wouldn’t be fast enough. He wasn’t faster than a bullet, and he wasn’t faster than the rate it took someone to bleed out, even for an enhanced person. He had to try, though. He owed Spider-Man that much.
He hadn’t really expected Spider-Man to still be alive when he arrived. He hadn’t expected Jean to still be there either.
“You get the hell away from him!” Frank barked, gun trained on her in an instant. He was within her range, he knew, but that didn’t stop him from acting. Her power was fast, and he’d lost a little faith in the speed of bullets, but he was still confident he could shoot her.
Only, she didn’t move. She remained kneeling on the ground next to a still-bleeding, maskless Spider-Man. And as much as Frank considered himself a “shoot first, ask questions later” kind of guy, he wasn’t blind. Or stupid. He could see her straining. She was using her power.
“I- I can’t move him and keep the blood in,” Jean stuttered out, and he was struck by how young she was in a way he hadn’t been before.
Frank lowered his weapon.
“Get up,” he grunted, moving forward. “I can only carry one of you out.”
If Jean really was keeping Spider-Man alive, he would carry them both out if he had to, but thankfully it didn’t come to that. Jean got to her feet—shaking and unsteady but still standing—and they hurried for Belluve Hospital.