Starling - Tunnels through ten floors

They pull themselves up over the ledge again and plant their feet on the roof. We stare quietly at each other for a moment, before they glance at the ground and grapple straight through the floor. They yank upward and rip a hole through the roof as wide across as I am tall, splintering plaster and glass debris in all directions, forcing me back to shield my face from it. Then, they jump, with wings sucked in against their body and their arms crossed across their chest like a mummy, and dive straight down the hole, activating a storm of angry red lights and alarm sounds blaring from inside.

Great. They’ve tripped the security system. Maybe the police will get notified and be here soon. But just as quickly as they start, they vanish, as a short-circuiting fizzling sound erupts through the vicinity.

They must have disabled the security system.

Well, that hope was fun while it lasted.

After I scramble over and peer down into the dark abyss they’ve made, I realize that the gaping, sparking hole extends through floor after floor, endlessly, for at least ten stories. And then, I can’t make out details of any lower floors. There’s no way I’m going down there to chase after them. Time to take this guy down from a new angle.

***

But in seconds, my earpiece is ringing with a call to Peter, and my phone is tucked back into my pocket. An ear-piercing crash! emanates from somewhere deep inside the building, and I know I’m running out of time. I pull myself up floor after floor, glass window pane after glass window pane, until I’m crawling through the hole fraught with loose wires and sparks and concrete dust, and into another mostly dark office space. A single fluorescent light dangles from the center of the room, flickering as weakly as a camping lantern.

***

“Reports are coming in that not only did Spider-Man’s actions at S.H.I.E.L.D. last night tear holes through the top twenty-six stories of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters downtown, but because the holes ripped straight through a main power line, all electricity at S.H.I.E.L.D. has had to be restricted, strictly reserved for the most highly secured intel. Employees are encouraged to work from home, as backup generators are unreliable at this time, and all twenty-six of the topmost floors have been deemed too hazardous to conduct normal business.”

***

Chapter 7-8