Rhino's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

The alarm still screamed inside the tower. Rhino spun in the wrecked office, chest heaving. Then he saw a red shape swing back through the broken wall. Spiderman had returned. Doctor Octopus climbed in behind Rhino, metal arms clicking on the floor. Mysterio floated in through the dust, his glass head glowing blue. Green Goblin waited outside in the dark. The spider had not run far. He had come back for a fight. "You brought friends," Spiderman said. "Cute." Rhino did not talk. He fired a web of his own—no. Rhino had no web. But he lowered his head and charged. Then a real web hit him first. Spiderman shot a thick line straight at Rhino's face. The sticky rope wrapped his eyes. Rhino roared and clawed at the mess. He stumbled blind into a desk and split it in two. "Now," Doctor Octopus said. His four metal arms shot forward. Two grabbed Spiderman's legs. Mysterio raised his green gloves and poured smoke around the room. Fake shapes swam in the fog—a dozen Spidermen, all fake. "Confuse him," Mysterio said. "He can't fight what he can't find." Rhino ripped the web from his eyes. He saw the real spider caught in the doctor's arms, kicking hard. This was it. A week of hunting. Rhino stepped forward to crush him. Then the window shattered. Something small dropped through the glass. It landed on the desk—a raccoon, no taller than Rhino's knee. He wore an orange suit. He held a gun bigger than his own body. His eyes were sharp and mean. "Sorry I'm late," the raccoon said. "Traffic." He aimed the gun at Doctor Octopus. "Let the bug go, tall dark and creepy." Rhino stared. He did not know this creature. Neither did the others. "Rocket," Spiderman gasped. "About time." Rocket Raccoon fired. A blast of blue light struck Doctor Octopus in the chest. The doctor flew backward. His metal arms let go. Spiderman dropped free and rolled to his feet. Rocket kept firing, sweeping the room. Mysterio's fake shapes popped like bubbles. Rhino charged the raccoon. Rocket jumped, quick as a cat. Rhino's horn hit only wall. Brick rained down. Rocket landed on Rhino's back and fired point-blank at the suit. The blast knocked Rhino to his knees. His ears rang. The floor cracked under his weight. "We're leaving," Spiderman said to Rocket. He grabbed the raccoon's arm. He shot one long web at the ceiling. "Say hi to the guards for me." Then both swung out the shattered window, into the cold night. Rhino climbed to his feet, slow and sore. Doctor Octopus lay tangled in his own arms. Mysterio's smoke thinned to nothing. Boots pounded closer down the hall. The spider was gone again—and now he had help. Rhino wiped web from his face and made a fist. Next time he would come ready for two.