Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 79: [] - Hawk Vanishes! (Bonus)

An early treat, so you don’t have to wait until tomorrow!

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Something big had just happened in New York City.

Media outlets with their ears to the ground had reporters scrambling back to their newsrooms from the moment the story broke.

By the time the sun rose, the new headlines were ready—

The New York Times: "MILITARY’S CHRISTMAS EVE CEMETERY RAID LEADS TO MASSACRE, CALVARY CEMETERY TURNED INTO A SLAUGHTERHOUSE!"

The Wall Street Journal: "ANOTHER DISASTER FOR GENERAL ROSS, CALVARY CEMETERY CARNAGE LIKELY A BOTCHED HULK OPERATION?"

Global Observer: "SEVENTY-SEVEN DEAD, HELICOPTER ENGULFED IN FLAMES, COUNTLESS GRAVES DESTROYED. WHAT DID THE U.S. MILITARY DO?"

There was no way to cover up what had happened at Calvary Cemetery.

And so. Countless New Yorkers woke up, saw the headlines, and for those who had loved ones buried in Calvary, their world came crashing down.

They all rushed to the cemetery as fast as they could.

But it was too late.

The military had already locked it down.

Faced with a growing crowd of people screaming that their family members were inside, demanding to be let in, the soldiers on guard duty were unmoved. Following their orders, they chambered their rounds and stared down the police barricade.

If anyone crossed the line, they would not hesitate to open fire!!

Are you kidding me?

We couldn’t handle last night’s monster, but you think we can’t handle you worthless civilians?

The concept of the military serving the people was a foreign one here. When disaster struck, the military didn’t show up to save you... they showed up to control you.

The crowd was furious. They immediately unfurled banners, facing off against the soldiers from across the barricade in protest.

The Mayor of New York was at his wit’s end.

When Manhattan’s taxpayers saw the news, they were reminded of the last time the military had acted on its own and the damages it had caused. Those with connections were on the phone directly to the Pentagon.

Those with money but no connections were calling the mayor’s office.

The message was simple: Get this under control, or we’ll find a mayor who can.

The mayor himself was cursing the military with every breath he took. The military had always been reckless.

But no one could have imagined they would be ’this’ reckless.

Turning a cemetery into a battlefield, pulverizing countless headstones, and shattering countless more?

What the hell were they thinking? Were they on a mission, or were they there to dance on people’s graves?

The mayor, his face ashen, immediately called a press conference. He didn’t mince words, directly calling out the Pentagon and demanding a full explanation for the incident.

The Pentagon pretended it couldn’t hear him, offering no response whatsoever.

Washington was silent.

Quantico was silent.

At least...

On the surface.

But for Gwen, who was still on vacation with her family on Long Island, the news was anything but silent.

Calvary Cemetery? Last night?

HAWK!

Gwen frantically pulled out her phone and dialed his number.

It was off.

A jolt of fear went through her. Just then, on the television in her bedroom, a news anchor was reporting on the events at Calvary Cemetery.

In the world of 24-hour news, there was no time for restraint. You either reported the story, or you lost your ratings to the channel that did.

So, for the sake of ratings and ad revenue, the television stations ignored the calls from Washington telling them to play dead. They raced against each other, desperate not to be scooped, broadcasting exclusive photos and information their resourceful reporters had managed to acquire.

When the anchor held up a photo of Spider-Man at the scene—an image they had just purchased for five hundred dollars—a name flashed in Gwen’s mind.

Peter Parker!

Gwen’s eyes lit up. She grabbed her phone again, found Peter’s number, and called him immediately.

This time, the phone wasn’t off. It connected quickly.

"Gwen."

"Peter, was it Hawk last night?"

Gwen got straight to the point. "Did you see where he went?"

Peter was silent for a moment on the other end, then he scratched his head. "I just saw the news about Calvary Cemetery myself. Last night, Hawk was—"

A spike of pain shot through Gwen’s temple.

"PETER!"

"Sigh..." Peter hesitated. "Hawk’s okay. The fight was already over by the time I got there."

After instinctively answering her question, Peter couldn’t help but ask, "Did Hawk tell you who I am?"

Hearing that Hawk was safe, Gwen let out a sigh of relief. She heard the confusion in Peter’s voice and replied quietly, "I’m not an idiot, Peter. You changed so much, and you suddenly became friends with Hawk. It wasn’t hard to guess you were Spider-Man."

Peter nodded on the other end, accepting her explanation.

"Where is he now? I can’t reach him."

"I don’t know."

"Peter!"

"I really don’t know..." Peter said quickly. "Hawk left too fast. He just asked if I was going to stop him. I said no, so I stepped aside, and then he was just... gone."

As he spoke, a thought occurred to him. "By the way, Gwen, I thought Hawk went to Long Island with you. What was he doing at Calvary Cemetery last night?"

Gwen paused, then pressed her lips together.

"Hawk has a sister, Anya. She passed away in an accident back in 2009. She’s buried in Calvary Cemetery. Every Christmas, Hawk goes there to spend the day with her."

"So it really was his sister," Peter said, surprised.

Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Before he left, Hawk asked me what I would do if someone desecrated Uncle Ben’s grave."

"..."

"Anya’s grave was damaged???" Gwen’s heart sank, and her voice rose with alarm.

Peter quickly clarified, "No, no, the headstone looked fine, it wasn’t damaged. It’s just..."

"Just what?"

"Uh..."

Peter thought back to the scene, to what he’d seen behind the headstone as Hawk was leaving. "A grave next to hers was blown up, and it... kicked up some dirt onto hers."

It’s over...

Hearing Peter’s answer, only one thought remained in Gwen’s mind.

No one understood what his sister meant to Hawk better than she did. She had no doubt that even if they were married, on Christmas Eve, he would still choose to be with Anya.

Just then, Gwen heard Helen’s voice from outside her room. "Gwen!"

"Coming!"

Gwen called back. She quickly told Peter, "Let me know if you hear from Hawk," then hung up. She took a moment to compose herself, then opened her door and headed downstairs. "Mom, what’s wrong?"

Before she even finished the sentence, as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw a familiar face.

A very familiar face!

...

Natasha, the woman she had knocked out with a tree branch, was standing in the doorway, smiling and talking with her mother.

A chill ran through Gwen.

Helen saw Gwen and smiled. "Natasha said you let her borrow the car. She’s here to return it."

Natasha turned, smiling at Gwen as she approached.

"Morning, Gwen."

"...Morning."

Gwen was silent for a moment before replying. After a few words with her mother, she followed Natasha outside.

Her yellow Corolla, now fully repaired and looking brand new, was parked quietly by the curb.

"Go on, check it out. I didn’t break anything."

"..."

Gwen listened to Natasha’s words but said nothing. She opened the driver’s side door and got in.

Natasha slid into the passenger seat beside her and closed the door.

Gwen took a deep breath and looked at her. "Are you here to kill me?"

"What?" Natasha was taken aback, then she smiled and shook her head. "No, no, of course not. You didn’t kill me, why would I kill you?"

Gwen stared at her. "But you sent people to kill Hawk."

Natasha shook her head again. "Last night’s attack wasn’t us. In fact, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now."

The events at Calvary Cemetery had caught the entire city off guard.

Including S.H.I.E.L.D.

Maria Hill couldn’t believe it. One minute, she was gathering intelligence, trying to figure out how to make a peaceful first contact.

And then the military had just gone in, guns blazing.

Unbelievable.

Did you even do a threat assessment?

By the time Maria Hill had found out, it was too late to wonder why the military had been so reckless, or even how they had found Hawk in the first place.

Her first act was to contact Natasha—who had only just returned from Tennessee and hadn’t even had time to rest—and order her to take the newly repaired yellow Corolla and find the only lead they had.

Gwen.

Natasha’s face became serious as she looked at Gwen. "Gwen, we need to find Hawk. If this situation gets any bigger, it’s not going to end well."

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