Marvel Cybernetic Girl

"Look out!!"

Just as the distracted Spider-Man was about to get hit, Hitomi suddenly leapt forward.

The Tinkerer's unexpected counterattack had completely caught Peter Parker off guard.

If even one of those special rounds—powerful enough to melt almost any known material—had landed, poor Spidey would've likely been dissolved from the outside in, bones and all.

Even Hitomi, as an android, wasn't totally immune.

Maybe her body and synthetic skin would hold, but her clothes? Definitely toast.

Right then, the Tinkerer's eyes widened in disbelief.

A little girl?!

An attack that dissolves clothing?!

And she was spreading her arms and legs wide, shielding her teammate without even trying to dodge?!

My god...

Could this be...?!

Was the impossible about to happen right before his eyes?!

Unfortunately for him, those weird chemical-laced, possibly alien-enhanced dissolution rounds only worked on normal matter.

When it came to a pure energy shield—they were completely useless.

The instant Hitomi dashed forward, her White Moon combat suit automatically triggered its defense system, forming a solid energy barrier in front of both her and Peter Parker, protecting them from the Tinkerer's vicious onslaught.

'BOOM! BOOM!'

The rounds exploded against the barrier, releasing strange, dangerous-looking substances.

But the energy shield held firm, effortlessly blocking the Tinkerer's pride and joy—his dissolving cannon rounds—without even the slightest tremor.

Nothing was harmed.

Nothing dissolved.

"Whoa! You totally saved my life there!" Spider-Man finally realized what had just happened. "That was way too close! Thank you—seriously! I thought I was toast for sure!"

"I thought you were toast too, you big dummy!" Hitomi huffed, lowering her shield. "If you'd died, there are people who'd be super sad, you know! Try staying alert when you're fighting next time!"

"R-right... I will! I swear I'll be more careful next time!"

Peter scratched his head, feeling a little weird being scolded by someone who looked way younger than him—like a veteran superhero in a tiny, silver-haired little girl package.

With the danger passed for now, Spider-Man shot a fresh web and tied up the Tinkerer tight, wrapping him from head to toe until the nutcase couldn't so much as twitch.

But just as Peter and Hitomi were about to breathe easy…

"You two! Look out!!!"

Lila Barton's warning shout echoed in their ears.

"You idiots! Move—NOW!"

Before they could react, a hail of silver arrows rained down from above—Lila's last-ditch effort to stop something fast approaching.

"W—what?!"

Hitomi gasped and yanked the dazed Peter Parker out of the way just in time.

A split second later, a massive pair of metal wings burst through the layers of stacked shipping containers like a ghost from a machine nightmare.

It was the Vulture.

Moving like a terrifying mechanical specter, he flew an impossible path straight through every obstacle, completely ignoring Lila's arrows.

With one swift motion, he grabbed the web-wrapped Tinkerer.

"Time to go."

The Vulture's voice was calm, but beneath the surface simmered frustration.

"These guys are too tough. We're cutting our losses on this one."

Hitomi clicked her tongue. "Tch... I knew it. Quantum phasing activated, huh? Looks like they're trying to bail."

Quantum Phasing.

The ability to apply microscopic quantum properties to macroscopic objects.

A new trick the mysterious "Ghost" had given to the Vulture and his gang—probably part of the price for their cooperation.

With their phasing devices powered up, the Vulture's crew could now pass through walls, teleport, and become completely invisible—absurdly unfair abilities that defied all conventional rules.

"Hey! What about me?! Boss, don't leave me behind!" shrieked the struggling Shocker from somewhere down below.

"Trying to escape? Not on my watch!"

Hitomi stood firm, pulling out her massive battle axe once more, channeling the full power of her core reactor into it.

"A puny ghost's quantum tricks are nothing compared to this!"

[Directional High-Energy Electromagnetic Pulse: Activate]

Brilliant arcs of electricity crackled along her silver axe as energy surged into the weapon.

The best way to counter quantum tech?

A concentrated electromagnetic pulse to fry the enemy's systems—something she'd already proven effective against Shocker in their earlier fight.

"Get down here!!" she shouted, swinging the axe—almost as tall as she was—down with force.

'BZZZZT—!!'

'BOOOOM—!!'

A blazing pillar of lightning shot skyward, closing the distance to the fleeing Vulture and Tinkerer faster than they could react.

Vulture had been so confident.

With Ghost's quantum system, he could phase through anything—walls, weapons, Iron Man's attacks—nothing could stop him.

But against Hitomi's precisely-calibrated electromagnetic pulse? His fancy tech might as well have been scrap metal.

'SIZZLE—!!'

The arc struck Vulture's mechanical wings dead-on, frying the entire quantum system in an instant—rendering it useless slag.

Both of his turbine engines sputtered and died.

"Damn it! What the hell is this?!" Vulture cursed, helpless as he lost all control, trailing smoke as he crashed down onto a cargo container with a harsh metallic CLANG, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Huff... huff... yep! This girl's still got it!" Hitomi grinned, resting the still-sparking axe on the ground with a satisfying clang.

"Let's see... one, two, three—three bad guys, all accounted for! Not one escaped. Come on, praise—"

'BZZZZT—!!'

"A—ack!!"

Before she could finish, the lingering electric charge on the axe suddenly surged backwards, arcing into Hitomi's own body!

Caught off guard by her own technique, Hitomi's entire frame jolted as paralysis locked her limbs.

"Uuugh..."

Her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the ground—face down, backside raised awkwardly in the air...

Her core reactor, still in the process of recalibrating after the earlier reboot, wasn't entirely stable.

Whether it was the earlier failed "charged maneuver gear" attempt or this sudden EMP backlash, her energy system was clearly struggling to adjust.

Just as Cortana had predicted.

Only by continuing to push her abilities in combat could her core reactor gradually return to its original state—restoring not only her energy output but perhaps her normal size as well.

But right now…

Peter Parker crouched beside her, an uneasy expression on his face.

"Uh... Hitomi? You okay? You kinda just... fell over."

"I-I'm fine..."

Hitomi struggled to move, but the electric shock had left her completely numb. "Maybe... I overdid it a little... hehe... no worries... I'll be fine... soon..."

"R-right... if you say so..." Peter scratched his head, still not convinced. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yep, totally fine, meow..."

"HEY! You pervert spider! What the hell are you doing to Hitomi?!"

Lila Barton suddenly stormed onto the scene, glaring daggers at Peter.

"I knew it—you are some creepy guys who likes little girls! Get away from her, you freak!!"

Ahh...

Yep. She totally misunderstood the situation.

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