chapter fifteen!
a long fall

THE CEILING was a ring of burnt orange; steaming, peeling━seared straight through to the cables above like a halo of concentrated ember. The elevator had stopped just below the top floor, and the doors were sealed shut. Nina, her friends, her teacher and the tour guide were all stuck, waiting with bated breaths for what was to happen next.

They didn't know what, they all just knew it wouldn't be good.

"Just ... just stay calm, everyone," managed Liz bravely.

"Yeah," whispered Charles. "Y━yeah, okay ..."

But it was hard to stay calm when the ceiling was burning away right in front of them. Abraham whimpered, letting out a weak, "Oh, we're all going to die here!"

The elevator shuddered once again and Sally April let out a terrified scream, clinging onto Cindy Moon like she was her lifeline. "We have to get out of here!"

"What happened?!" shouted Cindy.

"We're gonna die!" cried Flash.

"It just exploded━"

"━Why is it purple━?!"

"━we're gonna die━!"

"Guys! Kids!" Mr. Harrington held his hands out. He was pale and sweating. Nina guessed he had never been in a situation like this before, and why would have he? It's not every day that the roof and cables to your elevator got exploded. "Liz is right. The best thing to do is to stay calm..."

"Yes ..." whimpered the tour guide, "everybody stay calm ... emergency will be on their way ..."

The elevator trembled. Flash screamed this time. "We're gonna die!"

Everyone panicked, pushing and shoving each other to try and get away from the fragile roof above them. Nina was elbowed and shouldered in places that really hurt. She ended up being squeezed in between Flash and Ned, unable to say anything━or even comprehend what was going on; it was all happening so quickly.

"We're freaking screwed!"

"We're all gonna die!"

"Flash!" Nina shouted, finally managing to get words out of her lips. "Shut up! Everyone, just shut up!"

Surprisingly, they listened to her. She didn't expect it. The elevator fell silent, and Nina stared back at wide, fearful eyes. Even her teacher's. "O━okay ..." she murmured, "... don't move. You'll make the weight unbalanced and we'll fall," they nodded. "Everyone just ... you know ... just stand by the sides of the elevator, level the weight out ..."

Everyone did as she suggested. Nina pressed herself against the wall, as still as possible with Flash and Ned, the former still clutching onto that stupid decathlon trophey. They all watched the roof in absolute horror.

"Okay, guys," said the tour guide now that they were all listening. "I know that was scary, but our safety systems are working. We're very safe in here..."

She didn't sound convincing. Beside Nina, Ned muttered, "We're not safe in here."

"Ned," she gave him a glance. "Shut up."

Nina really wished Spider-Man was here. He'd get them out of here, web them all up to safety, but he was still in New York. She was glad MJ wasn't here, and she was down on the ground, and Peter ...

It was selfish of her to want him with her, just to hold and for him to tell her it was going to be okay. She should be glad that he wasn't here━for once. Glad that he ditched them, because he's safe, wherever he was. But Nina wanted him here, because now that she was standing, dangerously close to death, there was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to apologise, she wanted to tell him she missed him deep down, and despite how frustrating and horrible he's been recently, in this moment, right now, none of that mattered. She didn't want to die knowing that they never reconciled.

And that really gave a twist to her stomach.

The radio spiked on the tour guide's shoulder. She picked it up to hear: "This is top floor, we are forcing the doors open. Get everyone to come up through the safety exit."

"On it," she placed the radio back in its clip and turned to them. "Okay, guys, we're gonna go one at a time. Everyone, just stay calm and still, we should get this over and done quickly. Everything is fine."

Nina watched, her heart racing, as their tour guide climbed up on top of Harrington's crouched figure to lift the latch above them. Her fingers were ginger as they unlocked it, and Nina hunched up, scared that even just a tap━less than that, would cause them to fall.

But she opened it without trouble. Carefully, Mr. Harrington pushed her up and onto the elevator roof. Nina gripped Ned's sleeve━and not recognising him tensing up━as she waited for the roof to collapse underneath the tour guide ... but it didn't.

"Okay," she said, giving a thumbs up to the security team who were hovering by the glass doors above that they had forced open. "Okay, first one up. Let's go, let's go ..."

Cindy was first, as she was rather small and light. Nina's heart pounded in her chest. Cindy was hoisted up, her fingers outstretched to reach the tour guide's above them. When they caught a grip around her wrist, Nina felt herself feel a little better as Cindy was pulled up through the trapdoor, her feet trampling on broken glass.

But there was still more to go. There was over six of them to pull through, and Nina was scared how quick the elevator cables could break. After Cindy, went Sally, then Abe, Charles and then Liz. It was a quiet, fearful race to get above the elevator and out of danger. Nina forced herself not to cry at each shudder, each creak, each strained groan that could mean a snap after it.

"All right," said Mr. Harington once Liz was safe, "Who's next?"

Ned pushed for Nina to go, but Flash jumped in, pushing her back. "Me, it's my turn!"

"Flash, seriously?!" Ned was livid. "What are you doing?!"

The elevator shuddered as Mr. Harrington tried to lift him up. He still had the trophy in his hand, making it harder for their teacher to stay steady.

"Flash!" Nina cried. "Don't worry about the trophy! Just leave it! Flash━!"

He leaned wrong on the roof of the elevator, and it tipped. Nina screamed as one of the ropes snapped, sending them falling a few inches.

Their fellow classmates screamed from above, reaching out as if that would save them. Nina clung onto Ned, feeling suddenly faint. Everything was dizzy; the floor, the walls ... she was teary-eyed, and it made it hard to see. Nina thought of her mother, and her father; she wanted them to get her out. She wanted them to be there to hug her. She wanted to go home. She wanted Felicia━god, what if she died?!

Nina didn't want to die. She didn't want to die falling in an elevator. She was terrified, because she felt like she's been here before━she felt as if she had died just like this before, and it made her want to cry.

"Flash, stop!" everyone was yelling, but he didn't listen to him.

Flash stood up on top of the fragile elevator, holding out the trophy for security to take. "Take my trophy━!"

"Flash━NO━!"

It fell down a few more inches, leaving Flash dangling. He was pulled up and he scrambled back onto the safety of the tiles on the floor above, the trophy in his arms.

"Oh, my God ... oh, my God ..." whimpered Nina, clinging so tight onto Ned's sleeve her fingers were turning blue. She will never see her mother again. She'll never see her father. She'll never see Felicia, or fix things with Peter, or finish school, or make it to college━

"It's okay!" the man up above said. "You're okay, just hang on!"

It jolted down even more. The roof split. Nina yelped in horror as she lost her footing and fell into the corner of the elevator, and it collasped further.

There was silence. All three of them watched the roof as it slowly broke away from the rest of the eleator. The only cable left holding them up was fraying ... and fraying.

The ceiling broke away, and they fell.

*ೃ༄

    DOWN BELOW there were screams. Many screams. Nina was in tears, sobbing as she tried to find a way to get herself out. She wondered whether she should climb up, but the gap was so big with no footholds, and if she stood up, she'd unbalance the stone, and she'd be dead anyway. The Green Goblin monster was laughing below, fighting the police with no trouble and immense strength. They were knocked down in seconds, and Nina caught glimpse of Spider-Man running in to take their place. The goblin met his punch in his own fist. "Impressive!" He stated and kicked him metres over the food and champagne tables. He hit a lamp post so hard, it snapped in half like a cartoon axe to a tree.

     The glider spun in mad circles to reach its master, and people scattered to avoid its sharp points and edges. Nina had a horrifying shock when she remembered Peter was down there somewhere. She let out a short scream at the thought, eyes wide as she put her focus in trying to find him amongst the fleeing crowd. Maybe he was smart enough to get out of here, but what if he wasn't? What if he was hurt? And Harry! Harry was still up on the parapet, unconscious! And Nina was down here, stuck and unable to get to either of them. She has to get back up. She needed to get to Harry, or down to Peter, before she herself fell to her death.

     "HELP!" she tried, out of ideas. There were no ideas! Not in something like this. Maybe someone was inside with a rope, maybe the police had a ladder. Spider-Man was too far away, outrunning open fire from the Green Goblin's glider. He zipped upwards from a firestorm blast right from a miniature rocket. Swinging wide and fast over the top of a floating balloon animal. The Goblin followed him, right on his tail. Nina had to rely on someone else. "HELP!" she yelled. "Please! Anybody! SOMEBODY HELP━" she was cut off by her own scream.

     The barrier of the parapet broke. Nina ducked to avoid it, almost slipping right off. She thought she heard somebody cry out her name, but she had no idea who, or if she didn't imagine it. She clawed out to hold onto something━anything!━until her hands grasped the very edge. Fingers wrapped around the crumbling barrier holds and Nina's feet dangled. She couldn't look down, she told herself not to, knowing the vertigo will only just make her lose her grip. She had to pull herself up, otherwise she'd run out of energy and strength to keep herself hanging. And that glider could easily striker her, dangling here so vulnerable.

     Her feet searched for something to root onto, but the gargoyles were breaking away just at the touch. The fire from the floor below seared at Nina's legs. It made her sweltering hot in her dress and sweat coat her arms. Her fingers were growing slippery. "No!" She yelled to herself. She won't let herself fall. She couldn't leave her family. She couldn't leave her mother and father, she couldn't leave Harry, or MJ, or Pete. Nina couldn't die when she had a whole future she wanted. She couldn't. Not like this.

      Nina heard a whistle behind her. Someone was bolting towards her on webs. "Hang on!" Spider-Man called to her.

     "I AM HANGING ON!" she snapped back, unable to keep it in.

    Spider-Man leapt from balloon animal to balloon animal, racing to get to her in time. Nina gritted her teeth, using all her strength to try and pull herself back up. Her arms screamed at her, but she forced herself through the pain, slipping one arm out to grasp over the parapet edge. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breaths were so quick, she almost didn't even feel them. I can do this, she told herself. I can do this.

     Out of the corner of her eye, Spider-Man reached the last balloon. He jumped off the edge, soaring towards her with a hand outstretched. Nina worked to get herself in a position in which she could extend her own to meet it━

     Green Goblin intercepted. Spider-Man yelled at the pain of the impact, "NO!" He shouted to Nina, but his voice got lost in the shatter of the glass he was rammed face-first into by the Goblin on his glider. Nina gasped and closed her eyes, wincing when some shards nicked her arms and cheeks.

     When she could, she scrambled to get up higher. Nina's heels had long fallen, and her bare feet were scraped from trying to find a footing. That didn't really register to her. All that was going on through her mind was that she needed to get up. Somehow━by a miracle━Nina wasn't sure, she managed to pull herself up enough to crawl back onto the fragile parapet. It tilted and rocked as she did, and she gripped tight onto the remaining barrier to keep herself on.

      Meanwhile, Green Goblin and Spider-Man fought.

     The window pane broke right through by the third slam of Spider-Man's head against it. He groped backwards for the Goblin's arm to stop him, but kept coming up short. A fourth slam. Spider-Man raised his elbow, striking the Green Goblin in the jaw. His mask went askew slightly. The vigilante spun around on the glider to backhand the strange villain only to double over with a blow to his gut.

     "Stop!" Nina shouted at the green nightmare. "Leave him alone!" She didn't know what she wanted that to do, but she managed to distract the Goblin long enough for Spider-Man to duck under a swing and shove him forwards towards the broken window. The superhero took a hit to the jaw, the chest and the torso until he fell backwards, managing to flip so he landed roughly━but safely━onto the remains of the parapet beneath him.

     The stone shuddered at the hit. Nina gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay still to minimise damage. At the movement, Spider-Man's eyes searched for her's; lenses wide and unmoving, but she could feel the fear. He was scared for her. Not in the way he would to a stranger, but to someone he might know. Nina's gut jolted, giving her this strange feeling like she should know him, too, even though this was the first time Nina has ever met Spider-Man face-to-face.

     Green movement above her caught her eye. Nina gasped, "Look out!" she told Spider-Man.

     Green Goblin descended. Two small projectiles loaded themselves in the lower compartment of the glider, aimed straight at them. Spider-Man reacted in under seconds, shooting a web that encased over the Goblin's eyes and he yelled in fury, losing his aim in trying to pull them off his mask. Spider-Man flipped onto his feet, twisting backwards midair and kicking off one of the glider's thrusters. Reaching in, he tugged the wires from inside, and there was a shower of sparks. Green Goblin bellowed, spinning off track back towards the city streets. "WE'LL MEET AGAIN, SPIDER-MAN!"

     But it seemed he was gone, disappearing off into the distance, for now.

     Nina slumped in relief. Spider-Man glanced back at her, heaving a little, too. She managed a small smile. Thank you, she wanted to tell him.

     At the crack, her smile dropped. Nina frowned, glancing down. That fear returned all at once to see the last support keeping her up fractured; splintering upwards, along, down━

     "Spider-Man!" Nina cried out, trying for a pathetic last chance to throw herself forward. She barely made an inch. The stone tilted vertical, and Nina tumbled over and off the edge.

      "Hold on, Nina!"

     She didn't realise he had said her name; Nina didn't comprehend it. All she could see was the world turning in, and Spider-Man falling after her. Wind rushed, roared in her ears and blew her hair into her face, and maybe that was a good thing. Nina didn't think she'd want to have her eyes open when she died.

     But as she closed her eyes, a horrible feeling washed over her. Like she had been here before ... like she was already dead; just a ghost falling, and falling, over and over again, until she hit the ground with a deafening snap━Nina eyes shot open just as strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She was tugged close to Spider-Man's chest and she clung on, hiding her face into his shoulder as his webs caught them. She didn't look up at all when he swung them away, but instead sobbed, trembling over the feeling that hadn't yet left her. And now, Nina wondered whether it ever will.

*ೃ༄

   SHE WAS MOVING, but the world wasn't. The world stayed still; achingly still as the elevator fell with Nina, Ned and Mr. Harrington in it. It stood and watched, doing nothing to help, turning into nothing but a blur around Nina Hart as she screamed, feeling her entire life cascade around her in a flash of metal and broken cables. She clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see it anymore. This was it. This was it. She thought her life was supposed to flash across her eyes before she died, but instead of her own, it felt like she was witnessing someone else's. She felt so dissociated and apart from the world, that it almost didn't seem like she was falling to her death. There was this horrifying moment in which Nina thought she already was dead, and she might've laughed, because the feeling was so weird, and so frightening at the same time, like she was floating above, watching herself fall instead of witnessing it in her own body.

     And then, out of nowhere, it stopped.

     Nina was jolted back to reality, frozen in the corner of the elevator with her hand gripping Ned's decathlon blazer sleeve. The small box around her swung a little, dangling, and she wondered why until she looked up, and her breath was taken away.

     What was he doing here?

     Webs tangled themselves to the edges of the frayed roof, twisting back together to form a single, strong thread all the way from the doors of the top floor. There, groaning with strain, pulled a vigilante in red and blue, lenses clenched tight in his effort. Nina was breathless. What was he doing here?

     Spider-Man pulled with all his might to keep them there, denting the doors that rooted his feet with insane strength. Slowly, the elevator began to rise. He was here, in Washington, instead of New York? Nina stared, wondering whether she was dreaming. But she knew she wasn't. He was here. He was really here. Slowly, a smile dawned onto Nina's face.

      That was until the doors broke, and Spider-Man lost his grip. He yelled as he fell down with them, twisting his body to try and stop it. Their screams returned. Nina herself held a strangled sob, seeing Spider-Man hit the floor beside her. The door was getting further away, and the bottom closer━

     The New York superhero flung out a desperate hand. His webs attached themselves to the top of the elevator shaft and he shot up to the serrated roof. Planting his feet sternly on the metal, Spider-Man's arms bulged, tugging with so much strength even the roof bent. He used both hands, shouting a quick, "Come on!" through gritted teeth until finally, the elevator stilled, and they stabilised halfway down the Washington Monument.

     Nina was shaking. She still didn't dare to move, cheeks red from tears and her throat hoarse. She, Ned and Mr. Harrington were all shocked into silence, but Nina was sure her thundering heart could be heard by everyone it pounded so hard against her chest. None could believe what they were seeing, or what they had just experienced; their minds were dazed, shards of glass were in their hair, and Nina believed she might've bruised her shoulder at some point.

     Spider-Man met her gaze, lenses at a gentle size to ask her, are you okay?

    What are you doing here? She tried to ask back, but she could barely even find the strength or focus to make any expression at all. It had to be the greatest coincidence of all time that the web-slinger from Queens was here in Washington just when they needed him the most; when she did.

     He cleared his throat, giving Ned and Mr. Harrington a brief glance each before asking in a ridiculously low: "Hey, how you doing? Don't worry about it, I got you."

     Ned chuckled in a mix of relief and bewilderment. He couldn't help himself. His chuckles soon turned into a laugh, and then a cheer. He jumped up and down, "Yes!" He cried. "Yes!"

     The elevator tipped and swung. Nina shrieked a little, jerking backwards. Spider-Man gripped his webs tighter, shouting urgently, "Hey, hey, hey! Big guy! Quit moving around!"

     Ned stopped immediately, going bright red. "Oh. I━I'm sorry, sir, so sorry."

     Nina didn't know what to say, or whether she could as the elevator slowly travelled back up with each yank Spider-Man made to his webs. One hand after the other, and they rose. Mr. Harrington checked his two students with breathless murmurs that Nina didn't understand, just nodding along as he gave her shoulder a gentle shake. She still couldn't quite believe how close she had been. Just seconds later, and she'd be dead. She'd be just a gravestone, and her parents would weep and her friends would grieve. A young life who had so much more to give, but was taken far too early; just another mournful story used to inspire others to live life to their fullest because just like that━just with the snap of a cable (or the weird explosion of something in Ned's school bag), that was it, life was gone.

     They reached the doors, and they were forced open by the security guards and emergency team. Nina could see her friends and teammates, crying and coaxing them out, extending hands. Flash hugged the trophy, ashen and petrified. Nina wanted to smash that stupid trophy. Mr. Harrington ushered Ned in front of him, and he climbed out steadily onto shattered glass. Turning around, he offered his hand to Mr. Harrington and soon, it was just Nina left inside the elevator.

     She didn't think she'd be able to move; her legs felt like jelly.

     "Come on, Nina," said Mr. Harrington, trying to be patient, but she could tell everyone was rushed. She needed to get out very soon. She nodded to herself, gathering enough courage to make the short journey from one side of the elevator to the other, and up to safety. "You can do it. Come on."

     "O━okay," she croaked, but her legs refused to move. It made her eyes well up all over again. A sob threatened to rake through her lips. Nina started to shake terribly━she began to find it hard to breathe...

     Above her, the metal keeping Spider-Man rooted was beginning to break. He watched her, wondering what was taking so long. "Nina," he said, urgent. "I need you to move. Please, come on, you can do it!"

     "Nina!" Liz called her name, but it was in the back of her head. Nina stared at her friends, until they blurred, and it was like she was seeing something else━someone else. She was suspended; she was dangling, and the clock ticked away until it chimed; the arrow sliced━

     The metal broke. The elevator dropped. Nina gasped.

     "NINA!"

     She didn't scream. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't. Nina was transfixed. She remembered the look on Mr. Harrington's face as she fell before he and her friends disappeared again. Then, all she saw was him. His eyes; who's eyes were behind them? Were they brown? Green? Blue? Who was behind the mask? Was he falling with her?

     He stretched out his hand, and from his wrist, extending out fingers━delicate fingers, stretching down to hers ... would they reach? Was he too late? Peter Parker cried out Nina's name again, desperate and trembling, almost stuck in the back of his throat. He always told himself she was always just out of his reach. That they were suspended, and he was never close enough to stop her from getting away from him ... and now, he might just be.

     Then, the webs wrapped around her wrist. They attached on tight, like they never wanted to let go. Nina's arm jerked, and it was painful, but that was it ... she dangled there. She heard the elevator crush underneath her, but she didn't look away from the depths of his eyes.

     Slowly, she blinked, and the strange moment passed. The world around her returned to focus; sharp and she gasped, as if only just realising what happened. A strangled sob escaped when it all hit Nina at once. She had almost died. She almost died again, and for a second, she had felt like she already did.

     "I got you!" called Spider-Man. He sighed, relieved. "It's okay, I got you, Nina ... I got you, you're okay ..."

     He pulled her up as gently as he could. Nina stretched her fingers and he wrapped his around her palm, holding her in a vice-tight grip. His touch was warm; so warm that it calmed her down enough to help pull herself up towards those waiting at the broken glass doors. "You're okay," he continued to say as he hefted her up with one arm. Spider-Man was breathless, almost like he wanted to reassure himself. "You're okay, here you go ..."

      Nina would've collapsed once her feet touched solid ground if it weren't for Mr. Harrington and the security guard keeping her steady. Slowly, Spider-Man let go of her hand, making sure she was safe. He swayed there, upside down in front of her, and while he spoke to everyone, did not leave her gaze once, "So ... is everyone okay?"

     She nodded. It was all she could manage to do.

    Spider-Man didn't move. He stayed there, locked in Nina's gaze. And it was familiar━it always has been familiar.

     Then, his webs snapped, and Spider-Man dropped like a pin down the shaft.

     They all watched him go, startled.

    Mr. Harrington awkwardly leaned over the edge, "Thank you!"

    Flash suddenly shoved in front to shout, "Are you really friends with Peter Parker?!"

*ೃ༄

a/n: happy New Year's Eve!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope for a better year for all of you. Let 2022 be a good one for all of us

Anyway I'm not proud of this chapter, but it's all right. Hope you guys liked it despite my author note ramblings.

I don't have a meme today but I do have a drawing I did. It's basically a parody of a comic with Peter and Mary Jane but it's peter and nina so:

it is so rushed ahahahahah

anyway, happy new year 💕 I'll see you all next year ahahaha