Fan Fiction: Crossovers
Why Wasn't I There?

  The Shadow swirled into visibility. Spider-Man landed quietly next to him. "Feel better now?"

  The Shadow nodded. "Yeah actually. I really do. Lets get every agent with a detectives badge down here. We still have to disarm the nuke."

  Spider-Man suddenly looked a very nervous. "We? As in us? As in you and me? WE have to disarm a NUCLEAR weapon? As in, pull apart the NUCLEAR weapon, and try to figure out which wire to cut on the NUCLEAR weapon?"

  "Good thing I'm feeling normal again isn't it? I'd hate to be fooling around with an atomic bomb when in such a temper."

  "Yes." Spider-Man said deadpan. "It would be a TERRIBLE thing if you were in a temper when fooling around with a live and dangerous NUCLEAR weapon."

  The Shadow laughed and then dragged Tular away. Spider-Man started to web him up while The Shadow entered the truck.

  Once Tular was hanging from the ceiling on the end of a web, Spider-Man joined his friend in the back of the van.

  The Shadow was examining the lock on the box. The lock was automatic, and controlling it was an electronic keypad, with twin cables running from the keypad, into the box itself.

  "It appears they wired in a failsafe." The Shadow commented.

  "This would be a bad thing?" asked Spider-Man.

  "It is one more security measure that they added in themselves, to make sure that the bomb would not be set off prematurely." clarified The Shadow.

  "That's good." Spider-Man said.

  "It also means that if this box is unlocked, or if the incorrect number code is entered, then the bomb will be armed, and set to detonate."

  "That's bad." Said Spider-Man.

  "We need the right code."

  "And if we open the box, in any way before we get it?"

  "Boom." said The Shadow softly.

  "Do you think Tular will tell us the code if we ask nicely?" asked Spider-Man.

  "I can make sure of that." laughed The Shadow. "I have a charming personality. Don't you think so?"

  "Charming." Spider-Man agreed dryly. "Positively persuasive. I would go so far as to say bewitching. Even..."

  "Don't push it." interrupted The Shadow. "The only problem is that we have to wait for him to wake up."

  BLAM!

  A gunshot rang out and on pure reflex; Spider-Man spun and webbed the man to the wall.

  "The last of Tular's goons." said The Shadow. "I wondered where he had gone."

  A beat of relieved silence.

  "One thing I don't get." said Spider-Man. "My Spider-sense didn't go off. So he wasn't aiming at me. You were not mind clouding. So he could see you. Neither of us knew he was there. He was three feet away. How could he miss?"

  "He couldn't." agreed The Shadow.

  The Shadow looked at Spider-Man. Spider-Man looked at The Shadow.

  Both men looked at the webbed gunman.

  The Shadow looked at Spider-Man. Spider-Man looked at The Shadow.

  "I really don't want to look." The Shadow said quietly.

  "Me neither." answered Spider-Man, just as quietly.

  "We'll both look," suggested The Shadow.

  Spider-Man nodded.

  Slowly, the men turned, and looked at the crate. There, in the front of the box was a bullet hole.

  "He fired his gun into the NUCLEAR weapon." Spider-Man said stupidly. "There is a bullet in the NUCLEAR weapon."

  "No Spidey, there isn't." The Shadow said calmly. "The case is lead lined. The bullet did not get into the crate."

  "Oh good." Spider-Man breathed a sigh of relief.

  "The bullet only got far enough in to shred the lock." Continued The Shadow.

  The lid to the box opened easily. Inside was a round cylinder, about three feet long, with three screwed in parts; And at the top, a small digital readout.

  A ten-minute countdown had been activated. There were nine minutes left. "The clock on that three foot NUCLEAR weapon is ticking," declared Spider-Man hoarsely.