Ah, just another day in New York City. Wonderful people, beautiful sky…and another crazed lunatic trying to kill me. Sometimes, I really think I should have never started this gig.
Spider Man pulled on the web, narrowly getting out of the way of the grenade's path. It exploded behind him, sending shrapnel flying.
His spider sense, going into full alert, Spider Man landed behind a table just in time to avoid shards of glass from impaling him.
"Okay, I think you need a time out," he said, jumping out and webbing the Hydra thug and launching him into a garbage can. Three more armed men ran out from behind.
"Uh-oh."
Just as he was about to jump away, a large circular disk flew from the side and slammed into them, knocking them onto the ground. Spider Man turned around, noticing the man in the shadows. He recognized the shape of the man who he considered a close friend, and fellow Avenger.
"Thanks for the save, Cap," Spider Man said, starting to walk towards the figure.
"I'm not Cap," the voice said. And Spider Man knew it was true. It sounded similar, but seemed…colder, meaner, and maybe a little sad. The figure started moving, and then the sixth sense, his spider sense, kicked in.
It was the other CapHydra's Cap. It was the same gold uniform, same gold shield, with the emblem of a multi-headed snake in the center of it.
"Okay. Why don't we...uh, wait for the police, and then-"
Spider Man stopped mid sentence, firing two web lines straight for the imposter. The gold figure brought the shield in front of him just in time. The web splattered over it, and the owner glared.
"I can understand your reasoning as to why you'd attack me after that, but this time…you're WRONG!"
With that, the man pulled hard, and Spider Man flew into the air towards the wall. He slammed into it and fell to the ground. Spider Man groaned, and saw the boots coming towards him. They stopped less than two feet from his aching head.
"I'm sorry about that. I figured you'd have reacted in time to land on the wall and counterattack. I'm not the same person you think I am."
He checked Spider Man over, and winced.
"Your costume's ripped. And you're bleeding. I blame myself. But I say again, Spider Man. I'm not with Hydra. None of us are. Please tell that to Captain America."
With that, the Cap look-alike ran off and jumped onto a conveniently-arriving van. Its tires squealed as it turned around and drove off. Spider Man didn't know how long he stood there, just staring off into the distance. All he knew was that one second, it was quiet, and the next, he heard Iron Man's voice.
"What happened?"
Spider Man whirled around and stared at the red and gold armored helmet he'd come to hate during the course of the Civil War.
"What?" Captain America asked, not quite believing what he heard.
"Peter's not lying. I pulled up a security camera less than 30 seconds after he told me who showed up to help. Video hasn't been tampered with," Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Enterprises said. He looked over at Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America. His friend, partner, brother…
And one-time enemy. With the drafting of the Superhuman Registration Act, Tony and Steve had been set at odds. Spider Man's conflicting emotions forced him to leave Tony's side, who supported the bill, to join Cap's group, who believed super heroes deserved the right to keep their secret identities. When a sniper's bullet almost killed Cap, Tony realized that the only thing the Registration Act did was feed people's fears of superhumans and mutants, and managed to persuade the President to veto the bill.
It didn't fix everything. Tony and Steve were back to being friends, but the awkwardness was still there. And they'd still been wounded. Peter's Aunt May was still in the hospital, wounded from a bullet meant for Peter.
Tony ran a hand through his black hair, letting out a sigh.
"So I guess the only question now is, why the sudden change of heart?" Steve Rogers asked. The blond haired super soldier looked at Peter, as if trying to see through him.
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. But usually, my spider sense warns me if someone's lying. And after what happened with the Registration Act, maybe they've realized they have to be part of a group like ours to get around."
"Perhaps. Or it could be a trap," Steve said.
"Oh, come on. No way those guys get past my spider sense. No way. And do you think they'd be able to fool that? And after Aunt May-"
Peter stopped after that, and looked down. Tony looked at Peter with guilt. In a way, Tony felt responsible. If he hadn't forced Peter to go public, that sniper wouldn't have been there.
"Don't blame yourself, Tony," Steve said. "Trust me, I've done it before. You couldn't have known your actions would have led to this."
"Hey, I think you guys should see this," Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, said.
"…mented before, the Shocker has attacked the bank, alongside the Scorpion. Mayhem is spreading through the area, and no demands have been made," the woman on camera said.
"Wait, isn't that-" Tony started.
Tony thought for a second, that Hydra was behind this. But the golden Iron Man, who had called himself Carl, was now on the ground, firing his palm lasers at the two super villains.
"Avengers Assemble!" The words exited Tony's and Steve's mouths at the same time, and the room emptied faster than the eye would believe.
"Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Luke yelled.
"Who the hell-isn't that Iron Man?!" Scorpion yelled, trying to throw anything he could. The alien symbiote he'd become bonded to recently had left him after a shock blast weakened it enough to separate from him. Now Mac Gargan was once again the Scorpion.
"Nope, that's not Iron Man, puddin' cups!" Someone yelled from above.
"Oh, no…"
He looked up just in time to get kicked in the face by a web slinger.
"Damn it! I'm gonna crush you, Parker…"
He stopped, realizing it wasn't Peter Parker who was facing him. Or maybe he'd gotten a new costume. It was still red, but the webbing design was gone, and he wore a blue shirt over it, sleeves torn off. A spider emblem was embedded on it at a 45-degree angle.
"Hi, I'm the Irresistible Scarlet Spider, although I don't think you're attracted to me very much, are you?" the costumed figure asked.
With a snarl, Scorpion lunged, the tail lashing forward. The new-And slightly more annoying, Scorpion thought-Spider Man jumped over it and punched him in the jaw.
"Aaargh!"
This spider was definitely different. He didn't care about all the innocent and wounded behind him. He just kept pounding away, with savage punches and kicks that forced Scorpion back.
Shocker was inside, trying to get the money into the truck they used to ram into the building.
"Put the money down, and surrender, and you won't get hurt. Much."
Shocker turned around, facing the "new" Iron Man.
"Y'know, I don't think I like that idea. Actually-"
"SWEET!"
Shocker stopped and eyed the man wearily.
"What?"
His opponent raised both his arms, pulse beams just waiting to be released.
"I just won myself a kickass, $900 stereo system for just $100 on Ebay!"
With that, the beams fired. Shocker flew back, slamming into the wall. His impact left an indentation in the wall.
"I'll take smoked scorpion for $300, please," the machine terror said, advancing on Scorpion. He wondered where the hell his boss was.
The building was still surrounded by Hydra gunmen, who were now taking potshots at the reporters and police.
"Excuse me."
The Hydra gunman turned around just in time to see a gloved fist connect with his face. The terrorists turned and fired as one at the intruder.
"It's Captain America! Shoot him!"
The man sighed.
"You idiots. You created me, in a roundabout way. Oh, well."
He threw the shield, letting it do its job. The two and a half feet long Vibranium shield flew threw the air, and hit the closest gunman in the face. It bounced away, and nailed three more, before slanting into a vertical angle, hitting the last one in the crotch and face.
The self appointed Mr. Justice, on account of not being able to think of a better name, caught it, and slammed it into the last one, knocking him out instantly. He spoke into the microphone he had on him.
"OK, guys, cleanup. And don't hurt any of New York's finest. I nearly screwed that one up last time," he said, walking out. No one answered.
"Uh, guys?"
He finally walked into broad daylight, and was greeted by webbing. He groaned and looked down. Less than ten seconds, and he was neatly wrapped. In front of him stood the Avengers.
Iron Man, Captain America, Spider Man, Spider Woman, Luke Cage. Next to them was his teammate.
"I take it this isn't the welcome wagon."
Captain America just walked right up to him, and looked him in the eye.
"Who are you?"