"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"
Peter was a mere inch away from grasping the handle on the front door of his aunt's house when he heard it, the thunderous voice from overhead that made him stop in his tracks and look up just in time to see the imposing silver sky begin to disappear, startling him so much that his backpack fell from his shoulder as his arms went limp from shock.
"How?" That was all he managed to say before he heard his phone ring and answered it. "Peter here."
"Pete, it's Flash."
"Flash? Listen, have you seen the sky yet?"
"I have, but we got another problem."
"What is it? And why are you whispering?"
"Because the school is being held hostage."
Peter gasped. "What? How, and by who?"
"It happened right after the dome disappeared. You're lucky this was your day off, Pete. We all had shown up for our daily assignments but then the building got swarmed by these giant…werewolf-looking things. They came out of nowhere and are blocking all the exits from the outside: doors, windows, all of it. Nobody can get out."
Peter felt his arm beginning to shake. "Are you all okay?"
"Yeah. Me, Hobie, Randy, Kenny, the girls, we're all fine, and MJ's safe back home. We're stuck in the classrooms and the werewolves haven't made a move yet, they're just keeping us from escaping."
Peter swallowed the lump building in his throat as a terrifying thought came to his mind. "Is…is Gwen with you too?"
There was a long pause on the other end. "…She is. Harry too. The NYPD got here pretty quick and surrounded the building when Captain Stacy found that out. I can see a big crowd of people out the window; my…my mom's out there with 'em."
Peter's teeth started to grow sore from how hard he was clenching them, only easing up when Flash spoke again.
"But there's one more thing: the werewolves are taking orders from somebody."
That got Pete's attention. "Who?"
"Don't know. Never seen him before, but I did get a good look: he's dressed in a white coat and a bowler hat with a cane. He just finished explaining his terms to Stacy."
"And what are they?"
He heard Flash let out a long sigh. "…He won't hurt us unless Spider-Man doesn't show his face."
Peter froze, his jaw going slack and his eyes widening as his mind began racing with a million different thoughts, none of them good. "That's why you called me?"
"I'm sorry, Pete. I know you haven't seen him at all the past year, no one has, but you used to take pictures of him and the two of you seemed pretty tight before all this happened. Do you have any idea where he is right now? Where he could be?"
Peter stared down at his open palm, his whole arm still trembling from the fear coursing through his veins in the absence of his abilities. "I…I don't know."
"…That's okay, Pete. You're not the only one. Just sit tight and don't come near the school. Captain Stacy will think of something. Adios."
The moment the line went dead Peter could no longer contain himself, throwing his phone to the ground so hard it shattered whilst he released a cry of fury.
'Of all the times. Flash, Liz, even Harry…and Gwen. They need me. They're supposed to be my responsibility, this whole city is…but what can I do with no powers? What can I do?'
His anger and frustration reaching a boiling point, he grabbed ahold of his own hair and began pulling the strands as he approached the front door once more.
"WHAT CAN I DO?" He shouted as he threw a punch at the wooden aperture of his home…
CRUNCH
…only for his fist to break right through the material and creating a sizable hole in it.
"Huh?" Peter asked aloud as he retracted his fist, expecting to see cuts and splinters along his knuckles, but instead saw only unbroken skin completely absent of any visible injuries, not even a dull throbbing sensation.
'That didn't hurt.' He mentally noted before opening the door and stepping into his home.
All the lights were off and the silence was almost deafening as he took a few careful steps inside, hoping that if he wasn't alone, the house's other occupant didn't hear the little tantrum he just through.
"Aunt May, are you home?" He called out, receiving no response. "Am I missing something?"
He then turned his head to the small desk to his right and saw a note on top of it written in his aunt's handwriting.
"I'll be home about an hour after you return. Leftovers are in the fridge. Love, AM. Right, her midday walk. Forgot about that." Peter scolded himself. "Oh man, I am so grounded if she finds out what I did to that door."
He looked back down at his hand again and brought it close to his face, focusing on the prints of his fingers where he could see tiny, inhuman brown hairs with jagged edges growing out of them. He then cast a glance at the ceiling above him, then back to his hand, then back to the ceiling again, and upon deciding to throw caution to the wind, narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, and jumped. In the split second it took him to travel between the floor and the ceiling, he threw out his open hands so they'd slap against the rough paint.
And they stuck.
Swinging his feet up, he planted them on the thick plaster and took a moment to see the house from an angle he hadn't experienced in quite some time.
'They're back.' He then began crawling along the ceiling, making his way up the stairs towards his room. 'After all this time. Did…Did the dome have something to do with it?'
Reaching his bedroom door, he dropped back down and opened it, stepping through and then closing it behind him before focusing his gaze on his bed…and what he knew was underneath it.
'It doesn't matter right now.'
He slowly approached the bed, reached under it, and pulled out an old suitcase, blowing the dust off of it before removing the lock and flipping it open. He gazed at its contents for several moments before taking the red and blue material in his hands and lifting it to eye level, rubbing his thumb along the black spider symbol in the center.
'There's nothing I can do for my friends, but there's plenty you can do.'
(X)
Streets outside Midtown High…
"Keep those people back!"
Captain Stacy pointed to a couple of civilians trying to climb over the barricade his fellow officers had erected around the school. Two policemen next to him immediately ran over to them and dragged them back to safety. Looking back to the school, he shivered at the sight of those creature crawling along the outside like insects: each were about the size of a semi-truck on average, with pitch-black fur and bone-protrusions coming out of their spine and joints, but what really scared him were their bone-like masks and glowing red eyes. Every time a student got close to a window, one of those things would snarl at them, scaring them away from any escape attempts.
The last person to try was Gwen, and that was ten minutes ago. He hadn't seen any sign of her since.
"Spider-Man, if you're out there, we could really use your help. Please."
THWIP
The unmistakable sound made him do a 180 and come face-to-face with the wide, expressive lenses of the very man he just called for.
"Okay then, but only because you asked nicely."
"Spider-Man?" Stacy was almost too shocked for words as the web-slinging hero let go of his web line and dropped to the ground. "Where have you been this past year?"
Spider rubbed his neck awkwardly. "This is going to sound crazy, but I lost my powers after the dome came down. I don't know how or why, but for the last twelve months I've been…normal." He finished with a shrug.
George raised an eyebrow. "And you just got them back right when the dome vanished and these things showed up?" He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. "That seems pretty…"
"Convenient? Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you get everything under control, but from the looks of things, you did pretty okay."
The police captain allowed himself a small smile. "Thanks, but any further praise will have to wait."
He turned and pointed at the school, the shorter hero moving to stand next to him. "In case you didn't hear, the school is covered head to toe in these weird creatures. We're calling them 'werewolves' for simplicity's sake. They haven't harmed the students and staff yet but are keeping them from getting out, and they have a leader; some guy in a bowler hat. He didn't give us his name, but he demanded to speak with you or else he'll tell his 'pets' to chow down on the kids."
Spider-Man scowled. "Any idea where he is right now?"
"We've got snipers all around the perimeter keeping an eye on things. They've spotted him in the courtyard waiting for you. I told my boys not to shoot fearing it might rile up the werewolves into attacking the hostages."
"I'm going in. Alone. Keep your men back unless the worst happens." The young hero's declaration was immediately followed by him jumping over the barricade.
"Spider-Man, wait." He turned back to the captain whose worry showed on his face. "It's good to have you back, but…my daughter's in there too."
"I'll bring her back. I'll bring them all back."
And with that, he turned and fired a web line that he used to swing himself over the front gate of the school as murmurs began to grow in the crowd about the return of their hero, George himself remaining stoic as he watched him leave.
"Good luck, son." He muttered.
(X)
Courtyard…
The moment both his feet and the fingertips of his right hand touched the ground, Spider-Man was on alert, slowly scanning the immediate area and taking in every detail of the place he often ate lunch at with his friends, but finding no trace of the supposed "bowler hat guy," just empty tables and discarded trash caught in a light breeze. Slowly standing up, he lifted his gaze to observe the werewolves, which, upon his arrival, had stopped crawling across the building and were now staring down at him, their glowing red eyes boring into his whilst they let out a menacing growl.
"Good doggie?" He raised his hands and took a cautious step back.
A loud, amused laugh to his right then caught his attention, and so he turned and saw a man sitting at a picnic table that he was sure was empty moments ago, but let it slide as he took in the details of the flamboyant individual several feet away from him.
'White coat. Bowler hat. Cane. Yep, this is the guy.'
He was currently hunched over as he laughed, but soon took a deep breath and lifted his head, revealing more of his person starting with his long orange hair cascading down the right side of his face, his only visible eye sporting some type of mascara, oddly enough. A small, gray scarf was wrapped around his neck while black leather cloves concealed his hands, with neatly pressed black pants and rather stylish shoes adorning his lower half. The feather sticking out of his hat topped the wardrobe off as it fluttered in the light breeze, and Spider-Man almost didn't notice the lit cigar held between his teeth.
All in all, Spider-Man would honestly consider this man a textbook example of "classy," if he wasn't a bad guy, that is.
The man smirked before removing his cigar and releasing a big puff of smoke from his mouth. "Those aren't your typical canines, as you can clearly see."
Peter knew he had to get into the school as soon as he could, but decided to play along for now until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.
"Well, yeah, but where'd you get them from, anyway? Forks, Washington? Please don't tell me you named one of them 'Jacob,' because that would NOT be a very good idea, Mister...?"
"The name's Torchwick." He boasted, standing up and resting both his hands on top of his cane, his cigar held firmly between his fingers. "Roman Torchwick."
Spidey gave a mock bow. "The pleasure is all yours."
"Indeed, although I have to admit, I wasn't expecting someone calling himself 'Spider-Man' to be so…scrawny, or dress himself in his pajamas and pass them off as a costume, no less."
"Hey, I hand-stitched this outfit myself, pal!"
"You actually make your own underwear? Hah! That must save your parents a lot of money on birthday presents."
Spidey face-palmed as he let out an annoyed groan. "Okay, let's cut to the chase. What do you want with this school, and with me?"
Roman's smirk grew bigger. "You see, Underoos, I'm a gambling man, and when I heard about you, I wagered that my associates and I could get a few good laughs watching you get squashed."
To illustrate, he dropped his cigar on the ground and smushed it beneath his cane. "Buuut if you somehow manage to win, I might consider letting all those little schoolkids go free. So whaddya say? Deal or no deal?"
The web-slinger clenched his fists as he cast a quick glance back to the werewolves and the frightened students looking out the windows. "Do I have a choice?"
Roman's expression became thoughtful. "Mmmm…no."
"I thought so." The wall-crawler sighed before taking a fighting stance. "So, whose turn is it to go first?"
Roman didn't move a muscle. "Hers."
"I'm sorry?"
Then he felt it, the familiar ringing in the back of his skull.
Spider-sense.
Danger.
Right behind him.
Bending backwards until he felt the back of his head touch the ground, he just barely avoided getting impaled by a blade protruding from the tip of a…folded umbrella?
He grabbed it with both hands and then tilted his head back even further so he could come face to upside-down face with its owner: a rather cute girl with pretty hair divided down the middle, one half colored pink with white streaks and the other a chocolate brown. She grinned at him before she blinked and her eyes, each one the same hue as one half of her hair, switched colors, and then she proceeded to twirl her body through the air, spinning Spidey along with her until both their feet were planted on the ground again right side up.
Still holding the umbrella, Spidey allowed himself to get distracted by the blade retracting back into it long enough for her to open the parasol and make him lose his grip. The smaller girl then closed it again right as she delivered a crescent kick to the side of his face that sent him spinning in a complete circle. When he stopped, it was to receive a drop kick straight to his torso that sent him sailing back and crashing into another picnic table, while she performed a backflip and landed perfectly on the table across from him, folding one leg over her other as she opened the umbrella again and rested it on her shoulder all in one fluid motion, grinning smugly all the while.
Roman stepped closer to his little accomplice, twirling his cane nonchalantly. "Feel like throwing in the towel yet, Pajama-Boy?"
Spider-Man quickly jumped to his feet and dusted himself off. "In your dreams, Matchstick."
He then fired a volley of web bullets that the girl blocked with her umbrella while he used his other hand to snag the table behind him on another web line and throw it at them as well, but neither Roman nor his sidekick bothered to get out of the way, their grins remaining constant even as the table impacted them. Then to Spidey's complete shock, right when the table made contact, both individuals seemed to shatter like glass, the thousands of pieces that made up their bodies falling to the ground before dissolving into thin air.
"Uh, did I do that?" He then felt his head throb and gave it a little rub. "Ow, I think Little Miss Sundae gave me a brain freeze with that kick."
A loud creaking sound caught his ears and so he turned to see the front door to the school open slowly. "Oh, I get it: they borrowed a page out of Mysterio's playbook. Well, at least now I can check if everyone's alright."
He walked up the front steps and was just about to cross the threshold when the werewolf perched above it growled down at him, but made no move to stop him from entering.
"I'll play fetch with you later."
Upon entering, he kept his stride slow enough so he could check the classrooms for their captive occupants. Every time he neared a door, he'd pause for a moment to see if there was anyone inside. Most of the time there were, and he felt his heart sink at the sight of their frightened, if not outright shocked faces and muffled gasps, responding with placing his finger over his lips and shushing them, whispering that they'd all be okay as he quickly passed them by.
And for the longest time, Gwen was nowhere to be found.
But one voice in particular made him stop in his tracks.
"Yo Spidey!" He turned to the left and saw Flash Thompson pressing his face against the narrow glass of the window. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back!"
Flash's eyes were on the verge of tears as Spidey approached him and then spoke back through the glass. "Hey, I remember you. The guy who distracted Venom for me, right? With a broken leg and using crutches, even."
"You remember me?"
"Of course I do. You're my number one fan."
Flash's smile brightened before he was suddenly shoved out of the way by another blonde individual. "Where have you been, web-head? Do you have any idea what we've all been through the past year?"
Sally's outburst made the web-slinger raise his hands in defense. "Okay look, I'm sorry that I disappeared, but my powers decided to go on vacation when the dome came down. I've been living life as a normal guy ever since." He lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you guys, and for this city."
Sally was then promptly pushed aside by Flash, returning her earlier gesture. "Hey, don't sweat it man. You're here now; that's good enough, for most of us anyway."
Upon hearing that, Peter's smile grew so wide his face hurt beneath his mask. "Thanks. But real quick, Captain Stacy asked me to check to see if his daughter was safe. Is she in there with you?"
Flash stepped to the side to allow him a better view of the classroom. "Yeah, she is."
Spidey stepped closer to the window and peered inside, catching glimpses of Hobie, then Randy, Liz, Kenny, Glory, and finally Sha Shan, all of them looking no worse for wear.
But then his vision traveled to the far side of the room from the door, and that's when he saw her.
She was standing next to the window leading outside, her blonde hair catching the rays of the early afternoon sun, giving the strands the appearance of a golden waterfall cascading down from the pink headband atop her head. Her cheeks had a slight pink tint to them, but it was nothing compared to her full lips, and her eyes sparkled like the sapphire shores of a tropical beach.
Even though she was clearly frightened by today's events, she cracked a small, relieved smile when she saw him, and the sight took his breath away…until it became obstructed by a very cross-looking Harry who stepped into his line of sight, blocking his view, the glare he sent the web-slinger's way powerful enough to drive nails.
"…Good." Spider-Man released a breath he'd been holding and looked around the room again. "Now, I know things look bad, but I need you all to stay put while I deal with this. I'll be back soon."
He only took half a step before Flash called him back. "Wait Spidey, there's somebody roaming the halls."
"You mean Roman?"
"Who?"
"Mr. Bowler Hat."
Flash shook his head. "No, someone else."
RIIIIIIIING
The spider-sense reactivated, directing its wielder's vision down the hall where a lone figure stood in the distance.
"Did this somebody have gray hair and a blueish shirt?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Because I'm looking at him right now." The lenses of his mask narrowed as he gave his friend one last look. "All of you stay here, and keep your heads down."
As he walked away, he heard Flash and a few other students call out to him. "Kick their butts, Spider-Man!"
"Count on it, Flash." Peter muttered as he picked up the pace, the figure down the hall approaching him at a similar speed until they both stopped about fifteen feet away from each other.
Now that he was closer, Spider-Man could get a good look at his newest obstacle. The teenager in front of him was wearing a cobalt and black two-tone partial-zip jacket with gray armor pieces covering his shoulders and forearms, a single-notch belt with some kind of sash hanging off it, black pants, and large oddly-shaped boots.
Judging by his smirk, he knew that this guy was in cahoots with Roman. They stared each other down for a brief moment before the spider-themed hero stepped to the right, appearing as if he was trying to move past, only for the new guy to step to his left at the same moment, blocking him. They repeated this a couple more times back and forth before Peter gave up.
"So I take it you're the hall monitor, then? Well, I'm sorry, but I left my hall pass in my other pants."
"Then I guess I'll have to write you a ticket." The gray-haired teen told him before stepping back and raising his right knee, the movement causing his boot to emit a strange, but recognizable sound.
CHIK-CHOK
Peter's lenses widened. "No way."
BANG
"Whoah!" Jumping upward and planting himself on the ceiling, he barely avoided the silver projectile launched from his opponent's foot. "Gun-boots? Seriously?"
Using the same leg, the gray-haired teen released several more shots via consecutive rapid-fire kicks aimed at the hero, forcing the latter to leap from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, then back again numerous time to avoid getting hit. Within thirty seconds the hallway was riddled with smoking hollows left in the wake of the villain's attack, each as big as Spider-Man's head, who spared a glance back the way he came, worried that some of those shots might have traveled a little too far and gotten close to his friends down the hall. But then his spider-sense flared again, compelling him to perform a back flip lest he get hit by the axe kick his foe was about to bring down on him.
Springing off his hands and onto his feet, Spider-Man crouched low as his opponent lowered his foot, his smirk remaining etched onto his face as he shuffled his feet in anticipation.
"Alright, 'Cobalt Kicker,' let's boogie."
His first act was to fire a volley of web bullets at his opponent, who promptly did a mid-air barrel roll to avoid them, giving Spider-Man enough time to close the distance and throw a punch. Cobalt deflected it with his elbow before trying his own right hook that Spidey caught and twisted, both combatants then throwing another punch simultaneously that rebounded off each other's fist and made the wall-crawler wince in pain, which was all Cobalt needed to grab his shoulder and force him to bend over so his head would make contact with his knee.
And for a brief second, Spider-Man could've sworn he heard a muffled "clang" sound when his noggin smacked against the appendage.
Cobalt then followed up his previous attack with a kick to his ribs, then another aimed at the web-slinger's head which he grabbed, both fighters staring at each other for a moment before hitting one another with a push kick that sent them both stumbling back.
'Normal knees don't 'clang.'' The hero mentally observed, ignoring his throbbing cranium. 'No wonder he hits so hard: his legs must be some kind of metal prosthetic.'
Cobalt then rushed forward and performed a front kick that Spider-Man bent backwards to dodge, but then the gray-haired villain twisted his extended leg and slammed it onto the floor so hard it cratered. Thankfully Spidey was fast enough to roll out of the way…only for his opponent to springboard off a locker and hit him square in the stomach with a flying drop kick that sent him sailing back until he collided with the railway of the stairs leading to the upper levels of the school.
Looking up, he got an idea. 'The science lab.'
He looked back down to see another flying kick heading his way, so he back-flipped over the railing and then jumped up to the one two levels above him, hanging over the side as he looked down at his enemy.
"Y'know, have you ever considered running track? Because as far as hall monitors come, you're the absolute worst."
For the first time, Cobalt's smug grin vanished and was replaced with an irritated scowl before he brought his feet together, crouched low, and then used the force of his gun-boots to launch himself at Spider-Man like a rocket, performing a front flip at the apex before slamming his foot down again, but Spidey managed to avoid that also as he back-flipped into the next hallway. When Cobalt caught up with him, he unleashed a flurry of kicks with greater speed than he showed previously. Spidey was forced to use all of his reflexes and agility to dodge the onslaught.
But then he got a closer look at his opponent's fighting style, specifically how he alternated between using both his hands for support as he spun around and around with each kick, and realized something.
'Are we breakdance-fighting?'
They totally were.
Spider-Man soon found himself balancing upside-down on one hand for a moment as he threw a few kicks of his own meant to block Cobalt's.
"~Slick slick, dye-no-mite~…"
He then performed a handspring to avoid his enemy's sweeping strike, flipping through the air and attempting to bring both his feet down on him, missing by that much.
"~My moves are pretty rad, am I~…"
BANG
The next thing he heard and felt was Cobalt kicking him square in the chest, his gun-boot firing off a round for extra damage. Spider-Man felt like he had been hit by a truck as the force of the blow sent him crashing through the door of the science lab and skidding across a table, knocking over books and dust-covered equipment as he went.
"…right?" He groaned as he rolled off the table, landing right on his face.
He slowly rolled over onto his back only to have an armored boot press down on his neck, Cobalt standing over him triumphantly.
"Not quite." He slowly increased the pressure on the hero's windpipe. "Ready to get stomped?"
With his eyes concealed by his lenses, Spider-Man was able to hide the fact that he had noticed the very thing he was looking for in the lab currently resting right under the table next to him. He looked back to Cobalt and scowled at the sight of his smug expression.
THWIP
Without taking his eyes off his foe, he snagged the hose of an unused tank of liquid nitrogen, jammed the metal tip into Cobalt's knee, and pulled the release handle. The effect was almost instantaneous as the villain's robotic leg began to freeze from the inside-out, a thin layer frost forming along the fabric of his pants. Rearing his free hand back, Spidey then delivered a fierce punch to the frozen appendage, the point of impact shattering with little resistance and sending both the robotic limb and its previous owner tumbling to the floor.
Standing up as quickly as he could, hose still in hand, Spidey caught Cobalt's next kick aimed at his head, flinching when another round went off. He then repeated the process of amputating his foe's other mechanized limb, freezing it at the knee before breaking it off while Cobalt himself struggled to break loose. With his opponent's two greatest assets now gone, Spider-Man then proceeded to slam him down onto another table before throwing the gray-haired teen across the room and into the chalkboard, sticking him to it with a large, thick blast of webbing.
"That'll hold you for a while." But then his ears picked up a noise drifting into the lab from the hallway: it was distant, and sounded almost like someone was…crying?
'I'd better check that out.'
"You stay here, Footloose. I've got something to do before I meet with your boss."
And so he strolled out of the room, unaware that now he was no longer looking, Cobalt's grin had changed from smug to knowing.
(X)
Performing Arts Center…
Spider-Man stood before the entrance to the school's own personal theatre, dwelling place of the music and drama clubs back in the day, now a hang-out spot for bored teens. He had followed the sobs and pleas for help all the way here, and he could still hear them now, albeit muffled, on the other side of the thick double-doors.
He reached for the door handles, but felt his spider-sense go off again right as he grabbed hold, startling him enough to release his grip.
'Danger? Roman could be waiting for me. Maybe I can find another way…'
"H-help…m-m-me." Came a pained voice from beyond the doors.
He dropped the idea of finding an alternate route in an instant and threw the doors open. 'I hope he rolled out the red carpet, then.'
To his annoyance, nearly all of the lights inside were off, but that was understandable since the only times this area of the school were ever used was when students and/or staff needed a place to chill during their breaks from their assigned duties. He squinted his eyes to make it easier for them to adjust to the dimmer atmosphere while his nose took in the scent of the dusty worn chairs where the audience would sit. He walked forward a few more steps until he came to the part where the path split off in two different directions leading around the seats, and upon looking ahead to the stage, the only area where the lights were on, he saw the troubled person whose call for aid brought him here.
It was a teenaged girl, about a couple of years younger than Peter from the looks of it, with long black hair and wearing a simple white t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket plus a blue denim skirt. Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed, only stopping to wipe the tears from her eyes before covering her face again, seemingly oblivious to the hero's presence.
Opting for the faster route as opposed to walking around, Spidey utilized his superior balance as he walked along the backs of the chairs in a straight path to the stage, catching glimpses of discarded pop cans and other garbage littered about as he went, but when he reached the halfway point, his spider-sense acted up again, ringing louder and stronger than before.
'I know, okay? But she needs my help.'
Leaping over the gap between himself and the stage, he approached the sobbing teen slowly, and once he was close enough, she finally turned to look at him as he got down on one knee and offered his hand, which she stared at like it was a poisonous snake ready to strike.
"It's okay." He spoke softly to her. "I'm here to take you someplace safe."
'As safe as you can be in a building covered in werewolves, anyway.'
The girl sniffed twice before slowly extending her own hand, Spidey grinning behind his mask as she appeared to accept his gesture.
CREAK
His ears almost didn't pick it up, but he knew he heard it. He snapped his head to the left and fixed his gaze on the floorboards, and to the untrained eye, it would appear at first glance as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but Peter was far more observant, and noticed that one of the boards was indented.
"C'mon, we need to get out of…"
He turned back to the girl just in time to see her vanish into thin air.
"Huh?"
CREAK
RIIIIIIIING
Reacting to the prompt, he somersaulted forward just in time to avoid getting sliced by a pair of curved green swords aimed at his head, and once he managed to stand upright, he saw the culprit who wielded them: a dark-skinned girl with mint-green hair and red eyes, but it was her attire that baffled him the most. She wore an intricate, revealing white top with a shallow-cut olive undershirt, white pants covered by brown chaps and supported by twice-wrapped belt, and green armbands.
He stared at her whilst she twirled her blades round and round in her palms, and once he caught his breath, addressed the big issue currently at the forefront of his mind.
"Y'know it's against school policy to bear your midriff, right?"
Aside from the fact that she just tried to kill him, obviously.
She merely smirked at his criticism. "Not where I come from, shorty."
"C'mon, I may be short, but my brain is YIKES!"
The next thing he knew, she had swung her blades (now revealed to also be chain-whips) at him widely, the tips carving deep scratches into the wall behind him as he bounded over her in an impressive acrobatic maneuver to avoid getting vivisected. The moment his feet touched down on the backs of the audience chairs again, he looked over his shoulder to see her retracting her whips before the blades folded inward, their new shape easily recognized by the web-slinging hero.
'And they're also guns. Neato.'
She twirled each of them on her index fingers before taking aim and firing, Spider-Man leaping out of the way while the unfortunate chairs were shattered to pieces with each blast he avoided. Her shots were incredibly accurate and her bullets always missed their mark by just a hair, but he knew best how to keep himself focused as he bobbed and weaved to avoid having a new hole blasted onto his body.
"~Now, this is a story all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down…~"
Thankfully, he got a moments' reprieve when she paused to reload, giving him enough time to notice the bar high above her that the curtains hung off of, which he then grabbed with two web lines.
"~…And I'd like to take a moment, give me a chance…~"
He pulled, the bar snapping from place as both it and the curtains came crashing down atop the villainess. She struggled to throw the heavy red fabric off herself until she got fed up and opted for simply cutting her way out, reducing the curtain to ribbons. Now that she was free, she quickly pointed her guns at her target's last known location, but he was nowhere to be seen amongst the destroyed seats.
"~…To plant my boot square in the back of your pants.~"
Looking to the grafters above her, she saw the red and blue hero diving straight for her with one foot extended, so she cartwheeled out of the way and then threw one of her whip-chains at him again, succeeding in slashing his right shoulder before he grabbed hold of the offending object. Smirking, she lifted her other gun and prepared to fire, only for Spidey to jam the barrel with a pinpoint accurate web bullet, rendering it useless. She then felt him capture her left shoulder on another web line, leading to a short but fierce tug-of-war between the two as they struggled to overpower the other.
Waiting for her to pull as hard as she could, Spider-Man then released his grip on the chain, causing it to sail back and accidentally hit its owner upside her head with the blunt end, making her to stagger back a few steps. With his web line still latched onto her shoulder, Spidey then reeled her in like a fish and delivered a powerful kick that sent her careening sideways until she smacked against the wall at the back of the stage. One strong blast of webbing later and she was subdued for the time being.
Spidey sealed the cut on his shoulder with another glob of webbing, the chemicals stinging the wound and making him hiss in pain as he approached his downed foe, kicking her gun away after he stepped on it and tossing her other one off to the side and out of her reach.
"So, what do I call you? 'Green Gunslinger?' Seems appropriate."
She glared at him before her lips curled into a smirk, and the next thing Spider-Man knew was that the whole auditorium had been replaced with a dark, creepy forest, glowing red eyes piercing the darkness between the trees around him as lightning struck overhead.
"Yeah, good try."
Allowing his spider-sense to guide him, he walked forward a few paces towards a rotting tree where the top half of a moaning skeleton was crawling out of its base…and then bonked the undead creature on its head.
"Ow." It spat in a female voice.
Instantly, the illusion faded away and he was back in the performing arts center with the villainess ensnared by his webbing in front of him. When she looked back up to him, she squinted her eyes as she concentrated again, only for them to suddenly get covered by his webbing.
"Sorry Cowgirl, but this school ain't big enough for the two of us."
"Ugh, you're worse than Mercury." She muttered through gritted teeth.
"Mercury?" His lenses widened in realization. "You mean Cobalt? Oh I get it: he's your 'partner,' if you catch my drift."
"…I-It's not like that!"
"You hesitated."
"Shut up, you mmph?"
She was silenced by another glob of webbing getting slapped over her mouth, Spider-Man placing his hands on his hips and sighing in annoyance.
"Now look, I'm growing tired of putting up with you guys, so how about this: if you tell me where I can find Roman, I'll let you go."
She clearly wasn't expecting him to say that. "Pheerphee?"*
He placed his hand over his heart. "Do I look like the kind of guy who'd lie to you?" She growled in response. "Right, forget I asked. But yes, I'm serious."
She paused for a moment before giving him a slow nod, and so he ripped the webbing off her mouth like a Band-Aid. "Agh. They're in the gym, waiting for you, okay?"
"Gee, thanks."
THWIP
She once again found her eyes concealed by the sticky material. "What the…? You said you'd let me go!"
"But I never said when, or to whom for that matter." He then fired a web line at the ceiling and swung back accross the auditorium, making for the exit. Once the threshold was crossed, he spun around and grabbed the door handles again. "I'll send in the cops to pick you up after this is over. Tootles."
"YOU SON OF A…"
SLAM
(X)
Gym…
Opting for the "loud and noisy" type of entrance to save time, Spider-Man kicked the doors in and power-walked inside, his eagerness to get this over with heightening his aggression.
"Alright Roman, here I am!" He shouted as he stopped in the very center of the room. "Let's get this show on the road. C'mon, what're you waitin' for?"
RIIIIIING
BANG
Cartwheeling to the left, he barely avoided a glowing red projectile that exploded upon contact with the floor, leaving a large smoking hole where he once stood. Turning toward the point of origin, he saw Roman standing on the top row of the bleachers pointing his cane down at him, a targeting reticule resting above the now smoking barrel on its bottom.
"An easy target." The criminal answered.
"Where do you guys get your ideas for such crazy gizmos?" Spidey inquired.
Roman began twirling his cane again as he walked down the steps. "Rule number one about Vale: every single weapon is also a gun."
The red and blue hero tilted his head. "Vale? Never heard of it."
"A lovely little town on the west coast, full of all sorts of people, and all of them equally robbable. A perfect place for guys like me to hone our craft."
Spider-Man scowled as Roman reached the bottom of the stairs. "After today, the only craft you'll be honing is building rafts out of toothpicks to try and escape from Rikers Island and failing repeatedly."
Roman chuckled darkly. "Wanna bet?"
Spider-Man then fired a web line from each of his wrists that latched onto the bleachers behind the classy criminal as he ducked to avoid them. Pulling the lines taught, Spidey catapulted himself forward, his fist drawn back for a strike, only for Roman's sidekick to suddenly vault over her boss's back and kick the web-slinger in the face, sending him sprawling back and performing a handspring just in time to see the girl charging at him with a manic grin on her face. When she was close enough, he threw a punch, only to be caught off guard by a sudden flash of light that blinded him momentarily.
Taking advantage of his opponent's vulnerability, Roman lifted his cane and fired another shot. His sidekick saw it coming and so ducked out of the way, allowing the round to pass over her and hit Spider-Man in his shoulder, the force of the impact causing him to spin around uncontrollably, and once his back was turned, the girl used the curved handle of her umbrella to grab his neck and throw him over her shoulder in Roman's direction. Smirking confidently, the classy criminal then threw his cane on the ground right as he pulled the trigger, the blast launching it forward like a rocket and impacting Spidey just as hard, sending the wall-crawler skidding across the floor until he stopped at the feet of the girl, who peered down at him with an amused grin.
But Peter wasn't done yet as he sprung back to his feet before spinning on his heel and throwing a series of swift jabs at her, all of which she dodged almost casually as he shifted her hips from side to side, and when he finally did land a blow, her form broke into pieces again just like earlier. His spider-sense then warned him of danger approaching from behind, but his already exhausted body interfered with his reaction time, because by the time he turned around again, Roman had already swung his cane and smacked him upside the face. He barely had time to say "ow" before Roman swung back and hit him again, then jammed the cane into his stomach and fired at point-blank range. The impact knocked the wind out of our hero as he landed hard on his back.
'I'm rustier than a hundred year-old nail.' He mentally chided himself.
Bruised, worn out, and struggling for air, Spider-Man could only groan as he watched the girl approach, her left eye having turned pure white as she extended her umbrella's blade and dragged it along the floor before holding the tip to his throat. A boisterous laugh made him turn his head again to see Roman standing over him triumphantly.
"I may be a gambling man, Underoos, but even I know there are some bets you just don't take. Although, I should thank you for giving us a good show like we wanted."
Spider-Man snarled and tried to lift himself up, only for Roman to stomp on his chest, forcing him back to the ground.
"But don't you worry." The villain went on as he pointed his cane at Peter's head. "Your fans will make excellent chew toys for our little furry friends."
Peter paused his struggling as the implications of what Roman said rung in his brain. His heart beat faster, his forehead began to sweat, and he clenched his fists so tight that his nails almost tore through the fabric of his gloves.
Putting all his rage into his speed, Spider-Man grabbed the end of Roman's cane in one hand and the girl's blade in the other, the latter cutting into his palm but the pain going ignored. Both villains struggled to pull their weapons free from his grip, but that only made him squeeze harder until he snapped the blade in two. Taking advantage of their shock, he then fired a web line at one of the large lamps hanging from the ceiling and pulled it down, all three combatants moving out of the way before it crashed on top of them. With his web line still attached to it, Spider-Man then swung the lamp around until it smacked into Roman, sending him careening off to the side and crashing into the bleachers.
It was then that Spidey refocused on the girl who was scowling at him, her eyes shifting color again as she blinked.
'She can't trick me if I can't even see her illusions.'
Recalling the last time he was in a situation like this, the web-slinger quickly wrapped his head in a makeshift webbing mask, giving himself completely over to his spider-sense to compensate for the impairment of all the others.
The girl tilted her head, rather dumbstruck by her foe's actions, before sprinting forward and attempting a flying kick aimed at his face, only for the blinded hero to grab her ankle and squeeze it hard. He then slammed his other fist down onto her outstretched leg, embedding it into the floor and leaving her a sitting duck for what came next.
Now, normally whenever Peter fought his opponents, his goal was to deliver enough damage so they'd either surrender, or on other occasions, pass out from exhaustion. But as he continued to throw punch after punch aimed at her upper body, along with a few knee jabs and kicks here and there, it became apparent that, in his rage, he wasn't inflicting pain on the dual-eyed villainess for the sake of disabling her.
He was inflicting pain on her just for the sake of making her hurt.
He grit his teeth harder and harder as his frustration over Gwen staying with Harry, the grief he felt over breaking up with Liz, and his number one desire to protect them all despite the issues between them made him re-double his efforts to pummel his foe into submission, culminating in a roundhouse kick of his own aimed at her head. She raised her umbrella to try and defend herself, but his foot broke it in half upon impact before making contact with her face.
She was out cold before she hit the ground, after which Spidey webbed her up.
By that point, an irate Roman had crawled out of the wrecked bleachers and taken aim with his cane again, only for Spidey to clog the barrel with a web line which he then used to yank the villain towards him, grabbing him by the collar and leaning in close to his face.
"Bet on this, Blowtorch!"
He then drew his fist back, bent his knees, and with a cry of rage delivered a vicious uppercut to Roman's jaw, sending him crashing into one of the basketball hoops, and as he fell to the floor, his body became wrapped in a cocoon of artificial spider silk, rendering him helpless as he hung upside down, his cane clattering to the floor along with his hat.
Spider-Man took a moment to catch his breath as he removed the webbing from his head. Once free, he stared down at his cut and slightly bleeding hand in shock. He had only lost his cool like that two other times in his life, the first being when he cornered Uncle Ben's killer.
The second was the night he took Harry's father away from him.
Pushing his guilt aside, he put on a forced smile (not that anyone could see it anyway), and approached the dangling man, whose attempts to break free inadvertently made him swing from side to side. Upon noticing Spider-Man standing before him with his arms crossed, he grit his teeth and snarled.
"Well, it looks like I won, huh?" Spidey declared. He then noticed Roman's fallen belongings lying on the ground and decided to indulge himself. "Now to claim my prize; watching you squirm."
He reached down and picked up the items, placed the hat upon his head, spun around and then tapped the curved end of cane on the ground three times.
"Come one, come all! Live from Midtown, its New York's most dastardly dapper delinquent and his ice cream girl sidekick: SIR ROOOMAAAN CAAANNNDLLLE!"
"It's 'Torchwick,' you slimly little…"
THWIP
"…mmmph?"
"Shush." Peter whispered over his shoulder. "Yours is a non-speaking role."
While Roman growled angrily, Peter resumed his impromptu performance. "Let's give him a big hand, people. Let me hear it!"
CLAP
CLAP
CLAP
"…Huh?"
He didn't expect anyone to actually applaud, as he thought the only people in the room were himself and his two fallen foes, but when he shifted his gaze back to the bleachers, he beheld the only spectator to his big debut sitting on the bottom row while applauding in a slow, seemingly mocking manner.
And as far as his eyes were concerned, she was the most visually stunning supervillain he'd ever seen, so much so that his jaw went slack as he cataloged every aspect of her appearance.
'Whoah. Black Cat would be jealous.'
Featuring ashen-black hair, bright amber eyes, and wearing a dark-red minidress with a blue feather-like thing on her right hip, she ceased her clapping, placed her hands on the bench for support and then leaned back while crossing one of her tantalizing long and bare legs over the other.
"How very entertaining." She quipped.
"…Thank you?" Spidey spoke as he adjusted his borrowed hat. "So, um, you're with Roman, I take it?"
She let out an amused chuckle. "Actually, he's with me."
"Oh, so he got his makeup from you I take it?" He felt the front of the hat dip and so pushed it back up with his finger. "Well, at least you have good taste."
"Cute."
"Eh, I thought it was alright. What about you Roman? Did you think it was alright?"
"Mm phmm mmphmm."*
"He thought it was alright." He turned back to the woman and put on his "serious" face. "So, are you here to fight? Because I wouldn't want to scuff up that expensive-looking outfit of yours."
"I am simply here to spectate and enjoy the show, but I'm afraid your little production is about to be cancelled."
Peter had never been so frightened by a smirk in his entire life until he saw the one that manifested on her stunning, but scary face.
"After all, my pets have gone all day without a meal, and I wouldn't be a good master if I didn't provide for them, now would I?"
When she raised her right hand and pressed her thumb and index finger together, Peter threw out his own hand and stopped her from going any further.
"Hey, Roman and I had a deal, remember?"
"Indeed, but I made no such bargain with you." Here eyes then shone with fiery light. "But at least allow me to thank you for alleviating our boredom for a short time. Ciao."
Immediately after she snapped her fingers, a bright white light bathed the entire gym, blinding our hero for a moment until it died down, at which point he noticed that the room's other occupants had disappeared; even the hat and cane in his possession were now gone.
But he had bigger problems to worry about.
"ROAR!"
"Oh no."
His spider-sense went off the charts as the numerous cries of the demonic-looking beasts echoed throughout the halls along with the screams of the frightened students and staff still trapped inside the school. He sprinted out of the gym, crashing through the doors in the process, and was greeted by the sight of terrified students pressing their backs against the lockers while the staff members tried to force the classroom door across from them to stay shut as a werewolf tried to claw his way through.
"Get back!"
He shoved the group out of the way and took up the reigns of trying to keep the door closed, but suddenly the door exploded as the monster pushed its way through, sending wood splinters in all directions and Spidey himself crashing into the lockers behind him. He stood up to see the werewolf slowly advancing towards him and the innocents to his left and right as drool flowed from its mouth. Throwing both his hands out, the young hero squeezed the triggers on his wrists to try and ensnare the beast in his webbing, but all that came out was a small spurt followed by a low hissing sound.
'Empty? No, not now.'
The reality of the situation made him clench his fists as his eyes grew misty. The creature was getting closer, and the civilians on both sides of him had nowhere to go. He was the last line of defense, but outnumbered and nowhere near fast enough to get to protect all of the students spread out around the school, no doubt trapped in similar dire circumstances like he was. He might be able to protect the few people in close proximity to himself, but what would happen to his friends on the other side of the school without him there? What would happen to Gwen?
'I'm sorry, guys.'
He planted his feet and drew his fist back.
The werewolf opened its jaws wide and lunged…but suddenly stopped cold.
"Huh?" The students around Peter were equally confused.
Then he looked down and saw what restrained the beast: a massive fist large enough to wrap around the creature's torso and arms, completely impairing its movement.
A massive fist made completely out of sand.
'It can't be.'
With a frightened whimper, the werewolf was yanked back through the door, out the window, and then vanished. The entire hallway grew silent except for the labored breathing of the students and staff next to our hero. Spider-Man then slowly stepped forward and peered into the now vacant classroom, his eyes focusing on the shattered window across from him.
'He's alive? Then why did he help us?'
He looked over his shoulder just as another student approached him ahead of the others. "Are they gone?"
"I think so. Follow me and stay close."
And so began his trek throughout the entirety of the school's interior, making sure to stop by every single classroom to check for any occupants, and once they were assured that the coast was clear, joined the steadily growing crowd of civilians following close behind him, Flash and his posse practically right on his heels, but Gwen and Harry eluded him for the time being. Eventually, they made it back to the front entrance, Spider-Man stopping before looking back at the teens behind him.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up."
Flash gave him a nod. "You heard him, guys. Let's go home!"
The blonde jock led the charge as he threw the doors open and the students began pouring out into the courtyard, sprinting through the front gate and into the arms of their loved ones. Peter watched with a satisfied smile before he felt someone bump into his shoulder; Harry. The bitter teen didn't even spare him a glance as he walked passed, but Gwen, whom Harry was pulling along by her hand, mouthed a quick "thank you" at him as she passed.
"You're welcome." Peter whispered to her as she got further and further away.
Only when he was sure all the students had evacuated the building did he dare walk outside and through the gate, stopping when he saw Gwen being hugged tightly by her father, followed by Harry talking with his butler and then Flash being embraced tightly by his mother to the point that he was struggling to breathe, but upon noticing his hero standing at the gate, broke away from his mother's death grip and ran to the front of the crowd.
"Hey everyone, let's hear it for Spider-Man! Without him we'd all be dog food!"
To Spider-Man's amazement, nearly the entire crowd threw their hands up and released a resounding cheer, thanking him for saving their children from certain doom. Even Gwen found the courage to cry out in gratitude along with her father, while Harry simply disappeared into the sea of citizens.
Peter's only reaction was to throw up two piece signs with his hands, but right when he did he noticed a couple of emergency responders loading up some elderly woman into an ambulance and then driving away.
About a minute later the cheering died down, Captain Stacy excusing himself from his daughter to approach the web-slinger with two well-dressed detectives, one female with short brown hair, the other a well-built man with a buzz cut. "Spider-Man, what happened in there?"
The wall-crawler rubbed his shoulder, concentrating on where he was cut. "The man you talked to called himself Roman Torchwick. Don't bother looking for him; he and his cohorts vanished without a trace, but not before his boss sicked their mutts on everyone."
"Yes; when we saw them acting up and start breaking into the building we feared the worst." His gaze hardened as he glanced back at the school. "Then he happened."
"Marko." Spider-Man concluded.
Stacy nodded. "We thought he was about to smash the building, but instead he grabbed the werewolves one by one and crushed them in his giant hands. Once they were all destroyed he…faded away, I guess. I never thought I'd see the day when Sandman saved innocent lives."
Spider-Man turned in the direction the ambulance drove off in. "Not all of them, it looks like. Who was that?"
The police captain winced before letting out a long sigh. One look into his concerned eyes made Peter's stomach clench.
"…It was the aunt of your associate, Peter Parker."
Peter felt his mind go numb. "H-how?"
"One of the werewolves broke off from the rest and started swiping at the crowd. She was unfortunate to be standing closest to it before Marko snatched it up and destroyed it as well."
The young hero felt like he couldn't breathe as he raised his hand to fire a web line in the direction of the nearest hospital. "I-I've got to go check on her. Parker will…"
"Wait." The captain reached out and grabbed his wrist, slowly lowering his wrist as he locked eyes with the web-slinger. "I know you're concerned about her and Parker, but we need you here right now. Please!"
Peter's gaze flicked back and forth between George and the ambulance, which by now had driven far enough away that he could no longer see it. Then he turned to look at the dispersing crowd, most of their faces still bearing traces of fear and uncertainty over the unfortunate events of today.
"J-Just…" He turned back to the middle-aged cop. "Promise me you'll take care of her. For Parker's sake."
"We will." He then turned to the detectives on either side of him. "Benson, Stabler, get CSI on the horn. Have them come in and sweep the entire school for any traces of this "Roman" fellow and his associates. You'll be supervising 'till I get back."
"What about Marko, sir?" Stabler, the burly man, asked.
"We'll worry about him after we've finished up here. Get to it!"
"On it, boss." Benson, the lady, acknowledged, reaching for her walkie-talkie and dialing in the appropriate frequency as she and her partner walked away.
"Wait, 'get back' from where?" Spider-Man asked.
George pointed toward something in the distance beyond the tops of the buildings. The young hero obeyed the silent request and then gasped when he saw the skyscrapers of Manhattan off in the distance, several of which were now smoking.
"When the dome vanished, a lot of witnesses claimed to see some very strange things occurring next door."
"What kind of strange things?"
"I'll fill you in, but right now we need help contacting them to find out what's really going on, but our equipment is in dire need of repair first." He turned back to the young hero with an almost pleading look. "I understand from past experiences that you're somewhat of a genius…"
Spider-Man held up a hand. "I gotcha. Just lead the way and I'll do what I can, Captain George."
Stacy's lips curled into a grateful smile as he gestured his head to the right. "Let's get going then."
(X)
NYPD Precinct, Sometime later…
"A giant moth?"
Spider-Man was on his knees as he works to repair the NYPD's communications equipment, crossing wires here, ripping a couple useless components out there, and feeling his frustration growing every time he felt a jolt of electricity arc into his hand. Stacy and a couple other officers were also present in the room, and for the last thirty minutes, the police captain had been recounting the eye witness statements of what they saw occurring in Manhattan from a distance while Spidey was busy dealing with Roman and his crew.
"Yes, someone else also claimed to have gotten a recording of flying robots as well as a giant dragon fighting a man made of lightning across the skyline." George recounted as he flipped through some papers.
"Man, I would've loved to have seen…Got it!"
George knelt down to get a better look. "Got what?"
"A signal." The young hero then stood up, flipped open the laptop resting atop the desk before linking it to the equipment below with a cable and then began furiously typing away. "I've linked it to the tower on the roof and am broadcasting it towards Manhattan. With luck, somebody will pick it up in a matter of…"
crackHISS
A whisp of smoke rose up from underneath the desk. "Darnit! Grab the microphone and start your message. I'll keep the signal alive as long as I can."
As Spider-Man returned to his previous position beneath the desk, George grabbed the microphone and brought it close to his face. "If anyone is out there, please respond. This is NYPD Captain George Stacy calling from Queens. The dome has vanished and Spider-Man is here with us. I repeat, Spider-Man is here with us."
Silence.
"I'm not getting anything."
Spidey poked his head out from his work station. "Keep trying."
Stacy nodded and prepared to mimic his prior notice, but then a window popped up on the screen featuring the words "Message Received" and below that were the words "Answer" in green letters and "Ignore" in red.
"Somebody's responding."
"Well then answer it…um, sir."
Stacy grabbed the mouse and clicked on "Answer," and immediately the window was replaced by the image of a man dressed in some type of red and gold armor with a glowing circle on his chest. Both his hair and goatee were neatly trimmed, and he was smiling in a way that George recognized as an attempt to look friendly. Stacy was wary of this unfamiliar face, but nonetheless decided it was bets to introduce himself.
"This is Captain George Stacy of the New York Police Department, Queens Division. To whom am I speaking?"
The armored man straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "This is Iron Man, leader of the Avengers."
George raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize your name or affiliation."
Iron Man's eyes widened; he clearly wasn't expecting that, but quickly regained his composure. "Regardless, we picked up your transmission, but you mentioned that Spider-Man was with you. Where is he now?"
The police captain narrowed his eyes at the man onscreen. It was true that Spider-Man had a reputation amongst the city, but for someone to go out of their way to request to see him personally brought up a ton of questions, compelling him to tread carefully.
"What's your business with him?"
Shortly after he said that, another man stepped into view from the left: a tall, muscular blonde fellow wearing what George could only describe as the American Flag if it were a uniform.
"He's a friend of ours. Please, we only wish to speak with him." The newcomer spoke.
Here was something about the man's posture and tone of voice that made George relent, and considering these people actually responded to his call for help, it probably wouldn't hurt to give them a chance. And so he gestured down to the wall-crawler who was still busy working on the damaged contraptions.
"He's right here, keeping our equipment running."
Spider-Man then pointed up at him. "You're lucky I don't charge by the hour."
Stacy turned back to the screen to see both men now sporting looks of both shock upon hearing the web-slinger's voice, the blonde patriot smiling in relief. "Spider-Man, is that you?"
Now that he was being directly spoken to, Spider-Man put his little repair job on hold as he rose up from the floor, giving the strangers a good view of his worn-out, banged-up self.
Upon seeing him, the blonde man's smile grew wider and he stepped closer to the screen. "It's been a long time, my friend. Good to see you again."
Peter allowed his head to tilt as he tried to recall this person's face from memory, but ultimately came up short. He then looked to Captain Stacy for answers, but only got a shrug in return. He then looked back to the two "Avengers," whose face now bore looks of genuine concern.
Scratching his neck nervously, Spider-Man asked the only question he logically could. "Um, I'm sorry, but…do I know you?"
Author's Note:
*Translations: "Seriously?," and "Go fuck yourself!"
I cannot begin to tell you guys how much fun I had writing this chapter, particularly Spider-Man's dialogue, or the dialogue period. With all the humor from both Spectacular Spider-Man and RWBY, it just seemed like the perfect matchup.
So how'd I do? Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated, and if you feel that this is worth a recommendation, please spread the word.
Next time: Go!
