Marvel: Tales to Tantalize! Vol 4

by d0d0bird

Another series of interconnected humiliation-focused Marvel stories.

5. Spider-Man & The Punisher:Visitation Day

"Frank?"

Micro made his way through the doorway into the storage area of their bunker.

"Rah!" exclaimed Frank quietly.

Micro smiled. Frank and his pit bull Princess were both in the middle of the storage room. Frank's arms were stretched out over his head as he leaned over Princess. The enormous pit bull's tail was whipping back and forth as she readied herself to pounce. Frank took a step at her and she leapt on him. Frank caught Princess and fell back to the floor, squeezing her and rolling to the side. Frank continued to make mock fighting sounds as Princess playfully growled.

Micro leaned against the doorframe and failed to suppress a small laugh.

"Spook!" realized Frank, suddenly, staring upside down at Micro from his position on the floor. Princess bounded happily over to Micro, hoping to entice him to play also before rushing back to tackle Frank again.

He pushed himself away from Princess and coughed awkwardly.

"If you're done," chuckled Micro, "I wanted to show you something."

"Yeah," said Frank quietly, "Sure."

The two made their way back to Micro's computer room, where he had set up several large monitors and keyboards along an enormous curved desk that formed half a circle around him when he sat in the middle of it.

"Who've we got?" asked Frank.

"Just a prospect," said Micro, pulling up his notes, "We have to do some more investigation before we pull the trigger. Before you pull the trigger, I mean."

"Karen couldn't find anything?"

"Karen's busy," said Micro, "She's working on something for the Bulletin, so we're investigating ourselves here."

"I see."

"The Maggia's been moving some interesting products into the city lately. Chemical X07, Mothervine, lots of nasty stuff."

"Think somebody's planning something? Some sort of attack?"

"I don't know," admitted Micro, "Theoretically these materials could be used to make a dirty bomb, but I can't be sure."

"Any idea who they're moving it for?"

"That's the weird part," said Micro, pulling up a window on another one of his monitors, "They're all being sold to one client. He always wears a cloak obscuring his face, but I've been able to track his address using traffic cams. He's not excellent at covering his tracks."

"And?"

"Meet Dr. Curtis Connors," announced Micro, pulling up a profile of the man on another monitor, "Graduated from University of Miami with a doctorate in biochemistry. Right now he holds a teaching job at Empire State University."

"What does a college professor want with a dirty bomb?"

"That's what we have to find out."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Long story short," said Micro, "I'm going to need you to cover me while I look into Connors. I've found everything on the web there is. I need direct access to his personal devices to get more."

"Cover you?"

"Yeah. That'll make breaking into his office and hacking his computer much easier."

"I don't know," said Frank, "That's risky."

"You have a better idea?"

"They'll spot us a mile away," argued Frank, "We don't exactly look like college kids, Spook."

"That's why we'll be doing this tomorrow," said Micro, "It's ESU's Visitation Day. There'll be tons of parents visiting that day. No one will think twice if they see either of us."

"I don't know…"

"We don't have to, Frank," said Micro, "but if we don't, who knows what Connors will do with those materials?"

Frank let out something between a sigh and a growl.

"Alright," said Frank, "but we play it safe. No unnecessary risks, understand?"

"I understand."

"Good, I'll go check my equipment."

Frank turned and walked away. Micro shook his head in disbelief. Why did Frank always insist on playing it safe when Micro was involved? Frank never played it safe when he was going solo. Micro was more than capable of handling himself and Frank knew that. What was his deal?

Micro shrugged off the train of thought and returned his attention to his computers.

Karen walked swiftly down the street. She was dressed sharply for the upcoming press conference with Pym Technologies, wearing a grey pencil skirt with a matching jacket and a red belt and heels. As good as she looked, it was less than an ideal outfit to wear when she knew she was being tailed.

She wasn't sure who was tailing her exactly, but whoever it was had been doing it for at least a week. Whoever it was was smart and had help. The same person never followed Karen twice and they always kept enough distance that Karen could never get a good look at them. Even as Karen stopped to look at herself in her phone and pretend to adjust her hair, she had a hard time making out the face of the man standing roughly half a block behind her.

Karen wasn't scared, but she was concerned. She kept a firearm in her purse and had taken more than a few self-defense lessons from Frank, so she was confident she could handle most anyone short of a trained professional. She had no idea who this new threat was, but she knew it couldn't be anything good. Being affiliated with both the Punisher and Daredevil had gotten her into similar situations before.

She hadn't told Frank yet, otherwise he'd have fought like hell to keep her from looking into it. She was more qualified than either Frank or Micro to figure this out and she knew it. She fully intended to go to him once she had more information, but for now she was confident she was just being monitored. She just wanted to know who it was.

Karen made her way into the lobby of Pym Technologies and approached the security team standing at the metal detector. She presented her press badge, placed her things in a bin to be examined, and made her way through the metal detector. She quickly gathered her things and continued around the corner, but stopped the moment she was out of site from security.

"Sorry, sir," she heard a security officer say, "Press conference today. Authorized guests only."

"I'm here on official business," said someone.

"What sort of business?"

"I'm an employee of Anvil Security," he said, "I'm here on behalf of a client to…"

Karen had already left. She heard everything she needed to hear. She found the first exit to the building she could and exited the building. She had never intended to be present for the press conference. She just wanted to see what her tail would do to get in. Now she knew who it was. She looked Anvil up on her phone.

All she could figure out from an online search was that it was a private security firm run by a marine named Isaac Lange. The personnel seemed to be made up primarily of ex-military. If Karen wanted to know more, she'd have to do it onsite. She'd need to sneak in. Frank would never let that happen if he knew. Neither would Matt. Karen would need help from someone else. Karen dialed the only person that made sense to help her investigate through morally questionable methods.

"Jessica Jones," said Karen, "You taking clients right now?"

"Cover me," said Micro, kneeling beside the door.

"You know how to pick a lock?"

"Wha-?" asked Micro indignantly, "I broke you out of prison remember? Just because I haven't been in the field for a while-"

"Okay, okay," said Frank, "Hurry up."

Micro did. Frank looked around and still saw no sign of anybody. They had made it into the Warren Building, where Connors's office was located. They were outside that office now, with Frank standing guard as Micro hurriedly picked the lock. Frank had a black hoodie and blue jeans over his black combat boots, and a black baseball cap pulled down over his face. He had a small sack over his shoulder, in which he kept his weapons in case things got dicey. His phone was buried in there as well. Micro was wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans. They were doing their best to look somewhat like visiting parents of students.

"Got it."

"Alright, do it."

Micro rushed into the office and closed the door behind him. He stuck his USB into the drive and activated his software to upload a copy of everything on the computer into his personal cloud drive. Unfortunately the program had only just started when he heard voices outside the office.

"Of course," said a voice, "Malcolm is one of our best counselors. I trust his judgment on this completely. You have until the 30th. Let me know if you need more time."

"Thank you, Dr. Connors."

Frank tensed up. That second voice sounded familiar. What was he going to do? Their cover was surely about to be blown. He didn't like the idea of having to scare or hurt civilians to cover their tracks. His mind started racing for any sort of way to get out of this. Whoever it was, they were just about to round the corner.

"Peter!?" exclaimed Frank.

Peter Parker stared back in disbelief. He had walked around the corner alongside Dr. Connors as well as a lanky redheaded girl about Peter's age. Frank stared back, equally confused. That was Peter Parker: Spider-Man. What was he doing here? Was he onto the same lead that he and Micro were?

"Ah," smiled Connors, "You must be Peter's father. Here for Visitation Day?"

Frank and Peter locked eyes. They had to commit to this. It was the only way to excuse Frank being there.

"Dad!" said Peter suddenly, "I meant for you to meet us at the front of the building."

"Oh, uh," muttered Frank, "Yeah, but you mentioned you were seeing Dr. Connors, so I thought I'd meet you outside his office."

There was a pregnant pause as no one knew what to say.

"...son," added Frank abruptly.

The redhead's eyes had grown ridiculously wide. She seemed absolutely dumbfounded by what was happening.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," said Connors, shaking Frank's hand, "You know, your son is one of my best students."

"...yup, that's him," said Frank, "...attaboy, Peter."

"I'm Dr. Curt Connors, Peter's mutagenics professor."

"And I'm Frank... Uh… Frank Parker."

The redhead was looking more confused by the second.

"Anyway, come on, Peter," said Connors, "While we're here, let me give you a hard copy of the reading I passed out while you were absent."

"Sure," said Peter.

Connors turned to unlock his door. Frank made eye contact with Peter, silently shaking his head signalling for him not to let this happen.

"Wait, Dr. Connors-!" began Peter, but Connors had already opened the door.

Frank tensed up and expected the worst. To his surprise and relief, Micro was nowhere to be found when the door opened. Connors casually walked in and over to his desk. Peter and Frank rushed in. Frank quickly noticed Micro standing in the corner behind the door. He offered a nervous shrug. It was only by chance that Connors hadn't noticed him yet.

Frank grabbed Micro and roughly moved him to the center of the room with the rest of them. Just as he did this, Connors looked up.

"Oh hello," said Dr. Connors, "I didn't see you come in. Are you with-?"

"He's my other dad," said Peter suddenly, thinking of the first explanation he could.

Frank and Micro both shot dirty looks at Peter before looking to one another with no idea how to proceed from here.

"Really?" asked Connors cheerily, "A pleasure to meet you as well…?"

Frank reached down and grabbed Micro's hand.

"David!" shouted Micro, coughing to cover his outburst, "David… Parker."

Micro stared back at Frank. What was he doing? Was grabbing his hand really necessary? Did Frank want to hold his hand? That couldn't be right. Frank would never-

Micro tensed up as he felt Frank wrap his fingers into his.

"Hm," said Connors, squinting at his computer monitor, "That's not where I left those files…"

"David here wouldn't be any help," blurted out Frank, "He's really bad with computers. Just abysmal. He can barely work the damn things."

Micro glared over at Frank. Was that his attempt at covering for him?

"Yeah," added Peter unprompted, "Whenever I asked him with homework help I had to save my work so he didn't delete it all by accident."

"He doesn't know the difference between file locations and… location files."

Now he was just making it worse!

"Yeah, well," sputtered Micro, "At least I was able to teach Peter to play catch. We couldn't get Frank to throw a basic pitch for the life of us. Always got winded after the second throw."

Frank glared back at Micro. He squeezed Micro's hand just hard enough for it to be uncomfortable. Micro didn't care. It was worth it and there were worse things than having Frank Castle squeeze his hand.

"Alright," said Connors as the printer on his desk hummed to life, "It should be printed in a few minutes. So, how did you two meet?"

"Uh…" uttered Micro quietly.

"It's a long story," dismissed Frank.

"That's fine," said Connors, "I love hearing stories like that."

"Well, uh," stammered Frank, "Well, I was in kind of a bind at the time…"

"Damnit," cursed Connors as his printer started buzzing, "I'm sorry, Peter. It's been doing this all week…"

"It's fine!" assured Peter loudly, ushering Frank and Micro out of the room, "I was going to show my dads around campus anyway. I'll pick it up later. See you around, Dr. Connors!"

"They're a private security firm," explained Karen, "mostly ex-military."

"I know, I did my research."

"Just making sure."

Karen was driving Jessica to Anvil Security's headquarters. Jessica pulled out her phone and began dialing.

"Who are you calling?"

"Anvil," said Jessica, "I'm making an appointment."

"Wait, Jessica-"

"Hi!" chirped Jessica cheerily into the phone, "Is this Anvil Security?"

Karen huffed and gripped tightly onto the steering wheel in frustration.

"Great!" continued Jessica, her voice so delighted it seemed foreign from her normal voice, "I wanted to hire private security for an event I have coming up. Do you think I could swing by and talk to someone about that?... Great! Does today work?... Awesome! See you soon!"

Jessica's face dropped to her usual resting expression as she hung up the phone.

"You could have run that by me first," said Karen, "You know, talked about the best approach."

"You asked for my help," said Jessica, "You didn't ask the Girl Scouts."

"I hired you to work with me, Jessica," sighed Karen, "Someone is using them to spy on me. They'll recognize me on sight."

"Exactly," said Jessica, "Which is why I'm going to be the distraction while you look around."

"Look around?" repeated Karen, "They're a security firm, Jessica!"

"And if you're half the investigator I think you are," said Jessica, "you'll still be able to find what you want without being caught."

Karen couldn't help but smile. She had done investigations with supers before, both Frank and Daredevil. Neither of them would have let Karen sneak into a security firm if their lives depended on it. Truth be told, it was exactly what Karen wanted to do. Calling Jessica for help was the right move.

"Here we are," announced Karen as they pulled into the parking lot of a large building.

"Hell of a place to house a security firm," said Jessica, looking the building up and down.

"They also rent out their space for training exercises," said Karen, "or didn't you do your research?"

Jessica glared at Karen, but Karen could catch the hint of a smirk in there as well. Karen could tell that Jessica wasn't used to people giving back what she dished out. It seemed to be something about Karen that Jessica respected.

"I'll text you when I find somewhere safe for you to sneak in," said Jessica, getting out of the car, "Until then, do what you need to do to avoid being caught."

Jessica entered the lobby of the building. There were a few others waiting there as well. Jessica approached the front desk and asked about her appointment, but was told to wait with the others.

"Seriously?" scoffed Jessica, "What is this, a tour group?"

"Yes, actually," said one of the women waiting.

Jessica turned to face the woman. She was a thin woman with a determined look on her face, even while waiting in a lobby. She was eyeing Jessica rather intensely, which made Jessica both uncomfortable and suspicious.

"Do I know you?" asked Jessica.

"If you do it's probably not for a good reason," said the woman, "I'm Special Agent Dinah Madani of the FBI."

"What does an FBI agent want out of a security firm?"

"What does a superhuman private investigator want out of one?"

Jessica's eyes widened and her fists tightened. This woman knew who she was on sight. That wasn't a good sign. The whole reason Jessica was doing this part instead of Karen was because she was less likely to be recognized. Who was this woman? Why was she being so direct with Jessica?

"Hello everyone," said an intense-looking man with a goatee as he walked in, "Sorry to keep you waiting. My name is Isaac Lange. I trust everyone was able to find the place alright?"

There was a general murmur in response.

"That's right," chuckled Lange, "None of you are here for pleasantries. Let's get started with the tour. Feel free to ask any questions as soon as you have them."

The group followed Lange down a tight hallway. He didn't say much for the first part, seeming to prefer a no-nonsense approach to the tour. Jessica would normally appreciate that, but she wouldn't have minded it moving a little slower so she could look around more.

Jessica did notice a side door to the parking lot open as one of the staff exited with garbage bags. Jessica watched closely as the staff member walked back in and left. Lange was leading the group around the corner, so Jessica took advantage of the precious few seconds she had unmonitored. She grabbed the handle of the door and jerked it up and down. She heard the snap! of the internal mechanisms breaking.

The side door by the dumpster is unlocked now texted Jessica quickly as she caught up with the tour.

Soon Lange had led them into their training room, where members of Anvil were undergoing a session. Utilizing paintball guns, they swiftly ducked around corners and fired at targets while making their way to the end of the course. They moved with impressive precision and unity, almost like a strike team.

"As you can see," said Lange, "our training facilities are top of the line. We proudly use them to train our own officers, but we also offer the facilities for private use as well."

"Those officers are quite impressive," said Madani, "Could you tell us about their experience?"

"Our officers' exact personal history is protected information," said Lange, "but I can say that almost all of our officers come directly off of military tours abroad. Almost the entire force is ex-military."

"Would you say this gives you an edge over other security firms?" asked Madani.

"Absolutely," said Lange, "Our officers are experienced and professionally trained."

"Would you consider their capabilities even greater than police protection?"

"I would."

There was some murmuring among the tour group. Lange's confidence had clearly taken some of them by surprise. Jessica's focus was elsewhere though. This Madani person had her concerned. She seemed to have ulterior motives for attending this tour. If that were true, why would she out herself as an FBI agent to Jessica?

"Could you give us any numbers on your staff and their military experience?" asked Madani.

"Not off the top of my head," said Lange, "but we may be able to get you something after the tour."

The tour continued and ultimately concluded. Jessica was relieved that Lange never directly addressed her, keeping her cover intact. Jessica was still concerned about Madani though. Jessica made her way back to Karen's car, where Karen was already at the wheel, and got in.

"Any luck?" asked Jessica.

"None," sighed Karen, "That side door was just about the only thing that was unlocked. I couldn't get more than two feet past it."

"Damn," cursed Jessica.

"You probably could, though," said Karen, "The locks appeared to be mechanical, not electronic, I bet they're not rigged to an alarm system or anything."

"Some security firm."

"It's unhackable," pointed out Karen, "in most cases, this would probably work to their advantage."

"It doesn't matter," said Jessica, "Their officers are basically military assassins. Unless they're distracted with a training session, we won't stand a chance- Wait a minute."

"What?"

"That FBI agent," said Jessica, "She's up to something. She seemed as suspicious of the place as we are."

"Where are you going?" asked Karen as Jessica got back out of the car, "Jessica!"

Karen got out and rushed after Jessica, now starting to wonder if hiring her had really been the right call.

"This is humiliating."

"What are you talking about?" asked Peter, "I eat here every day."

"Yeah, you're a student!" retorted Micro.

Peter, Mary Jane, and Micro were sitting at one of the tables in ESU's cafeteria. The place was filled with students eating with their parents on account of Visitation Day. Micro still felt infantilized as he stirred a fork in the macaroni and cheese they had served him.

"Why is it the only consistently edible thing in a cafeteria is always the coffee?" asked Frank, walking over with a mug and sitting down.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," muttered Mary Jane, "You're really…?"

Mary Jane looked around. Then she leaned in closely and hushed her voice.

"The Punisher?"

"I didn't pick the name," said Frank gruffly.

"And now you're pretending to be Peter's dad?"

"Yeah," grunted Frank angrily, eyeing Peter, "and Spook's husband. Thanks for that, kid!"

"Hey!" protested Mary Jane, "He probably saved both of you with that!"

Frank leaned back and looked at Mary Jane. She had just said that knowing he was the Punisher. She must have been really determined to stick up for Peter. Micro seemed impressed too. Peter was blushing.

"We need to discuss our next plan of attack," said Micro, "I didn't have enough time to pull all his data."

"There's no need," said Peter, "Dr. Connors is definitely not a terrorist or anything."

"You don't know that, kid."

"He's an adamant pacifist!" argued Peter.

"He's been stockpiling Chemical X07 and Mothervine, Peter," retorted Micro, "Those are illegal for a reason. He could be building a dirty bomb."

"Chemical X07 and Mothervine?" considered Peter, "That doesn't sound like a dirty bomb, that sounds like… a bioweapon."

"Dr. Connors is a biologist, Peter," said Mary Jane, "I know he's something of a hero of yours, but we both know how your trust can create blind spots for you sometimes."

Peter frowned and looked at his food. Frank coughed awkwardly. They all remained quiet for a few moments. Micro decided to break the silence.

"So this must be weird, huh?" offered Micro, "Pretending we're your parents? Good thing you hadn't already invited your real parents for Visitation Day."

"..."

"What?"

"Peter's parents left when he was young," explained Mary Jane.

"Seriously?" asked Frank, an unfamiliar look in his eye.

Micro looked away in a mix of social discomfort and shame.

"I'm sorry, kid," said Frank quietly.

Was that unfamiliar look… pity? No, it looked closer to concern. Peter shook his head. He wasn't about to try to understand the Punisher's emotions.

"You're right," said Peter after a moment, "I could be wrong about Dr. Connors. Spider-Man will have a quick chat with him to see what he can find out."

"Ooh!" realized Mary Jane excitedly, "While we're waiting, we can work on your backstories!"

"Our… backstories?" said Micro.

"Your jobs, how you met, why you decided to have a kid," said Mary Jane, "You know, in case anyone asks."

"That's ridiculous," said Micro, face slightly red.

"Do whatever you have to do to lie low," said Peter, getting up, "I'll let you know what I find."

Madani clicked the device on her dashboard and the garage door opened for her. She drove down into her apartment's parking lot and to her reserved space. She took a moment to herself in the car, squeezing the steering wheel in frustration. She hadn't found what she was looking for. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she got out of her car. She turned around to walk to the elevator when she saw none other than Jessica Jones standing directly in her path.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Jessica.

"You lost?" asked Madani dryly.

"I wanted to talk to you," said Jessica, "What the hell are you up to? Why were you really at Anvil?"

"Looking for places to train my agents."

"Cut the shit!" yelled Jessica, walking toward Madani, "Clearly we're both looking into them so we might as well-"

Madani drew the pistol from the holster under her jacket, pulling back the safety and pointing it directly at Jessica. Jessica stopped where she was. She didn't seem scared though, just annoyed.

"Do it," dared Jessica, "See how well this conversation goes for you after you pull the trigger. All you're going to do is set off a fuckton of car alarms and piss me off."

Madani's finger rested on the trigger. Was this a bluff? Madani knew Jessica was superhumanly strong, she could very well be bulletproof. Madani didn't want to pull the trigger to start with, but now she was really having second thoughts. She lowered the weapon. Jessica walked over and ripped it out of her hand, breaking the barrel with her hands.

"Alright," said Jessica loudly, "We're clear."

A slender blonde woman rose from behind a nearby car and approached them.

"That was a bold move," scoffed Karen.

"I liked it," shrugged Jessica.

"Who are you?" demanded Madani.

"Karen Page from the New York Bulletin," she said, "I'm looking into Anvil too. We need to know what you've got on them."

"It's just a tip," said Madani.

"But one you believe," clarified Karen.

Madani nodded.

"He's a friend of mine," said Madani, "He briefly worked at Anvil. According to him they're putting together some kind of strike team. They're trained in techniques that never come up as a security officer and the highest performing recruits tend to disappear for long periods at a time. I don't know what they plan to do with this kind of militia, but I got the impression it wasn't good."

"Then what do they want with me?" wondered Karen out loud.

"They're after you?"

"Their employees have been tailing me, yeah."

"That's interesting," noted Madani, "Any idea why? Do you have any military connections?"

"Hey, we're asking the questions!" barked Jessica.

"Frank," whispered Karen.

"You think this is about him?" asked Jessica.

"About who?" asked Madani.

"Hey, we're asking the-!" began Jessica, shaking her head in frustration, "Would you shut up!?"

"I'm calling him now," said Karen, walking away with her phone.

"They're understaffed," said Madani suddenly.

"Yeah I'm sure they're making up the difference somehow," said Jessica.

"No," said Madani in frustration, "If their staff were to be occupied with, say, a training exercise, there'd be no one to catch someone sneaking around."

Jessica looked blankly back at Madani.

"You were planning on sneaking in," said Madani, "Weren't you?"

Jessica smirked, impressed.

Dr. Connors shut down his computer for the day and began gathering his things to leave. He had just slung his satchel over his shoulder when he heard a tapping at the window. He nearly leapt out of his skin when he turned and saw Spider-Man peering in.

"Good heavens," sighed Connors as he caught his breath and approached the window, "Spider-Man?"

Spider-Man made a motion as if to roll down a car window. Connors nodded, unlocked his window, and lifted it open for Spider-Man.

"Good evening, Doc!" greeted Spider-Man as he leapt in.

"What are you doing here!?" exclaimed Connors.

"I just need you to clear some things up," said Spider-Man, "So I can cross you off my 'might be a bad guy' list."

"I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's what I said!" said Spider-Man, "But then someone made a very compelling point. Doc, can you tell me what the heck you're doing with Chemical X07 and Mothervine?"

"Chemical X07 and Mothervine!?" cried Connors, "I assure you, I haven't interacted with anything of the sort!"

"Then you won't mind if I have a look around," said Spider-Man, waltzing across the office and looking about.

"I suppose I can't demand that you show me a warrant," sighed Connors.

"I just want to see what you've got in here," said Spider-Man, "Make sure none of it is something out of the Anarchist's Cookbook, you know?"

"Go ahead."

Spider-Man opened the closet on the far side of the office. He nearly took a step back in shock.

"You're pretty ballsy, Doc!" yelled Spider-Man angrily, firing a web into the closet and pulling out a large silver cylinder with a green glow shining through the vents.

"What in the-!?"

"Seriously!?" cried Spider-Man, sounding furious, "Why in the world are you doing this? People could get hurt!"

"I've never seen that before in my life!" protested Connors, "I haven't even used that closet in ages!"

"So, what, you're being framed?" demanded Spider-Man.

"I don't know!" screamed Connors, clutching his head in pain.

Suddenly Connors' once mild headache had become throbbing and unbearable. Connors was breaking out into a sweat. He was feeling his entire body go cold.

"Doc?" asked Spider-Man, now concerned, "Are you okay?"

In an instant Connors' grew to nearly twice his size as scales covered his entire body. Claws grew from his hand and feet as a new arm grew from where Connors had none. A long, whipping tail grew out from behind him. His face began to shift, causing him to scream in pain as his entire head changed shape. His new reptilian head snarled at Spider-Man, mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

"Alright," said Spider-Man quietly, "Gotta admit: wasn't expecting that."

"You've made a grave mistake…" snarled the reptile.

"It can talk!" cried out Spider-Man in surprise.

"Unhand that prototype!" roared the monster.

"What, this prototype?" asked Spider-Man, holding the cylinder high over his head.

The monster snarled and lunged at Spider-Man. Spider-Man tucked the cylinder under his arm like a football and narrowly dodged the beast by jumping over his head. This success was short lived however, as the enormous tail slammed into Spider-Man from the side and sent both him and the cylinder flying.

"God… Erngh…" grunted Spider-Man, getting slowly to his knees.

The monster had already grabbed the cylinder back. He looked it up and down proudly. Then he twisted it and caused it to expand. It began to beep as he tossed it right to Spider-Man's side. Spider-Man panicked and went to sprint away, but the green gas that burst from the device still shrouded him enough for him to breath it in.

"What the…" muttered Spider-Man, "Feels… Funny…"

"Now that I've had to waste my first and only meta stabilizer on you," growled the monster, "I'll have to accelerate my experiments."

Spider-Man rolled away, but froze when he realized he wasn't moving nearly as fast as he intended. Then he realized what had happened. His powers were gone.

"DIE!" screamed the monster, slashing at Spider-Man.

The depowered hero managed to barely dodge the swipe before making a mad dash for the office door. The monster chuckled to himself when he was alone.

Now he wouldn't have to worry about Spider-Man ruining his plans. Soon there would be no Curtis Connors. Soon both the human and reptilian body would be controlled by one superior mind: the mind of the Lizard!

"Did you hear that?" asked Micro.

"Yeah…" said Frank.

Frank and Micro had gone in as backup for Spider-Man, waiting in a different part of the building to jump in if necessary. They had just heard a roaring followed by a series of crashes. Frank had no idea what they were dealing with. He kept his hand on the bag around his shoulder. He peered around the corner in the direction of the noise.

An enormous, green, scaly monster was bounding right toward him. In a panic, Frank drew a pistol from the bag and began to open fire on the monster. It screeched in pain as the bullets knocked it backwards. Frank could hear the distant screams of students and staff now. He watched the beast writhe on the floor for a minute.

I have to get Spook somewhere safe, he thought.

Frank rushed back around the corner and right at Micro.

"Frank, what are you-?"

Frank pulled Micro into the closet beside them and shut the door. Micro went to ask another question, but Frank clasped his hand down over Micro's mouth and reduced it to a "Frmph!" Frank listened carefully. The sounds of the students and staff had faded. The monster had no one to attack. They needed to wait in here until Frank could figure out a better plan.

"Hey!" Frank heard Spider-Man shout, "Scaly Mr. Hyde!"

Thwip! Thwip!

"Pathetic, powerless welp!" hissed the monster.

There was the sound of roaring and crashing outside. Frank couldn't take it anymore. If that kid was endangering himself to fight this monster, he couldn't let himself stay hidden in a closet. Frank looked over to Micro, who looked equally concerned.

"Stay here," whispered Frank.

"Frank, wait!"

Frank rushed out of the closet as he pulled two large pistols from his bag. The monster was facing away from Frank, pinning Spider-Man to the wall by his throat. Spider-Man clutched at the monster's wrist, choking out grunts of pain. Frank aimed both of his weapons, careful to aim at the beast's lower half to avoid the bullets going through to Spider-Man. Then Frank opened fire.

The monster roared out in pain, dropping a weakened Spider-Man to the ground as he spun around to face Frank. Frank emptied both clips into the monster, bringing him to his knees as he gasped for air.

Frank paused for a moment. Had that been enough? Had he stopped whatever this was?

"Did you know…" growled the monster, "...that lizards have the uncanny ability to… regenerate?"

Frank didn't have time to respond before the monster lunged at him. Frank leaned back to dodge the beast's swipe, but the claws still tore through his hoodie and ripped off the strap to his weapon bag, sending it flying across the hall. The monster then seized Frank's throat with his other hand, pinning him to the ground.

"Who… are you?" wondered the monster, squinting at Frank as he kept him pinned by the throat.

"Hey!" shouted Spider-Man, running at the monster from behind, "We weren't done yet!"

Spider-Man leapt onto the beast's back, clinging on. The monster, looking more annoyed than anything, brought his enormous tail up behind him and slammed it into Spider-Man, knocking him into the nearby wall before the beast reached over and pinned him by the throat as well.

"This is perfect," purred the monster, "Your meddling may have forced me to accelerate my experiments, but now I have the perfect test subjects: a mutate like myself and a normal human for a control group."

Both Spider-Man and Frank were helpless to fight back as Lizard lifted them both by the throats and bounded off, heading straight for the basement of the building.

Micro emerged from the closet, having waited but now regretting that decision.

"Frank!?" he called out, "Frank!"

"Hey!" exclaimed someone from behind, "It's Micro, right?"

Micro turned around to see Mary Jane, Peter's girlfriend that he had met less than an hour ago. What was she doing here?

"Did you see what happened?" she asked.

"There was some sort of monster," said Micro, "I think it has Peter and Frank."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I were."

"Hey!" shouted a security guard as he rounded the corner, "What's going on here!?"

Micro and Mary Jane both turned to look at the guard. Then they looked around the hall. It was a disaster. The floor was littered with small craters, the walls filled with holes, and even ceiling tiles had been knocked out in some places.

"We… don't know," said Mary Jane firmly, "We just got here."

"Alright," said the guard cautiously as he inspected the hallway, "You might want to get somewhere else. This looks pretty…"

The guard caught sight of Frank's weapon bag and began to approach it. Micro's eyes widened in anticipation. Mary Jane noticed this and stepped in.

"Oh, sorry!" she called out, "That's mine! I dropped it when I first saw all of this!"

The guard nodded as Mary Jane rushed over and picked up the bag.

"Don't want to lose my mutagenics paper!" she laughed uncomfortably.

"Get going," said the guard, "We're going to have to call NYPD to take a look at this."

Jessica and Karen sidled along the wall as they neared Anvil's training room. Though they hadn't gotten ahold of Frank, Madani had gotten Lange to agree to a last minute late night training session with several of her agents. Jessica and Karen had both been impressed with the turnaround.

Jessica and Karen hadn't found anything yet, but had only just started searching. They hoped to find something Karen couldn't find her first time around, which was why Madani's team was such a welcome distraction.

"Wait!" whispered Jessica, grabbing Karen's belt just before she rounded the corner.

They both froze in silence for a moment. Then a loud buzzer sounded, indicating the beginning of the training session. Jessica released her hold on Karen and they both rushed in. Lange was overseeing the exercise, his back to Jessica and Karen. Madani and her team had just rushed into the training course. Jessica and Karen used this distraction to make it across the training room to a part of the building neither of them had seen before.

"Here," said Jessica, nodding her head toward a door labeled in Lange's name.

Karen nodded. That was a good place to start. They could look for evidence that Lange was training more than just a security force. Jessica forced the door open by breaking the deadbolt. Karen visibly winced as she did this. She would have preferred a less destructive method of breaking and entering.

"Come on," whispered Jessica as she went inside. Karen followed.

They began looking around the office. Jessica immediately began trying to find a way to log into the computer, going through a few basic password guesses without success. Karen began looking through the filing cabinet.

"Going through all of this could take hours," whispered Karen.

"What do you want me to do about it?" demanded Jessica quietly.

"Nothing," sighed Karen, "I just-"

"Someone's coming!"

"Shit."

Karen shut every drawer of the filing cabinet and assumed a polite stance. Jessica quickly got up out of the chair and stepped away from the desk, trying her best to look casual. That's when a tall man dressed in a fine suit opened the door and looked inside.

"Isaac?" he asked.

He looked at the two women in the office.

"He's busy with a training session right now," said Karen, "We were waiting here to speak with him when he's done."

"I see."

The man was exceptionally pretty. He clearly put a great amount of effort into his appearance. His hair was carefully styled, his suit in excellent shape, and his shoes even looked recently shined. He honestly looked rather out of place in a security training facility.

"Madeline Campbell," introduced Jessica, walking up to the man and offering her hand.

"Henry Paladin," he smiled, giving her a firm handshake.

"I'm Paige Angel," said Karen, shaking his hand as well.

"Pleased to meet you," said Henry, "I'm an old friend of Isaac's. He's been kind enough to keep me on as sort of a consultant. May I ask what your business with him is?"

"I work with Jewel Investigations," lied Jessica quickly, "We're looking into expanding and having a bodyguard or something seemed like a good idea."

"Well I assure you any of our officers could fit the bill," said Henry, "but of course Isaac can discuss what sort of deal would be best for you."

Henry leaned against the desk as he said this. Karen felt herself go cold as she saw his wrist. When Henry leaned over, his sleeves slid slightly up his arms. Karen could now see the tattoo of a small, black jigsaw puzzle piece on the inside of Henry's left wrist.

It's him! He's alive! But how!?

"Hey, Madeline," said Karen, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "Are you sure we're parked alright? Maybe we should check on it."

"...yeah," said Jessica after a moment, catching on, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

"You should go check on that," said Henry, "We can always catch up when you get back."

Jessica and Karen hurried out of there. The moment they were out of range of Henry's sight, Jessica grabbed Karen by the shoulder and turned her to face Jessica.

"What the hell was that!?" whispered Jessica, "Who was that?"

Karen immediately pushed back Jessica and kept walking. Jessica hurried after her.

"That was Billy Russo," whispered Karen, voice slightly shaking, "the man who killed Frank's family."

Frank grunted as he struggled again against the restraints to no avail. He was lying flat on what appeared to be an operating table. His wrists and ankles were tightly locked to the table with cuffs. Some sort of especially adhesive tape was over Frank's mouth, sealing it shut.

On the table beside him, Peter was restrained in a similar way. He had been depowered, leaving him just as helpless as Frank with the same restraints holding him down. His mask had been removed so that the same tape could be used on his mouth as well. Frank couldn't help but notice that Peter looked nervous, but not truly scared. Frank still couldn't believe Peter had gone after the Lizard without his powers.

They were in a dark and poorly maintained student lab. The Lizard, as he called himself, had taken Frank and Spider-Man into ESU's sewage system to escape the building unseen. He had then brought them back up in Samson Hall, the campus's old science building condemned for demolition. There, Lizard had apparently already set up a makeshift lab.

"I'm relatively certain this new formula will work," said the Lizard as he wandered into the room, "but then again, that's what I have you two for. The moment the serum is synthesized we'll begin testing."

The Lizard took a moment to look at each of them. He seemed to smile while looking at Peter.

"I imagine this must be distressing for you, Mr. Parker," he hissed, "After all, you were one of Connors' best students."

Peter's arms tensed and his eyes widened.

"Of course I know who you are," said the Lizard, "You're all over Connors's notes, you know. It's as if every paper you turn in is tailored exactly as he likes it. You have probably figured out by now that Connors and I are not the same. Perhaps that explains why your once beloved professor was so interested in deadly chemicals."

"I say 'once beloved,'" continued the Lizard, "because after today Connors will be no more. I will control both his human half and his reptilian half. Finally, I'll be free to conduct the research that I want! To experiment without the shackles of human laws!"

"Oh, I don't expect you to understand," mused the Lizard, walking up to Peter's table.

Frank tensed up and flexed his arms. There was nothing he could do to break free, but every fiber in his being was screaming at him to get that monster away from Peter.

"After all, I know exactly what kind of scientist you are, Mr. Parker," continued the Lizard, "There's a reason you're one of Connors' favorites. You write exactly what he wants. You dutifully follow the path set by others before you. You'll never forge a path for yourself. You're doomed to eternally live in someone's shadow."

Frank's eyes were bulging as he flexed his arms and legs against his restraints. He could see the look of pain and shame in Peter's eyes from the Lizard's words. That monster was tormenting Peter. None of what he said could be true, but he took some sadistic pleasure in using his words to hurt Peter. Frank couldn't bear to watch.

"RRHHHNN!" roared Frank through the tape, "RRRH!"

"Aren't you an excitable one," commented the Lizard, unimpressed.

The reptilian abomination approached Frank now, extending one finger with one long claw and gently placing it on the center of Frank's chest, pressing until it had poked through his clothes and was beginning to slice into his chest. Frank's every muscle tensed to hold in the pain.

"I'll be sure to start my experiments with you," said the Lizard.

"Hey!" shouted someone, "Tall, green, and ugly!"

The Lizard, Peter, and Frank all looked over to see Micro standing at the other side of the room, waving his arms in the air.

"MMMRM!" cried out Frank in protest.

Frank didn't want Micro to risk his life like this. It was too late though. The Lizard began to bound toward Micro. Micro quickly ducked around the corner. The Lizard followed and the next thing Frank knew, they were both out of his sight. He had no idea what was happening. How long could Micro last before-?

"Hi guys," whispered Mary Jane, rushing up to their tables.

She had Frank's weapon bag slung over her shoulder and Spider-Man's mask clutched in her hand. She quickly set about releasing each of the arm restraints. Frank sat straight up, tore the tape from his mouth, and unlatched his legs. Soon both he and Peter were unlatched. Frank immediately began taking his weapon bag from Mary Jane.

"Sorry guys!" shouted Micro as he sprinted back into the room, "I thought I'd be able to distract him a little longer!"

The Lizard tore into the room through the same doorway moments later. Frank began searching through the bag for his guns, but Lizard had soon reached them and knocked Mary Jane and Frank aside with a swipe of his arm. Peter, whose legs were still restrained to the table, threw his arms up to defend himself from the monster.

BANG BANG BANG!

The small flurry of bullets pelted the Lizard from the side, blowing him away from Peter and knocking him to the ground. He growled in pain as he clutched the slowly healing bullet wounds. Peter quickly finished unlatching himself as he looked over at his savior. Mary Jane still had the gun in her trembling hands as she pointed it directly at the Lizard.

"Take that you stupid fucking lizard!"

"Heh," chuckled Frank as he got to his knees and took a gun of his own, "I like this one."

The Lizard snarled as he began to get to his feet. Frank quickly took his gun back out of Mary Jane's hands and got in front of her and Peter, who had just pulled his Spider-Man mask back on.

"You two get somewhere safe," ordered Frank, "At least until you've got your powers back, kid."

"I think they're starting to come back."

"Not good enough."

The Lizard hissed at them and whipped his tail about in the air.

"GET TO COVER!" ordered Frank, firing on the Lizard again.

Spider-Man grabbed Mary Jane and pulled her out of the lab area, using Frank's attack on the Lizard as a distraction. Spider-Man didn't like doing that, but Frank had a point. He was the only one who stood a chance against the Lizard right now. Still, Frank was only human and this monster had strength enough to rival Spider-Man at his strongest. Spider-Man resolved to find another way to help as soon as possible.

"Peter!" called out Micro as Spider-Man and Mary Jane rushed past a classroom.

"Hey!" said Spider-Man indignantly, "Code names! We're in the field, man."

"You seemed like you were familiar with the materials Connors has been gathering," continued Micro as if Spider-Man hadn't said anything, "Do you have any idea what kind of device could be used to disperse it?"

"Well he attacked me with one that sapped my powers," said Spider-Man, "So yeah, I know what that would look like."

"Even better! Did it look anything like this?"

Micro pulled out a silver cylinder and placed it on the table. He clicked a button and it expanded, revealing a soft glowing yellow light inside.

"Yes!" exclaimed Spider-Man, "But he said the one he used was only a prototype. That one must not even be finished."

"Any chance you could finish it?" asked Micro, "You're good at this stuff, right?"

"I can try," said Peter approaching the device and examining it, "This looks like it's just the container. The serum still needs to be synthesized."

"Would these help with that?" asked Micro, gesturing to a huge pile of manilla folders and papers.

"Uh… I'm going to need some help going through it all."

"Got it," nodded Micro, walking over to the pile.

"I'll help," offered Mary Jane.

"I'll get started and try to do as much as I can," said Spider-Man, "Let me know if either of you find anything."

Fortunately, the Lizard had made more progress on this device than they had feared. It was mostly done and the formula for the serum was quickly found in the folders. All the materials were being stored in that classroom, so Spider-Man had the device armed and ready to go in minutes.

"Let's go!" shouted Micro, "Frank needs us!"

The three of them rushed out of the classroom and back toward the lab area. They had just arrived when Frank was thrown across the room, roaring in pain as he crashed through a table. The Lizard, riddled with bullet holes, was practically weezing as his body regenerated.

"Arm it!" shouted Micro.

Spider-Man fumbled with the device for a moment, finally getting it to activate and begin glowing green. Unfortunately, but the time he had done this the Lizard had reached them and grabbed him by the throat. Mary Jane and Micro tried to interfere, but the Lizard effortlessly knocked them aside.

"Is this your idea of innovation, Mr. Parker?" asked the Lizard, "Recreating my invention? You really are dependent on the talent of others. It's almost pitiful, really."

"RARGH!" roared Frank.

The massive man slammed into the Lizard from the side, knocking Spider-Man out of his grasp and tackling the monster to the ground. Frank continued to roar in rage as he began punching at the Lizard's head over and over. Frank looked about as mad as he had ever seen him. Spider-Man felt oddly flattered by that.

"That's it!" hissed the Lizard, grasping Frank's head and throat with either hand, "I'm putting an end to you NOW!"

"Guess again, you Cronenberg reject!"

Micro whipped the armed device at him. The Lizard barely had time to snarl and cover his face before the device released a cloud of green gas that shrouded both him and Frank. When the gas cleared, Frank was lying next to a weak Curt Connors in his tattered clothes. Connors groaned.

"You guys get out of here," said Spider-Man, "Connors will recognize you. Hurry!"

The three obliged and rushed out of the room before Connors even raised his head off the ground. When the scientist finally opened his eyes and got his bearings, he was face to face with Spider-Man.

"What?" muttered Connors, "Where am I?"

"I tell ya, Doc," said Spider-Man, "I didn't think you were the type to build bioweapons, but I really didn't think you were the type to turn into a giant lizard man."

"A lizard what?" asked Connors, "Oh dear…"

"Anything you want to tell me?"

"There was a lab accident a few months ago," sighed Connors, "I was researching the reptilian genes that allow for limb regrowth. Some of the serum got into an open wound of mine when the beaker broke. I knew it was a possibility, but I never thought…"

"He wasn't just a mindless monster," explained Peter, "He seemed about as smart as you."

"Yes," considered Connors, "That would explain why I never knew I was transforming. He must have covered his tracks."

"He was trying to kill you," explained Spider-Man, "so that he could give himself control over both your halfs. He invented that thing over there. He used it on me and it sapped my powers. I used it on him and, well, you came back."

"Is that… a meta stabilizer?"

"That's what he called it."

"I've been trying to perfect this for years!" exclaimed Connors, "It was supposed to be a way to temporarily suppress the powers of mutants and mutates for medical purposes. I confess I have always feared it would be weaponized."

"Temporarily?" asked Spider-Man, "While I'm happy to hear my powers will be coming back, I have to say I'm less excited about your alter ego coming back."

"Indeed," said Connors, examining the device, "but if this much progress has been made… I think I can synthesize a cure for myself in a matter of hours."

"Perfect!" declared Spider-Man, "By the way, you don't… know who I am under the mask, do you?"

"Should I?"

"Nope!" yelled Spider-Man, "Just checking!"

Jessica and Karen waited impatiently on the sidewalk, watching the FBI agents go in and out of Anvil's facility. They had reported the presence of Billy to Madani as soon as they were out.

Billy's role in murdering Frank's family was public knowledge, as it had come out during Frank's trial. Everyone was sure he'd died though. Frank had shot him in the chest and a dead body had been found weeks later. It had been ravaged by blue crabs, but the dental records confirmed it was him. He must have faked it somehow.

The report that Billy was not only alive, but affiliated with an organization that the FBI was already investigating for training potential terrorists, was enough for Madani to get a warrant to search the entire facility. The raid was taking place as Karen and Jessica watched. It went on for almost an hour.

Finally, Madani emerged from the building. She looked more comfortable in her FBI gear, bulletproof vest, and rifle than she had in her slacks and jacket. She walked straight over to someone who appeared to be her senior. Jessica and Karen couldn't hear the conversation, but the senior agent didn't look happy. In fact, he seemed furious with Madani. Madani looked away in shame as the agent left. Then she looked up angrily at Karen and Jessica. She approached them.

"Well?" asked Karen.

"Is this some kind of joke!?" demanded Madani.

"What the hell are you talking about?" responded Jessica.

"Billy Russo? Alive?" said Madani angrily, "You know I might have ruined my career with that claim."

"You didn't find him?"

"Of course we didn't find him," said Madani, "and there are no records of any employee named 'Henry Paladin' either."

"Well I doubt they'd keep their psychotic killer on record," scoffed Jessica.

"We just ran a full scale raid on a private institution," lectured Madani, "That took resources, manpower, and we found nothing! Not even any evidence of militia training!"

"None?" asked Karen in disbelief.

"It turns out they don't have the manpower to put together a strike force even if they wanted to."

"That can't be right," said Karen, shaking her head, "I must have seen a dozen trained officers in there."

"Well they only have three or four," said Madani, "and their military records aren't impressive enough to warrant an appreciable threat."

"Billy must have taken the best ones with him," concluded Karen.

"Well to my superiors it looks a lot like they were never there."

"We're sorry," frowned Karen, "You have to believe us though. We saw him!"

Madani took a moment to look around and make sure no one was watching or listening.

"I believe you," she said quietly, "but this clearly isn't something the FBI are going to be able to handle. Now if you excuse me, I have some groveling to do if I want to keep my job."

Karen spent a moment in contemplative thought as Madani walked away.

"I can't fucking believe it," sighed Jessica.

"I can," said Karen, "Billy knew he'd been found. So he grabbed the best killers he'd trained and ran off. Now he's out here and he knows I'm onto him. He'll make his move soon."

"You going to tell Frank?"

"Of course," said Karen sadly, "I have to tell Frank."

Connors sighed as he finished placing the last of his personal things back onto his desk. The office had been swept apart in the fight between Spider-Man and the Lizard and Connors had only just now finished putting things the way they were. He was grateful the other professors had agreed to handle the heavy lifting part of the repairs.

"Dr. Connors?" came Peter's voice, accompanying a knock at the door.

"Come in, Mr. Parker."

"Hi," waved Peter awkwardly, "I actually managed to finish that paper early. Is it alright with you if I drop it off?"

"Yes," nodded Dr. Connors, "Come in. You can place it on my desk."

"So…" said Peter cautiously, "...how have you been? I heard that monster made a mess of your office."

The Lizard incident certainly didn't go unnoticed. Plenty of students and faculty had seen it terrorizing the Warren Building. Connors hadn't been directly linked to the monster, and Peter and the others had decided it was best that it stayed that way. Connors had developed an effective antidote that was working excellently.

"Yes," said Connors, "Fortunately I wasn't here for that maelstrom of disaster."

"That's good."

"Mr. Parker," said Connor confusedly, "Are those your parents over there?"

"Uh… Yeah," said Frank, walking around the corner and into the office as well, "Sorry, just sticking with Peter until Visitation Day is over."

Micro walked in shortly after Frank. The two had actually gone along in case the antidote had failed and Peter needed the backup. Luckily, that had not been the case.

"No, this is good!" smiled Connors, "You never did tell me the story of how you two met!"

"Oh, uh…" muttered Micro.

"Go on," said Peter, suppressing a smile, "Tell him, Dad."

"You see," began Frank, "I was in a bit of a bind at this time. I, uh, felt like I was in prison. Like my life had nowhere to go. And Spoo-, Uh, David was the one who approached me. He needed help with a job and he needed my help. I was hesitant at first. I didn't know if I was ready to… help anyone again."

Peter, Micro, and Connors were all intently listening to Frank. He had become surprisingly somber for this explanation. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully.

"At first it was just work, you know?" continued Frank, "But after years of trusting him and standing by him… One day we were just chatting, you know? Eating dinner just like any normal night. I remember looking up from my dinner at him and… And I knew. You know?"

There was a moment where no one spoke. Connors was smiling, charmed by the story. Frank was staring unwaveringly at the ground, a bead of sweat forming on the side of his head. Micro was looking around the room uncomfortably. Peter was doing all he could not to let his jaw drop in shock. There was no way Frank had made that all up on the spot.

"That's a beautiful story," said Connors.

"Yeah," smiled Peter at Frank, "It really is."

Frank's gaze didn't move an inch from the floor in front of him.

"Well," said Connors, "I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for turning this in so early, Mr. Parker. Have a wonderful Visitation Day."

"Thanks," said Micro quietly, "You too."

Frank, Micro, and Peter slowly exited the office and began walking down the hall. Frank's pace quickly outsped Peter's and Micro's as he practically jogged ahead. Peter rushed to catch up with him. Micro continued to hang back, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"Frank," said Peter, "That was-"

"A cover story," said Frank firmly, "I just thought of it on the spot. I should have planned ahead with a better one."

"I-" began Peter.

Frank glared at him.

"Okay!" absolved Peter, raising his hands in the air.

He wasn't about to try to single handedly dig Frank out of his repression. He only hoped that Micro had picked up on as much of that as he had. Peter shot a look back at Micro, who was still a bit behind them and looking as far away from them as he could without straining his neck.

He knows, thought Peter, I mean, he has to know, right?

Karen and Jessica waited at the door to the bunker. They had made their way into the boathouse and down the stairs already, but as usual the blast doors for the entrance hall were locked. Karen used the electronic doorbell to signal to Micro that they were there. He remotely unlocked the doors.

"You just going to outright tell him?" asked Jessica as they walked through, "He's not going to go berserk or anything, is he?"

"Of course not," said Karen, "but that doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it."

"Alright," they heard Frank saying, "Remember to keep your grip firm even after you pull the trigger. Be ready for the kickback."

Karen and Jessica rounded the corner into the bunker's living area. Micro was at his computer station, Peter was leaning against the same station, and Frank was assisting Mary Jane as she practiced holding a handgun.

"Holy shit," exclaimed Jessica, "Seriously?"

"I'm not happy about it," grumbled Peter.

"She's dating Spider-Man!" protested Frank, "She needs to be ready to defend herself!"

"So how do I make sure I don't hit any vital organs?" asked Mary Jane.

"Oh no, you're not ready for that," said Frank, "First we make sure you know how to shoot for the center, otherwise you'll never hit anything. Then we can work on how to adjust your aim to keep things nonlethal."

"Um…" muttered Peter.

"Oh relax, Tiger," said Mary Jane, "Until then I can just use plastic bullets."

"Attagirl!" smiled Frank.

Karen took a deep breath. Frank seemed happy again for the first time in a while. She wasn't sure whether it was Micro, Princess, or these new vigilantes they'd come across lately, but Frank had moved on from being the raging soldier on a mission. If he knew Billy was alive, would he go back to that?

"Frank," said Karen quietly, "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Sure," said Frank, standing up straight and walking over.

"Careful, Red!" called out Jessica, seeing Mary Jane lower the gun until the barrel was aimed at her foot.

"Oh, relax!" dismissed Mary Jane, "It's not loaded. We're not idiots."

"See?" called Frank back to Peter, "She's great! You should stick to her and tell that Wade guy-"

"Frank," said Karen impatiently, "Now?"

"Right, right," said Frank, "Coming."

Karen led Frank out of the main living area and into one of the side halls. Once they were both there Karen took a moment to compose herself.

"What is it?" asked Frank, dropping his tone as he read Karen's face.

"Someone was following me," said Karen, "Jessica and I looked into it and found out who it was."

"Karen!" yelled Frank, before hearing himself and lowering his voice, "Karen, are you out of your mind? You were being followed and you didn't tell me?"

"Frank," said Karen, voice almost shaking, "It's Billy. He's alive."

Frank's eyes locked with Karen's for a moment. She watched as they slowly went from being filled with concern to being filled with rage, then back to concern again.

"You have to get out of town," he said, "You, Spook, the kid, everyone."

"Frank-"

"Listen to me!" yelled Frank, "Billy was following you-"

"He had me followed," corrected Karen, "He didn't-"

"So you haven't seen each other?"

"...no, we have," said Karen, "I found him while looking into the security firm that was following me. They're called Anvil. He's going by the name Henry Paladin now."

"And you're sure it was him?"

"I saw his tattoo, Frank."

Frank turned away and made a fist to punch the wall, but stopped himself.

"Karen," he said, containing his fury, "You aren't safe. You and the others have to go. Billy will come after you."

"Frank, listen-"

"No, you listen!" roared Frank, "That monster slaughtered my family in cold blood. Then I killed everyone in his unit. That was his family. If he's alive, the first thing he's going to do is go after you."

Billy had served with Frank in the marines. They were part of the same elite strike team that carried out classified missions. Frank eventually came to learn that their missions were killing innocent people. He left and planned to turn them in, but instead the unit attempted to wipe Frank and his family out on his wedding day. They had almost succeeded. Frank, and only Frank, had survived.

"Frank," said Karen, "You can't."

"I took him down once before," said Frank angrily, "I can do it again."

"But this time you don't have to do it alone!" argued Karen, "We're not liabilities Frank, we can help you."

"I won't let you risk your lives that way," said Frank, "Billy isn't like the others Peter and them fight. He's a monster."

"This might come as a surprise to you," retorted Karen, getting angry herself, "but even if we stay out of this Billy will try to find us, Frank. He's been watching me so you can bet he's been watching the others too. If you insist we not get involved, all you're doing is leaving us in the dark and unable to defend ourselves when he does come after us."

Frank grunted. Karen sighed with relief. She knew that had worked.

"Fine," he said, "but you all better be really goddamn careful because if one of you dies, I swear-"

"Hey," said Karen reassuringly, placing a hand on Frank's shoulder, "The feeling is mutual, Frank. Now you can tell us to look after ourselves and we can tell you to look after yourself, but I think we'll be a little better off if we all watch each other's backs too. Don't you think?"

"...sure."

"I'll tell Micro," said Karen, "We'll get through this Frank."

"Right."

"I promise."