Chapter 25: Judgement Day

Oof. Classes. Grad school applications. And networking. Networking is tiring.

Anyways, I'm sure many of you have realized that the Rhino episode is happening. And you may also notice I'm doing it a little differently. Primarily, I'm not making Alex a genius. He's smart-ish, but not like Amadeus Cho or Pete. And that's only because I thought it was too sad that he loses most of his intelligence as Rhino. And why did no one else on the team show up when the attack started right outside the school?

So yeah, this is an example of one of those events that happens prior to the third season, but is happening now in this story as I'm reimagining the timeline. I have to keep you readers on your toes somehow ;)

Anonymous and MoonLightSkies16: I really have no idea what I'm doing here romance-wise. I paired up Ava with Peter in my other story Blood and Water, so sometimes I think I want to try something different here. But I honestly don't know. We'll see where the wind blows in the future.

RunningToTheSea: I'm glad you enjoyed the song and the story! Monster has been a cornerstone of inspiration for a while. I have some other songs in mind that I'll mention soon. Running to the Sea was also a good song. I love those that tell a story!

Pink Lemonade: Oh yeah, everything's going to be just fine . . . *she said evilly while lightning flashed in the background*. The Danny and Ava conversation was completely serendipitous, so it's good to know it came out well. I never realized how different their personalities were until that moment.

It was almost ironic how different the messages were.

MJ was so surprised but excited that Peter had gotten the chance to work with Tony Stark. During his training hours she had left some voicemails commending his hard work and humble attitude toward the whole thing. She couldn't wait to see him again so they could talk about his experience.

Harry, on the other hand, had sent three texts. The first was a statement that might have been good and might have been sarcastic: So happy you got to live your dream! Peter wasn't entirely sure what to think about that. The exclamation point meant it was said happily, right? Or just that it was meant to sound loud? Out of everyone, Harry knew that working in a real lab like Stark's was one of his dreams. Surely he wouldn't turn that into an insult. Harry's second text was a decidedly more terse statement: Kinda bummed you didn't tell me before. That one hurt for more reasons than Harry knew.

And the last text was: We'll talk more in person.

Peter was still puzzling over that one too. Did 'okay' mean that Harry wasn't angry? Or was he saying it sarcastically? Or did he want to meet in person so they could have a proper argument with yelling?

If there was one thing Harry had inherited from his father aside from his good looks, it was his temper. And his loud voice. Or maybe his voice only seemed loud to Peter's extra sensitive ears.

(Would Harry care, if he knew that? Would he be quieter?)

In any case, Peter would be meeting with his friends today at school. He wished he could have had a more private meeting with them over the weekend, but training took up so much time and energy. Today was a much better day to meet. Peter had even gone to bed extra early last night so he would be at the top of his game for this.

It was probably a little sad that he felt more anxious about seeing his friends than he ever felt on normal patrols. But this was still a big lie he had to uphold.

Ever since May found out the truth, Peter had felt incredibly tempted to tell Harry and MJ too. It filled him with a special sort of dread, having to come up with half-truths and outright lies to make it all seem real when they both had such strong opinions about Spider-Man. It was so much easier to create stories from scratch than to work around premade ones.

But it kept them safe. Harry and MJ had already been caught in dangerous situations thanks to Spider-Man. Peter wouldn't let them come to harm because of his Parker identity too.

"You seem anxious this morning," Aunt May analyzed correctly when they were almost done with breakfast.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're not looking forward to your newfound fame at school, hm?"

Peter buried his head in his hands. "Actually, I was thinking about Harry and MJ specifically. But now that you mention it, yes, I have the entire rest of the school to deal with too."

"It will turn out all right, honey, you hear me?" May came over to put her hands on his shoulders. "As far as everyone knows, you were only Stark's intern. You did some cool science, shook hands with a couple of big names, and probably fetched more than a few coffees for them if we're being honest."

He smiled at her joke. "Mr. Stark has a commercial grade automated coffee maker right in his lab, which I'm forbidden to touch. So being a gofer is one thing I never had to deal with."

"Why are you forbidden to touch the coffee maker?"

"Two reasons. To quote Stark, my specialty is 'to make hot sugar water with a few lumps of caffeine'."

"Ah, yes, I can see why he might say that. What's the other reason then?"

Now Peter felt some heat in his cheeks. "I'm already a chipper kid. Add caffeine, sugar, plus a fast metabolism . . ."

"Quick but extreme rush of energy followed by the crash?"

The good thing about having a nurse-trained aunt was that she knew basic biochemistry. "Yeah, it's really not that bad, so long as I don't have like a frappe or something. But apparently some people think I'm unbearable like that."

May nodded as she grabbed their finished plates. "So that's why you never take coffee in the mornings." She smirked. "And it also explains why you accept bowls of super sugary cereals when you're studying."

"Hey, I need something to help me stay awake when I'm reading textbooks. Who decided that academic writing meant a snooze fest?"

"Oh, you know how most people are. Crack one joke and they think you're not serious at all."

"So Spider-Man isn't seen as serious? Why couldn't anyone tell me? It would have been nice if someone with a huge mustache screamed about that on a daily basis." Peter's voice oozed with sarcasm.

May had a hard time trying to keep her face serious. "Yes, if only. But quiet men like Jameson keep their opinions so hidden."

Peter tried to continue the banter, but cracked up. May followed soon after. It felt weird, talking and joking with May now after he'd had that conversation about her with the team yesterday. All his worries seemed ridiculous when she was right there in front of him, smiling with genuine mirth, veiled concern in her eyes.

Standing up, Peter went to help her with the dishes. "You really think it's going to be okay at school?"

"It's going to be different," May admitted. Peter frowned at that word, but listened. "There's going to be a lot of people trying to talk to you. MJ is probably as proud of you as I am, and I'm sure Harry is proud too in his own way, but he is used to the big names already. He's the heir of Oscorp after all. And then there's him and the others who still don't like Iron Man or Spider-Man. So there's going to be a lot of opinions. But focus only on the few that matter, and you'll be fine." She squeezed his soapy hand with her own. "My own opinion is that you're a wonderful boy who always does his chores so nicely."

Peter grinned then. "All right, thanks. I'll see you later."

"Good luck, honey."

Placing the last dish on the drying rack, Peter went back to his room briefly to check on Phoebe before he left. She had slept soundly on her new bed, which she quite enjoyed. Now she was simply playing with her toys after her own little breakfast.

Speter go school again? she asked, pointing one leg at his backpack.

"Yes, but I can give you some live crickets to keep you busy."

Okay!

"And I've got an idea to give you something new to do, but I need to set it up first."

She seemed to narrow her eyes at him. Phone?

Another surprise ruined by telekinesis. Oh well. "Yup! Well, it's a tablet, actually. Don't be so dubious! I'll make sure there are lots of fun and educational apps. That's what I'm going to do tonight, okay? I'll download everything you need." And he needed to figure out how to set up 'kid mode', because he did not want Phoebe to stumble upon the many websites dedicated to insect and arachnid extermination. He tried very hard not to think about it now though so she wouldn't know.

Thankfully, Phoebe seemed too busy doubting the power of metal and plastic rectangles. Peter had to suppress a laugh when he listened in on her thoughts. What apps?

"Apps are special games and software you can add to your device. Each one has different things you can do with it. I'm going to be sure to add some educational ones that will be like our lessons. And some game ones too. Maybe a drawing app? You might like that. You're very creative with webs."

Okay. Phoebe didn't sound as excited about this as she was about the live insects. Peter figured she would change her mind once she started using digital devices.

"Well, um, wish me luck today."

Speter be fine, Phoebe said, and she meant it in the most reassuring way. Not for the first time, Peter wondered how many of his thoughts she understood. There was no question that she could see them, but what could a baby spider possibly understand about his social issues?

Obviously more than he would have given her credit for.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Peter took some live crickets in his hand, dropping them in the Jungle Box. He brushed his hand against Phoebe, rubbing her head gently. She held onto his fingers with a few legs. "Have fun today, all right? I know you're going to catch those crickets in no time."

Phoebe try what Speter teach.

Peter snorted. He wasn't sure if what he'd done yesterday could even be called teaching. "I'm glad you learned something from it. See you later."

See later.

He couldn't believe he was going to see them so soon.

Peter could already see the school buildings down the street. He had walked this path so many times now that his feet were basically on autopilot. That was great for letting his mind wander, but it also made it feel like the journey took no time at all. And it was actually a pretty long walk. Of course, he could probably run the whole way and cut the time in half. But he was fine with this pace. It gave him time to think about what he was going to say.

Internship. Luck of the draw. Stark. Awesome science. Assigned project. Brief Spider-Man meeting. No connections to any superheroes whatsoever.

Yup, that just about summed it up. Now if only he could come up with real sentences with subjects and predicates . . .

A tingle from his spider sense interrupted his thoughts as he crossed the street. It was much stronger than the usual gentle thrum he felt when walking crowded streets. Peter hurried to reach the sidewalk just as a car beeped behind him. He nearly jumped out of his skin, turning around in the blink of an eye and halfway down to his favored Spidey crouch. He stopped himself from completing the pose just in time.

"Watch it, Parker, some of us have money for cars," Flash said from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, and some of us are pedestrians who have the right of way," Peter shot back automatically. He was rather taken aback by the outburst. Flash hadn't done anything like this in ages.

"Whatever, dork." Flash drove on, though slower now. Peter could barely hear him mutter, "Never knew the nerd had reflexes."

Peter stuck his tongue out at the trunk of the car. If only Flash knew how many reflexes and amazing powers this particular nerd had . . .

Yet, didn't everyone at school know he had made the Iron Spider suit? Shouldn't Flash want to ask him a bunch of questions and not bully him again? What was his problem?

Those questions admittedly did not have high priority in Peter's mind. He was still too wrapped up in his own problems. However, Flash's problem soon gained priority. It quickly became obvious that whatever had made Flash so angry was also making him lash out at other students as well, including the smaller freshmen. Peter stopped for a moment to watch him shove past a chubby kid. His fists clenched.

"Hey Pete, what's up? You look upset," a voice said to Peter's right.

Peter didn't take his eyes off of flash. "Oh, hey Luke. It's just Flash. He's acting up again."

Luke came next to him to watch Flash too. His mouth set in a firm line. "Man, is that what he used to do to you?"

"Pretty much, yeah, but he never seemed this angry before. I think we should have a little talk with him."

Peter must have sounded angrier than he thought, because Luke glanced at him worriedly. "Hey, don't take this too far, Pete. Bullying the bully won't solve anything."

"It's not bullying the bully if Spider-Man happens to stop by and tell him off," Peter said persuasively.

"Except it is. You know Flash idolizes Spidey. That would crush him."

"Flash is about ten seconds away from crushing someone's face!"

"You can tell MJ and she can kick him off the cast for her play. That might set him straight."

"Can Spidey tell him?"

"No bullying! If you want change, you've got to be the change. You can't let him drag you down to his level."

"You sound like Danny."

"I may have stolen that phrase from him."

"Ah, that explains it." Peter looked back at Flash, who had just snagged a kid with glasses from the crowd. "All right, I'll try to be civil with Flash, but if this doesn't work in the long run then we need some superhero involvement."

"So long as Spidey isn't too mean. I don't want Jameson to have a real reason to call you a menace."

Luke said it jokingly, but that statement finally got Peter's head out of the clouds of revenge. He worked hard every day to prove he was a hero. There was no reason to let a bit of bad blood ruin it all. Besides, Flash had been trying to turn around his own reputation. It would be hypocritical of Peter to ignore that. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'll be the change."

"I'm just looking out for you. I understand you have a past with Flash,"

"Yeah, but after I got my powers, I decided to forgive him. Since he couldn't really hurt me anymore, you know? But I can't let him hurt other people now."

"That's fine by me. Come on, I'll go with you."

The two of them pushed through the throngs of students filing into the school. Flash was still outside with the kid, tucked away in a corner beside the steps. As Luke and Peter came near, they could hear the conversation.

"Yo, dweebus, I need your math homework."

"Stop pushing, Flash!"

"Then stop keeping your homework from me, nerd."

"I'm tired of you treating me like this! You're such a meathead!"

"Hey! You don't get to talk back to me like that!" Flash shoved the kid into some garbage cans, grabbing his backpack. "I'm the one that matters in this school. It's a public service for brainiacs like you to help me out."

"You always assume I'm so smart! I'm not! I struggle to pass my classes too!"

"At least you've got the time to struggle. Now where's the homework?" Flash began rifling through the bag.

Peter snuck up behind Flash, tapping him on the shoulder. Flash jumped nearly as high as Peter had with the honk before. It was a tiny revenge, and it was all Peter would allow himself. But that didn't mean he enjoyed it any less.

Nope, that wasn't right, Peter scolded himself. He should know better by now. It had been months since the last time he had locked Flash into a locker for his 'safety'.

"Pec-Parker, Cage, what are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Peter replied. "I thought you had changed, Flash."

"I did. I swear. I'm just asking him for a favor."

"That's not what it looks like from here," Luke said. "If you need help with your homework, you just need to ask."

"I don't have time for that! Besides, Alex and I have an agreement."

The kid, Alex, snorted. "Or a dictatorship."

Flash glared at him.

"Look," Peter said. "MJ only agreed to let you play Spider-Man in her play because she thought you had left this sort of behavior behind. How is she going to feel knowing that you haven't changed? How is Spidey going to feel if MJ lets you play as him?"

For a second, Flash's eyes widened slightly in trepidation. Then they narrowed into a harder glare. "Oh, that's right, Pecker. You're besties with all the cool people. MJ, Osborn, and now Spider-Man. You've finally got strings to pull now that you're so popular."

Peter frowned just as Luke laughed. "Peter? Popular?" Luke guffawed.

Peter cleared his throat. "A simple 'no' would have sufficed, Luke."

"Sorry, man. Continue."

"No, we're not continuing this," Flash interjected. "I'm not going to give you something else to gossip about with Spidey." He dropped Alex's backpack on the ground and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Alex said, struggling to pull himself out of the garbage cans. Peter offered him a helping hand, but he didn't take it. "Wait! This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Flash muttered without looking back.

"No, stop right there!" Alex grabbed his bag and began to search through it frantically. He glanced up at Peter and Luke angrily. "You two ruined everything! I had this handled!"

"Flash was being too rough there. We got worried," Peter said as kindly as possible. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Peter Parker, and this is my buddy, Luke Cage. We—"

"Have been in the same class together for over a year. Yeah, I know who you are."

Peter was caught off guard by that. His mouth was left hanging for a second before he closed it. "Oh, sorry, I guess we've never really spoken before. Which might mean that Sam's right about me being an introvert. It's nice to officially meet you now though."

Alex rolled his eyes. "As if. You're one of them now. Have been for a while."

"Who are they?"

"The cool kids with colder hearts."

That left Peter speechless. He had never had anyone tell him something like that before.

"I don't think you know Pete at all," Luke said for him.

"I think I know him better than you do. You better find a new friend before he abandons you like his two old friends."

Recovering enough to speak for himself, Peter shook his head firmly. "I don't abandon friends, Alex. I never have and I never will. And I'm not cold-hearted either. Give me a chance, okay? We can be friends too." He extended his hand again.

Alex stared down at it disdainfully. "You're too little too late."

"Aw, come on. If Flash has been picking on you then we already have a lot in common."

"I doubt that. Do you even remember what it feels like to be human?"

Peter stopped breathing. "Excuse me?"

"You know, what it feels like to hurt and have flaws and to not have the whole school in awe of you?" Alex glared in contempt of the dumbfounded look on Peter's face. "I didn't think so."

"Don't you dare say that," Luke said sternly, fists clenched at his sides. "Pete's the most human guy I know. Being human doesn't mean you can't be popular or happy. Besides, it sounds like you don't know nearly enough about him to start judging him."

Alex shrunk away from Luke's imposing form, but still looked defiant. "You'd be surprised by how much I know. Anyway, I've got to get going now. Maybe I can salvage my dignity later." He pushed himself between the two and joined the stragglers entering the school.

When he was out of earshot, Luke clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Hey, don't take anything he said to heart. He practically bullied you worse than Flash."

Peter blinked a few times and nodded. "Yeah, sure, I know. That was a weird question though. That's all."

"Well, in all honesty, Alex doesn't seem to have a good grasp of what constitutes a human. Come on, I'll go with you to class."

"But we're not in the same class. Isn't your first class on a completely different floor?"

"Eh, it's fine. I need to get my steps in one way or another."

On a normal day, Peter might have insisted against the special treatment. However, once they were inside where the Science Fair posters were, people began to notice the presence of the newest resident celebrity. The sudden attention made the hairs on the back of Peter's neck stand on end. The chatter in the hallways seemed so much louder when it was aimed at him; a discordant array of questions and praise. Luke stepped in immediately, preventing everyone from converging on his friend while also forging their path forward.

Peter tried to appear calm and collected even as he wanted nothing more than to hop onto the ceiling and run away. He had dealt with far larger crowds as Spider-Man, so this should be nothing. Yet somehow it was nearly impossible to keep a convincing smile on his face now. Usually, he had a mask that made any and all facial movements null and void. Although he often did jump onto ceilings or high walls anyway when the crowds were too much. The was that all of those luxuries were out of the question when he was only Peter Parker.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was what life would be like if his secrets were ever revealed. He fantasized about that occasionally, although he didn't often get firsthand experience like this. The only difference was that if people knew he was Spider-Man then he could climb up and away. But would the crowd gasp and cheer when they saw that, like they did most of the time for Spider-Man? Or would they be disillusioned once they saw the scared boy beneath the mask?

All of that was a great distraction from Alex's question, even if the underlying concept was still there.

How would people react if they knew he wasn't entirely human? Could they already sense a difference between him and everyone else?

It was sad how his fantasies of a big reveal had changed over time. Months ago, all his thoughts revolved around Spider-Man Day parades and personal apologies from Jameson. Now . . . They couldn't really be called fantasies anymore when there were so few good things in them. It was only him trying to predict what the real reactions would be.

And days like this felt bittersweet. All this attention, and yet no true desire for it. Not like how he pretended with the team.

The walk to class seemed to last centuries longer than usual.

It didn't take long to track Peter down. Even amongst the hundreds of other teenagers, Ava could pick his scent out. She always remembered the scents of her closest friends.

Using the core skills some Shield spies had taught her, Ava followed Peter, Harry, and MJ casually and carefully. It was the end of the day, so it was easy to hide in the crowds, but easier to lose the trio as well. And enhanced hearing only did so much when there was chatter from a thousand other students echoing through the halls. But if there was one thing Ava relished, it was a challenge.

Ava had not been invited to participate in this conversation. No one from the team had been. However, Peter had never technically banned anyone from listening in. So that's what she was doing. Listening. And that's all she would do. Unless Harry went too far. Then she would intervene.

Harry was never nice when Spider-Man was involved. Peter might be optimistic (or naive) enough to keep trying to continue their friendship, but Ava was . . . dubious, to say the least.

In her defense, even Danny was dubious, and that really meant something coming from an open-minded monk. That was probably the only reason he hadn't stopped her from following Pete. Danny was not a fan of spy activities among friends, but he at least understood when they helped.

Ava walked on. She could only see the backs of the trio, although she could still tell a few things simply from their postures. MJ was almost bouncing on the balls of her feet, which was only a small step up from her usual energy. Peter wasn't slouching for once, which was good, although his hands were in his pockets. And Harry walked with his hands fisted at his sides. That didn't seem like a good sign.

They exchanged a few pleasantries before MJ cut to the chase. "So, why didn't you tell us that you got an internship with Stark?"

Pete shrugged. "Part of the agreement was that I couldn't tell anyone. He's got a lot of enemies, you know? He didn't want anyone attacking me for my access card or something. Also, I made the mistake of mentioning that one of my friends is a great journalist . . ."

"Oh come on, we all know that Stark loves the press," Harry said.

"Not in his labs. He's had way too many patent issues to trust just anyone in there."

"Why did he give an internship then?" Harry asked. "No offense, Pete, but you always say you're just some nerd from Queens."

Ava frowned. The way he said 'no offense' didn't sound too sincere.

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't initially my idea. Mr. Stark said that he had been looking for an intern in several of the high schools in-state. He didn't want the whole world applying so he asked for the records of all the top students, and there I was on the list! He never told me exactly why he chose me in particular though."

Now that sounded sincere. Peter was an excellent liar. Everyone on the team could give a good cover story, but Pete could do it best. In Ava's opinion, that was one of the best skills he had gained from his year being solo.

"Stark is probably capable of flipping a coin or something, but I'm sure he chose you because you're the best at science," MJ said. "Did you get to see him often?"

"Quite a bit, yeah. Only a handful of people had access to work on the suit."

"Including Spider-Man?" Harry asked very casually.

It was subtle, but Ava caught the way Peter stiffened slightly. "He came in sometimes, but not much." There was a momentary pause. "Look, I'm sorry I've been lying to you both about this, especially when I told you that I never met these heroes. But I had my reasons. Mr. Stark told me that it was important for safety. You both have already attracted enough villain attention. I didn't want to add to that."

Ava hid a grimace when she realized that she was probably the only person listening who knew how that apology contained more truth than anything else Peter had said so far.

"If you kept it a secret for safety, then what's all this about?" Harry asked, pointing to a poster.

"That wasn't my idea either! Mr. Stark said that I was a bright kid, but I was never going to get anywhere if I kept burying my head in the sand. So he registered me. Without me knowing, might I add. I was just as surprised as everyone else last week."

"That does sound like something Stark would do," Harry conceded begrudgingly. "This sounds like his famous press conference all over again."

"Yeah, I don't know how he lives like this. It's insane. And any moment everyone is going to find out that I'm still just regular ol' me and all I ever talked about with Stark was ball bearings and movement assistance software."

"And what did you talk about with Spider-Man?" Harry brought the topic back again. Ava growled slightly.

"The same stuff. He only came in to try on the suit and ask how it worked. That's all. And that's why I didn't mention it to either of you even when you kept asking me to take a side. I hardly know the guy. I . . . don't think that's enough to judge him."

Ava waited keenly for the others' responses, squeezing around a cluster of chatting students so she maintained her clear view.

"That's understandable, Pete," MJ began. "But—"

"But Spider-Man's actions are no secret," Harry finished for her. "That's how you're supposed to judge people, based on their actions and not their words."

MJ turned sharply to Harry. "Oh, so you do judge people based on their actions? I thought you must base your opinions on conspiracies and rumors only."

"Hey, don't make this about me right now. We're talking about Pete."

"No, we're not," Peter interrupted, perhaps a little too firmly. "You've apparently decided to talk about Spider-Man instead."

There was silence for a beat. At least, a silence on their end. Ava laughed softly at the irony of the statement.

"Sorry," Harry muttered quietly enough that Ava wondered if she had misheard him. "It's just . . . you're my best pal, Pete. We've been together through thick and thin. I want to know if you're with me now."

Ava glared at him. That was—

"That's a low blow, even for you, Mr. Osborn," MJ said, voicing Ava's thoughts. "We shouldn't need to agree with you about everything just so we can stay friends."

"I never said we couldn't stay friends. All I'm saying is that I finally found one thing I feel strongly about, and I want to know how my friends feel about it."

"Mhm," MJ hummed dubiously. "I don't want to agree with him on this, but maybe you should say something, Pete. You don't need to side with either of us, not after the Electro thing. But we do listen to your opinions. Plus, this might finally placate Harry."

"I don't need to be placated!"

"Then what are you pestering him about?!"

Okay, this was getting out of hand. They were starting to argue. It seemed like the point where Ava could intervene and Peter wouldn't mind. Too much, at least. She marched forward—

And stumbled as a large crash sounded from outside the front doors, loud enough to shake the building. Everyone else froze too. It sounded like a car crash, with metal groaning and glass shattering. Did someone crash into the school?

"Let's go see!" MJ exclaimed, one of the first to react as she rushed towards the doors.

"Wait!" Harry and Peter shouted after her. Ava followed all of them, blinking in the sudden sunlight when she got outside.

A few yards away, laid out directly at the bottom of the steps up to the front entrance, were the crumpled and mangled remnants of a car. Ava stared at it. It didn't look like the result of an ordinary accident. It looked more like the Hulk had gotten a hold of it.

"My car!" a strangled voice cried to her left. She glanced over to see Flash staring at the car too, mouth open in shock. "How did thishappen!"

The voice that replied was far deeper than Flash's high-pitched scream. "It's called karma, Flash. What goes around comes around."

Ava turned to the new voice, finding that she had to look up. Way up.

Was that a giant rhino standing on two legs? Why wasn't that even the strangest thing she had seen? The level of strangeness was unimportant anyway. She focused mainly on the large, sharp horn at the end of its nose.

Flash looked up at the rhino, looking like he was seconds away from wetting his pants. "Who are you?" he squeaked.

"I'm Rhino," the rhino supplied so helpfully. "Get ready for some payback."

Fun Facts:

-Spiders don't react well to caffeine (plants usually produce it specifically to keep pests away). For spiders, it makes them create less beautiful webs when under the influence of a cup of joe. Meanwhile, their webs are prettier after a dose of LSD. Spidey says don't do drugs though.

-I made the mistake of overthinking the effects of a super-powered metabolism (I took a few biochemistry classes, and I think I know everything). I came to the conclusion that a fast metabolism would actually make you more susceptible to the effects of certain foods. If it goes through your system faster, it affects you faster, right? Especially when it's the chemical results of metabolism that cause the problems. There's actually some scientific backing for this. For some people who metabolize alcohol too quickly, they experience a hangover quickly after only one drink. I believe it's called Flush Syndrome or something. So all these superheroes wouldn't be immune to alcohol. They would be more vulnerable to it. I know that's contrary to most comics and fan fiction, but I can't get it out of my head. Besides, it offers a whole new world of possibilities!