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Onto the next chapter!
"Ugh," Nova shivered "I hate dealing with Jameson, he's crazier than Loki,"
"And that's saying something," Luke muttered with a slight smirk.
"Seriously," White Tiger growled "what possessed you to total his limo in the first place?"
"Web-head said that he put a tracer on the guy!" Nova defended "I was just following the signal!"
"That is why I believe the saying goes, 'look before you leap'," Iron fist threw in with his usual monotone.
"Huh?"
"Didn't it occur to you that the villain might not be cruising around in a limo?" Power-man scoffed.
"We've seen weirder," Nova shrugged.
"Touche," Spider-man nodded "however a little common sense goes a long way,"
"Meaning?" Sam queried.
"Meaning that you use your head and analyze the situation before wrecking fortune five-hundred limos!" Ava bellowed.
"What she said, oh, and thanks by the way," Spider-man pouted in Nova's direction "I just loved being thrown under the bus back there with Jameson."
"What do you mean by bus, when was there was a bus?"
The group all sweat dropped at Nova's question, "You spent way too much time around Drax," White Tiger deadpanned.
"What does Drax have to do with anything?!" Nova continued his face blank with confusion.
The team groaned in unison "It was a metaphor with the intent that you forced Spider-man into an uncomfortable situation he initially had no part in," Danny smirked.
"Oh!" Nova's face brightened in realization before it darkened again "Hey, it's not my fault he's the leader, should have thought about that when he joined the team."
White Tiger face palmed violently, as if they needed to remind the spider that he had actually dissolved the team after Nova's departure. Now the fuse had been lit and there was no escaping the inevitable fireworks "For your information," Spider-man quipped "you know very well that Fury forced me into becoming your leader, I told him no, in multiple languages no less! However I agreed after seeing how badly you needed my street smarts, something that you clearly still lack if you are going around totaling random cars without considering that the tracer was discovered and ditched by the villain!"
"It's not like you specified what you put the tracer on," Nova snarled pausing in midair making the team come to a stop on a rooftop.
"This is where common sense comes in," Spidey hissed "because quite frankly, WHO goes into NEW YORK on a CRIME SPREE in a LIMO?! Wouldn't that be the exact opposite of inconspicuous?!"
"Not that the guy really cared about being conspicuous," Ava muttered off to the side.
"I would greatly appreciate the peanut gallery to can it for the moment," Spider-man snapped before turning back to Nova "look I get you're angry at me, and I'm willing to look over your mistake especially considering it was Jameson and that jerk has had it coming for so long but I do take offense to the fact that after everything we've been through you still see me as joke!"
Spider-man heaved, his shoulders pumping, he felt his world tilting but there was no stopping the waterfall of words escaping his mouth "I've been trying to be a good leader, in spite of losing so many things I care about, I tried to be the Ultimate Spider-man for you! Fine, maybe you're right, maybe what I teach you is useless, maybe I'm just a worthless bug trying to do the impossible, but regardless I would appreciate it if I wasn't constantly the source of your punch lines!"
Peter gave a heavy swallow, his face a grimace under the mask when he noted the way his voice cracked and the telltale bulge in the back of his throat that barely held back a sob. He was so tired. So tired of being underestimated and generally swept aside. No one took him seriously, much less respected him as team leader, and the spider couldn't help the nagging feeling that no matter how hard he worked it would never be good enough. He would always be scrawny, orphan Peter Parker the man responsible for the death of his uncle and poison to all those around him.
"You know what," Spider-man finally choked out in a strangled whisper "forget it. I'll take this guy down on my own, you guys just go. I'm done being a joke to you."
"Spidey," White Tiger called out "don't do this, you're just angry right now, that's all."
The spider turned towards his city, a bitter scoff slipping through the mask at her words "If that is what it is, then I've been angry a long time."
Peter didn't allow anyone else time to speak, didn't have the energy to endure another argument, he just leapt off the building and surged forward toward the bank where Fury said their latest playmate was currently holed up. The team stood in shock each struggling to process the sudden departure of their leader.
"We should follow him," Danny finally murmured "he could get hurt in his condition."
"Psh," Nova snorted "let him be an antisocial moron, wait…His condition?"
Suddenly the boy whirled around to face his teammates "You knew?"
"Knew what?" Luke asked genuinely confused.
"About Spidey being weaker!" Nova shouted his fury mounting with every passing second "You knew that he isn't getting better at all, but that his body is getting worse?"
"It was a suspicion," Danny returned "Ava and I had no evidence to prove our theory, only the sinking feeling that something was very wrong."
Nova stepped back, his anger deflating slightly as he remembered that he too had kept his suspicions secret due to them being just that. "So what do we do?"
"Well the first thing we do is agree not to do anything to set Spidey off like that anymore," White Tiger snapped casting sharp eyes at the young guardian "knowing Peter he's probably already stressed out enough as it is just trying to stay strong in front of us, he doesn't need us making it harder for him."
"Yeah, well we wouldn't be in this predicament if he didn't always try to do that," Nova spat back "would it kill him to lean on us just a little bit? We know he's not invincible, he doesn't have to shrug off every injury and pretend that our battles don't phase him."
"Look, it bugs me too, but it's how Peter copes and it's unlikely to change any time soon," Ava shot back "so we support him the best we can until he feels ready to tell us in his own time about what's going on."
"Fine," Nova huffed.
"That's all well and good," Power-man broke in "but would someone please tell me exactly what is going on?"
The trio faced their tallest member, each giving the other varied looks of guilt at not letting him into their secret theory "We believe that the spider is growing weaker, that he may have retained more internal damage from the radiation poisoning than he is willing to say."
"But…" Luke scrambled his mind blown with the revelation and concern causing his chest to clench in icy fear "my parents checked him, Dr. Connors double checked him, they said he was fine!"
"After having a lengthy discussion with Peter all alone in their office, he very easily could have told them not to say anything." White Tiger surmised.
"They would never agree to that," Luke stated with a fierce shake of his head.
"They work for Fury," Danny deflected in his calm voice "the very man who keeps secrets for a living, I do not think it would be out of the realm of belief that they would hold back information due to varying circumstances."
"Such as?" Power-man demanded.
"Maybe they wanted to study it more closely and see if it dissipates on its own?" Ava suggested, "Maybe they're looking for a cure right now and outside interference would only delay their progress?"
"Or maybe they're not even aware," Nova growled "because maybe this only started recently and since Peter always insists he's fine and the last round of tests he agreed to said he was right no one is arguing with him,"
The team fell silent at that option, their features dark with concern until White tiger gave her head a shake "Sitting here depressed isn't going to change anything, and us chasing him away by being mad over him being himself isn't going to help either."
"I agree," Iron fist said with a firm nod "Peter needs us now more than ever, we should confront him with our suspicions, but gently. Let him know we're concerned but not make him feel trapped."
"Yeah," Luke chuckled "gotta love Spidey's high octane fight or flight instinct. That alone makes him run away from an unwanted conversation faster than Nova can hoover down a sandwich."
"Hey!"
"At any rate," White Tiger stepped between Nova and Power-man before another fight erupted "we should haul butt to the bank, by now I'm sure Spidey probably needs our help and we can't let him get squished, agreed?"
"Agreed," came the unanimous response.
"Good," Tiger nodded her head "let's go,"
….
Spider-man swung towards the bank, his jaw clenched as he fought against the nausea worming its way through his stomach. He played it off as his recent sickness, but he had to admit that the majority of it came from guilt over losing it on his friends. They had been his mainstay over the past three months, never leaving his side and ensuring that he was always taken care of. They had been amazing friends, and Peter felt horrible for yelling at them. They didn't ask to be babysitting a half-dead spider. They didn't deserve being led by a loser like him.
A red clad fist clutched his stomach as it gave a spasm, making the hero grunt in pain. He didn't have time to be struggling with his current problem, there was a madman on the loose and he needed to be stopped. Swinging a sharp right, the teen finally saw his destination, and his keen eyesight showed him the very person he was after walking out of the front door. Peter grinned underneath his mask "You're new around here," he called jovially "I can tell y'know, because you still have that new bad guy smell."
The bad guy in question merely smirked, raising his guns and blasted two shots at the hero, Spidey scoffed "You really are new, aren't you? Don't you even know who I am?!"
The Spider flipped over the bullets, a satisfied smirk on his face "I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-man, I laugh at bullets."
"That's interesting," the villain chuckled "because these bullets, they laugh back."
Peter winced as his spider sense screamed through his skull forcing him to whirl around just in time to see the bullets pull a neat U-turn and speed towards him once again, Spider-man had just enough time to release a strangled squawk as he dove behind the villain "You've got to be kidding me?!"
"That won't work kid," the villain was surprisingly calm for someone who had bullets coming his direction "because once my bullets are locked on, they'll avoid any other person just to get to you."
With a yip, Peter dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullets, and leaping over a car to pelt down the street. Swinging through the city in a furious pace, ducking behind garbage can and billboard alike, but the hunks of metal following him were undaunted merely plowing through each obstacle in their pursuit. The villain below merely laughed "That should keep him entertained for a while?"
"What should?"
The man turned to see a young woman in a white suit, adorned with tiger stripes, standing behind him her clenched fists on her hips. The man raised an eyebrow "And you are?"
"White Tiger," the girl quipped "and while we're doing introductions, what's your moniker?"
The villain pursed his lips in careful thought before a grin split his face "Call me, Tracer,"
"Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"Is it?" Tracer asked "I'm still trying to figure out how you lot got that thing on me, luckily though Jameson and his obnoxious limo was passing by so I thought the grumpy jerk deserved a little extra special love."
"I'm sure he appreciates your efforts, I think you owe him a new car." White Tiger snickered.
"Me?" Tracer gestured to himself, his features going blank innocently "I never touched his car."
"Touché," Tiger shrugged "but you are touching that stolen bag of money."
"Ah, this? Yes, I am touching this."
"I can't assume that you're going to hand that over and just turn yourself in, can I?"
"What kind of respectable bank robber would I be if I did that?" Tracer sniffed.
"Once again, touché," White Tiger nodded "ok, let's get this over with."
"Are you sure you want to be attending to me?" Tracer queried bending his knees preparing to run "Don't you want to go help your friend, I'm afraid he may be in over his head."
"Don't worry he's got backup."
…
Spider-man leapt over a Daily Bugle billboard demanding his immediate arrest, wincing as the bullets flew right through the picture "This is really bad," the teen muttered as he flung himself off the roof of a building "somebody HELP!"
Sorry for the length of time it took to update, holidays, crazy family drama, etc. etc. etc.
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