Chapter 13: Atlas Peril
Several weeks ago. The day Spider-Man arrived on Remnant…
The night sky twinkled with brightness over Remnant. The trees in the forest swayed quietly in the wind. But as the seconds flew by, the wind began to pick up, and the tree began to blow violently in the wind. A blue portal then opmed up in the sky, and a lone figure fell from it until…
THWIP!
The figure fired a web line onto a nearby tree and managed to break its fall. The portal then closed as the figure looked at its surroundings before gazing at Remnant's shattered moon. The only signs of emotion coming from it were the heavy panting, and white spider lenses that were wide with shock.
"Another Spider-Man?"
Blake stood in Peter's lab as she had a conversation with the hidden superhero. The latter was explaining what he found the other day when observing Beacon's security footage.
"Apparently so." Peter said to him with a shrug, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. show her the picture."
The AI then displayed the image from the camera, "This is the only image we were able to recover. Unfortunately, it is of extremely low quality, making it impossible to identify who it is."
"Well, who do you think it is Peter?" Blake asked him
"Honestly, I don't know. At first my money was on a fanboy." he answered, "I've run into some already in Vale. But now, I'm thinking this is something else. Whoever this is, hasn't even pinged on the scanners I installed across the city. Then I examined the webbing on our friend here…"
Peter then walked over to the damaged and deactivated body of Mach-IV. The gash from the US Agent's shield was ever-present on the chestplate.
"...Before it dissolved, I examined the web fluid on Mach-IV here." Peter continued, "The compounds that make up of it are moisture vapor, not the compounds I use to make my web fluid. My best theory is that our mystery spider used web-shooters that filter the moisture in the air to create web fluid."
"And how does that help us?" Blake asked, confused on what web fluid had to do with any of this
"Blake, whoever made this, is a genius." Peter explained, "Not some fanboy with a bottle of glue. You've seen what I can make; my suit, web-shooters, the hoverboard, F.R.I.D.A.Y. Whoever saved Jaune in the Forever Fall, is a smart and intelligent Spider-Man, and we don't know where his loyalty lies."
"Do you think Torchwick has anything to do with this?" Blake questioned him
"That brings me to my next thing. I don't think Torchwick is alone in this." Peter added, "I began searching through Mach-IV's memory core and programming. Unfortunately, whoever made him installed a kill-switch that deleted almost everything. But manage to pull a few names from some minor programming: White Fang, Torchwick, and 'the Doctor'."
"The Doctor?" Blake muttered only to get a message on her scroll, "Oh, I'm gonna be late for my class. See you later Peter."
"See ya." he replied as he watched her leave. He then left the room, allowing F.R.I.D.A.Y. to lock the lab for him. As he walked through Beacon's halls, he was soon joined by Ren.
"Hey Pete." he said to him
"Hey Ren." Peter replied, "How's Mr. Huntsmen/Superhero?"
"Doing fine, at least that's what Pyrrha's been telling us." Ren answered, "Balancing the life of a huntsmen and hero can be difficult. But if anyone can do it, Jaune can."
Peter chuckled a bit, "Yeah, has he spoken about Spider-Man?"
"A bit, though I'm pretty sure Spider-Man's heading to Atlas right about now."
This made Peter stop in his tracks, "Wait, what? Atlas? Why would Spider-Man go to Atlas?"
Ren raised an eyebrow, "You didn't hear? Someone attacked Atlas and Mantle last night. The Schnee Dust Company was robbed in the process and now some virus is going around the city. The military has the whole kingdom locked down."
"That's terrible!" Peter shouted, "The SDC…does Weiss know about this?"
Before Ren could respond, Weiss came running down the hall, bumping into Peter in the process. In her hand was a briefcase.
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there princess." Peter quipped
"Oh, sorry Pete." Weiss panted heavily, ignoring the quip he muttered, "I gotta get going."
"W-Wait!" Peter shouted, stopping Weiss in her tracks, "I heard about Atlas, I'm sorry."
"That's why I'm leaving now." Weiss explained, "My mother called me back. My sister…she's sick."
"You have a sister?" Peter questioned
"Yeah, Winter. She's a specialist in the Atlas Military, best of the best." Weiss explained, "To hear that she's sick is…alarming. She's always been the strongest person I know."
"What could've done this?" Peter muttered in disgust
"Ever since Spider-Man showed up in Vale, rumors have been spreading among the Atlas elite." Weiss revealed, "Some say the military created him, others say they're trying to recreate him or at least his powers."
That caught Peter's attention. He knew that his powers were special, and remembered what happened to some who tried to recreate them. Osborn, Connors, Venom, etc. Granted, there were some successful ones of course, such as Miles getting his own spider powers, and the creation Ben Riley.
But if Atlas was recreating his powers? What if they already did, and were somewhat successful? Could the new mysterious Spider-Man have a connection to all of this?
"Well…I should get going." Weiss announced, "Don't even know if I'll be coming back."
"Hey, you'll come back." Ren assured, "Your team needs you."
"Thanks Ren, see you Peter."
Weiss was now heading towards Beacon's docking area where bullheads arrived and departed carrying various passengers to and from Beacon and Vale. Instead of the normal bullhead or dropship, she was riding in one of the Schnee's elegant yachts. She frowned at the sight of it; her father had something to do with this obviously.
Unknown to her, Spider-Man was nearby watching her as she boarded the yacht. Once she boarded, Spider swung over and clung to its side, his Iron Spider backpack clung to his back.
"Are you sure about this Spidey?" Jaune asked him
"I'm sure, I have a feeling Atlas may have something to do with that new Spider-Man you saw." Spidey replied, "On top of that, Atlas needs all the help it can get. I'll only be gone a day or two. Think you can manage without me?"
"I'll give it my all." Jaune answered with confidence, "Good luck Spider-Man."
"Thanks, Jaune." said Spidey, "If you need anything, just call."
With that said, Spidey ended the call as the yacht flew off.
"Brrr….i-its c-c-cold…" Spidey shivered as he clung to the side of Weiss' yacht. It had been 2-3 hours since they departed Vale, and were close to Atlas itself. However, Spidey never thought of sneaking inside the yacht when it took off. So now it was freezing cold, as snow was falling from the sky.
"Mental note: pack a winter coat next time I go to Atlas." Spidey reminded himself, "It's up north after all. But I can fix that!"
Spidey then tapped his chest, and his backpack opened up. Red and gold armor plating covered his body until the entire Iron Spider armor encased him.
"There, nice and warm." Spidey sighed in relief and the heaters in his suit warmed him up, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. you online?"
Just then, F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in, "Boss, we're approaching Atlas."
Spidey then turned his head to see the Kingdom of Atlas. It was a massive metropolis, floating in the air yet anchored to the ground by a series of thick cables.
"Whoa…" Spidey muttered, "This place looks like an Apple store. Guess that means this is the only place stormtroopers can blend into."
Two other things then caught Spidey's eyes. First was the massive airfleet of the Atlas Military. Their airship hovered in the air as a show of force to the world, but now, they were simply on high alert; the kingdom was attacked after all. Patrol ships flew back and forth making sure nothing hostile was in the air. Lucky for Spidey, they weren't gonna notice him, he was too small to even ping their radar.
Then came the city of Mantle, just below Atlas. Spidey looked shocked at the state it was in; run-down, beat up, cramped, and crowded. It looked like Brooklyn and the Bronx mixed up in one, with a little flash of the Great Depression. On top of that, smoke was coming from the city.
"Yeesh, they really need to clean up the place." Spidey quipped before, "But enough sight-seeing for now. F.R.I.D.A.Y. I need you to hack into the Atlas network. We should be in range of their CCT network to do so."
"Understood, we're now in."
"Wow, that was fast." Spidey muttered, impressed
"You designed me to be fast Peter. I'm simply doing my job." the AI told him
"We need to find the head of authority in Atlas or something." Spidey began, "Someone who knows the situation entirely."
F.R.I.D.A.Y. began looking through the network until Peter heard a beeping sound, "I found someone: James Ironwood."
"Alright, who is James Ironwood?" Spidey asked curiously
"James Ironwood is the headmaster of the Atlas Academy and General of the Atlas Military." F.R.I.D.A.Y. explained as she showed Peter a picture of the man, "Due to this, he holds two seats on the Astlas Council. Some consider him to be one of the most powerful men in all of Remnant."
"Oh so he's like this world's version of Nick Fury." Spidey quipped, "Where is he now?"
"General Ironwood is currently at Alius Memorial Hospital in Atlas." the AI reported, "According to reports, he's currently visiting one of the hospital's patients; Winter Schnee."
"Schnee?" Spidey muttered, "That means Weiss is heading there now. But I wanna get there faster."
Spidey then jumped off the side of the yacht and flew off towards Atlas.
"Thanks for the ride fellas!"
Spidey quickly arrived over Atlas and landed on top of one of the city's buildings. He looked down at the streets as military vehicles and soldiers performed patrols, while medical tents filled recreational parks, as soldiers, nurses, and doctors were tending the ill. He then took off once more after looking for a second
"Damn…what could've done this?" Spidey muttered in disdain before landing in front of Alius Memorial Hospital's rooftop.
Spider-Man entered the rooftop's door that led into one of the buildings. Eventually he stopped at the third of five floors, he quickly noticed this floor was packed with a few Atlas soldiers patrolling the area. Since there were soldiers, this had to be the floor Ironwood was on.
"Looks like this is the place." Spidey stated, "But the last thing I want to do is get stuck arguing with the authorities."
Using the HUD in his armor, Spidey scanned the building's ventilation shaft, where he found a vent that led into the room he guards were protecting.
The room Winter Schnee was being held in for treatment would be considered a 'room of rooms' rather than just one. Three rooms to be exact. The first was considered the 'waiting room', where family and friends of the patient could sit and wait in utter comfort, several seats and even a sofa were located here along with a window overlooking the rest of the city. The second room was used for storage, ranging from medical supplies to extra chairs. Lastly was the medical room, where Winter laid on bed, donned in a medical gown, heaving in pain at the disease she contracted.
It was no brainer that the room was meant for people with more…money. All thanks to Jacques Schnee, who paid for the room rather than have his daughter treated by the military. And between you and me, Winter was the lucky one right now. Why? Because she was in a coma, and each of the rooms were soundproof.
"This is all your fault!" Jacques Schnee shouted in anger towards General Ironwood
"My fault!? Blame the people who stole from both Jacques!" Ironwood retorted
"My daughter was injured and infected by an unknown disease!" Jacques shot back, "If you didn't take her from me, she would be fine!"
"Winter chose to join the military! It was her choice, and hers alone!"
Sitting nearby listening to the two men were Willow and Whitley Schnee, Jacques' alcoholic wife and quiet suck up son. The two watched both men argue back and forth, with Whitley leaning against the wall, and Willow sitting on the sofa, a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
The two Schnees were pulled from their thoughts when they both heard something from inside the storage room. Whitley approached it until the door swung open and a man in a red metallic skin tight suit fell onto the floor, catching both Jacques and Ironwood's attention. The suit the man wore had big gold eyes and accents, along with a gold spider symbol that went around the torso.
"Ugh…mental note, no more ventilation shafts…ever." Spidey groaned as he got on his feet, "Why do I smell alcohol?"
Spidey then noticed the Schnees and Ironwood staring at him. He then noticed the alcohol in Willow's hands.
"Well here's the problem." Spidey said before firing a web at the bottle Willow had and pulled back to him, "Alcohol is for the patient only, and it's bad for you anyway."
He then tossed the bottle into a nearby garbage can as he approached Jacques and Ironwood, the latter was fuming as he noticed the suit the hero was wearing.
Jacques stormed over to the door and banged on, "Guards we have an intruder!"
"Jacques, what are you doing!?" Ironwood shouted in disbelief before two Atlas guard stormed in, both looking at the elder Schnee
"Sir what's wrong!?"
"Get that animal out of here at ONCE!" Jacques cried out
"Delay that order!" Ironwood barked out, to which the soldiers compiled. Ironwood then turned back to Spider-Man.
"So, you're Spider-Man?" he asked curiously
"The one and only." Spidey replied, "I'm guessing your Ironwood?"
"I am, and I never thought I would meet you in person so soon." Ironwood replied as they shook hands
"So soon?" Spidey muttered, "What does that mean?"
"I was heading to Vale in the coming months for the Vytal Festival." the general explained, "That would make it more possible to actually see you. I've heard about your actions in Vale. But how did you get here?"
"Oh, I stowed away on a ship heading towards here." Spidey replied, "Would've used the armor here, but I had no idea where I was going."
"Why are you here?" Ironwood then asked, "I thought Vale was your area of work?"
Spidey then shrugged, "What? I guy can't go out of his way to help Atlas?"
"Help Atlas!?" Jacques practically spat out, "Why would a Faunus want to help? And makes you think we'll let you help!?"
Spidey then looked at him, "...Who the heck are you?"
Jacques' eye twitched as he fumed in anger, "Bah-Bah-W-Why you! I am Jacques Schnee! Do you have any idea what I could do to you!?"
"Uh, give me a migraine?" Spidey quipped, "Oh wait, Schnee? I know a Schnee! Her name's Weiss!"
"Y-You know my daughter!?" Jacques cried out
Spidey nodded casually, "Yeah I have…I'm starting to see where all that anger comes from."
Jacques growled and fumed at the same time as Spidey turned to face Ironwood, "But enough about that, General, what do ya say? A little superhero help wouldn't hurt?"
Ironwood looked away for a second before looking at Jacques, "Don't do this James…" the Schnee warned him. But Ironwood was in a bit of a pickle. This disease was spreading fast, and he heard of Spider-Man's abilities, but not his mind. His intelligence was an enigma to the General, however the suit he wore meant he had to be brilliant. He still didn't know why he was here, yet he was. Someone who went out of his way just to come and help.
"Alright Spider-Man." Ironwood said as he turned back to the young hero, "We could use the extra help."
"Yes!" Spidey muttered as he pumped his fist, "Ok, so, what are we dealing with? What happened exactly?"
"That's none of your concern, boy!" Jacques shouted as he stormed in front of him, but Ironwood pushed him aside.
"We were testing our new fusion reactor." the general stated, shocking Jacques
Spidey looked at him funny, "Fusion Reactor?"
"Yes, it was a joint experiment between the military and the SDC." Ironwood explained, "The project was to create a new dust power source capable of self sustaining clean energy. To top it all off: we were going to give it to the people of Mantle, in order to close the gap between the two cities, and fix the hole in the defensive walls."
"Good intentions all around." Spidey muttered, "Not bad. I'm guessing this all went down hill?"
Ironwood folded his arms behind his back, "The facility which we were running tests on the reactor was attacked. We don't know who or what it was, but it was fast. Had a group of foot soldiers to back him up, all of them wore black armor of some kind. They stole the reactor's core and destroyed all the schematics…"
Ironwood walked over to a window overlooking all of Mantle, "Then…they deployed a bomb, some sort of bioweapon. It contained the very disease that's infecting everyone. Now, the people are blaming us, and the divide is only getting worse. Look, I don't care about my reputation Spider-Man, my only concern now is the people. They come first before anything else."
"Right right right, people first. Then can we find who stole my reactor?!" Jacques shouted
"It's our reactor Jacques." Ironwood corrected
"We should start by inspecting someone who's been infected with the disease." Spidey suggested, "Have any suggestions?"
Both Spidey and Ironwood turned to face the room holding Winter, the perfect person to examine. Jacques on the other hand…
"NO! I will not allow some immature rapsillian to save my daughter!"
"It's the only choice we have Jacques!" Ironwood retorted, "People are dying!
Jacques looked like his head was about to burst, but he sighed in anger and defeat before both Ironwood and Spider-Man entered Winter's room. The doctor examining her was a 19 year-old boy with black hair and brown eyes. He was surprised to see the General enter alongside Spider-Man.
"Doctor, we need a sample of Specialist Schnee's DNA at once." Ironwood ordered
"Of course General." the doctor replied before handing over a test tube filled with blood, "This is the latest sample of Specialist Schnee's blood. We've tried everything, but we can't find a clue towards a cure."
Ironwood gestured over to Spidey, "Give it to Spider-Man, he'll find something."
The doctor handed Spidey the sample. Using his armor, Spidey scanned the sample.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. give an in-depth analysis of Winter's blood." Spidey said to his AI
"Yes Boss." the AI answered out loud
"What was that?" Ironwood asked, "Who're you talking to?"
"That was F.R.I.D.A.Y. my AI." Spidey answered, "She assists me in creating and maintaining all my tech."
Ironwood looked at the kid impressed, "Interesting. But why name it after a day in the week?"
"I am a 'her', General." the AI said to him, "And my name is an acronym. It stands for 'Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth'."
"And who doesn't love Friday?" Spidey added, "Anyway, how are we looking?"
"Anomaly detected." F.R.I.D.A.Y. stated before Spidey opened his palm; a hologram of the blood sample emitted from the Iron Spider's repulsor, "Traces of the virus discovered."
"That looks like DNA." the doctor muttered, "Highly modified though."
"Nothing I've ever seen before." Ironwood added
Spidey narrowed his eyes as he examined the sample, "Is that…No no no it can't be…"
"What's wrong Spider-Man?" Ironwood asked.
"Nothing." Spidey replied, "So you're sure you don't know who attacked Mantle?" Spider-Man asked suspiciously
"I am." Ironwood answered truthfully, "Hell, I wasn't even there. I was back at the Academy overseeing preparations for the Vytal Festival. All eyewitnesses were either killed by the attacker or succumbed to the virus. Winter is the only one left, but she could go anytime soon."
"Ok…I can come up with something…" Spidey declared as the Iron Spider armor transformed into its backpack form, "I'm gonna need you to clear the room though."
"Very well, we'll let you work." said Ironwood before he and the doctor left the room.
An hour had passed since Spidey began working on a cure. Everyone either stood or sat in silence. All except for Jacques, who was pacing back and forth impatient. They were also joined by Weiss, who was informed of Spidey's presence.
"He's been in there a long time." Whitely muttered, "Should we check on him?"
"No, let him work, he'll find something." Weiss chimed in, "I know he will."
"Bah!" Jacques spat out, "Of course…You've met that animal during your time in Vale. Perhaps I should make sure you stay away from him and keep you home."
"Spider-Man saved Vale!" Weiss retorted, "I helped him stop Molten Man!"
"And inadvertently destroyed one of my company's dust silos!" Jacques sneered, "Perhaps it's not just Spider-Man I should worry about."
The sound of the door to Winter's room opening caught everyone's attention, as Spidey walked out, a syringe was in his hands.
"Hey Weiss…" he muttered
Weiss waved awkwardly at him, as both Whitley and Jacques glared at he, "Hey…Spider-Man, is that the cure?"
Spidey examined it as he spoke, "I hope."
"Then we should begin right away." the doctor suggested, but stopped abruptly when Spidey raised his hand.
"Not yet." he stated, "First, I need some answers."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, "You solved the problem, Winter and all of Mantle can be saved."
"Yeah…" Spidey muttered as he stared at Jacques and Ironwood, "Remember that DNA we found in Winter's blood sample?"
"What about it?" Ironwood asked
Spidey didn't budge one bit, "The sample contained traces of altered DNA. My DNA, General."
Ironwood looked surprised, "Yours? But how?"
"Did you have something to do with this!?" Jacques shouted
"A while ago, I encountered a highly advanced droid calling itself Mach-IV." Spidey explained rather darkly, "We had a sprawl over Vale, he managed to puncture my suit, leaving a small cut in the process."
"So you assume that Mach-IV was one behind the attack?" Ironwood questioned
"But Mach-IV is dead." Weiss stated, "He was killed by the US Agent. However, he is a robot, so he probably made backups of himself.
"Its possible…" Spidey muttered, "However…this does bring me to the second reason why I came to Vale…"
Spider-Man was now looking straight at Ironwood, the lenses on his suit narrowed even further, "Prior to Mach-IV's death, there was someone who saved the US Agent before he ended him. Another Spider-Man…"
Weiss looked surprised, "Wait, there's another Spider-Man? I thought that was you in the Forever Fall!
"It wasn't me at all." Spidey said to him, "And I have no idea who it is. But I have several theories. So a new Spider-Man shows up out of nowhere, add on the fact that a bioweapon containing my DNA was deployed on innocent people. So I'm gonna ask you this once General…"
Spidey was not dead in his face, "Are you or are you not trying to recreate my powers?"
Ironwood stared back for a minute or so before shaking his head, and with an honest face he said, "No, Atlas is not trying to recreate your powers. Then again, I don't know why someone would. Your powers are just your semblance, which cannot be recreated."
"It's not my semblance." Spidey stated, "My DNA was altered by a genetically-altered spider that bit me."
"If your DNA did this…" Jacques muttered, "I could propose a test of your blood-"
"No!" Spidey shouted, causing everyone to stumble back a bit by the outburst of anger. Spidey then got in Jacques' face, "That's not gonna happen!"
"Why not!?" Jacques retorted, "A child such as you shouldn't possess such abilities then!"
No one expected to see Spider-Man grab Jacques by the front of his jacket and slam him into the wall. Pools of sweat fell from the Schnee's forehead and temples. His eyes darted around for help, showing everyone the coward, he really was.
Spider-Man on the other hand, was giving off an aura of anger. The lenses on his mask narrowed further than many thought they could. Both his breath and grip on Jacques shook ever so slightly.
"You…" Spidey sneered, "You think these powers are a tool? They're not! They're a curse! A curse I have had to live with! Four years, I've been Spider-Man…I lost everything! I…"
Spidey let Jacques go as he stepped back, fuming. Jacques quickly got his breath as Spidey continued, "I am the hero with no purpose…and I won't let anyone carry my burden…I won't let anyone carry my curse…"
Spidey then turned to Ironwood, the General's face remained stoic as ever as the hero held up the cure, "Just this once…I'll let you use my blood. Afterwards, I want it destroyed, all of it. Understood? And don't Jacques get any of the credit…"
With that, Spidey went back into Winter's room, leaving everyone in silence. They thought Spider-Man was nothing more than a good man who went out of his way to help others. In reality, he was a broken man who still helped others, but felt nothing but the pain of being what he was. He really was a hero with no purpose.
The cure Spider-Man developed proved successful, as Winter Schnee was back to full health. Ironwood and the Atlas Military worked to redistribute the cure all over Mantle and Atlas, the latter including out of fear of the disease spreading. All in all, the city was saved.
Ironwood was now standing outside of the hospital as he was being interviewed by the media.
"General!" one reporter shouted, "Was the disease created by the Atlas Military!?"
"No, it was not." Ironwood said calmly, "We are unable to identify who or what attacked Atlas, but an investigation is underway as we speak."
The reaction was another chorus of questions, which Ironwood calmly answered
"...As for the cure, we had some additional help. Not from the Schnee Dust Company, but from an outsider."
"Who was it?"
"...Spider-Man…"
Spidey sat on the rooftop of the hospital as he looked off towards the city. He could tell people were happy that it was all over, even though he felt pain inside, knowing people weren't in danger brought a sense of warmth to him, even if it felt like a little.
He heard both Ironwood and the doctor approach him from behind.
"...I heard your interview from up here." he said to the General, "Could've kept me out of it, but good nonetheless."
"I had the cure destroyed, along with your blood sample." Ironwood stated, "Once we were all done of course."
Spidey nodded, "Good. Sorry you had to see that outburst."
"It's alright Spidey." the doctor assured him
"Thanks…uh didn't get the name…"
"Oh, Cho." the doctor introduced himself, "Amadeus Cho."
"Little young for a doctor…" Spidey muttered while impressed
"Youngest in Atlas." Cho chuckled, "So…there's actually another Spider-Man out there."
Spidey shrugged, "Apparently so…but there's something bigger going on than people believe. Mach-IV, the White Fang, it's all connected somehow. The Doctor, he's behind all of this, now he's taking his work international, and Atlas was first."
"You have Atlas and Mantle's back." Ironwood said to him as they shook hands, "Good luck out there Spider-Man."
"You to General." Spidey replied before donning the Iron Spider armor, "I'll call if I need anything."
With that, Spidey flew off back towards Vale. Leaving impresses Ironwood and Cho.
"I gotta get used to seeing that…" Cho muttered in amusement
"Good luck…" Ironwood muttered quietly, "Peter…"
"SO SPIDER-MAN WAS ACTUALLY THERE!?"
RWBY and JNPR were sitting in the cafeteria as they ate lunch. Weiss was telling them that Spider-Man showed up in Atlas to help in curing the disease that infected all of Mantle.
"I still can't believe you are in charge of the city." Weiss laughed at bit, referring to Jaune
"Hey I handled myself." Jaune retorted in a smirk, "Besides Spidey said I did great!"
Weiss then shifted a bit in her seat before continuing, "But…I found out something…about Spider-Man."
"What was it?" Nora asked
"He…carries a burden." Weiss explained, "He called his powers a curse…that's he's a hero with no purpose."
"No purpose?" Yang muttered, "What does he mean?"
"He said he's been Spider-Man for four years." Weiss added, "Which is odd because he only showed up in Vale prior to the semester starting."
"Maybe he worked outside the kingdoms?" Blake guessed, obviously lying…about what knew little of
Weiss shrugged, "Perhaps."
Peter then arrived and sat down next to Weiss, "Hey guys!"
"Oh look who it is!" Yang declared, "Where have you been Science Guy?"
"Oz needed help with something." Peter replied, "Heard about Atlas, Spider-Man was there."
"I bet you wish you got pictures?" Weiss snorted
"As a matter of fact, I did." Peter answer as he showed pics of Spidr-Man at Alius Memorial Hospital with General Ironwood, "A friend up in Atlas sent them to me, said I could send them to VNN."
"Nice!" Nora cried, "Can I have one!"
"Maybe." Peter said to her, "After I send these to the press."
Jaune then decided to speak up again, "Oh, you guys wanna hear another story of the US Agent?"
"I'm listening…" Ruby answered as were everyone else
Jaune looked around to see if anyone was watching before leaning in and talked quietly, "I was out on patrol last night, when I saw it."
"What?" Pyrrha asked
"The mysterious Spider-Man…" Jaune answered, which quickly got Peter's attention quickly, "I got a picture too, I plan on showing it to Spider-Man tonight so please keep this a secret."
Jaune took out his scroll and showed them the image. It was a little fuzzy, but not like the one Peter had gotten from the Forever Fall's security cameras. Clinging to the side of a building in Vale was the mysterious Spider-Man, ready to swing off. It was easy to tell that Jaune had only mere seconds to take the photo, as it was hard to tell who it was, but the color of the figure's suit was easy. It wasn't gray like the photo in the Forever Fall…
It was white.
"You sure it's not just Spidey pulling a prank on you?" Yang asked him, "He seems like the kinda guy to do such a thing."
Jaune shrugged, "I don't know, but regardless or not, Spider-Man wants to know who it is. Whether it is a test or a prank."
"You should come up with a better name though." Ren spoke up, "To differentiate him from Spider-Man."
"Alright then…" Jaune agreed with his teammate, "What should I call him?"
"Spider-Man 2!" Nora suggested, which was shot down almost immediately
"Kid Arachnid?" Yang muttered, still no
"Spy-D?" Ruby added her two cents, also no
"Hold on." Pyrrha butted in, "What if its a girl? Then how about Spider-Girl?"
"Or Spider-Woman." Blake added
Weiss then joined in, "Let me see the picture."
Jaune showed the picture as both Peter and Weiss looked at.
"I don't know." Weiss muttered, "It doesn't look like a spider, it almost looks like a-"
"Ghost…" Peter muttered, which got everyone's attention, "Ghost…Spider…"
"Ghost-Spider…" Jaune let the name roll off his tongue, "Hey, I like it! Seems perfect for someone like this."
"I guess we're all in agreement then." Pyrrha said, as everyone nodded
Jaune then announced that he would tell Spidey that they all helped him, which got everyone excited. Though they were unaware that Spider-Man was actually amongst them.
Later that night, Peter took the photo Jaune acquired and gave to him of the now named Ghost-Spider and pinned it on a wall next to the old photo he got the other day. Clad in his Spider-Man suit, Peter stared at the picture with hardened eyes.
"Alright Ghost-Spider…" he said before donning his mask, "Make your move…"