I apologize for taking so long with this, but I'm not even close to being finished with the story.
Rest in Power, Kevin Conroy. You will always be the best voice of Batman...
I was really upset about "Thor: Love & Thunder". I mean, they brought back Natalie Portman...just to kill her off! Now, not only regarding the movie, but also the comics: if the power from Mjolnir could cure all ailments, then how can you justify it getting rid of Jane's chemo-therapy, but not the cancer? And don't try to argue medical science, because these stories take place in a universe with aliens, magic, and all these cosmic beings. So you can't really argue logic. Also, the being Eternity doesn't just grant a wish to the first person that finds him; he grants a wish to ANYONE who finds him! Once again; the writers change things just for their convenience. In the comics, Jane dies (Briefly), then Thor and Odin revive her with the power of a storm (Don't Ask) that's inside Mjolnir.
But anyway, in my storyline, Jane lives.
Also, some jerk not only left a comment on my story, but also messaged me personally, saying "It just feels like you don't want peter to suffer consequences cause like it's Perfect for MCU Peter's arc to realize he can't have everything and that the people closest to him are always gonna be in danger especially if they know who he has like his entire trilogy was about consequences. Also I don't think you get spider-man if you think it's selfish for Peter not wanting his loved ones in danger"
Well this guy is very much, A TROLL! And they aren't even a writer, so what does that tell ya?
Peter's identity being outed by Mysterio wasn't consequences; it was the lowest sore-loser move someone could make by ruining someone's life. Also, before the memory wipe spell was cast, Peter promised MJ and Ned that he would find them and make them remember. He broke that promise thinking they'd be safer without him. REALITY CHECK; in the world that they live in, where there's aliens, enhanced soldiers, wizards, demons, and even cosmic forces of the universe; there's ALWAYS gonna be danger. Wouldn't it be safer to have a superhero on speed-dial in case they need him? He had no right to THAT big a decision for them. Plus, as important as Peter was to them; they're gonna feel like something/someone is missing. Also, if Doctor Strange is supposed to best sorcerer in the world, why did the nervous ramblings of a teenager distract him? And why didn't he tell Peter the full ramifications of what the spell entailed before he even started?! Again, the writers changed things just for convenience.
Couple fanfics that happen after NWH...
MJ remembered, was really mad at Peter for breaking his promise, and he said he didn't want her to get hurt. She laughed mockingly and said, "Well guess what Peter, I'm hurt...!"
Another is he gets a lecture from Aunt May's spirit. She said, "Are you gonna be the kind of person that breaks his promises? I raised you better than that, and did not raise a liar."
AND, here's a quote from "Spider-Man: Home Rebuilt"...
"Unless you were the one who put them in a situation that forced their hand, you can't hold yourself responsible for other people's decisions."
"But I did put them in that position," Peter said. "I let them in."
"Yeah, exactly," Kitty agreed. "You LET them in. You didn't force them in. You didn't force them to stay. You opened up to them and showed them what your life is like. They could have distanced themselves from you and decide they didn't want to be a part of any of that, but they didn't. They decided that being close to you was worth it."
And for the record, I do know how Spider-Man seems to work, and I've always hated! But it's okay to change up the formula of the status quo of things. Especially if you're writing Fanfiction. And at the end of the day, THAT'S WHAT FANFICTION IS ALL ABOUT! As said in the divisive finale of "She-Hulk"; one of those writers said "There are certain things that are supposed to happen in a superhero story." But she argued "Why don't we just do things our own way?" I was like "PREACH JEN!"
These websites are for people to share their creativity in what ever way they want. If you don't agree with our opinion or how we feel, then DON'T read our stories! But don't just click on our stories just to trash us!
*whew* Now that that's out of the way, hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Heads up though; this one's gonna be pretty dark, with elements from "Arrow" and "The Batman"(2022) thrown in.
I own nothing from Marvel and Spider-Man. Also, I own none of the images used, except the one at the end
Chapter 9: Sinner's Punishment
Halloween; what a lot of New Yorkers thought was every costume vigilante's favorite holiday. None of them had ever answered, not even Batman, who'd once had one of the Longest Halloweens ever. (1)
It was one of those years where pretty much everyone dressed up as who they wanted...and just like last almost every year since Spidey began to his superhero career, some of the citizens were dressing up as him. It was certainly flattering. Some dressed as the Avengers, past and present. But what really surprised Peter was people dressing up like his enemies. He saw one kid dressed up as Rhino, and another dressed up as Electro. But as long as it wasn't the real villains, he didn't mind.
Now that he thought about it; the incident with Morbius and Blade was very close to Halloween themed. I mean, vampires? That was about as Halloween as anything could get.
Upon request from MJ, Peter had gotten her a lot of candy. It was all because of her cravings. She did at least share with him, since she wasn't a selfish person.
At the moment, they were watching Harry Potter 3, while also asking each other Harry Potter related questions. Like, what house would they be in, what's their Patronus, what's their animal companion, and other things. MJ was a Ravenclaw, Peter was a Hufflepuff. MJ's Patronus was a fox and Peter's was a lynx.
As Peter at a Kit-Kat, he revealed that he'd also found a pack of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, just for the occasion!
While delighted, MJ was also hesitant to try because of the randomness of the flavors. Peter decided that if she ever ate a gross flavor, he'd eat two times as many of the same flavor so she wouldn't feel alone.
MJ took a bright red one, "Hmm, I'd wager this is a fruity one." She then popped it into her mouth. After a few second, she hummed in confirmation, "Yep, cherry."
Peter took a blue one, "Mmm, blueberry."
Soon, MJ took another one...only to grimace,
"Earwax...!"
Peter looked apologetic and did what he silently promised, but then he almost gagged. "I got farm dirt...!"
MJ winced and put the bag on the table, "Okay, enough of those!"
"Agreed!" Both of their phones dinged just before Peter's rang. "Hello?"
"Take a look at the link I just sent you," Ned's voice told him, and he sounded serious. "This came up on every screen with an IP address in the city."
Peter did as he was told and checked out the link that Ned texted him.
There was a video of a man in a dark room with light shining on his face. The man looked beaten-up and scared, with duck-tape over his mouth.
"For anyone who lives in Hell's Kitchen, you know who this man is," A deep voice spoke from whoever was holding the camera. "Joseph Nickel. He owns your tenements, manages your slums, provides the leaking roofs over your heads. The lead in your pipes, the asbestos in your walls. Basically, he makes money off of your suffering. But the police don't care about that, they care about the serious crimes. They let you down, but I won't. So, Joseph, tell me why you shouldn't be punished?"
The guy behind the camera ripped the duck-tape off, and Joseph breathed heavily, "I knew there was bad stuff in my buildings... Okay, yes; I made a little profit! But at least they had places to live. Without me, people like that would be back on the street."
"'People like that'?!" The guy behind the camera questioned before covering his mouth with the duck-tape again, then punched him. "That's all you are to guys like him! That makes you...a sinner. And you know what happens to sinners..."
The camera backed away from Joseph, then he was shot!
"NO!" Peter shouted while MJ gasped.
"There are plenty more who need to pay for their sins. Who's next?" The guy on the camera asked. "Until then, I am...Sin-Eater."
Then the video ended.
"Jesus...!" MJ muttered.
"This guy's been making headway for a couple days," Ned said. "But get this; this was the first of his kills that he publicized."
"He said something about sinners," Peter noted. "What's that about?"
"Not sure, yet," Ned answered.
"Plus, is he talking about criminals, or something else entirely?" MJ suggested.
"I have to find this guy, quick," Peter said.
"Well, looks like we got a first lead," Ned stated. "Police-chatter just reported a new crime scene with a similar M-O. ...Oh God..."
"Ned?" Peter asked, worried.
"...The victim was the mayor," Ned told them.
"...What...?!" Peter whispered in horror, before his phone received a text, from Captain Stacy, asking him to meet him at the crime scene.
"...I gotta go," said Peter to MJ, who nodded her head in understanding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Peter arrived at the crime scene, Yuri Watanabe was waiting outside for him.
Knowing how serious the situation was, he didn't even try to use humor, "Yuri, why exactly was I called here?"
"Because the killer left a message for you," she answered, then led him inside, telling any of the skeptical officers to let him pass.
The mayor was left sitting in a chair, his head wrapped in duck-tape, with the word "SINNER" written on the front. There was also a brown paper bag on his left hand.
"Blunt force trauma, lacerations on the head," Yuri explained the cause of death. "He got hit a lot of times, hard."
"Is all this blood from his head?" Spidey asked.
"No," Captain Stacy answered. "Most of it is from his hand."
He removed the brown paper bag to reveal that the thumb on the left hand had been cut off.
"Oh, god...!" Spidey gagged as he backed away.
"He was still alive when it was cut off," One of the CSIs stated. "Ecchymosis around the wound confirms it."
Spidey looked around the room, filled with newspaper headlines of Mayor Hill's crowning achievements, but they all had the word "LIES" written on them in purple.
He then looked up, noticing the skylight was slightly ajar, "Was the mayor alone when the killer broke in?"
"Yes," Yuri answered. "His wife was out trick-or-treating with the kids."
"And you mentioned a message for me?"
Captain Stacy held up a blue envelope, "TO THE SPIDER OR DEVIL" was written on it, "Sergeant Mahoney may've worked with Daredevil, but he doesn't exactly know how to contact him." He then handed the web-head the message, which turned out to be a riddle.
"What does a LIAR do when he's DEAD?"
"What the hell is going on here?" A rather angry voice questioned. Spidey turned to see an older man wearing a police uniform with more stars; Police Commissioner Bergin.
"I asked him to come, Pete," Stacy answered.
"This is a crime-scene," Bergin snapped. "Look, I've cut you a lot of slack George, cause we got history. But THIS is too far." Stacy showed the envelope. "Wait, he's involved in this?"
"No, he's not involved," Yuri defended.
"How do you know?!" Bergin snapped. "He's a goddamn vigilante! He could be a suspect!"
Spidey scoffed, "Not likely, dumbass."
"Bergin, we're not doing this, now!" Stacy said. "Spider-Man could help with this!"
"You must be out of your-" Bergin started before Spidey interrupted.
"He lies still."
"What?"
Spidey handed Yuri the message, "The riddle. What does a liar do when he's dead? He lies still."
"What the hell does that even mean?!" Bergin questioned.
"I'm not the one that came up with it," Spidey retorted, then had Karen take a photo of the front and back of the paper the message was written on. "I'll get outta your hair, let you know if I find somethin'."
He then left through the skylight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As MJ walked toward her favorite place to have lunch, someone called out to her.
"Michelle, is that you?!"
MJ turned and saw a car pull up, and the person that called out to her was Kat Hernandez. Driving the car was Maddy Perez.
"Kat, Maddy, what's up?"
"Oh my God, Lexi mentioned that she ran into you!" Maddy smiled.
"Yeah, I did see Lexi a while ago," MJ responded.
"So, what're you up to?" Kat asked.
"I was going to get some lunch," MJ answered.
"Hop in, we'll take you there," Maddy told her. "Besides, we got some catching up to do!"
MJ smiled before she got into the car, and they all drove off.
Later, they were at MJ's favorite place, and talked while waiting for their food.
"Still a vegetarian, huh?" Kat stated.
MJ just shrugged in response.
"But you're still so thin, so why did order so much to eat?" Maddy asked. "Some weird combos, too..."
"...Don't freak out, all right?" MJ asked. "I'm pregnant...and yes, Peter is the father. We decided to keep it."
Both girls got wide-eyed and slack-jawed, but only Maddy cupped her hands over her mouth.
"Oh...my god...!" she whispered. "Michelle, that's wonderful!"
"Yeah, but...what about college?" Kat brought up. "I mean...are you gonna finish?"
"Well, yeah, of course we are," MJ responded. "Our families are gonna help us every step of the way, same with our friends. So, yeah."
She left out the part about Pepper giving them financial support.
"Wow, MJ," said Maddy. "You are just amazing, you know that?"
MJ shrugged, "Eh, I'm not that special."
"If I got knocked up, I don't know what I would do," Kat said. "I'd probably panic."
"You're definitely the last one I thought would get pregnant so early," Maddy added. "You've always been so responsible."
"Yeah, well...sometimes, these things happen," MJ stated.
~~~~~~~~Later in the day~~~~~~~~
Peter was looking over the pictures he took of the letter Sin-Eater had left. His instincts told him there was more on it than just a riddle.
MJ came out of the bedroom, having just taken a nap. Not only was being pregnant making her more hungry, but she also felt more tired.
"What are you doing?" she asked Peter as she yawned.
"Doing some research," he answered.
MJ read the riddle, "'What does a liar do when he's dead'? The killer wrote 'liar' in all caps..."
"Yeah, he also wrote 'lies" in all caps on every positive newspaper of praise that the mayor had around his office," Peter added. "It's like he's focused on it. B-t-dubs, the answer is 'He lies still'."
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Peter shrugged, "No clue. ...I've been looking at this to see if there's something hidden on it. But so far, nothing."
"Did you try putting it through any filters?" MJ asked. "He could've used invisible ink."
Peter glanced at her, looking sheepish since he hadn't thought of that,
"Karen, could you run the pictures through every camera filter like infrared, ultraviolet, etcetera?"
"Certainly," The trusty AI answered before the image was put through a few filters, until...
"Karen stop!" Peter ordered when he saw something on the back of the paper; the word "DRIVE".
"Okay... that's vague," MJ commented. "Does he mean a USB drive, a disc-drive, or does he mean drive a car?"
"I...don't know," Peter replied.
"Shall I text Captain Stacy and ask where Mayor Hill keeps his car?" Karen asked.
"It's worth a shot," Peter answered.
Karen proceeded to text Captain Stacy about the whereabouts of the mayor's vehicle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter donned his costume and met Captain Stacy at a personal parking garage that the mayor had stored many cars. One of them was a freakin' Ferrari!
"Guess it pays to be the mayor," Stacy commented.
Spidey noticed something, "There, the Aston Martin."
The car in question had a pair of scissors jammed in one of the wheels, and the scissors had dried blood on them.
"I think we both know what these were used for, Spider-Man," said Stacy as he looked at the scissors. They were most likely used to cut off Mayor Hill's thumb.
Stacy put on some latex gloves before they looked inside the car,
"What are we looking for?"
"Maybe a USB port," Spidey responded before opening the center glove compartment. "Oh shit...!"
"What?"
Spidey pulled out a USB drive from the glove box, and attached to it on a keychain was Mayor Hill's severed thumb,
"'Thumb' drive; this guy is sick."
"All these bad guys seem to have some kind of sick thrill from something," Stacy commented.
They went to Stacy's car, where he had his laptop, so they could what was on the drive. But it was encrypted.
"Oh, this guy's hilarious," Spidey cringed as he pressed the end of the USB, revealing a thumb-print scanner.
They scanned the thumb, which unlocked the drive, and made a bunch of pictures pop-up on the screen. All of the mayor and some younger woman that wasn't his wife, but she had bruises on her face.
"Well, so much for family values," Stacy commented. "No one knew Hill was abusive."
"So that must have been what that guy was doing," said Spidey. "He was trying to expose the truth about the Mayor. ...'He lies still'. More like; 'He still lies', about her."
"Don't know who she is, but that man right there in the fedora is Frederick Foswell," Stacy pointed out. "Silvermane's right hand guy."
But then suddenly, some pop-up messages appeared all saying "EMAIL SENT"! They were all image packs, sent to the New York Bulletin.
"No, shit!" Spidey cursed. "The drive must've been rigged to automatically send these photos to the Bulletin once someone looked at them!"
"And they were sent from MY account!" Stacy added. "It's not just the Bulletin; every news outlet in the city got 'em. I'm gonna catch hell for this."
"What are we gonna do about this?" Spidey asked.
"If you want to check it out, that's The Bar With No Name," Stacy told him. "A dive-spot for almost every criminal in the city. It's in Harlem."
"Then that's where I'm going," said Spidey.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took him a while to find the place, especially since it didn't have any signs or anything.
He slipped in when the door opened for some more guys to enter, and since he had invisibility turned on, no one saw him. The front door led into a hallway with some stairs that went down, where there was another door, guarded by a tall, bald, muscular dark-skinned man.
Spidey dropped down on top of the two guys that just entered, knocking them out, and startling the big guy!
"What the fu-?!"
"Sorry 'bout that," The wall-crawler apologized. "I'd like to speak with Mr. Big."
"No one here by that name," The big guy scoffed.
"Are you sure?" Spidey questioned. "I was told that this is where I could find him."
"Well whoever told you was full of shit. Now, beat it or someone's gon' get hurt."
"Me or you?" Spidey quipped.
Before the guy could throw a punch, he received webbing to his face! Spidey backflipped onto the stairs and launched himself at the big guy, fists first, which made them crash through the door! All the occupants nearby jumped in surprise at what just happened!
"WHAT THE FUCK?! OX!"
"IT'S THE SPIDER!"
"WHAT'S THAT TWERP DOING HERE?!"
"Hey guys, I just wanna see Mr. Big!" The costumed hero announced, before catching a...whip?
"You don't ask to see the boss; HE asks to see YOU," The man holding the whip told him. He wore a cowboy hat and had a thick southern accent.
"Montana, that's enough!" A male voice with the most authority spoke out over the noise in the bar, with a thick Brooklyn accent. It was the same man with the nice suit and fedora from the photo. "So, you're the Spider..."
"Mr. Big?"
"In the flesh."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now in the backroom, Spidey showed Mr. Big the photos of the Mayor and the abused woman.
"Who is she?" The costumed hero asked.
Mr. Big shrugged, "No idea. We might've exited at the same time, but I wasn't with 'em."
"Are you sure?" Spidey asked.
"Positive. But this is definitely a bad look for our former mayor. Not only does he cheat on his wife, but he also beat his sidepiece."
"What about this Sin-Eater guy?" The hero questioned. "Is he on a one-man vendetta against corrupt city officials, like he says, or is he a hired hitman?"
Mr. Big lit a cigarette and took a drink of his whiskey, "Good question...but I got no answer. You ask me, he's like the guy from that movie with the white mask and mustache...what the fuck was it? It had that pretty chick from Star Wars, uh, Natalie somethin'-"
"Natalie Portman, V For Vendetta," Spidey answered.
"Yeah, that's it!"
Since he was here, talking to one of Silvermane's top men; Peter decided to go a bit further,
"Know anything about Hammerhead or Tombstone?"
Mr. Big tensed up for a few seconds, "Kid, questions like could get you killed."
"I do know that Hammerhead wants more power now that the Kingpin is locked up," Spidey stated. "I know he hired Beetle to assassinate your boss, but it was a decoy. He's been quiet since then, but I know nothing about Tombstone."
Mr. Big sighed, "Well, Tombstone ain't actually a problem no more. He and the boss actually talked things out. Said he can keep Harlem as his turf and do business on Silvermane's, as long as it doesn't mess up the schedule."
"So you've seen him?"
"Big guy, easy to recognize after seeing him just once," Mr. Big answered. "Albino, dressed like a biker, I think his teeth are sharper. Rumor has it he was exposed to some kind of chemical when he was a kid; bleached his skin and made him as tough as Luke Cage."
'So he's super strong and invulnerable,' Peter thought. "I may be in touch if I need to know more."
Mr. Big raised his glass to the web-head as he made his exit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MJ emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet, groaning in frustration.
"Ugh...god, I hate this...!" she complained before she dry heaved.
"I know, I would to," Ava said, rubbing her back. "But just think; when you hold that little one in your arms for the first time, all the morning sickness, back pains, swollen ankles and cravings will be worth it."
"I hope you're right," MJ said. "I'm not sure I can take much more of this."
"Well, I just recently read that morning sickness ends on the third month," Ava stated. "It's November now, so by December; you'll be fine."
"Thank GOD," MJ groaned as she stood up, carefully, then slowly went to the couch to lay down. The dogs soon came and lay down with her, causing her to smile as she pet them.
"Thanks, guys," she said.
She then glanced at her stomach. She had a bit of a baby-bump, but it was barely noticeable. She smiled at it before gently rubbing it lovingly.
"Be nice to mommy, okay?"
"Do you want a snack?" Ava asked.
"I'd like one, if you don't mind. Please."
Ava got some fruit, bread and any other non-meaty food from the fridge or pantry,
"Is Peter still investigating that Sin-Eater guy?"
"Yeah, he is," MJ answered.
"You know, this feels like a cat-and-mouse detective sleuth encounter than a typical super-criminal," Ava mentioned as she started making a peanut-butter and banana sandwich.
"Now that you mention it, yeah, it does," MJ agreed. "I just hope he doesn't get obsessed with it, like Robin did over Slade in Teen Titans."
"Well, Peter's pretty levelheaded, right?" Ava asked.
"Yeah, but he still mostly wears his heart on his sleeve," MJ said. "It's what guides him to be a hero, but sometimes it can be something that someone will exploit."
"Like Black Cat?" Ava asked.
MJ sat up a bit, "Absolutely. She has a manipulating charm."
"Don't you trust Peter?" Ava asked.
"Of course, I trust Peter," MJ said. "It's Black Cat I don't trust."
"I don't blame you," Ava agreed as she brought over the food. "She knows how to use what she's got; and she's got A LOT~!"
MJ only glared at her at that. Ava only shrugged and chuckled in response.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Still in costume, Peter followed someone he did not expect to ever see again; Felicia Hardy, Midtown's former substitute PE teacher. He saw her serving drinks at the Bar With No Name, maybe just as a job, but he had some suspicions. Still, maybe she knew something that he didn't.
Following her lead to a small penthouse, which made Peter question why she took jobs as a teacher or barmaid if she could afford a penthouse. After she ate something, she started to undress...and Peter got a view of EVERYTHING...!
"Holy shit...!" Peter whispered.
That was definitely a shock, albeit a pleasant one, but then... Felicia slipped on a familiar black skin-tight leather suit with white tufts of fur on the arms and legs. She zipped it up to below her bosom and went over to her closet.
Peter couldn't believe it: Felicia Hardy was Black Cat!
"Oh, my god...!" he whispered in disbelief. "I mean...I should have seen it coming, but still!"
Her saw her exit her sliding-glass door, now wearing her mask, and jumped off the balcony! He web-zipped after her, but kept a considerable distance so she didn't notice him. Surprisingly, she went to Mayor Hill's home. She snuck in through the skylight, slowly descended to the floor with her wire, then skimmed through a bookshelf. He snuck in after her, crawling along the ceiling so that he could get a better look at what she was doing.
When she didn't seem to find whatever she was looking for, she went over to some of the pictures. She took some of them down and put 'em back, until she came to one that was stuck to the wall. She felt around it until she pressed something on the frame, which caused the picture inside the frame to slide away, revealing a secret safe. She smirked before she got down on one knee and listened very carefully while turning the dial on the safe. She turned it to the left, once, then to the right, twice, and finally back to the left before she opened the door.
He silently lowered himself behind her with a webline, then whispered, "I'm impressed."
Black Cat gasped and delivered a spin-kick behind her, which he dodged!
"Whoa, easy there!" Spidey exclaimed.
"Well, well," Black Cat stated with a bit of a flirty grin. "Look who it is. Long time, no see, Spider."
His HUD pointed out what was inside the safe: a flash-drive. He grabbed it with a web and quickly zipped out through the skylight. Cat went after him, but by the time she caught up to him, he'd already copied whatever data was on the drive to his suit so he could see it on his HUD. And...it was a doozy...
"Oh, another thing about our former, disgraced mayor," he stated. "He had ties to the Maggia. Let's see...boring, boring, seen it, ...! Walter Hardy? Is he your father?"
Black Cat's eyes narrowed, losing her flirtatious expression.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"How the hell did you figure out who I was?" she questioned.
"I saw you at the Bar With No Name," he answered. "Believe it or not, we've actually met outside of costumes. Anyway, I followed you home and saw you change."
Black Cat gasped mockingly, "Oh Spider, you pervert~! Did you get a peek at my goods~?" She made that comment while moving and rubbing her body sensually.
Spidey swallowed hard and turned away, "Yeah, but I'm not interested in sampling. I'm already taken."
Black Cat pouted, "Aw, the good ones always are."
"What can I say?" he commented. "I'm just loyal like that."
"Well, whoever she is, she's a lucky one," she said with a wink.
"That aside, why did the mayor have a file on your father, and what was his connection with the Maggia?" he asked.
"Not a clue," she answered. "Hammerhead just told me he needed the drive. When he mentioned there was something in it about my father; I couldn't pass it up."
"You're working for Hammerhead?! Why?!"
"That's none of your business, just hand it over."
"I'm making it my business, Felicia! Why are you working for Hammerhead?! Does he have some kind of dirt on you?!"
"He's got my sister, okay?!"
"Wait...what?" Spidey asked in surprise.
Cat sighed, "Yes...Walter Hardy was my father. He was also a cat burglar, even had the same name. He eventually retired, met my mom, had me, and five years later had my sister, Erica. Dad wasn't home some of the time, said he was a businessman who travelled a lot..."
"But he was actually taking small jobs that involved stealing something, right?" Spidey guessed.
"Yeah, pretty much," Cat answered.
"So what happened after that?" he asked.
"Years later, he turned himself in," she said.
"What made him decide to give himself up?" he asked.
"What do you think, Spider?" she asked in retaliation. "He couldn't let his kids get involved in crime, now could he? But then...sometime later was killed during an escape attempt."
"Oh...I see," Spidey trailed off, sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that." He looked at her with sympathy. "So...what about your mom?"
"She's fine. Anyway, Hammerhead contacted me, told me that he knew who I was. I refused to work for him, so he took Erica."
"Hammerhead wants to climb up the ranks of the Maggia, but Silvermane and the other Dons aren't having it," Spidey told her. "The police know of the crime families, but are never able to connect them to most of their operations. This drive has evidence that Mayor Hill worked for Don...Frank Costa."
"So that's it," Cat said. "Hammerhead wants more recognition, huh?"
"Also, it says that the Maggia wanted your father to do some jobs for them, but he refused. That's why he turned himself in."
Felicia looked down, "So, he had even more reason to protect us..."
Deciding to play a hunch, he then asked her, "You hear about this Sin-Eater guy?"
"I have, yeah," Cat answered. "That scumbag's been causing a whole mess of trouble. Makes us "common thieves" look like monsters, you know what I mean?"
"I'm wondering if he's on some kind of twisted crusade or if he's a hired hitman," Spidey stated. "The fact that the mayor had ties to the Maggia definitely supports the latter."
"One person you might wanna keep an eye on is Judge Horace Rosenthal," Cat told him. "He's a regular at the Bar With No Name, so he could be a potential target."
"Maybe," Spidey agreed. "You got any other tips I should know about?"
"I'll let you know," She then backflipped off the roof.
Spidey stared after where she left before he shot out a web and swung off into the night.
As he did, MJ called him, "Hey nerd."
"Hey beautiful!" he responded, which made her scoff a bit.
"I'll pretend you didn't just do that."
"What? It's true!"
"Thanks, but it's corny as fuck!"
"Okay, fine. So what's going on? How are you feeling?"
"Just hungry, but mostly fine."
"Need me to pick up anything for you?"
"Could you get pork rinds for me?"
"But...aren't you a vegetarian?"
"Look, it's just what the baby wants, okay?"
"Got it. I'll swing by the store."
"Ugh, jokes about how you get around the city? You're better than that, dork."
"I wasn't-" Peter started to defend himself before he received a call from a "BLOCKED NUMBER". "MJ, I'll be there as soon as I can. I think Taskmaster is calling me..."
"Good luck...and try not to let him get to you," MJ said before she hung up.
Peter answered, but no one responded. So, he hung up, "Must've been a telemarketer."
As he began to head to the store, his Spider-Sense warned him of something incoming, but he didn't have time to dodge since it was so quick! An electric bolas wrapped around his body, zapping him and making him crash-land on a rooftop!
"UGH!" Spidey cried as he hit the ground, and tried to get out of his bonds, but he was paralyzed.
"You're not as hard to catch as I thought," Taskmaster's voice spoke out, prompting the web-head to look up.
He saw a tall man wearing a full bodysuit with armored plates on the chest, abdomen, shoulders, cuffs, thighs, knees and shins. The plates were silver, blue and orange colored. There was some kind of light-grey hood built into the collar which he had up. The back part of it was blue and the rim had a thin orange stripe. His mask had a black visor over his eyes and the lower half resembled a metal skull. (2)
"...So...you must be Taskmaster," said Spidey. "What do you want with me?"
"To take your ass to school," The merc responded as he deactivated the electric current in the bolas. Spidey quickly vaulted to his feet and fired a web-ball at him. Taskmaster reached over his shoulder and drew a ninjato sword that had an orange-colored edge on the blade, and used it to block every web-ball that was fired at him. He then slipped under/between Spidey's legs to get behind him, then kicked him down!
"Hey, that's MY move!" he exclaimed.
"Anything I see you do, I can do," Taskmaster stated as the hero got up and fired a web-grenade. The skull-faced merc shot a cable from his left gauntlet, spun around and threw it back, copying the way Spidey would do the same thing with a webline! Spidey avoided getting webbed up, then flipped sideways as Taskmaster swung his sword at him!
As he dodged, he webbed him in the face, disorienting him. Taking the chance, Spidey delivered a series of roundhouse kicks to Taskmaster's face, only for a round, silver shield to unfold from his left gauntlet and he knocked the hero back with it!
"What, are you copying Captain America now?!"
"Steve Rogers...such a shame I never got a chance to fight him," Taskmaster stated with regret before doing a side/backflip into a kick; a move Rogers had used against Georges Batroc.
Spidey dodged it, webbed him in the face again and kicked him some more, only for Taskmaster to suddenly drop a smoke-bomb! Spidey coughed as he waved away the smoke...but by the time it disappeared, so had Taskmaster.
"Still got more tricks up your sleeve, huh?" The merc's voice said from his comms. "Guess I need more data before I can fulfill my contract."
"Here's all the data I need," Spidey replied. "I beat you; you ran away. Conclusion: you lose."
"Not yet," Taskmaster responded. "Once I've seen everything you can do; we'll talk about round 2." Then he hung up.
Spidey sighed before he hurried to swing home to MJ. After, getting what she wanted from the store.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MJ was sitting on the couch watching Bad Boys II and eating a pizza. That's when she heard the window open and Peter entered...but he soon flopped on the couch as he handed her the pork rinds she wanted.
"Here you go," he said.
"Thanks," she managed to say with her mouth half-full. "Fuck, I can't stop eating."
"Are you at least keeping it down?" Peter asked with concern.
"Well, yeah, that part is pretty much done," MJ answered. "So, what happened with Taskmaster?"
"Well, instead of a challenge this time; he actually showed up and attacked me!" Peter answered.
"He did?" MJ asked in surprise. "I guess he finally decided to stop messing around, huh?"
"Yeah," Peter said. "And get this: he can copy someone's moves!"
"That's what Ned said he could do," MJ stated. "Even Wade confirmed it. Did you manage to beat him?"
"Not exactly; he dropped a smoke pellet and disappeared," he answered. "Then he contacted me and said that he has more to see from me before round 2."
"Well, at least now, you know what he can do," MJ said.
"Mostly. Oh, um...don't get too upset...but, Black Cat is back."
MJ turned sharply, "Fucking great! Not only do I have this baby to worry about, now I gotta keep tabs on that cow?!"
"Whoa, whoa, MJ!" Peter cried.
"Sorry, hormones," MJ apologized. "But I'm still right!"
"But now, I know who she is."
MJ's eyes widened, "Really?"
"Remember that platinum-haired bombshell we had as a substitute for PE, and she caught us in the locker room?"
"...Don't tell me..." MJ said.
"Yep," Peter confirmed.
"Oh my GOD, why didn't I see that coming?!" MJ questioned. "How many platinum blondes do we know?!"
"And, apparently it's a family thing," he added. "Her father was a cat burglar as well; same name and MO. Art thief."
"Now that I REALLY didn't see coming," MJ said.
"And get this," Peter said. "Hammerhead's holding her sister hostage."
MJ's mouth dropped in shock, "...Shit...!"
"Yeah, I know," Peter replied. "And she's too proud to ask for help."
"Well, she should suck it up and accept it," MJ scoffed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, most city officials were gathered for Mayor Hill's funeral. Even Norman Osborn was attending, and he dragged Harry along with him. The young Osborn's heart went out to the family, but he didn't have a lot of sympathy for the mayor. As more people sat down, there was a sudden noise of commotion outside at the entrance. People were screaming and there was the sound of a car engine revving, just before said car drove through the entrance, breaking the glass! People scrambled to get out of the way, while Harry ran over and grabbed Mayor Hill's son, who'd been standing in the car's path, and pulled him to safety as the car eventually stopped at the atrium!
Once the shock died down, all the police present surrounded the vehicle, weapons drawn.
"Get out of the car, show us your hands!" Yuri ordered.
The person slowly opened the door and put his hands out, showing there was a phone taped to his right hand. The person got out, looking absolutely terrified. He had duck-tape over his mouth with the word "SINNER" written on it in red. There was also some kind of contraption around his neck.
"Christ, it's Judge Rosenthal," Stacy muttered.
"There's a bomb on his neck!" One of the officers exclaimed.
"MMMMPH!" Rosenthal screamed, but his voice was muffled by the tape on his mouth.
There was also an envelope taped to his chest that said, "To the Spider".
Hours later at sunset, police and bomb-squad surrounded the entrance to City Hall, along with Stacy, Yuri and Commissioner Bergin. One of the cops moved a remote-controlled camera over to where Rosenthal sat.
He looked and gave a startled yelp as Spider-Man slowly descended toward via webline.
"Hey, relax, okay?" Spidey said. "Remember, I'm on your side."
He dropped to his feet, then slowly removed the tape from the man's mouth.
"Please," he begged, tearfully. "He made me do it. He told me if I didn't do exactly what he said, he'd kill me. I'm so sorry."
Spidey shushed him and took a closer look at the contraption on Rosenthal's neck, "This looks like a combination lock."
"Can't we just cut it off?"
"Not if you wanna keep your head."
Spidey gently pulled the envelope from Rosenthal's chest and opened it. As he did, the phone taped to Rosenthal's hand started to ring and it said, "NO CALLER ID". The letter said, "IN THESE TRYING TIMES... NEVER FORGET..." Turn-over to the back, "I'm Just A Phone Call Away" And the word "Answer" was written with double underline.
Rosenthal held up the phone and Spidey swiped right to answer. A video call appeared on the screen, and a man wearing a green ski-mask and purple shirt peered in from the left.
"At last, we meet," The man stated, but his voice was disguised by something.
"Sin-Eater? What are you trying to pull?"
"I want you to understand. You're like me, we both seek justice. But you're short-sighted: locking them up doesn't change anything. You should take Frank Castle's approach-"
"Frank Castle killed murderers and drug dealers, not city officials, even if they WERE corrupt," Spidey argued.
"Oh, so you don't know?" Sin-Eater chuckled. "Of course you don't. Homeland Security covered it up, but that's not the focus right now. Say hello to my followers! We're live!" (3)
Outside, someone brought a flat-screen TV over to the police and showed that the video call was live on social media.
Even MJ, Ned and the rest of their friends were currently watching.
"Now you, the honorable judge Horace Rosenthal; I'm gonna be a little merciful and give you a chance to save yourself. Ever since I was young, I've loved puzzles and riddles."
"You want me to do puzzles?" Rosenthal questioned frantically.
"Three riddles in two minutes," Sin-Eater stated. "You give me the answers and I'll give you the code for the lock."
"Better to play along with him," Spidey said.
"Okay, okay..." Rosenthal panted, before the device on his neck beeped and a countdown started!
"Riddle number 1: it can be cruel, poetic, or blind, but when it's denied, it's violence you may find."
"Wait, wait, wait, can you repeat that?" Rosenthal pleaded frantically.
Spidey thought for a minute, "Justice; the answer is justice."
"Correct answer," Sin-Eater said. "That was a bit too easy for you, Spider-Man. And you were supposed to be an instrument of justice, along with the late mayor! Isn't that right, Mr. Rosenthal?"
"Yes, yes."
"Riddle number 2: if you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?"
"Price, what are you...?" Rosenthal stammered.
"Bribes," Spidey stated. "He's asking how much you get paid to turn a blind eye."
"Oh God..."
"Fifty-eight seconds!" Sin-Eater warned.
"How much?" Spidey questioned.
"Nothing!"
"HOW MUCH?!" He questioned again with his "Interrogation-Mode Voice". (4)
"Ten grand!" Rosenthal relented. "I get paid ten G's a month not to prosecute certain cases!"
"Not so 'fair' now, are you, Mr. Rosenthal?" Sin-Eater asked rhetorically. "Last riddle: since your justice is so select, please tell us which vermin you're paid to protect."
"He's asking who paid you to turn your back," Spidey stated.
"No..." Rosenthal cried.
"He's gonna kill you!" Spidey pleaded.
"I'm a dead man either way," Rosenthal cried. "If I go out this way, it's just me. But if I give over that name, I have family, people I love."
Spidey went over and grabbed his collar, "Who? Who would go after them?"
"People are watching; it's so much bigger than you know," Rosenthal cried.
"Five, four-!" Sin-Eater started counting down as Rosenthal stated, "Oh God, please have mercy on me!" "-Two, one, GOODBYE!"
The device exploded, blowing Spidey away! His suit protected him from the blast, but the wind was knocked out of him, he was disoriented and his ears were ringing! The police ran in and Stacy went to check if the hero was okay. But Peter was losing consciousness. All he could hear was the sounds of sirens before everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MJ gasped in horror at the explosion, and she'd seen how close Peter had been standing to it. She felt her stomach go into knots, since the baby could feel her stress. Ned put his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to keep her calm, but he, too, had a deep and impending sense of dread forming in his stomach, as well.
"Honey, Daddy's gonna be okay," she whispered, rubbing her baby-bump.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stacy and Yuri managed to get the unconscious Spider-Man onto an ambulance gurney despite the angry rants from Commissioner Bergin and some other cops that were against the hero.
"Shut up!" Yuri shouted as she closed the ambulance doors.
"Your badges are on the line, Watanabe!" Bergin's voice could still be heard through the doors.
Stacy ignored him and asked one of the EMTs, "Will he be okay?"
"I don't know," A female EMT replied. "His heartbeat and respiration seem normal, but it's impossible to tell if he has a concussion without removing his mask, and I'm not sure I wanna do that."
"I can open one of the eyes of his mask for you," Karen's voice spoke out, startling the three ambulance occupants.
"Hello?" Yuri questioned, looking around.
"Good even Lieutenant Watanabe, Captain Stacy and EMTs. I am Karen, a personal AI designed by Tony Stark to assist Spider-Man in his work to protect this world."
"...Should we trust her?" asked Stacy.
"What have we got to lose?" asked Yuri.
The left eye on Spidey's mask opened, then the EMT carefully held his eye open and shined a light on it,
"His pupil dilation seems normal..."
At that point, Spidey groaned in pain as he started to wake up.
"He's coming around," said Yuri as Spidey began to sit up, only for the EMT to gently push him back down.
"Try not to get up, Spider-Man," she told him. "You could be badly injured."
"Ugh, is this how Tony felt when Thanos dropped a planet on him?" The young hero groaned. Noticing the curious expressions on their faces, he added, "Yes, it happened..." (5)
They decided not to question him further about the matter. The EMT continued to check him over, and so far, she didn't find anything too serious. Just a few broken ribs and a bruised collarbone, and his skull was bruised, too, but other than that, he was fine.
"I heal faster than normal people, but I will rest when I get home," he promised them.
Yuri opened the ambulance doors and several officers pointed their weapons when they saw that Spider-Man was on his feet!
"Hey, lower your weapons!" Stacy ordered.
"You still protecting this punk, George?" Bergin questioned. "He interfered in an active hostage situation. Rosenthal's blood is on his hands."
"Maybe it's on yours, asshole," Spidey retorted.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bergin questioned.
"He would rather die than talk," Spidey stated. "What was he afraid of? You?"
Bergin's eyes flared at the accusation, "You son of a bitch. You have any idea what kind of trouble you're in?"
"Explain it to my retreating backside!" Spidey backflipped onto the roof of the ambulance, then started web-swinging away.
Bergin and several other officers started shooting at him, but none of them hit their mark!
"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Yuri shouted. "HOLD YOUR FIRE, GOD DAMMIT!"
"He's an accessory to murder!" Bergin argued.
"Forgive me, Commissioner, but that's complete horse-shit," One of the regular officers stated defiantly. He was an African-American man in his thirties, the name "J. Davis" was on his nametag. (6)
"Get back in line, Davis!" Bergin barked.
"All due respect, sir; no!" Davis spat.
Several other officers stepped up with him, and there were definitely more cops that were "Pro-Spidey" instead of "Anti-Spidey".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second Peter got home; he got the wind knocked out of him...again! He was wrapped in a tight embrace and his girlfriend was kissing all over his face. They felt more wet than usual, which told him she was crying.
"MJ..." he muttered.
"I thought you were gonna die!" MJ cried.
He hugged her back, "Just a few broken ribs, bruised skull and collarbone. Otherwise, I'm fine."
MJ sniffled as she hugged him tightly,
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop scaring me like that?!"
She was normally so calm, but she started to realize how much she loved Peter. Plus, being pregnant didn't help the storm of emotions she felt.
"Guess it's a good thing we made your suit strong enough to withstand a bomb explosion at point-blank range, huh?" Ned mentioned, trying to diffuse the tension.
Peter chuckled...but still, he couldn't help but think about what happened. For the moment, though, he focused on comforting his girlfriend. He led her over to the couch, then they sat down and just held each other.
"It'll be okay, MJ," he whispered. "I'm here."
After a minute, he heard her breathing slow down a bit, indicating that she'd fallen asleep. Which was understandable; from the stress and being pregnant. Pregnant women slept a lot. Peter, meanwhile, just kept watch over her. Truthfully, he was exhausted, too.
"So, what happened?" Ned asked, quietly.
"Did you see it on the news?" Peter asked in return, which Ned nodded to. "Then you know. He was scared of something. Or someone."
"But who?" he asked.
"That's what I'm trying to find out," said Peter. "Most likely one of the Maggia higher-ups. Also, there's Felicia's sister that needs to be found..."
"But Hammerhead has her, and we have no way of knowing where he's keeping her," Ned said.
"That's true," Peter said, "But maybe if I had someone look into it for me, I might have a clue."
With that, Ned left their apartment to return to his own. Peter ate some leftovers and carried MJ to their bedroom.
The next morning, she was clinging to him tightly, like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go. Peter could understand that she was still scared, but he had to leave at some point.
...Plus, he really needed to use the bathroom.
He gently removed her arms and went to use it.
When he got back, he saw that MJ was awake.
"After you catch this guy, we need to set-up another appointment with the docs," she stated.
"No arguments from me."
MJ struggled a bit to get up, "Ugh, I still feel tired and my feet hurt a little..."
"Shall I make breakfast?" he offered.
"Yeah, I think I can keep something down," MJ said.
He made them some Eggo toaster waffles, along with a small bowl of fruit for her. She finally came out of the bedroom, feeling more awake now.
"Here you go," said Peter as he served her breakfast. "Enjoy."
She began wolfing it down like a madwoman.
"Easy, don't inhale it."
"Sorry, just really hungry," MJ said.
"I get it, you're eating for two."
"I hope not, but it feels like I'm eating for three," she commented.
"Maybe the...mixture of my mutated DNA giving the baby powers gives him or her a higher metabolism," Peter theorized.
"...We can ask at our next appointment," she stated.
Just as she finished eating...
"Whoa..." she whispered. There was...some kind fluttering going on in her lower belly, like...butterfly wings flapping or...
"Oh my god..." she gasped when she realized what it was.
"What is it?"
Breathlessly, she whispered, "I...I think it's moving..."
"What?!" Peter asked as he went to her side and gently felt her stomach. "Oh...yeah, I can definitely feel it..."
Now that wasn't one hundred percent normal. By now, MJ would be able to feel the little fluttery movements, but the baby was still too small for anyone to feel it through her belly. Except Peter had super-powers that did give him a higher-than-average sense of touch. He really had to concentrate to feel the fluttery movement, but he definitely could.
Once again, it suddenly became so immediately real what they were embarking on. She leaned over, capturing Peter's lips in hers. They kissed for a long, long while, just...overcome by the moment. Peter became aware of the wetness on his cheeks. He wasn't crying, but MJ was, her tears falling onto his face, so he pulled away, "Em, are you okay?"
She smiled, despite the tears, "Yeah... They're happy tears, dork. Don't worry."
Peter smiled before he hugged her and kissed her once more.
"I'm happy, too," said Peter as he held her. "I can't believe this...we're really gonna have a baby."
"I'm so glad none of our friends or family has been harsh or judgy about it," MJ added.
"Me, too," Peter replied.
"Oh, before I forget," MJ grabbed her phone. "I saw this thing on Twitter that finally revealed who bought Avengers Tower. Something called the Baxter Foundation, owned by some guy named Reed Richards." (7)
"Who's Reed Richards?" Peter asked.
"Not sure, but from the looks of this; he's a big brain," she responded. "In fact, he might be smarter than Stark was."
"I don't think anyone was smarter than that guy."
"Well, guess we'll have to wait and see," she stated. "This Tweet mentions that Dr. Richards runs the Baxter Foundation with his wife, Dr. Susan Storm, her younger brother, Johnny, and best friend, Ben Grimm."
"Cool."
"So, any ideas on what to do about Sin-Eater?" she asked.
"Nada," he answered, sounding frustrated. "I feel like I should focus on finding Felicia's sister, but having to "ask" around would take too long and I feel like time is running out."
"Could E.D.I.T.H. search the entire city for any chatter about a kidnapped girl matching Sarah Hardy's description?" MJ suggested. "Could she also search traffic or neighborhood cameras for any sightings of her?"
Peter's eyes widened; he probably would never have thought of that. He give his girlfriend a passionate kiss,
"You're a genius!"
"I know," she replied, smiling.
Peter went to the bedroom to grab the E.D.I.T.H. glasses, "Edith?"
"Hello Peter."
"Hi, I need a favor," said Peter. "Can you search for someone named Sarah Hardy for me? Also, search traffic and neighborhood cameras."
It took almost ten minutes before she found something...
"This image was taken in Hell's Kitchen last evening at 10:43 pm," Edith opened a camera footage of one of the rundown buildings in Hell's Kitchen. Sarah Hardy exited the building with Daredevil!
"That's her!" Peter exclaimed.
"Daredevil delivered Ms. Hardy to Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney," Edith informed him.
"Thanks Edith," Peter took off the glasses, then called Felicia.
"Hey Spider, miss me?"
"Your sister is safe. Daredevil found her."
"Wait...really?" Felicia asked in surprise.
"Yeah...you don't have to worry anymore," Peter assured.
"Where is she?"
Peter told her what precinct Mahoney was stationed at, then she hung up.
"Glad her sister is okay," MJ said.
"Yeah, me, too," Peter agreed. "Thanks, again, MJ."
She shrugged, "I don't really like her, but she's not the kind of person that deserves to lose the only family she has left."
"I agree," Peter said. "Not all villains are bad guys, you know."
"True," she agreed. Then, his phone rang, "Hello?"
"Spider-Man, this is Mephisto speaking."
Confused at first, Peter figured out who he was talking to, "Daredevil! I just learned that you saved Felicia Hardy's sister. Thank you."
"No problem. Once I heard about her, I came to help as soon as I could."
"Did you...learn anything about Sin-Eater?"
"Nothing about him, but I did find out who his next victim is," Daredevil responded. "Foggy Nelson."
Peter's eyes widened, "Mr. Murdock's partner? But that makes no sense! Mr. Nelson isn't corrupt like all the other victims!"
"Sin-Eater must be more unhinged than we originally thought if he can no longer tell the difference between corrupt and righteous."
"There must be something we're not seeing," said Peter, "But what?"
"It's a long shot, but I heard some of the criminals I dealt with tossing around a name; DeWolf. They said Sin-Eater talked about her sometimes."
Peter pulled the phone a bit away from his face, "MJ, see if you can find a match for the name "DeWolf"."
MJ grabbed the "special" laptop and typed the name, "One match; Jean DeWolf. She's a detective for the NYPD, hard-worker...definitely someone I can admire. ...Oh, oh shit..."
"What is it?"
"She's been in a coma for almost a year after an accident while on the job. Several years before that, she was almost killed by one of the FBI agents that Wilson Fisk used as his own private troops." (8)
"Any relatives, next of kin...?" Daredevil asked, overhearing them thanks to his senses.
"Um...oh, husband, Stanley Carter," MJ answered. "He was also a cop, but was let go due to, wait for it; mental health issues."
She told them Carter's address and Daredevil said he'd meet him there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judging by the décor, Carter still held out hope for his wife. It was a little rundown, but the apartment was nice.
"I don't see anything that would connect this guy to Sin-Eater," Spidey stated.
Daredevil tilted his head, trying to hear anything unusual. He then started tapping on the walls, until he found one that sounded hallow instead of solid.
"Do you hear that?"
"Sounds like a secret door," Spidey cheered a bit.
He felt around until he felt a button, then pushed it, causing the wall to open up. Inside it was a room the size of a medium closet, with newspapers about corrupt city officials over the years, some unfinished costumes that resembled Sin-Eater's, and a wall covered with overlapping papers.
"Ugh, these crazy-research-walls were cool for a while, but it's getting old," Spidey commented.
"What are the papers about?" Daredevil asked, ignoring the younger hero's comment.
"Research about his victims."
"Is that right?" asked Daredevil as he came to get a closer look. "What do they say?"
Before he could answer, Spidey noticed two laptops.
"Wait a minute," he hacked into them and found something interesting. "He's been posting videos online. He's got over five hundred followers. Real fringe-types."
"Someone seriously needs a hobby," Daredevil quipped.
Spidey clicked on the most recent video and Sin-Eater sat down in front of the camera...
"A lot of you have questioned my choice for the next one to be punished for their sins..." His voice wasn't altered this time. "The main one being "Why kill Foggy Nelson? He's not corrupt in any way"." He scoffed. "He and his law partners are guilty of one thing; they didn't keep Wilson Fisk in prison. If they had kept a closer watch on him, Fisk wouldn't have tricked the FBI into helping him become The Kingpin, and my wife wouldn't have been shot by one of those piece of shit excuses for federal agents!"
"So THAT'S it, huh?" Spidey asked. "All this is out of some insane desire for revenge."
"I know Fisk is the one most responsible, and he will be held accountable," Sin-Eater continued. "While Nelson, Murdock and Page are being dealt with, Ryker's Island will go up in flames!"
"His logic is truly twisted!" Daredevil growled.
"I'll deal with the bomb; you save the lawyers!" Spidey told him.
With that, they split up to their respective assignments!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ned, MJ, Stanley Carter IS Sin-Eater," Peter told them over his comms as he web-swung towards Ryker's Island. "He's not only killing city officials for being corrupt, but he also wants to kill Foggy Nelson for not keeping Wilson Fisk behind bars!"
"What kind of warped-logic is that?" MJ questioned. "He should be going after Fisk or those FBI agents for what happened to his wife."
"He is! He's planted a bomb at Ryker's Island, and as much as I hate to say it; I have to stop it from destroying the prison!"
"What?!" MJ questioned in shock.
"Is the bomb remote-activated?" Ned asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"He must be using radio controlled IEDs for a signal strong enough to cover the city," Ned explained. "If we can key into the detonators frequency-"
"We can find the location of the bombs," MJ finished, then the two got to typing.
It took some doing, but luckily, they managed to pinpoint the location. Ned told Peter exactly where the bomb was located at Ryker's, but then...
"Wait, the frequency is linked to four other locations!" MJ exclaimed.
"Carter must've planned for this!" Peter said just as he arrived at Ryker's. He found the bomb inside a crate on one of the rooftops, but he discovered a bigger problem as he examined it. "Guys, can you see what I see?"
"Yeah, we got the live-feed from your suit," Ned responded and MJ hummed in confirmation. "Okay, see the secondary trigger? It's not just the receiver-"
"It's a transmitter," MJ realized. "So if you defuse that bomb, the others will go off."
"So they all have to be defused at the same time!" Ned added.
"Contact Ava, Kate and the Compound!" Peter told Karen.
"Hello?" Three voices answered at the same time, belonging to Ava, Kate and Amadeus.
"Guys, we have a serious situation! Daredevil and I are closing in on Sin-Eater, but he's planted five bombs around the city! They have to be defused at the exact same time or they'll go off!"
"We're sending you the frequency signal, along with the five pinpointed locations," MJ stated. "The red dots on the map are the bombs, and Peter is the blue dot by Ryker's."
"Tyrone, can you teleport Kate, Ava, Amadeus and I to any of those spots?" Riri asked the dark half of Cloak and Dagger.
"Can do!" said Tyrone. "Just hang on!"
"Here, I'm sending images of each location so you know exactly where you're going," Ned stated.
Once Tyrone had every location in mind, he placed his hands on Riri and Amadeus' shoulders and disappeared in a shroud of black smoke. He teleported Ava to the bomb at Columbia University, Riri to one in Harlem, Amadeus to the one by the New York Bulletin, and Kate to the one at the NYPD Precinct in China Town.
Thankfully, everyone had wire cutters prepared.
"Okay, everyone needs to cut their wires exactly on three," Amadeus instructed. "Meaning when I say "three". 1...2...3!"
On his count, all the wires were soon cut!
And thankfully, none of the bombs exploded, so everyone breathed a sigh of relief!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daredevil caught Sin-Eater before he could sneak into Karen Page's apartment, where he yanked him down to the ground of the alleyway with his Billy Club! He grunted painfully as he hit the concrete, but quickly recovered and attacked the vigilante! After a lengthy and fairly tough fight, Daredevil had him pinned and removed his mask!
"Stanley Carter?"
"How'd you figure out who I was?!" The man questioned.
"One of your men mentioned talking about your wife," Daredevil explained. "Or rather, you said the name "DeWolf". Now, why are you doing this? Targeting Karen Page and Foggy Nelson was personal for you, but your other victims; Mayor Hill, Judge Rosenthal, they had ties to the Maggia. Did someone hire you to go after them?"
Carter didn't answer, so Daredevil broke his arm! As he cried out he pain, he answered, "Hammerhead! He hired me to punish those that were loyal to the other Dons! But Nelson, Murdock, Page and Fisk, that was for me!"
"Because Fisk almost killed your wife?" Daredevil asked.
"Yes, but instead of punishment, what do they do?!" asked Carter. "They let him walk free because they're so blinded by the filthy fucking money coming out of his pockets!"
"Well I sent him back, and he'll stay there for the rest of his miserable life, especially if he doesn't want his wife to join him!" Daredevil retorted.
"What are you talking abou-!" Before he could finish, his head exploded in a bloody mess from a sniper shot!
Daredevil stood up in shock! He'd been so focused on Carter, he never heard the shot being fired, even from a distance! (9)
Before Daredevil could go after him, Spidey called him, "Hey Mephisto, did you catch Sin-Eater?"
"Yes, and it WAS Stanley Carter," The blind vigilante answered. "He said Hammerhead hired him to kill those that had ties to the Maggia, but the others were personal."
"Is he tied up?"
"A sniper got him..."
"Damn..." Spidey cursed. "Well...at least he can't hurt anyone, now..."
"I guess..." Daredevil reluctantly agreed.
"Speaking of Hammerhead, since he kidnapped Sarah Hardy; Felicia should know where he is," Spidey stated. "I'll call you back in a bit."
"Good luck," said Daredevil before he disconnected for the time being.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spidey then called Felicia.
"Hey Spider."
"Felicia, Sin-Eater's dead."
"Good, he was a psychopath," she stated.
"Hammerhead actually hired him to kill those city officials that had ties to the Maggia," he told her.
"Makes sense. Sometimes when I went to visit him for assignments; he talked about getting rid of those loyal to Silvermane. He's basically the head honcho of the Maggia Dons, but he's learned to adapt over the years. Hammerhead on the other hand, wants the "good old days" to come back; when gangsters could do whatever the hell they wanted cause they were feared and respected."
"Jeez, that takes 'living in the past" to new levels," he quipped. "Could you take me and my friend to where Hammerhead is hiding?"
"I could, as long as I get to come with you," she answered. "I owe him for my sister. You piss off the Black Cat, you get the claws!"
"Something tells me I'll need backup, so yeah," said Spidey.
"Meet me at the Flatiron Building," she told him, then hung up.
Spidey called Daredevil and told him where to meet up.
Almost an hour later, Spidey landed on the roof of the Flatiron Building, and Black Cat was waiting for him.
"Were you waiting long?" Spidey asked, jokingly.
She shrugged in response, "Where's your friend?"
"On his way," he answered. "He doesn't get around as quickly me. But you should know; he's the one that saved your sister."
"You know Daredevil?" she questioned, a little surprised.
"Met him a couple years ago. He's...a little intense, but he's a good guy."
A minute later, the aforementioned vigilante showed up...
"And who's this?" he asked.
"This is Black Cat. She knows where Hammerhead is."
"Are we really trusting a thief?" Daredevil questioned angrily.
"Hey, I'm not a complete asshole!" she exclaimed. "Besides, I owe you. That little girl you saved was my sister...she's all I have..."
"Well... I can understand that, at least," Daredevil stated.
"Fair warning though," she mentioned. ""Hammerhead" isn't just a title he gave himself. He has a strong metal plate in his head, so avoid attacking the upper part of his head."
"We'll keep that in mind," Spidey replied.
With that, she grappled over to another building, prompting Spidey and Daredevil to follow her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they arrived at Hammerhead's hideout, surprisingly...there were no guards...
"You sure this is the right place?" Spidey asked.
"Positive," Felicia responded.
"There's a lot of guys smoking cigars...two floors up," Daredevil stated.
"Remember, we're going for the stealth approach, " Spidey guessed.
They went up a few floors, but then heard Hammerhead over a loudspeaker,
"Well, three special guests instead of just two; the bug, the skank, and the horn-head."
"You've GOT to be kidding!" Spidey cried.
As they got to the next floor, Daredevil motioned for them to stop. He pulled out of his steel batons and threw it at a wall, causing it to ricochet around a corner! Someone had been hiding there, waiting to get the drop on the heroes; but Daredevil had heard his heartbeat.
The hidden assailant came out, chuckling, and holding Daredevil's baton, "Impressive, so you DO have super-senses, Diablo."
"Taskmaster?!" Spidey exclaimed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Hammerhead is the one that hired you."
"Clever deduction, Spider-Man," Taskmaster stated.
He threw the baton in the same way Daredevil had, making it bounce off a wall, but Black Cat caught it!
"That's the same thing you just did!" she exclaimed. "How the hell did he do that?!"
"Taskmaster can copy any move or fighting style he sees, whether it's in person or on video," Spidey answered. "It's like fighting yourself."
"You got any ideas on how to beat him?" Black Cat asked.
"Only one I got is be unpredictable," he answered. "Do something that he won't be able to copy, and that he won't be able to predict."
Daredevil took his baton back from Felicia, "You two, go. Find Hammerhead."
"Be careful," Felicia said as she and Spidey ran.
Daredevil and Taskmaster stared at each other for a minute, then both charged toward the other! Taskmaster did a spin-kick, but Daredevil did a dodge-roll to duck under it. Once upright again, Daredevil turned and threw a right hook. Taskmaster blocked it with his left hand, kneed him in the mid-section, crouched and spun on the ground to get behind Daredevil, struck the back of his left knee with his elbow, which caused Daredevil to lose his balance! Taskmaster followed up with a jumping, spinning kick to Daredevil's back, knocking him over!
But he quickly pushed himself back up on his feet.
"You're good, Red," Taskmaster stated. "Very good. A combination of Silat, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Tae Kwun Do, Wushu, Judo and Boxing. No doubt it took you years to master...but it took me only minutes."
He then rushed at Daredevil again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spider-Man and Black Cat went up three more floors, now standing in an expansive lobby area.
"Hey, Shark-Head!" Spidey called out. "Are you gonna keep sending your guppies after us, or are you gonna grow a pair and face us?"
"I'll give you lovebirds credit for making it this far," The Mob Boss's voice spoke from the loudspeaker. "But you're becoming a persistent pain in my ass. I'm tryin' to revitalize the mob over here! That takes long-term leadership, and Silvermane; he's no spring-chicken..."
"Maybe not, but at least he's not trying to tear the city apart just to get what he wants," Spidey retorted.
"The city don't take the Maggia seriously no more," Hammerhead went on. "Don't respect us, and it's all because of that spineless gorilla!"
"Or maybe it's because times change, and you're giant steel-plated head is stuck in the 1920's," Black Cat retorted. "So, who's really the old mobster?"
The two heroes walked through some double-doors, which led to a large Ball Room, and right in the center of it was Hammerhead. He was standing on long, rotating platform, with a mounted machine-gun in the middle! Spidey and Black Cat glanced at each other, wide-eyed, before dodging to the left/right as he opened fire! Hammerhead cackled as he fired all over the room. Black Cat hid behind a couch, while Spidey webbed-zipped up to the ceiling when Hammerhead wasn't looking. He zipped down to him, threw him away from the platform, then tore apart the machine gun.
"Okay tough guy, can you still fight without your "big gun"?" Spidey quipped.
Hammerhead chuckled evilly as he got up, and pulled out a Tommy gun "I got a backup."
"SPIDER!" Black Cat cried out in worry!
Spotting the female, Hammerhead charged at her, head first! She cartwheeled out of the way as he rammed into the wall, smashing it to pieces! Hammerhead growled as he glared at Black Cat, his body totally unharmed.
"Yeah, saw that coming," she said.
"And I thought Luffy was hard-headed!" Spidey quipped.
He web-zipped over and delivered a double kick to the mobster's gut! Before he could backflip away, Hammerhead grabbed him by his ankles and spun him around before slamming him into the wall! Black Cat jumped at him, but he choke-slammed to the floor! Just as he reached into his coat to pull out some brass knuckles, something crashed through the window...it was The Beetle!
"So, this is how the Dons retaliate against me?" Hammerhead questioned rhetorically. "I'm actually flattered."
Spidey shook his head to regain his bearings, then he saw Beetle, "Oh, come on!"
Beetle fired a missile from his right arm, which Hammerhead jumped away to avoid! Spidey grabbed Black Cat and pulled them out of harm's way with his webs, just before the missile exploded at the wall! The two heroes didn't land gracefully; Felicia landed on top of the web-head, and his face ended up pressed into her cleavage!
"MMMPH!" Spidey cried as he struggled to get out from under her.
"You think this is the time, Spider?" Felicia taunted in a flirty tone.
He softly pushed her off, "Shut up! Things just got worse!"
"No kidding," Felicia got up, then glanced at the new arrival. "So, who's the bug-themed Iron Man?"
"He calls himself The Beetle, mercenary for hire."
"Great, so what do we do, now?" Felicia asked.
"I'll deal with him, you take Hammerhead," he answered.
Beetle fired his lasers at the web-head, who avoided them by web-swinging around the large open space! He kicked Beetle into a wall, by the merc quickly recovered.
Meanwhile, Black Cat dodged every punch Hammerhead threw at her. She knew he was too strong to fight head-on, so she waited till she saw an opening, and...
She flipped over him, smacking the back of his head in the process!
"Was that it?" Hammerhead scoffed. "I expected more from, kitty-cat."
"Just remember; you asked," she pressed a button on her belt, which suddenly caused Hammerhead to be zapped with electricity! When Felicia had smacked the back of his head, she'd placed a Taser-Disk there! The human body was already susceptible to electricity, containing sixty-percent water. But add that to the steel plate in Hammerhead's...head, and he was experiencing a WORLD of hurt!
"AAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Hammerhead screamed in pain.
Spidey avoided Beetle's missile and saw what Felicia had done.
"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" he scolded himself before grabbing Beetle with his webs and threw him at Hammerhead, causing him to get electrocuted as well! It also caused his armor to short-circuit!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHH!" Beetle screamed in agony.
Soon, both of them collapsed, their bodies smoking...
"Looks like I win this round," Spidey commented before punching Beetle in the face, knocking him out.
"Hmph, not bad kid," A new male voice spoke out. Spidey and Felicia turned, and their eyes widened at the mystery man. He was rather rough looking, with spiky black hair. He wore a long black leather coat, and a black, bullet-proof vest with a large white skull painted on it.
It was Frank Castle, the Punisher!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daredevil and Taskmaster's fight didn't seem to tip in anyone's favor. The Hell's Kitchen vigilante changed to basic, unpredictable moves, but the mercenary even copied those. Both of them took a minute to catch their breaths, when Daredevil heard Hammerhead and Beetle get electrocuted.
"Sounds like Hammerhead's been dealt with," he said.
Taskmaster glanced up, then shrugged, "Ah well, no skin off my nose."
He checked his phone, then turned to leave.
"Wait, you're just gonna leave?" Daredevil questioned.
"I've already been paid, and avenging my client wasn't part of my contract," Taskmaster responded. "Be sure to let your spider-friend know that he's no longer a target."
Daredevil wasn't planning to let him leave, until he heard a familiar voice, and caught a familiar scent.
"Frank...?" He then ran off toward the stairs as fast as he could.
"Frank Castle is here?" Taskmaster questioned as he got on an elevator. "This should interesting."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Felicia held up her hands, chuckling nervously, "Frank Castle, nice to meet you. I was working with the Spider to take this guy down for kidnapping my sister-"
"Relax kitten," Frank told her, then aimed his Remington 870 MCS Masterkey shotgun at Hammerhead. "I'm here for him."
Hammerhead groaned as he raised his head to look at Frank, who glared at him.
In response, Hammerhead actually chuckled, "Frank Castle, the fucking Punisher, come to finish me off. Ain't you gonna stop him, bug? Last I checked, you heroes had that shitty code-of-honor. Never kill people, right?"
Spidey glanced at the mob-boss...
~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~
One of the times Peter, MJ and Ned were at Aaron's warehouse; MJ brought up a serious subject.
"So, what should Peter do if he runs into the Punisher?"
Aaron stopped what he was working on, and the mood in the room seemed to darken.
"Aaron?" Ned asked, worriedly.
"That's not an easy discussion," he responded.
"Should we sit down?" MJ asked.
"From what I've read, the Frank Castle in this world is just like the one in mine," Aaron explained. "I consider him an ally and I'm sure he thinks the same, but we don't always agree. I don't agree with his take-no-prisoners method; I believe in redemption. But not for everyone. I agree that some criminals do deserve death, but not all."
"We can't kill people!" Peter argued. "We just can't!"
Aaron sighed, "One of my worst enemies tried to push me to kill him, but I didn't. At the same time though, we were in a building that was blowing up...so I told him, "I'm not gonna kill you. But I don't have to save you". So I left him to die in the explosion." (10)
"But...that's just the same as killing them," Peter said.
"Not exactly," MJ stated. "Choosing to let someone die isn't the same as directly killing them. Even if it was...many of the Avengers, including Stark, have killed some bad guys, or left them to die." She then shrugged. "Just something to consider."
"She's got a point," Ned stated. "Iron Man and War Machine beat Ivan Vanko, then he killed himself. Pepper killed Aldrich Killian. Ant-Man kinda indirectly/directly killed Darren Cross when he went sub-atomic. And King T'Challa killed his cousin, Erik Killmonger."
"...I need to think about this," Peter muttered.
Aaron nodded, "Yeah, but also keep this in mind. Whenever I see Frank when I'm out-in-the-field, and he steps into a situation that I'm dealing with; I usually try to stop him. Especially if I need to interrogate someone, then we do our own good-cop, bad-cop routine. Once we're done, I let him do his thing. So, with Frank, if I agree with him; I stay out of his way. But that's just me."
"But as your Snake Eyes persona, you DO kill," MJ mentioned.
"Yeah, but that's very different."
Still, this gave Peter A LOT to think about...
~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~
Clenching his fists tightly, Spider-Man reluctantly stepped aside. Punisher fired at Hammerhead, hitting him in the chest, but there was no blood! The mob-boss tried crawling away, then Frank shot him in the back, but there was still no blood!
Finally, Frank grabbed Hammerhead by his face and pinned him against the wall, shotgun resting at his temple,
"Guess you're wearing a vest, huh? Well not even that plate in your head can stop a 12-gauge shell at point-blank range."
The next few moments seemed to happen in slow-motion: as Frank squeezed the trigger, one of Daredevil's batons flew at him to knock the shotgun away from the mobster's head! But, in a shocking move, Spidey caught it in mid-air, just as the shot rang out, blowing a piece of flesh off Hammerhead's...forehead, exposing the steel plate in his head, which now had a hole blasted through it!
"NO!" Daredevil shouted as the mobster's body slumped to the floor.
"Did you really think this piece of shit had a shot at redemption, Red?" Frank questioned the vigilante.
Daredevil clenched his teeth as he seethed with anger, and yet he could find no words.
Frank then turned to leave, "See you around, Spider-Man."
"Yeah," he responded with a little exacerbation. Once Frank was gone, he webbed up Beetle and left him for the police.
"Why did you stop me?" Daredevil questioned.
"I don't completely agree with Frank's methods, but I can't deny that he has a point," Spidey responded. "Don't get me wrong; I'll never kill anyone. But...only the worst criminals are beyond redemption."
"Like rapists," Black Cat stated.
"...Okay, fine...I'll give you that," Daredevil conceded.
"Look, it's not easy," Black Cat said, "But sometimes, doing the right thing means you have to go against what you believe in."
"A friend of mine also told me that sometimes, doing the right thing is messy," Spidey added.
"Hey, what happened to Taskmaster?" Felicia asked.
"Once he learned that Hammerhead was beaten, he left," Daredevil answered. "He also said that you're not a target anymore."
Spidey breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, that's a load off my mind."
"Till next time," Daredevil nodded.
"Till next time," Spidey nodded back, then the vigilante of Hell's Kitchen left.
"Thanks again, Spider," Black Cat said before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Anytime...Felicia," Spidey responded, blushing a bit under his mask.
"See you around," she mused before jumping out of the window that Beetle had broken through. Spidey followed after her, then began web-swinging back home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once Peter got home, he saw that MJ was asleep on the couch. There were a couple empty plates on the table in front of her, and the TV was on.
Peter smiled as he went over and planted a gentle kiss on MJ's sleep, causing her to smile in her sleep before he pulled a blanket over her.
He then went over to the fridge and saw a sticky with MJ's handwriting on it.
"Hey nerd,
I left some meat and veggies in the oven for you.
MJ"
Peter chuckled and shook his head before he went to eat. After the day he had, he was exhausted. Especially from holding himself back from stopping the Punisher from killing Hammerhead. He most certainly didn't agree with Frank's methods, but he hoped he could be a potential ally.
After heating up his dinner, he carefully sat on the couch (so as not to disturb MJ) and turned on Modern Family.
It was the episode with the Thanksgiving dinner.
Phil was preparing the turkey with a cooking instructor on his phone. But...it was a female speaking in a sultry tone.
Haley walked by and heard it, "That thing's a little creepy."
"You're a little creepy," Phil retorted in a lame way to defend himself.
Peter chuckled as he ate his food.
Once he was finished, he put the dirty dishes in the sink and carried MJ to bed.
I've finally decide on the title for this story!
I actually made a poster for it, titled "Spider-Man: Brand New Day"! It's on DeviantArt, check it out!.
1. Reference to "Batman: The Long Halloween".
2. I loved Taskmaster's outfit from "Black Widow" so I kept that. The plot-twist worked for the movie, but didn't do the character justice.
3. Reference to the plot "Punisher" Season 1.
4. For anyone who remembers Interrogation-Mode from "Spider-Man: Homecoming"; I thought it was hilarious, but it also worked if Peter knew how to really use it.
5. That was in "Avengers: Infinity War".
6. Jefferson Davis, father of Miles Morales!
7. This is my way of bringing in the Fantastic Four in this universe.
8. Reference to "Daredevil" Season 3.
9. Frank Castle is the one that shot him.
10. I always loved that line from "Batman Begins", and it's a good way of thinking on morality.
So, Sin-Eater is a lesser known Spider-Man villain. After watching "The Batman" (2022), I thought of having a murder-mystery chapter. But who would work for that? So I looked villains that were kind of like The Riddler, and Sin-Eater was one of them.
I. LOVED. WAKANDA FOREVER. But it gives me conflict. Cause, I don't wanna write off T'Challa as a character, since he's so beloved and he does so much more in the comics. But then that big reveal in the mid-credits scene... Anyway, I have yet to figure out how that movie fits into the timeline.
After the next chapter, I may try my own "Spider-Verse" event. If anyone has any ideas for it (That doesn't involve Doctor Strange), please let me know!
Also, I had a couple new story ideas involving "Kuruko's Basketball" and "Highschool of the Dead". Both would be crossed-over with Naruto.
For HOTD, it would have "Naruto" and elements from "Resident Evil" thrown in, to explain the outbreak. Plus, a big harem for Naruto, including Hinata~!
For Kuruko, Naruto is the seventh member of the Generation of Miracles, regarded as a "Monster" by the others, but he wasn't there to see the downfall of their teamwork. But then he returns to see Seirin lose Tōō, then he joins the Seirin team. For fans of both anime; characters from Naruto would appear, with Hinata being his girlfriend, and Sasuke being his rival/best friend and the only one who can beat him.
Let me know what you all think of those ideas! Until the next chapter, read and review, please!
