Step Into My Parlor Said the Spider to the Wasp

Enter Two Arachnids of Ill Intent

As the smoke cleared two figures were standing in the gaping hole that had once been a solid wall. One was much larger than the other, a good two feet, the other had a light and feminine build. With the smoke finally clear they saw the two figures. One man and one woman, both with claws, armor, and most frighteningly, very dangerous looking tails. "We're looking for Parker," the woman yelled.

Jan tried to hold Peter back but he pushed through, "HERE I AM!" he yelled. The man charged Peter, who leapt nimbly over him. The woman palmed her face at her partner's idiocy. "Mac! Agility of a spider, remember?"

She swung her tail quicker than the average eye could follow and grabbed a girl with it. "Now," she said, bringing the girl next to her claws next to the girl's temple. "you are going to come with us or she is going to get the cheap version of plastic surgery." That was when she was hit in the head with a shield.

The discus shaped shield flew back to the hands of its owner, Captain America. "You're under arrest under the super-human testing ban!" he shouted. Unfortunately he forgot to watch his back, and the man who had crashed into the other wall lifted him off his feet.

Peter was already charging towards the woman, when he looked back at Cap, she caught him in the side of the head with her tail. He flew into a refreshment table, smashing it to bits, and dumping all manner of finger foods and beverages on himself.

Jan had leapt toward Cap, shrinking as she went. She was throwing as many stings as she could at the man with the tail, but it wasn't working. His armor was thick and strong. The man threw Cap across the room, crashing him through a wall. He swatted at Jan, but she flew circles around him.

Peter leapt from the destruction that was the buffet table and back on to the woman, who was by this time distracted by Quicksilver, and Gwen, who was throwing whatever she could at the woman. Peter leapt onto the woman, and did a flip without letting go of her, effectively body slamming her into the wood floor of the gym. She threw Spider-Man off, and swung her tail round again. This time she managed to trip Quicksilver, and knock Gwen into a table. She cocked her tail back and smiled cruelly at Spider-Man. He knew he could dodge her tail… but then his Spider-Sense screamed out. He looked behind him, thinking the man was coming up on him, only to be knocked across the floor by a blast from the woman's tail.

"Okay," he muttered. "Let me get this straight. Armor to enhance your strength, fully functional, octavian tails, AND lasers in the tails?"

She smiled wickedly again. "There's acid too. Also Mac over there has been genetically treated with Oz."

Peter dropped his jaw. "Oh, you're kidding! What is he merged with, a howler monkey?" he asked as he watched the large thick Mac fighting easily against Cap.

"A Scorpion actually," the woman said with an evil glint in her eye. She charged Peter again, spraying a green liquid from her tail. Everything it hit began to hiss and dissolve.

"And that would be the acid," Peter said as he jumped high above her. He came down, just as he planned to, right where the tail joined the woman's armor. It tore certain circuit, and broke certain servos, causing the tail to fall limp, and much of her armor to shut down. Without the help of her armor, she couldn't heft the tail, or move the armor near as quickly. She was effectively shut down.

Cap sailed over his head once again, and Peter charged into the new fray. He hit Mac in the chest, causing the man-scorpion hybrid to stumble backwards. Mac's arm flung back and finally hit something he'd been trying to hit since the fight began… Jan. she flew and landed in a pile of ruined tables and chairs, re-enlarging as she tumbled to a stop. Peter saw her, almost motionless form, and a fire started in his eyes as he turned back to Mac.

Peter Planted his feet, with his arms still wrapped around Mac, and he hefted the monstrosity over his head, and tossed him a few feet to the ground. Before Mac could untangle himself from his tail, Spider-Man was on him in a flash, burying him under a barrage of punches and kicks. Spider-Man flipped off of Mac and grabbed him by the tail. He began to swing him around and around and around, until Mac's weight caused him to rip from the tail and fly across the room, landing on the woman. Peter ran over and kicked Mac in the face causing him to tumble over, and through a bleeding mouth, begin to beg for mercy. Peter was about to charge again, when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

He turned to face whatever other threat had surface only to be face to face with Iron Man. "We got Steve's distress signal," Tony said from within the suit.

Nick hurried through the doors along with forty SHIELD agents. All of whom began to strip the armor from both Mac and the woman. They found it impossible to take Mac's armor off as his mutated body had fused it to his own skin. The fact was when Spider-Man had ripped his tail off, the pain had been too much for Mac and he was ready to surrender then.

Jan was loaded in to an ambulance, and the others all got their own ambulances. It turned out MJ had gotten slightly trampled as she tried to help the girl that the woman, now called Scorpia, had grabbed.

Two days later, all the Ultimates from the event were sitting in a room. It was painted white, and a man sat in a wheel chair. Xavier was, among other things, a qualified trauma councilor. It was a requirement, after every major event, the members involved had to attend a trauma counseling session. It was one of those less glamorous aspects of the job that didn't really get advertised much.

"Every one survived," Steve offered, sporting a sling holding his right arm, broken during one of the times Mac, now called Scorpion, had thrown him. "That is something."

"Yeah, and now I know that I can't ever have a social life," Gwen said angrily, as Pietro sat beside her, a large bandaged on his forehead. Gwen herself had a broken leg.

"Its not that bad," MJ said, trying to sound up beat.

"No," Peter said, standing at a window, looking out with an angry expression. "Its worse."

"Why is it worse Peter?" asked Charles.

"I can't go anywhere… I'm restricted to this… this palatial prison." He growled. "Because if I go anywhere, people, innocent people," he stole a glance at Jan, seated in a chair across the way, her right leg and arm in casts. "WILL be hurt. Because Fisk won't give up. He won't let me go…" Peter growled deep in the back of his throat.

"C'mon Pete," Steve said. "Its not that bad."

"NOT THAT BAD!" Peter yelled at him. "I WAS THEIR TARGET AND I'M THE ONLY ONE NOT SUPPORTING A MAJOR INJURY! JAN WAS ALMOST KILLED!"

"And you feel guilty?" asked Prof. Xavier.

"Of course!" he yelled again. "I was the target! ME! This was MY fault!"

"No it wasn't," Jan said finally. "Peter, you did the right thing, and someone got angry over it. That's not your fault." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She had talked with MJ and May about this. He always did this. The boy tried to carry the world on his shoulders. He blamed himself for everything if you gave him enough time.

Prof. Xavier looked at Janet for a moment, and then said to the rest, "I think we're done here, may I speak with you all in the other room?" he asked. He wheeled out followed by every one but Janet and Peter.

"I got hurt Peter, its an occupational hazard," she said.

"But they were after me," he said with tears in his eyes. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Bullshit Peter," she said. "I'm gonna get hurt. You can't protect everyone."

"That's why I do this though… Its my responsibility." His voice was choked.

"Peter, yes, you do have a responsibility, but you also can't save everyone by yourself. Steve was there too, so was Pietro. And so was I. Were are all in this business together. We know the risks."

"But… I couldn't…" he paused tears pouring from his eyes. "I couldn't take…" he just couldn't finish the sentence.

She looked at him. "I couldn't take losing you either Peter," she said. She looked down. "I guess no matter how many times I tell myself I'm not allowed to love you… it doesn't sink in."

"I love you Jan," he said.

"I love you too Peter," she responded. He made his way over and kneeled beside her, resting his head on her shoulder. She put her arm around him and they kissed. "To hell with the press," she said quietly. "to hell with what the world thinks. We'll wait for each other, and on that day…" she let it hang like a promise to him.

"I love you Jan," he said again. "I would do anything for you," he said.

"Then forgive yourself… for me."