Read the last chapter of Ghost Spider. It...was not a good send-off. Oh well, I haven't really read seriously since, like, 7 issues ago when I realized how meandering and same-y Maguire's writing had become.

Anyway, Devil's Breath is still leading over Spider Island for the finale. A part of me is wondering whether I can get away with doing both or, as Nerdman3000 suggests, just merging them somehow. Eh, I guess we'll see. It's still far off.

After this chapter hopefully I'll be able to write the finale for Two Spiders on a Web and finally finish that up. It's gone way overdue.


TheAlexation: Alright I'll I need to vent right now: I'm jealous of Spider-Man.

reply from ImBored: Is this meant to be news?

reply from GustavoSalvador: I mean I guess it's kinda unique since he's jealous of Spider-Man specifically? Most people point to the Avengers or the Gifted (who didn't get crap powers). Why him specifically, TheAlexation?

reply from TheAlexation: Cause he got away with it! Just giigle search Peter Parker and all you'll find is the bio of a textbook school shooter. He was a nerd who basically had no friends and got bullied by everyone. Now look at him. He's superpowered, he's leading a group of vigilantes fighting a bunch of ninjas (who apparently existed in ancient times?), and he killed a demon in the middle of Times Square! For shit's sake, he's going out with the person who killed him!

reply from Awoken One 111: Now that you think about it it does remind me of an isekai manga. All that's missing is him getting hit with Bus-kun.

reply from Coldboi: Wouldn't Spider-Woman count as the bus? :P

reply from GustavoSalvador: Not funny dude :/

reply from TheAlexation: All I'm saying is it's not fair. Why does Peter Parker get brought back with cool powers and go on amazing adventures with a hot, superpowered girlfriend and get to hang out with Spinerette or Scarlet Spider when people like us have to do a 9-to-5 job no matter how much we work our asses off? How does that make sense?

reply from ImBored: That's just how life is, yeah? Not everyone gets the same opportunities in life. Why do I get to grow up in a well-off family when some other guy across the city has his parents die and has to work since he could walk? People aren't born equal, simple as that.

reply from GustavoSalvador: That and I'm not sure how 'amazing' those adventures are. I mean the guy gets legit shot at on a daily basis and he wasn't looking like he was having fun during the Jack-o-Lantern spree last year. It only looks cool when you don't have to deal with all the shit that comes with it.

reply from Rougamaru: Yep. You said you have a 9-5 job TheAlexation? Well I'm sure there's someone somewhere who's complaining that you got that job while they have to do something else to earn money. Perspective.

reply from AugieEros: I had a friend who won the lottery. Didn't do anything to 'deserve' it but I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life complaining that it should've been me.

reply from TheAlexation: Whatever. I don't care what crap he has to deal with, being a superpowered badass with a famous hero girlfriend and a city that loves you is worth it. Betcha he's having another adventure right now.


Peter got punched in the face. Hard.

He pressed both hands against the cold, steel floor and spat blood. The floor was a pristine white, somehow still looking spotless despite the clientele it housed. The crimson fluid stuck out heavily in the bright, almost reflective surface, "Heh..." He sneered and looked up at the brute that hit him. A big guy, easily nearing 7 feet tall, and an albino to boot. The chalky white skin and hair only made his smirk stand out even more.

He was just minding his own damn business, eating the slop the called food in this dollhouse before the pasty faced mook suddenly dropped him like a sack of bricks, "What's wrong, new fish?" albino taunted, more emanating than speaking. His voice was deep, more akin to a rumbling bass than his own fake baritone, and it easily drew the attention of the others on the table.

Barely an hour in the dollhouse and he was already getting hassled for prison power plays. Just perfect.

How did he get here again?

He remembered meeting up with the others just a couple of days ago, "Is this really necessary?" Peter asked, leaning back against the dining room table with his arms crossed. Gwen and Mary took up the couch while Cindy stood nearby, eyes on a notepad and only barely looking up at his question. On the living room table was a Upad with Lana on the other end of a video call. She was still in her camping trip but insisted being present when Cindy told her what was going on.

It was Cindy's idea to do this. Anytime they did 'something really fucking stupid', to use her words, she figured the others needed to know just in case. Gwen was all for it while he and Mary were more reluctant. What exactly did 'something stupid' mean for all of them? Barely a day went by when they weren't putting their necks out on the chopping block and they didn't meet for those.

Before anyone could answer the door slammed open and Norah ran in, sweaty and panting, "Hey, sorry I'm late!" She stopped and put her hands on her knees, face flushed. Peter raised a slight brow at her attire. A sleeveless leather vest with a dark top underneath that left large swathes of her chest open for all to see paired with a short, gray skirt that barely went past her thighs. A pair of dark boots completed the ensemble.

"Uh...nice outfit." Mary said. Peter didn't miss the way her eyes lingered.

"Yeah, Nor. Trying a new look as a biker bitch?" Lana asked.

"Haha, fuck you." She gave them both the middle finger and gratefully accepted the glass of water Cindy gave her, "I was undercover investigating the Dogs of Hell. Remember those guys?"

"You mean the group of racist assholes wearing 80's leather jackets? Hard to forget." Gwen scoffed. The Dogs were a motorcycle gang who had more than a little streak of race supremacy in their credo. First it was against anyone who didn't share their skin color and after last year it was anyone who got hit with their damn mist. Norah must've been tempting to them, a pretty blonde who looked like someone they could 'educate' about their manifestos.

"What are you doing with the Dogs, Summers?" Peter asked.

"Page gave me a heads up. Apparently your friend Gao's hiring them out as delivery men to smuggle her heroin into the city." Cindy raised a brow at that, "Thought I could go in and get some info, maybe some guy'd let something slip while he was playing grab ass." That explained her looking like a biker side-dish. He had to admit, it impressed him how much she didn't care using her looks to get what she needed.

"I'm guessing you looking like a marathon was cause of that, then?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah. One of the guys got proper sloppy drunk and dragged me up to his room. Tazed him in the balls and got some info that I passed onto Page." Which probably meant she'd send them out once this prison gig was done.

"You could've called me. I would've helped you," Mary said with a slight frown.

"Didn't think I needed it. Wasn't expecting a fight, and I was totally right. Just dropped a rope from the second floor and ran. Those racist pricks just see a pretty blonde so they aren't gonna remember me." Norah sighed and sat down on a nearby chair, "Anyway, Cindy called me over and said it was 'super important' so I ran over here. So what's the sitch? Did Gwen find out about me and Ben's love affair?"

"Wait, what?"

"Ignore her, Gwen. You know she makes terrible jokes." Peter shook his head, "It's nothing serious, Summers. Cindy's just being overprotective."

"Uh, you're planning to go to a maximum security prison where you'll be shrunk down to three inches tall and surrounded by murderers, kidnappers, rapists and crooked lawyers. I think I'm well within my rights to call for a group meeting," Cindy said.

"I'm with here, Peter. This seems really stupid," Gwen said, "I mean I get that this Murakami guy is dangerous and all, but he was dumb enough to put himself in prison. Why not just let him stay there and rot?"

"If the prisons here weren't revolving doors I'd feel more confident in that plan." Peter grunted, "And even if they weren't you know the Hand has influence. Even without Alexandra they know the right palms to grease. I doubt Gao would've sent Murakami into the dollhouse without knowing a way to get him and his new recruits back from being doll sized."

"So your plan is is to shrink yourself down too?" Lana asked, "Better idea, why not just go over there and grab the guy while you're the size of Godzilla to him? Magic kung-fu doesn't fucking matter when you're bug sized."

"You forget that I'm not exactly on the law's Christmas list? I show up there I'm sure they already have a cell prepped for me and the rest of the group." Gwen told him about that Gyrich guy, how he was considered too useful to lock up, but he didn't want to push his luck. A few nudges and greased palms and nudged shoulders in the background was a different thing from complete immunity.

"Yeah, I'm not much help here either. Neither's Gwen," Cindy pursed her lips, "Being Avengers gives us more leeway but we can't just go in and pluck a prisoner out without proof. There are already groups complaining that the shrink tech is dehumanizing and infringing on basic human rights. If people find out we're grabbing prisoners with no concrete proof this thing's gonna go belly up."

"Well there goes Lana's plan to go Titan Attack." Norah smirked, "I'm guessing you're going with fake identities since going in as Spider-Man is just asking to get shanked on the first day. What do you need me to do?"

"I was hoping you could work with Cin, see if you could get me a list of people I need to keep an eye on." Even now powers were still rare and he knew the Hand would've been gunning for those first. Still, not everyone with 'gifts' was worth recruiting. The Hand weren't exactly interested in a guy who could glow in the dark.

"Got it. Since I just did Page a favor and this is technically for her I'm sure this'll be easy." She smirked and gave the ok gesture, "Let's just hope you find a way to turn back. It was weird enough you were fighting crime as the amazing spider-boy, doing it when you're doll sized is gonna be real stupid."

"I'm getting some counter particles from Jan, so that's covered," Gwen said, "...I still don't like this. I understand why you're going in, but why you specifically? You've got five people in that group of weirdos. Why not just let them cover it? For god's sake, you don't even have your powers back yet!"

"Yeah, I'm with Spider-Gwen. Going in there with your one month of kung-fu montages doesn't seem like a good idea," Lana added.

He definitely saw their point. While his last outing with Cindy proved he could still handle himself even without his powers he definitely couldn't deny he wasn't at his peak right now without the Spider-God's blessings.

Still, he didn't like the idea of sitting on his hands while the rest of his 'team' went after Murakami. He didn't fight the Hand this long to end up sitting on the sidelines.

"I can barely trust most of them to tie their shoelaces, last thing I'm gonna do is let Murakami slip away cause they messed something up." And he couldn't deny that he felt...ugh, responsible for at least some of them. Rand was nice (a little too nice, honestly) and didn't deserve what he got and Moon Knight - for all his many, many flaws - was there with him fighting against the Hand last year. Wouldn't do to put them at risk while he sat back and watched.

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out, Tiger." Mary smirked and leaned back on the chair. She definitely seemed better nowadays compared to before, "Not sure what I can add here, unless you want me to stand guard outside the prison with a rolled up newspaper."

"Actually, I think I have something," Cindy said. She set her notes down and a quick scan showed a crudely drawn string theory web, "That Maggia goon you gave us cracked when he realized just what was waiting for him. Governments really don't like it when people start trading the Gifted around. Pretty much treat it like swapping around nukes." Well, that wasn't dehumanizing or anything.

"Please don't tell me he got a plea deal and he's getting out?" Mary scowled lightly.

"Not so much, I'm making sure of that. He and those sick bastards in Roxxon's butcher shop." Peter looked down with a frown. He wasn't there himself but he got a good enough picture from what Cindy and Mary told him. Apparently Mary went a bit overboard 'just a few times' when they saw the rooms, "Anyway, looks like we're gonna be spread out a bit. Could I count on you and Gwen to help out?"

"Sure that's a good idea? You know how I can get." Gwen winced but didn't say anything.

"Just make sure you don't leave a bloodbath and we'll be good. That means no executions and no slasher film crap. We can put these guys in jail and dead men can't talk."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her. We're overdue for a team-up anyway." Gwen smiled at Mary who reluctantly smiled back. That wasn't awkward or anything, "Speaking of team-ups...Norah, when were you planning on telling us that Punisher was back in town?"

"Uh...slipped my mind?" Norah smiled crookedly. Gwen looked distinctly unamused, "Alright, fine, I didn't wanna make a big deal out of it. I know you two don't exactly have warm fuzzies for each other and I figured he'd talk to Ben at some point. No need to get Spider-Woman involved."

"Hell of an entrance, at least," Peter muttered. Undeniably helpful, too. When the hell were the Spider-God's presents gonna kick back in?

"Any reason Punisher's not coming along, Pete?" Lana asked.

"You do realize that if that happens everyone in that prison except the guards are going to die, right?" Peter asked back. It was a maximum security prison. No one who robbed purses from old ladies was put in there. Would've been a buffet for someone like Castle, "We're there for Murakami, no one else."

"Speaking of, could you clarify your plan again? I already got Daisy to fit you with face masks and fake identities but you've been pretty vague about what exactly you're planning to do with this Murakami guy," Cindy said.

"Moon Knight wants him extracted. Gao's plan, least as far as we can tell, is for him to start recruiting so the Hand can get more Gifted into their ranks. Hell, even just anyone they could use. Remember Jack's group?" They all winced, "We don't need another group of psychopaths running around. We've still got Sowande under lock and key so if we can get two out of the four Fingers we might be able to get some leverage."

"...Why do I get the feeling this guy's gonna die?" Lana asked sarcastically.

"Can't deny it's not an option." Again, Gwen winced and he gave her an apologetic look, "You know what the Hand is like. Putting them in a jail cell is hardly an option." He paused briefly, "...Besides, they've died enough already that one more won't tip the scales over."

"Great, now the mood's heavy again." Lana sighed and adjusted her screen. Peter briefly caught a glimpse of trees and a campfire behind her, "Before we finish up I figured I should tell you guys something happened. Remember when I sent you and Spider-Gwen to interview Holloway?"

"Hard to forget. You could've warned me she'd practically throw herself at Peter," Gwen said, annoyed. Mary covered her mouth and snorted.

"Yeah, well, looks like there's been some...side-effects." Lana took a deep breath and adjusted the screen again. Through the shaky camera they all saw Sue Storm sitting on a nearby tree stump before she suddenly flicked and disappeared. The flickering continued before the blonde took a deep breath and solidified fully, "Yeah...guess Sue's one of the lucky ones."

"Sue Storm's one of the Gifted? Damn, every news media in the city's gonna want to know that." Norah whistled sympathetically.

"No shit. I'm gonna go talk to Morgan and Hawthorne next week but we gotta deal with Sue too. Sue figures that she can't really hide this thing and it'd be better if she revealed herself first instead of getting caught out. Nor, could you..."

"Do an interview? Sure. Can't be any worse than Gwen's." Norah shrugged, ignoring the the look of mock offense the other blonde gave her, "Geez, it's never boring with you guys, is it?"

"Says the one who literally just went undercover in a biker gang?" Mary asked back with a wry smirk.

"See? This is why the meetings work. We get to update each other, help each other out and make sure we clarify things when it seems like our friends are doing something really freaking stupid." She looked right at him as she said that. Peter rolled his eyes and gave her a rude hand gesture in return.

"Yeah. Thanks, mom." Peter said. Gwen snickered while Cindy glared at him, "Alright, if Matt's right then we should be in the Raft by tomorrow. You sure we can't just get dead collars?"

"Not if you wanna be inconspicuous. Guards have trackers on every single collar and they'll notice if a bunch of prisoners came in with non-functioning collars." She frowned before speaking next, "And I can't deny that you might piss someone off and they decide to activate it. If the guards and prisoners don't see you reacting you might as well just scream 'I'm Spider-Man'."

"Can't they just fake it?" Mary asked.

"Doubtful. Saw it in action once when Rhino tried for an escape. Electricity actually arcs out of the metal so you can't just play pretend." She crossed her arms and sighed, "I really don't like this, Pete. We only have a couple of guards inside who know what's up so your safety net is made out if tissue paper."

"I'll be careful, Cin, don't worry."

"Cool. Now that the heavy stuff is over with-" Cindy suddenly smiled and put up her phone. Peter raised a brow when he saw the contents, "Comic con! Except in this universe con stands for conclave instead of convention. Whatever, point is, it's happening right here in New York in a couple of weeks and we're totally going!"

"That's...an abrupt change of topic," Mary said.

"Figured we needed to do something to lighten the mood," Cindy replied, "Look, as someone who spent ten years in a bunker-"

"Yes, we know," they all said.

"I know better than anyone what it's like to get stuck in your own head," she continued, completely ignoring their barb, "And we all need a break. We've all been running around with barely any chance to breath."

"I feel like I should point out I've been in a coma up until recently," Lana snarked.

"And the doctor told you to take it easy and get some R&R. Which you're definitely not doing by playing detective and Sue freaking Storm turning into the Invisible Woman in this dimension, too. Point is we all need to cut loose and get some time to relax and what better than comic con?"

"Why do I get the feeling this is cause of something that happened in your past?" Gwen asked.

"Don't be silly." Cindy waved her off, "Come on, it'll be fun! We can show up in our costumes and no one'll realize it."

"Going to comic con with a bunch of Superheroes. My brother'd be so jealous if he knew," Norah laughed under her breath.

Two days later and the thought of discussing a group outing was the farthest thing from his mind. The entire process was a blur. The fake prison transfer, the collar being strapped to his neck and being forced down the sterile white halls that led to his temporary prison.

They didn't take any chances. His arms were bound with heavy manacles and he was shoved roughly by the guards who led him inside. They forced him on his knees and activated the collar, 'testing' it out to make sure he knew exactly who was in charge. He didn't say anything. For all they knew he - David Walters - was just another criminal who had at least a couple of murders under his belt.

Then again, he was pretty sure they wouldn't have treated him any better if they knew who he really was...

And now he was here, face down on the floor because of some guy who wanted to prove he had the biggest pecker on the lunch table. Peter wiped the blood with his wrist and stood up. Most of the prisoners were watching them now, though a few continued to eat like nothing was wrong. Probably been here long enough to get used to the show.

Off to the side he saw a few guards (none of which were their contacts, unfortunately) nudge each other and just watched. They were big, easily twice as tall as any of them with just about all of the prisoners coming up to their waists. Big enough to be intimidating and get involved but not so big that they wouldn't be able to walk the halls without being forced to crawl.

Then there was Matt, just eyeing him from the side of his own pile of mush. He was the only one he shared a block with - Moon Knight and Rand were in the next block over. This really wasn't how he wanted it to go.

"The hell's your problem?" he asked back with a snarl.

"New fish actin' like he owns the place. Figured you needed to learn your lesson." He grinned at that, and he saw a few of the others at the table match his expression. Peter sneered. He thought the new face would've given him some leeway but apparently not. Oh well, this'd make things easier. If he could kick the patsy's rear in then people would know he wasn't someone they could hassle.

"Fine then. If that's how you wanna play it." Peter lowered slightly into a combat stance, "Bring it on, you pasty faced patsy!"

The albino growled and threw another punch straight for his jaw. Peter dodged the heavy hit and grabbed his arm before he could pull back. His first instinct was to hit the elbow and break it, which was exactly what he did. Big bastard didn't even get a chance to look surprised before the blow impacted and a loud snap rang out.

"Agghhh, you son of a bitch!" Albino swiped at him with his free hand Peter dodged back. He back hit the table and, before Albino could go in for another swing, he grabbed the metal tray and smacked him across the face with it. He hit him one more time for good measure and kicked him straight in the jaw once he was on the floor, staining the red jumpsuit with blood.

His spider-sense suddenly rang and a quick, painful current of electricity ran through him. Peter was forced on his knees and it took everything he had not to collapse in a twitching, frothing mess on the floor.

"What the hell is going on here?" Peter looked up through swimming vision at the old man who stood in front of him. He was big just like the guards but the head of salt and pepper hair stuck out. The warden, one John Walker, was a nasty piece of work. He didn't compromise, didn't let anyone threaten him and made sure the prisoners knew that, for all their power plays, they were nothing more than confined ants.

Which made him perfect for a place like this. And the same reason they couldn't tell him. He knew for a fact Walker would've loved to have him and his entire group trapped in this place.

The warden looked between him and the coughing, bleeding Albino and scowled, "Lunch time's over. Get these two back in their cells."

One of the guards deactivated the shock on his collar and dragged him back to his cell. Didn't even give him a warning before he tossed him into the cell and the bulletproof glass door slid close behind him, "Hell of a first impression you made, Walters," the guard said. Peter didn't say anything, "Clean yourself up. You look like shit."

Peter grabbed the side of the bed and pulled himself up. He walked shakily to the sink and looked down at the keenly polished metal. The face of a stranger greeted him. David Walters, a 30 year old redhead from Wisconsin with a laundry list of crimes from gun smuggling, human trafficking and murder for hire. 'He' had a reputation for violence and attempted escapes so they sent 'him' to the Raft.

"Shit..." He winced at the blood that ran down his nose. The mask was tight enough that no one could tell at a glance but the blood was all too real. He opened the faucet and washed the blood away, ignoring the way his nose throbbed. He was tempted to heal it with chi but the camera on the wall discouraged it. This place was was touted to be inescapable, a real birdcage. He'd believe it when the clowns stopped showing up every other week.

He ignored the toilet - he wasn't planning to use it unless he needed to - and sat down on the bed, watching blankly as the prisoners were shuffled back to their cell. Seeing the guards again reminded him of just how absurd the situation was. Here they were, 3 inches tall, if that, with collars around their necks and the only thing these damned people thought about was being the biggest ant in the hill. He'd have to blend in and play the role perfectly if he didn't want this to be permanent.

Peter looked up at the camera. A green dot of light lit up the bottom of the lens; another reminder that they were being watched. Cindy told them they'd get the occasional break from surveillance thanks to their friends on the inside.

It was five minutes to the lights shutting off when he saw him, "Hey, if you wanted to touch me you coulda just asked! I'll be here all night!" Bullseye grinned and ignored the guard shoving him roughly into one of the cells in the opposite walkway. They weren't exactly across each other but it was enough for him to get a good view of his cell.

Summers and Cin missed him. Either he was a recent transfer or Gao did something to make sure no one would see him coming, "Fuck..." The lights above them shut off and Peter sat back down on the bed with a scowl. Things just got a lot more complicated.


4444Nanjia: Is there anywhere I can lodge a complaint about Spider-Woman? Maybe someone I can talk to about her behavior?

reply from jimmywalls: Uh...what?

reply from 4444Nanjia: A place to give a review. I have some issues with her and wanted to know where I should put them.

reply from ATetrisBlock: A...review? Uh she's not a store lady. What's your problem with her anyway?

reply from 4444Nanjia: She was rude and unaccommodating. A guy tried to steal my handbag and she stopped him. That was great and all, but when I asked her to give me a lift she said she was busy and couldn't really do any web rides. And then when I asked her to just give me money for an uber instead she still said no.

reply from Striped Pants 1: So let me get this straight: she stopped you from being mugged, you asked even more and because she didn't bend over backwards to please you you wanna leave her, what, a bad review?

reply from 4444Nanjia: I wasn't asking for much! My car broke down and it would've taken her maybe 15 minutes to swing me over to work. And it's not like asking her for money is wrong or anything. She's rich, she can afford it.

reply from Captain Crabstacean: I gotta agree with 4444Nanjia. She's a hero, it's her job to help people. Besides, she's part of the Avengers. People like us pay her salary. She owes it to us to be nicer.

reply from Kevin bvs: Do you two even hear yourselves? That's like someone giving you 20 dollars for free and then complaining that you didn't get 50 instead. So ungrateful SMH.

reply from Raivon: That and what the hell did you expect? Last I checked the Avengers were a UN taskforce, not an ooper group. You can't just call up their contacts and ask to speak to the manager.

reply from jimmywalls: BTW Wasp and Tony Stark pay, not you two.

reply from 4444Nanjia: Ugh, should've known people here wouldn't be any help. Too many fanboys and fangirls :/

reply from 4444Nanjia: Forget it, I'll just go to the Avengers twitter page and post. If she's smart she'll see my comment and shape up.

reply from ATetrisBlock: 10 bucks says she'll show up on Jameson's next podcast...


Lana cut the call and set her phone down with a sigh. Pete was off to prison and she couldn't even be there to say a proper goodbye. Why he insisted on doing stupid shit like that she really didn't know.

She said as she was already considering going back to fighting crime after having just gotten out of a coma...

Sighing again, she stood up fully and walked over to where Sue sat. The others were gathered around the campfire, giving Sue some much needed space. Sue insisted that they stay over the weekend and finish the trip. Lana figured it was cause they were the only ones here and she didn't want anyone else seeing her now.

And she totally got it. It was bad enough when a nobody like her got exposed by that fuckstick William, but someone like Sue Storm a.k.a America's Sweetheart? Her fans would go ballistic. Lana saw the meltdowns people had when Sue's dipshit of a brother got a haircut, she definitely wasn't looking forward to seeing what would happen when her fanboys found out she was one of the Freaks...uh, Gifted.

"Hey..." Sue looked up just barely and gave her a slight nod. So far she hadn't said much since her powers kicked in yesterday, but at least she was doing a bit better. Sure she still flickered in and out but at least it was her whole body and not just her eyes or legs. She wasn't tossing them around with those forcefields of her either, which was a plus.

Lana sat next to her and offered her a sandwich, "You should probably eat something."

"...'mnot hungry."

"Just eat anyway." She pressed the sandwich to the blonde's hands and unwrapped her own, "Gabe made these and he'd feel bad if we just tossed em."

"Gabriel...how is he?" Sue asked softly.

"He's fine. We're all fine." Aracely had a bump on her ass and Gabe took a surprise dip but that was nothing to worry about, "Sue, none of us blame you. You know that, right?"

"Why wouldn't you? I-"

"Breathed in some mist and lost control for a bit. Guess what? That happens to everyone who gets put in those damn cocoons!" Speaking of, there was no cocoon in her tent. The mist was definitely modified, "You shoulda seen me when I breathed it in. Made a complete ass of myself and got my head blasted open with a shotgun. Trust me, it could've been way worse."

"That's not very comforting." She took a small bite of her sandwich and smiled slightly, "I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a fun trip and I-"

"Oh for fuck's..." Lana grabbed the other girl by the shoulders and forced her to face her, "Stop. Apologizing! You didn't do anything wrong! If I'm blaming anyone it's Hawthorne and Morgan. They're the ones who decided to throw peanut gas everywhere cause they wanted to swiftgram followers! You didn't do anything except freak out when parts of you went invisible. And if you didn't freak out about that I'd be fucking weirded out."

"But-"

"No! No buts!" She hated yelling at her, but with people like Sue it was best to force the issue, "None of this is your fault. Zero. Less then negative. And if you tell me sorry one more time I'm cutting this trip short."

"D-Don't!" Sue held her right arm with her free hand and took a deep, shaky breath, "I'm so- uh, I mean, it's not..." She bit her lower lip, "I know it's not my fault, but I hurt you all last night and if you didn't help me then..."

"Stop thinking about what-ifs; you're never gonna go anywhere with that." Lana sighed, "None of hold what happened against you. You want Aracely to read our fucking minds to prove it we'll do it. I just...this thing is weird enough already, okay? You don't need to go around blaming yourself."

"Mmm." Lana let go of her shoulders and Sue faced ahead to the empty forest, "I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my family."

"What's there to worry about? Thought you were close with your folks."

"Not...exactly. We don't have a bad relationship by any means but they're the kind of people who think expensive presents and nannies make up for family time. I'm sure they won't hate me for it but I honestly think that once they find out they'll try to find some way to try and capitalize on it. Maybe turn 'America's Sweetheart' to something more marketable. And then Johnny's gonna make a tweeter post about the plight of the Gifted for more followers.

"Well that's why I told Pete and the rest, like you said. We can do the interview with Norah and you can do it on your own terms."

"Thanks..." She nodded again, "...Hey, you said you were gonna talk with those two that used the mist, right?"

"The two head bitches of the academy. Yeah, why?"

"Could I...come with you?" Lana gave her a questioning look, "I-I know it seems weird, but...like you said they're responsible for this and I...I don't know how to explain it, but I want to talk to them. Understand why they'd risk something like this."

"Because they care about being top in their little fucking world more than common fucking sense." Lana sneered, "But sure, you can come. I doubt those two trust fund babies'll have the balls to do anything dangerous. Who knows, maybe Sue Storm asking them questions'll take the wind out of their sails. Show them what an actual star looks like."

"Please don't put it like that..."

And so, two days and one interview with Norah later and they were making their way to the witch's lair. Sue took up her left while Aracely practically skipped along on her right. The younger girl looked around in wonder, the visitor's badge slung around her neck swinging with every sudden twist and turn she did. She'd lived here for a while but it was the first time she actually got out of the room without worrying someone would report her.

"You okay, Aracely?" She'd brought her along as insurance. They couldn't have her help with Roxxon cause of that damn bounty and because they couldn't risk his victims getting gas chambered. The witches didn't have that insurance.

"Mm-hm." She nodded happily. Lana was just relieved her angst episode from before was gone. Yeah, like she could've been mind controlling her... "It's...very loud here. Everyone is thinking about so many things. So many selfish things."

"Uh...you wanna go back? Cause I don't wanna risk you going psycho cause of the shit they're saying."

"Hm? No, that's not a problem. It is...imagine like your movies. Gabriel and Sue enjoy the ones where people die horribly and in pain but they're both very nice and not influenced. It is like watching a movie."

"If you say so..." She still felt scummy bringing her here to read those witches minds but Aracely insisted. She said she wanted to pay her back for everything she did for her, "What about you, Sue? Feeling weird?"

"No. Stable...for now." She'd gotten a bit better over the weekend. Not enough to actually use her powers the way Lana did, but enough that she didn't randomly flicker in and out the second they weren't looking. Not that it mattered much. Nor's interview was coming out in a few hours so if these prissy witches took a snapshot it wouldn't change anything.

"Right, you two just lemme do the talking, okay? And...don't pay attention to the shit they say."

She knocked on the door hard as soon as they were close. The fancy, decorated square sunk back and Gabriella Morgan's puckered face greeted her. She looked normal as far as Lana could see, "Ugh, Baumgartner." She kept looking like she sucked on a lemon till her eyes landed on Sue and she gasped, "S-Sue Storm?! What are you doing here?"

"She-"

"I was just visiting Lana and she told me about the people of interest in the school. Thought I should meet them?" Sue's face was lit up in an easy and pleasant smile, showing none of the nerves and anxiety from before. Lana was suddenly reminded that she'd been acting since she was old enough to walk, "Could we come in and chat? I've heard such nice things from you and Diana."

"O-Of course!"

She stepped aside to let them pass. Sue stepped inside first with Lana and Aracely following after. Hawthorne - also looking not at all mutated - looked up from her bed and sat up like someone shoved a pole up her ass when she saw Sue, "W-Woah, what are you-"

"She's here to see us, Di." Lana rolled her eyes at just how excited Morgan looked. Then again these were the same people who thought buying modified Terrigen mist from the Serpent Skulls was a good idea.

"Really? Why?"

"I've heard good things about you." Sue sat at one of the chairs and crossed one leg over the other gracefully. Lana stuck to the side without a word while Aracely parked herself in a corner and tried to make herself unnoticeable, "Lana mentioned you both offhand and I recognized your names. Mother and father are planning to do business with your clothing line, Ms. Morgan, and I've only heard good things from your range of cosmetics, Ms. Hawthorne."

"Oh, that makes sense!" Hawthorne grinned while Morgan was already preparing her swiftgram for the barrage of selfies, "Yeah, I think I heard from daddy that we were getting some new business deals."

"Yes, and I just wanted to visit when I had the chance. I'll be debuting Ms. Morgan's line in the next movie and Ms. Hawthorne's lotions have done wonders for my skincare routine. I haven't felt as radiant in years."

Wow...she really had them twisted around her finger. Hard to believe it was the same girl who could barely talk to her crush.

"Incidentally I heard about the accidental release from the Terrigen mist a few days prior and I wanted to make sure you were both alright. It wouldn't do for a pair of your caliber to be hurt because of it."

"Oh, we're absolutely fine!" Morgan grinned. Here it came, "Actually, both me and Di got really lucky!"

"Lucky? Like Lana?"

At the reminder that she was, in fact, present both girls expressions soured, "Well...I guess, if you wanna call it that." Hawthorne said, eyeing the cross-armed brunette like she was a piece of dogshit on the sidewalk. It took all Lana had not to give her a middle finger back, "I wouldn't call it so...crude, however. We certainly don't go around blasting people like mad bombers."

"Hey, here's an idea: why don't you go fu-"

"Could I see them, perhaps?" Sue interrupted forcefully, "I'll admit I have a fascination with the Gifted and Lana is rather shy about showing her abilities in front of me. Oh, and perhaps we could do a livestream on my account? I'm sure a lot of my fans would just love seeing you two!"

That was all the incentive they needed. Lana leaned back on the wall and watched as they showed off her abilities. Morgan's was the most noticeable with her tan skin turning into a bright, golden sheen that made her look like one of those tacky statues Middle East oil barons bought. Hawthorne, meanwhile, was weaving strings of light between her fingers

It looked way too...neat to be accidental power-ups. They must've chosen it specifically, like that goon who went full rockman on her a few weeks ago. Sadly, these two didn't get a sudden case of the dead like he did.

But then, why did Sue get invisibility and forcefields?

"Oh my!" Sue clapped her hands and looked up at them in wonder, "You're right, it's much more graceful than Lana's! Gabr- uh, I meant Ms. Hawthorne-"

"You can call me Gabbie." Hawthorne gave Sue a plastic smile, "Di, too. No need to be so formal, Sue."

"Well...if you're sure. Thank you, Gabbie."

"...Sue is angry," Aracely whispered, so soft that only Lana heard it, "They remind her of the fake friends she had when she was younger. Masks on masks on masks, hungry for fame and attention without a care for her at all."

"Yeah..."

"Oh, could we do the livestream now?" Sue said brightly. The two witches nodded and didn't even care when Sue handed Lana the phone, "Oh, Lana, could you please be a dear and take the video? I hate to bother you."

"No prob, Sue." She forced herself to smile and ignored the smug looks of satisfaction the pair gave her. Oh no, she wasn't part of their clout chasing show. Boo hoo, "Alright, recording."

"Hey all, Sue here!" Sue grinned. How many personalities did she have? "Super impromptu vid, but I wanted to introduce you two people. This is Gabriella Morgan and Diana Hawthorne. Say hey to them, everyone!"

Lana almost put her finger on top of the lens when the two introduced themselves and made a show of their powers. Christ, kill her now.

"Pretty cool powers, huh? I thought so too!" Sue smiled. Lana felt a sudden chill go down her spine, "It's kind of hard to believe something so pretty came because they were willing to gas an entire school with Terrigen mist."

The pair's look of gobsmacked surprise was priceless. Hawthorne was the first one to get her voice back, "W-Wait, what do you-"

"And do you know how they got that mist? Oh, word on the grapevine is they bought it from the Serpent Skulls gang! I heard that those guys are wanted for murder, kidnapping and a whole bunch of other crimes. I mean, that's some scary stuff! Gabbie, why would you make a deal with them? Isn't that crime?" she asked, faux innocence dripping from every word.

"N-No, we didn't-"

"Could you tell us where you bought the mist or even just who you bought it from? Cause I'm really scared knowing that the Serpent Skulls could get so close to Sister's Faith Academy without anyone realizing. I mean, what if they decide to kidnap the other students and put them up for ransom? They've done it before! And from what I heard you did all this just because you wanted powers to be more popular. So weird!"

"You're not-"

"I...I can see something," Aracely whispered, "An image of an alley. They were dropped off close to a sign that says Baker street. Uh...there's a spray painting of a pumpkin on the walls."

"That'll have to do," Lana muttered. She looked back to see and gave her a thumbs up, "Any last words for your fans, Sue?"

"Only that you shouldn't make deals with dangerous gang members. You don't know what they'd do!"

Lana cut the feed and tossed Sue her phone back, "Couldn't have said it better myself." She texted Cindy the details. Sue Storm was big so if the Skulls had even half a brain they'd be scrambling right now. They needed to get on this quick, "Alright, we got what we came for." She would've preferred doing it incognito but beggars couldn't be choosers. Sue did all the work so she wasn't gonna complain.

"Wh-Why did you do that?!" Morgan screamed. Considering she still looked like a gold statue it wasn't as intimidating as she thought, "Do you have any idea what you've done?! You-"

"You're rich enough that it's unlikely you'll get arrested but it doesn't mean you're going to get away scot free," Sue cut in, "Lana told me why you did this, why you put people at risk. You wanted to be popular? Fine. Now the entire city knows that Gabriella Morgan and Diana Hawthorne are so hungry to be special that they made deals with violent criminals and put their entire school at risk. Have fun."

They turned to leave when Hawthorne let out a frustrated howl and charged straight towards Sue. Lana didn't even get a chance to punch her off before she stopped and crashed like she hit an invisible wall. Sue looked just as surprised as Hawthorne did but she immediately scowled to hide it, "You got off easy!" Sue growled. Parts of her body were flickering in and out again, "Because of you two I hurt my friends! Don't try anything else or I'll make sure you both regret it."

Sue slammed the door open, uncaring of the fact that she wasn't wholly visible just yet. The milling students gawked and took pictures but the three of them paid it no mind. They had more important things to worry about.

"Did you mean to hit her with a forcefield?" Lana asked when they were far enough away.

"No." Sue shook her head, "But I don't feel sorry for them. They're the reason for that whole mess last week."

"Guess so." Lana smirked, "Still, you surprised me back there. Remind me to never piss you off."

"H-Huh? Oh, that was..." And she was blushing again, "I'm sorry, I was just...I was angry at them both. It was bad enough that they're the reason I hurt you all but the way they acted, treating you and Aracely like you were beneath them and looking at me like their ticket to internet fame. It was..."

"You were very mad," Aracely said, swinging her arms without a care, "It was surprising. Usually your thoughts are very sweet. Except when they're about Gabe, then they become like the porn movies Lana doesn't want me watching."

"Wh-What?!" Sue squeaked

"Hah!" Lana laughed.

"You promised not to read our minds anymore!"

"I don't. That was before Lana told me not to do that."

"Geez, Sue, how pent up were you?" She snickered at the blonde's stuttering excuses and looked back at her phone. Cindy was ready, "Alright, I gotta go. If we're lucky Diamondback will be there and I can pay her back for that shotgun to the head. Wish me luck!"


Izaan: New chapter for my fic Spider's Parlor is out!

reply from Captain Insane: Aw yes, I was waiting for this!

reply from Lovin_ Anime: What's it about?

reply from Captain Insane: It's a Spider-Man and Spider-Woman fic with a domination bend. It's pretty OOC for Spider-Woman to be so domineering but the writing is really good and the smut scenes are really hot.

reply from Grand-Knight GG: Yeah. I really liked the scene when Spider-Woman told him he was her pet. You could really feel his rebellion breaking right at that moment.

reply from Just Steven: I love how everyone just agrees that Spider-Man is the bottom for every pairing. Punisher, Spinerette, Scarlet Spider, Daredevil, Moon Knight...doesn't matter who it is, he's gonna be bottom.

reply from Synli: Not always. Spider and Striker pairings tend to be really equal or have him in a mentor role.

reply from Spinerette: Aaaannnddd that's enough internet for today.


Half in half chapter. Noir and the rest of the Defenders are in prison while Lana (mostly Sue, though) made some more leeway on the fake modified Terrigen mist going around.

Sorry if the group meeting at the beginning dragged on too long but I wanted to show more of the protags (plus Norah) being an actual, cohesive group of friends to fit the lighter tone. Despite them having their own stories I wanna give a feel that they have each other's backs and can rely on one another if shit ever hit the fan.

Oh, and Bullseye's in prison too, so that should be fun. Originally I planned for Matt to fight him while Noir tangled with Murakami but I might switch it around since people seemed more interested in Noir leading the conflict against Bullseye rather than Matt.

Questions:

1. So we have to options for the next chapter: focus on the prison from Noir and (for the first time) Echo's POV's or we stay outside and focus on Cindy and Gwen doing police and hero stuff. Which do you guys prefer?

2. Do you guys mind that Gwen hasn't really done much classic hero work recently? Compared to V1 she doesn't really get much action compared to the other leads, particularly Noir, Cindy and Mary Jane. While it fits somewhat given that her main baddie is a Mastermind type people could find it boring.

I had a planned arc for Gwen dealing with Morbius in her college campus with Wasp and/or Jessica as allies. I cut it out of V1 for space but would you guys want to see it so we can get some actual Spider-Gwen doing hero stuff chapter?

3. More a side thing, but do you guys wanna see the comic-con chapter or do I just have them do it off-screen? It could be good as a breather to have the cast relax as a group and maybe even fight a filler villain with a comic book them to contrast the darker segments most of them have.

Review Answers:

Ranchod das chanchad - Felicia and MJ? I guess she's been the choice for a lot of other readers too. And no, it was unintentional. I haven't been paying attention to the Snyder Cut thing. And yeah, Lana's dad not being punished is annoying but sometimes that's just how life works.

roxasdualwielder: He does have them.

Brave2000: Maybe? It's a Maximum Security prison so you're not gonna find many accidental prisoners. Maybe a petty criminal who just happens to have powers get sent in out of paranoia?

rc48177 - She already is working on herself. She's accepted that she's a serial killer vigilante and seems mostly cool with it.

That Geeky Guy - Similar backgrounds? Last I checked Scott didn't lose ten years of her life in a bunker :P As for Peter and Gwen fluff after the Hand arc...they're probably the last or second to last of the arc villains to be stopped, so you'll be waiting a while if you want to hold off on fluff till then.

TheChefSHIPWRECK-5897 - To be fair it fits Roxxon.

Time-Space lord eon - I based Frog-Man on wannabe youtubers and influencers who think they can be famous for doing nothing. Annoying? Yes, but you see hundreds of his type. I plan for him to interact with Mary Jane so maybe she can shape him up.