Per reader feedback I've decided to prioritize finishing Bullseye's arc before we go on any more fillers. That update might take a while, though, since it's gonna be a full chapter of fight scenes and you know I don't like writing those. Which if of course why I picked a superhero story...

Anyway, I tried my hand at writing a villain POV this chapter. Didn't feel like my best work but it did feel somewhat different from my usual writing. Lemme know your thoughts in the reviews :)


AFKstrat: Looks like Alpha just posted her apology video lol.

reply from meta knight: Seriously? oh my god I have to see this :P

reply from rozencrats: I've been out of the loop for a while. What's this about?

reply from AFKstrat: Basically she had crybaby fit that she wasn't given a VIP invite to the Avengers con then took it out on Hawkeye. Basically going on and on about how someone with no powers like Hawkeye could be part of the Avengers while she wasn't. Then she called her irrelevant and a bunch of other shit. Someone leaked footage of it and she got SLAMMED.

reply from rozencrats: ouch

reply from iambread: She also got outed as cheating on Inferno another Initiative hero. Dude's a total sweetheart and people feel really bad he got screwed over.

reply from rozencrats: How did the Avengers respond?

reply from AFKstrat: They didn't. The con got attacked, remember? They had more things to worry about than some D-list superhero with an ego. Only reason she got so popular is cause of kids and teenagers who'll subscribe to anything.

reply from meta knight: Oh my god this apology is fucking amazing. Fake tears, brings a dog on camera, everything! And she's still not actually apologizing! like legit she's saying Inferno knew what he was getting into!

reply from ultimate black knight: Seriously? How the fuck has she not been kicked out of the Initiative yet?

reply from iambread: Because this isn't criminal behavior? Like I know she's a piece of shit but that's not a crime. As long as she does hero work they can't really fire her.

reply from AFKstrat: Probably helps that the Avengers legitimately don't give a fuck. She's so irrelevant that most people probably don't even know or care what she's doing.

reply from meta knight: Nah I don't think so. Remember that woman who got fired for making a racist tweet? Ten bucks Alpha gets fired at the end of the month.


The storm hit the camp hard. While a few of the homeless decided to go for the roofs offered at the shelters the vast majority decided to take their chances outside. He didn't know whether to call it pride or sense. Even in his brother's memories he knew a lot of the homeless preferred back alleys and side streets to the confines of a shelter, elbow to elbow with countless other bums who needed a place to stay.

Wasn't much different here. Some places tried, even honestly believed in helping people, but good intentions couldn't fix everything. Diseases, infighting, illness, curfews, theft...in some ways it was more dangerous in there than out here. Or maybe it was just the loss of freedom. Life on the streets was difficult but at least it gave them a freedom they weren't see keen to give up. He'd known at least a few poor bastards who decided to leave F.E.A.S.T after being told they weren't allowed alcohol or nicotine. Some of these guys it was just the drink that kept them waking up every day.

Speaking of drinks...

"It's mine, you rat faced bastard!"

"Fuck off with that shit! I got it first!"

It amazed him sometimes how people prioritized things. Someone could be chucking bombs all over the damn place and there'd always be a couple of chuckleheads recording everything on their phones. And now, even with a storm raging all around them, a couple of these guys still decided that fighting over a half empty bottle of hooch someone dropped was worth their time and effort.

"God damn it..." Peter grit his teeth and stomped towards them. The storm hadn't let up at all and his jacket was soaked through. So far he hadn't gotten sick yet ever since he woke up in that alley, but he was really pushing his damn luck staying out in this downpour.

The two chuckleheads didn't even notice him when he snatched the bottle out of their mitts.

"Hey!"

"What the fu-"

"Are you two bastards insane? Get in the damn tents!" he shouted, barely audible through the din of the storm. The tents were a quick-patch solution. There were a few he and Matt managed to buy from a 24-hour camping store but most of them were made out of whatever materials they'd bought or could scavenge around the place. Mostly trash bags, cause there wasn't exactly a surplus. Some schmucks just had to make do with makeshift ponchos and huddling under any kind of roof just to keep themselves from freezing.

For a while he considered using webs - both his and Gwen's - before thinking better of it. Gwen's webs only lasted an hour or two at most and his would've paralyzed anyone who touched them. The storm would last through the night and they needed something that could last longer.

"I ain't leaving till I get what's mine!" The first bum shouted. He was older than Peter- hell, both of them were. First guy had thick, curly hair and a mustache that was streaked with gray covering a face that reminded him of Ben. The second one's hair hadn't lost it's black color just yet but his dark skin was lined with wrinkles and faint scars that made it clear that they were both in the streets for a while now.

"The booze ain't gonna matter if you both freeze to death out here!" He was tempted to smash the bottle on the ground (or over one of their heads...) but he knew it'd just set them off even worse, "You two can argue when we're not flooded up to our knees!"

"Ah, what the fuck do you know?! You ain't like us!" The second bum shouted, spittle flying before it was quickly washed away by the torrential downpour.

"Yeah, and guess what? I still went through the trouble of making sure you cranky bastards don't drown!" It was an argument he'd heard before. He didn't live without a roof over his head so he couldn't really understand them. As much as he wanted to disagree it was hard to deny their point. Even back in his brother's time there people who claimed solidarity and understanding just cause they dropped a couple of cents in the bucket. They were all sympathetic smiles and worried frowns before they went back home to their warm meals content that they were good people for having basic empathy.

"We didn't ask for your help!" The first bum groused.

"Are you two honestly willing to die for pride and cheap booze?" This time neither of them answered. Finally, "If it'll make you two cranky fucks feel better I'll buy you a damn bottle tomorrow, assuming neither of you croak." He was cursing a lot more lately. He didn't know if it was cause of his friends or maybe it was Bullseye getting to him.

"Tch, fine..."

"Smug little prick..."

They both walked off grumbling. Peter rolled his eyes and, after one last look to make sure no one else was being an idiot, trudged back to one of the tents. He and Matt decided to stay, at least until the storm died down. Which it didn't seem like it was going to anytime soon so they might as well make themselves comfortable. He got the feeling they'd be here for a while.

The tent had Matt and Earnest in it. Earnest Adley was one of the more cooperative guys here from his experience. 40 years old, though the hard living easily made him look years older. From what Peter knew he had a falling out with his family after he lost his job and he'd been on a spiral ever since. Sad, but not exactly rare circumstances. It was the same for a lot of the people here.

"How goes the hunt?" Matt asked with a lopsided grin. his features lit up by the lamp placed at the center of the tent. With the hood draped over his head and the dark glasses covering his eyes Peter almost didn't recognize him. The bandage on his nose and the beginnings of a five-o-clock shadow didn't help.

"I don't want to talk about it." He brought his left hand down his face and only now noticed his right was still holding onto the bottle of booze - vodka, now that he got a closer look. He was about to chuck it outside when Earnest suddenly spoke up.

"Trouble you for a sip?"

"...Sure." Those old bastards would've thrown a fit, but whatever.

Peter leaned back on the tent and closed his eyes. The sounds of the raindrops slamming against the tent ensured he wouldn't get any sleep for the next few hours. He was partly tempted to call one of his friends before thinking better of it. Even though all of them were altered enough to keep going longer than the average person most of them still tried to keep to at least some kind of sleep schedule. Personally he still didn't see much point in it.

Earnest set the bottle down and let out a relieved breath, "God damn, it's been ages since I've got some booze in me!"

"The smallest comforts are often the most satisfying." Matt hummed. The bandage on his nose was soaked clean through but he still stubbornly kept it on his face. Peter almost wanted to reach over and pull it off, "May I have a sip as well? It's been quite a while since I've had a taste of such...base spirits." Base spirits? Made it sound like it was some kind of magical healing potion.

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Earnest handed Matt the bottle with a lopsided grin. Matt grinned back and, after only a second of hesitation, took a generous gulp of his own, "Mmm, milder than I thought. Though I suppose that's to be expected given the circumstances." He offered the drink to Peter and shook it lightly, "Why don't you finish it off?"

"No thanks." He scoffed. Ignoring that he had no idea where that'd even been (not that it was really a health concern considering his state nowadays), he wasn't exactly a fan of vodka. Still better than sake, though.

"Ah, come on!" Earnest cried, "Live a little! Little drink won't kill ya!"

"I live plenty, thanks."

"Come now, Peter. You wouldn't want to spoil the sense of camaraderie, would you?" Matt shook the bottle again.

"Jesus, fine, if it'll get you to shut up." He snatched the almost empty vodka bottle and drank it down in one (spiteful) gulp. Matt was right; it was milder than it looked. The alcohol was only slightly warm coming down and he didn't get the expected rush of heat at his core like every other time he'd taken something strong.

Peter let out a sigh and tossed the bottle outside before zipping the tent back up. Without the alcohol to distract them the pattering raindrops only got louder. Peter closed his eyes again and wondered if he made the right choice coming here. He wasn't used to being so...involved. Sure he helped out whenever he could but usually he had someone like Norah or...or Martin. Any other time it was because they needed help like that clown Hammer or those bastards treating them like organ piggy banks.

Earnest suddenly spoke up, "I gotta thank you two again for your help!" Peter didn't respond. He was never one for long conversations outside of his friends, "We would've been takin' a dip it it weren't for you both!"

"No need to thank me. It was all Peter's idea, after all. Without him we wouldn't be here."

"Then I'll say it again. Thanks, Spider-Man!" Peter opened his eyes slightly to look across but didn't change his expression, "Hey now, no need to worry! A few of us here figured who you were and we really appreciate having a bigtime Superhero lookin' out for us. Most of them fancy Avengers and Initiative folks treat us like dirt under their shoes."

"Not all of them," Peter finally responded. It was one of the things Gwen hated. People assumed that she pick and chose the people she saved and that some lives were more 'valuable' than others. It was a load of shit. Her, Cindy, Lana and Mary. They'd save a bum just as quickly as they'd save the president.

"No offense to the Mrs., of course! It's just that...well, a lotta the guys here don't like her very much. You know how it is."

"I imagine having her billboard staring down at them from on-high doesn't leave the best of impressions." Matt hummed. Peter glared at him but didn't say anything. As much as he wanted to defend Gwen, resentment liked that bubbled and festered for a long time. That and people needed someone to blame. It wasn't just Gwen. For half of these guys it was anyone like Tony Stark, the mayor of New York or even the president.

" That's what I'm sayin'," Earnest said, "No offense to you, Spidey. I'm sure she's a perfectly nice woman, but I don't see her comin' down here to help us with this rain."

"Did you forget her helping deal with Hammer?" It was like everyone's motto in this city was 'What have you done for me lately'. If Gwen ever decided to take a week off they'd probably lynch her again.

"Ah...yeah, we totally remember, it's just-"

"Come now, Peter, there's no need to start an argument," Matt cut in.

"Whatever." There was no point in it saying anything more. One thing that hadn't changed from the 1930's to now was how set people were in their ways. You can dangle proof in front of someone's face and they'd still find a way to deny reality cause it meant acknowledging they were wrong. And no one wanted to do that.

Not that he could say he was any better.

Earnest seemed to realize the conversation was dead and decided to turn in. It only took a few minutes for his light snores to cover the entirety of the tent. Guess he was used to sleeping in worse spots, "Well...this is unpleasant," Matt said, "Would this be a bad time to tell you that the smell and sounds is slowly driving me insane?"

"Door's open if you want out." He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a (miraculously) dry bible. Thankfully the jacket was waterproof.

"A bible? I didn't take you for one of the faithful."

"How the hell do you even know what I'm reading?"

"I can't see you normally but that book's thickness is all too recognizable. The Beast had a fondness for reading scripture, if only because he found it amusing how humans misinterpreted the events, and I'm somewhat inclined to agree. Would you believe people actually think that Cain killed Abel? I suppose anything is considered fact if you write it down on dusty parchment."

"Try saying that in front of a church congregation and see how long before they burn you at the stake." He flipped a page and continued reading. At this point he was pretty sure there wasn't some secret code that'd give them an edge against Lilith. Still, it was the only thing he could do for now till Moon Knight or Rand got them that supposed trip to the Vatican.

Matt laughed under his breath and cross his arms, "I'd have thought Lilith wouldn't trouble you so much. After all, you heroically ended the Beast's Millenia long reign."

"You make it sound like we did that easy. You should know better than anyone how close it was." Without the Judas Silver they all would've died. Even with it they nearly crashed and burned, "What about you? Shouldn't you have some secret knowledge considering how long you were the Beast's pet?"

"Sadly he didn't share his secrets with me. I'm afraid the notion of a Faustian rebellion where the devil is tricked is true only in the real of fantasy. Beings that are eons are elders are hardly so easily duped by beings whose years barely measure in decades. There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Prideful beings like Blackout or the half-breeds, but to any true demon we are but ants on a hill."

"Yeah, don't remind me..." He felt small every time he talked to Karen or Ruth or whoever she was supposed to be at the time. Another reason he hated dealing with this supernatural insanity. He could match a racist old bastard like Silvermane. Not so much things that counted 100 years as a break time.

Matt was mercifully quiet as the hours whittled by. Without the incessant chatter it was almost nice just reading and letting his mind wander. It was at times like this that he thought about Gwen and Rand's suggestions. If they did survive this war with the Hand what would he do next? He'd always said there'd always be more clowns to fight, and he wasn't wrong there, but how long could he keep doing this? He wasn't alone anymore. Gwen wanted a future and being a vigilante wasn't something that led to a lot of longevity.

The hours passed till it was half an hour past 5 in the morning. Peter set the bible down and zipped down the entrance slightly. The storm had died down to a light drizzle and the first peeks of light were beginning to come out, "Ugh..." He put his hood up then stepped outside. The wet mud clung to his boots and the smell wasn't any better now that the water wasn't as strong.

He needed a smoke.

He lit a cigarette with the newly bought lighter and made sure to keep it sheltered under his right hand. The storm would pass soon enough but these people still needed help. He and Norah were busy enough nowadays that they couldn't really afford to check in daily. Maybe they could-

Spider-sense.

Peter ducked forward to avoid the clumsy swipe of the baseball bat where the back of his head just was, the cigarette falling from his mouth with the movement. The attacker stumbled past him, shoes almost sticking to the mud, and Peter took a couple of steps back to put some distance between them.

The attacker wasn't what he expected. Not a an assassin, thug or even a hired goon. His clothes were shabby and the bat he held in his shaky hands had seen better days. When he turned around Peter's eyes narrowed at the face underneath the ratty beany. Young, probably around the same age as Gwen or Mary.

One of the homeless.

"H-Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!" Earnest shouted behind him. Peter didn't turn around and kept his eyes focused on the would-be assailant.

"Just hold still!" The bum screamed and charged him again. Peter ducked under the attack again and tripped him as he passed. Instinct told him to grab the guy and beat him down till he was unconscious but he reined it in.

"Hm, this is new." Matt crossed his arms and leaned back. Most of the homeless were waking up from the noise, either peeking out of their tents or walking out of whatever shelter they had, "That's a fine form of gratitude you're showing there, young man!"

"Sh-Shut it!" The bum stood up and wiped the mud from his mouth, "I...we need this!"

"And what do 'we' need?" Peter asked back.

His spider-sense rang again and he flipped backwards to avoid the next two that tried to smash his back. He recognized them as soon as he landed in a crouch - the same two bums from last night. One of them was holding a rusty pipe and the other was packing a sledgehammer that he looked like he could barely carry.

If they were assassins they were doing a piss poor job of it.

"If you're hankering about the booze this feels like an overreaction," he muttered flatly.

"This ain't a joke!" The oldest bum snarled. He hefted the sledgehammer in his shaky hands, "We had our doubts last night but this just proves it. You're Spider-Man, ain't ya?" Peter didn't answer and just looked back with a chilling glare, "You got a price on your head, Spidey. Dough like that can feed a lot of good folks."

"Are you three insane?!" Earnest shouted again, "We wouldn't have lasted the night without his help!"

"Bullshit! We survived way worse than a little rain!" The bum with the pipe scoffed, "Yeah, he helped us out, and I ain't ungrateful. But what next, huh? Most of us are starvin' and I ain't gonna wait till he decides he wants to help out us little folk again."

Despite his best efforts, Peter couldn't stop his face from morphing into a scowl. He was used to ingratitude - stopped caring about it, really - but this was something else. He was reminded of what happened after Jack lit Times Square on fire. All those people looking for someone to blame and he was the most convenient.

Peter took a deep, frustrated breath, "Roxxon's in prison, you chuckleheads. If you're barking up that tree then you're out of luck."

"He ain't the only one who wants you, Spider-Man." The one with the bat said, "Offer on the street is someone's offering a million dollars for your head. Don't see a reason why we can't collect." He tried to smile but it was held back by something. Was it fear or guilt? "So just...just hold still and we'll make this quick!"

It was quick, though probably not the way they intended. Peter beat them down with the same brutal efficiency as any clown dumb enough to attack him. The one with the bat was the last to go. Peter smashed both his kneecaps with the bat them slammed him to the ground.

It was excessive without a doubt - he could've easily restrained them with web or lessened the force of the blows. But he was frustrated. Going down here trying his best to help and for what? So they could smash him over the head and deliver him to someone in exchange for a payday?

He didn't feel too guilty.

"...Anyone else wanna try their luck?" He looked to the rest of the assorted bums. Even without his mask the look of restrained rage on his face was enough to freeze them on the spot, "Didn't think so..." He looked back down at the weakly struggling bum on the ground then stepped on his neck, "Where'd you hear about the bounty?"

"Agh...you-"

"Talk or I'll snap your neck!" He bent down so they could see eye-to-eye. He was probably just imagining the mask of Anansi draped across his face, "If you don't talk you're useless, and if you're useless then I'll dump your body in the river. Wouldn't be the first time I've done it."

"S-Snakebite bar!" he chortled out, "I-I heard it f-from some of the guys there! A-And it's been making rounds all across the street! Apparently some big guy set it up a couple of days ago!" He tried to push his boot off before letting out another cry, "Agh! Th-That's all I know, I promise!"

Peter kneed him in the face and knocked him unconscious, "Damn it..." He stood back up to his full height. The three stooges were down and out but the rest of the homeless were still watching. Worried they'd be next, maybe? Matt paid no mind to the scene and walked till they were side-by-side again, "How the hell did we miss this?"

"If you mean the bounty then I assume it's an issue of timing. Going from how our esteemed bounty hunters acted it seems as if the info on this so-called bounty was rather crudely disseminated." Matt put a hand on his chin, "Given their desperation I doubt they even cared that they don't seem to know where they would even turn you in for their supposed reward. The temptation of a reward and escape was enough for them."

"Tch..." He looked at the bums again. Earnest was front and center, the only one brave enough to try and step closer, "...What do you want?"

"Uh...I just..." He looked down at the unconscious bums and winced, "I'm sorry. We had no idea-"

"I don't care." He picked up the unconscious opportunist and tossed him at Earnest's feet, "I'm leaving before anyone else here decides to try their luck."

"What...What should we do with these three?"

"How the hell should I know? That's your problem, not mine." He wasn't naïve enough to even consider taking them to the cops. He doubted anyone would be arrested attacking a dangerous vigilante. Besides, he wasn't nearly blind enough to see how he'd been on the other end of these kinds of things.

Didn't mean he had to like it, though.

"What's your plan now?" Matt asked.

"Gonna go to that bar and see if I can dig something up." He put his mask back on relished in what little warmth it could give him. Least this was something he understood. Better than doing charity work, at least.

"I don't suppose you'd mind some company?"

"Rather do this alone." He double-checked his pistols and thanked the Spider-God that he chose to come armed, "Keep looking for leads on Bullseye, that's more important. I'll call you again once I've got a lead."

"Don't be a stranger, Peter. You know we're always here to help."

Peter didn't reply and just swung up to the roof. According to his phone map (he was getting too reliant on these things...) the snakebite bar wasn't too far off. He needed to do this quick. Couldn't afford to be to be too distracted before they dealt with Bullseye.

Actually finding a lead didn't take too long. The Snakebite bar was similar to the bar with no name. Except instead of supervillains and clowns in costumes it was wannabe hitmen, fixers and anyone who decided a few hundred dollars was worth taking a life. For the most part they were disposable assets. Mob boss or politician or grieving father looking for revenge needs someone dead and they didn't want it blowing back to them. And everyone here was willing to put themselves up on offer.

The best part was that it meant they weren't all professional. Some of them were ex-soldiers or mercenaries that knew to keep their mouths shut. Some. Most were just upstart kids or depraved bastards looking for a taste of excitement and riches. Just like those bums. Which meant they weren't too brave against someone who could fight back.

Peter looked around the knocked out bodies sprawled across the bar and shook off the blood from his gloved hands. None of them dead, though a few probably deserved it. He didn't have time to go on a case-by-case basis. He wasn't too worried about the cops coming, either. Even if most of these clowns didn't have active warrants none of them were exactly keen on getting the boys in blue involved. It was one of the better parts of fighting who he did - snitching was still seen as some grave sin to be never committed.

A grunt by the name of Grotto got him what he needed. Apparently the bounty came from the Gnucci family? Odd, he hadn't really tangled with them. At least not any more than the average Mafia family. Definitely not enough to put up a million dollar bounty on his head. Did he piss off someone with cash to burn?

From there it was multiple hours of following one thread to another. The Gnuccis were paid off by someone else, that benefactor got an anonymous call and a bank transfer. And so on and so forth. He had to give this guy credit, they were a hell of a lot more careful than Roxxon was. Then again he assumed the motive wasn't just because they wanted into Gwen's pants.

It was about noon by the time he got to the (hopefully) final lead. The rain hadn't let up at all and the gray, downcast sky seemed to mock his dour mood. He felt like a mouse going through a maze. With every single scrap of a lead he got he doubted more and more that the next one would be the last. By the end of the day he expected that the president was somehow involved.

These chuckleheads were waiting for him. Either they were a paranoid bunch or they heard what happened to the rest of their friends. Didn't help them. From what he could gather they were a 'professional liason'. No names, not for the employees or the organization itself. Even their leader was some old dame calling herself The Lady.

She didn't look so graceful with her bodyguards on the floor and her right next to them. Peter looked down at the woman silently as she spat up blood and teeth, "Not asking again." He crouched down next to her and put the gun to the back of her head, "Tell me who hired you. My trigger finger's itchy."

She didn't get the chance to say anything before a professional ringtone blared from her pocket. Another client? He pulled the phone out of her pocket and pressed the gun harder when she moved to protest, "You won't be needing this." He tapped the screen with his free hand, "If you're looking for a job this ain't a good time, pal."

The laughter that came from the other end was unexpected and far too familiar, "Petey! Glad you picked up!" His grip on the phone tightened. Bullseye, "I mean it was a 50-50 shot that you'd just chuck it away and keep torturing the old bat. Which I don't mind, by the way. It's good to see you in action again."

"You were following me..."

"Nah, figured your sixth sense would catch me if I did that. I've just got a bunch of my boys keeping an eye. Gotta say, it's a real disappointment I didn't get to see you myself. I been hearing really good things. Thought you might've lost your edge there for a second but damn am I happy to be proven wrong!"

"So you set up the bounty. What, just for fun?"

"Eh, half in half. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but I needed you out of the way while I set up the stage. I knew if you spotted me you'd wanna rumble right there and really, where's the fun in that? No, I needed you nice and busy."

"Well I did your damn scavenger hunt. Now tell me where you are so we can end this."

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast, kid!" Peter let out a frustrated breath. Even back when they were friends Bullseye's eye for theatrics was grating, "I went to a lot of trouble setting this whole thing up so I wanna make sure you don't just call the rest of the team or your stupid strong girlfriend who put me in the Raft. No, I want this to be just the two of us."

"Spit it out already."

"Well, first off: no backup. I want this to be just the two of us, like I said. I see anyone else or you even call anyone and I'm gonna detonate the insurance I planted. Lots of innocent people dying, all that stuff that bothers you. That fancy spider-sense should tell you I'm not lying." True to his word it hadn't blared at all. Shit, "Second, I want you to bring your A game! I want this to be a day to remember, Petey! The kind of thing I'll look back on when I'm old with this proud goddamn smile on my face!"

"If that's all you wanted you could've just told me. You didn't need to do any of this."

"Yeah, but this was more fun. Besides, even if you did agree the rest of your fanclub wouldn't. Always so worried about you. Ugh, makes me wanna gag."

"...Just tell me where you want me to go."

"Patience is a virtue! I'll give it to you in a bit." His own phone dinged. A message, "There we go! I think you'll like the place I picked out."

Peter opened the message and his blood turned to ice. It wasn't a message, it was a picture. Two pictures, in fact. The first one had a passed out Daredevil crucified on a makeshift cross with nails and wires embedded through his hands. The second was a deranged 'selfie' of a grinning Bullseye making a peace sign with his left hand while next to him was Lana sporting a murderous look of rage with his right arm wrapped around her shoulders. The only consolation was that she didn't look hurt at all.

"...What the hell did you do?" His voice was deathly calm.

"Huh? Oh, shit! Wrong message!" Bullseye clicked his tongue, "Those two were gonna be our surprise guests but now I went and ruined it. Got too excited, I guess." He sighed, "Man, I always do this. You know one of these days I really gotta-"

"If you hurt her I'll make sure you die slow."

"Woah now! Does she look like she's banged up to you? No, I just asked her to be here for old times' sake and she said yes." Liar, "Now calm your tits and go to the address I'm sending you...now." Another ding, "I think you're really gonna like it. Felt like I really outdid myself this time." Silence, "You there, kid? Yahoooo-"

Peter cut the call before he could bite something back. His emotions were a mess right now. Anger, definitely, but for who? Bullseye? His old friend who was in some ways as much a victim of the Hand as the rest of them were? Or was it all the Hand and Bullseye was just a helpless puppet dancing along their strings?

And what the hell was Matt doing there? Lana he understood but did he really think Matt's presence would unbalance him somehow?

Peter shook his head. Now wasn't the time for doubts. Right now he needed to end this. One way or another.


It was good to be alive.

Bullseye took a deep breath of the moist, shit-filled air and grinned. As much as he didn't like that smug illuminati bitch he couldn't deny that it was a hell of a lot of fun being up here again. Better than being stuck down there, at least. It was Hell. Literally. If they weren't sticking pitchforks up his ass or using his guilt against him they were shunting him back in that Latverian pit so he'd see his team die over and over again.

He kinda preferred the pitchforks if he was being honest. Least that didn't feel personal.

And now he was back up here. The old hag tried to tempt him with an escape. Kill Spider-Man - didn't matter how he did it - and he could live the rest of his life however he wanted. Yeah, sure. What, was he supposed to just keep his head down till he was too old to even get it up then raise his bald head at some beach 50 years later looking back at a life well-lived?

Yeah fuck that. Didn't matter if it was five hours or five decades. Hell was waiting for him anyway and he wasn't one of those chickenshits so scared of what came after that he'd spend the rest of his life scared about what some big bearded bastard considered evil. He'd even heard stories of people so scared they stopped being criminals. Made him fucking sick. You only had one life - two in his case - so do whatever the Hell you want before someone else decides for you.

Which led him to here.

"You are way too predictable, kid." Bullseye watched through the binoculars with another grin as Petey swung away to the snakebite bar. Always so quick to rush into every problem but for some reason he still hated calling himself a superhero. He tried to change that, but of course little miss goody blue shoes and Lana always kept pulling him back.

Well, no use wasting time over spilled milk. Time to set the stage.

He was thinking about killing a few of the bums to lure Murderdevil out but then he did his job for him. The redheaded stepchild raised his head up and his mouth curled into a grin that looked like his. Much as he wanted to bleed him like a stuck pig he had to admit, two of them might've gotten along.

...Actually, fuck that. He'd still kill that smug bastard.

Mattie boy walked off like he owned the place and left the bums to deal with the three has-beens. Shame Petey didn't off em. Now that he got his powers back he wasn't as fun as he was back in the prison. Maybe he really should have killed him there.

He clicked his tongue and followed Matt. Much as he wanted to kill the guy he didn't wanna make it too quick. Cause really, where was the fun in just snapping someone's neck? Matt was going down there into the inferno with him, sure, but damn if he wasn't gonna make his last moments of life hurt.

Mattie boy led him to an old construction site. Place was empty cause of the rain...and no civilians. Oh, how noble of him. Playing nice even if he was alone? If he didn't know better Bullseye would've thought he actually wanted to make up for the fucked up shit he did.

"I don't suppose we can fight like gentlemen?" Mattie boy called out. Bullseye grinned prepared a full deck before jumping down behind him, "Hm...I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting you to agree." He shucked off his jacket to show he was already wearing the gimp suit underneath.

"Why not? Ain't like it's you I'm after." Bullseye shrugged.

"Oh? And here I was expecting that this was all for revenge. I was the one who killed you, after all." He put on the stupid looking mask. Was that supposed to be scary? Saw scarier shit at daytime television.

"Nah. See, I get you killin' me. We were on opposite ends, it'd be fucking weird if ya didn't try to off me." Bullseye played with the deck in his hands, "No hard feelings there, totally get it. But see what I don't get is Petey just deciding it's totally cool to hang out with the guy who killed his best friend. And after all those tears, too. Makes a guy feel really unwanted."

"Best friend? My oh my, I do think you have an overinflated sense of how important you were to him." Matt grinned, "But I'm curious. If you apparently don't hold a grudge against me then why this show?"

"Well I still need you for something. Got my own plans." He tapped the side of his head, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're breathin'. For a while, anyway." He finished adjusting the deck, "What about you? Didn't see you call Petey or the rest of your new buddies." Not that they'd answer. He made sure some of his boys were keeping them busy.

"I promised Peter I would kill you in his stead to spare him from the pain. I intend to make good on that promise."

"Huh, look at us. If Petey was here he'd tell us to stop being idiots." He picked a single card from the deck, "Well, let's get this over with."

"Agreed."

Bullseye had to admit, the fucker was fast. Without being stuck in the tight spaces of an office building he was damn hard to hit even for him, "Hold still, you little fucker!" He threw another barrage of cards. Mattie boy attached that stick of his to one of the beams and went up in the air like a drugged up monkey.

The slippery bastard ran on the beams and tossed another stick at him. Bullseye grabbed it and chucked it back at the beam he was running on. It wasn't enough to cut through the entire beam, but it got rid of enough to let gravity do the rest.

Mattie boy jumped before the beam fell and swung back up again. Not this time. The beam landed with a loud crash and he saw the gimp of Hell's Kitchen wince at the sound. Perfect, "Say cheese." He tossed another card. Not at Matty boy but at the string he was using to swing. Guy didn't even have time to turn turn before the card sliced clean through and he fell.

He landed in a rolling crouch and moved again, "Mattie boy ducked and waved through all the cards and charged at him. Bullseye dodged the stick aimed for his throat and saw a punch headed straight for his face. Normally they were pretty even. Neither of them had those fancy superpowers but Mattie boy was better at that fancy hand-to-hand while Bullseye was better at the whole 'kill you with anything I get my hands on' thing.

But this wasn't normal.

Bullseye grabbed his wrist and pulled back painfully. Mattie boy grit his teeth and tried to go again with his right hand only for him to grab it again, "...You're stronger than before."

Bullseye kicked his feet out from under him and pinned him to the ground, "Yeah, figured I needed some upgrades. I ain't stupid, Mattie boy. Petey'd kick my teeth in if I tried to go at him." Hell, he did it before. Kneecaps still hurt thinking about it. Even if he wasn't as stupid strong as some of the other freaks around here he was still one of the 'Gifted'.

"That help...you know what it'll do. You'll-"

"Die? Oh, I'm counting on it!" Bullseye's mouth opened in a manic grin and he pressed down harder at his neck, "See, everyone thinks I'm scared of dying. That old hag thinks she can make me her dog because I'm shitting my pants at going back to Hell. But you know what?" Mattie boy struggled harder. Didn't help, "I don't give a fuck! Not as long as I drag you and Petey down with me!"

Bullseye knocked his lights out and let out a relaxed sigh. Damn, that felt good. He stood up and pulled out his phone to call one of the hag's cronies after taking a quick selfie, "Hey, yeah? Got Daredevil. Go set him up. You already know what to do." The old hag ran off when her two buddies died and left him in charge to clean up her mess. Somewhere in China, if he remembered right. Didn't really care.

"Are you sure he shouldn't be killed? You know-"

"What I know is that your boss told you to follow what I say. Now, you gonna do what I said or do I have to call your boss up?"

"...No, sir."

"Good. Now didja do that other thing I talked about?"

"Yes, all the funds were transferred and they've taken their positions."

"Great! Now I gotta go talk to another friend."

Finding Baumgartner wasn't too hard. She tried to bait him with fake posts like he was one of her obsessed fans or something. Seriously? Did they have that little faith in him? He tried not to be offended.

Back to Lana. Petey had her drop out of school and go to a safehouse. At least that's what he guessed since she didn't really advertise. Complicated things a bit but whatever. All he had to do was park some of his boys at her usual haunts then wait.

...Okay, so maybe he had some of them also beating people down in alleys. Hey, easiest bait to lure out a Superhero was to put some damsels in distress. They couldn't resist. A little beating here and a little murder there and suddenly he had news of a yellow streaked girl absolutely trashing some of his boys.

She was still there wailing on one of them when he arrived at the parking lot. Wouldn't have been his choice for the meet-and-greet but whatever. At least she was actually here, "Hey, Boomgal!" She stopped mid-punch and he grinned. Always loved it when he made an entrance, "Long time no see! I gotta-"

And then she zipped to him like the fucking roadrunner. He didn't even get a chance to put his hands up before she dropkicked him right in the face hard enough to send him flying to a parked car, "Woof, hold on now-" She grabbed him by the shirt and tossed him at another car. Glass and metal impacted hard at his back and he tasted blood on his mouth.

Without his new add-ons he'd probably be crippled by now.

He barely stumbled out when she shot the car behind him and it exploded with a deafening boom. Bullseye was forced on the ground facefirst from the impact, "Someone's ang-" She kicked his side, forcing him to look up again, then straddled him and started punching his face in.

She was really pissed. Fine, if he had to do it the hard way...

"Another punch and your friends are dead!" She stopped, finally, the fist just inches from his jaw. Bullseye gave her a toothy, bloodstained grin and reached a hand for his pocket, "Hey, woah! Just pulling out my phone!" He offered her the phone slowly, "Password's 1234. Go ahead and check."

"Why the fuck should I?!"

"Did you not hear me about your friends?" He shrugged, "Course if you don't believe then just blow my head off. Ain't my fault if we suddenly get some news about Sue Storm and some randos getting their brains splattered on the nightly news."

Boomgal growled and took the phone. As soon as she entered the code her eyes went wide like she just got kicked in the nuts and she stumbled into a shaky stand, "Wh-What...?" Bullseye pulled himself up and cricked his neck. Geez, she was a hell of a lot stronger than she was last year. Shame he didn't have Petey's toy anymore.

"See something you like?"

"You asshole!" She dropped the phone and grabbed his collar with both hands. If he was anyone else it would've been intimidating having a teenage girl pick up a grown-ass man like it was nothing. But he had insurance. Six of them, in fact. On the phone's screen was six camera feeds showing each of her friends and her dear old mom just doing what they did like all was right in the world.

And at the other end? Snipers.

Bullseye grinned down at her, "I wouldn't be so testy if I were you. If I don't call those guys in the next five minutes they're gonna start shooting."

"I can still-"

"What, save them? Zip around town like the hero you are? Yeah, maybe, but I know you. If there's even a chance that you lose even one of them you wouldn't try it." He put up a finger, "But since I'm so nice I'm giving you a guarantee. One way they all end the day with their brains firmly in their noggins."

"...What?" She set him back down and he picked up the phone. Phew, no damage from the fall. Almost worried there for a sec.

"I'm planning a little get-together for me and Petey. Just a small thing, no need for anything fancy, and I thought I'd invite a couple of old friends. You're the second and final guest of honor and I'd really love it if you take some time to come. If you don't...well, I might just be so sad I'll forget to make a call."

"And how the fuck do I know you won't just kill them once you off me?"

"Now who said anything about offing you? I definitely didn't. I didn't even come here to fight. You were the one who decided to start shit." This was easier than with Mattie boy. People like Lana were too easy. Always have someone to babysit dragging them down and they got weepy if they even got a scrape, "I said I wanted to invite you to a get-together."

"Yeah, and what? You expect me to buy that I'm not gonna be at a stretcher for it?"

"Definitely not. See, I need you conscious and perfectly healthy. You just...need to watch." He ruffled her hair then suddenly pulled her close for a selfie, "Ah, ah! Remember what's at stake. Oh, and drop any phones or emergency buttons or whatever. I see any of your Initiative buddies and your friends and mommy go splat."

He took the picture and laughed. Alright, everything was set up. Now to make the call.

"Petey! Glad you picked up!"


FURNO prime: So now that we've confirmed that religion is real how come there are still atheists?

reply from Cookie1365X: Oof trying to go for the controversial topic already?

reply from y-axis: I mean it's a good question. If you want a response, my uncle still doesn't believe. He says that the Times Square Demon was just another freak or an alien like the Skrulls and that the Asgardians are aliens too.

reply from FURNO prime: How the hell does that work? Did you see some of the shit they're doing?

reply from shahalahala: Yeah and? Some Initiative heroes can fly but they ain't angels. Just cause Thor can use lighting doesn't mean he's any more of a god than that crazy bitch Electro.

reply from Deathjustdeath: We don't even know if that big tick thing even was a demon. The witnesses said so because of some weird vision shit but they were probably just scared of being caught in the middle.

reply from FURNO prime: And the people getting possessed and exorcised?

reply from Deathjustdeath: Possessions have been happening for centuries now. All of them have have been explained away as schizophrenic episodes or gas leaks causing hallucinations. Occams Razor, why go for something fantastical when there's a much more reasonable explanation?

reply from y-axis: I'm more curious on how widespread it is. Assuming all of these people are actual divinity then now we've got the Christian, Norse and Roman/Greek pantheons. What else are there? What about Hinduism's four main gods? Or the Japanese spirits of Shintoism?

reply from ReinaQueen: And how do you explain the contradictions? Each religion has their own myth of how the world is created so how the fuck does that work when there's apparently multiple real religions? Not to mention the fact that in Christianity there's only one God but again that's pretty contradicted. If you believe Thor's the actual guy, that is.

reply from y-axis: Ugh my head hurts. It's way too early for this shit.


Alright, now feels like the perfect time to take a break from the main plot and do one of the filler arcs :) I think I left off on a pretty good place with no hanging threads.

As I said above I tried writing a villain POV, in this case being Bullseye. I'm still debating on whether the Bullseye vs Noir duel will be purely from Noir's POV or will jump between the two. The latter might actually be easier since I can focus more on the character's thoughts than the action itself.

Questions:

1. I'm curious, if you had the choice would you guys prefer Mary Jane as joining the Initiative to be a more straightforward hero or keeping her anti-hero traits as a Weapon X level assassin?

2. So what did you guys think of Bullseye's POV? It's still rough but I'm trying to hopefully get better at personalizing villain viewpoints. Other Villain POV's I have planned right now are Prowler, the Evil Antman who tried to kidnap Gabbie, Mr. Hyde, and Diamondback of the Serpent Skulls.

Review answers:

Avalonian2169 - I did something like that before. I wanted to try a villain who was at least on par with the heroes so we get a better sense of threat and scale.

x1923 - Matt flashbacks don't seem ideal since flashbacks in general seem disliked by the readers. I am willing to include citizen POV but most citizens would run out of the combat zone thus making them potentially short.