A/N: Hello everyone! Before we start, a big thanks to my good buddy, Venom Rules All, who is more or less my unofficial beta reader at this point.
Also, don't forget about my challenge: try to write your own version of this story with a different RWBY character fighting alongside the web-head. It could be anyone you want, from the clearest choices like Ruby or Blake, to the most outlandish choices like Qrow or even Neo! I can't wait to see what you come up with!
But now, onto the story! Excelsior!
One week after the bombing, funeral services were being held to honor Jefferson Davis. His casket was covered with roses and an officer handed a folded flag to Mayor Osborn, who then handed it to Jeff's wife, Rio, as she stood there, struggling not to cry. Osborn then placed a consoling hand on her shoulder, before moving along and giving a nod of respect and condolence to Miles, giving the young man a pat on the arm as well, before he moved on, leaving him to his thoughts.
From where she sat alongside Peter and MJ, Pyrrha also struggled not to shed tears. Both from sadness and from guilt. Jeff was a good man and a loving father and husband. And he was now dead because she was unable to do anything. She was supposed to be a Huntress, a warrior specifically trained to defend the innocent from any dark forces that sought to do the harm and she had trained her entire life to fulfill this role to the absolute best she could, but yet she couldn't do the one thing she was meant to when it came down to it, trapped under that rubble and only able to watch as innocent people and the man who saved herself and Peter was killed, leaving his wife and son alone. It reminded her of the time she was receiving the Maiden's powers and could only sit there as Cinder killed Amber and took the powers, nearly killing Jaune in the process and killing Ozpin shortly after. She questioned if she had any right to call herself a Huntress.
Peter seemed to be sensing what she was thinking and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. There was nothing you could do." He told her.
"That's the problem." Pyrrha said sadly.
MJ took one of Pyrrha's hands in hers. "The only people to blame for this is Martin Li and the demons. Not you and not you either, Peter." MJ told Pyrrha, then looking up and making sure Peter knew the same thing. Pyrrha simply lowered her head and narrowed her eyes at this. The demons. They killed countless innocent lives and took that poor boy's father away from him. And for what? A cowardly attempt to scare the mayor?! He was supposedly the target, yet none of the exploding demons were anywhere near him! She would be sure to make them pay in their next encounter.
Some time later, the service finally ended and the people began to pack up and leave. The last ones to leave, besides Rio and Miles, of course, were Peter, MJ and Pyrrha, who came up and gave their condolences to Rio. Peter and Pyrrha then approached Miles as he stood in front of the casket, while MJ continued to talk with Rio. "Sorry for your loss." Peter said as the two of them walked up.
"Yes. This should never have happened." Pyrrha agreed.
"Do I know you?" Miles asked.
"I'm Peter Parker." Peter started.
"And I'm Pyrrha Nikos. You don't know us, but you could say that we were friends of your father." Pyrrha explained.
"Right. I just wanted to say-" Peter started.
"'I know what you're going through'." Miles said before Peter could. "That's what you were gonna say, right? Or, 'it all gets easier with time', or 'don't worry... It's all part of God's plan'." Miles said.
"I know that this is hard for you. Your whole world changed forever, but you should let him say his piece. Sometimes, people say exactly what we need to hear the most. But you'll never know if you don't let him speak." Pyrrha told him.
Miles looked to her, then nodded. "You're right." He said, looking to Peter. "Sorry." He said.
"It's alright. I guess you were right. I was gonna say that I know what you're going through. I lost my uncle a while ago, but he was more like a father to me than an uncle, because I never met my real parents. I know now that it probably feels like it's your fault. Like you could've done more if you were faster or something. But you can't think like that. You should just try to live your best life. That's what your dad would want. Just do your best to live by his example and make him proud." Peter told him.
Miles gave the smallest hint of a smile, before nodding. "Thanks. I really think that helped." He said, before walking away.
Rio then walked up to the two. "I saw that. Thank you. That's the closest he's come to smiling since the accident." She said, before following her son.
"At least we can still help some people." Peter said.
"Right. And for those we can't, we can at least get justice for them." Pyrrha added as they left.
Later on, the two were back in their costumes and on the hunt for the demons. They soon called up Yuri. ""I'm busy. What's up?" She asked.
"Have you started looking for Martin Li yet?" Peter asked.
"No. I told you, I can't issue a manhunt based on a hunch from a couple of superheroes." Yuri said.
"I saw him at the bombing, Yuri. He's the one behind it all." Pyrrha told her.
"You were buried under rubble, you were possibly in a state of shock or panic and you didn't have a great look at him. Martin Li's a VERY well-respected figure. We can't go accusing him without some solid evidence." Yuri told her.
"Solid evidence. Right." Peter sighed.
"We'll find it." Pyrrha said resolutely.
After hanging up with Yuri, the two were almost immediately called by MJ. "So, are you two doing alright?" She asked.
"As well as can be expected." Pyrrha said glumly.
"What she said. No matter how many times you all say it, it just feels like we messed up and that kid lost his father." Peter said.
"Well, Pete, I know you too well to say you should give yourself a break, but Pyrrha, you should try to slow down. You aren't much older than Miles. All that stress is gonna be a nightmare for you in the long run." MJ said, only to receive a sigh from the girl. "What about the Police? Have they got anything on Li?" She asked.
"They're not even looking for him. Even Yuri doesn't believe us." Peter said.
"Ultimately, it does make sense. A well-known public figure and philanthropist who runs one of the cities most thriving homeless shelters being a terrorist? No one would believe that without hard evidence, just like Yuri said." Pyrrha stated.
"Then it's up to us to find him and get that evidence. I've been doing some research... Go to this address. Martin Li bought a controlling interest in this recycling plant last year." MJ informed them.
"You think he's hiding out there?" Peter asked.
"Maybe. We know he's not at F.E.A.S.T. If he's not at the recycling center, maybe you'll find some clues as to where he might be." MJ told them.
"It's the best lead we've got. Good work, MJ. We have a real chance of finding him now." Pyrrha told her.
"What she said. Great work. We'll let you know what we find." Peter said.
"Oh, one more thing: I spoke with a detective about questioning the arrested demons. They're all claiming Martin Li has the power to, quote, 'corrupt' people." MJ told them.
"Corrupt? What does that mean?" Peter asked.
"They say its sort of like mind control, it brings out the 'negative' part of you, makes you do things you'd never do." MJ explained.
"I've heard the 'the devil made me do it' argument before, but for once, that might actually be the case." Pyrrha said.
"I don't know. Sounds a little far fetched to me." Peter said.
Pyrrha immediately turned her head to look at him. "This coming from the guy who can run up walls, running around with girl who's a living magnet." Came MJ's retort.
"I was seconds away from saying that myself. And, let's not forget I came here from another planet, after having DIED. Compared to that, corrupting people makes complete sense." Pyrrha agreed.
"Fair enough." Peter said.
Shortly after, the pair arrived at the recycling center and noted a small number of demons patrolling the center. The two split up to take down the demons and Spider-Man set up a trip mine, luring a demon towards it with a shot from his web shooters and reeling in the demon who had been standing beside him with a perch takedown. Unfortunately, Spider-Man hadn't ensured this demon wasn't being watched and another demon saw Spider-Man webbing up his comrade, taking aim at him at him and firing. This alerted the others demons, who ran to investigate, but this allowed Pyrrha to tack one to a shipping container like she had to Jaune when he was getting too close to Weiss, before she dropped on another one beside him to bring him down, taking her shield and slamming it into the demon's masked face, hard. This knocked him out cold.
This now left the thug shooting at Spider-Man with a machine gun and a brute standing before Pyrrha. Spider-Man quickly dropped down, dodging the bullets on the way down from the lamp post he'd perched on, attaching some web lines to the the gun the demon was shooting at him, whipping it around and flinging it right back into the demon's face and staggering him, allowing Spider-Man to rush in and take him down with a jumping roundhouse kick. Back with Pyrrha, she turned her spear into its gun form and fired several shots upon the Demon brute to shock him and leave him vulnerable, like Spider-Man's electric webs. Pyrrha then used this opportunity to rush in with she sword and shield, hitting him several times with each one, even using the the blade of her weapon to leave several cuts on the demon, quickly bringing him down.
Pyrrha glanced down at the demon with a glare. All of the cuts she'd inflicted on him were shallow, aided partly by the negative energy empowering him, but of course, Pyrrha was still holding back. She was tempted, but she still wasn't going to kill these people. Especially since it appeared they weren't acting entirely under their own influence. "Yikes! Tone it down a bit next time, Pyrrha. Not everyone has that awesome Aura stuff you guys have. We can't kill these people." Spider-Man told her.
"You're right. Sorry. I just lost my temper for a moment." She said.
"I know it's tough, but you've just gotta accept we can't save everyone. I learned that a long time ago. It hurts, but it's true. The best we can do is just get justice for the people that aren't here anymore. Justice. Not vengeance." He told her.
"Right." She agreed.
The two of them then walked up to the locked gate door leading into the building. "That's a High-security lock. They use those on banks, not recycling centers. We need to find where it gets it's power from-" Peter started, turning and looking where the wires went, before hearing the sound of metal bending and breaking. He looked back just in time to see Pyrrha using her semblance to completely rip the door off its hinges and fling it into one of the containers.
"Or we can just enter like this." She said, walking through. She said she'd be more lenient to the demons, not Martin Li, which included his properties. The two then entered the facility and made their way into the back room, shocked with what they found. "Oh, my goodness..." She said, horrified at what she saw. That being, several bombs made from dynamite and a couple crates full of guns. "Assault rifles and explosives. No doubt from Fisk's armory and construction sites, respectively." She said, before turning back to the guns. "I'd like to destroy these, but Yuri likely needs them for evidence." She said, taking pictures of the weapons and beginning to dial the detective.
"That's not all. Look." Peter said, showing her a map. "This must be where their targets are. Osborn campaign offices." He realized. He then noticed a crate full of strange devices next to the map. "Pretty high-tech stuff. I could make some weapons for our own out of these." He noted.
"Good. I'm calling Yuri now." Pyrrha said, taking a picture of the map and calling the captain. "Yuri. We have your proof. The demons and Martin Li plan to attack Norman Osborn's campaign offices. I'm sending you pictures with all the evidence you need, as well as an address." She said, quickly sending the pictures.
Yuri must have gotten the pictures, because she suddenly sounded quite impressed. "Whoa. Well, I asked for evidence and you certainly delivered. I'll get the campaign offices evacuated. Maybe now I won't lose my job." She said.
"Oh, yeah. I guess snapping a few quick pics would've helped." Peter realized.
"Based on her tone, I doubt she would've listened without it." Pyrrha explained.
"Alright. Let's head to that other spot." Peter said as they flew out a nearby window.
Suddenly, the two received a call from MJ. "Hey. So, did you find Li?" She asked.
"No, but that recycling center was a front for the demons, where they did bomb-making and gun-running." Peter explained.
"Oh, my god." MJ said.
"And there's more. It looks like they're planning another attack, this time on Norman Osborn's campaign offices." Peter explained.
"Li must have some kind of beef with Norman Osborn." MJ stated.
"It seems several people do from what I've heard. But going after innocent people just to make problems for one man is atrocious and unforgivable." Pyrrha said.
"I'm with you on that one." MJ agreed.
"We found an address. It might be their staging area. If we hurry, we can stop them." Peter explained.
"Alright. But be careful! Both of you!" MJ said.
"We will." They said together.
Shortly after this, they arrived at the staging area, which turned out to be Consolidated Shipping, the company that the truck driving away from the construction site the heroes checked out belonged to. "We told you, Pyrrha. Sometimes the smallest things are really the biggest." Peter said.
"Right. We should handle this quickly and quietly." She suggested.
"Right. But also, with style." Peter agreed, then remembered something. "Oh, hey. Check it out. I made these from those high-tech weapons the bad guys had." He said, tossing her a handful of trip mines. "Just fire them into a wall and when a bad guy walks by, they get webbed up." Peter explained.
"Thank you." Pyrrha said, before they separated, Pyrrha flying towards where all the snipers were as Peter prepared to clear out the yard of the area they arrived at. Pyrrha flew to a lamp post and used her gauntlets to pull up a sniper's gun, the demon desperately trying to hang on and rising with it, reaching Pyrrha's height, before she flung her shield into the demon's face, knocking him out, at which point Pyrrha stuck him to the wall with liquid metal, sticking him to the pole. She noticed that another sniper was next to several drum barrels, one of which had a crowbar on top of it. She then floated around and behind the sniper at the highest point towards the back of the property, silently dropping down behind him and tapping his shoulder. He turned around and Pyrrha hit her with a strong right hook with her shield, causing the demon to spin and fall back into her arms as she gently laid him down, but also covered him with the liquid metal, pinning him to the ground.
Spider-Man fired a trip mine into the wall, a Demon who was walking by getting webbed and pulled to the wall. Peter then moved to another lamp post, where he pulled another demon into the air and webbed him to the pole, much like Pyrrha had. He then jumped to the roof of a small garage, where he fired another trip mine and fired a shot of webbing into the ground behind it, a demon hurriedly walking over and getting snagged by the mine. He then webbed to the corner of a building across from him and yanked up the last thug in the block of those two buildings, webbing him to the wall below him and moved to the next square of the area, landing on another lamp post and webbing up a demon just below him, bouncing his head off the stand and knocking him out, webbing him to the pole like the last couple.
Unfortunately, another demon had turned just in time to see Spider-Man abduct his comrade and alerted the other. The last sniper was about to take a shot, but Pyrrha managed to knock him out with a head-shot from her own rifle, shooting a couple more, before dropping down into the yard with them along with Spider-Man. The webslinger launched himself towards one of the thugs on the ground, hitting him with a fly-by punch, hitting him with a round kick from each leg, knocking him out with a backflip. Pyrrha flew in and slammed into another thug with her shield, extending her sword into its spear form and spinning, holding the spear out to swing in a wide arc, knocking down the other Demons and hitting one in the face with her shield while Peter webbed down two more, the last one getting back up, only to instantly be brought down by an uppercut from both heroes at once.
"That's the last of them." Pyrrha said.
"Right. Now let's go check inside." Peter said, ripping the doors to the building open with his webs, the two heading inside. Peter headed to the desk while Pyrrha noticed another map and walked up to it. Peter picked up a clipboard on the desk, where he noticed something. "An invoice from an auto shop. 'Pale Horse Ridez'. That's one expensive tune-up." He noticed, before looking to his partner. "Arkos! Found anything over there?" He asked.
"Yes. It looks like the demons have warehouses all throughout Manhattan. If we find them and bring them down, we can seriously cripple the demon's operations." Pyrrha reported to the wall crawler.
"Right. But it won't be easy. It looks like they have an army." Peter said.
"We can do it together." Pyrrha insisted.
"Right. Let's get out of here for now." Peter said.
The two of them then left, but didn't get very far before a demon with a pair of whips jumped from the roof, lashing down on them with a pair of whips, which they managed to dodge, but the whips cut into the ground and left a powerful burn mark. Pyrrha changed her weapon to its rifle mode and fired several times, the whip wielder blocking and deflecting the bullets, allowing Spider-Man to web his feet and yank them out from under him, at which point Pyrrha jumped forward and came down on him, slamming her shield into his face to knock him out.
Pyrrha looked down at the thug, then turned to Peter with a smile, even though her couldn't see it under her helmet. "Excellent teamwork." She said.
"Yep. Then we'd better keep it up..." Spider-Man said, Pyrrha turning back and jumping back beside him as several more demons burst out from a couple doors of the building across from them, as well as dropping from the roof. Eight demons in total. Spider-Man dodged at attack from one demon, leaping over him and webbing his face, hitting him with a pair of rear kicks from behind, hitting his back and his head to knock him out, throwing some punches at a kama wielding thug, but he managed to block the attacks long enough for one of his comrades, also wielding a kama, came to attack Spider-Man, who dodged and uppercutted this new demon, jumping after him and taking him out with an aerial combo. He landed and dodged another attack from the other demon with a kama, webbing his face and uppercutting him, then slamming him back to the ground with webs.
As this happened, Pyrrha rushed in and slammed her shield into a demon's torso, jumping up and bringing the butt of her sword down on his head, dropping down and sweeping his feet out from under him and smacking him in the face with her shield. She then jumped back up, headbutting a demon as she did so, spinning and whacking him with her shield, bringing her arm back around and behind his head and flinging him over her shoulder, extending her sword into its spear form and knocking him out with a swing of her spear, hitting him with the shaft. She then turned her spear into its rifle form, swinging it like a club and knocking a thug into the air and firing a trip mine into his chest, slamming him back to the ground. She then countered an attack from another demon, hitting him a few times with her shield and sword, before knocking him out with a backflip kick.
Spider-Man the leapt into the air, firing two webs down on either side of the last remaining demon and yanking himself down with full force, slamming into the demon and knocking him out. Another whip-wielding demon ran out from the building and lashed at the two. Pyrrha managed to dodge, but Peter was knocked back. Pyrrha was shocked at this, but then glared and threw her shield low to the ground, taking the demon's feet out from under him, then firing her rifle a few times to knock him out. "Are you alright?" She asked, walking over and helping him up.
"Y-yeah. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that." He admitted.
The two of them prepared to leave, getting onto the roof of the buildings the demons just poured out of when suddenly, a pair of soldiers in futuristic-looking white and black armor rappelled down the side of the building they just walked out of. "Copy, Silver Bird. We are descending to location." One of these soldiers announced as they reached the ground and detached from the rope they were connected to. "There's another one..." The soldier pointed out as they approached a demon, who was starting to get back up. "Safeties off." The soldier declared.
"This is new." Spider-Man said.
"They took their safeties off. That can't be good." Pyrrha said worriedly.
One of them hit the demon in the face with the butt of his gun and kicked him in the side, rolling him onto his back. "No, no, no. This one's mine." The other said.
"Alright." The first confirmed.
The other got the demon to his knees and put his rifle to the back of his head. "I'm executing this son of a-" He began.
"Hey!" Spider-Man cried out, webbing and yanking the first one onto the ground, on his back as Pyrrha flung her shield into the other soldier's head, knocking him out.
"He was already beaten. Executing them is unacceptable." Pyrrha snapped.
Suddenly, the two of them noticed they were surrounded by many more of these soldiers. However, they were not engaging, simply staying at a distance, aiming at the two heroes. "Code SM One. Holding for orders. Code SM One. Stand by for Silver Bird." They repeated.
"Before we do this, who the hell are you guys?" Peter asked.
"They seem too professional to be simple street thugs." Pyrrha noted.
Suddenly, a helicopter flew overhead and dropped several strange discs on the ground. Then, a woman with silver hair, but still looking rather young, in a white coat with a light and dark gray uniform underneath. She had piercing blue eyes and eyebrows that possessed a similar color to her hair. She jumped out of the chopper and began firing down on the two with a pair of pistols, Spider-Man dodging as Pyrrha crouched and blocked the bullets with her shield. The woman then landed in a crouched position, still aiming at the two as a police car came onto the scene. "Nice landing. Solid 8 out of 10." Spider-Man said.
"Who are you?" Pyrrha asked. The woman approached and Pyrrha glared at her, while casting the occasional glance to the discs she dropped from the chopper suddenly, a strange red, electric wire sprang from the discs towards the heroes. Pyrrha managed to slice the wire coming at her, but Spider-Man was not so lucky, getting wrapped in the cable, which electrocuted him and brought him to his knees. "Spider-Man!" Pyrrha cried, attempting to cut him free, but stopped to block a kick from this mystery woman. The woman spun and threw another kick, which Pyrrha spun and crouched under, going for a sweep kick, but the woman jumped back with a smirk.
"NINE out of ten." Peter groaned in pain.
Suddenly, Yuri exited the police car and quickly ran over, stepping in between Arkos and this new woman. "Stop! And release him! They work with us!" She declared.
Pyrrha, however, simply sliced off the cable, freeing the hero. "Care to introduce us, Yuri?" She asked, trying to sound non-hostile, but also using an authoritative tone to show she wasn't to be taken lightly.
"This is Silver Sablinova, head of Sable international, a private security force. Paid for by Mayor Osborn." Yuri explained.
"So, the mayor has a pet army now?" Peter questioned.
"I suppose it makes sense, as long as they don't abuse their authority." Pyrrha said, remembering the last time she experienced an army taking control of defending a city.
"Next time the two of you get in my way, I will not be so gentle." She said.
"You weren't particularly gentle this time." Pyrrha countered.
"Exactly." Silver stated.
The three glared at each other, before Yuri looked the the heroes. "Go. We'll talk later." She said.
The heroes continued to glare for a minute, before leaving.