Issue #16: Prelude to War

Nevada Desert

The Goblin King landed in a field in the middle of nowhere. He opened his palm, revealing the tablet fragment he stole from under the heroes' noses while they were too emotionally distraught to notice.

Looking down at the ground, he found a shattered rock and picked it up, noticing the same hieroglyphs as the one on the stone on his hand. Norman smirked, realizing he had found what he was looking for the whole time.

"Excellent."

Avengers Tower

Spider-Man, Sonic and MJ all sat, clearly looking worn out. They had managed to get Otto back to the Raft Infirmary thanks to Shadow, who was standing on the other end of the room with his eyes closed.

"I can't believe I let him take her…" Peter bemoaned, agitated with himself.

MJ put a hand on his shoulder, "You still did the right thing, Tiger. She would've chosen Otto's life over her own."

"I know but… I failed. Again. Uncle Ben, Gwen, George… and now Aunt May's in danger. I keep failing everyone close to me!" Peter stood up and punched a wall.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy, Pete." Sonic advised.

"Take it easy? You want me to relax? The woman who raised me is being held hostage by my worst enemy! Her and MJ are the only family I have left!" Peter yelled at Sonic, who recoiled in shock at the outburst, "You haven't endured what I've been through these past few years, so do not tell me to take it easy!"

Shadow said, "Focus your mind then. You won't beat Osborn if you're caught in a savage fury."

"Easy for you to say, you're cartoon hedgehogs who go around fighting fat scientists and robots with little care in the world. You don't deal with burying the anger I have." Peter growled.

"I do. I've endured more than you think, Parker. I lost my own family, lost my way and my identity. It takes every fiber of my being to not take off these inhibitor rings and use my power on those who wronged me. But that's not what Maria wanted, and I am sure your Aunt wouldn't want you flailing your arms angrily instead of doing something about it." Shadow revealed.

"..." Peter paused.

MJ added, "Look Pete, I'm just as worried for her. But we need to focus, if you let your anger control you then Osborn wins." she held his hands and continued, "We're a team, always have been, so I know you're never at your A-Game when you're like this. So please, if not for me, then for Aunt May."

Spider-Man looked down and sighed, "Alright. I'll try… What the hell would I do without you, MJ?"

"Not sure, but someone needs to keep you grounded." MJ teased.

Peter managed a smile, then he turned to Sonic, "Hey Blue… Sorry about the outburst…" he apologized.

Sonic waved a hand, "Water under the bridge, Pete. I'd act the same way if something happened to my friends."

"Thanks…" Peter said, "The others should be back soon. We should fill them in on what's happening."

"Aunt May's been kidnapped?!" Tails gasped.

Sonic and Peter nodded, "She did…" Peter muttered, "But we're going to save her and stop Eggman and Osborn."

"But how? The Goblin King beat both of you working together and you're still not fully recovered!" Tails wondered.

"I'm all good now, little bro." Sonic assured him.

Peter nodded, "And as for me." he sat still as the symbiote covered his costume, revealing his Black Suit.

"The symbiote? How the hell did you nab that back?" Wolverine asked.

"Me." Shadow said, revealing himself.

"...Was he standing over there this whole time?" Ollie questioned.

"He likes to do that." Tails explained.

"Norman and the Doctor used me as a weapon for their plans. And for that I want to make them suffer." Shadow declared.

Kaine rolled his eyes, "How threatening coming from you."

"I wouldn't underestimate him, Kaine. This dude is no joke, he can rival me in a fight." Sonic warned the clone, "And I don't normally like to admit that, but we really have to work as a team."

"Us? A team? Against a god and a mad scientist? We're Spiders, kid. We're small-time compared to the Avengers and Fantastic 4, this is their gig, not ours." Scarlet Spider coldly said.

Spider-Man reminded him, "And there are no Avengers, Fantastic 4 or X-Men to rely on this time. Wolverine's the only one we can depend on right now while the Heroes for Hire and Daredevil watch over the city. It's us against Osborn and Eggman."

Sonic raised a finger, "Tails, Knux, Shadow and I have taken on plenty of gods as well as Egghead. Osborn should be no different."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Wolverine asked.

The blue hedgehog shook his head, "No."

"Of course not…" Logan muttered.

Shadow said, "We need a strategy."

"Well we don't even know where Osborn is at. He could be anywhere on Earth or Mobius." Spider-Man revealed.

MJ said, "Surprised the Avengers didn't reveal that."

Peter replied, "The Avengers were captured by Osborn and Eggman… We can't even get anything from them."

"So what? We scour the planet for God knows what? Freaking perfect." Kaine muttered.

Spider-Man said, "...Wait. I just thought of something."

"What's up, Pete?" Sonic asked.

"Tails. Use your Miles Electric to track any signatures of gamma radiation across the planet. If we find a large spike, that's where Bruce Banner is. I can't believe I just thought of that!" Spider-Man kicked the ground, clearly annoyed with himself.

"Settle down, bro. Shit like that happens." Kaine told him.

Tails tampered with his handheld, until he adjusted the energy traces, "I got it! According to this, there's a spike of gamma radiation… heading right for us?"

SHATTER!

The team got into fighting stances, believing it to be a villain. Instead of a villain, they found the Hulk, who was carrying Iron Man, who greeted them, "Hey fellas… and weird animal people. We missed a lot didn't we?" Iron Man jokingly wondered.

"You have no idea, Tony." Spider-Man said.

Iron Man and Spider-Man debriefed each other on what happened, prompting Tony to say, "Alright so that does shed light on pretty much everything that's happened." he tapped his helmet.

"Same with us. The Goblin's in Sokovia? That's the last place I expected him to be." Peter commented.

"I suppose Latveria was no good." Iron Man quipped.

"Then we'll head to Sokovia, break out the Avengers, save Aunt May and kick bad guy butt. Sounds easy enough." Sonic commented.

"I thought it was gonna be easy too, kid. But they're no joke, even with a team." Stark told the hedgehog.

"Hulk want payback." Hulk chimed in.

"Step in line." Shadow mocked.

"This is perfect though. With you two here and free from Norman, we stand more of a chance against him and Eggman." Tails said excitedly.

Iron Man nodded, "We do. But it'll still be a tough fight."

Knuckles cracked his namesakes, "No one said it was gonna be easy."

"I gathered that much, tiny red Hulk." Iron Man quipped.

"Other Hulk?" Hulk questioned.

"It's a nickname, big guy. I have a hunch this red dude shares your temper." Tony explained. Hulk growled at that comment.

"I wouldn't mind seeing how much we fare against each other." Knuckles admitted.

Iron Man said, "That's a good idea actually. Let's all prepare ourselves, in a few hours time we'll head to Sokovia to finish this fight."

"Got it, Mister Stark!" Tails saluted.

Ollie was working on his Steel Spider armor when he noticed Peter walking in, "Oh hey Peter. I'm just about ready."

"...About that…" Peter sighed.

"No, you aren't benching me again. It's been years!" Ollie got into a huff.

The experienced hero raised a hand, "It's not like that, Ollie. Believe me, I'd love to have your help, but I have a feeling Osborn is going to finish what I started and go after the only family I have left. MJ's Iron Spider armor got severely damaged and there's no way I can fix that and finish what I'm working on before we head out. Doing this will mean as much to me as being out in the frontlines, and I know I can trust you to do this."

"..." Oliver paused, "...I'll do it."

"Thanks Ollie, knew I could count on you." Peter replied.

Tony Stark examined Tails' Miles Electric, "Nice handheld."

"Thanks. Made it myself." Tails said sheepishly.

That got Stark's attention, "Really now? And how old are you?"

"...Eight, sir." the fox answered.

"Hm. You got some potential kid. For a kid your age to make something like is impressive… Though I could probably do something more grand I'm sure." Tony told the kid.

"Ha, I'm sure." Tails laughed, "I've peeked at your armor, the designs are amazing!"

"Glad someone else thinks so! Not even Reed would admit it." Tony chuckled, "Tell you what, Mr. The Fox, I'll make you a nice custom gadget, something for you to use and for you to improve since you seem so interested in what's in my lab." he offered.

"R-Really?" Tails asked in awe.

Tony nodded, "Of course. Come on, I'll show you how to build a badass repulsor gauntlet."

"This is gonna be so cool!" Tails said excitedly.

Knuckles smashed his fists together, bellowing to the scrawny man across from him, "Come on, Doc! Let the big guy out!"

Banner shook his head, "No can do, Knuckles. The Hulk will tear you apart before you would even have a chance to blink."

"Yeah right, I faced worse!" Knuckles scoffed, "Just this once, Doc Banner. I need to get some training in and that Hulk guy looks like the perfect partner."

Bruce sighed, "...Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." he said, his eyes starting to glow green. Knuckles smiled as he began to transform into the green goliath. His smile dropped however when he saw how much the Hulk towered him.

"...Oh." Knuckles gulped, his eyes widening in fear.

Sonic was walking nearby when he saw Knuckles get launched through the wall. He examined the dazed echidna and quipped, "...Tried fighting the big buff and obviously strong guy didn't you?"

"S-Shut up!" Knuckles yelled.

"Hulk bored." the Green Goliath yawned in boredom.

"Oh it's on!" snarled the echidna, getting up and trying to go after Hulk, who only flicked him through the hole in the wall.

Sonic shook his head and went on his way, leaving Knuckles to whatever he was doing.

Shadow, Kaine and Wolverine stood in the main lobby of the tower, discussing their own plans. Shadow said, "When the time comes, it'll be best if we put Osborn and the Doctor down for good."

"I wouldn't recommend that." Kaine told him.

"And why not? They've gone too far now, the time for mercy is over." Shadow wondered.

"Parker don't want anymore blood on his conscience. Normally I'd be all for drivin' my claws through Norman's ugly green head, and if he weren't here I'd do it, but this is his fight." Logan told the hedgehog.

Shadow clenched his fist, "Hmph."

Wolverine added, "Look, I dunno how you do things in yer world or if the blue rodent is fine with ya killin', but Parker is against it, I've worked with the kid long enough to respect it's not his style, so knock it off."

"...Very well. I'll make an exception." Shadow said.

The Scarlet Spider shrugged, "Not like it'll guarantee to stick. Osborn survived getting impaled on his glider."

The hedgehog crossed his arms, "Sounds about as stubborn as the Doctor. No wonder they're allies."

"Only good thing Norman did was kill my creator." Kaine said.

"Creator? You're an artificial being too?" Shadow wondered.

Scarlet Spider nodded, "I am. No idea why Parker calls me his brother, I am nowhere close to believing I earned that."

"Take it." Wolverine told him, "The kid has faith in a lot of people that believe they don't earn it. It's his greatest strength."

Kaine stopped to muse on the notion, "...I'll think on it."

"Now I see why him and Sonic are friends. Even he has faith in those he calls his friends." Shadow admitted, "And though mine aren't here, their companionship will suffice."

"You asking us to be your friends?" Kaine jokingly asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Parker, we just met. We are merely allies on a mission for now." Shadow corrected the clone.

"Hmph. I see." Scarlet Spider replied.

Goblin Castle

The Goblin returned to the lair, fragments in hand. Upon seeing him, Eggman cackled, "Ohoho, I see it was all a success!"

Osborn smirked, "It was. And I see your machine is finished at last."

"Yes! And with Zero's emerald and the fragment, it shall be enough to initiate our plan!" Eggman revealed.

Hearing struggling nearby, Osborn turned his head, seeing Captain America trying to break free from his power-dampening chains, "Trying to escape, Captain?" Goblin mocked him.

Steve gritted his teeth, "You won't succeed, Osborn… Spider-Man, his friends… They'll stop your plans!"

"Oh I would like to see them try. The Spider has bested the Green Goblin, but the Goblin King is untouchable!" Norman tackled, punching Cap in the gut, making him cough blood, "Now silence! Is the Genesis Device ready for activation, Doctor?"

"Yep! Place the Tablet of Order of Chaos in the slot and we can finally begin the conquest of the Goblin Empire!" Eggman told him, which Norman complied. Once he did, a large red beam shot itself from the machine, creating a swirl of red clouds that began to envelop the entire planet.

The Goblin King and Eggman watch with glee, knowing full well they were on the winning end.

Avengers Tower

"Okay… just adjust this and it should be good to go." Peter muttered to himself.

MJ sat down next to him, "Hey Tiger, still busy?"

"Not anymore, babe. I just finished the armor design." Peter replied, putting down his tools, "I'm all ears if you need to talk."

"I do. I have to admit I'm… scared. Osborn is playing for keeps this time." Mary Jane admitted to him, "I'm just… not sure what's going to come of this… or you…"

In concern, Peter put his hands on her shoulders and spoke, "I am going to come back. Even when we're not immediately together, we're a team. You're the reason why I push through these impossible odds, because I know you're counting on me. And I failed so many people in my life including Aunt May… That I can't let you down. And especially now, not after all we've been through together and what's at stake."

Mary Jane managed a smile, "You're so sappy."

"You married me for that reason." Peter quipped, smiling too, "I love you."

"And I love you too." MJ replied. The couple shared a passionate kiss, knowing it'll be their last until the battle is over.

When Peter and Mary Jane parted, the ground started to shake, frightening them. Peter got to the floor and held his head as his Spider-Sense started to ring, "Peter! What's wrong?" MJ asked him.

"SPIDER-SENSE ON FIRE!" Peter yelled, composing himself. He stood up and immediately donned the armor. It being sleek, with shoulder pads, knee pads, a metallic helmet, and the spider emblem on its armored chest plate. He pressed a button on his gauntlet to activate the Spider-Sense jammer, negating his sixth sense temporarily so he could get a moment to breathe.

With Peter fine, him and MJ ran outside, where they found the rest of the team standing on the balcony and staring at the sky. "What the hell's going on?!" Spider-Man asked.

"Osborn… Osborn took our fragment from us while we were distracted!" Sonic revealed in disappointment.

"He WHAT?!" Spider-Man gasped.

Red cracks in reality started to appear all over the place, covering the sky, appearing in the streets. The world was in a state of panic as the sky turned blood red thanks to the Tablet of Order and Chaos.

In light of all this, Spider-Man only had one thing to say, "If… If we fail now, it looks like all of our worlds will get destroyed by Eggman and Norman. We have to go NOW!"

The heroes nodded in agreement, making the final preparations to make their hasty trip to Sokovia to finish the battle for the fate of two worlds.

Author's Note: A short chapter before the final battle. With the team assembled at last, it's time for Sonic and Spider-Man to lead the heroes to war against the Goblin Empire.

Also as a side PSA: The website is on the fritz. For the time being, it's recommended to read story updates on the app.