Chapter 26: Stones and Glass Houses

The downtown city streets were filled to bursting as people hurried about their business. Most of the corporate offices had just closed for the evening and now streams of exhausted salary workers were pouring out into the sidewalks eager to get home to their families or get drunk with their coworkers. Taxi cabs were filled; parking lots emptied; and the subways became choked with bodies as everyone had a place they would rather be.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Izuku stood pressed up against the side of a building while the current of people swept past him. Given his new-found fame, he had disguised himself as best he could in a hoodie, jeans, and baseball cap. It wasn't much but thankfully nobody paid him a second glance. They were too preoccupied to pay attention to some kid on the street.

Izuku rubbed his chin apprehensively as he peered up at the Glass Way luxury high rise. True to its name, it was smooth, polished glass all the way to the top. Climbing it wouldn't be a problem - he had yet to find something he couldn't grip - but doing so undetected would be impossible. There were no balconies to hide under and no shadows to conceal him.

To make matters worse he could see several prominent hero agencies in the surrounding buildings. They were all top rated offices (they would have to be to afford the rent in this neighbourhood), but that wasn't all. Located right next to the Glass Way Tower was Endeavour's headquarters. No doubt it was filled to the brim with sidekicks and maybe even the number two hero himself.

Climbing up the outside wasn't an option. He'd need to find another way.

Pushing himself off from the wall he was loitering against, he started off towards the main entranceway of the Glass Way Tower. As he drew near, he spotted two uniformed doormen standing beneath a sky-blue awning at the doors. Their white gloved hands were gently clasped in front of them, eyes carefully scanning the crowds. Occasionally a man or woman would approach the pair and they, with wordless professionalism, would swing open the heavy, bronze gilded doors for their patron before closing it with a bow.

Yeah, they probably know everybody who lives in that building. I'm not getting in that way.

Skirting around the front entrance, he continued on the sidewalk alongside the clean, white bricked lower level wall before he came across an accessway. Contrary to the trash and vermin infested alleyways in the slums, this alley looked more like a private road than anything else. There weren't even any dumpsters. Just chutes where garbage trucks could drive under and load up on trash, dignified like. He drew his hood close as he passed beneath a security camera.

I bet in a hoity-toity place like this all their security camera footage is dumped on a server somewhere. Unless I make a cyber weapon, there's no way I can scrub myself from the recordings. I'll need to be extra careful. The last thing I need to do is leave any evidence behind. I remember that disastrous convenience store robbery…

Lifting his baseball cap slightly, he cast his eyes up on the walls until he saw what he was looking for. About five or six stores up was a giant metal grate, no doubt an inlet or outlet for the mechanical air conditioning system to ensure that the residents did not have to be inconvenienced with the same air as the rest of Musutafu.

He glanced around. The security cameras had already recorded him, but he was sure they hadn't seen his face. He could still be seen by all the bustling foot traffic and cars from the streets, but he doubted anyone was watching. Kneeling, he carefully pulled out his mask and gloves from his hoodie pocket and slipped them on. Once he was fully disguised, he sprang up from his crouched position. Jumping up towards the vents, he made it about halfway to the vent before leaping off the wall a second time straight up to the grate itself.

The vent access was secured by thick steel bars, but he was easily able to wrench them aside and worm into the shaft. The air blowing from the vent was hot and extremely dry, but at least it didn't smell. Gripping the smooth walls of the interior, he spotted his first obstacle: a large air filter.

Shoving his fist into the fine aluminium mesh, he ripped a hole wide enough for himself before carefully squeezing through.

Somewhere some maintenance guy just heard an alarm go off. He thought as he scurried upwards.

Every few stories he came across another filter seal that he had to rip through before his shaft merged with a larger central air flow tunnel. Thankfully the air was cooler here.

The tunnel seemed to stretch all the way up to the rooftop AC system. Jumping from side to side, he scaled the siding as fast as he could. It wouldn't be farfetched to assume that in a luxury building like this, there weren't special security systems that he didn't know about. As he ascended, he noticed that every few levels there was a small transformer feeding into a series of buses that ran alongside the walls before disappearing into insulated electrical pipes.

This shaft must also function as the electrical infrastructure for the building. From here I could cut the power to any one of these floors. Might be useful as a distraction, though it could do more harm than good if Shocker gets alerted.

After a moment's consideration, he decided it was worth cutting the power if it disabled the elevators. Hanging from a strand of web, he stopped in front of an electrical panel and puzzled out the meanings of the breakers. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the electrical systems could not be disabled individually without accessing the basement transformer. If he cut power to one floor, the whole buildings power would be automatically disabled as a safety feature.

Here's hoping you own some candles! He thought as he ripped out a large heavy cable.

He moved aside as the humming mess of wires swung down. Upon contact with the wall, the side of the shaft exploded into thousands of sparks as dozens of electrical boxes blew open, casting flaming droplets of plastic into the shaft below. He couldn't help but whistle at the impressive light show.

Hopefully they don't evacuate the building.

Mr. Pencilroy stood up from his handsome oak chair and chimed his champagne flute with his silver fork. Slowly his seated dinner guests quieted and turned to face him. With a warm glint in his eye, he regarded them all fondly. Though he owned many antiques and rare collectables, everyone here was like a treasure to him. The memories they had shared! The triumphs, the sorrows. They had been through it all together, growing and forming lasting bonds that transcended blood or money. They were kindred spirits, one and all. And now, for the first time in several years, they were all gathered once again for his birthday.

'Friends,' he said in a grand tone, 'I am so pleased to see you all. Really our reunion has been too long coming.'

'Here, here!' chorused the table and his guests raised their glasses towards their smiling host.

'I appreciate you all coming despite your busy schedules. We all have our passions do we not? Why just yesterday, the Habblescoon's pulled into port from their latest expedition of the reefs of the Pacific!'

Everyone turned to a dapper couple who were seated side by side. Mr. Habblescoon took his ebony wood pipe from his mouth and bobbed his head in acknowledgment.

'Yes, quite right. Me and the Missus-' he said, putting his arm around his smiling wife, 'discovered a new breed of razor clawed crustacean. The very same of which you can observe in the tank over yonder!'

Mr. Habblescoon pointed with his pipe and the guests all directed their attention to a giant wall mounted aquarium. Scurrying within were several unpleasant looking albino crabs. They gestured at the guests angrily with their oversized pincers and everyone chuckled.

'Yes. We figured they would make a suitable birthday surprise for you, Pencilroy. We know how you appreciate the exotic.'

There was some polite applause at this and Mr. Pencilroy bowed his head graciously. Turning, he gestured to a stunning blonde beauty, made even more breathtaking by her exquisite pearl dress.

'Yes, yes. And of course, there is Gabriella, who just this weekend debuted her new line of women's fashion in Paris.' Mr. Pencilroy said.

Immediately everyone began offering her their enthusiastic congratulations, but the woman waved them all away.

'Hm. Yes, so I did, didn't I?' said the woman passively as she gazed languorously around the room, 'After the showing I was lauded by the press and my entire catalogue was bought out. It was all simply dreadful. Just once I would like to taste defeat. Alas, it was not to be.'

In a second everyone's congratulations seamlessly transformed to sympathetic condolences. She was a victim of her own genius. There truly was nothing worse than success.

Mr. Pencilroy shifted his attention to a portly, bald man whose prodigious jowls and large mouth hinted at an infamous appetite for debate.

'And the honourable Judge Hedbean! We've all heard of your exploits with that dastardly menace Cletus Kasady! To face that monster in court-' Mr. Pencilroy shivered, 'you're made of stronger stuff than me, sir.'

The other guests murmured in agreement while Judge Hedbean chuckled and wagged his finger.

'Now, now Pencilroy. You know I can't talk about any active cases. But yes, Cletus is a most foul reprobate. It will be my life's greatest pleasure to finally put an end to this farce of a trial and sentence him to death.' declared Judge Hedbean passionately, setting his jowls aquiver.

The table broke out into applause and Mr. Pencilroy smiled.

'Good show! But I don't want to spoil all of your achievements.' Mr. Pencilroy said, raising his glass in a toast, 'I am just pleased that-'

Suddenly the room was plunged into total darkness and the table broke out into murmurs of unease. This was most unexpected!

'What's going on here?' muttered Judge Hedbean, 'Is this some sort of joke?'

Quickly Mr. Pencilroy took charge of the situation.

'Do not panic everyone, it must just be a simple power outage. I'm sure that the help will have it all sorted soon.'

Leaping and crawling past the damage, Izuku at last came up on the rooftop access panel. Prying it up, he crawled out on to the roof. Above the howling of the rocking wind, he could hear the whining sounds of dying machinery as their power was suddenly cut. Checking the area, he spotted another security camera. It was positioned to monitor the rooftop access door. In a flash he shot out a strand of web, disabling it.

I can't spare any time to mess around. I need to access the penthouse.

He considered his options. He could either take it slow, re-enter the building via the rooftop access corridor and find some way into the penthouse suite. Or he could swing down over the ledge, smash through the glass, and take the fight to Shocker immediately.

After a second of deliberation, he decided to go in quiet. He didn't know what was happening in Shocker's lair and if he caused much more of a disturbance, he was sure that the heroes would show up to stop him.

Sprinting over to the doorway, he tried the handle but it was password locked. Ripping the door off by the hinges, he tossed it aside revealing a metal stairwell. Leaping down, he ran through the empty corridors until he spotted a series of metal panels that ran parallel to the walls.

These might allow access to the penthouse. I should check them out.

Sliding one off, he entered into a large white room that had a single, massive tank from which hundreds of different coloured pipes of various sizes sprouted and branched off into every direction. He had found the buildings central water reservoir.

This is no good. I don't want to be climbing in through the toilet.

But before he could leave a bright orange pipe caught his eye. Written alongside it were the words:

"PENTHOUSE POOL ACCESS"

He grinned. Swimming in through the pool might be an option. It would be a tight fit, but he had crawled through smaller spaces. The only problem was that it was filled with water. It would be an awful risk to climb into a pipe that was still flooded. He remembered a similar situation in one of Power Loader's after action reports. A hero had attempted to swim down into a flooding subway tunnel without knowing how far it was to the other side.

He suddenly got an image of Shocker, wearing nothing but some swimming trunks and a helmet trying to flush out his drowned corpse from the pool filter with a pole.

I'd need to drain all the water from these pipes first before I go climbing in anywhere. I'll look for another way.

Turning, he came face to face with a large red valve mounted to the huge reservoir. Helpfully labelled above it were the words:

"EMERGENCY RESERVOIR DRAIN. DO NOT TOUCH!"

He looked at the valve. Then back at the pool access port. Then back to the valve.

It would be the last thing anyone would ever expect…

He hemmed and hawed for a few seconds, before on an impulse he reached out and spun the drainage valve open. With a booming sound of rushing water, the colossal tank began to drain into some unseen network of pipes below.

After a few tense minutes he heard the tank gargle and grow silent. It was empty.

Turning back to the pool access port, he twisted it open. The cover popped off and the last vestiges of water in the pipe was emptied on the floor. Bending down, he inspected the pipe. It would be a tight squeeze, but he could manage.

Slipping inside, he began to crawl.

'There we are!' Mr. Pencilroy said, stepping back from the now lit candles atop his richly adorned mantle, 'That will do the trick I should think. And now we have a pleasant ambiance as well!'

He had just finished lighting what few candles he had in an attempt to bring some more light to his suite. His windows shades were drawn and unfortunately the blasted things were electrically controlled - like everything else in the building - and he had to make due with what he had. Hopefully the candles would be enough as several of his guests had been tripping over furniture and the last thing he wanted to do was impinge on their dignity.

'I must say this is all quite unexpected.' huffed Judge Hedbean as he settled back into the sofa, 'But what is life without some adventure? Say, this reminds me of the time…'

Everyone crowded around and listened with rapt attention as Judge Hedbean launched into one of his infamous courtroom stories. Mr. Pencilroy smiled. As long as they had each other they would be kept in high spirits.

Suddenly he felt something wet hit his head. Reaching up in confusion he touched the liquid, rolling it between his fingers. He frowned. It was water. Suddenly several of his other guests felt drops hit them as well.

'…and then I said, "Your rights do not extend to living in other people's closets!" and he-' Judge Hedbean stopped as a drizzle of water fell in his lap. With a cry of alarm, he leapt out of the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, 'What in blazes is happening now?'

Several stories above them a frantic group of technicians were asking themselves that very question. Power was out for the entire building and some madman had drained the central reservoir. Normally the water would have been automatically dumped into the municipality sewer grid, however the sluice gates and valves were all electronically controlled. The water had nowhere to go and now the lower reservoirs had to contend with an extra several hundred tonnes of water. The pipes simply weren't built for that kind of pressure and one by one they were bursting, flooding everything in their path.

Wriggling his way through the pipe, Izuku slowly progressed towards the sound of lapping water.

This reminds me of the entrance exams. He thought as he inched his way forward.

After several tight twists and bends the end at last came in sight. With a final push he plopped out of the pipe and into a recessed pool of chlorinated water. He had reached the pool filter.

Diving in, he swam over to the filtration mechanism and carefully pulled it off the rubberized seal separating the tank from the rest of the pool. Contorting his body as best he could, he began to force his way through.

Just a little bit more. Almost…there!

With a muted grunt, he burst out from the pipe and into the swimming pool proper. As he expected the pool was enormous with twin underwater viewing windows mounted on either side. On his right he was treated to an impressive view of the city and the forested mountains beyond while on his left he could see a stylish private gallery complete with bar and a stage. Despite his precarious position, he couldn't help but marvel at the wealth on display. For a pool in an evil supervillains lair, it was everything he had hoped it would be and more.

After a few seconds appreciating the view, he snapped out of his reverie and swam upwards. Breaching the surface as silently as he could, he glided over to the waters edge and climbed out to the white tiled pool deck, his senses primed for danger.

However, Shocker's penthouse was silent.

'Everyone please!' shouted Mr. Pencilroy in dismay, 'Let's all try not to panic!'

Nobody heeded his calls however as all of his guests scrambled over one another like rats in a desperate bid to secure dry footing. The situation was dire. The water had risen to knee height and showed no sign of stopping as a veritable monsoon was now raining from above.

'This is the end.' Gabriella moaned dramatically from atop the antique rosewood end table by the restroom, 'How droll.'

The rapidly flickering candlelight caught everyone's looks of terror. Gabriella was known for her fatalism, but this time could she be right? Suddenly Mr. and Mrs. Habblescoon began laughing, cutting through the tension with their brevity.

'Come now, friends. What is a little water? Why, this is nothing more than a light dousing! Back in the Pacific we were braving tropical storms for weeks on end!' Mr. Habblescoon said with a chuckle as he attempted to relight his pipe.

'R-Really?' Mr. Pencilroy said, eager for a distraction, 'For weeks you say?'

'Yes. We had to go during the rainy season. You see, the crabs get most excited during rain storms. The little berserkers become positively enraged! It is my contention that-'

Suddenly Mr. Habblescoon lost his footing and slipped off the coffee table he and his wife had been standing on. As he fell, his prized pipe went flying from his fingertips. The elegantly carved pipe went soaring across the room and hit the forehead of a large Tiki statue. Mr. Pencilroy and his guests could only watch on in horror as the giant wooden head began to slowly topple over. Swinging downwards, the face of the ancient sea god smashed into the aquarium, dumping its contents into the apartment. The crabs were free.

'Bertram! Quickly, the crustaceans!' cried Mrs. Habblescoon to her husband as he sputtered uselessly in the water.

'What's that? Crabs? Why-Eeek!'

Everyone recoiled in terror as Mr. Habblescoon was suddenly swarmed by the creatures. Though possessive of only the most rudimentary intelligence, the crabs remembered the doctor and now vengeance was nigh. The pinching was merciless.

'Save me! Save me!' begged Mr. Habblescoon desperately, reaching for his wife.

She caught his hand, but alas her footing wasn't as secure as she thought and she too fell into the churning waters.

'My god…' whispered Mr. Pencilroy to himself, covering his mouth with his hand. How could this situation get any worse?

'How ironic.' Gabriella said dryly from her perch by the restroom.

Mr. Pencilroy turned to look at her. At that exact moment the septic line burst and several apartments worth of raw sewage suddenly flowed into the washroom. Gabriella's eyes widened in mute incomprehension as the bathroom door beside her blew apart, releasing a cascading wave of indescribable filth.

She opened her mouth to scream, just as she was swept away.

At first Izuku had been in awe of the splendour on display in Shocker's penthouse. It was like a palace in the sky. The tall ceilings and expansive rooms were filled with expensive furniture, striking art pieces, and large open spaces unthinkable for someone who had grown up in a small apartment. Surrounding it all were floor to ceiling smoked glass windows that revealed the glittering skyline of Musutafu. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

But as he moved through the silent hallways and still rooms, he became increasingly unnerved. Everything looked as though it was barely touched. Paintings dotted the walls and sculptures were placed tastefully in alcoves, but it all seemed so fake. There was no familiar feel to anything. No sign of homeness or warmth. Portraits held generic pictures of distant landscapes and cabinets were left bare. It was a showroom.

Was everything here just an expression of power for its own sake? Did Shocker bring in guests solely to impress them with his unfathomable wealth? That was assuming there was even anyone he trusted enough to let into his house in the first place.

I guess there really are some things money can't buy. Izuku thought with a measure of satisfaction.

Peering around a corner, he saw a massive obsidian door at the end of the hallway. It was flanked on both sides with twin marble statues of angelic figures. Judging solely by the impressiveness of the surrounding decor, it had to lead to the inner sanctum. Feet softly padding forward, he came up to the jet-black door. Pressing his ear against it, he listened.

Everything was still. He couldn't hear any breathing or footsteps and yet his spider-sense was tingling. There was something or someone in that room. He looked around at the heavy doorway then up at the ceiling searching for some other way in. He had already explored this level and he hadn't found any suitable airducts or side passages. Short of climbing outside and bursting in through the window, the only entrance in was through the door.

Grabbing the golden handle gently, he slowly pulled it open. With agonizing caution, he watched as the crack in the door grew wider and wider when he suddenly caught sight of something falling from the door handle on the opposite side.

It was a shot glass.

He sprang back and flew to the wall. As soon as the glass hit the floor there was an enormous boom that seemed to rattle the building. The heavy door and the twin angels beside it blew apart into dust while the marble floor became deeply gouged as though suddenly eroded by an unimaginable force.

His eyes widened at the sight of the devastation. The entire entranceway had been disintegrated. He blinked. He needed to move before Shocker had time to readjust. Springing off the wall to the floor, he rolled to his feet and sprinted in.

Standing across the room opposite of the door was Shocker. Framed by the dying light of day, he stood in full armour before his desk. Gauntleted and golden, hands raised like a king, his helmeted head swiveled to face Izuku. Behind him Izuku saw the Grey Towers and the sprawling slums; the extent of Shocker's domain.

'Spider-Man.' Shocker said in a plain voice, 'Nice outfit.'

Sensing his danger, Izuku immediately jumped to the side as the Shocker pressed the red thumb trigger on his gauntlets. Izuku barely managed to dodge the shimmering blast before another wave was shot his way. Flipping, diving, and jumping, he moved around and between the blasts which obliterated everything they touched. Leaping to the ceiling, he waited for the Shocker to take aim, before shooting out with both his web-shooters. The webs caught him by the shoulders and Izuku sprang back down to the floor, pulling the Shocker with him.

Sliding face first into the tile, Shocker started to raise himself up only to be immediately confronted by Izuku. Shocker raised his gauntlets, but Izuku caught him first. Twisting his hands into Shocker's, Izuku crushed down on the gauntlets, disabling them. The red triggers hung uselessly.

'Hah! I've got you now!' Izuku said, grinning.

'Oh, really?' Shocker snarled as his fingers suddenly curled around Izuku's wrists.

In that instant, Izuku felt his arms start to vibrate. In less than a heartbeat the movement became excruciating as his very bones felt like they were being grinded into dust. With a pained cry, he twisted backwards, kicking as he flipped. Izuku's foot hit Shocker under the chin, sending him flying up into the ceiling while he landed back on his feet.

With a cry of pain, Izuku tried to work his hands. He could barely move his fingers, much less make a fist.

No! My webslingers use hand motions to fire! If I can't use my fingers, I can't shoot my webs!

Shocker smashed into the ceiling headfirst before falling amongst a shower of ceiling tiles and debris. Hitting the ground, he landed on his feet and recovered almost instantly, his hands shimmering intensely once more.

Springing forward, he attempted to grab Izuku by the throat, but Izuku was able to slip away. Ducking beneath his reaching hands, Izuku kicked Shocker's leg, pushing him sideways. Falling to one knee, Shocker again attempted to put his hands on Izuku but before he could, Izuku kneed him in his metal helmet sending him bouncing and sliding across the floor. Despite the force of this blow, Shocker barely paused before immediately getting to his feet.

'Is that it, Spider-Man?' he said nonchalantly, 'I would have thought you'd be stronger now.'

Izuku stared at the man dumbfounded. He had just struck him hard enough to crumple steel. His helmet should be a frying pan! How could he just shrug a blow like that off? Suddenly it hit him.

He must be immune to physical force! Maybe he can absorb energy through his armour then channel it through his body?

'Sort of cheating wearing force absorbing armour isn't it?' Izuku asked as Shocker drew closer.

Shocker laughed softly.

'Only half marks, Spider-Man. The armour is just a medium for my quirk.'

'Ah.' Izuku said nodding, 'Then I'll have to get you out of it.'

'Good luck!' Shocker growled as he charged forward.

Suddenly the shimmering that had covered Shocker's hands spread to his whole body. Where he stepped there was only a fine powdery residue; the tiles disintegrating to nothing beneath his feet. If anything touched him, Izuku was sure it would be destroyed. However, he noticed that the webbing he had attached to the Shockers shoulders from his initial attack was still intact.

He must not be able to destroy anything that has sufficient elasticity!

He knew what he had to do. Izuku waited until the last moment before dodging around Shocker. Without missing a beat, he leaned down and grabbed the webbing trailing behind Shocker with his foot. His toes were able to grip the webbing perfectly.

'What're you-'

'Alright, Shocker. Buckle up cause you're going for a ride!' Izuku said happily before suddenly taking off at a sprint.

The trailing chord quickly sprang taut and Shocker was yanked off his feet. The empty, desolate hallways were suddenly filled with the sound of clanging metal as Shocker went bouncing and crashing against his walls and furniture. Try as he might, he couldn't find any purchase to halt his advance as any surface he touched was obliterated by his quirk.

Racing through the halls, Izuku ran all the way back to the pool while Shocker shouted curses behind him. Entering the poolroom, Izuku continued to run to the waters edge before suddenly stopping. Carried by his momentum, Shocker went flying past Izuku and over the water.

'Do a flip!' Izuku cheered.

Flailing end over end, Shocker splashed into the water and dropped like a stone. As he sunk, Izuku released the chord from his foot and waited. Lounging down on the side of the pool, he watched the bubbling spot where Shocker had fallen in. He would need to breathe eventually.

After a half minute, a man with short brown hair broke the surface, coughing and sputtering.

'You crazy bastard!' Shocker raged, slapping the water's surface with his hand, 'I'll kill your whole family!' he shouted as he swam towards the pool edge, 'I'll put a bounty on your head so big-'

Just as he started to climb out of the pool, Izuku kicked him in the face. To his satisfaction, the blow connected with a meaty thunk. Eyes rolling back in his head, Izuku watched as the most powerful man in the slums collapsed backwards into the pool.

Gripping Shocker with his foot, Izuku hauled him out of the water and lay him on the tiles by the poolside. The man who was the Shocker looked nothing like how he thought. Besides his exceptional physique, there was nothing distinguishing about him whatsoever. With his widow's peak hair, his slightly baggy eyes, and lined face he looked more like a baseball coach then a supervillain.

Gripping the loose webbing that was still attached to Shocker, he secured him against the poolside ladder with his feet and palms. Once he was tightly wound, he stepped back to examine his work. If he tried to vibrate his way to freedom, he'd risk dropping into the water and with the webbing still around him he'd have no chance of swimming away.

Just as he was wondering how he was going to contact the police he heard Shocker moan. Crouching down, he waited for the man to recover. Shocker's eyes slowly opened and looked up at Izuku. Shocker briefly pushed against the webbing, but he quickly realized it was futile. With a sigh of resignation, Shocker leaned back against the metal pole.

'How'd you find me?' Shocker asked in a tired voice.

'One of your guys.'

Shocker took a deep breath and held it before exhaling.

'That's a short list. I must admit, I'm surprised. I didn't think anybody would dare talk.'

'Disgruntled employees,' he said, nodding, 'you can't trust em'. Still though you've had a good run. You're obviously doing well for yourself.' he gestured at their opulent surroundings and Shocker merely shrugged.

'I knew getting tied down to a single location was stupid of me. But, eventually you get tired of secrecy. Do you know how long I've been wearing that helmet for?'

He shook his head.

'Too long.' Shocker said, 'In a few years you'll know what I mean, Spider-Man.'

Suddenly off in the distance, he heard a banging sound. It sounded like it was coming from the penthouse entrance.

'Huh. Someone's coming.' he mumbled, before shooting Shocker a sharp glance, 'Did you call for reinforcements?'

'No.' Shocker said, craning his neck around, 'Must be someone investigating.'

He stood up and looked down at Shocker.

'I should go then, but before I do, know this: If by some miracle you don't get implicated in some sort of crime here Shocker, - good luck explaining the power armour by the way - just know that if I find you're free on the street I'll do a lot worse then dunk you in a pool.'

Shocker regarded him with an expression close to pity.

'Really? Tell me, assuming I do get taken out of the picture, what will you do then? Are you going to repeat your words to my successor? And his? Are you going to keep running around, fighting crime bosses, over and over forever? Hah!' Shocker shook his head, 'Good luck with the slums, Spider-Man.'

Izuku didn't spare him another glance. It was time to leave.