"Another day, another ass-kickin'."

The sound of skin sliding against fabric filled the room as Ed slipped into his red and blue suit, the holes and rips now repaired with tightly woven stitching. Once Ed had pulled his suit up to his neck, he let it go with a snap, grimacing at the jolt of pain it brought. Shaking it off, he grabbed a hair-tie, and took a handful of hair, starting at the top as he began to braid his hair into a tightly woven style. After it was secured, Ed grabbed the mask off his bed, and slipped it on over his head, sucking in air as his breathing became significantly harder. Once his mask was fully over his head, he snaked his hand back into the back of his mask, and repositioned his braid, so it rested tightly against his head. "Can't fight crime without a stylish suit," The now muffled voice announced, Ed's emotionless mask giving off a light-hearted vibe.

With a crack of his neck, he grabbed the bottom of his dorm window, and pushed up, sliding the glass case upwards, leaving just enough space for his nimble body to crawl through. With the screen gone – he'd removed it months ago, it was becoming too much of a hassle to put it back every time – Ed placed a foot on the windowsill, and hauled himself up into the window frame, his feet sticking to the surface as if glue were attached to the bottom. He then stood up, and swung his body out, attaching his fingertips to the outside part of his window. With a leap of faith, Ed detached his feet from the windowsill and swung them out, parting his legs to stick to each side of the window. Grinning under the mask, he placed his left hand in a similar position, and slid the window closed with his right, shutting it with a soft click.

"Time to go to work!" the spider announced, legs and feet detaching and attaching to the brick surface repeatedly as the rooftop became closer and closer. With one final leap, the masked figure hopped up to the edge of the dorm roof, his head tilting as he assessed the new point of view. Almost immediately, Ed's fingertips began to tingle, and his mask turned to face the right, two eyes blinking under the mask.

"Already? Damn, we've got some early birds!" Without hesitation, the spider stood up, and stretched his limbs, taking in the sight of Central City in its night life. It seemed so peaceful from here, as if the city didn't have a care in the world. But below that façade, that first layer, dwelled an evil, an evil so dangerous even Ed wasn't sure what to make of it. Shaking off the daunting thought, Ed cracked his wrist, and focused his eyes on a nearby building. Once he was certain his position was correct, he took a step backwards, before breaking out into a sprint, running towards the edge of the rooftop. He didn't think twice before he jumped, letting out an ecstatic yell as the wind wrapped around him, and screamed in his ears. Grinning, he cracked his wrist again, and within a second, stopped his descend down towards the ground.

A web from a small contraption on his wrist had held him up, and had swung him towards the building, which was approaching fast. But Ed knew this routine all too well. A second later and he was connected to another building, his speed increasing as he swung through the air. Again and again, webs were connected to buildings, as the spider made his way downtown, faces rising up from their previous task to look at the hero in red, fingers, cameras, and smiling faces directed towards Ed.

"Hey folks! How's the night life?" Called Ed as he attached more webs, an unseen grin on his face as he made his way closer to his location.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but there's a city I've gotta take care of, so I'll catch you later!"

In a matter of minutes, Ed knew he had arrived. The tingling sensation in his fingers had been steadily increasing, until it had become almost unbearable. This had to be the place. Scratching his head, he let his eyes look the building up and down. "Good ol' bank robbery." The glass doors in the front of the building were smashed, shards of glass littering the floor as Ed made his way over and around them. Inside most lights were off, save a few that were flickering in and out, creating unusual shadows that danced across the walls. That made the golden-haired vigilante nervous. Moving shadows weren't Ed's favorite, ever since they'd become a weakness to him. "That asshole better not be here tonight," whispered the vigilante as he listened for any unusual noises, or voices.

Something off the main entrance caught his attention, his head snapping to set his attention on the source. Silently, he inched towards the wall, and placed his hands against it, his right above his left. With a quick jump, both legs followed, sticking him neatly against the bank wall. Ed let a grin run across his face as he began to climb around the corner, his climbing completely silent, save the small noise of fabric against skin.

"..told..him...weren't..splitting.."

Ed paused in his descent down the hallway, masked eyes widening in question. "Hmm?"

Slowly, he began to climb again, listening intently for more words.

"Nightcrawler…"

Nightcrawler? That wasn't a name Ed was familiar with. Unless somehow they were referring to him. Glancing down at his feet and hands, he gave a small shrug. That was one possibility. Moving even closer, Ed was able to hear even more.

"You better not…could get…killed..!"

Killed? "Just who the hell do they think I am? Some mass murderer?" Rolling his eyes, he moved even closer, the end of the hallway just feet away. Based on the layout of the bank, this was most likely the safe.

Just as the masked figure was about to drop down onto the ground, an achingly familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"It's Nightwing."

A cold chill ran down Ed's spine as he heard the air grow completely silent, the tension replacing any sound that would have otherwise been present. It was only when a footstep sounded did the silence ebb away.

"How did you-?"

"We had a deal. Talking behind my back isn't something I particularly enjoy." The low voice pierced through the air, causing Spider-man's breath to hitch.

"Give me what we agreed on, and I'll let you go."

A scoff followed after Nightwing's voice. "You don't scare us. You didn't do jack shit here! What makes you think you deserve th—"

Choking noises interrupted the disembodied voice, another panicked voice piping in.

"S-stop! What're you doing?! We'll give you the money, just, don't hurt him!"

Crack.

The vigilante's heart skipped a beat as a deathly thud echoed throughout the safe walls, the indication of one less individual present.

"I don't negotiate." Hissed the dark voice, before a dark aura pulsated across the entirety of the room, almost knocking Ed off the wall. Tensing his body to counteract the sudden force, he strained to hear inside the vault, the only audible noise a loud rush of air circling inside the room. With one final pulse, the air calmed, and the noise ceased, almost all at once. The masked figure gritted his teeth, and slowly lifted his body off of the wall. What was that all about?

The spider waited a minute before crawling closer to the exit, a red mask poking itself into the room. Inside lay a few straggling dollar bills, blood, and the limp body of the protestor. Stomach lurching, Ed climbed his way over the doorframe and into the room, examining it closer.

"The fuck..?"

Where was Nightwing and the other man?