The train rolled into the crowded station where the team disembarked, the streets were rampant with brawls and bullets whizzed just overhead. "Nice place" Colt sarcastically stated as he followed Marek into swarm of people.
Dodge City Kansas, the original sin city, was a place of violence and degradation as brawls constantly broke out and brothel girls flaunted their talents. Peter's spider sense was constantly tingling with every step he didn't like this place. A bar brawl crashed into the streets, as two men tussled in the open road gunfire sounded from within the saloon followed by a stray bullet tearing Colts hat off his head "damn it! That's the second one! Marek you owe me two new hats" he pouted as he poked his finger through the bullet hole in his hat.
"Wow…I think Colt really liked that hat"
Marek wasted no time in his mission, he began questioning everyone he could about shades whereabouts. Peter, Colt and Rawhide decided to venture off on their own leaving James with the girls. "you'd think I'd feel bad about this but come on we all know what kind of whack job he becomes in the future…then again this might be what causes his dysfunctionality"
Realising James would be angry the 3 young men took off running for their lives, Kansas was different than Peter had expected it was like something out of uncle Bens westerns. "Where do we start?" Peter asked,
"first rule when looking for a bad guy Peter check the whore house" Rawhide answered earning a quirky look from Peter "bad guys on the run tend to be on edge always looking over their shoulder, always waiting for the day they get caught so how do you relieve tense stress? Simple 10 dollars an hour buys you a call girl who takes away a lot of stress"
"that's…mildly good detective work" Peter muttered as he continued to follow the other two into a building over flowing with women, blonds, brunettes, and even red heads swarmed the front door. Their busy hands quickly found their way to the belts prompting Peter's grip to tighten on his.
"Excuse me ladies but could any of you tell me when was the last time you saw Shade Parker?" Colt hollered. The room immediately fell silent like a church and the swarm of women dispersed "anyone else have that feeling?" he whispered to the other two, his hand slowly creeping to his gun. Rawhide, catching Colts action, did the same.
Peter's eyes shifted across the room his spider sense wasn't tingling but his teammates seemed certain that trouble was eminent it wasn't until a very distinct metallic clicking noise came from the upper balcony caught their attention. "Don't you people ever die?" came a growly voice.
The boys all looked up to see a tall broad man dressed only in his pants and boots pointing a shot gun at them "crap" the 3 chorused.
The first shot gun blast reduced a nearby table to splinters and caused the 3 teens to dive behind the piano, bar and nearby table drawing their weapons when a second blast peppered the bar counter. "I think we're onto something here!" Rawhide shouted over to Colt.
"You think!"
The firing stopped and the three teens cautiously poked their heads up from behind the tables, but their enemy had vanished "what the hell?" Colt yelled. The young heroes collected themselves and dropped their empty cartridges "everyone ok?"
"I'm good" Rawhide groaned "Peter?"
Peter's pistol slammed down on the table as he pulled himself upright "I'm fan-freaking- tastic!" Peter snapped "I'm drenched in whiskey, I'm sick of being shot at!" he growled stowing his pistol in his holster. The crowd of on lookers all resumed their business after concluding that the gun fight was over "I hate this era" from the corner of his eye Peter caught a glimpse of the man who shot at them dropping from the balcony and running for the train station "he's getting away!" Peter shouted bolting for the door. The shooter had a head start but Peters speed quickly closed the gap, he tackled the shooter bowling over a handful of church goers "alright you where is Shade? Start talking or else!" Peter growled.
"heh-heh or else what punk?" the shooter chuckled "you're a boy scout type, honorable and noble not to mention stupid" he brushed off Peters grip and sat upright "and it's that code you live by that will be your undoing and our victory"
Colt and Rawhide caught up with their pistols already drawn "I know this creep he was at the bank" Rawhide stated with anger in his voice "yeah this is the ass who fired a canon at us!" in the time anyone could blink Rawhide bashed the shooter across the cheek with the hilt of his pistol, a streak of blood drizzled down the shooters face "he saying anything useful?"
Peter rose to his feet wiping dust from his lenses "no, he seems to believe Shades going to escape and be victorious at something but that's about it" he replied
Colt stowed his pistol in his belt and cracked his knuckles "ohhh fun a tough guy, Peter go get James and Marek Rawhide and I'll will ask a few questions" Colt grinned with a sinister smile.
(Modern day New York)
Johnny storm was in an empty garage pulling apart a worn out rust bucket, it was idle work to distract himself from the events of yesterday. He watched his best friend get run over by a train in the old west as much as it killed him thinking about it he knew Peters sweet aunt May would be taking it so much harder. The dashboard was next on his list, he beat and tore on it with a pry bar the sound of shattering plastic and loose rattling of metal filled the shop bay when Johnny stopped mid swing. His eyes followed the cracks along the red plastic surface, spider-web cracks, he thought of his friend once again but this time he didn't feel upset, an unbridled rage exploded from within and so Johnny began brutally and wildly smashing every inch of the car "you stupid son of a bitch! Why did you give up so easily!" he screamed as tears streaked down his cheeks "Pete why did you have to do that?" he sobbed. Johnny closed his eyes trying to think of some of the good times he and Peter had together, he thought of the time they went out all night trying to pick up some Swedish super models and Peter said the wrong the thing earning a drink poured over his head by two of them leading to a night of mischief after Johnny melted the tires of a police cruiser. But the more he thought of it the more rage he felt built up from watching Peter fall under a train and he resumed smashing the dashboard finally breaking through the plastic spilling a pile of glowing green rocks over the floor.
"What the…?" Johnny picked one up, it was lighter than a normal rock "what kind of rock glows a bright green?" he asked himself.
Meanwhile over the city skylight White Tiger sat on a building edge overlooking the ocean her arms wrapped around her knees and tear lines on her mask, like Johnny she was still trying to get the sight of watching Peter fall under the train cart out of her head. But no matter how hard she tried she saw it, and every time it made her heart ache Peter was never coming home now and she was done looking for him. "I'm sorry Peter I'll always miss you and I'll love you forever but I can't keep getting everyone's hopes up just to let them down" she sniffled.
This was hard for Ava having to accept Peter was gone and never getting to tell him how she felt. Danny took it upon himself to tell Aunt May about what happened, Luke was with Jewel and Sam was off somewhere in the city.
So here was Tiger alone and heart broken in a city of 8 million people. Then again anywhere could be lonely if the right person isn't there. And the right person was most certainly not there tonight. "Goodbye Peter" she sniffled. As Tiger stood up Spider-man's eyeless mask fell from her lap to the bustling streets below, the worst had happened, Ava lost her hope.
The shooter was now dangling from a stable beam restrained by belts and rope, naked. Colt and Rawhide stood a mere 3 feet away thumbing their bowie knives "you seriously want to clip him?" Rawhide shuddered, the very thought of clipping a man was unsettling and Colt was either a good actor or he was serious.
"Hey he would do it to us besides not like scum like him needs to reproduce"
"Damn you guys did catch someone" came Sasha's sarcastic voice "why is he buck ass naked and upside down?"
"Just answering a few questions" Colt replied with a sadistic smile as he stuck the tip of his blade into the oil lamp flame
"oh I hope he's not planning on doing what those red necks tried to do Django" Peter stepped outside into the street just in time to catch a man be thrown into the horse trough which brought a smile to his face "I've got to get home I miss my life" he sighed to himself.
A small breeze kicked the dust up around his ankles with it a familiar voice "what kind of rock glows bright green?" it was a voice he knew all too well, an old friend "Johnny?" he quickly scanned the street looking for the source of the voice. Farfetched as it was since Johnny didn't follow him through the portal so he couldn't be here,
"That ain't gold you idgit gold ain't green!" he overheard a prospector and shop merchant arguing. Curious Peter walked in and saw the two men arguing over a glowing green rock "it ain't no diamond either"
"Well what rock glows? Found a whole mess of 'em down in the ravine just below the bridge" the man picked up the stone and tossed onto the porch "suppose if it ain't worth nothing"
Peter stared at the strange stone the glow entranced him, almost called to him so he picked it up his fingers gently grasped it and his ears filled with garbled voices that slowly became definitive. "Hey Ben you're the stone expert you ever seen ones like these?" "Johnny! This isn't possible" "I know rocks don't glow you wide load that's why I'm asking!" it wasn't possible he knew it and yet Peter was hearing clear as day the voice of Johnny Storm.
"How the hell am I hearing him?" Peter asked aloud
"Pete?" Johnny called.
"Johnny? You heard me? Or am I going crazy?" Peter asked
"Peter seriously it's you you're alive! Ha-ha oh buddy I can't tell you how happy I am to hear your voice we all thought you were dead" Johnny laughed, he sounded thrilled to hear Peters voice. "Peter how's this possible?"
Peter was smiling now and more so as he heard Johnny's voice "I don't know man I thought I was losing it I mean I picked up some glowing green rock and suddenly poof you're my conscience maybe I should call you jiminy instead of Johnny"
"Wait glowing green rock? Peter I found a bag of glowing stones in some clunker I was trashing I'm holding them now are you?"
"Yeah I am" Peter replied "hey you don't think?"
"REID! Call you back Pete"
"No freaking way that just happened but…Johnny wait! Take some of these stones to my team so I can let them know I'm ok please" Peter pleaded.
The shock of what just happened was finally setting in, Peter spoke across time because of some temporal link created by this stone in his hand, which he quickly pocketed so he didn't lose it.
Marek rounded the corner loading his revolver "kid we have train to catch, your prisoner sang like a bird Shades loading a weapon of some sorts and sending it by train to D.C as an attack on the white house lets ride!"
"Right behind you!" Peter Hollard chasing after him "finally we caught a break"
The team raced through the streets back to the train station their adrenaline racing through their veins. They pushed and shoved the crowds trying to make the platform, the final boarding call whistled as the train began to warm up "MOVE!" Colt screamed at the top of his lungs firing 2 rounds into the air. People screamed and ran like mice in a wild fire clearing the way to the now departing train, "damn it!" Colt growled "jump!" the team chased the train down the station jumping for the cart railings Peter landed on deck reaching back for the others. Colt was next grabbing Peters hand and jumping onto the deck beside Peter. Rawhide reached out his fingers just grazing colts finger tips "reach you fancy boy!" the train was leaving the platform, they were running out of time desperate Rawhide, Marek and James all jumped at the same time.
"Not good!" Peter yelped as he leaned over the railing to grab James and Marek, the girls didn't jump in time and now the train was out of the station "guess we're on our own" he told the others as they all drew their pistols.
"Let's end this once and for all" Marek said, his eyes hardened the time had come Shade would finally pay for his crimes. "Shades mine, be careful guys and let's finish this!"