It had been a long day. School was odd. He had been thrown for a loop being in such an big school. Granted, he was nearly thrown into a locker. Resigned to his fate, he was more than ready to become intimately aquatinted with the inner workings of the school locker when his hood of his hoodie was grabbed and jerked back. He fell back into large arms as his assaultent fell into his locker followed by a slam of the locker door. Jaime blinked in confusion and stared back at his "savior".

"Mal?" he whispered. What was Guardian doing here? How was he here? What was going on? Before he could panic, his rescuer answered his inquiry.

"Who? You okay little guy?"

Very similar. But not Mal. His voice was younger. More playful. Amused maybe. The scarab wasn't happy with his situation. While pleased Jaime was not in the small locker, it did not trust the male that was confusing Jaime's mind.

"Ah, si." Jaime extracted himself from the African American male's grip. He recognized him from science class. He averted his eyes and began looking around the hall. He wasn't alone. There was a calm faced shaggy blond haired boy who had a calm and understanding feel that reminded him of Nightwing. And a strong determined female stared at him in slight confusion. As if she was trying to dissect him. She remined him of a bit of Karen Beecher. Phantom pain bloomed in his back recalling her and her mentor's work.

"Luke Cage," the large African American said with a smile. Jaime sheepishly smiled back.

"I'm Daniel," the blond greeted. His eyes pierced into his eyes and felt as though they were digging into his soul. Piercing blue eyes that reminded him of Conner. As if he wanted to spill his guts out and tell him about the scarab, even as the beetle yelled at him not to be foolish.

"Ava," the girl smiled professionally. Odd how she seemed to strike a similar chord to Artemis, "You okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine," he said turning his back and beginning to walk away. He was warned of their footsteps behind him.

"We're Peter's friends," Danny stated as they walked in an odd formation.

"Are you now?" Jaime asked politely wanting nothing more than to escape and fly above the city. One of his favorite pastimes back home in El Paso. Granted that was over a desert city and not an ocean city. But flying was still so freeing.

"Yes. We are here to tell you that Peter will not be able to go home immediately. So you will want to leave without him," Danny stated in a bizarrely soothing voice. He seemed like a nice guy. But the scarab was throwing a hissy fit in his head not trusting the blond.

Jaime nodded, not trusting himself not to look crazy in front of the three because of the scarab interrupting. But he noted that they mentioned Peter being late. Was this because he was running around as an Araña? No. It couldn't be. Probably a club or something. He gave a small smile to the group."Thanks. I'll head back to his Aunt's house," he finally said realizing they were waiting for him to say something. He walked away from the group quickly and left the school. He jogged toward the city. He slipped into an alleyway where he dropped his back pack, in an old box. He frowned knowing if he lost it, there would only be a larger burden on another person. Angrily, he engaged in an arguement with the scarab over how to make sure the bag was undetected and not stolen.

After fifteen minutes of arguing, he sighed and grabbed the bag again. He felt the familar metal spread over his skin, and special lenses covering eyes, tinting his vision slightly blue. He felt metallic wings grow from his back and straighten. He felt his feet lift from the ground as he took toward a nearby roof. He dropped the bag behind an AC unit. He then took off into the sky with a spark of relief. A blooming sense of freedom.

He flew quietly above the rooftops traveling through every shadowy path. He hid within the shadows and searched for crime. Silently, he shot guns from criminal hands and stapled them to the ground, letting fearful victims escape unharmed and call the police. While not many, still more than Jaime would have liked to see. Especially the ring.

Landing quietly outside of a warehouse to rest he saw it. Anger flared with in his heart when he saw children shoved into trucks. Children traficking. He almost agreed to use the sonic cannon. Almost agreed to end their pathetic lives. If not for the danger the children would be in he probably would have. If not for what he had seen from his home and knowing how killing could scar children much like his own sister, he would not have given it a second thought. He settled to be his own demon. He was going to scare the crooks straight. He felt his weapons charge and his armor thicken. Once he was ready, he broke through the window and flew down at the crooks. Many grabbed bats, planks of wood, and crowbars. A few pulled guns and fired at him. He weaved through the air and fired his own shots, seperating a group of criminals from the children.

A small group of children stared at him in fear and awe. One locked eyes with him for a brief moment. He knew he couldn't kill these crooks before their eyes. The thought cemented.

Blue Beetle fired his staples, pinning men to the ground, unable to fight back. One by one they fell, growing more fearful. Any of them who attempted to use the children as shields, had unfortunate misfires from his stapler, piercing the skin in their arms.

"Do not think I am here to kill you. That is not my job," he spoke clearly to the thugs, "My job, is to see these children have a chance to go home. And that you will never, harm another person again."

The men never stood a chance.

Spiderman stood alone as he entered the warehouse district. He had heard there was something big going on in the warehouse district over the cops' radio. He made his way across roof tops when he heard the sirens. And saw the red and blue lights. He swung over to the centered warehouse. Thugs were being dragged to police cars with various degrees of injuries in their arms, children of all ethnicities were gathered together wearing various bits of rags and ripped clothing. Members of the police were calling in translators. Peter creeped in closer to hear what was going on.

"It was an angel," one kid with a thick accent explained to a cop.

"An angel?" the cop asked. The kid nodded.

"Da. He svooped in. He vas not happy. He had glowing golden eyes like halos. His voice vas much like... An avenged angel. His voice velcomed pain for ze zins of zere past."

"Can you describe him?"

"He vas, grown. He had bright blue vings. And blue skin. Like Ah... Ah... жук," the kid cop narrowed her tensed. Blue wings and skin. Yellow eyes? It couldn't be Blue Beetle. Could it? He got his answer soon enough when he saw a police officer bringing out a giant blue staple. It's color strikingly similar to the traditional uniform. Only a shade or so darker.

"Looks like another vigilante. I'm getting sick of these guys popping out of the woodwork. First that psycho Devil in Hell's Kitchen, then Spiderman and now this Blue guy."

"Careful Dave. These kids own their lives to this vigilante. They aren't going to like hearing you badmouth the guy."

Spiderman narrowed his eyes. He slipped off over the roof tops again to make it back to the city for his patrol. He thanked Blue Beetle silently for what he had done. Perhaps if they ran into each other again, he'd be able to get him to sit and talk for a bit. Maybe even make him a friend. Actually, perhaps maybe just an ally. Many heroes didn't really make the best of friends with him.

Jaime blinked returning to the roof he had left his back pack. It was gone. He groaned trying to come up with how he could have lost the back pack. He should have just left it in the alley below. Scarab scanned the area picking up little to no answers on who had taken his bag. Sighing he jumped down from the roof into alley. His armor peeled off skin. He walked downheartedly back toward Peter's house.

It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go anyway. And he needed physical and emotional rest. The traficking reminded him too much of the Reach. How many children were taken against their will? How many were stolen? How many were hurt by those brutes? How many were like Tye, or Virgil? How many were like his own little sister? He sighed, then focused on the scarab's nagging. At least it would distract him from what he had seen.

"Here's your bag Webs," Nova commented as he tossed Spiderman a back pack. He caught it easily.

"Thanks for picking it- this isn't mine."

"What? Course it is Webs. Who else would leave their backpack on the roof?"

"I don't know," Peter said looking into the bag, searching for any indication of who might own the bag. All that was inside were basic school supplies. And a few books he knew were for classes at Midtown high, "But it's still not my bag."

"Oh come off it Bug Breath. You can find your own backpack then."

Peter rolled his eyes and began to walk toward the drop off area on the Tricarrier. His mind went back to the warehouse. He didn't mention it to SHIELD though he was sure that they already knew what had transpired.

Fury narrowed his eye at the screen before him. The images pulled up were blurry and unidentifiable. All except one. A shot taken by the warehouse from a rookie photographer who called the cops about the noise. A lithe male body dressed in blue armor with distinct protrusions sticking out of his shoulders. He had a displeased look on his face. He looked like he had seen something abysmal. Golden eyes hardened with disgust.

And apparently he had taken down a large trafficking ring that was smuggling children.

Someone who had no record on SHIELD radar. Someone who had built a suit that rivaled Stark's in design. Someone who Spiderman had seen. Fury knew he should have asked when it was just a rumor aboard the ship, about how Spiderman was seeing things. Now, he'd have to work on keeping the mess contained.

Well. Insanity is as insanity does. An update.

Please review.