You really do not want to know where this one came from. You really don't.

Crossover with Ultimate Spider-Man. Yeah, that high school Parker with a crapload of issues. It shines with a lot of angst.

WARNING: Very dark. Gritty Teen rating for swearing and blood and violence.

22. Adventure

They were doomed- both of them.

The first word he thought as he fell ten stories was, 'Shit.'

Actually, come to think of it, that was his next word he thought of, too.

Spider-Man knew that he was probably going to die in a matter of seconds. It was inevitable. The switch-off of villains with Phantom had proved to be one of his more deadly mistakes he had made. He grunted, raising his arm and trying to fire out a web that could connect with the side of the building. The string came out, and for a moment there was a glimmer of hope for the web-slinger.

But hope didn't exactly want to work with Spider-Man today.

A red ghost ray came out of nowhere and burned right through the web, leaving the teenage hero with the dim thoughts of how much he hated ghosts. Following this, a set of black-gloved hands grabbed him by the neck from behind. They began to grip his trachea, blocking any air was trying to enter his body. He tried to scream, but there was no noise that would come from his mouth. He felt so damn helpless.

'Shit. What happened to you, Phantom? Where are you?!'

The vampire-like ghost laughed manically and flew towards the rooftop of the Claire Dyers Building, keeping a firm grip on Spider-Man's neck. The clear night let all witnesses watch the fight that was transpiring and scream for someone to help out the hero in the hands of a murderer. No one answered his or her cries, though. The other hero who would have come to help was unconscious on the Dyers Building, outfit ripped and blood forming a pool around his mouth.

The ghost's voice was raspy. "You are indeed a hero to New York City, Spider-Man, but you will never amount to anything while living in Amity Park! Why bother helping these fools? They've done nothing for you but shun you and embraced Phantom even more!"

"Y-you… lying… bas…"

The hands tightened more around his neck. "They hate you. They always have."

Spider-Man's fists tightened in rage. Freakin'…

And suddenly, the hands let go of him; dropping him in midair and watching him fall like a boulder. The teenager didn't even bother to fire out a web, coughing and watching the ground move closer and closer to him until he finally met concrete. There was a cracking sound, and he was faintly aware that his backside was hurting like hell on earth. He rolled over slightly and gave a loud moan, his eyes landing on Phantom next to him.

The ghostly hero was lying there with his mouth wide open and eyes tightly shut. Scars and other wounds decorated his body, making him look like a bloodied Christmas tree. Spider-Man inched over as best as he could to Phantom, giving him a slight nudge. "Phantom? What the hell happened?"

There was a groan from the ghostly hybrid. His eyes flickered slightly, and he opened one eye. "I got the crap beaten out of me," he mumbled bitterly.

At least that spark of hope he had lost a couple of seconds ago was back.

Phantom slowly propped himself up onto an elbow and rubbed his bloodied glove through his hair. "He's a maniac. Osborn, I mean."

"Told you so."

The two boys said nothing for several more moments before Spider-Man once again attempted to ease himself up. He managed to get on one arm and stood up slowly, feeling a wave of dizziness overcome him. He tore off what was left of his mask and gasped for air, pain surging through his muscles. "This is… this is insane. How the hell are we supposed to beat those two psychos working together?"

Phantom stood up as well and gripped his head, wincing. "Not so loud. And I don't know. But I do know I'm bloody and look worse than hell."

The hero from New York looked at his companion. "If you look like hell, I have to look like some sort of demon spawn." He swayed a little and placed his hands on his knees, bending over and trying to get more air circulating through his body. "Now comes the hard part- where did the two run off to? They can't be finished with us yet."

As if on cue, there was a roar of a creature and a whoosh of air that sounded like something flying through the skies. The two heroes looked at each other for a split second before the green demon landed on the rooftop, his tattered purple cape flapping in the breeze. Phantom let out a low growl and summoned emerald energy to his hands. Spider-Man- now an exposed Peter Parker- clenched his own fists. "You don't when to give up, do you?"

Goblin grimed sadistically. "There's no such thing as giving up, Peter. It will always be a fight to the death between us."

"You're going to be the one who's dying tonight," the ghost teen snapped, firing a ghost ray from his hands.

The energy blast was swatted away with a lazy flick of the wrist and a harsh laugh. Goblin glowered at Danny and snarled, lunging with such agility that the teenager had no time to react. He was knocked into the back wall with a jaw-shattering slap across the face, screaming all the way. Peter fired double-webbing shots at the monster and pulled as hard as he could. "No!"

Goblin laughed. "You're ours!"

"That's right," Plasmius's voice spoke out of nowhere. "You are both ours."

Phantom groaned pitifully. "I won't give up against you! Either of you! I can't!"

Peter sounded soft, angry. "I won't either. I'm sick of this bullshit. You two have caused nothing but pain for all of Amity Park! Damnit, just…"

The hybrid billionaire floated up from behind the building walls, smirking. "Oh, you'll succumb to our wishes, my boy. I'm quite sure of it."

In his firmly gripped hand was the head of an unconscious Mary Jane. The hybrid threw her onto the rooftop and watched the body bounce once before slamming into the ground and lying there. Peter's voice caught in his throat, backing away in shock. Phantom looked at the body with wide eyes. He coughed and doubled over, blood spurting out onto the concrete. No. It couldn't be.

She looked… alive. But barely.

"Bastard," Phantom spat, tears beginning to stream down his face. "That's what both of you are! Bastards!"

Goblin chortled, watching both teenage heroes fight their angry demons that threatened to blind them with fury. "You want to watch her die? Wish to see her killed before your very eyes? If not, I suggest you show us respect. Both of you."

The two teenagers stared at Mary Jane on the concrete.

Oh, no...

YES, Ultimate Spider-Man is pretty much this dark. Maybe it's because I love it that much that I did this one... If you have never heard of it, go look it up NOW. It's amazing. Seriously.