Ughh I'm so glad to be over this episode. It took too long. I really just want to get this over with now :P

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Four

In Propria Persona

"Is that...is that Flash dressed as the Spider-Man?"

Everyone gathered at the windows. I turned in my seat, pencil stuck in my mouth, as everyone pressed their faces against the glass to get a good look. Did I hear that right? Why the hell...

It was Study Hall at the moment, and the teacher had little effect on controlling her students. Half of them weren't doing work anyways, and everyone was far more interested in the paparazzi that had been hanging outside the school gates for the past few days.

I don't think anyone had ever stood up to them before, at least not a student.

I had to stand on a desk to see over everyone else's big fat heads. Indeed, three floors below, was someone in a spidey-suit and crutches. It was, of course, Flash, who somehow managed to get that suit on despite his broken leg. What the heck was he trying to do? I knew he didn't believe Peter was Spider-Man, but this was going a little far.

"Whoa," some genius said. "Do you guys think he's actually Spider-Man?"

"No, you idiot," another snapped. "That's obviously just a dollar-store costume. Spider-Man isn't that big!"

"Are you sure? Because my cousin once got rescued by Spider-Man, and she said that he was super-tall! And Flash is super-tall!"

"Yeah, and so are a million other people in New York. Besides, your cousin's, like, a Hobbit, so everyone looks tall to her."

"Hey, that's not nice!"

I rolled my eyes and jumped off the table. Rather than listening to some morons argue, I got myself excused to the bathroom. But instead of going there, I took station at the hall window overlooking the street below.

Some goons had just gotten out of their car, rounding on the Not-Spider-Man, in front of two dozen reporters and cameras. Apparently, they thought they were in for an easy beat.

I tensed, wondering if I should intervene. Flash didn't stand a chance against those goons, even if he wasn't injured.

But was I ready enough to fight?

OoOoO

There was a knock on the door.

Bruce frowned. Who was this? He had become used to Amelia's presence, but she was rarely in the house at this time. The girl had school, which she attended every day despite her distaste for the students and faculty there, and had yet to disappoint him in playing hooky.

It wasn't the mailman; it was too late in the day. And Smoke didn't knock, he used the doorbell (when he remembered to at all) before coming inside.

Which meant there was a stranger at his door.

Bruce considered not getting it, pretending the house was empty. Through the door's veiled window he could see the silhouette of a thickset man, who only continued to knock harder the longer he waited.

It didn't appear to be military. If Ross knew that Dr. Bruce Banner lived in this particular house, he would send a nuke, not a single officer.

So Bruce opened that door, wondering just what was in store for him.

On his stoop stood a blond man - not much older than Smoke, slightly shorter but much larger. His physique spoke of high school sports, probably football or rugby, and his worn black leather jacket told of a life on the streets. It told him absolutely nothing of why this man would be on his doorstep, though.

"Can I help you?" Bruce asked. The man didn't seem to be confused or lost - in fact, he looked rather smug. How odd.

"Dr. Banner?" the man asked, but it sounded less like a question and more like a declaration. Of victory? Who was this guy? "You're Amelia's new foster dad, right? I'm a friend of hers. My name's Eddie Brock."

OoOoO

Luckily, I didn't have to make the decision, because out of nowhere Spider-Man dropped down, landing on a nearby streetlamp and confusing the hell out of those goons.

Spider-Man dealt with them easily. Not being of the smart variety, they were easily tricked into grabbing a webbed-up crutch (as unwillingly supplied from Flash), getting their hands glued to the metal, before getting stuck to each other, making it very easy for them to be knocked over. It was almost embarrassing to watch, really.

While I couldn't hear what was going on, it wasn't hard to figure out. Flash promptly pulled off his mask, looking victorious in front of the dumb-founded reporters, who had all believed him to be the real Spider-Man. Is that what he had been doing? Was he trying to prove them silly for believing everything they were told?

Huh. Maybe Flash wasn't so bad after all.

Although it kind of figured, though. Flash was Spider-Man's biggest fan (ironically), and to have such a reputation smeared by Parker's name? It must have been like blasphemy for him.

However, the happy mood was suddenly ruined when a giant black shadow swooped in and smashed Spider-Man into a nearby taxi.

My heart dropped as I ducked behind the wall, entirely on instinct. Oh, god, not now. Not here.

I thought maybe this was just some terrible nightmare, or hallucination. But no. When I looked out again, I could easily identify him, in all his slimy glory.

Venom had arrived.

OoOoO

Bruce frowned.

Was that the lie she was going with? It wasn't necessarily a bad one, but Bruce would've appreciated it if she had told him first. He had a few objections; being unprepared for confrontations with people from her civilian life would be one of them.

After a second of hesitation, and hoping it didn't come off as too suspicious, the doctor nodded. "Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Amy," Eddie said, then paused. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I think I have some information you'll want to know about her. Can I come in?"

Eddie Brock was under the assumption that Bruce was some naive man who'd just let anyone in out of the goodness of his heart - because he took one step forward to walk inside without even waiting for permission. But Bruce swung the door, narrowing the threshold before that could happen. Eddie halted, a look of surprise on his face. That surprise faded, however, and his eyes narrowed dangerously at being denied entrance.

But it was going to take a lot more than that to scare somebody like Bruce. "What kind of information?"
"Amelia isn't the girl you think she is."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. I've only known her for a couple months."

"No, Dr. Banner," Eddie shook his head and chuckled. He sounded so arrogant but Bruce couldn't help but feel satisfaction in the way that the stranger had fallen for his clueless-parent act. "This is a kind of secret that could, well, ruin your life. If you let me in, I can explain."

Now it was Bruce's turn to laugh a little. "My life was ruined a long time ago, Mr. Brock. I doubt there's anything you can tell me that will trump that."

"Are you sure?" Eddie tilted his head.

Bruce wasn't sure, but even Amelia's...abnormality was small potatoes compared to the Other Guy. He couldn't pretend that Amelia may be hiding more from him; he was sure of it, but he was also sure she had every right to keep those secrets.

But what if…

The curiosity was biting at him. After learning Ross was in Detroit, Bruce had started to live life a little more carefully - as if he hadn't been already. He started questioning things he took for granted: was the mailman a spy? Or the cashier woman at the supermarket? Were the dogs that lived nearby trained to sniff out Gamma-irradiated super beings?

Unfortunately, that suspicion had now extended to Amelia. It seemed foolish, but it would be more foolish not to learn what this Eddie knew.

"Fine. Get in."

OoOoO

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap.

As soon as I saw Venom rip off Spider-Man's mask and toss the car over, I was flying down the stairs. So fast, in fact, that I almost fell down head over heels several times, and had to grab the railing for support.

By the time I reached the eighth floor and looked out the window again, Spider-Man had his mask back on and the two were fighting in the courtyard. Spider-Man was slinging web after web at Venom, but it had no effect.

I didn't think it could get any worse until Venom started slinging cannon balls at him.

It occurred to me that Peter was not the only one in danger here, and that there was a surprising lack of evacuating students. What if one of those missiles broke through a window and hurt someone?

I turned and searched for the nearest fire alarm. I spotted one, about twenty feet away, next to the boy's bathroom. Running over, I reached out and yanked down as hard as I could.

I would've used my telekinesis if I had it. I definitely would've used it if I'd known that the thing would explode once activated. Suddenly, blue ink sprayed out, staining my hands as a high-pitched scream filled the air.

"What the hell?" I wrung my hands, trying to wipe off the blue ink, but it was thick and gooey and apparently permanent. Not only was it on my hands, but it was on my shirt and jeans, too. "Aw, man, these were my favorite!"

OoOoO

The smirk on Eddie's face unsettled him, to the point that the Other Guy started to twitch. There was something false about this Brock character, a level of crookedness that immediately earned Bruce's distrust. He wondered about Brock's original claim - was he really a friend of Amelia's? If not, how did he come to know her?
Closing the door behind him, Bruce eyed the stranger now taking stock of his living room. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Instead of responding right away, Eddie flopped into the easy chair (his chair), making himself comfortable without any proper invitation. "Oh, this is nice. Amelia's sure lucky to end up here. As a veteran of the foster life myself, she could've ended up with a lot worse."

"Is that how you know Amy?"

"What? Oh, no, I went to school with her," Eddie shook his head, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and getting mud everywhere. The Other Guy didn't like that either. Eddie peered at the TV, perhaps judging how old it was, and asked without looking at Bruce. "You got no wife and kids of your own, Dr. Banner?"

"No." Bruce's tone was clipped, perhaps an personal affectation about his current condition in life. This was certainly the age where he should have had a family, now an impossibility, a reality he would never get to experience. And he didn't like how Brock changed the subject. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Eddie shrugged, but it was clear it wasn't nothing that was going on in that head of his. "I didn't know adoption agencies still allowed single-parent adoption. It's better for kids to live in a two-parent home, a mother and a father who can provide healthy growth and development."

"It was an independent adoption," Bruce said, crossing his arms and eyeing the guy now questioning his skills as a parent. Not that Bruce could ever claim to be one, but now under scrutiny, he felt as though he had something to prove. "But your concern is appreciated. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"Not really, no," Eddie said. The ambiguous answer seemed intentional; although he had not outright told Bruce his opinion, it was still fairly obvious of what Eddie thought of Amelia's current familial situation. "We were like family, you know, me, Amelia, and Peter. We had each other's backs. It wasn't easy graduating and leaving them behind. And they did all right on their own, you know, they're growing up. But Amy hasn't been the same since her mom disappeared."

OoOoO

Spider-Man and Venom were now fighting on a helicopter, sticking to its sides as its terrified occupants tried not to lose control. People on the ground were scattering, and the halls were suddenly filled with shouting and thundering footsteps as teachers ushered everyone out the back entrance, away from the courtyard and all the trouble.

I had returned to the window, watching the fight in terrified silence. What more was there I could do? I wanted to help Peter, but as I was, I couldn't fight. At least, not as Falcon.

"Miss Fletcher!" I heard Mrs. Murphy snap. I groaned inwardly — of course I had to end up on the same floor as her. "Stop lollygagging and move! Can't you hear the siren?"

I heard her approached and I zipped up my jacket and stuffed my hands in my pockets before she could see the ink. I did not need to get in trouble for pulling the fire alarm — again. Granted, this time was actually an emergency, but I wasn't sure if the Principal would see it the same way.

A hand fell on my shoulder just as the helicopter started to fall. "No, wait!"

OoOoO

Disappeared?

Bruce paused, caught by surprise. Okay, so maybe Eddie did have something he wanted to know. While he didn't know this guy, Bruce had the distinct feeling Eddie wasn't entirely lying, either. It explained the foster parent cover as well.

Still, that was probably another one of Amelia's secrets she didn't want to about, and to be honest Bruce didn't blame her. He wasn't happy that he had to find out this way, and they were definitely going to talk about it later, but right now that wasn't his biggest problem.

He finally entered the living room, leaving the door behind him. For some reason, Bruce felt he had to get closer, to really analyze this stranger sitting in his chair. "Is that so?"

"You didn't know her then, man," Eddie waved his hand, eyes going distant as he reminisced. "Amy used to be so shy, so sweet. She got picked on a lot. Did you know she deliberately got bad grades so she wouldn't get bullied for being smart? Unbelievable."

Bruce had to agree, although he wouldn't say that out loud. This didn't sound like Amelia at all.

And yet, it somehow made sense, in a twisted sort of way. While Amelia didn't make such an effort to hide her intelligence when questioned, she didn't show it off either - in a manner that would make others underestimate her, so she could have the element of surprise.

That sounded like the Amelia he knew. Somehow she managed to turn her own fears into an advantage.

"But then that all changed," Brock continued, his expression turning dark. Bruce watched with rising trepidation as the man curled his hand into a fist. "Suddenly she's taking risks she never would've done before. Not just normal little risks like public speaking or actually getting her grades up, no, I'm talking big things. Scary things."

"Things like what?" Bruce had a pretty good idea where this was going, but the fascination in Amelia's change had him at the end of Brock's hook. "Joining a sports team?"

"Think bigger, dude," Eddie said. "Like, she jumps into oncoming traffic, walking through the streets in the middle of the night, getting into fights in school. Did you know she broke a girl's arm back in November? Just for trying to steal the basketball in gym class! I guess I should've seen it sooner."

"It gets worse?" It doesn't surprise Bruce that Amelia gets into fights with her classmates. Although he had very few details, he knew her blunt, bad attitude was bound to get her into trouble.

"Yeah," Eddie said, his tone changing. He cast Bruce a squinty look, as if sizing him up. "But I'm not sure you're going to believe me."

Bruce sighed. Remember, be the parent. What would a concerned, clueless father say? "I believe...that Amelia needs a calm, stable environment. I can only do that if I know everything."

Eddie Brock smiled and Bruce knew he hit it right on the money.

Then he took a deep breath. "Amy is Falcon."

OoOoO

"Now, Amelia!" Mrs. Murphy commanded, yanking me back just as Spider-Man formed a large web over the courtyard. "Or you'll have detention until the end of —"

But I didn't get to hear the full extent of her threat when a mighty crash threw glass from our left. Mrs. Murphy cried out, letting go of me as she turned and ran down the stairs, following the last of the students out of the building. I don't know if she just forgot about me, or just didn't care, but it didn't matter anymore.

Venom and Spider-Man were right next door. And I could help.

They had busted into the chemistry lab, and as I burst through the door, I found Venom on the ceiling and Spider-Man on the floor.

I hadn't taken two steps before Venom dropped down, picked up Spider-Man, and threw him across a desk, knocking off all the lab equipment and sending the whole thing toppling over. Then he had Peter by the throat against the wall, about to pound him, when I acted.

Grabbing the nearest thing I could find - a bottle of sulfuric acid - and shouted, "Hey, ugly!"

Venom turned, surprised, just as the bottle smashed against his back, the liquid sizzling against the black goo. He hissed, dropping Spider-Man as the acid burned through his second skin.

It distracted him only for a moment, though. Then Venom was rounding on me, baring his razor sharp teeth. "Well, well, looked who came to play!"

Already realizing that I may have made a big mistake, I was scrambling back when Venom lunged at me. I threw myself out of the way, putting a table between us. He upended it, sending chemicals and trays flying. More glassware crashed upon his shoulders, and Venom writhed as more hazardous ingredients ate through the skin.

I crashed to the floor, bruising my elbows and my knees. I looked up and made eye-contact with Spider-Man, who shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to help, what does it look like I'm doing?"

He looked like he was about to retort but then we both spotted the ignited Bunsen burner at the same time. "Uh-oh."

OoOoO

Bruce had a quick moment where he wasn't sure to give up the act now or to keep waiting. He decided on the latter and pulled his expression into one of shock. "Impossible."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Eddie laughed, but there was no humor in it. "As a foster dad, you just want to see the best in Amy, you don't want to think she's some freak with crazy powers. But that's where you're wrong."

Bruce thought to add something, but Eddie was on a roll.

"You see, the thing about Amy is, she's just a little bit selfish," he started, voice oddly light. "She doesn't think about anyone but herself when she goes out into the night, playing hero. She thinks she's special, that her actions don't have consequences."

"What I'm trying to say is, she's made enemies," Eddie shifted his weight, and for a second he seemed to flicker, like the darkness of his clothes were shifting. "And she doesn't care who gets hurt. She abandoned Peter, she abandoned me, when I needed her most. She does what she wants, she takes advantage of people, and ditches everything when it gets too hard. And she'll do the same to you, and you'll be stuck cleaning up her mess."

"So, what?" Bruce asked, appraising Brock's judgment. It was clear he no longer saw Amy as a friend and was here for some ulterior motive. "You're saying I should turn her away? Leave her to the streets?"

"If you know what's best for you."

"And what if I don't?" Defiance had crept into his voice at these words, but the doctor managed to hold his calm veneer.

Brock did not. He scowled so deeply that it was almost a grimace. It ruined his handsome face. "Well, then, you're going to regret it."

OoOoO

Spider-Man was already moving. Thwipping to the ceiling, he swung out and over, grabbing me and hauling us both out of the way just as the fire exploded, mixing with all the new chemicals in the air.

Venom was right in the way, and got the full force of the blast. The symbiote screeched, writhing against Eddie as the heat forced it away.

"You need to get out of here," Peter tried to warn me, tucking me in a corner of the room as if that'd make me safe. "It's too dangerous, he's completely —"

"RAAWHG!" Venom bellowed as he slammed feet-first into Spider-Man, throwing him out another window.

They both went flying out, leaving me in the dust.

I gasped, covering my face with my arms as glass flew everywhere. Once it was clear, I took off out the door, heading down the stairs. The entire school was empty now, thanks to my efforts, and now I was starting to see the wisdom in Peter's words. Maybe I wasn't ready to fight someone as strong as Venom yet.

But I had only made it down two more floors before the comedy duo made an encore appearance — Venom suddenly smashing through a door to my left, with Spider-Man in pursuit. There was a fallen baseball bat on the floor, which he promptly picked up, placing himself between me and Venom against the wall of the lockers.

Venom got up and sneered. "Do you really think you can hurt us with that?"

Spider-Man shrugged. "Kinda."

And before Venom could attack, Spider-Man jumped down and swung that baseball bat as hard as he could — at the lockers, which released a high-pitched resonance that sent Venom stumbling back, covering his ears and snarling in pain.

Spider-Man managed two more whacks before Venom snatched it away with his web, standing up with squinted eyes.

"That was..." he hissed, grabbing the bat between his two fists and snapping it in half. "Unpleasant."

"Oh, great," I said, rolling my eyes. "Now he's mad."

"You know what, if I wanted your opinion, I'd —" Peter turned to me, looking a little annoyed, but didn't get the chance before he was punted across the hall and down the stairwell.

"Hey!" I shouted, grabbing a fallen book and throwing it at Venom's head. It wasn't much, but I was working on my aim — and it turned out to be pretty good. Picking up another book, and a baseball, I threw those, too, if only to distract him so Peter could recover. "You're one real mean piece of work, aren't you?"

But Venom didn't follow Spider-Man, and he didn't brush aside my blows. I realized only too late that I should've run while I had the chance.

"You," Venom hissed, turning on me, and before I could get away, I was being slammed back against the lockers, covered in black web. "Are becoming a nuisance. Unfortunately," Venom drew near, his sharp teeth and snake-like tongue coming within inches of my face. "We have no quarrel with you."

Huh? I blinked, surprised, as Venom backed off. I was about to ask what the heck he was talking about, but Venom was suddenly knocked out of the picture when Spider-Man swooped in, tackling him away from me. "Leave her alone!"

While they continued to tussle, I was left stuck against the lockers, shocked and speechless. Why didn't Venom attack me? I was wide open and...and...he promised he'd ruin my life... So why didn't he live up to it?

This wasn't the Eddie I knew. This wasn't the Venom I knew.

What the hell was going on?

OoOoO

"Is that a threat?"

He stood up. Knowing himself to be of superior stature, Eddie Brock rolled his shoulders and clenched his fists at his side. This was clearly a show of intimidation. Bruce wondered, off hand, if he could provoke Brock into punching him; then he'd be in for a real surprise.

But the cost wasn't worth it, so he humored the guy in letting him speak.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, old man," Brock snarled, jabbing a finger at him. He was huffing like a gorilla beating the ground with its fists. "What Amy does it child's play, but I can be your worst nightmare."

At this, Bruce could no longer keep a straight face. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Bruce just smiled and said, "I doubt it."

Brock faltered, caught off guard by the doctor's nonchalant response. But he recovered just as quickly. "I ain't joking around here -"

"Do you really think I would let a girl live in my house, not knowing who she was, or what she could do? I'm fully aware the danger she brings, and you're right: it is child's play. I have seen and done things you can't even begin to imagine, and you have the audacity to stand in my house and tell me what to fear?"

Watching the evolution of Brock's expression was a sight within itself. Anger falling away to surprise, to a smug sneer, and now starting to edge into uncertainty.

"You might think you're the bigger man in this house, but it won't be you walking out of this place alive if you decide to start this war."

Brock huffed, trying on a look of bravado, but it could not hide the growing apprehension in his eyes. "You're just bluffing, old man."

The doctor smiled. He realized that in this standoff, there was a serious possibility of the Other Guy coming out - but for once the thought didn't completely terrify him. He didn't understand it, but the Other Guy liked Amelia and wanted to smash this guy to pieces for even daring to threaten her life (or for that matter, his own). And Dr. Banner was okay with that. "You're certainly welcome to find out, but I doubt luck will be on your side."

He almost wished Brock chanced it and took a swing at him, and he was actually disappointed when the blond man backed down. Instead of of throwing a fist at the doctor, Brock just sneered as he stalked around Banner and reached for the door. "I'm not going to waste my time with you. My only issue is with Amy."

"If she doesn't come home, you're going to have a much bigger issue, Mr. Brock." The doctor shot back, not about to be trumped by a minor insult. He watched as a look flickered across Eddie Brock's face, before the man uttered an incomprehensible growl and slammed the door shut behind him.

OoOoO

By the time I managed to pull myself free of the black web (and losing some hair in the process, ow), Spider-Man and Venom had already found their way to the bottom of the school, somewhere in the gym. I could hear them fighting as I jumped down the steps, not even bothering to hit them all, and swinging myself around corners to get down faster.

They had smashed their way into one of the locker room's just as I entered. Not waiting a second, I tore after them, busting through the door with my good shoulder. I skidded to a stop a few feet inside, startled to see Venom crouching over a fallen Spider-Man.

His arm was raised, having just uncorked a small vial. "...Time to take your medicine."

An oddly familiar vial.

Was that the gene cleanser?

Oh no. Nononono, very bad, that's very bad —

"Hey, what the —" Flash's voice shocked me back to the present. He appeared out of one of the locker aisles, giving me a strange look. "Girls' aren't allowed to be in here!"

"Out of the way!" I had no idea what Flash was still doing in here when the fire alarm was going off, but I didn't care. I pushed past him, grabbing Venom's arm and yanking back so he couldn't pour the contents down Peter's throat.

Venom sneered and tossed me off easily, but then it was Flash who intervened, smacking Venom with his crutch. "Hey, doofus! You got the wrong Spider-Man!"

"Oh, please, you're not fooling — ugh!" Venom started to say, but not before Spider-Man snatched back the vial and kicked the monster off of him.

Venom hit the ceiling before crashing to the floor, Spider-Man jumping away and on a wall, guarding the vial carefully. To us, he said, "Thanks, you did good. But now book, you two!"

"Right! Booking!" Flash said, pulling off his mask and hobbling off as best as he could.

I followed Flash, but only to make sure he got out all right. As we came out into the gym, he turned to me and said, "Why the heck did you follow them in there?"

"I don't know," I said, shrugging helplessly. "I just wanted to help."

But instead of making fun of me, or doubting me, or anything else I thought Flash might do, he just nodded and smiled. "Cool! I didn't know you liked Spider-Man."

"Of course I do, he's —" I stopped myself before I could say anything bad. I glanced behind me, wanting to go back and help, but finding myself stuck with Flash until this all blew over. There was no way I could get rid of him without facing consequences. I kept walking, keeping pace with Flash as we made for the exit. "He, um, he saved my life once. I wanted to return the favor."

"Really?" Flash looked almost envious. Then his expression changed. "Hey, you don't think he's Parker, do you?"

"Of course not. Peter Parker, Spider-Man? Please."

"Ha, I knew it," Flash grinned smugly, pausing while I opened the door to let him through easier. "Thanks. You're not so bad after all, Fletcher."

"That means a lot, coming from you," I said, trying not to sound too sarcastic, or smirk. That would kind of ruin the mood, wouldn't it?

A swarm of police cruisers, firetrucks, and ambulances were waiting outside, checking out student and faculty alike, although I didn't think anyone got hurt besides the helicopter pilots. They got really concerned when they saw me and Flash come out, before they learned that Flash's injuries were unrelated to the current incident.

There was no way I could go back inside after that. I waited with the rest of the kids — some having already left with their parents, or gone home on the metro, since class was obviously cancelled — and Mrs. Murphy eventually found me. I had to endure a fifteen minute lecture, which was actually cut short when the police that went inside came out with none other than Eddie Brock on a stretcher, strapped down and behind pushed out.

He was absolutely raving, and notably lacking a symbiotic suit. "It'll come back! You'll see. We're Venom! And we'll destroy Spider-Man yet!"

Mrs. Murphy looked so surprised that she didn't even notice when I slipped away.

"Miss Fletcher! Can you come here, please?"

For a second, I thought I was screwed, before I realized it was Captain Stacy calling me over. I saw his head over the crowd, waving me over, and when I approached, I realized Peter was with him, too. I didn't know how he got out, or managed to change out of his suit, but now we were about to get a talking to by NYC's police chief.

This couldn't be good.

"I wanted to apologize to you two," Captain Stacy said once we were both standing in front of him. He looked recalcitrant, rubbing the back of his head. "It's partially my fault that you've been hounded all week by these bozos," he hooked a thumb over his shoulder at some reporters. "And as Mr. Thompson has proved, everyone's been a little, er, rabid about any news about Spider-Man that, well, we'd believe just about everything. I understand that you two were pursued unfairly and life has been difficult lately."

"It's all right," Peter smiled, looking relieved to finally be off the hook. I had to admit, this definitely wasn't what I expected to here. "I'm sure Spider-Man's still out there... somewhere. You'll get him someday, I'll bet."

"Hmm, yes," Captain Stacy made a face, looking not quite as sure. "About that. I once thought his whole masked vigilante thing was...problematic. But I've come to realize that Spider-Man's true identity was revealed, everyone he cared about would be in constant danger. Maybe a man in a mask doesn't have something to hide — but something to protect. Wouldn't you two agree?"

"Uh," Peter and I glanced at each other. A strange chill went down my back. This conversation was feeling weirdly...on point. "Y-yes, sir."

Captain Stacy gave us a curt nod before walking away. As soon as he was out of earshot, I leaned in and asked, "He doesn't know...does he?"

Peter looked bewildered. "No way. T-that's impossible. He's just saying that because of what happened. What he thinks happened."

"Yeah, I suppose," I said, nodding and backing off. Maybe Peter was right. But it still felt strange. If it was really meant for Peter, then why did Captain Stacy want me to hear that, too?