Peter turned the knob of their apartment door, opening it and allowing his wife to enter first.

"She's really going to testify tomorrow?" he asked as the two removed their jackets and hung them up.

"That's what she said," M.J. verified.

"Wow," he replied. "I can't imagine what must be going through her head after these last couple of days."

"Honestly, I have a whole new appreciation for my sister forgiving me after watching what's been happening between her and Mark," Mary Jane explained. "And yes, before you say it, I know that I wasn't the one to frame her for a crime she didn't commit, but still, I wasn't there for Gayle for years while she rotted away in prison; I didn't even have a clue it had happened. I just hope we can prevent Liz from dealing with the same thing."

"And we will," Peter tried to reassure her. He then felt a buzz on his phone, and he pulled it out to see that it was indeed what he'd hoped it was.

"What is it?" Mary Jane inquired.

"That's an alert that the stuff for the new web formula that I'm hoping will be able to contain Mark's more fiery personality just arrived at the lab," he explained. "Thank goodness for next day shipping."

"You think we still have that to worry about?" Mary Jane questioned.

"Who knows, but I'd rather be prepared than not, especially after how things went for him in court today," Peter reasoned. "I'm betting that he's taking something that's giving him those powers, maybe even as part of some deal with Tombstone's people. If they think he failed, I wouldn't be surprised if he did something desperate."

"I just hope he doesn't get hurt," M.J. said. "It's hard for me not to hate him right now, but it would be even worse for Liz if something serious happened to him after all this."

"Yeah," Peter affirmed. "Anyway, I better get to the lab to try and tackle this. Are you alright?"

"I don't know that I'll be anything close to that until this is over, but I'll be fine," she said. "I haven't checked in on dad in a little while, so I might see if I can get in a visit with him."

"Okay; well, if you need anything, you know how to reach me," Peter assured her as he held up his phone, producing a light smile and eyeroll from his wife.

"Thanks," she said. "Seriously, I really appreciate you being with me again today. I really want to be strong for Liz, but it's nice to have someone to help me get there."

"Nothing you haven't done for me several times before," he replied, leaning in and giving his wife a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied.

Peter then turned and grabbed his jacket back off the rack before letting himself out the door. He then began his descent down the elevator when his phone went off again, this time for a phone call. He pulled it out to find that it was Robbie, and he promptly answered.

"Hey Robbie, what's up?"

"Is there any chance you can come by the Bugle?" his former boss asked. "I just... I need to talk to someone, and I think you might be the best person for that right now."

"Oh, sure," Peter replied after a brief pause. "I'll be over as soon as I can."

"Thanks, I appreciate this," Robbie assured him before hanging up. Peter glanced down at his phone before putting it away, still somewhat taken aback by the man's request. In the past, if anything, it was more likely to be the other way around in these kinds of talks. He hated to delay going to the lab, but something in his former boss's voice made it seem especially important.

What was it he could be wanting to talk to him about though?

After a decent drive, the taxi finally pulled into an alley, coming to a stop at a lot behind the old building that the lab was underneath. Mark stepped out, his driver doing the same. He spotted another much fancier car, with none other than Hammerhead emerging from it, as well as another couple of men that Mark recognized as bodyguards. Without hesitation, Hammerhead came marching towards him.

"Look, boss," he started. "I can explain..."

Reaching him quickly, Hammerhead snatched him by his shirt collar, pulling him in so that the two men were face to face.

"You must be a special kind of stupid, kid," he said. "Giving in to that lawyer was bad enough but allowing the Big Man's name to be SPOKEN ALOUD IN COURT?!"

Hammerhead then shoved Mark hard against the taxi's side, causing him to drop to the ground.

"How was I supposed to know that they were going to look into my social media posts?" Mark questioned as he struggled to shake off the blow he'd just received, eventually getting back to his feet. "Besides, I was just trying to show support for the boss!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you posted about your personal feelings toward your family for all the world to see," Hammerhead insisted. "Thanks to you, who knows what suspicions were thrown out there?"

"I can fix it!" Mark desperately tried to assure him. "I swear!"

"It's too late for that, kid," Hammerhead replied. "You're not getting on that stand, lest you do even more damage than you've already done."

"So... so what does that mean?" Mark questioned.

"What that means is that you're going for a little ride," Hammerhead said. "We're going to take you somewhere that you won't cause any trouble for at least a little while."

What? What did that mean? Mark's mind raced with questions; were they about to... but he said only for a little while, so...

"Then why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"What, to this place?" Hammerhead replied, gesturing to the lab building behind him. "I simply wanted to show you what you lost out on, since you've been, well, demoted."

"What? That's not fair!" Mark protested. "I've worked hard to prove myself to you guys!"

"Hard work doesn't matter when all you do is screw up," Hammerhead replied.

"So, what's going to happen to me after the trial is over?" Mark asked, the question filling him with dread even as he asked it.

"We'll cross the bridge when we get to it," Hammerhead replied. "Now, get in the car."

Mark hung his head; was this really how it was all going to end? There was no way he was getting out of this, so he had to do something. Desperate, he quickly took the gun from the side of the man to his right, wrapping him in a chokehold and putting the weapon to the side of his head. The other man drew his weapon, but Mark positioned himself with his hostage between them.

"Now, you get in the car and drive!" Mark yelled. "NOW!"

"Easy kid," Hammerhead replied, his hands held out. "Don't be stupid. There's no way you're making it out of this."

"We'll see about that," Mark replied, glancing toward the warehouse. He slowly rotated so that he was closest to the building, dragging his hostage with him. Finally, Hammerhead gave a nod and the other guard shot the one he was holding onto. Mark then fired several shots their direction; none of them connected, though it at least caused them to duck for cover. Making a break for it, he sprinted into the building, barely managing to avoid a couple of shots his way. Quickly getting into the elevator, he descended, bursting through the doors as soon as they opened to reveal the lab.

"Whoa, whoa!" the doctor said. "Kid, what are you doing!?"

Ignoring the man, Mark began tearing through the place.

"Stop! You'll interrupt the tests!" the scientist yelled. Nevertheless, Mark kept going until he found what he was looking for: the last case of the injections that gave him his powers. Working quickly, he stuck one in his arm, letting out a breath as the sweet rush of power coursed through his veins. It wasn't long before his skin became hard, a hot flame emitting from it, and he turned to see Hammerhead and the other guard had entered the lab as well, though they appeared much more cautious than before. He walked up to them until he was about five feet away.

"Stay out of my way," he said sternly before bursting through a wall, taking off.

The elevator doors opening, Peter quickly made his way out onto the floor, walking swiftly in the direction of Robbie's office. A couple people took notice of him and waved hello with him quickly acknowledging them before continuing on his way. When his former boss's office came within view, he could see that the man was fixated on something happening on his computer, though obviously he couldn't see what it was. Knocking on the man's door, Peter got his attention, and the man gestured for him to come in.

"Hey Robbie," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming," the man replied, gesturing for Peter to take a seat in front of his desk. "I'm sorry for the impromptu nature of this."

"It's not a problem," Peter assured him. "What's uh, what's going on?"

Robbie folded his hands together, leaning against his desk but saying nothing. He then unfolded his fingers and tapped them rhythmically on the table, his expression indicating he didn't seem to know how to begin. It was strange for Peter to see him this way; if there was ever a man of certainty, it was Robbie. What could be on his mind?

"Peter," he finally began, "I... was curious how your wife's friend's case was going?"

"Oh," Peter said, a bit taken aback by the question. "Well, things are looking up after today, but we might still have a long way until we get to the bottom of it all."

"I see," his former boss replied, "and do you have any leads as to who may be behind this?"

"I mean, I have some suspicions, but nothing that I can prove yet," Peter answered. Robbie then looked away, causing him to become even more concerned. "Robbie, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

The man let out a sigh, still not meeting Peter's gaze as he spoke up.

"No, Peter, no it isn't."

When he finally did make eye contact, Robbie looked... defeated. It was so strange to see that expression on his face that Peter's heart sank a little. He just looked back at the man, who after a moment continued.

"I'm almost certain I know the one who's responsible for this, but... it's someone tied to a part of my past that I thought I had left behind, something not even my family knows about. I think I always knew it would come back to haunt me somehow, but I just kept trying to push it out of my memory."

Peter hesitated before responding; he wanted to press for answers, but he also wanted to be sensitive to this big regret Robbie was hinting at. He honestly wasn't sure what his former boss and friend could have done or been involved in that was so awful.

"If I may ask, who is it that you think is responsible for this?" he finally dared to ask.

"I knew him as Lonnie Lincoln," Robbie replied. "Now a days, he goes by L. Thompson Lincoln."

Peter could feel his eyes grow wide in shock.

"You knew Tombstone?" he questioned.

"So that's what they call him these days," Robbie said with a scoff. "Why am I not surprised?"

"How do you know him," Peter questioned, "again, if I may ask?"

Robbie didn't answer right away, instead getting up from his seat and walking over towards the window, staring out into the city.

"We were just kids when we knew each other," he began. "Back when we were only sixteen, I wasn't as big as I am now, so I got picked on a lot. Lonnie looked out for me; he would drive the other kids away when no one else bothered to stand up for me."

"Wow," Peter said. "I wouldn't have guessed he had that in him."

"He didn't," Robbie said, his voice turning just the slightest shade of bitter. "It took me far too long to realize it, but Lonnie was the type that expected favors. If he helped you, you helped him with whatever he wanted, and that was all there was too it."

"So, what did he want you to do?" Peter asked.

"He was the ringleader of a young gang in our neighborhood," Robbie explained. "They wanted to clean out the register of the convenience store I worked for at the time. I didn't want to, but I let Lonnie convince me that I owed him, so I let them in after hours. What I didn't realize was that the owner had come back for something he left behind and was in the back room. He came out when he heard some commotion, and I did the first thing I knew to do: I ran."

Peter's mind struggled to imagine the scenario Robbie was telling him. Had he really been involved in something like that?

"I found out later that one of Lonnie's boys had shot him before they made out with the money," Robbie continued. "Luckily it missed anything too important, and he was able to go back to normal not long after, but the police eventually caught Lonnie and everyone that was there. The boy that fired the bullet got the worst of it, but Lonnie and the others ended up getting off easy, partially because the store owner was a God-fearing man who believed in grace like no one I've ever met and didn't want the max punishment for them. But me? I got away, and no one ever found out I was involved."

Now Peter's brain felt like a computer with a massive virus within it that was threatening to shut down. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Robbie was an accessory to something like what he'd just described. The man finally turned back to him, and Peter did his best to put on what he hoped was a not-too-shocked expression.

"Ever since that day, I've tried to forget that it all ever happened, like it was some bad dream I could just explain away," Robbie said. "But now, Lonnie's still trying to use it against me, and... I still can't seem to resist him."

Peter's mind scrambled to come up with something to say. He was still fighting against the shock of what he'd just learned about a man he'd seen for so long as nearly perfect. Robbie had always been such a powerful example to him and everyone else at the Bugle, but it seemed that even he wasn't immune to the demons of the past.

"I had no idea," he finally muttered.

"I know," Robbie replied, "I've tried for so long to hide it, but I... I know that my family needs to know, but I just don't know how to tell them."

"I don't think there's a real secret to that," Peter said, rising from his seat. He took a couple steps closer to Robbie as he continued: "I remember when I first let Mary Jane into the darkest parts of my life; it scared me more than any supervillain I'd ever faced before or since. I thought it would push her away, make her see me in a way where she couldn't love me anymore, but it was the opposite. I've seen how much Martha loves you, Robbie; if anyone can handle this, it's her."

Robbie shook his head, his gaze downward.

"I've always been the one my family looks to," he said. "I don't say that as a pride thing, but just to say that's how it's always been. If Martha and my son find out, I just don't know what it will do to them."

"I mean, what will it do to them if they find out some other way?" Peter questioned. "It's not going to be easy, but trust me, as someone who keeps secrets for a living, it's a hard way to live, especially for the people you love. Plus, it was seeing you and Martha that reminded me that marriage isn't just about one person shouldering everything but sharing each other's burdens. I've still got a long way to go with that, but it's something that's really helped me and M.J. through this first year."

Robbie glanced up at Peter; there was still uncertainty in his expression, but he did seem at least slightly more relaxed.

"Yeah," he said. "Thank you for coming, Peter. You have no idea how much I needed this. I'm not even sure I did."

Peter placed his hand on Robbie's shoulder, clutching it firmly.

"What are friends for?" he said. "Also, you mentioned Tombstone was trying to use this still to get something from you. What was it?"

"He wanted the Bugle to either report on the Allan trial a certain way or stay away from it altogether," Robbie clarified. "I don't know what his interest is in that, but it seems pretty important to him."

It wasn't exactly shocking, but hearing his theory confirmed that Tombstone was behind all this somehow still served to light a fire in Peter. Whatever it took, he had to bring him down to face justice.

"Thanks," he said before turning towards the door, preparing to take his leave.

"Be careful, Peter," Robbie spoke up, drawing Peter's attention just as he was at the door. "Lonnie's always been a dangerous man, and something tells me that's even more the case now than it was then."

Peter gave a nod of understanding before heading out.

Liz laid in her cell, trying her best to get some rest after another long day in the courtroom. Sleep was harder in coming than she'd hoped though, her mind still too focused on everything involving her brother. However, she was suddenly disturbed by the sounds of screams and things crashing around. She quickly got up from her bed (if one could call it that), turning towards the front of her cell to see what was happening.

She then got a surprise: a man who seemed to be actually on fire came up to her cell, grabbing the bars and ripping the door clean off its hinges, setting it aside. She backed up as the figure strolled inside.

"Hello sis, we need to have a little talk."

Hope you all are still enjoying it! Also, light spoiler alert I guess, but since you all have been so patient, I'll tell you now that someone you've been waiting to see will make his long-awaited appearance in the next chapter! Stay tuned!

Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." Romans 15:4