Shegorath-Loves-His Cheese: Thanks, I really appreciate it, I know they may seem hollow but it really does mean alot that this story does mean something.
Other responses will be down below, I just wanted to get that out there cause he had a nice message I forgot to add my response too.
The bright, brimming light of the sun and the summer heat which came with it had long been taken over by the chill of night.
A ghastly fog – a chilling mist, had set itself in the streets below as the moon cast a pale light on everything below it.
The gunmetal pattern of a glove glistened as it was put on.
Heavy black leather boots echoed with each stomp, the straps and laces tightly put together.
The red fabric and its hexagonal pattern shimmered as blank white lenses covered bright blue eyes, hiding the one underneath with the world's reflection.
Elegant and lengthy black hair went through a gray cowl, its long black ears and blood red eye's giving its wearer's petite figure a demonic appearance.
Red met white as Peter and Laura, now Spider-Man and Talon, looked at each other, observing Laura's uniform.
It fitted perfectly to her body, its muted black and gray color scheme contrasting against his bright red and navy blue one.
"I like the uniform," Peter commented as the simple gray striped design, which could be interpreted as her claw slashes, over her shoulders was a good design choice. The sleek black gloves reaching just past her upper elbow, and the skin-tight pants with a gray design matching the top were icing on the cake.
"Though…" he trailed off as he pointed a finger at her in a casual way, "Not too friendly looking, now is it?" he asked with a small grin.
She unsheathed her claws, "I'm not here to make friends."
Peter shook his head as he looked at the skyline before him. They had gone through the folder of Fisk's occupation. Daredevil was right, he was in charge of it all, trafficking, gun running, drug smuggling, the politicians, the police. Those that didn't get the message would soon be the leading cause as to why others did. Numerous disappearances of honest people and the outright murder of competitors had shown how far deep New York was within his grasp.
The city was only quiet because of Fisk.
Every two-bit mugger, pimp, D-list supervillain all the way up to some of the A's were under his payroll.
He'd take them all down.
"Yeah… neither am I," Peter said as he cracked his knuckles.
Chapter 12: Select Your Fighters
The two teens stood beside each other, ready to move but the default ringtone of a phone had stopped them before they could. Peter turned around, tilting his head as looked at their webbed-up bags, recognizing the default chime of Stark Industries first and successful attempt at a mobile phone.
He looked at Laura who was more confused than he was because no one calls her – was it Logan? It couldn't be, he had no reason to call because he knew what she was doing and the others at the mansion didn't even have her number.
She was contemplating ignoring it for she had more important things to do at the moment but a shrug from Peter had persuaded her to go check it out.
She raised a brow as she grabbed her phone.
"It's Grimm," Laura said as she read out the name that was displayed on her screen.
"Grimm?...You mean Ben?" Peter asked as he peered over her shoulder.
Laura nodded.
"Well…answer it I guess – I dunno, let's see what he wants," Peter suggested as Ben wasn't one to call for small talk.
Though she liked Grimm more than most people, she narrowed her eyes in slight annoyance due to the setback his call presented.
Nevertheless, she answered for there must have been a good reason.
There better have been a good reason.
She stayed silent as the line connected.
"..."
"Aye' Laura, you there?" Ben asked as the line was connected yet nothing was said.
"Yes," She simply answered.
"..." There was a slight pause as Ben wasn't as antiquated with her social habits.
"...Is Peter with you?"
"Yes."
"Knew it," a voice who she could distinguish to be Storms – The younger Storms, said in the back.
"Don't go actin' all smart, we all knew it," she heard Ben respond to the distant voice before returning to the call.
"Can you put us on speaker? I gotta talk to both of ya," she complied, taking her mobile device away from her ear and in between her and Peter.
"Hey, Ben wha-" Peter tried to inquire but was quickly interrupted by the man, who berated the teen who had a bad habit she would soon find out about.
"Why do you even bother havin' a phone if yer not gonna use it?"
"Hey, wai-wha-"
"Fer a guy who doesn't like to waste money, you really are just throwing it down the drain constantly buying things ya don't even use."
"Hey! I use my phone," Peter exclaimed, defending himself.
"Then how come I had to call ya seven times, only for Laura to answer with one?
"Cause…you know…I have it on mute…"
"Mhmm….hmm."
"Hey, that's not fair alright, I-"
"-Yeah and I ain't ugly – look, where are you two?"
Peter walked over to the edge of the building, looking down at the streets below to find the closest intersection.
"Rooftops near 5th and Twelfth Street, why?"
"Cause we're pickin' ya up ya goof. Da' both of ya just stay right there, we'll be there quickly."
The line ended.
Both Peter and Laura looked at each other, the same question appearing in their minds as there was only really one possible reason as to why he would pick them up.
Was he going to help them with the Kingpin?
They held onto their question as they waited for his arrival.
Laura watched as far in the horizon a…a flying bathtub was speeding towards them. It piloted smoother and better than anything she has ever seen or used before despite its odd, blocky, and stupid appearance.
As the driver of the vehicle caught sight of the two of them, more importantly, Peter, the vehicle suddenly kicked up speed, taking unnecessary large turns in an attempt to impress.
No doubt this was the younger - stupider, Storm driving the vehicle.
Though Peter had told her that Storm was an advanced pilot, she did not want to give the blonde buffoon credit due to the general irritation he brought to her during their initial encounter.
The vehicle parked both smoothly and harshly near the building they were on and they were met by Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm, also known as 'The Thing' and Johnathan Lowell Spencer 'Johnny' Storm – The Human Torch.
On top of studying Wilson Fisk's occupation, Laura had Peter inform her on the possible enemies and allies they had. Knowing what you were up against and what you had at your disposal was the first step in winning, and she would not allow any other outcome.
Not uncommon to the trade, the count of those who would use their powers and gifts for evil or self-serving purposes vastly outnumbered those who used theirs to help, but they were vastly more powerful and vastly more driven.
Starting with Peter's closest allies – The Fantastic Four, they are a group of interstellar space travelers. When The government threatened to pull funding from Reed Richards's experimental starship for space travel, his partner and girlfriend Dr. Susan "Sue" Storm, and best friend and pilot – Ben Grimm, accompanied him with the hijacking of the starship named "The Marvel-1," to travel to another solar system and back to prove its potential.
An adventurous teenager at heart, the then fifteen-year-old Johnny Storm – Susan Storm's immature brother who was aware of the plan, had snuck on the ship with them unbeknownst to the group's knowledge, and the four of them blasted into the depths of space never yet explored.
During their travel, the ship's shielding had malfunctioned and the group came across a new phenomenon called "Cosmic Rays," – Something that has yet to be understood. Due to the lack of shielding, and being caught in the middle of a cosmic ray storm, all four passengers had found themselves irradiated.
Upon crashing back down to earth, all of them found that they had all been irreversibly changed.
Johnny Storm had found himself with the ability to control ambient heat. He can absorb the temperature of people, places and things, raising them to several hundred degrees or below zero. He was also gifted with the ability to mentally control fire, being able to create flames of various shapes and sizes, while also being able to do the same with concussive heat.
Because of his altered physiology, he was able to create and convert excess energy his body produced into plasma-like energy hence his flames.
His flames – due to their high hydrogen count, allowed him to fly, and his abilities allowed him to propel himself at supersonic speeds.
They were also extremely versatile, containing a high hydrogen count which allows him to fly or do anything related to the matter.
Storm also had the ability to go "nova," meaning that his flames are at their highest possible temperatures and being anywhere near him while he is in this state would spell instantaneous death for anyone not bestowed with gifts which made them resistant to fire.
He could go one step further and do a "nova burst" which was a violent discharge of all his power – more deadly than any nuclear bomb on the planet and possibly capable of destroying a small moon but this powerful and deadly move has never been used before due to its sheer devastation.
His powers – though extremely powerful, had their drawbacks. If he expended all his energy he would essentially be depowered until recharged or through absorbing heat and like any fire, he needed oxygen to stay a flame. Flame-extinguishing materials would also put him out should he not be at such a temperature which did not disintegrate them.
Storm is Peter's best friend and the first person who he ever revealed his identity to. Though she has yet to see anything out of him outside a pompous, immature, glory hound, show off who never shuts up, Peter has told her that he is a kind soul, a good person, and an even better friend.
Also, he is surprisingly a talented mechanic and engineer.
Though she did not like him, she would tolerate him for the foreseeable future.
Peter had told her that he would grow on her, cause at first he didn't like him either, but she found that preposterous.
Ben Grimm's powers were much simpler than Storm's. The cosmic rays changed his body, giving him a rock-like hide and increasing the toughness and density of his skin down to his internal organ composition. He is one the strongest men on the planet, standing in leagues with the Hulk, and more than frequently being called in to stand against the incredible force of pure strength.
Peter had told her, however, that due to the permanent and very obvious change in his body, the giant whose heart was bigger than himself, struggled with his appearance on a daily basis.
Grimm had her sympathies, for despite the man underneath, most only saw the monster outside.
She could relate.
At some point or another, others only saw the monster she was.
That was until…
She gave a glance to Peter.
He had seen the monster she could be…the weapon, but he also saw her, and saw something else within her that she was beginning to catch glimpses of.
It was because of him that she was standing among heroes as a hero, and she would try her best to keep it that way.
"Sup," Johnny said in a smooth, deep voice as he winked at the both of them with a smirk on his face.
Peter, unimpressed by the attempt to show off, but also fond of his friend, simply rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up Johnny."
"I literally just said one thing," Johnny said in a mock disrespected tone, attempting to open his mouth to show his offense but failing, instead, showing his joy with a big open smile upon seeing his friend.
"Yeah," Peter said, crossing his arms and chuckling.
"I'm sorry – My bad, I forgot you were a complete brooding loser," Johnny said with a small life, remembering all the times he's caught Peter perched on a rooftop, mumbling to himself. "Would you rather me be a melodramatic angst fest instead? So you can have someone to cry with about how horrible your lives are?"
"Nah, I got her for that," Peter laughed as he pointed his thumb at Laura.
She narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
Melodramatic implied she was exaggerating.
She did not exaggerate.
If she was the melodramatic angst fest – which she was not, then Storm was the idiot who Peter was an even bigger idiot with.
Johnny snorted before looking at Laura.
"So what's your superhero name?" he said as he eyed her costume from top to bottom, his eyes avoiding certain places to avoid possibly irritating the girl or worse.
"Talon," Laura stated both fiercely and proudly, as she watched where Storm's eyes fell on her body, also aware of his flirtatious behavior.
"Talon," Johnny said as he eyed the new hero before him, "Talon…" Johnny said again as if he was trying to piece something within his brain. The cogs were turning, and Peter swore he could see smoke coming out from his friend's head as he thought about Laura's name.
What was there to figure out?
Peter's question would soon be answered as Johnny's eyes lit up upon making a connection.
"Cause you have claws, right?" he exclaimed to Laura as if he had solved the world's greatest mystery.
Laura was not surprised that it had taken him that long to make the connection.
"No, it's because she can stick to walls – of course, it's because she has claws, why else would it be Talon?" Peter sarcastically and rhetorically asked, scolding his friend for taking so long to draw up the conclusion.
"Yo dude, I dunno? you know how many supers have names which have literally no connection to their powers? Remember Incandescent Man? Do you know what incandescent means? I do! It means emitting light due to heat, that guy's body grows from the light he absorbs, I'm more of an incandescent man than that bozo," Johnny said, his voice mirroring Peter's as he staunchly defended himself.
"I was half expecting her name to be something half-baked like Claw-Girl, knowing you," Circling back to Laura's superhero name, Johnny pointed at Peter, all too familiar with his habits and more than willing to take shots at them.
"I picked my own name," Laura stated again, correcting Johnny on his presumed assumption.
"I can tell because it's not lazy," Johnny replied as Peter could never come up with a name that more than two seconds of thought put in it.
Irritated at the fact that both his friends had taken shots at his name, Laura yesterday, and Johnny numerous times ever since he met him, Peter responded with criticisms of his own.
"I'm not taking this from the guy who literally stole the original Human Torches name," At least he made his name, what Johnny did was the equivalent of him taking Captain America's name because he also had super strength, speed and agility, which far outclassed the Captain's.
"I didn't steal it, I took it up to honor him, and in all honesty, you should've done the same with Captain America. Imagine that, we could be Captain America and the Human Torch fighting in a new age," Johnny imagined both him and Peter standing together, donning modernized costumes of the heroes of yesterday.
"One - I need a shield, and Two - That would be awkward cause Captain America is still here," Peter said as he too thought about that possibility, but with him standing before the living legend who was giving him a raised brow in confusion.
"Yeah well, you'd still end up with a cooler name and costume. Like, look at her, she's just three days in on this and already better than you in both aspects," Peter rolled his eyes.
He had to admit – yes, Laura's costume was good, and her name even better, but he was iconic.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Peter forfeited, not wanting to argue more, "What are you guys here for anyways?" he asked the two members of The Fantastic Four.
Ben, who was seated in the back seat and silently watching the interaction between both teens had now stood up, turning the focus of everyone on him.
"Fer a guy who can be really smart, ya' can be real stupid too webs," Ben said, already anticipating the teen to ask such a question. "Whaddya think we're here fer? to say hello? We're here to help ya with the Kingpin, ya maroon" He finished with a smirk.
Peter's posture jolted, showing that the teen was caught off guard by the answer the man had given him.
He turned to look at his friend Johnny who merely smirked too.
"I told you that I'd fry him first," he said with enthusiasm as he emitted a powerful flame within his palm
"Bu-But-"
"But nothing, this ain't just yer neighborhood – it's ours, and I've been in it far longer than you. We ain't gonn' stand by and let some two-bit chump ruin it," Ben firmly stated, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. His posture, his face, and his tone, all telling Peter that they could not – and would not, be swayed.
The man lived in New York his whole life, it was his home, its people were his people, and though exploring different dimensions and universes was amazing, his place was in this dimension, in this universe.
"Yer not the only one who da' horn-head contacted," The nightly vigilante had contacted them due to their mutual interests and mutual friend. He was more than willing to lend a hand, and knowing that Johnny was as well – and that he couldn't stop him, the two had departed with the other members of the four bidding them luck and support. Reed wasn't that much of a fighter, and Sue would have joined as well if her predicament allowed her to get into the deep and the gritty.
The loving couple however had informed that they would do whatever they could to assist in this occupation, ready to do any of the background work and go out into the field if needed.
Peter stared at the two, his posture unmoving and tensed before loosening up and letting out a small chuckle.
"We're in this togetha'. Now come on, da' both of ya, we don't wanna be late."
Up in a Harlem – a small neighborhood in New York, a man who stood at about six feet, who donned a muted red and black costume made up of various protective materials awaited for the arrival of other heroes on the rooftop of a construction site.
Though he was well built with a body better than any olympian athlete, the six-six man who accompanied him dwarfed him greatly. The Black-American man born and raised in the very streets he stood above was built like a goliath, his attire flaunting it. Where the man with red eye's costume was designed with practicality and fear in mind, the six-six man wore a yellow disco shirt which had a deep v-neck collar which exposed his well-defined chest. He donned large steel bracelets which matched the tiara atop his head and the heavy chain wrapped around his waist.
The black pants and boots he wore which had yellow cuffs was a good compliment to the yellow top.
Though the costume itself wasn't bad by any means, upon looking at its wearer as a whole, it looked almost…disingenuous.
"I thought'cu said others were comin'?" Lucas "Luke" Cage – Power Man, quoted with annoyance and skepticism as he leaned against a lone concrete wall.
"They are," Matthew Michael "Matt" Murdock – Daredevil, said as he had his head tilted up, basking in the soft cold breeze of the night as he tried searching for familiar scents and noises.
With his superhuman senses, he could pick up the other occupants quickly making their way towards them. His spirit lifted upon detecting that all of them were accountable, though his heart simultaneously sank due to having to rely on them for a chance of victory.
"They're here," He stated as he walked away from the edge he was and stood side by side with Power Man as he looked to his left to see who would be aiding them in their occupation to rid this city of the man who was poisoning it.
His hazel eyes which were usually unphased by most things slightly widened as he recognized the otherworldly vehicle which quickly parked itself on the building's rooftop.
Out of it came a hero who only those who lived under a rock wouldn't know – The Thing – the muscle man of the Fantastic Four, stepped out the vehicle with a short girl he did not recognize following suit.
As they exited, two other heroes accompanied them, dramatically landing from their respective means of travel and striking a subtle pose in an attempt to impress.
It was Spider-Man and The Human Torch.
The group of heroes quickly got into position, with the three teens standing behind the adult of the group. On their way here, Ben had warned them that though all parties involved were desperate and in great need of help, having Johnny who was known to be a teen, and Peter who was theorized to be one had brought difficult dilemmas.
Having to resort to the aid of kids was a very rough and touchy subject for adults.
This prompted a response of the three of them to give their own, very teenage-like response, claiming, "I'm not a kid."
He rolled his eyes in the irony that was not lost on him.
Chief Jean DeWolff would aid in the police part of this operation but it was openly known that she was not fond of costumed superheroes. Ben already knew that knowing that half of the party was made up of costumed – teenage – superheroes was most definitely going to cause discourse, though he was hoping that Daredevil would back him.
He didn't know him well, the four only really interacted with him sometimes due to their shared mutual care and friendship with Peter. He did know, however, through Peter moaning and complaining, that he wasn't too fond of a teenager being a costumed crime-fighter at first.
He has warmed up as time went on, coming to the same conclusion Ben had come to long ago.
Both men would much prefer that the teenagers who accompanied them would be much better off living their own lives and being kids. Going to school, being with others like them, completely sheltered and oblivious to the evils of the world but they could never do any of that once their fates had been irreversibly changed.
Johnny Storm and Peter Parker could never go back to being regular kids after gaining superpowers – especially Peter.
They were different, even before they got their powers.
Inspired by the heroes he adored, Johnny sought to use them to help, and upon realizing his responsibility, Peter Parker did the same.
Despite how immature Johnny could be, neither he nor Peter could ever live with themselves if they let others die.
They couldn't and wouldn't be stopped – like any teenager, so the next best thing was to monitor and tutor them, help foster their growth instead of hindering it.
Being more involved in their lives would prevent another Green Goblin situation from happening.
Green Goblin…
His inner self growled and snarled upon thinking about that fiend who he personally believed to be the incarnation of evil.
His mind pulled him back before haunting memories could come again once more.
In the short time he's known her, Ben knew Laura was very much the same as Peter and Johnny in their shared aspect to do good.
It was admirable – they were admirable, and Ben couldn't help but feel proud that he was seeing and aiding in the beginnings of not one, not two, but the growth of three astounding and very special teenagers.
But there was also a sense of shame that came with it.
A feeling like…if he had done his job, if his generation had done their job correctly, then none of them would be here.
It was something that only an adult could understand.
Because of this, and already knowing that both teenagers, and he assumed Laura as well, had hair-trigger tempers and weren't afraid to get physical – and more often than not, did, he let it be known that he would take charge to avoid all that.
He needed them to be the teenage hero trio, not the temper tantrum three.
Daredevil regarded all four members.
"We got yer call, what now?"
"Now we wait for DeWolff," Daredevil stated.
"Hol' up a sec…this is it?" Powerman incredulously asked as he gestured towards the group, "This is the team you were putting together? The Thing and three teenagers?" He was baffled, first of all by the sight of Spider-Man instantly informing him that he was a teen, second of all by the sight of that glory-hound Human Torch, and now a girl who stuck close to the web-slinger.
"He-" Ben tried to say but Johnny interrupted, offended by the fact that he was thought of as lesser due to being a kid.
"And who are you?" the hot head sarcastically asked, already failing with the simple request to keep it under control. Though Peter and Laura also hated the idea of being thought of as lesser, especially by those who they deemed themselves superior to due to their experience, they had kept their mouths shut for Ben's sake
"Names Powerman," The six-six man proudly, loudly, and threateningly declared.
"Yeah and I'm-"
"-I know who you are, I'm just surprised you're up here instead of flaunting how much of a superhero you are to your fans," Powerman spat, all too aware of The Human Torches habit to indulge himself with the praise and fame of being a celebrity superhero.
Johnny went to flare up a response but Peter stopped him, wanting to de-escalate the situation before it got worse but too busy dealing with his friend, his mouth once again went on autopilot as Powerman made a sly comment at his stupid, worse temper than him, idiotic, but dear friend.
"Hey, at least he doesn't have to get paid first to help people," Peter retorted though he wished he hadn't.
"What did you say?" No going back now.
"You heard me, you call yourself a hero but you're just a glorified mercenary," Peter fired at him as his attention was turned away from his friend and onto this 'hero' for hire.
"Hey, The bills don't pay themselves. You think you're better than me just because you do this for free? Huh? Is that it?" Powerman angrily asked, offended at the self-righteous attitude of Spider-Man, but also angry at something else.
"I know for a fact my costume is," He quipped as he pointed at his tiara, Powerman's attire screamed 'look guys, I'm a hero,' and Peter didn't know if it was intentional or not, nor did he care at the moment.
This did it though, and Powerman – who also had anger problems, had begun walking closer to Peter, and Peter to him. With clenched fists and eyes dead set on each other, the two heroes who weren't afraid to get physical were about to collide until…
"Touch him and die," four simple words irradiating pure hostility, anger, and determination, came out of Laura's mouth as they were followed by an iconic 'snikt.'
She eyed Cage as she took her stance in front of Peter who was briefly stunned.
This did not sway the man, nor did his glare sway the teens but what did were the forms of The Thing and Daredevil which had dragged both parties away to come to their senses or at the very least, cool off.
DeWolff came soon after.
Wearing a standardized police trench coat which displayed her rank, the woman with short curly ginger hair with skin the color of sienna, gave a hard, stern look with her long face as she eyed all the costumed "heroes," before her.
"Let me make one thing clear," The red-headed woman said as she turned to Daredevil, "I don't like you."
She then turned to Powerman, "I don't like you."
"Feelin's mutual," he replied.
She turned to Ben, "I don't like you."
"Great start so far" The golem mumbled, not too fond of that being a first hello, nor the three teens breaking his very simple request.
She turned to Johnny, "I certainly don't like you," but he winked at her.
She turned to Peter, "I really don't like you," who was currently drawing comparisons to the late and great Captain Stacy.
And then she turned to Laura with the girl giving the chief an even more fierce glare, "I don't even know who you are and I don't care because I don't like you either."
"Now with that out of the way, can someone explain why there are goddamn teenagers here?" The police chief asked the three adults.
"Cause we need their help," Daredevil said with his head down, ashamed of needing to rely on Teenagers, but he soon raised it as he laid it down to the chief as it is after she threatened to arrest each and every one of them for child endangerment and the kids as well for the numerous crimes they have committed.
"Torch is one of da' most powerful superhumans to walk da' planet and he's earned da right to be here due to da' countless times he's helped save da' earth and you have no need fer an introduction to Spidey," Ben staunchly said, defending his two companions.
"Since ya know, I do your job for you," He snarkily chimed in before Daredevil took reigns on the conversation.
"Outside of his wide array of powers, he's the smartest person here right now, while Talon is the most dangerous. She's an expert in everything relating to combat, whose powers and skills would allow her to kill us all ten times over – with ease," He stated to the group who were stunned by her capabilities.
The masked vigilante knew their power set and yet declared that statement with the utmost confidence.
"Even if you did want to take them in you couldn't, and whether we like it or not, we need them," he finished, knowing full well that having the three teens would certainly make the odds much more favorable.
"I wish things were different, but the world we live in is far from the one we want, and sheltering any of them would be pointless for they have already seen it," He declared. Though He was lacking in the trauma the other two shared, Johnny Storm had seen his fair share of things during his time as a hero and both Peter Parker and Laura Kinney have experienced things which have left him speechless.
With both teens having lost more than they should, going through more than they should, and committed wrongs which will forever haunt them, it is no wonder the two had found each other.
They were similar in a lot of ways, kindred spirits even, if you knew what Matt Murdock knew.
Where Laura Kinney had The Facility.
Peter Parker had The Green Goblin.
The Green Goblin…
The mere thought of him sent shivers down his spine.
Not much scared him, it was why Peter had nicknamed him 'the man without fear,' but recent events within his personal life were proving that to be false, but no matter what The Kingpin could do, would do, will do, he could never match – never come close, to the depths of pure, unfiltered, unrestrained evil that the Green Goblin emerged from.
The senseless slaughter he gleefully conducted, the absolutely terrifying, heart-wrenching – sheer maniacal laughter which was always followed by sounds of death and pain, were so dark, so malignant, that even his own nightmares were a safer place than memories he had of The Goblin.
He could hear his glider echo within his mind.
The predatory sounds it emitted, the hysteria it caused to those who recognized it.
The Green Goblin relished in it – in all of it, but above all else, adored the power he had.
But the most terrifying thing about The Goblin was his endless hate. It was a fire which burned throughout his entire being, fueling his every move. A fire, which if manifested, could burn the whole world down thousands of times over, killing everyone and everything on it, and he would not care.
The whole world could burn, alongside everyone on it, and The Goblin would not care.
He would just watch.
And laugh.
That monster who masked as a man – that devil, scared him deep in his bones.
He was pure malevolence incarnate.
Not even hell could forge someone so evil.
He was a terrifying mix of pure insanity, intelligence, technology, power, and sheer will which could not be triumphed over.
He had tried to thwart him but he found himself drastically out of his league.
S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted but they failed.
Mr. Fantastic and The rest of The Four battled him with all of them left wounded and scarred, both mentally and physically.
Ironman even stood in The Goblin's way – a man who has traded blows with the Hulk, but The Goblin still won anyway.
But that all ended with Spider-Man.
A kind boy who masked as a hero, or a hero who masked as a boy, or maybe both, was able to best the force of evil with his matching indomitable will, cunning genius, and admirable sense of responsibility to help his fellow man.
But this impressed the devil.
Put his gaze on someone who was generally ignored.
Where people like him or Reed Richards or even Nick Fury slowly started to see just how truly special Peter Parker was.
The Green Goblin saw it first.
But there was more to it all, so much more that he knew the young boy was withholding but he didn't push, and neither did the three adult members of the Fantastic Four who were really the only ones who looked out for him when they could.
All they knew was that after a week-long desperate manhunt where those close to the young boy scoured every rock – every pebble for a mere hint of where he had gone and disappeared, the brunette boy suddenly came crashing through the windows of the Baxter Building in the shadow of night.
He was unrecognizable due to the haunting, unimaginable lifelong traumatizing acts which were conducted on him which had left him on the precipice of death during a time when he should be enjoying himself like any other teen on spring break.
After that encounter, The Green Goblin was nowhere to be seen, which had told those who knew him all they needed to know.
He remembers that month a lot.
It was the same month when he had encountered Laura Kinney – X-23, for the first time. A young teenager just like Peter Parker, who had gone through unimaginable things.
The way she hauntingly spoke and looked empty just like Peter did when he recovered…
Both teens lived with demons hovering over them, insidiously watching, waiting to take hold and twist them into something unrecognizable, something worse than what came before…
But they both endured.
They were two of a kind.
Ironically however, despite Laura being more reserved and closed off, and Peter being the more talkative and seemingly open, when it came to the trauma shared between the two by those demons, the former was much more open than the latter.
He doubted she even knew just how much of a presence The Green Goblin had over Peter Parker's life.
He didn't know the full extent either.
Not even his best friend Johnny Storm knew the full story, nor did he know what happened to Peter Parker on spring break twenty-twenty-one.
DeWolff submitted for even the chief of police knew that the horned vigilante was correct, they did indeed need them, and it was too late to shelter them from the horrors of the world for during a period of time, they all manifested into a being which petrified her, with the only one able to contest him being the masked vigilante in red and blue.
"So, what now?" She asked as an understanding was formed between the entire group.
"Now, we get started," Daredevil stated as he gestured to everyone to get close.
"Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin," He declared, wanting to get that vital piece of evidence out of the way. Everyone save for Peter and Laura were surprised by this revelation but it gave reason as to why Spider-Man had invaded his office last night.
Daredevil explained to the group the lengths of Fisk's operation with Peter filling in things he missed.
You can't just waltz in and strongarm every major crime lord and boss without any help. Fisk had a coalition of powerful allies both in New York and across the seas which made sure that he stayed in power so New York could be the center of multiple operations.
"What's stopping us from sendin' him to the hospital? We know who he is, we know where he is, I say we pay him a little visit and save everyone the trouble," The answer to what to do with Fisk was clear to Powerman. He was a blend of the two things he hated: rich corporate snobs who ruined everything they touched, and a man who would use and abuse others for personal gain.
Being able to smash his fist into his face would almost be like therapy, Powerman thought.
"What's stopping 'us' is that outside of it doing nothing, – the law. We know who he is, but if we can't prove it, it means next to nothing. We send him to jail now, he'll be right back out tomorrow," DeWolff stated as she was well familiar with what happened when you arrest someone without a sufficient amount of evidence.
You needed beyond a reasonable doubt to incriminate, and there was plenty of doubt of Wilson Fisk, billionaire philanthropist being The Kingpin, someone who didn't even exist in the public eye.
Daredevil then explained that even if they could get rid of him, that would just leave power open for someone else – someone possibly worse, to take. What they had to do was to dismantle his organization from the ground up, from petty criminal to scumbag crime boss until it all came crashing underneath his feet.
Everyone agreed that this was the right thing to do but he had made it adamant that they bring him to justice when they talked about outing him which required much less effort. Peter knew Fisk had enemies, if they just outed who he was then he'd be forced to leave due to the sheer amount of them but Daredevil's pursuit for the justice of others had convinced them to follow through with the goal, for now at least.
It would be hard, the mayor was in his pocket along with most of the police force, Powerman added, but the DA would follow through as long as there was sufficient enough and 'legally' obtained evidence.
Hard did not equal impossible though, Peter thought. Due to the recent spike in superhuman presence within the last two years, and the government taking forever to actually do anything, a temporary superhuman response division had recently been developed in place due to the…
…The Green Goblin's attack on the city which killed approximately fifty-one people.
Fifty-one people Peter was responsible for…
He subtly shook his head as DeWolff continued with her explanation of the response division.
The division which was in the works for a while is a co-joint division with S.H.I.E.L.D. This temporary force – until a proper one was to be installed, was made up of agents belonging to homeland security who were specifically trained and equipped with armor and gear meant to deal with and contain superhumans.
The existence of such a division also allowed for a loophole. There was a reason why you didn't see The Avengers or The Fantastic Four deal with regular crime and that was because they operated on such a grand scale, far above the law, which allowed them to operate the way they did, but the moment they start operating within the law – like vigilantes, was when problems on their presence would arise.
Both Captain America and Johnny have been told off because of this according to the chief.
But with the existence of this group, Powerman – who was being paid for his services, Ben and Johnny – despite his age, were going to be a part of this task force which would allow them to conduct business as usual.
There was confusion for it was jarring for the two world-class heroes to be technically considered super-powered cops, while Powerman wasn't too fond of the idea, but upon being reminded that it would be temporary and that they would pay him his rates was enough of an incentive for him to be down with the idea.
Because of their vigilante status, Daredevil, him, and Laura by extension of him, couldn't and wouldn't be a part of it and would have to be 'apprehended' by them, but the police chief had made it clear that all they had to do was make it look like they were chasing after them and she'd make it so that they were a low priority to the force.
While there was some worry on Johnny's part for his friend, it was nothing new, and honestly, not even a thought for Peter.
It was nothing he couldn't handle, he slyly remarked.
And that was it, the plan had been formed.
Take down his operations from the ground up, beat the bad guys that needed beating, arrest the mastermind behind everything, and save the day.
There was even a time frame.
Within two months, Wilson Fisk would be behind bars.
Johnny had even given them a name, a riff on the Avengers though everyone scoffed at it.
Same ole' superhero business.
Except it wasn't for due to The Green Goblin's perceived 'victory' over him which lead to his absence, The villains had followed suit with his example.
He had already shown every lunatic out there that they could put on a mask and cause mayhem but now he showed the rest how to finally beat their eternal enemies.
That didn't matter though.
It didn't matter if the stakes had been raised, or if the rules and the villains had been changed.
He has too.
They made plans to move out shortly afterwards, with Torch and The Thing accompanying The chief at the docks where they got a warrant out for illegal weapons while Powerman and unofficially Daredevil would search out a warehouse suspected for Drugs.
There was a nightclub with suspected criminal activity from a trusted informant Powerman had passed onto the Chief but they couldn't get a warrant so the next best thing was to have him and Talon make enough noise to give them probable cause.
It was a bit of a bending of the rules.
Maybe slightly illegal, but like Laura did say yesterday, vigilantism was indeed a crime.
So were a lot of the things he does but uh…um…he wouldn't think about that now.
"Everyone knows where they need to be?" DeWolff asked in a commanding voice, knowing that they all did but wanting to hear it from them.
Everyone responded.
"Then let's not waste any more time," She stated as she was the first one to move out.
The others followed suit with everyone but the three teenagers standing on the roof.
"See you on the other side?" Johnny said as he stood beside his best friend.
"Unfortunately," Peter retorted, causing a small laugh to come out from the both of them but it was quickly replaced by the sheer gravity of the situation they were in.
The two paused as they glanced at each other, a shared sense of seriousness and worry for the other but where Peter Parker stood in somber silence, Johnny Storm stood in unbridled confidence.
He smirked as he turned aflame, casting a light on his two gloomy friends, "We'll beat these guys with Summer to spare. Once all of this blows over, wanna do something?"
"Like what?" Peter inquired as he thought about a summer vacation free of a crime lord.
"I dunno? The beach? Something regular people do for once," Johnny shrugged as ninety percent of their life was superhero.
Peter thought about it, "How bout bowling?" Take down a Kingpin after taking down The Kingpin.
Johnny chuckled, "Sure."
"You're coming with us too," Peter said as he turned his attention to Laura.
"Figure out what we do in the summer after we've beaten Fisk – after we've beaten him," She stated fiercely, getting the two back on track. Right now was not the time to plan for future events, now was the time to get ready for the coming conflict they would incite.
"Good luck you two," Johnny said as he began hovering in the air.
"Yeah…you as well," Peter said as Laura nodded her head Johnny's way.
Johnny acknowledged the both of them before blasting off, leaving a streak of flames as he rocketed towards his target.
Peter and Laura shared a glance before they too did the same, leaping off the building they were on in pursuit of their target destination.
The stage had been set.
The players had been chosen.
But where there were heroes...
...There were also villains.
Lightning – electricity in its most violent and powerful form illuminated the darkened sky. Gusts of wind so powerful that they took people off their feet, swirled and conjoined to summon a hurricane so violent that they threatened to swallow the city whole. Forces dedicated to the sheer wreaking of havoc joined together once and forever more as a body of pure titanium licked his lips, his wrecking ball shattering the ground beneath – the weapon thirsting for battle – for conflict, just as he was.
Ghosts, Skeletons, Hunters, Assassins and Mercenaries of all kinds stalked the rooftops for their targets.
Air violently quivered, annihilating all in its path as villains once thought as jokes had been so drastically armed for the coming conflict that they had the utmost confidence in the coming war.
Lunatics and Unstable individuals donned their costumes and bore their twisted hatred as they looked forward to setting the horizon aflame.
The Goblin had shown them how to win, The Kingpin had given them the tools, now it was up to them.
And where Spider-Man had made his grand return, someone else would do the same.
A lone tune was hummed.
A nursery rhyme was sung.
"The…itsy bitsy spider…went up… the water spout…"
"Down came the Goblin who took the Spider out.
Next Chapter: Brace yourself.
Done. Plot, parameters, time frame. Now things will start to get moving. Also after watching some videos, I've learned to limit myself to an adjustable level, outside of huge or arc ending chapters, most if not all, will be in the 6k - 8k range, no more, no less. I've also been trying new things with descriptions and hyphens.
I really hope you guys like what I'm trying to do, as I said prior, I have special plans for each and every character and I hope you can see that with The Goblin. I've also begun to try and make everyone seem different, The Thing's speeches, Luke Cages, words, These are all different characters and I'll be doing the same with The X-Men cause they are also a big part of this and I want each and everyone of them to be distinguishable.
The next chapters will come faster cause I already know what I want to do and have written some of it.
Neith12: I havent forgotten about Gwen. Though most of the pain has subsided, there is still Trauma which will be essential to the story.
Uzu-I-sa: I'm really glad I can capture your attention, and don't worry. FOr abvious reasons, this is au and you don't have to read the comics because whenever i reference a storyline from them, its inconsequential.
Spoody: I fucking love you.
Now, ChampionsEt - I know your there, Goblin Queen - I remember you, and ssahu72731, where are you guys, I want a review. especially from you champions Et, you and the other Spider-Man fanfic people brainwashed me so this is your doing.
Everyone else, I appreciate all your reviews and I care alot about them because it takes a while for me to read them - anxiety. I've gone and put this on other fanfic sites like wattpad and I'm waiting for the ao3 but I'm going to be honest, FFN is so much better and you guys are always going to be my main audience.
Share and review if you can or whatever, just reading this is good enough for me.
The Next Chapter will be Heavy, so if you don't like are uncomfortable, or get triggered by sexual abuse or human trafficking stories, I'll leave a disclaimer when it gets bad.
The Kingpin is a ruler of crime, crime isn't pretty.
On a better note though, I like to listen to music when writing the characters, so if you're interested I'll give you three: I like to listen to "On again," By alica key's and Kendrick Lamar for Peter, and "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" by Ellie Duhe for Laura, with "After Dark" for romantic or heartwarming moments between the two.
I lied, "Believe" by James Paget is also a great song I like to listen for Peter.