Music which played at a near deafening volume boomed and roared at the pace of fast-beating hearts while the crowd chanted and cheered in unbridled excitement as they danced within the large lavish club which had a high-quality and classy yet industrial and underground theme, unknowingly far above an operation that would leave most appalled.
Laser lights and dots cast the room and the artificial fog with a wide array of colours which added to the sheer mysterious fun and appeal of the nightclub which was full of both your regular occupants and staff, though, those who were regular to the club could even notice the sheer overabundance of bouncers and security which would soon be justified.
For as everyone in the club had their fun, there were two whose fun would just be getting started.
The lights and music were abruptly cut as all power had left the building, leaving the countless occupants disoriented, confused, and even fearful, while the staff got ready.
The backup generator soon kicked in, giving power to everything in the building but due to being abruptly shut off, the lights were reset to their default red glow, casting the room in an ominous, menacingly, crimson glow.
Gunshots and grunts could be heard but they were silenced almost immediately, with one of the progenitors of such sounds screaming in sheer terror as he was flung across the club and into a bouncer with a lone figure following suit, swinging through the crowd before extravagantly landing on one of the many beams above which held the lights.
It was Spider-Man.
"Yoo hoo, everyone, pardon me, sorry to intrude but due to a bad case of bad guys being behind this whole entire operation I'd like to ask everyone who isn't a walking slimeball to leave," Spider-Man asked nicely from atop his high spot, but everyone remained locked in, either due to a lack of fear or the sheer confusion which brought them mass amounts of interests.
But Spider-Man would only ask nicely once, "That means parties over! Get out of here!" He yelled in a louder, fiercer voice as the masses complied with his demand this time, exiting the club as fast as they could as bouncers and guards found themselves surrounding him from far below.
"Good," Spider-Man said to himself as he watched the last of the 'innocent' occupants leave, "Now, that just leaves me…" He eyed the man who adorned clothes finer than anyone else slowly approaching him from the ground, "...With the head dirtbag in charge who was probably expecting me," He finished in a louder voice for all to hear.
The head dirtbag in charge was a middle-aged man who had an aged face and a sumptuous black suit which had falling cherry blossoms the colour of soft pink.
"You must have a big pair of cojones comin' round ere' and actin' like you do, ese," He asked with hostility being masked as him being impressed.
"That's not the only big thing I got, ese" Spider-Man replied, snapping his fingers and pointing at the guy in a more than confident voice which showed that he was not threatened by his presence nor his underlings which were quickly swarming him from down below.
"Hoo hooo, funny guy ¿hablas español?"
"Por supuesto que puedo, soy de Nueva York."
"Of course I can, I'm from New York" Spider-Man responded in a half-decent Spanish accent which clearly impressed the man in charge. Being midtown high's best and brightest didn't just mean being the best at math and science alone.
"Oh-ho! me voy a sentir mal matándote, ese."
"I'm going to feel bad killing you, friend" the man reluctantly declared which prompted a snicker from Spider-Man.
"Si te hace sentir mejor, no lo harás."
"If it makes you feel any better, you won't," Spider-Man remarked much to the bafflement of the club owner.
"You kiddin' me? I got a whole bunch of guys with guns all pointed right at ya," He stated as he spun around slowly, cockily gesturing to bouncers and guards and more, armed with rifles and guns of all kinds aimed right at the costumed hero but he simply shrugged.
"Yeah, and I'm Spider-Man," The hero simply replied, no need to declare his skills or talents with a reputation like his.
A reputation which was known to most in the criminal underworld.
The owner of the club included.
"Mierda, buen punto…me alegra haberlo planeado."
"Shit, good point…makes me glad I planned for that" but with a snap of his fingers, even more men appeared on the ground and the balcony near him but this still didn't phase him.
He let out a disinterested whistle.
"Wow, planning for the superhero to come and stop your illegal operation…want a medal?" he taunted, his lack of care for the whole ordeal and mocking presence getting on his nerves.
"Talkin 'bout illegal, I didn't see no warrant when you came crashing in here," He countered, pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the hero's actions.
"Do I look like a cop?" Spider-Man simply replied, subtly calling the man stupid for even expecting him to go through the same procedures.
"What gives you the right to come in here!?"
"Nothing in the constitution, but I wouldn't know… I follow a thing called moral responsibility which means I'm in charge of kicking your butt, pretty sweet right? Well not for you but…I'd be lying if I said I cared," Spider-Man laughed to himself, treating the whole situation as if it was a mundane occurrence which even got those below second-guessing themselves despite their numbers.
"Look...we don't have to go down this route, ese. We got a lucrative business goin' 'round down here, maybe we-" The Club owner tried to strike a deal, realizing that the orders of taking down Spider-Man were a lot simpler said than done.
But surrender was not an option.
Neither was an ending where any of this ended well for the owner.
Spider-Man made that clear.
"Lemme stop you there, cause this is the part where you realize you're screwed and you want to be friends and make a deal or whatnot – look, I'm not here to make friends," The hero finished in a threatening voice which caused a few below to gulp, while those who weren't already tensed soon joined those who were when the heroes demeanor quickly changed.
"What happened to bein' your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?" The owner asked, hoping that he could get the Friendly Neighbourhood hero who saved cats from trees.
But that treatment wasn't typically given to men like him.
And it wouldn't be given today.
"I'm not," He stated with such fierceness that it initiated the nightclub brawl. Bullets of various calibers speeded towards him, but, as he's displayed many times prior, he was faster than such things.
Leaping from his spot with an over-the-top backflip, Spider-Man made the first move by swinging into – and absolutely demolishing, the man in charge. His combined momentum and increased strength sent the man flying into the air as his feet collided with his stomach.
Where the man was instantly winded by the attack and suffered large amounts of pain upon landing on his backside, Spider-Man gracefully landed in between the sea of men, a brow raised as he knew that this would be fun.
"You know, this is the thing I don't get?" He began to say as he blitzed the men surrounding him, dodging their fire with ease, jamming their weapons with his webs, and overall enjoying himself as one by one they fell with one hit.
"You guys always act like knowing I'm coming will do something, like, wow, you know I'm coming to stop you? Shocker," he said once more as he sent a goon violently crashing through multiple other foes.
"So people like you go and set up a whole bunch of goons and try to make a deal, shocker," he said in excitement as he used all four of his limbs to strike at four men simultaneously.
"I end up more ticked off, shocker," he stated in an annoyed tone as from his sprawled position on the ground, he instantly popped up, doing an uppercut before contorting his body in inhuman ways to strike foes once more.
"And we fight," he did an aerial cartwheel, using his hands to bash the faces of two foes together before casually dodging bullet fire which came behind him.
At the same time the fight on the main floor took place, the armed men looked down their iron sights as Spider-Man initiated the fight.
Spider-Man had swung into their boss but before they could even fire at him, out from the shadows – like a dark creature which left you terrified, Talon came out and took down the lines of men, each one falling like dominoes from bone-breaking blows and lacerations which were just on the cusp of being lethal.
Her speed and efficiency, combined with her fighting style which made use of every martial art and her superhuman capabilities made it impossible for any of the foes to tag her, much less warn the others before it was too late.
As Spider-Man and Talon finished dismantling the small army, she made her presence known by kicking the final thug through the balcony railings and down on the ground.
His landing was so hard that it echoed in ways that even Spider-Man couldn't ignore.
The fall wouldn't kill him, just as she knew, it wouldn't even cripple him just as she had intended with the way she struck, but…it would certainly leave him in pain.
"Ouch, did that hurt as much as I think it did?" Peter chuckled as he lost his train of thought as he heard the man's screams. He then turned around to go back to what he was going to say, and who he was going to say it to.
"Where was I – oh yea, And I win-what?" Peter asked as he looked swiftly from his left to his right, the club owner nowhere to be seen.
"He fled downstairs," Laura stated as she fell from the balcony, landing gracefully before following his trail, "But there is nowhere to run."
"You're right about that, I just wish I could've finished my cool speech," Peter admitted as he followed Laura who was dead set on his tracks, but still gave a slight shaking of the head to disprove his child-like antics.
Due to it being a nightclub, there were rooms underneath which were intended for those who did not wish to dance, but instead wished to sit at bars and such.
She followed the cowardly man's scent as they descended through the club, taking out the frightful, unskilled, and non-threatening underlings which were in their way, destroying the club in the process as the two sent adult bodies flying into walls, tables, and even behind the bar which sent the racks and shelves full of expensive alcohol shattering like their enemies hopes.
Upon taking down those who were stupid enough to stand against them, Laura continued to follow the scent which took them behind the bar and into the back kitchen which was full of standard equipment with the only oddity being a door in the corner which led…
...Down…
…Same with the scent.
The two traversed further down the nightclub, going through the door which the club owner's scent directed them to go through, but the aesthetic quickly changed with dirty concrete and poor lighting showing that the area had been neglected.
But the presence of multiple scents contradicted that.
Upon traveling down the stairs, they were led into a lone long hallway with it ending at a rustic door which both beckoned at them and warned them to stay away.
Poor ventilation sent a cold chill as the sounds cast an unnerving ambience.
Sparse light bulbs above them poorly lit up the hallway which combined with all the previous factors, created a scene only found in horror movies.
"Definitely not ominous," Peter couldn't help but joke about the sight before him.
They continued to walk through the hallway, only stopping halfway as there was a small room in between the staircase and the door.
Peter opened it, expecting nothing…
And the room had practically nothing, save for small pipes and adjustable valves.
But on those pipes were multiple handcuffs…
…beside a lone bed…
…littered with stains…
Chapter 13: Brace Yourself
Peter Parker froze as he looked at the sight before him, his brain, his mind, his consciousness all trying to stop his genius from coming to the conclusion Laura Kinney had angrily come to.
She growled and snarled before running toward the end of the hallway, determined to find out just what kind of criminal operation they were looking for.
Peter followed her, almost dreading the sight he might witness when the two entered the room.
When they entered the room they stopped in their tracks.
Peter Parker was stunned - speechless, no words, no thought, just sheer shock as his brain tried to comprehend what he was witnessing.
There were girls…
Teenage girls no older than him…
And women in their twenties, stuck in makeshift cages which only had space to house the singular cheap mattress they laid in.
His brain couldn't make sense of it, this was it? This was the criminal operation which was taking place down here? He was expecting drugs, guns, maybe something stupid like scam coin operations but…humans?
He was going to hurl.
No…he was going to do more than that.
His body threatened to puke out all his contents inside as his heart fell down to depths very rarely reached.
They were hurt…kids who at most could be in their final years of college were stripped down to nothing but their undergarments, their bodies and acts of abuse they suffered laid barren to all.
"Told you we had a lucrative business," before he could even register that his spider-sense was going off, he was hit with a blistering amount of electricity which left his body limp and him dazed beyond all belief.
He couldn't really think at that moment, the blast leaving his body slightly pulsating and completely and utterly disabled while his already scrambled mind was so overloaded by so many things happening at once that it left his body entirely.
For a few, very important seconds, Spider-Man was out.
But his senses soon came back to him.
He could hear things in the distance… snarls and growls…sounds of fear… gunfire maybe?
He soon generated his first thought as his mind came back to him.
Was Laura alright?
Were the girls alright?
Was he alright?
He didn't care about that last one as much as he cared about the other two, the mere thought of the victims and more so his cleaving companion giving him the power to get up despite his head spinning, ears ringing, and senses too overwhelmed to pay attention to.
He stumbled, getting his reins in.
One by one his senses came back to him and as he shook his head to focus his vision, the various blurry things around him started to make sense again.
The first thing he saw gave him the answer as to why he was so suddenly disabled: he was hit with a high caliber S.H.I.E.L.D rifle, no wonder it did what it did but how did these guys get their hands on a S.H.I.E.L.D weapon?
His eyes moved past the rifle as another gun was laid down beside it.
But as he looked further, the weapons quickly became an afterthought
Red crimson stained the floor as the body of a bouncer was quickly becoming deathly pale due to being maimed to the point of near death that the Grim Reaper himself would claim his life if immediate medical attention wasn't done to him.
Blood-soaked boot prints trailed out of the room and through a back door.
"Oh no…"
Thunder boomed as rain started to pour down violently.
The excess water flooding the streets in a thin layer before ultimately getting swallowed up by a lone storm drain.
But in a rare occurrence, water was not the only life-giving liquid which went down.
For there was scarlet ichor in the mix.
Like a wounded animal running from its hunter, a victim running from their killer, the disgusting and vile club owner who oversaw and was in charge of the utterly despicable operation fled through an alleyway.
Fear, panic, pain, and desperation all appearing on his blood-stained face.
He stumbled multiple times, the loss of blood and overwhelming fear combined with adrenaline making it hard to control himself.
Not like it mattered anyways, for before he even tripped and pathetically fell on his front, he reached a dead end.
He looked behind him as a horned silhouette slowly approached him, cold, unfeeling, blank red eyes watching him struggle like dying vermin.
Despite reaching his end, he fruitlessly tried to crawl away from the horned silhouette but with his back now against a wall, all he could do was watch as darkness which lacked mercy get larger and larger.
As blood left his body and intertwined with the rainwater below, creating a puddle below him of deep crimson red, his mind raced on any possible way to get out of his dire situation.
He bargained, then he begged, and finally, pleaded but they all fell on deaf ears.
His eyes locked with ones devoid of pity or sympathy of any kind.
Eyes devoid of any intention of letting him go.
Face lacking all emotion.
Lightning crackled once more as Laura got close, never breaking eye contact with the man whose scent quickly changed into one who was disgusting and slimy.
One who would use sweet words and false promises to get what they want.
One of a liar.
He shrieked as she bent down, trying his best to get away from the demon before him but the wall behind him, nor would she, allow that.
She put her fist against his forehead, brought her face closer to his as she stared directly into his petrified eyes.
Voices and memories replaying in her head, falsely telling her things she wished she believed.
That she mattered…was cared about…was good….was safe…
When in all actuality she was none of those.
Just a tool for a goal – again.
Not safe.
Not good.
Not cared about.
But men like him – monsters in flesh…
She would let it be known that they were not safe.
Not good.
And that she did not care.
She unsheathed her claws.
Blood was spilt.
The man screamed in agonizing pain.
But he was alive, for in a split second, Laura Kinney found herself not in front of a corpse, but in an insurmountable grasp which held her waist and arm, now stretched out upwards as two giant lacerations found themselves on the man's forehead.
"Hey, Hey, Hey, that's enough!" Peter frantically yelled as he pulled Laura away from the man who she came so close to killing. But caught off guard while she was deep in a focused rage within a storm of memories, in between a boy important to her and a man whose ilk she had no remorse for, Laura Kinney reacted how Laura Kinney would…
…In uncontrolled rage.
"It is only enough until he's dead!" She roared, her silent rage now explosive – anger filling every drop of saliva which escaped her mouth as she used her free hand and legs to aimlessly slash at the foul man who was far from her reach.
"He's trash!" lightning cackled, "I'll kill him, I'll kill him!" Thunder boomed.
"He's a monster!"
He hated everything about this, hated how he was defending a man who had done unspeakable things, hated how Laura struggled against his grasp, hated the words that escaped her mouth, hated the uncontrollable anger that was surging through her.
Hatred the words which echoed throughout his mind.
"For the months I have spent here in New York, It was as a forced prostitute."
"But you're not!" Peter spat as he managed to get a good hold on her now, but that didn't matter because she froze upon hearing his words. "And I'm not going to let you do something you're going to regret," He stated adamantly, but in response, she violently shook herself in a half-hearted attempt to get free.
"I won't regret it!" Laura snarled angrily.
"You're lying," Peter stated once again much to her anger.
"How would you know?" Laura asked in a low hateful growl. Anger and hate had her mind in their grasp once again, deluding her thoughts. What did he know? He didn't know her full story, he didn't know what fully happened to her, they'd only been acquainted for the last two days and here he was acting like he-
"Because I know you, Laura," He whispered softly, his voice cutting through her anger like a hot knife with butter.
He knew her.
They've only been acquainted for the last two days but Peter Parker knew her.
Peter Parker cared for her.
Made every possible attempt to make her feel like a person.
Who nearly died for her just to keep her safe.
Who gave her a choice.
Her resistance and anger quickly dissipated.
"You're not a killer," Peter reminded her as she slowly fell into his grasp which was quickly becoming a hug. Peter Parker knew Laura Kinney, he knew that her anger was once again getting the better of her, knew that if she were to follow through then the pathetic man before them would be another ghost that haunted her.
Something far more than he deserved.
But there was also another reason why he stopped her from ending the man's life.
To give into that anger, to want others to suffer…
"You're better than that," his voice echoed throughout her now sound mind, consoling her as doubt and regret had now seeped in the absence of anger.
Her claws sheathed themselves as she found herself falling into his embrace.
Anger-inducing memories were now replaced with what happened afterwards….
…flashes of others looking at her in fear…
…her being left alone again.
Left alone with a shadow behind her, whispering things in her head with her venomous words.
She was caught in the middle of all of these voices and memories…and Peter, who told her with all his heart, things which contradicted those words.
"You're a good person," He said as he hugged Laura tightly from behind, keeping her upright for her legs no longer could.
"Better than him," Peter finished as he looked at the shriveling man before him with a hateful glare.
Laura had lifted her gaze to look up at the man as well, but neither of the two were really looking at him.
They were looking at monsters.
Peter saw a demon of hate.
Laura saw a murderer.
They goaded them as they took refuge in another.
When she was able to stand on her own again, Peter left her to go tend to the man as she looked away and held herself.
The cold now more noticeable than ever with his absence.
Was she really better?
She had made the mistake again – of resorting to killing.
She had forgotten what Logan had told her and both blindly and strictly gone to chase the man.
In her anger she didn't even bother checking on Peter…
Heroes, above all else, saved people.
They did the right thing.
They didn't kill.
She was a hero.
Right?
As she was doing this, Peter knelt in front of the man who looked at him with gratitude – who thanked him countless times through the adrenaline which was running through his body, but none of this made Peter feel good.
With a harsh and swift, "Shut up," he used his strength to flick the man's forehead, rendering him unconscious as to make tending to him more bearable.
Allowing him to contemplate things…
As shadows began creeping into Laura's mind, the girl turned to watch Peter tend to the now unconscious man. The mere sight – the mere smell of him, still angered her to her bone but it was circumvented by the overall shame she had in herself.
The darkness of her mind had taken the form of a woman she knew too well.
Thoughts that scared her soon followed.
As Peter tended to the man, the dark silhouette within the corner of her vision whispered things to her.
Telling her that he would leave, be disgusted, be scared…
Peter let out a long drawn-out sigh as he finished tending to the 'man.'
His wounds were fully covered with Peter's webs in an almost airtight seal, keeping his blood in and allowing him to make a recovery should emergency services be given to him in the next couple of hours.
He stood up, his back turned to her as she anxiously waited for what he was going to say.
"You know…I hated – still hate, someone too…" Peter began to say as he gazed at nothing, trying to find the right words to say all the while blocking out memories better left alone, "He um…He did things I didn't really appreciate…" Laura noticed how he clenched his fists in an ineffectual attempt to stop their trembling.
Peter Parker has dealt with monsters before – suffered at the hands of monsters just as Laura had. He fought against the same temptations to leave them for dead, the same rage to kill them where they stand.
In a flash, he found himself in darkness, his body constricted and bound, wounds – soon to be scars, decorating his body. His spider-sense going constantly going off, conveying a message he already knew.
Hands he's become quickly acquainted with gently caressed his shoulders. His Spider-Sense caused tremors throughout his brain – again, his heart rate spiked – again, he let out muffled howls – again, as he frantically tried to break the bonds that held him – again.
"I haven't talked about it before…" he said as he shook his head, "I don't like talking about it, and even if I did, I don't think I could ever form the words to make others understand what it's like…I don't even know if I want others to…I don't even know if I fully understand what happened myself…" his voice was getting quieter and quieter as faint memories were coming to the forefront of his mind.
He turned to face Laura again, his posture more limp, more dead than hers.
"But…You…You get it," He said, his voice mimicking his moment of vulnerability.
She nodded.
There were things she had done in which she didn't fully understand, things that happened to her and because of her which were nothing but faint dreams, but she knew the outcomes of most of them.
They ended with death.
But he…
"I wasn't-I wasn't kidding when I said we were two of a kind," his body moved as he let out a hollow laugh.
She had told him that she had been used as a weapon, forced to kill people.
With that knowledge, he still said that they were two of a kind.
The same.
But that meant…
She looked at him now, concern and questions rapidly growing within her being – within her heart as now, he looked so different.
He was staring her way with a thousand-yard look which she knew too well.
"At the end of it…I managed to break free…and I made a choice…"
He was in a fire now, standing near an unconscious man about to be devoured by endless searing flames which burned down everything in their path.
Despite the things that transpired, the multiple, countless scars given, and the nightmares he suffered and would continue to suffer from, Peter Parker…
"I saved him," he said with guilt so immense that it could not be measured.
"And then he went on to kill forty-nine people…" Flashes of that harrowing battle flashed in his mind. Every single card the both of them had was laid flat, every punch being fueled with so much will that it made the both of them exceed their natural strength.
There would be no battle after this.
It was the endgame.
And everyone around them knew it for their battle had left trails of destruction far above those who were considered 'street level.' There were no maniacal laughs, no quips or jokes, just grit, determination, and tenacity as equal opposing forces clashed.
Good and evil.
The light and the dark.
The Spider and The Goblin.
The Yin and the Yang…
Spider-like acrobatics and agility contesting against the high-tech arsenal of the Goblin as they battled above the Brooklyn Bridge for all to see.
In a ploy to get the upper hand, the villain who contrasted against his nemesis littered the sky with countless bombs packed with so much destructive force that they could instantly vaporize anything in their path. They rained down over the bridge, the harrowing screams which emanated from the bombs mimicking the screams of those below but Spider-Man was there. Diverting his attention from the Goblin, he got rid of the weapons only made by insanity incarnate before they could spell instant death, but The Goblin wasn't done.
He let out a harrowing laugh as an opportunity presented itself. He circled around Spider-Man who was busy with his bombs before zooming past him, both him and his glider raining down his carnage.
Scrambling to save lives, Spider-Man followed, pushing himself harder, making his body move faster, his mind think quicker, as he used his webs to toss the bombs far away before they could incinerate the bystanders…
…but he was too slow.
There was one more left, it's shrieks getting louder and louder, drowning out all other noise as a father sheltered his little girl and without even thinking, Spider-Man used his webs to pull the family as far away as he could before he used his own body to shelter the blast.
His body – refusing to be destroyed, tanked the explosion, the searing burns, and the shockwave which sent him down the bridge like a skipped rock, his body being flung at such a force that each time it hit the street it cracked.
Peter struggled to get back on his feet.
His blue eyes widened in sheer horror as he watched The Goblin hover over the two he had saved.
His intentions and desires displayed clearly by his yellow eyes.
He wasn't laughing.
He wasn't bluffing.
He wasn't joking.
Spider-Man ran it through his mind countless times if he could make it, if he was fast enough, if he could save them…but he couldn't.
In the split second, millions – billions of thoughts ran through his mind, telling him that it was impossible to stop The Goblin…but maybe he could get through to the man underneath…
"Norman! Please! Stop! Plea-" Spider-Man tried to plead but to his horror, they fell on deaf ears and in a matter of seconds, ghastly horrifying screams mixed into one, before there was nothing...
He paused in pure shock upon seeing people, a man, a child, be rendered to…to nothing…but The Goblin didn't stop.
He hatefully sped towards the teenage hero, using his moment of Trauma to his advantage, wrangling his hands around Peter's throat as he brought him face to face.
"I told you! I warned you! The next time we meet, one of us will die!" He screeched before he bashed him through the center of one of the pure brick structures before ripping off his mask to unveil the beaten teenager underneath and tossing him onto the ground.
"I made you – everything that you are right now is because of me! I opened my arms! Opened my heart! Made you the son I never had! My Rightful Heir! And like an ungrateful little rat you spat in my face! You chose the light! I tried making it easy for you boy but you didn't listen, but now that daddy has the belt you want to cry and say he was right? well it's too late. I'm going to kill everyone on this bridge, I'm going to kill your little girlfriend, I'm going to kill that aunt of you-"
"No!" Peter yelled as he punched The Goblin right in his face, sharing the glider with him as he bashed him with all his strength and more, over and over, no regard, no thought, no care for his life at all.
"I won't let you!" Peter yelled in pure hate but he was flung by a backhand from The Goblin which sent him crashing back down to the ground.
The Goblin looked at the glare of pure hatred – pure darkness… and smiled, gleefully wiping the blood from his mouth.
"The lines are blurring again aren't they?" He taunted as he noticed that familiar look, "…You're thinking about killing me… well if that's what's going to take for my son to be born then so be it!" He roared.
"I have to thank you Peter! not only for saving my life so I could stand here today but also showing me that the lines have been blurred for not just you, but for me too," and just like his foe, The Green Goblin took off his mask to unveil his green eyes which bore nothing but hatred and insanity.
"I used to believe that The Goblin was what weak and pathetic Norman Osborn always wanted to be but that's the opposite. Pandering, paltry– fragile, Norman Osborn was just The Goblin in a cage, just like you…" He narrated with a bone-chilling voice, whatever left of the man that once was now fully enveloped by the persona.
Or maybe that was just who he really was…
"Poor-Puny-Peter-Parker, never existed just like stupid Norman," The Goblin said with such confidence and fluidity that shook Peter to his bones.
"No, that's not…" He tried to say, denying the possibility of him being remotely close to The Goblin, Spider-Man was just a persona, a…
"Try as you might to deny it, but we are the same…" The Goblin said, goading him.
"...When the masks are off, when the cages are opened…" his spider-sense began to cause massive tremors in his brain as in a split second, with enhanced speed which rivaled his, The Green Goblin armed both himself and his Glider with an array of pumpkin bombs that not even he could deal with.
And with arms fully extended, body fully open, and mouth stretched in a wide smile as if he had just taken in the incarnations of darkness entirely, The Green Goblin threw countless bombs as his glider did the same, swarming the bridge, Spider-Man, and all the bystanders in a harrowing sea of haunting screams.
"THIS IS WHO WE ARE!"
"In twenty minutes he slaughtered forty-nine people who I can all name. Forty-nine people who all had families, and lives, and friends, who were someone's mother, father, son, daughter…they all died…and…you already know about Gwen…" Peter lowered his gaze, remembering the faces of sheer terror, pleading for him to save them as he desperately scrambled to get rid of the countless bombs which rained down above.
He remembers the devastation and death….
Remembering that it was all because of him saving Norman Osborn from the fire that night…
"I don't know if it was the best choice to make…I know it wasn't the right one … maybe I should've left him for dead, hell…maybe I should've killed him myself but…I don't really know…" leaving him to die that night, letting the flames kill him, it would have prevented all of it, all those people would still be alive, Gwen would still be alive, but…
"In all honesty I don't really know much…but…I know that…stooping to their level…doing things that they would do…that can't be it…" Leaving him in that fire would've been choosing the darkness, would've been something an Osborn would've done – A Goblin.
"We fight monsters Laura and they…they'll do what monsters always do," They'll push, they'll gnaw, make you think of things you've never thought of before, tempt you to do things you would find appalling…
"So we gotta try and do what heroes do," Heroes endured, they did the right thing, they saved lives and stuck to their morals no matter how hard it was.
Captain America and Uncle Ben did that….
"Or else we might become monsters ourselves."
"The lines are blurring again aren't they?"
"You looked at The Darkness and blinked…"
"And we aren't monsters, neither you, nor me," Peter said in a firm, self-assured voice.
Despite the things The Goblin did to him, He chose the light.
And despite the things others had done to her, Laura Kinney did the same.
"We're better than that," Peter declared as he looked at her, his confidence filling up Laura as she listened to what he had to say.
"We have to be…" He said more so to himself than her, but those words had weight to her as well.
The emptiness, the void…The lack of humanity that followed her when she was forced to cross those lines…when she willingly crossed them…
She nodded her head at Peter.
He let out a smile underneath his mask before getting back on track.
"Now let's go, the ugly part has yet to come."
They returned back to where the girls were, being able to hear conversation and panic strike up amongst them before they inevitably went silent upon witnessing their return. Peter found it hard to look at them, to see their injuries, the bruises, to see them bare…to see trauma in their eyes…the silent plea of help in some while others contemplated if he really was there to help being in the eyes of others…
It made him sick to his stomach.
So he did something about it.
He made eye contact with the first girl closest to him and she slowly started to unravel herself, the fear in her eyes turning into a silent plea as a tiny sliver of hope had returned into her hollow eyes. The makeshift cage she was in was quickly destroyed due to his sheer strength fueled with unbridled determination to help, but despite it being destroyed, the girl remained in place as if she was being held by something unseen and insurmountable.
"Everything's…Everything's going to be alright now," The masked hero said in the softest and gentlest voice he could muster in an attempt to console the frightened girl.
Slowly but surely, she was unraveling, leaving her spot and beginning her hesitant stride to him.
In his good nature, he raised a hand in an attempt to comfort her even more, but his naivety had resulted in the opposite effect.
She frightenedly flinched.
"Hey, wait, I-" He frantically tried to explain that he meant no harm; all he wanted to do was make her feel safe, he didn't want to…but on instinct to the raised voice, the girl squealed in fear, putting her arms up to defend herself much to his disheartenment.
A hand gently placed on him by his partner had brought Peter's attention on to Laura who gave him a look, not one of reproach, but one telling him that maybe this was something Spider-Man couldn't do.
Peter took a step back.
Laura had more experience with…this…sort of thing.
For better or for worse, she understood.
Men and women in masks, those of the unknown…they would most definitely terrify those who have been used in countless different ways by others who used their tactics.
So Laura took hers off to unveil the girl underneath for all to see.
Peter was stunned as to how easily she took off her mask without checking her surroundings but upon witnessing the reactions of the others…
There was shock, surprise…but…there was also…relief…solace in knowing that there were people underneath those masks.
People who wanted to help.
Peter looked around, noticing a lack of security cameras…obviously having video evidence proof of the operation would be disastrous…
He gulped as he contemplated what he should do…
Maybe this was something Spider-Man couldn't help with…but Peter Parker…
He put his hands on his head, waiting to feel a tingle but…he didn't.
And following his dark-haired partner's lead, to the shock and surprise of everyone…Spider-Man took off his mask too, unveiling the boy underneath.
Laura was stunned briefly by Peter doing the gesture, knowing he had far more at stake than she did, his look of insecurity and instant regret showing that.
They shared a glance with each other, wondering if it really was the right thing to do.
And she let out a little smile calming his fears.
She turned her attention to the young girl who had lowered her guard upon seeing a bit of herself in the two as the raven-haired girl in front of her softly said, "We are here to help."
Laura Kinney slowly extended her hand toward the haunted girl.
And the girl took it.
Laura Kinney and Peter Parker, not Spider-Man and Talon, proceeded to help and free those from their prisons. Each victim reacting in different ways: some being reserved and quiet, opting to help themselves out without saying a word to others instantly collapsing and hugging their saviors as they broke down in tears.
The two comforted them for as long as they needed.
Sheltering them from the evils that were committed.
She looked at Peter as he gently held one of the victims as they cried into his chest, recognizing the guilt and sadness he had in his eyes as the girl thanked him profusely.
It took a while, but they soon finished tending to the seven victims who all had names: Taniyah Williams, Eun-Sook Cho, Abigail Jackson, Ella Campbell, Gabriella Lopez, Imani Singh, and Imanuela Andre.
When they were done comforting and aiding them, they put on their masks as the girls huddled together, still in tears due to the influx of harsh memories and being saved, having survived the whole ordeal.
Despite having a mask on, she could tell Peter was still feeling guilty as he watched them.
He turned away abruptly, quickly taking off his gloves and web shooters much to her confusion, but adding to it even more, he passed them to her.
He held them within his hands in open palms as he gestured for her to take them.
She tilted her head to the side which prompted him to say, "You can uh…you can…you can make clothes out of webs…I think…I think it's the least I can do," Peter said in a quiet voice with underlying guilt, his gaze stuck on his homemade gadgets.
Now she understood.
"I-I think it would be better if you do it," He managed to let out as proven by his earlier, massive – stupid, slip up earlier, the presence of a man was something some of them were not comfortable with.
Laura took them.
"You um…know how to use them right?" Peter asked as she put them on, she nodded, doing his iconic hand gesture which immediately caused webs to fire in a random direction, the purpose of such an action being that she could get a feel of them.
After that, one by one, she used Peter's web shooters to spin clothes for them so that they were no longer bare, so that they could have their privacy once more, so that they could feel safe.
Once she had finished, she had returned to Peter who was facing away, most likely as to not make them feel uncomfortable.
"It is done," she stated as she stood beside him, his gadgets in her hands.
He stuttered and stumbled, thanking her for doing such a thing all the while she knew that he berated himself for actions that he was not responsible for. Blaming himself for what evil men had done, completely blind to the sheer and vast pure amounts of good and kindness he has displayed, rendering himself vulnerable and putting his identity and life at risk, just to make them feel safe.
"You are good," she stated with all her heart, grabbing his full attention and shutting down any of the thoughts he might have.
She would never, nor would she ever let him, forget that.
"...I…I always thought…you spun webs naturally…" Taniyah Williams, the oldest one of the girls – a young woman with almond skin, spoke up as she deviated from the group to approach the two teens who saved them.
Still out of his element, Peter fumbled his words, "...Well…Um…no…that…that would be kinda weird, wouldn't it? - bu-but I can see why you - others, could totally- um - think…that-"
"It's alright…I uh…I think it's pretty cool," She said with a small laugh as she gestured towards her 'clothes' before seriousness washed over her once more, "You…you know…when I heard you came back I…I knew you'd come," The girl said in an attempt to raise the hero's heart but it only fell.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner…" Spider-Man stated as sorrow and guilt had quickly returned despite Laura's efforts which left her angry.
"You don't have to be sorry about anything…this…isn't your fault," The almond-skin woman tried to say but Peter's mind told him differently.
"If only you knew..." Peter mumbled.
"What?"
"We…we aren't out of the woods yet. C'mon, the cops should be here any second," Peter said, changing the subject and wanting out of the cesspool they were in.
Desperately in need of punching someone.
He and Laura led the group up the stairs and into the black marble-styled bar just below the main dancefloor.
Some watched for and stepped around the countless unconscious bodies while others kicked specific ones for reasons Peter didn't need to ask to know why.
His wish to punch something had been granted though as they halted the group abruptly, leaving them confused and scared even.
Laura let out a sniff.
And Peter's spider-sense let out a small tingle.
Danger was near.
"Stay here and hide," he turned to them, "If things get quiet and we don't come back go through the exit down there," He ordered as he and Laura aimed to move towards the danger.
"Why?" one of them asked as they didn't pick up like the others had.
"The cavalries here," he stated in a fierce tone which didn't bother hiding his disdain nor his desire to hit something evil.
"Man, I wouldn't wanna be these guys," A man in a black-skintight costume said, a giant Eight-Ball on the top of his head as he poked one of the many unconscious thugs on the ground with his cue stick.
"Whoddya' think we got?" He asked his partner who wore a high-tech armor with a brown spandex under-suit which covered him from head to toe. It was stylized to have long ears on the top of head to match with the kangaro-esk appearance of his armor.
"Oy! Shutcha gobbah, yeh bun-bakin bahstahd! We're supposed to be stealthy," The man in the kangaroo armor berated his eight-ball friend in his clear-as-day Australian accent.
"That's what you're trying to be?" A voice asked from the unknown, instantly putting the two on guard.
"Oi! Who sai-" Kangaroo tried to ask but his question he never managed to fully ask was answered as Spider-Man had instantly appeared in front of him.
"And here I thought you were trying to be stupid," He said before instantly one-shotting the Aussie-man who was unfortunate enough to be the first to take on Spider-Man's anger.
Before his partner could even exclaim the webbed-Wonder's name – before he could even register what was happening, he found himself instantly knocked out, his mask shattering like porcelain as the figure of Talon stood over him.
The two heroes stood side by side, on guard and focused as more threats were soon to be followed.
And there were.
Peter's spider-sense kicked off full force on more, and with it, his new accelerated vision which made everything seem slow.
He looked around, using his eyes and spider-sense to guide him to where the danger was until it was as clear as day.
A sight he had seen all too much.
Air, vibrating and traveling at a speed so violent it annihilated all in its path.
It was moving right at them, at paces much faster than they should, too fast for him to fully get both him and Laura – who was oblivious due to it being air, from the blast, so he did the next best thing.
He grabbed her, cradling her into his arms before letting his back take the full blast.
It hurt.
It hurt alot.
The both of them were sent rocketing out the club as the vibrating air collided with Peter's body which withstood the blast.
With a loud 'boom,' the air, Peter, and Laura, all collided into the building opposite to the club.
Being the first to get back on her feet, Laura snarled defensively as Peter got back up.
Unless there was a new enemy, there was only one of Peter's rogues who could send an attack which she could not detect with her nose.
As smoke from the blast still blocked her view of the multiple silhouettes which stood opposite to them, a lone figure belonging to a man who should be in an insulated quilt-costume was the first to unveil his appearance.
Donning high-tech armor which protected him from head to toe, on a budget that only Wilson Fisk could afford, Herman Shultz, a petty criminal who created gauntlets which could vibrate air so violently they became shockwaves, came out the smoke.
"Shocker," Peter said as he got back up on his feet, his voice having pure disdain for his newly upgraded foe.
"Long time no see Bug. I see you got a new friend," Shocker said as he nudged his head Laura's way.
"I got new friends too," The Petty criminal said as out of the smoke, new figures were unveiled.
It was Boomerang, Frederick Myers, someone who she initially thought was a joke, looking like a walking armory and Scorcher, Steven Hudak, whose powered suit protected him from, and allowed him to use, powerful flames.
But that was not it.
They were then followed by three mercenaries she was aware of, The Reaper, a man who is outfitted with multiple cybernetics, his most iconic being the giant scythe he had in place of his right hand, Crossbones – someone rumored to have the capabilities of Captain America, and Constrictor, an assassin who was also outfitted with cybernetics, donning a snaked themed blue and yellow battle suit which had thirty-foot long adamantium cables he used as whips which could be electrically charged through the suit.
Though some may consider them deadly assassins.
She did not.
"I didn't think you would stoop so low as to work for The Kingpin, Herman," Spider-Man yelled at his foe who he once thought had standards.
"Low? I'm livin' in a multi-million dollar condo right now webs, standing up here with the big leagues, and the only thing I gotta do to keep it like that, is to kill you," Shocker said with such joy that it almost seemed like he licked his lips underneath his metal helmet.
"Which is something I'd do for free."
"Hmm, big leagues huh? So you moved up from what? Recreational to house league? Good job there," Peter replied, mocking Shocker who was, and always will be, someone who couldn't even make the cut for Villain of the Week.
"And kill me? Of course, you'd do it for free 'cause if you were paid to do it, it would mean you'd actually have to kill me and let's face it Herman, You're just a glorified goon out of his league, but if you want to step into the ring with me, be my guest," Peter said through grit teeth and anger as he stepped out of the hole to square off against his foes. Laura followed suit, taking the time to analyze all of them before coming up with a plan.
The two having no intention of losing.
"Just know that whenever I step into it, I bring everything I have!"
Next Chapter: Dare to Believe you can Survive! Fight!
Warning Signs
Since human trafficking is often a crime that is hidden in plain sight, it is important to be aware of its warning signs. Some indications that a person may be a victim of human trafficking include (especially in the case of women and children):
Appearing malnourished Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction Lacking official identification documents Appearing destitute/lacking personal possessions Working excessively long hours Living at place of employment Checking into hotels/motels with older males, and referring to those males as boyfriend or "daddy," which is often street slang for pimp Poor physical or dental health Tattoos/ branding on the neck and/or lower back Untreated sexually transmitted diseases Small children serving in a family restaurant Security measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment - barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insides of windows Not allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves.
Authors notes: This was challenging to write cause I wanted to really get this right, Special thanks to NothingSpecial4 who helped me with it. Other shout outs of people I really like are: Mr. Starman, and JSpiderFiction.