Leo and his brothers listened to April's latest rant on the newest supervillain, 'The Vulture'. Apparently night time wasn't the only time the crazies decided to come out."So after I called you guys I went down to look for Peter, but couldn't find him for over half an hour!" She complained. "It was really lucky Spidey was in the same area at the time, or Harry's dad might've been street pizza by now."

"Worst of all, we now have villains naming themselves just using an animal name! We really HAVE gotten worse than Spider-Man." Mikey argued with a pout.

"Again, whole weekend." Spidey said as he entered the lair. "The man can't fight, but he can fly away really fast. Haven't found anything after he got away." Great, so it was gonna be another long hunt.

"Fascinating, and you're certain the guy wasn't a mutant?" Donnie asked.

"Nope, I got close enough to see it was all tech controlling the flight, some sort of magnetic propulsion if I had to give my best guess." The web head pondered. "From what I can gather, good old Normie did something wrong to the guy, now he's out for revenge."

"So a slightly older and more bitter version of Lester Needman?" Raph guessed.

"Pretty much. I'll stick by Osborn and wait for the Vulture to go on and take the bait." The vigilante explained as he rested against the wall.

"And what about us?" Leo asked. The sky advantage was going to be a little tricky to overcome, but nothing a little strategizing can't overcome.

"You guys? You're staying out of this one." Spidey bluntly said.

"Wait what?" Raph glared. "You can't be serious."

"As serious as a heart attack." The web head reaffirmed. "You guys have your secret lives things going on, it's fine. I can handle one airborn geezer." Master Splinter coughed from … somewhere. "One airborn untrained man."

"You can't do this, this creep was so close to my-to our-to April and her friends!" Smooth save Donnetello…not. "We can't just let that slide!"

"Yeah, you can't be taking us off this." Mikey complained. "We're a team, remember?"

"Night Time crooks and Kraang are one thing, but this guy is going after one of the most influential men in New York during broad daylight. One unlucky click of the phone, or one wrong pose in front of a security camera, and we have a Vic incident all over again." Spidey pointed out.

Unfortunately, the man, or teen, Leo was still unsure with how Spidey carried himself, had a point. They had too many close calls already. "Alright, only if you're certain."

"Hey, birds get trapped in spider webs too." The hero smirked as he waved his hands. "Relax guys, I can handle one solo case for today."

"Well if we're not talking about villains anymore …" His nerdy brother went over to the only girl in the room. "How was high school April?" Donnie asked with dreamy eyes.

"Pretty great actually, Irma switched schools with me, and I actually ran into pretty nice people." April gave a small smile. "Gwen was pretty cool, Harry's nice and rich, and Peter's…well he was nice too but he was very awkward around me for some reason."

"Who knows, maybe he has a thing for redheads." At Raph's suggestion, Spidey fell to the ground. "What, you have a thing for them too?"

"Wha-no, what the heck are you talking abou-hey, look at the time!" Spidey pulled out his phone. "I just remembered I need to be anywhere that isn't here right now, see yeah!"

"Again, today's been full of me getting dejavu." April commented as she turned to Leo. "So are you guys really going to stay out of this one?"

"He had a point about being in broad daylight as much as I don't like it." Leo commented.

"Oh, what if we were invisible. Donnie, can you cook something up for that?" Mikey asked.

"You're talking about technology way beyond our scope Mikey." The turtle replied off-handedly, before he began typing on his computer "... But maybe if I messed with some mirrors …"

"We don't necessarily need to worry about the bad guys see us as much as civilians recording us." Leo noted.

"Oh that, I can overcome that easily." Donnie smirked. "Just send all the cameras on loop and an emp to deal with anything else and there won't be a digital trace of us within a fifty mile radius, all I need to know now is where the fight's going to be." He began typing more. "And if the Vulture's using magnetic propulsion, he'll leave for me to trace."

"That still doesn't tell us how to hit an enemy that can fly high." Raph growled.

"The same way hunters go after birds." Leo looked to the arsenal. "With range, and prediction."

Eddie double checked the eel tank, noticing the rusty bolts. "Hey Dr Connors, you may need to give Max a call, this thing looks like it's gonna break off soon." It wasn't exactly the easiest, or the safest, job to have on the ESU campus, but it paid the college fees, and it allowed him to feed his passion for science.

"Again? I swear it's like we need to fix the tank every week." Curt Connors sighed in exasperation.

"It might be a bio-electric sludge leak." Martha pointed out. "Not only would the liquid cause the rust, the electricity would speed up the chemical reaction."

"Should we look for a less conductive alternative?" Another great thing was to watch these two brilliant minds in action. Every sentence was like its own inspiration to improve himself, which wasn't easy on most days. Life had dealt him a bit of a rough hand since his parent's accident, but Eddie liked to think he managed to get by pretty alright since then.

Not only that, but there were other things in his life he was grateful to have. "Please, don't give me the look." A familiar voice he remembered defending for two years at Midtown made itself known.

"You ditched Harry when he needed us. If it wasn't for that Spider-Man guy, he would have lost his dad." Another familiar voice accused as Eddie turned to the two younger friends.

"Well well well, Parker and Stacy." He walked over with a grin. "Been a while since i've seen the two of you together."

"Eddie!" Gwen ran up and hugged him. "I almost forgot you went to classes here. You work in the labs too?"

"Yep, here at ESU, I'm dedicated to being a complete and uttered nerd, and I get paid for it." Eddie smirked as he turned to Peter. "So I see you still can't handle difficult situations coming up, guess nothing's changed since I left Midtown."

"Nope, still the same old Puny Parker." His bro chuckled in a self deprecating manner. "Although I don't think any amount of weight lifting will give me muscles like you, bro."

"Yeah, you'd break like a twig, guess I'm just naturally gifted."

"Brains and Brawns." Gwen chuckled. "You got the whole package for any girl." … Yeah … any girl.

"So, I assume they're the two you wanted to recommend?" Dr Connors walked over, extending his one working hand. "I'm Curt Connors, a pleasure to meet you."

"Dr. Connors, it's a pleasure to meet you, well, meet you again." Peter shook it, trying to ignore the one arm as best he could. "My class took a trip to the lab last year, and it was like it changed my life." That was kind of true. Peter stopped wearing glasses and pocket protectors last year. He could stand to wear less baggy clothes though.

"Right, I thought I remembered you." Mrs Connors walked over. "You two had a lot of questions, I knew you'd be inquisitive little scientists."

"Oh thank you." Gwen chuckled with a blush. "I try my best, you know, top of my class and all."

"Ah, Pete's still only the second resident genius around Midtown." Eddie laughed. "You gotta catch up bro or you'll slip to third."

"I'll do my best, but I can only do so much while job hunting man." Peter chuckled. "I don't take it, you're available for an opening?"

"Sorry, we don't hire high schoolers full time, and Eddie took up the last spot." Dr. Connors answered. "But do a good job around the lab and we might have an opening for you once you graduate." His bro sighed. Hey, at least he'd earn those college credits early.

The phone began ringing, Eddie walking over and groaning as he looked at the number. "It's those Kraang guys again."

Peter looked like he started choking on the air. "Peter, do you need a lasinge or something for your throat today?" Gwen asked in concern.

"No, I, ah, did you say Kraang?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, they keep wanting to bring me in for a project, but they don't give me enough information to feel comfortable accepting." Dr. Connors explained. "They've been getting more persistent lately, frankly it's just annoying." Yeah, one time he saw a guy in a suit just staring from across the street. It was creepy.

"You always have to be weary of a man in a suit." Peter chuckled a bit nervously. "There's no telling what they'll do."

"Eh, I'm sure it's fine." Gwen shrugged. "If it gets too aggressive, we can tell the police about it." Like they would do something about it.

Norman Osborn rode in his limousine. Sure he could have stayed inside and waited until Toomes was captured … but that would be showing weakness. Norman had meetings to attend and things to do. So he simply hired a security detail and continued on with his day.

And so far, no attacks from old senial morons. Norman couldn't have been more grateful because there was too much to do in so little time. First and foremost being finally stabilizing the formula for Globulin Green. Steady and slow doses over long periods of time seemed to be the key for stability, as well as increased intelligence that complimented the added strength. Sure, mild madness still affected the test subjects, but that was small compared to the gains one could acc

Then there was Techflight … he wouldn't deny Toomes was a smart man, but he was a small minded one. Recreational use? The power of flight should go to the strong, the combat applications alone of flying soldiers was incredible. But apparently, people had a feeling that they should use things for peace, the cowards. As long as they stayed in their lane, he'd get what he wanted.

As for Harry … His development was disappointing. Peter was an amazing kid, surely able to help improve the boy's life. Gwen, an intelligent bulb that fitted a niche taste, he was never one to argue love of all things with someone else, just another means to gain ahead in life. But the latest two, complete failures. The O'Neil girl was completely average, no real achievement or accomplishments to her name, and her father was so low on the scale of scientists that the world almost didn't care that the man disappeared out of nowhere. Probably to hide from his failures.

The Irma girl….that one was a puzzle. Digging into records showed a surprisingly little amount of information. No last name, no parents ever attending a meeting outside of a phone call, an unlisted house address. If Norman wasn't a busy man, he'd look deeper…then again, that's what Private investigators were for. Maybe he'd have Gargan take up the case down the line.

Last, but certainly not least, was the arrival of the men who were only known as the Kraang. Supposed representatives for TCRI, a company that Norman's been trying to compete with for almost a decade, came up to him with a very vague proposal. There didn't seem to be much financial gain, so he denied it, but the group had been very insistent … disturbingly so.

"Sir." He was taken out of his musings when the driver spoke up. "Bogey on our six."

Looking out the back window, he saw a familiar bird themed armor rushing in. "So it seems …" If Toomes had shown this much initiative before, he might've been less inclined to steal his work…he still would've, but he would've kept the old buzzard around a little while longer. Norman glanced at his security. "Well, what do you think I pay you for?"

They moved out of the window, launching gunshots at the buzzard, who began to weave around the projectiles in question, or simply bounce them off his wings. Since when were they designed with such durability? Eventually the man finally landed on the roof, cutting open the top of his limousine and glaring at him. "Give me that apology!"

"Never." He stayed as collected as possible.

The door ripped off, a familiar spandex wearing man he thought was a rumor at one point sliding inside. "Excuse me sir, I'm looking for an airborne man wearing a red animal suit a couple months early to hallows eve."

"Spider-Man!"

"See, I told you we have a lot in common, Vulchy, we both love crashing limousine rides." He could deal without the constant quipping. That almost made the attempt on his life almost worth it. "Now if you don't mind us flying to the police station, that'd be great!" With a leap, the man tackled the old man off the roof of the vehicle.

Norman idly glanced at the torn roof. "Toomes had enough grip strength to rip off metal, yet a single leap from the man child can shove him off." He muttered. What gave him such incredible power … and was he available for hire?

"You fool, do you have any idea what kind of man you're protecting!?" Toomes struggled keeping the spider at bay as the child swung around him.

"Do you have any idea the level of revenge you're going for? I make it a personal mission to make sure crazy people don't go wild and send others to an early grave." They shot a few more webs, one of the shots landing on the inside of his ride.

Norman moved in a little closer. "Webbing …" He was almost inclined to touch it if he wasn't expecting that bird to come back in any second.

"Like seriously man, online message boards are a great alternative for pent up aggression." The man in spandex kicked the old buffoon in the face. "You can say all the messed up nonsense you want about anybody and have at least one or two people agree with what you say.

"Do you ever shut up!?" The man rightfully shouted.

"Oh please, if god doesn't like my qiuping, then may he strike me down where I swing!" A helicopter flew in from the side of a building, concussive blasts at the vigilante. "Everyone's a critic!"

He watched on with interest as the so-called 'hero' attempted to snare Toomes while dodging the firing from the helicopter. The man had impressive reflexes. Sometimes it looked like he was even dodging before an attack happened. Heightened senses perhaps? This Spider-man was an impressive physical specimen, one that could potentially be on par with anyone that took Globulin Green.

"Seriously, I get I've been on the down low for most of my career, but I didn't think my fanboys would drag over a helicopter to get to me!" It seemed to have the side effect of bad humor.

"I don't know what the deal is with the helicopter, and I don't care! Anything good as long as you get off my back!" Toomes continued to shout.

"Oh don't worry beaky, I'm still saving a dance for yah, just give me a sec to switch partners."

When Norman got out of this, and he was certain that he would, he was going to have this Spider-Man wrapped around his fingers, whether the wall crawler knew it or not.

Montana was joking about the circus show at first, but then the bird man appeared in the sky and suddenly he was very introspective of his own life. Was anything impossible at this point, or were people always this crazy deep down? "Fancy Dan, Ox, you're up." Either way, a job was a job, and if that job included flying with the freaks, then so be it.

"Excuse me, could we schedule your murder attempt another time, I have to go down and stop an old Vulture from killing someone." The Spider guy asked as he landed on a rooftop, body tense.

"Sorry Partner, but you've been rustling up too many feathers lately." Montana announced as Fancy Dand and Ox got out, launching themselves forward, Fancy Dan kicking the freak away with his speed and agility, ramming him into the brick wall that was Ox, who stood completely still.

"Jeeze, the criminal organizations really are coming out of the woodworks." The man stated, before being grabbed and squeezed. "Ow ow ow, your breath, it smells so bad." With a grab on Ox's stash, he bursted free, making his way to the roof.

"No can do, my friend." With a flick, Montana sent another blast at the roof the Spider was about to walk on. "You're not leaving unless it's in a body bag."

"Sorry, I don't think you carry my size." The bug kept spouting out annoying quip after quip as Fancy Dad followed him, being able to match him in the agility department. "Look, I'm sure you're all fine ladies deep down inside, but I've reserved my fighting quota for the night. Maybe I can squeeze you all in for next month? Two months tops, I swear."

"Excuse me if I have a problem with the service provided by the rodeo clown." Fancy Dan jumped forward and swung around on a nearby antena, slamming into the Spider's chest as he tried to web up the bird man.

"You know, you say that, but last I checked you're the only guys with a southern accent." The spider quipped, before moving away as the Ox broke the ground. "Dude, what do you eat, your jacked."

Montana sighed, already annoyed as he prepared to fire. "Hey, do you mind if I keep the blaster, I'd love to study it." … He turned to the new voice … greeted by a giant, talking….turtle man in a purple. "Also, hello there good sir." Before Montana could get a word out, a blade was held at his throat. "Would you also mind landing real quick?"

"What kind of Freak Show is the Spider running?" Montana muttered.

"The most awesome show of all time!" ANOTHER turtle man came out, swinging on a chain as they jumped on top of Ox. "And it's more like he's the co-star to ours."

And ANOTHER turtle man got in close to Fancy Dan, swinging two pointed blades. "And here I thought you could run a solo act."

"Well the gig was running pretty smoothly until these bozos decided to crash the party." The web head cracked his neck as he flipped to his feet. "Apparently we punched one too many crooks and now they want me dead, you know, more than usual."

"Figured that'd be the case eventually." A fourth turtle freak came in, aiming some oversized salad forks at the sky. "We'll take care of these guys, you go after the Vulture."

"As the only airborne member of the squad, you can count on me." Spider-Man struck to webs to the ground, slowly moving back like it was a slingshot. "Remember kids, tie em up with a greeting card for the police to deal with!" He shouted, before launching himself off the rooftop.

Montana slowly reached for the gun in his pocket, hoping the purple guy next to him was distracted. "Gotta, say, it's always nice when the bad guys have so many nice toys to mess with." The turtle freak looked at him, daring him to make a move with that blade coming out of that overgrown stick. "So kindly land this lovely aircraft vehicle and we can both come off this unschathed."

"Sorry, turtle boy, but a man finishes the job he's given once he's started, no matter what." Montana, knowing the Big Man would find a way to make whatever these freaks threw at him worse if he stopped, drew his gun, ready to fire at the freak's face.

The response he got was a broken weapon and a blunt object to the face. "Raph is right, it's kinda fun when they don't surrender peacefully." The turtle smirked as he took control of the vehicle, his head in a daze to focus on stopping him.

"Like I always say, the hard way is always the fun way!" The red turtle freak announced as he began relentlessly pounding Ox in the torso, making the man flinch and move backwards. "Bad guys like this one are basically punching bags with legs attached. They even have personalities to match!" He went in and headbutted Ox. "Silent and dumb."

"And silent and … flamboyant?" The orange one asked curiously as he fought Fancy dan. "I can't really get a read on you other than jumping around with a stick. You're faster than Donnie though."

"I resent that!"

"Thanks, it's always been my life's dream to be criticized by a couple of walking salamanders." Dan sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"Then you're going to have to keep dreaming." The one with the swords flipped in and sliced Dan's staff, before kicking him in the chest and into a wall. "Because we're Turtles."

Beaten up by a bunch of immature turtles with some fancy weapons … the boss wasn't going to be happy about this one.

Peter's head was a bit busy at the moment as he swung in to catch up with the old bird. First the financial situation was still up in the air, and he was no closer to finding a job. Then he acted like a fool for about half the day just to make sure April didn't connect the dots between him and his web headed counterpart, which was hard to do considering his mask muffled his voice only by so much and he loved to run his mouth.

Then today's daily batch of bag guy ended up being a two-fer, dealing with not only an angry disgruntled scientist( please don't let that be a recurring thing), but a trio of goons trying to rush in and nab his head. Looks like Spidey needed to do another sweep of the criminal underbelly … you know, when he's not dealing with scavenging bird people. "So Mr Vulture, i've gotta ask, how do you have the confidence to wear so much black you look like you're going to a funeral for yourself?"

"The only funeral's that'll happen today are yours and Osborns!"

"Really, I just thought you were prepping ahead of time for yourself, you know with the chrome dome and wrinkles. Just saying, there's safer alternatives to having a mid life crisis than plotting revenge at 90 miles an hour. I'm sure prison has a knitting group that'll be happy to have you."

Spidey moved around the bladed arm, grabbing onto the man's back. "Unhand me you insect!"

"Arachnid, seriously, how was Stockman the only one to get this right?" Spidey asked. "Speaking of, you've got an interesting little set up here, if i'm guessing right, you're moving based on a magnetic railway pushing and pulling from itself?" He asked. "It would be a shame if the motor was removed."

"You wouldn't, you'd doom us both!" The man shouted with fear.

"Have you not been paying attention to the last five minutes?" Spidey asked as he planted his hand through the metal pack. "Or is that Alzheimer's talking?"

"I AM NOT SENILE!" The man shouted, clearly in denial.

"Don't worry, doctor Spidey recommends a good twenty minutes hanging upside down ought to do you some good." He created a web line and tied the man to a lamppost. "That'll be how long it takes for the police to find and notice you." Spidey laughed as he watched the man growl in frustration. "I'll see you at the next Halloween party! We'll switch where you'll be the Arachnid and I'll be the predatory bird!"

Peter spent the next ten to fifteen minutes just swinging around the area, making sure no one else in an animal themed costume would pop up while looking for his own petting zoo of friends. It was a nice way to get the stress off him after a day as hectic as this. As much as he hated to admit it, the turtles getting involved was much appreciated, he was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

He swung down onto a familiar rooftop. "So, I take it your fight was in and out?" Spidey asked the turtles.

"Ninja leave no trace." Donnie smirked. "Took out the camera before we came, and made sure no one was capable of recording us."

"Ah." Spidey nodded. "That explains why the cops are letting the trio go, no evidence."

"Wait, the police are just gonna let them go!?" Peter listened to Leo's rant. "That's crazy!"

"We'll all the evidence did vanish … including the helicopter." Peter sent a glance over to Donnie.

"Come on, do you know how seriously advanced it is!? It's like an all you can eat buffet for lasers on that thing." Donnie justified. "How am I the only one excited about having our own helicopter?"

"The Shell-Chopper!" Mikey 's lit with excitement.

"Cool, now you have a noisy vehicle that will instantly give away your position." Peter nodded. "Perfect for a ninja."

"Well we're still a secret and kicking butt while hanging out with someone as loud and obnoxious as you, so I don't think we're going to have a problem." Raph chuckled.

"Point taken, point taken." Peter cracked his neck. "Alright next on tonight's agenda, we need to discuss the fact there may be another group to fight." He said, rubbing his chin.

"One or a million, we're going to stop all of them, and we're doing it together." Leo held out his hand. "All of them, as a team."

Spidey thought for a second. The past few weeks were mainly him helping out the turtles, showing them the ropes and making sure they didn't make too many mistakes while fighting other mutants and Kraang. He thought that would be the end of it.

This time though, this time they helped him out of a jam when he needed it. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to do the hero thing, not completely alone. Plus, he finally had people to listen to his amazing commentary while he swung through the city.

"Team it is." He placed his hand in.

"Shell yeah!" Mikey shouted. "We're the Mutant Turtle Teenage Ninjas!"

"Okay, how did you make it sound worse by rearranging the words!?" Raph yelled at the younger turtle.

"I'm thinking-" His phone began going off … a quick check confirmed that yes, it was Aunt May … and he was past curfew…again … "Shoot, gotta go!"

"What, your mom is grounding you for being out late?" Raph joked.

"No, something far, far worse." Aunt May's stares of disappointment were the stuff nightmares were crafted out of. "See yah, turtles!"

Hammerhead watched as the man walked through the double door. "Glad you could still meet up even when your life's on the line."

"An Osborn never apologizes, but I do make sure everything essential and important is deal with." Norman nodded professionally. "What does the Big Man want this time? Another leak to Tri-Corp weapons development?"

"No, a group project actually." He glanced over to the man in the corner. "We have a new guy playing the field."

Osborn followed his gaze, eyes widening just a tad. "Aren't you that washed out actor?" He thought the same thing when the mask came off.

"Seriously, and people wonder why I dedicate my life to the Foot." The actor, Chris Bradford, grumbled before clenching his fists. "My master happens to have a vested interest in the little vigilante problem that has occurred as of late." Why did he sound so much like O'hern?

"That vigilante saved my life." Osborn stated, cracking his neck. "So you better make the offer worth my while."

Hammerhead knew the man didn't really give a shit, he was just making an excuse to get paid more. He placed down his phone, Bradford going the same as they both called.

"So, I finally speak to one of the smartest men in New York … along with the oh so famous Shredder of the Foot Clan."

"And your who the people of this feeble city refer to as 'The Big Man'." The voice coming from Branford's phone made itself known. "A rather bold title to give yourself, Mr. Lincoln."

"We do not use the L word around here." Hammerhead growled as he glared intensely at the washout actor. "How did you even-"

"Information retrieval is one of a ninja's greatest skills." Bradford chuckled.

"And here I thought ninjas were a thing of the past." Osborn spoke with a flat voice.

"Modern techniques are no excuse for abandoning tradition." The voice spoke. "I take it you've been dealing with a similar pest problem?"

"A single Spider manages to make even giants take an interest." Norman spoke with mild amusement.

"While the Spider is a nuisance, the foot are more interested in his allies." Bradford clarified. "He is working with our enemies, and thus we seek to learn what he knows about them."

"I am willing to offer both control over New York, and a faircompensation to any turtle captured alive." Both would be great for the Boss.

"And I am more than willing to offer up whatever resources, funding, and manpower needed for the extermination of the Spider." The Big man spoke up. "Osborn, I believe you have certain…passion projects that were discontinued."

Osborn merely raised a mild smirk. "I can provide the equipment for people like 'the Vulture' … just make sure whoever I give it to won't tie back to me, and you'll both have armies of 'super villains' to use as you please."

"Of course, of course, you'll be completely anonymous." For as long as it was useful. "So, you know them the most. Any information you can give us on the Spider and these … 'turtles'?" He asked Bradford. Hammerhead would've doubted if Montana didn't report the same, and the man was as professional as the business got.

"They are known by their mask color and roles. The one in blue is the leader, Leonardo. The brute in red is Rapheal. The smart one in purple is Donetello, and the Buffoon in orange is Michelangelo."

"… Was there a renaissance fair in town?" Osborn asked incredulously.

"As ridiculous as it sounds, they are the most competent at fighting. As for the Spider.." Bradford chuckled. "He's stronger than he looks, but in a fight, he's intentionally holding back, most likely afraid of using all his strength on people."

"Weakness." They all turned to the mildly surprised Norman Osborn … who in turn looked at the phone holding the Shredder's voice. "It seems I've finally met a man of reason."

"So it would seem." The deep voice sounded pleased. "I believe this will be a profitable venture for all of us."

"I'm the sane one in this trio … fantastic." Hammerhead never agreed with the Big man's sarcasm more than right now.