PART 1 - Chapter 16 - A Night in the Narrows - Finale ("My world's on fire, how 'bout yours?")

When the night is ending and the last flames of violence have to be put out.

We barely had left the bus trio tied up for the police when there was a call from Oracle - a big one.

As we drew near, I could already spot the flames spreading in all directions, shining beacons of destruction being tossed from the top of the tallest building in

the area, Galavan Heights, then crashing into windows, cars and any other unfortunate targets, setting them ablaze.

I spotted Red Hood and Black Bat using their grappling guns to scale the nearest buildings, on route to apprehend the arsonists - and I had to admit, those gadgets looked cool as heck, the nerd in me wanting to tear one into pieces to see how they worked.

It was up to me to stop the flaming bottles, which I quickly used my web to snuff out the flames and contain the fuel from spilling. "Ok, now this is getting ridiculous!", I yelled as I webbed up another molotov cocktail mid fall, then the two following it, then a last bottle that had just been tossed as the duo reached the top of the building, ridding me of one distraction.

What was left were the fires already burning, and with so many places hit by the criminals, it was as if the whole world around me was ablaze. I swung myself upwards, and I could spot two water towers, though, as I landed on the side of the nearest one, I could feel and hear the loud thunk.

Empty.

I jumped towards the second tower and, though not full, I could feel the splashing water inside when I impacted on its side. "Oracle!", I yelled on my comms over the roar of the flames. "Give me some good news, because I only have bad ones!"

"Sprinklers systems in these areas are not working.", came her swift reply. "Shocking surprise in The Narrows, I know."

Red Hood stood at the edge of the tallest building, giving a curt wave. His voice came on the comms. "Anark-holes up here have been neutralized and tied down. How's it looking, Spider, water towers either empty or half-empty, I bet."

"I prefer to see it as half-full, myself", I replied.

"We have fire stoppers", Black Bat showed up on her partner's side, a bat-shaped object with blue blinking light on her hand.

'Oh. My. God. They actually throw bat-themed objects, just like the Goblins! That is ridiculously awesome!'

"Won't be enough for the whole street, though.", Red Hood brought me back to reality, I had to agree with him.

"You guys can deal with the windows then, leave the ground work with me!", I spoke up, examining the water tower. I knocked on its side, the metal appeared to be aluminum, the supports were steel girders and actually good steel at that, to my surprise.

By its volume, I would have to guess something around four hundred thousand, maybe close to half a million gallons.

'That would have to do', I concluded, as I jumped to the side, fist pulled back, hopping towards the tower and finally punching its supports with enough strength to bend the water container forward, but not to knock it down.

Sticking to the top of it, I pulled the metal as if opening the lid off a sardine can, water rushing to the ground with abundant force to spread it into the street.

Around me, I could see a flock of perfectly thrown bat-shaped gadgets, blinking blue lights crashing into their intended targets, a following blast of some substance, half foam, half gas, quickly suppressing the spreading flames.

My plan was almost perfect, soon only a car and a store were the only things still left on fire anywhere, which I promptly put out with a healthy application of webbing.

"Well… Another eventful Saturday.", I spoke up.

"It's a Tuesday", Black Bat corrected me in the comms, which actually made me smile. Her tone had been far too light to make me think she wasn't entertained.

"Maybe you have inhaled too much smoke, Spider.", Red Hood added.

Oracle cut our banter. "I've called all firefighters and paramedics available, please check the civilians around, you three."

"Yes, mom", Red Hood complained in return.

'Yeah', I concluded to myself, 'these Bats were actually cool.'

I finished my energy drink bottle and looked down. "So?"

The sight of three slightly singed vigilantes hanging out outside a gas station mini market - or in my case, hanging onto it - might have been out of ordinary, but I had supposed that, since this was Gotham, it wouldn't be that strange.

Boy, was I wrong.

Apparently, the Bats (and Birds and Sirens, because of course there were other groups of vigilantes around) were akin to being half urban legend, half cautionary tale to evil doers.

So, the sight of my red, white and blue suit had caused a lot of sketchy people hanging about to run away, and, as I left the store with the bag of food and drinks - another nice upgrade I had added to the NG suit, pockets to carry around some change! -, it made me realize that maybe I was still being seen more as a dangerous threat than as a 'friendly neighborhood' variety of hero.

"So?", asked Red Hood in return, below me to my left, helmet in hand, drinking in his kombucha, his identity still protected by a red domino mask he had been wearing under the helmet.

(Note to self, mask under the mask? Shamelessly steal the idea and use it against the Bats on a later that.)

Black Bat was to his right, also below my position on the wall, mask raised and quietly enjoying a cup of thick organic yogurt.

"So… you guys have any clues on any other AnarKing activities?", I wondered.

"Why you asking us that?", the man replied with a question.

"Don't you work for the best hacker in the world or something? I would have thought Oracle would be going through all the cameras in this part of the city?"

"You may be right, but Oracle is really our -"

"Boss.", Black Bat cut in.

Red Hood looked at her, tilted his head both sides, turned back to his original position, then spoke, "Yeah, she is our boss."

At that moment, I got a 'ping' on my mask. "Ask and you shall receive, especially if your conversation is under surveillance, eh, Oracle?"

"I have no idea of what you or my underlings were talking about", came Oracle's digitized voice. "But maybe you three could turn your attention to a couple of suspicious individuals wearing golden crowns spotted on the nearby junkyard?"

"The Railroad Cemetery? Got it", said Red Hood, already with his helmet back on, also apparently privy to our conversation.

So, this is the part where I would brag about how we took down the leaders of the AnarKings.

Well, I would, but, there I was, sitting on top of an old derelict subway cart, knocked on its side, while I watched the first signs of sunrise in the distance, as well as Black Bat and Red Hood nearing the last two members, while in a very cool ninja formation.

I offered to go first, but Black Bat halted me. "You wait and watch. We are better choice."

I looked back at her, sighed and pointed to myself. Then, with my fists balled in front of me, I lowered them together, as if pushing down the handle of a cartoony bomb detonator. They both stared at me in surprise.

'I'. 'Can'. I admit, my signing might be atrocious and I couldn't spell half the alphabet to save my life, but I knew some things - the little tidbits one would get here and there. 'Maybe it was time to get up to date on it', the thought had crossed my mind.

The two vigilantes stared at each other, then at me, then back at each other, then nodded. "Then there is only one thing we can do to solve this.", Red Hood spoke up, with great seriousness.

A minute later and I was left sitting on an advantage point, watching two criminals being the target of a double take down, Black Bat knocking the male onto the remaining glass window of their 'hideout' (another abandoned subway cart), while Red Hood performed a quick and brutal chokehold on the female from behind.

Black Bat gave a short but clear wave at me, as to confirm their success, while Red Hood tossed a golden crown he had picked up on top of his 'adversary'.

I waved back, in response, a question still lingering on my mind.

'How the heck were those two so good at Rock-Paper-Scissor?'

"And that's it", Red Hood spoke up, pressing a button on a device on his wrist. "Police has already been called to take the last ones."

Black Bat quickly signed something that Spider-Man easily recognize. "You're welcome.", he replied.

Red Hood patted his partner on the shoulder. "Last thing to do is counting the tally."

"Tally?", the newer guy asked, oblivious.

"Of course. Let's see, I busted one AnarKing on an alley, another in the shop where we met, the bus driver, those two with molotov cockt-"

Black Bat quickly gave him a sharp though weak hit on his gut with her elbow. "You disarmed one. I took down both."

Red Hood looked like he wanted to disagree, but then huffed. "Fine. Bus driver then the last woman."

Black Bat nodded. "I got six. You got four.", she turned to the red, white and blue hero, without speaking a word.

Peter felt a sense of joy for suddenly being included in their game, then took a moment to recall his own 'tally', not taking into account his 'killsteal' in the bus. "Four as well." Even though he could not see her expression, Spider-Man knew the smaller hero was smiling. "So, what did she win?", he asked the other hero.

"Besides bragging right?", he spoke back, then sighed. "Winner gets breakfast, loser pays."

"And that makes us the ones who will be paying?", Spider-Man conceded.

"No wor-", Red Hood started, then thought about it. "You know what, you actually owe me one, bug, so it's going to be on you."

"Owe you?", came the newcomer's confused question.

Black Bat actually nodded in agreement. "His playground. You hunted around, did not ask his permission."

"Don't take it personally, I do this for the whole family.", Red Hood added.

"But she can.", Spider-Man wanted to confirm.

"I'm the best sister."

"What she said."

The hero looked at both local partners then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

It's already the morning of the next day when I finally managed to crawl into my own labs at the Chrysalis. I had actually forgotten how much it sucked to pull an all-nighter, I mean, my hours had always been hectic in New York, but with the Bats around, I actually could spend some time on my life, the other one, the 'real' one.

This night out with Red Hood and Black Bat hunting down these AnarKing morons reminded me how lazy I had been, honestly.

Also, if that girl was not a metahuman, I have no idea how could she eat a whole Big Belly Burger Breakfast Bomb all by herself... and with barely any change left, I came straight back... 'home' to grab a bite.

That actually made me consider something, that maybe I should get off the Lab more, find a place of my own, as the pay was relative good, so I could rent a tiny flat in the Downtown, a second place where I could probably leave my equipment. I barely couldn't remember the last time I had slept in a bed, the green futon's noticeable Peter Parker shape onto it being proof of that.

I pulled off my mask and went straight into the mini-fridge I've got installed there and started emptying the strawberry milk carton of its content. Into the nearest trash bin it went and I was already grabbing a banana to snack, when I noticed the spanner. "Huh, been wondering where you've been.", I spoke up.

Don't you just hate how inconsiderate your own tools could be to go hide themselves in the worst places?

Speaking of inconsiderate, there was a blinking icon on my viewscreen. It was a voice message, from the Big Boss Kord himself, so it was better to check on it right away.

"Pete, good news, I just got your suspension temporarily suspended!"

'Oh, wow, that was nice', I thought, turning to check the fridge once again, banana peel joining milk carton.

"Jurgen needs help on the new fuel mix we'll be trying for the space project and you're the best name I got not currently ocupado."

Now that made more sense. I found a cold burrito I had left inside the fridge since… what day of the week was it again?

"It wasn't easy, but I got the Board of Directors to grant you this, seeing as it is our currently biggest Government project."

'Way to go, Ted!' I pop the cold meal inside the microwave, pressed the thirty seconds heating function and grab a bottle of juice to go with it.

"Just don't be late for the field test tomorrow, at the Southern Air Base, ok?"

'Wait, what?' I quickly checked the message, it had been left at three in the afternoon, yesterday.

"Nine a.m., the Board and I will be there, waiting for you, ok?"

I check the system's clock.

8:27 am.

Before 8:28, I was already jumping out the window, a backpack with civilian clothes strapped over one shoulder, mask lifted over my nose, a barely less cold burrito hangs in my mouth as I aimed my next webshot into the direction of the Air Base.

'Welcome back, Parker Luck, I sure missed you!'

To Be Continued!

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading this, I hope you all like this chapter! Next chapter will be a breather, then another arc.

Have fun and stay safe!

Next chapter: calls for help!