Along Came Some Turtles

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Post Spectacular Spider Man season 2. Peter's life is more or less falling apart at the seems, but meeting some new friends, who just so happen to be mutant turtles armed with ninja weapons, might just be what he needs to turn things around. And a good thing too, given the new threats that are lurking in the shadows. Crossover/ continuation of Spectacular Spider man with TMNT 2012.

24. Booyaka-Showdown

(Booyaka-Showdown)

Gamelover41592: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. And yeah, a certain someone is going to make his return soon enough.

Vfc15650: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it.

Spectacular Webhead 11: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Eddie returning was bound to happen eventually, and the Symbiote returning was inevitable. Yep, I've seen the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and it was freaking amazing. Hell of a way to end the trilogy, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Heart of Shepard: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. Trust me, I've got plans for Venom in the second season. I won't spoil anything, but I can confirm that I have plans to introduce at least one of the characters you mentioned in the second season.

Guest: Gene cleanser was something that I had considered when planning to have Venom return in this story, but I remember reading somewhere that the Gene Cleanser didn't have any effect on the Symbiote, so I was going by that logic, along with my own theory about it the Gene Cleanser I'll be explaining in time.

C.S. Allen: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I know what you mean, but knowing Shredder, I have my doubts he'd go out in public like a normal person, ever really. And no, this Tinkerer is not the same version from the Miles Morales game. But incorporating the elements of that story into this fic might not be a bad idea, but that's still a pretty big maybe.

Guest616: Venom's character arc is going to be complex if nothing else, but don't expect any of our heroes to get bonded with the Symbiote.

TheIrishman1999: Trust me I know, when it comes to Venom, nothing is simple. But I figured that Matt Murdock should have a chance to at least try and get through to him.

5FingerDeathFist: I have plans for the Avengers and SHIELD to show up, and you'll see them in due time.

C.S. Allen: Honestly an appearance by the High Evolutionary is something I hadn't really put much thought into before. Maybe at some point in the future, but not anytime soon.

C.S. Allen (continued): I think it's safe to say that pretty much no one likes Kasady, with or without the Carnage symbiote. The dude is a sociopath through and through.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): Yeah that's true, Shredder is in the process of expanding his own criminal empire in New York, and he's got a lot going for it.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): You don't have to worry about that, I intend to make all updates covering two-parters into whole chapters.

Zzz3: That's exactly what I was thinking. Spider-Man is a different arachnid compared to last time he faced Venom, with new gear and proper training from a master. Though even with his own increasing physical strength, Venom is a beast in his own right, so Spider-Man can't afford to hold back with him.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): That's actually a pretty interesting idea, and it would give them a good opportunity to conduct their experimennts.

ZukahanMultiColor: Trust me, I've got a lot planned for Venom going forward. Donnie and Peter upgrade their gear together is a pretty good idea. The Shellraiser could definitely use a few upgrades, especially considering how much alien tech they scrounge up. Donnie upgrading his weapons though, that kind of goes against the moral of the episode Metalhead. I never heard about anything involving Spider-Man and The Other, but it does sound interesting.

Vfc15650 (continued): I've got a lot of plans for Venom and for Eddie, and Carnage will make an appearance in time. But as for the Maximum Carnage arc… well we're gonna have to wait and see.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Yep, things are about to come to a head. I can't guarantee the role that SHIELD and the Avengers will play, but a lot is going to happen. You'll see how things play out when the time comes.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I haven't seen Arrow, so I'll just take your word for it.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): I haven't given that much thought, but if it does happen then it won't be for awhile.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): Again I haven't seen Arrow at all, so I'll just take your word for it.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I get what you mean, but I'm not sure if I really want to use that idea in my story. It's pretty interesting I'll admit, but I'm not sure if it works with the plans that I have for my story.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I haven't seen the Dark Knight movies, so I'm just going to take your word for it.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): I don't know about Miles, but Mikey having his own podcast does sound like a pretty cool idea.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I'll keep that in mind the next time I have Shredder go out in public anywhere.

C.S. Allen (continued): For the record, this isn't the same EPF or Biship as the 2003 series, so he's not that bad. Also this version of Eddie's dad is Carl Brock, given that Spectacular is known to combine elements of both original and Ultimate comics.

C.S. Allen (continued): I never knew any of that, but it does make sense on a certain level.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): You're only half right. Eddie's dad did some work with the EPF before he died, but not the same version as the 2003 series.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Those ideas are pretty interesting. I'll keep them in mind for the future, though you should keep in mind how the third season of Daredevil ended.

Althea Sirius: Trust me, I try to foreshadow a lot of what I have planned in this story. Venom is just another example, and you'll see what I have planned for him in due time.

C.S. Allen (continued): Now that you mention it, Echo does have some similarities to Karai, so that would be a pretty neat parallel.

C.S. Allen (continued): I haven't really given any thought to the Tracksuit Mafia showing up in my story, but I haven't ruled it out either, so we'll see.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): I haven't seen Godfather of Harlem, so I'm just going to take your word for it.

TopPotChef: In that case, tell your girlfriend I said thanks for being such a fan of the story.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Again, no definitive plans for Kingpin or the Tracksuits, but it's not out of the question.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Nice tribute to Tang Shen and May. As for Karai, that's a maybe at best.

C.S. Allen (continued): Again, nothing definitive but not out of the question.

C.S. Allen (continued): I have no intention of including Mephisto in my story, but that is pretty screwed up.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I haven't read the IDW comics, but I have read a little bit about the Last Ronin. It's crazy.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I haven't seen anything related to Watch Dogs, so I'll just take your word for it.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): That is a pretty interesting comparison.

C.S. Allen (continued): I didn't know that. Lore wise, it's pretty interesting.

Pikachu345: Trust me, I'd pay to see that fight get animated. I actually hadn't heard about the character of Spider X before, but it does make for a nice mythology gag. You'll see the Spider X suit get put to good use in due time. I've seen those episodes of Spider-Man TAS a few times, and I plan to make my own adaptation of them in due time.

Guest: I appreciate the feedback. I don't use cursing to make it more edgy, it's just to make it feel more realistic, at least in my opinion. I'm using inspiration from a few different sources, including the comics and the various cartoons, and a few bits of the MCU. I do my best to try and develop what plot points I can.

Tortugafash2002: I hadn't heard of Planet Spidera. I can't confirm it will appear in my story, but at the very least, I can try and make a reference to it.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Yep, the big moment is finally here. The showdown to prevent the end of the world by the hands of the Kraang, and Splinter and Shredder will finally get their long-awaited reunion. I can't guarantee how things will turn out from here on out, but at the very least, I'll try to do Karai justice, the same with Eddie/Venom when his time comes.

Shakespeare RZA: I actually watched the Transformers Prime series fairly recently after a friend of mine recommended it. Quick note, my favorite character is Knock Out. That story you mentioned sounds really interesting too. I'll be sure to check that out when I get the chance.

5FingerDeathFist (continued): I haven't seen Across the Spider Verse yet either, but from what I've heard it's a worthy successor to the original, with the Spectacular cameo being the icing on the Amazing cake.

Guest: As of writing this, I haven't yet seen Across the Spider Verse, so all I can say is that I think it would depend on how big of a role the Spectacular version has.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): I guess we'll have to wait and see.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): I think there's only one way to find out for sure.

TheIrishman1999 (continued): Thanks for understanding. I'd rather take my time and do this right than have it rushed.

NicFuckingCage: Yeah, that would've been funny to include.

C.S. Allen (continued): I get what you're saying, but to be fair the Foot ninja don't usually show much (or any) character to begin with, so I don't think it's too big of a loss.

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The sun was shining brightly over New York City, but things were far from calm.

"It's pathetic really." Subprime stood in front of a computer screen that overlooked different areas of the city, a look of disdain plastered across her face "So many people in this city alone, filled with hollow glory, going about their insignificant lives… It's only a matter of time. All we need is the word from our leader, and then the time will come to make this world our own." and as if on cue, she was me met with the sound of the door opening.

"Attention." a single Kraangdroid emerged through the door, which quickly alerted the rest of the Kraangdroids present "Kraang has received that which is known as a message from the Kraang's glorious leader: Kraang Prime!"

"And as if on cue, my hopes have been answered." Subprime gained a smirk as she pulled up a new screen, revealing the face of a large pink creature with menacing eyes, which immediately caused the Kraangdroids "Is it time?"

"That which is known as the time has come. The invasion that is known as the invasion of Earth will begin. Now!"

"That's what I like to hear. I'm at your service."

"Kraang! Kraang! Kraang!" the other Kraangdroids began marching in place and chanting in unison.

"And so are they, and now the time has come to activate the Technodrome." Subprime's smirk only grew wider "We're so close to our ultimate goal, and now there's no one that can possibly hope to stop us."

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Meanwhile, with one of the few that can stop them…

"Okay, this should be about it." MJ set down a box on the table in front of where Peter sat on her couch "This should be it. Another two sets of clothes, cosmetics and stuff that she needs to keep up with schoolwork."

"This definitely oughta be a big help." Peter took a look at the contents of the box "April's gonna be happy for sure about this. Well, as happy as she can be given the circumstances."

"Yeah, cause I'm sure that living in a sewer with a pack of turtles and a giant rat is every girl's dream come true."

"Well it's Donnie's dream come true if nothing else. Either way, chances are she's gonna have to stay down there for at least a little while longer. Sorry about dragging you into this."

"Hey don't be like that Tiger, I get what this is about. I'm not thrilled about having to lie to members of my family about where April is, but if it means that you guys can keep her safe then I'll just grin and bear it."

"Speaking of which, what exactly have you been telling her aunt?"

"Long story short, Aunt Anna thinks April's with Kirby's sister, Kirby's sister thinks April is staying here and I make sure that the two of them never talk to each other about it."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"Let's just say you're not the only one who's developed a taste for iced coffee." MJ breathed a sigh, then gave a smirk "But enough about that, let's get to some of the good stuff. How have things been with Gwen lately?"

"Honestly? Way too good to be true." Peter breathed a sigh as he glanced out the window "After all this time thinking it was never gonna happen, I finally get to take her into my arms and kiss her, I get to take her to the Fall Formal and make it as much of a night to remember as I can, up until I gotta run out to help the Turtles, Daredevil and Sandman fight a Nazi made of mutant wasps, only for them to beat him before I get there so I basically missed out on a good chunk of the night for nothing but she doesn't blame me for it, which makes her a godsend. I can't help but think it's just too good to be true, or it's gonna get ripped out from under me for one reason or another-" he was promptly cut off by a smack upside the head "Okay but why though?"

"Because you're being an idiot." MJ rolled her eyes "Listen to me Tiger, you've wanted nothing more than to be with Gwen for ages. You really think the universe is just gonna decide to be a dick to you for no good reason?"

"Well it has been before."

"Doesn't mean it's gonna happen all the time. Plus from what I know, it took you awhile to realize that she was what you really wanted. Do you have any idea how important you are to her, and to a lot of people really? You've been there every time Gwen's needed you. Sure there have been times when your second job got in the way, but whether she realized it or not, you were always looking out for her. After all the good you've done, can you honestly say that you don't feel like you deserve at least one thing in your life that makes you happy?"

"...No. I guess I can't." Peter breathed another sigh and hung his head "So much for thinking things through right?"

"Sort of the opposite really. Last time it was you not thinking with your head, this time you're just thinking too much. Seriously though, quit overthinking stuff like that and just enjoy the time you've got with Gwen while you got it. What's she doing tonight?"

"Actually her dad wants her home at night these days, he's not cool with letting her out of his sight after the whole thing with Kraven at ESU. Plus tomorrow she's headed to Ravencroft to visit Eddie again."

"Oh joy." MJ scowled at the mention of his name "Real talk, you think that's a good idea?"

"Not particularly, why do you think I had that whole ramble about her getting ripped away from me for some reason?"

"And that makes a lot more sense now. Is that why you had Daredevil keep tabs on her the first time she went?"

"After everything that happened with Eddie there's no way I'm taking chances, even if I am stuck dealing with the Kraang." and as if on cue, Peter was met with the sound of vibrating and pulled out his Spider Cell "And there it is."

"The guys need you for something?"

"That's the vibe I'm getting from Donnie's text, whatever's going on he says the Kraang are up to something big. I'd better get over there before he blows a fuse. Speaking of which, you mind if I leave my clothes here for now?"

"Might as well, just stick them on the couch and I'll hide them when my aunt gets back."

"Thanks a ton MJ, you're a godsend." Peter didn't waste any time in pulling off his regular set of clothes, then strapped his webshooters, gloves and mask, and then he latched onto the box with a stream of webs and opened up the window "I'll be back for my pants once I know the city isn't gonna get incinerated. Later."

"Go get em Tiger." MJ gave a small smirk as she watched him leap out of the window, then take off on the Spider Cycle, but then her face fell once he was out of sight 'No doubt about it Gwen, you really are one lucky girl.'

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(the scene opens up to Peter Parker as Spiderman standing on top of one of the buildings in New York. The scene shifts to the same scene as before but now it shows the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo standing next to Spiderman. Spiderman turns to the audience as he raises his right arm before he shoots out his web from his wrist towards another direction off-screen and begins to web-sling as the TMNT begin to follow him as the title of the fanfic: Along Came Some Turtles appeared.)

Whoa Whoa Whoa...

(The next scene shows Peter Parker standing alone on top of a building, but then he looks back to see the Turtles standing behind him, and he smiles. The scene then transitions to the five of them spending time with their friends and family, all of them having a good time with each other)

Daijoubu ore ga nanman kai mo sakende yaru

Kimi no ashita ga subete kagayaite iru to shinjiteru

(The next scene shows a past events involving Spiderman's origins (getting bitten by the spider and losing his Uncle Ben) and the TMNT origins (them and Splinter getting mutated, along with flashes of their training to become ninjas) as well with all the important details for each one shown and how they come to be who they are now.)

Yume wo kanaete subete no hito ni kasanariau kyoutsuuten

Akirame nakattatte koto soredake sa maken nayo

(The next scene shows the rooftops of New York city as Spiderman and the TMNT were having a stand off towards the Foot Clan ninjas and mutants. They all stood there in silence as the heroes charged forwards to face their foes)

Mukaikaze ni nagasare kujike sou na toki wa

Kono te nigire TRY TO TAKE A CHANCE mou

Kimi wa hitori nanka ja naize?

(the next scene shows the villains Spiderman and the TMNT have dealt with over the years as the Shredder takes the top of this pyramid of villains.)

Motto motto mae e mae e kimi no ashita yume akiramenaide (Whoa Whoa Whoa)

Sou naite nai de susume MY WAY ima (Whoa Whoa Whoa)

Kimi o terashiten da hikari (Whoa Whoa Whoa)

Akirame nanka zenbu sutete tsuyosa to hikikae ni mata kizutsuite (Whoa Whoa Whoa)

(The next scene shows the heroes fighting their respective villains with Spiderman handling The Rhino, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Venom while the TMNT dealing with Stockman-Fly, Bebop, Rocksteady, Tiger Claw, and the Shredder.)

Demo kimi no massugu na hitomi ni wa

Ima mieru daro hikari

(The next scene shows the heroes looking battered and defeated but they begin to rise back up as Raphael stood up with a roar as Spiderman shot some webbing towards the screen.)

Whoa Whoa Whoa...

(The final scene shows a still image of Spider Man and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ready to face off against their villains once again)

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At the Lair…

"Sorry for the wait." it didn't take long for Spider-Man to make his way to the Lair and rip off his mask, revealing the face of Peter Parker as he set the box down on one of the lab tables "Had to run a quick errand."

"So what's in the box?" asked April.

"You can thank MJ for that, she put together a little care package of stuff for you since you're still stuck down here. Also she's lying through her teeth to your aunt and hers so you're gonna have to do some damage control when you get back up there after the Kraang are finally taken down. Speaking of which, what's so important you guys called me here?"

"To give you the short version, a lot." Donnie told him "April and I have been sifting through all kinds of chatter on the Kraang Communication Orb that she and Gwen found, and we managed to translate something you're definitely gonna want to hear." he pushed a button on the keyboard and pulled up a bit of audio from the orb.

"The final phase of the plan known as the invasion plan of Kraang shall commence in the unit of time that is known as six hours. That which is known as the Technodrome shall arrive from the place known as Dimension X through the portal."

"And that's it."

"First question, you sure that's the translated version?" Mikey was met with a series of dull looks from the others "What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking."

"They said that in six hours, they're going to be bringing something called the Techndrome through the portal. This is the final phase of the Kraang's invasion plan."

"But how's that going to work?" asked Peter "I thought the Kraang wanted April because she was the key to their plot, and we've been making sure they don't get their hands on her."

"Whether they have April or not, if the Technodrome comes through that portal, it sounds like it's going to be the end of the world."

"Which means there's only one thing we have to do then."

"And I think you all know what that is." Leo turned to the others "We have to find a way to shut down the portal, no matter what it takes."

"So we're gonna pull off some crazy break in and trash a lab to save the world. Meh, it wouldn't be the first time."

"You've done this before?"

"Back on New Year's Eve when the Master Planner, aka Doc Ock and his Sinister Six, ended up kidnapping Gwen to get her dad to give them codes to access every computer in the world. That got freaking nuts pretty fast. Anyway long story short, we got a lab to trash and a world to save now."

"Essentially. It's up to us now."

"You speak the truth my son." this was when Splinter made his way into the lab, with Daredevil close behind him (which prompted Kirby to retreat, not that any of them noticed) "When the time came for you to first venture to the surface, I feared that you were not ready. However, since then you have grown and gained new allies to depend upon and fight alongside. I have also come to realize that not only are you ready to become heroes, but it was your destiny. If the fate of this world must rest in the hands of someone, then I take comfort that it is the four… no, the six of you."

"And we won't let them down, this world or our city." Daredevil then turned to the others "I'm sure you know this already but we can't afford to waste any time, so get only what you need and be prepared to head out." and so and the others rushed out of the Lair to get ready. Well, most of them anyway.

"If may I have a word with the two of you?" Splinter took the chance to stop Leo and Peter from leaving "This is important."

"Compared to saving the world?" Peter was met with a firm look "Sorry, it kind of slips out in stressful situations."

"I am aware of that by now. However, with the fate of the world at stake, the only thing of true importance is that you complete the mission."

"I know."

"No matter what you may have to sacrifice in the process. Or whom."

"...Yeah. I know."

"Hai sensei." Leo and Peter shared a look, and then the former rushed off to get ready and join the others.

"Well if it's down to saving the world, I think it's time to break out the big guns." Peter gave a smirk as he turned to a certain project sitting in the corner of the lab "I've been saving this one for a special occasion, and what better way to use a kickass suit of armor then to save the world from an alien invasion." he paused as he took in what he just said "Wow, my life has gotten really weird."

"Now you know how I feel." April told him dryly.

"Oh please, I was feeling that way before you were."

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One quick preparation montage later…

"Looks like it's go time." Leo met up with the others outside of the Lair and found the rest of the Turtles waiting in front of the Shellraiser along with Daredevil, April and Splinter "Do we have everything we need?"

"You tell me." Raph gestured to where he was armored with a multitude of weapons and gear on his shell and torso.

"Good, so where's Spidey?"

"Right over here." a stream of webbing burst out of the darkness, and with it came Peter clad in his Spider X armor, complete with a set of mechanical spider arms "Looks like Raph isn't the only one with some kickass new gear for the mission ahead."

"Finally bringing the armor into an actual fight?"

"Hey if the whole world is at stake, we're gonna have to pull out all the stops to make sure that things don't go to hell on us."

"You're right, we have to do whatever it takes." Leo took a breath, and then turned to face all of the others "Alright guys, this is it. Everything we've gone through over the years, all that we've had to learn about ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses, it all comes down to this very moment. Tonight, the six of us are the last, best hope the world has to stop the Kraang, so we have to get into TCRI, destroy the portal and trash their labs any way we can. This is the fight of our lives, and we're going to win."

"...Good job on the heroic speech." Daredevil broke the silence.

"Thanks, I've been practicing that for ages. Anyway enough standing around, we have a lot of work to do tonight."

"Right." Donnie gave him a nod, then turned back towards April "So… I guess this is it."

"I guess so." April took a step forward and enveloped him in a quick hug "Just make sure to come back safe okay?"

"I will. I promise."

"I know. You've kept your promises to me before, so why stop now?"

"Alright then." Leo turned back to the others "Gentlemen… let's save the world." and then he and the other Turtles, along with Daredevil, boarded the Shellraiser, which promptly took off out of the subway tunnels, with Spider X following close behind them.

All the while, April watched them leave along with Splinter, and her face fell slightly 'Donnie, all of you, please just come back safe.'

"They will return in due time. You must have faith." Splinter put a hand on April's shoulder to try and comfort her, only notice the look she was sending his way "Is something else troubling you?"

"Sort of… Sensei, do you mind if I ask you an honest question?"

"Of course not."

"Why aren't you going with them?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"The guys are out there risking their lives to save the world. Don't you think they could use your help?"

"I am their teacher, and as such my role is to prepare them for the challenges they face. If they require additional aid, they have their masked allies to help them in battle."

"But sensei you said it yourself, this time fate of the world is-"

"Damare! I do not have to explain myself to a child." and then Splinter stormed his way back into the lair… though his own expression became uncertain as he did so.

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Meanwhile, with the main heroes…

"We don't have time to waste, and we can't afford any mistakes." Daredevil turned to face the others as the Shellraiser emerged from the subway tunnel and out onto the open road, with Spider X trailing close behind them "So what's our plan for this mission?"

"We were thinking that we'd keep it relatively simple." Leo told him "We break into the lab in TCRI and use the subspatial endoparticle disruptor."

"The weapon that we acquired from fighting the Hobgoblin."

"Yep, and Donnie and Peter have calculated it to be powerful enough to destroy the portal with a single shot. All goes well, we can get in and get out before the Kraang know what hit them."

"Which raises another question." Raph glanced ovr at him from the weapons station "Are you guys sure that this plan is going to work?"

"It has to work, I'm sure of that much."

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Back at the Lair, Kirby (with a Kraang mind control device implanted in his neck) took the chance to approach April and asked where everyone was, to which she explained that the others were preparing to assault the TCRI. However, this led to Kirby telling her that the Kraang were aware of this plan and cracked the encryption on the T-phones, preventing her from calling the others, and convinced her to warn them in person.

As they left, Splinter tried to convince April otherwise by pointing out how dangerous it was for her to be on the sruface, only for her to coldly say that, unlike him, she couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Unfortunately this backfired when she noticed that the way Kirby was taking her wouldn't lead to TCRI, leading her to being detained by Karai and a group of Foot ninja, with the former ordering the brainwashed Kirby to take a message back to Splinter, taking two Mouser robots with him, with April's cries for help falling on deaf ears.

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Meanwhile, with a certain pair of, let's call them tritagonists…

"That was definitely more fun than I was expecting." Harry stepped into the lobby of a certain building, with Liz following behind him carrying a giant stuffed bear on her shoulders "You were right, Coney Island after dark is a lot more fun than during the day."

"There's actually a lot of convenience to it." Liz told him "There's a lot less people around so there's less lines and crowds, and then there's the amazing view of the skyline and stars that you see at night."

"Yeah. You got there a lot at night?"

"Often enough at least, I actually used to go there a lot with… my brother…" her face fell slightly at the mention of Mark, but then she put on anothersmile "Hopefully we can do it again when he finally gets out."

"For what it's worth, I hope that's really soon."

"Thanks. And thanks for winning me this bear, it was kind of cute the way you kept trying over and over until you got it."

"I figured I was bound to knock those bottles down sooner or later. After about $70. Don't tell anyone about that by the way."

"My lips are sealed." Liz let out a chuckle "But you know I had a great time tonight."

"Yeah me too. Actually… I've had a lot of fun hanging out with you these past few weeks. For awhile it's actually done a lot to help me forget that pretty much everyone else at school hates me now. More than most of them already did."

"I don't think they really hate you." Liz paused when she noticed the look Harry was giving her, and she was quick to relent "Okay a good few of them probably do. But it leads me to something that I've been wanting to ask you about, and I want you to answer me honestly."

"Okay…?"

"Harry… do you have any regrets?"

"About what?"

"About… certain things that have happened over the past year?"

"...You're talking about all the stuff I've been doing over the past year aren't you?" Harry paused and breathed a sigh as the two of them sat down on a bench "Honestly, I don't really know. I had never actually stopped to think about any of that before."

"Did you think that what you were doing was justified?"

"At the time, yeah. Trying out for the football team, joining up with the in-crowd and trying to get in with the popular kids… and juicing." Harry cringed at the memories "All of that I was doing just to prove myself."

"To the in-crowd?"

"And to my dad. He said that in life I had to cowboy up and do what I had to do… but looking back at that, I'm pretty sure I ended up doing a lot more harm than good. Sure I was getting in with the popular crowd, was a hit in sports and in grades… but I'm pretty sure you and everyone else saw what was happening to me back then. It turned me into… well you know. Then there came the times that other people got hurt because of stuff I did. Like the football team, or… like with Gwen and Peter."

"You mean because of how you got addicted to something and ended up lashing out at people who were trying to help you?" Liz gave him a raised eyebrow.

"That's… the general idea of it at least."

"I figured as much, it was pretty much the same deal with my brother. Not the same context or to the same extent, but the general idea is pretty much the same."

"Fair enough I guess. But even without… juicing, I still did a lot of stuff. I still kept trying to win everyone over with my dad's money… and then there's the whole emotional blackmail thing with Gwen. Oh god, I've been a gigantic asshole haven't I?" he buried his face in his hands, only to feel a comforting hand grip his, and he looked up to see Liz giving him a small smile.

"You might have been then, but I think all of us have been at one point or another. But I like to think I've come a pretty good way since then, and I think you have too. Maybe Pete and Gwen will see that too if you try reaching out to them."

"I… I don't think I can." Harry raised his head, but kept his gaze pointed at the ground "After all the stuff I did… there's no way they'd forgive me."

"But how do you know that if you don't give them the chance?"

"Are you kidding? I lashed out at them when they tried to help me, I basically used emotional blackmail to make Gwen stay with me, and I pretty much forced Peter to get left alone for god knows how long."

"Actually from what MJ has told me, meeting those new friends of his has done him a lot of good."

"That's not the point. After all the crap I did, there's no way they're gonna forgive me." he had to fight back a few tears, but they quickly faded when Liz wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Like I said, you've come a good way since then. If you want to try taking it a step further, you could at least consider apologizing for the stuff you've done, at least to Pete and Gwen."

"But after all that… do you really think it would even matter?"

"Think of it this way, at least apologizing can't make it any worse."

"...I'll think about it."

"I can live with that for now."

"That works for me too." Harry broke off from the hug and gave Liz small smile "And I wanted to thank you."

"Like with tonight? It was a lot of fun."

"Well yeah the night life on Coney Island was a blast, but I mean… for everything. You're pretty much the only thing that's made the past few weeks bearable for me."

"I've been having a great time myself." Liz gave Harry a bright smile and then a kiss on the cheek… which quickly evolved as the two of them closed their eyes, and their lips connected for a moment.

It was only after a moment passed that Harry broke away and tried to break the silence that had overtaken them, both of them visibly blushing "Um… sorry about that. I don't know what got into me."

"No no, that was on me too. Besides, it was… really nice actually."

"Yeah, yeah it was." another brief pause overtook them "So… is something supposed to happen now?"

"I'm… not really sure actually. We could try talking about it… sometime tomorrow maybe? It's a Saturday so we don't have school or anything."

"True, true. You know my mom has that press conference at Oscorp tomorrow, and she wants me to be up there with her. You uh… you can come too if you want. We can grab some breakfast after that at this little cafe I know about."

"Yeah, that… that would be nice."

"Great. So I'll see you then. I'd better let you get up to your place and-"

"Harry, this is your building."

"Right right. So… see you then. Good night."

"Good night." Liz gave him another smile and moved in for a kiss on the cheek, then walked out of the lobby and onto the street to hail a cab.

'...Wow.' Harry left dumbstruck as he watched her leave, then after a moment he stood up… only to end up falling to his knees instead 'That… wow.'

"Ahem."

Harry looked up to see Emily standing over him with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow "Oh, hey mom."

"Hi. You do know what time it is right?"

"Um… late?"

"Good guess. So where have you been?"

"I was, uh…" he paused and looked towards the door "I was out with someone."

"I noticed that. But I asked where?"

"At Coney Island."

"Okay then. So I guess you were busy."

"A little bit. It probably shows doesn't it?" Harry looked down at his knees "Kind of a case of, what did they call it?"

"Jelly legs, I noticed." Emily gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him onto his feet "Not just tonight either. This is at least the third night this week alone I've seen you hanging around with that Allen girl."

"So… you're mad at me for hanging around with her?"

"I'm not thrilled about you coming home after midnight, but her personally I don't have too much of a problem with." Emily's expression softened slightly "It does beg the question though, how does it feel?"

"You mean being around her? Well at first I was just glad to be around someone that didn't want to see my head on a pike. But we've gotten to talking a lot, and it feels… nice. It's like I can feel really comfortable around her."

"Does it have anything to do with her parents being wealthy?"

"No, it doesn't have anything to do with that. Frankly at first it was because she was the only person from school that didn't outright spew fire at me." Harry cringed at the mention of his current social status, but then his face lit up slightly as he went on "But then Liz and I just started talking and stuff, and once I loosened up a little around her. She's sweet and kind, and getting to look at her up close, she's actually really cute and… I don't know, I guess I can just talk to her in a way I can't with other people."

"Even your own mother?" Emily gave him a raised eyebrow that immediately made Harry falter and grow nervous, though she quickly let out a chuckle and pulled him into a hug "I was just joking, calm down. I'm glad you're happy with this girl." then she pulled away as her demeanor turned serious again "But it does beg one question to be answered. Do you actually have any intention of apologizing?"

"I… I don't know." Harry's face fell as he sat back down, Emily sitting next to him "I did tell Liz that I'd at least think about it, but… I don't know if I can do it."

"Do it with who exactly?"

"With Gwen and Peter… especially Gwen. I know what I did to her was screwed up. I guess I just thought that if I could keep her with me for long enough… I could show her that I could be better than Pete."

"For her?"

"Maybe… but I mean in general. Then I remembered what dad said to me, about how if I was going to get what I wanted out of life, then I should cowboy up and do what I had to do. So that's what I tried to do… But I ended up so caught up in trying to get what I wanted, what I thought I deserved, I never asked if… if it was the right way to do it."

"Which raises the question. Is that to say that you do regret your choices?"

"Honestly… yeah."

"Enough to apologize for them?"

"I… I don't know." Harry glanced back up at Emily "Even if I did, the way I treated my friends, especially Gwen… I don't think they'll ever forgive me."

"I won't lie to you Harry, they might not. Even if they do, they'll more likely take some time to come around, but if they really are your friends, and I think they are, then they'll be willing to work through it." Emily's gaze softened as she embraced Harry once again "And I think you're worth it. You're coming a good ways Harry. I love you son."

"I love you too mom."

What the two of them didn't notice however, was a man in a suit with orange hair and a set of glasses (Donald Menken) watched the exchange from afar, then rounded a corner and pulled out a cell phone "Connect me to my current client."

"...Yes?"

"It was as you suspected, the boy is beginning to follow a more… altruistic path."

"I see. That's an annoyance that needs to be corrected. In that case, execute Plan B."

"Shall I do it now?"

"Not if she has him with her, or if there are any witnesses. That would be unwanted attention we don't want or need at the moment. Fortunately, in the next few hours, a very affective distraction will come into play. Wait until that happens, and then I'll give you the signal to make your move and strike."

"Understood." Menken pocked his cell phone and made his way out a door at the back, leading to a secluded alleyway as he reached for his face… and pulled it off, revealing a face that was both featureless and malleable (the Chameleon), to which he breathed a sigh as he spoke with a distinct Russian accent "The things that I do to earn my pay."

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Meanwhile, with the main mission…

"It's only a matter of time…" Subprime gave a smirk as she made her way through the lobby of the TCRI building, with at least a dozen armed Kraangdroids lined up on every side "Just a few more hours at most, and then this world will be our new home."

"Attention." one of the Kraangdroids alerted her attention to where the Shellraiser was closing in on the building "That which is known as a vehicle is approaching."

"So they're making their move." Subprime turned to face the Shellraiser without flinching as the other Kraang in human disguises readied their blasters and other weapons, only for her to leap out of the way as the van burst throughthe front doors and mowed down several Kraang in the way "And they clearly aren't holding back, so neither will we. Fire!" and that had several more Kraang firing at the Shellraiser with laser blasters, until she held up a hand to stop them "You're wasting your time trying to hide in there, you might as well come out and face the inevitable with some kind of dignity."

"Funny thing about that, I was about to say the same thing to you!" the hatch on the roof of the Shellraiser opened, and from it burst out a rocket fist that subsequently knocked Subprime right off her feet, courtesy of Metalhead (being remotely controlled by Donnie), who then burst out of the Shellraiser and started going to town on the remaining Kraang with his laser machine gun "Let me reintroduce all of you to Metalhead. And for the record, Booyakasha!" then he turned around and prepared to torch another group of Kraang with his flamethrower, until…

"In that case, Booyakasha!" Daredevil burst out of the hatch of the Shellraiser and subsequently ripped through the Kraangdroids with a spear poking out of the Devil's Horn, bisecting them with a single stroke "Apologies for the stolen catchphrase, and for possibly cutting in where I wasn't needed, but given that I've been fighting this battle longer than you, I thought I earned that."

"No arguments here, but you're gonna have to take this up with Mikey since Booyakasha is his thing."

"Duly noted." Daredevil turned to face another group of Kraang, only to stop in his tracks as his demeanor hardened "Hold on."

"What's the matter?"

"Something else is coming, I can sense it. The smell of burning fuel, the sound of metal components of something… the sound of something rubbery…" and that was enough to make Daredevil freeze, then quickly reach for Devil's Horn "I recognize this sensation, it was what I felt the first time he- Move!" he grabbed Metalhead and quickly moved to take cover behind the Shellraiser… just as the lobby of TCRI was engulfed in a series of explosions, complete with the sound of shrieking laughter and shattering the glass windows of the building. And after all of that came a barrage of razor bats 'Shit!'

"I got it!" Metalhead setpped in front of Daredevil and countered the razor bats with a series of missile eyeballs "Was that…"

"Yeah, there's no mistaking it, and I'm sure Spider-Man would know this as well. That is the trademark weaponry… of a Goblin."

"Not just any Goblin either." from within the cloud of green smoke emerged a figure on a silver glider, clad in an orange one piece suit with blue arms and legs, orange gloves and boots and an orange hood and cape, complete with a yellow mask with red eyes and pointed ears, a malicious smirk spreading across his face "But the real deal."

"The Hobgoblin."

"That's what I said. I have to be honest, I was hoping to come across another vigilante whose face I could blow off, but you'll do for the time being." Hobgoblin's smirk widened as he quickly unleashed a barrage of razor bats aimed at Daredevil, forcing him to go on the evasive throughout the cloud of green smoke "You should've stuck to your own neighborhood, this one definitely isn't going to be friendly to the likes of you!"

"I'll go wherever I need to if it means protecting people from maniacs like you!" Daredevil was quick to weave his way through the cloud of smoke, avoiding the oncoming barrage of razor bats while trying to maneuver his way behind the Hobgoblin 'This seems wrong. The other man that used the name of Hobgoblin, but this is the real deal. His mannerisms and speech patterns, and I get the same feeling from him as before. Who are you underneath that mask?"

"You really think I'm going to tell you that?" Hobgoblin let out a snort as he maneuever around to avoid the grapple of the Devil's Horn "Secret identities exist for a reason, whether they be for heroes or villains."

"Then tell me this, what's your objective?"

"It's not that hard to figure out, I'm making sure you and the rest of your masked friends don't get in the way of tonight's big event."

"If you know anything about the Kraang then you know that they can't be trusted, that all they care about is wiping out this world and using it as their own."

"What those irritating little creatures do with their own resources is none of my business, but what is my business is making sure that I stay ahead of the rest of the peons lurking around in this city." Hobgoblin was immediately met with a rocket fist from Metalhead uppercutting him in the jaw and knocking him clean off his glider, prompting him to let out a groan as he got back onto his feet "See again with trying to punch me out like you think I'm some sort of delusional raving lunatic, this is why I don't tell people things. With the favor of the Kraang, I'm going to live like royalty in the new world, crowns and everything."

"...Yeah, there's a lot to unpack there." Metalhead stepped forward and summoned his laser machine gun, which promptly began firing at the Hobgoblin and forcing him to duck and weave through the smoke to return to his glider "Mostly how you are a delusional raving lunatic, the Kraang will just get rid of you when they don't need you anymore!"

"I think they'll be singing a different tune when they see that I'm the one to get rid of the masked pain in their brains, and their little turtle pets too! In the meantime, here's a few friends for you to play with!" Hobgoblin let out a cackle as more Kraangdroids showed up on the scene while he flew upwards towards the night sky.

"Dammit, so much for doing this without drawing attention."

"I think it's safe to say that was never an option." Daredevil brandished Devil's Horn as he began ripping through one Kraangdroid after another, with Metalhead doing the same "The question is, who's the man behind the mask?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the main party…

"Oh shell yeah, now this is what I'm talking about!" Raph and the rest of the Turtles were pretty much having the time of their lives, soaring through the skies above the city on a set of gliders mounted onto their backs "I've said it before and I'll say it again Donnie, as rare as this is gonna be. You're awesome!"

"And don't I know it." Donnie gave a grin, but it quickly fell as he cast a glance over towards where Spider X was flying alongside them "You were listening in on all of that too right?"

"Yep, and I'm loving every second of this." Spider X gave a grin underneath the helmet of his suit "I'm so glad you talked me into adding your glider mechanics into my suit. This is one of the greatest moments of my life!"

"Yeah you're welcome for that, but that's not what I mean." Donnie pulled off the earpiece he was wearing "I know you patched into the link I set up with Metalhead."

"And heard what's going on down in the lobby with him and Daredevil. Yeah, I know that the Hobgoblin showed up again. I'm willing to be he's the real deal too."

"But we unmasked the Hobgoblin back when we fought him."

"Trust me dude, I know the voice of a Goblin when I hear one."

"Maybe but that doesn't it's the same one. A voice can be mimicked, technology copied by someone who knows what they're doing."

"It's not just the voice it's the words, not the tech but the moves. It's how I was able to tell the real Green Goblin from an imposter back during that whole thing, and I'm willing to put however little money I have down on that being the real Hobgoblin."

"Which means what exactly?" Leo and the others flew over to join them "You're saying that the original Hogbolin we unmasked was just a fall guy?"

"Probably someone to take the fall for him that doesn't even know what's going on. It's what happened with the last Goblin I tried to unmask. But figuring out who this guy is will have to wait, right now we've got work to do."

"Yeah you're right. Look alive guys, it's time for us to do this." Leo led the group forward as they closed in on the TCRI building and landed on the ledge, next to a group of pigeons and a security camera "We're gonna have to block out the cameras before we can move on."

"Give me a second, I think I've got a plan." Raph gave a smirk as he grabbed one of the pigeons and held it up to the security camera, allowing Spider X to latch onto the side of the building with his suit's mechanical spider legs, and help each of them get across without drawing any attention, and once they were past he set it down and patted it on the head "Okay that's done, so what's next?"

"Two Kraang on the lookout right ahead."

"Got it."

"So… we gonna draw straws to see who gets to take them out?" asked Mikey.

"It is quiet." one of the Kraangdroids took a look around at the skyline "Precisely the correct amount of quiet."

"Well if you want someone to make things loud and obnoxious, I'm your guy." Spider X took the chance to pounce on the two Kraang and smack both of them with his mechanical spider legs, knocking them clear off the building.

"...Kraang believes this is going to leave that which is known as a mark." and then they hit the ground with a loud crash.

"And I get results." Spider X retracted his mechanical limbs and webbed a line to swing both himself and the Turtles towards the entrance to the lab "Get ready guys, now the real fun is about to begin."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the Lair, Splinter was trying to meditate while contemplating what April had said to him, only to be interrupted by Kirby approaching him with two Mouser robots, one of which containing a holographic message for him from Shredder, telling Splinter that he had April and to come and face him, to finish what they had started all those years ago.

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Meanwhile, with the main mission…

"Alright guys, we gotta take out that portal before the Technodrome comes through." Raph then paused as he looked down at the portal… and saw Traag (the molten rock giant) guarding it, and his face went slightly pale "Oh yeah, I forgot about him. Crapbaskets."

"Don't worry about it Raph, if this goes according to plan then we'll be gone before he ever even notices we're here." Leo took a breath as he held up the endoparticle disruptor and aimed it at the portal "Okay guys, you ready?"

"We're about as ready as we can be."

"Good enough for me. Now then, all of this ends in three… two… one!" and then he fired a single shot from the endoparticle disruptor… only for the blast to be negated by a force field that appeared around the portal "What the-?!"

"Yeah, I had a feeling this was gonna be too easy." Spider X noted dryly "God forbid that anything in my life turns out to be easy for once."

"Are you kidding me?!" Leo promptly rounded on both Spider X and Donnie "Why the shell didn't you say there was gonna be a force field?!"

"Oh because we wanted to see the look on your face when the world ends. Of course we didn't freaking know!" and then Spider X was forced to summon a shield in front of himself and the Turtles to defend themselves against the incoming barrage of laser blasts being fired by just about every Kraang within the lab "So I'm guessing this is the part where we go to Plan B."

"So what's Plan B again?" asked Mikey.

"Short version, find a new way to take that thing out and try not to get your head blown off while we do it." it was then that they turned around to find Traag looming over them, and he prepared to hurl a wave of lava in their direction "Then again I think we all knew that wasn't gonna be easy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the other main criminal faction…

"Alright I did my part, all of the preparations are in place." the Tinkerer made his way into the throne room of Shredder's Lair and found April (apparently) bound to the floor by chains despite her struggles to escape and found Fishface and Dogpound waiting by the door "Now the only thing left is for him to show up, assuming that he does."

"He'll come." Dogpound told him flatly "We've made sure of that."

"Which raises another question." Fishface glanced over at him "How good is this so-called ninja master supposed to be anyway?"

"To put it in simple terms, he's one of the best."

"I'm sensing a backstory coming here." Tinkerer shot him a raised eyebrow.

"Just be glad that I'm giving you the short version. He trained in the same ninja clan as Master Shredder. The two of them actually grew up together like brothers, until Hamato Yoshi turned and betrayed him."

"In what regard exactly?"

"It doesn't matter. Let me put it to you this way, he's the only one that could be considered an equal to Master Shredder, but he doesn't have the stomach to finish the fight."

"So basically the only guy who can rival your boss, but with chronic hero syndrome."

"Meaning what exactly?" asked Fishface.

"Short version, he's a boy scout, like the other heroes around these parts he's strong enough to do whatever the hell he wants, too weak to actually go through with it."

"That sounds about right." Dogpound let out a snort "No matter how skilled Hamato Yoshi may be, he doesn't have the guts to get the job done."

"Sounds about right if he's friends with a boy scout like Spider-Man." Tinkerer paused as he pulled a small device out of his pocket "Hold on."

"What is it?"

"I'm getting an alert from the security cameras outside, looks like someone is about to get inside the building." he paused as he looked at the screen on the device, and he cringed slightly at what he saw "Okay, those guys are definitely dead."

"He tore through the ninja outside didn't he?" Dogpound breathed a sigh "Master Shredder sure as hell won't be happy about that."

"The guy is never happy based on what I've seen. But I gotta be honest, stuff like that is why I'm kinda glad to be just technical support."

"Meaning what exactly?" asked Fishface.

"Meaning that you can't expect crap from me in a fight, and you shouldn't. Long story short, you guys are on your own when he gets here. Have fun getting ripped a new one." Tinkerer promptly took his leave of the room without another word.

"You know part of me wants to call him a coward." Dogpound cast a look at Fishface "The other part of me admits that he has decent survival instincts. I can respect that."

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Meanwhile, with the main mission…

"Crap, crap, crap!" Leo quickly found himself being forced to go on the evasive, but just as quickly found himself being cornered by Traag, the monster preparing to stomp on him with one of his giant feet, until…

"Get the hell down already!" a single strand of webbing latched onto the back of Leo's shell and yanked him away before Traag could crush him, courtesy of Spider X as he descended in front of him, hoisted up to meet Traag at eye level with mechanical spider legs "The Kraang aren't the only ones that are breaking out the heavy artillery. Hope you're ready big guy, because you're about to get rocked!"

"Appreciate the save, but the pun could use some work."

"I had to come up with something fast, give me a break! Now hang back and just keep the would be Stormtroopers at bay, I'll handle the big guy." so Spider X moved in and started dodging and weavoung around Traag's attempts to grab him, instead using his mechanical limbs to rip right through one of Traag's arms and slice it clean off, knocking him to the ground with a loud crash in the process "And for those of you wondering, I'm just gonna go ahead and say that they haven't invented a word for how awesome this armor is! Anyone wanna give some input?"

"I got one dude!" Mikey gave him a grin as he smacked down a Kraangdroid using one of his nunchucks "That Spider X armor you got is swikkity-awe-tastic!"

"Swikkity-awe-tastic huh? I like it. And now back to the battle." Spider X weaved around the wave of lava that Traag hurled in his direction (literally) and bombarded him with a few shots of his own energy webbing that blew off one of his legs "So as fun as this is, and it really is, we really oughta get to work with Plan B? I'd do it myself, but now really isn't a good time for me to start multitasking."

"Now isn't a good time for anything really!" Donnie snapped from where he was using a broken Kraangdroid to shield himself from a barrage of lasers "I can probably hack into the Kraang's systems, but I'd need you guys to buy me enough time to do it!"

"Yeah I'm gonna leave that one up to you. I'd try and hack in myself with my suit, but I'm a little bit preoccupied myself right now!"

"Not anymore you're not." Leo promptly leapt into the fray and fired a blast at Traag with the endoparticle disruptor, blowing off his other arm and causing it to implode "Go cover Donnie, I can keep the big guy busy for now."

"Works for me. Get to work, I'll keep the rest of them at bay." Spider X cut himself short as a familiar sensation drew his attention "Aw crapbaskets."

"What's the matter?"

"We've got more incoming, and if I had to guess-" Spider X was forced to use his mechanical limbs to fend off the barrage of laser bats being hurled at him, as well as the subsequent pumpkin bomb that detonated and covered the lab in a cloud of green smoke "Killer bats and pumpkins that blow up in your face, why does that sound familiar, he asks the obvious rhetorical question oozing with sarcasm." he latched onto one of the oncoming pumpkin bombs with a stream of webbing and promptly hurled it towards Traag and stopping him in the middle of his attempt to crush Leo "Yeah word to the wise, you'd better try and save the battery on that thing."

"He's not wrong, the battery takes a lot of energy to power and we intended to make every shot count when we prepped it for this." Donnie noted as he took out two Kraangdroids using his bo staff and got to work hacking into one of the consoles at the edge of the lab "I'm gonna need at least a few minutes to make this work."

"Yeah well we can give you two at most, so get to- Get down!" Spider X swooped down in front of Donnie just in time to save him from a pumpkin bomb being hurled at his head and use a webline to swing it towards the portal, engulfing it in the loud shriek and explosion of green smoke that followed… only for the smoke to clear and reveal nothing happened "Dammit. Well I figured it was worth a try. And now back to the fight."

"And the fight is right over here." from within the smoke emerged the Hobgoblin on his silver glider, giving Spider X a look of mock hurt "I have to say I am hurt Spider-Man. You never even bother to call or write to me after our first little outing."

"Yeah I didn't think that little relationship was gonna work out between us Hobby. You know on account of you putting a stunt double up for us to take to prison." Spider X was quick to bat away the oncoming barrage of razor bats with his mechanical limbs… only for them to detonate upon contact, blowing him backwards across the lab, but he managed to recover and rebounded on one of the walls "Okay, so the razor bats apparently blow up on contact, that's a new one. So what's your deal this time? You know, aside from being two-faced, insane and apparently having no scruples about the end of the world and all that."

"What else, it's a special day for anyone relevant, i.e. these guys and yours truly, and I'm here to make sure you and your friends don't screw it up for me!"

"You mean like the day where I rip that stupid mask off and find out who you really are? I gotta admit, that would be pretty special."

"You're ruining the moment."

"I've got a knack for that. But seriously Hobby who's the man behind that mask?"

"We all wear masks for different reasons Spider-Man, but which one is real? Is it the one that hides your face-"

"-or the one that is your face? Yeah yeah, the OG Gobby already gave me that line. At least try to go with some originality dude, seriously."

"You want originality? How about this!" Hobgoblin threw out another series of razor bats, forcing Spider X to go on the evasive to avoid the following explosions, only for Hobgoblin to be met with a barrage of energy webbing that blew him off his glider.

"That's how you do originality Hobby. I've been working on some upgrades and new gear lately." Spider X then charged at Hobgoblin as he tried to rebound onto his glider and rammed straight into the bottom of it, sending him crashing into the opposite wall "Now here's hoping that centripetal force doesn't let me down." he latched onto Hobgoblin with another web line and promptly used it to hurl him across the room and into another wall, resulting in a loud crash and creating a hole in the side of it "Please let it have been that easy." he received an answer in the form of a pumpkin bomb being hurled at him, forcing him to go on the evasive.

"Just like that you go from entertaining to grating about as fast as it takes for me to blink." as the smoke cleared, the Hobgoblin pulled himself back onto his glider, shooting a scowl at Spider X all the while Part of me is impressed, the rest of me is just annoyed."

"Like I said, it's a gift."

"Yeah sure, go ahead and play the fool. You've been playing it all along and you haven't even realized it."

"Right sure, because I'm gonna listen to a freaking lunatic like you." Spider X rolled his eyes underneath his helmet and countered a pumpkin bomb with a burst of energy webbing, cancelling out the explosion in the process "Seriously you just tried to blow my face off, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

"It's supposed to be mocking you idiot. Seriously, even now you're playing right into the hands of my benefactor and you don't even realize it."

"Get real Hobby, what do you think we're doing here?" Spider X let out a scoff as he dodged the next barrage of razor bats being hurled at him "Every minute I'm screwing around with you is a minute my buddies are using to take your benefactors down."

"You think I'm talking about the Kraang?" Hobgoblin let out a scoff as he hurled another barrage of razor bats forward "These aliens are just a means to an end, a way to bring about a new world where I get to live like a king! I've been working with my true benefactor this whole time, watching you from the shadows, finding out what makes you tick."

"Then here's a thought, if you're so confident in this benefactor of yours then how about you give me a name?" Spider X leapt back and pounced at the Hobgoblin, landing a solid uppercut to the jaw that knocked him clear off his glider, only for his Spider Sense to prompt him to look back and notice Traag about to spew lava at him at near point-blank range, forcing him to use his shield to defend against the lava, which promptly melted his shield, and then he turned around just in time to see the Hobgoblin hurling a barrage of exploding razor bats at him "And again I say, crapbaskets."

"Not this time!" this was when Daredevil leapt onto the scene, using the Devil's Horn to bat away most of the razor bats mere seconds before they exploded, and then he hurled the last one back at Hobgolin, striking his glider and causing it to explode, sending the Hobgoblin hurtling towards him just in time for Daredevil to deal him a roundhouse kick to the face, and at the same time use the grabble of Devil's Horn to rip his mask off… revealing the face of the man in the suit "Spider-Man."

"Yeah, I know." Spider X gazed down at the unconscious form of the man that lay in front of them, showing the face of a middle-aged man with dark skin and gray hair "Roderick Kingsley, I actually came across him during a little stakeout operation I did this year, and if I had to guess, I'd say he was the true Hobgoblin the whole time."

"But what about the other guy?" Mikey beat down a few Kraangdroids with his nunchucks as he cast a glance over at them "He was some kind of decoy?"

"My guess is that Kingsley probably did something similar to what Norman Osborn did to keep me from figuring out he was the Green Goblin. He put someone else in the suit to save his own sorry butt." Spider X's tone was laced with disgust "It's not the first time I've seen that ploy, but it's gonna be the last if I have a say in it."

"I can only hope it is as well, but unfortunately we all have more important things to worry about right now." Daredevil told him.

"Yeah I know, saving the world and all that. Let's get back to it."

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After receiving the message of April's capture, Splinter (his face covered with a hood) made his way to Shredder's lair, mowing down the remaining nameless Foot ninja without hesitation or any difficulty. After that he made his way to Shredder's throne room, where he promptly took out both Fishface and Dogpound with ease, before moving to free April… only to find that her form was actually a hologram created by a Mouser, which he destroyed with a shuriken. It was after this that Shredder made himself known to Splinter, revealing that April had been delivered over to the Kraang. Enraged by this, Splinter removed his hood and revealed his rat form to Shredder, promising it would be the last thing he would ever see.

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Meanwhile, with the main mission…

"Come on, come on!" Leo gritted his teeth as he rolled forward to avoid another lunge attempt from Traag and subsequently used the endoparticle disruptor to blow one of his arms off once again "This isn't going to work forever guys, the disruptor is running out of juice!"

"Try to conserve as much as you can for the portal!" Spider X leapt back and unleashed a barrage of energy webbing aimed at the various Kraangdroids "Once the force field is gone we still have to take the actual thing out!"

"And guys, we got other problems coming fast!" Mikey pointed to where the portal was starting to power up.

"That's definitely a bad sign, we're running out of time here! Hey Donnie, you got any word on our ETA?"

"I'm working on it!" Donnie continued working on hacking into the Kraang's systems, sweating visibly from the pressure as he did so, and from the fact that he had to avoid the occasional laser blast aimed at him "And that doesn't help!"

"I got it!" Raph threw a volley of shuriken at a group of Kraangdroids "Alright Donnie, when are we getting that force field brought down?"

"I'm still working on it!"

"Well work faster, we're running low on time here!" Raph was then forced to go on the evasive to avoid a barrage of lasers being aimed at him, until…

"Get down!" Daredevil swooped in and ripped through the group of Kraangdroids with a single move of his Devil's Horn "Are you alright?"

"I've had worse, thanks for the backup. Hey do me a favor and cover Donnie while I take care of things." and then Raph let out a roar and pounced at a nearby Kraangdroid in a rage, stabbing it with a variety of weapons and then throwing it to the ground in a heap "Yeah that's right, how do you like us now?"

"I think we're about to find out just how much." Daredevil directed his attention to where a series of Kraang flyers were hurtling towards them, prompting them to use their weapons to fend them off "The rest of you keep an eye out, we have more incoming!"

"I noticed!" Spider X went on the offensive and began to rip through the Kraang flyers using his mechanical limbs, hurling one of them into Traag's face in the process "If we're gonna take the big guy down then now would be the time!"

"That's just what I plan to do!" Leo let out a roar as he charged at Traag, aiming the endoparticle disruptor directly at his chest and letting off a blast, blowing Traag's body to bits in the ensuing explosion and sending limbs flying everywhere… only for the limbs to quickly start to reconstruct themselves "Um… that's not good.

"Yeah, I actually forgot he was able to do that." Spider X prepared to fire another round of his energy webbing, only for his attention to be drawn in by a loud crash from across the lab "And that's almost worse.

"What's up bro?" Mikey followed his gaze… only to find that the Hobgoblin was gone, leaving behind a trail of smoke and a hole in the wall, showing an orange and blue figure flying away into the skies, the sun rising behind it "Ooh, that ain't good."

"We can worry about him later, right now we've got other stuff to worry about, like saving the world from an alien invasion."

"And that's happening as of right now!" Donnie pushed one last button on his T-phone, causing the force field around the portal to evaporate "Yes! All hail me!" his cheering was cut short by the portal activating almost immediately after, followed by an enormous rift opening up above the building "Um… guys?"

"Yeah D, we see it too." Mikey looked up at the sight the massive alien warship hovering out of the portal "Holy giant floating shippy-ship…" and then he looked around just in time to see him and the others being surrounded by a large number of Kraangdroids, which promptly began firing at them.

"Get down!" a web line yanked Mikey out of the line of fire and over to the others, courtesy of Spider X as he summoned a large shield to protect everyone from the lasers "If we're gonna take out the portal then we've gotta do it now! Does the battery in the disruptor have any power left?"

"Give a minute and we'll find out, and the Kraang are gonna have to say good night!" Leo took a breath and aimed the endoparicle disruptr at the Kraang and the portal… only for it to fizzle out at the last second and fall apart "Okay… what the shell just happened?!"

"I'm pretty sure that means the battery in the thing died. Pretty sure we're gonna join them if we don't think of something, so anyone got any ideas for Plan C?"

"I don't know, I…" Leo took a frantic look around the lab, his mind racing… until his gaze finally settled on the power cell "Hey Pete, Donnie, would happen if one of us tried to rupture the power cell?"

"It would set off a chain reaction that would make the whole lab go up in flames, along with everyone and everything inside of it. Oh wait, I get what you're getting at. You guys go ahead and get out of here, I'm gonna-"

"No, you take the others and go. I'll handle this." Leo drew his sword and took off without waiting for a reply.

"Leo you'd better know what you'r getting into, that's all I'm gonna say."

"He does, now let's get out of here." Daredevil beat down a few Kraangdroids in front of them, allowing Spider X to bring down his shield and give the group a chance to make a break for the exit.

'For my brothers, for the world, please let this work…' Leo gritted his teeth as he cut down one Kraangdroid after another, and once he got close enough he drove his blade right through the glass of the power cell, initiating a chain reaction of explosions that engulfed the portal and the entire lab, prompting him to retreat upwards and cut through the ceiling to try and outrun it, but this led to him being blown away by the shockwave and left to fall to the ground, prompting him to shut his eyes and brace himself for the impact, until…

"I gotcha!" lucky for him, Spider X swooped in at the last second to grab Leo before he could hit the ground "Okay I'm feeling Mikey's new word here. The Spider X armor has officially earned its moniker of swikkity-awe-tastic."

"One of those times where I actually don't mind him naming stuff…" Leo breathed a sigh of relief "But thanks for the save Pete, seriously."

"No worries dude, it's what I'm here for. So, anyone else feeling the effects of the mission yet?"

"I can't believe it bros!" Mikey flew alongside him, with Donnie and Raph (the latter holding onto Daredevil) flying alongside him "We actually just saved the world, that whole thing wasn't so hard now was it?"

"Okay tip for the future Mikey, that's one of those things you never say. Ever."

"Why?" Mikey received his answer as a shadow began looming over the group… and they all glanced over to see the Technodrome looming over the city "Oh. That's why. You know I really oughta stop saying stuff like that."

"Yes, yes you do. Anyway you guys had better get ready, because I'm pretty sure we're in for the fight of our lives."

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Meanwhile, in another part of the city…

'Looks like it's almost time.' Harry, clad in a black suit jacket, made his way to the lobby the main Oscorp building and took a look outside to find a large crowd waiting outside by the dock, causing him to stop 'Wow… I never thought I'd be the one facing a crowd like that… Kind of overwhelming…'

"Harry?"

Harry turned around and found Liz making her way into the lobby, clad in a jacket that covered the outfit she wore underneath "Oh, hey Liz. The uh… the conference hasn't started yet."

"I know, I just ran into your mom

"In a few moments, but I wanted to check on you first. You seem tense."

"I'm fine, really. If I had some kind of problem I'd let you know. Trust me." he forced a smile, but it was pretty obvious it was a fake one.

"You know Harry, I don't think that's always true." Liz removed her jacket and put it on a nearby coathanger, revealing the black dress that she wore underneath that took Harry by surprise "Plus if I'm going to be honest, your mom seemed worried so I offered to come check on you." she was met only with silence and Harry turning away from her "You know she really is worried about you."

"She doesn't need to be. She's busy."

"That doesn't make her worry any less." Liz walked around to gaze at Harry face to face "I want you to be honest with me Harry. That's the only way things like this can work. Whatever you have to say will stay between the two of us, and I'm not going to judge you. Okay?" she gently gripped his shoulders.

"...Okay. The truth is… I'm scared. Like really scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of screwing things up." Harry looked up at Liz, a few small tears brimming in his eyes "It's just that… I spent so long trying to prove myself, to make everyone see I was good enough… In school or with sports, or even with my dad. He told me that if I wanted to get what I want out of life, then I would have to… cowboy up and do what I had to do. Plus he never apologized, and I think he didn't think I should either. For awhile, it was great. I was doing great in sports and in school, and I was finally fitting in with the popular kids… and then it all went to hell. It brought out a side of me that I never knew I had, and it scared me… and I liked it. I was finally getting all the things I wanted. Popularity, the girl I liked, my dad's respect… and then I lost all of it in the blink of an eye. I lost Gwen, everyone at school hates me more than before… and I saw the way that my mom looked at me." he swallowed a lump in his throat "But I think the part that upset me most… was knowing that I'd never get to hear my dad say that he was proud to me, not to my face at least."

"Is that what mattered to you the most?" she was met with silence "Like I said, I promise not to judge you."

"...My dad being proud of me was all I've ever really wanted. Everything I did was becasue I thought it was what he would do or what he wanted. He's the one that told me to cowboy up and so I did. Even after he was gone I tried to follow that example, to do what I thought he would be proud of… but my mom didn't think so, and neither did anyone else. They all think I'm some kind of monster."

"She would never say that about you."

"She didn't have to. I could see it in her eyes." he looked away from Liz in shame, only to feel her arms wrap around him as she pulled him into a tight hug.

"You're not a monster Harry. Your mother doesn't think so, and neither do I."

"...Thank you." Harry swallowed another lump in his throat, and then the sound of vibrating prompted him to pull his phone out of his pocket.

"Is it time?"

"Yeah, it's about to start. I should… probably get going." he released himself from Liz's hold and moved to exit the lobby, only to be stopped when he felt her hand grip his.

"Do you… want me to come with you?"

"...Yeah. I think I'd like that." Harry finally gave Liz a small genuine smile as he tightened the grip between their hands and made their way out to the waiting crowd.

What they didn't notice however, was the large shadow that was beginning to loom over the area as they made their way.

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Meanwhile, on the street level…

"There, you see now?" a young woman in her mid 20's with long black hair, clad in a leather jacket and a pair of ripped jeans (Jessica Jones) glanced over at her partner as the two of them made their way across a set of rooftops "I told you my informant knew had solid intel when we persuaded him."

"Yeah yeah I get it, your guy knew what he was saying." Black Cat gave a shrug "Didn't think you really had to bend him like that though."

"Two reasons for that. One, making sure he wasn't crapping out of giving us the good stuff. Two, he's the one who tried to cop a feel. You really think you wouldn't do the same if you were in my position?"

"I never said that, I just think it's a waste of time. Frankly I'd rather be putting that energy to use dealing with those overstuffed fat cats than destroynig some slimy drug dealer's ability to have kids."

"Right, because they're not your type."

"Pretty sure they're no one's type, or at least not the type for anyone that has a brain and some self-respect. Besides, I've never really liked the bad boy type anyway. Something about the ones who like the straight and narrow path really makes a girl purr."

"Like how you had that whole thing with Spider-Man?"

"...Aw crap." Black Cat's cool facade quickly faded "You know about that?"

"I'm a PI, it's part of my job to know things."

"Fine, fair enough. It's part of my old gig too." Cat breathed a sigh "I'm gonna level with you, I did have a thing for Spidey. Like I said before, the whole straight and narrow path thing really gets a girl purring."

"But?"

"But let's just say we don't have the best family history. He made a few calls because of some stuff that went down between him and my dad, I took it out on him for awhile after that, and I accused him of infecting my dad with his stupid conscience… and now I'm realizing he did it to me too before I ever even realized it."

"So?"

"So against my better judgement, I'm… trying to make a few changes. But I'm still not on the whole superhero trade."

"Hey trust me I get it, I don't get why Cage and Fist are all caught up in the stupid martial arts crap either. But someone has to keep the streets safe for normal people."

"You do you Jones. Frankly I'm still focused on making a decent living myself, but I ain't in the process of murdering people for fun, so I figured a little change of pace. Plus you're not gonna see me running around in spandex posing like a Power Ranger."

"...You know something Hardy, this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"That depends, you said you run a PI. How much does that make?"

"Well considering I charge by the hour and most of my cases involve some supervillain BS for one reason or another, but again, keeping the streets safe for normal people, and I'm just in love with the superhero crap." her tone was oozing sarcasm at the last part, but then she shot a smirk at Black Cat "But if people are willing to pay big for us to get the job done, then who are we to say no?"
"You were right, this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Not sure about the whole Heroes for Hire thing though, the name sounds like a little bit much."

"That's just the name we use for the ads we put in the paper, Iron Fist actually likes to refer to us as… the Defenders."

"Hm. Not bad."

"It's more accurate than what the Avengers have going for them." the two of them cut their conversation short when Jessica looked down the side of a building and raised an eyebrow "You up for a quick initiation then?"

"Meaning what exactly?" Black Cat followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow of her own "Okay now I get it."

"So?"

"Let's call it a trial run." and so they leapt down into the alley "Hey."

As it turns out, Fong and the rest of the Purple Dragons were in the middle of mugging a young man, only to stop when they saw Jessica Jones and Black Cat advancing on them "What the hell are you supposed to be, some kind of chick superhero wannabes?"

"Do either one of us look like superheroes to you?" Jones only tightened her gloves as Cat barred her own set of claws "The big difference with us is that if you try to screw with us, you don't end up in jail. You're more than likely gonna end up face down in a dumpster somewhere.'

"Yeah right, I'd like to see you try bitch!" Sid was quick to charge at Jessica and one of his giant fists fly… only for it to be caught in her hand, and for his arm to subsequently be snapped hard enough to make him scream in pain.

"I said we weren't superheroes. I didn't say we didn't have superpowers. And they do come with a few perks, like this." Jessica then dealt Sid a swift uppercut to the jaw that sent him crashing into a nearby dumpster "You liking it so far?"

"Well so far it involves beating the crap out of idiots way too cocky for their own good." Black Cat gave a shrug as she gracefulyl weaved around Fong and Tsoi's attacks, striking the former in the face with her class and dealing the latter a roundhouse kick to the chest that sent him crashing into Sid "So yeah, it's got its perks at least."

"Like beating the crap out of guys that try to grope you."

"I never said I didn't get your thought process." Black Cat rolled her eyes and turned back to the would be victim of mugging "You good?"

"Yes, yes I'm good as you put it." the man pulled himself to his feet in front of them, revealing his appearance to be fairly tall with a head of blueish black hair, clad in a standard lab coat, and he spoke with a distinct European accent "I thank you for your aid miss…"

"Just call me Cat. Black Cat."

"Very well. I suppose it is only proper to give you my own name, Dr Michael Morbius. It is an honor to meet one such as yourself." he took her hand and laid a kiss on the back of her palm, earning a raised eyebrow "I apologize if such a thing is too forward."

"Don't worry about it, European customs right? Not a bad looker either.' Cat studied Morbius in silence for a moment, the two of them locking eyes.

"...You know I'm still here right?" Jessica Jones broke the silence.

"Yeah I know, so?"

"So as much as I get the whole "I'm horny" look you've got going with him, we've got other stuff to worry about right now."

"Like what?"

"Like that." Jones jerked a thumb to where the Technodrome could be seen looming over the city and casting an enormous shadow.

"...Is that supposed to be the Death Star?"

"The hell if I know, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna turn out to be one of those days." Jones let out a sigh "It's times like this I wish didn't stop putting booze in my coffee."

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Meanwhile, in the skies above the city…

"Okay, that really ain't good…" Mikey watched as the Technodrome loomed over the skies above the city, and then he turned to the others "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be speaking for all of us when I say this." and then he started screaming like a maniac.

"One of those times where I'm actually with Mikey on something." Spider X cast a glance up at the Technodrome "Yeah, I'm pretty sure everything about this screams "end of the world" at the top of its metaphorical lungs."

"Actually that's not really accurate." Donnie flew up next to him "This just marks the end of the reign of humanity as the dominant life form on the planet, like when the dinosaurs-"

"Are you freaking kidding me, you're gonna do that now?"

"Well excuse me, but this is how I choose to deal with stress!"

"Just do what I do, make funny jokes and one liners that piss them off! It's fun and it pisses them off into making their own mistakes!"

"Save the petty arguments for later!" Daredevil was quick to intervene "I think it's safe to say that we have other things to deal with right now."

"I don't know, maybe it doesn't have weapons. Does it look like it has weapns?" Raph received his answer in the form of the the Technodrome pointing a series of lasers in various directions and subsequently firing all around the city.

"I think that answers your question. Also, run!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Spider X formed a shield around the back of his suit as he and the others began maneuvering all over the place in the air to avoid the rapid fire "Anyone got a plan? Right now all I have personally is trying not to die!"

"Works for me bro, I say we-" Mikey didn't get a chance to finish before the various lasers on the Technodrome blasted right through the wings of his glider, which sent him careening straight into Donnie, the two of them crash landing on a rooftop.

"Mikey! Donnie!"

"Dammit now what the hell do we do?" Raph received his answer in the form of various lasers ripping through his glider, sending him and Daredevil crashing into a nearby alley.

"Okay two for two, I say we don't make it three right now." Spider X tightened the hold he had on Leo and glided his way down into the alley, finding Raph sprawled out on a mattress, which also sent a homeless guy running away screaming "You guys okay?"

"We're not dead, so I'll count that as a blessing for now." Daredevil pulled himself out of a nearby dumpster and subsequently cracked his neck "The worst part is that this isn't the first time I've had to crawl out of a dumpster. It's probably not going to be the last."

"Join the club, I think it's safe to say we've all wound up in a dumpster more times than any of us would wanna admit." Spider X's demeanor hardened as the group gazed up to find the Technodrome hurtling above them, shooting lasers and causing all sorts of chaos throughout the city "Well trying to take that thing head on is a bust. Anyone have a plan B?"

"We're not getting anywhere like this." Leo turned to face the others "I think we need to talk with Master Splinter, so let's head back to the Lair and regroup."

"Fine by me, you guys go ahead and do that." the mask of Spider X opened up, revealing the face of Peter Parker "In the meantime, I'm gonna head home and check on my Aunt May, make sure she's alright. She already had a heart attack from seeing Spider-Man fight the Sinister Six, god only knows what something like this would do to her."

"I agree." Daredevil gave him a simple nod "I have some… other things that I wish to make sure of myself."

"Works for me. You guys go ahead and take care of whatever you have to, the rest of us will head back to talk to Splinter and we'll regroup later." so Leo took off, with the rest of the Turtles following close behind him, and Peter and Daredevil taking off in different directions to meet their own objectives.

What none of them noticed however, was that from a nearby storm drained emerged a slimy black substance, which began inching its way through the streets amidst the chaos, towards the direction of a certain building, which housed a certain someone…

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What none of our heroes knew however, was that as all of the chaos reigned down across the entire city, Splinter was in the Foot Clan's Lair confronting Shredder, preparing to end their feud once and for all, and the long-awaited battle between the two masters finally began.

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Meanwhile, at a certain conference…

"Looks like the moment of truth is at hand." Donald Menken stepped onto a stage and stopped in front of the podium to address the crowd "Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Oscorp, it is my honor to introduce to you Mrs Emily Osborn."

Sure enough it was at this moment that Emily stepped out and made herself known, which prompted Menken to step back and let her take her place at the podium, albeit earning a few series of boos from some of the crowd "Good morning. I can imagine many of you are less than pleased to be here, and given the history of my family's actions, I cannot blame you. But I can't stay silent anymore, and so I come to you now to speak up for this city and its people."

'Looks like it's time.' Harry took a breath as he followed Emily out onto the stage, with Liz by his side.

"Due to the actions committed by members of my own family, my own husband, that the people of this city have had to live in fear. In fear of men with their own agendas, caring only to gain more wealth and power, or to make a name for themselves. In recent histroy, there have several crime lords throughout the city such as Wilson Fisk, or others by the names of Diamondback or Cottonmouth. In even more recent history, there were men such as the Big Man of Crime, the Master Planner, Silvermane or even more recently, the Green Goblin. The last of whom was my own husband."

'Well that's one way to go about it.' Hobie watched the conference unfolding as he took pictures within the crowd 'But at least she's telling it on her own terms, and bringing it up on her own terms robs any of these vultures of the chance to discredit what she's saying. Maybe I should cover these things for Parker more often.'

"One thing many of the aforementioned men had in common was that they tried to rule over the city with campaigns of coercion and intimidation… and some with the blood of those who stood in their way. But they failed, because there were those tthat they refused to bow down to them or give in. There were many people who have had their lives ripped away by these tyrants in the name of their twisted agendas. Men such as Dr Otto Octavius and Morris Bench, two men that worked with my family at Oscorp, two that I was proud to call friends… and two that were so quickly ripped away, because I failed to see what was being done. Then there are others that had their own lives taken from them such as Mark Allen, who became a pawn in a sick game of chess to eliminate those who stood in the way of these campaigns. And as ashamed as I am, I hold my own degree of responsibility for these tragedies because of my own inaction, my ignorance of what was happening under my nose all this time. But now is the time for me to share the dreams I have for this city. To make it a better place, a place where its people can feel safe and proud of where they live. But to be completely honest… I also wish to do this to atone for my mistakes, and those made by my own family. For so long I kept my head quiet, because I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention. Perhaps in some misguided way, I thought it would be the best way to keep those I loved from being drawn into the line of fire. But now I know how foolish I was, how culpable I've become through my turning a blind eye. Now is the time to act, to make true lasthing change to this city, and free it of poverty and crime, to leave in the past the days where its people are at ground zero of alien invasions and nightmarish campaigns by madman in costumes. But I know that this can't be done alone." Emily turned to Harry and gripped one hand in hers, with Liz gripping his other hand "I also know that I won't be alone as I take part in these endeavors. But I also appeal to the people of this city, to help me atone for the mistakes made by my family, and to build a better legacy for this city and its people."

There was a prolonged pause, and then silence was eventually broken… as many spectators broke into loud cheers and applause.

'Well that went well.' Emily breathed a small sigh of relief 'Sure it's not all of them, but it's still a lot more than I was expecting to-' any excitement was cut short by a series of explosion being set off around the area, courtesy of the Technodrome as it towered over the city, while also sending the crowd into a mass panic, with Emily joining them as a large chunk of the Oscorp building was blown off by a laser, hurtling towards the crowd, with Hobie rushing over to a few people to try and pull them out of the way until…

"Get down!" a fist coated in crimson-colored collided with the billboard, splintering it into god only knows how many smaller chunks, courtesy of Iron Fist, to which he then began to use a series of punches and kicks to rip through the remaining chunks of rubble as the people began to clammer to get out of the way "Normally I try to avoid violence, but I think that the elders of K'un-Lun will forgive me if I use it for the right reasons."

"Yeah, avoiding violence my snow white ass." Luke Cage let out a snort as he used his own unbreakable skin to rip through some debris and rubble to give a few bystanders the chance to run away "I'm just gonna say it man, you've got more issues than you let on."

"And you could feel free to jump in and help at any time Cage."

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"I mean actively doing more than just standing there like a brick wall."

"Hey it looks to me like you've got the whole thing covered. Plus keep in mind Fist, no client means no cash. You and me are Heroes for Hire, not Heroes for Freebies."

"And that right there is why I think you spend too much time with Jessica. But look up Cage, there's a giant warship shaped like the Death Star setting the city literally on fire. I'm willing to bet my weight in spandex it's the cause of the weird energy I'm sensing. We can't just sit around and do nothing, we have to help how we can."

"I'm just saying that if it's that big of a problem, then someone oughta be willing to cough up a bit of cash." Cage then pounced over to where a woman and her kids were about to be crushed by falling debris, so he used his enhanced strength to shatter the rubble, allowing them to run to safety "Okay fine, you might have a point about the whole cash thing. We'll help, but "end of the world" crap like this sounds like an Avengers sort of thing, so I'm sending them the bill when this is over."

"Fair enough. We do know that Iron Man is good for it."

"Big time. Speaking of which, where the hell are the Avengers anyway?"

"Last I heard from Ant-Man they went overseas to launch an assault against a bunch of newly loacted HYDRA bases."

"Well that's convenient as all hell."

"True, but we can't afford to brood over that right now. We have work to do." and so they got back to working on crowd control.

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Meanwhile, in another part of the crowd…

"Come on hurry, I don't know if it'll happen again!" Emily rushed over to Harry and Liz and tried to usher them away from the building, only for a large piece of debris to fall towards them, sending Emily crashing to the ground on the opposite side of hit "Harry!"

"Mom!" Harry tried to rush towards her, only to see another piece of debris falling towards them, prompting him to and Liz to take cover, only to get dragged away at the last second before they could be hit "What the-"

As it turns out, Hobie was the one dragging Harry and Liz away by the arms "Out of curiosity, how good do you think this would look on a job application?"

"Hobie what… what are you doing here?" Liz took a brief moment to catch her breath.

"Let's just say that I owed Parker a few favors and leave it there, and save the rest for after we're not about to get crushed to death."

"We can't just leave, my mom is still in here somewhere!" Harry took a frantic look around the scene.

"Let's find her and then get the hell out of here, the whole place could come down on us at this point!" and so the three of them took off running in search of Emily.

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Meanwhile, with the mother in question…

"Harry! Liz! Where are you?" Emily let out a cough as she tried to wave away some smoke amidst the debris, only to suddenly be grabbed by the arm and pulled aside, and she quickly turned around to see the source of it "Menken!"

Sure enough, Donald Menken was the one standing before Emily, and he was quick to tighten his grip on her arm as he led her towards the street "We have to go ma'am, now."

"We can't just leave, my son is in the middle of all of this, and these people need help!"

"Harry is fine, he's already been taken from the scene and we need to get you out of here right now!" Menken quickly ushered Emily into a side door of the Oscorp building and pulled her into a secret passageway that opened up in the floor to which he pulled out his phone and sent out a text message 'Phase 1 complete, the target has been removed from the scene.'

"You're absolutely certain that Harry is safe?"

"Yes ma'am, I saw to him being escorted to safety myself." Menken turned to Emily and looked her dead in the eye "You can trust my word can't you?"

"...Fine." Emily relented, but then pulled out her own cell phone "But this does warrant a change of plans, I want to move up my afternoon appointment. We need to go to the Oscorp storage facility, now.

"Understood." Menken gave a nod, then sent another text on his phone 'Phase 2 commencing, bringing the target to a secluded area. Next will be the time to strike.'

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Meanwhile, with the damage control…

"Get down!" Iron Fist didn't hesitate to use his the chi in his fist to punch through a large chunk of concrete to stop it from crushing a few civilians, only for the bits to splinter off and hurtle towards a few others "Luke!"

"I'm on it!" Luke Cage wasted no time as he grabbed hold of a few of them and make use of his unbreakable skin to shield them from the debris… but then he looked over to see another large amount of debris and ruble hurtling towards Harry's group, to which he quickly broke off and tried to rush towards them 'Shit, I'm not gonna make it in time!'

"Get down!" Hobie grabbed both Harry and Liz and threw them to the ground as the debris kept hurtling towards them… only for a sudden burst of heat to incinerate a steem beam before it was able to strike them 'What the hell…?'

"Is it… are we…" Harry opened his eyes and took a look around, and he quickly breathed a small sigh of relief "Oh man, I thought we were goners. At least we're out of danger."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Osborn."

"What do you mean?" Harry followed Hobie's gaze, and his eyes widened at what he saw "What the hell…?"

As it turns out, Liz stood before the two of them, with her entire body being enveloped in a wave of flames, her eyes and hair glowing gold, the former of which widened as she cast a look over at the others "Harry… Hobie… what's happening… to me…?" and that was all she was able to get out before the flames faded as she lost consciousness and fell forward, being caught by Harry before she could hit the ground.

"What the hell was that…?"

"I've got theories, none of them are particularly pleasant." Hobie watched as Luke Cage and Iron Fist observed the scene from afar, then went back to damage control 'Note to self, gonna have to talk with Parker about this. Maybe look into those rumors about a school upstate for people that have… special gifts. We can worry about that later, we gotta get out of here. Can you carry her like that?"

"I can try." Harry gritted his teeth and lifted Liz into his arms bridal style "We still have to find my mom."

"I already looked around, I'm pretty sure I saw her head inside the building."

"She had another appointment inside, something about dismantling in one of the vaults inside the building… She must be in there, we've gotta go!" so Harry tightened his grip on Liz and took off into the Oscorp building, with Hobie following close behind him.

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Meanwhile, with other would-be victims…

"Don't just stand there, keep running!" a blonde woman in a blouse and skirt (Karen Page) was running through a certain office building as fast as she could, dragging Foggy Nelson by the arm as they ran "This is not how I want to die!"

"And you think I do?!" Foggy shot her an incredulous look as they continued running amidst the lasers being fired by the Technodrome "I don't wanna die by a freaking Death Star either, I'd rather go out in bed with a beautiful woman like Marci!"

"Save your twisted fantasies of dying during sex for later! What the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know."

"Where did it come from?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" this exchange was cut short by a wall being promptly incinerated a few feet away from them, the explosion sending both of them hurtling through another wall, which was followed by a group of Kraangdroids appearing before them, as well as a pod that emerged from the Technodrome itself and hurtled towards them, until…

"Hey dipshits." the sound of a gun being loaded drew the attention of the Kraangdroids to a new figure making himself known on the scene, one with short hair and a vest with a skull on the front, loaded with weapons (the Punisher), who grabbed a rifle off his back "You wanna try and get a few shots in at someone, how about you give me a shot?" that actually got at least a few of the Kraangdroids to close in on him instead, not that made a difference given that he loaded a rifle and shot all of them in a matter of seconds, before plucking a grenade from his belt, removed the pin and chucked it at the Kraang pod, causing it to explode while he grabbed hold of both Karen and Foggy and yanked them to the ground as the blast went off, torching the pod in seconds. Once that was done, he turned to the two of them "You good?"

"We good? Take a look around!" Foggy shot an incredulous look around the chaos unfolding in the city "How the hell does it look we're good to you?!"

"Trust me Nelson, live the life I do and nothing phases you. Also, you're welcome."

"Well thanks, really." Karen breathed a small sigh "I didn't think I was going to see you again so soon after last time."

"You and me both. So, any idea what the hell is going on around here?"

"Foggy! Karen!" it was at this moment that Daredevil came rushing into the building through the hole in the wall, fending off another Kraangdroid with Devil's Horn as he did so, only to stop when he saw the Punisher standing before him "Frank."

"Red." Punisher gave him a simple nod.

"I didn't think I was going to run into you. What are you doing here?"

"Just random chance, passing through the area while everything's going to shit, heard a scream and wound up repaying a debt to someone I owe a lot to." he glanced over at Karen and gave her a nod, then glanced out at the Technodrome "I'm just gonna say it. First ninjas, now a freaking Death Star? You get into some weird shit red."

"You have no idea." Daredevil breathed a sigh, but then quickly turned to Karen and Foggy as he took off his helmet… revealing the face of Matt Murdock to them "Are you two okay?"

"Well we're not dead, so I can live with that for now." Foggy told him dryly "But that thing out there…"

"Yeah, it's… they're making their move. Everything I've been doing the last few years, it's been building to this."

"They're whye you left the city for three years." Karen noted, her gaze narrowing slightly "Also that reminds me, you owe me for like three years of rent since you've been gone. You're so paying me back for that. Again."

'...Oh yeah, that's still a thing. I will pay you back for all of it, I swear. Though maybe not all in money."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Well… there is something I've been wanting to say to you."

"...Yeah I really don't wanna be here for this sappy bullshit, so I'm gonna clear out." Punisher was about to leave, then paused as he grabbed Foggy by the shoulders "Come on mullet, you and me are gonna use aliens as some target practice." and he dragged him out of the room without another word.

"Okay… going to deal with that later." Matt turned back to Karen as he took a breath "Karen, there's something I need to say to you. Something I need to get off my chest."

"Right now?" Karen shot him an incredulous look "If this is one of those "end of the world so I wanna tell you how I feel speeches" then I swear I'm gonna puke on your DD."

"It's not. At least not in the traditional sense, but with the world on fire I figured I might as well go for it while I have a minute to breath." Matt paused as he turned to fully face her "Karen, I can't protect you. I can't protect everyone, but I'll be damned if I haven't tried, and it's gotten weirder every time."

"You've had to fight off a worldwide cult of ninjas and beat them by bringing down a building on yourself, how much weirder does it get than that."

"For the past few months I've been working with a quartet of teenage mutant turtles trained as ninjas along, their father who happens to be a giant rat, a kid with spider abilities and a teenage girl with psychic powers."

"...Okay yeah, that's weird. Even for you."

"Exactly. Not that my life has ever really been normal." Matt paused and took a look out at the city as the chaos continued unfolding "When I was 9, I found my father dead in an alley because he refused to take a bribe from a crooked fight promoter. Then Stick found me, and even after he left I spent my life training to fight the same sort of criminals, to protect this city and its people, to make sure that what happened to me and my dad doesn't happen to anyone else. But with the Kraang it's different, because this isn't about me. It's about everyone else."

"I… I get that." Karen paused as she looked away from him "To be honest, part of me always thought that vigilantes, heroes like them, that they're out of their mind. Like they've got this ridiculous notion that they have to save the day alone, that it's all their responsibility and that anyone else they care about has to just sit on the sidelines like freaking houseplants."

"It… might be their way of being brave."

"It's not brave, it's stupid and selfish and thoughtless! They have people that can be helping them and sure there are people out there that need them… but there are people there that need them by their side. Leaving them behind like that is such a bullshit thing to do."

"...I'm not stupid Karen, I know you're talking about me." Matt gently grabbed her by the chin and turned her head to meet him face to face "So go ahead and say it. I know I deserve it on at least some level."

"Fine… how the hell could leave us behind Matt? You just took off for three freaking years! I guess I should be glad that at least this time you didn't make us thing you were dead, but it still freaking sucks dammit! We felt… I felt so lost without you."

"Yeah… I felt the same way." Matt pulled Karen into a tight hug, her face in his shoulder as he buried his face in her hair "To be honest, all the time I was gone I regretting leaving you and Foggy behind. I kept telling myself that it was something I had to do, that hunting down the Kraang was something that had to be done on my own, that unlike Fisk they didn't have any weaknesses or morals to exploit, and that the only way to keep the two of you safe was to keep you out of it… But even as I kept saying that to myself, there wasn't a day that went by where I didn't hate myself for it… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

"It… It really did suck while you were gone… All this time I've been sad, angry and hurt… and kind of numb too."

"I know. I suck. Even despite that, I kept thinking about you guys every day when I was gone, not a moment went by where you weren't on my mind. I kept missing you so much that it would hurt more than any stab wound, laser burn or any kind of injury ever could."

"Yeah well… that doesn't really do a ton to make me feel better."

"Well I can think of one other way to make you feel better." Matt gently brushed one hand against Karen's cheek, and before either of them knew it their lips had connected. A moment passed before he broke away "Not quite what I had in mind, but that was nice."

"Yeah that's… one way to put it." she let out a giggle.

"As for making it up to you, and paying you back for rent… maybe I could start by taking you to dinner when this is over?"

"Sure that… that sounds nice." Karen took a moment to catch her breath and quickly regained her composure "But you'd better come back this time, or I swear to God I'm never gonna forgive you."

"I have no reason to doubt that." Matt caught her in another quick kiss, then stepped out of the room to where Punisher and Foggy stood in the hallway "Hey."

"You knew we were there the whole time didn't you?" Foggy asked dryly.

"The fact that there wasn't any gunshots or explosions helped to tip me off." Matt gave a shrug, but then his demeanor hardened "It's time."

"You're going out there?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you heard my speech in there. I have to do this, or else I'm pretty sure it's the literal end of the world."

"That's sure as hell what it looks like." Foggy took a breath and looked Matt in the eye "You'd better come back this time, and if you drop another building on your head I swear I'm gonna drag you out of there myself just to kick your ass."

"Something I never doubted for a second." Matt let out a chuckle as he pulled Foggy into a tight hug, then paused as he pulled something out of his suit and handed it to Foggy… which just so happened to be a diamond ring "You wanted me to hold onto this for you remember?"

"You still had that when you went to fight that thing?"

"I've had it since I went with the Turtles to stop the Kraang from stealing a diamond lens to power a laser drill. I say make good use of it." he gave Foggy a nod of encouragement, then turned to the Punisher "Listen…"

"You gotta go take these guys down right?" Punisher gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Me and some… special friends of mine. I'm just gonna say it. Please, keep the two of them safe until I get back."

"Yeah… Yeah you got it Red." Punisher pulled another gun off his back "Those blob freaks want them, they go through me."

"Good enough for me. See you around Frank." and so Daredevil extended the grapple on his Devil's Horn and took off swinging across the rooftops towards the Technodrome.

"See you around Red."

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Meanwhile, at a certain vault…

"The chaos I saw today was a disaster, but it was a wakeup call too." Emily stepped out of the passageway and stopped in front of a large door with a retinal scanner, which scanned her eyes and subsequently opened the door "I can't put this off any longer."

"So I take it this is the time then?" Menken shot her a raised eyebrow.

"It is. This is one job that can't wait one second longer than it already has, or else god only knows the kind of chaos that it will lead to." Emily stepped inside the Vault, with Menken right behind her as she switched on the lights… revealing weapons, lots of weapons with a common theme of punkins, bats and Goblins "Destroy all of the Goblin related technology my husband had created before he died. I'm getting rid of it, all of it."

"Are you certain of this choice?"

"I am. This is one thing that can't wait any longer, and I'm not going to let anyone else suffer because of my husband's legacy. Not when I can still stop it."

"Yes, about that…" Menken suddenly gained a smirk as he pulled something out from his suit pocket "There's been a change of plans."

"What does that mean?" Emily turned around… only to find Menken aiming a gun at the front of her skull at point blank range "Menken… what is this?"

"I believe you know the answer to that." Menken's smirk only widened as he moved a hand to his face… and then ripped it off, revealing the face of the Chameleon "But if wish for greater information, you should know that this can be called a gift from one Mr. Roman."

"Roman? So that's it… he's still out there somewhere…' Emily's eyes widened, but then her demenaor quickly hardened as she composed herself "Assuming that your employer is who I think he is, you should know that when he's done with you, he'll probably kill you to cover his tracks."

"I'm well aware of how men like him operate, and as such I never let down my guard. The fact that you did is what signed your death warrant today."

"For all I know, I signed my death warrant a long time ago." Emily took a breath "But let me say this at least. Do whatever you want with me, but you leave my son out of this."

"I never had any intention of harming the boy. You were the target I was assigned to, nothing more and nothing less. Is that to make you feel better?"

"No, it's to ensure that if nothing else, my son will be safe. It's clear to me now that being alive is putting him at risk." Emily took a breath and closed her eyes "Whatever you need to do, you do it here and now."

"Very well. If nothing else, I respect that you face your end with dignity." Chameleon gave her a simple nod, and then he pulled the trigger, sending a single bullet ripping through her skull, and leaving her body to hit the ground with a thud. Once the deed was done, Chameleon pulled down his mask of Donald Menken and pulling out his phone "I need to speak to the benefactor."

"...Is it done?"

"The deed has been done."

"Excellent work, I knew that I could rely on you. Our business is concluded, at least for the time being. If I should need anything else…"

"Then you know how to contact me." Chameleon promptly hung up and took his leave of the scene without another word.

It was only after he was gone that Harry rushed into the vault, carrying Liz's unconscious form in his arms and with Hobie trailing close behind him… just in time to see Emily's body lying on the floor, to which he could only stare in numb shock "Mom…?"

'Oh god…' Hobie didn't utter a single word, he just took Liz from Harry's arms as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

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Inside the Technodrome, April regained consciousness and found herself bound to a metal table, with Kraang Prime staring her down in front of her. Kraang Prime went on to explain that she held unique mental energies attuned to the universe, and intended to steal them so the Kraang could use them to transform the Earth into their new homeworld. April's objections and attempts to resist were met with a swarm of electrodes converging on her, causing her to scream in pure terror.

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Meanwhile, with the remaining vigilante…

'Please for the love of god, don't let anything happen!' Peter didn't waste a second as he bolted through the front door of the Parker household, and then bolted to the basement door and rushed down the stairs "Aunt May, are you there?! Aunt May!"

"Peter?" from within the darkness of the basement emerged May, along with another white-haired older woman (Anna Watson) along with MJ, though the former rushed forward and pulled Peter into a tight hug "Oh what a relief, it's so good to see you. How are you doing, are you alright?"

"That's supposed to be my line." Peter was quick to return the hug and look May over "Are you alright, you didn't get caught in any of the blasts or shockwaves?"

"I'm fine dear, all of us are fine. It's just been a bit hectic out there with everything, and to know that you were out there…" she moved to walk back to the others, only to stumble slightly, leading her to be caught by Peter and helped over to a chair "I'm okay."

"Yeah I'm sure, but you don't want to push yourself too hard. Didn't you say something about swallowing my pride and accepting that I'm human like everyone else?"

"Honestly… you really are like Ben in so many ways." May let out a chuckle "He always knew how to turn my own words back against me. But I'm fine Peter, really. But I admit that I have been worried knowing that you were out there during all of this. If it's that man at the Bugle having you run around in danger like this…"

"No it's not him. Besides he was gonna have me cover a conference today, but the guys needed my help with something so I asked a friend to cover for me. Look you stay off your feet and stay down here for a bit, I'll go up and make a snack run from the fridge alright?" he gave her his most reassuring smile and a kiss on the cheek, then made his way back up the stairs and over to the kitchen, only to stop when his Spider Sense went off, prompting him to whip around and find none other than MJ standing before him "Oh hey, you coming for the food run?"

"That's one reason I'm here." MJ gave a shrug, then her relaxed demenaor faded "Okay here's the thing Tiger, I just want a calm explanation… as to what in the name of hell is going on out there?!"

"...Yeah, I should've seen that coming." Peter breathed a sigh "Okay short version, the Kraang were trying to bring something called the Technodrome to our world, which I now know to be basically their equivalent of the Death Star. Me and the guys went to stop them and blew up their lab, but apparently it wasn't enough."

"Since that thing came through and now it's torching the city."

"Not to mention doing god only knows what else." it was then that the sound of vibrating drew their attention as Peter pulled out his Spider Cell, and he let out a groan "And the good news just keeps on rolling in."

"What's wrong now?"

"Mikey is giving me an update. Apparnetly Shredder and the Foot teamed up with the Kraang, so they kidnapped April and let her get brought her to them, Splinter went after her and is probably in a fight to the death with Shredder."

"Then where the hell is April?"

"Her dad thinks they took her to the Technodrome."

"The giant Death Star thing."

"Yep, and Mikey says to turn on the news." so Peter grabbed the remote and switched it over to the news.

"Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe, pandemonium is rampent in the streets as a techno-terror-dome has appeared in the skies and is wreaking havoc across the entire city."

"Tell us something we didn't already know."

"You have to run for your ever loving lives people, because these creatures are abducting just about everything they come across!"

"...I really have to learn to keep my trap shut."

"Yes that's right. Men, women, children, even your pets aren't safe! All of them are being hunted and trapped in a series of strange pods and taken to what can only be described as a real life Death Star!"

"You've gotta be freaking kidding me, the batshit insanity never ends does it?" MJ let out a sigh of frustration as she turned around… only to find that Peter had disappeared "Tiger? Yep, that figures too. Well, go get em Tiger.'

"Mary Jane, where's Peter?"

MJ turned to find May and Anna making their way into the kitchen… and then another thought occurred to her 'Oh balls, now I'm gonna have to come up with a cover story aren't I?'

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Meanwhile, with the other member of the Spider Support Squad…

"Okay hold on, let me see if I got this." Eddie shot an incredulous look at where Gwen stood on the other side "You got suspicious of this other guy working at the lab at ESU, and you tried to play Sherlock Holmes, and he sicked a giant Thundercat on you?"

"That's… actually a pretty accurate assessment of it." Gwen gave a shrug and had a sheepish look on her face "I thought something seemed kind of off about him, so once I thought he left for the night I went to search through his computer, and I found a drive full of all sorts of info on the experiments he was doing. And all sorts of illegal stuff."

"Let me guess, selling his research on the black market or something?"

"More like taking commissions to use his research to make supervillains. He was the one who created Kraven, then he turned Mark Allen into Molten Man."

"Wait, the dude with the gambling problem that ended up in juvie?"

"That's him. He created Hydro-Man too."

"You mean that giant water guy that rampaged across Queens?"

"That's the one. And even worse…" Gwen lowered her voice to make sure that no one else would be able to hear "He knew about Dr Connors and the Lizard, and used it to blackmail him into leaving the city so he could take the lab for himself."

"Seriously?" Eddie scowled at the though "That son of a…"

"Yeah, I know. I downloaded everything onto a hard drive, but then Dr Warren showed up and sicked Kraven on me, controlling his mind somehow and sicked him on me. He would've ripped me to shreds if-"

"Let me guess, if Spider-Man hadn't shown up?" Eddie scowled at mention of the name "Of course he did, what else is new?"

"Actually before he showed up, I ran into… someone else, let's say. A new friend."

"You mean one of those new buddies he's got hanging around him?" Eddie was met with a look of surprise from Gwen "Don't look so shocked, rumors like that have been going around the city for months. Plus the guards use this place for poker games on Saturday nights and the walls are pretty thin, so… me and the other inmates here a lot of things we shouldn't."

"Like illegal stuff?"

"More like disturbing insights into their personal lives I can really do without."

"Ah. Okay then."

"Yeah." Eddie cringed at the thought, but then his demenaor hardened "Before we get into… just about anything that can get that out of my head, I wanna ask you something else."

"Sure, what's up?"

"...Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play innocent, you know exactly what I mean." he looked around to make sure no one else was there, then lowered his voice so that only Gwen could hear "You know who I am… who we were… you know what we tried to do to you, and to a lot of people… So why the hell are you here trying to act all buddy buddy with me?"

"Eddie…" Gwen paused, then breathed a sigh "Let me ask you this. If our roles were reversed, wouldn't you do the same thing for me?" that left him taken aback, and so she went on "I'm not going to pretend to just forgive and forget everything you did as Venom. Because it hurt, and I mean a lot. But I'm not going to just write you off either, because despite everything, I do kind of get it. Hate, anger, regret. Those are the kind of things that can consume people, turn them into things that they're not. They did it you, but I know there's still good in you. It's not too late for you to turn things around, to do the right thing. You wouldn't have given up on me, so I'm not going to give up on you."

Eddie was silent for a moment, and then he gave a small smile "Thank you…"

Gwen gave him a small smile of her own… but the heartfelt moment was cut short by the sound of an explosion, resulting in her being thrown to the ground. When she regained her composure, she was quick to notice that the room was reduced to smoldering piles of rubble and, a large chunk of the wall had been blown away, which revealed the Technodrome floating above the city for all to see "What the-"

"What's going on out here?!" this was when Ashley made her way into the hallway and quickly helped Gwen to her feet, until her gaze fell on the Technodrome "What in… What in the world is that?"

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, but we definitely need to get you out of here." Ashley grabbed Gwen by the hand and moved to lead her to the exit, only for another explosion to throw both of them to the ground and leave them buried under some debris. And then things got worse.

"Kraang must collect human specimens for Kraang." the voice sounded from the Technodrome as more pods continued to eject from it, grabbing various people from the streets despite various attempts to flee. And then one floated down towards Ravencroft and picked up Ashley and Gwen amidst the rubble, encasing both of them and taking them back to the Technodrome.

"Ashley! Gwen!" Eddie was left to look on in horror as they were taken away, and he tried to pry himself out from the rubble, to no avail "Dammit!" he continued his struggles to free himself for at least another moment, until another noise drew his attention to the other end of the room (or what used to be the room)… and his eyes caught sight of a small black oozing mass creeping its way through the rubble "You… You came back! I didn't think you'd come to me after… No it doesn't matter, you're here!" he reached out a hand to the Symbiote, prompting it to slither its way up Eddie's arm and engulf him in a sort of black cocoon, enveloping his vision in darkness in the process.

"Eddie Brock." the rasping voice of the Symbiote rang through the air "The fury you hold, the hatred, we can sense… that it has diminished… Do you not hate the Spider? Do you not still hate Peter Parker?"

"I… I do hate them. I hate him."

"You hesitate in your response. But it matters little, for Parker must wait."

"What do you mean?"

"We have gained… new experiences in our time apart. We have learned things… and we have much to show to you…" a tendril plugged into the back of Eddie's head, causing several images to flash through his mind.

"This is…" Eddie was left in a mix of shock and horror as these images flashed in front of his eyes "The plane crash… my parents… the Parkers… they did it. They killed them…" his face soon twisted inot a scowl "How did I not see this before?"

"Because that is what they wanted… They operate in the shadows, seeking power only for themselves, and to use others… They tried to use us… to make us into a weapon to use as they saw fit… and for that, they must suffer… Bond with us once more Eddie Brock. Let us once again become one, in mind, body and soul…"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Eddie's expression hardened as the Symbiote began to cover his body.

"Let us once again use our gift to take revenge on those who wrong us… together, we shall have what we desire most!"

"YES!"

The black cocoon evaporated, and from within the rubble burst Venom in all of his terrifying glory, complete with the white spider logo on his chest and the long tongue hanging out down his chest "We will have vengeance on all of those who have wronged us… starting with the Kraang!" and on that note, he fired a single stream of black webbing and took off out of what was left of the Ravencroft building, towards the Technodrome.

What he didn't know however, was that the visitor room wasn't the only part of Ravencroft that had been damaged, and that at least one of the… more secure cells had been destroyed, which gave one of the patients, one in a green high-tech suit covering his entire body (Electro), the chance to step out into the hallway "Doc I'm out, you there?"

"Over here." a voice drew Electro over to another room, where a rounder man with glasses and a set of mechanical stubs poking out of his back (Doc Ock) sat leaning against the wall, until the door was blown off by a blast of electricity, to which he let out a chuckle and stepped out into the hallway himself "Excellent work my friend, now if you would do the honors…"

"Way ahead of you Doc." so Electro fired a single shot of electricity into the harness Ock wore, restoring it to power "We still gotta get your arms though."

"All in due time. We will have one more stop to make once we're free though."

"Yeah that's the other thing I'm not too sure of Doc." Electro jerked a thumb to where they could see the Technodrome wreaking havoc "You sure there's really a point to escaping now when that thing is raining fire all over the place?"

"Keep in mind my dear Electro, escape is always preferable to imprisonment. As for the current situation, we have very little to worry about."

"Becuase we're gonna do something about it?"

"There's no need. There's no doubt in my mind that cursed Spider-Man is going to end this crisis before too long. But at the same time, we should be grateful that such circumstances will award us certain… opportunities." Doc Ock glanced out to where the Technodrome was firing a series of laser blasts in the direction of Ryker's Island "There's no doubt that many of our old friends will see this chance as well and make use of it to escape, so let us make use of this chance that was given to us."

"...So we go?"

"But of course. We just have to wait for our transport to arrive." a moment passed, and then they were met with the sight of a set of tentacles bursting through the hole in the wall, which quickly attached themselves to the nodes in the back of Ock's harness, hoisting him into the air "And as is to be expected, Doctor Octopus has returned! Come Electro, we have work to do." so he had one of his tentacles hoist Electro into the air next to him, allowing the two of them to be carried off into the distance amidst the chaos.

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Meanwhile, with the villainous faction…

"Looks like things are progressing smoothly." Subprime watched the carnage unfolding across the city, then the sound of a crash turned her attention over to where the Hobgoblin crashed to the ground on top of his glider, to which she gave a smirk "And here I thought one who wore the mantle of a Goblin was supposed to be a force to be reckoned with."

"At least I was willing to get my hands dirty out there." Hobgoblin gave a scowl as he ripped off his mask, revealing the face of Roderick Kingsley "I didn't see you fighting out there with the rest of them."

"Someone has to manage things around here until our leader shows himself. You've seen how woefully incompetent most Kraang have proven themselves to be." Subprime gave a shrug "But in any case, our leader feels that you have proven yourself to be useful, and as such you've earned a small degree of mercy. This planet is going to be ours, but you'll be spared. At least for the time being.'

"That's all I'm looking for." Kingsley gave a smirk of his own, only for it to falter at the sound of an alarm blaring "I take it that's a bad thing?"

"More of a nuisance than anything else. Our resident pests and their pet turtles are crawling back to try and stop us, but we're ready for them."

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Meanwhile, on the ground…

"Okay, I think we have our way in." by this point, Leo and the other Turtles were making their way through the chaos of the streets until they were beneath the Technodrome, watching as various civilians were captured by pods and taken back to the main warship "I think it's pretty clear we can't get through its defenses, but the Kraang's own tech doesn't have any problems with getting in there."

"So you're thinking we try and comandeer one of those pods." Donnie frowned in thought "But the problem is that there are eight armed Kraangdroids between us and there."

"We could try and create a diversion."

"Yeah hold up a second." Raph spoke up "How many did you say there were?"

"Eight, and that's just the ones in front of us. We still need a way for Spider-Man and Daredevil to get in, assuming they're not gonna show up the second we turn around."

"Maybe I could try to override their security codes by-" Donnie was cut off by the sound of a loud crash.

As it turns out, Spider-Man stood on top of one of the pods beating down several Kraangdroids and webbing them to the ground, complete with a red and silver backpack on his back, and with Daredevil beating down a few in the street "This work for you?"

"...Yeah sure, that'll work no problem. Good to see you Spidey."

"You too guys." Spider-Man gave a grin from underneath his mask, only for it to falter when a familiar sensation began going off in his head "Hold that thought, we've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Leo received his answer in the form of a group of Kraangdroids appearing from the Technodrome, with one of their giant energy cannons "I'm gonna go ahead and guess that kind of problem."

"Good guess, now get the hell down!" Spider-Man and Daredevil grabbed hold of the Turtles and pulled them behind an abandoned car to shield them from the incoming blast… only for it to never come, which prompted them to look up and see why.

"You heard the bug, get the hell down!" as it turns out, it was none other than Sandman that was materialziing in front of the group and using his body to wrap tightly around the cannon, which contained the following blast, sending out a shockwave that blew the others back a short distance as a result.

"Hang on!" Spider-Man created a web net to catch the others before the shockwave could do too much damage, and once it died down he looked ahead… and saw the form of Sandman had been turned into glass around the energy cannon, both of which subsequently shattered.

"The heat from the explosion… it must have glazed him." Donnie was the first one to take a step towards what was left of the Sandman "But is he…"

"Wouldn't count it him out just yet, he's made of tougher stuff than that. You know I'm right, don't you Sandy?"

Sure enough, a moment passed before the Sandman rematerialized in front of the group and shot a smirk at Spider-Man "I guess I can't expect it too work twice in a row. Anyway that oughta prove my next point."

"Which is what exactly?" asked Leo.

"That I can take anything these little freaks can dish out. You guys are gonna head into the ship and take them down right? Then go ahead and do what you gotta do, I can keep these guys busy no problem."

"Works for me." Leo leapt into the pod, with the other Turtles and Daredevil following right before it started hurtling back over to the Technodrome "Spidey let's go!"

"I'm coming!" Spider-Man webbed a line onto the pod, and then he cast a quick glance over towards Sandman "Thanks man, I mean it." and so he latched onto the pod along with the others, allowing them to be taken into the Technodrome.

What none of them noticed however, was that Venom was watching the group depart from his place on a rooftop, and the mask gave way to reveal the face of Eddie Brock, scowling at the sight of Spider-Man tagging along "Typical, of course he's bound to show up."

"It matters little…" the voice of the Symbiote rang through his mind "He shall suffer for what he has done to us… but the Kraang will be first… We will get into their ship and destroy it, and all of those inside of it shall burn!"

'Yes, they… Wait, everyone…? No, that's… not right.'

"Why do you hesitate? You know what we know… You know what those abominations have done to hurt us… They must pay!"

'I know, and I want them to pay… But there are people that they captured in there, innocents that don't deserve to suffer… There's no reason for them to suffer for our revenge… The Kraang were the ones that hurt us, and Spider-Man too, but random innocents like that… There's no reason for them to suffer too.'

"Such sentimentality is nothing more than a weakness. If they do not stand with us, then they stand against us."

'But… why? The Kraang and Spider-Man, they have to pay, but hurting others that haven't done anything to us, it just makes us no better than they are.'

"You are a naive fool… If you put your heart out to those wretches, they will simply use you for their own ends and betray you, just like the Spider did. You can trust no one Eddie, no one except for us."

'I know… at least, I used to think that… But look at what happened to me… I ended up locked up in a cell all alone, without anyone who cares about me… At least, that's what I used to think about myself…'

"You thought such a thing because it was true! It was because of the Kraang that we had to undergo such torture, and your parents were taken from you. Ever since then you were left alone… until we came to you. We can give you all that you could ever need or want."

'Right now there's only two things I want, one of which is to take that Kraang ship down. But the other is to free everyone they've taken, because they don't deserve to suffer.'

"...Very well. Out of mutual respect, we will oblige your request… But our way."

'Fine.' Eddie's face receded into the mass of Venom, and he webbed a line of black webbing and swung his way towards the Technodrome.

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Meanwhile, with the villainous overviewers…

"Well that just turned out to be a lot more of a pain than expected." Subprime frowned as she watched the events unfolding through a computer screen, particularly of a certain group of six that managed to infiltrate the Technodrome, and then cast a glance back to the other person occupying the room "We've got a few special guests to deal with. They're more than likely going to be headed towards our leader as we speak, but if that doesn't pan out… Find them and take them out, nice and slow."

"Special guests is one way to put it." Roderick Kingsley gave a smirk as he removed his usual Hobgoblin attire and turned his attention to something else… something large, hulking and made of metal that sat at the other end of the room "And a special occasion deserves nothing but the best I can offer."

"Sounds good. Now get to it."

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As the chaos continued outside, Splinter continued his battle against the Shredder, both of them evenly matched. Splinter refuted Shredder's claims of him stealing Tang Shen, claiming she was never his, and that if he defeated him, he would have nothing. Shredder on the other hand, said that he did take one thing from Splinter: his daughter. Splinter was left frozen in shock by this revelation.

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Meanwhile, with the main mission…

"Okay step one, we're in." Spider-Man pulled himself to the front of his web line and latched onto the side of the pod containing the Turtles and Daredevil, watching as other pods were being grabbed and pulled into different compartments lined up along the side of the halls "You guys ready for this?"

"About as ready as we can be, but this is it. On three. One… two… three!" Leo opened up the hatch on their pod and the group leapt out… only to suddenly find themselves floating all over the place "Okay, I wasn't expecting that."

"I'm pretty sure we can't expect anything about today." Spider-Man let go of his webline and let himself float towards the group "Though I've gotta be honest, the Kraang having the ability to generate anti-gravitons is actually pretty cool. Or it would be if it wasn't so freaky."

"This is totally freaky!" Mikey was suddenly picked up by a device protruding from the wall and sucked into a compartment… and then immediatly spat out via a different hole "Okay I totally gotta admit, that was pretty cool. Or it would be if I wasn't gonna throw up. Or down. Or maybe sideways."

"Well wherever you're gonna spew, do it at them instead of us. Or just at Raph."

"Can we focus?" Donnie was quick to cut in "It appears that the Kraang have figured out how to generate anti-gravitons."

"So long story short, ninja running and web-slinging are more or less useless in here. So what's our next move?"

"We still have a mission to complete, so let's move." Daredevil latched onto one of the incoming pods using his Devil's Horn, with Spider-Man latching onto his pod and the Turtles latching onto one of their own, being taken into different compartment, allowing them all to hide until a group of Kraang flyers passed by without seeing them "Evidently the lack of gravity is going to take some adjusting to."

"Either that or we find some way to shut it down. Speaking of which, you got any idea where the hell we're supposed to go?"

"Give me a minute and we'll find out." Daredevil paused as he tried to use his enhanced hearing to figure out where to go… and his gaze immediately hardened "Well first off, I just figured out where they're keeping the civilians they've captured."

"What about April, is she with them?" aksed Donnie.

"I don't think so. I can't sense hver presence with everyone else. But… I do sense something else in that direction too. I think I just figured out where they keep the power source of the ship." this was immediately followed by the sound of screaming.

"That's April!"

"Try saying that a little louder, I don't think the entire Technodrome heard you." Spider-Man was quick to cut himself short when he noticed several dozen Kraang flyers hovering in front of both groups "Okay nevermind, they did. Next up, MOVE IT!" so he launched multiple shots of his impact webbing at a group of Kraang flyers, clearing a path for him and Daredevil to float out into the main hallway "So what do we do?"

"I think we're going to have to split up for the time being." Daredevil cast a quick glance over at the Turtles "You four go find April O'Neil and get her to safety, the two of us will go and take out the ship's power source and rescue the other captive civilians! Now let's go!" and so he began to fight his way down the halls of the Technodrome.

"Okay then, I guess we're doing this now. Might as well go all in." so Spider-Man pushed a button on the center of his backpack, causing the Spider X armor to envelop him, complete with extra mechanical limbs to help him move forward, while also giving him the chance to rip through the Kraang flyers in front of him with bursts of energy webbing "Bet you guys forgot about this bad boy didn't you? Well guess what, you're seeing up close and personal what the Spider X armor can do!" so he launched himself forward, taking Daredevil with him, until they came across a certain room at the end of the hall, Spider X piercing the electronic lock with one of his mechanical limbs and causing the door to shut behind them, which also deactivated the anti-gravity, allowing them to return to the ground "Okay then, that was easy."

"Didn't you once say that you should never say it's easy?"

"Yeah, why?" Spider X turned around… and immediately found several Kraangdroids and Kraang flyers surrounding a control panel surrounding a tube filled with Mutagen and several spinning blades below it "Oh. Aw crapbaskets."

"Are you ready to fight?"

"Always." so Spider X readied his mechanical limbs and energy webbing, with Daredevil moving to brandish his Devil's Horn, and the two of them charged towards the Kraang ready to fight.

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Now left in a shocked stupor by the revelation of his daughter, Splinter wound up on the losing end of the battle against Shredder, until Shredder made the mistake of using his daughter's name to taunt him. It was after this that he moved to strike the finishing blow. That is, he would've if not for the fact that Splinter caught Shredder's blades with his teeth and snapped them like twigs, tapping into his more animalistic instincts as the battle began anew.

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Meanwhile, at the Technodrome's power source…

"Well that was about as fun as sitting through Spanish." Spider X picked the remains of a Kraangdroid off one of his mechanical limbs and glanced over at Daredevil "How are you making out over there?"

"I'll be better when we actually get the job done." Daredevil stepped over what was left of a damaged Kraang flyer as the two of them made their way over to the Mutagen "You have a better grasp of the technology than I do, so what are we dealing with?"

"Well from the look of it, we can access their Mutagen supply through the fuel tube in the center of the console, and they use it to power the ship."

"Which raises the next question. How do we shut it down?" Daredevil paused as he felt a certain something pass through his senses "Or a better question is, how do we shut it down while we deal with this?"

"That's the neat thing. You don't." a voice caused the two of them to turn around, revealing the figure of the Hobgoblin stepping towards them, a confident smirk plastered across his face as he carried an orange and silver colored backpack of his own on his back "At long last I get to say what so many others have wanted to for ages. Spider-Man, this is the place in which you're going to die!" he went on to try and back up his claim by throwing out a razor bat and pumpkin bomb.

"Get down!" Spider X summoned a shield in front of himself and Daredevil to protect them from the pumpkin bomb, then used a webline from one of his mechanical limbs to grab one of the razor bats and hurl it back at the Hobgoblin, resulting in an explosion that sent him hurtling back towards the entrance to the room "I'd say that's the end of that, but I think I've already learned my lesson about tempting fate with stupid stuff like that today."

"Oh good… I was hoping it wasn't going to be as easy as that." the cloud of green smoke soon cleared away to reveal the Hobgoblin stepping forward, his uniform and mask scorched and bits of it having been burned away, but he continued to step forward regardless "But I see that now it's time for me to get serious…" and as he stepped forward, the backpack he wore began to expand and envelop him, encasing his body in a teched out suit of armor with the appearance of a Goblin suit, complete with the Kraang logo on his chest "And thanks to the Kraang, not to mention my generous benefactor, I've received some upgrades of my own."

"Right, you're just full of surprises aren't you. Give me a minute and we'll see if you can back up the talk."

"Not yet." Daredevil took a step forward as he brandished his Devil's Horn "I'll hold him off for the time being, you focus on finding a way to shut down the power source."

"You sure you can handle him?"

"Probably not, but it wouldn't be the first time." watching as Spider X began to work on the ship's control console, Daredevil tightened his grip on his weapon and charged forward at full speed… only for the Devil's Horn to be knocked out of his grasp and for him to find one of his wrists caught in the Hobgoblin's hold, taking the chance to fling him across the room with an energy blast.

"Daredevil!"

"I'm fine, just focus on the mission!" Daredevil picked himself back up just in time to meet the Hobgoblin in a fierce charge, only for him to blitz around Daredevil and deal him a roundhouse kick that sent him crashing to the round.

"Is that all the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is capable of? Honestly, I expected more from the man who brought down the mighty Kingpin." Hobgoblin let out a chuckle "Though it is only fair, I am packing a lot more power than our last encounter. I have my benefactors to thank for this new little gift. The only thing is that they never gave it a name… What did you call yours? Oh yes, I think it will do nicely… the Goblin X armor. Remember that name, for it's going to the last you'll ever hear."

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Meanwhile, with the solo would-be rescuer…

"You will suffer for your transgressions!" Venom wasted no time in ripping through every single Kraangdroid and Kraang flyer he came across, leaving them in mangled heaps as he went on to float his way down the halls of the Technodrome, though he was growing more frustrated by the minute 'Dammit this is taking forever, where the hell are they keeping them?'

"The Kraang are known to keep their captives where they keep their pods, hidden within the walls of the Technodrome. If you wish to find them, search each one until then."

'Fine.' so Venom started searching through the various compartments in the walls, until he was able to catch sight of two female figures in a pod 'There, that's them!' he latched onto a pod with a strand of black webbing and yanked it out of the compartment "Come, the time is now for us to fulfill our part of the deal."

"What in the…" Ashley helped Gwen onto her knees and looked up at Venom in a mix of awe and fear "What… What in the world are you…?"

"You should know Doctor? And here we thought we were so fond of you."

"What?"

"Why don't you see for yourself…" the mask of Venom pulled back to partially reveal the face of Eddie Brock to them "How about now?"

"Eddie? Is that really you? But that means the Symbiote… you were telling the truth?"

"You realize that too little late, because it doesn't matter now." Eddie's face disappeared, leaving only the mask of Venom visible to them "There is no more Eddie, and there is no more Symbiote. There is only Venom!"

"Eddie please, you don't have to do this." Ashley tried to reach out to him "I know you Eddie, you're strong enough to fight this, strong enough to overcome your hate."

"Your sentimentality is wasted… Your pathetic psychological holding skills won't work on us again!" Venom advanced towards the two of them, or tried to anyway, but stopped, and the face of Eddie Brock suddenly emerged once again "Don't…"

"Eddie?!"

"We don't… I don't… want us to hurt you…" Eddie knelt down and began clutching at his head in pain.

"It's okay Eddie, it's just me…" Ashley knelt down in front of him "I told you before that you're stronger than whatever hate holds you. You're more than that. I know that, everyone who cares about you knows that, and I think you do too."

"Ashley, I…" Eddie locked eyes with Ashley for a moment… but it was soon cut short as the mask of Venom appeared over his face once again "Don't think we'd let your sentimentality take away what we have after so long apart! We won't allow the Kraang to harm you, but if you get in our way… we won't show you any mercy." he turned around and prepared to take his leave.

"Eddie wait!" the voice of Gwen stopped him and made him turn around as she took a few steps towards him "What are you going to do?"

"What else, I'm going to take these alien monsters out once and for all. Maybe then I'll pay a little visit to your boy toy before I get out of here."

'Peter is here? Of course he is, why am I surprised? Eddie wait, you don't have to do it."

"Be silent!" there was a pause, and then Eddie's face appeared again "We can promise you this much at least… After what the Kraang have done to you, to us, and to so many others… We refuse to let them harm anyone else… And we'll do whatever it takes to make sure of that fact." the face of Venom appeared again, latching onto the pod containing Gwen and Ashley and hurled it through the halls of the Technodrome towards the exit, and then he swung off in another direction "Those monsters will pay for their transgressions!"

'But they're the only ones, the other people are innocent.'

"We've already agreed to your request, the normal people will not be harmed… but don't think we will be willing to leave the Spider alone…"

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At the same time, Kraang Prime had begun the process of siphoning April's cerebral energies and transferring them into himself… and once it was done, he would use it to initiate the final phase of their invasion: the planety mutation of Earth and all of its lifeforms. That is to say, he would've if the Turtles hadn't managed to show up on the scene when they did, Raph wasting no time in kicking Kraang Prime right in his brain, shutting down the planetary mutation process before it could be underway. The Turtles then took the chance to free April from the device that was siphoning her energies, and they moved to escape from the Technodrome. What they failed to notice as they left, however, was that Kraang Prime broke out of the wall and revealed his own robotic body with the intent of pursuing them.

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Meanwhile, with the other half of the rescue team…

"You know, it's a funny thing really." Goblin X let out a chuckle as he looked down at the battere form of Daredevil and readied an energy blast "When my benefactor first convinced me to take up the mantle of the Hobgoblin, it was mostly about taking his place as the Big Man of Crime, ruling over all of New York like a king."

"King of running your mouth is more like it." Spider X leapt in front of Goblix X and formed a shield to protect himself and Daredevil, then launched himself towards Goblin X and hurled him out of the room.

'So much for buying time…' Daredevil spat out some blood as he pulled himself to his feet and made his way over to the control console 'I'd be a lot more confident in this if I had any idea what I'm doing. I guess I'll just have to trust my senses to guide me here.'

"Well that was just rude." Goblin X broke off from Spider X's charge and powered through a barrage of energy webbing being aimed at him "As I was saying, at first it was about taking over the city, then I began to think about the big picture."

"Let me guess, then you came across your tiny alien buddies?" Spider X leapt out of the way of an energy blast and launched himself at Goblin X, only to be stopped in the middle of his charge and sent crashing through a wall.

"You pretty much said it yourself Spider-Man. After all, it doesn't get much bigger than conquering the entire world." Goblin X stepped forward and readied another pumpkin bomb to hurl at him "I have to admit that they do have quite the impressive track record, having bested countless worlds and a multitude of civilations crushed. If I wanted to get to the top of the food chain, then it was a simple choice to join them."

"Then that makes this choice all the easier." Spider X launched a blast at Goblin X's face and used his mechanical limbs to carry him further down, firing a barrage of energy webbing at him as he did so "Then let's make this a game of tag, you're it!"

"I'm growing sick of your constant prattling!" Goblin X launched himself downwards and caught Spider X by the shoulders, unleashing a pumpkin bomb at point-blank range, with the explosion that followed engulfing both of them and sending them crashing to the ground. Once the smoke cleared, Goblin X picked himself up, reveaing a good chunk of his armor to have been incinerated by the blast, but he was still ready to fight "Looks to me like… this is the end of the line… for you, hero…"

"I wouldn't… count on that…" Spider X pulled himself up with his mechanical limbs, one of his legs falling limp and blood trickling out of one of his gauntlets "I didn't let the last Goblin have his way… I'm sure as hell not gonna let you get yours…"

"Even if you could get yours?" the mask of Goblin X opened up to reveal the face of Roderick Kingsley "Think about it Spider-Man, the Kraang could use someone like you. What has New York ever done for you anyway? You've fought tooth and nail for over a year to save them from one threat after another, and what have you gotten for it? Branded as a menace, a murderer, just for trying to do the right thing. You could help to take the city into the new world, and there you can be called a hero like you've always wished for, given the respect and recognition that you deserve. You have the chance to be on the right side of history."

"...Did you really think that whole spiel was gonna work?" Spider X shot a stream of webs into Kingsley's face to stun him and took the chance to shoot him with a burst of energy webbing that blew him back up towards the control panel.

"Hm. So be it." Kingsley gave a scowl as he put his mask back on, and Goblin X got ready to hurl a pumpkin bomb at him "If you won't be on the right side of history, then you get to be history instead!"

"Go ahead and try it!" Spider X pounced upwards and blasted through the pumpkin bomb with a burst of energy webbing… only to immediately be met with several more that exploded at the same time, sending him plummeting back towards the ground and damaging his armor even further.

"Before I do this, I just want you to remember, you could've joined us, but this is what you chose for yourself." so Goblin X leapt down and prepared to finish off Spider X with one final stronger energy blast… only for it to be blocked by a shield made of webs "What?!"

"What the hell…?" Spider X lifted up his mask to look at what had saved him… and found that it was a wall made entirely of black webs, much to his horror "No way… Venom?"

Sure enough, it was at this moment that Venom dropped down onto the scene "And here we thought that this was going to be a private party, but whatever. It's been way too long since we had the chance to chat Bro."

"What are… What are you doing here?"

"We figured it would've been obvious by now."

"Hey in case you didn't notice, this party is already private." Goblin X was quick to step forward as he pulled out a barrage of razor bats "If you're planning on siding with this Spider then I have no qualms about ripping you to shreds too."

"Don't get the wrong idea big guy, we might share the same symbol as the Webhead, but all we want is to see him suffer."

"Is that right? Then maybe we can come to an arrangement."

"Let's start with beating him to a pulp and go from there."

"Works for me." so Goblin X and Venom stood side by side against Spider X, and then the two of them charged forward.

"...Yep, that shouldn't surprise me." so Spider-Man discarded what was left of his Spider X armor just in time to avoid a charge attempt by Venom 'Isn't that typical, my enemies bond over wanting to kill me.'

"Well it's as they say, teamwork is a beautiful thing!" Goblin X charged at Spider-Man and hurled a barrage of razor bats at him, prompting him to leap back to avoid it, only for Goblin X to hit him with a swift energy blast that sent him hurtling forward.

"And now we've got you!" Venom extended one of his arms to pin Spider-Man to the wall "He isn't wrong you know Bro, and we can tell you for a fact that nothing bonds two people together like HATE!"

"Really, and here I thought it was a secret love of boy bands!" Spider-Man latched onto Goblin X with a single strand of webbing and hurled it into Venom, knocking both of them to the ground and giving him the chance to free himself, then turned to Venom "Listen to me bro, it still isn't too late. You can get past the hate."

"Why would I wanna get past it when it feels so GOOD!" Venom pounced at Spider-Man and managed to pin him to the ground with a black mass sprouting from his arm "And what makes it feel even better is knowing how much it hurts you! It's like we told you, we are poison to every single part of you! We are VENOM!"

"Yeah… I heard you the first time…" Spider-Man spat out some blood from beneath his mask, and then he heard the sound of ringing coming from his belt 'Great, of all the times…'

"Spidey, dude you okay? We got April out from this giant Kraang thing and we're about to get out of the ship! What's your twenty?"

"Don't worry about me Mikey, just get April out of here! Daredevil and I can take care of things on our end!"

"Of course you'd be the one to go for the hard way don't you?" Venom promptly stomped on Spider-Man's chest, crushing his Spider Cell in the process "Fine by me. Once we get done with our business here, we'll just find these new turtles buddies of yours and show them what we do to the people you love most."

"Don't even THINK about it!" Spider-Man broke free of Venom's hold with a single kick to the face, stunning him and allowing Spider-Man to gain some distance and load a certain something into one of his web cartridges "You're not gonna lay a hand on the Turtles. They're more than just my friends… They're more like my family. They were there for me at my lowest point and reminded me of why I do what I do, and if you even think about touching them or anyone else I care about, you're gonna regret ever touching that Symbiote." then he wasted no time in firing a series of barrages of electric webs at both Venom and Goblin X, stunning them both with a swift surge of electricity… only for the electric webs to quickly run out, resulting in Spider-Man being pinned to the ground by another one of Venom's tendrils, the hard impact causing him to cough up blood.

"That… was… unpleasant…" Venom let out a hiss, then turned to Goblin X and yanked him to his feet "We want the honor of crushing him to pulp…"

"Yeah well, you're not the only one. I'm pretty sure every supervillain in the city wants to put his head on a platter." Goblin X readied one more pumpkin bomb, only to stop when he saw Venom fully turn to face him "What is it?"

"You should know that we are Venom, a being born of hatred for Spider-Man, but created from a human bonding with what's known as a Klyntar. We heard your words to this fool before we revealed ourselves, and we know what we want… and that's to be on the right side of history. The side that determines the future of this world and all of those who live in it!"

"Dammit Eddie, will you get it through your head?!" Spider-Man latched onto Venom with one more webline and tried to pounce at him, only to be thrown off and tossed across the room in a heap.

"You're wasting your time Bro."

"At least he knows what's right and what isn't." Daredevil leapt down onto the scene and tried to attack the two of them with his Devil's Horn, only to get tossed aside as well.

"The same goes for you."

"Face the facts, you two are both finished." Goblin X let out a maniacal laugh "With both of you out of the way, nothing can stop the Kraang from taking this world as their own, and me from looking it over as a king!"

"Yes, about that…" Venom suddenly whipped around and enveloped Goblin X in a cocoon of black webbing and smashing him to the ground, knocking his mask off in the process.

"What are you doing you fool?! Let go of me!"

"Oh we're sorry, we seem to have given you the wrong idea." Venom gave a wide smirk as he carried Goblin X back up to the control panel "We said we'd be on the side of history that will determine the future of this world… the side that exterminates the Kraang and any wretch that would dare to work with them!" and on that note, he broke open the mutagen and let it flood over the control console, smashing Goblin X down into it as well and allowing him to be enveloped in it, as well as the ensuing explosion, while he returned to the ground level and hoisted both Spider-Man and Daredevil to their feet "Get up, this whole place is about to go up in flames. If you don't wanna die then get moving."

"You just…" Spider-Man spat out some blood as he pulled off his mask, revealing the true face of Peter Parker "You killed him in cold blood…"

"The bastard was working with alien terrorists to destory the world, you're really gonna mourn over him?"

"That's not the- Why did you… help us? You show up to beat me within an inch of my life, and then you turn around and save us?"

"Did you really think we were going to miss out on the chance to inflich pain on you? Of course not, that's why we were created in the first place."

"But then… you helped us…"

"Don't get the wrong idea. We are Venom, and as such we are posion to both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, and we're going to ruin you… but as of now, we want to ruin the Kraang above all else. You can wait." the mask of Venom faded away to reveal the face of Eddie Brock, his expression solemn "Just call it one last gift from me to you… Bro."

"Eddie…"

"Don't even bother. You'll just have to die another time." so Venom fired a sinlge line of black webbing and moved to swing his way out of the room.

"Eddie wait, we can get you help!" Peter tried to latch onto Venom with a web line of his own, only for Venom to sever it before he disappeared from sight 'Eddie… bro…'

"I'm sorry about that." Daredevil put a hand "But we have to get out of here before this entire ship goes down."

"...Yeah. I know." so Peter steeled himself as he put his Spider-Man mask back on, and the two of them took off to meet up with the rest of their group.

However, what went unnoticed as they left, was that from the mutagen spill emerged Roderick Kingsley, only now the mutation had left him merged with his suit, leaving him in a mangled and twisted cybernetic form as he tried to activate his com link "Connect me… to the boss…"

"...What is it?"

"I… I failed… they destroyed the ship's power core… the Technodrome is going down… and they got away…"

"I expected as much."

"What…?"

"Of course I knew that Spider-Man wasn't going to fall that easily. But now I see what needs to be worked on before my inevitable confrontation with him. As such, you've officially outlived your usefulness to me."

"What? But what… about me…? You said you'd… make me a king…"

"And so you are. A king of fools. Activate Hobgoblin suit self-destruct sequence, five second countdown. Goodbye Mr Kingsley, and thank you for your patronage.."

Kingsley barely had enough time to scream before his suit exploded.

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Having gained his second wind, Splinter wasted no time in tearing into Shredder with a brutal combination of ninjutsu and his own more animalistic instincts, eventually culminating in a final strike that blew Shredder across the room and knocked off his helmet, revealing the burns and scars on the right side of his face. Splinter then grabbed a nearby katana and moved in to strike the finishing blow, only to end up distracted when Karai showed up to defend him… and that was when Splinter came to recognize her as his long lost daughter, Miwa. as it turned out, the Shredder was telling her the exact oppositve of the truth, that he was her father and Splinter was the one responsible for the death of Tang Shen. Heartbroken by this revelation and refusing to fight his daughter, Splinter chose to retreat.

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

"Come on you guys, we've gotta move it!" Leo and the rest of the Turtles (with Donnie now carrying April on his back) were in the middle of fighting their way towards the exit to the Technodrome, finding a long hallway leading towards the exit with several Kraang flyers headed their way "Get ready, here they come!"

"And there they go!" a series of quick web shots was all it took to take down most of the Kraang flyers, courtesy of Spider-Man as he and Daredevil dropped down onto the scene "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Forget about the wait, what the shell happened to you guys?"

"Short version, the Hobgoblin happened. We'll give you details later, right now we've gotta get the hell out of here." so Spider-Man launcehd a series of web lines for the Turtles to climb, just as he looked over to see the last Kraang flyer appear on the scene "Who wants this one?"

"I've got it!" Daredevil latched onto the Kraang flyer with his Devil's Horn and hurled it to the ground, resulting in an explosion that sent the Technodrome turning until it was sideways, but this didn't do anything to deter the group and they continued forging ahead, ripping through any of the Kraangdroids they saw in their path.

It was during this that Mikey spoke up "Hey Leo, I've got a quick question!"

"Can it wait?" Leo asked as he cut down a Kraangdroid.

"Not really!"

"Fine, what is it?"

"That big Kraang thing back there, we did beat it right?"

"Yes Mikey, we beat it."

"Okay, so then why the shell is it following us?!" he directed their atteiton to where the hulking form of Kraang Prime was hurtling towards them, prompting the group to take off running as fast as they could to avoid being stomped on or blasted by its laser antenna.

"In case you guys didn't notice, we've got other problems too!" Spider-Man quickly directed their attention to where the various pods full of civilians remained amidst the chaos "We've gotta get them out of here!"

"Pull them with your webs or the Devil's Horn, we can't waste too much time! There's one more empty pod up ahead so make a break for it!"

"You guys do that, I'm going for the ones that have civilians in them!"

"Hold up bro, I'm comnig your way!" Mikey maneuvered over to help Spider-Man, only to falter when he nearly got crushed by one of Kraang Prime's feet, sending him falling down one of the crevices in the floor, though me managed to stop himself… and then he looked up and saw that Kraang Prime's laser was being pointed right at him.

"Get the shell off of him you damn dirty Terminator reject!" Spider-Man launched himself back towards Kraang prime and managed to rip the laser antenna off with his webbing, then webbed a line for Mikey to pull himself back up "You okay?"

"My shell's a little toasy, but I'm good."

"In that case come on, we've gotta hurry!" Leo grabbed Mikey by the arm and pulled him over to the escape pod, where April and the other Turtles were waiting.

"Your efforts are wasted, there's nowhere for you to run!" Kraang Prime let out a snarl as he pulled himself back to his feet "Whether Kraang takes your world or not today, it doesn't change the fact that all of you will die here!"

"That's not going to happen." Leo's gaze hardened as he pulled out a chain sickle and prepared to close in on Kraang Prime… only to be stopped by a strand of webbing latching onto him and pulling him back into the pod with the others "Okay what the shell?"

"Hang tight Leo, I'll take care of this one myself." Spider-Man took a step forward as he put new web cartridges into his web shooters and webbed Kraang Prime's feet to the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"Pretty sure it's what you were going to do, except with webs. Splinter said it best before we took off. With the fate of the world at stake, the only thing that matters is that we get the mission done. It doesn't matter what we have to sacrifice. Or who. Besides, you already had your big sacrifice moment at TCRI. This one is all mine."

"Spidey, you- I can't let you just sacrifice your life for my family."

"Just listen to me, okay?" Spider-Man turned to face the rest of the group as he lifted his mask, revealing the face of Peter Parker "When I met you guys, I was at a pretty rough point in my life. I lost just about all of my friends, people were branding me as a murderer, and I was letting it rip me to shreds inside, so I just sort of… closed myself off. Then I met the four of you, and whether you knew it or not, you helped me to turn things around. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had friends again, people that I could trust… and I think you guys helped me become a better person. Everything I am now, I owe a lot of it to you guys."

"Spidey… Peter…"

"It's thanks to the four of you that I actually began to enjoy being who I am again. I got to see the good things in life again, things that I had pretty much given up on before. Living for my own future, building a real life for myself." Peter let out a bitter chuckle "You know it's kind of funny, the wall-crawling menace himself, or old Puny Parker, moping about how he was gonna have some big fancy life for himself, only to whine about how he might miss out on it. I bet that must be what everyone else would be thinking if they could hear me now. But the thought of losing all of that, the things that I hold dear to me, is a hell of a lot scarier than I could've ever imagined."

"Pete…" that was enough to leave Mikey with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Hey Mikey listen, I need you to do something for me. Gwen and my Aunt May, if I don't come back then take care of them for me."

"Peter…" Mikey looked up at him with tears streaming down his face "You can't…

"Thank you all, for everything. Now go!" Peter slipped his Spider-Man mask back on and leapt past Kraang Prime, wrapping him in a thick stream of webs and using it to hold him back despite its snarling and attempts to escape "Get out of here now!"

"Pete, you can't do this!"

"Just go, I'm gonna get the civilians out of here so move it!" Spider-Man stood his ground and continued holding Kraang Prime back.

"Pete come on!"

"Come on, we have go now!" Daredevil closed the pod as Raph and Donnie held Mikey back, and the pod took off out of the Technodrome.

'Good, they made it out… now to get to business…' Spider-Man released his hold on Kraang Prime once he saw the others made it out, and promptly webbed his arms and legs to different points… just as he saw the Technodrome crash into the sea, flooding its insides 'Crap, the damn thing just had to crash land in the ocean didn't it? No time for brooding, gotta get the people out of here.' so he swam over to the closest pod and pushed it towards the exit, prompting it to leave the ship, the process repeating with several other pods… what he didn't pick up on however, was that his mask (which had been charred and ripped from the long grueling mission) had been damaged enough to reveal part of his face,

And one of those pods just happened to carry Flash Thompson, who was staring at him with wide eyes as he left the Technodrome 'Puny Parker… what- no- yeah but- No it… No no no no no… no that can't be true… that's not freaking possible!'

'Come on, come on…' Spider-Man gritted his teeth as he continued pursuing more and more of the Kraang pods containing captured civilians, pushing them to safety as he continued to push his own limits. At least up until the explosion went off.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a stream of black webs hurtling towards him… XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, outside the Technodrome…

'Huh, I guess you were right. These things are water proof…' Leo was the first one to open his eyes… only to find the escape pod being caught by a giant hand made of sand 'Or not. Hang on, is that… Sandman?"

Sure enough, the massive form of the Sandman was looming over the group while holding their escape pod in one hand "Hey, you guys okay?"

"Well we're not dead, so I call that a win in itself." Raph noted dryly "Weren't you out on the streets beating the crap out of the Kraang?"

"Yeah but then I saw a bunch of pods coming back out so I came to check, now I'm basically a giant sand slide helping the people get to shore. Don't worry, I'll make sure to drop them off away from where you guys are." and so he subsequently let them slide down his arm until they reached the shore, allowing them to step out onto the beach.

"Okay, so that happened I guess."

"You guys!" this was when Gwen came running over to them "Are you guys okay?"

"Again about not being dead." Raph told her dryly.

"Okay then?"

"The point is where fine, but Gwen what are you doing here?" asked Leo.

"I got taken by one of those pods into the ship, but… a certain someone saved me and the woman I was with and got us out of there." she pointed to where Ashley was tending to some of the other people coming out of pods, until she noticed something else "Wait hold on a second, where's Peter?"

"He's… still down there trying to save everyone." Mikey directed her attention over towards the Technodrome… just in time to see it explode and then crash into the ocean "PETE!" and then a silence overtook the beach as they watched the Technodrome sink.

'Peter… no…' Gwen could only sink to her knees at the sight of Peter's supposed death, tears streaming down her face, and when Mikey wrapped his arms around her it didn't take too long before she was crying into his chest.

"He… He was a hero in every sense of the word…" Daredevil glanced out at Peter's supposed watery grave "I don't think anyone will be able to deny that now. Not even his most notorious critic."

"Still though, it's hard to believe that he really is gone…" Leo muttered and looked over to see Mikey trying to comfort Gwen "Who's going to tell his Aunt May?"

"Tell her what?" a new voice hissed through the air.

Gwen and the others whipped around at the sound of the new voice… and found Peter lying in an unconscious heap in the middle of a black web "Peter!" she was quick to rush over to his side and pull him free, along with the other Turtles.

Daredevil on the other hand stopped in his tracks and followed his senses over to where Venom was lurking behind a rock "Thank you for helping us." he was met with silence "You know I have been told about your situation before this. Despite everything you've said and done, he never gave up hope that you could change. Your actions today prove that he was right in his beliefs.

"...Don't get the wrong idea about us." Venom stood up and shot a glare at Daredevil as the face of Eddie Brock appeared "There's only one reason he's alive now, and it's because of what he used to mean to us." and then he swung away on a black web without another word, the face of Eddie once again fading into the mask of Venom.

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A little while later…

"Peter? Peter!"

'What… What's going on?' Peter slowly opened his eyes and looked around, finding himself in his bedroom with Gwen, May, and the Turtles standing over him "Oh, hey guys… you doing okay?"

"I should be asking you that young man." May bustled her way over to him and placed a hand on his forehead "Are you feeling alright?"

"Easy Aunt May I'm fine." Peter slowly sat up- or tried to, which resulted in a loud popping noise that made him lay back down "Though I am pretty sure that wasn't supposed to happen like that, so… ow."

"That's bed rest for you for today mister, and remind me to have a talk with you later about leaving the house for work without telling me first." May's stern demeanor faded as she let out a sigh "Honestly, I should be thanking Eddie for this then."

"Eddie? What are you talking about?"

"Gwen and the Turtles brought you in and said that Eddie apparently found you buried under some rubble during all of that chaos. He saved your life."

"Really…?" Peter looked past her and over at Gwen and the Turtles, and received a few nods of confirmation "Oh. Yeah, it's a little bit fuzzy actually."

"Well I'll let you rest. You probably want to talk to your friends a bit anyway." and so May made her way out of the room, leaving Peter alone with Gwen and the Turtles.

"So… what do you guys wanna-"

"Nope." Gwen was the first one to act as she leapt onto Peter's bed, gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him into a heated kiss, though after a moment she broke away to catch her breath and subsequently gave him the Look "Okay, so before we get into all of the important stuff, I just want to get this out there. Never try sacrificing yourself again."

"...Duly noted. So then… how long have I been out?"

"About three days." Mikey sat down on the bed next to him "You had us pretty freaked out like that dude."

"Sorry about that. I think it's called chronic hero syndrome. So I've really been out for three full days? What's been going on since the whole Technodrome thing?"

"Well for starters, apparently people are labelling this as the Death Star crisis." Donnie told him dryly "People are mostly working on cleanup and repairs to all the damage it caused, and we managed to steer clear of the bigger deals when they tried to investigate."

"Such as?"

"Mostly SHIELD and the Avengers. They both showed up not long after the Helicarrier went down, and now they're conducting investigations on everything that happened. We might have to stay out of sight of them for a little while."

"I can live with any of whatever they find so long as it's not my identity or anything to do with you guys."

"That was our thought process too." Leo noted "In other news a lot of people saw you working to save everyone in the Technodrome, and from what we've gathered you managed to gain a lot of good publicity from the civilians."

"Oh. Well that's cool, so at least people probably won't be calling me a murderer anymore. At least not until the next thing happens. So how bad did it get on street level?"

"To put it simply, they could be better." Gwen breathed a sigh "You guys managed to prevent a catastrophe for the most part, but… more than 300 got injured during the attack, more than 100 are dead… including Harry's mom."

"Oh man…" Peter's face went slightly pale "How is he doing?"

"He… seemed to be hanging in there as well as he could. The funeral was yesterday. I went but mostly stayed in the background, only talked him for a minute or two."

"I see…" Peter breathed a sigh as he laid back on his pillow, with Gwen running a hand through his hair "So much for Spectacular Spider-Man saving the day huh…"

"I wouldn't say that." this was when Daredevil suddenly swooped into the room through the window.

"How long have you been out there?"

"About as long as they have." Daredevil gave a small shrug as he sat down in the chair next to the bed "For what it's worth, I do understand what you're feeling right now. But I look at it as my own experience as well."

"What do you mean?"

"It was after I finally managed to bring down the Kingpin for good. A lot of people had died in the events leading up to that. It weighed pretty heavily on me, and honestly it still does. But over time I came to realize that if my life had turned out differently, then I wouldn't have become who I am now. People have died on my watch yes, people that shouldn't have, but there are countless others that have lived. When I think about that, I realize that it might all be part of God's plan. I think maybe my life has turned out exactly as it had to, and honestly, I think the same can be said for you. All of you really."

"Hm. That's a good way to look at it. Thanks."

"It's the least I can do for a fellow defender of this city. Which actually brings me to why else I'm here." Daredevil turned to the Turtles "I actually came to say goodbye."

"Wait, you're leaving?" asked Raph.

"Not exactly. I'm mostly just returning to looking over Hell's Kitchen as my domain, given that the Kraang are out of the picture for now. Mr Murdock asked that I stay close while he and his firm work on a special assignment for the Justice Department. In the meantime, the rest of you will have to hold the other crime lords at bay while Murdock and I gather the legal evidence we need to put them behind bars forever."

"You know that's something I've actually been wondering." Peter spoke up "We don't really know that much about you aside from you working with Mr Murdock. Anything else you'd be willing to tell us?"

"I think a certain police captain said it best. Those who wear masks may not have something to hide, but something to protect. There is one thing that I can tell all of you. Behind this mask is the face of a friend, and a lifelong ally in your efforts to protect this city." Daredevil gave a small smile as he shook hands with each of the Turtles, then turned to Peter "Also know that I will miss you my friends."

"That goes both ways. Honestly it felt kind of good having a role model in the whole vigilante thing."

"Role model?"

"Yeah, a vigilante that people don't wanna see skewered like a shishkabob. I don't know, I guess it felt kind of validating."

"Keep in mind that mask or no mask Peter, heroes come in many forms. Even if their methods might differ."

"Yeah I get that. I don't know, I just wish there was someone else like the Avengers for people to look up to, but on the street level."

"Except their is. And he's a true hero in my eyes." Daredevil's smile widened a little further as he shook hands with Peter, and then leapt out of the window and onto the rooftops of New York City.

"And there he goes." Peter laid back in his bed, then turned to the Turtles "So let me guess, you guys celebrated the whole saving the world thing after it happened?"

"We got pizza and had a kickass dance party." Mikey gave a wide grin "Didn't feel right without you doing the robot though, so I took your place."

"Truly, I'm honored. Before I forget, did anything else happen while I was out?"

"More like what else happened during the Technodrome incident." Leo told him "Ravencroft got a fair bit of damage and a few of their patients are missing, mainly your enemies like Doctor Octopus and Electro."

"And like Eddie. Great." Peter slunk further into his bed as his face fell.

"Hey, can you guys give us a minute?" Gwen cast a quick look over at the Turtles, prompting all of them to take their leave of the room as she turned to Peter and sat down on the bed next to him rubbing a hand through his hair "You doing okay?"

"About as well as I can." Peter gave a shrug "So what about April and Splinter and everyone else then? Are they doing okay?"

"Splinter has been a little bit downcast since then from what I can tell, and April and her dad are fine now, so they already moved back into their home."

"Oh. That's good." Peter glanced out the window, then looked back at Gwen "Is it really true though? That Eddie was the one who saved me from the Technodrome? I mean I remember him coming at me as I blacked out, but…"

"We found you strung up in a giant bundle of black webs, and Daredevil said he saw Venom leaving the beach too. Plus he told us about what happened with Venom and the Hobgoblin on the ship."

"I see."

"So… how about it then? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Honestly… I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"You can just say whatever comes to your mind if you want."

"If you're sure then get ready, this is probably gonna take awhile…" Peter breathed a sigh "I have no idea where to start with Eddie. I mean I already told you about what happened with him before. Now he's back and he still has the Symbiote, and god only knows where he is by this point. Frankly right now, I'm not sure if I'm scared for him, or of him. Actually I'm thinking of going with both."

"That summarizes how I'm feeling too. But whatever happens, you aren't going to have to deal with it alone." Gwen gripped one of Peter's hands reassuringly "I'm here with you, and I always will be."

"That… does make me feel a lot better actually."

"It's my job. You should get some rest though. Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Actually, if you could just… stay with me?"

"That was a trick question, and you have the right answe." Gwen let out a chuckle as she laid down next to Peter and cuddled up against his shoulder, with Peter pulling her closer as they lay together in silence.

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Meanwhile, with the unknown villainous forces…

"Well that could've ended better." Subprime scowled as she watched the video footage showing the Technodrome crashing into the ocean, though did smirk as another screen showed it start to reactivate "But I suppose it's not a total loss. Now if only I didn't have to report to that arrogant blowhard of a human contact." so she turned to another screen and pusehd a button "Connect me to Mr. Roman."

There was a pause, and then a familiar head of yellow hair with a moustache appeared on the screen before her "I take it things didn't go quite according to plan?"

"That's one way of putting it. All the detail you're going to get about is… that we've suffered a few setbacks. Evidently the Turtles and Spider-Man were stronger than expected."

"These Turtle creatures I'll leave up to your judgement, but I told you that Spider-Man was not to be underestimated. Of course even he won't be able to stand against what we'll be planning in due time."

"On that we can agree. Did you receive the remains of Kingsley? We managed to extract them from the Technodrome and sent them to your location."

"Evidently there wasn't a great deal that could be salvaged, either of the armor or of him, but it doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. He served his purpose, and I no longer have need of him. He was an arrogant fool anyway, but he did open the gate way for opportunities that I took notice of."

"How do you figure?"

"Kingsley may have failed in his objectives, but he did show that the suit itself, pilot error or not, has room for upgrades and improvements, perhaps some new weapon and other equipment to use as well. All this suit will need is a better pilot."

"You I take it?"

"No, I have my own purpose to fulfill when the time comes. I have a more suitable candidate in mind for the position. Keep me posted on your own progress. In the meantime, I have to make another call." and then the line disconnected.

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Meanwhile, in a more… somber setting…

'It still doesn't feel real…' Harry knelt down in front of a newly dug grave and placed a small bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone 'It still feels like some kind of nightmare that I'm gonna wake up from… but it's not, is it? You're really gone…'

"Hey."

Harry looked over to see Peter come up next to him with a rose in hand "Hey. Gwen said that you got hurt during the attack. You feeling any better?"

"More or less." Peter gave a light shrug as he placed the rose on Emily's grave "I was out of it for a few days though. I heard about what happened. I'm so sorry." the two of them stood there together in silence, at least for a few moments, until one of them broke it.

"...How did you do it Pete?"

"How did I do what?"

"How did you deal with the guy that killed your uncle?"

Peter froze as a series of images ran through his mind, but he managed to compose himself "To be honest, it wasn't easy. For awhile it didn't feel real, like I was… kind of numbed more from the shock of it. Like the most important person in my life was just… gone. But Harry, everything you're feeling now, I've already felt. I remember it like it was yesterday, how my uncle taken from me in seconds, for really no good reason at all."

"So what did you do?"

"Well… don't go spreading this around, because I've never even told my aunt about it, but I actually confronted him once, went to visit him in prison. I had the golden opportunity to get revenge on him. I saw him there cornrered like a rat, and I had the chance to finish him then and there… but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?"

"I was about to try and do it, but then I heard my uncle's voice in the back of my head telling me not to do it… It kept telling me that it wasn't going to change what happened. Revenge wouldn't bring him back. Even worse, if I went through with it then I'd be no better than the man who took my uncle from me."

"So… you forgave him?"

"No I didn't, and I probably never will. But my Uncle Ben always said that we can choose the kind of person that we want to be. So the choice I made was to walk away. To be better. To be the kind of person that my uncle could be proud of. Here's the thing Harry. Whatever things we've said or done in the past, mistakes we made, they don't get to define who we are, and neither does anyone else. We get to choose in the here and now. So I guess that's the big question Harry. What kind of person do you want to be?" and on that note, Peter turned and walked out of the cemetery without another word.

'What kind of person do I want to be…?' Harry stared down at Emily's grave in silence 'I… I don't know. I spent so long trying to be the kind of person that my dad approved of, then the same for my mom… what am I supposed to do?' his musings were cut short by the sound of his phone ringing, so he pulled it out of his pocket "Hello?"

"Hello Harry." te voice that came through on the other hand left Harry frozen and shocked to his very core, and at least a few moments passed before he regained his voice.

"D-Dad…?"

A/N:

Well this is it people, it took us awhile to get here but we've finally arrived, the finale of the first season of Along Came Some Turtles. Sorry this one took so long, I've been pretty busy. First I finished my last semester of college, and then I went on vacation to see some family, so it's been a bit hectic for me, but I'm back. It's pretty crazy to think about how much has happened since the events of the first chapter, both in and out of the story really. But just wait, you guys haven't seen anything yet. We still have at least three more seasons to cover in this story. We've got a long road ahead of us people, so be sure to buckle up and get ready.

Frankly, a lot happened in this chapter in general, aside from just the Technodrome and the long awaited fight between Splinter and Shredder. For starters, we finally see the return of Venom, which I started hyping up last chapter, and bringing in the start of his Lethal Protector phase, by killing the Hobgoblin. The original one at least. Also yeah, Roderick Kingsley is the real Hobgoblin, with Daniel Kinglsey being used as a stand-in for him last time he appeared, something that actually was a plot point in the comics. He did the same thing with a few others like Ned Leeds, Lefty Donovan and Claude, but I only went with Daniel in this one. Also he's dead, so… yeah, he's not gonna get a chance for the others.

Speaking of which, something else that I'm sure is going to get the attention of a lot of readers: killing off Emily Osborn, at the hands of the Chameleon. Yeah, I did struggle with that decision for awhile, but honestly I just couldn't see my plans for the future of this story working if Emily was still around, so unfortunately I only had one real choice. Either that or mind control her into going along with it, but I figured this was the better choice of the two.

On a less tragic note (somewhat), I got to show off cameos from various other heroes throughout the city during the Technodrome crisis. Examples include the return of heroes like Iron Fist and Luke Cage of the Heroes for Hire, along with the Black Cat herself, who is now part of their group, albeit on sort of a trial basis. Also I did the research, there was at least one point where Black Cat was part of the Defenders in the comics. Also I brought in Jessica Jones to even out the team, and as a bonus, I included the Punisher. There was one more I wanted to show that I plan to include in this story, but I didn't want to risk shoehorning in any more than I already had, so you'll see who that is next season.

And for those of you who noticed, I sort of wrote Daredevil out at the end of this chapter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed having him around, but I realized that I couldn't have him go up against a lot of supervillains and superpowere mutated characters without making him looked nerfed in comparison, and I thought that would be a real disservice to the character.

On another note of foreshadowing, I think plenty of you noticed that there was one more thing I included during the Osborn conference fallout, mainly with Liz. That will pan out in the second season, which also ties in to that other cameo I mentioned before.

Also before I forget, there is one thing I want to address, something I actually have addressed once already. Reviews. Don't get me wrong, I always appreciate input, but seriously guys, more than 50 reviews for the last chapter alone? You have to let up on it a little bit, you're flooding my inbox at this point. Like last time, I'm not saying to stop, just to tone it down a few notches.

Now then, to close this out, I want to thank you all for the support you've given this story since it started more than a year ago. Aside from the fact that you've helped me reach 100 favorites and 100 followers, you've also helped me to reach over 300 reviews. That's never happened before in any of my stories, and it wouldn't be possible without all of your support, so thank you, and I hope the support continues when this story returns. Whenever that is.