Spider-Man: Destiny - Year 1

Chapter 6: Blood Rose

Late at night, crime scene tape surrounded the aftermath of a small shootout at a dock in Brooklyn. Specifically, three deceased henchmen were covered in blankets. Cops were walking around and investigating the area. Captain Stacy and Officer DeWolff looked at the scene, with the former looking less fazed than the latter.

"Christ. This is the third shootout in the past week. And if you add up the ones in the past month? If only this wasn't the norm," DeWolff groaned.

"Unfortunately, you get used to it. Though I do have to say, there is something about these particular shootouts. The reports we've been getting. Some of the collateral damage alone. I mean, look at how great some of these guys have been at covering their tracks," Captain Stacy admitted.

"What are you trying to say specifically? We in for a gang war?"

"Assuming my worst fears come true, I think we might be in for a real war. There's clearly a vendetta involved. And having been on the force for three decades, I have a more than confident guess on who it's against."

"Can't say his name out loud?"

"Take from that what you will."

"Look, is there really still no evidence we can gather right now for that?" DeWolff asked.

Captain Stacy signaled for DeWolff to walk with him to a slightly more secluded area of the scene. "It's a lot more complex than that. I mean, forget about the amount of people in his pocket or the amount of resources and money. Even without that, the man's been a presence in the city for too long. And by presence… well, I don't have to explain it."

"So what, is it impossible? No matter what we do, this is gonna keep being a thing?" a visibly disappointed DeWolff asked Captain Stacy.

"I've continued to hold out some hope throughout the years. I'm gonna keep doing that."

"Because you've seen some positive changes?"

"Because it's easier to have hope."

"I mean, it's not like it's impossible."

Captain Stacy looked out at the water. "No, it isn't. And look, there's definitely people you'll be able to trust in the force or anywhere else. Otherwise, definitely watch your back."

"How do you stay out of all the shadier stuff?" DeWolff asked. "Don't some of us get roped into it whether we like it or not?"

"That's a longer discussion for another time. But until then, stay rest assured you can at least trust me. And don't even try looking in the direction of things that'll get you and your loved ones killed. Until then, all we can do is fight the battles we're able to and make the difference we can," Captain Stacy affirmed.

"Parker! Parker! Wake up!"

Peter woke up in his English class, with Miss Winterhalter standing near him and looking annoyed. A few of the other students were laughing.

"Jesus, Parker. How much sleep are you getting at night?!" Miss Winterhalter exclaimed.

Peter rubbed his eyes. "Not much. Sorry, it's been really tough at home lately."

"We all got tough things to deal with. Find time for sleep, you can't be constantly sleeping in my class like that," Miss Winterhalter sternly responded.

"Yeah, whatever."

"What the hell did you just say to me?"

The entire class was staring at this point, and Peter gave his angered teacher a cold look. A few students even stealthily pulled out their phones to start recording.

"I'm sorry I'm sleeping in class, but things have literally been terrible lately. My aunt's crying every night and I can't stop thinking about everything. So I'd really appreciate it if you showed me a tiny hint of sympathy right now," Peter argued.

"Mr. Parker, you are not going to just speak to me like that in my classroom! I'm trying to reason with you, but unless you want to stop being vague about what happened, I don't know what else to say other than quit disrespecting me," Miss Winterhalter ordered.

"I'm not being disrespectful."

"Yes, you a-"

"How am I literally being disrespectful right now? You're the one that told me to just get over it. Even if I don't want to talk about what happened to me, you shouldn't be talking to me like that. Life's literally a living Hell right now and-"

"Watch your language, Parker! And I never told you to get over anything."

"You may as well have! You're just dismissing me like it's nothing! Maybe try to actually talk to your students and show some freakin' empathy instead of telling them to just deal with it. That way, some people might actually pay attention to your class!" Peter ranted.

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Parker!" Kong unironically chanted.

"KONG!" Miss Winterhalter yelled. "I've had enough of this, Parker! Get out of here and head to your dean's office!"

Peter grabbed his stuff and got up. "Gladly."

Peter left the class, with the entire class watching in shock.

"Forget about that entire scene, everyone. Get back to your work," Miss Winterhalter demanded.

Peter sat in the administrative office while Aunt May talked to Peter's dean. Eventually, Dean Lisa Wallace came out and opened the door to her office.

"Peter? You can come inside now," Dean Wallace said.

Peter went into Dean Wallace's office with her and Aunt May.

"Your aunt explained everything to me. First off, I want to express my condolences for your loss. That's an extremely heartbreaking thing to deal with, especially at your age," Dean Wallace expressed.

Peter nodded. "Thanks."

"Anyway, because of the really tough grieving you and your aunt are going through right now, I'm gonna show leniency this time around. You're being let off with a warning, but you can't speak to any teacher or staff member like that ever again in the future or it'll be an automatic detention. And I understand your teacher was being a bit harsh at points, so we'll talk with her as well. Go home for the day. Take care of yourself, Peter," Dean Wallace encouraged.

"We really appreciate this, Dean Wallace. Seriously," Aunt May expressed.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Peter murmured.

"Of course. Both of you, have a good day. And please let me know if either of you need anything."

Aunt May drove her and Peter up to their house in her car. The car ride back had been completely silence.

"So you gonna yell at me?" Peter muttered.

Several seconds passed before Aunt May responded. "I'm not saying you should've done it. Do I get why though? Yeah."

"So what, you're on my side?"

"It's not about whose side I'm on, Peter. I'm worried about you. Obviously, things have been difficult with what happened. But to let it out in school like that… I get the teacher was being tough. I completely understand that. But in the future, you can't let your personal stuff overtake you like that at school. Or work. Or anywhere," Aunt May preached.

"No, you're right. Is it…. I don't know. Is it gonna be impossible to ever stop hurting?" Peter asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. But either way, I think we both keep forgetting that Ben would've wanted us to be okay and-"

"Look, I get that and I know you keep saying that. But what if we just can't? And honestly, what if we shouldn't? That was Uncle Ben! Literally Uncle Ben."

"I'm doing my best here, Peter! I miss Ben too. Literally every second of the day, but I'm trying to survive here too," Aunt May sighed. "Look, let's just do what your dean said and just try to have a good day. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah."

Peter and Aunt May got out of the car and went inside the house.

"Seriously? Not even detention or anything?!" Harry exclaimed to Peter as they walked in the hallway at school the next day.

"Nope. Just a slap on the wrist from the dean and that was it. Clearly, whatever May told her worked," Peter stated.

"Damn. Well, I'm sorry your teacher talked to you like that, man. Like, is she gonna get fired or something?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it."

"I mean, it's probably gotta be nice not dealing with a punishment. There's a silver lining."

"Sure, but it still doesn't change whatever else is going on. I don't care about coming back to school or anything, but it's just impossible not to think about everything."

"You're right. Sorry about that," Harry apologized.

"Nah, you're good. Have any plans for the weekend?" Peter asked.

"Wait, you're not going to Homecoming?"

"Nope, no date and no one would want to go with me."

"No one's gonna want to go with you if you don't try. I'm going with the acapella club if you want to join us."

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I actually got plans with Aunt May Saturday night anyway."

Harry nodded. "Nice. Yeah, I'm getting smoothies with the group beforehand and dad got a limo to take us to school afterward."

Peter's eyes widened. "Shit, seriously? Damn, that's actually really nice. It's gotta be great feeling like some celebrity. And bro, you might not ever have to work a job in your life."

"Oh, it definitely can be nice at times, trust me. Not always."

"Let me guess, it can get lonely?"

"Oh, yeah. Dad's just so busy with work almost all the time. Mom's got slightly more free time, but even she's got her schedule. I told dad I made it into acapella, and all he said was that he didn't mind as long as it didn't interfere with school and shit. No real congrats or anything."

"Man, I'm sorry about that. That's gotta be super tough to deal with. And here I am, acting like being the son of Norman Osborn is everything."

"Oh trust me, you won't be the last. And you're good, I know things in your life have been really difficult too," Harry sympathized.

"Well, I just gotta keep reminding myself things will be fine. I mean, what else can I do? Anyway, my class is right here, man. I'll see you around," Peter said, heading towards his classroom.

Harry pat Peter's shoulder. "For sure. Later, dude."

Harry walked off and Peter went inside his Spanish class. The entire class was in there, including Liz, who smiled when she saw Peter.

"Hey, Peter. You been having a good day?" Liz asked.

Peter smiled. "H-hey, Liz. Yeah, really good! Going to Homecoming on Saturday?"

"Yeah! Going with a big group of friends. We're all taking pictures at Susan Pelmer's dad's country club. And after the dance, we're going to an after-party at Flash Thompson's."

"Oh, Flash Thompson?"

"Yeah, you know him? He's my date," Liz revealed.

Peter felt his heart shrivel up. "Oh, oh, yeah! Known him since elementary school. Not very well, though."

"Oh, I gotcha! You got any plans yourself this weekend?"

"Just going out with my aunt. Should be nice."

"That's cute!"

Señora Wood got up from her desk at that moment. "Hola, class! Today, we're gonna be going over the history of special and famous Mexican cuisines and-"

Peter tuned out the rest of his teacher's words as he just sat in his desk, sulking.

That Saturday night, the Blood Rose Nightclub stood imposingly amidst the dimly lit streets of Hell's Kitchen. Neon lights flickered above the entrance, casting an eerie glow on the surrounding area, while the loud music could be heard from outside. At the back of the nightclub, two armed bouncers were smoking. However, Silver Sable jumped down and pushed them both to the ground. She grabbed the bouncers' heads and slammed them together, knocking them out.

"Sweet dreams," Sable muttered as she shot her grapnel hook at a vent, pulling it down.

Sable then shot the grapnel again at the vent hole, grappling up and crawling through. Sable crawled through the vents for a few minutes before making it to a vent in the office. Wesley was the only one in the office, as he was looking through the computer and talking on the phone.

"No, we need that incoming shipment of tequila for the Sunday Baja specials at ten by the latest," Wesley negotiated through the phone. "With the special guests we've been getting at the Rose lately, we have to make sure the establishment and drinks are in elite condition. Alright, give me a call back when that's ready."

Wesley hung up the phone, only for Sable to hit the back of his head with the butt of her knife, knocking him out. Tying Wesley's hands and feet together, Sable pulled out a flash drive and put it into the computer, beginning to download data.

At the front of the Blood Rose Nightclub, two of the bouncers heard rough banging at the door through the loud music. They went over to the door and opened it, only to be met by Peter in his suit.

"Whoever's in charge, I want to talk to him. Right now," Peter demanded.

One of the bouncers laughed. "Who the hell do you think you are, man? Seriously, where'd you get that shitty costume?"

"I'm being serious. Believe me, you don't want to piss me off," Peter growled.

The other bouncer rolled his eyes. "Heard that one a million times, kid. Now get out of here before-"

Peter pushed the bouncer to the ground. The other one tried to reach for his pocket, only for Peter to shoot a web at his hand and yank him to the ground. Peter then started walking through the crowded nightclub, with a good amount of people staring at him.

"Who the hell is that?"

"What came out of that guy?"

"You see that psycho?"

Peter's enhanced senses started warning him to a bouncer approaching him from behind, so he turned around and grabbed his incoming fist, punching him once in the stomach and kicking him down. Another bouncer ran over to Peter and swung a baton at him, which Peter dodged before punching him in the face. A third bouncer grabbed Peter in a chokehold, with Peter backing him against a pillar. Another bouncer ran over to Peter, who kicked him in the chest before throwing off the bouncer that was him.

"Where's the big guy in charge?!" Peter yelled. "I swear, I'm gonna-"

Another bouncer ran over and punched Peter in the face, and another one smacked his arm with a baton, knocking him against a wall. Peter shot a web at the face of the bouncer with the baton, and he shot another web at the other bouncer, yanking him over and punching him down. Peter's enhanced senses started warning him, but he was too late to stop another bouncer from tackling him from behind. The two fell to the ground, with the bouncer punching Peter twice in the face. Peter then kicked the bouncer off and got back up, taking a quick breath. Peter started walking up the stairs, only for more bouncers to attack him.

"I'm getting real sick of you guys," Peter admitted as he punched one twice in the stomach and another time in the face.

Peter then turned around and kicked another one bouncer down the flight of stairs. Another bouncer ran over with a baseball bat and swung it at Peter twice, who ducked and jumped over the bat. Peter shot a web at the bouncer's chest and jumped over to him, slamming him down. A few more bouncers ran up the stairs, and Peter just shot multiple webs at them. Peter's enhanced senses immediately warned him to duck under an incoming gunshot. He turned around to see a bouncer with a gun. At that point, several of the clubgoers started screaming and fleeing. Raging, Peter dodged another bullet and jumped right at the bouncer.

Silver Sable was only halfway through downloading the data before hearing gunshots and screaming from throughout the club. She also heard several more bouncers running towards the office. Aggravated, Sable grabbed the drive and shot her grapnel gun at the ceiling, swinging up. The door opened, and four bouncers came in.

"Wesley! What happened to him?" one of the bouncers asked.

A smoke bomb fell to the ground, instantly shrouding the room in smoke.

"What the?!"

"Who's there?!"

Silver Sable jumped on one of the bouncers and kicked another one into a desk. She grabbed a mug and smashed it into another bouncer's head before throwing the last one to the ground, knocking him out with a knee to the face. Sable pulled out a blaster in one hand and a knife in the other before leaving the office and approaching the hallway. A bouncer ran at Sable with a baton, only for her to dodge two swings and grab the bouncer's arm. Sable delivered two kicks to the bouncer's side and threw him against the wall. Another bouncer came out of sight in surprise and aimed his gun at Sable, only for her to blast his arm. Sable kept approaching the hallway and shot two more bouncers before they could shoot. Another one ran at Sable with a knife, throwing a few swings that Sable dodged. Sable then deflected two more swings with her own blade before grabbed the bouncer's arm and slamming her elbow into it, breaking it.

"Ahhh! Bitch!" the bouncer yelled.

In response, Sable grabbed the bouncer and threw him against the wall, smashing through it. At that moment, another bouncer was thrown right into the hallway. Sable ran over and saw a mysterious masked figure fighting off a few bouncers.

"Tell me what I want to know right now!" Peter yelled as he kicked a bouncer down.

Peter ducked under a punch by another bouncer and punched him across the face. Peter shot a web at another bouncer and yanked him to the ground, webbing him up further. A third bouncer pushed Peter, who grabbed and threw him into the ground. Peter punched the bouncer a few times, knocking him out. One of the previous bouncers got up and pulled out a gun, only for Peter to shoot a web at the gun and yank the bouncer over, kicking him down.

"Police!"

"Anyone up there?!"

"NYPD coming in"

Another one of the previous bouncers tackled Sable to the ground, with the flash drive falling out of Sable's pocket. The bouncer pulled out a knife and tried to plunge it in Sable's face, but she grabbed the blade and started struggling with the bouncer. Peter grabbed the flash drive and shot a web at the bouncer's back, pulling him away.

"Police! Coming in!"

Peter shot a web at a window and yanked it into pieces. Peter then jumped out and shot a web at a nearby small building, managing to grab the ledge. Climbing up the building, Peter started to jump and swing up to a few taller buildings. Once he made it on top of the fifth bulding, Peter's enhanced senses started warning him. He turned around, only to be punched by the Silver Sable. Stumbling a few feet across the top of the building, Peter groaned as he looked up at Sable approaching him.

"Give me the drive. Now," Sable demanded.

"The hell? How'd you even catch up with me?" Peter asked.

"You asked for this," Sable coldly stated.

Sable ran over to Peter and jumped, delivering a kick in his direction. Peter quickly slid over and dodged Sable's foot, though she quickly and smoothly delivered two spin kicks. Peter dodged the first kick before getting hit by the second. Peter shot a few webs in Sable's direction, only for her to either dodge or jump out of the way. Sable even slashed a few webs mid-air before throwing a baton. Peter smacked the baton with his arm, and he shook it a little before Sable ran over and punched him across the face, knocking him down. Peter got up and threw another punch, only for Sable to grab his fist and push him back down.

"You don't even have the faintest idea how to fight. Just flailing around and throwing sloppy punches and kicks, and the heavy reliance on your webbing." Sable called out.

"Didn't ask for your opinion, lady!" Peter grumbled.

Sable rolled her eyes. "Just give me the drive. I'm not wasting any more time with a child."

Peter got up. "I'm not a child! And believe me, I need whatever's on that drive a lot more than you do!"

"I doubt that."

Sable threw another punch at Peter, which he managed to dodge. Sable threw a few more punches and kicks, which Peter dodged or deflected. Sable also dodged a few more of Peter's webs, and pulled out her batons as they started crackling blue electricity. Sable ran over and swung them at Peter, who dodged or jumped over the hits. Sable managed to stun Peter in the chest before sweeping his leg with a baton, knocking him down. Peter rolled out of the way as Silver repeatedly tried to hit him, striking the roof with some electricity. Peter got up and quickly shot some webs at Sable's legs and yanked her to the ground, taking the chance to web her hand to the roof.

"Whoever's at the top. They ruined my entire life. My whole family. I'm gonna take him down, and I don't care what you or anybody else has to say about it," Peter ranted.

"Believe me, I'm not sure you have any clue what I would say. And you genuinely have no idea what you're throwing yourself into," Sable warned.

"Either way, it's my business now."

"Not business. Warfare."

Scoffing, Peter ran as fast as he could towards the edge of the building. However, Peter's enhanced senses started going off, and he turned around to see two electric batons flying towards him. Peter dodged the first one, only for the second one to hit him in the face, disorienting him. Sable then ran over and kicked Peter down.

"Next time, web up both hands," Sable taunted.

Sable picked up one of her batons and approached Peter on the ground, resting her knee on Peter's abdomen and putting her hand on his throat. Sable aimed the baton at Peter's face.

"The drive. Where'd you put it?" Sable interrogated.

A dizzy Peter's enhanced senses started warning him like crazy, and a sudden gust of wind immediately assaulted him and Sable. Adrian flew in and smacked Sable aside with his wings, with Sable sent flying several feet back. Still disoriented, Peter struggled a bit before getting back up and running. Before he could make it to the edge of the building, Adrian flew a few feet right in front of Peter, with the impact of the landing alone causing Peter to stumble back on the ground.

"What's the matter? Scared?" Adrian mocked.

Peter shot a couple webs at Adrian, who quickly clipped them with his wings. Adrian then flew over to Peter and punched him in the face, sending him across the building.

"I'll take that as my answer. Gotta dispose of both of you," Adrian declared before turning to the struggling Sable. "You've especially been causing us a lot of headaches the past month. Don't think I'm gonna make it quick."

Grabbing his jaw, Peter got back up and started running towards the edge. Adrian started to fly over, only for Sable to shoot her grapnel hook at the back of Adrian's wings. Sable then activated the grapnel's taser as the hook released a blue electrical streak, electrocuting Adrian's wings.

"Ahhh!" Adrian yelled as he managed to fire a few blades behind him, with one of them cutting the grapnel hook and causing Sable to stumble.

At this point, Peter was able to jump off and swing towards another building. Adrian then flew up and propelled full force in the air towards Sable, who jumped out of the way as Adrian smashed his boots into the roof, cracking it. Sable pulled out her blaster and started shooting at Adrian, who barricaded the blasts with his wings. Adrian then spun around and threw some blades at Sable, who gracefully jumped over and dodged them. The last one managed to graze Sable in her arm, causing her to drop her blaster. Sable then ran over and smacked Adrian across the face with her electrical baton. She then ran over and smacked one of Adrian's arms with the baton, only for him to smack the baton aside with a wing. Adrian plunged his wings into the ground as he kicked Sable in the chest with both feet, knocking her back. Adrian swung his wing at Sable, who ducked. She jumped over another swing before getting knocked down by Adrian sweeping her leg with his wing. Adrian then grabbed Sable by the throat, flying her up a few feet before punching her in the face twice. Sable pulled out a knife and tried to jam it in Adrian's neck, only for him to grab her arm. As the two struggled in the air, Adrian headbutted Sable and kicked her down. Sable hit the roof as she fell back down, groaning. Adrian flew back down and stared at Sable, who spat out some blood and glared back.

"You can keep trying to fight all you want, but you're not escaping what's comin' to you. You've made the Kingpin angry. He's not just gonna kill you. He's gonna have your entire little army shot down. And then he'll force you to kill that second-in-command you got. I've witnessed the guy take a whole three hours to painfully beat someone to near-death before having him live for another twelve hours. Then he beat him for another two before finally putting a bullet in the guy's face. That's all gonna be a happy memory compared to what you're gonna be put through," Adrian sadistically promised.

Sable got back up. "So that's what brings you pleasure in your life? Countless collateral damage and death, all for a coward telling himself he's a liberator. Only thing worse than that is someone who follows said coward."

Adrian chuckled. "Spout shit all you want, sweetheart. I'm the one making bank."

Sable sneered. "You're nothing but a servant to him. He won't even have the chance to dispose of you once you're useless. Once the Wild Pack and I are through with killing Fisk and his empire, we'll save you for last. I'll make sure to personally break every bone in your body before your consciousness is reduced to sitting motionless and tortured the rest of your life. Not like you're even worth killing."

An infuriated Adrian prepared his wings, and Sable pulled a blade from her boot. Before anything else could happen, a police helicopter flew over the building and shone a light on the two.

"NYPD! YOU TWO, HANDS UP AND DON'T MOVE!" a cop yelled from the helicopter through a megaphone.

Sable threw down a smoke bomb, surrounding the entire area in smoke. As the helicopter's light got closer to Adrian, he flew away. Meanwhile, Sable managed to make it down, hiding in a dumpster several buildings away. She called Kris through her earpiece.

"Kris. I need a pickup. Now," Sable groaned.

At around ten, an injured Peter crawled through his bedroom window. Putting the flash drive on his drawer, Peter threw his suit off and collapsed in his bed. He took out his phone and texted Aunt May.

PETER PARKER: Hey, I got back from hangin with Harry. Got inside the house a few min ago. Gonna get sleep, I'm slumped

AUNT MAY: Oh wow haha, didn't even hear u come up! Sounds good, and same here. We both need it. Night Pete, love you!

PETER PARKER: Love you May

Peter put his phone down, and grabbed the flash drive, staring at it in awe. Putting it back on the drawer, Peter went back on his phone and pulled up Instagram. Peter's eyes lit up when he saw Liz finally followed him back. However, he turned off his phone and went to bed the moment he saw a photo of Liz and Flash from Homecoming hours prior.

A beaten Sable was carried by Kris into their underground base. Kris carried Sable into their medbay, putting her in a bed.

"We'll get a medic for you. Jesus Christ, how rough was the mission?" Kris asked.

Sable chose not to respond, rolling over as she tried to get some rest.

Well, I managed to get this one out in less than two weeks! Being the midway chapter for the year, I definitely made it pretty damn eventful. I go back to work tomorrow, and I had a great spring break, keeping in contact with family and friends, watching a lot of movies, and just relaxing. I only got a few episodes left of the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. Also, I saw Dune Part Two, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the BEST movie I had seen in a while. And I say this as a huge movie buff. Defintiely see it when you can. The next chapter will be out in the next week or so. Until then, thanks again for reading, and favs, follows, and reviews are always appreciated!

-redbirds12