A/N: This is the final part of the second arc of the season, with Miles joining Peter and Gwen, turning the Spider Duo into the Spider Trio. This one's shorter than most, as there's not much action.
Shoutouts:
Trigon: Hobgoblin is gonna return in this season, I promise.
In the city, Spider-Man and Miles were both swinging after the ambulance Sgt. Davis was in.
"I hope Dad's okay." Miles thought frantically.
Spider-Man turned to Miles slightly as they kept on swinging after the ambulance, before it pulled over outside a hospital, the same one Miles' Mom worked at and where Flash had been operated on after hurting his leg. Both Spiders landed on the opposite rooftop, as the ambulance's back door opened, then some Paramedics lifted a stretcher out Sgt. Davis was on, then pushed it towards the hospital.
"I need to see him." Miles said worriedly.
"I know, but not like this." Spider-Man said. "We'll have more chance seeing him out of costume."
"Right." Miles said. "We better get changed then."
Spider-Man nodded.
Later, in the hospital, Miles and Peter were both waiting outside the room Sgt. Davis was in.
"Miles, your Dad's tough." Peter said. "I'm sure he's okay."
"But if he isn't, it'll be my fault for not reaching him in time." Miles sighed. "I'll have to live with it for the rest of my live."
Peter sighed, remembering his Uncle's funeral, and the days that followed.
(Flashback)
At Midtown High, about a few days after Uncle Ben's death, Peter walked down a hallway towards his locker, his first day at school since the death. As he did, several people in the hallway stared at him, all sympathetically - including Liz, Randy and Gloria. Peter kept his head low as he past them all, before he stopped near his locker.
Flash showed up nearby and turned to him, as he began going through his locker, then he walked towards Peter.
"Hey, Parker!" Flash called.
"Not in the mood, Flash." Peter said.
"Hey, come on, dude? I just wanna talk." Flash assured, patting his shoulder.
Peter tuned to him and pinned him against the lockers, shocking everyone nearby.
"He must really be upset." Gloria whispered.
"Hey, look, I heard about your Uncle, Parker." Flash said. "I'm sorry. I really am."
Peter lowered his head and let Flash go, crying slightly as he did.
"Okay." he wept.
Flash watched as Peter gathered up his stuff and walked off, staring at him as he did.
"Man..." he said.
As Peter walked off, Harry, Mary Jane and Gwen all stared at him, as he approached them.
"We're sorry about your Uncle, Pete." Gwen said, touching his shoulder, tears in her eyes.
"We all are, buddy." Harry assured.
"Thanks, guys." Peter sighed. "I just miss him."
"Look, Tiger, if you need anything, let us know?" Mary Jane asked. "We're here for you."
"Thanks." Peter wept.
Gwen hugged him tight, catching him off-guard.
"We mean it, Peter." she whispered. "We'll help you through this."
"Thanks, Gwen." Peter said, as they pulled apart.
He turned and walked off, happy to know his friends were there for him, but still mourning the loss of his Uncle.
"Just remember what he said, Peter." he thought.
(Another flashback)
On the day of Uncle Ben's funeral, Peter stood with Aunt May in a large crowd, which including his friends, their families and several others, all dressed in black. Even Flash, Liz, Gloria and Randy had turned up, along with other people. Capt. Stacy served as one of the pallbearers as Uncle Ben's coffin was lowered into the ground, as the Priest prayed.
As Peter and his Aunt walked off, Harry, Mary Jane and Gwen all gathered near him.
"Here." Mary Jane said, holding a napkin.
"Thanks." Peter said.
He wiped his tears with it, as Gwen touched his shoulder, as this reminded her of her Mom's funeral over five years ago.
"I know what it's like, Peter." she said. "It'll get better over time."
"Thanks, Gwen. I really mean it." Peter wept.
(Flashback ends)
Peter turned to Miles, hoping he wouldn't have to go through that at his age, losing a parent or parent figure like he and all his close friends have. He turned as he heard a noise, and saw Rio coming towards them.
"Miles? What are you doing here?" Rio asked.
"I was with Peter when I heard the news about Dad." Miles lied. "Someone I know was among the people who saw it."
"And then he phoned us and told us which hospital." Peter added. "Thought I'd come over for support."
"Well, that's nice of you, Peter." Rio noted. "Your Aunt's raised you well."
"Thanks." Peter blushed, embarrassed.
"So, Mom, how's Dad?" Miles asked.
"Well, the good news is, he's out of danger, Miles." Rio assured, making Miles sigh happily. "But the bad news is, he'll have to stay here for quite a few weeks before he can leave. He hurt himself pretty bad."
Peter and Miles both sighed in relief.
"So, how long exactly?" Miles asked.
"Probably till Easter Break's over." Rio sighed. "Looks like he'll be spending it here instead of home with us."
"As long as he's alive, I don't care, Mom." Miles said. "That's what matters."
"I know, Miles." Rio said. "Well, I'll see you tonight, cariño."
She walked off down the hallway, leaving the boys alone.
"So, you feel better now?" Peter asked.
"Kinda." Miles sighed. "I just wish I'd gotten to stop that thing sooner."
"Miles, I know what it's like." Peter said.
Miles turned to him confused.
"Come on. I need to tell you something." Peter said, as they walked off.
Later, Peter and Miles both walked down a street together, Peter having told Miles about how he lost his Uncle Ben, and the reason he was Spider-Man.
"So, the whole reason you do this is in your Uncle's honor?" Miles asked.
"Yeah, because I didn't stop the man who killed him when I had the chance too." Peter sighed. "I vowed not to make that mistake again. It's the biggest regret of my life. One of the last things he said to me was, 'With great power, comes great responsibility'."
"Man... That's some saying." Miles admitted.
"It is. Gwen and I have used it as our motto since." Peter explained.
"And Gwen?" Miles asked. "How did she find out? You told me you two didn't tell each other who you were when you first met in costume?"
"Well...she...kinda found out after seeing me unmask after I rescued her from Doc Ock last year." Peter explained. "She began to get worried for me, then wished she could be like me to watch out for me."
"Then when she got her powers, she became Ghost Spider to help you?" Miles asked quietly.
"Yeah." Peter nodded. "When I told her how I became Spider-Man though, she took it very seriously. She's never backed down if she saw someone in danger like me since."
"Man... So, did she-" Miles began, as they crossed a street.
"No. She didn't tell me she knew until after I got a substance off me." Peter explained.
"When you suit was all black?" Miles inquired, as they made it across the road. "I saw that on the news. I take it bonded with someone else, since he nearly unmasked you before New Year's?"
"Yeah, it did." Peter sighed, remembering Eddie became angry with him. "It was only after we thought we got rid of it the first time, did we finally confess. That was partly due to him telling her."
"Ouch." Miles said, surprised. "Some way for two people to get together."
"Yeah. But, we've been together ever since." Peter assured.
"Is there anyone else who knows?" Miles asked.
Peter turned to him as they stopped.
"I mean, since you two worked with the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and those other heroes stopping those robots, I figured other heroes might know?" Miles assumed.
"Yes." Peter sighed. "They know. We told the Fantastic Four because Johnny saw us without our masks on. The Avengers found out on their own accord, even though two of them work for SHIELD. And those other heroes are called the X-Men, and they know because two of them are telepaths, able to read minds."
"Oh, freaky." Miles said. "And what's SHIELD?"
"I'll tell you another time." Peter assured.
"Okay." Miles said.
"By the way, I've been wondering; how come you've got your Mom's last name?" Peter asked, changing the subject. "Were you born out of wed-lock or something?"
"No. Some of Dad's family aren't very nice." Miles said. "So, they gave me my Mom's last name to make sure they didn't know I was related to them."
"Oh... Man, that's harsh." Peter said. "Look, why don't you go home. It's getting late. We'll resume training tomorrow, if you still want this?"
Miles thought, not sure if he still wanted to be a hero after nearly losing his father, but then remembered Peter's words.
"Okay." he said. "But, let's meet at my place? You know the address, right?"
"Of course." Peter said. "I'll be there."
Miles smiled as they two separated and walked off.
Meanwhile, in Prof. Warren's house, the Professor was upstairs in the room with Gwen's pictures, holding a syringe of grey liquid.
"My latest creation is complete." he said proudly. "With it, I'll be able to create a new creature that'll do what Molten Man couldn't; Kill Peter Parker."
He touched one of the pictures, one that had Gwen all by herself in a pink and white striped Bikini, as it had been taken last summer when she was at the beach with Peter, Harry and Mary Jane.
"With the school break around, I've have more time to work on this, and now all I need to do is find someone to test my new work on." he smirked. "Soon, Gwen will be mine!"
He laughed evilly as he turned around and walked out of the room.
"I'll start my search in the morning through, due to how late it is." he thought. "Can't afford to fall asleep when I find my subject."
He walked off towards his bedroom, knowing tomorrow he'll find someone to test his work on.
The next morning, in the Morales apartment, Miles was coming out his bedroom, dressed, while Rio came towards him, all dressed up.
"You leaving, Mom?" Miles asked. "I thought you didn't have work."
"Not at the hospital, but I'm needed at FEAST today. They're a bit short staffed due to some volunteers being sick." Rio explained. "I'll be back tonight, I promise."
"Okay." Miles said. "I'll see you."
Rio hugged her son, then kissed his cheek as she approached the door. She grabbed her coat and put it on, then was about to open the door, when she heard a knock on it.
"Huh?" she muttered.
She opened up the door, and saw Peter standing there.
"Oh, hi, Mrs. Morales." Peter said. "You leaving for work?"
"Yes." Rio said. "You here to see Miles?"
"Yes. Is your husband okay?" Peter asked.
"Well, he's still in the hospital." Rio said. "Anyway, I have to go. I'm needed at FEAST."
"I understand." Peter said.
He moved out of the way, then Rio walked past him and away, before Peter entered the apartment, closing the door behind him.
"So, how you doing?" Peter asked.
"I'm okay." Miles said, approaching the fridge.
Once there, he opened it up and took out a can of soda, before turning to Peter.
"You want one?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure." Peter said.
Miles took another can out, then closed the door, before he walked over to Peter.
"Here." he said, handing him one.
Peter took it, before they both opened it, then they sat down on the couch together, and began talking.
In the city, Prof. Warren walked down a street in Midtown, wearing a long overcoat and hood to hide himself. He stopped near a building and looked around, seeing the street was empty, making him mad.
"There must be someone I can use around here?" he thought.
He crossed the street and walked past a store, keeping his eyes open. He walked on for about 10 minutes, when he heard someone nearby.
"Vhat's eengyerye?" came a voice with a Russian accent.
Prof. Warren turned slightly as he kept on walking, before he spotted a young homeless man searching a dumpster bin in an alley.
"Perfect." he thought.
He walked towards the man.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
The man turned around.
"No. Ee can't feend anyzeeeng to yeat. Ee'vye byeyen on zeye stryeyets for vyeyeks." he explained.
"Hmm? Exactly how hungry are you?" the Prof. asked kindly.
"Eegavyen't yeatyen een zeryeye days nov." the man explained.
"What's your name?" Prof. Warren asked.
"Aleksei Sytsevich." the man explained. "Ee'm Rahsseean."
"I see." the Prof. said.
He turned away and smirked, happy to have found someone to use as his new test subject.
"Well, Aleksei, come with me? I'll get you something to eat." he said.
"Oh, zeank yoah. Zeank yoah so mahch." Aleksei said.
They both walked off together, the Prof. hiding an evil grin on his face from Aleksei.
Back at the Morales Apartment, Peter and Miles were still on the couch talking to each other.
"I had trouble sleeping due to my Dad." Miles sighed.
"Miles, when my Uncle was killed, I couldn't sleep for days either." Peter assured, touching his shoulder. "Just be glad your Dad's still alive."
"I am." Miles assured. "I'll just feel better when he's out of the hospital."
Peter patted his shoulder as he drank some of his soda.
"You still up for training later?" Peter asked.
"Yeah." Miles said. "What you said to me, about responsibility, I feel like I have to do this, like you and Gwen. I must have been gifted with these powers for a reason."
Peter smiled, happy with Miles' choice.
"I'm still working on my name though." Miles admitted.
"It'll come to you, Miles." Peter assured.
They both heard a knock on the door, making them look at it.
"Come in." Miles said.
The door opened up, and Gwen came in.
"Hey, guys." she said, closing the door. "How's it going?"
"Fine." Peter said, as she came over to them.
"Yeah, okay." Miles said.
Gwen sat down beside Peter and kissed his cheek, before turning to Miles.
"I heard about your Dad, Miles." Gwen said. "Is he okay?"
"He will be, but he'll be in the hospital till school starts again." Miles answered.
"Glad to know." Gwen said. "Hopefully, he'll make a full recovery."
"Thanks, Gwen." Miles said.
"We still training him today?" Gwen asked Peter.
"Yeah. We were just waiting for you to get here." Peter answered. "You remembered your suit?"
"Don't I always." Gwen smirked.
She tugged at the collar of her shirt, showing it underneath.
"Do you two always do that?" Miles asked.
"Well, saves us from having to completely change when we're out in the city." Peter explained.
"Oh, right... Well, give me a minute?" Miles asked.
He finished his soda, put the can down, then he ran off towards his room, shocking the couple.
"Where's he going?" Gwen questioned.
"Must've left his suit in his room." Peter joked.
Gwen giggled before she kissed his cheek.
"So, you said yesterday he has powers we don't have?" she inquired.
"Yeah." Peter nodded. "He's got Jessica's Venom Blast, and can turn himself invisible."
"Well, I didn't expect that." Gwen said. "The spider that bit him must've been different from ours."
"That's what I was thinking." Peter agreed, drinking some of his soda.
"You finished that?" Gwen asked, pointing at his soda.
"Almost." Peter answered. "Why; you want a sip?"
"I wouldn't mind one." Gwen replied.
She took the can off him and drank some of it, then gave it back to him, who finished it, then put it down beside Miles.
"So, once Miles is ready, we go?" Gwen inquired.
"Yep." Peter said.
Miles out of his room and approached them both.
"Well, I'm ready." he said.
"Right. Let's go." Peter said.
Back in the city, Aleksei and Prof. Warren were both walking down a path together, having just come out of a restaurant.
"Zeank yoah for zeye myeal, Mr. Varryen." Aleksei said, as the Prof. had told him his name while they ate.
"It was nothing, Aleksei." the Prof. assured. "I often like to help people in need, when I'm not teaching that is."
"Steell, zeank yoah." Aleksei said.
They walked for a few minutes, before stopping near a bench.
"Well, is there anything you need?" the Prof. asked.
"No. Not nov. Ee zeeenk ee'll jahst got to slyeyep for vheelye. Ee deedn't gyet mahch last neeght." Aleksei said.
"As you wish." Prof. Warren said.
Aleksei smiled sat down on the bench, then turned onto his side and fell asleep, resting his hands on his head, as the Prof. looked at him.
"Prefect." the Prof. thought. "He won't suspect a thing while he's asleep."
He took out a syringe from his pocket, then leaned over Aleksei.
"Let's see how this plays out." he thought.
He dug the syringe into the side Alexi's neck, which didn't sting Aleksei, then he turned and walked off. Aleksei woke up and rubbed the side of his neck, not seeing the Prof., who turned and hid an in alley.
"Vhat vas zeat?" he wondered.
He looked around, seeing a few people walking by, but nothing else, but then he heard some bugs flying around.
"Mahst'vye byeyen bahg beetye." he thought.
He got up and walked down the street, wanting to find another place to rest, rubbing his neck as he did, when he felt a pain outside a store.
"AH!" he moaned.
Prof. Warren smirked from his hiding spot in an alley.
"Showtime." he thought.
Aleksei fell to his knees, then looked at his reflection in a window, seeing he was slowly mutating. A horn came out of his head, as his body grew larger, tearing parts of his clothes, then his hands and feet turned into animal feet, destroying his shoes as he did.
"Vhat's...happyeneeng to...mye?!" he yelled.
Prof. Warren watched from his hiding spot, as Aleksei kept mutating, until he resembled a rhino, with only his pants remaining, the rest of his clothes torn off, including the leggings. He then opened his mouth to speak, but only roared, then he ran down the street frantically, knocking over a mailbox and lamppost as he did.
"So, it can mutate people into mutant animals, huh?" the Prof. inquired. "I wonder what Dr. Connors wanted to use these for? Still, at least I know what I can do now with my other animal DNAs."
He turned and ran off, as Aleksei roared and kept rampaging down the street, as several people ran off screaming, while those inside the buildings looked horrified.
A little later, the three Spiders were all on top of the rooftop of the apartment building, all in costume.
"Well, you ready, kid?" Ghost Spider asked.
"As I'll ever be." Miles said.
"Right. Let's go." Spider-Man said.
They all jumped off the rooftop and began to swing off through the city together. They did it for about five minutes, before they all landed on a rooftop together then turned to each other.
"Well, I can see you're a natural at this bit." Ghost Spider noted.
"Thanks. It's mainly due to Spidey yesterday." Miles explained.
"Hey, it's only the first bit." Spider-Man assured. "You still have much to learn."
"Thanks, master." Milles joked.
"Oh, please? No Star Wars jokes?" Spider-Man asked. "I don't like that much."
"Right. Sorry." Miles said.
Ghost Spider giggled when Spider-Man's phone rang.
"Huh?" he muttered.
He took it out, seeing the caller was Robbie Robertson of the Daily Bugle, then he put it to his ear.
"Robbie, what is it?" he asked.
His fellow Spiders looked at him.
"Peter, you're not gonna believe it, but there's a Rhino rampaging around." Robbie explained.
"What? Not again?" Spider-Man questioned.
"Yes, but this one's different. There's bits of Human torn clothes around it." Robbie explained.
"Where is it?" Spider-Man asked.
"It's at a section in Midtown." Robbie explained.
"Okay, I'm on my way." Spider-Man said, hanging up.
"Who was that?" Ghost Spider asked.
"Robbie. Friend from the Bugle" Spider-Man said, noticing Miles' confusion. "There's a Rhino rampaging through Midtown, and this one's not a robot."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Miles asked. "Let's go."
"You sure you're up for this, after last time?" Ghost Spider asked.
"I'll manage. Like Peter said; with great power, comes great responsibility." Miles said. "I'm in."
"Right. Let's go." Spider-Man said.
All three Spiders jumped off the rooftop and began to swing off towards Midtown.
Later, in the Midtown area, Aleksei ran down a street, knocking over two cars as he did, before he stopped and roared.
"Run!" a girl cried.
Several people in the street ran for their lives, as those in the buildings kept themselves hidden. Aleksei turned and roared, unable to stop himself, when a man came towards him, looking angry, as he held a shotgun.
"What do you think you're doing, you freak!" the man roared. "Many people are gonna get hurt!"
Aleksei turned to the man, who aimed his shotgun at him.
"Well, let's see how you like this?" he snarled, clicking it.
He was about to fire, when Aleksei whacked him with his arm in defence, sending him flying into a shop window, smashing it to pieces.
"AH!" he moaned.
Aleksei roared and raced down the street, as the man pulled himself up slightly, now covered in cuts from the glass.
"Okay, should've thought of that better!" he moaned.
Aleksei roared as he stopped and looked around, with people all around hiding in the buildings. A teenage couple both hid in the bedroom of a building they were in, both scared completely.
"This isn't good." a girl gulped, turning to her boyfriend.
"I know, sweetie." he said, wrapping his arm around her. "Hopefully the Spider Duo will show up."
Nearby, all three Spiders were swinging towards the scene, before they all landed on a rooftop together, then they looked down at the scene, as Aleksei began to run down the street.
"Well, there he is." Spider-Man said.
"And he looks mean." Miles noted.
"Not at all like the last one we fought." Ghost Spider noted.
They looked down at the Aleksei carefully, before they noticed the pants he had on.
"I think that's a Human." Ghost Spider said.
"Same here." Spider-Man agreed. "He must've been turned into that rhino somehow."
"Wait, he's a man who's been turned into a Rhino?" Miles inquired. "How'd you figure that?"
"1: he's got human pants on him." Ghost Spider explained.
"And 2: It's exactly like the Hulk, only without the talking." Spider-Man added.
"Oh." Miles said. "I wonder what happened to him then?"
"No clue. Let's just stop him for now, find out later." Ghost Spider said.
"Agreed. Come on! We gotta stop him before he hurts anyone else." Spider-Man said.
He and Ghost Spider jumped off the rooftop and gilded down towards Aleksei, while Miles gulped, Spider-Man throwing his camera away towards a wall, which stuck to a web as he did.
"Here goes nothing." Miles thought.
He jumped off the rooftop and spread his arms out to glide down towards the ground, seeing his friends land on their feet.
"Hold it right there, Rhino!" Spider-Man yelled.
Aleksei turned around to them all, just as Miles crashed and hit the road on his chest.
"Oh!" he moaned, rolling onto his back.
Spider-Man and Ghost Spider turned to him, as he got up onto his chest.
"Well, that could've gone better." Miles moaned, lifting his head up.
"Hey, not bad for your first try." Spider-Man remarked.
"Seriously, newbie." Ghost Spider agreed. "You'll get used to it."
"Thanks." Miles said, getting up.
They all turned to Aleksei, who roared and charged them all.
"Look out!" Spider-Man yelled.
He and Ghost Spider both jumped to either side of the street, sticking to a building each, while Miles gulped, before he jumped over it.
"Whoa! Toro!" he yelled frantically.
He landed on his feet and turned around, as Aleksei knocked a car away with his horn, before he stopped and turned around to them all. He then roared, as all three Spiders stared at him, with Ghost Spider and Spider-Man jumping down towards Miles.
"I don't think this guy likes us." Miles said.
"Gee, what gave you the first clue?" Ghost Spider asked annoyed.
Aleksei roared and charged at them all, his head lowered like a normal rhino.
"I think he wants us to bull fight him." Miles said.
"I don't think so!" Ghost Spider argued.
"Guys, move!" Spider-Man yelled.
All three Spiders jumped up as Aleksei got closer to them, Ghost Spider landed on top of a car, while the boys both landed on a wall.
"Whoa!" Miles yelped.
"You okay?" Spider-Man asked.
"Yeah, but man... I never thought it'd be this hard, being a hero." Miles admitted.
Ghost Spider shot a web from both her hands at Aleksei as he charged at her, but he shook his head and snapped them with his horn.
"Okay, bad idea!" Ghost Spider gulped.
She jumped up as Aleksei got near her, then kicked her feet on his back, boosting her up, before she swung off and landed on a wall opposite the boys.
"We can't just let him run around and hurt people!" she called.
"I know." Spider-Man called. "I'm open to suggestions, 'cause I have none at the minute."
All three Spiders looked around, as Aleksei began to run down the street, when Miles had an idea.
"Spidey, I have an idea." he said.
Spider-Man turned to him, who then whispered into his ear, making him nod.
"It might just work." Spider-Man said. "We'll just have to interweave our webs."
"You can do that?" Miles asked.
"Yeah. We've done it before, made them a lot stronger. Ghost, clothesline!" Spider-Man said.
"Got it!" Ghost Spider said, holding her thumb up.
They both jumped down from the walls they were on, then shot a web towards each other as they dived towards the ground. They landed on their feet, as their webs interweaved with each other, as Aleksei glared at them. Unknown to all but Spider-Man, Miles had turned himself invisible and was watching them all.
"Hey, over here, horn head!" Spider-Man mocked.
"Come and get us!" Ghost Spider mocked.
Aleksei roared and charged at them both, as they kept hold of their webs, before he made it to them, but the strength of their webs caused him to fall onto his chest, before the webs snapped.
"Well, that could've gone better." Ghost Spider said.
"It's not over yet, Ghost." Spider-Man assured. "Do it, kid!"
Ghost Spider looked as Miles turned himself visible and dive down from the wall he was on.
"I hope this works." Miles thought.
He powered up his Venom Blast, then landed near Aleksei, before he touched his back, shocking him.
"AHHH!" Aleksei roared.
"Whoa. He does have the Venom Blast?" Ghost Spider thought, amazed.
Miles kept his power on Aleksei for a minute, before he back flipped away. He then jumped and swung towards the others, landing near them, as they all turned to Aleksei, who fell onto his chest out cold.
"Did... Did we win?" Miles asked.
"I think we did." Spider-Man said. "But just to be safe, together!"
All three Spiders shot webs from both their hands, webbing Aleksei up all over, interweaving them as they did, creating a cocoon which trapped him completely.
"That should hold him for now." Spider-Man said.
"I can't believe my plan worked." Miles said. "I wasn't sure it would."
"Still, nice work." Spider-Man remarked. "We got him in the end, and we did it together, the three of us."
"Yeah, nice thinking, kid." Ghost Spider remarked, turning to Miles.
"Thanks." Miles said.
Several people in the buildings all around the trio cheered.
"Whoa!" Miles said.
"Hey, look, there's another Spider." a man said, pointing at him.
"Wow." some people said.
"Well, looks like you've made yourself known, kid." Ghost Spider teased, punching Miles' arm playfully.
"And I think you did pretty good too." Spider-Man remarked, touching his shoulder.
"Thanks, guys." Miles said, blushing.
A little later, the Spider Trio all stood on a rooftop, seeing Aleksei getting loaded into the back of a Police van, with several Cops watching, including Lt. DeWolff and Capt. Stacy.
"Weird looking Rhino?" the Capt. said.
"Sure is." Lt. DeWolff agreed. "We've also got some ID on him. His name is sewn into his pants."
Capt. Stacy looked at her confused.
"We pulled some of the Spider Duo's webbing off him and found he has Human pants on." the Lt. explained. "I think he's someone who's been mutated."
"Well, it's good to know who he is, but it's bad to find out he turned into that thing." Capt. Stacy said. "I wish I knew what happened to him. It's like he's become a mindless beast for no reason."
"Like the so called Lizard the city's been said to have?" the Lt. inquired.
"Yeah." Capt. Stacy sighed, as a blonde Cop came towards them. "Good thing the Spider Duo showed up."
"Actually, sir, there was more." the Cop said.
The Capt. and the Lt. both turned to him.
"What do you mean, son?" the Capt. asked.
"Well, according to eyewitnesses, there were three Spiders around here." the Cop explained. "Two were Spider-Man and Ghost Spider, but they're not sure on the third."
"Looks like the city's got a new Spider swinging around, sir." Lt. DeWolff said.
"Sure looks like it, and with the amount of crime and supervillains around, I think the city's gonna need him as well as them." Capt. Stacy said. "Come on, let's go."
As the Cops all got into their cars or the van, the three Spiders turned to each other on the rooftop.
"Well, that could've been worse." Ghost Spider said. "At least not many people were hurt, unlike the last time we faced a rhino."
"Yeah, well, 1; that last one was a robot, and 2; we had a little extra help on this one, Ghost." Spider-Man assured.
They both turned to Miles, who blushed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Uh, thanks, guys." he said.
"So, what's your hero name?" Ghost Spider inquired. "You come up with one now or are you still thinking of it?"
"Well, I have, actually. I was thinking...Shadow-Spider." Miles answered. "I mean, since I can become invisible and my suit's as black as one, thought it would work."
"You know, I think that's perfect for you, Shadow." Spider-Man joked.
"Thanks." Shadow-Spider said.
He high-fived his two teammates, as from this day forth, they were a trio instead of a duo.
"Well, looks like we're a trio from now on." Ghost Spider joked.
"You got it, Ghostie." Spider-Man smirked.
Ghost Spider lifted her mask up to her nose, then kissed his masked cheek, before lowering it.
"Uh, that might take some getting used to." Shadow-Spider said.
"Relax, Shadow. We won't do it much when you're around." Ghost Spider assured.
"Thanks." Shadow-Spider said.
"Well, I don't know about you two, but I think we need to get home." Spider-Man said. "It is getting dark after all."
"You get shots for the Bugle?" Shadow-Spider asked.
"Oh, you betcha." Spider-Man said.
"Can't wait to see them tomorrow." Ghost Spider teased, touching his shoulder.
Spider-Man smiled under his mask.
"Spider group hug before we go?" he said.
"You got it, love." Ghost Spider said.
"Fine with me." Shadow-Spider said.
The three of them group hugged each other, then parted.
"See you tomorrow." Spider-Man said.
Ghost Spider and Shadow-Spider nodded, before they all turned and stood on the edge of the rooftop. They then all jumped off the rooftop and swung off in different directions, Spider-Man stopping on the wall he'd stuck his camera too.
"Jameson's gonna be surprised when he sees these tomorrow." he thought, taking it from the web. "I just hope Miles knows what he's in for by helping me and Gwen."
He jumped off the wall and swung off home, to develop the pictures for the Bugle.
Meanwhile, in Professor Warren's house, the Prof. was sitting on the couch watching the news, with the Newsman sitting behind his desk.
"This mysterious Rhino has been identified as Aleksei Sytsevich, a Russian homeless man, who seems to have been mutated into this Rhino." the Newsman reported.
A picture of Aleksei being loaded into the Police van showed up in the top left corner.
"As to how this happened however, nobody knows. His identity has only been confirmed due to people who saw him mutating coming forth and telling the Police, and also by the fact that his name was sewed into his pants." the Newsman explained. "We can only hope there is a way to turn this poor man back to normal. In addition, his transformation has made it so he cannot speak until that happens, if scientists are able too that is."
"Hmm? Didn't think of that." Prof. Warren thought.
"As for what he was doing in this form, we will never know, as he was just rampaging through the city, causing massive destruction." the Newsman explained. "As far as we know, no one has been killed unlike the robot Rhino rampage from last November, but there have been at least 13 reported injured."
"So, Aleksei didn't find Parker at all!" Prof. Warren thought angrily. "Still, I did turn him into a mindless beast who couldn't talk, and I didn't instruct him too."
He got up and turned off the TV, before putting the remote down.
"For my next project, I better try another approach, so the person can speak." he thought.
He left the room and walked upstairs.
"And if I have too, I'll add something that'll make him do what I say, even if he doesn't want to." he thought evilly.
He laughed as he opened up a door, then walked into the room with the pictures of Gwen in.
"And when I finally kill my rival, Gwen Stacy will be mine!" he laughed.
The next morning, at the Daily Bugle, Peter walked into the main room, seeing Ned and Betty were chatting more than just friendly like.
"Okay, I'll meet you there tonight." Betty smiled.
"Great." Ned smiled. "Be sure to dress good."
He reached to touch her hand, when Peter approached them both.
"Hey, guys." he said.
Ned and Betty both blushed as they turned to him, Ned pulling his hand away as he did.
"Oh, Peter. Hi." Betty blushed.
"Yeah, hi, buddy." Ned said.
"I wasn't interrupting something was I?" Peter asked.
"Uh, no." Betty blushed. "Nothing at all."
"Yeah, we were just talking." Ned assured.
"Right... Betty, is Mr. Jameson in?" Peter asked.
"He is, Peter." Betty assured. "You got some pictures for him?"
"Yeah, and I think he's gonna be shocked by these." Peter said.
He walked towards the office door, then opened it up and walked off, leaving Ned and Betty confused.
"Wonder what he means?" Ned asked.
Betty shrugged, not sure, before she got up, then they both leaned against the office window.
Peter approached Jameson, as he put a cigar out and looked up at him.
"Parker, you got something?" he asked.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Jameson." Peter said.
He took the photos out of his bag, then put them down on Jameson's desk.
"Hmm? Let's see what that web-headed duo have done now?" Jameson said, picking them up.
He began going through the photos, throwing the first two on his desk, as it had Ghost Spider by herself swinging. The third showed Spider-Man running up a wall, away from a wrecked car, before he threw it down. On the fourth however, he saw the Spider Trio all together, on the wall of a store, staring at Aleksei.
"Another Spider?!" he exclaimed. "Parker, am I seeing things here?!"
"No, you're not." Peter assured. "They say his name's Shadow-Spider."
"Shadow-Spider?" Jameson questioned, looking at the picture again. "Makes sense, due to the darkness of his suit!"
Ned and Betty turned to each other outside, then back to Jameson.
"Just how many web-heads does this city have?!" Jameson exclaimed. "First Spider-Man, then Ghost Spider, then Venom, and now this Shadow-Spider! Is this city gonna be infected with those web-headed freaks?!"
Peter flinched slightly.
"I want those wall-crawling arachnids prosecuted! I want them all strung up by their webs! I want those Web-Heads!" Jameson yelled.
Peter backed away slightly, for he'd expected Jameson to react like this, and knew Miles would have to endure the hate he and Gwen had been getting for the past year now.
"Welcome to our world, Miles." Peter thought.
Spanish translations:
cariño: sweetie.
A/N: If you're questioning Miles' hero name, is because most of what I've heard for him - like Spy-D and Spin - are terrible, while Kid-Arachnid's out because he's not gonna be a kid forever. I chose Shadow-Spider in the end because I think it's good, due to his suit being mostly black like a shadow.
The Rhino in this chapter is Aleksei Sytsevich, the real name of the main one, as he turned into a Rhino unlike the robot from Season 2, piloted by Alex O'Hirn.