Pain.

That was all Peter was feeling as of now.

They had just finished with the memorial for Tadashi and Professor Callaghan. He looked down at the gravestone for his best friend. His heart was empty. His stomach was twisted into knots.

He couldn't save Tadashi.

His best friend who was always there for him when he needed him. Yet he wasn't there to help him when he needed him most.

GoGo walked up to him and took Peter's hand to show her support. "I'm sorry."

"I should have been there," Peter whispered, getting her attention on her. "I should have saved him. Saved both of them."

"You were stopping Electro. " GoGo reminded him that he was doing something important. "If you didn't stop her, she could have hurt many more people. You did the right thing."

"If I was doing the right thing, then how come every time I do something to save a life, someone else I love pays the price?" Peter questions.

It started with his Uncle Ben who was killed by his selfishness. Then Otto died protecting him and GoGo from a mistake that could be brought back to Peter. Lian died because of Warren, who was after him. And the only reason she was with Warren was that Peter wasn't around the labs. Connors was turned into the Lizard because of Peter's DNA.

Everyone he knew and everyone he cared about suffered the consequences of his actions. But Tadashi was supposed to be different. He knew his identity. He knew he was Spider-Man. He was supposed to be able to save him.

But he failed.

"I don't know," GoGo said as she just pulled Peter in for a hug, which he gratefully accepted.


A while later on, Peter and the gang were at Tadashi's home with Hiro absent for most of the event. Peter saw him sitting at the top of the stairs and walked up to sit next to him. He knew how it felt to lose someone he loved and wanted to pass that on to him.

"I'm sorry about Tadashi," Peter tells Hiro.

"Thanks." Hiro supposed.

"You know, I kinda know how-" Peter was starting when Hiro stopped him.

"Please don't tell me you know how I feel. Because it won't help." Hiro tells him.

"Alright." Peter supposed that everyone deals with grief differently. "Just know that I'm here. Tadashi was my best friend, and I lost a lot of people in my life. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here."

"Thank you," Hiro said and Peter patted him on the shoulder.

"See you around, Hiro," Peter said as he made his way downstairs.

As he walked past them, Teresa and Peni watched his sour face past them. Teresa had begun to become worried for his brother. He was losing too many good people too quickly. He has always tried to keep it together for the family, ever since their parents died.

But everyone has a limit.

Was it possible Peter finally reached his?


TWO WEEKS LATER:

Crime seems to have noticed that after the fire, Spider-Man stopped making appearances. And the city's criminal element thought it was a good time to take advantage of the situation.

The same bank that Shocker tried to rob just months ago was currently being held up by five men. They entered and shot off a warning shot to the ceiling, telling everyone to get down on the ground.

They managed to get in and out in under five minutes without setting off any alarms. Racing down the street, they were making their way to their getaway car.

But when one of them reached the getaway car, a web came down and attached him to the car. "What the hell?"

Then a figure came down and landed on the car's hood, crushing it on impact. The one who was stuck in the car looked up in fear. He was looking at two glowing eye lenses, and they all knew immediately who they were looking at.

"Spider-Man." He whimpered in fear.

"Get him!" Another cried as they all raised their guns.

But before any of them could move, Peter shot out a web that split off into a dozen smaller webs that latched onto their guns. Peter then yanks the guns off of their hands and tossed them into the air, leaving them dangling in the air. He then leaped off the hood and stared at the four remaining members.

"Come on, we can take him!" One of them cried as he raced towards Peter.

Peter then stood there, waiting for him to come closer. When he finally came close enough for Peter. Then he shot out a web that grabbed onto the robber, pulling him closer to Peter.

When he had the robber close enough, he activated the mechanical legs to hold himself. He then used his real legs to kick the robber into the air. Peter follows him into the air and smacked the robber with his mechanical top right mechanical leg. Then he used his lower left leg to punch him, sending him flying into the wall.

Peter then landed on his left knee and right foot with his fist crunched. His mechanical legs were still out and as he eyed the remaining three.

Deciding to just go for it, two of them ran off towards him while the last one ran away. Peter allowed them to come closer as one went to punch him, when his fist got close enough, he caught his fist and used one of his mechanical legs to grab and throw him into the wall.

The second guy came charging at him and Peter grabbed him by the collar, smacking him into the light post. He then looked down the street to the one guy who was getting away.

Peter stood there and just allowed him to keep running. As he turned the corner to get into the alleyway, he stopped for a moment to try and cool himself down. He looked out the corner to see if he was followed and didn't see Spider-Man.

But then he heard something drop in the darkness of the alley. Looking down the alley, he heard footsteps in the puddles of the rain. Backing up in fear, he tripped over some trash and watched as Peter came out of the alley, his mechanical legs piercing the ground as he marched over to him.

"Alright! Alright!" The robber gave in as Peter kept walking toward him. "I give up! Just, please...don't hurt me!"

But Peter did nothing but stop right in front of him and retracted his legs. The robber sighed in relief as it seemed Spider-Man wasn't going to hurt him.

However, his relief was short-lived when Peter grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. Punching him in the face, Peter punched him again and again. No matter how many times the man pleaded for mercy, Peter just kept pummeling him into the ground.

The only thing that filled the air was the distant sirens and Peter's fist hitting the man's face.


When the police arrived at the scene, they collected the guns as well as the robbers. When they found them, however, they noticed how hard they were beaten down and how they were hurt.

Yuri looked over the first one he attacked and saw the hurt he was from the metallic arms. "God, Spider-Man."

"What do you think happened to him that got him to turn into this?" The officer beside her asked.

"My guess?" Yuri asked him, having a good idea. "He's lost one too many people."


Back at the prison, Elaine Coll was laying in her cell trying to get some rest. Trying is the best way to explain it as she was being annoyingly angered by Lorina Dodson, who was explaining her fight with Spider-Man.

For the thirtieth time!

"And then I tossed these tightening rings on him, actually taking him down," Lorina tells her from the top bunk. "But he managed to web me up at the same time. I have to admit, it was pretty cool to be the first villain that Spider-Man took down." She then turned and curled with a giant grin. "I always wondered if he had a crush on me since then."

"Wasn't Shocker the first bad guy he took down?" Elaine corrected her.

"No, he was the first criminal." Lorina corrected as she spun and hung upside down to talk to her. "Which one of us got away and held up the police department at gunpoint?"

"Because you hired a bunch of henchmen wearing Alice in the Wonderland masks to take it while you were in the cell." Elaine reminded her again. "Now shut up."

"Okay. Yeah, I'm almost done here." Lorina promises but was stopped when there was a knock at the bars.

"Elaine Coll, you have a visitor." The guard tells her.

"I do?" Elaine asked, not even caring who as long as it gets her out of this cell for a minute. "Get me out of here."

When she was brought over to the room, she saw someone she has never seen before on the other side of the glass. Sitting down on the chair, picking up the phone, she placed it against her ear.

"Who the hell are you?" Elaine asked her.

"My name is Janice Lincoln." The woman introduced herself to the girl. "And I know you're Elaine Coll, the Scorpia who nearly took down Spider-Man."

"Yeah, and I would have, too. If that stupid Bird Girl didn't get in the way." Elaine scoffed in anger. "Not to mention that Spider-Girl."

"Well, she's out of the way. Seems so is Bird Girl." Janice informed her. "They haven't been seen since Spider-Island."

"Spider-Island?" Elaine asked, unsure about the name. "But it's a city, not an island."

"Hey, I didn't name the event," Janice replied.

"What do you want from me?" Elaine asks her.

"I'm here to offer you a chance at revenge," Janice tells her. "You know that girl who attacked Peter Parker?"

"When everyone thought that he was Spider-Man?" Elaine scoffed at that memory. "How anyone believed that I'll never know."

"Well, That's me. I'm the Beetle. So, here's the offer I'm making you. I want to kill the Spider. You want to kill the Spider. If we worked together, he doesn't stand a chance." Janice told her and watched her interest grow. "Interested?"

Elaine smiled as her grin grew and she was enjoying the sound of this. "Yeah, I am."

"Good. Because now I need to talk to your cellmate." Janice said, getting a confused look from Elaine. "What? Did you think you were the only one I talked to?"

"How many of us?" Elaine was wondering.

"Francine Frye was just brought in. That new Olivia Octavius girl. Lorina Dodson. You. Me." Janice listed off all of the people she is talking to. "So, yeah, about five of us."

"Five of us villains against one Spider-Man?" Elaine asked, unsure how she feels about being on a team with White Rabbit. "I'll take those odds."


Back with Peter, he was out all night. So, when he got home, he ripped off his mask and tossed it into the closet before webbing it shut. Panting from all of the pain that he is in before walking over and throwing on something to cover his suit.

"Where were you?" Someone asked, causing him to turn to the door and see Teresa. She seemed to have just woken up and was leaning against the door he swore he had locked. "Where were you?"

"Some bank robbers were up at night." Peter tried to joke off. "I had to take them down."

"And how badly were they beaten?" Teresa asked him.

"As much as I usually would." Peter scoffed.

"Peter, it's been two weeks. And you've been growing more aggressive, I don't even think you realize it." Teresa informed her brother. "If this is about-"

"Teresa. I'm fine." Peter interrupted her. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Teresa stated, knowing she isn't getting through to him tonight. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Don't hold your breath," Peter warns her, knowing he'll find a way to avoid it.

Teresa sighed and walked away back to her room, allowing his sister to get some rest for the night.

Too many people. Too many people he knew and loved have died because of his mask. Because of the secrets, because he wasn't good enough.

Tadashi was just the last pebble that broke the camel's back.

Because he didn't save him, Hiro was without a brother. Cass lost a nephew. And he lost a friend.