Liz hummed contently to herself as she held Petey's hand, moving down the halls. Everything felt like it was falling into place for her. Her family managed to survive that weird invasion, and she spent the last week getting super close to Peter. There was actually a lack of the usual flaking, though Liz assumed that was due to the bugle probably cutting the boy some slack. So her school life was all set to be perfect, and best of all? "My brother's getting out today." She grinned.
"You know, I don't think you've said much about your brother," Petey noted. "What's he like?"
"Oh, he's... he's a bit of a handful." That was putting it mildly. "Don't get the wrong idea. I love him, but… he gets into trouble a lot… like… trouble trouble."
"Like 'I think I can punch a villain in the face' trouble or 'I'm late on math assignments' trouble?"
"More along the lines of 'I think it's okay to bet on a horse race using a gangster's money' trouble." She could see his wince. "Yeah... debt money is why he went to juvie, to begin with."
"Hey, look on the bright side. If he's out, he's doing better, right?"
"That's…one way to put it." That's what she HOPED, so at the very least. "What about you? How's your life going?"
"Well, according to Gwen, Harry's almost back." Petey smiled. "So that's something to look forward to." Aww, it was nice to see him-
Suddenly, Petey grabbed a hand behind him and slammed someone forward... someone with red hair. "So much... for the 'already here' joke …" Harry groaned. "Seriously, Pete… did you learn Karate or something while I was gone?"
"Uh… sorry, a little on edge from the alien invasion. I guess I developed eyes in the back of my head." He chuckled nervously.
"And you can throw people overhead." Liz looked at his arms. "Not saying it's a bad thing …" Because could he lift HER over his head? A definite score one for Liz Allen!
"All… in the legs… hehe, April does the same with her self-defense." Peter quickly stated, shaking his head. "Harry, you're back! I didn't expect you to come so soon."
"Well, one, you didn't write." …Liz couldn't tell if that was a jab at Petey or not. "But I guess aliens and New York craziness and all. Sides, my sessions kept me busy twenty-four seven." Harry grinned. "It's nice to see you again, Pete." He held out his hand, looking over to her. "And with a girlfriend? Am I reading that right?"
"I-"'
"Yes." Liz immediately answered before anyone could say anything else, holding onto Petey's arm… his really… really defined and toned arm. Seriously, why would Peter wear such loose clothing? These muscles felt great! "We started hanging out more after the whole invasion thing. I mean, when the world nearly ends, why wait on it?" She looked to Gwen. "It was…just my time to make a move."
"Right …" Gwen muttered, looking away. That's right, keep your hands away from Peter.
"Well well well, look what the red haired cat dragged in." She turned to see Irma and April walk over. "Been a while Osborn, finally drinking water like a normal person?"
"Irma, for the love of god, learn tact." April groaned. "I thought New York nearly blowing up would've taught you a little tact."
"No, it taught me we only have limited time to exist in this universe, so I need to make as many snarky comments as possible before the heat death of the Milky Way consumes all."... Wasn't she… delightful?
"Oh, come on now, ten thousand years is plenty of time for as many snarky comments as you and your descendants can think of." Peter shot back.
"Irma with kids? Peter, don't give me nightmares." Harry gulped. "The world can barely stand one of her existing.
"For every Reed Richards and Susan Storm, there has to be a counterbalance." With Gwen's comment, Liz suddenly felt really out of place as the trio started to laugh.
"Nerd jokes, it's their whole thing," April whispered to her. "That and self-deprecating humor. One week with these guys will make you question their self-esteem."
"I see …" Hopefully, she'll get it soon.
"Liz!" She heard a familiar voice approaching.
"Mark!" Liz waved over as the boy approached. "Guys, this is my brother, Mark." She introduced.
"Wait, Mark Allen? As in that juvenile that had a debt to mobster Blackie Tom and had his family held at gunpoint by gangsters?" Irma pointed out.
"... " What the FUCK WAS THAT!?
"IRMA!" The group shouted.
"Yep, that's me." Her half-brother shrugged, not looking too bothered by the accusation in the slightest. "Made mistakes, did my time, now I got a fresh start." Hopefully, he meant it this time. "Surprise to see you around the nerd squad, Liz. Not that I don't appreciate you subverting high school cliches, but I thought Flash's image of popularity didn't involve a high GPA."
"Had a bit of an epiphany, and I found someone nice." She smiled, pulling Petey close.
"Plus, her ex was a horndog that eyed every girl." Irma once again bluntly stated
"That also was a factor," Liz admitted with a nod. It's not like she felt bad about trash-talking Flash. "Anyway, this is my boyfriend, Petey."
"Wait, as in Puny Parker?" Mark said. "The guy you once described as 'the walking toothpick Flash steps on every day?'"... Maybe it was best to tell him this BEFORE he insulted her boyfriend with her own words.
"Wow, nice to see my rep even reached juvenile high." Peter chuckled, luckily either ignoring the insult or playing it off. "But yeah, I'm… I'm dating Liz now. Don't ask me how I did it 'cause I still don't know."
"Humility for one." She leaned on his (insanely toned) shoulder. Seriously, how jacked was he? And why didn't he show it off? Flash would probably be running scared if he saw what was underneath.
"Well, I'm glad someone's making her happy." Mark smiled. "I better get to class. I have no idea where I'm supposed to go after all." He waved and walked away.
"He seems nice," April noted. "Not at all like someone from Juvie… no offense."
"It's a place meant to reform kids after all …" Hopefully... as long as he didn't slip back into gambling again.
Alright, Peter. School was nice, but it wasn't on the important list. There were who knows how many canisters of Mutagen, and you needed to find as many as possible. It is one of the most densely populated cities combined with volatile transforming goo scattered around. Worst of all... it was SNOWING! New York had finally entered winter, and with that came an incoming blizzard. A blizzard, which not ONLY mostly likely kept the mutagen underneath about seven inches of snow
Not to mention, if someone like Electro or Rhino got their hands on the stuff... ooh, that was a terrifying thought. He did not need superpowered super-mutants in his life. He was already dealing with trying to say he was just friends with Gwen.
It wouldn't be too bad with a lot of time to try and find it... but that led to probably the second worst thing about this situation... The turtles were hibernating... or at least, in the midst of fighting OFF hibernation with the sudden increase in cold temperature. This meant until Donnie figured out how to keep their body temperatures regulated for the winter, Peter was back to being solo... Again! All this time, he was learning about what it meant to be a part of a team... and he was swinging alone. Irony truly was a cruel mistress.
"Back to square one. At this rate, I'll be talking to myself again... oh god, it's already starting. Quick universe, give me a distraction!"
POOF
A green cloud of smoke boomed out from the Brooklyn Bridge. "Why do I tempt you, oh cruel mistress?" He asked as he moved closer.
Spidey found his way over to see... a fishbowl-wearing man in a green suit and purple robe standing over a dragon that was flying above a tri-corp truck. "Bow before the grand majesty of Mysterio as he liberates you of your earthly possessions!"
"You know, it really says a lot that the weirdest thing about this situation is that you want to free people!" He quipped out, shooting a web at the man. "What, you on your way to help free the rabbits tucked underneath your chrome dome?"
"You dare mock Mysterio's craft by comparing it to the comparable stage magician? Foolish arachid, none is more so a master of the arcane than he!" Okay, so he had the Kraang need to talk in third-person combined with a Vegas performer.
"Unfortunately for you, Spidey prefers musical numbers to visual performances, so I'm rating you one butt-kicking out of a standing ovation!" He swung down, preparing to throw a punch.
"Ah, so the great Spider-Man wants a dual performance! Unfortunately, Mysterio works as a solo act. Dormite!"
"You want me to sleep?" Really? What kinda spell was-{Chemical}-Spidey was warned, but he wasn't able to see anything before he felt his muscles weaken. "Ooooh, boy." Great, invisible, and odorless gas.
"Foolish Spider, you fight out of your weight class. Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere!" The cloud he was standing on lifted away with the armored truck.
"Wait, you think Elvis is alive!?" What kind of broken Latin was he reading? Even google translate wasn't THAT bad..
"Ah… I see your will is strong. Unfortunately, Mysterio's is STRONGER! Denique diatem efficacem inveni!" He summoned a sword out of nowhere. {Blade to neck} And according to his spider sense, it was real!
"What the heck does dieting have to do with your stagecraft!?" He managed to dodge out of the way as he managed to land a kick on the man.
"Impressive, but not for long. I, Mysterio, call forth a mighty dragon to vanquish such a pest! Tibi gradtias agimus quod nihil fumas!" With a bit of thunder, a golden dragon shot out into the sky.
"You know there's an irony in calling a dragon by thanking someone for not smoking!" He shot out, dodging a fireball that seemed to follow him. "Oh no, no, no!" He jumped through a car as the fire continued to chase... before vanishing. Peter looked up, seeing that the fishbowl head was gone. "Dang it, he pulled a triple fake out on me."
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He heard a scream from above, and it was the armored truck that was lifted in the air before... which was now falling into the freezing cold ocean…as well as the man inside.
"I really should've invested in spider thermals, or at the very least a wetsuit! I'm friends with turtles. That should've been obvious!" He leaped into the water.
splash
Cold, so so cold, colder than when Leonardo tried to make an awesome battle cry. Don't focus on the cold, focus on saving this man's life as well as punching that stupid fishbowl off that party clown's face... then again, Peter might end up losing all feeling in his own by the time he was done.
He hoped this wasn't a long winter…the turtles were better with handling cloak and dagger stuff, maybe they could think of something.
Splinter handed Peter another heating pack. "I'm glad we stored bulk in advance," Peter said bluntly, watching as his sons lazed around.
"I wanna flip the page... but... too exhausting …" Michelangelo cried out as he gazed at a closed comic book. Honestly, he wasn't sure if this was the work of winter or if his youngest son was just taking advantage of their biological need.
"Yikes, hibernation's really hitting you guys hard," April noted as she passed blankets around to Leonardo and Donatello.
"Can't afford it …" Leonardo tried to walk away. "Mutagen... rampant... oooh, two exits." And fell onto the couch.
"How did you guys manage before?" Peter asked.
"Before…we didn't... need to go to…the surface." Donetello explained as he constantly hit his desk over and over again."We just kinda... let it happen."
"There were no... skulls to crack... the dark ages," Raphael complained. "We only... slept …"
"The fact you all have heating packs, blankets, and an air humidifier combined and are only half conscious really says a lot," Peter noted.
"I…I'm…I'm working... working…on a personal... heating... until... that should…keep our body…temperatures…stable... but... but…I need…time…time... time... " Donnetello hit the table and landed on a screw. "AHHHHHH! I'm up, I'm up! I'm…I'm.." He fell back on the desk.
"Guess I really am alone on this one," Peter grumbled. "One spider should NOT have this much trouble against a guy wearing a fishbowl over his head.
"Well, he... is magic …" Michelangelo stated, his head landing on his comic book. "So…so…mysterio... for once... a cool name... the villain... comes up... with... "
"It's just tricks." The boy waved off as he rested. "Magic isn't real."
"Don't be so quick to deny that you don't understand, Peter," Splinter told him.
"One of his 'magic spells' was Latin for 'I believe Elvis is alive.'" They bluntly stated.
"He…he... he is?" Michelangelo asked. "Whoa... what... what else... have we…we... we've been missing out on... is... is the earth really flat? Are... are the lizard... people... going to... invade... ?"
"… Too... tired …" Raphael groaned. "April... hit Mikey …"
"Maybe later." April shook her head. "Doesn't your spider-sense tell you what's real and what's fake?
"Yeah, it does, but there's KNOWing something is a threat coming, and there's seeing it. I could tell I was about to be hit with a chemical, but I couldn't smell it. I could tell I was about to be cut, but I didn't know where he pulled it from. I could see a fireball, but by the time I dodged, I realized too late it was a fake." He responded. "Too many conflicting stimuli to work with."
Now, this is something he could help with. "Peter." He rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Which sense do you trust the most? Your eyes or your spider intuition?"
He blinked. "My Spidey sense, obviously."
"Then make it your only sense." He instructed. "Let your eyes only see darkness, let your ears only hear silence, let your nose smell nothing. As you close off the body, the energy within flows through the openings you leave, enhancing it."
"You mean like how blind people have super hearing?" April asked.
"Precisely." He nodded. "Your ability to sense danger will never grow if you don't push it to its limit. In the deadliest of fights, the ability to use one sense over others can often change the tides of a fight."
"So next time I'm facing Chrome Dome, trust my Spider-sense and only my spider-sense," Peter noted, creating a band of webbing and using it to cover his eyes. "Okay, let's see... whoa…this feels weird." He said. "It's not physical... but I know you're there."
"Really?" April asked, holding up her hand. "Can you tell how many fingers I'm holding?"
"Two." He answered correctly. "Now it's three. Now it none... Now you're signaling for Mikey to stop trying to put bunny ears on you... freaky... it's…it's like I'm seeing the world…like…like it's made out of fire, but not at the same time."
"Cool... psychic... spider…powers... " Michelangelo snickered.
"I bet I could even avoid a hit from Splin-" He moved quickly, having his fist under the boy's chin but stopping just there. "...Point taken."
"I have to leave you all something to strive for." Splinter was not the pinnacle of the world. Martial Arts was meant to expand itself evermore. "Take that to heart, young Peter. Your only limits are the ones you place on yourself."
"That's what my subconscious keeps yelling to me. Maybe it's about time I listen." He smirked. "And the first limit I'm breaking, I can walk off a frozen skinny dip with no problem!" Peter shouted, swinging out of the lair. A minute later, a small thump echoed through the air. "...Almost without a problem!"
Hobbie was often asked one simple question throughout his life. Heck, he often asked himself the same question over and over again, almost on a weekly basis. A question that was so easy to answer yet so hard to justify. The question being… Why the heck was he friends with Casey Jones?
"Casey, I'm going to save the idiocy of your idea for an even bigger question... Why are you dressed like Jason from Friday the 13th?" He asked the hockey boy, who had skull paint on, as he double-checked the bag on his back, placing the hockey pucks and baseball bats in it.
"Hey, Jason has a normal hockey mask. Mine's a skull, WAY different." He said with complete obviousness."
"That's somehow LESS reassuring if you got saved by a scarier version of a movie villain." The guy was loyal to a fault and always stuck to his guns… but that didn't stop him from being a complete idiot. "And what's with the mismatched gloves?"
"Check it." He pulled a flick of the wrist... as a potato-powered and wisk-looking taser came out. "Taser glove, boom! In your face with rad awesome mojo!"
"..You made a potato taster... and yet you're still failing science."
"If they told us how to beat up people in science, I'd get a better grade than a D, which, again, is technically not failing." He smugly smiled.
"And your method of getting around is rollerblades?"
"I'm the fastest man on wheels."
"Except for anyone with a car, truck, motorcycle-"
"You know what I mean, man." Casey rolled his eyes. "Show a little support."
"Casey, how long until you realize that this is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS!" Hobbie shouted.
"My costume doesn't look THAT bad, man."
"You made it out of the stuff in your garage's closet!"
"You made a costume out of stuff in your garage!"
"Yes... for WINDOW WASHING." He repeated. "Not fighting criminals of the night like a maniac because I feel a little suicidal!" He banged his head against his hand. "Dude, come on, what's this really about? Yeah, I get your dad thing, but this is-"
"No, it's not just a 'dad' thing, Hobby. It's about not standing by when something crazy comes out." Casey put his foot down. "We just got invaded by aliens. Some mutant monkey woman killed fifteen people. The world's getting crazier, yet criminal scum still thinks it's okay to just go around and take advantage of everyone like it's nobody's business."
"And what, you think that gives us the right to break every law, go out and beat up guys above our weight class while getting holes in the chest?"
"Better than sitting back and letting the crooks and crooked cops get away with crime under everyone's nose." Casey nodded, putting his mask down. "The world is only as safe as we make, so I'm going to go out and do my part."
"By, once again, running into the latest threat?" Hobbie asked. "Which, if I recall, is mister WIZARD!"
"Heck yeah, man. Don't you know the chosen one always beats the evil wizard? I got this in the bag."
"Since when are you chosen for anything!?" Hobbie shouted. "You got banned from most of the sports teams because you're so brutal during practice!"
"Obviously, that means my skills are suited for a higher calling."
"Casey." He groaned. "Why do you have to make it so hard to give you common sense?"
"Look, I'm going out there. You can come with or stay behind." The boy said, putting on the hockey mask. "The world needs a wake-up call, and the one to give it…is Casey Jones!"
He didn't want to watch... but he had no choice as he saw the moron flee in the direction of what looked like a moving cloud of green smoke surrounded by purple bats. "Mortals of the modern world, your lives have turned to carnality and sloth with the advancement of modern technology. Let Mysterio liberate you of that burden and free your souls!"
"That guy …" Hobbie wondered if he could keep it going... being friends and helping someone who wouldn't help themselves.
Casey skated as fast as he could, trailing after the fishbowl wizard floating on a cloud. This was it, the day he took down criminal scum personally and dispensed justice to those beyond the law. "Yo, punk!" He shouted, tossing a puck in the air. "Heads up!" And swung at it with a hockey stick, sending it flying right at the cloud.
It bounced off the man's head as he looked back. "It seems another mortal soul dares to face the might of Mysterio. Mulier fui in vita venus!" With a shout, a giant green fireball that had a grinning face shot out of his hand, moving in the air like Pac-Man as it went after Casey.
"Whoa, cool magic trick? Are you going to predict my future next?" He joked, skating away as he took out his baseball back and swung it at the green thing... only for it to pass through."Wow... I really AM the chosen one! Magic has no effect on me, fool!"
The magic man merely scoffed. "Gargoyles, rush forward." He announced as the purple flying bats came at him.
"It's a pencil!"
"The government is a lie!"
"Non sequitur!"
"Not exactly rabbits out of a hat. You should probably check them for rabies!" He began swinging at the flying pests. They flew above him and began taking bites at his arm. "Oww! Hey, watch the costume, just had it made!"
"Not likely, young one." Wait, wasn't the crazy wizard over- "Dormite." And now Casey felt drowsy. "Rest well, young one." They pulled a sword out of their arm. "For the great Mysterio has blessed you with a swift end-"
"Curtain call for one tacky wizard!" In an instant, Spider-Man himself swung in and kicked the dude in the chest, sending him into a brick wall... as an arm came off. "Oh god, that won't do well on my conscience." The wizard dude stood up, sparks coming out of their missing arm. "A robot?"
"Robo wizard... that sounds so cool... and contradicting," Casey said.
The robo wizard rushed forward with the sword as the purple bats swarmed at Spider-Man. "Eat the spider, eat the spider!"
"Don't you know that's terrible for the diet!" He webbed them up, treating the robots like maces as he used them to beat up the robot. "Moths are much more preferable for a growing bat. That's unless you're a fruit, in which case I'll go ahead and buy some mangoes when they're back in season!"
"Don't worry, I'll give them a hardy dose of knuckle sandwiches to hold them down!" Casey said, taking his stick and swinging it at the bats, knocking into a wall. "That's right, score one for Case-"
"Ahh, ahh, ahh, hey, newbie, quick word of advice!" Spidey said, flipping on a wall and using his webs to pin more bats down. "Never give out your name if you're wearing a mask!
"... Score one for... Puckmaster?" He guessed.
"... Somehow, that's the least lazy name I've heard in a while," Spidey muttered, going back to the bats. "Aways, kid, you might want to skedaddle. Misty's magic might be as fake as his accent, but that still doesn't make him any less dangerous."
"No way, I totally got my second wind," Casey said, putting his equipment back on his back. "And since he's not a real wizard, I don't have to worry about him cursing me or anything." He began punting more bats into the ceiling.
"Love the enthusiasm, but it's not needed here," Spidey said, jumping to the ground. "I got super power giving me a cheat. You just got a bunch of sports gear. No offense, but I don't like those odds."
"Hey man, I fought those aliens with nothing more than a car and three pucks. I can handle one corny man with a terrible fashion sense." He shot back.
"Wait, the entire city was invaded, and you decided just to hit robots with a hockey stick?"
"Well, yeah, what am I supposed to do? Let them probe me and do weird, freaky science experiments?" Casey asked. "No way, Jose. You don't need powers as long as you have guts and grit backing you up." He clutched his weapon. "And Case-I mean, Puckmaster has plenty of both backing him up."
"...I don't know whether to call you brave or insane."
"Eh, just say both if you don't want to split hairs." Casey shrugged.
The guy groaned. "Look, this job is dangerous, kid. I get that you're very gung ho, but you're gonna get hurt." They said. "I already lost someone else who just wanted to play the hero. I don't want to lose another. Please understand."
Play... "My dad got fired for doing the right thing," Casey said, causing the hero to pause. "It hurt... but after that, he took me to my room and sat me down, said he didn't regret it." He went on. "Then he told me to always remember... 'If you have power, and you can stop people from doing something bad with theirs... and you don't, that's on you.'"
The webhead looked at him with those wide white eyes, and Casey was unable to tell what was going on in the webhead's brain at the moment. "Crimminy, my conscience is going to kill me in the morning... fine, but everything that happens from here… you do what I say. Stay behind me and wait for my signal."
"Can do."
"... You're going to rush him the moment you see him, aren't you?"
"Will do."
"Ugh, comics do NOT make having sidekicks be THIS difficult." The webhead shook his head. "Don't make me regret this, or I might consider letting you become bat guano for my spider garden."
"I thought you had moths for the bats? Are you already forgetting your own quips?"
"Either focus on the consistency of my humor or focus on making the fishbowl's head spin."
"I prefer the latter, but let's see if I can multitask." This... this was his dream, all ready to go. This was the time of Casey Jones... or Puckmaster, as it were.
Quinten Beck overlooked his haul for the day. Between the technology that would pay for a fortune and the gold, he would be set for life. Who needed the acting skills of Chameleon when Mysterio already had all the skills he needed? That loss helped open his eyes and show him how to be more effective, stronger, and better. Sure, he still needed Phineas's help with the tech and the funding of the so-called 'Master Planner,' but he was well on his way to becoming a star in the limelight instead of a side character assisting from the shadows. "All in a day's work... now, what should be my next act?"
"How about the Mysterious but kicking? How can a man so tacky get humiliated even worse!?" Quinten turned to see Spider-Man, and that skull kid show up from a window.
"So, you mortals have finally found the magical lair of Mysterio." He pressed a button on his glove, creating the green smoke where his illusions projected best.
"Oh, lay off the magic act. We know it's all fake!" The skull kid shouted. "Last I checked, lord of the Rings didn't have robots!"
"Oh, is that a fact you wish to prove true yourself?!" He made the dragon he projected breathe fire and aimed it right at the kid.
"Either I'm the chosen one, or that's just phony baloney!" The kid ran through the flames head-first.
"If you're the chosen one, the world's doomed. And this is coming from the guy who got bitten by a spider for his powers." Spider-Man shot forth a web at the illusionary Mysterio he set up. "Told you, it's just illusions!" The hero shouted... before a robotic hand smacked him out of the ground.
"Yes, Spider-Man, Mysterio does employ illusions." They admitted, seeing the jig was up. "But which illusion has mass, and which doesn't... quite the conundrum, is it?" They activated a train from an old prop piece, having it charge right at them.
"Okay, I may not have the highest grades in science, but holograms can't hurt you, right!?" The skull kid skidded underneath it, rolling into a holographic ace that he ducked under.
"He has robots and pyrotechnics hidden under projected lights. It'll be next to impossible to tell what's real and what isn't." Spider-man grumbled.
"Very true. And since we're being honest... I summon poisonous tigers!" Fake tigers with poison darts ready to shoot out at a moment's notice from the walls. "No latin. I had so much fun just making up what I said, too."
"CALLED IT!" Spider-man shouted. "Kid, get close to my back and move on my signal. I'm gonna do something either really cool or really stupid."
"Bro, in my life, people call half of what I do stupid. I'm game for anything right about now!" The skull kid yelled.
The spider was foolishly covering his eyes and ears with webs, taking a deep breath as the tigers approached. "Duck!" And moved down, completely avoiding the darts-wait what?
"Let thunder strike down!" He created a fake thundercloud with a long-range taser inside. "And let my fiery knights run forward!" And a completely fake knight made of fire charged at the hero.
"Fire's coming, fire's coming, fire's coming!"
"No, it's not! Move three feet to the left now!" They jumped out of the way, completely avoiding the lightning bolt. Growling, he deployed three 'Mysterio Bots' as he created illusionary bats. "Three o'clock, we got something on the ground."
"On it!" The puck kid skated forward as he waved his stick around, knocking the domes off two of their bodies. "GOOOONNGGGAAALAAAAAAA!"
"Battle cry, nice! You might have a career in this after all!" Spider-man, still blindfolded, jumped into the air, webbed the third one up, and kicked it into pieces.
"Dude, that was sick!" The kid in the skull mask shouted. "Do you have the force or something?"
"I'll teach it to you later, young padawan, right after we take down dollar store Darth Vader."
"As if this is what I needed." Doubling his smoke, he created an illusion, running to the right as he moved backstage. Run out the door, hide the suit, and wait until you can try again. He would also need to be quick. On the off chance he was captured, he needed to set up a bot to take his place in jail. "Come on, come on, you stupid piece of junk, operate, operate.."
"Hey, spidey, I think we're having our 'pay no attention to the man behind the mirror' moment!" The skull kid shouted.
"That's the man behind the curtain, you plebeian!" Beck shouted back. If he was going to be caught, he might as well teach them a thing or two about fine cinema.
"Aww dang it, and here I was with my Wizard of Oz quote locked and loaded," Spider-Man stated as he jumped down. "Wanna give up now, or should we give you your first Spidey branded beat down?"
"I always have a trick up my sleeve-" He caught the puck from the skull kid. "Did you really think a simple tool would-?" Quintin stopped at a sizzling sound, looking down to see tiny sticks of dynamite tied onto the hockey puck. "Oh."
BOOM
"Who's the master trickster now!" The skull kid laughed. "Let that be a lesson to never mess with me! Just be glad Spidey's here. I make the streets a little less friendly when I'm by myself." He would have been on them if that explosion didn't total his control glove.
"Questionable ethics aside, you did do it." Spider-man nodded as he took off the cracked bowl. "Now let's see who our wizard REALLY is.
"Alright, now I've been unmasked, and you see the face of your nemesis." Beck grinned.
"... One fight doesn't make you a nemesis," Spider-man stated.
"One fight... you fought me before!" He shouted.
"I never saw you before today."
"It was at the boat with the Chameleon!"
"Really... oh, right, the... ship captain with the gadgets, right?"... HE REMEMBERED PHINEAS BUT NOT HIM?!
"I was the waiter! I said, 'Oh d'oeuvres' and spilled gas bomb tea! Your turtle friends even gave me the name Mysterio!"
"At least I can tell Mikey he named this one." The webhead shrugged as he tied him up.
"Who's Mikey?" The skull kid asked. "Didn't you say something about NOT giving away real names?"
"It's a long story that you MIGHT get to hear someday... granted if this.." He waved to the kid. "Continues."
"Oh, trust me, it absolutely will." The kid grinned. "So, do we knock out his teeth before or after the police come?"
"Before, I just got to edit my cue card." He took out a piece of paper and a pin. "Alright... courtesy of your friendly neighborhood team-up of Spidey and Puckmaster." Well, wasn't that a blow to the ego? He wasn't even worth a Spider and Turtle team-up.
Norman Osborn liked to keep a close eye on any and all investment opportunities. It was part of his lifestyle when he brought up Oscorp from the ground up, and he made it second nature by the time he became the Goblin. If there are any potential or interesting signs or opportunities to benefit himself, he will take control of the situation in a heartbeat.
Like now, hosting a small dinner to 'celebrate' ESU lab's new funding. Dr. Connor's research was invaluable genetically but untapped due to man's weakness, both physically and mentally. He is far too bound by his family, which is why Norman would bring someone of his own to the table. "Mr. Osborn, once again, I can't thank you enough for your funding."
"Think nothing of it. I'm always one to help the progression of good people." He half lied. "And I can assure you Miles Warren's assistance will provide much-needed support."
"Well, I spent enough time cloning rats and fungi on the microscopic level. I felt like it was time to branch out and experiment." His best scientist, as well as the most morally flexible one he had on staff, nodded in affirmation. "Your idea of genetic integration of DNA to induce abilities such as healing is remarkable in its core concept, Mr. Connors. Similar to what I've been trying to do with mammalian DNA. I believe that if we combine our notes, we should…"
"Let's not jump too far ahead.." Martha Corners stopped the man. "The last time we tried was… an embarrassment." Everything he was able to gather from Matt Gargan's investigation was related to the villain Spider-man, who was first documented fighting the so-called 'Lizard.' Mutated one of their lab lizards, perhaps? "But we are hoping to expand the lab more into other divisions of science. We were hoping to rehire one of our former employees, Eddie Brock, but he's disappeared."
Brock. The name was familiar, but only in association with the Parkers, specifically the parents of Peter Parker. Minor but noteworthy scientists in their own right. "If I recall correctly, I believe Peter Parker was interning at your lab along with Gwen Stacy?"
"He... was." Dr. Connors shifted his prosthetic arm. "There was a conflict of interest, so we had to terminate his internship."
Peter was the one good influence on Harry's life. Determined, driven, focused, and willing to do what was needed when the time came down to it. He expected big things from the lad in his adulthood. "What kind of conflict?"
"... Personal." Martha Connors simply stated.
"Personal? That doesn't sound very professional, if I may say." Norman stated as he bit into his stake. "Two brilliant scientists letting a creative and driven mind go over a personal matter? Logically, I would suspect people of your caliber to be more mature over such matters."
"Well... when you put it like that…" The woman squirmed, likely now sweating from being put on the spot. "I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to… give Peter a second chance."
"Excellent, glad we came to an agreement." Harry's life could only improve if Peter's did. If Harry was going to succeed, he needed all the connections he could get.
"I never knew you and Peter were close." Curt Connors spoke with surprise.
"He's been a close friend to my son Harry for many years. In fact, one could say the boy's practically family." The best choice for a successor to the Osborn legacy would be if Harry failed again. He just needed to get rid of that sense of empathy for other people. With great power came great opportunity. It wasn't wise to waste it.