Calypso gazed at the latest case within her hands. "Hmm … you seek our assistance for the 'animal problem' within New York?" Many things drove her in life, but the primary one of all … power. It's what she always craved when she saw magic as a child, desiring to be the strongest of all, capable of doing anything … it's why she ate her sister's soul after all.

Some might call her a primal, feral lady, but to her, she was embracing life and nature as it was intended. So much of the modern world had lost its way, so few worth keeping interest in… or keeping alive period in her opinion.

Her beloved, Sergei Kravinoff, fortunately was a spectacular exception. With the savage yet intelligent nature of two countries embedded into his body and mind, his hunter soul flourished, fighting stronger and stronger prey, something that kept her gaze longing on him more and more.

Now however, the animals simply could not keep up. Briefly she pondered about letting him hunt the beings of beyond … but she was a practitioner of Voodoo, and the Loa would not be pleased with someone she was close to hunting their prey with her permission. It seemed that her husband could no longer meet anything that would let him flourish and grow. Rhino, lion, gorilla, kings of beast couldn't sate the man's hunger for the hunt. He even began taking greater risks, such as calming down a fever stricken Rhino with nothing but his bare hands, and only getting a few poultry scratches in return. Not that she didn't appreciate the sight, but it was getting a bit … mundane.

However, within the past few weeks, they have been getting packages and messages from a mysterious benefactor all the way from America, sending them newspaper articles and photographs of bizarre and uncanny sights from New York. Strange creatures from the sky, wolfmen skulking through the city streets, monstrous looking plants that cannibalized men off the streets.

Calypso knew it wasn't the cleanliest of locations, but she didn't think that the pollution would result in such … fascinating creatures. Sergei had shown mild interest in them, specifically any that were Animal themed or based, but few sparked the raw passion and pride that he sought…. except for one… or rather, four large green distinctions.

"Yes, it would be for the best." The distorted voice on the other end of the phone stated. "The turtles are a threat more worth your time. Unlike the savages such as Spider-Man and Rhino, they are animals with the minds of humans, trained in arts found during Feudal Japan. Facing off against them should provide a much more lucrative game than your typical beast."

"Intelligent prey… that would be much different than the usual hunts." Sergei, and herself frankly, had no issue with the idea of hunting humans. The only thing that stopped her beloved was the lack of skill it would take on the common man. "I assume this isn't for free?" Even if the hunt was a reward of itself, it didn't mean her Sergei should be stifled into doing someone's dirty work.

"Half the payment will come upon your arrival in the states. The other half will come when the job is complete." The voice stated.

"And how are we to trust that you'll follow through on your end of the bargain when we don't even know your name or face?"

"Why would I ever fall flat on such a well founded investment such as yourself? Besides, I've heard you can do … many things with a person's name, dear Mrs. Ezili."

"Cute, but say that name again, and there will be nowhere on this planet you'll be able to hide, mysterious benefactor." She chuckled. "I am Calypso, no one else." Her old name was abandoned the moment she sacrificed her sister for her new life.

"Understood, madame. Titles are something I'm quite familiar with in the city of New York." He responded. "And if you feel that this task is beneath you, you could always turn it down."

"Understood." She watched from outside the window, her beloved already packing away the weapons he always took on his 'serious' hunts. "But I believe the decision has already been made." Hanging up, she waited until her lover arrived, offering him the package. "Our next hunt. It seems New York has become one of the wonders of the world, my love."

"I have seen, my Calypso. Such unique specimen. Turtles the size of men, with speed and agility surpassing that of any creature I've seen, and the skill..." Her beloved smiled with eager passion. "This may be my greatest hunt to date, I dare not skip out on the opportunity."

There was the drive she so admired within this man. "It's a long flight from Africa to America." She smirked, resting her hand on his shoulder. "We should help you relax and unwind, darling."

"Now now, Calypso, Sergei Kravinoff must keep his mind focused on the hunt." He wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Well, you caught me in your trap, and this little lioness is awaiting your next move." She smirked, planting a kiss on his cheek for good luck.

Jonah knew his staff was staring at him with apt terror and horror, and rightly so. Because for the last half an hour, he's had to hold back every rant and vent he had within his body. Why? "So then he swoops in and just catches it all, it's crazy!" His niece was ranting about how she LOVES Spider-Man.

Unfortunately, both his sister and brother in law never fully recovered from their injuries, the former was catatonic and the latter was dead, so being the family man he was, he was more than happy to take her in, show her the sights and hopefully guide her into a successful career in journalism. No little girl should have to spend her days without a family.

But the process hadn't been exactly an easy process so far. Jonah was no way ashamed of being older than most people, but with that said...it had been a while since he had been a parent. John was a proud and fine example of the Jameson family values, a true American hero that Jonah would be proud of no matter what.

Mattie however…she was no John for one. She shared Jonah's sense of enthusiasm and excitement for topics they were passionate about to the point they could pinpoint the exact numbers and seconds it took to talk each and every word. She coupled it with John's optimism, seeing the brightest in everyone, no matter how scummy they were, which was admirable in its own way.

This … unfortunately left someone who talked just like him FOR a menace. "And he takes the time to ask if I'm okay and swings me to an ambulance as the world around us is exploding!" One that he unfortunately, couldn't just yell at and throw out of a window if worse came to worse.

"Sweetie … have you ever considered … Maybe he's lying?" He asked.

"Uncle J… he LITERALLY dove into a collapsing building to save me from getting crushed and jumped through fire to get me to safety. I saw him do that like, a dozen times before he went out of view." She told him. "Just because I can't see his face doesn't mean I can't see the good he does. I mean, I'm pretty sure he did WAY more to save people than those Fantastic Four guys."

"Now see here, the Fantastic Four are decent, hardworking citizens." Helping both the world of science AND people's lives, with perfect accountability for their actions.

"Yeah, but they weren't the ones I saw bleeding and struggling to save everyone they can." She told him. "I mean, just what he could do alone with the webs is incredible! Swinging, nets, little balls that act like concussive shots, and they way he's able to flip and move without even turning his head…" On the one hand, he really, REALLY wanted to tell her she was wrong and needed to look for another idol, like John, the astronaut … but on the other hand, she HAD gone through a harrowing experience, and yelling at her would likely trigger repressed trauma she wasn't equipped to deal with yet.

Fortunately, Parker walked through his front door, hopefully to interrupt Mattie's rant. "Mr. Jameson sir, I came with the usual pictures of Spider-Man." …Or make it ten times worse.

"You take pictures of the best hero in the city?!" Mattie shouted with sparkly eyes. "That's so cool! What's he like, how do you take the pictures, is it like a special camera-!?"

"Whoa, easy there, little tiger, one question at a time." Parker held his pictures up in the air.

"Parker, meet my lovely and excitable niece, Mattie Franklin." He stated, derailing that conversation quickly. "She's currently living with me and my wife for the time being."

"I WAS moving here anyway with my folks, but then… aliens happened…" The girl paused.

"Sorry." The boy offered his condolences.

"-but that's alright!" And the girl immediately shifted moods. "I thought I would've been a goner too, but then Spider-Man was all 'thwip thwip' into the city and vrooosh into the collapsing apartment and 'cressssh', and then it was all dark and cold until he EXPLODED out of the rubble keeping me complete safe while smashing cars on top of alien invaders-!"

"She's not on caffeine is she?" His photographer asked warily, justified reaction.

"No, but we keep her away from Cola for a reason." Jaemson nodded.

"-thus, I've taken it upon myself to thank the best hero in this city, right Uncle J?" Mattine had gone on, talking over them and not paying attention to anything else.

"... Quality … family … time …" He ground out.

Parker could instantly see the tension. "I can see you guys are busy so I'm just gonna put this down and-"

"Show me." The girl's attention went instantly back to the boy, her smile was huge. "Show me how you get your photos, I wanna see Spider-Man again and thank him for saving me, show me, show me, show me." She insistently poked Parker's shoulder over and over again.

"Sorry, can't do that. It's best when I'm alone, otherwise I won't be able to chase him for those pictures." The photographer chuckled.

"Uncle J." She complained.

"Now Mattie, I'm sure... No, don't give me those eyes." He told her as sternly as he could, feeling his will weaken when she started pouting. "Don't you dare…!" Do not give in Jameson, do not yield! You were better, stronger, you have told bad news to grieving widows, don't cave … "Parker, I would….greatly appreciate it if you showed my niece around town….and if you… happen to run into Spider-Man… go ahead… and… signal the menace…. down." He gritted his teeth to the point the back of his gums were bleeding from the stress.

"Thank you Uncle J!" She smiled.

"Look, really, I-"

"I'll be right by your side and never leave!" She shouted, glomping onto Parker. "Not until the both of us see Spider-Man in action!" Mattie grinned. "Oooh, we should get trench coats and hats if we're going undercover, maybe a telescope and a police scanner if we're gonna snoop him out, maybe even a police cruiser, maybe a grapple gun to keep up with all his web swinging and-!"

"... I have three bucks on hand." The boy responded to the insanity the girl was spewing. "Speaking of which..."

"Yeah, yeah, see Ms. Brant for your check… but… Parker," he whispered into the boy's ear so that the sweet girl wouldn't hear. "Not saying this is a must, but if you could suggest how much of a menace the wallcrawler is before/on the off chance you do run into him, there's an extra hundred bucks on your next check."

"... I'll do my best sir." He nodded.

"Come on, come on, let's go!" The girl shouted, dragging the boy by the arm.

Jameson waited until they left, before locking the door, shutting his blinds, and pulling out his emergency pillow … and screamed everything he held back for the rest of the day. His own niece….a fan of the wall crawling menace….where did it all go wrong?

"Wait, so she hasn't left your side, like at all?" Mikey asked as he had Peter on the T-phone. It was patrol time, which had become 'search for mutagen canister' time, and about fifteen minutes of jumping the rooftops, the group had noticed a severe lack of spandex and quips, which was odd as Peter was the LAST person to ever be late for a patrol.

"I was only able to have this conversation because she's busy pestering the man on what kind of ice cream she wants." He answered.

"For the last time maam, we can't fit fifteen flavors on a single cone!"

"You can and you will! Just let me stack them, I can do it myself!"

"Maam, please at least consider-hey, stay back, stay on your side of the counter, security!"

"And that's the sound of my wallet and prestige dying." He grumbled. "So unless I lock her in a bathroom for her own safety, I'm out. I'm basically dealing with a mini Jameson if he was a school girl with twice the energy and if they actually LIKE Spider-Man."

"You have the weirdest girl problems." Raph deadpanned.

"Don't even lumped Mattie into that, she's just a fan of Spider-Man, and not the Black Cat kind of fan. Not to mention… she's JJJ's NIECE…..I do NOT need to imagine prickle puss as my Uncle in Law. That's as bad a nightmare as the one I had of Doc Ock marrying Aunt May."

"Ugh, gross, I do NOT need to think about robo tentacle love." Mikey gagged.

"You can go ahead and relax, Spidey. We can search for the mutagen without you for one night." Leo assured. "We'll give you a heads up if there's any supervillains."

"Please do, I almost would prefer than than-whoa, you did manage to get all fifteen scoops on there."

"Told ya I could do it! Hey, who are you talking to? You mentioned Spider-Man alot. Is that how you call him, why is it shaped like a turtle, can I see, let me set let me see!"

"Long story involving bad investment-Hey, don't get too close, your stack's going to fall right on top of-!" And the phone clicked silent.

"... Seems like a fun girl." Mikey smiled. "Like that Doreen girl. You think she'll like seeing giant turtles if she's this into Spider-man?"

"I think if we befriend anymore humans, Splinter's going to punch us out of our shells and turn us into goo." Donnie shivered. "He already got really rough with just those two."

"Hey, at least you're not Leo." Raph chuckled. "He REALLY laid it into Mr. 'I fell in love with the Foot'."

"Master Splinter already beat me up for it, can you please not dump more salt." Leo grumbled.

"Depends, are you going to flirt with her the next time we run into her?" Raph said bluntly.

"No, I'm not going to 'flirt' with her. I know she's bad news, I don't need anymore reminders." Their leader sighed.

"Then I'll turn it down to half the salt." Raph nodded as they jumped down an alley.

They walked up and opened a dumpster … "MREEEE!" As a cat jumped onto Donnie's face, claws exposed.

"WHYISITALWAYSTHEFACE!?" Donnie shouted as he fell backwards, trying to pry it off.

"Well, yours is the second most soft and punchable next to Mikey's." Raph laughed. "So how many duds does that make us at? Twenty?" Then the cat ran off.

"Twenty five. Excuse me for not being able to track the specific signature when a million others exist in this city." Donnie grumbled. "If we could just find ONE canister that hasn't been opened, our jobs would be ten times easier. The only good thing that came out of the Squirrelanoids is that we can cross one canister to find off the list."

"Two out of a hundred … can't we just sleep for the winter?" Mikey asked.

"Not when we caused this mess to begin with." Leo sighed, shaking his head. "If that's not our biggest mistake, I don't know what is."

"Wait a sec … I think my mutagen scanner's finally picking up something!" Donnie shouted.

"Is it another fridge?" Raph asked.

"I ruled out fridges after the third one." He said, looking it over as he began walking. "Three blocks down … right next to the-"

"MOVE!" Leo shoved the sciencey turtle out of the way … as a wooden spear lodged itself where they stood.

"Suddenly I am a lot more grateful for Splinter constantly kicking our shells in!" Raph shouted, getting into position.

"So you avoided my surprise, a strong mix of warrior intuition and animal instinct." Some dude wearing an orange cat vest and pants said as he jumped down, green eyes smirking. "You will be a worthy hunt for Sergei Kravenof!"

"Crazy Jungle Man … isn't it freezing exposing that much skin?" Mikey asked as he and his brothers took out their weapons.

"I have trained myself to walk through ice in an attempt to harness my body." The dude said as he pulled out a machete, rushing in and clashing with Leo's sword. "The elements, be they the depths of the ocean or the heat of a volcano, can not harm a hunter such as I!"

"So what case of nut job are we looking at here?" Raph asked as he landed a kick on the man, dodging a swipe of his blade. "Did Shredder find you on some deserted island or something?"

"I know nothing of this Shredder you speak of, I am merely a man who loves for the thrill of the hunt!" The man shouted; sending out a bola trap and wrapping Donnie's legs up. "I first thought of hunting the masked one known as Spider-Man." Sergei stated. "But the skill you turtles showed … outsmarting you, trained beasts of great skill, will be a treat." They smirked. "... Also, as an invasive species, it's more legal to hunt you."

"Hey, mutants aren't an invasive species!" Mikey shouted.

"I was referring to red eared slider turtles, which are perfectly fine to kill in the state of New York." He shrugged, before trying to stab Donnie with the machete.

"Well, I hope you don't mind us exercising our right to defend ourselves from the species known as the crazed and deranged supervillain." Leo said as he kicked Kravenof off of Donnie. Heh.

"I think you're overhyping Tarzan here by calling him 'super'. Pretty sure I've seen hobos wearing his exact same get up about once or twice a day." Raph snickered as he delivered a punch to the man's face.

The man growled, reaching into his vest and pulling out a blow dart flute as he began shooting darts at them. "He may not be super, but he's like Bradford before he got furry!" Mikey shouted as he rolled out of the way of the darts.

"We did kick his butt pretty easily the three times we fought him." Donnie got up and walked the blow dart out of the man's grip. "So basically easy mode Bradford if he traded cheesy action movies for a funny accent."

"Where are you from, Ireland?" Raph joked as he landed a kick.

"I was born from Mother Russia, and raised by Mother Africa!" The crazy dude shouted, pulling out a spear and going after the turtles.

"Two mothers and still so misbehaved? Parenthood weeps in your presence." Leo snatched as he took his swords out and snapped the spear in half. "Weeps I say!"

"Dude, for a hunter you're really lacking on the skills." Mikey snarked as he hit the man with his awesome ninja chucks. "Maybe he bought the fur off the internet."

"I hunted this skin as trophy, much like your shells will be when I mount them on my wall!" The crazy guy shouted as he waved around twin machetes, only for Mikey to wrap his chains around his arms and pull him forward, and along for him to bring out a tubular headbutt.

"Sorry, Kravenknock off, you're barely worth giving our earwax to." Raph laughed as he kicking him in the chest. "You might be the toughest tiger out in jungle land, but when it comes to the superpowered scene we've faced, you're barely a blip. Heck, compared to normal humans we fight, you're not even notable."

"So why don't you run with your tail between your legs, pussy cat of the wild?" Leo asked, raising his blade to the man's face. "Run off and keep what little honor you have intact."

"Sergei Kravenof does not run from the hunt, he fights until his last breath!"

Donnie jabbed him in the throat with his staff, taking the air away before kicking him into the dumpster. "There's your last breath … wow, it's both awesome and sad I'm able to do that to him."

"Man, okay, mutagen mess up aside, we totally amped up our game." Mikey cheered. "We showed that fool what's up and didn't even need Spidey to help kick his butt!"

"We didn't…we actually did this on our own." Leo mutters with a soft smile.

"I wouldn't exactly call that crazy guy something to be proud of. It was like one slightly better footninja." Raph said with a grin. "Even if cracking his skull was fun."

"Dude, give it up, we're just awesome." Mikey grinned. "All we need now is a crowd of adoring fans."

"Mutant freaks!" A man screamed as he walked into the alley.

"I wouldn't get our hopes up." Leo shook his head. "Come on, let's at least try to end the night finding one canister."

April could do nothing but blink at the situation. "Explain this to me one more time?" She asked, looking at the person glomped on Peter. She had expected a normal day of school (as normal as her life could get at the very least that is), and for the most part it was, barring the uncanny sight of Peter being trailed by what looked like a thirteen year old. It got quite a few stares to say the least.

"You know how I said JJJ had a son who was a nice, decent human being with all his sanity and emotions in check and managed to grow up into someone normal?" Peter asked with tired rings around his eyes as the little kid kept holding onto his arm.

"I think you mentioned it in passing."

"Turns out the gene for hyper enthusiasm got passed down to his niece instead." He groaned with a yawn.

"Excuse you, I like to think I have the perfectly normal amount of enthusiasm for wanting to meet Spider-Man." The girl complained.

"You walked to my house and introduced yourself to my Aunt in order to stay near me just in case I ran out for a midnight picture run for Spider-Man." He retorted.

"You can't tell me it wasn't possible! She said you have a habit of coming home late." The girl pouted. "Although I'd like to state for the record that, though I am not interested, I am NOT 'too young' to date you. I'm only like, three years younger."

"Wait, you're a freshman?" April asked, skeptical. "But you're so short."

"I'm growing into my body, and it's not like short highschoolers are a rare thing!" The girl pouted. "In fact, from my perspective everyone around me is freakishly tall, so chew on that!"

"I can't tell if Parker with a cheerleader or Parker with a toddler is freakier." Irma deadpanned as the rest of the group caught up with them.

"Not that it's not true, but don't make this weird Irma….weirder than it already is at least." Peter sighed. "Guys, this is Mattie Franklin, JJJ's niece who apparently I got contracted into showing around town by the jolly one himself so she can see Spider-Man for herself."

"And I shall not sleep, rest, or leave Parker's side until he shows me the wall crawling hero!" Mattie shouted.

"So does everyone from Jameson's family have an obsession with Spider-Man of some kind?" Gwen asked, looking at Peter's now claimed arm with a conflicted look.

"I haven't seen John Jameson go off into hour long rants about the guy, so I'm praying that he stays sane." Peter grimaced, then looked down to the younger girl. "You do realize that we'll both have to go to class once the bell rings, don't you?"

"I am perfectly fine with getting detention on the first day if it means I catch you ditching class to take pictures." Mattie nodded seriously. "Don't tell me that never happens either!"

Nobody backed him up on that one when he looked for help. "Guys..."

"I mean….it's not….all the time." April tried to do her best to mitigate the damage.

"Just when he has broken ribs during football tryouts." Gwen said, instantly breaking any chance of THAT happening.

"Or when he promises to hang out with friends." Harry added with a roll of his eyes.

"Or ditching prom with a really hot woman." Irma brought up, sealing his fate.

"Aha! I got you now, Parker! You can't escape me!" Mattie cackled like she was a super villain. "I'll chase you to the ends of the Earth! HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAA!" Spider-man…defeated by a fangirl…. April wouldn't believe it if she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes.

"Sorry, but I'd prefer to keep him intact if you're planning on stalking MY boyfriend." Liz showed up, grabbing Peter's other arm and pulling him out of Mattie's grip. "Someone I should be worried about Petey?"

"Nah, she's a Spider-Man fangirl who thinks if she sticks around she'll meet him."

"You ARE the only one who gets his pictures." Liz noted the obvious.

"Oh sweet, now I have two sets of eyes to keep him in place." The girl grinned. "The chance of meeting Spider-Man is as good as mine!"

"Is meeting Spider-Man really that important?" April asked, trying to help the boy escape.

"Of course, he saved me during the invasion!" The girl shouted with sparkly eyes. "Otherwise I would have been crushed and dead … like … my parents …" Ah, NOW she was starting to understand. Maybe there was another way she could help.

"You know, Spider-Man's saved my life too." More times than April can count at this point. "In fact, most of this group has been saved by him. It's like… he's always there like a streak of light."

"Yeah… yeah, it is! It's like he always knows when dangers around and how to fight them!" Mattie's eyes shot up with excitement. "What was he like when he saved you!? How fast was it!? Did he carry you around on his webs?"

"Not really. He swung in and saved me when this giant black spider-fake tried to drop me from a balloon." She shivered at the memory of Venom, catching a glimpse of Peter and signaling him to move while Mattie was distracted. "Then he saved me a while ago, stopping me from getting exposed to a dangerous chemical falling out of the sky." Because April was in danger. "He goes out of his way to keep people safe, even if that means wearing himself down." Even if it meant facing death in the face.

"I knew it, he's a real hero! No matter what Uncle J says." She grinned. "Oh, me and you can both chase him down with Peter …" She looked behind, seeing the boy and Liz had left. "Oh, it's on Parker … the hunt is on."

Riiiiiinnnnngggggg

"The hunt is on after the first period!" Mattie shouted, running down the hallway.

"First girl that literally chases after Parker and he can't get away fast enough." Irma smirked. "And for once it isn't a red head." ….April wasn't sure if she should be offended by that.

"Do we count Mary Jane?" Gwen asked. "No offense but she kinda just … goes after anyone. I heard she went on a date with Flash at one point."

"Plus Liz is brunette, and she went after Peter." Harry shrugged, grabbing his locker. "Again, Peter with a girlfriend. Gotta be honest, I expected twenty three at the very least to see him with someone on steady terms."

"People can surprise you with on the inside." April shrugged. Peter did with her. And to think before she knew, she saw him as a flakey, uninterested in life, and kind of snobby. Boy was she proven wrong, getting to know him and all his baggage … kind hearted … always thinking of others … smart and funny …strong and cute….

"You okay April?" Gwen waved her hands in front of her. "Your face is getting red."

"Yeah, fine." She shook her head. "Just remembered we also have class, let's head out." She couldn't do this. Peter already had a girlfriend, and Gwen had a crush on Peter. April wasn't going to hurt her friends because of a tiny, newfound crush she got from being saved multiple times…that was all it was, right? Sure, she got to vent to him about how crazy both sides were to him, and have someone who could completely understand her in a way neither her dad, Irma, or the turtles could, and just talking to him made her day feel just a little be better-

Stop it, stop it, stop it! Being his friend will just have to be enough. She'll move on eventually.

Miles Warren gazed at the tiny specimen in his stethoscope. "And the cells are … bonding." He smirked. The Conners may not be the most daring scientists, but their research … truly, it was the next level of the animal kingdom. Their work alone on the altered 'super' spiders was truly fascinating in of itself. An organism that could absorb radiation in order to convert it into a safe and ecological friendly alternative for dumping waste … or make a man immune to nuclear weaponry. Push it a little further, and the possibilities were endless.

Of course, he didn't forget that his main reason for being here was so Norman Osborn could have a foothold in all scientific development in the city. Even small labs such as ESU proved to be useful in the long run. Miles didn't mind, just as long as he had something to work with. He didn't get far in his field by worrying about morals.

Still … "It'll be a while until I can get a test subject." He grumbled. "Until then all I have are animals …" Don't get him wrong, mice were fine to use as a hypothetical, but he wasn't willing to create a Sand-Rat in addition to Sand-Man. His time and research with Wyndham already paid off so much in the past… but here he was, unable to go any further.

His cloning experiment had hit a rut. He couldn't find a way to stop cellular degeneration on a full human being. The closest he got to perfection was his 'brother' Aaron, who he was able to give his own life beyond being another Miles Warren. The brain chemistry was not completely perfect, thus the man developed a personality apart from his own.

He realized that the main reason cellular degeneration happened was because he forced the creation to accelerate beyond its own years, but having to wait a decade for an exact replica would be pointless when time was of the essence. Thus, he began research into more…beastial works, animal-human hybrids he could use to make the cells stronger to fight off, or even get rid of the cell decay altogether. He wouldn't just be capable of creating life, but a superior form of life.

But all that was useless without a test- "Grrrr." … Miles turned to see a lion across the room.

"Strange, could have sworn the lions in this lab were only samples." He muttered, slowly reaching for his tranquilizer. With all the genetic monsters born from this city, Miles wasn't stupid enough to not pack some protection for himself. If only THOSE creatures left samples around the city, his research would skyrocket.

Before he could pull it out, a man jumped down the skylight, looking around. "Have you found them yet, Gulyadkin?" He asked the giant feline.

Ah, a trained beast. So there was nothing to worry about…for the next minute. "What a specimen. Yours I presume?" Get the gun ready if the man was trying to rob the place.

"Gulyadkin belongs to no man." The stranger announced, looking around. "What is this place?"

"My laboratory." Technically only a half truth. He WOULD be owning this laboratory before the summer if he had anything to say about it. "I take it you're a tourist."

"I have come for the thrill of the hunt. This city holds many opportunities."

"While I agree with your sentiment, I'm sorry to say you won't find anything here." Miles stated, looking at the small containers. "We only focus on small creatures at the moment, nothing as big as your feline friend."

"Maybe…but this lab….there's something off about it." He stared at the case of super spiders. "These arachnids…they don't exist in the natural world."

"We made them ourselves." He answered. "Pulling together and transferring multiple traits of several species into one." It mainly enchanted the agility and speed. He had yet to perfect a spider that could do all that and camouflage itself.

"Multiple species….transfer..." The wild man pondered those words, before his eyes widened as if a lightbulb went over his head. "The one known as Spider-man, he can do anything a spider can….and YOU'RE the one responsible!"

Spider-Man … born from this lab … thoughts for later. It made too much sense. He wasn't one of those mutants running around the city, and was a prime example of a perfect cross species hybrid on a human scale. "Yes, I gave him his powers." He answered.

"And you were responsible for the turtles as well!"

"Indeed." Let the man assume whatever he wanted, if this was going where he thought it was going, then Miles would have that test subject much earlier than he expected.

"You will give me those powers!" He shouted. "I will even the playing field, becoming a man beyond man!"

Well that was an option … "Spider-Man paid handsomely for his powers."

"Why bargain when I can take it?" With a snap of the fingers, the lion began growling.

"Sir…"

"Sergei Kravinoff."

"Mr. Kravinoff, I can assure you, I wouldn't be offering my talents if it wasn't with BOTH our best interests." Miles said, not feeling threatened in the slightest. "Only I can perfect the process. Do it blindly…and you might as well put down the spear now on the account of having no opposable thumbs."

There was silence, before he snapped again, the lion falling flat. "I believe we have a deal." Excellent.

"Any animal in particular?" He asked the man. "I'm not limited to just spiders after all."

"I want to be king of all beasts." Mr. Kravinoff petted his lion companion. "The strongest traits of the fiercest felines on Earth."

All the fiercest felines … that was a cornucopia of possibilities. Oh Miles was excited for today. "I'll set up a series of treatments over the next three days."

"Three days?"

"It's a gentle process when messing with cells. Too much animal … and the human dies within the beast." Much like he suspected the 'Lizard' was the result of…come to think of it, Dr. Connors WAS working with reptilian DNA … oh this lab was more fun than he ever dreamed of.

Peter groaned as he walked with Mattie around the football bleachers. Two days ….he had to spend TWO DAYS trying and failing to ditch this girl…well he couldn't really ditch her on the account he was half certain JJJ would fire him for it. "Can't we stop now?" And now he didn't even have the excuse of going home, because he was stuck at school on a school night, watching the last game of the season. Normally he'd ditch, cause sports and Flash Thomspon were two things that didn't mix with Peter, but Liz was one of the cheerleaders and she wanted HIM to stay to take photos ... Peter's mind was WAY too immature to imagine what she was trying to imply with that.

"Not until you introduce me to Spider-Man, Peter Parker." He was sure the turtles would be laughing at the irony right now. "He deserves a big thank you. Can't you imagine sitting him down for an interview?"

"Oh … I imagine." Other than that it was IMPOSSIBLE without revealing his identity! And no offense to Mattie, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would blab it out without even thinking about it, which was a given seeing as how she was Jameson's NIECE! "But the web head doesn't need all that. For guys like him, action is his reward."

"You say that when my uncle has half the city wanting his head on a pile for trying to be a nice guy." She complained. "If I can get an interview, I KNOW I can show Uncle J that he's a real hero, unlike the Fantastic Losers."

"They helped people too, you know." It felt so weird to try and argue against a fan…Peter didn't even know if he had any fans at all until now.

"Yeah, but they were more busy punching aliens than helping people." Mattie countered. "And that Johnny guy was more about showing off and bragging to that rock man thing. Spidey made jokes, but his entire purpose for us was on saving everyone. They were flying in on a magic space tub or something while Spidey was going through the hordes like it was his last breath." She looked at him seriously. "This city is made up of little guys, and you can't save anything if you don't save them."

At least someone seems to understand that … but why did it have to be a crazy fan girl? "I'm down for saving every little guy." Turning his head, he saw Doreen walk over with a smirk. "Mostly the squirrels though."

"Whoa… human squirrel!" Mattie's eyes widened as she instantly grabbed onto her tail. "Is this real?"

"Yep. Name's Squirrel Girl. New superheroine on the block." She smirked. "Nice to meet you, new girl squeezing onto my fluffy appendage."

"So soft and smooth…so cool." The younger girl said in awe. "What are your superpowers? Are you really a superhero? How often do you patrol? Is it something you schedule and get special training for-!" And the questions went flying."

"I can do anything a squirrel can but better, I'm really a superhero, I patrol when I don't have school or I'm hanging with friends slash family, and not really on both accounts, it's kind of random. So far I've mostly helped old folks find missing jewelry with the help of other squirrels, nothing on Spider-Man tier levels of butt kicking just yet."

"Do you know Spider-Man?" The girl asked with excited sparkles.

"Oh yeah, I met Spider-Man on my first day of being a superhero." She grinned. "We were both bitten by radioactive animals, except it jumped into my stomach and grew into a giant humanoid squirrelanoid, I named him Jeremy." Did Peter have to just worry about radioactive animals hitting random joes?

"That sounds…so awesome!" Mattie squeed. "Tell me all about it! When did it happen!? Is it going to be a regular thing? Are you two like a super team that'll be way cooler than those fantastic four guys and-!"

"Oh thank god, she's distracted." Peter leaned against the railing. "Phew…That…that was exhausting." That confirmed Peter was not going to have kids any time soon. Well into his mid thirties at the earliest.

"Tell me about it. It feels like I've adopted a giant pet squirrel." Sighing next to him, he saw Jessica leaning against the railing. "Always chattering and I have to chase it around every five seconds."

"Sounds rough." He laughed. He had to watch his voice, but he could allow himself to talk to Jessica a little bit. She probably needed more people to talk to, and it wasn't like she paid attention to Peter Parker in any notable way. "You're Jessica, right?"

"Oh, yeah." She looked away. "Just plain old Jessica …" Weird that someone so blunt, sarcastic, and violent was acting shy. "And you must be Peter Parker, right?"

"Did you hear about me through my photography career or the school rumor board?" He asked.

"Bit of both…and the fact we've shared the same classes since sixth grade." She told him.

"Really, that long?" He never heard her say or do anything before.

"Yeah, I've kinda, gotten comfortable observing from a distance in the background." She muttered. "I would've introduced myself way earlier, but...you've always had this group thing with Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacy and then Harry Osborn, so I didn't know…how to put myself in a group I guess. I've only had Doreen before."

"Well I'm happy to be friends now." He offered his hand. "I can tell you, just as long as you don't pull a Flash and start shoving me in lockers and dunking my head in toilets for the sake of popularity, we'll get along just fine."

She stared at his hand for a moment, looking away quickly. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"... Normally this is where we shake hands."

"Probably best if we don't." She said reluctantly. "I-Ah… have trouble restraining my strength."

Peter imagined the beatdown she gave one of the squirrel mutants. "That's a fair point." Even if he could counter it with his own.

"Flash Thompson has ran past all the players, he's making it to the end!" The crowd started to get wild.

"Pfft, guy gets to act like a brain dead ass during the day, yet gets crowds cheering his name just because he can catch." Jessica rolled her eyes, showing the snark.

"Nah nah, see, he makes the game exciting so people will buy all the overpriced school merch and give them money." Peter answered with a snicker. "Add in the concessions we go through watching for two and a half hours, and the school has found a way to basically legalize child labor."

"Ah, so the school system actually found a way to fund the underfunded staff." The girl nodded. "No wonder the bullies get off with warnings."

"Don't worry. The nerds will have their vengeance by taking over major conglomerates, cause in the real world, brain rules over brawn." Given, most of the people who did use their brains were villains or immoral business men, but still. "We'll have an easy time getting jobs while they spend a good ten to fifteen years realizing they've peaked at graduation."

"Ah, doomed souls." Jessica and him shared a laugh … it was nice. He could be a little extra snarky without it being a turn off. "Guess karma has its day one way or another."

Goooooooaaaaal

Snap.

"Ooooh. It looks like Thompson took a nasty hit. But a touchdown is a … oh, it seems that the people down there are panicking." Peter looked down to see some worried expressions, as the jocks attempted to either move or prevent others from moving Flash … who was just laying down there for some reason.

"… Well this is a shitty way to find out I'm psychic." Jessica winced.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure this is my Parker luck hitting." Then again it was Flash, so he didn't feel too bad, but still.

Kravinoff gazed at the scientist, looking over a vial. "And this should be the final injection … and I take it this is the last installment of your pay?" He pointed to a suitcase. For days Sergei had been coming here, injected with 'stabilizers' that would prepare his body for the treatment. He was no fool, as he held no trust within this man, and he was prepared to let Gulyadkin eat him at the first sign of treachery.

"You'll receive the last of your money if you are successful."

"Aw, and here I thought we've gotten close over the past few days." The man said in a cheeky manner.

"And I expected a higher brow of humor from you, from a man of your supposed intelligence." He retorted. The man was deranged, there was no doubt about it, but the lion's senses didn't lie. If the turtles gotten to where they are because of this man, then Sergei would take the same advantage they did.

"What a shame, you can make it up with a five star review. Not too public of course." Getting close, they infused him with the serum, causing nothing but a minor tingling sensation within the arm. "And done. Connors was really on point with this injector."

Sergei waited … and waited … "Nothing." He growled at the man.

"Hold your horse, Kravinoff. It just takes a second-"

"LIES!" Kravinoff shouted, throwing the beakers and equipment off the desk. "All you've done is lies! Days of pointless testing and financial transfers, distracting me from my true goal! I know Spider-Man was here, I know the turtles have been here! I can smell it in the air!" The stench of chemical induced webbing and sewage water covered reptiles.

"You can … smell it?" The man asked pointedly... wait …

Kravinoff COULD smell it … all the scents around this room. He could see the corners of the walls, his eyes narrowing on tiny movements. His ears twitched as breathing and scratches filled his ears …

Then the burning started. "AAAAHHHH!" So much fire, raging to break free. He could see his nails shift to claws. The beast … the beast seeked freedom. His presence radiated farther than before… a predator that surpassed even Gulyadkin and his kind.

"I believe I'm due an apology, Mr. Kravinoff." That name… that no longer fits him.

He ignored the pain, gazing at the man … the prey … "Call me … Kraven!" He glared into the night sky….where a city full of opportunity…prize…and wealth laid before him. "Kraven….the HUNTER!"