Peter Parker

It took me a while to get to The Bunker. I wanted to get their early. Unfortunately, New York was rather active. Much to my chagrin, it wasn't because of major crimes. Nope, it was mostly the small stuff. It was pretty annoying due to some of the occurrences being rather petty. On one occasion, I had to break up two people who were about to fight over a parking spot. On another occasion, I had to deal with a Karen who was harassing a resident who lived in her building because, according to her, said resident didn't "look like she could afford to live there".

I had a feeling that wasn't the exact words she wanted to really use.

The Karen in question even demanded I detain the poor woman and get her I.D. I tried to explain to this woman that what she was doing was wrong, but she didn't want to hear it. So, I didn't feel the least bit bad when I webbed her to the wall.

Other things I ended up doing before the meeting included breaking up a fight at a restaurant over an order dispute, preventing a dognapping, and protecting a tow truck driver from a rather belligerent individual whose car was about to be repossessed. I thought I could find solace in the fact that I didn't end up putting someone in the hospital. That hope was dashed the moment I heard gunshots while I was in mid-swing. I cut my line and landed on the edge of a roof. There was a shootout going on between two groups of masked men. People were scrambling to get out of dodge. I narrowed my eyes underneath my mask.

"So much for getting their early," I muttered to myself before I jumped off the roof and fell forward before I flipped and landed on the roof of a car that was near the action. The gunshots stopped as the opposing groups of gunmen brought their attention on me. I looked around to see if anyone was hurt. Not seeing anyone who was in need of medical care, I brought my attention back on the six gunmen. "So, here's the thing. I got places to be at a certain time, and you guys haven't hurt anyone with your shooting. So, here's how things are going to go. You guys know who I am and you know what I'm capable of. With that in mind, you have two choices. Choice A, you drop your weapons on the ground along with any ammunition you have on your person and I'll let you guys go home without incident. Choice B, you continue this shootout and I'll give the people working at Presbyterian even more reason to ask for a raise." I tilted my head. "If I were you, I'd go with Choice A ASAP."

I felt my Spider Sense go off. Much to my disappointment, but not even a little bit to my surprise, one of the gunmen aimed his weapon at me. Without even turning my head, I brought my right arm and shot out a strand of webbing towards the gunman. Once it his chest, I yanked him towards. He screamed while he moved through the air. I caught him by the front of his shirt with my right hand. I looked at him for a second before I slammed him down onto the windshield of the vehicle. I stared down at him and listened for a pulse.

He still had one.

I took in a breath before I looked at the others. I cracked my knuckles.

"Choice A is off the table."

About thirty minutes later, I arrived at The Bunker. I stopped and looked at the Dartz that was in the garage. I smiled slightly as I took off my mask.

"They got you out of Singapore, huh?" I muttered to the vehicle. After that, I made my way down to the meeting area.

"You're here," Kitty said. I looked at her as she stood up. I wanted to smile at her. But she was looking rather rough. As she walked up to me, I saw the circles around her eyes and the red veins in her sclera. She definitely hadn't sleep in a long while. My stomach churned. This was definitely yet another sign that this meeting was going to suck.

"I am," I said. The two of us hugged for a bit before she pulled away. Kitty beckoned with her hand.

"Sit."

I looked at the meeting table. Scott and Joanna were sitting there. Betty, Ned, and MICHELLE were there as well. Buford was standing off in a corner. The only seat available at the table was right next to Michelle. Yeah, sitting was out of the question for me.

"I'll stand." I looked at Kitty. She gave me a look. She then glanced at the table. She looked back at me and nodded. I watched Kitty as she retook her seat. I ignored the looks I was getting from Ned, Betty, and Michelle. I just wanted to get this meeting started and…

Wait…

I looked around the room again. There were two people missing. Carmilla and Craig weren't present. I had a good feeling why Carmilla wasn't there, but what was up with Craig?

"Where's Craig?" I asked.

It was at that point that Scott took in an audible breath as Joanna looked away. It was at that moment I knew I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Craig is going to be out of commission for a while," Scott began. "…Right now, he's in a medically induced coma due to suffering third degree burns all over his body."

I blinked once as I processed what Scott just said. "…What?"

"Since when?" Betty asked.

"Since about a couple of days ago," Kitty explained. Everyone looked at her. "For days, Craig was hunting down a huge stash house in New York. Unfortunately, it seems like he was led into a trap."

"I was on duty that night," Buford continued. "I got two messages from him. First one was his location. Second was short string of letters and numbers. The location was in Queens. By the time I found him, he was on the ground in front of a burning building. I was afraid of what'll happen if I bring Craig to a normal hospital. So, I scooped him up and drove away. I reached out to Misty, and she led me to Claire's clinic in Harlem. I called Kitty as soon as Craig was taken in and treated. Just this morning, I had a talk with one of the fire marshals about it. Weirdly enough, there was fake money, white sand, and candy that was packaged in a way to make it look like it was real contraband and dirty cash. Craig got led into a setup."

I took in a breath. "Okay," I breathed out. "Now, I have… so many questions. First off, why am I hearing about this now?"

"It was a decision I made," Scott replied. I looked straight at Scott with a glare.

"And what was the reason for waiting until this meeting to tell us?"

Scott tilted his head slowly. "You are the reason."

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't pleased. "Excuse me?"

"Peter, with all due respect, you haven't been acting yourself lately. You've displayed a level of brutality you have only reserved for the most dangerous of foes. If you were told about it as soon as it was known, you would have gone on a rampage across New York, and that's something we really don't need right now, especially since what happened to Craig may be tied to the main reason behind this meeting… and something that concerns you, MJ, Ned, and Betty. The last thing we need is a hit to the X-Men's reputation and to give the government – local or otherwise – a reason to ramp up their operations in this city."

"Peter," Betty spoke up. I looked at her. "I understand you're upset, but Scott has never done anything without good reason. And, to be honest, he's right."

I wanted to retort. I really did. But then I remembered the dream I had a while back – the one where Michelle was shot and killed in front of me. Because of Doctor Strange, I learned that every dream I had was a glimpse of an alternate version of me. And that particular version of me put New York through Hell. I want to say I wouldn't do that. But, maybe I was trending that way. I sighed before I nodded. I looked back at Scott.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"It's fine, I get it," Scott replied. He then stood up. "Unfortunately, what happened to Craig may be a sign of things to come. I have a feeling what happened to Craig may be a part of something bigger. Whatever that something is, we are the target of it - and that includes everyone in this room."

"But why?" I heard Michelle ask.

"Well…" Scott started to pace back and forth slowly. "During my time in Haiti, Shuri talked to me about The X-Men. She wanted to get to know a little bit about us. I told them a few things – I kept your identities a secret since it wasn't my place to say after all. Anyway, as we talked, the Mysterio situation came up. I explained to her how Spider-Man's name was unjustly dragged through the mud. It was during this that I started to get a bad feeling in my gut. I realized that there wasn't much in the way of news about where he was buried or what happened to his body afterward." I felt a lump start to develop in my throat. I had a very bad feeling about where this was going to go. "So, I went to Europe. I did a lot of searching – both in the region and online. It took me a long while, but with the help of Kitty and Carmilla, I was able to pinpoint where his grave was.

"After Joanna made her way to London, she and I made our way to the grave. We dug it up and opened the casket. It looked like his body was still there. However, after Joanna got her hands on it, we discovered that it was a fake body made with high quality ballistics gel."

The whole room went silent.

"Dude," Ned whispered out. I looked at him as he shook his head. "Are you saying that…?"

"Yes, Ned," Joanna spoke up. "We're saying that Beck is very likely still alive and out there somewhere."

I brought my face forward and bowed my head. As what he said sunk in, memories started to flood back into my head.

Quentin Beck. Quentin fucking Beck. Prior to him, I never really hated anyone before. Dislike? Absolutely. But I never got to the point where I wished the worst on someone. But that all changed with Beck. He made it seem like he was some hero from another dimension. He had me fooled and made me believe he was someone I could trust. He preyed on my insecurities and made me hand over Edith. He tormented me and had me at what was my lowest point at the time. I still remembered the illusions I went through, including the one where it looked like Michelle was in danger. I didn't feel the least bit bad he died, especially because he killed himself trying to kill me. I walked away from that situation thinking I was done with him.

I wasn't.

Quentin got the last laugh from beyond the grave. He exposed my identity and forced my hand, causing me to do things that were ill-advised. I handled things horribly. I came to understand that. But if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been in such a situation. I wouldn't have gone to Doctor Strange. I wouldn't have to deal with people from other universes – especially Green Goblin.

I'd probably still have my Aunt May.

At that moment, there were two conflicting emotions going through me. On one hand, him being alive meant that there was a huge chance that the people close to me was in danger, especially Ned and Michelle. And considering how easily Beck tracked me down the first time around, what was stopping him from finding me again? On the other hand, there was a rather twisted sense of joy I was feeling. If I could get my hands on him, I could make him suffer for the pain he caused me, both the short term and the long term. After all, I knew wasn't jack shit without his special effects.

"Kid, are you okay?" Joanna asked. I snapped out of my thoughts. I looked around the room, looking everyone in their face. The last person I looked at was Michelle. She actually looked worried. I felt my expression soften a bit. I then shook my head.

"I'm going home," I said. I then turned and walked out.

As I made my way out, I put my mask back on. Once I was outside, I took in a breath. I looked forward. I brought my arm upward, ready to shoot a strand of webbing before I heard footsteps behind me.

"Spidey!" a voice said. I turned around and looked at Shadowcat, who had on her cat mask.

"Just let me go," I told her. "I… I can't deal with this now."

Shadowcat tilted her head. "You know he has more to say."

"He can tell me tomorrow. Right now, I just want to crawl into a hole and my apartment is the closest thing I can think of as a substitute."

She stared at me. She then nodded. "Okay, fine. But I'm coming with you."

I scoffed. "Like hell you are."

She actually chuckled. "And how are you going to stop me? It's either you take me with you, or I meet you there. And there's nothing you can do about it." I stared at her for some seconds. I then quickly webbed her feet to the ground. She looked down at her feet. She then looked back at me. As if the webbing wasn't really there, she stepped forward out it, her feet going through the webbing like it was air. "…Did you honestly think that was going to work, or were you just being petulant?"

"…The latter." I sighed in defeat. "You're not going to let me go home alone, are you?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

I rolled my eyes. I then held my left arm out. Getting the hint, Shadowcat walked up to me. She brought her right side against my left side and wrapped her right arm around my body. I wrapped my left arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

"Hang tight," I said.

"You hang tight," she shot back. I scoffed before I shot a strand of webbing out to the nearest building and began to websling my way home.