Peter Parker

In hindsight, fighting this woman wasn't a good idea. If I was thinking clearly at the time, maybe I would've been more mindful of the fact that I didn't really have any countermeasure for her flames. Maybe I would have tried to avert this confrontation altogether. I wasn't thinking clearly, though. I was just so angry and upset over what's been happening the last few months. I failed Carmilla when she put her trust in me. My relationship with MJ was dead in the water, and as far as I was concerned, the chances of salvaging it were slim to none. And Mysterio… Fucking Mysterio. Mysterio was in hiding, likely plotting and scheming on how to get to me and those close to me. I was at my wits' end. There wasn't room for logic, forethought, or even common sense. That was how much I craved for an outlet, and this woman who terrorized me the other night was just the opportunity to get that.

As per usual, at a major moment, the Parker Luck was in full swing.

Unfortunately, it wasn't swinging in my direction.

I quickly rushed towards the fiery woman. I closed the gap between us in an instant. As soon as I was close enough, I planted my right foot, making it seem as if I was going to go for a low kick with my left foot. She backed away, but not far enough. I used my right foot to launch forward and send my right fist towards her face. The Superman Punch connected, causing her to fly backward. I ran after her as she sailed through the air, shaking my hand to try and relieve the burning sensation. I watched as she hit the ground and tumbled backward. She barely rolled to three point stance before I tried to punt her. She jumped to her right. I snarled in disappointment as I just missed her. I turned to my left. She was already on her feet.

Low key, times like this made me miss the days when I didn't have to worry about fighting people who can match me in strength and endurance.

I was a bit surprised when she suddenly moved in. She sent a punch towards my face. My hands were in motion. Against my better judgment, I grabbed her arm and quickly turned, throwing her through the air. She hit an SUV, denting it severely. I wasn't done. I looked to my right to see a taxi cab that was abandoned in the middle of the road. I shot two strands of webbing towards the vehicle. Once they hit, I pulled, sending the car into the air. I then yanked down hard, sending the car crashing down against the fiery foe. A few seconds later, the vehicles caught on fire.

I grimaced as I looked down at my hands. My gloves were burnt away. Most of the front of my hands was exposed, and they were blistered. I huffed out a breath as I looked at the flaming wreckage. A bit to my annoyance, the wrecked taxi was moved suddenly to the side. The woman on fire stood up from her spot. She stumbled on her feet a bit. No doubt she was hurt. I almost smirked.

"Please stop this," I warned. That warning wasn't really sincere. I was hoping she didn't heed it. "I got a lot more I can do to you."

"What a coincidence, so do I," she deadpanned.

She brought her hand out. I expected her to shoot a fireball. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. There was a second or two when nothing happened. I thought she lost her mind. And then it suddenly struck. I felt a painful, burning sensation. It felt like it was just underneath my skin. Even to this day, this ranked in the top five of my most (physically) painful moments of my life – and the only reason it wasn't contending for number one was because there was nothing topping the day I got dusted by Thanos.

I screamed out as I dropped to my knees. I tried to stand up, but the pain was just too debilitating. After a few moments, I was on all fours. What was happening to me? I just didn't know at the time. I just felt like I was being burned alive. That became the case when I was hit with a blast of fire that sent me flying into a wall. I hit the wall back first. After I dropped to the ground, I rolled slowly onto my back. I blinked my slowly and repeatedly as I tried to stay conscious.

"Oh, we're not done, Spider."

I tried to scramble to my feet. I couldn't. I barely sat up before a flaming foot hit me right in the face. I was laid out forcefully. The back of my head hit the concrete. I rolled on to my side and held the back of my head with hands. That proved to be a mistake. I felt something crash down against the right side of my ribs. I screamed out in agony. Whatever it was that was on my ribs was burning and grinding into them before I heard them break.

I have to get out of here, I thought to myself as I rolled onto my back, holding my ribs. I can't stay here.

I tried to get up once more. That's when I felt the hand around my neck. I was lifted up off of the ground. As was I held up above the ground, I grabbed her arm. Even as my palms burned, I tried to escape her grasp, but I couldn't. She pulled me close until our faces her inches apart. Through the flames, I could see her face. Why did she look familiar? I didn't know. With her free hand, she grabbed my mask and ripped the bottom half of it away, leaving my mouth exposed.

"You won't die today," she said threateningly. "I'm going to make you suffer more and more."

Suddenly, she kissed me. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't. A few seconds into the kiss, I felt a burning sensation travel from my mouth, through my throat, and into my lungs. I screamed into her mouth. She dropped me onto the floor. I coughed violently. Each cough made my lungs and throat hurt like hell. I felt the membrane of my mouth hanging from the roof of it. I started to taste metal in my mouth.

"You're really pathetic," I heard her say. "I thought you would put up a bigger fight." I started to fade in and out. I barely heard the sound of an incoming car. "…No matter. This is barely the beginning."

I heard silence after that. Was it over? I hoped it was. I then heard footsteps. I started to panic. I tried to move to my feet, but I couldn't.

"Stay down, Spidey," a voice said. Why did it sound familiar? "It's just me, Frenzy." I blinked my eyes. I saw the familiar mask looking down at me. "…Shit, she really did a number on you. Just try to stay with me. Spidey? Spider-Man, don't –"

I didn't remember much. I don't know if I merely blacked out or slipped into unconsciousness. From that point on, I just remembered bits and pieces.

"She's dying the next time I see her!"

"That's not how we do things, Kaine!"

"Ha, 'we'? I'm not an X-Man, Kitty!"

"I get that, but…"

"How bad is it, Cecilia?"

"Well, Scott, it's going to be a while. He has several injuries, both external and internal…"

"This is my fault."

"David…"

"Betty… I don't want to hear it. I really don't want to hear how it's not my fault, so please…"

"Here, Ned. I got you a Coke."

"Thanks, Cess."

"Peter and Carmilla are out and Craig is still MIA, I'm at a loss. …I don't know how Happy can help with this one. …I know I can reach out to you for help. But right, I don't know if I have… Pepper, I'll talk to you later. There's someone I need to track down."

"Where's MJ?"

"She just left a few minutes ago."

"Is she okay?"

"I doubt it."

"For now, I think it'd be best if we put him under. I know you said he heals fast, but he's been touch and go since he's been here."

"Do what you can."

The last time I slipped into consciousness, I saw some people surrounding me. I couldn't make out who they were or what they even looked like. I felt something on my face. As I breathed, I felt like my lungs hurting.

"Hello, Spider-Man," a voice said soothingly. It did not soothe me. If anything, it made me panic. I wanted to move away from where I was at, but I just didn't have the strength. Where was I? I couldn't tell. "I don't know if you can lucid to comprehend what I'm saying, but allow me to introduce myself anyway. I'm Dr. Cecilia Reyes. I'm going to be overlooking your recovery. I'm going to be honest, you're in bad shape. But I'm going to do my best to get you back on your feet. For the time being, though, I'm going to have to put you under. Hopefully, it won't be for too long. So right now, just breathe."

A few moments later, I felt myself becoming sleepy. I wanted to panic again, but I didn't. I couldn't, really. I didn't know who this Dr. Reyes was, let alone know if I could trust them. The only thing I did know was that I was at this person's mercy. So, as what I assumed the anesthesia took effect, I slowly closed my eyes.