Spider Lost

by FumbleFeatures

Peter Parker/Spider-Man is flung into a new world unfamiliar to him. A world of heroes similar to his own, but endlessly different. Landing in a city called Gotham, Peter initially just wants to go home. Making new friends and enemies along the way, can Peter adjust to this new world or will he crumble under the mounting pressure of Parker luck?

10. Chapter 10 - Lessons Learnt

Chapter 10

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Gotham City

On the ledge of an old apartment building, Spider-Man was crouched, surveying the city streets below. The hood of his new suit bristling softly in the wind as the air whistled briskly around him, there was a cold winter's chill.

Soft spells of sleet and thin showers were dotted about the city, leaving a coat of damp spread across the streets. The streetlights and festive decorations reflecting against the sheen of moisture on the ground.

Peter was glad he managed to finish his suit in time for his mission tonight, for two reasons. One. This was probably going to be a stealth op, and although he could stealth, when necessary, his old suit was little too flamboyant for the job considering the group they would be observing.

Two. It was made of thicker material and helped keep Peter warm. Adopting Teresa's suggestion of a hood also providing his masked face with a convenient wind breaker.

His new suit was designed with some concepts 'borrowed' Ben Reilly. In fact, it was practically identical to the mark three design he once showed Peter, but Ben never actually ended up using it.

However, since Ben wasn't here to claim theft, Peter felt no guilt in shamelessly stealing the design. Besides since Ben was his clone anyway, technically it was kind of his idea as well…

The concept was a blue padded chest area with a large red spider logo, which was mirrored on the back, the spider's body and legs more pointed than his old suit. There was no web design on this suit, and the blue of the chest, back and outer arms continued onto a hood which covered a solid red mask with large white lenses.

On the waist's exterior a silver utility belt with a red circular middle, which when pressed became a very handy flashlight/signal, complete with Spider-Man logo. Covering the middle of the arms, continuing down his armpits, shading his sides and covering his whole legs, was a familiar, powerful, solid red colour.

Peter had adopted the design as a result of Teresa's hood suggestion reminding him of the fashion talk, that he had with Ben during a rare team up several months ago. However, also thanks to Terri's suggestion, Peter had changed the colour scheme. Both to please his sister but also to blend in more with the theme of Gotham.

Instead of a blue chest, hood, arms and back, he used a deep red. To make that red 'pop' more, as Terri had stated, he swapped the red of Ben's design with a darker shade... His mask, inner arms, sides and legs were all black, and his utility belt was a darker steel colour. Although the Spidey signal was exactly the same. 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' being Peter's thought at the time.

The material was tougher, and now a blade would struggle to pierce most areas, but that's not the feature that gave Peter confidence. As he crouched next to Orphan, her black armoured body suit with a cape, hood and stitched mask, complimented his costume. He fit in with the rest of the Batfamily, no longer did his red and blue spandex make him a colourful target.

The design of his new suit wasn't really his go-to style, but in a way, it made him feel closer to both of his siblings that he borrowed the ideas from. Ben's cool, slightly edgier, design and Teresa's colour suggestions. Ironically, those suggestions mirroring his other clone brother, Kaine's, costume.

He corrected himself, it made him feel closer to three of his siblings. Sorry Jess, maybe I'll grow my hair out for the next suit…'

However, it was notably less 'friendly neighbourhood' than he would like. He decided that when in New York at the weekends, he would retire this suit and bring out the old red and blue classic. Friendly neighbourhood, that was New York's Spidey, but the Scarlett Spider mark three? That was Gotham's Spidey.

"Remind me about this 'League of Shadows' club, again." He finally spoke, turning to the figure stood on the roof beside him, likewise, surveying the streets below.

"Assassins." Orphan replied bluntly.

Eighteen-year-old Cassandra Cain was often very matter of fact with her replies, Peter had grown used to this after his second or so meeting with her. Considering he had practice carrying the bigger share of conversations with most people anyway.

"Right. 'League of Assassins'… What's their MO?" Peter questioned again, correcting himself.

"They use both names… She means they're assassins… That IS their MO… Among other nefarious activities…"Oracle spoke into Peter's ear, in between bites of the Chinese takeout on her desk in the Clocktower.

"Oh. What kinda' nefarious activities? Insurance fraud? Tax evasio- Wait. Are you eating right, now?" Peter responded, hearing the soft sounds of Barbara's chewing in his ear…

"Err… No…?"Barbara placed the box of Chop Suey back down, as if letting go of the food would somehow make that statement true.

"She is. She got takeout." Orphan spoke as she kept her focus on the streets, looking for petty crimes to pass the time before they engaged with the Shadows...

"Snitch…" Oracle's voice could be heard to be mildly bitter in between the mouthfuls of food she was clearly eating.

"Hey…! You get takeout while we do all the hard labour? You couldn't have got it earlier? I only left like twenty minutes ago… That's so not cool… What is it? Anything good?" Peter asked, his voice effortlessly shifting from hurt to genuinely curious.

He was wasting the idle time with pointless small talk while the streets below still seemed to be entirely mundane with their nightly actions… For now.

Barbara, slightly guiltily, sighed out her response to Peter's question, "Chinese food… It arrived after you left."

Peter, as part of his new life in Gotham as an ESU intern, had moved into his own, simple, studio apartment in Gotham. In a building that offered private student accommodation. It was a studio apartment, nothing fancy, except the fact it was relatively fancy…

Bruce Wayne paying for the rent as part of Peter's scholarship and internship, while Peter insisted on paying for all his bills and food.

However, the apartment building was conveniently, probably purposefully, very close to another prime location in Gotham; the Clocktower. Barbara Gordon's living space and Oracle/Batgirl's base of operations.

The environment of the Clocktower was much more appealing to Peter than the Batcave, middle of the city, elevated position, easy roof access, big clock so he wouldn't be late, no Damian Wayne…

Barbara had even been nice enough to designate some space for him to set up his own workshop, the very same workshop where he began working on his new tech and suit.

"Ugh… Really? Is it from that place in Midtown that Tim took me to the other day?" Peter was feeling his stomach start to rumble as he recalled the delicious meal.

"Ugh… China Garden?" Barbara added with a slight tinge of judgement, "Ahh to be so young and naïve… Seriously. Tim REALLY needs broaden his horizons…"

"Hey, what's wrong with China Garden? I thought it was pretty good. Definitely, better than Lotus Garden back home… Got food poisoning there once, was not pretty… And I mean both ends…" Peter shuddered as he recalled the days of agony and awful excretions of his body.

"Spider-Man… Trying to eat here…"

"Oh yeah… Sorry. T.M.I. Hey…! No, I'm not! Serves you right for eating on the job."

"China Garden's okay… Nothing special." Orphan added, ignoring Petere's second comment and returning to the earlier topic, still keeping her eyes fixed downwards with focus.

"Orphan's right… YOU haven't tried Dragon Wok, in Chinatown, yet…"She paused again and Peter could hear chewing again, louder this time, as if gloating,"God. It's divine!"

"Oh sure… Rub it in why don't you? I can practically hear you salivating from here… Even without comms! Can you at least save me some of the leftovers?" Peter asked, a mild sense of pleading quivering along his inflections.

"Me too." Cassandra added.

"Relax… I got extras… I'm not Dick. I ACTUALLY share my food…"She added as she shuffled and focused on the screen ahead, her voice shifting immediately, "We have movement. Two blocks from you. Sending location now."

"Got it." Peter responded as both he and Orphan saw the location transmitted to their lenses, "Look's like the night's finally getting started, let's hustle… You wanna' take point? You know more about these guys than I do." He turned to Cass as he spoke, eliciting a small nod of agreement from her.

He followed behind, swinging smoothly and with focus as Orphan ran along the rooftops, using her grapple gun to traverse the wider gaps. They arrived at an old, abandoned foundry Downtown.

There were dozens of Black Mask goons, around the foundry's exterior. With them were other,more sleek masked figures. 'Ninjas. Classic. Or is it Shadows? Assassins? Shadow, ninja, assassins? Whatever…' Peter thought to himself as he used his lenses to count the figures.

Spider-Man leaping over to the other side of the Foundry's exterior and rested above a light, being masked in its shadow as Orphan remained crouched on the ledge of the smokestack they had landed on. Peter began whispering quietly into his comms, "Hey Oracle, any idea on what's in the crates?"

He was referring to the many boxes and crates that were being loaded inside the foundry by the Shadows. He looked over to Orphan and gestured towards her and then to the group of Shadows below them before gesturing to himself and pointing inside the Foundry. Waiting for her confirmation as she was leading this mission.

She got the message and nodded back, she kept watch on the Shadows outside, while he swung and got a closer look at the ongoings inside…

This was his second mission with Orphan, but his first time with her solo, last time Spoiler was with them. Stephanie was actually quite fun on patrol, her bubbly personality carrying over into her vigilantism, the two of them berating the muggers and crooks with a multitude of competing wisecracks through the night.

Orphan seeming to enjoy their complimentary quips as well, though not partaking herself. Understandably, though she did try once, her quip fell a bit flat. Spider-Man and Spoiler enjoyed the attempt, nonetheless.

Peter had learned about Orphan's childhood and the unique style of communication she had developed due to her father's refusal to teach her any conventional languages to mould the perfect assassin.

As horribly traumatic as that was, it did mean that Peter could silently communicate to Orphan with simple gestures, and she could understand them perfectly.

She had been taught how to flawlessly read someone's body language, to read their intent in every minute movement and predict their actions. In fact, even if Peter hadn't gestured, she probably would have understood him anyway.

Spider-Man had enjoyed Orphan's natural aptitude for understanding his intent, it meant less verbal communication was needed and they could work together through intuition.

It reminded him of when he worked with Jess or Miles and how their Spider-Senses would align… On a slightly less professional note, it also allowed him to use his vocal skills to focus more on his quips. Which was a benefit he abused quite a lot their last team up.

As Peter grabbed the top of the doorway and silent swung from its frame onto the ceiling of the foundry's interior, he saw as the occupants continued moving, logging and unloading several more crates. Handing them over to the suited goons in skull masks.

"Equipment, weapons, armour, state of the art military tech… You name it. The League have obviously made a deal with the Foundry's current proprietor… You wanna' guess who that is or shall I spoil the surprise?" Barbara asked as Peter's lenses switched viewing modes and showed her outlines and readings of the crate's contents.

"Does it rhyme with 'Mack Blask'? Damn, so that's why the 'League of Shadowy Assassin Guys' have been spotted in Gotham more. He must have called them in…"

"He might regret that, but apparently, he has… I wonder WHO could've pushed him to such a decision…" Barbara asked with a tinge of sarcasm, they both knew why Mask called them in.

"You know, Oracle, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit…" Spider-Man chirped back.

"But the highest form of intelligence… Oscar Wilde." She responded as she continued reading the details of the foundry's ownership as well as details of the Light and the League of Shadows latest operations, trying to determine their current motive for aiding Sionis.

"Did- Did you just out nerd me? Wow…" Peter turned his head back out the open door as his advanced hearing barely overheard Orphan stealthily picking off the Shadows outside one by one, "So, whadya' reckon the Shadows get out of all of this… Can't imagine a group this powerful would help Mask out of the goodness… Badness? Of their heart."

"Trying to figure that out now... Whatever it is, it's nothing good, that's for sure. The League of Shadows and the Light have been less actively hostile lately… But all that tells us is that they've been plotting something big for a while now… So whatever Roman's offering must be worth it…" Barbara spoke. She was clearly focused but there was a nudge of uncertainty in her voice, this definitely wasn't a happy development.

"And Mask's going through all that effort just cause' I pissed him off…Don't know whether I should feel flattered or not…" Spider-Man whispered back as he flipped of the ceiling and onto a high support beam, surveying the many Shadows and Mask goons below.

"You should be very flattered." A female voice rang through the air and Peter whipped his head to its source, before his eyes went wide and he leant back rapidly, narrowly avoiding an arrow that was aimed directly for his head, "Mask may have called us here. But you've been an interest of ours for a while now, Spider-Man."

'What? What does that mean? And why the hell didn't my Spider-Sense go off?' He thought as his new hood was almost immediately ruined. Not to mention his face…

He continued twisting and moving as arrows were being fired at him from every direction, barely avoiding them as his Spider-Sense remained silent.

A few nicked the edges of his suit, but thankfully its tougher material meant it wasn't noticeably damaged at all. The assault stopped however as the voice's owner raised her hand. He remained in his elevated position and turned to his side as he heard Orphan land next to him.

Quickly turning around he saw that all of the Shadows and Masks outside the foundry were either unconscious or missing entirely. Pushing aside the major respect, and slight intimidation, he felt towards Orphan, he turned his attention back to the figure who had, quite literally, appeared from nowhere.

A few moments ago, while avoiding the barrage of arrows, Spider-Man saw as a literal shadow, wrapped itself like a cloak in the middle of the room as it emerged on the ground from a smaller, natural shadow of an idle box in the corner. Two figures arose from the darkness including the one who spoke.

The voice's owner was tall, had short raven hair and was wearing a blood red body suit with grey legs. A sheathed sword lay resting on her hip. Her face appearing a lot younger than the voice had suggested.

Next to her stood a tall man with a pale unmoving face which almost seemed plasticine, he was wearing a black top hat and suit which seemed straight from a Sherlock Holmes novel.

"Let me guess… he's Cloak and your Dagger? Not impressed, I've seen that trick before." Spider-Man called down to the figures below, 'I would like to know how you avoided triggering my Spidey-Sense though…'

"Spider-Man, don't. That's Lady Shiva…" Barbara's voice was slightly coated by stress and worry.

"Mind giving me a quick rundown?" Peter whispered back.

He had heard of Lady Shiva and knew of her relation to Cassandra but knew little else about her motivations or capabilities beyond 'Assassin' and 'very deadly'. He eyed his peripheral as the cloaked man disappeared once again into the dark.

Lady Shiva observed as Spider-Man shifted slightly as she heard his whispers, she couldn't hear the voice on the other end of his comms, but it was either Oracle or another of the Batfamily's intelligence operatives.

"Would you like me to introduce myself or shall I allow Barbara Gordon the honours?" She called back up with a hint of mocking, taking a gamble on the identity of Orphan and Spider-Man's support.

Peter, leapt down to face Lady Shiva head on as Barbara seemed momentarily silenced in annoyance, his visors being filled with information, images and details of Sandra Wu-San. Peter turned to Orphan as she landed next to him. 'Geez Orphan's mom seems almost as bad as her dad… Poor girl.'

Reading Spider-Man's confusion and sympathy in his body language, Orphan spoke, "Mother… Why are you here?" her voice lacked its usual blunt, matter of fact, tone and instead her words were sharp. Cold. Almost venomous.

"Isn't it obvious? I am here for you. My dear daughter…" She spoke with a disturbing sense of pride.

"Not me? But I thought Mask hired you…" Peter asked, mildly offended he wasn't the target. While simultaneously being annoyed for being offended by that.

"He did. They are here for you, Peter Parker..." A shuddering whiplash of terror reverberated through Peter's entire body as his name was cruelly delivered from Lady Shiva's lips.

Nevertheless, he turned towards where she was pointing and saw as the cloaked man reemerged from the shadows, with three other men in tow.

Shiva continued, "The League of Shadows are nothing if not versatile… Black Mask didn't truly realise the opportunity he had offered us… He now owes the Light a favour. I get my daughter… And the Shadows can kill the Spider-Man before he even gets the chance to become a nuisance…"

Peter observed the new arrivals as the shadowy man disappeared once more into the void, his Spider-Sense once again, worryingly silent.

There was a larger man, dressed in black and wearing a black and white luchador mask. There were thick rubber and glass tubes extending from the top of his spine into pack on his back, a translucent green liquid was bubbling inside them.

A well-built man dressed in an armour with a design not too dissimilar to Wade Wilson's albeit with a different colour scheme. His mask was split perfectly down the middle, a black eyeless side countered by an orange, white lensed side.

His outfit appeared practical in design and was adorned with a multitude of utility pouches. There were several holstered guns around his form and two sheathed swords equipped on his back.

And finally, the third man. Peter immediately recognised the gimmick, he had been using it himself for five years after all, this was almost definitely Black Spider.

He was wearing a purple and black a costume not dissimilar to a Spider-Man suit Peter might see on another hero while fighting the Inheritors. He had small, deep orange lenses protruding from his mask which was decorated with an all-too familiar spider symbol and there was a pack on his back, the storage for his 'webs'.

"So, this is Gotham's newest 'hero'. The Spider-Man. I've been looking forward to meeting you." The man in black and orange spoke, his voice communicating he was in charge of the newcomers.

"Charmed, I'm sure. Can't say I've heard of you…" He had heard of him, he theorised this was the fearsome Deathstroke, but he didn't want to give the villain the satisfaction of recognising him, "So, who told? Scorpion? Shocker? Doubt Rhino would be smart enough to figure out my name…" Peter spat the question out with ferocity, there were only a handful of his enemies that knew his identity.

As far as Peter knew, none of the 'three stooges' were counted among those few. But that could've changed… As for the others that definitely knew, Norman was dead. Martin Li was in lockup in his home universe. And Venom had turned the other cheek, supposedly.

"THAT'S who we warned you about. Slade Wilson, Deathstroke. The Terminator… The most ruthless mercenary in the world. Current leader of the League of Shadows." Barbara relayed the information to Peter as she transmitted images and videos into his lenses demonstrating Slade's capabilities and listing potential weaknesses to exploit.

'Wait, his name is Slade Wilson…? Really? Come on universe. Multiverse. Omniverse… You're just toying with me now…' Peter was passively studying the images Oracle was sending him, the man had an impressive record.

Disturbing and horrific, but by the same measure… Impressive. In a gruesome, horrifying, kind of way. He definitely was ruthless.

Peter was still actively focused on his identity crisis, however. Either one of his other Gotham based wayward rogues had actually figured out his identity, or, worse, the only other man who knew Peter's name was in this world and he was already making friends.

"So let me guess… 'You're the best there is at what you do, and what you do isn't very pretty'?" Peter chirped back, trying to mask his concern as he quoted a certain clawed X-Man.

"That's cute, kid. I imagine Oracle is detailing my career's finer moments as we speak… But to answer your question, it was none of the above…" Deathstroke's tone was calculated and precise as he continued his explanation, "Both the Light and the League of Shadows have been acquainted with an old friend of yours for some time now. I'd wager you're wrapping your head around who that could be right this moment. But to help give you a clue, he's also the one who gave us this."

Deathstroke held up a tiny, blinking device. It was a very advance type of frequency emitter, and it was tuned to one very specific frequency, Peter's Spider-Sense. Nullifying it completely.

He knew the device's architect, they had used something similar before, but with a more permanent effect, 'Yep… That's Otto, alright. How has he contacted the Light so quickly? Don't tell me he arrived here before I did… This can't be good… I need to destroy that jammer.'

Peter was without more than just his Spider-Sense this time though, without his Spider-Sense to communicate through, the Other was entirely silent.

No soft brushes of wordless thoughts could be spoken to him. And he wouldn't be able to use any of its last-minute saves it had offered in the past.

Peter was alone with only his conscious mind, which considering some of the thoughts that went through it, was a terrifying prospect.

"There's hundreds of these scattered throughout this entire base, your 'Spider-Sense' is useless here." Slade continued, eyeing Spider-Man who was clearly troubled by the development.

'Okay. I need to destroy those jammers. Plural.' He thought as he delivered a response to Slade,"Thanks for the tip… Now, I'm not a big gambling man, but it doesn't seem very smart to be laying all your cards on the table like this… I was expecting more smoke and mirrors from the 'League of Shadows'. So, the 'ever superior' Doc Ock is already here, then?" Spider-Man's voice had also become bitter as he desperately tried to hide his aggravation with his banter.

"Not here. He's indisposed at the moment, but you misunderstand our intent. He was the one who wanted you to know. He's the arrogant type as you know, his hubris only overshadowed by his hatred for you…" There was a hint of judgement in Slade's voice, a disdain for their mutual friend.

"We,however, have no need for hubris. We want to test you… See if you really are as capable as they claim. We have no need to test Orphan, she has already proven her worth, and she will either join us, or she will die." Deathstroke regarded both Spider-Man and Orphan as he continued his taunting, though Orphan didn't respond as she kept her back to him, keeping her gaze fixed solidly on her mother.

Oracle continued giving Peter important intel by detailing Slade's accomplices, Shiva, Black Spider and Bane, "Orphan. Spider-Man. I'm sending backup now. ETA seven minutes… Try not to engage, keep them talki—" Barbara's voice was cut off as a sharp static hiss rang through Cassandra and Peter's comms.

The intel disappeared from Peter's HUD, now he saw only what was in front of him. Three trained killers, a member of the Light, a Spider-themed assassin and the leader of the League of Shadows. 'Great… Guess I need to destroy that jammer, too.'

Deathstroke spoke again, his voice precise, "No distractions. Shadows, False Faces, stand down. Watch our battles and learn. Shiva, Orphan is yours… Spider, you are ours…" He gestured to the two comrades beside him as he crossed his arms, "Show us the warrior beneath the mask…"

Spider-Man turned his head to Orphan, she had been silent throughout the whole interaction, uncomfortably so. She wasn't a talker anyway, but this seemed different, her silence wasn't calm, it was concerning. Before he could call to her to stop and think she had charged at Lady Shiva.

"Orphan wai—" Peter was cut off as he saw a red blur in his peripheral, a web was fired at him, 'Damn! No Spider-Sense… Focus, Pete. Orhan please don't die!' His mind was railing a desperate flurry of thoughts as he leapt back and avoided the red webbing which splattered on the floor near his feet.

"Focus on the fight in front of you." Deathstroke called as he continued to stand next to Bane, the two watching intently, as Black Spider made the first move. 'Taking turns, huh? I can work with that.'

"Clearly not a fair fight. What, too afraid to face me with my Spider-Sense? Didn't peg you guys for cheaters…" He spoke as he narrowly avoided a foot to the face from Black Spider who used the momentum from his kick to carry him into a sideways flip as he shot a barrage of red webs at Spider-Man, 'I hope Cass can hold her own against her mother, while I deal with these guys…'

Peter avoided most of Black Spider's webs, but the last one encased his own left shooter before he could fire back.

"Cheaters? You're the cheater, here. You have all my tricks, superpowers, and an early warning system. I'm all skill, baby. We're just levelling the playing field Spider-Sham…" Black Spider taunted as he shot a line to Peter and pulled himself closer, immediately pressing the attack after closing the distance.

Peter was careful with his movements; he couldn't predict Black Spider's own without his Spider-Sense, so he was relying on all his other senses. Reading the moves and ducking and blocking as Black Spider sent a flurry of well-placed blows towards him.

Spider-Man held his arms crossed over his head, blocking a strike. He felt as Black Spider leapt onto his arms and pushed off, backflipping through the air as he shot two weblines either side of Peter and prepared to catapult himself feet first towards Spider-Man.

Peter dove out of the way, landing on one hand in sideways handspring before continuing in the air and landing on his feet, "Buddy, that move is one of my faves… There's no way you're tagging me with that one. Also 'Spider-Sham', really? You clearly need to up your quippage game…"

"Oh, he has the tricks and the jokes…" Black Spider called back with a voice that was eerily, familiar, as if somehow, he had the exact same voice as Peter himself, "A Spider after my own heart! Allow me to return the favour by stopping yours…"

Black Spider landed in a roll as he two sprung of his hands and into the air, pulling himself as a swing as he attempted a swing kick at Spider-Man.

As Peter landed, he saw the attack, it was close, but he managed to grab Black Spider's leg and twist, launching the assassin through the air and onto the ground where he rolled back onto his feet and eyed Spider-Man with a soft growl of annoyance.

"Please tell me I offer higher quality banter than that. Also red webs? Have you ever even seen a real spider's web? Here, let me show you how a real spider does it." He said as he continued flipping out of the way of Black Spider's webbing as he fired back with his own from his uncovered right shooter.

Black Spider was quick enough to avoid them however, he really was quite talented. Whatever training he had was clearly worth it as he could read Peter's moves.

"Is that it? Wow I'm so impressed… My turn!" Black Spider's sarcasm laced mockery rang through the air, mildly annoying Peter.

Black Spider leapt in the air in a swing and was flipping as he pulled out balls of webbing, launching them at Peter who managed to dodge them, before they exploded on the ground. They seemed to have a similar purpose as his own web bombs.

"Don't you just love my balls? Hot, sticky web balls comin' at ya'!" The assassin called as he flung more of them in Spider-Man's direction.

"Innuendos? Really? That's just crass! Come on man, this is family show!" Peter now understood why all his villains hated his quips so much, 'This dude's an asshole! God I'm starting to get why so many people want to kill me…'

Black Spider landed and swung a round house kick as Spider-Man was ducking out of the way of another web ball, just as he had planned. The foot collided with Peter's head who took the hit in stride, turning with the blow so Black Spider didn't break his foot. The kick hurt a fraction but not enough to cause any real discomfort.

Black Spider paused momentarily as he saw that Spider-Man wasn't planning to hit back, the younger man just staring back at him, he seemed slightly disappointed in himself for letting Black Spider tag him, "Sorry, dude. Super strength remember? Good kick though, I think you cut my lip a bit…"

Black Spider spat out a response as he shot his arm forward in a punch, "Is that meant to impress me? You just don't get it, you're just a faker. Sure, you're strong, but you're still just a dumb kid who got lucky. You won the superpower jackpot. You get all my tricks for free! I trained for this! I'm a professional killer, pal. You're out of your league..."

Black Spider continued to attack as he spoke, Spider-Man dodging and blocking every strike before he twisted and kicked back, sending the villain flying back before Black Spider flipped and caught himself in a swing.

The assassin pulled himself up into the air before landing on a support strut in a crouch as he stared back down and tried another ranged assault, angry thoughts filling his head, 'How the hell is this kid still dodging? We shut off his warning system!'

"Sorry 'professional killer', but the only Spiders I'm interested in impressing all have hyphens in their name. You don't even make the cut." Peter called back to his arachnid adversary, as he turned his body in the air and avoided more of Black Spider's slower, weaker, webbing, "So, tell you what, you get one free strike. Bring it."

Peter stared up at Black Spider as he ripped the webbing from the shooter he had covered earlier, quickly casting his gaze to the side. Neither Bane nor Deathstroke had moved to attack, they really were trying to test him, 'Good thing I've always been good at tests…'

"Someone's cocky! Alright let me show you what a real, un-hyphenated, Spider can do…" Black Spider replied as he leapt into the air and twisted as he shot a line and pulled himself downwards directly at Peter, readying a punch.

'I love it when they take the bait.' Peter didn't need his Spider-Sense to know exactly what the assassin was planning, he used this move himself countless times. As Black Spider sailed towards him, fist clenched, Spider-Man twirled on his foot a delivered a graceful roundhouse kick right into his face.

His leg cocked back like a shot gun as he returned to a standing position and observed Black Spider flying back and rolling on the floor before coming to a stop, unconscious.

Peter covered the mercenary in a healthy dose of his superior webbing before speaking to his sleeping form, "Sorry, Spider. You may have thought you were the competition, but compared to me and my Spider pals… You aren't just outta' your league; we're playing a completely different game…"

He turned back to Deathstroke and began speaking again, "So, who's nex—Agh!" His sentence was cut off as he felt a strong blow to his back knock him off his feet and launch him forward. He landed in a roll and turned to his attacker as he rubbed the giant bruise he had received, 'That's definitely a few cracked ribs, at least…'

"I am." The luchador themed mercenary, Bane, spoke with a thick South American accent as Peter quickly studied his next opponent.

The green liquid in the tubes had begun pumping into Bane's spine, and Peter watched with morbid curiosity as the man's muscles began to grow exponentially as he let out an adrenaline fuelled roar.

"So brute force? That's your gimmick? I gotta' say, not very 'shadowy' of you…" Peter responded as Bane moved inhumanly fast and began swinging at him.

Peter blocked and dodged as many as he could, but Bane was clearly more than just muscle and brute force, like Rhino could prove to be. He was an exceptionally gifted fighter.

Fist after foot, after grapple, Peter was stumbling back, desperately attempting to break the offense, but Bane was fast. Strong. Trained.

Peter managed to shoot out an arm and push a way a large hand that was intending to grab his head, but as he did so, he felt pain ripple through him as a very brutal knee connected with his stomach and launched him upwards before he felt his leg and arms being grabbed viciously.

The wind had been expelled from his body as Bane held Spider-Man over his head and spoke, "I am not a member of the League of Shadows. Merely one of its benefactors. No… Bane is here to break the Batman's newest toy…"

Before Peter could attempt to use his strength and wrestle his way out of Bane's grip, he was pulled down by the luchador's arms. His spine landing violently right on top of Bane's knee as the mercenary pulled it aggressively up, meeting Peter's body halfway.

Peter breathed out a sigh of immense pain as he felt yet more ribs being broken. His spine absorbed the superhuman blow and, while thankfully not breaking from the impact, screamed at him in agony.

Bane released his grip and Peter rolled off the knee and onto the floor, lying on his back. He began to try and push himself back up off floor before he felt a throbbing pain to the side of his head as Bane's fist collided with his face.

Peter's head was knocked sideways before being grabbed by Bane's other hand and he felt another painful blow land square in the middle of his face. 'React Peter! Don't let him keep hitting you!' his mind called to him, but his body couldn't answer as Bane began kneeling over his body and continued to batter his face and chest.

'You can get out of this! Try to remember what you learnt. Remember, Peter…' His mind called to him again, but it was not his voice, nor was it the Other's. It was someone else entirely, a memory of Peter's childhood hero.

'Help me, Cap. Help me remember…' his liquid mind bubbled back a reply as he felt superhuman blow after blow connect with his head.

Bane delivered one last, brutal punch to Peter's face and his head snapped back as he found himself laying prone.

Peter was slowly losing consciousness as Bane's blurry figure filled his sight, his taunting voice sounding ethereal as he spoke over Spider-Man's slumped form, "Hah. Is that all you have? Come on Spider-Man, stand back up so Bane may break you again… Spider—"

3 Years Earlier…

Marvel Universe – 616161

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

"-Man… Get up." Sixteen-year-old Peter parker heard the voice calling to him as he lay prone on his back rubbing his head.

He looked up at the man who had knocked him down, he was offering a red gloved hand with a strong smile. Peter took the hand and pulled himself to his feet.

"That was better. But you're still not using your head." Steve Rogers spoke with a smile.

"Maybe cause' you bashed it with your shield… Repeatedly! Seriously Cap. How many times do we have to do this? Did Fury put you up to this?" Peter's tone was mildly frustrated, he'd lost again.

"No, son. This was all me… Look, you're a great fighter and a good leader already. I know it. Fury knows it. Your team knows it. But you can't seem to accept it… Why?" Captain America spoke with sincerity as he fixed Peter with a focused stare.

"Is this some kind of riddle I don't get yet?" Spider-Man replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not at all… Spider-Man, your faster, stronger and more agile than me. By all rights you should have beaten me easily. But instead, this is the fifth time I've knocked you on your back… Do you know why?" Captain America's deep blue eyes never left Peter's lenses…

"Err… Because your Captain America." Spider-Man spoke as if that fact alone was the obvious answer.

"Wrong. It's because I know exactly what you're going to do before you do it. The fight isn't just here, in the outside world… It's here." He pointed his finger to his head. "You doubt yourself too much. Your filling your head with all the wrong thoughts…"

"Right. Your saying I need to stop doubting myself? To trust my tingle, rely on my Spider-Sense more. My instincts." Peter's tone was self-assured now, focused.

"No. You still don't get it. Instinct is important, but it will get you killed if you let it control you. Get them killed." He pointed to the observation deck where White Tiger, Iron Fist and Power Man were all watching them, "You're their leader… Do you want their blood on your hands?"

"Of course not!" Spider-Man spat out the reply with haste, as if it was an insult to even hear the question.

"Good. Then focus, don't just listen to your Spider-Sense… It doesn't control you. You control it. Listen to it, respond, and think. Don't just react. Act. Clear your mind, and think about the fight in front of you, Now… Again! We don't leave here until you've beaten me as many times as I've beaten you. By my count, that's going to be at least five times…" He stood back from Peter and took a fighting stance.

Over One Year Later…

New York City – Rand Enterprises Rooftop

"So… Now that we all left the big crypto-fascistic regime that is Fury's funhouse… How's the 'Heroes for Hire' gig going for the three of you?" Seventeen-year-old Spider-Man asked to his three former teammates, Ava, Danny and Luke, as all four of them sat cross-legged on the roof of Danny's company.

"Silence… Focus Peter. Speak not with your mouth and listen not with your ears… Breathe…. Hear the flow of the world around you…" Danny's melodic voice replied as he felt the bristles of frustration being channelled from Luke and Ava.

"Look, Fist. I appreciate the catch up, I really do. Especially after…" Peter heard the sick cackle in his mind as he remembered holding Gwen's lifeless body in his arms… "But, no offense, I was expecting more of an old-school team up. Not meditating in the middle of Manhattan…"

"Meditation is important. Lately, you have been unfocused, sloppy, harsh…" Danny's tone was as focused as ever but there was a tinge of sympathy, "We understand, but we're worried about you. You need to reclaim your calm… This city needs Spider-Man to be focused. Now Peter, listen not with your ear-"

"Not with my ears… Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time. With my ears…"

Danny smiled slightly as he continued, his voice a soothing wind chime of a wisdom far beyond his own eighteen years, "Breathe slowly, feel the energy of the city around you. Feel its heartbeat. Its spirit. Its chi."

Peter shook his head for a moment before following Danny's instructions, he felt the blowing breeze around them and heard the chaos of the midday traffic below.

He felt his focus shift and the wind became a whistling choir as the traffic became harmonised, clear. He felt every one of the cars and people below and could sense their individuality.

The many forms in his mind shifted into one and he felt the unison of the city. New York's heartbeat rhythmically beating as the entire city breathed as one.

The melodic thump lulling Peter into a deeper sense of self than he had ever felt before. Then he too left his body and felt his spirit become one with the city.

After a moment his Spider-Sense blared and interrupted his meditation, he heard a siren in the distance. He leapt to his feet and dove off the building, calling back as he swung into the distance, "Sorry guys. Duty calls! Can't stick around. Thanks Fist, you were right, this was good, calming even! Maybe next time I can do it for more than 10 seconds!"

Luke Cage exhaled a breath before opening his eyes and checking his watch, "He has no idea, does he?"

"Nope." Ava responded as she continued her rhythmic breathing and smiled to herself.

They had been on the roof for over three hours…

Several Months Later…

Fogwell's Gym

Eighteen-year-old Peter Parker lay on his back once more. Taking Matt Murdock's hand.

"Well done, Spider-Man. I have nothing left to teach you…" Peter had been learning some fighting techniques, mostly kickboxing, from Daredevil after Otto Octavius exposed him to a device which rendered his Spider-Sense mute. The rules were simple, no using powers to cheat.

"Nothing left to teach me? I lost!" He called back with disbelief.

"No, Peter. You let me win. As impressed as I am, I'm slightly insulted you think I'd be such a sore loser…" Matt replied with a smile.

"Eh-heh…" Peter rubbed the back of his neck before replying, "You know… For a blind guy you're very perceptive."

"I'll try not to take that as an insult, either… But listen, if you really want to continue doing this whole hero gig without your Spider-Sense, then I might know someone who could help." Matt's voice was soothing, inviting.

"I thought you said my training was done?" Peter said confused as Matt began unequipping his training gear.

"From me? Yes. But… There is someone else who can make you become even greater… Greater than you ever were, even with your Spider-Sense… His name is Shang-Chi. He's a kung fu master. He can teach you in ways I can't. Adapt his teachings to your powers…"

"Oh cool, give me his number. Maybe I can learn Spider-Fu or something…"

"Ehh… You might want to work on the name. But sure..."

Two Months Later

New York - An Abandoned Hai Dai Training Facility

"So, Shang… I appreciate all this training, I really do. But like, why are on the ceiling? I mean this is kinda' my schtick, I don't want to have to sue…" Freshly nineteen-year-old Peter asked as he stared at his master, who was also upside down, using magnetic boots and gloves courtesy of Tony Stark.

"You have learned the basics, Daredevil taught you well and with my help you have become an even better fighter, better than even some of my most gifted pupils… But now we move to the next stage, I will help you devise a martial arts style of your very own…"

"Spider-Fu? Finally." Peter grinned under his half mask.

"No. That name is terrible… I want you to show me the 'Way of the Spider'…" Shang replied as he entered a fighting stance, Peter was impressed at how unphased Shang-Chi seemed to be by his upside-down position.

The duo began trading blows, dodging and weaving as they leapt through the Hai Dai facility, clinging to walls and support pillars as they sparred. Peter called back to his master as they fought, "Wow… That's a much cooler name! You mind if I patent that. I swear I'll give you like five percent of the royalties at least!"

"Stop. No quips. Put all your energy and focus into action." Shang-Chi replied as he deflected Peter's leg and shot his elbow forward into Peter's chest.

"Gah! This was so much easier with my Spider-Sense…" Peter grunted out as he involuntarily expelled his breath before trying to tag Shang-Chi with an open palmed strike.

Shang-Chi caught Peter's wrist as he replied, "No. That was a crutch, a barrier blocking you from your true potential. You must become greater. Go beyond the Spider, beyond the Man." Shang-Chi twisted the arm before striking at Peter's throat with his hand, smiling slightly as he saw Peter avoid the blow, "Beyond even the fighter. Become the fight itself."

Peter listened to the words as he felt the flow of his chi and began reading his master's moves clearer now, avoiding a swing as he ducked and twisted, bringing his leg with him.

He felt his foot connect to the side of Shang-Chi's head and panicked for a moment as his master was knocked off the support beam they had now been fighting on.

"Shang?!" Peter called as he jumped down and approached the Master of Kung Fu as he lay prone.

Shang Chi began sitting up holding his chin, rubbing it as he turned to his pupil, "Good. Now again!"

Present Day

DC Universe – Prime

"Again! And again! You are letting me hit you! Again! Over and over, do you know why?", Bane continued to mock Spider-Man as he beat him, "Because you are weak. Pathetic. Untrained. Sloppy. You think you are a hero? You're a little child who was bitten by an insect… A punk playing dress up. Relying on a crutch… I am Ban—" Bane hesitated as he felt a hand on his fist, holding it above Spider-Man's head.

Peter had caught the punch with his left hand, and Bane hesitated for a moment as he felt the push. All his muscles and he could still not move his fist any further as Spider-Man held it in his palm.

Using Bane's shock, Peter pushed him off of him, stood back up and shot out his right hand. Peter used it to punch and prod across Bane's body, eliciting grunts of pain as he focused his blows on the larger man's pressure points.

Bane stumbled back as he clutched his sides before he felt a super powered kick to his chin. His head reeled back as he was launched backwards through the air before landing brutally on his back. Pulling himself to a sitting position he stared at Spider-Man.

He was standing again. His posture was completely different, and so was the energy flowing from him.

His voice sounded confident, calm and focused as he spoke, "You're right. I was being sloppy. Relying too much on my Spider-Sense. And I am just a kid who got bit. Anyone could be here wearing this mask. But you're wrong about so many other things…"

He was walking towards Bane as the brute pulled himself to his feet and charged at the young hero. Spider-Man didn't miss a beat before ducking out of the way and delivering an open palmed upper strike into the luchador's nose. Breaking it and knocking him back down again.

"I don't think I'm a hero. I know I am. But I'm more so much more than that…" He spoke between strikes, grapples, dodges and kicks, Bane never once regaining the upper hand, "I'm a student. Of so many people, my Uncle Ben, my Aunt May, my team… And I have trained. I've been trained by the greatest master anyone could-"

Bane was on his knees as he spat the blood from his lips from the opening of his mask as he chuckled back his interruption, "Heh… by the Batman? Little Spider, I broke the Batma-" His mouth was webbed shut before he could finish, and he felt another kick land on his head.

A flurry of other blows landed across Bane's body before he could react. Bruises and cuts from Peter's knuckles beginning to decorate his body as Spider-Man was attacking him relentlessly, giving him no space to move.

"No. Not the Batman… Captain America, The First Avenger…" He punched Bane's face again, "Iron Fist, The Living Weapon…" He shot a kick into his chest, "Daredevil, The Man Without Fear…" He stomped on the mercenary's foot violently, "All of them. They taught me how to think, to focus, to feel… to fight." Spider-Man ducked out of the way of Bane's arm before grabbing it and throwing the wrestler themed villain over his shoulder.

"But there was one other who taught me all that, and more… The Master of Kung Fu himself, Shang-Chi." Peter breathed out a heavy breath as he felt his focus, chi, and mind take control of his body. His thoughts became clearer as he felt the heartbeat of the world around him.

Bane ripped the webbing off his face as he pumped more Venom into his veins, fuelling his rage filled muscles, "Hah… Your spirit is back! I will enjoy breakin-" Bane spat out between heavy breaths before being cut off as he felt the flesh of his chest being grabbed as Spider-Man wrenched him into the air by his flesh.

"Shut up! 'Break this. Break that.' Change the record, Bane! I've known you for less than a minute and I'm already sick of it." Peter called back as he eyed Deathstroke moving beside the luchador, 'Calm, Peter… You have shown them your strength. Now show them your focus… Breathe.' Danny's voice called through the void to Peter's mind.

Releasing his anger, Peter felt its momentary grip let go of his being. Bane let out a cry of immense pain as he felt the twist and stretch of the skin on his chest before being dropped callously back down to the floor as Spider-Man recomposed himself.

"Now. This is what I wanted. You're finally getting serious. The warrior beneath has been unleashed…" Slade spoke as he eyed Peter's resolve.

Peter let out a breathe as he allowed his anger to subside, speaking again, his words still cutting but their tone matter of fact, "Oh, he's unleashed alright, but you're gonna' regret letting him out… I had dishonoured my master by forgetting his teachings, going back to listening to the ringing in my head. Reacting… Not acting. But tonight, I'm going to honour my master… All my masters. By taking you down. Both of you..."

"Big talk, kid. Let's see if you ca-" Slade spoke before being cut off by Peter.

"I'm not finished! You made three big mistakes tonight; you discount excuse for Taskmaster. One. You took away my crutch." He looked to Slade as he replied, "Two. You allowed him to knock some sense back into me." He looked to Bane whose muscles were growing once more as he pumped even more of his steroid into his body as he pulled himself to his feet.

Peter breathed again, emptying his thoughts and freeing his spirit, "And worst of all, three. You let Shiva say my name. Which means you know who I am, and who I care about…" He saw flashes of Teresa and Ben in his mind as he spoke, a resolve washing over him as he felt his urge to protect them grip his heart.

"You forget, kid. I have Shadows everywhere; we can target your loved ones at any time. So please, enlighten me, why was that a mistake?" Deathstroke asked as he was unsheathing his sword.

Peter saw the face of Norman Osborne as he sighed a heavy breath once more, calming his heart rate, "Because I had one more teacher… Norman Osborne. He taught me the consequences of failing to protect the ones I love. And I swore I would never let that happen again."

He stared unwaveringly at Deathstroke, even behind the mask, Peter could feel his grin, "Kid… Are you ever going to stop talking and show us this 'Spider-Fu' that we should be so afraid of?" Slade spoke as he pointed the blade of his sword in Spider-Man's direction.

Peter chuckled softly to himself at Deathstroke's remark before responding as he pulled himself into a Xu Bu stance, "No, not Spider-Fu. That name's terrible. I'm going to show you the Way of the Spider…"

Orphan had been eyeing Spider-Man's form out of the corner of her eye, her momentary concern was lost now, something… No, everything had changed within him. Her slight distraction from her own fight during his first encounter with Bane allowing her mother to land a few cuts in painful, but not vital, areas.

By the same measure however, Shiva too had a slight interest in the Spider's capabilities and had incidentally allowed her daughter to inflict a couple of bruises and cuts on her own body.

She gripped her sword with vigour and swung it at her daughter, it flawlessly sliced the air above her face but missed by mere inches.

Orphan leant back and avoided the blade swung towards her head before kicking upwards, knocking the hand that was wielding it.

Shiva didn't lose her grip but felt the path of her arm move, she adapted to the change in her posture and shot her other arm forward to her daughters chest while she spun with the movement of her sword.

Cassandra grasped the wrist near her chest and felt as her mother's body twist, making her roll with the movement. She was flipped upside down for a moment before landing on her backside.

She felt the wind move by her head as she let go of the wrist and launched herself forward into a dive before performing a forwards roll and pulling herself to her feet, narrowly avoiding a kick from Shiva.

Turning once again to face her mother she could feel the determination in Shiva's breaths, "Come with me my daughter. We do not need to fight…" Sandra Wu-San's pleas were genuine, but the poisonous tone undermined their integrity.

"Yes. Yes, we do. The League of Shadows will never have me. And neither will you." Orphan replied as she charged at Shiva again, all of her attacks being parried and countered flawlessly.

As Shiva defended from the attacks, she sent out a flurry of expert attacks of her own, all of them being avoided gracefully, "Fine. If I can't have you back with me, daughter. No one will have you."

Shiva cried out in focused fury as her attacks became more aggressive, all of them intended to kill. Her daughter could read the shift in her intent as she too could read her daughter's unwavering focus.

Both women were tangled in a close quarters dance of evasion, blade swipes, kicks and strikes before they both felt a shift in the air and jumped back from each other.

Spider-Man's body flew between them after he had been evading all of Bane's previous attacks before being caught off guard.

He was blocking an attack from Deathstroke and was unable to escape the struggle before the brutish wrestler had landed an inhuman blow on the hero and launched him through the air.

The brief pause in her fight caused by the interruption allowed Cassandra to glance at Peter as he grabbed himself on the floor in a one-handed handstand and bounced back into a standing position. She read his hesitation.

As both Shiva and Orphan adjusted to the distraction and once again engaged in their battle, Cassandra spoke, plainly, "You're holding back, Spider-Man. Stop." She caught the blade between her palms before it could connect with her skull as the two women's knees met mid strike and struggled against each other in a stalemate.

Peter leapt over Bane's form and delivered a swift kick to his side making him stagger a bit before the hero landed and replied, "That's cause' I don't want to take his jaw off..." His voice was different than she had ever heard it before, it was one of complete focus and oneness of self.

Peter leapt into a series of acrobatic flips and handstands as he avoided the bullets shot in his direction by Slade, before attaching a line and disarming Deathstroke. Orphan glanced over again and spoke before landing an elbow in her mother's stomach, "You won't. Bane is tough…"

Lady Shiva reacted to the blow and tensed as she leant into it before delivering a precise knee to her daughter's face, making the younger woman lean back with her head as she fell, rolling backwards into another standing position.

Peter caught the giant fist and was struggling slightly against the power of it, Bane really was tough, strong too.

Though he was unsure how much of that was actually his strength and how much was a result of his vile drug, "Truck or train?" He asked as he delivered a quick fist into Bane's chest, eliciting another cry of anguish from the villain as Peter prodded the tough textured pressure point.

"Train." Orphan spoke as she glanced to check how much Venom Bane had pumping through him, before leaping to avoid a swipe from Shiva's sword, landing on the blade for a moment before twisting and kicking her mother in the chest knocking her back down to the floor.

Hearing all he needed to hear Peter flipped away from the range of Deathstroke's swords as the assassin came close to nicking him with its blade. Pulling into a swing Peter launched himself in the air towards Bane who was breathing heavily, pressing a button on his waist and attempting to absorb even more of his steroid.

'And he called my Spider-Sense a crutch… Hypocrite.' The thought passed as quickly as it came, before he regained focus and began thinking tactically again.

Before he had the chance to react, Bane felt a brutally hard fist hit his face as he felt his nose shatter even further. His head whipped back with inhuman, and inhumane, speed as he felt the force of the blow carry him off the ground and he was sent flying backwards.

He careened through the air before his movement was violently interrupted by a large steel door that led further into the foundry. Bending the doors beyond repair and shattering them open, his broken momentum was still powerful enough to carry him headfirst into a large metal basin that was hanging a few feet of the floor.

His head dented its frame and knocked it off its support, causing it to come crashing down to the floor, the obstacle changing his trajectory as his body bounced and flipped in the air. This shift in direction finally allowing him to land ungraciously on the floor.

He slid along its surface for a moment as the concrete ground scraped at his pack and he skidded to a violent stop. He lifted his head and felt his vision become blurry as he spied Spider-Man tussling with Deathstroke.

His head throbbed an incalculable amount, but he didn't lose his consciousness, not while the adrenaline from his Venom soared through his system. But still he struggled to pull himself to his feet as the Venom wrestled against the growing aches and pains his body had obtained as a result of Spider-Man's newfound vigour.

Peter dodged a rapid blade swipe from Deathstroke before backflipping and kicking it violently from the merc's hands, it sailed skyward before embedding itself into the ceiling.

Deathstroke grunted in frustration as he pulled out his only remaining firearm and began shooting. Spider-Man had removed the other guns from the fight as soon as possible as without his Spider-Sense it would be harder to dodge the bullets.

Peter couldn't predict the movements of the current barrage of gunfire either, especially not at this close a range, but he noticed Slade's aim was slightly sloppier than before. More desperate.

'Listen to his movements. Feel his heartbeat. He's getting sloppy. He is getting agitated. You are calm. Focused. Feel his chi… It is unbalanced. Yours is not.' Peter heard the thoughts, but they weren't his. Danny's voice yet again swam through the soft waves of the calm ocean in Peter's mind. Heading the words he twisted and shot a line to the gun and yanked it from Slade's grip.

Only one of the bullets grazed his side, but thankfully his new suit absorbed most of the damage, so Peter only felt a slight sting. Now deprived of both guns and one of his swords, Slade closed the gap and swung his remaining blade.

Peter caught the other blade swung in his direction with a tense finger grip before Slade's, now empty, fist smacked him square in the jaw. Slade attempted to punch again as he desperately tried to wrestle his sword from Peter's immense grip, but this time Spider-Man managed to catch it with his other hand.

While in the deadly tango, Peter heard Matt Murdock's voice call to him like a phantom, 'In a ring there are rules. But on the street, there is no audience, no referee. Remember the basics, block left, block right, weave and retaliate. But if you have to… You can get a little dirty.' Yet again heading the ethereal advice, Peter stomped on Slade's foot, before headbutting him and making him stagger back as Spider-Man released his grip on the sword.

Peter, rushed to attack again before, with superhuman speed, he felt his arm being grabbed and he was flipped on the ground by Deathstroke. Peter's eyes going wide as lay prone, rolling way in time to avoid Deathstroke's blade as it stabbed the ground.

'Use your head. He's fast Spider-Man. Strong. But you're faster. Stronger. Don't allow him to control the fight. The battle isn't just on the outside. Think. Plan. Act.' Another voice rang through Peter's head, Steve Rogers'.

Peter rolled away on his back before performing a kip up, receiving a quick kick to the side causing him to stumble slightly. He moved with his body as it reacted to the blow and he shot a line, pulling himself into the air before twisting and firing a barrage of webbing at Deathstroke.

Slade sliced at the shots of web and small pellets destroying them all except the last. A web bomb landed squarely on Slade's sternum and an explosion of webbing wrapped itself around his upper body, fastening his blade to his upper chest.

Peter pulled himself to the ground in front of Deathstroke and delivered a flurry of punches and open palmed strikes at the webbed man. Reading Peter's intent Deathstroke twisted gracefully through the air as he leapt into a sideways flip before landing and shooting his leg directly to Spider-Man's head.

Peter pushed the leg away before he shoved himself forward and closed the distance, 'Remember your training. You've got him webbed. Now enough of the long-ranged attacks. Get up close and personal. Target the nerve clusters. The pressure points. Strike with your speed. Hit with your strength.' Shang-Chi's voice called through the soft whistling wind of Peter's thoughts.

Peter blocked Deathstroke's next kick with his arms as he kicked back himself and targeted Slade's other leg from behind. The mercenary fell prone, his only support strut having been kicked out from under him.

Slade directed his landing as his upper back connected purposely with the floor. He rolled backwards, popping himself from his shoulder and into a somersault before landing back on his feet.

Just as Peter had hoped. He knew that wouldn't keep Slade down. As soon as Slade was back on his feet, Spider-Man was directly in front of him and had jabbed his fingers in his side, targeting a pressure point and forcing a grunt of pain from the mercenary as he felt his sides scream at him.

Before he could react, the hero had moved inhumanly fast, faster than even Slade's superior senses could register and he felt the other side of his chest targeted by another strike.

Peter turned and delivered a superhuman kick into Slade's face, knocking his head backwards as the rest of him followed. He sailed through the air and skidded across the floor as he tried to breathe out his pain, he was wrestling with his sword as he tried to cut himself loose.

Peter was ready to lace Deathstroke's struggling and prone form with more webbing before he felt a slight tug on his back, turning he eyed in his peripheral as Black Spider had managed to regain consciousness, somehow free himself from his webbing and was attempting to pull Peter up to his position.

"You think that adorable little display earlier could keep me down? I gotcha' now- Woaahhh!" Eric Needham called as Peter gripped the line on his upper back and tugged violently, pulling Black Spider down on to the ground in front of him.

Peter ripped the webbing in two after Black Spider had landed, he was about to press the attack before he saw that Bane was running towards him, roaring ferociously, clearly still eager for a fight.

Spider-Man leapt into the air and attached his own line to Black Spider's aching chest before pulling him skywards and planting his feet on the assassin's stomach. He pushed back down as he straightened his legs with immense force sending Black Spider directly at Bane who wasn't quick enough to avoid the attack.

As his ally collided with him Bane was knocked back down, before he callously rolled Black Spider's groggy and dazed form off of him. Pulling himself to his feet, Bane began yelling, "Did you really believe I would give up so easily?"

"Honestly? I was kinda' hoping so, yeah." Peter replied as he landed in a three-quarter crouch.

Orphan cast her eyes towards Peter momentarily as she was laid prone, wrestling with the blade between her eyes as her mother continued trying to push it straight through her skull and into the ground. She kneed Lady Shiva in the stomach before wrestling the blade to the side of her head.

Shiva fell slightly as her blade pierced the concrete floor and embedded itself a fraction in the ground, she turned and saw as her daughter rolled out from under her and stood back up.

Orphan reached into her belt and pulled out several Batarangs and launched them out of her hands; three towards Shiva and two towards Bane.

Shiva deflected the Batarangs meant for her just in time as she wrenched her sword from the ground. The other two sailed gracefully through the air as Bane began charging directly at Peter.

The luchador felt his strength immediately begin to wain as the tubes on his back were severed by Orphan's projectiles. Green liquid began spewing out from the tubes as they thrashed in the air.

As his muscles began to shrink once more, Bane felt the energy being sapped from him, he breathed out an angry growl in response, "The Venom… Was my… Crutch… I don't need it… to beat yo—" He was silenced as Peter used the distraction to run and leap into the air before delivering a final, swift and decisive knee to Bane's head. Immediately rendering him unconscious.

"Venom? I've seen Venom pal. Felt it. It hits harder than you…" Peter spoke before he turned and shot a webline at Shiva's sword which was raised in a swing intended for her daughter's head...

Feeling the slight tug of the webline, Shiva reacted and grabbed the line before Peter pulled. She allowed Spider-Man to pull her closer to him before she pulled out a knife and sliced the line, landing in a sprint.

Using the momentum, she twisted and delivered a graceful kick towards Peter's skull. It was impressively fast, Peter barely ducked out of the way in time, "You meddling Spider… Stay out of this! This is between my daughter and I!" As she landed a blow on his chest and made him expel a slight grunt of exhalation.

"What? I'm a meddler. I like to meddle!" He replied through a mildly choked breath as he deflected a sword swipe by blocking Shiva's arm with his own before punching her wrist hard enough to wrench the sword from her grip and send it flying to the side.

"Duck!" Peter yelled as he leapt out of range of Shiva's attacks and saw the blade flying towards a stunned member of Black Mask's gang who had been observing the battle between the heroes and assassins with awe.

Unable to move, the goon watched with horror as the sharp projectile flew at him with impossible speed. Before the blade hit him, he felt himself being pulled to the ground by a webline as it embedded itself in the wall behind where his skull masked head was seconds ago.

Shiva grunted in frustration, trying to press the attack on Spider-Man once more, before she felt her attention being stolen by Orphan who had closed the gap between them and was aggressively launching attack after attack at her.

"You're wrong. Spider-Man is part of our family now. It's his fight too. I won't ever be yours. Or my father's. Ever. Again." Orphan called with a fierce tone of pure determination as she traded blow for blow, parry for parry with Lady Shiva.

An overwhelming sensation of pride gripped Peter's heart as he heard the words. They didn't know each other well. But that didn't matter. She was right.

His role in the Batfamily used to feel unofficial, a matter of convenience because of Black Mask's bounty and his internship. But that was wrong. It was official, he was part of their team.

He cared for all of them in a way. Even those he hadn't fully met yet. Even Damian… They were his friends, his family.

Bruce said it himself on the inscription of Peter's snow globe, his first gift in this world. There was always a home for him in Gotham, just as there was in New York, both New Yorks.

And Orphan was part of that home. He couldn't allow her to lose this fight, and she couldn't allow him to lose his. Spider-Man had become part of something much larger than himself.

In spite of his sensation of found-familial bond, Peter grimaced as he saw Deathstroke had managed to cut himself free, capitalising on the time he was bought by Black Spider, Bane and Shiva.

His voice called through the air with abject authority, "Shadows! Now is the time. Take them down. False Faces, this is your opportunity to prove your worth to your employer by delivering Black Mask the Spider's head!"

"If its all the same to you guys… I'd like to keep my head. It's proprietary." Peter replied, slightly defiantly as he prepared for an even tougher fight than it already was.

Peter had no time to wonder how much better he would be faring if he still had his Spider-Sense. It didn't matter now, he didn't have it, so he just had to focus harder.

He was constantly moving, shifting, studying each of his opponents and exploiting their weaknesses as danced on his toes. The Mask goons were there typical selves, impulsive, reckless. Most of them were clearly capable, even competent, fighters, but they were uncoordinated.

The Shadows however were tricky, they were smooth, fluid, harmonised with one another as they pounced on Peter in groups. He felt like he was fighting the Hand with Daredevil, White Tiger and Iron Fist again.

Each of the Shadows were targeting different areas of his body as he felt himself constantly moving and shifting in response. Moving with such speed that, to most, he seemed more like a phantasmal black and red blur than a man with a corporeal form.

Slade Wilson was not most men, he was borderline superhuman, a man whose senses and muscles were enhanced beyond even peak human level. He was capitalising on every opportunity that his Shadows were giving him.

By this point, through sheer numbers alone, relying on his training and talents as a fighter was no longer enough for Spider-Man. Now was the time to truly embody the teachings of Shang-Chi and use his martial prowess in conjunction with his spider powers and gadgets.

Form a union between his natural talents and his training, to go beyond both Spider and Man and become the fight itself.

He had avoided a sword swipe as he flipped to the side, landing on the chest of a False Face before launching back off, sending the thug to the ground. He chopped with his hand at the palm of the Shadow who had attempted to decapitate him, as he shot through the air.

The Shadow dropped his sword from the blow, but managed to jump back to avoid Spider-Man's foot as the hero planted his other hand on the ground and span with his momentum, attempting to kick at the growing numbers of enemies around him.

Still upside down on his hand, Peter's movements were frantic, but his mind was not. His legs were kicking with a deft ferocity as he span on his hand, using his other hand to shoot impact webs, at the thugs and Shadows that were keeping their distance, attempting to hit the human embodiment of a spinning top with ranged attacks from their bows and firearms.

All the ranged attackers surrounding the area near Spider-Man were encased in webbing and pushed to the floor which kept them held down.

Peter had been so focused on action that he hadn't even opened his mouth to give the slightest hint at a quip. He felt the energy around him shift as he heard Deathstroke approach, spying a gleam of reflection from his sword in his peripheral, he halted his spin and bent his arm that was supporting his upside-down body.

He pushed back up off the floor and shot skyward before flipping in the air and shooting a line to a wall, twisting to avoid the desperate gunfire and precise arrows of yet more ranged weapon equipped enemies.

The bullets all missed him, but the Shadows were better shots and could predict Spider-Man's trajectory more accurately as a couple of arrows nicked the edges of his body, his suit taking the brunt of the damage but still causing a slight burning irritation of Peter's flesh. None of them had managed to pierce his core though.

He landed on the wall and stood horizontally on it as he engaged some enemies in hand-to-hand combat. They were unable to adapt quick enough to the unorthodox position combined with the expert strikes and the two Shadows and four False Faces that were unfortunate to be in Peter's melee range all dropped like flies.

Peter had no time to be proud however as he sprinted along the wall, avoiding more bullets and arrows that pierced the metal surface just inches behind his moving form.

He leapt off the wall as he spied Orphan, although not nearing defeat yet, she was nonetheless struggling to keep up with her mother as more Shadows began surrounding her and attacking, forcing her to redirect her attention from Shiva's unrelenting assault, to block and counter the newcomers.

He spun through the air and shot out a flurry of impact webs at as many of the ranged attackers as he possibly could, incapacitating most. Now only three of the ranged attackers were left, the two Shadows that were positioned above him and thus out of his target zone and the one Shadow who had managed to avoid the impact web aimed for her.

Spider-Man delivered a kick to one of Orphan's sai wielding attackers as he landed, sending him flying backwards. The Shadow was quick enough to roll on his back and pull himself into a standing position.

However, before he could attack the hero that kicked him, or reengage Orphan, his face was hit by a web from Spider-Man and then a Batarang from Orphan immediately after, neither hero even looking at him as they coordinated their ranged attacks flawlessly and sent him to sleep.

As Peter kicked to the side and hit another Shadow attempting approach, he saw Orphan had left her back open as she did the same to another Shadow. He grabbed Shiva's arm before she could slice at her daughter's back with her newly reequipped sword.

However, Peter was unaware that Orphan knew of her mother's presence and had trusted Spider-Man to halt her attack. Cassadra instead picking up a blade from the floor and blocking a strike from Deathstroke as he attempted to cut down Peter's.

As Peter heard the clang of the connecting blade's he turned his head to Orphan and noticed she was defending him from Slade as he defended her from Shiva.

Stood adjacent to each other and facing opposite directions, both of them. Quite literally, had each other's back. They shared a quick nod before, Orphan pushed back with her new sword and forced Deathstroke to step back to regain his balance as she leapt to the side and rolled away from his striking distance.

As this happened Peter swung Shiva by her arm before she could land her next hit, a hand chop, on his neck. Wrenching Shiva off the ground and flinging her at Slade as he turned on his feet.

As Shiva collided with Deathstroke, both the villains had braced for the impact. Slade shifting his body and leaning down as Shiva directed her landing, their backs connected as she deftly rolled of him and span in the air for a moment before landing on her feet as Slade pulled himself back up.

While the two leaders' performed their impressively coordinated display, one that wouldn't be out of place in a physical theatre performance piece. Orphan and Spider-Man performed their own as they once again stood back-to-back.

Peter flung his hand out, catching an arrow before it connected with the back of Orphan's skull as he used his other hand to catch another arrow intended to land right between his eyes. Orphan similarly caught a third arrow meant for the back of Spider-Man's head before she flung out three Batarangs in three different directions.

The first two of the Batarangs curved in two opposite directions, their trajectory twisting so severely that the display would impress Captain Boomerang. They sailed behind her and upwards and connected with the heads of the two Shadows on the support strut that were firing down at them.

The third of the trio of Batarangs was positioned in the middle of her ranged assault and flew directly in front of her and hit the other Shadow with a bow who was facing her on the ground.

All three of the ranged assassins immediately fell unconscious as the metal projectiles connected with their heads. Peter dropped the arrows in his hands as he used his shooters to form a giant bed of cobweb across the width of the room. Catching the sleeping forms of the Shadows who fell from the support strut as a result of their sudden unconscious state.

There was no time to revel in the moment though as both heroes turned and twisted, Spider-Man dodging under Deathstroke's body as he dove at him with a swing of his sword while Orphan blocked her mother's blade with her own.

There was a sense of relief however, Peter and Cass had incapacitated all of the Shadows and most of Black Mask's thugs, the few remaining of the latter attempting to escape the situation entirely as they ran as far away from the foundry as possible. They knew it was pointless to even attempt attacking either of the heroes.

The fight was far from over however, Lady Shiva focused her assault on Orphan, while Deathstroke focused his on Spider-Man. But they shifted as a group, momentarily swapping partners from time to time as the quartet continued their lethal dance.

Spider-Man knew he only needed one good hit on either Deathstroke or Shiva and he could send them unconscious. But he couldn't land one good hit, he couldn't even land a hit. Period. None of them could.

All four of them were constantly moving in a coordinated effort, the entire fight looking almost rehearsed. Parries. Blocks. Counters. Dodges. Everything was on display. Everything except one. Solid. Hit.

Peter was mind blown at how difficult the fight was, neither of them had his speed, reflexes or strength. And he had Orphan on his side as well. But that didn't matter, every move they made had been predicted. Just as he and Orphan predicted Shiva's and Deathstroke's moves. It was like a fight between four Taskmasters.

Peter had the least training and experience with 'pure' fights and was struggling slightly to adjust to the two masters of martial arts, especially Shiva. But his training with his allies back home allowed to keep up as he combined his tactics with his superior reflexes.

If his rare team ups with Deadpool, or even Peter's own encounters with Taskmaster, taught him anything. It was that the best way to beat someone who could predict your every move was to be unpredictable. Pete had invented moves on the spot to tackle the skull-faced mercenary's Photographic Reflexes in the past.

But he couldn't be unpredictable right now. He was too focused on thinking ahead, no time to invent a new movement while everyone was in intense game of four-dimensional chess. Everything relied on predictability, including his flawless coordination with his ally.

If he pulled out a wildcard at this moment, there was a chance that it would complete destroy the hand Orphan was playing. He had to let her know he planned to be unpredictable. But Shiva could read people just as well as her daughter could, if he communicated his improvisation to his ally, his enemy would know too.

Spider-Man wasn't concerned though, this was a test of endurance now. And that was the one thing Peter, beyond any shadow of a doubt, knew he could do. Endure.

Not just physically, his powers would take care of that for him. But mentally; he had one more teacher for that lesson. The school of hard knocks. Every dark day. Every tragedy. Every heartbreak. After all of it, he never backed down. Never gave up. This was no different.

The game changed however when new players joined. Some of the Shadows had began pulling themselves to their feet and were recommencing their assault. Bringing yet more complications to the intense battle of spirit, wit and skill.

Then darkness began emerging across the surface of the room, and several groups of three to four Shadows began materialising out of… Well, the shadows. The man from earlier with the top hat and formal attire had reappeared and was bringing reinforcements for the enemy, one group after another.

The deadly tango became even deadlier with the added assassins, while the Shade, as Peter would come to learn his name was, continued his delivery of more and more enemies. Both Peter and Cassandra were beginning to feel the mounting pressure as the enemy numbers kept growing.

A deafening boom sounded through the foundry as the building shook slightly and the ceiling was blown open as a large flying tricycle descended into the room.

Yet another group of late comers joined the fray, one that the two heroes were much more positively receptive to. Orphan and Spider-Man each allowing themselves to quickly exhale a momentary breath of relief as they looked over to the newest collection of players to join the lethal game.

Miss Martian was at the helm of the Super-Cycle, in the driver's seat. But the New Genesphere, more affectionately referred to as Sphere as Peter had been informed, appeared to be driving herself.

According to M'Gann, Sphere was a sentient piece of tech from somewhere called New Genesis. She had bonded and chosen to stay by the side of M'Gann's, now deceased, fiancé and was a valuable ally/vehicle to the Titans.

Batgirl was next to M'Gann in the front, while in the rear of the vehicle sat Robin and another hero Peter hadn't officially met yet named, Tigress, another member of the Titans.

All four of the heroes, leapt down from Sphere. M'Gann levitating gracefully as she used her telekinesis to wrench the weapons from several Shadows' grasps.

Batgirl and Robin both used their Batarangs and peppered the battlefield with their projectiles, disarming more Shadows and rendering others, some for the second time, unconscious. The younger hero, pulling out his sword and charging into a group of Shadows fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to keep their blades.

Tigress was firing bolts from her dual hand crossbows as she pierced the legs and hands of multiple Shadows, even firing one at Lady Shiva who twisted on her foot and sliced the bolt cleanly down the middle.

"You're late! I thought you said seven minutes?" Spider-Man called as he purposefully fell on his back as Deathstroke attempted to leap at him again. His blade cutting through the air with a whistle as its deadly arc missed Peter by inches.

"Sorry. Most of the Batfamily was busy so I had to pick up some friends on the way!" Barbara responded as she landed in a roll and immediately began fighting the enemies around her.

The Batfamily were all busy. In fact, only Robin was available, Tigress meeting him at the Batcave as they prepared to travel to Titans tower for training when Barbara connected to the Bat-Wave and hurriedly asked for back up.

She had also sent a call to M'Gann in case any of the Light's trickier superpowered members also showed up. And they all arrived in the Clocktower via teleporter with Sphere in tow and rushed over to the scene as fast as possible.

Peter stuck his feet and palms on Slade's stomach and chest as the mercenary leapt over him. Spider-Man ceased his adhesion as he pushed up with his limbs, trying to replicate the move he used to incapacitate Batman on his first meeting with the Dark Knight.

As he launched Deathstroke skyward and fired his few remaining impact webs, Slade spun in the air and swung his sword viciously, slicing the webbing before it even had chance to hit him.

Continuing his spin and pulling himself into a front flip with his legs, Deathstroke landed in a crouch. Turning to deflect a non-lethal sword swing from Damian Wayne, AKA Robin, who had already dispatched the trio of Shadows he engaged earlier.

They clashed blades a couple times before Slade began gaining the upper hand and Spider-Man used the distraction to kick at Slade's head, Deathstroke pushed back against Robins sword as their blades were stuck in a tense struggle against each other and managed to roll forward barely evading Peter's foot.

He jumped back up to his feet only to feel as a webline ripped away one of the small pouches on his belt, looking down he tried to catch it before it sailed into Spider-Man's hands only to yet again be distracted by another opponent as Tigress pressed her own assault against him, allowing Peter to steal his prize.

The room became a chaotic mess of violence: Orphan and Batgirl fighting Shiva with a mix of ranged and melee attacks (the former opting to keep her distance as much as she possibly could), Robin and Tigress engaging Deathstroke with low and high strikes, Miss Martian and Sphere focusing on the Shadows in droves using laser blasts and telekinesis. The Shadow's numbers were still growing but by a decreasing degree each passing moment.

Peter used his momentary freedom of movement to desperately rummage through Slade's pack in his hand. He found what he was searching for and inspected the two small blinking devices before calling out.

"Hey Miss Martian! Can sphere isolate some frequencies and cancel them out?" He asked as he kicked away a Shadow that was charging at him as he threw another, that had grabbed him from behind, over his shoulder.

"She should be able to… What frequencies?" M'Gann flung a Shadow into a wall before avoiding an attack by phasing her body and allowing several throwing knives to pass ineffectually through her now translucent form.

Peter leapt up onto Sphere as she seemed to understand his current request, she revved slightly to communicate she was ready. Her dashboard display, shifted in a rigid movement of small, overlapping and interconnecting, mechanical components creating two tiny ports for Peter to insert the jammer, "Oh just the comms and my Spider-Sense…"

A moment passed after Peter placed the tiny flashing devices in their slots. Suddenly, he felt a wave blast his subconscious, a sensation that was so jarring and uncanny it made Peter's every hair stand on end. As if there was a delayed reaction from his Spider-Sense, like the warnings of each threat had been queued during its silence and was now being played for him all at once.

He also felt a soft tickle of greeting from the Slimbiote inside him. The Other's wordless tone softly stroking his conscious with a groggy but relieved communication, as if it had just woken from a very stressful nap.

M'Gann too felt a flicker of communication from the Other through her psychic link with the Symbiote hybrid, 'Wait… Peter's been fighting without his Spider-Sense the whole time?' She asked through their link as she considered his words.

She felt a bristle of confirmation from the Other before replying, 'Wow… Not bad.' As she considered the battle between Shiva, Deathstroke, Orphan and Spider-Man through their heat signatures before they entered the foundry.

An orchestra of high frequency screeches played its tune, little pops of static dotted throughout the room and even deeper into the foundry as all of the other jammers were deactivated.

"Okay, now you guys are gonna' have to fight on my wavelength…" Peter said with a smirk as looked to Slade and Shiva before he jumped back off Sphere and rejoined the fight.

Peter knew M'Gann, and the Other were talking but wasn't sure what they were saying, M'Gann allowing a level of privacy between her and the Slimbiote. But judging by the happy bristles in his subconscious, it was relieved to see a friend.

He landed next to where Deathstroke was fighting Tigress and Robin, expertly delegating strikes between both his opponents, not allowing either of them the chance to land a hit. Slade twisted as he saw Spider-Man land in his peripheral.

Spider-Man swung his leg violently into Deathstroke's chest, the villain launched through the air and into one of his men as a result. Unable to react to the superhuman strike from Spider-Man while his focus was on Tigress and Robin.

"I got Slade… Go help the others…" Peter's voice was calm and cool before it immediately lost its edge as he playfully added, "Also hi, nice to finally meet you, Tigress. I'm Spider-Man. You come here often?"

"Umm… Hi. You mean the city or the foundry?" Artemis Crock, AKA Tigress, replied with confused but good-humoured reciprocation. Quickly shaking the hand that was offered to her by the hooded hero.

"The foundry. It's not all that bad though, I like the décor… Not a fan of all the assassins but what can ya' do? Gotham am I right?" He wistfully replied as he spied Deathstroke struggling to regain his breath from the blow to his chest, allowing Peter a bit of time to add some much-needed humour to alleviate some of the pressure that had been building within him while he and Orphan fought alone.

"Robin." Peter stared at Damian for a moment and offered a stiff, unnaturally formal nod as he regarded the young hero.

"Spider-Man." Robin replied, a mild hint of respect hidden within his defiant tone. He did however refuse to return the nod.

Deathstroke managed to control his breathing once more as he stared at Spider-Man and pointed his sword at him, he was ready for round two. Peter's demeanour shifted to serious almost seamlessly as he mentally prepared himself for his battle with the Terminator, "Go. I got this..."

The other two reluctantly acquiesced and left Peter to deal with Slade. As Tigress and Robin began rushing at a group of Shadows, Tigress turned to the younger hero with a confused and inquisitive stare.

"Don't ask. The man is an imbecile… But he is…*sigh* capable…" Damain simply responded, Tigress smiling in response at Robin's clear aggravation towards Spider-Man's chipper attitude combined with his evident martial prowess.

"So… I think I proved that the warrior within me is strong enough to hold my own against you, Slade. Want to see what he's like with his Spider-Sense back?" Spider-Man taunted as he entered his signature three-point crouch.

"Show me. But fair warning, kid. I won't be holding back anymore." Deathstroke took a few steps closer and shortened the distance between them.

"That's funny. I was just about to say the same thing…" Spider-Man fired himself at Deathstroke, striking with speed and precision like a coiled viper.

Slade read the move and prepared to deflect with a roundhouse kick. Peter smiled as he felt his Spider-Sense's familiar ring, he didn't need it to beat Slade in a fair fight, but having it back was still worth it for this particular moment.

Feeling the warning, Peter adapted to the kick and twisted his body, he landed on Slade's upper thigh with a single pointed handstand. While there, he remembered the intel on Deathstroke Oracle had shared with him, two vital words ringing through his memory 'healing factor'.

While suspending himself on his right hand on Deathstroke's thigh, Spider-Man shot out his left faster than a bullet, chopping at Slade's knee. Causing it to shatter and for his leg to bend in a painfully unnatural way.

Not relishing in the harm done to his adversary, but noting its effectiveness nonetheless, Peter pushed off the leg, leaping over Deathstroke before he had even begun to register his pain, yet alone move. Slade's leg was forced back to the ground as Spider-Man's weight and downward force pushed down on top of it.

Deathstroke's centre of gravity was suddenly shifted as he felt all of Spider-Man's movements at once, yelling in pain as his leg was broken before it was shoved back to the ground, causing it to collide with the floor and be bent out of shape even further.

Slade managed to barely hold himself upright on his other leg as he looked up and saw Spider-Man leaping at him, hands clasped together over his head as he was planning to bring both his fists down on his head.

He raised his sword with inhuman speed to block the attack, only to feel a foot strike the side of his head. Peter had purposefully telegraphed his move to bait Deathstroke's reaction, opening him up for an unexpected attack. 'Hah! Just like Taskmaster!'

'A feint?!' Slade thought as he spun with the force of Peter's kick for a moment before crashing to the ground, dazed and bordering on unconscious as Peter hit him with a strength far beyond anything he'd used in their earlier fight.

Peter crouched over Slade's dizzy form, webbing his arms to the floor for good measure, before tearing his mask of his face, looking into his one eye as he removed his own hood and mask, "You get one warning, Slade. If I spot even one of your Shadows near Queens… If you even think about harming any of my friends or family…"

"…You'll do what, kid? Kill me?" Deathstroke coughed out drowsily, barely clinging to consciousness.

"Spider-Man doesn't kill people. But, If you or any of your followers hurt anyone, I care about… I'll find your little clubhouse. Humiliate you in front of all your Shadows, way more than I did just now. I will tear down everything you've built and beat you down so much you have to eat through a tube for the rest of your life. Healing factor or not… I'll come back every day and shatter your face until its moulded to the shape of my fist if I have to. I won't kill you, Slade, I'll ruin you… Do I make myself clear?"

"Heh. You were a worthy opponent. Octavius was right…" His speech was delirious, nearly drunk sounding.

"Do I make myself clear? Say the words, Slade!" Peter softly shook Slade's chest as he slapped him gently to get a reaction.

Slade smiled slightly, his one eye twinkling with something akin to pride as he spoke, "You have my word... The League of Shadows will not move against your family. They are inconsequential to our plans… You will die next time. I swear it. I'll be prepared, and you will die by my hand."

"Sure… Really not feeling the threat right now, but if you believe that then I'm happy for you, really. Go after me all you like, I'm ready for the rematch whenever you are… Now get some rest. You'll need it." Peter said as he placed his hand on Slade's head before flicking with immense power, his finger hitting with enough force to knock Slade's head down to the ground.

Surprisingly, Slade still managed to cling on to his consciousness, a combination of his above-peak human durability, combined with sheer stubbornness. Slade's force of will enduring and fighting to keep him awake. 'He's still awake? Wow… Even if its only barely… Wow. I gotta' hand it to Slade, he's a stubborn one…'

He grinned slightly as he lay there with his head on the ground before his chest was grabbed and he was pulled up again before being finally sent to sleep by another punch to the face from Spider-Man.

"Jeez, a kick, a flick and a punch. Sheesh Deathstroke are you glutton for head trauma or what?" Peter spoke as he dropped the unconscious form of Slade, not attempting to hide how impressed he was.

While still fighting Oracle and Batgirl, Lady Shiva saw as her leader was defeated and called out, "Shade! Get Deathstroke out of here!"

A cloak of darkness wrapped itself around the ground near Peter, and encased Slade's body. The hero reacted by firing a line to Deathstroke only to see it fall pitifully into the darkness, his Spider-Sense gave him a ring and he moved his head slightly and watched as his own webline reemerged from the shadow directed at him. The line soared pointlessly through the air as it flew past him before falling back down in a graceful arc.

"Okay, I would have found that really cool if it also didn't actively disadvantage me…" Spider-Man spoke aloud as the shadow contracted back into its smaller point of natural origin and disappeared from the foundry, Slade along with it.

Peter felt a punch of frustration grab him before he pushed it aside and ran back into the fray to support his allies. He saw that the fight was nearing over, and they wouldn't need his help with much. Nevertheless a few webs, punches, kicks and flips here and there and he was back in the, soon to be ending, game.

The Shade had began collecting the wounded Shadows, prioritising Black Spider and Bane, the latter protesting loudly as he was back on his feet (albeit, very wobblily after a second, depowered, scuffle with Robin). 'I'm impressed, Bane really can take a beating… Even without his Venom.'

Eventually all that remained was Lady Shiva and a few stragglers who had seemingly been left behind for now, presumably because the Shade needed to rest between his extractions as they were becoming less frequent.

All the heroes began surrounding Sandra Wu-San as she was still stuck in a duel with her daughter, Batgirl ceasing her attack as she watched closely. Orphan managed to break the stalemate and push her mother back and took a couple of steps back to join her allies.

Bringing her stolen sword down to a, not quite, resting position Orphan spoke, "It's over."

"You really think that don't you?" Lady Shiva spoke through heavy breaths as she tried to regain control of her breathing, "My Shadows are everywhere. I'm giving you one last chance… Stay with me, daughter. Or one word from me and I'll have them slaughter everyone you care about. Starting with…" Shiva pointed her blade at Batgirl, "Your dear friend Barbara Gordon."

Batgirl didn't flinch from the threat, but it seemed to goad Orphan into one last push as she tensed before rushing forward back at her mother, a flurry of sword strikes between both of them recommencing as sparks were flying in every direction as they clashed over and over again.

"Orphan stop-" Tigress moved to aid her but was halted by a red and black arm in her path as she turned to see Spider-Man's masked face looking at her.

"Wait… Let her do this." Peter spoke, calmly as he watched Orphan from the corner of his eye.

"I don't know how you did it back on your earth, but we don't let kids become killers here…" Tigress spat back in disbelief, she hadn't heard much about Spider-Man other than some key details, but she was shocked to see him so calm considering the situation.

"Hey! Do I look like a-" Peter sighed before turning to Batgirl "Babs… Back me up here."

"Stand down, Tigress. I trust him…" She sighed with a slow nod while she kept her gaze fixed solidly on Orphan, watching intensely for any indication she might slip into a lethal mindset, "I trust her."

Orphan managed to feint and bait her mother right into her foot as she delivered a crane kick into Shiva's chin, before swinging her sword aggressively and knocking Shiva's out of her grip. She twisted with her momentum before coming to a sudden stop and stabbing her mother right through the stomach purposefully avoiding any major organs.

Lady Shiva's eyes went wide as she fell to her knees and spat out a hefty amount of blood, Orphan pressed her blade softly to the back of her neck and took her mask and hood off as she stared into her mother's eyes intensely.

Batgirl moved to speak before she turned to face Spider-Man with a worried expression, he was also watching Cassandra intensely. He felt Barbara's gaze and softly shook his head, he could read Orphan's chi. She wouldn't cross that line. She was making a point.

"Do it…" Shiva breathed out with exhaustion.

"No." Is all Orphan spoke as she threw her sword callously to the ground and walked back over to her friends standing purposefully between Batgirl and Spider-Man and giving both of them a small nod as she saw the pride and relief in their bodies. Even Peter, who while confident in Cass was still relieved to see he was right.

"This… Is still… Not over…" Lady Shiva managed to utter as a wide shadow extended across the floor and encased her and the few remaining Shadows.

"Yes. It is." Orphan stared deep into her mother's eyes as she spoke, her tone leaving no room for debate.

Peter quickly added before the secondary Leader of the League of Shadows disappeared, "Oh, and when you see Otto, tell him to put on his best tentacles. I'll make sure to pay him a visit real soon..." 'When I figure out where he is…'

The last of the Shadows, Shiva included disappeared into the darkness before it retracted into nothing once more. A moment of stillness passed as only the heroes and the incapacitated False Faces remained in the open room of the foundry.

The moment was broken by a clap as Peter spoke, "Well! I think we both made our points quite well, good job partner!" He said as he raised his hand to Cassandra offering for her to high five it.

She did. And Peter felt and overwhelming sense of pride in the moment, before turning to the rest of the group, "So… Who's up for pizza?"

Batgirl was taken aback for a moment before speaking with a smile as she gave Orphan a hug, before turning back to Peter, "No thanks… Besides, you two still have some Chinese at the Clocktower to eat… Leave the cleanup to us. You earned it." She regarded the scene and the unconscious criminals around them.

"Hey, no argument from me! I'm pooped… Race ya' there?" He turned to Orphan who nodded in response and re-equipped her mask before immediately firing her grapple gun and exiting through the hole in the roof, "Hey! I didn't… Say… Go… And she's gone." He called after her as she disappeared into the night.

"Thanks for the assist, guys… Though you were cutting it close, any longer and I'd had to have really gotten serious…" He was bluffing. His genuine concern wasn't masked all that well as he spoke with an aura of feigned nonchalance.

"Nice to meet you Tigress… Always a pleasure M'Gann, Babs…" He added as he turned to the rest of the group letting Cassandra get a bit of a head start. "Robin." He nodded again as he added another formal tone to his voice.

"Spider-Man" Robin actually nodded back this time, "Your display against Deathstroke was… Impressive. Well, done."

"Wow… A compliment from the Boy Wonder, eh? Well, I'm not gonna' look that gift horse in the mouth." He replied as he leapt straight out of the hole in the roof and swung off into the night sky in pursuit of Orphan his voice calling from the outside, "Enjoy the cleanup, I've got me some Dragon Garden to eat!"

"Dragon Wok! And… He's gone." Barbara Gordon corrected as she yelled after the hero before he too disappeared into the night. Softly smiling to herself as he went.

Metropolis

Project Cadmus' Secret Underground Facility

Amanda Waller looked on at Lex Luthor from behind the one-way mirror as he continued his work in the Cadmus lab he had been appointed. He was ignorant to her presence as he, and his new lab partner, a scientist whose appearance was unnerving to say the least, continued with their current project.

Waller was uncertain about lab assistant's arrival little over a year ago; he had been specifically recruited by Luthor who claimed he had been a long serving member of Lexcorp's R and D department, and he needed him to continue their work if they were to successful create their own meta-humans to counter act the Justice League, in case they ever went rogue.

All of the files were there, he had a solid paper trail, but nonetheless, he seemed too competent, Waller having still never heard of him prior to a year ago despite his supposed 'achievements'. However, his work for them this past year had spoken for itself, but she didn't trust him. Or Luthor for that matter…

"Ma'am?" Spoke the Cadmus operative who entered the lab's observation booth as he regarded the heavy built woman.

Waller didn't respond, she just looked at him and raised her head, indicating he could speak freely, "Lawton has arrived at Belle Reve and the chopper is ready. Are you ready to depart?"

"I'll be there in five…" She replied as she turned away from him and refocused on Luthor and the mechanically tentacled man named Octavius.

The operative nodded before leaving the observation room. Waller tightened her eyes as she stared at Octavius' face. The work he was doing was brilliant, too brilliant. His record was brilliant as well, but it seemed to appear from nowhere.

She knew something was amiss and the decision was simple, discard him once he served his purpose. Luthor would take the white house and the League would face sanctions, Octavius would be confined to a deep hole in the ground where he would continue to work for Cadmus. Amanda Waller left the observation room after she downed her tepid coffee with a growl.

Luthor looked up at the mirror, he turned to Octavius before nodding and a button was pressed. The cameras were on loop and the silent alarm would warn them before anyone entered either the lab or the observation deck.

The screen on the monitor flickered to life as Lady Shiva's face filled its screen, "It would appear your warnings were not exaggerated Dr Octavius…" She spoke, not without a hint of disdain.

"You should have headed them more closely. I told you the jammer would not be enough…" Was all the tentacled man said as he continued with his work unphased.

"I see that Mr. Wilson couldn't deign to speak to us himself… Did the League of Shadows achieve their goal at least?" Luthor asked as he regarded Shiva.

Shiva didn't reply to that but the flicker of rage that covered her face communicated all he needed to know. Their ambush was a failure, Luthor would have enjoyed seeing the smug faces of Shiva and Deathstroke being wiped away after their defeat if it didn't also mean they would suffer the consequences of their loss.

"What is the progress with project 'Galatea'?" Shiva spoke, disregarding the disrespect from both the member of the Light and their new ally.

"Progressing. She will be in place within the next day or so." Luthor replied as he too continued with his work.

"Good. And Waller?" Shiva asked.

"She still believes it was her design, and not that of the master planner…" Octavius added with a disgusting tone of superiority.

"Don't forget your place here, Otto. You are not a member of the Light. You are only here because your continued existence serves our goals for the time being. Continue your insolence and we will have to return to implement our designs without your input." Shiva spoke with a flicker of tempered rage.

"I don't forget my place. Merely understand its importance in your organisation. Perhaps if you had actually listened to my advice, the Spider would be dead, and you would have your daught-"

"Enough, Otto…" Luthor spoke this time, halting his colleague's taunting before it cost him his head, "Neither Cadmus nor Waller will be a problem."

Shiva decided to ignore the insolent words of 'Doctor Octopus' as he did still have his uses, and his words, though aggravating, were correct.

He had suggested using the other of Spider-Man's Rogue's, currently in Black Mask's employ, in conjunction with the League of Shadows. They did not listen, instead insisting that they would 'test' him themselves. Because of that, they had failed.

"Good. We have reacquired Floyd Lawton, despite Roman's petulant whines, and he shall be able to fill his role under Waller as per your request Octavius. But know that the ice you tread is thin. When the time comes… Do not fail us. Or your head, along with all its many machinations, will be severed from your neck." Shiva spoke, her voice cold.

Even Otto, with his major superiority complex, felt the chill of her tone. He would not fail, but his desires were still nonetheless motivated further by Shiva's words. Aggravatingly so, "How long until your 'ally' awakens?" She added.

"Unfortunately, I still have not made any progress on that front. But he is not necessary." Otto added as he scanned the readings on his monitor and considered their weight.

"You promised us he would provide the distraction we needed… That if the Spider-Man survived all that's to come, he would finish the job…" Shiva almost spat the reply out.

"He will. If he wakes. But should he not, I have other contingencies in place… Remember this world was never our intention and yet here I am. Aiding you I might add. Otto Octavius is nothing if not adaptable…" Otto responded as he used his mechanical legs to approach the hidden door and inputted the code on its invisible keypad.

The door slid open as a he looked at the large cylindrical tank in front of him. The green liquid inside bubbling softly as he looked to the person inside. A grin still fastened to his face, a face which Otto despised, only slightly less than Peter Parker. But Otto did not need the face, he needed the man attached to it.

"And as much as it pains me to admit it…" Otto approached the tank as he put his hand on the glass, watching with a sick grin as a gooey red tendril touched the glass in response, "So too... Is Norman Osborne…"

Author Notes:

This chapter was pretty fast paced in terms of action. There will be fluffier ones as well though to do more character stuff, but hey BIG stuff am I right?

Hope you enjoyed this one, it was bit of the struggle with the constant attempt to keep the fight interesting as it was pretty dense in terms of content. I hope I succeeded…

Early readers might remember I referenced Way of the Spider a way back in chapter 4, but new ones might not notice as I cut out heaps of exposition from earlier chapters, so this is the new, less clunky introduction to confirm, yes, this Peter knows how to fight...

There's a little easter egg for any readers of Arachnomaly, a fanfic by SONGUE that I've been enjoying quite a lot, check that one out as well.

Also, shoutout to FusionCoreReactor on FF and Nyjets11 on AO3 who somehow between them managed to predict THREE of the things I took inspiration from and used in this chapter, namely the Kingpin prison fight after CW in the comics, which I used a bit on Bane, Way of the Spider being introduced, and Black Spider being taught a lesson.

I don't know how you both did it, perhaps you stole my password and were watching me type it on the document, cause the reviews came in right as I was writing this chapter and I had to do a double take. So well done. Lol. 10 points for ace predictions!

I've had the core points for this story plotted for a while now and some people are getting eerily close with some of their predictions and wishes, I can't lie. No spoilers… But keep them coming, sometimes I might even adapt the story to fit some of them in even if they weren't initially planned…

I love reading all the reviews, so let me know your thoughts.