Remnant's Mightiest Heroes!

Chapter 12: Rest and Resolve

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Horizon High, New York

Ruby is inside her lab at Horizon high, she is working on her latest project. She sat in front of her workbench using a soldering iron and a wire of iron. On her face is a pair of plastic safety glasses.

"There," Ruby whispered as she put down her tools. In front of her is a full-face mask with a breathing apparatus. There are patches of iron where she had soldered the mask back together after making the proper modifications.

"All done," Ruby breathed as she stretched herself out on her chair. The aching from the hours of working went away. She leaned forward and gingerly picked up the mask.

"Now to see if this works as intended," Ruby spoke to herself. "I can bring it to the simulation—"

Ruby is suddenly cut off by a loud noise. She flinched with surprise and nearly dropped the mask. That sounded like an explosion. A few seconds later, the alarm sounded.

"Attention Students," Max Modell's voice sounded through the intercom. "Please evacuate the school in a calm and orderly fashion."

"Are we under attack?" Ruby asked herself, her voice steady. She remembered hearing of the incidents where the school was under attack by supervillains. Despite being a possible emergency, she can't afford to lose her composure. The training back in Bootcamp pounded that into her head. For a moment, she considered transforming into her superhero persona and whipping out Crescent Rose. But there are other ways that an explosion could've happened. Besides, there are still people she would rather not show her secret identity.

With that in mind, she put down the mask and walked to the door. Unlocking the door, the auto-slide opened it to let smoke in. Ruby brought an arm to her mouth and closed her eyes. If there's another thing aura can't do it is protecting her from the smoke.

Ruby found it ironic that this would be an opportunity to test her mask.

"Time to see if it works," She mumbled, coughing out the smoke. Walking back to her worktable, she picked up the mask and put it on. After securing the straps, she spoke a command.

"Activate heads up display."

Her mask lit up and the HUD came online. Turning around, she walked through the smoke, the mask protecting her from the fumes. As she walked down the hallway to where she thought the smoke is coming from, her mask picked something up. Something that she was expecting.

"At least the heartbeat sensor is working," Ruby said as she hurried to where the blip is coming from. She rounded a corner and found a student slumped up against the wall. Acting quickly, she propped him on her shoulder and lift him off the floor. She walked to the nearest door, opened it, and walked inside. She set the student down and checked on him.

"Are you all right?" Ruby asked. The student lifted his face and she recognized him. Grady Scraps. She met him during her tour of the simulation room. He was fixing a few of the bugs that seemed to be there.

"R-ruby?" Grady asked with a blush. "Is that you? What are you wearing?"

"Something I've been developing for situations like this one," Ruby answered. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Grady stammered. "I was on my way to the cafeteria when the alarm sounded. Next thing I knew, the smoke came flooding out through the halls. I think it came from the Think Tank."

"The Think Tank?" Ruby furrowed her brow. "Okay, I'm going to check to see what's wrong. Stay here until help arrives."

"You? But—"

Ruby didn't wait to let him finish before she exited the maintenance room. She ran down the halls, being careful to avoid using her semblance. She silently thanked the harsh laps they made her take back at Bootcamp. Not that she'd admit aloud.

Finally, she arrived at the Think Tank. The automatic sliding door didn't seem to open at her presence. Something must have been broken. According to her mask, she is picking out two heartbeats trapped inside. Time for a manual override.

Quickly, Ruby walked to where a panel is and opened it. Pulling the lever inside, she heard the mechanisms within the wall as the manual override took effect. Then, the door opened.

Ruby was about to rush in before stopping to avoid colliding with a female backing up. She is a Latina teenager with long brown hair. She wore a blue-long sleeved shirt with a star and beige pants. She carried another person over her shoulder. Brown eyes looked at Ruby with gratitude.

"Thanks," Anya Corazon said. "I was worried that we would be trapped here."

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here."

"No," Ruby shook her head. "There's no telling what may be destroyed in the fire. Not to mention the smoke flooding the hallways. I'm going to fix the fire suppression system."

"Think you can fix the wiring for the fire suppression system?"

"I might," Ruby said with a determined look. "If it's just the wiring, it wouldn't be my first rodeo."

Anya looked at her and, despite the situation, chuckled. She pointed with her free hand in a direction in the Think Tank. "The manual override is over there. I'm going to get him out of here. If you can't fix it, just get to safety."

"Grady Scraps is here too," Ruby shouted after her. "Please get him out of here as well!"

With that, she carefully walked into the Think Tank. The worktables are on fire. Smoke wafted in front of her as Ruby made her way to where Anya had pointed. She stopped before a flaming box on the wall.

"So much for the manual override on that," Ruby groaned. She glanced up at the ceiling where she knew there were sensors. Why weren't they working?

Ruby decided to focus on the task on hand and ruminate later. Spotting a fire extinguisher, she used it to put out the fire on the mechanism. After that, she surveyed the damage. The fire had damaged the wiring, which cut them off from the school's electrical grid.

"Okay, …where's that robot Miles built…"

Her eyes scanned the room before seeing the downed security robot. A beamed had fallen on it and kept it pinned. Ruby walked over to it and searched around until she found the panel to access its battery. Opening it, she carefully extracted the battery and carried it to where she was before.

"I'm sorry…" Ruby apologized to the unmoving robot. It may not be like Penny, but she can't help empathy.

Ruby walked to a table untouched by the flames and grabbed a pair of jump starter cables she knew was there during her previous period.

"Step one is complete," Ruby said. She pressed a finger to a crimson bracelet on her wrist. "Step two…"

Responding to her neurological signals, the Crescent Rose transformed into scythe mode. Gripping it with both hands, Ruby slashed apart the wall, exposing more of the wiring that remains untouched by the flames. Acting quickly, she grabbed one end of the jumper cables and attached the jaws to the protrusions of the battery. Then, she grabbed the other end and attached them to the exposed wires.

With the power coursing from the battery, the fire suppression system came back on.

From the ceiling, nozzles descended and sprayed white foam. The flames sputtered and went out as the foam filled the room. The vents kicked in and sucked in the remaining smoke. Ruby is also covered in the foam, not having moved from her spot since it began. Slowly, she removed her mask and gazed at the foam.

"Mental note. Make some fire suppression grenades."

A few minutes later…

"Any idea on what happened?"

Ruby sat in the cafeteria with Anya sitting across from her. After Max let them back into the school, the Think Tank had been closed off until it has been repaired. To her right sat a dark-skinned boy with close shaved hair. He wore a gray hoodie and jeans.

"We think it may have been a malfunction with one of the experiments," Miles Morales said. "Not sure if we can find out which one with everything destroyed by the fire."

Anya growled. "I was working on my new scrambler too! Now I have to start all over again!"

"You're not the only one, I had a project there too," Ruby said in sympathy. "So how did the fire suppression system malfunction?"

Ruby and her classmates sat in the cafeteria. After the fire had been resolved, Max closed off the Think Tank until further notice. It was already lunch break anyway.

"We're looking into that now," Miles answered. "Probably some kind of technical malfunction."

"Or some kind of mistake in the maintenance," Anya palmed her head with a sigh. "I knew that we should've double-checked the wiring!"

"Don't be so hard on yourselves," Ruby soothed. "You guys are still recovering from your hunting trip."

"Don't remind me," Anya said. "I'd rather forget that time."

It certainly was no secret to her that the three of them are superheroes. More accurately, two of the spider heroes that she and her friends liberated along with the capture villains. She certainly put two and two together when she met them the first time. Since then, she counted them as her new friends.

As for Kraven, it had been a week since that time, and it had already moved onto October. According to Daisy, a private funeral had been held for Kraven and attended by his son. Strangely, nobody seemed to take the opportunity to arrest him. Ruby figured it was out of respect for the dead.

"So, are you guys finished with your make up work?" Ruby asked. As punishment for their unexcused absence, Max gave the spiders until the end of the week to turn in an essay on why they shouldn't do that again. Ten pages and single-spaced each.

"Finished my essay this morning," Anya answered. She was rubbing her hands. "I'm never going to be touching a keyboard for a while."

"Same here," Miles groaned as he leans back in his seat. "On a brighter note, we have plenty of time to plan the Halloween Party near the end of the month."

"Halloween?" Ruby perked up. She read online that it's a holiday where you dress up in costumes and go out to people's houses to get candy. Sometimes, if you fail to give candy, you will be pranked. "You guys are planning a Halloween party?"

"Yep," Miles said with a pop. "Like we do every year at Horizon High."

"Alright if I help out?" Ruby offered with enthusiasm. "I could take a load off your shoulders. I also have a few ideas for decorations I would like to try out. I recently have taken an interest in robotics class."

"Really?" Miles said with a raised eyebrow. "Then maybe you can fix my security bot? You know the one that got destroyed in the fire?"

"Sure," Ruby said with a small chuckle. "It's the least I can do after ripping out its battery."

"We also appreciate the help for the party," Anya said with a smile. "I and Gwen are in charge of making sure the food gets to the party. You'll have to consult Miles and Peter for the decorations."

"Someone say my name?"

The three of them are joined by a fourth party. He is a teenager wearing a red hoodie and jeans. His brown hair is a mess and there are bags under his eyes. He set his book bag down and pulled up a seat to sit down.

"Speak his name and he shall appear," Miles said with a smile. "How are you doing Peter?"

"Not so fine," Peter Parker said as he rubbed a spot. "What did I miss?"

"You just missed the fire that nearly destroyed the Think Tank," Anya said with a scowl. "Ruby managed to fix the fire suppression systems."

"Really?" Peter looked at Ruby with amazement. "That's cool! A week into Horizon and you've already become a legend."

"Oh, stop it," Ruby said, waving a hand. She had met Peter when he appeared back at school with the other two. She also knew for a fact that she is sitting next to the Spider-Man. THE Spider-Man. A famous hero that is not only her age but attending her school. Her inner fangirl is gushing.

"So, where were you?" Anya asked. "Max was going to add more to your workload if you keep showing up late."

"Don't remind me," Peter said as he hung his head. "I have enough on my work palate as it is. As for why I am late, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Would it happen to involve the latest YouTube video now trending?"

Everyone turned to see a grinning girl about their age standing at their table. She wore a shirt with a pink spider symbol that exposed her shoulders held by black straps, a necklace, black shorts held by a black belt, a magenta plaid sweater around her waist, and black knee-high boots. Her blonde hair is dyed pink at the tips. In her hand is a smartphone that showed a video.

"Which is getting a million hits if I may add."

"Really, Gwen?" Peter groaned as he covered his head with his arms. The others leaned forward to get a look. On the screen, it showed Spider-Man sliding down the street on his butt. Following him is a man in a grey and yellow outlined costume. They were both screaming as they crashed into an assortment of objects. Trash cans, stacks of newspaper, angry cats, and sometimes people. Eventually, Spider-man and what Ruby guessed to be a villain went out of range of the camera's view. Though their screaming can still be heard.

"That's got to hurt Pete," Miles said despite his attempts to stifle chuckles. Anya was having better luck. "On a brighter note, 'Spider-Man Slips Up' managed to get your good side."

"Easy for you to say," Peter grumbled.

"So, who was that guy you—I mean, Spider-Man was fighting?" Ruby said, managing to correct herself just in time as a student passed by. Peter flashed her a look to which she shrugged an apology.

"Jalome Beacher, also known as Slyde," Peter answered with a groan as the memory came back. Gwen chuckled at his misery and pulled up a seat. "Used to be an employee for Beemont Chemicals Corporation until he got fired from the company unfairly. As his name implies, his costume is covered in a substance that eliminates friction between it and other surfaces. That also means that Spider-Man's webbing can't catch him. That makes him the most slippery villain ever."

"Hence the name," Ruby guessed. "But wait, if his costume is covered in the substance, then how is he able to get around? Wouldn't he just keep slipping?"

"The palm areas of his gloves," Peter said, pointing into his palm for emphasis. "They are made of regular material so that he can grab the ground to stop himself.

"Correct," Peter nodded. "He had a new trick up his sleeve. He had a grenade that coats anyone with the same substance. Thanks to him, I've been sliding around New York for an hour. I had to lure him to a construction site to finally catch him."

"At least you got a free skating lesson," Gwen said with a joking grin. Everyone at their table shared a laugh at the joke she made. Even Peter is laughing.

"Good one Gwen," Peter said with a smile.

"I aim to please Peter," Gwen said, returning the smile. She proceeded to eat the food on her tray.

"So, Gwen," Ruby said nervously as she is talking to Ghost-Spider. "Did you finish your make up work? Anya told me that you and she are organizing the decorations of the Halloween party."

"All finished up yesterday," Gwen said as she poked a salad with her fork. "Another piece of good news is that I'm finally ungrounded. That means I'm free as a bird."

"Did your father have to ground you?" Ruby asked with a slight arching of her eyes. "I mean, you weren't gone like Peter, Miles, and Anya."

"That doesn't excuse my behavior during that time," Gwen said with a frown. "The fact that I disappeared for a day was the final straw. Besides, I don't want to imagine the worst when he learns about my extracurricular activities."

Everyone felt her dejection when she said that. During that night, when Captain George Stacy of the NYPD arrived to take in low-level prisoners, Gwen took off without a word. It wasn't until Daisy told them that Captain Stacy has a strong dislike for Gwen's alter ego. Ever since she got blamed for a murder she didn't commit; he was dedicated to hunting her down. Even when she was cleared, he still abhors her. Ruby could understand why Gwen gets clammed up whenever he's involved. She didn't want to disappoint him by making the tough decision between his job and her.

"I'm sorry," Ruby apologized.

"It's alright," Gwen waved, but Ruby could tell otherwise. "So, I heard that you fixed the fire suppression system?"

"With a new mask I might add," Peter added, going along with the change of subject. "Grady told me when I was helping him with some work. Said it was something that you are working for a situation like that."

All eyes shifted to Ruby, who fidgeted in her seat. She hated being the center of attention. "Yeah…thought I'm going to have to give the credit to someone else. I got the idea from a video game after all."

"Holograms were in a videogame and they weren't suing us," Miles said. "So, what does the mask do?"

"Well, the mask does what it was originally supposed to do," Ruby began. "Protect the respiratory system from smoke and hazard. But I modified it to detect heartbeats."

"Heartbeats?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded. "It's still unfinished, but I wanted to make sure that was working first before moving on to anything else. You won't believe the trial and error I had to go through to make sure it was working."

"But it worked in the end didn't it?" Anya asked. "Otherwise you wouldn't have found me. The way I see it, your invention passed with flying colors."

"Thanks," Ruby smiled. "In the game, it was used for military purposes. I thought that it could be used for other things as well. Like saving lives."

"That's a great mindset to have Ruby," Peter said with a smile. "I don't doubt that the fire department and the rest of the emergency services would want that mask."

"Thanks again guys," Ruby said. Then her gaze fell on the clock. "Lunchtime is almost over. Better eat up."

"Yeah," Peter said as he tackled his unfinished lunch. "I still have to finish that essay Max gave us."

"Then there's the party planning," Gwen said as she hurriedly ate her food. "Also, some of the homework that we missed."

"Plus, the lectures," Anya pointed out.

"And our unfinished projects," Miles added.

As they continued to finish their food, Ruby couldn't help but feel bad for them. They have a lot on their plate ever since they got captured by Kraven. Even if it was for noble reasons, it deeply affected their personal lives. She heard it from Kamala that her parents are strict about her studies. It could severely affect them if they can't get their personal lives under control. Being a superhero with a secret identity has its downsides after all.

Then, she got an idea.

"Do you guys have plans after school?"

The four spiders looked at her. Peter is the one who answered.

"I have to run and get a cake for Aunt May. Why?"

"How do you feel about a study group at my place?"

Coles Academic High School, New Jersey

"Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb untimely ripped."

Blake and Weiss sat in the library of Coles Academic Highschool studying Shakespeare's Macbeth. They had to admit, Earth has no short of outstanding pieces of writing and art. They've already gotten through the bard's sonnets, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. Despite being fantasy, Weiss nearly cried as she read a tragic love story. Though Blake preferred reading modern novels than the mess of the language.

"I still don't understand how anyone could read this," Blake muttered as she closed the book and reached for Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

"It was a different time Blake," Weiss argued in a light tone as she wrote notes. "Plus, it doesn't have to be clear for you to understand the story."

"I'll note that when I read the rest of this gibberish," Blake groaned.

"It's not gibberish!"

"This is a library?" Blake pointed out. Weiss jumped and looked around for the librarian. She still remembered the little episode she caused back in the Smithsonian. Seeing none, she sighed in relief.

As they got back to work, Yang walked over from behind a bookshelf with Doreen and Kamala behind her.

"Hey guys," Yang whispered as they took their seats. "I was wondering you where you guys were when I heard Weiss shout. What's up?"

"Blake was insulting Shakespeare's Macbeth," Weiss huffed.

"I didn't insult it," Blake corrected. "I just pointed out that it's gibberish in my own eyes."

"That's exactly what I mean by insulting it," Weiss hissed.

"She's practically right, to be honest," Yang said with a cringe. "I read the first few chapters and I already want to hit myself in the head."

"That's just your brain telling you that it's getting smarter," Doreen said. Yang gave her a playful glare.

"Are you saying that I am dumb?"

"She means no pain no gain," Kamala said. "You know how your muscles ache after exercising? The brain is like that. It changes and gets stronger every time you use it."

"So, you are saying if I read this, I can get more brainpower?" Yang asked. She thought about it for a moment. "I take it back. This is way better than having to listen to Professor Port."

"Is he a teacher from your previous school?" Kamala asked.

"Yep," The three Remnantians said with a small pop. It was Weiss that gave them an explanation.

"He's the teacher for our Grimm studies class. While he is knowledgeable about the subject, and occasionally lets us fight Grimm in the classroom, he tends to spend most of the time telling stories from his youth. It occasionally bored the class so much they fell asleep. Except for me of course."

Kamala and Doreen took the time to register.

"Wow," Doreen simply said. "So, if I had attended classes with Professor Port, I can sleep all day? Sweet!"

"My parents would kill me if that happened," Kamala said. "But at least there's one thing that doesn't get you bored. You get to fight Grimm, right?"

"Yeah," Yang said with a smirk. "That keeps us active during the day until Professor Goodwitch's class."

"Goodwitch?" Kamala asked. "Like the Good witch of the North or South?"

"She's not an actual witch," Blake said. "I've read the Wizard of Oz, and she is much stricter than Glinda the Good Witch. One time, we trashed the cafeteria and she was super pissed. It took Professor Ozpin to calm her down."

At that moment, Yang's scroll buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and read the notice on it. She smirked and put it away.

"What was that?" Kamala asked.

"Text from Ruby," Yang said as she puts her scroll away. "She's bringing some friends over to our place for a study group. She's wondering if you guys want to take part in the study group. If you don't have anything else planned for the day."

"Not a bad idea," Doreen said. "We don't have any team exercises for the day. We've got a day off."

"That can be a good thing," Kamala said. "I'll have to check with my parents though. The study group may be able to sway them though. The sooner I get my studies done, the better my grades would be. With that, I can focus on our other activities."

"I can contact Riri," Doreen said, pulling out her phone. "See if she might be interested. Empire State University is in New York after all."

"Which leaves us free to use Lockjaw then," Weiss gushed while Blake stiffened. Despite knowing the giant dog is friendly, she still has mixed feelings about dogs.

One cool thing about having a teleporting dog is that they can get to school on time. The Avengers gave them a ride on their Quinjet on the first day at Coles academics when they set out to do their global manhunt of the escaped Raft prisoners. Thanks to Lockjaw, they didn't have to take the hour-long drive from New York to New Jersey. It was also how they can get to the Secret Warriors New York base.

"I still don't get why you couldn't attend Mid Town High," Kamala pointed out. "It'd be much better so that you don't have to go all the way to New Jersey to get to school."

"I think the idea was for us to get along with people our age," Weiss pointed out. "Plus, I enjoy exploring what America has to offer."

Just then, the bell rang. It is the signal that break time is over.

"I'll go tell the others," Weiss said as she packed up her things and put them away in her bookbag. "I have a class with them this period anyway."

"Okay," Kamala said as she and Doreen took off. "See you after school. You know where to meet up?"

"Yep," Yang nodded. She was about to go when she heard objects falling to the ground. She turned to see that Blake had dropped her book bag, which opened and scattered her things across the floor.

"Be right there," Blake said as she gathered her fallen things. Yang noticed that some of the books are labeled Peace Movements and Racial Equality.

"What'cha got there Blake?" Yang asked.

"Personal project is more like it," Blake answered as she placed the books in her bag and hefted over her shoulder. "Something that I hope will help me with not just the White Fang, but the rest of the Faunus."

Blake leaned in and whispered. "When we get back to Remnant of course"

"Aaah," Yang said with a smirk as they began to walk out of the library. "You are planning on starting a superhero group? One to champion human and Faunus equality?"

"That's not a bad idea," Blake said with a smirk. "I haven't thought about this much until after the mess with Kraven."

Yang's expression darkened. "Seriously? After that maniac almost got you killed?"

"Spider-Man says that he is a man of honor despite everything he's done," Blake said. "You weren't there Yang. You didn't see the person he became when Spider-Man pointed out the fallacies of his philosophy. He became a changed man until his death. He even told me to let what I heard guide my people to a brighter future."

"And that's what made you research racial equality?" Yang asked, her tone lightening up somewhat.

"I'm looking into historical records more like," Blake said. "Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and even Charles Xavier. Anything I can use as evidence that violence is not always the answer. I'm hoping to make them see and hear the truth of Spider-Man's words that night. That we can help one another, no matter what it costs us. That it's not a weakness, but strength."

"You think you can convince the White Fang to stop what they're doing?" Yang asked.

"Maybe I can't convince Adam to stop what he's doing," Blake admitted. "But maybe I can get the White Fang to stop listening to him. Not just the faunus, but the humans as well. Make them see what he's refusing to see or acknowledge. Humans and Faunus working together. Not tearing at each other's throats."

Yang pondered her words for a moment. Out of the corner of her eyes, Blake then became crestfallen. "I also hope to apologize to my parents. My father was the White Fangs leader before stepping down. When he and my mother left, I called them traitors and left them…"

Despite the holographic headband, Yang could tell that Blake's ears are drooping. "I don't even know if I could face them. After everything, I did to them."

Yang placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You won't get anywhere if you don't try. If it helps, all be right beside you. We'll all be right beside you." Then she grinned. "Besides, after all the stuff we've done so far, I bet that they'll be proud. Being a you-know-what."

"Yep," Blake returned her smile. Then the warning bell rang, making them jump. They are still not in their classroom and they are going to be late. They took off running.

"We should probably get to class!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!

Avengers Mansion, New York

A flash of blue appeared in the foyer of the mansion and vanished. In its place stood the remnantians and two of the Secret Warriors. Behind them stood Lockjaw who is getting pet by a reluctant Blake.

"I still can't believe the Avengers gave you this," Doreen gushed as she took in everything. Tippy Toes squeaked with equal excitement. "We're standing in Avengers Mansion! Can you believe it Kamala?

"We didn't have many options," Jaune pointed out. "Besides, you guys got an underground base. Two as far as I can tell, so who are you complaining?"

"This is the first base of the Avengers, of course, we would be jealous," Kamala said with excitement. "Just being here is an honor! Do you get your rooms?"

"They were empty when we first moved in," Ren said. "It would be pretty weird if we started going through their old things."

"It's a shame the others didn't join us," Pyrrha said.

"America still has a job at the New Jersey Wilsons' Auto," Kamala said. "Shaun is out on an errand, Quake is on a mission from S.H.I.E.L.D, and Dante has a job here at New York."

"Really?" Weiss asked. "What kind of job?"

"He didn't say," Kamala said with a hint of disappointment. "Anyway, I bet the others are waiting. Where do we go?"

"Through here," Yang walked over to the doors to the living room and opened it. They are greeted by the sight of Ruby and three other people in the room. One of them they recognized as Riri, who is chatting with a guy with a red hoodie.

"Oh, hey guys!" Ruby called from the table. "Riri got over here early. Anya is running a little late as she had to get something from her house."

Lockjaw gave a happy bark and teleported to where Ruby is sitting.

"Hey, Lockjaw!" Ruby cried in childish glee. Lockjaw gave a happy bark and licked her face.

"Gwen told me that you had a teleporting dog, but I didn't think it'd be Lockjaw," The guy in the hoodie said as he approached them. He extended a hand to them. "So, you're the other remnantians, right? I'm Peter Parker. I'm one of her classmates at Horizon."

"Pleasure to meet you, Peter," Weiss said as she took his hand. "Weiss Schnee. I take it she told you about our situation?"

"She did," Peter said with a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry for what Kang put you guys through. It must have been rough."

"Trust me, that's only the half of it," Blake said as she stepped forward. "Blake Belladonna. You might remember me from that night with Kraven?"

"Oh, yeah," Peter said nodding. "Shadow, right? A pleasure to meet you without the mask."

"Yang Xiao Long," Yang said. "I'm your classmates' older sister."

"She told me," Peter said with a smile. "Not to mention that she likes my puns better than yours."

"What?" Yang shot her head towards Ruby, who went rigid.

"To be fair, your puns are bad, to begin with. His is better."

"Jaune Arc," Jaune introduced himself to Peter while Yang chewed Ruby out.

"As in Joan of Arc?" Peter teased. "Didn't realize that your planet has a maid of Orleans."

"Yeah, I get the similarity," Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "While I like the story of my namesake, I'm not her. Though, I aspire to be."

"I'm just pulling your leg Jaune," Peter joked. "Of course, I know."

"Nora Valkyrie," Nora giddily shook his hand. Somehow, Peter was able to keep up with her strength and speed.

"The energetic type I see," Peter commented as he finally let go of her hand. "

"Pyrrha Nikos," Pyrrha introduced. "It's a pleasure to meet the famous Spider-Man."

"Famous? That's actually the nicest thing that I heard," Peter admitted. Then he muttered. "The closest I can get is J. Jonah Loudmouth 24/7."

"Lie Ren," Ren said, finishing introductions. Peter then turned to Doreen and Kamala. The Squirrel Girl got right up to his face and Peter had to lean back.

"Uhh…okay…do you mind my personal space?"

"You're Spider-Man?"

"What—no, I uhh…." Peter stammered in denial. Then he gave up and glared at Gwen. She gave a sheepish grin. "What gave it away? The fact that Gwen said my name the night we took down Kraven?"

"Don't worry, your secret identity is safe with me," Doreen pumped an arm. "That's superhero etiquette number one after all."

"Thank you," Peter said gratefully. He focused on Kamala. "Nice to see you again Ms. Marvel."

"You too Spider-Man," Kamala said with a smile.

The way they are familiar with each other took Doreen by surprise. She rounded on her friend. "HOLD ON! You knew who Spider-Man is and YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"Superhero etiquette number one?" Kamala asked with a shrug and a nervous smile.

"Fair enough," Doreen sighed with a huff. "When did you two learn of each other's identities?"

"We met during an undercover operation the Avengers sent me on," Kamala answered. "A few members were captured, and they sent me to investigate a possible A.I.M. base when Peter showed up."

"You had a superhero team-up too?" Doreen cried.

"Advance Idea Mechanics?" Weiss asked, ignoring Doreen. "The same one run by M.O.D.O.K?"

"Yep," Kamala nodded.

"I take it you had an encounter with the head honcho?" Peter asked to which everyone laughed.

"Okay, THAT was a good one," Yang admitted.

"Not exactly, we were still in stasis at the time," Blake said with a shudder. "If the Avengers hadn't shown up, we would've been dissected."

"Thank god for that. You won't believe the depths they would go to for science," An African-American boy said as he approached them. "Miles Morales. Also, a classmate of Ruby's at Horizon."

"Who is also the spider hero known as Spy-D?" Yang asked to which she received a nod. She turned to Peter. "Doesn't that get confusing?"

"It does," Peter admitted. "But Miles wanted something more than Kid Arachnid."

"It was either that or have two people with the name Spider-Man running about," A girl with blonde hair tipped with pink approached them. She extended a hand. "This is the first time we've interacted, right? Gwen Stacy. Sorry I couldn't meet you when I was trying to save my friends."

"It's cool, Ghost-Spider," Yang asked as she shook her hand, to which Gwen nodded. "We saw you take down Mr. Negative a while back. That was badass."

"What can I say?" Gwen asked as she shook the rest of the remnantians hands. "You get what you put out into the world. And he was pretty negative back there."

Yang barked out a laugh and slapped her shoulder. "I think you and I will get along just fine!"

"I can tell," Gwen replied. "So, are we going to stand around and talk? Or are we going to get this study group in session? I already brought some vegan doughnuts if you want some."

"Doughnuts?" Nora cried with stars in her eyes as she dashed forward. "Let me have some!"

"I texted Anya to bring some Krispy Kreme doughnuts in case nobody wants to try vegan," Gwen said as she made her way to the table. "I won't be offended if you guys don't like vegan. Trust me."

She turned and noticed Jaune staring at her. Gwen leaned in.

"Something on my face?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, no!" Jaune waved his hands frantically. "It's just…I'm a huge fan of the songs your band plays."

"Another fan of the Mary Janes?" Gwen asked with a smirk. "Nice to have an alien fan. Which ones are your favorite hits?"

"I like Born Ready," Jaune said. "It's right on top of Luna Snows I Really Wanna."

"Oh, you listen to Luna Snow as well?" Gwen asked.

"Yep," Jaune nodded. "Along with What's up danger."

"You should talk with Miles about that, he's a real fan of Blackway."

"Can I have your autograph first?"

"Sure!"

Meanwhile, Pyrrha was watching the exchange between the two as they made their way over to the table. She felt something growing in her chest. It was painful.

A few minutes later, the teenage heroes are working on their homework. Weiss helped Kamala with her algebra. Gwen helped Jaune with his literature and offered to give him music lessons. Doreen, Riri, and Ruby chatted about computer science and technology. Pyrrha was still watching the exchange while going through her notes on Physics. Nora tried one of the vegan doughnuts and nearly spat it out. Sometimes, Tippy Toes will help out with their homework with Doreen translating. Then, someone decided to go off the homework topics and ask a question.

"So, what are your powers?" Nora asked the spider heroes.

"Huh?"

"Your powers," Nora repeated. "Plus, we're wondering how you can avoid everything that is thrown at you. Do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?"

"Yeah, I'm curious myself," Weiss said. "We saw Ghost-Spider evade Mr. Negatives thugs with ease and grace."

Peter looked at Gwen and Miles. Both of them nodded.

"I guess it's fair since you told us about your aura and semblances," Peter said as he puts down his pencil. "For how we got our powers, we got bit by a spider."

Teams RWBY and JNPR looked at him blankly. Even the Secret Warriors looked skeptical.

"You got bit by a spider?" Doreen asked dubiously. "You weren't born with them or got involved in an accident with a radioactive spider?"

"If that happened, we would've been dead from radiation poisoning," Miles said. "The spiders that bit us were genetically engineered. When they bit us, they changed our physiology so that we have a proportional strength and speed of a spider."

"So how much would that lift?" Yang asked.

"Let's just say you are lucky you have that aura," Gwen said seriously. "One punch from us is enough to kill a person if we are not careful."

"Ouch," Yang flinched.

"Yeah, ouch," Miles said. "What separates me from them is that I have control over the natural electricity my body produces. With it, I can unleash a venom blast. With it, I can incapacitate criminals in close quarters. Though it feels good to have fluid in my web-shooters again."

"Web-shooters?" Ruby burst into existence behind the spiders, rose petals fluttering around her. "Are those the devices that let you fire webbing? May I see?"

Peter sighed in amusement and pulled a wristlet device out of his bag. It's red and had a black cobweb pattern like his costume.

"I have to man make my web fluids," Peter said and lightly glared at Gwen. "But it turns out that Gwen's can generate their webbing."

"Like I told Miles, you didn't ask,"

"As for how we avoid what is thrown as us, we have something we call our spider-sense," Peter answered. "It's like an early warning system for danger. It comes in handy when we are fighting crime."

"Really?" Yang asked.

Peter nodded and went back to his homework. Then his head buzz as his spider-sense went off. He tilted his head to the side just in time to avoid a fist thrown at his head. Peter lightly glared at Yang who was the one sitting across him.

"Was that necessary?" Peter asked unamused.

"Wanted to see if it works," Yang said with an unrepentant smirk. "That's a pretty cool power to have though. Being able to sense danger and react to it."

"It is, but mine is sometimes unreliable," Gwen said. "But it works well for me."

"So is mine," Miles said. But underneath his breath, he muttered. "You won't believe how powerful mine is…"

Blake's ears perked up on that. Before she could ask him on what he meant, the door to the living room opened and a Latina teenager walked in.

"Sorry I'm late," She said as she approached the table. She placed a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the table before setting her bag down. "Was juggling this between swinging from 6th avenue and my bag."

"Doughnuts!" Nora cried out and jumped over the table. The girl moved to the side as Nora opened the box and took in the heavenly smell of the famous glazed doughnuts. The girl grabbed two of them and began to chow down on them. She rubbed her cheeks with glee.

"I'm in heaven~!"

"Thanks, Anya," Gwen said. "Most of them were waiting for those since my vegan doughnuts aren't a favorite."

"Don't say that," Blake said as she and Ren helped themselves to more of Gwen's vegan doughnuts. Blake focused on the Latina. "I'm guessing you are Spider-Girl."

"Yep," Anya nodded as she reached into her bag and pulled something out. Behind her, Nora was sneaking up. "My name is Anya Corazon. I'm sure Ruby told you that I am one of her classmates back at Horizon. I'm hoping to—"

Anya suddenly lurched forward and dropped the device she was holding. It hit the table, bounced off, fell to the floor and shattered. Anya looked at it with horror before rounding on Nora. She was the one who hit her. Nora cowered when she saw Anya's look of rage.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Anya shrieked.

"I…"

"Do you know how long it took to build that thing!?" Anya continued shouting, not giving Nora a chance to talk. "How much of the parts are difficult to get by?! Do you just hit people just because you feel like it!?"

"Anya, please calm down," Gwen hurriedly rushed over to her. "I'm sure Nora didn't mean it. We can figure something out."

Anya calmed down, but they could tell that she was still seething. With a final glare at Nora, she turned heel, grabbed her bag, and stomped over to one end of the table, away from Nora. She took her seat in front of Weiss.

"Bad news: she'll hate you for the rest of your life," Peter said to a sad Nora. "Good news: you don't go to her school. But seriously, why did you do that?"

"I figured she would dodge that," Nora said somberly.

"She doesn't have a spider-sense," Miles said with a frown. "So, unlike us, she has to be aware of the danger to avoid it. That's how Kraven was able to catch her after he got me. But seriously, that wasn't cool Nora."

"I agree," Jaune said and faced Nora. "While having a danger sense may be cool, you can't just hit people because of it. I mean, how would you feel if somebody did that to you?"

"You should probably apologize Nora," Ren said. He was a little incensed at how Anya treated Nora, but he knew that she was also in the wrong.

"I'm sorry Anya," Nora apologized. Anya looked up from her ruined device and glared at Nora. Then she returned her focus to the device in front of her and began to disassemble it.

"I'm sorry too…"

Gwen walked over to where Nora is and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Gwen assured her. "She'll warm up to you eventually. Anya was like that when Peter wrecked her weather machine once."

"Just give her time Nora," Peter said.

"Seriously, she didn't have to overreact like that," Yang scoffed. She wrote a few answers on her paper before realizing that everyone is staring at her.

"I think the term on earth here is that's the pot calling the kettle black," Weiss said dryly. "I seem to recall you having an overreaction with your hair whenever it was cut."

"Yeah, but that was different, I…"

"You also mauled a bunch of Grimm when they cut off a strand," Blake added. "I witnessed it myself."

"Plus, remember when my mom gave you that haircut?" Ruby asked.

"And during our sparring sessions?" Pyrrha asked.

Yang banged her hands on the table. "Okay, I get it! I'm not one to talk."

With that everyone went back to their homework. Eventually, Anya calmed down enough to talk to Weiss regarding dust.

"So, this dust is a major source of energy on your planet?" Anya asked as she scribbled notes.

"Yes," Weiss nodded. "It comes in different types. As King T'challa would put it, they are calcified elemental energy. It's conductive with our aura and we can utilize it for combat also. Although it's a bit like your fossil fuels if not the cleaner version."

"Interesting," Anya said. "Alright if I studied it when you find your planet? I have a theory on how to transport some to Earth."

"Sure," Weiss said as her eyes fell to the floor. "I would love to hear your theory…"

Everyone seemed to notice her becoming dreadful.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked her partner. "Is something wrong?"

"I just realized guys," Weiss said. "After we deal with Kang, we have to deal with her."

"Her?" Jaune asked. "What do you—oh."

Everyone from Remnant became downcast as they remembered Salem. The queen of the Grimm and an impossible-to-kill witch. The one that's been at war with Ozpin for as long before the huntsman academies were founded. The same one who led the first of their kind to rebellion, only to be wiped out and end the age of magic. Kang said that he will do what they failed to do in the future and end her. But what if he can't end her as he said he would? Would they have to fight her instead?

"Are we missing something?" Peter asked, in concern.

"It's just…" Ruby began nervously. "You remember the reason Kang attacked Remnant? When I told you about the leader of the Grimm?"

"You mean Salem, the wicked witch of the west?" Peter asked to which got him a chuckle from the youngest Remnantian. But that was only brief.

"That would be her," Ruby nodded. Her eyes narrowed. "She's also the reason why Kang attacked Remnant. In the future, she and her group would've destroyed it and make the Grimm a plague across the cosmos."

"All for the relics," Weiss spat with distaste. "Four powerful artifacts that when brought together would summon the God of Light and Darkness to judge Remnant. One of which, Jinn, told us about Salem's immortality. If everyone was at peace with each other, they would make us complete with magic again…"

"Let me guess," Kamala said. "They will destroy it otherwise."

"Yep," The remnantians nodded. They looked down and became quiet.

"I hate to say this…but I feel like most of the fault lies on us," Jaune said. The teenage heroes of earth looked at him in confusion. "In the future, when we learned that Salem couldn't be killed, we just gave up. I think we let Salem destroy our world and doomed the universe."

"Don't say that Jaune," Gwen said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You guys don't know what would've happened."

"Tell that to Kang," Blake said. "He even flat out told us we are a threat to the universe because of that timeline. That somehow, we were the key to defeating if not destroying her."

"Which begs the question," Weiss said. "What do we do if we face her?"

Nobody had an answer to that question. Not even the Secret Warriors or the Spiders had an answer.

"Either face an immortal witch who can't be killed or an angry time traveler hellbent on killing us," Yang said as she clenched her hands on the table. "I don't know which is difficult. I don't want our planet to be destroyed, but how do we destroy an immortal witch? I can face Kang, but I can't ignore the fact that not defeating Salem will doom the universe. Gods this is hard!"

"It doesn't have to be," Peter suddenly said. The Remnantians looked at him in surprise as he gave them a solemn look. "You're not gods, so there's only so much you can do. It's what you choose to do that matters."

"I don't see how that helps—" Jaune began but Peter cut him off with a pointed glare.

"The Huntsman are your planets greatest heroes correct?" Peter asked. The Remnantians nodded. They wanted to point out that not all of them became Huntsman for the right reasons, but they respectfully let him continue. "What do they stand for?"

"As guardians of our people," Ruby answered. "To protect them from the Grimm and any other threats."

"That means they will eventually have to face her at some point," Peter said as he stood up. "Tell me…why did you guys want to be Huntsman?"

"I wanted to become a hero like in the stories my mom told me," Ruby answered. The rest of her friends voice out their reasons.

"To bring honor back to my family name."

"To do some good as a huntress."

"To go on some adventures for the thrill."

"To become a hero like my grandfather."

"To use my skills to help those in need."

"To make sure nobody suffers a tragedy like me and Nora."

"Those are noble reasons," Peter said as he walked to one end of the table. "Making a decision to become a hero itself isn't all that hard. With a little bit of strength and courage and an honest sense of justice, just about anyone can become a hero."

He turned to face them.

"What's truly difficult is remaining a hero. To remain vigilant and just, while not buckling under the temptation to show off one's power or to the face of adversity. To willingly trade a peaceful quiet boring life for a life full of unexpected and constant danger. Above all, a true hero must have an unshakeable resolve to stay committed and humble otherwise your power will corrupt you. There's a motto I've come to live by: with great power, comes great responsibility. If you have the power to save even one life, you should use it."

The Remnantians stared at him in wonder. The spiders gave a small smile at Peter's inspiring speech. Kamala and Doreen looked just as impressed. Eventually, the quiet seemed to make Peter uncomfortable.

"Feel free to jump in anytime," Peter said. "I'm running out of things to say."

"Oh!" Ruby jumped. "I uhh…"

She was cut off as Peter started laughing.

"I'm kidding, you should've seen your face," Peter choked out. When he finally stops laughing, he continued. "The point is just because Salem is immortal doesn't mean that she can't be defeated."

"If it's one thing Peter is good at is inspirational speeches," Gwen said with a smile. "But hey, he has a point. Salem has failed before and we can make her fail again until we can get rid of her for good."

"That's right," Anya said. "If my theory is correct, this Jinn is a keeper of knowledge and not of omniscience. Maybe the key to defeating her is just undiscovered. And you can bet science will find a way."

"If it's one thing we're good at Horizon is thinking up a solution," Miles said with a determined smile. "We won't know unless we take a leap of faith. That's all that matters."

"Hey," Riri protested. "I may not be from Horizon, but I can help out with the effort against the wicked witch."

"Plus, you have heroes who have defeated gods before," Kamala said. "I for once threw down with Loki."

"Thor's brother?" Nora asked in surprise. "How?"

"Long story," Kamala said with a smile. "I'll tell you another time. Destroying Salem doesn't have to be the only solution if that fails. There are other ways to get rid of her. You just have to have that will to carry on. An unshakeable conviction."

The Remnantians stared up at the heroes standing before them. Their eyes told them they are just as committed as the words they are preaching. Lockjaw and Tippy toe gave a squeak and bark as well. An unshakeable resolve like no one else. Just like the Avengers.

"You're right," Ruby said as she stood up. "I'm not going to stop fighting. Kang said that we have the key to defeating Salem, and I'm going to find it."

"Not alone you are not," Jaune said as he stood up. "King T'challa told me that my ancestors would be watching from the other side. I would shame my grandfather if I let Salem have her way with my planet. My home."

"He's right," Weiss stood up as well. "I made a promise to restore the honor of my family name, and I will gladly uphold it by defeating Salem."

"I'm done running away," Blake stood up as well. "That hasn't solved anything, and it never will."

"I may have instigated the whole mess in the original timeline," Yang stood. "But after the time I spent on Earth, I realized the benefit of Salem being immortal. I can beat the crap out of her as many times as I want!"

"I'm going to fight side by side with my friends," Pyrrha said as she too stood. "I'm still alive, so maybe that will—no I WILL even the odds. The Invincible Girl will face her head on!"

"Can't wait to smash her face in!" Nora shouted with glee as she stood. "I have plenty of ideas about playing whack-a-mole with her!"

Everyone looked towards Ren, waiting for his answer. Finally, he stood up. "A lot of people are going to die because of her. I've been through what she put them through, and if I can at least prevent that then so be it. The immortal Iron Fist told me that the future is like a murky stream. I will fight for a future without the threat of Salem or the Grimm!"

Each of the teenagers stared at each other's eyes, showing their resolve. The moment was broken when Gwen's phone bleeped.

"Ah, webs!" Gwen cried out. "I made a promise to spend time with my dad after this. I gotta get back to work."

Everyone hurriedly went back to their homework. They still have school tomorrow and a lot to do. Training, research, school, and crime-stopping.

"So, how would we defeat Salem? Any ideas?"

"Maybe if we just throw her into another dimension?"

"Or depower her?"

"Or maybe douse her with water?" Peter asked. Everyone looked at him as if he was out of his mind. He shrugged. "I was hoping that she would melt?"

Everyone laughed hard at that for a long time.

Transylvania, Romania

Daisy walked through the stone cobbled streets of the town. She was here because someone put a call to S.H.I.E.L.D requesting their assistance. Considering what Transylvania is a hotspot for, there is only one person who would make such a request. It is nighttime, which would've left her prey to them.

Strangely, she didn't have to worry as she passed by piles of ash.

"He must have been busy," Daisy commented. "I wonder what he's doing here?"

As if krama is against her, she heard a hiss from above. She looked up and saw a humanoid creature staring down at her. It had dark grey skin, red eyes, and fangs. With a start, the creature lunged at her.

Not wasting any time, Daisy raised her hands and fired a wave of vibrations. The vibrations hit the creature dead on and disintegrated them. She knew that any injuries she inflicted would heal immediately, so she will have to vibrate them apart.

Another hiss drew her attention and she found three more creatures lunging at her. Putting her powers into her fist, she threw a vibrating punch at the nearest creature. She turned and blasted one to bits and threw an uppercut into the jaw of the third.

But that wasn't the end as more and more of the creatures came onto the street forming a horde. Daisy has slammed her hands onto the ground and erected a wall behind the horde and herself. Just before she can unleash the biggest wave ever, something silver object landed in between them.

"Cover your eyes!"

Daisy brought an arm over her eyes as a flash enveloped the area. Counting ten seconds, Daisy opened her eyes to see that the horde is gone. Nothing but a smoking pile of ash.

"You could have called at a better location," Daisy said as she turned to the man walking out of a bar.

The man wore a black leather trench coat over Kevlar body armor with a belt fitted with pouches and stakes. Behind his back are two katanas that she knew killed more of the creatures than she could count. Despite being nighttime, he wore sunglasses. In his hand, he dragged a creature that is slowly disintegrating.

"This is a hotspot for the vampire scum," Eric Brooks, AKA Blade, said with an edge. "That means it's more likely they have the info I was looking for."

"Mind filling me in?" Daisy asked.

"Later," Blade said. "We'd better get out of here before the rest of them come. Do you have a jet?"

"Just follow me," Daisy said as she and the vampire hunter ran in one direction. "By the way, I have a request from your fellow Avengers."

"Whatever it is, we can talk about it later," Blade yelled as they heard the cries of vampires from behind. He took another grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and tossed it behind him. "We have to get out of here."

"Okay," Daisy agreed as behind them, a white light flashed followed by cries of pain. They made it to the forest and the S.H.I.E.L.D issued Quinjet. They boarded it and Daisy took the pilot seat. Blade took the co-pilots as she started the lift off just as a vampire crashed into the glass of the jet. Lucky for them, the Quinjet's speed outmatched the vampires and they rocketed to the sky.

When they gained enough distance, they talked.

"So, what do the Avengers want from me?" Blade asked. Daisy took a deep breath and set the Quinjet to autopilot. She turned on her seat to face Blade.

"You recall receiving an invitation to a party last month?"

[~][~]

Another chapter is done. Once again, I would like to thank Trestwho for helping me bring this fic to life. Teams RWBY and JNPR have resolved to defeat Salem in any way they can. I can't wait to see how that plays out.

For Q&A:

Keno02013: Wait and see. I have a little surprise for you all.

Edinosaur25: Not for Silk, but thanks for reminding me. I do have a plan for the Agents of Atlas. Once again, no spoilers.

Chaldea: Yes, they will appear.

Guest: It will be revealed later on. Unlike Trestwho, I intend on letting the anticipation and suspense play out.

Thank you all for reading this and your continued support. Please stay safe out there. Keep the faith that we will survive.

See you all next time.