"Listen guys," Peter managed to say, "I know there are people that wanna be like us, but this Fan Club sucks! Get, a real, hobby!"
"No one likes copy cats!" Miles added.
Of the eighteen, they had managed to neutralize five, which still pit thirteen against them. They had gotten fatigued and that made them vulnerable to be knocked out and or webbed into incapacitation. Seeing this, the black suits changed their tactics, getting into a more close knitted grouping to prevent as many openings as possible. Even to having one act as a forward attacker while having another behind them to support after the first attack. Which, in groups of two, one having three, put Miles and Peter in a stalemate that was learning towards the black suits' favor.
That was when the police cars showed up.
The cops did their usually spiel, which only made the Black Suits rush for them. Thankfully, Miles and Peter caught them and prevented them from reaching the officers, standing in front of their line of cars to protect them.
"Breaking up with us already?" Peter said, before turning to Miles, "...How you doin' Spiderman?" Peter said to Miles.
Miles flexed his hand, "Running out of juice."
"Enough for a wide blast?"
"...If I push it."
"Alright, gonna try something and you follow my lead. Three. Two. One."
Peter leapt up, twisting his body in a fast spin, his arms flailing about to the naked eye as there was a crescendo of web-projectiles bombarding the surrounding area. The black suits braced themselves, some of them getting hit, some dodging one projectile before being hit by another.
Peter slowed and fell back to the ground -
"Now!" He turned to the officers, "Get down!"
Miles summoned even the smallest traces of electricity in the reserves within him and cried out, leaping in the surge of electricity exploding out from his body and arching to the black suits. The fresh webs on them making them conductive enough to create an effective shock.
Miles stumbled upon landing and was helped up by Peter.
Of the thirteen that was standing,
There was seven that remained, all in varying conditions.
"Alright, guys," Peter said, "Guess this is the difference between the regular fans and the hardcore ones."
"C'mon, how about you don't push your limits this one time?" Miles said.
As the black suits were regrouping, a blur exploded out of an alley and smashed into one of them at the back.
It was a young woman, wearing a Spider man costume with black and white sneakers and a green jacket that had a hood that hid her head. She struck the black suit in the back with a kick that threw the black suit to the ground.
The other black suits turned around and saw her,
And she turned to them, revealing that she had a white mask made of webs covering the lower half of her face.
"Who is that?" Miles said, both he and Peter looking at the back of woman.
But for Peter, something in his mind was clicking, but there was an uncertainty that prevented the pieces from falling into place.
The good news was that there was only eight of the Black Suits left,
The bad news was that Cindy decided to fight them.
Her eyes were wide and her breathing was pacing as she raised her fists with uncertainty.
"Whose the babe?" One of them said.
"Doesn't matter." Another said, stepping forward and reeling a fist back.
"Watch it!" Miles cried out, rushing forward.
But the fist was swung, and Cindy saw it all - every second of his movements breaking down into individual frames.
Her body swerved in a blur, her hand snatched the Black Suit's arm as she lunged forward, pulling it behind his back. Her webs flowed out from her hand, coating his arm as she smeared them and slapped it onto his back, keeping it there, as she continued. She hopped up, using her adhesive touch to climb all over him rapidly from the shoulder of the arm she plastered and spiraled down. As she was nearing the ground, she shot out webs in rapid succession to tie this black suit down.
All within a max of two minutes.
Knowing the danger, she couldn't stay still. The hood made it a little uncomfortable due to it rubbing against her hair, as well as the fact that it got into her view every now and then. She had decided against the mask - whoever wore it last sweat too much. The costume, too, was a little too big for her size.
But she dealt with all of it.
She lunged for the next black suit, webbing their face and yanking them down with her innate web reeling. Keeping that web line, she zipped through the black suit's legs, pulling his head down as she went through. She jumped to her feet and attached the web line to the small of his back. She yanked one of his legs back with her web and webbed his feet to the ground.
Her senses went off -
A right hook aimed for the back of her head.
With quick footing, she stepped aside and turned her head. Once he went passed, she swiftly stuck out her leg to trip him, sending him into the black suit she webbed to the ground.
Smack!
The black suit on the ground yelped from the sudden weight of the one on top of him. She webbed them both fast - a netting and web lines securing it to the ground.
The other black suits recovered from their shock, those farther away faster before Miles had jumped into the fray to stop them. While Peter stared at Cindy for a moment before rushing to another group off to the side that were about to help the three that were rushing for Cindy.
"C'mon, fellas," Peter said, "What did your mothers say about being gentlemen?"
Cindy could feel their intent as they eyed her,
The killing intent.
Under her mask, she found herself cracking a grin.
If they were as fast as the Spider men, as strong as the Spider men, all she needed to do was out speed them.
She hopped left and right,
Feet skipping over each other,
Legs shuffling in a rapid rhythm -
Left,
Right,
Left,
Right,
Her legs became a hypnotizing blur that distracted the Black Suits to a slow and eventual stop. She could see their eyes fighting to catch up.
Left right,
Left right,
Left right -
She dashed, twirled to spin around one of the black suits, and used her adhesive touch to reach back as she passed to grab their chest and used the momentum to throw them to the ground.
Pew pew pew -
Pew pew pew pew pew!
Webs to the face,
Where the sun didn't shine,
And when the Black Suit was recovering she kept shooting until he couldn't tolerate it anymore, shaking her wrists like a mad woman as he tried in vain to shake off the webs before they could be replaced.
As the one she threw onto the ground was starting to get up, she webbed their limbs in connecting web lines that went from arm-to-leg, slowing them for a moment before she ejected long webs from her wrists to net him into immobility.
The two remaining Black Suits, seeing that they were quickly losing numbers from the Spider men and this Spider woman, lunged at her -
Woosh!
Woosh!
It were as though Cindy were one with the wind, seemingly cartoonishly swerving left and right in a way that would break the spine of anyone else. She kept close, making it seem like the Black Suits were only a few centimeters away from hitting, making their nerves boil as they swung their fists -
Woosh!
Woosh!
Woosh - woosh!
Cindy giggled watching the Black Suits getting tired from their efforts.
She casually fanned her face with her hands as though she was putting up just as much of a sweat.
The two became beat red -
WOOSH!
WOOSH!
She bent down low and clapped her hands as though they were puppies, trying to get them to go for a walk.
That set them off. They smashed their fists on their chests. Their suits began to pulsate red lights like veins on the suits, up and down, from the feet all the way to the collar, as they began moving faster than ever before, becoming black streaks.
But Cindy could still see,
See the grit on their faces - the grit teeth, the flared nostrils, the wide eyes, the sharp breathing, how they moved their limbs -
They were pushing themselves to their limits.
Cindy pursed her lip, if that was the case she didn't need to raise another hand -
Woosh-woosh-woosh,
Woosh-woosh-woosh,
Woosh-woosh-woosh-woosh-woosh!
The other Black Suits had been incapacitated by this time, and Peter, Miles, and all of the officers watched on in awe.
"...Whoa..." Miles said.
Peter was silent still, trying to discern this feeling inside of him. It felt so familiar, almost like...
As well as that time in the park...
She saw the straight flying towards her and leapt to jump off the arm. She twirled in the air and landed behind them.
There, she made a heart with her hands and set it over her heart.
She even dared to wink.
One of them growled.
"That's enough outta you!" The other yelled.
Cindy grinned - there it was.
The Yeller exploded in a great blitz for her,
And she shot her webs and tugged to trip him, causing him to skid on the road.
The Growler leapt to pounce,
And her shoot her webs - in his face, more and more, backing up - stepping aside, shooting still as he hit the ground and slide passed. Not stopping until the Growler was practically stuck to the ground by a mound of webs.
Thump-thump,
Thump-thump -
Cindy glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound.
The Yeller jumped to their feet,
And Cindy tripped them with her webs the moment they stood up.
Thump-thump, thump-thump,
Thump-thump, thump-thump,
She looked around at the buildings as she tripped the Yeller a second time - this time they tried shoving themself off the ground as a way to dodge her webs. But sensing his intent, she webbed and pulled his arm just as they were about to shove, the sudden off-balance making their other hand slip, preventing from moving up entirely.
Thump-thump-thump, thump-thump-thump -
Slowly, Cindy looked at Yeller just as they were beginning to grunt and moan, holding their chest, rolling onto their back.
Their breathing was hitching as they struggled to breathe, moans desperate and attempts of trying to will whatever it was that was happening to them. The red lights pulsating through the dark veins of their suit went at a faster rhythm.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump -
Cindy's eyes widened.
The Yeller kicked their legs, their voice becoming hoarse, they cried out, grit their teeth, face twisted in agony. He began beating at his chest with a desperate fist
From the mound that held the Growler, Cindy could the same desperate cries.
Peter zipped to the Yeller's side, "Hey, what's the matter - talk to me!"
Miles did the same just as Peter checked his pulse as pressing his fingers against the Yeller's neck.
"Oh my god! His heart rate's accelerating!"
"How?!" Miles said.
They both looked at the pulsating red lights on the suit.
"Gotta be the suit... Hey! Talk to us! Point, how do we get it off?"
The Yeller was frantically pointing at different points of the suit that it lacked any cohesion.
Peter glanced at many of the different points that were singled out, trying to make sense of it all in the heat of the moment, before ultimately shaking his head, "Just break it, get it off."
Miles began pulling at different segments of the suit, some breaking off after a moment, some needing his full exertion to break away.
Peter was doing the same, trying to get their torso, "Just hang on! Try not to breathe!"
"...Stop..." Cindy's hands went to her ears, but -
Louder,
Louder,
And louder, the noise rose in Cindy's ears like an incoming wave of water, turning into thunder striking the drums of her ears.
She pressed her palms into her ears,
She hunched,
She winced.
The Yeller's hands clawed, trying to clutch at their chest.
Eyes squeezed shut.
Jaw clenched hard.
"Hurry, Spiderman!" Peter said, ripping a component out of the suit.
"Trying! Whoever made this really wanted to keep these guys safe!"
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump -
Tears raced down the Yeller's face, their eyes wild with fear, their cries were more than sobs - they were animalistic, instinctual, a fear that clawed from the animal within, an animal called safety.
Cindy could feel it all, like heat on a summer day.
"Almost there!" Peter said, "Why is there a plate -"
POP!
Cindy jumped, frozen in startled tension, her eyes wide, her hands shaking as they snapped to her mouth despite the white mask of webs.
Both Peter and Miles stared at the Yeller in shock when he suddenly stopped moving at once, eyes distant, still glassy from fresh tears still welled in their eye-lids.
Disappointment, disbelief, maybe even grief, but it was stalled when there was an electronic beeping from the mechanisms still inside the Yeller's suit. Pondering what it meant was all they had before there was a sickening crunching sound, so strong and sudden it had a hollowing undertone.
"What the -" Peter said.
There was a cry from one of the webbed Black Suits.
Then another cried out,
Then another,
And another,
Some silent except from the crunch, crunch, crunch.
And Cindy could smell it all, the one smell that was undeniable.
Nausea erupted within her,
She tore off her mask and doubled over, her vomit splashing onto the concrete.
She panted, sickness wrapping around her, pulling her on the edge of another wave.
Peter and Miles looked over, hearing this.
And finally, it all became clear to Peter.
"...Cindy?"
Miles glanced with wide eyes at Peter, then stared at Cindy. Who sensed the shock from both Peter and Miles. She gasped, the shock of discovery pushing her nausea away, realizing what she had done. She froze, not daring to look at them lest other people, like the officers that had watched everything unfold.
She did what came natural -
She ran, zipped up to a rooftop and ran.
Neither Peter or Miles chased after her, merely staring at where she disappeared.
After making sure the police got the rest of the situation handled, both Peter and Miles were standing about on a rooftop.
"You okay, Miles?"
"I was about to ask you that."
"Its..." He glanced at the suit component still in his hand, "Complicated. I just remembered today that I met Cindy at the Oscorp lab where I got my powers. And now, the same day, we found out she has spider powers like us, and that she's our Imposter."
"Wait. Are you sure?"
"I'm certain. What I felt when I was near the Imposter at the park that night, it felt the same when I was with Cindy."
"Yeah, you said you feel some sort of connection with her. Do you think...?"
"That she got bit with the same spider that bit me?" Peter shrugged, "Its possible. I didn't kill it. But if that was the case, where has she been the last ten years?"
"Rafferty said that her mom died before they started moving around. Thinking that there might be something else."
"Raffe's friends with Cindy? How's she doing?"
"Well, not really friends. She got upset that you left. She really liked you."
"Yeah, one of my best students. But we can't really tell everyone about our powers, can we?"
There was a pause.
"Where do you think she went?"
"...Gotta a pretty good idea."
"You lead, man."
Both of them were about to leap to swing off when they stopped.
They looked back,
They glanced around.
Finding nothing, they glanced at each other before swinging off - the feeling that they were being watched didn't
wear off until a few blocks.
Peter and Miles touched down at the rooftop that had a decommissioned water tower.
Peter put a finger to where his lips would be, then pointed with the same finger at the water tower. They leapt up onto the railing and a moment's glance had them find a loose panel. Thunk! When Peter tried to reach for it, the panel suddenly squeal as something thumped against it from the inside.
"Cindy?" Peter said, "Its me, Spider man. Its okay, we can talk, like the other times we've done before. Nothing's changed."
There was no response.
Miles glanced at the water tower, then at Peter.
"Cindy." Peter said, more firmly, "I know you're there, I can feel it. You're... scared, you feel lost. I know the feeling. If you want, we can talk like this, you don't need to let us in."
There was another moment of pause.
Thump, thump, thump -
The sound of footsteps. They stopped, before continuing again. The loose panel shifted, and it turned slightly, revealing the shy puppy dog eye peeping out.
Even though Peter knew she couldn't see his smile, he knew she could feel it, "Hey."
Miles waved, letting Peter take the lead.
Cindy stared absently in the distance before she opened the panel for Peter and Miles to enter, revealing the webbed interior of the water tower.
"So, do you sleep here sometimes or..." Peter said, glancing around.
Cindy shook her head.
"...Did you... get your powers at an Oscorp lab?"
Stiffly, Cindy nodded.
"Is everything with your mother, because of that?"
Cindy hunched, she couldn't look at either of them.
Peter stepped forward and gently took Cindy into a hug, who stiffened.
"...Six years old. It must have been so much."
Cindy dipped her head, which Peter could feel a slight hesitance coming from Cindy and accepted that as a nod.
"Are you okay?"
Cindy didn't respond.
"...Do you want us to leave? We can leave you alone, if that's what you really want."
Yet again, Cindy didn't respond.
But then, after a moment, "...Is it okay?"
"Is what okay?"
Cindy pulled away from the hug, then looked at Peter, then at Miles.
Her eyes went down,
Before coming back up with a more hopeful glint, looking like a puppy yet again, "...Peter?"
There was a moment of silence.
Then Peter reached up -
Miles held out his hand
- and pulled off his mask.
Peter put on a small smile, "You knew?"
Cindy felt as though a glacier was finally starting to melt and the water that ran was her tears - she nodded.
She forced a smile, "You look great without those blocky glasses."
"And you... you, grew up."
Cindy's smile became sad, "...Yeah."
Peter looked back at Miles,
And before either could say or do anything -
"I knew ever since we first met, Miles. When we shook hands."
That was Miles's que to pull of his mask, "How did you know?"
"My senses have become more sensitive ever since I got bit. Actually, before I saw you I felt that you were Spider man before my Dad knocked on the door that one dinner night."
"So... the reason you wanted to look in my room was -"
"Partially that. I actually did want to see what a boy's room was like. That suit sucked by the way, too much blue."
Peter snickered.
"Yeah..." Miles admitted, "It was cool, at first. Then people started making too many toothpaste jokes on social media."
"If the blue was yellow and smaller it probably would have been better. You know, look like lightning bolts because of your electricity. But, if you changed it now, people would start saying it would look like -"
"Okay okay," Peter said, chuckling, cutting in, "Little too soon to be talking about suits. Does your Dad know?"
"My powers, yeah. Me being the quote unquote Imposter - I would never. I don't want to hurt him any more."
"So then," Miles said, "Why run around doing what you do? Why every three days?"
Cindy shrunk, she couldn't look at them.
Peter put a hand on her shoulder, "Its okay. You don't need to tell us everything. Take your time, tell us when you're ready."
Miles's head perked up, he blinked. His phone rang, he answered, "Ganke, what's up?"
"'What's up?' You haven't been answering your mom's texts, dude!"
Miles gasped and his eyes went wide, "Shoot! How much time has passed?!"
"Forty Five minutes, that's why your mom's panicking."
Peter blinked, "Wait, your meeting with the Principal was today?"
Miles reached and pulled the loose panel, "Yeah, and I left in the middle of it. Sorry! Talk to you later, Cindy!" And before he zipped away, "Thanks, Ganke! I know a fast route, sorry about this!"
Not long after, Peter's phone rang as well, "MJ?"
"Peter! Thank god, I finally got through! I saw what happened from an officer who sent a copy of his body cam footage."
Peter sighed, "They attacked me out of no-where and struck me with this lightning that made me feel sick, and for a while my tech got jammed."
"That's why... Okay. Where are you now?"
Peter glanced at Cindy, who stared back, her eyes showing nervousness and a little fear.
Peter paused.
"Peter?"
Peter pursed his lip,
Then, hesitantly, Cindy nodded.
"I, uh... Miles and I found the Imposter. She's also the one that helped us. Its Cindy."
There was a long pause.
"Oh... Is, she okay?"
Peter pointed to his phone with an arched brow,
Cindy shook her head.
"Yeah, she's shaken up is all."
"I can imagine with what happened to the guys in the Slayer suits."
"Those are the suits?"
"And from the looks of it, they're prototypes."
Peter glanced at Cindy, "Uh, how about we talk about this later? Cindy - well, looks like she can hear everything you're saying perfectly fine."
"Really? Uh, okay. When you get back then."
"Yeah. See you soon." Peter hung up.
"...Are you gonna be okay?" Cindy said.
"Yeah! Yeah." Peter hugged her again, sensing her worry, "Nothing you need to worry about."
Peter glanced down at the costume Cindy was wearing, "By the way, where did you get that? It looks... kinda familiar, actually."
"Someone had put it in a trash bin in the alley I was hiding in. I followed you after I felt those guys were going to try to kill you."
"...After I had left?"
"Yeah."
"Huh... Well, you want to talk about this with Miles? Maybe even with MJ? She's nice woman, great, actually."
"I can tell. The New Normal."
"So, any particular day okay with you?"
"Uh... Whenever you guys are the free-est?"
"Hmm... Well, I'm basically working at home... Miles has some stuff... MJ hasn't had a case that's needed her attention for a while... So... tomorrow, Friday? After school? The sooner the better. You, uh, probably have a lot to get off your chest. I know I did, when I was staring out."
"Uh..." Should she say yes or no, Cindy found herself torn between the two - she didn't want to trouble Peter or anyone else with her troubles.
After all, she was doing fine,
Right?
She absolutely was!
Besides, bringing other people into the mix would likely get them hurt.
She said -
"Sure."
Peter gave Cindy a firm look, "...You don't need to force yourself."
"No." Cindy said, "Its, uh... Its okay. You're right, I've... been holding a lot in."
Peter stared for a moment, before removing himself, "Okay. By the way, if you changed in that alley, doesn't that mean your clothes are still there?"
Cindy blinked, she looked down at herself, "Oh, uh..."
"I can go grab them. You did put them in a place no one can reach, right? No one but us Spidy-people?"
Cindy made a small smile when Peter said Spidy-people, "Yeah, on the side of a air duct above a dumpster."
"Alright. I'll go get it for you." Peter slipped on his mask and exited the water tower, Cindy following him.
He gave an affirming nod before swinging off.
Cindy stared as Peter disappeared into the city.
She looked down at the Spider man costume she was wearing,
She pulled it - how big, how uncomfortable, how weird it felt. Gross even, because evidently the person who threw it away didn't wash it.
Then, slowly, she looked over in the distance,
At the high-rise buildings,
At a point that no one could else to see,
At the figure that was eyeing her back.
Eye to eye -
She held the gaze,
And so did the figure.
Cindy felt her,
She felt Cindy.
After a long moment, She turned and went away, finally allowing Cindy to breathe.
She looked down at the costume again, she pulled at the spider symbol and stared -
She thought of Peter,
She thought of Miles,
She thought of Spider man -
This was the right decision,
Right?