SPIDER SECRET

Spiders can carry 173 times their body weight if all 600,000 tips of their feet are in contact with a surface.

The room is ventilated but the air always appears just as it feels … still. Perhaps that is because there is no fresh air allowed; the windows don't open in many hospitals. And so, Izuku Midoriya stays still too.

There's antiseptic floating about as potent particles, at the very least – it's a little bitter though – since it comes with undertones of the artificial fragrance contained in soaps and cleaners. As time goes on, the smell becomes more intense and gradually more diverse. Hospital patients – including his mother – have an especially pungent odor.

Izuku's eyes slowly blink as he stares straight ahead at the bare walls that surround him. The hospital's color palette is more plain than his own appearance has often been described; it's a neutral & bland 'business casual' color coordinated accentuated in places by mauve and other pastel tones. It's a sterilization spanning beyond the room and throughout the entire building.

He has to look away from it. Izuku puts his head down, instead fixing his gaze on the screen of his cellphone. But that too is an annoyingly far too familiar sight. He'd texted and called his girlfriend but has not yet received any response. The phone's message boxes are just as barren as the hospital room.

Wheelchairs and gurney wheels squeak when the occasional person comes carting by the room. However, even with the overflow of patient admits, the hospital staff seems to be slowing. Izuku noticed that there's a lack to the faculty beyond just a regular shift change. Nurses & doctors are getting sick too.

Something is happening. And he is concerned. But he can't abandon his mother's bedside to figure it out. He can see that she is unwell. The IV drips aren't providing her with enough fluids anymore to keep her from becoming dehydrated. Sweat has soaked through her bed sheets to the point that he discarded blankets or any other material that might make her too hot.

Izuku lays his hand over hers, as though he is somehow able to transfer some of his strength over to her so that she can keep going. It wasn't too long ago that she was rearing and ready to come back home. They were prepared to restart their life together, a new house and all. He doesn't want to do that without her. He's not sure if he can.

He happens to lift his head when the next gurney is brought in past the room's doorway. And so he happens to see who it is that is being wheeled in. Izuku stands up quickly – his chair collapses behind him, falling off its legs due to such an abrupt movement – his hand slips from his mom's.

"Kyoka?!", Izuku hurriedly chases after the cart that was being pushed through the hallway – when he catches up to it, he confirms his fears that he saw correctly – Kyoka Jirou, his girlfriend, has been admitted into the hospital much like a lot of Musutafu.

"Sir, I need you to–" The hospital staff tries to prevent Izuku from coming too close but they aren't as strong as somebody with spider strength. Plus, this particular staff is just as sick as their patients are if their sluggish & pale appearance is anything to go by.

"That's my girlfriend!", Izuku pushes past the staff's resistance to be by Kyoka's side. When he sees she is in a similar state to his mother, his eyes involuntarily begin to well up with tears. "What happened?! Where are her parents?!"

Izuku tears his gaze away from Kyoka only to direct a glare at the hospital staff, but any sternness in his stare slips away when he sees a second set of gurneys following closely behind Kyoka. "They're being administered to as well.." This was not how he wanted to meet them.

That explains why Kyoka hadn't answered him back. But there's still no explanation as to how or why this is happening to everyone in the first place. Izuku takes Kyoka's hand in his own, just as he had held his mom's prior to now. He doesn't want to let it go. But he eventually has to.

Izuku hates to leave his mom and Kyoka alone, but he's got to get to the bottom of this. He starts by web swinging himself across town. So far, he's only seen how bad things are from the hospital. Now, he can see firsthand what things are like outside. Traffic is terrible – which doesn't seem TOO out of the ordinary – but, it's at a complete standstill with what looks like abandoned vehicles, which IS out of the ordinary. Stores and businesses are all closed down more than the amount that would shut for a holiday. There's a very real problem here.

That doesn't exclude the usual problems though. Spidey stops his swing when he hears the screeching of tires down below. A car is swerving out of control – it bypasses traffic by mounting a curb and cutting the line of other vehicles by using a sidewalk as a shortcut. Spider-Man redirects his route and pursues the car before it can cause a collision with anything – or, anybody. His webs carry him down quickly and his agility helps him to propel that movement even faster.

Spider-Man lands directly between the path of the car and a row of other vehicles. He has no time for theatrics. He ends things NOW. Spider-Man catches the car with his bare hands. It's a large hunk of metal going very fast, so it doesn't stop super simply; it raises off its wheels as Spider-Man stands as a preventative blockade from it going any further. But, he accomplishes his goal. He stops the car from crashing – well, into anything or anyone other than himself, that is.

Spider-Man hops up onto the hood of the vehicle, prepared to crack a clever one liner of some sort – but then, he sees through the windshield what the driver looks like. The driver is deliriously sick and unresponsive, hence the loss of steering control. Spider-Man swivels to see what the other motorists look like; he can see through their windows & windshields that they are in similar states of illness. People are passing out and becoming comatose all around him.

Spidey swiftly dials the number in his phone for an emergency dispatch. Unfortunately, he isn't connected to anyone in order to request an ambulance. He is told by an automated answering machine that all lines are currently down or too busy. Medical services are being stretched thin, no doubt. And, at this rate, he's sure that they themselves aren't fairing any better health wise either.

Spider-Man is currently witnessing a societal collapse. And there's nothing he can do but swing on.

Right now, all Spider-Man can think to do is try to get in contact with Shota Aizawa. However, U.A's principal was moved to the school's infirmary, and so that's where he needs to swing to in order to establish a meeting. The only problem with that is he needs to get through a high tech security barrier. Aizawa may be no Nezu, but he can trust THIS principal as an actual partner, and it's not like he has many other allies or colleagues to turn to otherwise.

Spidey clears the wall that surrounds the school as a defensive perimeter. Immediately, he's assaulted by turrets and other security measures.

His Spider-Sense and quick reactive reflexes help him to evade all of that – but there's the added bonus of U.A's robots as guards. They're not bedridden like the pro heroes that would have been on reserve, so they are a nuisance to get through, but he's able to bust them up without worrying about hurting anyone at least.

Eventually, Spider-Man infiltrates U.A. When he does, he notes that there are no students on the school's grounds either. Classes must have been cancelled on account of … well, whatever this pandemic is. That makes traversing the hallways a little easier. He eventually reaches the medical ward where Aizawa is. And finds Aizawa is already out cold in a comatose state. All of that was for nothing.

Spider-Man leaps to the ceiling, startled, when he hears somebody coughing from behind him. "My.. You're surprisingly spry still..", he turns and sees Recovery Girl of all people down below – his eyes widen with shock – she's leaning on her cane more than usual, clearly sick, but still fighting.

"Recovery Girl! Hey.. Take it easy..", he hops down and lends her support so that she has him to rely on and not just her cane. She makes an attempt to wave him off at first but winds up surrendering to a seat and sits down.

The elder woman offers him an appreciative & kind smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong, dearie, but you don't look infected like the rest of us" Though the mask could make it hard to know for sure, she notes Spidey still has a fair amount of stamina.

Maybe coming to U.A WASN'T all for nothing. He should have realized it sooner, but Spider-Man puts two and two together that his own well-being IS an odd observation. "I think you're right, Recovery Girl.." He looks at his hands – at himself – and then back at Recovery Girl. "Do you know what's happening or why that is?"

She slowly shakes her head. "I couldn't say – and that's besides the numerous tests that I've ran", the older woman turns away so that she can cough to the side and not directly in Spider-Man's face.

Though a vigilante, he is as caring as a pro hero should be, and hurriedly fills up a cup of water to give her. "Maybe there's a reason why I'm immune to whatever this is though", Spider-Man hands her the beverage to drink as they continue to talk, "Can you run another test on my blood?"

Recovery Girl downs the full drink before responding. She wipes her mouth and quirks an eyebrow, "You're fine providing us with more of your DNA?"

Spider-Man looks away. U.A isn't under the same management that it was with Nezu in charge, but the HPSC is still around and involved. Even so, his secret identity is a closely guarded thing regardless. "Right now .. What other choices do either of us have?" But with what is at stake…

Recovery Girl pats the boy on the arm; she admires his heartfelt responsibility to put others before himself in this circumstance. "I appreciate the sentiment, dear.. But I feel myself slipping too.." Despite that, she turns down the suggested offer. Her eyelids are halfway closed at this point. "I'm afraid I won't be of much help."

Seeing yet another person succumb to this widespread disease shakes Spider-Man to his core. "That's– That's not true! Just.. Tell me what you do know", he urges her to share whatever information that she can about the virus before it's too late.

Recovery Girl coughs, having a difficult time telling him much of anything. She gestures towards her workstation so that he can browse the data that she printed off of her computer. "Whatever has become widespread was likely done either through our water supply or as an airborne virus", she tells him through a strenuous tone of voice what she can, "It's targeting our X Gene structure – or, put simply, anybody born with a quirk."

Spider-Man's eye lenses are wide as he reads the printout of information regarding Recovery Girl's results. He slowly starts to now understand the reasoning behind his immunity. "That's why I'm not infected.." Technically, he's quirkless. His spider powers are not of natural origin.

"I figured you were an ordinary case before when reviewing your records, but this is still mighty surprising.." Recovery Girl deleted those older files that a cross comparison is no longer possible but she still remembers the unique DNA structure.

That aside… Spider-Man shudders with a newfound understanding of this disease that has seized Musutafu in a deadly vice grip. It makes sense now why there's not a single individual aside from himself that isn't being affected. "So.. EVERYONE is at risk.."

They've seen what it's done thus far. If not made treatable soon, there's a question lingering in the air about what will happen next. Recovery Girl answers it without Spider-Man needing to ask anything. "I estimate we all have no more than another nine hours before … well, dear, before the virus kills us."

Spider-Man clenches his hands into closed fists. The wide eyed expression on his mask hardens into a narrowed stare that's filled with conviction. He swears, "I won't let that happen!"

He jumps – as does Recovery Girl – when a cellphone suddenly starts to ring. It takes him a moment to realize that it's HIS cellphone. For a fleeting moment, he holds out a smidgen of hope that it's his mother or Kyoka calling. When he checks the caller ID, he figures that just about anyone is better than nobody at this point though.

"Shield?", he sees that it's Melissa Shield and can't withhold a gasp of eureka, "Of course! She's quirkless!" He answers with an assumption, "Are you calling why I think you're calling?!"

"Midoriya! You sound okay! Thank God!", Melissa expresses relief when she hears his voice and the spider powered teenager shares that same sentiment when hearing hers so healthy too. "Yes, it seems like we're already on the same page – you must have figured it out too somehow!"

Spider-Man looks at Recovery Girl, seeing the older woman is no longer awake. He focuses on getting his confirmation from Melissa still, "You're not–"

"Yes, Midoriya" And provide him with a confirmation, she does. "I'm not sick."

Spider-Man prepares to leave U.A now that he has a potential new partner to stop this virus – and only nine hours to do so – he wastes no time with combating U.A's security again on the way out. "I'll be right over!", he powers his way through so that he can carry out his responsibility as the only remaining 'hero' around that can help.

When he peers through the thin opening of the slightly cracked open door, he's not sure whether he wants to close it the rest of the way or push it wider. Izuku Midoriya sees a husk of what All Might used to be; Toshinori Yagi is far more skeletal now than ever – at this point, there is hardly any flesh left on a boney frame. The retired hero's body is definitely no longer built to endure such conditions. It's tough seeing THIS hero of all heroes in such a way.

Izuku turns towards Melissa Shield – she had their roles reversed that she is now her guardian's caregiver – but he doesn't see why that is entirely the case, "Why is he here and not– ?"

"He insisted on not taking up hospital space", but then she tells him an answer so obviously All Might coded that he understands almost instantaneously, "He's righteous and self sacrificial to the end."

Izuku nods. Somehow, that's encouraging to him. He's reminded of what All Might stood for and thinks it's best to try and emulate some of that now more than ever. It might not be a broad grin, but he offers Melissa a supportive smile. "I'm sure you make for a better nurse anyways."

Melissa blushes and looks away. She toys with her hair while murmuring, "Just don't expect me to wear the outfit.."

Izuku flinches before straightening into a statue-like state of stiffness. He hadn't intentionally tried to flirt with her and he definitely wasn't expecting her to flirt either. "Ah! Um – Anyways.." He remembers Kyoka – his girlfriend – waiting for him to save her. That makes him slap some sense into himself and get serious again. "Dying people around us, remember?"

"Right! Right..", Melissa nearly jumps out of her skin when reminded of the situation at hand. But that doesn't stop her from making one last parting murmured comment, "But at least there'd be no issue with repopulating if we don't find a solution."

Izuku stammers for a way to respond, "Wh- Wha–", he's about to tell her about Kyoka as a way to stop her advances before she gets serious again and he doesn't have to.

"I've already drawn my blood but I think it'd be a good idea to get yours too", she shows him a miniature 'chemist' workstation that she assembled, "Maybe there's discrepancies in the genome structure and its best to make sure there are no miscalculations should a cure need to differentiate between male or female receivers."

Izuku sobers up quickly. "Oh, uh.."

Melissa notices his squeamish behavior and raises a brow, "Don't tell me you're afraid of needles."

Izuku runs his fingers over the injection site where Tamakawa drugged him. "After recently.. Kinda.." He then shakes his head, "But that's not it.."

Melissa fixes him with a stare, "This is life or death."

"I know that! Which is why..", Izuku runs a hand over his face as he sighs, "Which is why I need to tell you that a blood sample from me may not be the most reliable DNA to compare to a solely quirkless person's."

Melissa is taken aback by this, to say the very least. She slowly steps towards Izuku, as though she is trying to get a closer examination at what it is he is referring to. "What are you saying?"

"I'm…" He swallows his nerves but looks away since he is still unable to meet her gaze regardless. He goes as far as to close his eyes when he tells her, "I'm Spider-Man!"

"You.." When Izuku reopens his eyes, he sees Melissa with an expression of hurt that he hasn't seen on a face ever before until now. But, he HAS seen anger before. And that's the next expression she makes. One of rage filled hatred. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me?! You took away my father! My uncle! My LIFE!" He doesn't need Spider-Sense to expect the slap across the face that she gives him.

He allows her to unleash her anger on him. He feels as though he even may deserve some of it. But, with the clock ticking on how long they each have to save everybody, he can't let her have this time to be upset for however long it is she may need that release. He cuts it short with a sad sigh, "There are bigger things happening now than just you and me.."

Melissa raises a hand – he's expecting another slap – but she winds up using the hand to shove a finger in his face instead, pointing accusingly & angrily at him. "This.. This isn't over!"

Izuku opens his mouth to say something more. But all that comes out is a weak response, "I know..", and nothing more. Not until he gets back on track with her about the cure, "How far along are you?"

Melissa holds her harsh glare on him awhile longer before turning towards her 'chemist' station. "My specialty is in mechanics", she vents her frustrations through her work now, "The human body is complex and not so easily repaired sometimes" Another glare is casted in Izuku's direction when she says, "The heart can be especially hard to heal."

Izuku can read between the lines to know there's an undertone meant for him but he also has to ask, "The virus is attacking people's hearts?"

"It affects the blood flow", Melissa beckons him over to her workstation so that he can see for himself via through a microscope, "I won't delve into details but a blood transfusion or something along those lines isn't enough."

Izuku looks at the blood samples and understands well enough. That doesn't change the dire situation though. "With doctors, scientists, and researchers out of commission .. you're all that we've got."

Melissa chews on her bottom lip. "I'm afraid the only way we're going to resolve this is if we find the source", she makes a suggestion – a list ditch effort – as to how they may be able to stop the virus, "We have to locate subject zero."

Izuku nods. If they find the original carrier, there may be a way to better propose a solution. There's just one problem… "And how do we do that?"

The two look at one another with surprise when, suddenly, Melissa's cellphone begins to ring. She warily picks it up to check the caller ID on the front.

Her voice trembles when she says, "It's.. dad.."

Izuku swallows in order to withhold a gasp of shock. That can't be a coincidence. So, he tells her, "Answer it."

"Daddy?", she doesn't need to be told twice.

"Hello, darling" David Shield's voice carries over the line as slippery smooth as an octopus. Izuku can also hear how the scientist is still just as 'armed' and dangerous – mechanical arms whir in the background as an ambience of sorts. "I apologize that daddy's been away for awhile but that's all going to change now."

Melissa turns away, her back now facing Izuku as she talks to her father. "I– I'm just glad that you're okay.."

"Yes, I'm sure you are wondering how that is" David sounds casually nonchalant by contrast to Melissa's emotional turmoil. Izuku wonders if the man is even capable of feeling anything anymore. "Do you like what I've done for you, Melissa? They took away from us the island that I made to keep you safe and so now I've made the world itself a more inhabitable place for you" His wonders are intensified when he hears what David says next.

"This.. What's happening is YOUR doing?", Melissa is just as shocked to discover the root of the virus came from Doctor Octopus.

"I'll admit that there is the added benefit of weeding out competition like the self proclaimed heroes and villains, but yes, this was all in regards to you" The villainous mad scientist sounds practically proud of this, like it's an achievement.

It's because of that sole pride and the lack of doubt coming from the villain that Izuku knows it's not something done from the place of a father's love, "I don't believe that."

David's tone finally changes to show some semblance of emotion when hearing Izuku, "What? Who's there with you?", too bad it sounds like anger.

Melissa does her best to salvage the situation by holding her hand over her mouth and the phone's speaker, "Er– Nobody–"

But Izuku raises his voice louder in order to still be heard, "If this was actually for your daughter, then you'd have done it sooner!" He calls out his enemy for who he knows Doctor Octopus to truly be, "This was some master plan to take over once your enemies are all gone."

Everybody goes quiet. "As aforementioned.. There are many benefits to be had", Doc Ock doesn't deny anything when he eventually responds. As a matter of fact, he goes as far as to add a threat to the mix. "And soon, one of them will be your elimination too, mystery man."

Then, the call ceases. A dead tone replaces the call's connected voice.

"Daddy? Dad? Hello?!", Melissa pleas to hear David's voice despite knowing that he hung up. She swirls to shout at Izuku, blaming him for it, "You made him hang up!"

Izuku recoils from the angry girl, "I was–"

"He finally came back to me and you made him leave again!", but she's more livid than when finding out his secret identity and is now pounding against his chest.

"Listen to me!", Izuku catches her arms by the wrists – she's not doing him any real harm but he can't allow her to keep hitting him either – his eyes water when they stare at her in sympathy. This was a conversation he was hoping to have later so that it could be longer and more carefully considerate but it can no longer wait. Izuku tells her, "He's not the same as he used to be.." He tells her David Shield was lost on I-Island and Doctor Octopus was who swam to the surface, "He tried to kill me", he tells her how it all happened, "He killed your uncle."

"No", Melissa shakes her head in denial and tries pulling away from him. Izuku pulls her closer, taking her into a hug. She starts to cry. "No, he wouldn't–"

"You heard how he sounded on the phone", Izuku talks as soothingly as possible while continuing to help her see the truth, "He's indifferent to thousands – no, millions of people dying."

Melissa whimpers, her voice muffled by Izuku's chest, "He said that it's for me.."

"It's all for him…", Izuku corrects her so that she doesn't feel guilty. Although, he also feels the need to point out another thing should he be mistaken. "But would you be okay with this even if it really were for you?"

Melissa sniffles. She dries her tears and pushes away from Izuku. He worries that he didn't get through to her until she whispers her answer. "..No.. No, I wouldn't.."

Izuku looks at the small workstation that Melissa has made. His DNA is compromised that it won't help create a cure. Hers alone isn't enough. This is the only way. "Then you understand why I have to stop him", he looks her in the eyes so she knows that he doesn't take any pleasure in this.

"He can bring you to subject zero", she breaks eye contact by hanging her head. "Or, better yet, he may have already made a cure for himself as a precaution.." She agrees to help him and goes against her father, "Bring it back here to me and I'll max produce it."

Izuku gives her a gracious bow, "Thank you."

She still doesn't look at him. "I'm not doing this for you" She instead looks in the direction of Toshinori's bedroom.

Izuku looks that way too. It's not just a reminder of the lives at stake, but that it all rides on him beating this bad guy. "So.. Where do I find him?"

Melissa throws a quick verbal jab, "I could have maybe found that out if you didn't cut in."

"It's okay", but Izuku shrugs it off, "I have another idea" He puts the journalist part of his photojournalist skills to good use by coming up with an alternative lead to follow. "Your father frequented with some of my other foes."

"Are you thinking that if you find them then you'll find him?", she shakes her head, "My father liked to work alone."

Contrary to his battle with The Sinister Six, Izuku nods in agreement. "I gather that now", though that may work to his advantage when it comes to convincing them to provide information, "But it's worth a shot" He begins to don his masked alter ego, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all."

Seeing Spider-Man for who he truly is and knowing now the deeper involvement he has to her and her father, Melissa can only watch. She utters beneath her breath, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.."

To which Spider-Man solemnly has to agree with sentiment, "..Yeah.."

After discovering the HPSC has been infiltrated by the League of Villains, Izuku hadn't had much luck coming up with any ways to counteract that. Now, he has an excuse to pay the corrupted Commission another visit. He just wish it were more-so to still be at odds with them than trying to find a way to make them be cooperative.

Spider-Man finds it easy to enter the building. Security detail must be slim what with the virus going around. He just hopes it hasn't affected the Commission Director – er, Himiko Toga – too badly. He still needs her to be comprehensive enough to help him find David Shield. Then again, for all he knows, she and the rest of the LOV could actually be still working with the deranged doctor. He's not sure if that would be a win-win situation towards stopping them or a lose-lose situation.

He's definitely not sure of his answer when he finds somebody else sitting at the director's desk. Tomura Shigaraki. Tombstone. His hair is a shade bluer than usual – as is his skin pigmentation too. Spider-Man would chalk that off as a side effect of the quirk disease but it doesn't seem to be a simple paling condition. Tombstone did something. With the Nomu experiments, it shouldn't come as a shock to see enhancements made by the villains unto themselves by this point.

Shigaraki shifts in his seat, scarred lips shifting into something between a smile and a frown. "Spider-Man.. That's my second shock today", he's as poised and prepared for conflict as the vigilante visitor is.

But though he may be naturally tense when face to face with an enemy, Spider-Man doesn't register any warning from his Spider-Sense. He holds off – while also staying a ways off. "Yeah? What was the first?"

"Waking up to a world still out of my control", Shigaraki settles back – not making a move so long as their conversation is flourishing. Despite what he says, he appears to be well within control of things from where Spider-Man is standing.

Spider-Man's eyes narrow. Like with Doctor Octopus, he knows his rogues well enough to see through fabrications. "I thought you wanted to see it destroyed", he knows that Shigaraki still has the same goal beyond whatever growth into Tombstone he's had.

"I do", the villain's transformation into Tombstone goes to show just how much remained the same and how much has changed when he explains himself, "But I want it to be done by my hands."

Spider-Man keeps a close eye on those hands. They're destructive as they are craftful. But he has to remember why he came here, "Then you'll help me", it wasn't to fight … not yet.

"Help you?", Tombstone bursts out into laughter. It's genuine. So is the cough that comes from it.

Spider-Man waits for the coughing to cease. "You're infected too, afterall.." He crosses his arms, prompting Shigaraki to explain why he's still functional.

Shigaraki grunts and waves off the inquiry, "A bit of a time delay on it – a glitch – due to my quarantined experimental state", he truly did just come out of whatever hibernation chamber had been preparing him.

Spider-Man doesn't have to squint to see the external change that came along with Shigaraki's internal transformation into Tombstone. He sarcastically says, "Loving the new look."

Shigaraki switches the question on Spider-Man, eyeing the vigilante who's still fully functional and healthy. "Why are you unaffected?"

"Doesn't matter", but Shigaraki is not as trustworthy as Recovery Girl or Melissa Shield – for obvious reasons – so he withholds sharing details about the virus or his immunity. Instead, he gets back to business. "This is David Shield's doing", he steps forward to urge an answer out of Shigaraki when asking, "Where can I find him?"

Shigaraki scratches under his chin. "I never liked that guy.. He DID come from All Might and the world of heroes to begin with", he then flicks away some dried flakes of skin from his fingers.

The bored tone that the villain takes causes Spider-Man to become impatient. He raises his voice, "So.. Where is he?!"

Shigaraki gives the vigilante a small smile. He's amused seeing Spider-Man get upset. But his own life is on the line here. So, he obliges. "I found him at one of our private docks", Shigaraki shares the story of how he came to recruit the mad scientist, "He came in a miniature submarine" It's the last thing he remembers or thinks to give the vigilante to work with. "He probably went back there or to wherever the sub came from."

And that's enough. "I-Island.." Because it makes sense. "Of course! Below sea level, the virus wouldn't reach him and he could wait it out, AND that would explain how he could spread the virus through our water supply!" Spider-Man realizes Doctor Octopus must have repurposed the sunken lab.

Spider-Man turns to go, not willing to waste any time. He pauses when Shigaraki stands up behind him though. "You gonna kill him for this one?"

Spider-Man gives the villain a glance. "I don't kill.." It's all that he's willing to give.

Shigaraki scoffs, disapprovingly. "Then drag him back here when it's done and let me do it", he coughs into one of his hands, "That's the terms of our deal" And then he holds his hand out. "Let's shake on it."

Spider-Man stares at the extended limb. "I know better than to do that", he doesn't make a move to accept the villain's offer.

Tombstone's scarred mouth parts when he gives Spider-Man a wicked grin. "Heh.. Till our paths cross again, vigilante.."

It's a blessing – or a curse? – that the mini-sub Shigaraki was willing to share still has a GPS remote piloted setting enabled. Otherwise, Spider-Man would have never been able to find the sunken island. But the folly of one's genius tends to be their overconfidence and thus is the case with David Shield's programming. Spider-Man uses the auto function of the marine craft to reach his destination.

Once there, he carefully crawls aboard the station. He expects security sensors, video cameras, and all other sort of precautionary measures. But his Spider-Sense doesn't alert him to anything of the sort. For awhile there, he fears that his and Melissa's hunch may have been wrong. But then he discovers a still functional operation chamber. There's no way the power would be on if it were completely abandoned.

He clears his throat. There's one thing that never fails to get his enemies to come out of the woodworks. "So.. Do I need to make an appointment or… ?" His wisecracks have a knack for goading their aggression. And it works like a charm yet again. Large mechanical appendages whir as they reach for him. "Oh, cool! You accept walk-ins!" He springs to the nearest wall. "Or should I say crawl-ins?"

"You call yourself a do-gooder?! You're a carrier for the virus! You've infected me by coming here!", David Shield – no… Doctor Octopus – joins Spider-Man in the main chamber like it's an arena to battle within.

"Guess that means you have no choice but to help me and your daughter develop a cure then", Spider-Man awkwardly avoids getting grabbed by the metal arms all while trying not to feel too bad – not only does he want to avoid harming the doctor for the sake of Melissa, but he hadn't intended to infect the guy – he just hopes his other hunch was right about the doctor having developed contingency plans.

"There's only enough for one should such an unfortunate event occur… myself..", Doc Ock grows a vile grin when he gives Spider-Man the double edged news that – yes, there is a cure – but that it's in short supply.

But that there's already a cure is enough hope for him, no matter how little the amount. With time running out, it's a better turnout than if he had to find whoever subject zero was. Now, this battle is all the more integral to have him come out as the victor. If he defeats Shield here and now, then this virus stuff all goes away.

"Give me the cure!", Spider-Man fires two streams of webbing at Doc Ock so that he can reel in the aquatic themed villain – but the strands are instantly severed by Shield's metallic limbs.

Doctor Octopus continues to wear a grin on his face. He holds up a small vial of liquid from underneath his labcoat; it's tied to a string to be kept on his possession at all times as a necklace. "You want this?", the villain ensures that Spider-Man will have a difficult time getting close enough to claim the cure for himself, "Come and get it…" All four of Doc Ock's weaponized tentacles raise high overhead.

Spider-Man practically throws himself at the villain. It's haphazard and reckless, he knows, but he has no time to waste by drawing this out. He can't play this too cautiously. He needs to go in deep. He needs to fight and finish this NOW.

"Arms up!", he makes the robotic limbs chase him towards the ceiling where they have a more elongated reach, "All of them!", and then lays on thick coats of webbing to try and keep them there.

The tentacles tear through the adhesive goop almost immediately. Spider-Man has to flip and kick two aside while batting the other two away. It's a brawl that keeps him on his toes. He doesn't stay still for more than a second. He springs from spot to spot. In doing so, the metal arms slam into sections of the chamber instead. Dents start to buckle and break. Water begins trickling in as the station's integrity is compromised.

"Shall I tell you of the pain, Spider-Man?" Doctor Octopus is too fixated on trying to murder Spider-Man that he fails to notice the gradually slow collapse of his base. "Of the almost unendurable agony?"

Spider-Man, on the other hand, becomes aware of his surroundings – thanks to his Spider-Sense. He suddenly has a strategy to defeat his foe.

"Do I actually have any choice?", his sarcastic comeback comes as naturally as the action he takes to enact his plan.

"None, I'm afraid…" Doc Ock's whisper is a growl much like the creaking aches of the chamber that has started to collapse inwardly. More water floods the closed quarters until it creates a pool that reaches the villain's ankles.

Shield looks down when he feels his feet become wet. Then, back up, as the station flashes a warning series of red light emergency notifications. He catches on to Spider-Man's scheme to sink the island for good this time and roars with rage.

"What's the matter, Doctor Octopus? I thought the water was your element!" Spidey continues to taunt his enemy – relying on his unique knack for getting villains too riled up to think clearly so that Doc Ock doesn't wisen up.

It works. "Do you EVER shut your insufferably insolent mouth?!", Doctor Octopus has a vein bulging from his forehead at this point as he sends all of his weaponized arms at Spider-Man.

Spider-Man keeps up his tactic. He dodges the tentacles with a purpose. The arms pierce the wall behind him. "Only when I have your Cousin Calamari clogging my throat!", he throws a look back to see electrical wiring is now being torn out along with the water breaches, "No.. Wait.. That came out wrong.."

Doctor Octopus rips his arms out from the wall's sheeting, ripping out more wiring. The lights dim down and an alarm sounds as the system starts to shut down due to a failure to its servers. At this point, Doc Ock is hoping to turn the tides by drowning Spider-Man in this underwater coffin. "You are obsolete!"

"Obsol-eat deez nuts!", but Spider-Man is much too agile and skilled to be brought down so easily. He's practically untouchable no matter how many arms are against him.

Having studied Spider-Man, he knows there is only one way that he can best the vigilante. That's to target Spider-Man's glaringly obvious weakness. He finishes what he started and brings down the roof of the chamber – on himself. Spider-Man, ever the hero, rushes to push Doc Ock out of the way.

Doctor Octopus wallops Spider-Man with an arm – it's almost too easy, like the goodie two-shoes had his feet move on their own. And the section of the ceiling that fell free lands atop the sucker. Spider-Man is trapped and pinned beneath a large chunk of rubble that not even he should be able to lift off of himself alone.

"I knew that you would fall for that.. Hook, line, and sinker!" Doctor Octopus cackles over his small victory.

Spider-Man groans from beneath the debris that limits his movements. His whole body has been buried below the collapsed metal, save for his skull and one arm. He can't even push or strain with his back to get up. With the water that's still spilling through the station's hole breaches, he'll soon have no air left to breathe either. It's already touching the vigilante's masked chin.

Spider-Man gazes up at the villain that outwitted him in the end. With punching out of the equation, he does all that he can to try and salvage the situation. He makes an attempt to appeal to David Shield's humanity. "Do the right thing here.. I know there's still good in you..", he reaches out with his one exposed arm, "Please! Take my hand!"

But David Shield has long since been consumed by his villainous aspirations. That man may as well have drowned the day I-Island first sank. And now, Spider-Man will soon join him. All that remains is Doctor Octopus. "You think I'd ever be so foolish as to take your hand?!", he refuses to help rescue his rival.

Spider-Man, sadly, sorta saw that one coming. He knew that Doc Ock would take the escape pod and leave him. Which is why he has no problem turning over his hand when the pod's glass doors are sliding shut, so that he can show he managed to snatch the cure from the doctor's necklace. "No.. It's a little full right now anyways."

The villain's eyes widen when he sees the vial in the vigilante's palm. His own hand goes to his neck, feeling for what is no longer there. But it's too late. He already set the pod for launch. As the mini-sub starts to separate from the station, he gives his enemy a final parting glare. "I can lose as many times as I must.. But you only need to lose once .. and that will be a fine day, indeed."

Spider-Man watches the villain depart from the station. His head dips down. He's tired despite how cold the water that envelopes him feels. As always, he put up a good fight. He gave it his all. Everything he has. And in the end, he even managed to claim the cure from Doc Ock. Nobody can fault him for trying as hard as he had, no matter a failure in the finality of it.

But then.. He thinks of the people who are waiting on him to deliver that cure. Melissa, who is defying her father and willing to fight too. His mom and Kyoka who are bedridden and dying. Recovery Girl who entrusted him to pull off this impossible restoration task and Aizawa who would have likely done the same. Even All Might in a depowered form is leaving this rescue to HIM.

For all his fighting and all of the times that he's been face to face with what seemed impossible, he's of course also reminded of his father's words. He was left with the responsibility of protecting his mother. And he can't fail her – he can't fail again. It can't happen a second time that someone he loves dies because of his unwillingness to act. He won't let it happen. He won't. "No matter what the odds..", he grunts as begins to put in effort against the opposing force upon him, "I'll get this cure to her! And.. And maybe then I'll no longer be haunted by the memory of dad.."

He sucks in a big breath before the water rises up past his mouth and nose. He uses his one free arm to push against the weight on his back. It's as heavy as the world being on his shoulders. But he continues to push back. He doesn't stop resisting the resistance. Spider-Man's costume tears as his muscles bulge and pulsate against the clothing covering them. The vigilante – the hero – rises as he lifts the debris off of himself.

It's just like every other fight. This is no different. These are the trials that he'll continue to face as Spider-Man. Every time, he'll battle at his best so that he can overcome them. If this so be his destiny… Then he will rise above it!

Spider-Man's knees buckle as he pushes himself up onto one leg. He is able to brace the collapsing ceiling against his back in a way that supports his lifting process now. His whole body works – aches – but he raises the rubble off. It gets under both his arms. He presses. He shoves. He groans and he yells. The large force comes off completely.

Spider-Man's lungs scream internally even after he stops shouting externally. The air is being sucked out of the station and the water has flooded to the point that it's half past the emblem on his chest. To make matters worse, he can't rest yet with how much his body protests to any movements he wishes to make. He hobbles through the water, using it as a means to keep himself afloat.

Spider-Man swims to the mini-sub that he had used to reach the sunken station. It's fortunately still functional. He taps at the key prompt for it to engage its auto-pilot. But even after allowing the pod to drive itself, he can't yet rest. If he closes his eyes, he knows that he won't wake back up. And he can't do that. He has to get the cure to Melissa first so that she can max produce it.

That's the only thing on Spider-Man's mind – that still swims for him even if he has stopped swimming with his body – he's only able to remain conscious through sheer willpower to save everybody before he can allow himself to stop & rest.

The point between then and getting back to Melissa is all an erased memory. There are many moments like this. He comes in and out of awareness to what is happening throughout the process. His body moves on auto-pilot like the escape pod had. He only knows the important parts. The stuff that matters. He made it… HE MADE IT to Melissa. He got the cure to her. He passed out periodically but he did it. And he watched her work for some of that process too.

His head hurts so much. Yes, his body hurts. But his head…

Izuku blinks his eyes, fighting the bleary blurriness to them. He thinks he moved places. He had been on a chair but now he's pretty sure he's on a couch – or in a bed – somewhere comfy… it's comfortable enough that he can fall asleep…

His fingers fall on his face. He's not sure when his mask came off. There's somebody with him. He hopes it's Melissa or someone that knows his identity. It'd suck if his secret got out. He waves his arm at whoever is there. He doesn't want to hurt them by taking a swing but maybe he can somehow protect his identity this way.

Izuku dreams that he's back in class. With Shinso. Before Venom. He remembers thinking he was tired THEN. "Heh..", he finds that really funny. At least he could sometimes sleep in class. He misses those naps and the lectures that he'd get from his friend when waking up.

Izuku wonders if he'll have a lecture waiting for him from his mom. She knows who he is now. What he does. When she sees him like this, he's sure that she'll throw a fit. He's probably gonna be grounded for being Spider-Man … "Ha!" He finds that really funny too. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. He smiles. He wonders … will his mom know that it was all for her?

Kyoka had been counting on him. She always believed in him. He hopes he didn't let her down either. She was waiting… She was always waiting for him to tell her and be there for her. Now that they're together, he doesn't want to keep her waiting anymore. He hopes that he can continue to be there for her. He flexes his hand. Feels his fingers through the numbing pain of his body. He makes an all too familiar hand sign. "Ha.. Ha.. Rock on.." There's a lot of funny things to laugh about, isn't there?

If this so be his destiny … it's not so bad.

AUTHOR NOTES

Here's to celebrating the 50th chapter milestone of the story! Thank you to all of my devoted readers who have stuck with me this far!

As you may have noticed at the start of the chapter, this halfway point comes with a new addition of what I like to call 'Spider Secrets' which will share an interesting spider factoid that relatively relates to each chapter before they begin.

I wanted to do something special for this chapter, so I hope you liked my adaptation of 'If This So Be My Destiny' and the classic lifting scene with all that's at stake against Doctor Octopus. There's also some fun callbacks to previous moments in the story that may have played up nice nostalgia per the journey. And we can't forget to mention the big bomb drop of yet another secret identity exposure / reveal, this time to Melissa Shield.

Oh - if you happen to notice anything off / strange about the spacing of paragraphs, please let me know so I can fix it - this chapter for some reason didn't paste over well and I had to redo the spacing through fanfiction so there may be a mistake I missed (hopefully not).

Okay, lastly but not least ... REVIEW READING TIME!

Nova-x-Prime: I originally wanted to keep Sin-Eater alive for potential later returns, but decided against it since he knew too much and I couldn't risk that conflicting with anything plot wise. Sorry if Tamakawa's time as a villain was too short lived but there's plenty of other foes that oughta be making some returns real soon!

Pikapowerz: As always, thanks for the support! Some lighthearted chapters are on the way for awhile so your wish should be granted there, but Lady Deadpool likely won't be returning for a while and Electro's villainy is gonna be a bit complex that I can't promise redemption any time soon - we'll just have to let things transpire and see!

TheAlienHeart: Welcome to the story! I'm glad that you found a reason for it to be binge worthy! I'm hoping you like where things lead as you catch up, and will try to have Itsuka appear more often in future chapters!

Well everybody, that's all for now! For the sake of the 50th chapter, I'd love to hear from all of you to know who's stuck with the story and what it is that you like or dislike about it - let's make this milestone celebration a big one!

-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood author!