I want to point out that Lola and Rafferty aren't OCs, they are official Marvel characters that I believe are exclusive to Cindy's comics. They are her friends in her work place when she's not being a Spider person. Its just that they are nothing characters even as side characters to Cindy's story. The only information I could even get of them was, I believe, the official Marvel website where shows the different characters where they are listed as Cindy's friends. In fact, the only reason I know of them is because I remember seeing a comic page that had them taking a picture together.

Anyway, enjoy.

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"We can't find them anywhere - no calls, nothing."

"Well then what are we going to do?"

"Well, we still have this tech the Tinkerer gave us."

"Yeah - we can still rule the streets. We can still take down that fake Spidy."

"Nah. I'm done. If the new Spidy had to take out the Tinkerer to keep the streets safe, I don't want to be near him."

"Since when were you a pussy?"

"Since I realized that I could actually die from this. That's it, I'm done."

He wasn't the only one who thought that way. It had been a few days since the Tinkerer went missing. Due to the sheer silence of their whereabouts and the destructive aftermath of their fight with the new Spiderman, a lot of the members that joined due to the building momentum started losing steam.

Lola found it ironic. All of the kids that were leaving had homes and family to go back to. Granted, Rafferty could fit into that group as well. But she proved how far she was willing to go for the group by how she joined and what she provided. The others that didn't, however, left in droves. There were some that persisted, still thinking that they can still wear their colors proudly.

If the amount of their numbers before could have nearly filled the tower,

Now, they could only fill three or so floors.

The persisting new blood were talking around like fireworks, thinking that the Tinkerer was still alive. That they would be back and that they would bring deadlier toys for them to take down the fake Spiderman. All they had to do was keep their worth by showing their power and bide their time to wait for them to return.

But their numbers kept hemorrhaging,

Some even got into fights to keep people from leaving.

That was when Lola or Rafferty stepped in. Rafferty usually was able to talk down the parties that were about to fight, but for Lola she resorted to using her hands - showing an example of what not to do. Sometimes, even Rafferty had to resort to violence due to either one or both parties not wanting to listen.

Usually, that got them to stop. Every now and then, a group would still cause ruckus and mischief as a way to show the world that they were still here. But the new Spiderman would always show up, and now had recently returned. That didn't stop the foolish thinking that they were all hot shots, however.

Rafferty and Lola, meanwhile, and a growing number of the Underground started looking into the programmable matter that was left behind by those that left the group. Tinkering and seeing what they could do with it. After hearing one of their hideouts got exposed by the new Spiderman, that was when they realized that their safety was compromised.

The clique thinking that they were still high and mighty took this as an opportunity to prove themselves declaring a war against the Spidermen and anyone that could go against them. Rafferty and Lola used this as a way to smuggle their tech and Fisk's money left behind out of the tower - the new spider man had infiltrated their ranks and appeared inside that one time. They had to use any chance they could to survive.

And the failings of their prideful and arrogant peers made it easier. It was done at different times of the day - morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night, late night. They would scout different places during the day, when those like Rafferty had to go home and go to school. Then, when the Spidermen didn't appear to be on their patrols moved fast to secure their tech in the new places.

But they were running out of time - the would-be King's and Queen's were falling fast and word was now spreading that the police with help of the Spidermen were going to move in on the tower. Almost in the blink of an eye, an entire month had passed and rumors from gossip and talk online were growing that the operation was going to happen soon.

Rafferty and Lola knew who to trust and who not to at this point. With their numbers this small again, the family had returned. They were looking at both of them as leaders. The first thing they did was tell anyone in their group that if they had cold feet there was no shame in backing out now. The Underground, whatever it was during the Tinkerer's time with them, was gone.

There were nervous eyes and faces but they eventually hardened - they were staying through hell and high water.

Rafferty thanked them all, and Lola never showed it to anyone but Rafferty but, when they were alone together, Lola cried tears - whether they were of happiness, Lola didn't say. But Rafferty knew that they were, knowing that Lola was too prideful to show it to anyone else but her. It was one of the things that Rafferty had found herself being attracted to - being a leader so young, carrying so much for her own sake and the others she had found family in. Lola had the backs of her family, but someone had to be there to make sure Lola's spine didn't break from her own responsibility.

While the chaff was separating itself from the wheat, Rafferty, Lola, and a few others were scouting old subway tunnels from old maps they had dug up from different subway companies or had been scouted out. They found one close to the tower. The idea to dig through with their programmable tech was from Lola, but Rafferty stopped her and investigated with a few others to see if Wilson Fisk had thought the same thing as them.

It turns out, he did.

Throughout the month leading to the supposed date of the raid, Rafferty's and Lola's teams went through the old tunnels, making small checkpoints in a system to drop things off so that another separate team of theirs went in for pick up to take them to the safehouses that were privy only to them.

Weapons,

Tech,

Money.

The priorities of the drops changed order every now and then to make sure that those like Lola, who didn't have a family or home to go back to, could survive off of the money. Rafferty said that they had to make it look like there was still enough stockpile in the tower to make it seem like they were still using it as their base. Some of the others in the teams didn't like the sound of that, solely because it was the most amount of money they had seen in their lives and felt like they had ownership of it. But when remembering that this was to get away from the Spidermen and the authorities, they realized that they had to stomach it for the sake of getting away.

When the time came, those that opted to fight before were in custody, and Rafferty and her team learned through hacking into the police database that they ended up revealing what was inside the tower - all the money, weapons, etc. However, by that time, the essentials and what was desirable was already smuggled out. All that was left behind was the bare necessities to give an impression that the Underground was infighting, clashing against different ways to move forward.

But, one of the bold ones that had been arrested had even given a description of what Lola looked like.

In the database, when this was asked among the other detainees, Rafferty had found different interpretations of what Lola looked like. None of them looked like her, of course. But Rafferty saw that it still made a scare in Lola when she told her and even showed the pictures. Rafferty had seen the gears turning in Lola's head, and she had an inkling on what was going to happen in the future.

They didn't give the police or the Spidermen the time - after making sure everything was good to go. They all left through the tunnel. Closing it behind them and this chapter of their lives. They had all prepared to wear the different clothes they had prepared in the tunnels. Once they changed into that, they all had bags and different things like cameras, hats, and other things to make it seem like they were tourists or anything to make them not suspicious. They separated at different exits, using small pieces of their programmable tech to help in any pinches they encountered.

Then, they emerged back into the city.

They made their way to the different hideouts, all the while catching glimpses of the armored vehicles that the police were to use in the raid. Rafferty and Lola, together, by themselves, even caught a glimpse of the old Spiderman swinging above.

Then, after a long stretch of a moment, trying to look inconspicuous when looking over their shoulders and glancing around, Rafferty and Lola made it to the safehouse they chose. It was there that they could finally breathe, especially once they saw that they weren't the only ones who made it to this specific safehouse. It took a while - making sure that no one owned this property and making sure the necessary security measures were put into place.

Rafferty went over to the computer that was still being set up, helping the other member working on it. Once that was done, Rafferty turned on the map that showed the different safehouse locations as icons. Her fingers danced on the keyboard and soon there was a beeping sound as the icon of the safehouse they were inside of went green.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep beep!

Beep! Beep!

Lola plopped down on a nearby couch and Rafferty put her face in her hands, making her glasses rise up to her forehead - they had all made it safely. Lola needed to get something to drink and found a can of soda in the provisions that were put in this safehouse. Making it back to the main room, Lola spotted Rafferty pulling up the live feed of a security camera near Fisk Tower. There was a chat room off to the side on the same monitor - there was a pinned comment that had a weblink. The comments underneath it made Lola conclude that it was others in the different safehouses watching the same camera feed.

The feed itself was of the police arriving at the Tower with the Spidermen. There was no audio, and so after a while of sitting in the same place - likely going through standard procedure - warning first, then acting second - a squad dressed in riot armor stormed in through the main door with the Spidermen going through one of the terraces.

"B." Lola said, and Rafferty turned to her, "I need to talk to you about something."

Rafferty saw the look in Lola's eyes, "Okay." She stood and left the computer, allowing those in the room to watch the befuddlement of the police.

The safehouse was located on top of a vacant apartment complex in Brooklyn, it had been vacant for years to the point that it might as well be considered abandoned. Its structure and condition has barely deteriorated, something that Rafferty had deduced to be a result of modern design and making, likely a result of an arrogant genius - it would certainly explain the expensive price needed to live here.

They walked out of the safehouse, the purple outlines of the doorway shrinking in size as the top went down until it was close. Both Lola and Rafferty were close together as they watched New York's skyline. It was an overcast noon day, and snow was beginning to fall. All of it made the spires of the New York city skyline dark solid shapes as though they were cardboard cutouts of silhouettes on a set. A white haze began to settle over New York, making their shapes faded and darker, even the bridges leading in and out of it.

They stared and stared,

Not saying anything,

Basking in each other's presence,

While New York seemed hauntingly towering and oppressive despite the haze.

"B." Lola finally said, making Rafferty look over, "I… I can't be with you anymore."

Rafferty paused, "...You sure?"

"Looking at those sketches, I immediately thought of you. If I ever got caught, somehow -"

"That's not how it's gonna go, Lo." Rafferty's voice was soft.

"It might not. But it could. You got family, B. You got your Dad."

"But I also have you, Lo. And I know, sure as hell, you have me."

Lola looked over, and recognized the look in Rafferty's eyes - and Lola knew.

"I do. That's why we need to let each other go."

Rafferty recognized the look in Lola's eyes - she knew. Even if the sketches from the police database could be deleted, even though Rafferty could defend herself -

"Lo… You don't have to live this life forever."

An idea hit Rafferty and she smirked playfully.

Lola pouted, "What?"

Rafferty took Lola's head and led her to the door that led into the building.

"B?" Lola said, her voice growing uncertain.

Rafferty opened the door and closed it behind Lola. They stood on a platform meant to lead people to the door and to the stair nearby if entering through the roof. Still holding Lola's hand, Rafferty turned around to face Lola. She stepped forward, getting into Lola's personal space. Lola stepped back, Rafferty kept walking and soon there was the shuddering of the door when Lola backed into it. The lights above shadowed her face, highlighting the look Rafferty was giving that made her heart skip.

Rafferty moved Lola's hand around and set it below the belt, onto her.

Lola's eyes widened.

Rafferty grinned wider and stood on the tips of her toes, trying to match Lola's height,, "If this really is our last time together. Then, let me be a bad girl one more time."

Lola was stunned by Rafferty's boldness.

Rafferty chuckled, "C'mon, Lo. Take the initiative for our last moment together."

Lola regained her composure and her eyes hardened while she still felt butterflies in her stomach. She craned her neck and found Rafferty's lips. Soon after, they had a different fire that kept themselves warm.

The minutes turned into hours,

Hours turned into days,

And days turned into months.

Living her life after the official announcement that the Underground had disappeared, Lola found herself thinking of Rafferty variably - every now and then, occasionally, there were a few moments where a weight fell upon her shoulders and Lola could only stay in bed. This was one of those days. Lying on her side, it felt as though all of her weight anchored her into the mattress. Her hair was splayed out, the dark in contrast to the white of the sheets, some of it hiding her face.

She tried to fall asleep,

She couldn't.

She sighed, then dragged her arm to get her phone.

The light of the screen illuminated her face, she didn't need to squint for her eyes were drooping. On the screen was her and Rafferty on one of the terraces of the tower in a selfie shot, they were near the railing so give the background of the different buildings and roofs of New York some prominence. This was a ruined shot, and that was why it was so good - Rafferty kissing her on the cheek the moment Lola was going to tap the button and the moment just before the shot was taken was Lola becoming confused. As well as Rafferty looking into the camera.

Lola stared at the screen for a moment before sighing and letting herself go limp. She stared at the wall for a moment before dragging herself to sit up. She put a hand to her face and stayed that way for a moment, thinking about Rafferty again, and by association herself.

Rafferty's words from so long again echoed in her mind, borne back -

You don't have to live this life forever

Rafferty took a deep breath -

Inhale,

Exhale.

Lola swung her legs up and called out to the others sleeping and told them that she needed to talk to them. Going into the living room as the others in the room behind her were getting up, she saw those already awake merely loitering. She called their attention. Once everyone was in the living room, Lola began to speak.

"Guys," She said, "I need you to be real when I say - can you guys see yourselves living like this forever?"

The others glanced at each other, some glancing around - to the side, rubbing their necks or arms.

"Yeah," Lola said, "We got cash and the tech we still have from the Tinkerer can have us still rob shit if we run out of it. But… I don't know about you guys, but… Lately, I… I feel like I've been rotting away just sitting around with how much free time we have."

Lola saw some of the crew glance at her.

"I can't do this anymore. The crew's still gonna be here, but, I just can't sit on my ass forever.," Lola remembered what Rafferty had said about school - where she was going, "I'm… I'm gonna try going to school."

She saw heads perk up.

"Boss?" One said, "Are you sure? How are you going to do that?"

"I dunno. But, it's something I wanna do. Living like this… I just can't do it anymore."

The others went back to glancing around, having their own thoughts on the matter.

"I'm not asking for everyone to jump ship, but if there's anyone that wants to join me - open arms."

The members in the safe house glanced at each other again.

Not everyone did, and when word spread around to the safehouses it turned out there were others that were thinking the same as Lola and weren't speaking up about it due to fear it would affect the integrity of the group. It turned out that some were already doing different jobs, some somewhat illegal due to their age for some of them, but after making sure they weren't in danger they decided to keep doing it.

Some of the people in charge in the tech side of things have started working part time in different repair shops around the city with prospects of going full time once they come of age. Some of them have even tried volunteering at FEAST shelters, the hesitation they had before when first starting out having long since died due being part of the group. Some were just hopping between jobs, still trying to find their way in life.

Overall, they were all starting to integrate into society and live their lives. Some of them will rely on the safehouses due to having nowhere else to live. But, like Lola, a handful of them were willing to take the chance and go to school. It turned out, that Brooklyn Visions recently was allowing kids the chance to take entry exams to get into the school, and given that there was a study guide on their website as to what the exam would contain Lola and the crew that wanted to join her went studying.

Once the day of the entry exams came, they were confident that they would pass - no, they were certain.

During the exam, however, Lola needed to go to the restroom and on her way back she ran into an african-american woman.

"Oh, sorry." Lola said.

"Excuse me," The woman said in turn, before catching Lola's face, "Excuse me. Do I know you?"

"No." Lola said with a shrug, "I dunno you."

The woman seemed to take offense by how Lola said her word, "Principal Evans of Brooklyn Visions," She said with emphasis, "I'm assuming you are taking the entry exam?"

"Yeah." Lola said, "Uh, sorry. Listen, I gotta go, I'm still in the middle of it."

Principal Evans stared at Lola for a moment before motioning with her hand, "Go on."

Lola wasted no time and walked away, feeling Principal Evans's gaze burn into her, hoping that the likelihood of her possibly thinking about the depictions of her as the Boss of the Underground wasn't big.

Finding out that they all had passed,

Meeting Rafferty again -

"It's good to see you again, Lo. And I'm glad you managed to make it here."

Even though she had a few habits that still needed work on, Lola finally had a sense that she was moving up in the world - an actual move, an actual step, something fulfilling. It was seeing the smiles of the crew members that joined her, seeing the friends that they made in school, close relationships even, realizing that there was a different way of life.

And for a while, Lola was even starting to feel that too, even after the Symbiote Invasion.

That was until Lizzie and Rat disappeared

Once Rafferty caught wind of this, she used her old skills to find any clues and found that there was an imposter Spiderperson, and after seeing that stunt the new student made Lola had thought that they had found the one. But when Rafferty had looked back at the footage of a camera she had managed to find after days out scouring, she had seen that the person was a full grown adult woman. But either way, Lola was going to take that chance. Even after Rafferty said that she would check personally.

Now, after trying to confront Cindy, the actual kidnapper showed up and gave her an address.

Having found a way to keep their programmable tech hidden in plain sight after those days after the escape, they made their way to the address only to find an old abandoned subway tunnel. After entering, it didn't take long for them to see who was waiting for them.

"Lizzie. Rat." Lola saw them emerge from the shadows, as though they were expecting them to show up.

"Boss." Lizzie said.

Looking at them, they were still the same, but looking at them a second time over, Lola realized that there was something different about their eyes, darker, almost black.

"Come on," Lola said, "Let's go home."

"We will," Rat said, "After the storm is over."

"What storm?"

They paused.

"Something big's going to happen soon," Lizzie said, "We don't know when, but, uh… Mother -"

"Mother?" Lola screwed her brows.

At once, all the hairs on her neck stood once feeling a presence behind her. Lola spun around and raised her hand to make a weapon appear from the programmable tech, only for her wrist to be caught.

Flowing black hair,

White outfit,

Blood red eyes.

"Mother, no!" Lizzie yelled out as she and Rat used their tech to dart to her, trying to pry her hand away from Lola's wrist, "They're our people. They're good people, but they came from a background like us. Remember what we told you?"

"Mother" glanced at Lizzie and Rat with her red eyes before slowly releasing her hand. Silently, Mother looked at Lizzie for a moment before looking at Rat. She walked on, past them and Lola, walking on into the dark and disappearing.

"Mother doesn't know how bad things will get, that's why she's getting kids like us to a safe place." Lizzie said.

"What's this storm, Liz?" One of the crew said.

"Mother doesn't really know herself," Rat said, "She's only doing the best she can, and…" He looked at Lola, "She wants you and Overwatch to keep an eye on her daughter."

Lola narrowed her eyes, having an inkling, "And who is that?"

"The one you cornered, Cindy Moon. Things are complicated, Mother's not going into detail. Something seems to be holding her back from actually doing it herself."

"And why should I?"

"Because," Lizzie said, "If the storm takes her daughter, none of us might survive it. Not even the Spidermen."