There was supposed to be a full moon tonight. Instead, there were clouds.

It being the middle of December that was to be expected, but he still wished he'd have been greeted with a warmer reception. The clouds were thick, close-knit, and heavy, dipping so far down that the Empire State Building's rod skimmed across the fuzzy belly. They looked so close to spilling their content, it was a wonder the city wasn't covered in snow yet.

A single man watched the City that Never Sleeps, his eyes softening in an affectionate, yet yearning, glance under his broad-brimmed hat. It's been so long. Years since he's seen his city glowing in its glorious, and polluted, self-made life, illuminating the underbellies of the clouds above in goldish yellow hue. His heart pinched just watching.

Oh, how he desired to rejoin his city, to flow right back into its chaotic rhythm of life and let it sweep him back up in its sweet embrace. It's been so, so long.

But he'd couldn't. Not yet.

Not until he checked something first.

He forced his eyes away from the pulsing lights and noise he could almost hear from where he stood, and instead look out toward the wide stretch of gray ocean that surrounded him. Far in the distance, his destination loomed. From here it was nothing but a jagged, black towering shape in the horizon like someone had dropped a giant tombstone in the ocean and left it there to infect the waters.

But as he got closer, the black shape became sharp and refined. The long tower grew more detail, displaying windows and ledges that had once shown bold and proud in the sun, but now had gone cruel with broken glass and withering metal. The land pads and lower buildings faded into sight, showing the cruel remnants of a building that had once stood fearless and strong.

The man stepped off his "borrowed" boat and onto the crumbling surface, a sad frown slowly etching into his features as he took in the disintegrating remains of his second home. His heart had yearned painfully for his city, but now it wailed in agony for the one building it craved.

He took a step forward and a crunch immediately sounded under his feet. Upon inspection, he realized it was a beer can. Now that he noticed it, the grounds were littered with garbage and junk, as if all the delinquents and thugs of the city had gathered for one huge, disgusting party. A flame of anger scorched his chest.

Beer cans, plastic bags, red cups, take-outs, boxes, glass alcohol bottles, just about anything that belonged in a dump contaminated the area - this building didn't deserve this hate, it didn't deserve this disrespect. He knew he had been gone a while, but for the once, proud S.H.I.E.L.D Academy to come reduced to - to this. It was depressing, and, yes, infuriating. What had happened in his absence to result in such cruel treatment?

Eyes furrowed and lips set in a firm line, the man purged ahead, glass and garbage crunching loudly under his boots. The metal door was bashed and dented, with a hole just big enough to fit most sizes of people, but it was bared with boards sloppily nailed to the wall with the words: KILER TEARITORI - GO IN & PAI THE PRISE...BY DI-ING painted in red. Someone certainly didn't pass their Language Arts class.

The man tore the boards off and chucked them off to the side before stepping inside. And the inside was no better. Aside from the garbage and trashed furniture, the walls were stained with disturbing graffiti ranging from love confessions, incoherent messages, disgusting words, to inappropriate pictures. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop from swearing at the profanities on the wall.

Instead, he tore his eyes away and moved past the first floor. The 2nd was messy, same with the 3rd and 4th, clear up to the 16th. With each floor, the garbage thinned until it stopped altogether. Most of the floors were locked off, but judging by the charred hole from the 16th floor down, explosives weren't native to the building. Thankfully, the abusers got lazy or disinterested and slacked off with blowing the edifice up.

He journeyed past the 16th floor, forcing the old rusted doors open and scoured the Academy for any signs of life. He looked into the dusty classrooms, searched the labs, and foraged about the dorms. There was nothing. S.H.I.E.L.D Academy became a hollowed out husk of what it once was.

The man looked out of a window somewhere on the 98th floor. As he stared at the city he sighed and shook his head. "What happened?" he demanded angrily, slamming his fist into the windowsill.

He was gone 15 years. 15 years! The Academy was fine when he left. What could have possibly happened? He left it in capable hands. How could it have ended like this?

He needed answers. And he needed them now.

Pushing off the windowsill, he hurried back down, re-searching the rooms one more time before he left. Back outside, he quickly trudged across the trashed ground toward his boat. As he hastily untied it from the once-dock, something caught his eye.

Scowling slightly, he picked up the musty, slightly damp newspaper, wiping off some of the mud as he examined faded bold words: City Mourns Death of Spider-Man: Citizens Prepare Parade In His Honor

He scanned through the article, quietly observing the colorful picture of parade floats decorated in a spider-themed red and blue. Spider-Man was...dead? H-how....what...

The newspaper slipped from his hand and back where it belonged on the ground. He stared at the ground for beat, mind racing in thought. Okay...he definitely needed answers now.

He stared up at the broken building, feeling his heart break as he took in the sight completely. He didn't have a phone, didn't have a car, he hasn't been home for years...but he did know what he needed to do. He needed to gather the students of S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. Something big was coming, and he needed all their help.

Turning his gaze back to the city, he scowled, picked the newspaper back up, and stuffed it in his pocket. He climbed back into the boat and headed back toward New York. "I think it's time for a little class reunion," Peter Parker muttered, letting the Academy fall behind him.