chapter twelve!
012. keep your friends close
(but your enemies closer)

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    SPIDER-MAN REMEMBERED his first fight with King Pin.

    (Oh, the nostalgia).

     He had been in high school, still stuck in his awkward phase with his incredibly awkward haircut that always got in his eyes, but he was too stubborn to have Aunt May trim it. His senior year had been the one he was determined to start a clean slate▬well, as clean as a superhero could be. But after nearly dying almost at least ten times a year ... From facing Chameleon as a fresh-eyed freshman, Vulture ruining his plans for the summer, to ongoing clashes with Shocker, nearly getting his organs fried by Electro right before Sophomore homecoming, his Junior year starting off with Jameson 'accidentally' hiring a hitman who was 'accidentally' placed under inhuman scientific mutations to turn him the Scorpion (sorry, 'Anti Spider-Man') to figure out who (kill) Spider-Man was▬and almost succeeding ... well, after three years of long-winded experiences with supervillains, Peter wanted a normal year (can you blame him?). Of course, his attempt at having a normal year didn't last more than a week, as is characteristic of his Parker luck. He somehow got himself entangled in the organised criminal doings of Wilson Fisk, a well-loved, charismatic philanthropist who had bought out Hell's Kitchen in almost its entirety in order to tear down residential buildings to construct his own miniature cash-under-the-counter profit kingdom. 

    MJ, the budding reporter she was (even then) had decided to make it her personal extracurricular project to unravel the mysteries of Fisk Construction▬leading to Spider-Man getting involved, and well ... the first time he and Willy fought, MJ had to steal her father's car and rush Peter to the hospital after Fisk tried to cut him in half with a samurai sword.

    (Happy memories). 

    Yet, despite being almost killed on the regular, his problems in high school almost seemed trivial to the ones he's had since he graduated. Back then, his biggest problems were trying to sneak into Midtown High School with Harry to steal his hard drive out of his locker since Flash had destroyed the hard copy of their science project. They had gotten stuck in the gym when all of their diversions and near-misses in the hallways alerted the security and their janitor, and the authorities were called to the school. Peter had miraculously managed to both get the drive, and get them both out of there (with the help of Harry's fabulous karaoke skills over the school P.A. system), and somehow neither got caught nor did he get his identity revealed in the process.

    (That had also been the night Harry found out his mother died).  

    Emily Osborn was one of the brightest minds and warmest hearts in the cold city of New York. She was a genuine scientist with a goal to save the environment and the world▬genuinely brilliant, too. More than that, she encouraged genius. Half of the times Peter needed help when he was a kid with his science projects, he went to Harry's mom. She listened to every idea, looked at every drawing he made▬helped him plan out and talk through his designs and features▬and by the end of it, Peter had always felt ready to take on the world without fail. 

    Harry adored his mother. With a father who was rarely in town long enough to stay the entire weekend, Harry's bond with his mother, and his love for her was stronger than the strongest steel, or even Vibranium. She was his world, his motivation▬everything Harry wanted to do in his life, he wanted to do in the name of her legacy. 

    But then she got sick. And when she died, the happiness and warmth within the Osborn family died with her. 

    Oshtoran Syndrome. A rare neurological disorder that affected multiple organs in the human body▬the liver, the heart, the brain ... so much so that the body and mind slowly deteriorated and fought against itself until Harry's mom could no longer hold out, and her battle was lost. 

    Her death destroyed Harry, so much so that he's never truly come back from it.

    And Peter understood. He's never truly come back from Uncle Ben's death, either.

    Spider-Man swooped into Midtown in the glare of the early afternoon sun. His lenses narrowed onto the large, obnoxious bold lettering plastered across the scaffolding of the bare bones of a new highrise looking over Turtle Bay: FISK CONSTRUCTION. 

    He had to hand it to Wilson Fisk▬he was never exactly trying to be subtle. 

    Though it was an unusually sunny spring day in New York▬Spider-Man considered that to be a positive sign. Good weather was equal to good outcomes when fighting bad guys▬it was simple math! 

    He landed on the rooftop of the nearest building, and its size was dwarfed by the concrete metropolitan castle tower beside it. For a construction site, it was awfully quiet▬which was never a good sign. The elevators were still along the side of the scaffolding, and the gigantic, bright yellow crane hovering ominously over the street below from the top few levels was at a loss for life. 

    The entire square of Fisk Construction buildings▬four buildings of equal size and equally obnoxious grey and orange accents▬was quiet. Out of the entire construction crew that was bound to be working these sites, not one of them was making a sound. 

    Chills crawled up Spider-Man's spine, his skin tingling▬a sign that always meant trouble in one way or another. 

    He crouched at the edge, slowly crawling down the brick facade of the building▬hidden in the shadows of Fisk's desperate attempts to keep his power from inside a cell. 

    The sudden rev of an engine made Spider-Man stiffen. He frowned, watching as a lonely trailer kicked back dust with its wheels as it emerged from the bottom of the scaffold of the tallest building. They turned onto the road and disappeared further into Midtown. Peter caught the name of the company on the side of the trailer just before it took a left onto the next street: Consolidated Shipping.

    His curiosity piqued. Consolidated Shipping ... that was new. Peter racked his brain, but couldn't pinpoint the name of his many adventures with good ol' King Pin▬it had to be linked to the Demons. 

    Peter pursed his lips behind his mask, crouching against the side of the apartment complex in between two fire escapes as he searched his contacts through the database linked to his suit. Many names scrolled past his very eyes behind his lenses. 

    Some part of him hesitated when he passed Harry's name. He couldn't help it. Even amidst the toxic tension from New York's clouds that smothered him, Peter's heart lurched with worry and hurt every time Harry Osborn crossed his mind. 

    He forced himself to scroll on. He couldn't worry about Harry and his disappearance from the edge of the Earth▬at least, not right now. Peter stopped near the bottom of his list and Ian Hart's name zeroed into focus. 

     Nina Hart's younger brother picked up after a few short rings. "If you've called for a therapy session," he replied in a very rehearsed tone. "I'll tell you again: Legally, as a college student, I cannot give you advice in confidence and you should always seek a professional ... but I do accept Venmo payments."

    Peter frowned, incredulous. "What?" he let out in a whisper. "No. It's Peter."

    He heard Ian sigh, as if disappointed. "Oh," he said, in a very serious tone that did not suit him▬but it was a very good Dr. Psychologist voice. It bewildered Peter that one day soon, the same Ian who had gotten locked with Spider-Man inside the janitor closet of the Daily Bugle (don't ask) and had to ask MJ to steal the janitor's keys and sneak them both out, was going to be a very serious person who diagnosed and helped people with their very serious problems. "I thought you were someone else. Still, you really should go to therapy."

    "You know it's illegal for you to practice, right?" Peter murmured, not sure whether he wanted to even know half of Ian's shenanigans. "Let alone make a profit off of it?"

    "Okay, Spider-Cop," the sarcasm made Spider-Man's expression go blank, the top curve of his lenses dropping to a flat, dead-panned line. "You pay for my rent, then."

    Peter rolled his eyes, but then considered this opportunity. He pursed his lips and murmured under his breath conspiratorily, "How much?"

    Ian scoffed. "You can't afford me."

     "What?" Spider-Man sighed and shook his head, moving on. "Look, I need you to follow a lead for me. I'd do it myself, but I'm at a Fisk construction site in Midtown and I can't leave."

     "So ... am I officially your 'Guy in the Chair' again?"

     "You weren't ever my 'Guy in the'▬I don't have a 'Guy in the Chair'."

     "Yet ... you called me."

     Peter huffed, growing a little frustrated. He took a deep breath and his shoulders slumped as he forced his exasperation to leave his body. "Whatever," he muttered▬not prepared to admit that if anyone were to fit the description of a 'Guy in the Chair' or whatever Nina's little brother was on about, it would be Ian. "Just▬Consolidated Shipping, that's the name of the company. I need you to dig into it, and see what you can find out. If you find anything, you tell me straight away, don't go anywhere by yourself▬or at all, got it? I'd rather you not go at all."

    "You're turning into such a dad," was Ian's response, and he hung up before Peter could say anything to defend himself. 

    He already knew that roping Ian into this was going to be trouble. It was likely that Peter would get a call not about new information on Consolidated Shipping, but instead from Ian jumping the gun and throwing himself right into the danger. It was a real trend with everyone who involved themselves in Spider-Man's life▬he wasn't sure why, or how, but more often than not, he ended up having to save the people he cared about as well as the people they were trying to help. He didn't know what they were trying to prove▬or if they were trying to prove anything. But there was a reason why the job of Spider-Man was often best suited to be a lonely one.

    He pushed himself back to focus, frowning at the square of construction sites in East Midtown and the haunting silence that echoed louder than anything else. Silence can be broken▬and it was only a matter of time before Spider-Man knew what would be the thing that would break it. 

    Spider-Man glanced up at the Rockefeller Center breaking through the concrete jungle into the bright sky▬for a moment, waiting here, it was peaceful.

    And then, like a whip that lashed through the gentile air, the mighty crack of gunshots split the peace so suddenly, that Spider-Man almost lost his focus and fell. Flocks of pigeons were spooked from their nests and dispersed, fleeing the block as the silence was finally broken.

    Spider-Man leapt off the side of the building and swung upwards to the tallest construction site. The gunshots continued▬a chaotic hive of assault rifles, yelling and shouts of pain. He pulled himself up on his webs and flung himself towards the concrete facade of the highrise, hidden from view between the scaffolding and pulley systems. 

    He peered around the edge as the gunshots ceased and watched a pair of masked guys▬Demons▬in freshly pressed black suits and ties discard one of Fisk's men next to piles of packet cement. He didn't look to be breathing. Rich, crimson blood stained right through his fluorescent vest and pooled on the ground. A sharp pang hit Spider-Man's chest, realising he was too late to save that man's life▬Fisk's lowlife thug or not. 

     Spider-Man dropped down to the steel beams wrapping around the concrete columns of the construction site, barely making even a whisper of a sound. He crept along the length of it, following the two men as they met up with one another. Peter didn't know much Mandarin but could guess the universal order for 'no survivors'. 

    Waiting until he was right on top of the group, Spider-Man dropped down behind them. Casually, he reached out and tapped one of their shoulders. "Excuse me, would someone be able to point me in the direction of the men's restroom?"

    All three of them spun around, and there was a brief moment of shocked, awkward silence. Peter thought it best to give them an awkward wave. 

    Then, as the Demon on the right was jolted out of his disbelief and reached for his radio, Spider-Man sprung.

    Webs snatched the radio straight out of the man's hands and Spider-Man flung it sideways▬WHAM! he smacked all three Demons in the jaw, and they collapsed to the ground, unconscious. 

    Peter crushed the radio and dropped it beside them, dusting his hands off. He struck two webs onto the steel beams above and pulled himself back up. 

    Spider-Man continued to follow the sounds of gunshots and yells. He crawled around to the other end of the level▬feeling the cold wind of New York's high-rise howl through the open walls and send a slight chill through his suit. 

    The whimpering of Fisk's men got louder as he ducked through steel barriers and scaffolding, making his way to the far corner of the building floor▬hidden away amongst cardboard boxes, discarded steel frames and snakes of rubber-enclosed electrical wires. 

     A lonesome man struggled to push himself up on his knees, surrounded by Demons with their guns pointed without mercy. Fisk's worker held up a desperate hand, the other one clutching his side. "Stop, p▬please," he begged. "You got what you came for. You don't need to kill us too▬agh!" 

    One Demon slammed the barrel of his gun against the man's temple, and he fell to the ground.

    "Fisk's territory is ours now," said the Demon, fixing his cuff links and tie. 

    Not today, Spider-Man gritted his teeth and somersaulted off the edge. He tilted his body and swooped low▬breaking through the barriers of Demons. He pressed the trigger on his web shooter, and Fisk's worker yelped as he was dragged upwards. Spider-Man looped over the steel support beam above, leaving the thug hanging as he came back down at a steep arch and planted his feet square in the chest of the largest of the Demons. 

    He flung backwards and crashed into the empty crates in the corner. 

    Spider-Man landed in front of the rest. "I hope I'm not too late to the party▬are there still snacks? I'm starving."

    His question was answered with rounds of bullets.

    (The usual). 

     "Guys, guys▬" he leapt out of the way, narrowly missing gunshots in split-second timing. "Do we really have to do this?" Spider-Man webbed one Demon's mask and tugged him forward, landing a swift kick. 

    "You could just tell me who it is you're working for," he continued, sliding underneath their legs to avoid the strange, dark, negative energy that warped from their hands. "And we could save a whole lot of unnecessary bruising."

    One managed to land a heavy hit to Spider-Man's shoulder, and he grunted, stumbling back. "I'm gonna take that as a no. Well," he webbed the tip of the barrel of their gun, "can't say I didn't try▬"

    The gun backfired and the Demon staggered backwards. Spider-Man ran forward and leapt up, gripping the man's mask and sweeping around his shoulders, forcing him back and onto the ground. He somersaulted and pushed off the ground, his foot slamming against the next Demon's nose▬and he was out like a snuffed candle. 

    With all the Demons either unconscious or groaning at his feet, Spider-Man stood up and marched over to Fisk's thug who was squirming in the trap of Peter's webs. His phone started to ring, and in struggling to grab it, he dropped it. Spider-Man caught it and answered, knowing exactly who was on the other end of the line.

    "Hey Willie," he said the moment the video call connected, and there was King Pin, shadowed by the dark stone walls of his cell. 

    Seeing him, Wilson Fisk's eyes narrowed and he spat out a low, seething: "You..."

    "It's me," chirped Spider-Man. "Nice jumpsuit," he walked around the hanging Fisk worker casually. "Very slimming."

    Fisk growled. "Stay out of my business." He reached out to end the call and just like that, all jokes left Spider-Man's system and he quickly did all he could to keep King Pin on the phone.

    "Wait, wait, wait▬!" he rushed out, urgent and a little pleading. "The Demons▬who's their leader?"

    King Pin hesitated. He stalked right up to the camera and leaned into view, eyes narrowed and lip curled in livid fury. "Keep my men alive, Spider-Man, and maybe I'll tell you."

    He hung up. Spider-Man dropped the phone with a frustrated grit of his teeth. He didn't want a 'maybe'▬but that was how Fisk played, and Peter just had to play his game long enough to get the answer he wanted, even if he hated being held captive on the King Pin's chess board. 

    If he were to be honest, saving bad guys from other bad guys wasn't exactly how he planned to be spending his day▬but the constant surprise was half the job; at least it kept things interesting. 

    A low droning sound grew louder from below. Spider-Man glanced over his shoulder as the wind picked up, and the sound of propellors beating around and around pounded his ears. He watched a helicopter rise to the level he stood on and passed, veering towards the next construction site across the street. Spider-Man noticed the freakish expressions of the Demon masks behind the controls. 

    He took a deep breath. "What a normal life you have, Peter Parker," he muttered before taking off at a run. When he reached the edge of the construction site, Spider-Man stepped one foot up onto the fencing and somersaulted off. He tilted his body into a nose dive, gaining speed before throwing out his arm and his web caught the neck of the crane. He swooped around the side of the construction sites, following the path of the helicopter. 

    Spider-Man swung straight into the raging gunfire battle between Demons and Fisk's men. He let go of his web and landed in the centre of the fight with a thud so powerful that the concrete cracked underneath his knuckles. 

    "Sorry, I'm late to the party! I got you a present though▬!"

    With a flick of his wrist, Spider-Man yanked the entire bar of heavy steel down from the hook of the crane above, knocking back every unlucky Demon who didn't duck in time.

    It was a blur of bullets and white-blue negative energy that split the air harsher than the gunfire. Spider-Man dodged and ducked▬leaping over the heads of more Demons than he could count, his spider-sense hitting him from every direction. It was like standing in the centre of the arctic▬his skin was alight with goosebumps, his hair stiff and on edge, and blood pumping so hard he felt it pounding in his ears; warning him of even the slightest shuffle of polished boots the Demons made on the concrete ground. 

    East Midtown▬once so silent, its peace was now jarred with gunfire and shouting from Fisk Construction. Spider-Man had found himself in the middle of a gang war, and somehow had to fight his way out of it by himself. 

     This had been the plan of the Demons from the get-go, he was sure of it. Attack all of Fisk's territories while he was in prison and his men were left licking their wounds, struggling to keep his empire from falling. They started small▬with little skirmishes at warehouses, auction houses and old ports. But the construction sector was the key investor in Fisk's revenue and power, and if they got control of Fisk Constructions, that would be it▬they would win, and usurp the King Pin's throne.

    Spider-Man couldn't believe he was helping one of his greatest enemies from losing his empire after finally managing to get him behind bars, but here he was.

    He couldn't help but feel as though Fisk had warned him of this. The ominous message he had left before the prison truck doors had slammed in his face: "One month, and you'll wish you had me back!"

    Spider-Man had perhaps opened Pandora's Box, and this here was the climax of the consequences that ensued▬this was his responsibility, whether he liked it or not, and he had to stop these Demons once and for all. 

    Once this was over, Spider-Man would finally be able to solve all of his other Peter Parker problems. 

    He launched one Demon up into the air, snatching him with a strong web grip and swinging him around▬he threw him back down onto a pile of groaning Demons; they all grunted and groaned even louder with pain. 

    Spider-Man landed against the wall and pushed off, tackling another▬they both rolled across the concrete; scuffling until Spider-Man landed a heavy punch that knocked him out.

    He took a few deep breaths, already feeling a stitch on his side. Peter would think after years of being Spider-Man, he'd forever be in perfect shape, but somehow, he was never enough (of course, it might have something to do with all the takeaway he had and the pizza, but, hey! When did he ever have the time to cook something properly?).

    Pushing through the jab at his side and the stiffness of his bad shoulder, Spider-Man ran to the edge and swung himself up a few levels where he heard even more gunshots. He didn't have the luxury of stopping and having a break▬nor the luxury of another Spider-Man to fill in the gaps where he couldn't. He was in no superhero team, and had no sidekick▬Spider-Man had to save the day all by himself, and he couldn't lose; because when he lost, people were killed.

    "Hey guys!" he let out as he yanked a few of the guns out of the Demons' hands and they all glanced up, surprised before Spider-Man landed in front of them, shielding the cowering Fisk workers who stood no chance. "Who's ready for their hot fresh cup of bodily harm?" 

    When one charged, Spider-Man flung the gun back towards him, "▬Think fast▬!" and the assault rifle went thwack! against his mask. "Oh! Whoops, better luck next time. Who's up next▬Whoa▬!"

    Peter flung himself backwards, only just narrowly missing the scythe that cracked the floor where he had just been. From it, waves of energy thrust up into the air, muffling Peter's ears and both burning him and chilling him to the bone at the same time. 

    Spider-Man stumbled, catching his balance at the last minute before he went tumbling off the edge of the building. He glanced back at the huge, broad-shouldered Demon whose arms were almost bursting the seams of his suit. Peter tried to shake out the weird feeling that tingled inside his arms▬he felt as if his blood was frozen. 

     The Demon spun his weapon and charged. But Spider-Man held out his hand. "Wait, wait! I have a question▬who tailored your suits? I'm looking for a nice black suit for the policeman's ball▬" 

     He made a wide swing and Spider-Man bent backwards, watching the edge of the scythe pass over a few inches from his nose. He felt his sinuses burn; and he still wasn't sure whether it was from scalding-white heat, or below-freezing icy blue. Peter narrowed his eyes, briefly taking the chance to watch the way the mysterious energy warp. 

     The sound it made was as if he was trying to hear something underwater▬it was muddled and muffled, but it was buzzing with energy; so much that he caught bursts of static between each manipulated tear in the atmosphere. Peter wondered, for a terrifying (but exciting) moment whether he was seeing some form of dark matter right before his eyes. Dark matter was invisible▬no human eye could see it, and no human mind has been able to fully comprehend what it truly was; mostly because it was both intangible and tangible, invisible to the eye and impossible to touch. 

     No, it couldn't be dark matter, but he couldn't be sure that it was simply electricity either. But it was some form of energy manipulation with a major electrical component, Peter could be sure of▬something unstable, something negative, something new and unheard of; something he should be afraid of.

    Spider-Man twisted his body, leaping away from the glinting, sharp curved claw of the scythe. He pushed off the Demon's shoulder. As he stumbled for his balance, Spider-Man spun around midair and his webs gripped around the hilt of the scythe, tugging it harshly out of the man's grip. 

    He swung it back around and slammed the weapon's hilt against the Demon's mask, landing with the man unconscious at his feet. 

    Spider-Man stepped over the unconscious bodies and marched up to the cowering Fisk thug. He gasped and held up his arms▬though what he wasn't expecting was Spider-Man to simply take the phone out of his vest and dial the number at the top of the man's contacts.

    "Fisk," said Spider-Man once the King Pin picked up. "Your men are safe. Now, your turn: Who runs the Demons?"

    Fisk simply chuckled. "Maybe he's there," he mused and Spider-Man scowled. "Maybe he isn't. Check the roof."

    "You know, I've missed these cryptic talks of ours, Willy."

    The King Pin let out an exasperated sigh, and that was the last Spider-Man heard of him.

    Peter frowned and glanced up at the rooftop of the highrise construction site where the helicopter had landed. He wondered how Fisk knew what was going on from behind his cell bars in the RAFT, but that was a problem to figure out later. 

    He dropped the phone back into the worker's lap and flung two strong webs up the side of the building. Spider-Man pulled himself up and ran along the concrete skeleton of the highrise, pushing through the sudden burst of wind from the helicopter's propellors.

    Spider-Man swung onto the rooftop, landing on the top of a large generator directly in the helicopter's shadow. The sight before him was a gruesome one. A lonesome Demon stood over the lifeless body of one of Fisk's men, gripping a longsword shrouded with the same mysterious energy all of the masked men seemed to wield. Instead of blood, the gash on the worker's chest was mangled, but smouldering; as if he had been castrated with hot iron. 

     The Demon locked eyes with Spider-Man, a malicious expression etched into the wood of his mask. Without a word, he turned on his heel and started to climb up into the back of the helicopter where one of his Demon buddies was waiting. 

    Spider-Man set his jaw and quickly thrust out his hand▬his webs snatched the back of the man's jacket, but he sliced right through them with his sword. Peter cursed when the helicopter began to rise and he pressed both triggers of his webshooters; multiple desperate twisted threads stronger than steel grappled for the bottom of the helicopter. Spider-Man planted his feet firmly on the generator and pulled▬the helicopter whirred viciously in attempts to break free. 

    Peter's feet skidded and dented two heavy footprints into the top of the generator as he forced his webs down. The helicopter slowly started to pull back towards the rooftop. 

    He would've managed it until something shifted in his periphereal. Spider-Man's lenses widened and he had no time to react when one Demon shouldered a rocket launcher and pressed the trigger.

    (Who the hell brings a rocket launcher to a helicopter fight?)

    It hit the generator and Spider-Man was thrown off. Somehow, his webs still remained attached▬but the generator was forced off its brakes. The helicopter sped away, and took the generator along for the ride like a humongous, bright canary yellow wrecking ball.

    It swung and slammed right into the neck of the huge crane at the top of the highrise. The entire building shook. Spider-Man heard a series of clangs▬a cascade of multiple steel casings snapping and breaking apart. He pushed himself to his knees, a horrible feeling dropping into the pit of his stomach. 

    The building continued to tremor violently▬a low and long, violent creak made his spider-sense sharpen painfully and he looked up. His eyes widened and his heart leapt up into his throat to see the humongous crane tilt dangerously; it swayed. 

    And with a loud, sickening groan, it began to fall. 

    Spider-Man slumped. "Oh, come on▬"

    Shaking the dizziness from his head, Spider-Man pushed himself into a sprint. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the rooftop, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. As the crane tilted down towards the busy Midtown street below, he threw out his hands. Webs wrapped around the neck of the crane and he tugged with all his might.

    His feet skidded▬the force of the crane's momentum almost sent him tumbling over the edge too. "No, no▬" Spider-Man gritted his teeth and let out a desperate cry of effort as he pulled. "No, no, no▬Come on▬!"

    Concrete dust kicked up around the soles of his feet. His toes were dangerously close to the edge. Spider-Man forced his body backwards, using all of his strength to keep the crane from crashing onto the people of New York below.

    The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Peter glanced over his shoulder a second too late▬

     Something large and very heavy slammed into his side. Peter remembered a blinding flash of yellow before he blacked out▬and the world around him disappeared into a brief nothingness.

    Next thing he knew, wind was howling. Screams jolted him awake, and the city was a blur around him. Peter's heart skipped a painful, terrifying beat as he watched the rooftops of skyscrapers get further and further away from him▬the sun glared down onto him, blinding him in a state of confusion.

     Until the screams pierced his ears through the beating wind, and Spider-Man hitched a gasp in the back of his throat▬the crane was seconds away from collapsing into another building; and with it, the highrise would surely fall.

    Spider-Man cried out and battled against the wind, forcing his hand out and pressing his fingers down onto the trigger on his wrist. Bursts of webs sprung out and threaded together. They wrapped around the scaffold bridge between the two Fisk construction sites. Spider-Man swung wildly underneath it, arching up high into the afternoon sky.

    He let go and twisted his body last minute, reaching and managing to grab onto the edge of the crane's neck. He glanced down for a moment and his stomach lurched▬his view tunneled of the street below, watching people stampede away as the crane got closer and closer. 

    Spider-Man gritted his teeth and crawled up the length of the neck. Once he got his balance, he pushed himself up into a desperate run. He breathed heavily, his feet pounding on steel. 

    He glanced around, searching for a way to stop this crane before it was too late. A thousand possible scenarios filtered through Peter's brain faster than the pace of his racing heart▬until he saw the broken steel reinforcements a few metres up, and he had a crazy idea.

    He pushed himself to run even faster. When Spider-Man reached the first steel support, he threw out an arm to the nearest highrise and pressed down on his web shooters▬once, twice, three times▬

    At least ten strands of webs wrapped together and spread out, gripping tightly onto the outside of the concrete, reinforced support beams of the nearest construction site. Spider-Man flipped off the neck's edge and swooped a shallow arch underneath. He hit the concrete of the building and attached his webs before leaping off once again.

    Spider-Man stumbled across the yellow steel, frantically climbing further up the neck of the crane. It shook violently when it grazed the corner of the corporate tower block, and Peter ducked to avoid debris of shattered glass, concrete and steel. 

    He narrowly dodged a cement block, diving off the side of the crane and catching it in his webs as he looped around the underside of the neck's centre. 

    Spider-Man continued to spin a bridge of webs between the crane and the buildings he passed, the screams of onlookers below forcing Peter to push his legs to run even faster. His calves burned; his feet ached with each pounding step across the metal. 

    As the crane tilted closer to the Midtown East police precinct, Spider-Man cursed. "Go, go, go, go▬come on, Spider-Man▬!"

    Peter tugged himself further up the neck with his webs and somersaulted down towards the street. He wrapped up the underside of the crane and swooped upwards, pulling his webs with him. He caught the hook of the crane as it swung dangerously close, cushioning its blow against the brick of the police station with the remainder of his webs▬

   It stuck. 

     Wrapped in a meticulous spider-web that stretched on for almost a mile over the heads of New Yorkers below in the streets, the crane did not budge even an inch. 

    Spider-Man hung his head and slumped against the brick exterior wall of the station▬filled with so much relief he could pass out then and there. "Did that just happen?" he let out, feeling a little light-headed and queasy. Peter nodded to himself. "Yeah ... that just happened."

    But this wasn't over. 

    Amongst the cheers, Peter filled his web shooters and dived. He fixed his gaze on the helicopter fleeing in the distance, carrying a destructive yellow wrecking ball at its tail. 

    He expected a phone call from Captain Yuri Watanabe. And as soon as her call connected to his suit, she demanded, "You better have a good explanation for this. I'm getting reports of a ... helicopter with a wrecking ball?"

    Spider-Man took a sharp right, swinging a wide arch around the corner of an apartment complex. "Yeah," he managed as he dived to pick up speed after the fleeing helicopter, "uh ... I mean, I can explain ... but I don't think it'll be a good one. Things with the Demons got ... complicated."

    He swooped between two braking cars and threw himself high back up into the air. At Yuri's sigh and her silent apprehension, Peter quickly reassured her, "Just▬Sit tight Yuri, I got this."

    Spider-Man winced when the wrecking ball crashed right through a Just the Facts with J. Jonah Jameson billboard. "Please let me got this..."

    He tried to disguise his comment, but Yuri heard him. "That helicopter is destroying the city!" she said curtly, very urgent. 

    "I know," Spider-Man ran along the windows past curious workers having lunch and leapt off, following the helicopter as it neared Times Square. 

    "You need to bring it down!"

    "I know!"

    "Maybe you could super-hero a little faster?"

    Spider-Man tucked his arms close to his body and slipped through the cracks between two narrow billboards. "Working on it, Yuri!" he let out, a little frustrated. "Call you when it's done!"

    He was glad she ended the call then and there. It wouldn't have been a very promising, positive reassurance to hear the sound of Spider-Man and the generator wrecking ball from the helicopter crashing right through and shattering the bright red Ellie Jude Hotel sign.

    Through the bruises and broken letters, Peter managed to grab ahold of the side of the generator. He let out a startled yell as the generator swung low through the street▬and he was taken along for the ride. 

    Spider-Man braced himself as the generator smashed into the side of an office building. The windows shattered and Peter toppled to the carpet. He gasped and stumbled to his feet, staggering into a run as the generator rolled. 

    He leapt over chairs and slid under work desks. Shattered plant pots, computers, papers and broken furniture went flying over his head. Being chased by a generator was definitely not on Peter Parker's to-do list today, but here he was anyway.

    The end of the hallway drew closer. Peter gasped and leapt over one final desk before ducking his head low. The generator hit the desk and both it and debris of splintered wood went spinning overhead. Spider-Man watched the bottom of the generator pass inches above his nose before smashing through the next window. He pushed himself up and flung a desperate web after it to stop its momentum▬

    Peter yelped when his insides lurched before his body, and he was pulled along.

    Both Spider-Man and the generator rolled and spun in the air before they hit the rooftop of the next building. Peter gritted his teeth and felt his bones jar as the ceiling collapsed and the generator fell through. He almost bit off his tongue when the generator hit the carpet and Spider-Man was tossed down the hallway. 

    He groaned when he hit a sofa▬he went tumbling with the cushions before he broke his fall by grabbing onto the concrete pillar in the centre of the office kitchen. 

    "Agh," Peter grunted as he struggled to stand up. His chest was burning. "That's at least five broken ribs then and there▬" he took a deep breath and winced. "Maybe six."

    He limped onwards, pushing off the column and breaking out into a run. "God, I hope I live to regret this▬" he stepped up onto the office desk and twisted his body, dodging rounds of gunfire that shattered the office floor windows as the helicopter veered past the windows.  

    The room trembled and shook when another rocket struck its mark, leaving a nasty gaping hole in the plaster where Peter had been mere seconds ago. The lights and ceiling squares cascaded down, and Spider-Man ducked to the side. He zipped through a cross of fallen, broken plumbing and swung from the lighting grid. Spider-Man spun mid-air, feeling bullets graze past his suit, missing by nothing more than a hairline fracture. 

    Determined, Spider-Man held out his hand and struck a web straight for the helicopter that sped past the gaping, broken plaster and brick walls. He tugged himself forward and tucked in his arms▬Spider-Man shot straight through the open helicopter door and into the back seat.

    His feet landed square into the chest of the first Demon, and he let out a strangled yell as he went flying. "Hi, is this the flight to Newark?"

    Latching onto the bottom of the helicopter, Spider-Man caught the man and he flailed his limbs, his strangled screams coming to an abrupt halt as webs locked around the arch of his foot and suddenly, he was left struggling▬stuck on a stretch of web against the side of the office building.

    Spider-Man crawled back up the side of the helicopter. He flung sideways to avoid the wild swipe of the second Demon's magical blade. "So, this is your master plan?" he said as he reached the top of the helicopter. "Replace Fisk?"

    He clenched his fist and punched the top hatch of the helicopter. The bolts flew off the metal plate, and Peter gripped the edge, gritting his teeth as he forced the hatch off▬revealing the engine that burst into flames. 

    "Pesky spider!" shouted the Demon, jabbing his sword upwards and Spider-Man darted out of the way. "Fisk is only the beginning!"

    "You know how many bad guys say that to me?" Spider-Man crawled to the other side. "I hate to tell you, the suspense on that line is no longer there▬Whoa!"

    Peter felt his heart leap as he stared at the sword blade where it had sliced right through the metal of the helicopter and lodged itself inches from his face. Spider-Man looked over at the Demon hanging out the side of the chopper and as he struggled to pull his sword out, he lifted his feet and kicked his wrist to disarm him. "That is reckless flying! Afraid I have to ask you to pull over the helicopter, sir!"

    He swung down and landed another kick▬the Demon tried to grab him as he fell, shouting angry curses. Spider-Man webbed him up next to his friend. Peter crawled back up to the top of the helicopter, fighting against the vicious wind and feeling the propellers spin above his head so loud his eardrums might burst. He slammed his hand down onto the second engine hatch and lugged it off, ripping the bolts right out of their sockets. 

    Peter ducked to avoid the flames as the engines failed, and the helicopter began to spin out of control. The pilot yelped and hid his head in his hands as the controls short-circuited. Spider-Man desperately clung on as the helicopter started to lose altitude, tilting into a nose dive towards Manhattan.

    (He hadn't gotten this far into his plan).

    "Uh▬" Peter rushed to the head of the helicopter. "Plan, plan ... Come on, Parker, think of a plan▬"

    As they drew nearer and nearer to Manhattan's city skyline, Spider-Man flung two webs for the corners of the first two high-rises and attached them to the nose of the helicopter. "I guess this is the plan▬!" He pulled them back like the reigns of a horse and immediately regretted it as they swooped low towards the street. "THIS WORKS SO MUCH BETTER IN THE MOVIES▬!" shouted Spider-Man, his voice getting lost in the wind as people slammed the breaks in their cars, and pedestrians screamed and ran for cover (or took out their phones to record).

    The helicopter scraped the road▬it skidded with an impact so harsh, that its tail snapped off with a loud snap and burst of sparks. The tarmac split and broke off leaving a jagged, long and winding crevice path behind them. There were more screams as people ran for their lives to avoid the sharp spinning propellors. 

    Peter glanced back at the wayward tail and cursed. He dropped down to the bottom of the helicopter and tried to aim his web shooters towards the spinning, out-of-control propeller. "Come on," he said through gritted teeth. "Come on, Pete. You got this, you got this▬" 

    He pressed his fingers down hard on the trigger just as they closed in on a pedestrian crossing. Spider-Man forced his hand upwards, and the helicopter's tail swung back into the air in the nick of time. A young teenage girl peered out from where she had been hiding in her mother's arms. Seeing the propellor smothered in webs and stuck against the brick facade of a rooftop restaurant, she laughed and threw her hands up into the air in celebration. "GO SPIDEY!"

    Spider-Man returned to the nose of the helicopter, pulling at his makeshift reigns and forcing the chopper upwards. It spun widely in circles down 5th Avenue, past the Rockefeller Center and into East 49th Street. 

    He let go of his webs and launched up into the sky. He somersaulted back over, gazing down at the falling helicopter. He held out his hands. "Don't screw this up ... don't screw this up▬" Spider-Man muttered before pressing down on the trigger of his web shooters as many times and as fast as he could.

    Webs latched and spun▬they stuck and interlocked, threading over and over together as more and more sprung and joined, gripping onto the brick facades and concrete walls of towering buildings on either side of the street. The helicopter struck them, and Spider-Man's web bent dangerously low towards the intersection. He held his breath, but then, the chopper slowed; it stabilised▬

    Spider-Man landed on the top of the broken helicopter amongst the smoke and the flames, in the centre of his web as it settled above the many heads of passing New Yorkers. 

    They all glanced up and ventured out from their hiding places, and collectively, they brought their hands together and cheered▬crying out their thanks to the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. 

    Amongst the growing crowd, one fifteen-year-old had a bright grin on his face behind his phone camera. He stared up at Spider-Man, his heart swelling in his chest with awe and excitement.

    "Miles!" his best friend's voice startled him out of his awe. He lowered his phone and glanced over his shoulder, seeing Ganke Lee fix his glasses, pushing them up from the tip of his nose. "Hey, fanboy! Come on."

    Miles rolled his eyes at his friend but stopped his recording and jumped back up onto the sidewalk, quickly catching up to Ganke's shadow. He tugged at the hem of his Brooklyn Visions Academy tee shirt and the sleeves of his jacket, pretty chuffed over getting to see his favourite superhero save everyone's life first-hand. 

    "That was so cool!" he told Ganke as he matched a walking pace beside him. "Did you see Spider-Man? He was like▬" Young fifteen-year-old Miles Morales went into an elaborate recollection of the event with many hand gestures, "▬and then like▬and then just was all like▬Dude! So cool!"

    "Yeah, yeah," Ganke waved him off, more excited about getting home without any more potentially life-threatening disruptions. "And next week he'll stop some new supervillain or a high-speed grand theft auto train or something..."

    "Man, imagine being Spider-Man," continued Miles, scoffing in his ongoing amazement and awe. He heard his phone chime and pulled it back out of his pocket. "Life would be so awesome and crazy."

    He glanced at his phone and frowned at the message from his father asking where he was. He staggered to a stop▬all of his awe and excitement washing away as he realised what time it was. "Oh crap▬I'm late. "

    Realising his friend was no longer following him, Ganke spun back around. "Hey, dude▬you coming?"

    Miles sighed and gestured to his phone. "Nah, man▬" he said apologetically. "I'm sorry, I gotta get to City Hall for my dad's ceremony."

    "Oh, right," Ganke walked back up to him and held out his palm for their handshake. The two friends went through a series of fist-bumps and finger-guns. "Tell him I said congrats!"

    "Will do," Miles saluted his friend farewell and swivelled his feet to head in the opposite direction. He had just witnessed the feats of a superhero in the air, now he was going to watch another superhero be congratulated for his feats on the ground. He grinned and took off at an excited run. 

 ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

    a/n: sorry it took me ages to get this out. my semester's now finished and i'm preparing to move out. a lot has happened since i last posted a chapter *laughs then cries*. life has been super hectic, and i have some family stuff happening right now too. tbh for a little while i couldn't even like look at this fic, stupidly enough the remastered face of peter parker reminded me of my ex, who broke up with me over text (peter parker would never) in july a few days after i last posted a chapter in this book, and then i was back at uni, and had so much happening, so many assignments, and kinda struggling mentally. but i'm back, and i'm in a much better place. even though i unfortunately lost my grandmother a few days ago, i'm in a better place than i was at the start of this uni semester.

    we've gone through a lot of character development this year haha, but we've come out of it better and stronger, and more comfortable in who i am, and the type of person i want to be, which i'll keep working towards next year. 

    anyway, lets move on from my oversharing and onto this chapter. it is ACTION PACKED lol. so much is happening. this mission was hectic, i was on the edge of my seat the entire time omg. (the amount of times i lost cos i pressed the wrong friken letters on the controller during the crane bit tells me i'd be a terrible spider-man haha).

    i'm not the best at writing action scenes, so this chapter was pretty tough to write since its just action after action after action scene. but i hope it was okay and whoever's still reading this book enjoyed it <3

    also, lol, i had to include the rocket launchers at LEAST once. the amount of rocket launchers in this game is actually excessive. like why does every criminal, their best friend, and their best friend's uncle's dog have a rocket launcher??? like??? haha

    (miles <3).

    (minimal editing).