Spiderman fired a line of webbing toward a water tower on top of an ageing tenement building. The anchor point let him change direction and swing around the building in a wide circle, landing on a stone gargoyle jutting out from the old theater on the opposing side of the street. Perching on the gargoyle, the black of his symbiote suit made him blend with the darkness of night; the only exception was the bright white of his eyes and the spider emblem across his chest.

New York had its bad spots, every city did, but Spiderman thought Gotham was all bad. Grim buildings of cold stone or lifeless concrete towered into the sky, casting dark and foreboding shadows over the streets below even on the brightest days. Gargoyles, all teeth, claws, and spreading wings, clung to every building in sight as if the city had been overrun and infested. With the orange tinted street lights at night, Gotham city created the illusion of Hell breaking through the sidewalks and into the mortal world, its demon host hanging on the buildings like bats while waiting to be unleashed upon humanity.

Pushing aside the distracting thoughts about the appearance of the city, Spiderman focused on the real reason for his being out of New York. On the street near the corner, a glossy black limousine pulled up to the curb. The driver quickly exited and hurried around to open the rear door. A bald man, easily the size of two people, stepped out and adjusted the cuffs of his white suit jacket. The man carried a walking stick with a diamond studded handle.

Wilson Fisk had long been an enemy as his criminal activities had drawn the attention of Spiderman and other heroes based in New York many times. As Spiderman watched him head inside the hotel down the block, he wondered what misdeeds had brought Kingpin to Gotham and what could be done to stop him.

Deciding a better vantage point might help him learn what was going on inside the hotel, Spiderman jumped off the gargoyle and fired off a line of webbing, catching on the edge of the hotel's roof. Because of the hotel being down the block from the gargoyle perch he'd been using, Spiderman's swing let him skim the pavement of the roadway, completely passing the hotel. Before his momentum was spent, the length of his webbing began to limit his forward motion. Kicking out with his legs, Spiderman changed the course of his swing, curving around the hotel and gaining altitude. He landed against the brick face of the building near the third floor.

Crawling on the vertical surface as easily as an unenhanced human might across a floor, Spiderman carefully peeked in various windows while trying to locate the Kingpin. A large ballroom on the ninth floor was brightly lit, but only three people were in the room. Two of the men were in dark suits and stood several paces behind and to either side of the third. Draped in long robes of flowing green, the final man in the room was distinguished and threatening all at the same time. Traces of gray marked the edges of his coal black hair on the sides of his chiseled face and faintly in the narrow beard framing his mouth. His blue eyes, sunken in deep sockets, had the predatory gaze of a falcon watching a mouse.

The gold plated doors of the elevator opened and allowed Wilson Fisk into the room. Spiderman watched the meeting, wishing he had some form of listening device hidden in the chandelier above the criminals so he might listen in on what they were saying. Fisk gestured to the two men standing behind the man in green robes, but no one else even so much as batted an eye. Spiderman couldn't tell if the meeting was going well or not, and before he could discern anything else, the meeting ended. Fisk nodded to the man in green and departed.

Deciding more could be learned by keeping an eye on Fisk's business partners, Spiderman continued to hang on the wall outside the ballroom window. The man in green and his two person entourage entered the elevator, and Spiderman saw the illuminated indicator above the door show they were headed up. Crawling along the outside wall, Spiderman followed the elevator, checking each floor to see where the three men exited. He followed them all the way to the roof where he discovered a private helicopter and three dozen men dressed like ninjas in solid black with only their eyes visible. Swords were sheathed across their backs and throwing knives lined chest bandoleers and the protective covers over their forearms.

The symbiote rippled slightly around him with anticipation, eager for a fight. Spiderman wanted to wait and observe, perhaps attach himself to the underside of the helicopter when no one was looking and go along for the ride to wherever these men were going, but he didn't get the choice as the men on guard were very observant.

His spider sense screamed at him as a thrown knife sailed toward his face. Spiderman dodged to one side, but the symbiote reached out with a tentacle-like arm from his shoulder and snatched the blade from the air, throwing it back at the man to whom it belonged. The warrior was extremely well trained as was evidenced when he clapped his hands together in front of himself, catching the blade of the knife between them.

The fight began with swords and knives being readied all across the roof. The man in green stood near the elevator, making no move to escape or join in the battle. He silently watched the action with fascinated interest.

Flipping upward and cartwheeling over the edge of the building, Spiderman landed on the roof to meet the attackers. Firing a web from each wrist, he ensnared the legs of two men as they rushed toward him with swords held ready. A firm pull on the webs jerked the legs out from under them, and the swordsmen fell flat on their backs. Spiderman had little time to enjoy the moment as the remaining warriors were closing in on him.

Spiderman webbed two of the men on his right before spinning in a circle. The enhanced strength provided by the symbiote, in addition to his own magnified abilities, let him swing the two warriors off the side of the roof and back around to slam into several of their companions. A few quick shots with webbing tangled them up further and made the entire group fall down and stick to the roof.

A man tried to bring his sword down onto Spiderman's spine, but a sharpened tentacle erupted from the symbiote and stuck the attacker in the shoulder, piercing him through like a spear. The tentacle turned flexible and whipped the man around to slam him hard up against the helicopter. With Spiderman and the symbiote working in unison, they were able to either disable or web up a third of the three dozen men, but everything changed when the man in green clapped his hands once.

The armed men sheathed their swords and knives, drawing out guns instead. Spiderman knew he'd never be able to dodge the amount of incoming fire. In the instant before he was about to be killed, a metal projectile lanced down from the sky and embedded in the roof. It had the appearance of a bat with sharpened wings. Spiderman looked up in time to see a figure dressed in black drop onto the roof, his long cape closing about him like a cocoon. Spiderman had seen enough news out of Gotham to recognize Batman instantly.

"Good evening, Detective," the man in green said in welcome, his voice as cultured and refined as his appearance. "I take it the newcomer is with you? Very well."

The man in green snapped his fingers and gestured. The warriors put away their guns and vanished from the roof like shadows in daylight. The man in green gave a nod in passing to Batman before boarding his helicopter and taking flight.

"What are you doing in Gotham?" Batman demanded in a low growl. Even with the lights from nearby buildings he seemed perpetually wrapped in darkness.

"I came here while following a crime boss named Wilson Fisk," Spiderman explained.

"The Kingpin," Batman stated simply. "Do you know why he's here?"

"He had a meeting with the man who just left on the helicopter," Spiderman explained.

"Ra's al Ghul," Batman identified. "He leads the League of Assassins. Did you hear what went on in the meeting?"

"No," Spiderman denied. "I didn't have a listening device in the room."

"I did," Batman admitted. He touched the ear of his cowl. "Have copies of the recordings made. I'm bringing someone to the cave."

Batman turned and headed for the edge of the roof. He pulled a small remote from his utility belt and entered a series of numbers on the keypad. An engine roared to life a moment before a sleek aircraft of solid black rose from a nearby roof and floated over to where Batman waited. The canopy pulled back, and Batman stepped off the roof and onto the nose of the craft, climbing into the pilot seat. He looked toward Spiderman.

"You coming?" Batman asked.

"Yeah," Spiderman said quickly. He jogged over and hopped onto the aircraft, getting into the seat behind Batman. The canopy slid back into place a moment before sudden acceleration pushed him forcefully against the seat. The buildings of Gotham raced past in a blur of gray.

Spiderman didn't say a word the entire trip, and Batman seemed used to silence and unwilling to interrupt it. Few outside of the Justice League had seen the inside of the Batcave, and Spiderman wondered what the other Avengers might think of him getting an invitation. His line of thinking brought an odd conclusion to his mind. Batman was famous for being a loner, hence the reason only the highest ranks of the Justice League had ever been to his headquarters. Spiderman thought something must be seriously wrong about Kingpin dealing with that character Batman had referred to as Ra's if Batman was willing to have help, let alone help from someone outside his usual circle. It made Spiderman wonder if he and Batman would be enough to stop it.