Peter comes back in a complete panic, despite not knowing the situation. I barely spare him a glance as I continue working my way into the Daily Bugle's archives to scramble their signal and buy some time. "Lia!" He calls as he rushes to me, head on a swivel looking for danger. "What's wrong? I got your 'SOS.'"

"Sit down, take a breath, and promise me you won't get mad." I hold up a finger as I finish my current line of code. ARTI's suggestions and guidance floods across my lenses as he rallies the troops to meet me in the chat.

"Fine, but you have to tell me what's wrong."

I bite my lip, setting the pieced together computer aside, "Beck had a contingency plan, which included a video that's edited to frame you for the attacks in Europe and London." Peter opens his mouth to say something, but I stop him. "That's not all. He exposed your identity and sent the video to every major news outlet worldwide."

"What?!" He screeches and pulls at his hair and paces the room. "Oh my god. Everyone's going to know I'm Spiderman. My enemies are going to know my real name."

"Pete," I yell at him and grab his hand to keep him from burning a hole in the floor, "I have a way to fix it, but you're gonna have to lay low for a bit."

His eyes immediately shift from fear to concern, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, and I can only buy us about half an hour before the news breaks." I tell him as I keep frantically typing. "It won't be a worldwide delay because the best I can do is mess with the local systems to buy a little extra time."

"If I may?" ARTI asks loud enough for both of us to hear. "I believe I may have a solution."

"I'm up for pretty much anything. So, go ahead." I tell him as I keep typing.

"I believe Will may be able to provide some assistance. I've been keeping my eye on his as part of the Umbrella Protocol you installed before initially leaving New York."

"The Umbrella Protocol?" Peter interrupts as he looks at me. "What's that?"

"A modified version of the Baby Monitor Protocol that Dad originally had in your original suit. It was a way to keep an eye on everyone close to me in case my identity was compromised." I avoid looking at him as I continue, "Plus, it helped me on the bad days to know you guys were okay."

"So, you were watching me while you were gone?"

"What? Did you really think I wouldn't check up on you?" I question with a raised eyebrow before returning the conversation back to the original topic. "How would Will be able to help us? Granted, he's as good with computers as I am, but I can only do so much."

"Alone, yes, but recently, he's become acquainted with a group of hackers like you and him. They're working against corruption in the media and large corporations that use their influence to spread misinformation or bury stories."

"Like what's happening to Peter." I grin at the idea of Will using his skill to fight for what he believes.

Peter looks at me with wide eyes, "And you. Whoever's behind the Trials framed you for all their crimes."

"Precisely."  ARTI cheers in agreement. "Perhaps we can reach out to them and recruit them to helping the pair of you."

I look at Peter, trying to gauge his thoughts on the situation. "What are you thinking?"

"That it's our best option." He replies matter-of-factly. "I won't turn down a chance to still be Spiderman without everyone knowing it's me in the suit, and I definitely wouldn't say no to clearing Phantom's name as well. People should see you as the hero you are."

"It's gonna be a while before people start thinking that again, but this will be a start." I sigh and grab Peter's phone. "You're going to have to talk to him."

"Why?"

"Because, I can't risk setting any systems off. It looks a lot less suspicious for you to call than a mystery number." I stare down at the phone in my hands. "Plus, I haven't talked to him and Trish since the week before I had to leave."

"Even when you were in London?"

"No, not even then. I couldn't even visit my Gran's grave while I was there." Tears prick at the back of my eyes, "You know they took care of her during the Blip? Trish wrote down, recorded, and cataloged all of her stories for when I got back. Will brought her fresh flowers every Friday like I used to do when I lived there, and both of them were with her when she passed."

"I remember you telling me about that. They kept in contact after you left, even though I couldn't tell them why."

"How are they? I only know so much."

"They miss you. After you left, we kept looking for you. They kept reminding me that we wouldn't until you wanted to be found, but we still kept going." Peter's hand finds mine and interlaces our fingers. "Guess they were right about that."

"I mean, I learned from the best—the best being the Avengers. It still feels weird that most of them aren't around any more." I squeeze Peter's hand. "But they taught me everything I needed to help keep you and everyone else safe."

"I don't think they meant for you to do it alone."

I shrug and dial the number in his phone. "I have to make a call too. We need all the help we can get, and we don't have a lot of time."

"Who are you calling?" He asks as his finger hovers over the call button. "And don't you think that could be a risk?"

"I'm just calling in a few favors. Maybe, but I'm taking every precaution to make sure it's a small one." I offer him a smile as I leave. "Go ahead and call Will. I'll be back in a minute."

I can tell Peter's not ecstatic over the idea of me making a call, but it would take too much time to explain who I'm calling and why. So I just leave it be for the moment.

"ARTI, turn on the voice disguise and call Eddie." I sigh as I hide myself in the bathroom.

"Are you sure? He wasn't exactly happy during your last conversation."

"He's got a raging symbiote attached to him; the man's never happy. But he owes me a favor, which I can use right about now."

"If you're sure." I nod, and ARTI activates the voice changer programming as he starts the call.

"Hello?" Eddie asks, sounding peeved as usual.

"Eddie, long time no speak." I pause as I can hear him groan on the other end. "And here I thought you were missing me."

"What do you want?"

"Straight to the point, I like it. I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything." He snaps, and I can't help but laugh.

"Sure and you got all those leads by yourself." I retort. He doesn't respond to that. "I need the video your employer is about to go live with. You know which one."

"You know I can't stop a story this big."

"I don't need you to stop it, Eddie; it's far too late for that. I just need the original file to prove it's fake."

"What do you mean it's fake?"

"Exactly what I just said. The video was fabricated to frame Spiderman, and to put a false identity out in the world to serve a ridiculous vendetta."

"So the whole things a lie?"

"Yes. I have evidence to prove it, but first I need to prove the video is fake, which is why I'm having this almost pointless conversation."

"And if I say no?" He questions, and I can practically hear him smiling.

"Don't test me, Eddie, or did you forget I know your venomous, little secret? Now before you climb on top of the Empire State Building to get upset—I'm not threatening you. I promise if you get me this file, I'll make sure your secret stays buried should the same happen to you."

There's a pause, and I can hear a faint huffing from his side of the call. "Fine. I'll get you the file."

"Good. You know how to deliver it when you do. Goodbye, Eddie." I hang up and breathe a heavy sigh.

My head is pounding, and I can't help but wonder how we'll get out of this one. Everything just feels so much harder than it did when we were sixteen. I should be worrying about colleges instead of if an unknown group of people capturing—and likely experimenting—on me.

Each breath gets more difficult the longer I think about it, but I can't stop. It fills my head until there's nothing but static. I claw at the collar of my shirt.

It's harder and harder to catch my breath with every passing second. Tears prick at the back of my eyes. I try to blink them back, but it just forces them out and trailing down my cheeks.

My fingers try to rub them away, but it only seems to get worse the more I try to stop it. A whimper escapes me. This is all my fault. Peter's in this situation because of me, and as much as I pretend otherwise, I have no idea how to get him out of it.

There's a soft knock on the door, and Peter's head peeks inside a second later. His eyes go wide when he sees me sitting on the edge of the tub in the middle of a panic attack.

It only makes me cry more. He shouldn't have to see me like this—not after everything he's already dealing with. Of course, Peter doesn't seem to care about anything other than making sure I'm okay. His arms wrap around my shoulders, and his fingers brush through my hair until my breathing evens out.

"You okay?"

"Are you?" I ask in response, but he just sighs. "With everything going on, I think I'm doing the best I can."

"Yeah, I guess we both are." He lets out a bitter laugh. "There's not exactly a lot of precedence for this. But at least we're doing it together."

"It doesn't change that most of this is happening because of me." I reply with a frown.

"It's happening because of Beck and his psychotic need for revenge. You're not responsible for his actions."

"Then why does it feel like I am?"

"Because you care so much." Peter tells me in a matter-of-fact tone. "There's nothing wrong with that, but you can't take everything on yourself."

"I know," I sigh and rest my head against his shoulder. "So, what did Will say? Can he and the others help us?"

"Yeah, he's gonna get them to help both of us. He said he's already been working on his own to prove your innocence, but now he'll just ask the group to help both of us."

"Good, and I called someone to get a copy of the video so we can prove it was faked, or at least delay it for a bit while they run circles to check facts." Peter's arms wrap around my waist to pull me closer to his chest. "It's gonna be fine. You and May just need to lay low until this is cleared up."

"I already told May. So she's preparing for the—" His voice drops off as his phone starts ringing in his pocket. I glance at the screen and my stomach finds a way to knot even more. Because Nick Fury just had to call. "It's okay. I'm sure he's just gonna help us with what's going on."

"Somehow, I doubt that." I mumble and try to keep from going supernova as Peter answers the phone with an exhausted, "Hello?"

"Afternoon, Parker." Fury's voice is tense and has its usual edge. "I'm assuming our mutual friend is with you?"

ARTI gives me the heads up that the line is safe, and I sigh, "Unless you're calling to tell me Beck is giving up his associates or you've got some magic fix for the damage he's done, I'm not in the mood."

"Beck hasn't said a word since we stuck him on the Raft."

"Then you're calling because—?" Peter gives me a bewildered look as I sass the Nick Fury.

"Because I figured you need help with what's happening, unless you already have that handled."

"We've got some friends working on it, but we need all the help we can get." I reply and grab Peter's hand as he starts to fidget.

"So, let me get this straight: your boy Spiderman got totally played, and nobody thought to call me?"

"I had other contacts."

"Besides me?"

"Yeah. In case you forgot, you're not exactly easy to get a hold of, director of espionage and being overdramatic."

"As offended as I am, I guess I won't hold it against you. I'll do what I can. Meanwhile, you've got bigger problems." My heart skips a few beats, and somehow I already know exactly what he's about to say. "Those people you've been trying to avoid are back on your trail."

"How long do I have?"

"I'd say a day if at absolute best. So I suggest you move quickly and quietly."

Peter's hand squeezes mine so tightly, I almost wonder if he's trying to keep me from going. "What—but—how did they—how do they know you're here?"

"They've been monitoring all corners of the web for even whispers of Phantom. Apparently, her name popped up in a hacker group alongside yours, they put the pieces together."

"Thanks for the heads up." I do my best to keep my voice even. "Any advice on where to go?"

"I hear Belfast's nice this time of year. It'd be a good place to start." There's a pause. "Just keep your head down and keep moving. I'll do what I can to slow them down and off your trail."

"Okay. Thank—Thank you." I tell him before hanging up. This was what I've been dreading the whole time I've been here. I hate myself for knowing I was always going to end up back here.

Because now, everyone's at risk again, and this time it's entirely my fault.

"Lia," Peter calls after me as I hastily shove everything back into my bag, "what are you doing?"

"I don't have a choice, Peter. They know I'm in Queens. Plus, the second they figure out that Beck wasn't lying, and I'm here. We're all dead." I can't bring myself to look at him as I continue packing. "I can't let that happen. So yes, I'm leaving, and there's nothing you or anyone can do to stop me."

"I'm not going to stop you." He tells me, and I try to ignore the sting in my chest. "But I am coming with you."