Scarlet Spider & Spider-Man: Hunters & Prey - CainFitzgerald3 - Spider-Man (2024)

Chapter 1: P1 - Prologue: The Hunt Begins

Chapter Text

(At a mansion somewhere in Russia...)

In a wide bedroom, a man with black buzz haircut stood in front of his wooden wardrobe, facing its mirror as he held a white bulletproof mask with two eye holes covered by one-way mirror lenses. Monotonous dark grey walls formed the room, filled with the man's abstract paintings resembling a large white featureless face absorbing colorful faces with features. On one side of the walls, a "Taxi Driver" movie poster was plastered on it.

The man, Dmitri Smerdyakov, put on the mask. It fit his face like a glove. Then, he spoke in a subvocal manner. "Face: Travis Bickle."

The mask glitched out for a few moments but seconds later, it managed to display the "Taxi Driver" character's face. The skin, the hairstrands, and other facial features looked pretty real, something he marveled at—although the mask was made of a prototype classified technology. Dmitri tried to do different facial expressions underneath the mask and it replicated them with perfect accuracy. He couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous expressions he'd done.

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?" Dmitri mimicked the character's American accent and voice with such accuracy, even his mannerisms. "Well, who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the f*ck do you think you're talkin' to?"

Knowing he nailed the performance, a warm smile formed on his face. Dmitri loved acting out scenes from his favorite classic movies, especially when becoming someone else other than himself like a chameleon. But his smile disappeared when he heard his smartphone vibrating on the desk. He immediately knew who sent a message to him. Dmitri picked it up and saw a notification displaying a message from Sergei Kravinoff, his older half-brother.

Sergei
Dmitri! Where are you right now? Get me a bottle of vodka this instant! I'm waiting at the training room.

He sighed and typed a reply.

Dmitri
Yes, Master Kravinoff... I'll get one right away from the wine attic.

He turned off the "face" and took the mask off. Dmitri glanced at the mirror with a dejected look. No matter how long he wanted to be someone else, he'd always have to return to being himself, stuck in a disappointing life. Not wanting to suffer his brother's wrath, he put away the mask and carried out Sergei's order.

...

*THUD!*

A severed head of a training dummy fell onto the floor after Sergei had slashed it off with two kukris he wielded. He sheathed the short swords into their respective scabbards and retrieved his repeater crossbow from his back. Looking down its iron sights as Sergei aimed the weapon at a few dummies, he proceeded to fire bolts at them and co*cked the crossbow repeatedly, piercing the targets.

A satisfied sigh escaped his lips as he put the crossbow on his back. Breathing heavily, he wiped off the sweat from his slicked back short black hair. He turned around and looked at some of the dummies, scratched and beheaded. One of them had throwing knives stuck on its chest.

Approaching a wooden bench and sitting down on it, Sergei looked rather annoyed despite being satisfied seconds ago. "Same old training with ordinary hunts along the way. The thrill is getting stale after these years..." He closed his hands into fists, gripping them tightly. "When will the time come for a target beyond ordinary to arrive before me? One that can match me and be a fighter as I hunt them down. When will the thrill of the hunt be ignited once more?! When!?"

The sound of the training room door opening interrupted Sergei's thought process, prompting him to turn to Dmitri entering the door with one of his hands holding a stainless steel tray. On the tray was a bottle of vodka along with a glass filled with a few ice cubes.

"Here's the bottle of vodka you wanted, Master," said Dmitri as he set down the tray gently on the bench close to his brother. He proceeded to unscrew the bottle and poured it into the glass, before setting it back on the tray.

"Finally." Sergei picked up the glass and drank till it was empty. He closed his eyes for a moment and hummed, savoring vodka's creamy taste and its coolness. "Wonderful..." Sergei opened his eyes, now with his smile returning. He put down the glass on the tray and rose from the bench. "I needed that."

"Another boring, frustrating day, Master...?" Dmitri looked at Sergei with a hint of sympathy despite not being treated as a brother. Deep down, he wished things were different for the better.

The older one simply nodded.

"I understand your frustration... I could only hope the wait comes to an end soon. Perhaps things will change for good."

As if on cue, their smartphones vibrated in their pockets, interrupting their conversation. The two men took their phones out and found out a familiar man was arranging a secure group call with them. It was none other than Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin himself. They'd used to train Shocker and Tombstone, Kingpin's right hand men, along with the henchmen in the past.

This made the brothers look at each other. Sergei grinned at the possibility of having a thrilling hunt while Dmitri had a reserved expression. Though the latter was glad to be back on the field, better than being stuck in the mansion. Not wasting time, they accepted the group call.

"Yes, Mr. Fisk?" Dmitri spoke in a composed, polite tone.

"What we can do for you, Kingpin?" Sergei asked with eagerness and thirst to hunt in his voice.

"Gentlemen... I have a job for you two," Kingpin spoke from his end. "But firstly, have you kept up with the news? Especially one about two certain Spider-Heroes from New York?"

"We have seen the news regarding the Spider-Men. I assume the job is related to them, Mr. Fisk?" asked Dmitri.

"Indeed. Them and the daughter of that traitor Walter Hardy had left some parts of my organization in shambles," he replied, "And given that I'm currently dealing with a war against Hammerhead and managing my business, I have difficulties handling those three annoyances."

A smirk formed on Sergei's face. "We'll kill them, Kingpin. When do we start?"

"As soon as possible. But don't get too eager. They defeated my enforcers and my men and got them all arrested. So I'd rather you study the trio first. I'll send you CCTV footage to help your study. Might take some time. And do keep mind that the Spider-Men aren't mere men. They are more than that. Be careful."

"Duly noted, Mr. Fisk," Dmitri replied, "Much appreciated. Is there anything else?"

"For the...fee, I shall pay you in advance asap, with the rest after the job completion. This assignment is essential. So do not disappoint me with your failure, gentlemen. I'm counting on you," Kingpin warned the two with a stern tone, before closing the call.

After the call, the half-brothers turned to each other with a nervous expression. From what the Kingpin had told them, their targets could be really troublesome. But then, it changed to revenge-fueled determination as they also wanted to teach the heroes a lesson for messing with the enforcers and the men they'd trained. Sergei smiled at the prospect of the challenge presented.

"Get ready to pack anything necessary, Dmitri. We're going to the United States," Sergei ordered.

The younger man nodded. "When are we leaving, Master?"

"Soon," Sergei replied. "For the great hunt...has begun."

Chapter 2: P1 - Chapter 1: Painful Burdens

Chapter Text

(Fifteen days later, at Midtown High School...)

"Peter... Hey, Peter!" the buzz cut brunette Kaine whisper-shouted as he tapped his sleeping cousin's shoulder a few times from behind. Peter's face was buried between the pages of his textbook on his desk. All that while holding a pen.

"Pete! Wake up!" the bob cut red-haired Annabelle whisper-shouted too. She shook his shoulder until he made a confused noise and lifted his head up, letting out a yawn. "Class is almost over!"

He blinked his eyes twice and rubbed them gently. Then, his mind clicked, realization slowly settling in. "Oh no, no... Not again," Peter sighed in disappointment as he could feel everyone's eyes, including the physics teacher, staring at him, drowning him in embarrassment. He turned to his identical older cousin and his friend, sitting behind him, with a guilty look. They could see the dark circles under Peter's lifeless hazel eyes. "Sorry..." was all he could utter.

Nonetheless, the class continued with the teacher explaining a lesson to the students through the drawing and writing on the whiteboard. Some looked like they understood it well, others had this look of utter disbelief as they couldn't comprehend what he was saying. But no matter what, they wrote down the notes on their notebook pages. Though a few of the students made cute, colorful illustrations to accompany their notes simply for fun, giggling at their own drawings.

The young Parker might have his eyes on the whiteboard to digest information. Yet as much as he wanted to focus on the class, his mind kept wandering to something else: a painful moment from two weeks ago that still left his heart in pieces. And he got nothing when the teacher finished his explanation.

*RING!*

"Ah, that's the bell," Mr. Kirby chuckled, "Alright, class! That'll be it for the lesson today. Don't forget to study for the next part of the lesson. For now, enjoy your recess. I'll see you in the next class!"

The students rose from their seats and thanked their teacher before going out the room. However, Mr. Kirby called Peter, prompting him to stop walking.

"Mr. Parker, may I talk with you for a bit?"

"Y-Yes, Sir..." Peter turned around and approached the teacher's table.

Mr. Kirby pulled an empty chair to his table for the student and said, "Please, have a seat." The teenager complied and sat down. Before talking to Peter, Mr. Kirby noticed that Kaine and Anna remained in the class and sitting on their chairs. "You two are not having your recess?"

"We'll wait for our friend, Sir," Anna smiled at him politely.

"You can take your time, Sir," Kaine said.

Nodding at their responses, the teacher then sat down and looked at Peter with concern. "Mr. Parker... This is the seventh time that you fall asleep during a class. This is a matter I previously heard from my fellow teachers since last week," he sighed. "What happened...? You were never like this before."

Peter averted his eyes from Mr. Kirby for a moment after hearing that question. He remembered the moment of betrayal from his former ally and friend Black Cat. Someone he put his trust in and it was thrown away. All because she didn't trust him and his cousin, despite them not having any ill intent. His hands started shaking in anger as he recalled that event. Time might have passed but the wound was still fresh. And Peter dared not to revisit that distasteful memory.

"Sir, I'm...sorry. I'm not sure I can talk about it. I just...can't," Peter replied, hesitant. He turned to face the teacher again. This time, his body was slightly trembling.

Mr. Kirby noticed the anger and the pain reflected on Peter's eyes. He didn't pry further and simply nodded in understanding at the young man. "That's alright. Whatever you are going through right now... I can only hope it'll be resolved, Mr. Parker," the teacher said in a sympathetic tone. "If you need help or just anything, don't be afraid to reach out, okay? The door will always be open. I just want the best for you."

"Thank you, Sir. I appreciate it..."

As the two conversed for a little bit more, Kaine and Anna watched them before looking at each other. Her forest green eyes meeting her friend's hazel ones.

"It really hurts me to see Pete like this, K..." she sighed deeply.

"Me too... He doesn't deserve to go through this pain," said Kaine with a saddened look. "But hey, maybe things will slowly go back to normal when he meets your friend tomorrow, right?"

"Yup. Bringing him with us to tomorrow's music competition so he'll meet Gwen, just like we planned."

"It won't be an easy process for them to be friends though, considering Peter's circ*mstances..." Kaine noted. "But it's worth trying. Since you trust Gwen, I trust her too."

"Better than nothing, K. It's for our friend," Anna smiled with such warmness.

Kaine returned her smile with a loving one. Every side of his close friend, no matter if it was lighthearted and kind or dark and crazy, he still loved her. Having someone who understood and accepted him along with his darkness, this was something Kaine could take comfort in.

Yet at that moment too, a part of Kaine remembered his own dark side. He'd been dreading for the day his darker self would come back. It all started with the day he helped Anna prepare for the competition she and Gwen joined. He thought he had gotten rid of the Other permanently. But his rather inhuman laugh in Kaine's mind might've proven otherwise. And said laugh would pop up again and again, haunting Kaine. All he could do was wait for the inevitable second return.

"Um anyways, you ready for tomorrow's competition?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the thought.

A chuckle escaped Anna's lips. "Mhm. Been preparing with Gwen. I'll be the guitarist and she'll be the drummer. Both of us are gonna sing 'It's on Again.'"

Kaine couldn't help but smile as he imagined Anna and her friend performing in front of the public. "I think you two will nail it," he said.

"Let's find out tomorrow then," she winked playfully, before leaning in to whisper to Kaine's ear. "I'll wait for you and Peter at my apartment till your superhero patrol is done."

The two shared a giggle for a moment and rose from their seats when they noticed Peter and Mr. Kirby finished their conversation, getting up from their chairs. Kaine and Anna exchanged a warm smile with the teacher, who returned it with a polite nod.

"Have a good recess, Three Muskeeteers!" Mr. Kirby smiled at the three students, whom chuckled at their nicknames, before collecting his stuff, putting them in his leather bag, and exiting the classroom.

The trio soon collected their books too and left the room, heading to their school lockers with the school hallway filled with conversations and murmurs from other students. After taking a bit to unlock their respective lockers, the teenagers stored their belongings inside.

"Pete, what did Mr. Kirby ask you if you don't mind telling me?" Anna asked.

"Uh, just him being concerned with me. Cuz of falling asleep in classes a lot," Peter smiled sheepishly and weakly. "I really gotta stop being the sleeping beauty. It's not like someone will swoop in and break my curse..." he laughed at himself with self-mockery.

As the three teens closed and locked their lockers, Kaine and Anna gave Peter a comforting hug and a pat on his back. The younger Parker closed his eyes, welcoming the warmth and love from his friends.

"Thank you..." Peter said when all of them pulled away from the hug.

"That's what friends are for, Peter," Kaine replied warmly, "C'mon, let's try to enjoy our recess and just talk about random stuff." It earned a snort from his younger cousin.

Not wasting time, the trio started walking to the school canteen on the floor below. On their way there, Peter smiled slightly, feeling safe, comfortable, and loved around his friends. They, along with his family, were the only ones he trusted with his heart. But that smile disappeared soon. No matter if he had love from the ones close to him, the wound of betrayal still ached deep inside, a painful reminder of the consequences of not listening to his parents' warning about befriending a stranger. And so, wherever Peter went to, bitterness and regret came along.

---

(Later that evening, in a therapist office...)

"So, Ms. Hardy..." Mr. Wolfman grabbed a notebook and a pen as he sat at his desk and looked at Felicia. "Since our first therapy session last week, did the medication I prescribed work?"

In front of the desk, the long-haired platinum blonde girl sat on her chair. She looked at her therapist with a neutral, albeit burdened expression. But no hesitance was reflected on her grey eyes. "It did. It made me feel a little calmer, though sometimes I still get a little...anxious around people," she bit her bottom lip nervously and fidgeted her fingers. "Because of...my fear and suspicions. Afraid of being touched inappropriately. Other than that, the medication did work. No side effects. And I'm grateful for that."

The man nodded at her understandingly and sympathethically and proceeded to write down what Felicia said. "I'm glad to hear the medication worked. How have you been from day to day since the last session?"

Silence followed the question. She was fearful to answer it because not much had changed. Perhaps things got much worse. She didn't want to burden her therapist.

When Mr. Wolfman noticed the kind of expression on his client's face, he knew what Felicia's thoughts were. He smiled gently and nodded at her with an understanding. "It's alright, Ms. Hardy. Don't be afraid. Take your time, no need to rush. I'm here to help you get through this. You are not a burden," he assured her.

"Thank you..." Felicia smiled slightly. Taking a moment to gain courage, she proceeded to answer the man's question. "Well, it's more or less the same- ...No, it's...worse now. My guilt for almost betraying my friends is eating me up inside so much. Something I shouldn't have done. And I regret it deeply. I get...angrier at myself as time goes." Her fists shook a lot as she told him.

"Does it...affect your education?" Mr. Wolfman asked with concern. He stopped writing down notes, wanting to converse with the client.

"Yes. It bothers my time at my university too," Felicia sighed, "I'm a mess nowadays. I...should have confronted my problems earlier. And all of my faults could've been avoided. I wouldn't have ruined my friendships." She paused, unable to help herself but recall the moment she had to reveal why she had to ghost her allies and friends in what was supposed to be their mission together in defeating Shocker, Tombstone, and their henchmen to cripple Kingpin's organization. And the Spider-Men's reactions began to echo in her mind.

"Cat... What did we ever do to you..? What did I ever do to you?" Spider-Man's words were something she clearly remembered. "Y-You know you could've just told me and Scarlet straight away and we'd listen to you at least. Even if we might not understand, both of us would still try to listen... We trusted you. I trusted you. And you did this..? HOW DARE YOU!?"

She also remembered Scarlet Spider's anger. "You've gone too far, Cat..."

Recalling that painful event, Felicia shook her head, disappointed with herself. "Genuine, good friends that I lost...just because of me almost hurting them out of irrational fear and suspicion. Friends that never had ill intent, unlike my ex-'friends,'" she said shakily, "Lots of what-ifs went around in my mind... Not a day went by that I didn't wish I did things differently."

"Are they the ones you told me about from the last session? Who told you not to contact or meet them again?" asked Mr. Wolfman, which earned a nod from Felicia.

"I respect their wishes but at the same time...my desire to seek forgiveness and closure, to mend past wounds. It keeps growing every day."

"Hm..." the man nodded and processed what she said for a moment. "Ms. Hardy. It's not exactly healthy to linger on the past and think about what-ifs that might not come. I know that feeling well myself... It's a rather toxic one."

Then, Felicia asked, "What should I do with these...feelings?"

"Focus on yourself first. Remember that we all make mistakes. And some things are just out of our control," he answered, "Forgive yourself and channel these feelings into something positive."

"Like...writing a poem?"

Mr. Wolfman smiled and nodded. "That could work. You like or love reading poems?"

Felicia chuckled, "I love reading them, especially the ones written by Walt Whitman. Maybe I'll write a poem when I can."

"That's good," the man replied, "Oh and...one more thing?"

"Yes, sir?"

"This is going to be contradictory to what I said earlier," Mr. Wolfman admitted, "But life can be full of surprises and miracles. You never know what to expect from it. Maybe there can be a...small chance for your friends to be open to you again. Never say never. But for now, focus on yourself first and foremost."

Hearing that, Felicia could only smile with gratefulness. "Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate it..."

...

About an hour later after finishing the therapy session, she rode a taxi on her way home. Inside the taxi, she looked out the car's window, staring at the dark sky at dusk, melancholy reflected on her eyes. Despite what the therapist had told her, Felicia still felt the desire to contact the Spider-Men again and seek closure.

In the midst of her thoughts, her smartphone vibrated, which interrupted her thought process. Felicia pulled it out from her jeans' pocket and noticed a notification, displaying a message from her mother Lydia.

Mom
Hey, Kitty! Just checking up on you before I continue working. How have you been this week? And how did the therapy session go?

A warm smile formed on Felicia's face when she saw her usual nickname from her mother. The one she got because of her love for cats. Felicia began to type a reply.

Felicia
Hi, Ma! I've been...the usual, I guess. I felt a little less anxious though bc of the med. And the session went well. Mr. Wolfman helped me. How have you been doing?

Mom
I'm glad the therapy is helping you even though it's a slow progress. But it's alright. Baby steps still matter. And to answer your question, I'm okay but busy as usual

Felicia chuckled at the last sentence.

Felicia
As usual, Mom. Btw, when are you gonna visit home again? I missed you, Ma

Mom
For now, it's indefinite... But I might be able to go back at the end of this month? I'll let you know, Felicia. And I got to go soon

Felicia
Ah okay, Mom. Well, love you! Ttyl when we both can

Mom
Love you too, Kitty. Ttyl!

Felicia put her phone back in her pocket and looked out the taxi's window again and sighed as she continued her thought process.

"It's been weeks... Maybe Spidey and Scarlet have changed their mind on this? It's probably my wishful thinking. But I guess it won't hurt to don my outfit again after some time and try to talk with them tomorrow or something... Maybe, just maybe... They've softened up. Maybe I can start over. Or at least that's what I hope..."

No matter if it was an impossible scenario, her mind still lingered on it, even after she arrived at her family's mansion.

Chapter 3: P1 - Chapter 2: Eyes on the Prey

Chapter Text

(The following afternoon...)

"And that'll be...8 dollars for your two hotdogs," said a street food vendor as he wrapped the hotdogs with paper and handed them to a customer in front of his food cart.

"Thanks!" the man wearing a pair of glasses accepted the food and handed the money in return.

"You're welcome. Feel free to buy again!" the vendor said, before turning his attention to the next customer.

The man approached an empty wooden bench nearby and sat down on it. Breathing softly, he looked at the sunny sky above New York City and smiled. He started eating one of the hotdogs as his eyes darted from one side of the street to another. Pedestrians walking on the street corner, some were walking their pet or talking or holding hands. Alongside a few vehicles passing by on the street a couple of blocks away. The usual life of citizens minding their business.

Before he could finish his hotdog, the faint sound of vehicles being crashed and police siren blaring caught his and other pedestrians' attention. They turned to the source of the sound, only to find two cars speeding away from a SWAT van chasing them. The cars crashed some vehicles in front of them, sending the vehicles flying away to the some street corners. The sight made everyone's eyes widened in horror.

The pedestrians gasped and quickly backed away before the vehicles hit them.

But the man couldn't react fast as he was too caught off guard with what was happening before him. A broken car was flying toward him mere meters away. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Seconds later however, he heard no sound of broken bones. He felt the same, no agonizing pain. Slowly opening his eyes, he gasped and let out a sigh of relief as none other than Spider-Man caught the car and carried it with little difficulty. The masked hero, wearing a backpack, set it down gently on the ground and looked at the man.

"You okay?" Spider-Man asked in a concerned tone.

"Y-Yeah. Thank you!"

Spidey smiled underneath his red mask and nodded. He turned around, shooting a web line to a building from his fingertip and zipped away, joining his cousin Scarlet Spider, who wore a backpack too, in their pursuit of the criminals in the two cars.

"Go get them, Spideys!" a pedestrian cheered.

With the cars increasing their speed and almost endangering civilians, the Spider-Men sped up their swinging pace, trying to catch up and prevent their enemies from causing any casualties.

"Darn it, the web-slingers are here!" One of the drivers radioed his team and the other at once. "Take them out!"

"Oh, with pleasure. They ain't gonna mess with us Hammerhead men!" replied one of the team members.

The criminals proceeded to open their respective cars' sunroof and windows, peeking out and aiming their assault rifles and SMGs at the duo and began to unload their rounds.

Scarlet and Spidey's spider-sense zinged and the two immediately web-zipped to walls of buildings close to them. They ran on the walls to avoid the bullets as they fired back with web pellets, before leaping off the surface and started swinging again.

A few of the pellets managed to stun the intended targets, causing the criminals to drop their weapons along the way.

"Hey, Webs! Just an idea," Scarlet Spider said, "How about if we split up and handle each car? It'll be faster that way."

"Sounds good with me," Spider-Man replied. And with that, Scarlet Spider zipped forward to focus on stopping the second car. When Spidey noticed three criminals from the first car recovering and about to switch to their alternative weapon, he shook his head. "Ohoho, I don't think so!" he landed on top of of a traffic light pole and spun three web lines, yanking the three men away to his position and webbed them together upside down on the pole.

As he glanced at the criminals' clothing style—hat and striped suit, the spider chuckled in realization. "Hammerhead's guys, huh? Man, y'all are still in your Godfather era," Spider-Man mocked the men before swinging away to catch up with the first car, eliciting an annoyed groan from the men.

The driver looked at one of the rear-view mirrors, seeing Spider-Man getting closer. He gritted his teeth and sped up the car much more. He didn't care if this would mean crashing into another vehicle or a pedestrian.

Not wasting time, Spider-Man landed on the ground and shot four web lines directed at the back of the car. He grunted and pulled the web lines with tight grips, his muscles tensing. At the same time, the driver tried to fight back by increasing the speed. No matter his effort, his vehicle couldn't escape from the wall-crawler.

The man stopped his car and exited the car, brandishing an SMG. "You wanna mess with me, bughead? Okay. Say hello to my li-" Two web splats covered his mouth and obstructed his vision. He let out muffled groans as he dropped his weapon and tried to get rid of the webbing from his face, only for a web net to greet him and made him stick against a wall.

"Geez, really?" Spidey shook his head amusedly, "Firstly, I'm a spider, not an insect. Secondly, c'mon man. What are you, Tony Montana?" He turned his attention to the second car and noticed that three of the criminals in that vehicle were already webbed on a wall by Scarlet. He zipped away with a web line and rejoined his ally, intent on assisting him.

As for Scarlet Spider, he was on top of the car and had to dodge a few bullets whizzing past him from the opened sunroof. They came from the driver's pistol, the man had to switch back and forth from firing at the masked hero and keeping his eyes on the road. When he was about to shoot again, Scarlet fired a web line and yanked his gun away. Startled, the driver stepped on the gas. But Scarlet Spider leaped forward a few meters from the car. He turned around and positioned himself, his arms extended and his hands open, ready to stop the vehicle.

Soon, his hands came in contact with the front part of the car. In the process, it almost knocked Scarlet Spider off balance but he regained himself not long after, held said part, and began to exert all the force he could to stop the car. This broke the vehicle's head lights and bumper, and put some dents on its hood.

"You're not going anywhere," Scarlet growled, eyeing him intently.

Startled and reacting on instinct, the driver backpedalled, trying to get away from him, only for the car to stop moving backward. The man looked at the rear view mirror and froze, seeing Spider-Man stopping the car's back part with his own hands. He turned his attention back to the front and his eyes widened in horror. Scarlet Spider had a stinger extruded from one of his wrists and pointed it at the driver in a threatening manner. Realizing his efforts were futile and he couldn't escape the duo, he turned off his vehicle and exited it. He raised his hands, ready to surrender himself and comply to the heroes and authorities.

...

After catching up with the heroes and having the targets arrested, the SWAT team leader took the time to express his gratitude to the Spider-Men. "Thank you... We couldn't have done this without you," said Frank Castle with a smile underneath his mask.

"We're happy we could help you, officer!" Spider-Man replied, "Gotta keep the city safe from the bad guys after all."

"Sir, we must thank you too for keeping the city safe when we can't suit up as heroes however. We can't always be around here as much as we want to," Scarlet Spider said. "We...still have a life outside of being superheroes."

"That's alright. We both do what we do best to protect our home," Frank replied.

As the spiders conversed with the man, they couldn't help but see one of the SWAT officers looking at them with distrust and suspicion. The two sighed softly whenever something reminded them that some New Yorkers didn't trust them.

Frank took an immediate notice and knew what was going on in their minds. "Uh... Look, I know a part of New York and a part of NYPD don't trust you but remember that some of us still appreciate you for protecting the city," he tried to assure them.

"We know, officer... But still, it..." Scarlet's hands shook in anger. "It. Hurts."

"It's...nice to remember that some appreciate us for what we do," Spidey mustered a weak smile under his mask. "Thank you, sir."

"No. Thank you again. You make this city safe for all of us."

"And so do you, officer," Scarlet said.

"Aw, man," Spider-Man sighed playfully, "We're trapped in so many 'thank yous' that we won't be able to continue with our lives and duties." The three cracked a laughter for a moment.

After the laughter died down, Frank cleared his throat and composed himself. "Well, we'll take it from here, Spider-Men. You can do what you need to do now."

"Hahah. Alrighty," Spider-Man nodded, before walking away with Scarlet Spider. "Officer? Love from your friendly-neighborhood webhead!" he saluted.

The man simply chuckled and saluted back. "Love from me and my family. We're big fans of you all!" he told Spidey and Scarlet warmly.

Both spiders nodded at Frank before zipping away with their web lines and swung to a nearby rooftop, landing on the ground. They sat down close to each other, panting after spending almost two hours patrolling around. They took out a water bottle from the pocket of their respective backpacks. The two proceeded to pull up their masks slightly and drank from the bottles.

"That was fun," Spider-Man said.

"And tiring. But thrilling too," Scarlet Spider replied. He and his cousin shared a smile before drinking more and laying their eyes on the buildings of Queens borough. Deep down, they were proud of being able to protect something with their gifts. Their home, their playground, their responsibility.

For a moment, Spidey felt relieved. All the fun and thrill during the patrol, along with saving and protecting civilians. It made him feel rather very alive. It made him forget the pain inside him that haunted him. Right now, he was living in the moment.

"Okay, I guess that concludes our patrol," Spider-Man said to Scarlet Spider. "Let's go straight to-" Before he could finish his sentence, he heard an audible thud behind him and Scarlet. The duo immediately closed their bottles and put them back in their backpack's pocket before standing up and turning around to face who it was.

No words escaped their lips. Anger and bitterness filled the hearts of the Spider-Men as they recognized a familiar masked feminine figure dressed in a black leather outfit, standing in front of them. For Spider-Man, it was as if an old wound reopened in an instant.

Black Cat kept her distance from her former allies and friends, sensing the awkward atmosphere coming from them. Yet, she looked at the two with hope reflected in her eyes, wanting to reconnect with the spiders and start over.

"H-Hey, guys..." she stammered. "...Um, I know I...made a terrible mistake. I should've not mistrusted you out of fear. But uh, I want to-"

"What the f*ck...!?" Scarlet's voice trembled with fury. He stepped in front of Spidey protectively. "Didn't I tell you we're done? I already told you not to come to us again. And here you are!"

She sighed, "I know but I just wanna...talk with you two again. It's been sometime..."

"Just leave us... Alone," he said bitterly. Before he could continue, Spider-Man patted him in the back, prompting the spider to turn his attention to the younger one. Spidey nodded at Scarlet that he would handle it instead. For a moment, Scarlet hesitated. But after taking a few seconds to think, he nodded back.

Then, Spider-Man walked to the side and approached Black Cat. "You really have the gall to show up here after what you did to us...to me." His voice was rather monotonous, laced with rage. "You made my life a living hell. Thanks to you, I can't focus on my civilian life. Moreover, I have sleepless nights... I'm trying to forget those but you--!"

"I... I shouldn't have-" Black Cat was interrupted.

"Pondering isn't gonna fix what you ruined. Thank you so much for breaking my trust." Those very words stung Cat's heart. And she stood there frozen, taking in what Scarlet and Spidey said to her.

Looking at her was sickening enough for Spidey, so he turned around to face the other way. "...Just go. Please. I don't want to see you ever again," he begged weakly.

"Spidey..." Black Cat tried to reach out to him for the last time to no avail.

His fists clenched and his shoulder tensed. Spider-Man glanced over his shoulder, anger boiling inside. "JUST GO!" he yelled, "DO I f*ckING NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF!? GET LOST TO WHATEVER HELL HOLE YOU CAME FROM."

It startled both Scarlet Spider and Black Cat. They never saw the spider curse before.

Spidey gasped when he realized what had come out from his lips. "I-I'm sorry," he profusedly apologized.

Choking back tears, Black Cat nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry too..." she replied as she turned around. She glanced at the two Spider-Men with pain in her eyes, before leaping off the rooftop and firing off the grappling hook from her wrist-mounted grapple gun. When she swung away from building to building, only then her tears began to roll down her cheeks.

After that whole confrontation, Spider-Man turned to Scarlet Spider and began to sob, tears running down his cheeks. "...Why is this happening to me?"

It made Scarlet's heart break in two. Seeing his cousin—a little brother of sort—who was once innocent and more positive, it pained him. Scarlet Spider walked fast and pulled Spidey to his embrace, comforting him.

"Goodness... Why? Why...?" Spidey cried out his feelings. "This hurts too much... Too much."

"Let it all out... It's okay," Scarlet assured him as Spidey's cries got louder and uncontrollable. "I'm here for you."

Feeling the warmth of his cousin's embrace, Spider-Man kept on sobbing until he calmed down moments later. Under the mask, he could still feel the wet traces of his tears on his cheeks. And his eyes were red. "T-Thanks for being here for me..." Spidey expressed his gratitude as he tried to compose himself, breathing shakily.

"Anytime... How are you doing now?" Scarlet Spider asked while patting on Spider-Man's back.

The young spider let out a weak chuckle. "Eh, still the same, coz... Goodness, I'm such a mess," he sighed. "Anyways, let's uh- Let's not dilly dally any longer. Anna's waiting for us at her apartment..."

Agreeing, Scarlet Spider released Spider-Man from his embrace. He looked at him with both love and pity. "He doesn't deserve all of this pain... I wish I could bear Peter's burdens," he thought deep down, before finally replying to what Spider-Man had said. "Agreed. We can't make her wait for too long. Otherwise, she'll be late to the music competition."

Not wasting time, the duo jumped off the rooftop and swung with their respective weblines, passing by tall buildings as they made their way to the meet-up location.

Unbeknownst to the Spider-Men however, a small hovering white drone had been recording everything from a safe distance to make sure its multiple rotors spinning weren't heard. It had followed them during their patrol and the pursuit.

After the two had disappeared from its sight, it flew toward a rooftop slightly far from the one where the spiders and Black Cat had met up. As soon as it landed on it, the drone stopped recording and its rotors stopped spinning. Close to it seemed to be an outline of a masculine figure almost invisible to the naked eye, blending with the background, akin to the effect of a lenticular sheet.

"Did you record everything, Chameleon?" Kraven asked through an earpiece.

The translucent figure began to decloak himself, slowly revealing an armed masked man in a dark grey form-fitting outfit with body armor and kevlar knee pads. He held his smartphone horizontally, using it to control the drone earlier.

"I did, Master," Chameleon replied. His voice rather sounded digitized slightly due to the mask. "Did you observe them until the end?"

On another rooftop, Kraven was in his usual hunting attire, wearing a dark brown leather jacket with fur, emblazoned with tiger pattern. He was armed with his crossbow and a pair of kukris. On one of his hands was a pair of binoculars.

"Yes. It confirms our guess that the Spider-Men and the Cat are not together anymore. They are divided." He grinned, "It will be easier to target them. But for now, let us return to our safehouse. We have enough new information."

"Agreed."

With the information they'd gathered, they didn't waste time and returned to their temporary home. Now they proceeded to study their targets further before deciding the next move.

Chapter 4: P1 - Chapter 3: A New Friend

Chapter Text

(Nearly half an hour later, in a taxi...)

On the way to the music competition location, it was rather silent. Peter sat on the front passenger seat, ruminating while Kaine and Anna sat on the back seats. As they were focused on their own thoughts, hardly a word was said.

Peter looked out the window at the buildings and vehicles he passed by with no warmth reflected in his eyes. Accompanying that was the neutral expression painted on his face. Even if he turned to the vibrant blue color of the afternoon sky to distract himself, his mind wouldn't move on from the recent encounter with Black Cat.

He let out a deep sigh as he thought to himself. "Meeting her... A mistake. It was an awful mistake. Everything would've been...alright. Now, I'm stuck in hell. Just how long it would be like this...?"

While Peter reeled over that, Anna and Kaine glanced at their friend with sympathy. The cousins had told the girl what had happened and she hated Black Cat for ruining Peter's mood. Then, Anna and her close friend looked at each other. Both knew what they were thinking at that moment. They could only hope that their plan for Peter having a new friend would work. If not, being there for Peter was already enough. The two shared a slight smile before Anna turned to her phone she was holding.

Her eyes stared at the music sheet on her phone screen. Anna began mouthing the lyrics written below the musical notes inaudibly, memorizing them as she recalled the times she practiced the song with a guitar. She would repeat the process again and again till she was sure she got it all memorized.

"Hey, Ann. Relax for a bit," Kaine chuckled, "You and Gwen will ace it, don't worry."

She rolled her eyes amusedly and looked at him. "And I need to memorize this sheet so I can ace it, K."

He shook his head and booped Anna's nose, surprising her. "And I don't want you to get stressed, Red. You already prepared enough... Chill down for a bit," Kaine smiled and looked at her eyes with such warmth and love.

The way he looked at Anna made her blush. "U-Um... Well, i-if you say so-" Such reaction made Kaine giggle, prompting Anna to playfully punch him in the shoulder. "Shush, K! Stop it," she tried to hold back from laughing.

"Nope. I don't think I will," he replied. And it earned a nose boop from Anna. "H-Hey!"

"Blehhh," Anna stuck out her tongue. Eventually, the two friends laughed together because of their goofy antics.

Peter looked at the rear view mirror and noticed Kaine and Anna sharing an adorable laugh. Seeing them like that made the corners of his lips turn upward slightly. "Man, these two should just date or something," he thought before letting out a chuckle. This, along with supporting Anna at the competition, would be a better distraction from thinking about that distasteful encounter. Besides, he'd love cheering for his friend.

"You seem to have good friends," the taxi driver said with a warm smile.

He nodded, "Yup. I do. They're my...amazing friends."

After a few minutes, the cab arrived at the location: a hotel. It stopped outside the hotel entrance. Having arrived at the destination, Anna took out some of her money from her wallet and paid the driver, along with a few more for his tip. The three friends thanked the man with a warm smile—a gesture he returned—before exiting the cab and walking to the hotel. They could see colorful, vibrant banners displayed for the music competition event. So many teenagers entered the hotel, with their parents and friends coming to watch their performances.

"Where is Gwen waiting?" Kaine asked as he and his friends entered the hotel lobby.

"Well, she told me she would wait here...?" Anna replied in a confused tone as she couldn't find her friend yet. "Where is-" Her eyes lightened up when she spotted a familiar blonde girl sitting on a couch, looking at her phone and mouthing something inaudibly, as if memorizing something. "Ah there she is..." The redhead had a mischievous smirk painted on her face, walking slowly to Gwen. "Hey," she tapped her friend's shoulder, startling the blonde.

"Ah, geez! What-" Gwen let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was Annabelle. She looked at her in a mix of amusem*nt and annoyance. "Girl, don't do that!" she said as she rose from the couch. "What took you so long?" she said in a joking manner.

"Sorry. Kept you waiting, huh?" Anna laughed and the two hugged each other. Both girls shared a smile for a moment before letting go.

When Gwen noticed Annabelle's friends, she smiled warmly and waved at them. The Parkers nodded and waved back with a smile. Anna had told Gwen she was going to bring them. Gwen'd met the cousins before, even though it was a short moment.

"We meet again!" she said.

"Yup. And we're here to support you two," Kaine replied, "You gonna ace it!"

"Aww, thanks. We appreciate it."

As she was about to turn her attention to Anna, something caught Gwen's attention. She saw the expression on Peter's face—one of sorrow and pain. There was only nothing in his eyes, as if he was "dead." The look on Gwen's eyes became that of curiosity and compassion. Deep down, something compelled her to reach out to him and help him, not caring if she knew nothing much about Peter.

"Gwen?" Anna called to her, bringing back Gwen to her senses. "Hello???"

"Oh shoot- Sorry, I kinda zoned out for a bit," she chuckled.

Annabelle raised an eyebrow amusedly and shook her head. "Anyways, come on. It's gonna start anytime soon. Better get to the auditorium before we're late."

The others agreed. So the group quickly entered an empty elevator and went to an upper floor where the auditorium was.

---

Around 25 minutes had passed and many participants of the competition had their turns in performing either solo or as a group. They played a music instrument they excelled at while singing an original song or a cover song. Pictures and videos of the performances were taken by either families, friends, or the organizers. Applause would follow suit, before the emcee commented on how amazing each performance was and announcing the next participants along with their choice of song.

During this time, Anna and Gwen waited for their turn. The girls would review once or twice the lyrics of the song they would sing later. Once they were sure they memorized everything, the two returned their attention to the participants singing on the stage.

However, Gwen couldn't help but sneak curious glances at Peter, who sat on her right. Questions popped up in her mind as she looked at the sorrow on Peter's eyes. She wondered what had happened that turned him into this. "Poor guy... I wish I could hug and comfort him right now... Or lend an ear too," she thought, sighing softly.

"Hm...?" Peter noticed that she looked at him multiple times. His hazel eyes met her blue ones, both filled with curiosity. He pondered if something from him got her attention. "What, is there something on my face?" he joked.

At that joke, Gwen chuckled. "Maybe yes, maybe not," she winked, which earned a snort from him. Both then focused on watching the singers' performance, although Gwen couldn't stop thinking about what was really going on in Peter's mind. Since she and Anna planned to go to a diner with the cousins after the competition, she decided that would be the best time to talk with Peter to know more about him.

Meanwhile for Anna, Kaine sat on her left. Like their friends, they both watched the singers. On one hand, she nodded her head, enjoying a K-pop cover song from the participants as an audience member. But on the other, she dreaded for her and Gwen's turn. Even if Kaine had assured her earlier, Anna still feared of ruining the performance.

Alas, the singers soon finished performing, which scared Anna further.

"Bravo! What an amazing performance from them!" the emcee gave the singers praises as they rose from their seats and smiled at his words, before exiting the stage and returning to their audience seats. All that with claps from the audience accompanying them.

For a moment there, Annabelle zoned out. She didn't hear the following words from the emcee. She looked down, trembling in fear. The girl could hear her own heartbeats. The inevitable was coming soon for her.

"...And now. Annabelle Adams and Gwen Stacy, representing Midtown High School, will come to the stage. Their choice of song is a rather popular one from a 2014 superhero flick. It's none other than "It's on Again" by Alicia Keys and Kendrick Lamar!"

"Ah f*ck. I'm screwed," Anna thought upon the mention of her name and Gwen's.

But a gentle pat on her back interrupted her thought process. She turned to her left side and saw Kaine's gaze on her. He smiled assuringly at Anna. "You've prepared for this a long time. Don't let fear overcome you. You got this," he said comfortingly.

Looking at her close friend, Anna smiled back. His words rang true. She must do her best, to make all the preparation worth it in the end.

Annabelle took a deep breath and exhaled, composing herself. Now that she was ready, she and Gwen rose from their seats and headed to the stage. Gwen sat down on a drum stool and picked a pair of drumsticks, with the acoustic drum set in front of her. On her left side was Anna, sitting on a stool and holding an acoustic guitar. Both had microphones attached on their respective mic stands.

Before the two girls started, Anna glanced at the Parker cousins, who gave her an assuring nod. While Gwen looked at her family, sitting two rows behind Anna's friends. Her mother, three brothers, and father—who was the NYPD captain—were all present there. Her parents gave a thumbs up, confident in their daughter. Gwen's mom then proceeded to start recording with her smartphone, wanting to save this very moment.

Focusing on the guitar, Anna played with its strings to begin the performance as Gwen started rapping the first verse of the song. All eyes were on her and her friend, but she stayed calm and kept doing her part.

From his seat, Peter's eyes widened in both surprise and amazement when he heard Gwen rapping. He blinked his eyes in disbelief multiple times, never expecting she could do something like that. He leaned forward a bit, watching her with intrigue—something Kaine noticed but he decided not to tease his cousin for now.

As soon Gwen finished the rap part, she started to drum, accompanying the guitar while Anna took over and sung the following verses and the pre-chorus. She and Gwen would sing the chorus together. Such a harmonious combination of their voices, the sounds of guitar strings, and the drum beats that enriched their singing.

Some of the audience nodded their heads, while the others tapped their feet to the song.

Seeing their reaction, the corners of Anna's lips turned upward as she sang. She turned her attention to Kaine, who winked and mouthed the words "I told you you got this." His support filled her heart with warmthness. She looked at the cousins and decided to sing for them. For Peter, who perhaps could see the song as a form of support, a reminder to keep going. For Kaine, who understood her—as if he was her mirror, not much different—and who was like her other half. And for them as the Spider-Men, to keep persevering through any obstacles.

Both Parkers knew why their friend sung for them the moment she looked at them. They smiled in response, touched by her gesture.

The girls kept on playing their musical instruments as Anna sang the remaining parts. Both of them beamed with happiness and enthusiasm. Gwen would sing with Anna again when it came to the chorus and repeated it during the end of the song, before ending their performance with a few drumbeats and a few musical notes from the guitar strings.

Soon, applause erupted in the auditorium. Gwen's family and the Parkers clapped happily at the two girls. The competiting participants also clapped out of respect, although some couldn't help but look at Gwen and Anna with jealousy.

Having finally done something she had prepared, Anna let out a sigh of relief. She and Gwen rose from the stools and headed down the stage, going back to their audience chairs while the emcee gave them praises and announced the next participants. Now, she could simply enjoy the rest of the competition.

"It's over... But at least we aced it," she said as she and her friend sat down.

"Heck yeah, girl. That we did," Gwen chuckled, prompting Anna to laugh for a bit.

Peter turned to the girls and complimented them. "You two did great back there! It was spectacular."

"Or sensational, among other choice of words," Kaine winked.

"Aw thank you," they smiled, "We appreciate it."

Then, Anna looked at Kaine with gratitude for believing in her. *"Merci de tout coeur, mon incroyable ami," she said. (*Translation: Thank you with all my heart, my amazing friend.)

"*De rien, Red," he replied, "That's what friends are for, right?" (*Translation: You're welcome.)

Touched by his words, she nodded and gently rested her head on his shoulder. "Yup."

Kaine blinked his eyes in surprise a couple of times, before smiling lovingly at Anna and letting her rest her head.

Seeing how close the two were, Gwen shook her head amusedly. She wondered if Peter saw it too, so she turned her attention to him. And she found him smirking at his friends.

"Lovebirds, am I right?" said Peter.

"So what Annie said about you is true after all, huh? You damn shipper," Gwen teased him.

"O-Oh shoot, you knew-" He averted his eyes from Gwen, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "She told you about me, huh- Oh man..."

She laughed at him. "Many, many times. But it's not exactly annoying, don't worry," Gwen assured him. She leaned closer to him and whispered, "I can see why you shipped them a lot. They're basically couple material!"

He looked at her in disbelief. "You agree with me?"

"Oh I do."

Both Gwen and Peter couldn't help but smirk mischievously. She felt bizarre and intrigued at the same time, seeing this livelier side of him. Something really bad must've happened to him that made him look lifeless. A thought that broke her heart. Now, she became more determined to find out more about Peter.

---

(Later...)

Right after the competition ended, Gwen's family returned to their apartment. Before that however, they'd reminded her to have fun and stay safe as she was about to hang out with her friends.

When Anna saw how loving and supportive the Stacy family was to their daughter, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as her own father—no matter if he wasn't related to her by blood—didn't attend the competition to support her. However, she could take solace in the fact that she had great friends who were there for her.

The group wasted no time and went to a nearby diner. It may not be as fancy as a restaurant. Yet, it was casual and vibrant, filled by many patrons inside as music played through a speaker attached on the wall. Some ate together and talked about everyday topics, others ate alone and did a crossword puzzle. A place the friends found fitting. For all they wanted was a fun time together. They sat down on two opposite diner booths and immediately ordered some food, snacks, and drinks, with Anna willing to decide to pay for them.

As they waited, the four conversed about ordinary stuff. The girls would joke and tease each other about how nerve-wracking the preparation had been, earning laughs from the boys. And Kaine and Anna would poke fun at Peter for shipping them many times as if there was nothing better to do, embarrassing him. But all was done in a friendly manner, no ill will.

Several minutes had passed and a waiter delivered what the group had ordered, setting the food, drinks, and snacks down on their table. They all thanked her, a gesture the waiter appreciated before walking away. And the four finally enjoyed eating and drinking. Sometimes, they would pause for a bit and talk.

"...Wait, you guys don't like horror movies?" Gwen asked the Parkers.

Peter shook his head as a response. "I'm not sure I can handle that kind of movie-"

"Yeah, we just stick to Marvel and DC movies," Kaine chuckled.

"Pfft. That's okay. Nothing wrong with that," Gwen said, "Maybe we can watch that upcoming Batman vs Superman in like four months? And then the third Cap movie two months later?"

"Hahah. Sure! That'll be fun," Peter replied.

In the middle of the conversation though, a news report played on a TV attached to a top corner of the ceiling. So, it prompted everyone, including the four, to stop what they were doing and turned to the TV at that instant.

"Just earlier today, an intense car chase between the police and armed criminals caused chaos across a few city blocks, threatening many lives," a reporter named Ben Urich narrated the news as footage of the chase was displayed on screen. "However thanks to the intervention of the Spider-Men, the police managed to arrest the criminals, who have been identified to be a part of a criminal organization led by Hammerhead. This marks one of the many times the masked vigilantes have helped the NYPD..."

While the report went on, the majority of the diner patrons and staff smiled as they felt safe with two superheroes protecting the city.

Seeing how everyone reacted to that, Kaine and Peter turned to Annabelle, who gave them a slight smile. One of gratitude for them being protectors of New York City and for them trusting her with their secret. The two nodded at her in return.

However, a neutral expression painted Gwen's face. As if she was unsure whether to trust two random masked figures with abilities beyond ordinary men, who could turn up as enemies any time and wreak havoc. Instead, she preferred to trust something more established like the police force. Although deep down, she knew how rotten it could be.

Yet, her expression was also that of a curious one.

She turned her attention back to her friend group with a look of disbelief as she recalled the past. "Things really have changed since two months ago..." She said, "We were in this ordinary world. Then, poof! They showed up out of nowhere. Now, we're basically living in the panels of a long-running superhero comic series... What a crazy world."

"I know right?" Anna agreed. "As if we're living in that 'Unbreakable' movie from 15 years ago."

"Yup. Things can be unexpected sometimes..." Kaine replied, glancing at Peter who nodded in agreement as they remembered when they received powers beyond imagination, something they never thought would happen in real life.

Gwen reached to one of her jeans' pockets and pulled out her phone. "This reminds me of something that happened 6 years ago," she said as she typed something on the search engine.

Anna, Kaine, and Peter shared a knowing look. They remembered that particular event back during their childhood.

"Ah, here it is!" Gwen tapped on a video and quickly adjusted the phone speaker's volume to something audible but not too loud as to not bother the diner. She then showed the screen to the trio as the video started playing. And their eyes went wide, as if it was yesterday they'd witnessed the event that went viral on news and internet.

"My goodness! What the hell is that?!" a man in the video exclaimed in confusion as he accidently caught a phenomenon in Times Square from a streetcorner while recording a vlog.

From a portal with cracks of space-time around it opening, a sleek, streamlined, futuristic fighter flew out of it. It caused chaos and fear among pedestrians as they moved away to the side in a frantic manner. The unstable plane flew straight in the middle, between multiple buildings left and right. Though the pilot tried to steer it away from buildings to avoid any collisions and casualties.

What was bizarre was that the aircraft glitched in and out of existence, along with the pilot.

The man managed to catch a few details. The first detail was a circular emblem with a golden section on the top and a grey section on the bottom, with the emblem's central part resembling two hands folded in prayer. The second was an all-uppercase italic word "SLIPSTREAM" next to the emblem. And the last one being a small glimpse of the pilot: a female almost in her early 20s dressed in a blue and yellow flight outfit with a long white scarf wrapped around her neck.

Soon, the aircraft disappeared into another portal, leaving everyone befuddled.

After the video ended, Anna and the cousins recalled how the phenomenon turned the world nuts for a few years. Conspiracy theorists and scientists would write articles, debating whether the aircraft was a work of the government went wrong or that it came from a parallel universe. Netizens would comment on said articles with this very question. Were they the only one in this vast universe or was the multiverse real? Years may have passed and its impact had lessened, but the world hadn't forgotten.

"Geez... You really brought back memories of that year," Peter chuckled.

"I couldn't help it," Gwen smiled sheepishly, before her expression turned into that of a thoughtful one. "It's just that... That phenomenon and then superheroes suddenly appearing? What's next? The multiverse confirmed? Superheroes and supervillains on the other side? And maybe giant aliens and monsters?"

Annabelle, Kaine, and Peter shrugged together to that question.

"Only time will tell, Gwen," Peter replied.

After that conversation, the group continued what they had been doing earlier. They went back to talking about everyday stuff. But as they finished eating and drinking, Gwen remembered about wanting to find out what was bothering Peter's mind. She then turned her attention to the younger Parker, decided to finally ask him.

"Hey, Peter?"

"Yup?" he replied as he held his glass and took one last sip from his drink.

"I kind of noticed...something about you," Gwen said.

Her words made Peter froze for a bit. He slowly set his glass down on the table, before looking at the girl with discomfort reflected in his eyes. "...Uh, what is it?"

"It's just...I noticed you looked pretty down before the competition started," she answered. "I know I'm simply a stranger to you and it's probably not my place to ask. But if it's okay, what happened? It's...been bothering my mind." She said with a concerned tone.

Peter averted his eyes for a bit. A part of him was touched by Gwen's concern and kindness. But the other went defensive when he realized she knew something wasn't right with him. He returned his attention to Gwen and tried to put up a smile, shaking it off. "N-Nah, it was nothing. Just been occupied is all."

Gwen saw through the facade and knew he wasn't ready to tell her. But she nodded understandingly. "Hey... Just saying. You don't have carry it alone, you know?"

"I know. I know..." he let out a deep sigh.

Seeing how it unfolded, Kaine and Anna looked at each other. Panic was written all over his face, as if him saying that their plan wouldn't work. But she nodded in acknowledgement and smiled assuringly, telling her close friend to have faith and trust the process, even if it was slow. That it would work in the end.

Gone was his panicked expression, replaced by a smile full of love and warmth on Kaine's face. This became another reason out of many for him to fall in love with her more and more.

"You know what...? I think I'll confess my feelings to her. But not now," he thought.

But at that moment, a particular inhuman laugh echoed in his mind. One full of sarcasm and malevolence. Kaine's smile slowly disappeared, replaced with an expression of concern, fear on his face. Not wanting to ruin the mood, he put up a neutral face. While also trying to ignore the laugh.

Finally done, Annabelle paid for the food, drinks, and snacks. And she didn't forget to tip the waiter. Her friends were about to repay Anna with their own money, but she refused as she simply wanted to pay for all of them.

The friend group would then exit the diner and called for their respective taxis. But before going their separate ways, Gwen shared her number with the Parkers and Anna added her to the group chat.

Now that it was only the two of them, the cousins went to a nearby empty alley and put on their masks, before crawling up to a rooftop and swung off from there to their respective home. Kaine felt somewhat positive for his and Anna's plan, and his intention to reveal his feelings to his close friend—though doubt filled his heart thanks to the Other. But as for Peter? Uncertainty filled his heart as he wasn't sure at the prospect of having someone new in his life.

Chapter 5: P1 - Chapter 4: Around Loved Ones

Chapter Text

(A few hours later, Kaine's apartment...)

Alone in his bedroom, Kaine sat at his desk with a pen in his hand, writing down several verses on a piece of paper. At the same time, a romantic song played in his earphones, which were plugged into his smartphone. On the left and right sides of the desk were three crumpled papers.

As he began to put down a few words on a new line, he frowned and stopped writing. Kaine read what he'd written so far and shook his head in disappointment. Something about it didn't match with what he wanted to confess to Anna.

"Great. Just great." A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he took the paper and crumpled it, leaving it on the desk along with the others. He stopped playing the song and unplugged the earphones, putting them away. "I'll probably continue later... But dammit, what should I write? What words do I put in...?"

A few knocks on Kaine's bedroom door interrupted his thought process, prompting him to turn to the door. "Come in, Mom. It's open."

The door handle got pushed down as Kaine's mother pushed it open gently, stepping inside. "Hey, Candy Cane. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" May, a woman in her forties, asked her son.

That nickname made Kaine roll his eyes and chuckle. "Oh, that never gets old. And no, I'm free at the moment. What's up, Mom?"

"Ah nothing, just wanna make some talk," she smiled as she closed the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. May noticed a few crumpled papers on the desk along with blank papers and pen, and looked at them with curiosity. "What were you writing?"

"Oh- It's just..." Kaine chuckled sheepishly, "Just a confession for Anna..."

"Ooh, your close friend? Someone's in love," May teased.

The young Parker covered his face in embarrassment. He groaned, "Really, Mom?? Why do you and Peter keep teasing me?"

She shook her head and tapped Kaine's shoulder lightly. "Hey, come on. I'm just joking," said May before clearing her throat and looked at her son with a serious, no-nonsense expression. "Kaine? Can I talk with you about this?"

"Sure, Mom. I'm all ears," he replied, all of his attention on his mother.

"Alright. So, you've known her for 4 months now, right? You understand each other on a deep level. And of course sooner or later, feelings get involved," she said. "I want you to listen very carefully and remember this. Always treat a girl right and never ever break her heart."

"Of course, Mom," Kaine nodded.

"And since you wanna confess to her, I want you to know this," May continued, "when you want the friendship to go to the next level, you must consider whether you're ready for it or not. Think through, okay?"

"I will. I'll take my time with it," Kaine replied. "She...matters to me. I don't wanna lose someone important like her. And I don't wanna hurt her." Soon however, his expression turned into a painful one as he remembered his late father that he despised. He averted his eyes. "I just... I don't wanna be like dad..."

"Oh, Kaine..." May put her hand on Kaine's shoulder. "You are a sweet, considerate boy. You are not like him. And I couldn't be more proud of you."

He turned to her, with a soft smile forming on his face. "Thanks, Mom... You're the best."

Both rose from their seats and pulled into each other's embrace for a bit, before letting go.

"Anyways, wanna help me cook something for dinner?" May asked.

"Of course, Mom," Kaine smiled, "I'd love to learn about cooking from you too."

"Well, that's new." Both giggled as mother and son headed out of the room and closed the door, about to prepare the ingredients and the tools they needed in the kitchen.

---

(Meanwhile, Peter's apartment...)

In the dining room, everyone gathered at the dining table. Plates and silverware all set, along with food and drinks. Richard and Mary, both in their forties, conversed happily about everyday topics as they ate their dinner. Yet the same couldn't be said for their son Peter who didn't start eating. No smile was apparent on his face, only uncertainty and hesitation reflected in his eyes, still lingering after meeting Gwen.

Soon, his parents realized something felt wrong and turned their attention to Peter. Both Richard and Mary shared a concerned look and decided to find out why.

"Hey, kiddo? What's wrong?" Richard's question made Peter look at him.

"Did something bother your mind when you hung out with your friends?" Mary asked.

Peter nodded to the two. "Something really did... Anna brought me and Kaine to meet with her friend Gwen," he said. "And Gwen...wanted to be friends with me. She wanted to help me."

"And...what's bothering you about that?" Richard wondered.

"I don't think I want to accept someone new in my life. Last time, it broke my heart."

Upon hearing that, the father and mother looked at their son with sympathy.

"Oh, my little scientist..." Mary patted Peter in his shoulder. "But this is different. Before, it was a stranger. But now, this is a friend of your friend. She seems to be kind and trustworthy."

"I know she has a good heart, Mom." Peter sighed, "It's just that... The pain is still fresh. And I'm afraid that I might get hurt again. I'm not ready..."

Richard nodded in understanding after listening to his son's words. "Kid... I've been there once. And it takes time to recover. Maybe a long time. Some things take time to heal."

"Indeed. And some people just aren't right for you. Or maybe they're hurting..." Mary said.

"...Hurt people hurt people, right?" Peter said.

"Yes. What they do can't be justified but they need healing too deep down," she replied. "Back to what I said earlier though, I wanted say that there is nothing wrong with accepting and receiving help from someone."

"Try not to dwell on the past too. It won't do you any good. Trust me," Richard added.

"But in the end, it's up to me... And when I'm ready, I gotta make a choice," Peter said in realization.

Richard and Mary nodded in unison.

"Thanks for listening to me, Mom, Dad. I appreciate it," he smiled slightly, which earned a warm smile from them.

Soon, Peter started eating his food and joined the casual conversation with his parents. Although he still felt the same, he could take comfort in the fact they were there for him. And their words would remain in his mind.

The question was what would he do when the time came to him.

---

While the Parkers could spend time with their respective families, Felicia could not. In the Hardy manor, she was all by herself in her bedroom. Sitting on her bed with a textbook in her hand, Felicia read one paragraph at a time, trying to digest the information. For a moment however, she frowned, like she couldn't grasp it. As if her mind wandered off to somewhere.

Felicia stopped reading and went back to the beginning of the paragraph. She started reading it again carefully, hoping to be able to understand it. Yet, she couldn't. Gripping the book hard, Felicia closed it shut and put it away from her.

"Dammit, I just wanna concentrate!" she screamed in frustration as she lied down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. A sigh escaped her lips, the words of the Spider-Men from earlier echoed in her mind repeatedly.

"I should've just left them alone... All I did was make them angry. Why did I even bother to...?" Felicia thought out loud. "I can't tell mom... Don't wanna bother her since she's busy right now. Damn. What should I do...?"

Silence would fill the room for a few minutes. Felicia pondered long and hard but nothing popped up in her mind. She let out an annoyed groan in response.

But then, a meow from outside her bedroom interrupted her thought process, prompting Felicia to rise up and get out of the bed. She opened the door and noticed her pet, a black and white cat, sitting before her. It looked at Felicia and meowed again.

The mere sight of her cat made Felicia feel easier and relaxed. She smiled and picked up the cat, carrying it in her arms. "Hey, my big kitty," she chuckled as she stroked its fur. The cat closed its eyes and purred loud.

In that very moment, she thought of an idea. "I guess I'll just take a break from studying tomorrow. Maybe put on the outfit and swing through a few city blocks and enjoy the view from the rooftops," she said in an ecstatic manner. Then a realization occurred to her, souring her joy. "sh*t... I might come across them again. But I guess if I see the Spider-Men, I'll just...let them be." The girl sighed deeply. Even if she decided to honor what her former friends had wanted, a part of her felt burdened.

Felicia decided to not think too much about it. She could only hope it wouldn't lead to another raging conversation from them.

"Just a calm, normal day for tomorrow..." she thought.

Chapter 6: P1 - Chapter 5: The Hunters

Chapter Text

(The following morning, a safehouse somewhere in NYC...)

The inside of the safehouse for the Kravinoffs seemed quiet. Tidy and clean rooms, unoccupied. Only a little noise came from one particular room. The door was labelled with the word "INTEL" all in uppercase.

On one of the walls hung a bulletin board. Photos of Black Cat and the Spider-Men pinned on it, along with sticky notes next to them. Closeby there were open notebooks on a wooden table, full of scribbled words on the pages regarding the Kravinoffs' targets.

A note said, "For the past few weeks, no attacks on Kingpin safehouses by the trio. No apparent Black Cat activity. Yet, the Spider-Men still attack by helping the cops."

"Current priority targets: Spider-Men. May be able to lure Black Cat out with them in danger. If not, she'll be the final target," said another note.

On the desk, there was a laptop whizzing. Sergei sat there with Dmitri standing next to him, reviewing security camera footage of Shocker and Tombstone's safehouse from a few weeks ago.

"W-What now?" an armed man stuttered in the footage.

"Kill that bughead obviously! What else!?" another man replied, before the two fired at something. Soon, they stopped but kept their shotguns trained at the target from a safe distance.

"Is... Is he dead?" the first man turned to the other, asking for confirmation. But all he got was a shrug.

When they checked the target though, something was amiss. A distorted, animalistic growl caught the men's attention and startled them.

"Oh sh*t..." the second man's eyes widened in horror.

A tall, imposing masculine grey figure sprang out of a room and turned toward the two men in a hallway. The footage only showed his back, so Sergei switched it to another camera from a different angle. The picture there horrified him and Dmitri, no matter if they'd watched it before.

A humanoid monster with eight eyes like a spider and long fangs stared at the two guards with a grin. They froze in fear, speechless. Before they could regain their wits, he came close and grabbed them with his huge hands, growling at them.. The men began to scream and dropped their shotguns.

"Let...go! LET US GO!"

"SOMEONE. ANYONE! HELP- HELP US!"

The monster smacked the two men's heads together, knocking them out. Then he threw them onto the floor and webbed them up. At last, he glared and grinned at a security camera.

Sergei paused the footage, looking at the man-spider with admiration. "The Scarlet Spider... He is a ferocious beast. And never stops to impress me."

Dmitri turned to Sergei. "You're saying that as if you want him as your target."

"I do. That spider can bring a thrilling hunt for me. And I'm looking forward to see what he can do," said Sergei.

The other Kravinoff nodded. "Very well, Master. So the Black Cat and Spider-Man will be my targets. Although considering the trio are in a state of disarray, I suppose it'll be easy to take them all out."

"Indeed," Sergei smirked. "But we're only going to hunt them for who they are, which is more valuable than their civilian identities. And New York will be devastated when they learn their heroes are dead."

Thinking of the trio, Dmitri clenched his fist with anger. "This will be a chance for us to exact our revenge for Shocker and Tombstone's defeat, along with the others. Those three shamed the men we'd trained, damaged Kingpin's organization..."

"And they will pay for it," Sergei said. "Kingpin's men couldn't focus on many things because of the war with Hammerhead and the presence of the trio. Which is unfortunate. But now, that can be rectified with us hunting them. And today, the hunt starts."

Hearing the word "hunt," a thought popped up in Dmitri's mind. A desire to hunt the targets not as a servant and a master but as brothers. But he looked away in sadness as it reminded him of the past assassinations he did with Sergei. From all of those, the feeling of disappointment would always knock his heart's doors. As Dmitri knew what his master's would be. Yet a part of him never stopped wishing it would change.

He took a deep breath and turned to Sergei, his face trembling in fear. "M-Master? May I ask something?"

"Ask away," he replied.

"I- I know mustn't ask this, given our history..." Dmitri stopped for a bit, hesitating. But in the end, he continued. "But can we...be brothers?"

Such question prompted Sergei to turn around with a glare, making the other Kravinoff back away in fear. "This foolish question again...!" His hand curled up into a fist as he got out of his seat and approached Dmitri. "Let me remind you. You...are no brother of mine. Do you understand, bastard child?"

That nickname stung Dmitri's heart. It silenced him and all he could do was nod.

"Enough of this," said Sergei in a frustrated tone. "We should stop wasting time. The hunt will be done this evening. So we must begin preparing and planning. If need be, do another review." With that, he exited the room to prepare his gear.

Alone in the room, Dmitri stood there weakly, looking down in a dejected manner. "A brother... Is it too much to ask for?" he sighed, before following Sergei to do the same.

Chapter 7: P1 - Chapter 6: Heavy Heart

Chapter Text

(Hours later...)

"And I guess that wraps up your time for today, Mr. Criminal," Spider-Man chuckled and booped one of the four criminals wrapped in his and Scarlet Spider's webbing on the wall.

The other spider turned away and tried not to snort at his cousin's joke.

"Great, now he makes puns?" another criminal groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Or what, you prefer this?" Scarlet walked closer to the group of criminals and a stinger extruded from his wrist. It earned a fearful gasp from them as they looked at how sharp, pointy it was. They gulped and remained silent.

A pat on Scarlet's shoulder prompted him to turn around.

"Okay, okay. That's not necessary," said Spider-Man in a serious tone.

Scarlet Spider leaned in and whispered in a joking tone, "I know. I'm just messing with them." He retracted the stinger quickly.

Hearing that, Spidey sighed and shook his head amusedly. His ears perked up at the sound of police car sirens, he and Scarlet glanced at the two cars coming to their direction.

"Uh oh~ Boys in blue here," Spider-Man teased group as he turned to face them, "say hi to your friends at the prison for me! And your boss Kingpin when he'll get there too!"

Before the Spider-Men could swing away, a window of one of the police cars slid open and a male police officer with greying hair peeked out.

"You two! Wait there!" ordered the man. "I'd like to talk with you two."

The duo found his authoritative voice recognizable. Something they'd heard multiple times in television. And strangely enough, some time during the music competition when the audience applauded their friends. They had a hunch on who he might be. Nonetheless, an order was an order, so they stopped and turned around.

The officer with greying hair wearing a badge and a jacket, with a label attached to it saying "CAPTAIN STACY" all in uppercase, exited the vehicle. Along with a slightly younger brunette female officer in a similar outfit, her label saying "DETECTIVE DEWOLFF."

Their eyes widened in recognition under the masks as the two approached them. "Captain George Stacy? So he's Gwen's father..." That thought popped up the same time in Scarlet and Spidey's minds.

"This could be it, I guess," Spider-Man thought, fear in the back of his mind.

As if feeling the same, Scarlet Spider turned to the younger spider and patted him in the back to assure him. They glanced at each other for a bit, before nodding with confidence and looked at the officers.

"Anything we can help with, officers?" Spidey asked first.

"Perhaps an assist with another raid on a Kingpin safehouse?" Scarlet inquired afterward.

"No, no. Just a talk. That's all," Captain Stacy answered as he crossed his arms. "Look, I...know that the law prohibits vigilantes. And that may mean arresting you-"

Scarlet stepped forward, in front of Spider-Man—no hesitation in protecting him. A sight that made the captain chuckle.

"I'm not done speaking." He continued, "I was about to say that despite the law, I'm not arresting you. I want to thank you two. I believe it's a sentiment shared by some of the citizens. Although obviously there are still crimes popping up every now and then, at least we have the Spider-Men protecting us."

Both looked at him confused.

"And you give us hope too," the detective added, though there was some jadedness in her grey eyes. "Decades of career... So much loss and sadness and...fury," she sighed deeply, as if she remembered something horrible and unforgettable at that moment. But for a bit, her face lightened up. "Then as if a miracle happened, you came out of nowhere and began protecting us. Even helped us with the current crime war with that other ally of yours."

The Spider-Men could only smile in gratitude, knowing that more people supported them. Though the mere mention of Black Cat left a bitter taste in their mouths.

"Thank you, sir, ma'am. That means a lot. We appreciate it," said Scarlet Spider.

"Same here. But we want to thank you too," Spider-Man said. "We...can't be around at times. Because we're just citizens like the others. And you protect us all you can. So thank you, officers."

The captain and the detective flashed a smile in response.

"So the feeling is mutual," Captain Stacy replied. "Alright, you go on then. We'll take care of these criminals."

Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man nodded and saluted. They turned around, starting to run before jumping up and shooting their respective web lines to swing away, with them slowly disappearing from the officers' sight.

The detective glanced at the webbed up criminals, with disgust in her eyes. Fishing a packet of cigarettes and a lighter out from her pocket, Jean DeWolff took one and brought it to her lips. She lit up the end of the cigarette and breathed in and out its smoke, smiling.

When Captain Stacy noticed, he sighed, as if this sight was not new to him. "You shouldn't smoke those," he said worriedly, "they'll kill you, you know?"

Jean chuckled as she understood the references. Nonetheless, it didn't light up her mood. "Living's overrated," she replied.

---

(Meanwhile...)

"Man, quite the patrol, huh...?" Spider-Man chuckled to Scarlet Spider, with a hint of tiredness in his voice as they both swang.

"Oh yeah, indeed. What, can't wait for wheat cakes from your mom?" the other spider teased, though sounding tired too.

"Pfft, c'mon. It's not like your mom won't make you wheat cakes too or something."

Both cousins laughed together on their way home, swinging from building to building and zipped to another city block, firing new web lines.

Unbeknownst to the spiders however, Chameleon and Kraven set their sights on the heroes. In a prone position, they observed the Spider-Men on a rooftop of a taller building with their equipments.

"Targets nearing our proximity," said Chameleon as he looked through a spotting scope on a tripod.

"Copy," replied Kraven, aiming the scope of a semi-automatic sniper rifle toward the Spider-Men's web lines. With it attached on a bipod—resting on the rooftop floor—to increase the weapon's accuracy, Kraven fired two bullets at said web lines, cutting them off.

The spider-senses of both Spider-Men zinged. But it was too late. The two yelped in surprise as they lost grip of their web lines, falling down onto a nearby rooftop on their backs. Muffled grunts of pain escaped their lips, while they tried to get up.

"D-Darn it...!" Scarlet turned to Spidey and asked in a worried tone, "Webs, you okay?" All he got was a headshake as an answer.

Kraven grinned and turned to Chameleon. "Our preys are now incapacitated. Time to get them," he said as he and the other assassin put on their wrist grapple guns.

Then, they aimed at the lower rooftop where the spiders were. Both pulled the trigger and the guns fired a grappling hook respectively, creating a zip line. Not wasting time, they zipped down toward the location and landed with a thud.

When Scarlet Spider heard that very sound, he rose from the floor and faced the two strangers in front of him, glaring under the mask. Although his back and legs ached, he could care less.

*SNIKT!*

Stingers protruded from his wrists, ready to strike the men as payback.

Soon, Spidey rose up and joined his cousin. His hands open wide as Spider-Man prepared to shoot webs from his fingertips any time soon.

However, Chameleon and Kraven remained unfazed at those. As a response, they took out their weapons. Kraven unsheathed a pair of kukris while Chameleon wielded two customized machine pistols, with several types of grenades on his tactical belt. Kraven also carried some throwing knives and a military tomahawk axe with him.

Seeing such weaponry from them made the heroes gulp and start to sweat. Yet, they entered into their defensive stances. Their eyes still on the opponents, waiting for any movements.

"Y-You." Groans of pain escaped Spider-Man's lips. "I don't know who you two are but... Someone must've sent you for a reason. I have a hunch but who are they?" he asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"What do you want from us!?" Scarlet shouted.

"A thrilling fight and your deaths, my prey. For it will bring joy to me, Kraven the Hunter," Kraven smiled with sadism reflected on it.

"You have done so much damage to the Kingpin's organization. Along with shaming the men we trained: Shocker, Tombstone, among others. And so, this...is his prize for you: death," Chameleon answered the Spider-Men, a hint of rage in his voice. "But before that, you may know me as the Chameleon."

Upon hearing that, Spider-Man let out a sarcastic laugh and shook his head. "Prize? We didn't join any contest or anything. You must've gotten the wrong people, unless you Mr. Jungle Man and Mr. Spotless are scammers from the Kingpin." The nicknames he gave earned him glares from Chameleon and Kraven. "Also, us defeating those men must've been quite a hit to your pride, huh?"

Scarlet Spider chuckled a bit at that joke and mockery, and sighed softly, as if it lifted a part of his fear away. Looking at his fellow hero, he said confidently, "But since they wanted a fight, we'll give them one."

Kraven smiled and eyed Scarlet with murderous intention, while Chameleon trained his pistols at the other spider. And the Spider-Men readied themselves with what they had.

But before a clash between the two sides could occur, a sound behind the Spider-Men attracted their attention. They turned around, only to find a zip line from a rooftop slightly far from them. And one familiar feminine figure in black leather outfit zipped down, with one of her hands firing rubber rounds from her late father's custom less-than-lethal pistol at Chameleon and Kraven, stunning them for a few moments. Both spiders looked at Black Cat in a perplexed manner.

"You again?! How did you find us?" said Spider-Man as she landed on the rooftop. "Didn't I tell you that-"

"Later!" Cat replied fast, "Saving and helping you all are more important right now."

Scarlet Spider sighed deeply but he could only nod in agreement with her statement. "I don't like it. But yeah, she's right."

"...Fine," Spider-Man said, annoyance in his voice. "We'll all talk after the fight."

The three turned their attention to their enemies, who already recovered and composed themselves.

Upon seeing the presence of Black Cat, a malicious grin formed on Kraven's face. "Good, now all of you will die tonight!"

"Alright, split up like usual!" Scarlet ordered, ignoring Kraven. "This man with the tiger jacket is my target. No matter what happens, stay on the respective targets!"

Spider-Man and Black Cat nodded. "Cat and I will handle the other one. Okay, let's go!"

And so, Scarlet Spider lunged at Kraven with his stingers. However, the hunter crossed his kukris to block the incoming attack. The stingers were now merely inches from reaching Kraven's face. In that moment, Scarlet tried to scratch and wound possibly while his enemy was resisting said attack.

Kraven laughed in joy as Scarlet growled like an animal. "Such ferocity from a spider. And I, Kraven the Hunter, cherish this moment!" He then kicked Scarlet Spider in the stomach, making the hero stumble away in pain. Afterward, he alternated the grip of one of his weapons and proceeded to slash at the spider. But the latter parried it with a stinger.

In a response to that, Kraven delivered a couple of slashes with the other kukri to one of Scarlet's open vulnerable areas: a limb of his. The masked vigilante screamed, receiving deep cuts on the limb. Blood started to ooze from the wounds. Though thankfully, they closed fast thanks to Scarlet Spider's enhanced regeneration factor. He wiped the blood away and glared at Kraven, as he backed away and watched the man with caution.

Scarlet retracted his stingers and shot two web lines at Kraven's kukris, intending to yank them away. Instead, the assassin dropped them to the floor, much to the hero's surprise. And Kraven grabbed the incoming web lines during that moment, used them to pull Scarlet Spider closer to him before headbutting him and delivering a hook to his cheek, which made the spider stagger and stumble backward. He grunted in pain and looked at Kraven with shock, as this level of power was perhaps near that of Tombstone's punches.

"H-How...could you...?" he asked in disbelief. To which, Kraven responded by pulling out a leather pouch from his belt.

"A mix of herbs from another country I once collected. A long-lasting effect," Kraven answered as he put the pouch back on the belt. "An equalizer, if you will. Shared between me and Chameleon. Yet to a lesser extent for him," he explained. "Now... I've seen the savagery and power you displayed when you become the monster. I am curious to see that myself, to see if you could beat me."

With what Kraven said, Scarlet Spider came to the realization that he might need more power. One he could access through the man-spider monster form after defeating the Other a few weeks ago. That was his only hope in fighting Kraven.

Yet before he could transform, a familiar inhuman voice spoke to him in his mind. "Ohoho, don't bother. Think you can easily get into it anymore? No, no more."

"So you really came back..." Scarlet's tone was full of not just annoyance, but also confusion. "But how?! How is this possible? You returning for the second time?"

The Other laughed at him in mockery. "You don't see it, do you? No matter what you do. You can't get rid of me. I always come back. I always do. Because after all...I am a part of you."

Hearing those words, doubt and fear began to fill Scarlet Spider's mind. His hands sweated, wondering what this meant for him. And wondering how he would defeat Kraven and whether he would make it out alive. But at that moment, he thought of Annabelle, his mother and his cousin. He closed his hand into a fist, determined that he wouldn't meet death tonight.

"What? The Scarlet Spider cannot become the monster he is right now?" Kraven laughed in a mocking manner. "How disappointing. Perhaps you're not worthy to be my prey. Only worthy of a quick, embarrassing death."

Scarlet let out a chuckle as his fist shook in anger, staring at his enemy. "Death? No thanks. I don't intend to die now. And I don't give a f*ck with what you want."

Pulling out his throwing knives, Kraven smirked. "That fighting spirit... I like it."

"Will. You. Just. Shut. Up!?" Scarlet Spider rushed toward Kraven with his fist. And as reaction to it, his opponent began to throw the knives at him. But the masked hero dodged them, before letting out a battle cry as he was about to deliver a punch to Kraven's face. And he did, staggering the man and made him drop his throwing knives.

At the same time as the fight between Kraven and Scarlet happened, Black Cat and Spider-Man took on the Chameleon. They ran toward the assassin while dodging the bullets coming out of Chameleon's machine pistols. When the latter ran out of them, Cat fired the remaining rubber rounds in her magazine and Spidey shot web pellets at their enemy.

Taking those hits, grunts of pain escaped Chameleon's lips. He immediately holstered his weapons and pulled out a smoke grenade. Pulling its pin and dropping it onto the ground, the grenade soon unleashed a thick white smoke screen, which covered him. Soon after, he cloaked himself, making an electrical sound.

"Smoke! Don't inhale it. Could be dangerous!" Cat shouted. "Spider-Man, be careful with this enemy. I once heard from my dad Chameleon has a prototype cloaking tech."

"Thanks for the warning," he replied with a neutral tone, still not exactly happy with Black Cat's presence. Nonetheless, he remembered it in his mind.

Black Cat wasted no time in turning on the sonar mode of her goggles to see if she could detect Chameleon in his cloaked mode. But the sonar pulses couldn't even show an outline of him.

"Darn it..." So, she reloaded her pistol and tightened her grip on it, as she and Spider-Man looked around and listened carefully for any sounds of footsteps. Their breaths became rapid, unsteady.

"Just where is he-" Out of a sudden, Spider-Man's spider sense buzzed. However, it didn't point him to his front, right or left. So he turned around and his eyes widened under the mask. The direction of the danger was right behind Black Cat.

"What?"

Spidey shot a web line and pulled Black Cat closer to him with it, causing her to gasp.

"What the heck, Spidey?!" she said.

"He was behind you!" Spider-Man replied, pointing at a certain direction.

A digitized laugh came out of Chameleon as he decloaked in front of the two, a combat knife in one of his hands. "You caught me. Not bad, with that sixth sense of yours, Spider-Man," he nodded at the spider, before a gun slid out of his sleeve and he held it in his other hand.

Seeing the gun, Black Cat pointed her weapon at it and fired a rubber round before the assassin could shoot Spider-Man. It knocked the firearm out of Chameleon's hand. And then, Spider-Man did the same with Chameleon's knife, though with his web pellet.

"Oh well..." Chameleon simply shrugged, though deep down this enraged him that he couldn't trick them. "I must say you two did well as a team. Though pardon me, for that is about to end-" A web splat from Spider-Man greeted his face, obstructing his vision. He grunted in frustration and tried to remove the webbing with his hands. However, Black Cat ran and tackled him, before standing up and backing away from Chameleon.

"Nope. Nah-uh. No more Mr. Invisible Man for now, Chammy," Spider-Man shook his head, before firing a web pellet at the assassin's head to stun him.

Cat simply chuckled hearing Chameleon's nicknames from the spider.

Looking at her, a part of Spider-Man wanted to say he agreed with Chameleon's statement about being a great team. But he held it back, still bitter with her.

However, all of their attention turned to Scarlet Spider when hearing his battle cry. He delivered a punch to Kraven, then another, and another. All of them directed at Kraven's face and ribcages. He finished it with an uppercut to the enemy's chin, causing the latter to fall down on the rooftop floor.

Scarlet Spider turned to look at his fellow heroes, his breathing was rapid. "We should- We should get out of here while we still can!" Black Cat and Spider-Man nodded, and all three of them jumped off the rooftop and swung away as fast as they could.

Moments later, Chameleon sat up and finally ripped off the webbing on his face. He glanced at his beaten half-brother and his eyes widened in horror and shock. "No, no, no...! Master!" Overtaken by fear, he rushed toward Kraven's aid and performed a quick check on Kraven. "Just bruises..." He put two of his fingers on Kraven's veins and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, you're–"

"Back off, Chameleon! I'm fine," Kraven said and Chameleon heeded his order. He rose from the ground and gritted his teeth in pain, feeling aches from his face and ribcages but he shrugged them off. "They're gone," said Kraven as he and the other assassin noticed the heroes disappearance. "Even if the Spider-Men and Black Cat are divided... They must not be underestimated and we must eliminate them for Kingpin's sake."

"...That we will. Though they might decide to regroup as allies due to our presence," Chameleon replied. Though in his voice was a hint of disappointment, its primary reason being how Kraven had responded to his concern. "I suppose we collect our equipment and return to the safehouse now, Master?"

Kraven nodded. "Looks like we may stay longer in this city. I am not done, for my desire to hunt is not fully satiated. We will not be done...until we make them suffer and take their lives away!"

...

(Meanwhile, on a rooftop a few city blocks away...)

"Okay. Now that we are safe," Spider-Man turned his attention to Black Cat. "Let's talk. How did you find us?"

She sighed deeply, "Listen, I didn't intend to. I just...wanted to clear my mind after what happened yesterday. So I went out, looked at buildings and streets. But then... I saw you two in a fight with them."

"And you wanted to help us in any way you could, to save us..." Scarlet Spider said.

"Yeah," she nodded. "And...I know you two don't want to see me again. But I couldn't just stand on the sidelines, see you get slaughtered by them." Black Cat averted her eyes, "I- I'll just go-"

"Black Cat, wait," Spider-Man called, making her stop as she was about to walk and swing away. "I... Thank you for your concern and for the help," he said, albeit in a reluctant manner.

Scarlet Spider looked at Black Cat and let out a chuckle of disbelief, shaking his head. "Can't believe I'm gonna say this but... I think all three of us got to come back as a team."

Both Black Cat and Spider-Man turned to the spider in surprise.

"Wait, what? Her being in the team again?" Spider-Man asked aloud.

"Webs," Scarlet sighed and stared at him. "Listen to me. I know we still have a problem with her. But–"

Spidey interjected, "No, no, no. We are not having her–!"

Scarlet Spider held a finger up for a moment. "Listen. And do not cut me off." With his words, Spider-Man nodded and stopped. "Okay, good," he continued, "now what I'm about to say is this... Our lives are in danger, okay? And I can't transform into that monster again to beat our enemies fast."

A mix of horror and surprise creeped in Spider-Man. "...The other you is back. I thought– H-How is that possible?" he asked.

"No idea. I guess he really can't be rid of," Scarlet put his hand on his temple, making a frustated sound. "I gotta deal with him somehow..."

Black Cat could only look at them in confusion. "I...really missed out on something, didn't I?"

"Yeah. That last mission one," the Spider-Men answered in unison.

Hearing that, she looked down. "If only I..."

"Anyways," Scarlet Spider clapped his hands to get their attention. "Back on topic, we can settle the problem later, when we can. Cuz we're in danger basically. We are Chameleon and Kraven's targets. And we have two priorities: survive and stop the bad guys."

"To do that, we gotta be back as a team, like you said..." Spider-Man realized, before glancing at Black Cat. "He's right. But you and I, Cat? We're simply teammates, not friends."

She simply nodded as deep down, she felt Spider-Man's anger and poisonous tone stab her heart. "Okay..." was all she uttered.

"I share my sentiment, Black Cat. I'm still not letting go what you tried to do to us. Especially to Webs here," Scarlet said the same, except in a disappointed tone. "But anyways, let's unblock her number, Spidey. All of us gotta communicate again in that secure group chat we made. So we can coordinate and plan."

"Agreed," Spidey replied.

And so, both of them pulled their phones out and did what they had said. They nodded at her, prompting Black Cat to check her phone and sent a text in the group chat.

Black Cat
Test?

The text earned two blue ticks with the uppercase letter "R" above them.

"Okay, it's working," she notified the Spider-Men.

"Good. Alright, I guess we all should go home now. It's been quite the evening," Scarlet Spider said. "We'll have to be ready. Because this...is the beginning of many encounters and fights that are gonna come."

Afterward, the three went their separate ways, leaping off the rooftop and swinging away to their respective houses. As they headed home, they couldn't stop thinking about their problems and the fights that laid ahead of them. And particularly, whether if they could achieve victory against their hunters and conquer their troubles.

- End of Part 1 -