Two weeks have past, and the trio of friends have grown together quite nicely. Ned slowly got used to Peter having Michelle as a girlfriend and even started to pick up on some of her sarcasm. Michelle sometimes got a little frustrated that her past antics and comments don't make the two boys as nervous and timid as they used to, but it's all out of good fun. She knows that they appreciate her being herself and that's all they would want for her. Peter has been spending an even amount of time with them, individually and as a group. He knows that the only way to make things work, he would have to spend quality time with each other them in order to make the group hangouts work. And it seems to have worked, as he feels like he can do no wrong with either of them; like he's living his best life. On the flip side, his activities as Spider-Man have been moderate to say the least. Criminal activity has been minimal, which allows Peter to have so much time with his friends. He found it strange, but a good strange. He thought that it was maybe the universe giving him a break. And while that may be true now, breaks must always come to an end, as plots and agendas were already past developing and now working to be carried out.

In a waterfront warehouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the mass production of humanoid drone soldiers is underway and almost completed. A crew worked endlessly on an assembly line of machinery, bolting and welding parts and weapons to the body of each individual drone. The design of the machines looks basic, decorated in classic silver and grey to represent the Manfredi Crime Organization. They were brandished with many features including bulletproof armor for protection, hydraulic pipes for motor functions, and a precise programming system. This would allow the drones to make decisions within microseconds after detecting a threat.

To eliminate their threats, they were equipped with an array of weapons. A large blade could shoot out of the left wrist for close hand-to-hand combat. A semi-automatic handgun was installed on the inside of the forearm of the right arm, capable of expending ten rounds a second, with the capacity to hold 5,000 rounds. Encased inside the shin of the legs, a single missile could be launched if necessary. The programming system also has trained the drones to engage in combat in the most brutal way possible to incapacitate their opposition. All information and data to do so would be directed by a targeting system mounted on the side of its head. A small camera is encased inside and wired to a small computer within the head, allowing the drones to make quick and precise attacks.

In an office overlooking the production, Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi watched with weary eyes. He watched for any screw-up, and weakness that could be exposed in these things that he paid for to keep his organization from being taken by Wilson Fisk. Being an older man, he felt more of a need to worry and be cautious with his next steps, though he still feels that fire in his heart that as driven him through his career in crime. "You're sure these things will work, Allister?" he asks, meant for the man standing on the other side of the room.

The man named Allister Smythe looked up from the blueprints he was reviewing and saw his employer still staring down at the progress. "I trust that they will" he answered confidently. "I would risk my reputation on it."

A small silence fell between them until Silvermane gave a humorous chuckle. Allister looked at him with curious eyes. "Something funny, sir?"

"Reputation, huh?" the crime boss said. "What does a kid like you know about his own reputation."

"Excuse me?" Allister stood up and walked over to him, curious as to what he meant.

"Tell me, son, what do you know about Al Capone?"

Allister was confused as to why a Chicago gangster from the twenties would have anything to do with his reputation, let alone any reputation. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Just wanna know what ya know" the elderly lord said calmly. It took a little bit of an open mind, but he discussed all he knew; or at least, the small amount that he knew. When he finished, the grey haired Manfredi gave him a proper education. "Alphonse Capone was, as you said, was a ruthless gangster and mob boss. Now... what would make you say that."

"Because that's what they taught us in high school history class" Allister answered, holding his breath that he answered correctly.

"Nah, that's just a talking point academically privileged yahoos like to insert when talking about the consequences making prohibition part of the Constitution" Manfredi replied. "But that doesn't make it false, now does it?" the two men stared at each other for a moment, making the rest of the story seem more integral.

"You see, Capone was brutal in his leadership. He would dine his henchman before pummeling them with a baseball bat because he believed they had betrayed him. He would associate himself with people of greater social power to have more influence over his territories. And despite having his personal hand in everything, publicly and underground, he always found a way to evade prosecution. The public eye knew it was all Capone, but the authorities could never prove it was him. And that made it horrifying place to live. That's a reputation, son, at least in this business. To be able to have feel that they live in the gruesome shadow. To have the traits and skills to have everyone know your name and be fearful of what you will do with the power you hold. Like how your nerves are shaking every time I correct something you say. You're afraid you will say something I don't like and will have you punished for it. That's reputation. Understood?"

It was a lot to take in, all so very overwhelming too. "Yes sir!" he didn't think that he would be so nervous around Silvio Manfredi, but after this little lesson, he knew not to cross him. If he ever did, then he would dare to dream of what end he would meet at his hands. Surprisingly, Manfredi's demeaner turned from strict to respectful quite quickly. He patted the young robotics expert back and eased his worries. "You're young, Smythe. New to this world. Be thankful that there is potential for you here, and an expectation that you must meet."

"I understand" Allister replied. "I hope you do" Silvermane said, "this may be the last stand I have left in me. I have seen what my family has endured to bring this organization to where it is today, and I will not allow an up and coming fat cat like Wilson Fisk take it away. Nor will I allow pests like Spider-Man delay our plans."

Smythe nodded, knowing that was the goal that he had set out to do when he signed on to help him. "Then I shall do my best" he said, a lingering note of open ended-ness present in his voice. He left to walk the floor of the production lines when Manfredi said ominously, "Please do."

Reaching the production lines, Allister oversaw each step in making his machines. He looked on with a sense of childish pride, as if his dreams were finally becoming true. To see a line-up of the things he designed was quite the dream turned reality. It was not to last long, as the disruptive sound of Alex O'Hirn marching up behind him in a fit of frustration interrupted it all.

"HEY, ROBO-RUNT!" he barked across the very noisy production hanger. Allister turned around and was immediately met with the strong hands of O'Hirn grabbing him from behind the neck and forcing him to a different area of the warehouse. "Whoa! O'Hirn! What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just shut up and listen!" is all the brute said, dragging him to a separate hanger where a special piece of machinery was being build and equipped. It was very large and intimidating, larger than any of the drones that he had designed. It also had a lot of character to it as well. It looked like a metal beast with it's large bust and broad shoulders. The bust was particularly the center of interest, with a very distinctive feature jutting out into the air.

O' Hirn brought Smythe right to the foot of the behemoth and explained his frustration. "Okay, science guy. Riddle me this. How the hell am I supposed to conduct my business in this thing!"

"Business?"

"Yeah, business!!"

"Well, you asked for something that would help you take down Spider-Man. The armor is designed to withstand his abilities and render his strength useless against you." He was confident this design would be the appropriate response to someone as powerful as the web-slinger. O'Hirn still looked unconvinced as he shook his head.

"Yeah, yeah.. right. Whateva. Look... " he dismissed everything Smythe had said, "I still got a drug business to keep up. You think that my buyers are gunna want to be seen with that thing by the cops? I'll be like a frickin' sumo Iron Man in that thing! Someone is bound to notice."

Allister looked up at the mechanical suit and considered the circumstances that his raging associate may find himself in. "Well in theory, the armor would have made you unstoppable." He was only confirming everything that had planned out, but O'Hirn only heard that he was unwilling to make changes. "However" he added, "you make a point that it does lack discretion."

"Yeah... no kiddin" O'Hirn commented, glad Allister was finally seeing the problem. "I'll tool around with the design again. See if I can fit your needs" Allister concluded, thinking that there were some ways to change the design while retaining the same purpose.

"Don't worry about the extra work, kid!" O'Hirn suddenly said. "Just scrap the exoskeleton and keep the headpiece. I'll make it work."

"Wait, you don't want me to redesign the suit?" Smythe asked with great confusion. "No way!" Alex replied, "Silvermane has already wasted money on putting this hunk of metal together. Why waste more on developing another?"

"I guess that makes sense" the young lad said, "but still, without the armor, you'll be outmatched."

"HA!" the large O'Hirn chuckled, "not if I can help it." Smythe furrowed his eyes, not sure of what he meant. Then, O'Hirn reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small glass flask like when he fought Spider-Man. He waved the flask around like he was bragging about how he had it. Allister eyed the flask curiously, wondering what it could be. "What is that?"

"Just something I whipped on my own" the confident brute bragged. "It works like a steroid, but it also makes my skin durable while also increasing my strength. When I sniff this, I will have the capability to withstand that red and blue bug." Alex hands the flask over to Allister, who reads the label to know what he's inhaling. To his surprise, he finds that dopamine and epinephrine are two of the ingredients. Immediately, he is concerned with the safety of inhaling this drug. This is because epinephrine is essentially adrenaline, which is necessary during fight or flight circumstances, but can be fatal when there is an excess amount in the body.

"There's epinephrine in this" he exclaimed. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Of course it is" Alex replied without a hint of worry, "that's what the dopamine is for. To balance everything out." He ripped the flask back into his possession. Allister looked at him with concern, as he could potentially die from inhaling this drug. "I'm surprised you were even able to get your hands on epinephrine" he said, "from what I've heard, it's a very difficult to get a hold of."

"I have my ways" he answered conspicuously. "Now, lets get to work on that headpiece!"

Right..." Smythe said, still curious about why he only wanted the charismatic helmet of the suit. "Explain to me why you only want the head?"

"It sends a message to my enemies, especially Spider-Man" he answered, looking up at the great horn on the helmet. "Like that old saying goes, 'you mess with the bull, you get the horns!' But instead, it will be the RHINO!"

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A/N- Wow it has been a while since I've updated this story. I'm sorry all of you have had to endure such a wait, but I think I'm back to writing things again. So I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

So now I can reveal that one of my villains will be the Rhino, and yes, I have cast Seth Rogan in the role. I've always enjoyed the character of Rhino as this big behemoth that wasn't always the brightest. That tie of character can be quite intimidating in thought, but can also give itself to comedy as well. Rogan has had a career of playing characters that were funny, but dim-witted at times. I thought it would be a very creative choice and I hope you all like what I have planned for him.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Leave a vote if you did, and don't forget to express your thoughts in the comments. New chapter in the coming weeks, but I can't confirm whether it will be in the month of September. Until next time, BYE!!!