THE OFFICERS HAD their guns drawn as they ran into the nightclub. They had gotten word of a disturbance inside and multiple causalities. There were only three of them, but backup was on the way.

"Peters! Watch the corners!" Officer Medina exclaimed.

They all went into the venue. Lights were still on, and music continued to blare, but their vision was starting to be masked by smoke.

Another officer, Henrie, coughed as he radioed for the fire department.

"We got a fire over here. We request FDNY support."

Through the hazy view, the officers saw a man. They weren't sure if it was a club patron or a suspect.

"Hands where I can see them!"

The man didn't hear, but he suddenly lit a molotov and threw it at the stereo system. It went ablaze, and the fire always traveled up the ceiling.

"Get on the ground!" One yelled again.

He finally saw them but ran toward the officers. Medina immediately fired two shots and brought him down. He spoke into his radio.

"Shots fired. A suspect is down."

Nearby, another molotov was lit and impacted the wall. They turned around but couldn't see anyone due to the smoke.

"It's getting bad in here!" Peters exclaimed. "We gotta go."

The officers searched for the exit and found it. They stormed out of the nightclub and reached the back alley, where they saw a group of people entering their van. They suspected it was the arsonists.

"Freeze!"

Some of them raised their hands. One young woman, short in stature and with porcelain skin, did so as well, albeit slowly.

"Everyone on the ground!"

Everyone obliged except the young lady. She raised her head and turned to them before slowly walking forward.

"Stop!" Peters exclaimed. "Get on the ground!"

She wasn't obeying. The woman kept creeping toward them with a stoic expression. The cops weren't sure to shoot her since she had no weapons on her person.

"Ma'am! Stop, now!"

Portrayed by Mikey Madison

Finally, she did. Her stoic look then changed to a menacing smile. The officers still gripped their handguns and pointed them at her.

"Hands behind your back."

The girl put her arms down but kept smiling. They stood there momentarily as the cops continued to bark orders, but it was falling on deaf ears. But soon enough...they'd be deaf themselves.

She opened her mouth and let out a shriek. The sound waves were so great it rang out through the alley. Her colleagues behind her already knew to cover their ears as the super-powered woman let out her ear-piercing shout.

"Argh!" The officers reacted to the noise.

They dropped their guns and tried covering their ears. She kept screaming, and the windows on the nearby buildings shattered, as well as the ones on the car. The cops fell to the floor in discomfort and pain.

"Argh!"

Finally, the woman stopped. The officers were now down for the count and allowed her to escape with her colleagues.

She entered the van with them and they quickly ran off, leaving the wounded and deaf police on the ground in the alley of the burning nightclub.

The authorities arrived at the scene, which included their backup, ambulances, and firefighters. Among them were detectives Stanley Carter and Jefferson Davis who were currently questioning a witness.

"Where were you when they stormed the club?" Stanley asked.

"I was enjoying my drink, dawg. Was hoping to come out of it with a baddie, ya know? Just surveying...seeing my options. Then they just run in and kill the security guard. Not even with a gun or anything, they just hit him over the head with a crowbar. Someone guy tried to be a hero too and got clapped as well."

"How many?"

The man thought for a moment. "About six. I saw they had freaking molotovs and even threw one at the bar area. I immediately bolted, bro."

"Got a look at their faces?" Jefferson asked him.

"Not really. But I'm sure one of them was a woman. Kinda short. Pretty though. If she wasn't part of them crazy folk, I probably woulda hollered at her, ya know?"

"Yeah." Stanley glanced at Jefferson and he nodded back.

The former finished writing on his notepad before putting it away.

"If you can, we'd like you to come down to the station and help with a sketch for this woman."

He scoffed. "Oh, hell nah. My mama don't even know I'm here. She think I'm at a college retreat. I'll pass."

The young man walked away. Stanley shook his head and let out a sigh while Jefferson chuckled.

"Can we even trust him?" Jefferson asked. "Looks like he had one too many to drink."

"Even if he did, one thing a drunk man doesn't forget is the face of a pretty woman," Stanley replied. "So we know one of our suspects is a female."

"Detectives?"

They turned to see a fireman walking toward them. It was Gilbert English, or as he often went by, Grills. He was called to the scene of the arson.

"How is it inside?" Stanley asked.

"Pretty bad. We were able to recover a few bodies."

"Any luck on the security footage?"

He shook his head. The cops shook their heads as well.

"Damn."

Grills sighed. "This is the second arson this week."

"Right." Jefferson replied.

"I thought I was going to be able to have the night to myself. Play the new GTA VI that came out today." Grills added.

Stanley arched a brow. "What?"

"Sorry. Wrong place to mention it."

Jefferson pat his shoulder. "Thanks Grills."

He nodded. The avid gamer, LARPer, and fireman walked away, leaving the two detectives. Stanley looked at Jefferson.

"What's a GTA?" He asked.

"A video game. Been delayed a few times, and it finally came out today."

"And you know that how?"

Jefferson chuckled. "My son's been begging me to get it for him. But it's rated M, and since he's only 13...Rio ain't having it."

Stanley stifled a laugh. Suddenly, they saw EMTs come out of the nearby alley with three officers on stretchers. They were in a daze, but what stood out was the blood coming out of their ears. Stanley recognized one of them.

"Shit...Medina?"

The man was mumbling. He noticed Stanley as the two went over to him. The EMT stopped and let them have a word.

"Sta—Stan."

"What the hell happened?"

"She...Sh—She just opened her mouth and..." He stammered. "God...my ears."

"Who?"

The man couldn't hear anymore. All he could make out was white noise. But he did read Stanley's lips.

"She left with the rest of them."

The EMT let the detectives know they needed to go and he soon left with Officer Medina. Jefferson and Stanley watched as the maimed cops were loaded into the ambulances and were driven away.

"Arsonists did that to them?" Jefferson asked.

"In the city we're in...you're never just one thing. Always gotta have something up your sleeve."

"And he said she. Could that be...?"

Stanley sighed. He could've referred to the young woman the club patron mentioned. He looked around and the nearby establishments.

"Come on, Jeff. Let's check out if any of these buildings got captured anything on their cameras. If they got any."

Jefferson nodded and soon followed his partner.

The van pulled up to an abandoned hospital in Ditmars Steinway, Queens. The young lady entered the base with her colleagues and was greeted by many of the other cult members. She didn't pay them any mind and went straight to the room where she knew their leader would be.

Upon entering, she saw the redheaded man reading from his journal. He looked up at her and a smirk formed on his face. There was a moment of silence before the man got up and ran up to her, where they soon embraced with a kiss.

"Cletus." She said after parting.

"Frances." He replied with a smile. "I suppose everything went well?"

"Lorenzini's club is no more, baby."

"Great."

"That hardheaded loser is probably pissing his pants now."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Cletus walked away back to the table. Frances started to get nervous and spoke again.

"But..." She began. "There was a little teeny tiny problem."

Cletus turned back around. She continued.

"Cops came a bit too early. We lost one. I had to...um...use my scream to buy us time to leave."

The Flame had a stoic look. He slowly returned to her and the young man didn't know what to expect. He got close.

"Are they dead?"

She shook her head. "Just...really messed up."

The man's expression slowly changed to one of glee. He played with her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"Next time...go all out. Until their heads pop like a balloon. You got that power for a reason, right?"

Frances shook her head with a smile. She was always so happy to see Cletus smile. He only ever did it in front of her.

"Soon, together, we will have everything we could ever want. Everyone will be at our beck and call. And if things don't go our way...we will level this city. We will give it what it wants...what it deserves..."

Frances took in his words. She kept smiling back and finished what he was going to say.

"Carnage."

THE NOHO-BASED café was pretty busy that Friday primarily because of the brunch hours. Thankfully, as always was the case, Y/N and his friends were still able to be in their usual spot.

Flash was on his phone watching a YouTube video. Randy took notice and leaned in to get a peek at it.

"What are you even watching, bro?"

"None of your business, bro."

Randy kept looking. "Is that GTA VI gameplay from TheRadBrad?"

He scoffed. "Yeah, so?"

"Broke boy!"

"Dude."

Randy looked over at Harry. The young man was sitting with MJ and drinking his coffee.

"Harry, how about you lend my boy here some money so he can buy the new Grand Theft Auto for himself."

Flash rolled his eyes. "I don't need money."

"Dude, just come over," Harry told him. "I downloaded it last night."

"Nah, he can't do it," Randy added. "Probably can't afford the Uber to your place."

"I literally have the game, guys!" Flash replied. "So what if I just wanted to check out what TheRadBrad had to say about it."

The four of them laughed. Flash scoffed and continued.

"Wanna call someone broke?" He pointed over at the counter. "Look at Y/N."

They all looked over at Y/N who was with Indira, buying a coffee and snacks. The young man was paying for it. As he did, he said something to Indira that caused her to laugh. The friends looked on at the new couple.

"Bad example," Harry said. "He's literally paying for his girlfriend's stuff."

Randy kept looking at them. "Would you look at that? All that blossomed because of a Flo Rida song at a party a week ago."

"Eh, I always think there was something there. Especially after Kate left." Flash remarked.

MJ kept looking at the couple by the cashier. They kept laughing and there were smiles all around. Indira also held on to the young man's arm. MJ didn't say a word and took a sip of her own drink.

"Again..." Flash added with a snicker. "I don't know where he got his Rizz."

"I didn't understand you at first...but now I get it," Randy replied. "I need some pointers."

Harry spoke. "Hey, you're all right. You pulled Felicia that one time, didn't you?"

Randy didn't respond and simply nodded. Thinking back at that time and remembering Felicia always had him feeling doleful. Randy saw Y/N and Indira walking back and decided to speak to move on from that topic quickly.

"Hey, bro. Flash called you broke."

Flash glanced at him and gave him a look. Y/N turned to Flash and shrugged.

"I mean...I'm not loaded, but I could manage." He replied.

Indira spoke. "Don't mind Eugene. If he didn't have his mom's money, he'd be on the street."

There was a collective chuckle. Flash shook his head.

"Another day, another Indy-to-Flash jab." He said. "You're such a bully."

"Hey, you can't joke about my man and get away with it." She replied with a smirk as she hugged Y/N's arm.

Y/N simply chuckled. He was still getting used to all the affection Indira had been giving him the last week. He was very appreciative of it and his reactions to it were always funny. It was like her PDA brought back to the stammering and timid Y/N from his early high school days.

Y/N sat down with Indira and began to enjoy his drink. Harry turned to his friends and spoke.

"Hey, I've been thinking, since you two just started canoodling....how about we go on a double date or something? My treat."

Immediately, Y/N got Deja-Vu asking a similar question to Harry months ago. He recalled doing so during the dream the Gaines twins had him go through while he was still with Kate. He thought it would be hilarious if he were still in that dream this whole time. He pinched himself discreetly.

"How's that sound?" Harry asked again.

Indira glanced at Y/N. She looked back at Harry.

"You said your treat?"

"Mm-hmm. Unless Y/N wants to be a gentleman and go halfsies with me."

"Guess that depends on where we go," Indira said. "Y/N ain't very liquid."

Y/N turned to her. "Come on."

"Joking, sweetie."

Flash overheard. "Oh, so you can make broke jokes but I can't?"

"Are you allowed to make out with him?" She said abruptly.

The clapback caught Flash by surprise. "Uh...I guess not."

"Then you can't."

The young man just put his hands up and returned to his phone. Y/N just sat there and stifled a laugh at her antics. MJ also snickered.

"You sure know how to shut people up."

Indira smirked at her friend. "I learned from the best."

Both girls shared a look and then a laugh. Harry and Y/N just glanced at each other after their girlfriends' exchange.

The two young women have been great friends and have gotten even closer recently since Indira helped MJ get an internship at E1 with her. Like the Latina, the amber-haired girl was interested in communications and reporting.

Harry decided to speak up finally. "What do you guys have in mind?"

Y/N thought about it for a moment. He quickly came up with a place.

"How about Coney Island? Been a while since I've been there."

MJ agreed. "Me too. I love that place."

Y/N chuckled. He remembered the times he'd go to the amusement park there. He often went with his parents, Peter and Ned, and even with MJ when they dated before the memory-wipe spell. The young man let out a sigh.

"I'm down." Indira said, taking him out of his thoughts.

Harry agreed.

"All right. Coney Island it is. Next Sunday, then?" He asked.

They all agreed. Suddenly, Y/N's spider-sense went off just when a fire truck and police cruisers sped down the road. In usual Y/N fashion, he took out his phone and acted as if he got a message from Jonah.

"Crap, I gotta go to the Bugle." He told them. "Uh...hopefully, it's a promotion or something."

Indira, being the only one with the knowledge of his alter-ego, immediately wished him good luck and kissed him on the cheek. He nodded and bid farewell to his friends before leaving the cafe.

Harry chuckled as he watched him run out the door. He turned to the ladies.

"He will be freelancing for the rest of his life."

• • •

A CAR DEALERSHIP in Alphabet City was set ablaze. People were able to leave, but there were still some trapped in the lot. Spider-Man had to move fast to save them.

Y/N was inside and tried finding the people trapped. He was successful and got them to safety, but upon leaving the last woman to the EMTs...he heard a scream.

"Oh, my!" One bystander reacted. "There's someone still in there!"

"I'm going!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

He sprang into action and swung back toward the dealership. He crashed through a window and landed back in the smoky lobby. He called out.

"Where are you!?"

There was another shout. A part of the ceiling crashed down and rumbled the room.

"Where are you?!?" He exclaimed once more.

Y/N followed the cries. He walked by flaming debris and entered an office where he saw someone huddled in the corner. They seemed to have a blanket over them.

"I'm going to get you out of here." He reassured them.

They stood up but kept facing the corner. Spider-Man went up to them and grabbed their shoulder...

Hobgoblin let out a yell as he spun around and then punched Spider-Man. Y/N was sent crashing through the brittle walls and landed back in the burning lobby.

As the hero hobbled back to his feet, the villain removed the blanket from over his head and threw it aside. He still had his scuffed orange hood that engulfed his face in darkness. All Y/N could see were his glowing red eyes.

"You're pathetically predictable. Like a moth to the flame." Hobgoblin said. "Just a call by a damsel in distress and you come running."

Spider-Man stood up and faced the villain.

"Ah...surprised to see you. It's been what? A couple of months since the whole..." He mocked his voice and shook his fists. "We'll meet again Spider-Man!"

"You're an interesting creature, Spider-Man. All that power...for what?"

Y/N didn't answer. Hobgoblin kept speaking.

"You have the ability to take...to rule...to kill...but you don't. You don't deserve to have such power."

Spider-Man glared through his mask.

"When you have the ability to do so...but chose not to...that's control. That's true power."

Hobgoblin cackled. "If you say so."

They paced around as they faced each other. Spider-Man balled his fists.

"What's your angle here, Hobs?" Y/N asked. "The dealership didn't give you a good deal on the new Camry?"

"You've heard of the arsons around town? Lorenzini's nightclub...his shipping yard. This is his dealership."

Spider-Man knew about Joseph Lorenzini and his ties to the criminal underworld as Hammerhead.

"So what? You burning down his establishments?"

"Not me. I didn't even do this. I came after the chaos." He replied. "Because I knew you'd come running."

Suddenly, Hobgoblin deployed an orange sphere that broke apart and became razor bats.

"Oh, great." Spider-Man reacted.

They flew at him, but Y/N was able to dodge and weave away from them. He leaped over one razor bat and landed right when Hobgoblin ran at him.

He punched Spider-Man across the face, then quickly added another straight jab. Y/N heard the razor bats returning, so he ducked and let them fly at Hobgoblin. He batted them away but immediately kicked Y/N in the face.

Hobgoblin tried landing another punch, but Y/N blocked it with his forearm. He countered with a left hook across Hobgoblin's face, and it sent him stumbling back.

Suddenly, the razor bats from a few seconds ago came back. Y/N moved his body to avoid them, but one razor bat looped around and slashed his left arm.

"Aaah!"

Hobgoblin charged at Spider-Man and initiated a flurry of punches. Y/N was able to dodge them and landed a knee to his abdomen. He then put in a spinning kick that sent the villain to the floor.

"I can tell you're holding back..." Hobgoblin chuckled. "Why do so?"

"I don't want to waste my energy with you." He shot back.

"Am I not good enough? Do I not compare to Pterdacts? The Twins? Shikata? Gargan?" He snickered. "I did all of that."

Y/N arched a brow. "What?"

"I hired Carlyle to blow up the Bugle. I orchestrated the breakout of the Gaines Twins with Alonzo Lincoln. I'm the reason Damien was able to get in touch with Shikata. I'm the one who funded the creation of Gargan's suit. I helped birth the Scorpion."

Spider-Man took in his words. He immediately remembered his conversation with Jonah after the battle with Gargan and how he revealed that Norman Osborn was the anonymous backer of the suit.

Could Hobgoblin really be...Osborn? Is he the one that did all of this?

The villain continued.

"If I'm able to orchestrate all of this...give you your most devious villains...then I am good enough. I am your greatest adversary."

After a moment of processing his statement, Spider-Man chuckled.

"Everyone you just named, I took down. They were a usual Tuesday for me. I've had more trouble dealing with Shocker."

Hobgoblin's red eyes glared. Y/N continued.

"You need to up your game if you want to really get to me."

The villain smirked within the darkness of his hood.

"Oh...I will. Just wait."

After his vague threat, the villain immediately engaged Spider-Man again. They tussled amidst the burning some more, with each combatant exchanging blows and parries.

Finally, Hobgoblin expelled gas from his gauntlet, and it hit Y/N's masked face. He should've seen it coming, but the villain's attacks were swift, and their smoky surroundings were also not helping.

"Ugh..."

Y/N reacted to the effects of the strange gas. He stumbled and fell onto his bottom as Hobgoblin stood over him. A part of the young man feared he'd deal a lethal blow then and there...but he didn't.

"As much as I'd like to end you here...I'll save it for the time we have our real showdown." He knelt beside him. "But I'll leave you with this..."

Y/N could still hear and see him amidst his daze. Hobgoblin spoke.

"Frances Barrison. She's been working with The Flame and burning down these establishments." He stood up and paced backward. "I'll let you continue your pointless hero work."

Y/N closed his eyes and shook his head, but upon opening them, he saw that Hobgoblin was gone. He let out a cough and slowly got to his feet.

Spider-Man looked around. He wondered why the villain would even give him that piece of information. What was his angle in all of this? What was his endgame?"

With that, Spider-Man shot a web and swung out of the burning lobby.

The firefighters were able to quell the flames. Police and other forms of authority were still outside, trying to investigate the scene. Among them were detectives Carter and Davis, along with Sergeant Yuri Watanabe and Captain George Stacy.

"This is the third arson in five days. This can't be a coincidence." Yuri said.

"A shipping yard, a nightclub, a dealership." Jefferson began. "What's the connection?"

George replied. "A couple of us looked into the last two. They are all owned by Joseph Lorenzini."

"Lorenzini?" Stanley asked. "The guy that owns those Italian restaurants up in the Bronx?"

"He has his hand in other ventures as well." Yuri replied.

"So, what? We're looking at someone trying to take down his businesses?"

"Seems like it."

"Fine, color me intrigued," Jefferson said. "Who did he piss off?"

"I got a name."

They all turned and were surprised to see Spider-Man. While George and Jefferson were pleased to see him, Stanley and Yuri were pretty put off by his arrival.

"Spider-Man." Captain Stacy greeted.

Y/N nodded and went straight to business. "Frances Barrison. She might be working with The Flame."

"The Flame?" Yuri asked. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Because Milos Masaryk mentioned the name when he threatened to blow up the entire block three months ago."

"And when you tased the hell out of him." Spider-Man added.

Yuri snickered. Jefferson chimed in.

"So this Flame...is it a person?"

"We gotta look into it. As well as Frances Barrison."

Stanley spoke up. "I'm sorry, but are we just going to take the word of a known vigilante?"

"Ah..." Y/N clicked his tongue. "You're one of those cops."

Stanley scoffed. George backed up the hero.

"He hasn't done anything that has wavered my trust, and just like us...he prioritizes the safety of our citizens."

"Which is good enough for me." Jefferson added.

Y/N appreciated the support of the Captain and the detective. Yuri stood there and ended up agreeing. Stanley ultimately accepted it and nodded.

"Thanks, son. We'll look into it." George told Spider-Man. "How'd you stumble upon that name anyway?"

Y/N wanted to explain his battle with Hobgoblin earlier and how he was the one who gave him the name, but doing so might've swayed the officers the wrong way. He decided to bend the truth a bit.

"I—I've been looking into these arsons as well. Beat up a guy, and they told me the name."

"Now he's openly admitting to assault." Stanley remarked.

Jefferson nudged his partner who just put his hands up. George nodded.

"All right, we'll go from there. Until next time, Spider-Man."

The hero nodded and immediately swung away, leaving the detectives and officers by the cruiser.

• • •

A FEW HOURS passed since the arson at the dealership. Stanley and Jefferson were in their car looking over some files on a computer. They were of Frances Barrison that they were able to retrieve with the help of Yuri and George back at the station.

They looked through them and learned some details about the young woman. She grew up in St. Estes orphanage and became a drug dealer in her late teenage years. During her time as one, she even used the alias Sandra Deel.

"Damn, man." Jefferson breathed out.

"What?" Stanley asked.

"Only 25. She's so young. And she's been through all of that."

Jefferson thought of his own son, Miles, and how he worked hard to ensure that he had a good life and that he was on a path to success. It seemed like Frances never had that positive influence.

"Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared." Stanley quoted Tupac Shakur's poem. "That's just the case for some people, unfortunately."

Jefferson nodded. They looked through the files and found a report for Frances's recent arrest.

"Back in January, she was arrested for petty theft. Her and some other guy." Stanley said and looked further into the report. "Cletus Kasady."

Jefferson pulled out his phone. "Kasady? I remember the Captain mentioning that name before."

He tried calling George. It rang, but there was no answer. He decided to call Yuri next...but she didn't pick up either. Jeff found it weird since he had just saw them earlier.

Jefferson then looked out the window and saw a woman walking down the sidewalk toward them. She seemed very familiar. Upon looking at her some more...his eyes widened.

"Hey, hey...ain't that...ain't that Barrison?"

Stanley looked up from the computer and saw the young man. She kept walking toward them until she stopped in front of their car.

"What is she...?"

Stanley slowly went for his gun. Frances outside smirked. Before he can open his door or draw his weapon, she opened her mouth and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

"Argh!" The two detectives reacted.

The sound waves shattered their windows, as well as many others in the area. Jefferson and Stanley covered their ears but it barely helped.

Suddenly, cult members rolled up in their van and quickly got out to subdue the detectives. They were so disoriented from the scream that they could barely put up a fight as they were pulled out and forced into the van.

The two attempted to escape but were quickly quelled and rendered unconscious. Frances entered the van, too, and they soon drove off.

• • •

STANLEY WAS TIED to a chair in the middle of the room. A cult member of the Flame punched him across the face. Nearby on the floor, Jefferson was chained up, also getting beat.

Another punch was landed. Jefferson spat out some blood as the man snickered. He looked back at the cult member.

"You having fun?" Jeff asked.

"Just softening you up for the Flame. He loves to take his time with his...soon-to-be indoctrinated sheep."

Jefferson chuckled. "I ain't being brought into shit."

He was punched again. The second cult member stood beside Stanley, fiddling with his handgun. Two others were standing on the side and by the door, respectively. The cult member spoke again.

"You guys were getting too close. A friend of ours at the station let us know that you were looking into Frances."

The two detectives took in the revelation that there was a mole for the Flame within the police department. He continued.

"Now, we're going to mess you guys up and send a message to the rest that they need to keep away."

He punched Jeff again. The cult member looked back at the other the door and spoke.

"Want to join in?"

He scoffed. "Just hurry with him. You've been wasting time."

"Wasting time?"

"Yeah. Asshole."

The two cult members were pretty hotheaded. They engaged in an argument and got close to each other.

"Hey, watch your mouth."

"Make me."

As they were in their spat, Stanley discreetly unlocked himself from his handcuffs with a pin he had. He sat there in the seat and waited for the right moment to act.

"Screw you." The man told the other. "I'll keep having my fun."

The cult member by Stanley cocked the gun he had and held it by his face. He began taunting him.

"You miss your little weapon? This is pretty nice. After the Flame deals with you, I'll just go ahead and keep—"

At that moment, Stanley grabbed the man's hand and forced him to shoot the the guy near Jefferson. He then pointed the gun at the two by the door and shot them down too.

With the three taken down rather swiftly, he disarmed the man of his gun and quickly put a bullet into his chest and then head. The man stood there afterward and panted.

Jeff watched it all unfold and was in awe at his partner's handiwork. He had taken them down in what seems to be a blink of an eye.

"Damn, Stan. Where'd you learn all that?"

The detective had rigorous training before but didn't want to get into the details of where he got it from and why. He went over to untie Jeff.

"Story for another time, Jeff."

Jefferson got up and rubbed his wrists. Stanley checked the body of one of the dead cult members and found a knife. He decided to take it and instead hand the gun to Jefferson.

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

"I'm all right. Come on, let's go."

The two left the room and carefully walked through the dimly lit hallway. From the looks of their surroundings, they could tell they were in some sort of run-down hospital.

They kept moving until someone suddenly came out of another room and saw them. Since Stanley was the closest to him, he immediately acted and stabbed him in the stomach with the knife.

The man groaned. He took out the knife and then stabbed him in the back afterward, finishing him for good. He dropped his body, and Jeff looked on in awe.

His partner was surprised to see such ruthlessness coming from Stanley with his kills, but what stood out the most was his efficiency in doing it.

"Stanley..."

Detective Carter knew that the sight took aback Jefferson. He went up to him and held the man's shoulder.

"Look, these people were going to torture us. They were going to kill us. Who knows who else they've done it to? While we try to find a way out...anyone of them we come across...we have to deal with them."

Jeff wasn't sure. In his entire career in the force, he has only shot his gun once, and that time, he only ended up injuring the criminal and didn't kill him. Jeff never thought he'd have to kill.

"Stan...I don't know. I can't—"

Stanley could see the gears turning in Jeff's head. He understood his morals and ethics and knew that he hadn't killed before...which was something Stanley couldn't relate to. So, the man decided to take the burden from him.

"All right, Jeff. It's okay." Stanley took the gun from him. "I got this. I got us."

All Jefferson did was nod. Stanley nodded back.

"I just hope that whatever you see from me...what I do...doesn't change the way you look at me." He added.

Stanley then turned around. He held his handgun in his right hand and knife in the other, all while crossing them over each other in a CQC stance. Jefferson followed him down the hall.

And just like Stanley predicted, there were more cult members on the floor they were in. He took them down with precision and quickly moved to the next floor. A couple more appeared and drew the guns, but Stanley immediately shot them down.

They made it to another floor, where they saw two more bodies. Stanley arched a brow since they weren't his doing, so he stayed alert.

The two went down the hall and were surprised by two more people. The woman had her gun aimed at them but didn't shoot upon seeing who they were.

"Carter?" Yuri asked.

"Watanabe?"

Yuri was joined by George Stacy. He was shocked by the sight of the two officers.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked.

"These assholes took us." Jefferson replied.

Yuri nodded. "We were too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, right after we left the station. Caught us by surprise."

It made sense to Jefferson. He remembered trying to call them earlier, and he got no response.

"I see you've been busy." Stanley remarked as he looked back at the bodies.

"They tried getting the jump on us. Didn't suit them well."

"This chat can wait. We got to get the hell out or find some way to call backup." George said.

They all agreed. The four of them made their way through the surprisingly vacant floors. They then reached the ground floor and into the large loading dock.

Upon seeing a group of the cult members within, they took cover. Among them was Frances Barrison and the Flame himself, Cletus Kasady.

"That's Barrison." Stanley whispered.

"And Kasady," George added, remembering some of the run-ins he had with him the last few years. "I shouldn't be surprised he's a part of this group."

"It's only a few of them, and they have no weapons." Yuri said. "We should take them in."

George spoke. "Yuri—"

"Lead the way, Sergeant." Stanley interjected.

With that, Yuri and Stanley got out of cover and engaged the criminals. George harshly whispered.

"Yuri!"

The two had their guns aimed at the cult members. Frances and Cletus turned around upon hearing their call out.

"NYPD! Don't move!"

They had their hands up. Cletus glanced at Frances, and the two shared a smile. She looked back at the officers. Immediately, as if he had forgotten, Stanley remembered what the woman was capable of.

"Oh, shit—"

The young woman opened her mouth and let out a shout directed at them. The immense wave sent them landing on their backs, and their guns flew off to the side.

Cletus grabbed a knife from the table and ran at the downed officers, but before he could attack, he was tackled by George. They rolled across the floor. Yuri was able to recover and took on one of the cult members.

Frances went up to Stanley and picked him up with the help of another cult member. Jefferson ran over to help and grabbed a hold of the man and wrestled with him while Stanley engaged Frances.

The four officers took on the four cult members. Suddenly, a group of the Flame came in and now they outnumbered them. But...help soon arrived.

Spider-Man came through the open shutter doors and kicked one enemy down. Frances saw the vigilante. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't immediately use her shriek because she needed time to recharge.

"Sensed you guys needed help." Spider-Man told the officers.

"How'd you find us?" Jefferson asked after pushing away his opponent.

"I was in the neighborhood."

Spider-Man now joined them in fighting the Flame cult.

Two of the members ran at the vigilante. He did a baseball slide through one's legs and quickly got behind him, where he hit him with a spinning kick. Y/N then webbed the face of the other guy and pulled him toward his fist, knocking him down.

Spider-Man took more on. Meanwhile, Stanley and Jefferson were also fighting two cult members. Yuri was dealing with Frances while the older, yet still pretty capable, George tried to maintain the frantic Kasady.

Kasady swung his knife at George, who was able to dodge them. During one thrust, George grabbed his arm and landed a right hook across his jaw. Cletus stumbled back and landed on the floor.

Suddenly, a straggling cult member came up and grabbed George from behind. They struggled as Stacy attempted to get out of his chokehold.

Cletus sat up and saw one of the detective's guns on the ground. He picked it up and wiped away the blood from his mouth. As he did, he looked over and saw Yuri fighting Frances.

Frances had gotten the upper hand and pushed her down, but the sergeant ended up grabbing a knife one of the members dropped. She quickly swiped upward and slashed the woman's eye.

"Aaah!" Frances reacted in pain.

She stumbled to the door and Yuri got back up and stood over the young woman. Celtus glared at the sight and aimed the gun at her.

"No!" George exclaimed.

He had escaped the chokehold and dove forward. After Cletus pulled the trigger, George got in the way and took the bullet instead.

He fell to the floor, and everyone in the room reacted.

"George!" Yuri shouted.

Cletus got up and aimed his gun at the rest, but it was soon webbed out of his hand. Spider-Man came in and kicked him back down.

Yuri's priority at the moment was George's health, so she left the maimed Frances on the ground and went to the Captain. Jefferson and Stanley were still handling the stragglers in the room.

Frances looked at the scene before her. Cletus had Spider-Man over him; the two detectives were fighting the few members left and would soon prevail. The Flame's failure and capture were imminent...but she wasn't going to let that happen.

Finally, she let out a loud shriek that shook the room. Spider-Man, the officers, and the remaining members covered their ears and were immediately disoriented. Cletus was able to get up and run due to the protective device in his ears.

They ran through the open shutter doors. Spider-Man saw them and was about to chase after them amidst the shouting. But Frances saw this, too.

She gave one last look at Cletus, who stopped and was waiting for his lover to escape with him. She didn't say a word and only screamed again and directed the sound wave to the ceiling. It broke chunks of rubble from it, and the debris crashed down, blocking the exit.

Afterward, Frances stopped her shriek and fell to her knees in exhaustion. Everyone else recovered, but both Stanley and Jefferson were able to subdue the last two cult members.

Frances slowly got up and saw them being arrested. She even saw Yuri, who was still knelt beside the wounded George. She glared at them and tried to conjure enough strength to scream again...

But before she can try, Frances was punched hard across the face and knocked unconscious. Spider-Man stood over her and gave his punching hand a little shake.

"Ow. That even hurt me a bit." He remarked. "I don't usually hit girls, so...I don't know if I should feel bad."

Meanwhile, Yuri was beside George. She had a hand over his gunshot wound that was bleeding profusely.

"Captain...everything's going to be alright, Captain." She stammered.

With the stragglers cuffed and Frances down, Stanley, Jefferson, and Spider-Man approached the two. They were immediately crestfallen at the sight.

"Captain..." Yuri spoke again. "George?"

George struggled to speak but also could barely breathe. The bullet had gone into his chest and punctured his lungs. Yuri kept trying to maintain the bleeding and noticed his eyes starting to close.

"Don't do this to me! Don't! Stay awake. Please!"

Spider-Man looked on dejectedly. Yuri turned to the hero.

"Call someone!"

"What?" He replied.

"Call! Don't—don't you have a phone in your mask or something? Call the paramedics! The police! The—The Avengers or something..."

He wasn't sure how to respond. Finally, Jefferson spoke up.

"Even if we called someone...." He sighed, seeing the state George was in. "Yuri..."

"You don't know that!" She exclaimed, trying to deny the inevitable.

George ended up grabbing her hand and gripping it. She looked down at the dying George, and they locked eyes. Even in the final moments of his life, they were soft. The look he gave seemed to let Yuri know that everything was okay.

Moments later, his grip loosened. George's eyes stayed open after his last breath. Yuri knelt there...having just processed that he had passed.

"No..." She muttered. "No! George! Please!"

The three men nearby dropped their heads mournfully. For Y/N, George's death marked yet another loss during his career as Spider-Man. He hated how it had to be a great and heroic man like George. He also thought of Gwen...who now had to live without her dad.

Yuri kept holding the man's hand, the hand of the man who she looked up to and had been a father figure to her since her recruitment on the force.

Finally, she broke down. Yuri dropped her head and cried over George's body.

• • •

IT HAD BEEN a few days since George Stacy's death. Frances Barrison was arrested and sent to Ravencroft Institute in Westchester, where they had the technology to contain the woman's mutant abilities. Cletus and the remainder of the Flame cult were still at large.

Frances sat within her enclosure. Her walls were made with special material that her sonic scream couldn't shatter. She didn't think of an escape, how long she would be locked up, or anything of that matter...all she could think about was Cletus and how she wouldn't be able to see him.

She blamed the police, she blamed Yuri for the scar on her eye, but who she blamed most was Spider-Man. If she had anyone to hate immensely from that day forward...it'd be the web-slinger. If she were to ever get out, she'd find him and make sure he regretted disturbing what she had with Kasady and the Flame.

In anger, Frances let out a shriek within her glass box.

In his high-rise, Alonzo Lincoln was at his desk in his office. He jotted down some notes in his notebook and typed in his laptop nearby. He was undoubtedly busy with work.

Two of his men came in, but before they could get a word in, they were webbed up and flung to the ceiling, where they were stuck. Lincoln was unwavered and didn't bother looking at the web-slinger within the shadows.

"I see you've come in through the open window. I would've let you in through the door if you asked." Tombstone said.

"You sit in that desk in this empty room. Hide within your tall building." Y/N began as he stepped out. "Soon enough, you'll have to come out, and everyone will see who you really are."

"And all they'll see...is a man whose business ventures help many in this city. Who are you to try and take me down and stop all of it?"

"I know you hired Kasady and his cult to burn down Hammerhead's establishments." Y/N for straight to the point. "Another one of your plays to get a leg up in this turf war."

"Bold claim." He replied.

"One of his guys in jail fessed up."

"Hm. Well, he won't be talking for long."

Spider-Man jumped onto the desk. Lincoln eyed him.

"You've been pissing me off, Lincoln. With everything you've done. And George Stacy is dead because of you."

Lincoln finally stood up. "An unfortunate causality."

Y/N became irate and balled his fists.

"I'll beat your bald ass to the ground—"

Tombstone immediately backhanded Spider-Man and sent him off the desk. He recovered with a back handspring and landed on his feet. Lincoln vaulted over his desk and engaged the hero.

Y/N tried to land a hit, but Tombstone grabbed his fist and immediately followed with a punch to his stomach. It launched Spider-Man a few feet before Tombstone socked him again and sent him back down.

"Ugh!"

Tombstone stomped on his chest and kept him pinned to the floor. As much as the hero tried, he couldn't move much underneath his foot.

"Don't move, just listen," Lincoln said. "And I'll explain to you how everything works now."

Y/N shot a web toward the pool table nearby and caught the 8-ball. He flung it at Tombstone, who simply caught it before it could hit him. The man then crushed it easily with his bare hand.

"I have nothing against heroes. No hero can thwart enough crime to dent my income. But you...you're a special breed. It's like you frighten criminals off the street."

Lincoln stepped off of Spider-Man and walked back toward his desk. Y/N got back up and caught his breath. The Big Man continued.

"But when you go out and fight guys like the Rhino and Scorpion, my profitable army of petty thugs and henchmen think themselves...beneath your notice."

Y/N thought about it. The Rhino had been an enforcer for the Kingpin when he was around. People like Pterodax, the Gaines Twins, Puma, Scorpion, Shikata, and Barrison were products of influence by crime lords like Lincoln and Hammerhead. It's like there was a new threat every time.

"So, you're saying that the more I fight crime..., the bigger and badder foes you'll—"

"Now you're getting it," Tombstone interjected. "And you've seen it firsthand...how threatening the people I recruit could be. Like...the Gaines Twins."

The mention brought a sour taste to his mouth. They were the reason Kate was still seen as a murderer and why she had to flee to California. Tombstone continued.

"But there is a way out..."

Lincoln sat back down at his desk. He pulled out a briefcase and placed it on the desk. He opened it and showed the load of cash within.

"You work for me. You can still save the world and the city like a good hero...while being rich beyond your wildest dreams. But...you'll have to end this crusade you have against me. And on occasion, you'll have to look away...on any occasion I choose."

Y/N just stood there. Lincoln looked at the hero and smirked. The thought of having Spider-Man in his ranks excited him as it'd sure give him the ace in the hole he needed to win the turf war and seize control of the city.

Finally, the young man replied.

"I can't ever look the other way again." He replied, remembering the day Ben Parker died. Y/N clenched his fists and got back in a fighting stance. "Let's finish this."

Tombstone shook his head and clicked his tongue. He closed the briefcases

"If you insist."

A buzzer sounded, and the doors to his office burst open. Two police officers, seemingly under his payroll, came in with their guns drawn.

"Officers, Spider-Man has trespassed on my property, assaulted my employees, and threatened me."

"Wait! Don't listen to him! He's—" Y/N spoke, then realized. "Oh, who am I kidding? He's probably paying you, isn't he?"

"Freeze, Spider-Man! You're under arrest!"

"Ugh!"

Y/N webbed a chair and flung it toward one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It broke, and he immediately ran and dove out of it as the cops fired their guns. Spider-Man swung away.

Back in his seat, Tombstone smirked. He sent the cops away before calmly going back to his work.

• • •

IT WAS SUNDAY. The young man was at his apartment fixing up one of his web shooters. His phone rang, and he saw that it was a call from Indira.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey. Everything all right?"

"Yeah...I'm good. You?"

"I'm cool. But are you sure you're good?"

Y/N understood she knew about his current mood. He was still reeling from Captain Stacy's death earlier in the week.

"Some...some things you just have to deal with, you know?" He replied. "You gotta move on and keep doing what you're doing."

"You've been feeling down the last few days. Remember the double date Harry mentioned last week? It's today."

Y/N remembered. "Oh, right! Damn...I totally forgot."

"You still down? If not, it's all right. I can call Harry, and we could—"

"No, no. It's all right. Sounds fun. I gotta leave this apartment anyway."

She chuckled. "Cool. Meet you at Coney Island?"

"Yeah, I'll even bring a gift."

"Oooh. May I ask what you have in mind?"

"Your favorite flowers from the shop across the street." He replied. "Anemones."

"Color?"

"Purple."

"Purple." She repeated. "Aww, you do know me."

"Yup. Elephant memory...whenever I actually use it."

They both laughed. Y/N continued.

"I'll see you there."

"Love you."

Her words sort of took aback Y/N. It was not often that he heard them...from anyone recently. He cleared his throat. For some reason, he couldn't say it back...as if it scared him.

"Bye." He quickly replied and hung up the call.

The young man took a breath as he sat at his desk. He rubbed his face and stayed there momentarily before changing to something else.

Y/N finally arrived and met with his friends at the amusement park in Coney Island. They were waiting by the entrance and saw him holding two small flowers.

"Hey!" Harry greeted.

He jogged up to them. "Hey."

"You made it." MJ said.

"Sorry, I'm late." He turned to Indira. "Managed to pick these up for you."

Indira smiled. Y/N decided not to hand them to her, instead placing the small anemones in her hair.

"So you don't have to hold them." He added.

She appreciated the act. Indira hugged and kissed him.

"You're the sweetest."

He smirked. "It's my specialty."

"God, I'm getting diabetes just looking at this." Harry turned to MJ and imitated an Elvis voice. "How about you give me some sugar too, honey?"

MJ responded with an elbow to his side. The young man groaned but it turned to a quick guffaw that his girlfriend soon joined.

Harry turned to the other two and spoke. "Well, come on. Let's get this shit crackin'."

With that, both couples entered the amusement park and began their fun night.

• • •

THEY ALL HAD a blast at Coney Island. The quartet enjoyed the food and attractions, and it was honestly the most fun Y/N had in a while. He rarely ever got to enjoy himself like that.

It was about 10 PM. Y/N ended up bringing Indira back to his apartment to watch something. He recently had installed a projector, so gone were the days of watching films and television on his phone.

The two were on his bed. They ultimately decided to watch the Knicks, whose 10 PM game against the Lakers had just started. The avid basketball fans didn't mind the late start.

Indira would react to plays and comment on it. On the other hand, Y/N was relatively quiet. He would often be the one showing excitement and hyping up his favorite team, so Indira figured something was on his mind.

"What's up?" She looked up at him and asked.

"What? Oh...Sorry, I'm just...daydreaming."

"About?" She adjusted herself on the bed. "You can talk to me."

The young man kept quiet and let out a sigh. He looked ahead at the game before him.

"I think about what I've been through...what I've seen. Like what happened with Captain Stacy. I get...scared. I get scared that one day I won't be able to help you guys. That—That I'll fail like I failed him."

"You didn't fail him, Y/N." She reassured him. "He knew that was the risk of his job just like there's a risk doing yours. From what you've told me about him...he wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"Well, I do." He butted. "And again...I—I just get scared it'll happen again."

Indira held his hand and gave him a reassuring grip.

"You have to realize you can't save everyone. You just have to do the best you can. You're not Superman...where you can move at the speed of light, and even he must've had trouble saving people. You're Spider-Man...and what you do is already more than enough."

Y/N took in her words. Indira continued.

"And don't worry about the gang and I. We can handle ourselves." She said with a chuckle, then got sincere. "You won't lose me."

The young man turned to her and smiled. He didn't say a word and simply leaned in to kiss her. After a few seconds, they parted and looked into each other's eyes.

They kissed again, but this time more passionately. The act was more feverish and needy, and Indira soon straddled Y/N, still not breaking the kiss.

Y/N dipped his hands underneath her top and ran them up her back. They finally broke the kiss only so he could remove her shirt. She also helped him take off his own top, and they tossed the clothes aside. They continued making out.

He ended up removing her bra as they kissed, and now they were both topless. She moved her hands down to his pants and was starting to undo them, but he broke the kiss and spoke.

"Wait, wait."

Indira wasn't sure why he put everything to a halt. Y/N reached over to the nightstand beside him and opened a drawer. He looked through it somewhat mindlessly and couldn't find what he wanted.

"Damn. I don't got any." He groaned. "I didn't think I'd have sex any time soon, so..."

She chuckled. "Well, I could take a Plan B in the morning. And besides, there's...other places you could, you know..."

The young man snickered. He ran his hands down her sides and paused at her waist. There was really nothing that was going to stop their first time sleeping together.

"Good enough for me."