TWO THUGS HAD decided to rob a flower shop at the same time. The issue was that they were not affiliated with the same boss, as one was under Tombstone and one was under Silvermane. Spider-Man had shown up and stopped them, having webbed the two of them up on the lamppost.

"This is the Big Man's turf!"

"No, this is Silvermane's and he's taking it back!"

Spider-Man looked up as they both dangled from the webbing. He put his hands on his waist and clicked his tongue.

"All I wanted were some flowers for my date tonight...it's like bad guys know when I'm in a hurry."

Y/N left the thugs for the police and swung away. He had a satchel looped around his torso that contained his clothes for the evening he was going to spend with Indira and his friends. As he swung, he spoke to himself.

"The city's a powder keg. Tombstone, Silvermane, and even Hammerhead each are trying to turn New York into their personal criminal empire." He scoffed. "This is one of the few times I start to miss good ol' Willie Fisk."

He kept swinging. As he did, he remembered something.

"Ah! The flowers! Damn it!" Y/N made a sharp turn into another block. "Now, what place sells Anemones?"

Meanwhile, the show at the opera house was about to begin. Outside, a bus parked and let out kids who were there for a field trip. They ran as their chaperone called out. They went past J. Jonah Jameson, who was there to enjoy the whose himself. He grumbled at the sight of kids.

"Great. There's going to be non-stop yapping."

Inside, Alonzo Lincoln was in a special room that overlooked the stage. Hammerhead joined him, and he stood beside him as they looked out the window.

Their guest soon arrived. Silvio Manfredi entered with a platinum-blonde young lady. It was Silvija Sablinova, the daughter of Silvio. Silver Sable had now resurfaced to join her father.

"Silvio." Lonnie greeted as he turned around. "I see you've brought a guest."

"Hope you don't mind. I needed to...beef up my protective detail." He replied. "I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, I do. Which is why I came prepared as well."

Moments later, the side door opened, and in came another man. He towered over the rest thanks to his armor he was luckily able to get back back thanks to Tombstone's connections. It was Mac Gargan, AKA the Scorpion.

Silvio was undeterred and simply nodded. Tombstone smirked and motioned toward the table. At the same time, the servers came in with their drinks and food. The show outside also began, and they could hear the performers singing.

"Let's all enjoy the fruits of our labor."

OUTSIDE OF THE restaurant, Randy waited for his friends. The young man wore an excellent suit for the night. He was the first one to arrive at the venue.

He looked at his watch before sighing and turning around. Randy thought it'd be better to go inside and just wait at their table. Before he can open the door, Y/N dropped from above and landed behind him.

"Hey, Randy!"

The young man was startled and turned back around to see Y/N, who wore a suit himself. He chuckled.

"Hey, Y/N. Ninja, much?"

"Sorry." He replied. "Uh, where's Angela?"

"Yeah...she told me she had something to do. But it's all right." He answered, mentioning his date for the night. "How about Indy?"

"She should be here soon, maybe by the time Harry and MJ do."

At that moment, a taxi drove up. The back door opened, and out came MJ and Indira. They looked stunning in their dresses, which took both young men aback.

"Hey!" MJ called out.

"Hey, MJ!" Randy greeted. "Wow...you both look—"

"Like angels." Y/N interjected.

Indira chuckled. "Ah, that's so sweet."

MJ smirked at him.

"You don't look too bad yourself, L/N." She said, then turned to Randy. "I do like your tie a bit better, though."

"One Point: Robertson." He replied and glanced at Y/N.

He simply shook his head.

"Where's Harry?" Y/N asked.

MJ sighed. "He's...not coming."

"Oh."

"We haven't talked the last couple of days anyway." She added.

The three friends felt for them. After the whole situation at the housewarming party last week, things between them were rocky. If they had to guess...their relationship would likely end soon.

"Well, hey...we can still have a great time." Randy replied.

"What about Angela?" Indira asked.

He shook his head.

"Rain checked." He then looked at MJ. "Since my date's also a no-show, would you kindly be mine?"

He exaggeratedly bowed and offered an escort arm. MJ laughed but ended up taking it.

"Why, yes, Mr. Robertson."

He laughed, and the exchange also got a giggle from Y/N and Indira. She also held onto his arm, and the four soon entered the restaurant.

The show continued. The crime bosses sat at the table while their colleagues stood around beside them. Silvio folded his hands in front of him.

"We can begin."

Hammerhead whispered at Lincoln.

"See, boss? It's good you brought me. From now on, I'll be watching your back."

He replied. "Just don't give me, or my back, cause to regret your inclusion."

Hammerhead didn't respond but gritted his teeth. He let out a breath through his nose and kept standing at attention.

A server went up and poured wine into their glasses. Silvio took his and held it up. Since it was Veteran's Day, and his father was once a soldier, he wanted to make a toast to them.

"To all those who protect and serve, not only who they love, but what they worked so hard for."

Lincoln held up his glass two and clinked it with his.

Back at the restaurant, the four friends sat at their booth. Y/N looked at the menu and saw the prices for each entree.

"Whoa!" He reacted but immediately changed his demeanor upon seeing their reaction. "I mean...wow! This sounds delicious."

"Don't worry, man." Randy said with a chuckle. "It's free."

"What?"

"Perks of knowing the owner."

"Balling, huh?" MJ asked.

He held up his hands. "Can't take all the credit, though. He's friends with my dad and my godfather."

They knew that his godfather was Alonzo Lincoln, but Y/N was the only one who knew of his dealings as Tombstone. He didn't remark on it and kept looking at the menu.

They soon ordered drinks and some appetizers. Their conversations soon came to the topic of Ned and what happened at the gala last week.

"I just can't believe it was him." MJ said.

"How well did you know him?" Randy asked.

"I've known him since high school. Very smart. Funny. Was always the life of the party. It's just...hard to think the Hobgoblin was him, you know?"

"Mental breakdown of sorts?" Indira asked.

She shrugged. "I never saw any signs of him being crazy or anything."

Y/N let out a sigh. He wanted to speak about Ned and how he's known him for so long. He wanted to bring up times when he always made him laugh or when he had his back. He had stories to tell...but he couldn't. It would make no sense to them since the Y/N they were friends with barely knew Ned Leeds.

"I guess... you never know sometimes." He remarked.

"Man..." MJ began. "I wonder what Peter and Gwen think."

Indira turned and saw Y/N looking down. She knew it hurt Y/N a bit having to take down a friend in Ned, but the young man also regretted having suspected Norman as the Hobgoblin. He messed up business ventures of his and villainized him for no reason. He figured he was the reason Norman and Harry's relationship became more strained, which had even trickled down to Harry and MJ's relationship.

She put a hand on his. Y/N looked at it and then at Indy. She smiled, and he returned the favor. Her smile always seemed to make things better.

Dinner between the crime bosses continued. Silvio was handed his dessert, but he spoke to Lincoln before digging in.

"Look, Big Man, here's the bottom line. The Manfredi family has ruled New York for decades. I understand you want to take everything...but I can't let that happen. Some things need to stay belonging to me."

Lonnie shook his head. "You old-school types always make things personal. But a criminal empire should be run like a business."

Silvio chuckled. He looked down at the slice of pie he was given.

"Is this a sick joke?" He asked.

"What is?" Lonnie replied.

"Pumpkin? You know I am not too fond of this." He said, citing his allergy. "You trying to make sure I drop dead?"

He scoffed. "You mark me as a fool, Silvio. Besides, the pie wasn't even what I assigned for the course."

Lincoln looked at Hammerhead, he oversaw the dinner that was being served. He shook his head.

"I did what you said, boss. It was supposed to be crème brûlée."

The servers also looked at each other in confusion. Suddenly, the door opened, and in came another person. They all looked over and were shocked at who arrived...

The Hobgoblin.

He sported his usual armor and cloak, with his signature orange hood and shadowy interior that only showed glowing red eyes. Lonnie got up from his seat.

"What? How can this be?"

As he neared the table, Sable grabbed her stun gun and aimed it at the villain. Scorpion also got in a fighting stance. Hobgoblin spoke.

"Hope I'm not crashing the party. And...Lonnie, you're going to need to send a card or something to the families of the guards I killed outside."

"Why bother with the secrecy? We all know who you are, Mr. Leeds." Tombstone said.

"Oh...well, that's the funny part."

As if he made it happen, the television in the room turned on and showed live footage of a news broadcast. It showed Ned Leeds being transferred to another jail as he awaited trial. The people in the room were bewildered.

"There...there are two of you?" Silvio asked.

"Bingo! AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!" He cackled. "I needed someone to take the fall so I could enact my master plan."

After his statement, Max Gargan extended his tail and knocked Silver Sable to the wall. He then swung his tail again at Hammerhead, knocking him away. Lonnie and Silvio were all stunned.

"Sable!" Silvio exclaimed.

In reality, Hobgoblin hired Scorpion and had him integrate himself into the meeting. Now all he needed to do was to kill the crime bosses, and he'd be the new Big Man of Crime.

"It ends here for you both! AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Hammerhead recovered and took out a Tommy Gun from underneath a nearby table. He fired at Hobgoblin, who reacted and maneuvered away.

"Here, boss!"

Hammerhead threw the rifle at Lincoln. He aimed and fired at Scorpion since he was the nearest enemy. The bullets ricocheted off his armor, and he ended up wrapping Tombstone in his tail and slamming him against the thick window of the room.

"This is nothing personal, Lincoln." Gargan said. "Just following the money."

Outside in the auditorium, nobody heard the commotion happening above. Not even Jameson, who was enthralled in the opera. One kid nearby started talking and he immediately shushed him. The boy stuck out his tongue at JJ.

Back above, Tombstone used one hand to shoot the Tommy Gun as he was still wrapped in Gargan's tail. The sheer amount of gunfire became too much, and he let Lincoln go. The Big Man landed on his feet and ran across the room as Scorpion tossed furniture at him.

Silvio went over to check on his daughter. Sable groaned and was reeling from the hard impact she took. The older man looked up and glared at the enemies.

He got up and removed his coat, where he tapped a button under his tie. A suit of armor quickly formed around his body but left his face still visible. Silvermane, now fully armored, charged at the running Tombstone and pinned him against the wall.

"All this is your fault!" He shouted.

With his artificial strength, he grabbed Lonnie and threw him at Scorpion. They both hit each other and fell to the ground. Hobgoblin still soared around and was enthralled by the fight.

"Oooooh...AH-HA-HA-HA-HA! Now we're in the fighting spirit."

Silvermane still went to Tombstone. He ran and tackled him through the wall. They both fell into the empty lobby and continued their fight there. Hobgoblin and Scorpion went out to join them.

In the dining room, Hammerhead walked up to the table and sat down. He spoke to himself.

"Now, after all those freaks take each other out...I'll be the new Big Man of Crime."

The hardheaded man then picked up a fork and began to eat the pumpkin pie in front of him. Nearby, the semi-conscious Sable overheard and opened her eyes, forming a glare.

Silvermane, Tombstone, and Hobgoblin battled. Scorpion also tried to attack but mostly let his boss do the work.

Tombstone ended up tossing Silvermane against a column. The older man landed on his stomach but still got up.

"Now...we make this personal."

Hobgoblin threw pumpkin bombs at Silvermane, but the man was able to avoid them. Tombstone charged at him, and Hobgoblin both ran at him at the same time, prompting Silvermane to activate a power within his suit.

He opened his arms, and a shockwave expelled from the armor, sending Tombstone back and causing Hobgoblin to fall off his glider.

They soon recovered and continued their fight. A couple of kids had come out of the auditorium to use the bathroom and saw the battle going on. They hid behind some furniture.

"Cool..."

Moments later, Jameson came out as well. He also saw the battle and took cover with the teenagers.

"Whoa..and just when I thought the night was getting boring." He remarked.

Silvermane ran across the lobby, avoiding Hobgoblin's gunfire. Tombstone aimed his own rifle at the Goblin and shot at him, too. Some stray bullets hit a light fixture above, and it detached. It started falling toward Jameson and the kids.

But before it can land on him, a net was shot out, capturing the light fixture, and forcing it to hang from the ceiling. The kids and Jameson looked to see who saved them and the former expected to see Spider-Man...but it wasn't.

The villains also looked back but were immediately hit with a blinding light that flashed from the arrow that hit the ground near them. Before them...was skilled archer and current Young Avenger, Kate Bishop. Hawkeye.

"You..." Tombstone said once he saw her.

Hobgoblin also saw her. "The archer? Now, that's a twist. AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

The courageous archer went at the villains. Along with dealing with each other, Tombstone, Silvermane, and Hobgoblin had to deal with Hawkeye. Jonah watched it all unfold and immediately pulled out his phone.

"Robbie? Robbie?! Get L/N on this now!"

The college students were enjoying their dinner. Y/N suddenly got a call and saw it was Robbie from the Bugle. He excused himself and picked up the call.

"Robbie? What's up?"

"Y/N. It's urgent. Jonah wants you at the Opera House on Lincoln Square."

The friends overheard his conversation. Y/N kept speaking.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm kind of on a date right now."

"There's a fight going on between Silvio Manfredi, Alonzo Lincoln, and the Hobgoblin."

He was taken aback. "Wait...what? Who?"

"You heard me, Y/N. But that's not all...Scorpion is there. Then...there's Hawkeye...the girl one."

"Kate Bishop?" He replied, shocked to hear she was in the city and involved in that big fight. "Uh...right, okay. I'm on my way."

Y/N hung up the call and turned to his friends. Based on what they heard and the man's expression alone, they knew he had to go somewhere.

"Bugle stuff?" Randy asked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I gotta—"

"Hey, it's fine," MJ replied. "We'll keep your date company."

Y/N nodded and looked at Indira. He placed his hand on top of hers.

"I'll try to come back soon."

The young man left the booth and jogged out of the room, leaving Indira with MJ and Randy.

Hammerhead finished his dessert. As he got up from his seat, he was soon met with a hard kick that sent him back. Silver Sable stood over him.

"Coward!" She exclaimed. "That's what you are. You sit here...let others do the work...and reap the benefits. You think you can achieve power just by sitting on your ass."

He chuckled as he got up. "Careful, girlie, you don't know who you're messing with."

He faced Sable and they circled each other. Hammerhead stared at her.

"Think before you act. I wouldn't want to hurt you and give your daddy a heart attack or something."

"I had a father...and he's dead." She replied.

He arched a brow. Suddenly, Sable reached for her face and started to remove it. The photostatic veil she had, thanks to her Widow contact, was able to mask her true identity at the meeting.

She threw it on the ground, and Hammerhead saw who it was.

"You killed him." Felicia said.

Lorenzini scoffed. "The feline..."

The Black Cat stood before him, wanting revenge for her father's death by Hammerhead's order.

She reached under the slit of her silk dress and took out gloves. Felicia put them on and activated her razor-sharp claws.

"This is for Walter Hardy, you thick-skulled son of a bitch."

They then engaged one another.

Back below, Hawkeye was integrated into the battle between the villains. Hawkeye was battling Hobgoblin. She shot her arrows at him while diving and rolling away from his projectiles.

A pumpkin bomb Kate dodged ended up hitting a column in the room. An enormous dunk of debris broke off of it and fell toward Jameson and the children. Before it could crush them, it was caught with a web and suspended above the three.

Spider-Man held onto a web while holding the line stuck to the debris. Jameson and the kids kept looking up.

"Uh...any time, picklepuss!" Y/N grunted. "Get those kids out of here! This is heavier than it looks!"

"Ugh! Come on!" JJ grabbed the teenagers. "Can't trust the blasted web-head to save us!"

The three ran off. Y/N groaned.

"Yeah, yeah...real nice."

He let the debris and swung over to another column. Y/N overheard Tombstone call out to his opponent.

"You're fighting the wrong man, Silvermane!

Y/N spoke. "Oh, so that's Silvermane! Wow, a three-way battle to claim the title of New York's biggest jerk. Hilarious."

The villains were now aware of his presence. Kate also took notice and smirked.

"Spider-Man!" Hobgoblin exclaimed. "Nice of you to join the party!"

The sight of the Goblin irked and angered him. It proved that Ned was likely framed or that there was more than one. He hoped for the former.

"And party's over! Don't you got a curfew?"

Hobgoblin went at Spider-Man. He leaped off the column and swung through the room, commencing an aerial battle with the villain.

Kate dodged the tail attacks that came from Scorpion. She rolled away and shot an arrow that pierced his armor, where it then expelled some gas. Gargan coughed.

"Argh! What the hell? I'll kill you, puta!"

Before he can act, Silvermane ended up tackling Scorpion. They tussled as the armored older man punched him in the face, cracking a bit of his helmet. He was still furious that Gargan hurt who he thought was his daughter.

Back in the dining room, Felicia fought Hammerhead. He avoided one of her claw attacks and grabbed her arm, where he then headbutted her with his hard head. It stunned her for a moment and was thrown aside.

While on the floor, she picked up the stun gun she had before and shot at Lorenzini. He ended up getting behind the table and using it as cover. He kicked it at her, but Felicia rolled away from the hurled furniture.

Hammerhead ran at Black Cat. She ducked under his swing and reacted by jamming the stun gun to his neck. It shocked and disoriented him. Felicia then kicked him square in the chest and sent him flying out through the hole in the wall.

Meanwhile, Scorpion had gotten Silvermane off of him. He threw him aside and charged the blaster on his tail. But before he can fire, Lorenzini landed on the villain, and they both hit the ground.

"Ugh..." Scorpion and Hammerhead both groaned.

Nearby, Spider-Man kept fighting Hobgoblin. He ended up kicking the villain off the glider, and he crashed through the window of the lobby. He landed outside the venue, and pedestrians outside reacted with gasps and shouts.

The battle between the heroes and villains soon moved outside. Some police cruisers pulled up, and newly appointed Lieutenant Yuri Watanabe came out of one. She saw the situation going on.

"Lockdown the area!" She ordered her officers. "Priority one is protecting civilians!"

Silvermane went at Tombstone again and tackled him where they rolled across the floor. Scorpion recovered and came outside, where he immediately went after Kate.

He fired a projectile from his tail, but before it could hit her, Spider-Man swung in and grabbed her. He put her down several feet away, where she then drew her bow and shot an arrow at Gargan. Putty came out of it and covered his face.

"Argh!"

Kate looked at Y/N. "Saved my ass."

"It's an ass worth saving." He replied.

They both chuckled. At the same time, Hammerhead came out holding a Tommy Gun. He aimed at the vigilantes, but Felicia soon came out and took him down with a scissor kick.

She stayed on top of him and brandished her claws. Y/N saw this and was surprised to see Felicia but also feared she would murder the man.

"Cat!" He called out and ran.

Nearby, Silvermane and Tombstone continued to fight. Hobgoblin hovered above and was ready to drop some pumpkin bombs. But before he can, Silvio activated his shockwave ability and made everyone in the vicinity fly back. This included Felicia, whose attempt to kill Joseph was halted.

Hobgoblin recovered and went at Silvermane. He knocked him back with his glider, but the older adult was able to get back to his feet.

"Me being the stain on your boot?" Hobgoblin exclaimed. "Soon enough, you will be the dirt beneath my shoe! AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Silvio has remembered telling to that to someone years ago but couldn't recall who. He brushed the thought aside and picked up a cement trash can and threw it at Hobgoblin, who then dodged it.

The same cement trash can now was hurled toward a group of civilians. Spider-Man caught it with a web and threw it back at Silvermane. He held his arms up, and it shattered upon impacting his armor.

"So, this is the Spider-Man that's been giving us so much trouble..."  Silvio brushed off some dirt from his shoulder. "I gotta say, I'm unimpressed."

Spider-Man immediately shot out webbing and wrapped him up.

"Well, you haven't seen me juggle bowling balls while drinking a glass of water." He quipped.

Silvermane only took a second before opening his arms and breaking free from the webbing.

"Man, I really got to make that stuff stronger." Y/N remarked.

He jumped up to avoid Silvermane's charge and perched on a lamppost. Meanwhile, Hobgoblin went for Tombstone. Lincoln was hit by the glider and sent crashing against a pillar.

"Not so big now, huh, Lincoln?" Hobgoblin said as he brandished razor bats in his hand.

Suddenly, explosive arrows hit the ground near Hobgoblin. He quickly hopped back on his glider and turned around to see Hawkeye.

"He's mine, ugly." She spoke as she held her bow. "I'm taking him in."

"Seeking justice for the man who framed you for murder?" He asked. "If I were you, I'd want to skim him alive for what he did. Make him dig his own grave before I kill him."

She was unwavering. "I'm no murderer."

The villain smirked beneath his hood.

"I can't relate."

With that, Hobgoblin engaged Kate Bishop. He attacked from the skies while she tried to shoot him down and dodge his projectiles.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man was fighting Silvermane. He dodged the man's punches before jumping up into his back. The older man reacted by pressing a button on his gauntlet and activating his shockwave again. It forced Y/N off of him, and he hit the floor hard.

"Ugh..."

Silvermane leaped at the downed Spider-Man, but he rolled away upon his fist punching the ground. Silverman was still able to land a kick that sent the hero crashing against a bench that had a statute of a sitting Benjamin Franklin. The impact caused its head to break off.

"Man..." He looked at the headless statue and pretended to talk with it."They don't make old folk like they used to, huh?"

Scorpion ended up grabbing Y/N with his tail and holding him up from his feet. Y/N was now upside down.

"I said I'd kill you, araña! Now is my chance! You'll pay the price for everything you've done to me!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda broke...so how about you pay tonight, and I'll owe you one?"

Scorpion growled and threw Spider-Man across the yard. He hit the side of a cop car on the street and grunted.

"Argh!"

An officer, along with Yuri, came over and helped him up. Y/N shook his head.

"Three of my biggest enemies and this Jurassic jerk are taking each other out, and I'm trying to stop them why?"

Scorpion ended up attacking Silvermane. He wrapped his tail around him and threw him into a pillar that supported a second-floor walkway on the outside of the opera house. It started to crumble while people were on it.

"Oh, right..." Y/N said. "Public safety."

Spider-Man quickly swung back over to the yard, where he made a net of webbing that caught the falling pedestrians. They were safe now, allowing him to engage the villains again.

Meanwhile, Kate had moved on to Scorpion while Hobgoblin was back to fighting Tombstone. The villain swiped his tail and tried to stab her with the blade protruding from it.

"Quit moving, perra!"

Scorpion ended up blasting the floor near her, sending Kate flying. Her bow and quiver landed a few feet away, and she needed to crawl to retrieve it. Gargan laughed.

"Two strings and stick. You're way out of your league, niña."

Suddenly, Felicia pounced at Gargan and got on top of him. He tried to get her off, but she kept hanging on.

"Who—!? What the hell is this!? Get off me!"

Felicia ended up removing his cracked helmet and scratched his face. Gargan let out a yell.

"Argh!"

Kate crawled over to get her bow and held it. She looked back at Scorpion and Black Cat and took notice of a compartment on the back of the villain's suit. She had an idea.

The archer drew her bow and aimed at the moving target. She took a breath in before finally shooting the trick arrow.

It pierced the compartment, and the small EMP shorted the suit. It locked in place and forced Scorpion to fall to the floor. Black Cat landed beside him and looked down at the now incapacitated Gargan. He struggled to move or get out.

"Aaah!" He shouted in anger. "You bitches are dead! De—"

Felicia kicked him in the face hard and knocked him out. She looked over at Kate, who was still on the floor holding her bow. Both ladies shared a nod.

As this was happening, Silvermane battled Spider-Man while Tombstone combatted Hobgoblin. Silvio had Y/N in a bear hug and tried to crush him.

"You're weak!" He exclaimed.

"I-I'm confused..." Y/N grunted. "Do you want to fight—or dance?"

Y/N got a hand free and shot a web at his face, covering his eyes. Silvio kept a hold of the hero.

"I can't see! But...I don't need my sight to finish this."

"Great, a hood with focus." Y/N remarked.

Silvio kept applying pressure, and Y/N groaned. As he did, Spider-Man heard a sound within the man's suit that was familiar to him.

"That sound..." He muttered. "Hydraulics are powering this armor..."

Spider-Man looked down and webbed one of the armored plates on his knees. He pulled it off, and it detached along with its hydraulic tubing.

"No hydraulics...no power!"

Silvio felt his suit powering down. He let go of Spider-Man and fell onto a knee.

"Wha—?"

Spider-Man then started pulling off more armor plates with his webbing. Hydraulic fluid spilled everywhere, and his suit quickly shut down.

"No! No!" Silvermane exclaimed. "This cannot happen to Silvio Manfredi!"

"Oh, boo-hoo." Y/N stated.

Silvio was now locked in place on his knees within the dead suit. Spider-Man now only needed to deal with Hobgoblin and Tombstone.

Hobgoblin saw Silvermane down and went at Spider-Man. He dodged his glider and backflipped away. Hobgoblin was going to fire a laser shot from hand but was suddenly hit with a bench thrown at him.

Spider-Man looked over and saw Tombstone. His assistance took him aback, but he knew that was just to keep up the appearance of a good man since there was a crowd of people watching.

Nearby, the two kids from before looked on. They smiled.

"Best field trip ever."

Hobgoblin was irate and went at the two of them. The villain was ready to fire a missile from his glider, but Y/N shot webbing that made it stick within its barrel. He neared the Tombstone, and the man clotheslined Hobgoblin, knocking him off the aircraft.

The glider slid across the floor, which soon exploded due to the webbed-up missile. The explosion cracked the weak floor beneath them and the three super-powered beings fell into the depths below.

They were now in an abandoned subway tunnel. Tombstone was buried beneath rubble, and tried to get out of it. Hobgoblin was free and able to get up. He looked around for the hero.

"Yoo-hoo."

Hobgoblin looked over but was too late to react. Spider-Man swung-kicked him, and he was hurtled against some pipes.

"Argh!"

Hobgoblin got up and looked at Spider-Man. There was no cackle or laugh or any sign that he was having fun with the confrontation. The villain was just angry and wanted to kill the wall-crawler. He let out a bellow as he ran at him.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Spider-Man leaped over and got behind him. He tried to sweep his legs, but Hobgoblin jumped to avoid it. He tried to counter with a roundhouse kick, but Y/N ducked beneath it.

The two went back and forth, exchanging punches and kicks and parrying each other's attacks. Without his glider and tech, Hobgoblin needed to use his wits and martial arts knowledge to take on the hero.

And that was just what Y/N wanted. He knew he could beat the villain one-on-one...mano-a-mano.

Y/N webbed Hobgoblin's chest and pulled him into his fist. The villain stumbled back but was met with a roundhouse kick across the face.

Spider-Man then backflipped away, shot two lines of webbing on each side of the tunnel, and launched himself toward him. He kicked Hobgoblin hard and sent him into the pipes again. The impact broke the pipes and forced some debris onto him. He was now pinned beneath it.

Hobgoblin was weak and groaned beneath the rubble. Spider-Man went over to him and glared at the villain. Without a word, he knelt to take off his hood and remove the balaclava.

He now unmasked and Y/N knew who the Hobgoblin really was: Roderick Kingsley.

The older African American businessman panted as he glared menacingly at the hero. Unlike Ned, he wasn't delirious or panicking or confused...he was just enraged.

"Argh!" Roderick shouted. "This isn't the end! It's not!"

Y/N stood up, holding the man's black mask. He dropped it and stared down at him. He despised the man for pretty much orchestrating chaos in the city and framing Ned. He likely also planted evidence to make Norman seem suspicious.

The hero used all his might and kicked Kingsley in the face. It rendered him unconscious.

"It is the end, Kingsley. It's over."

Y/N ended up dragging Kingsley out of the rubble and engulfing him in webbing. He then started to pull him through the tunnel toward the hole in the ceiling.

As he neared it, Tombstone's hand came out from the pile of rubble nearby and grabbed Spider-Man's foot.

"Argh!" Lincoln bellowed.

He got up and flung Y/N against the walls of the tunnel. Y/N groaned and landed on the floor. Tombstone towered over him as he still held onto his foot.

"No witnesses down here." Lonnie said.

He threw Spider-Man against the wall again like a rag doll. Tombstone tried to toss him again, but Y/N held onto a pipe and shook his leg, forcing Lonnie to let go. Y/N jumped off the wall and landed in front of Tombstone.

"I'm assuming you remember our last physical encounter." Tombstone said as he walked toward him.

"Painfully." He replied, and then his tone became a bit stern. "But I told you then...I don't look the other way."

Tombstone swung his fist toward Spider-Man, but the hero was able to dodge. He grabbed his arm and threw Lonnie backward, but the man was able to land on his feet.

Lonnie grabbed onto a pipe and broke it off the rest. He charged at Y/N and hit him with it, sending the vigilante against the wall. Tombstone threw the pipe at Y/N, but he moved away just before it could impale him.

Using the same pipe that stuck to the wall, Y/N pulled himself up and swung off of it. He was in the air and came down toward Tombstone, but Lonnie saw it coming and met him halfway, punching him in the stomach.

"Oof!"

Tombstone pulled the same pipe out of the wall and leaped at Spider-Man. He black-flipped away and shot a web that stuck to Lonnie's arm. Using the same arm, Tombstone tugged the web and pulled Y/N toward him. He punched him across the face, and Spider-Man landed on the ground.

Lonnie grabbed another pipe and now had two. He walked over to the downed Spider-Man and tried hitting him with them, but Y/N parried the attacks with his feet. He added a kick to Lonnie's face that sent him stumbling.

Y/N was able to get back up, but Tombstone recovered quicker and landed three consecutive hits on Spider-Man with the two pipes. Y/N fell onto his back, and Tombstone kept him pinned down with his foot.

There were no words said as Lonnie looked down at him. He raised one of the pipes over his head and was about to strike, but Spider-Man webbed his other leg and tugged, tripping him.

Y/N got in a fighting stance. Tombstone got up and faced the hero. After a moment, they engaged each other once more.

They exchanged punches and kicks. Y/N was able to dodge most of them and would land blows to Tombstone, but the durable man would barely be phased by it. Y/N landed a brutal roundhouse kick at Lonnie's face that made him stumble, but he immediately picked up a large concrete slab and was prepared to throw it.

Y/N reacted and webbed a nearby generator. He pulled it off the wall and threw it at Lonnie as he held the slab of rock over his head.

The move was unexpected. The generator hit him and forced Tombstone to let go of the concrete slab. The rock fell onto his head and broke apart, putting him in a daze.

In his susceptible state, Y/N took the chance to land one last good hit on him. Tombstone saw the hero coming through his blurry vision. Spider-Man ran at Lonnie and punched him across the face hard.

The hit knocked Tombstone to the floor, where he landed on top of the same pile of rubble he had come out of. He groaned a bit before falling into unconsciousness. Y/N held his hand, which hurt slightly from the haymaker he laid on him.

Tombstone was now defeated. Y/N panted as he looked down at the crime boss.

"There's our final curtain."

The authorities were now tending to the scene. Police arrested Silvio Manfredi and Mac Gargan. Joseph Lorenzini was not at the scene, to Felicia's dismay. She'd have to keep looking for him.

Spider-Man emerged from the hole in the ground with Tombstone and Hobgoblin webbed up. Yuri and a couple of other officers saw them.

"Lieutenant Yuri Watanabe." Y/N began. "Meet Alonzo Lincoln, alias Tombstone, alias the Big Man of Crime."

Tombstone had woken back up. Yuri walked over to the crime boss.

"Mr. Lincoln, you are under arrest."

He didn't respond and let himself get picked up by the officers. Y/N then looked over at Kingsley.

"And this is Roderick Kingsley. Kingsley Corp CEO...and the real Hobgoblin."

Yuri spoke. "Roderick Kingsley—"

"You are all dead. You just don't know it yet!" He said, then finally laughed. "At the end of the day, you'll get what's due!"

Yuri motioned over to other officers and told them to arrest Kingsley. They brought him to his feet and walked away with him.

Both criminals were being escorted to their respective transports. As they were, pictures were being snapped of them. While Lincoln didn't mind, Roderick tried looking away and hiding his face. He didn't like how exposed he was...and how everyone now knew who he really was.

Spider-Man stood there with Yuri. Moments later, Kate Bishop joined them. An officer noticed her and, since she was still a fugitive, was about to try and arrest her.

"No need." Yuri stopped the policewoman. "I'll take care of it."

She nodded and walked away. Yuri turned to Kate. Y/N decided to speak up.

"You probably think she was at fault for what happened earlier this year. But we have Lincoln now...and you'll learn about his association with the twins and that Stryker was corrupt."

"I know," Yuri replied. "George told me about it before..."

There was a pause. Yuri sighed and spoke to Kate.

"I won't arrest you, but you still can't be seen around here. Not until we fully examine the claims and clear your name."

"I actually found some evidence on Stryker's involvement." She replied.

"Really? That great."

"I'll join you in a bit. I'm not planning on staying in the city long."

Y/N turned to her upon her remark. She just glanced at him before looking back at Yuri. The Lieutenant nodded.

"I appreciate the help." She told Kate and then looked at Spider-Man. "Same to you."

She walked away. Kate let out a sigh and turned to Y/N.

"What a reunion, huh?" She asked.

He chuckled. "What brings you to the city and start kicking ass again?"

"I had a couple of contacts that were able to help figure out some of Tombstone's cases. Ended up finding out more on Stryker. Decided to come down and give it to the authorities but stumbled upon the fiasco here."

"Right place...right time, huh?" Y/N replied.

"You bet."

There was a brief pause in their conversation. The young man finally spoke up.

"So you said you're not saying long?"

She shook her head. "I have...other priorities now. Things I have to tend to...people I have to watch over. I got—"

"Responsibilities." Y/N interjected.

She nodded with a smirk. Y/N smiled beneath his mask.

"You get it better than anyone." She said.

"I do."

Although Kate couldn't stay in New York or resume a relationship with Y/N, it was okay. Besides, Y/N already had Indira. Kate probably had a boyfriend back in California, but he surely wouldn't ask about it.

At the end of the day, Y/N was glad to see her again, even if it only was for that night. He was also happy they could finally take down Tombstone together after starting their crusade against him over a year ago.

"Mister Stone is finally down for the count." He said.

"Along with those other guys." She replied. "Who were those freaks anyway?"

"Hey, just the usual costumed fellows I have to deal with."

Kate laughed. Y/N chuckled and held out his fist.

"We still make a good team."

She smiled and fist-bumped him. "We sure do."

Y/N looked up and saw a figure in the distance on a rooftop. It looked like Felicia. Kate turned and saw her too.

"She's pretty damn good, too," Kate added. "You know her?"

"You can say that." He replied. "I should go see what's up."

Kate nodded. Y/N nodded back and walked off, bidding farewell with a finger salute. Hawkeye saluted back and watched as he swung off. The archer then left the scene as well.

On the rooftop, Felicia was overlooking the courtyard of the opera house. Y/N landed on the parapet beside her.

"Gazing out into the night? I swore I'd seen a meme of a cat doing the same thing."

She smirked. "Long time no see, Spider."

"What brings you here?"

"Curious?"

"Very."

She kept looking out into the skyline. Her smirk soon changed to a stoic expression.

"I looked more into my father...and how he died. I found out that he used to work for the Maggia under Hammerhead. Something must've gone wrong...and he killed him for it."

"Felicia..." Y/N replied. "I'm so sorry."

"Well, Lorenzini's going to be...when I find him."

"Hey." Y/N got off the parapet and went up to her. "We can do this together."

Y/N was willing to help Felicia try to bring Hammerhead to justice, but he also wanted to make sure that she didn't give in to her hate and kill him.

"You know I like to fly solo." She said and started walking away.

"You don't have to be alone on this." He replied. "We both want the same thing...and it's to beat up assholes who deserve it. I mean...we did pretty well down there."

Felicia stepped onto the parapet. She turned around.

"How...how's Randy?"

He nodded. "He's doing great, but...you know he still thinks about you."

The young woman looked to the side and breathed through her nose. She then feigned a smirk.

"I'll come around if I change my mind." She said. "Until next time, Spider."

With that, Black Cat leaped off the building and used her grappling hook to swing away. Y/N watched as she left.

"Until next time..." He muttered before diving off himself and web-slinging across the street.

Y/N returned to the restaurant, but not before sending photos of the fight to the Bugle. But he also kept some good ones to himself for a particular reason.

Now, in his nice suit, he walked back in and saw people dancing in the ballroom. Among them was Randy and MJ, who laughed as they did. Indira was still sitting in the booth.

He went over to her, and she was surprised to see him. More so, she was relieved that he came back all right.

"Hey!" She greeted.

"Hey." He smiled at her. "I said I'd be back."

"Everything went all right?" She held her phone up. "News has been popping off about what happened at the opera house."

Y/N could've sat down and explained everything to her. From Silvermane to Scorpion, to Kate and Felica's arrival, to Tombstone's arrest, and the true identity of the Hobgoblin. But...he didn't want to do any of that, at least not now. It was their date night, after all.

"We can save that for later. Now..." He held out his hand. "Care to dance?"

Indira chuckled and looked up at him. "You sure your back can take it?"

Y/N snickered. She would often joke about his constant back problems he had after coming back from patrol and fighting criminals.

"Just get that ass off that seat and dance with me."

She smirked and took his hand. He helped her out of the booth, and they walked over to the dance floor, where everyone was. The DJ was playing Rabiosa by Shakira, featuring Pitbull.

Y/N and Indira danced to the music, and we had a great time. MJ and Randy soon joined them and moved along with them.

Everything was going all right. Tombstone was arrested, and Hobgoblin was also down for the count. Y/N was here with his good friends and girlfriend and having fun, which was something he rarely had time to cherish...

But he wouldn't be able to do so for long. There was always something else.

Hours later, a press conference was called in front of 1 Police Plaza. Media members weren't informed on who was going to speak or what they were going to be told. They assumed it was just the NYPD wanting to speak about the arrest of Lincoln and Kingsley.

They awaited the arrival of the speaker. Soon, a limousine pulled up, and the driver came out to open the door. A towering and burly man came out, wearing a white suit. Once people caught a glance at the man...they were in awe.

Wilson Fisk, with a scar across his left eye, went up to the podium. People snapped photos, and media members immediately shouted out questions. The businessman and philanthropist had been missing for over a year, and his resurgence shocked them.

With a raise of his hand, he quieted the crowd. Fisk took a moment for complete silence before he finally spoke.

"During my unexpected absence...I have seen a rise in crime, an influx of beings who strive to cause damage to this great city...that cannot continue."

There was a beat. The Kingpin looked at the crowd and continued.

"With my return...I will ensure that this city is protected and reaches the full glory it is capable of. I will do everything in my power to make that a possibility. And I'm sure it will happen..because I am not going anywhere."

With that, there was collective uproar. Media members started shouting questions. Fisk just looked on and smiled contently.

That same night, Roderick was being transferred to a higher-security jail in the city. He was handcuffed while still wearing his cloak and armor but was unmasked. Two officers sat in the front seats and were in charge of her of taking him.

The driver glanced back through the divider, seeing the man. He then looked at his partner.

"What was up your ass, old geezer?" He asked Roderick. "To make you dress up and fly around on that thing?"

The other cut in. "Probably just wanted to be a mascot for that company of his. Had to spruce it up since his stock was plummeting."

"Right."

They both laughed. Roderick didn't respond and kept looking forward.

"We transported that other kid, the one that wore the same costume. He was crying and crying. You? You don't much to say, don't you?"

After a moment, Kingsley spoke as he looked down.

"First battle won. Now comes the war."

"What?" He asked.

"Heart nor mind. The cunning warrior goes for one thing only..."

The other scoffed. "Hell's he saying?"

Kingsley raised his head and looked forward.

"The heart."

With that, Roderick used his super strength to break out of his cuffs. The police didn't expect it since they were oblivious to the fact that Kingsley had the serum unlike Ned.

Kingsley then kicked the divider, and it forced the seat the driver was in to go forward. He hit his face hard against the steering wheel, and they started going out of control.

They swerved through the empty backroad. The other officer went for his gun but couldn't reach it due to the erratically moving vehicle. It ended up crashing hard against a tree.

The cop in the passenger seat was in a daze. He looked to the left and saw his colleague, who was profusely bleeding from his head. The driver was dead. The cop looked in the back seat, seeing that Roderick was gone and the door wide open.

He looked forward but was suddenly grabbed by the throat through the broken window. The cop saw Roderick outside, his cold gaze directed at him. He tried to writhe out of his chokehold, but the attempts were fruitless.

Seconds later, Roderick effortlessly snapped his neck. He let his body slump forward, and Roderick kept staring at the body. He then casually moved toward the back of the cruiser.

Roderick ended up pushing the car toward the river nearby, letting the vehicle with the bodies sink to the bottom. It would likely take weeks to find the wreckage. And even if they did, there was the chance that they would also rule him dead due to not being able to find his body. That would still give him enough time.

He kept going down the lonely road, a blank expression across his face. But his look didn't reflect what he was actually feeling...which was rage.

Bloodlust.

Hatred.

Hatred toward those who bested him. Hatred toward Spider-Man. It was because of him that he was exposed and that his name was tainted.

Now, the man had nothing to lose.

He was Roderick Kingsley no more.

He was just the Hobgoblin.

And all he had on his mind was to find Spider-Man...kill him...and destroy everything he holds dear.

He would make sure that he suffers before he can grant him the mercy of death.