Peter scrambled to his feet, covered in dirt, his face livid. "Didn't the cops lock them all up?"
"The Leader definitely got arrested, but the low-level goons weren't charged. They just let them go." Marcus was still shaken. "I didn't think they'd retaliate so fast. I've got to warn the guys to stay inside."
Peter stood there, looking at the bullet holes in the street, and his heart sank.
He had thought taking down the leader would solve the problem, but he had overlooked how crazy these desperate criminals were. Humans were always irrational. Those innocent bystanders had nearly died, all because of the chain reaction triggered by his "act of justice" tonight.
They had come out for revenge because of him.
This was his responsibility.
Peter offered Marcus a few reassuring words, went home alone, and slipped into the basement. He dug out a black bodysuit, thin sneakers, a black muscle shirt, red gloves, and a mask.
He sneaked back into Marcus's neighborhood and found the remnants of the Grass Stain Gang actually throwing a wild party in the park. Burning gasoline drums lit up the armed maniacs.
Charging straight in would be suicide. Peter turned and slipped into a wrecked grocery store nearby. He left a hundred dollars on the counter and took all the spray paint cans, hammers, wrenches, nail guns, and several knives. Passing a ransacked leather goods store, he dug a brand-new red leather jacket out of the wreckage. It fit just right.
He used black spray paint to roughly spray a huge spider emblem on the back of the jacket. The look reminded him of Garfield's Spider-Man, but it was as practical as it got.
Back on the park's perimeter, Peter precisely tossed four spray paint cans into the burning gasoline drums.
Spray paint cans plus open flames equaled a perfect directional blast.
A thunderous boom rang out, flames shot skyward, and the powerful shock wave and sudden darkness plunged the party into chaos.
"Get a light! Get a fucking lighter!" the ringleader roared in fury.
The moment a faint flame appeared, Peter swooped down from a tree like a phantom. Webbing shot out, hanging one thug upside down from a branch.
What followed was a completely one-sided hunt. Peter moved through the darkness, using the terrain. His webs precisely plugged gun barrels, causing bullets to back up and the guns to explode; wrenches and hammers whistled through the air, knocking people unconscious one after another.
When the last few gang members huddled together in terror, Peter tossed a punctured spray paint can into their midst. Black mist instantly spread.
He moved through the mist unopposed, dragging the remaining enemies into the darkness one by one.
"What the fuck is it?!" the ringleader screamed, breaking down as he fired blindly around him.
The mist gradually cleared, revealing a figure in a black bodysuit, red jacket, and red mask hanging upside down from a branch.
"I'm Spider-Man."
The ringleader pulled the trigger in terror, but Spider-Sense let Peter dodge easily. Peter flung a wrench backhanded, knocking the gun away, then slammed a heavy punch into the man's chest, knocking him out cold.
The cleanup was just as efficient. Peter swiped a few bills from a guard's pocket, reassuring himself, Stealing from thieves doesn't count as stealing. Then he used the guard's phone to call the police and crushed it after hanging up.
After confirming everyone was still alive, he swung onto a rooftop and watched police cars race up. Only then did he leave without taking credit, go home, stuff his suit into a hidden compartment beneath the floor, and pretend he had just gotten off work, lying to Aunt May and Uncle Ben that he had stayed over at Marcus's place.
In the middle of the night, Peter examined the red jacket again in the basement.
The look reminded him of Spider-Man from "Last Stand." It was certainly warm enough, but it did catch the wind a little when he swung at high speed. Perhaps he could add Kevlar armor to the lining later, along with a few concealed weapons, like shuriken.
He put on his suit and slipped out of the house. Just as he was about to go on patrol, he spotted Harry's car parked outside Mary Jane's house. Flash and Liz were in the back seat too.
Peter had intended to follow them and see what these teenagers were up to, but then he heard Harry promising not to bully Peter anymore. Only then did Mary Jane agree to go with them to the "Dessert" bar-using fake IDs.
Peter silently griped about these lovesick teenagers. Just as he decided to abandon the tail, distant sirens made him change direction immediately.
Where there were sirens, there was a crime.
He followed the sound to the alley behind a jewelry store, just in time to see a dark figure climb out of a window. Peter dropped from above, kicked the figure down, and snatched the brown paper bag full of jewelry.
"Pretty practiced technique, but isn't carrying jewelry in a brown paper bag a little retro?" Peter teased.
The figure wasted no words, getting up and launching a fierce spinning kick straight at his face. Peter ducked and was about to counterattack, but his opponent used the momentum to grab his arm and slam him into the ground with a beautiful shoulder throw.
Dazed by the impact, Peter looked up and instantly froze.
In the moonlight, a girl wearing a domino mask looked down at him. Long silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, emerald eyes gleamed in the night, and a tight tracksuit outlined perfect curves.
Peter's brain instantly crashed, and he blurted out, "I think I'm in love with you."
The girl paused. "What did you say?"
Peter blinked. "I don't know why I said that either."
The girl sized him up. "And who the hell are you?"
"Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man? That's a stupid name."
"Still better than yours, Black Cat?" Peter felt her hand edging toward the paper bag and shot a wad of webbing into her face with a flick of his hand. He had deliberately lowered its adhesiveness; he didn't want to hurt that pretty face.
"What the hell is this stuff!" Black Cat tore off her mask and drew a meteor hammer from her waist to strike back.
The two tangled. Peter wasn't trying to kill her at all, treating it entirely as a chance to admire her fighting skills. After a few exchanges, he spotted an opening and pinned Black Cat beneath him instead.
"Come on, Black Cat, we just met and you already want to ride me twice." Peter panted as he joked, "At least buy me dinner first."
"Sure, Spider, once I get my wallet back!" Black Cat knocked him away with a knee strike and vaulted onto the wall. "I'll settle the score next time, Spider."
Watching her retreating figure move lightly away, Peter smiled and didn't pursue.
Wait, where was the jewelry?
He looked down. The paper bag in his hand was completely empty. Thinking back, she had deftly swiped the bag while he had her pinned to the ground.
Peter couldn't help laughing. He couldn't even get angry at being played. That girl really did have slick hands.
He swung back to the bar district, turned his red jacket inside out, and put away his mask and web-shooters, seamlessly switching back to Peter Parker.
The moment he landed, he heard a heated argument coming from the alley behind the bar.
"Mary Jane, I said I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Harry was still making excuses.
"Sorry for what? Shoving your filthy hand up my skirt?!" Mary Jane exploded.
Peter rolled his eyes and stepped out of the shadows.
"Harry, I thought you just had an obnoxious personality. I didn't realize you sexually harassed people too." Peter cut him off coldly and yanked Harry away. "Are you okay?" He turned to Mary Jane.
"Parker? What are you doing here?" Flash and Liz looked as though they had seen a ghost.
"As you can see, stopping Osborn from committing a crime." Peter shrugged.
"Fuck off, Parker!" Humiliation turned to rage, and Harry rushed up and grabbed Peter's collar.
Peter could easily have dodged, but he forcibly suppressed his muscles' instinctive response, took a solid punch from Harry, and let himself fall to the ground.
"Harry, stop hitting him!" Mary Jane cried.
Looking at Peter on the ground, Harry suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. Flash dragged him away, and he climbed into the car in disgrace and left.
"Are you crazy? Why didn't you dodge?" Mary Jane crouched down and examined the corner of his eye with pained concern.
"Because Harry isn't a supervillain." Peter rubbed his face and sat up. "He's just an ordinary guy with personality flaws. Let him throw a punch and blow off steam, and that's the end of it."
They walked toward the bus stop, and Peter took the opportunity to talk about the original Peter's history with Harry. In middle school, the two outcasts had found comfort in each other, but after entering high school, Harry had started buying friends with money, and the two had gradually drifted apart.
After hearing him out, Mary Jane's eyes dimmed. "I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't realize before that I was abandoning you too."
"I told you, I'm fine, Mary Jane," Peter said calmly.
"You're lying. You hate me. You never call me Mary Jane. You always call me by my full name."
Peter froze slightly, not expecting her to be so sensitive. He sighed. "I'm used to being on my own. I'm not good at getting too close to people."
Mary Jane said nothing more, and the bus arrived in silence.
Late that night, Peter lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.
Too much had happened today. He had officially entered the underworld as Spider-Man, met that rookie girl thief who made his heart race, and reassessed the relationship between Harry and Mary Jane.
As for whether Harry would turn completely dark because of what had happened today?
No, he didn't think there was any need to worry. Ultimately, Harry was an asshole, but at least he was an asshole who still had a conscience.