The battlefield had fallen silent.
The chaos that had erupted across the airport was over, leaving behind only scattered debris, damaged equipment, and the lingering weight of consequences.
Peter Parker stood beside Ant-Man, staring toward the distant horizon.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Then he saw it.
A fiery flash erupted high in the sky.
Something black and metallic detached from the aerial battle and plummeted toward the earth.
Peter’s enhanced eyesight instantly locked onto the falling object.
His heart skipped a beat.
There had only been four participants in the air battle.
Captain America’s Quinjet.
Iron Man.
War Machine.
And Sam Wilson.
Someone had been hit.
Someone was falling.
From that altitude…
Peter’s stomach twisted.
He knew what a fall from that height meant.
For a brief moment, the sounds around him disappeared.
He simply stared.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hoping.
“Hey, Peter?” Ant-Man’s voice cut through the silence.
“You okay?”
Peter didn’t answer.
Ant-Man frowned and followed his gaze, squinting into the distance.
Unfortunately, unlike Peter, he couldn’t see what was happening.
“What is it?”
Peter swallowed.
“Someone got hit.”
The humor instantly vanished from Ant-Man’s face.
“What?”
“Someone’s falling.”
A heavy silence settled between them.
Ant-Man slowly looked back toward the horizon.
His expression darkened.
“That’s…
not good.”
“No.”
“Not good at all.”
About thirty minutes later, Peter’s phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name.
Tony Stark.
Peter answered immediately.
“Mr.
Stark!”
Tony’s voice sounded exhausted.
Far more exhausted than Peter had ever heard before.
“Kid.”
Peter’s chest tightened.
“What happened?”
There was a pause.
Then Tony finally spoke.
“Rhodes got hit.”
Peter closed his eyes.
He had already guessed.
“The power core in his suit was destroyed.”
Tony’s voice became quieter.
“He fell from over a thousand meters.”
Peter felt his throat tighten.
“Is he…”
“Alive.”
Peter released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
But Tony wasn’t finished.
“We’re taking him to the hospital right now.”
The relief vanished.
Peter understood.
If Tony sounded like this…
The situation wasn’t good.
Not good at all.
Tony continued.
“I need you to head back to the hotel.”
“What?”
“Happy will stay with you.”
Peter frowned.
“But—”
“No arguments.”
Tony’s tone became firm.
“When everything’s finished, Happy and I will take you back to Queens.”
Peter looked toward the distant city skyline.
He wanted to help.
Wanted to do something.
Anything.
But he knew Tony wouldn’t ask unless he meant it.
“…Okay.”
“Good.”
Tony paused again.
“And Peter?”
“Yeah?”
“You did well today.”
The call ended.
Not everyone was receiving such favorable treatment.
Ant-Man certainly wasn’t.
As one of the participants who had fought against the government’s forces, he was now officially considered a fugitive.
Soon, he and Sam Wilson would be transported back to the United States to face trial.
Peter felt genuinely bad for him.
The guy was annoying.
Talkative.
A little weird.
But he was also kind-hearted.
And strangely relatable.
“Good luck, Scott.”
Ant-Man grinned.
“Hey, don’t look so depressed.”
“They’re putting you on trial.”
“Yeah, but think about it.”
Scott spread his arms dramatically.
“I used to be a criminal who got arrested for burglary.”
He pointed proudly at himself.
“Now I’m a criminal because I fought alongside superheroes.”
Peter blinked.
Scott nodded seriously.
“Honestly?”
“This is a huge upgrade.”
Peter couldn’t help laughing.
Only Scott Lang could treat federal charges like a career achievement.
Later that evening, Peter returned to the hotel.
He took a shower.
Changed clothes.
And eventually met up with Happy Hogan.
Happy looked unusually quiet.
Neither of them spoke much during the drive.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
Eventually, they arrived at the hospital.
By then, Rhodey had already been taken into surgery.
Peter wasn’t allowed inside.
The only familiar faces he saw were Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff.
The tension between them was obvious.
Neither seemed interested in talking.
As Natasha walked past them, Happy offered a small greeting.
“Nat.”
She barely glanced at him.
Then continued walking.
The silence she left behind felt colder than any argument.
Peter watched her disappear around the corner.
Then he looked toward Tony.
Only then did he notice something.
Tony’s hand.
“Mr.
Stark.”
Tony looked up.
“Yeah?”
“Your hand.”
Tony glanced at the bandage wrapped around his wrist.
“Just a sprain.”
He shrugged.
“I’ve had worse.”
Peter wasn’t convinced.
Still, before he could ask more questions, Tony sent Happy away to buy supplies.
The moment Happy disappeared down the hallway, Peter understood.
Tony wanted to talk privately.
The two stood together beside a large hospital window overlooking Berlin.
For a while, neither spoke.
Finally, Peter broke the silence.
“What about Rhodey?”
Tony’s expression changed.
The forced smile vanished.
For several seconds, he simply stared through the glass.
When he finally answered, his voice sounded distant.
“The doctors say his lumbar vertebrae and sacrum suffered multiple fractures.”
Peter’s heart sank.
Tony continued.
“His spinal cord was severely damaged.”
The words felt like ice.
“He’ll probably never walk again.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Peter lowered his head.
For the first time since becoming Spider-Man, the reality of heroism felt painfully clear.
Not everyone got back up.
Not everyone healed.
Sometimes people paid permanent prices.
Tony suddenly turned toward him.
“Scared?”
Peter looked up.
“What?”
“Being a hero.”
Tony’s eyes were serious.
“Still want this life?”
Peter thought carefully.
Then he answered.
“The world isn’t made only of light.”
Tony remained silent.
Peter continued.
“People live safely because someone chooses to face the darkness.”
His gaze hardened.
“If everyone stays in the light…”
“Then who protects it?”
Tony stared at him.
For a moment, genuine surprise appeared on his face.
Then he laughed.
A real laugh.
One filled with disbelief.
“You little brat.”
He reached over and ruffled Peter’s hair.
“Where do you get this stuff?”
Peter immediately tried escaping.
“I’m serious!”
That only made Tony laugh harder.
Eventually, Tony leaned against the railing.
His smile faded.
His eyes drifted toward the city.
“Just remember one thing.”
Peter waited.
Tony’s voice became quiet.
“Don’t let the darkness swallow you.”
Peter nodded.
He understood.
More than Tony realized.
Suddenly, a notification appeared on Tony’s smartwatch.
A video file.
Sent by Berlin authorities.
Tony’s expression changed instantly.
Peter noticed.
Before he could glimpse the contents, Tony tilted the screen away.
Whatever he saw…
It wasn’t good.
Peter frowned.
“Need help?”
Tony shook his head.
“No.”
“But—”
“No, kid.”
Tony placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve already done enough.”
Peter looked disappointed.
Tony smiled faintly.
“Go enjoy Berlin.”
Peter snorted.
“Somehow I don’t think sightseeing is going to happen.”
Tony chuckled.
“Fair point.”
After a final goodbye, Peter left.
Tony watched him disappear down the hallway.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then he whispered softly to himself.
“With us old guys around…”
His gaze lingered on Peter’s retreating figure.
“…it’s not your job to walk through the shadows.”
A moment later, he reopened the video.
His expression immediately darkened.
“Friday.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Get me a helicopter.”
“Destination?”
Tony’s eyes became cold.
“The Raft.”
Back at the hotel, Peter sat alone in his room.
Outside, Berlin’s lights illuminated the night.
Inside, his thoughts replayed the battle again and again.
Every movement.
Every mistake.
Every decision.
Unlike previous fights, today had been different.
He hadn’t fought criminals. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
He hadn’t fought monsters.
He had fought heroes.
People stronger.
Smarter.
More experienced.
And somehow…
He had survived.
Peter leaned back in his chair.
The experience had taught him countless lessons.
How powerful real superheroes truly were.
How dangerous teamwork could become.
How quickly situations could spiral out of control.
Most importantly—
How much stronger he still needed to become.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the Spider-Man suit resting nearby.
The suit Tony had built.
A masterpiece of technology.
At first, Peter had been too excited to examine it properly.
Now he finally had time.
He picked it up.
Turned it over.
Examined every detail.
“There has to be more.”
Tony Stark never built anything simple.
Eventually, Peter discovered a hidden interface.
A tiny switch.
He pressed it.
Instantly, a female voice echoed through the room.
“Hello, Peter.”
Peter nearly jumped out of his chair.
“WAAAH!”
The voice continued calmly.
“Would you like to begin today’s training session?”
Peter spun around wildly.
“Who’s there?”
“I am the artificial intelligence integrated into your Spider-Man suit.”
Peter froze.
Then his eyes widened.
“No way.”
“Way.”
Peter’s jaw dropped.
“You’re an AI?”
“Correct.”
“Like JARVIS?”
“Comparable.”
Peter immediately became excited.
“This is awesome!”
The AI paused.
“Thank you.”
Peter grinned.
“Do you have a name?”
“I currently do not.”
“Hmm…”
Peter thought carefully.
Then snapped his fingers.
“I got it!”
“Please proceed.”
“Karen.”
A brief pause followed.
Then the AI responded.
“Karen accepted.”
Peter pumped his fist.
“Yes!”
“Would you like to continue?”
Peter sat down eagerly.
“So what can this suit do?”
“Many things.”
“Like what?”
“I recommend beginning with the training protocol.”
Peter blinked.
“Training protocol?”
“Correct.”
“The protocol will allow you to gradually master every feature of the suit.”
Peter immediately became suspicious.
“Gradually?”
“Correct.”
“Why gradually?”
“Because information overload reduces learning efficiency.”
Peter groaned.
“You sound like a teacher.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
Karen ignored him.
Peter sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
“Training protocol activated.”
Peter leaned forward.
“Let’s start with web-shooting.”
“Understood.”
A holographic display immediately appeared.
Peter’s eyes widened.
“Whoa.”
Karen continued.
“Web-shooting systems activated.”
Peter grinned.
“Great.”
“Beginning lesson one.”
Peter nodded eagerly.
Then Karen spoke again.
“There are currently five hundred and seventy-six scientifically optimized web-shooting combinations available.”
Peter’s smile froze.
“…What?”
“Five hundred and seventy-six.”
Peter blinked.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Did you say five hundred and seventy-six?”
“Correct.”
Peter stared at the holographic display.
The display expanded.
And expanded.
And expanded.
Rows.
Upon rows.
Upon rows.
Of web configurations appeared before him.
His mouth slowly fell open.
The grin disappeared.
The confidence disappeared.
Even his soul seemed ready to leave his body.
“Mr.
Stark…”
Peter whispered.
“What kind of monster did you build?”
Karen responded immediately.
“Would you like to begin with combination one?”
Peter looked at the seemingly endless list.
Then looked at the ceiling.
Then looked back at the list.
Finally—
He buried his face in his hands.
“…I’m never sleeping again.”