New York — Thompson Apartment — Night
At home, Flash was pacing around his room, still completely electrified by what he had seen the day before.
Despite the hours that had passed, one image refused to leave his mind: Spider-Man holding up the immense Daily Bugle building all by himself to allow everyone inside to evacuate.
Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Flash was once again on a call with Liz and Sally, determined to go back over what was now at the center of every conversation.
— “No, but seriously, girls! You can’t say I’m overdoing it now! I’m not the only one who’s fired up! The whole city is, after seeing what Spider-Man did!”
Sitting on her end behind her screen, Liz nodded sincerely.
— “I agree! At first, I thought you talked about him way too much for no real reason, but now… I’m really impressed!”
Flash’s face immediately lit up.
After spending so much time praising Spider-Man’s exploits to his friends, finally hearing Liz openly admit that she was impressed felt like a small personal victory.
— “Right?! And what do you think, Sally?”
On the other end of the call, Sally let out a long, resigned sigh.
Even she seemed to have trouble finding anything to criticize after what she had seen.
— “It hurts me to admit it, but yeah… it was pretty impressive.”
This time, Flash couldn’t even contain his joy.
He jumped in place, overexcited at the idea that he had finally managed to convince both girls.
— “I’m telling you! This guy is going to get New York back on its feet! Very soon, we’ll be able to go outside again without any problems!”
Still just as excited, he pointed a finger toward the ceiling as if he had just delivered a prophecy.
New York — New York Hospital — Morning
Spider-Man slowly opened his eyes.
Lying in a hospital bed, it took him a few seconds to regain his senses.
The first thing he felt was the pain still coursing through his body.
Beside him, a familiar figure gradually came into focus: Gwen.
She had remained by his side for hours, watching over him.
Peter was still wearing his Spider-Man suit, although his mask had been slightly pulled up to uncover his mouth and nose.
Still disoriented, he blinked several times before finally managing to speak.
— “Gwen…?”
Hearing his voice, Gwen immediately straightened up.
The exhaustion was visible on her face, but it was immediately replaced by profound relief when she saw that Peter was finally awake.
— “Peter! How do you feel?”
Peter cautiously tried to move his arms, but a grimace of pain immediately crossed his face.
The tremendous effort he had made to keep the Daily Bugle from collapsing had left its mark.
— “My arms and back hurt, but otherwise… I think I’m okay.”
He slowly sat up on the bed before looking more carefully at his surroundings.
It was only then that he truly realized he was in a hospital room.
— “How long have I been unconscious?”
— “Almost eleven hours. And it’s already morning.”
The sleepiness instantly disappeared from Peter’s face and he almost jumped.
— “WHAT?!”
He hurriedly turned toward the window and pulled back the curtains.
The morning light that immediately entered the room only confirmed what Gwen had just told him.
Almost eleven hours really had passed.
— “But why didn’t you wake me up?!”
Gwen looked at him with an expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief, as if the answer seemed obvious to her.
— “Oh, I don’t know… maybe because you’d just lifted a building more than twenty stories tall for a good ten minutes before collapsing?!”
Peter remained silent for a moment.
It was difficult to argue with logic like that.
He still tried to think of something to say, but his concern about what was still happening outside quickly took over again.
— “Yeah, but… the people outside! I have to go see if—”
— “Everything’s fine!”
He turned toward her, surprised.
— “What?”
— “Well, not completely… but the situation has calmed down.”
She settled a little more comfortably into her chair before continuing.
— “After what you did at the Bugle, a lot of criminals surrendered. They probably figured that fighting a guy capable of lifting a twenty-story building wasn’t such a great idea. And honestly… they were right!”
At this news, Peter immediately felt some of the tension that had taken hold of him fade away.
After being unconscious for so long, he had imagined waking up to a city even more devastated than the day before.
Learning that the situation had instead partially calmed down brought him considerable relief.
But Gwen’s expression quickly became more serious again.
— “The only problem is that there are still quite a few small-time criminals in the streets… and especially the most dangerous ones.”
Those final words were enough to remind Peter that the crisis was far from over.
He grabbed his mask and removed it completely, finally leaving his face uncovered.
— “So you were right. I managed to lift the Daily Bugle and, as a result, some criminals surrendered on their own. That’s good news. But Electro, Scorpion, Shocker, and Sandman are still out there…”
As he listed their names, his expression darkened.
His victory the day before might have restored hope to the city and pushed many criminals to give up, but the most dangerous opponents were still roaming the streets.
And after everything that had already happened, Peter knew perfectly well what they were capable of.
Gwen immediately noticed the change in his gaze.
Despite the victory he had just achieved and the relief he had felt a few seconds earlier, Peter already seemed to be placing the entire weight of what still remained to be done back on his shoulders.
She then decided to try an approach.
— “Hey.”
— “Hmm… yeah?”
He slightly raised his eyes toward her as she gently approached the bed, took his hand in hers, and looked at him tenderly.
— “You’re going to make it.”
Then, before he could even answer, she leaned toward him and gently kissed him on the lips.
Caught off guard, Peter remained completely frozen for a moment.
He clearly hadn’t expected the gesture.
When she pulled back, Gwen gave him a small mischievous smile at his surprised expression.
— “That’s to encourage you.”
Peter didn’t have time to answer her, however.
A special news report suddenly appeared on the television mounted on the wall of the room, catching their attention.
On the screen was the same reporter who, a few hours earlier, had covered Spider-Man’s feat at the Daily Bugle from her helicopter.
— “Good morning, New Yorkers. Morning is here. As you can see, I’m still flying over the city and I have some information for you. Since Spider-Man managed to lift the Daily Bugle, a huge number of criminals have surrendered. Faced with such power, many preferred to give up. So I want to tell you that we are on the path to recovery and peace. It’s only a matter of time.”
At those words, Gwen turned her head toward Peter and proudly gave him a thumbs-up.
He responded with a knowing smile.
His feat the day before had therefore had far greater consequences than he could have imagined.
But the reporter’s tone quickly became more serious.
— “However… even though the majority have surrendered, the most dangerous ones remain: the super-criminals. Two have already been arrested, but four are still at large. And for nearly half a day, Spider-Man hasn’t been seen. We don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. But if you can hear me, Mr. Hero… New York needs you. Send these criminals back to prison and bring peace back to this city. To OUR city!”
Peter’s smile gradually faded.
He watched the screen for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the mask he was still holding in his hands.
Then, despite the pain still running through his body, he slowly got out of bed.
— “How’s the pain?” Gwen asked.
— “You want the truth? I’m still in pain… and I’d like to stay in bed.”
Gwen burst out laughing at his honesty.
Peter smiled slightly with her, before his expression gradually became more serious again.
— “But…”
Gwen stopped laughing and gave him her full attention.
— “…No matter the pain, it won’t stop me. I have responsibilities to fulfill. And it’s thanks to you that I remembered that. Thank you, Gwen.”
He looked at her with immense tenderness.
And the young girl immediately felt her cheeks turn slightly red, touched by his words.
— “It’s only natural, don’t worry. Now go, Mr. Superhero!”
A smile appeared on Peter’s face.
He walked toward the window and opened it, ready to return to the streets of New York.
But just before putting on his mask, a thought suddenly seemed to cross his mind.
He stopped.
Gwen immediately looked proud of herself.
— “Oh, that? Don’t worry. I watched like crazy to make sure they didn’t take your mask off! And even without me, I don’t think they would’ve done it. I think they feel grateful.”
A gentle warmth filled the young boy’s chest.
— “That’s good to know. Be careful on your way home.”
— “I’ll be careful.”
Peter then fully put his mask back on, reloaded his web-shooters with new cartridges, and climbed onto the windowsill.
The next moment, he threw himself into the air before firing a web toward a neighboring building, thus resuming his mission.
Down below the hospital, nearly a hundred people had gathered in the street and in front of the building’s doors.
Reporters, curious onlookers, and Spider-Man admirers crowded the area, some hoping to get inside to meet him, others simply hoping to get a few words from the hero.
Fortunately, a police patrol had been deployed in front of the hospital and was carefully watching the different entrances, making sure that no one could get inside without authorization.
All that commotion ultimately worked in Peter’s favor.
When he discreetly launched himself from the upper floors of the hospital and swung away, almost no one noticed his departure.
Everyone’s attention was still focused on the main entrance, convinced that Spider-Man would eventually appear in front of them sooner or later.
Gwen, meanwhile, remained by the window and watched him move away between the buildings until he disappeared from her sight.
She whispered:
— “And you too… be careful.”
She had barely spoken those words when the door to the room opened behind her.
A nurse entered with a cheerful expression, clearly there to check on her patient.
— “Excuse me, I’m here to see how our big celebrity is doing…”
She abruptly stopped when she discovered the now completely empty bed.
Her gaze moved from the mattress to Gwen, then back to the bed, as if she hoped Spider-Man would suddenly reappear.
Seeing her disappointed expression, Gwen let out a small, awkward laugh.
— “Oh, uh… sorry, he left to save the city.”
Spider-Man was once again swinging between the buildings of Manhattan, gradually getting back into his usual rhythm despite the pain that still lingered in his body.
As he gained height between two buildings, his phone suddenly began to ring.
He quickly pulled it out and answered while continuing to swing.
— “Hello, Peter?”
— “George! Is everything alright on your end? How’s my aunt?”
— “She’s still unconscious, but her life isn’t in danger, so don’t worry. According to the doctors, she should wake up very soon.”
At this news, Peter let out a deep sigh of relief.
Knowing that she was now out of danger lifted a considerable weight from his shoulders.
— “That’s good…”
In order to continue the conversation more calmly, Peter stopped swinging and landed on the roof of a building.
After a few seconds, he became serious again.
If George was personally calling him in the middle of the crisis, it probably wasn’t only to give him news about May.
— “So, why are you calling me? Do you have something important to tell me?”
— “Yes. I’ve received information: the other four super-criminals are apparently inside a large multi-story restaurant. And they’re holding hostages with them. I sent you the location.”
A notification appeared almost immediately on his phone screen.
Peter quickly checked the location before looking up at the buildings stretching out in front of him.
— “Perfect. I’m going there right now and I’ll try to deal with this quickly.”
— “Alright. But I’d rather warn you: since I’m with your aunt, I’ve put someone else in command of the operation. Her name is Yuri Watanabe. She’s a trusted colleague, very competent, and she’s already there with her men.”
— “Okay! Got it.”
Peter was already about to hang up and continue on his way when George interrupted him one last time.
— “And one last thing, Peter.”
The captain’s tone was enough to hold his attention.
Peter remained still on the rooftop, waiting for him to continue.
— “Out of all my colleagues, she’s probably the one who has the most doubts about you. Despite everything you’ve done, she still sees you as a potential threat. As someone who should be locked up. So… be careful.”
Peter remained silent for a brief moment.
The warning didn’t worry him as much as the four super-criminals waiting for him, but he perfectly understood why George had wanted to warn him.
— “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
He hung up, slipped his phone into his pocket, and immediately leaped into the air.
Another web shot toward a neighboring building and, a few seconds later, Spider-Man was once again swinging above the streets of Manhattan, this time heading toward the location George had just sent him.
In front of the barricaded entrance of the restaurant, Yuri Watanabe stood straight before about ten heavily equipped police officers.
No detail seemed to have been left to chance: bulletproof vests, assault rifles, flash grenades, and fragmentation grenades.
They all knew they weren’t about to face ordinary criminals.
Yuri quickly looked over her men before speaking in an authoritative tone.
— “Okay, listen up, everyone! Inside, we’ve got several extremely dangerous super-criminals. We’re going to enter the building and try to neutralize them, BUT rescuing the civilians comes first. Fast and efficient, understood?”
— “UNDERSTOOD!” the ten officers replied in unison.
As the police officers prepared to launch the operation, a figure suddenly appeared above them and clung to a wall a few meters off the ground.
A familiar voice immediately rang out.
— “Uh, hey… can I join the party? And what difficulty did you set it to, by the way? Just wondering.”
Yuri slowly looked up at him.
It obviously didn’t take her long to recognize the vigilante’s red and blue suit.
— “Well, well… Spider-Man.”
— “In the flesh and webs!”
Peter detached himself from the wall and landed smoothly in front of her.
Yuri stared at him for a few seconds, clearly not very enthusiastic about seeing him interfere with her operation.
— “You want to take part in this operation? Seriously…”
Spider-Man’s attitude immediately changed.
His lighthearted tone disappeared and he straightened up in front of her, aware that he wouldn’t get anywhere if he kept joking.
— “Listen… I’m going to put my cards on the table. Captain Stacy told me about you, and he said you have doubts about me. Which I understand. Really. But those guys in there aren’t messing around. If you go in with your men, they’re going to slaughter you! Is that really what you want?! Sending your men straight into the lion’s den?”
Despite the bluntness of his words, Yuri remained perfectly impassive.
Her cold gaze stayed fixed on him, without showing the slightest willingness to give in.
Clearly, Spider-Man’s exploits over the past few hours hadn’t been enough to dispel her distrust.
Peter understood that he would have to insist.
— “Let me help you. All I want is to prevent people from getting hurt… or worse. I know you don’t like me, but the captain also told me that you were competent and trustworthy, so…”
Peter sincerely extended his hand toward her, without the slightest trace of provocation this time.
— “I hope we can work well together.”
Yuri stared at Spider-Man’s outstretched hand without immediately taking it.
Her expression remained closed off, as if accepting this handshake already meant giving him more trust than she wanted to.
After a few seconds of silence, one of the officers present finally decided to speak up.
— “Boss… if Captain Stacy trusts him, maybe we can give him a chance? He’s already saved a lot of lives after all and… I think everyone here knows what he’s capable of. Don’t you think he’d be useful in stopping the ones inside?”
Through their earpieces, several other police officers began murmuring quietly.
Yuri didn’t need to ask for their opinion to understand that most of her men agreed with their colleague.
She let out a resigned sigh before turning her gaze back to Spider-Man.
Finally, she extended her hand and reluctantly gave his a firm shake.
— “Alright. But we’re doing this my way. Keep that in mind.”
Spider-Man simply nodded in approval.
It might not have been trust yet, but it was enough to get started.
Yuri released his hand before turning toward her men, still lined up and attentive behind her.
— “Okay, listen carefully. Here’s how we’re going to do this…”
In one of the restaurant’s large dining rooms, now completely disordered, four super-criminals were gathered around a table: Electro, Sandman, Shocker, and Scorpion.
Not far from them, about ten hostages were gathered in a corner of the room, their hands tied and their faces marked by fear.
None of them dared make the slightest move that might draw their captors’ attention.
— “I’m surprised the doc got caught.” Electro said.
— “Me even more. I thought he was a thoughtful guy, but… apparently, I was wrong.” Shocker replied.
— “Maybe he has a plan? Maybe he got himself arrested on purpose?” Scorpion suggested.
Before anyone could answer him, a cook hurried out of the kitchen.
With trembling hands, he carried a tray of food that he placed in front of the four criminals without saying a word.
He seemed to be doing everything he could not to attract their attention.
Sandman let out a chuckle as he turned toward Scorpion.
— “A plan? Seriously? Didn’t you listen to the news? He and Rhino got their asses kicked! And apparently, the guy with six arms got massacred by Spider-Man.”
Electric arcs began crackling around Electro’s body.
He abruptly rose from his chair, visibly furious at what he had just heard.
— “Massacred, you say?! Let him come, and you’ll see who’s gonna massacre who!”
The cook flinched violently.
His gaze fell on the lightning coursing over Electro’s body and he instinctively stepped back, unable to hide his terror.
Shocker, however, didn’t seem particularly impressed by his ally’s reaction.
— “Calm down, Electro! Can’t you see you’re freaking out our cook? Relax, if the spider shows up, we’ll take care of him.”
Electro growled, but eventually calmed down.
The electric arcs coursing over his body gradually diminished until they almost completely disappeared, then he reluctantly sat back down.
Shocker then turned his attention back to the cook and addressed him with an almost absurd politeness considering the situation.
— “Excuse him. He’s just a little… nervous.”
— “I-I understand. N-No problem! Do… do you want anything else?”
— “Just bring me some water. I’m thirsty.”
— “R-Right away!”
The cook hurried back toward the kitchen, clearly relieved to be able to get away from the four men, even if only for a few moments.
But the moment he crossed the threshold, a hand suddenly emerged from the shadows and grabbed him.
A second hand immediately covered his mouth, muffling the cry of surprise that threatened to escape him.
Yuri Watanabe had just grabbed him.
Before he could panic any further, she leaned toward him and silently gestured that she was with the police.
The cook then noticed the officers hidden nearby and quickly nodded.
Still trembling, but now reassured, he understood that he had to remain silent.
In the main room, the criminals hadn’t noticed anything.
Shocker calmly crossed his arms, a mocking smirk on his lips, before glancing toward the hostages.
— “It’s crazy how easy it is to scare people when you’re super-powerful.”
A voice suddenly rang out above him.
— “And you’re proud of that?! Bad Shocky, bad!”
Upon hearing that voice, Shocker froze.
— “Huh?! That voice…”
The four criminals simultaneously looked up at the ceiling.
Spider-Man was right above them, casually clinging to the surface, as if he had been listening to their conversation for a while.
— “How did he find us?!” Scorpion shouted.
Electro, however, didn’t even try to understand.
The moment he saw the hero, his anger exploded again and electricity began coursing through his entire body.
— “Who cares?! KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!” Electro shouted.
A violent electrical discharge immediately shot from his hands toward the ceiling.
But Peter’s spider-sense had already warned him.
He detached himself just in time, letting the lightning strike the spot where he had been a fraction of a second earlier.
His body spun agilely through the air before he landed smoothly in the middle of the room, now facing the four super-criminals.
— “Guys, let’s get him and finish this!” Sandman said.
But before the four criminals could throw themselves at Spider-Man, a small metallic object suddenly fell between them and rolled across the floor.
A flash grenade.
Peter immediately recognized it and abruptly turned toward the hostages and shouted:
— “CIVILIANS, CLOSE YOUR EYES! QUICK!”
The hostages obeyed instantly, closing their eyes and turning their faces away without trying to understand.
But Electro looked down at the object at his feet.
— “Huh? What the hell is this—”
Suddenly, a blinding light exploded throughout the entire room.
The four super-criminals were instantly disoriented and staggered backward, screaming, unable to see anything around them.
— “AAAAH! MY EYES!” Sandman shouted.
— “I CAN’T SEE SHIT!” Electro added.
Yuri’s voice immediately rang out from the kitchen.
— “NOW’S THE TIME, GO!” Yuri shouted.
The police officers simultaneously burst out of the kitchen and the adjacent hallways.
Taking advantage of the few precious seconds provided by the flash grenade, the ten heavily armed officers rushed toward the hostages.
Several of them immediately began untying them while the others secured their advance and guided them toward the stairs.
Spider-Man kept watch over the four criminals, ready to intervene at the slightest dangerous movement.
But he knew that the first part of their plan wasn’t enough.
— “Now, Yuri!” Spider-Man shouted.
— “I know!”
She pulled the pin from a second grenade and threw it into the center of the room.
This time, no blinding light burst from it.
Instead, a thick cloud of smoke began spreading at full speed, gradually engulfing the room until visibility became almost nonexistent.
— “A smoke grenade now?!” Shocker protested.
Yuri didn’t wait any longer.
The hostages were free, and that was all that mattered now.
— “Everyone, we’re going down!” she ordered.
The police officers immediately evacuated the area, escorting the civilians toward the stairs.
Within seconds, the last hostages disappeared into the hallway as well, leaving behind Spider-Man and the four super-criminals lost in the thick smoke.
Yuri remained behind for a few moments.
She cast one last glance toward the room, now completely drowned in smoke, before following her men.
Even after accepting the vigilante’s help, part of her still wondered if she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
— “I followed your plan… You’d better not screw this up.”
And she finally left the floor, leaving Spider-Man alone against the four super-criminals.
But as she moved away, memories of the plan they had worked out just before the attack suddenly resurfaced in her mind.
Before the operation began, Yuri stood in front of her men and finished explaining the strategy she had devised to enter the restaurant and free the hostages.
— “That’s the plan. Is everything clear?”
— “YES, BOSS!” they replied in unison.
Beside them, Spider-Man timidly raised his hand, like a student wanting to speak in the middle of class.
Yuri slowly turned her head toward him.
— “The plan is great and all, but… I’d like to add something. If you’re okay with it, of course.”
Yuri let out an annoyed sigh.
— “I’m listening.”
— “I’d like you to throw a smoke grenade after you get out with the hostages.”
The policewoman frowned.
— “And why? You know a smoke grenade ruins visibility, right? How are you planning to fight without seeing them?”
Spider-Man crossed his arms before calmly replying.
— “That’s exactly the point. When you get out with the hostages, throw a smoke grenade and let me handle it. Trust me.”
Yuri stared at him for a few seconds without answering.
She didn’t like the idea.
Not at all.
But after everything Spider-Man had accomplished since the beginning of this crisis, it was difficult to pretend that he didn’t know what he was doing.
Despite the doubts that remained in her mind, Yuri eventually agreed.
In the present moment, the restaurant room was now almost entirely submerged in a thick fog.
The police officers and hostages had left the area, leaving the four super-criminals unable to clearly make out what surrounded them.
In the middle of that smoke, Spider-Man was now alone with them.
Unlike his opponents, he didn’t need to see them to know where they were.
His spider-sense was enough.
Standing still at the heart of the smoke, Peter focused on the movements around him.
Despite the reservations Yuri had expressed about him, she had ultimately agreed to follow his proposal all the way through.
— “Glad to see she trusted me despite her doubts. This is perfect.”
His eyes narrowed behind the white lenses of his mask.
— “Now… I’ll be able to beat the hell out of them in peace.”
TO BE CONTINUED.