Spider-Man: Spider Lost - fumblefeatures (2024)

Chapter 1: Prologue: Spider Lost

Chapter Text

Author Intro:

First things first, this story is on two sites now, I've decided to upload to AO3 and FF.

Some quick notes about both the DC and Marvel universes used in this FanFiction. They don't exist, at least not in any real cannon. They are my own versions of the worlds/characters inspired by many different sources. Not because I think I can do better than the OG writers but more because the canons can become pretty messy and I wanted to draw inspo from multiple sources. I do try my hardest however to keep the characters consistent and not OOC.

For DC it will mostly be a mish-mash of rebirth, New 52, Young Justice and the DCAU. These are my inspirations for concepts around characters, potentially storylines and the world building, but also elements from other DC media that I enjoy will most likely influence my approach.

For Spider-Man I'm mostly going with 616 storylines and concepts but much more condensed as Peter is only 19, but also with heavy influence from the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, Ultimate Spider-Man Comics, Into the Spiderverse (Similar events happened in this universe but with the inclusion of other heroes being present in New York, as well as Peter of this Marvel universe not dying and being younger, Miles' role still very similar to the movies but with differences that will be expanded on, hopefully, in later chapters), Avengers EMH (and all the other shows that exist in that universe) Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4/5 and the Miles Morales game.

Hope you enjoy the story whichever site you're reading this on.

Prologue

Marvel Universe – 616161

Sixteen year old Miles Morales was laying on his bed, his dehydrated eyes gazing listlessly at the ceiling above him. He felt numb, defeated and sick to his stomach with guilt and shame. His mind struggled to provide him with any kind of productive thought, instead it only continued to offer the same image of his mentor and friend Peter Parker. To Miles it was simultaneously an image of Pete's heroism and his own failure, one that would haunt him forever. He hadn't felt a pain like this since his Uncle Aaron had died in his arms.

He despised himself at this moment, but he knew deep down he didn't have the luxury of self-pity. Peter was gone, Spider-Man was gone, one of them at least. It was up to Miles now as New York's only Spider-Man to continue Peter's legacy, now was not the time for him to lose focus. It was his time to be the hero Peter knew he could be.

He sat up from his bed and looked at the mask in his hands, the red and white eyes staring back at him. Wiping the mostly dried tears from his face as he stood, he pulled the mask over his face, and approached his bedroom window. Catching his reflection in the mirror, Peter's voice crept into his mind: 'with great power...'

Miles stood taller as he stared at himself in the mirror. "Comes great responsibility" he said aloud, his voice unsteady yet determined. 'I'll try and make you proud Pete.' He thought to himself as he climbed through the window of his bedroom and deftly scaled the building opposite his apartment. Stopping on the roof for a moment, he surveyed the cityscape ahead of him, it felt heavier somehow, but all that told Miles was that he had to get stronger to carry its weight. He breathed heavily, shot a web line across the street and started swinging into the city.

Several Days Earlier

Peter's eyes followed the metal stinger as it shot over him. Scorpion had stabbed his tail aggressively in Peter's direction, forcing him to lean back to dodge attack. Crash! The tail collided with a monitor on the desk behind Peter. He couldn't help but think that this office space had seen better days: broken chairs and desks were strewn about the place, computers were smashed and don't even get him started on the giant hole in the wall, complete with smashed windows.

Originally the duo had been fighting on the balcony of Fisk tower, but amidst their brawl the two had found them selves air born as they tumbled off the ledge. At that point Gargan had grabbed Spider-Man in attempt to throw him to the sidewalk but the hero managed to grapple with Scorpion and pushed off the side of Fisk Tower sending them both through the wall of the financial office opposite. And so the two adversaries found themselves having a rather intense scrap in an open office space. Fortunately the place seemed to be pretty much empty, it was the weekend after all.

"Now, come on Gargan! Is that really any way to behave in the workplace?" Peter quipped.

Trying his best to ignore the Spider's taunts, Scorpion pulled his tail back and prepared a second attack, using this opening, Peter quickly shot a web onto Scorpions helmet, blocking his vision. Before Gargan could react, Spidey tugged on the web, pulling Scorpion's head down into his clenched fist.

'Whak!' The upward motion of Spider-Man's fist, combined with the downward motion of Scorpion's face, allowed for a strong and audible strike. Gargan's helmet absorbed the brunt of the blow which cracked the eye lenses slightly.

Scorpion's head was throbbing as he stumbled backward, letting out a cry of frustration, he tried to focus back on Spider-Man and, using his tail, he shot a glob of acid in the wall-crawler's direction. The hero had anticipated this attack however, and prepared to launch himself over into a summersault in Scorpion's direction.

"Seriously? Am I going to have to get HR involved? I could swear there was something in the company contract about shooting acid at co-workers." Spidey mocked as he twisted through the air and landed backwards, feet first on the upper part of Scorpion's chest, causing him to stumble back.

With precision and haste, Spidey webbed Scorpion's tail to the ground and leapt off him again, just narrowly avoiding Scorpion's frenzied attack with his arms.

While he was in the air, Peter observed Gargan's frenetic movements and chose his opening. 'There it is' he thought to himself, as Scorpion's arms crossed each other and he quickly fired a small web bomb at Scorpion which landed right in the middle of his chest plate.

A fraction of a second passed before the small metal ball exploded, covering Scorpion's entire upper body in dense webbing. Encasing his arms and restricting his movements as if in a straitjacket.

"Gah!" was the only exclamation Scorpion managed to make before Pete shot another, simple web onto Gargan's exposed mouth, silencing him.

"Well, Scorpy. I gotta' go check on the new guy, but I expect your desk cleared by the time I get back!" Peter remarked as he jumped through the hole him and Gargan violently created when they entered the building.

Shooting a web across the street and pulling himself into an upward swing, Peter was able to make his way back to Fisk tower in a matter of seconds, pulling himself up and landing graciously on the balcony of the Kingpin's penthouse office.

Inside the office, the takented yet lesser experienced Spider-Man, Miles Morales, was trying his best to avoid the onslaught of energy blasts that Jackson Brice AKA The Shocker was firing at him.

Peter's protégé/partner was handling himself well so far, managing to evade the blasts of shockwaves for the time being, but it was clear to Pete that Miles hadn't been able to find an opening to press the attack... yet.

It was then that Peter noticed that the armoured thug known as The Rhino had been able to remove himself from the wall he had embedded himself in earlier. The giant Russian brute was readying a charge directly towards Miles.

Pete burst through the already shattered windows and, whilst in mid-air, shot a tether onto Shockers gauntlet. Before Brice could react Peter yanked on the web forcing the shockwaves, that were still firing from Shocker's gauntlet, to collide with the ceiling above.

The Ceiling started to crack and fragments of stone fell to the ground, but Pete knew that Fisk Tower was stable enough to take the blow. Fisk also would not risk hiring criminals with such high reputations for collateral damage unless he knew his building could take the abuse. But thats only IF Fisk actually hired them or they were here for other purposes.

Peter theorised grimly that it there were the 'other purposes' and that it wasn't just Scorpion, Rhino and Shocker. There would be at least three more villains in the basem*nt waiting for them. He had three guesses for who was in charge of this half of the Sinister Six, and all of them rhymed with 'Rock-Sock'...

Miles was slightly taken aback by Pete's sudden appearance, after he saw him and Scorpion fall off the building just moments before. But readjusted quickly.

His spider-sense communicated that Shocker was no longer a threat for the time being, however its tingling sensation hadn't stopped. Instead it's frequency shifted and warned Miles of a different threat.

Deftly jumping into a back handspring in an attempt to dodge the oncoming charge from Rhino, Miles narrowly avoided the brutes attack. While the Rhino attempted to halt his charge, Miles shot a web in the brutes face. "Nice of you to join us..." He delivered across the room to the other Spider.

"Couldn't leave you guys to have all the fun." Peter replied as he landed face to face with shocker and quickly dropped down into a crouch. Sticking his left leg out to the side he swept his body round a hundred-and-eighty degrees with a trained grace and precision, knocking Shocker's legs out from under him. Brice landed on his back and before he even had a moment to register his new position, his arms were webbed to the ground by the hero.

'Boom!' the entire building seemed to shake as a thunderous crash resounded through the room. "Whoa Spidey-Two, how hard did Rhino run into the wall?" Peter asked, mostly rhetorically as he was replacing the nearly empty web cartridges in his web shooters with full ones.

"Ummm, he didn't…" Miles replied. Miles knew this for certain as he was still in the midst of fighting the large armoured brute. Dodging and weaving out of the way of his brutish fists as he frantically swung his arms about himself, still blinded by the web stuck to his face.

Peter cringed at Miles' response as it meant it was as he feared, the collider was back online and seemingly just as unstable as last time, perhaps more so thanks to the battle damage it sustained last time.

As Peter looked up and watched the younger teen still tussling with the blinded Rhino, his spider sense gave him the slightest tickle of a warning as the room shook with another violent 'Boom!' which racketed itself throughout the building.

Last time Fisk used the collider in his basem*nt it was to bring back his family, both Spider-Men tried to stop it. This ended with Peter being in the middle of the collider as it activated taking on the full force of the multiversal tear. Causing him to sustain major injuries and have to keep out of the brewing crisis.

Incidentally however, Peter's body combining with the tear in the fabric of the multiverse resulted in him Fisk accidentally summoning several other Spider-People to this dimension. Obviously, wanting to get home, they all teamed up with Miles and their ally Daredevil to defeat Fisk while Peter's body healed him as he remained comatose for a couple of days.

The Spiders were sent back to their own worlds pretty much mid fight as the collider grew increasingly unstable. After the Spider-Folks were gone Miles and Daredevil were left to take down Kingpin.

After the fight though, they tried to shut off the collider which caused it to explode practically destroying all the labs and research in the basem*nt let alone the collider itself which was basically a shell of itself. Even if the Sinister Six had attmepted to repair it and get it working properly somehow, the consequences to the fabric of reality could be catastrophic.

"We need to get to the basem*nt." Peter stated bluntly.

Miles nodded in agreement as he ducked under Rhino's arm and shot his arms forward, open palmed into the hulking man's chest, as soon as he made connection he felt an energy build throughout his body as a fountain of yellow bolt's of shock came from his hands, causing the villain to yell in anguished pain.

At this same time the older Spider-Man had sent a web line either side of the Rhino and was rocketing himself towards Alexei at the speed of a train. His feet connected with the brute's face.

Rhino felt as if he had been shot by human sized bullet and staggered backwards. While trying to maintain his balance, Alexei felt two more blows strike him. One to the back of each leg as the younger Spider-Man channelled even more of his so called 'Venom Blast' into the back of the crook's knees, causing another cy of pain and making the Rhino lose all strength in his legs as he fell backwards.

Miles jumped out of the way of the lumbering mass slowly falling towards him and saw the criminal looking thoroughly tired and pissed off on the floor. Which Alexei was, but before he could get back up and squash the bugs, he felt himself becoming covered in a strong yet sticky substance as both the Spider-Men layered web after web on the villain.

When the two heroes felt that the goliath was sufficiently encased, they ran to the elevator doors. It was an elevator shaft that ran directly from the penthouse office and the basem*nt.

'Boom!' cracks started to run along the walls and parts of the ceiling started to crumble and fall to floor. Peter was certain that if it weren't for their near perfect balance and their adhesive abilities they'd definitely be stumbling around on the floor trying to stay upright. He pushed the thought aside, as the he and Miles opened the elevator doors with their strength. The elevator was already called to the basem*nt it seemed, and after a glance at the other, both heroes jumped down the shaft.

As the two descended the shaft, Peter was thinking to himself, the older hero only feeling more dread about the situation the more its intricacies danced around his mind. For one, Fisk was definitely in prison, Daredevil, or more specifically Matt Murdock had made sure of that. Even if he had escaped, Captain Yuri Watanabe would've let them know as soon as she heard.

Sure he could of hired the Sinister Six from prison. Fisk is nothing if not resourceful, unfortunately for the heroes of New York. Wherever Fisk is he always be at the top of the criminal food chain, so Peter figured Fisk was already starting an empire from behind bars.

But even with if he had tried to get the collider working from inside prison for whaetever reason, as far as Pete could tell no one on Fisk's regular staff, would be smart enough to have even attempted to rebuild the collider in the time he'd been gone. Even the scientists behind the collider's creation in the first place couldn't get it working again this quick, none of them, except one…

This had Otto Octavius' metallic claw-prints all over it. He would relish the opportunity to reactivate his creation and he would also definitely use it as an excuse to reassemble his Sinister Six. Knowing that the Spider-Men, who had been pestering him for too long, would come awinging along to stop it.

The question that had really been plaguing Peter, however, was this; did the Kingpin hire Otto, or was he working on his own schemes? And if it was the latter, what were they?

Before the older Spider-Man could think worry any more about the question, the two heroes landed on top of the elevator at the bottom of the shaft. Miles ripped the grate off the top of the elevator below them and the two jumped in, ready to open the doors and face whatever was behind them.

"So here we are... Trying to stop a bunch of Supervillains with a super-collider from toying with the multiverse and threatening all of reality… again." Miles said, with just a hint of irony in his tone. Adding "Man, does this gig ever get any less weird?"

The older Spider-Man just shrugged, "Not really, you just kind of get used to it." He replied nonchalantly as he pressed the button to open the doors to the elevator. They stood there for a beat before: 'Ding'. The elevator doors casually slid open and Peter looked to the younger hero and quickly added "At least it never gets boring."

Although Peter was wearing a mask, Miles could swear he could see the outline of a grin under the fabric. He couldn't help but feel the need to smile back before the two of them entered into the basem*nt to face whatever was waiting them.

As Miles watched the older Spdier-Man swing into the office over looking the collider, he called out, "Try not to nearly die this time!" as he began swinging after him.

When the day was over, Miles would regret making that joke...

Several Minutes Later

Mac Gargan, AKA the Scorpion, had finally managed to free himself from the webbing keeping him stuck to the ground. Normally they would be too strong for him to just rip off, but thankfully his tail was free enough that with a few well placed drops of acid and some controlled blasts of energy he was able to free himself.

After exiting the office building and climbing the outside of Fisk Tower, he finally found himself at the balcony outside the penthouse.

He looked in to see the Shocker, or as he was also known to the criminal underground, Montana, struggling against the same sticky material that had incapacitated Gargan just a few moments ago.

Shocker had already freed one of his guantlets and was using softer concentrated bursts of energy to loosen his other. He didn't want to be too forceful as he could shatter his arm if he wasn't careful.

It was at that moment a blast of acid hit the floor near him, causing him to start. The acid ate away at the webbing and Brice tore his arm away off the floor. Now fully freed he got himself up off the floor and dusted himself off as he watched the acid spot grow larger and deeper to the point where he could see into the floor below in the tower.

He strode next to Scorpion, the one he assumed was responsible for his liberation from the webbing "Ya' have my thanks pardner," he said in a deep southern drawl "but next time warn a fella 'fore you shoot acid at him. Damn near took my arm off..."

Scorpion mostly ignored the comment, Brice was one of the few people, other than Vulture, he actually tolerated working with when teaming up against the Spider, or in recent months… Spiders.

He was a professional after all and carried himself with a competent head on his shoulders. He knew when to cut his losses and mostly focused on their goal, well as best as you could with the wall-crawlers constantly driving everyone up the… well, the wall…

Brice wasn't a brainless troglodyte either, like the Sandman or the Rhino. But he also wasn't too smart to have a colossal ego either, like Doctor Octopus. And he also wasn't an impulsive brat like Electro could prove to be.

Scorpion nodded his head in reply to Brice, he knew the other man didn't actually need a response, he was merely stating his frustration.

Gargan used his tail to point over to the writhing mass of webbing on the ground across from them, it's muffled yells of rage filling the air "That the Rhino?" Gargan asked, his voice blunt and uncaring.

Brice simply nodded. And the two criminals approached the angry cocoon of webbing to help get him out. 'BOOOOM!' another thunderous explosion of noise rang through the building shaking the skyscraper vigorously as the two mercenaries were thrown about the room and the entire room seemed to grow brighter and brighter until all that could be seen was the whitest of all white and every thing grew impossibly still and impossibly silent.

Chapter 2: My Friend Eddy

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

DC Universe – Specification Unknown

Colours finally started to find their ways back into Peter's view as noise slowly crept back into his ears. Unfortunately with the return of his senses, an ache settled itself into every single one of his muscles and a pounding headache decided to take up residence in his brain.

"Ow…" Peter said aloud, as if vocalising his discomfort would somehow alleviate the pain. It did not.

As he opened his eyes he saw dark clouds above him. Sitting up, he found himself on what appeared to be a rooftop, 'Ugh, where am I?' He thought to himself as he pushed himself up onto his feet.

It was night, which meant he was out for a while as it was day just five minutes ago, but that was least of his worries. It was freezing cold and he could see thin flakes of snow falling around him, the ground too wet for them to actually settle. This was slightly off putting, it was Spring when the day began...

What bothered Peter most though was the skyline, he didn't recognise it at all, suggesting maybe he was in a new country. But he knew he was probably further away than that, after all the super collider he was literally just trying to stop was designed to travel through the multiverse.

He sighed and rubbed the ridge of his nose with his fore finger and thumber through his mask, 'I'm in another universe aren't I? Damn Parker luck.' He thought to himself.

He jumped to the ledge to get a better view of the skyline and see if he could spot any familiarities, maybe he was lucky, maybe he just got transported to another city or somewhere in Europe or Asia or something, most of the signs and building names he could spot though were written in English however.

'Okay! Let's not give up right way? Maybe this is still my earth... Maybe I'm in England! They speak English there… And its cold...' it was then he spotted a hot dog vendor with a sign saying 'Regular Hot Dogs $2, Chilli Dogs $3'.

He slapped his face into his palm and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Okay..." he said aloud this time, hoping it would somehow rectify his increasingly dire situation. "Maybe this is Australia... They use dollars I think, right?"

As soon as he said that he heard the screeching of tires and the honking of a car horn, his attention snapped to the street where he saw a car waiting for an elderly woman to cross the road. "Get out of the road, you dumb old broad!" came a voice not too dissimilar to a New Yorker's yet slightly different, but no doubts unmistakably American, "Maybe the driver is a tourist…" he said before turning his head slightly left and seeing hanging below him on the very building he was standing on, the American flag...

"Okay, maybe I Am still in my universe... Maybe I've just been sent to a different city, maybe this Chicago, or something." He then thought about the season change, 'And it's the future? The past? Maybe I was shot a few months forward to Winter? Or a back to last Christmas?'

The longer he thought about it though, the more Peter came to terms with the idea the super collider probably sent him to another universe. It was, after all, designed for that express purpose, to traverse the multiverse. "sh*t!" Peter spoke aloud to himself. He didn't care much for swearing, but he didn't care at this moment, he'd just confirmed his worse fears. He was in another universe.

The nineteen-year-old hero stood up on the ledge and started pacing back and forth, Peter's memory had gone slightly hazy after he had been shanghaied into what he could only assume was another dimension. He could remember spots of the moments just before his arrival but they all seemed locked from him, as if they were hidden in a maze.

'Come on think, Peter. Think! I was fighting... Electro, I think? Miles was going against Vulture... and Doc Ock was desperately trying to stabilise the collider. Then what?' He tried to focus harder but all he ended up doing was giving himself a headache, 'Ugh, I think I have dimensional motion sickness...' He thought, as his mind started to feel crushed by the weight of his own incomplete memories.

Still pacing the roof, the sound of yelling grabbed his attention. Jumping over to other ledge he slowly got into a crouch as he looked down into the alley beside the building Peter was on.

From this position, he observed as five men in sweat pants and pullover hoodies with their hoods up, approached a younger looking boy in similar clothing with his hood down. Three of the five were visibly armed with one holding a baseball bat, another brandishing a crowbar and a third with what seemed to be a simple iron bar. The other two however were the ones inching closer to the younger man in what Peter assumed was an intimidation tactic.

The costumed hero, still crouched on the ledge, continued to watch the scene play out.

He didn't know how things operated in this city, or even where this city was, he decided to continue watching and to step in when things got too far.

He felt conflicted about standing back and just eavesdropping, especially since he could tell this interaction wasn't friendly. But, nevertheless he needed all the information he could get and this opportunity was basically dropped onto him, he wasn't going to waste it by acting too early.

'Just hang in there a bit longer, kid...' He thought as he looked at the terrified face of the young man being targeted. The kid looked no older than Miles, perhaps a bit younger.

The decidedly fifteen, maybe sixteen year old, boy was mixed race and dark skinned. His hair was short and curly, but, most noticeably to Peter, he looked malnourished. The kid looked as if he hadn't even heard the words 'cooked meal' in a very long time.

"Listen, kid. We don't want to hurt ya..." Said one of the unarmed goons. "We just want what you owe us... Black Mask doesn't take kindly to late payments." He added as he advanced even further to the younger man.

'Black Mask? I guess that must be the boss of these cliché rent-a-thugs' Peter mused to himself. Desperately trying to piece everything together, all the information continued to point to one, inconvenient and irritating, conclusion. This wasn't his world. So he needed to work backwards, piece things together based on what he already knows from back 'home'.

'Maybe Fisk has a different gimmick here? I mean this New York is pretty much unrecognisable, so Kingpin wearing a black mask and going by a different name isn't too far out of the realms of possibility… If this even is New York. Or if Fisk even exists here… I'm overthinking, stop jumping to conclusions Peter. Just focus on what you see; assumptions are just going to confuse you.'

By this point the younger man had backed himself fully into the wall, and was urging himself to somehow back even further away. Hoping the wall would swallow him to put even more distance between him and the men in front of him.

He looked about himself worriedly as he tried to reply: "H-Hey guys, listen… I'm gonna pay Mask I swear, I- I just haven't been able to scrape it all together yet. I'll have it by the end of the month! I- I swear…" His face was moist with sweat as every muscle in his body tightened with terror.

"Listen Eddy, you're half a month late with ya payment already. Now you know what happens with folks who are late with their pay…" The leader said, not without a hint of sympathy. "Black Mask can't just have people disrespecting him like that, especially for such a small amount of money."

The main thug eyed Eddy up and down, "So here's the deal, we're gonna have to put the hurt on ya a bit." He casually remarked. "Nothing too major, a couple of bruises here, some cuts there, maybe a broken arm or something."

Eddy, although terrified felt strangely comforted by the candid attitude the thug had. "T-That's all?" He replied, his voice thick with fear.

The leader smiled, "Yeah, that's all we're gonna do to ya. I swear." He said with a grin sickeningly wide.

"Your sister on the other hand…" Spoke the other unarmed thug. He was a big brute of a man, pale, with a wide face that was scarred and misshapen, as if the man had been dropped face first as a baby everyday for a week.

Eddy snapped his head to the larger man, a mixture of disgust, hatred and fear in his eyes. The bigger thug just shrugged. "Well we gotta get some form of 'payment' tonight" He replied. He was wearing an ugly and evil smile that simply screamed bad intentions.

'God! The crooks here are just as morally reprehensible as the guys back home…' Pete thought. He had hoped maybe these guys would have some kind of decency, but he was an idiot to ever think that hired goons of this nature could be anything but disgusting creatures of pure greed and corruption.

Eddy looked back to the leader of the group with pleading eyes… "Please no. Leave her out of this I can get to the money, I swear!"

The leader raised is arms in mock surrender, "I'm sorry, Eddy. It's what we gotta do. My hands are tied."

'I guess that's all I'm going to get from these guys, better step in before they hurt the kid.' Peter thought resolutely and as soon as the leader finished his sentence with his arms above his head, the hero had his opening.

A resounding 'Thwip' rang through the air as the main thugs arms were suddenly stuck together and encased in a sticky, white, web-like substance. The thug looked back to Eddy with shock and confusion as Eddy looked back with astonishment and bewilderment. The two made eye contact before a voice cried out from deeper in the alley.

"I'd say they're more webbed than tied..." Said the mysterious voice, and the entire group swung their heads to see a the outline of a man crouching on the building at the end of the back alley.

"I thought ya said the Bat was gonna be busy with one of his nutcases from the loony bin tonight?" Came the snivelly voice of the goon carrying the crowbar.

"That's not the Bat, dipsh*t! He ain't got the ears." Said the bigger goon, fear undercoating his voice, while still mostly sounding both stupid and piggish.

"He don't make jokes either..." Said the main thug, while trying to wrestle his arms free. He grunted and stared at the silhouette atop the building, looking and sounding pissed off and confused. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Spider-Man had been taking in all the details of the exchange, 'Who the hell is the Bat, Is that this versions Peter Parker, or is there another Spider-Person here? But, if there was why didn't any of them know of me? Ugh! I HATE the multiverse! Such a headache.' He monologued to himself as he dropped from the ledge, performing a forward somersault before deftly landing with near silence in the alley below. The building had only been three storeys, an insignificant height for someone with Pete's abilities.

A couple of the armed goons seemed impressed with the display but the snivelly crowbar guy, the leader, and the big guy all kept their composure and fixed their gazes at Spidey with hate and confusion on their faces.

"Me? Oh you know I was just in the neighbourhood... Here to see my good buddy Eddy!" He said turning his gaze to the kid and pointing with finger guns at him. He wanted to see if he was alright, and maybe also encourage the goons to back off. Eddy just seemed as frightened as before but now with hints of confusion and shock painted on his face. "Hi, Eddy! How've you been, pal? Sorry I'm late… Traffic. You know how it is.."

The leader of the thugs, his arms still webbed closed, looked to Eddy, rage reddening his face, his eyes screaming with hate. "You know this punk, Eddy?!" He all but shouted.

"N-No. I-I Swear. I've never seen him before in my life" Eddy squeaked out, his heart racing.

Spider-Man put his hand to his chest, as if he'd been stabbed in the heart. "Eddy! How could you? After everything we've been through?" His voice thick with mock hurt.

"Whatever! Just take this guy out quick while I get this sh*t off my hands." The leader said, still struggling with his arms.

At his command the three armed goons approached Peter, he crouched down into his signature three point half crouch, laying one hand on the floor as his other hand was stretched in the air behind him. 'This guy has know idea what he's doing.' The snivelly crowbar guy thought to himself.

The other two goons hesitated for a second, they'd never seen someone pull a pose like this before a fight. Which meant one of two things: Either, this guy was just making it up as he went along and had no idea what he was doing. Or, he was toying with them. Right now something within them was yelling at them that it was the latter, and that they should just run.

The crowbar guy went to strike first, charging at the costumed intruder with his weapon raised, ready to swing. Before he could even get close however, the costumed stranger had pounced, like a coiled viper straight at him.

He landed in a handstand on the crowbar goons shoulders and handsprung forward off the goon, which sent him tumbling downwards and forward, straight into a row of garbage cans. He fell to the floor grabbing at his head, as his skull left a sizeable dent in the metal bins.

The leader, who was focused on trying to free his arms at the time, looked up at the sound of the scuffle, only to see a pair of feet coming straight at his head. The hero had launched himself off the crowbar goon straight towards the leader. "Oh, fuuu-" The lead thug managed to mutter before Spider-Man's feet connected with his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Before the goon fell as a result of the impact though, Spidey pushed off him with his legs, sending him flying backwards into the bigger thug, who was just about to pull a pistol out of the back of his pants.

The two crashed into each other, however, the bigger goon was strong enough to keep them somewhat upright. But it meant he was delayed in getting his gun out, as he grabbed the leader and helped him to find his balance.

The hero was now standing tall, looking at Eddy, "Eddy, my man! Why the hell didn't you tell me this party was spandex optional? I wouldn't have worn my best red and blues." He said, as Eddy just looked back at the man, dumbfounded.

The two more hesitant goons, armed with a baseball bat and an iron bar, looked to each other nervously before looking back to their spandex clad assailant. He wasn't looking at them, he let his guard down, they thought. The two started to rush at him.

Peter saw Eddy's eyes go wide as he was about to warn him of the coming attack, but the hero's sixth sense already warned him.

Without even looking away from the kid, and in inhuman speed, Spidey moved his right arm across his body so it was under his left armpit facing the two armed goons who were approaching him from his left.

He shot out a web line straight to the iron bar in one of the goons hand, grabbed the line, and with a simple flick of his wrist, he snatched the iron bar from the thug and sent it right into the side of the head of the baseball bat wielding goon, knocking him out cold.

Seemingly unfazed, the red and blue coloured man continued his longwinded and somewhat unfunny, yet endearing, joke "I mean seriously, I feel so over dressed... Next time you invite a guy out just let him know the dress code beforehand, kay?"

The goon, who was previously armed with an iron bar, was looking at the unconscious form of his friend and back up to their strange attacker. His hand was still under his armpit but was more relaxed now and it seemed as if he just was casually chatting with Eddy. Not sure whether to press the attack again or not, the goon just stood there in stunned confusion.

"And another thing, this mask really brings out my allergies I mean I- ah- ah- AH" Peter continued, he decided he enjoyed this bit he was doing, even if it was very stupid.

It was refreshing fighting criminals who had no idea who he was, they always underestimated him and it was very satisfying seeing their shocked expressions.

While he was talking, he was using the interface in his mask lenses to change his right web shooter mode, to complete the dumb joke he was setting up. "AH- CHOO!" Peter yelled as he shot an impact web from his right hand directly at the still stunned and conflicted goon.

The goon's front was immediately encased in webbing, and he felt as though he had been punched in the chest by a truck as he was sent flying backwards into the wall behind him, and was stuck there, suspended a foot off the ground.

While all this was happening, the big goon was also now trying to rip the webbing off the leader's arms, to no avail. "Who the hell is this guy?" He asked.

"Who cares? Just get this crap off me and shoot him!" The leader replied, frustration behind every word. His chest still aching from the blow he received, "Ugh! Just leave this sh*t for now! Just shoot em both, we'll bring the kid's sister to Mask and he can decide what to do about 'payment'. Maybe he can find a buyer or something... Ship her offf to siberia..."

As the leader muttered about the potential human trafficking laws Black Mask could break, the big guy let go of his arms and pulled his gun out his pants.

He watched as his ally was thrown into a wall by, and covered in, the same stuff as the leader's arms. He also saw his other ally, who was wielding a crowbar before he was thrown into some trash cans, was now getting to his feet, although he was stumbling and still gripping his head. The big guy pointed his pistol at the red and blue figure in front of him.

Spider-Man obviously sensed the gun being pointed directly at him, not to mention the fact he was facing the big goon, even if his attention was still mostly on Eddy. With his right arm now resting on his hip, he used his left to fire another web line.

Before the big goon even had time to think about pulling the trigger the gun was snatched from his hand by the line, and he watched, stunned, as the costumed man deftly caught the gun in his left hand, crushed it casually and tossed it behind him.

The crumpled pistol arced in the air as the crowbar goon was still stumbling about dizzily. It landed square on his head with an audible "Thunk!" And he dropped to floor unconscious.

"God, does nobody have manners these days?" Spidey asked the dumbfounded Eddy, he turned his attention to the two remaining thugs, the leader and the big guy, "I mean I'm trying to have a conversation with my buddy here, do you mind?"

At this point both the big goon and the leader were thinking of cutting their losses and just running away, but they knew Black Mask wouldn't let them get far if they failed their job. Before they could think any more on it though the leader's legs were webbed together, with a line between him and the hero.

Spider-Man pulled on the web line as he leapt several feet off the ground, yanking the leader off his feet. His head narrowly avoiding the ground, as the hero pulled him into the air and attached the other end of the line onto the bottom of the fire escape above. Spider-Man then crawled along the bottom and, in a swift and graceful motion, swung himself onto the railing of the first balcony of fire escape.

The leader dangled upside down a few feet off the ground, thrashing about and yelling a slew of colourful insults at the hero. Suddenly his mouth was webbed shut and the rest of his upper (or lower, considering he was upside down) body was covered in white webbing.

The big guy stared at his fellow criminal, dangling upside down, still thrashing violently. Muffled, yet angry, noises coming from his webbed face. Unsure how to proceed, his gaze moved up the line and onto the hero crouching on the railing of the fire escape above.

Spider-Man simply waved back to the goon, enjoying the confused and scared expression on his face. He then shot a line to the thug's chest and, similarly to the leader, yanked him off the ground.

This time though, he also used the goon's own weight to pull himself off the railing and planted his feet into the airborne thug's chest with considerable force. Kicking the big guy back down to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He landed on the ground with a "Thud" and his back and chest ached with a pain he hadn't felt in years.

Spider-Man, still airborne after kicking himself off the big guy, performed a graceful backwards somersault before landing over the now prone goon. His legs were parted as his feet landed on the ground on either side of the big guy, who was on his back.

The thug looked up with fear at the towering, red and blue clad hero. He was surprisingly skinny considering how hard he hit, the goon pondered, as the hero started to crouch over him before grabbing by the collar of his shirt.

Spider-Man was debating interrogating the thug, before deciding against it. 'What would I ask him, vague questions about his boss? About the city? anything this guy tells me isn't going to be worth the time. Besides I'm not here to pick a fight the sooner I get home the better.' He thought, besides he knew that he'd be on this 'Black Mask' character's radar soon enough after taking down his goons.

He just hoped he was home before that happened, he didn't want to be causing too much trouble here, wherever here was. Instead he looked back to the goon who was already wincing in preparation for a punch. 'Well, I shouldn't keep the guy waiting…' He thought before delivering a quick and decisive punch to the goon's face. Knocking him unconscious.

Peter dropped the goon and looked back over to Eddy, he was still just standing there staring back at Spider-Man, his mouth agape.

A beat passed before the kid broke the silence: "Holy sh*t, dude! That was awesome! How the hell did you do that? You were like a ninja or something, who the hell are you? Are you working for Batman? Are you the new Robin or something? How did you crush that gun with your hand? What was that gooey stuff you tied those guys up with?" Eddy blurted out with excitement and wonder.

Pete was taken slightly aback from the outburst, clearly the kid was sill in shock.

Not wanting to reveal too much information, Peter elected to only answer one of Eddy's questions: "Um… I do a lot of jazzercize, it's good for the muscles. Are you okay?"

Eddy, slightly confused by the stranger's response, looked around his incapacitated agitators. "Err, Yeah. I'm good. Thanks. But, again, who are you?" He asked.

"I'm just you're friendly neigh-" Pete paused. His initial reply was mostly reflex at this point, although he hadn't used the exact phrase in a while (after just under 5 years of 'Spider-Manning' eventually people stopped asking who he was). Nevertheless it was his go-to response.

But this wasn't his neighborhood, he actually wasn't sure what neighborhood he was even in, or how long he'd actually be here. So he cleared his throat and tried again…

"I'm nobody really… Just passing through." He stated. 'I hope I am at least' He then thought. Ideally he didn't want to be here any longer than necessary, but he didn't even know where, or how, he would begin trying to get home.

"Nobody? Dude, you just took out like…" Eddy paused to count the thugs, "Five guys like it was nothing."

"Ha, trust me. I defeat a Five Guys every other week!" Peter quipped as he patted his stomach.

The kid blinked, he clearly didn't get the joke. Peter thought it was because he was in shock. In reality it was because Five Guys didn't exist in this world, so Eddy had no point of reference.

Instead he simply looked Peter up and down, studying his costume. It was different than what he'd heard the 'Bat-Family' wore.

It was tight, form fitting and covered his whole body. It was coloured deep blue and red with a black spider symbol on the chest.

"You sure you're not one of Batman's? But, what's with the spider?" Eddy seemed to get more serious, and looked at the figure with a more sceptical gaze. "Seriously, who are you?"

'There's that name. Again. Who the hell is Batman? I need to figure this all out, fast.' Peter sighed.

He helped this kid because he had to, he couldn't let him get hurt, or worse. He could just swing away from this whole situation, but figured that would only cause more confusion for the kid. "If you really want a name… You can call me Spider-Man, but as I said I'm just passing through."

Before the kid could ask more questions, Peter leapt back onto the wall of the building he came from. "Try to stay out of trouble kid, and go home. It's a school night!" He quickly said as he ran up the building onto the roof. He actually had no idea if it was a school night or not, but he felt an urge to drop one last quip before he left.

Eddy watched as Spider-Man defied gravity and ran up the wall with ease. He was silenced by his confusion and shock, and he saw as the masked man stopped for a second on the roof of the building before leaping once more further away into the Gotham skyline that lie beyond the alley.

'It's Saturday…' He momentarily thought, before he was snatched back into reality by the muffled screams of the upside down thug hanging next to him.

Eddy, sneered at the thug before exiting the alley and running home. He had a lot to tell his sister when he got back.

Chapter 3: Multiversal 'Whip' Lash

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

DC Universe – Specification Unknown

As Spider-Man aimlessly swung through the foreign city, he thought about how he acted earlier. 'You're an idiot Pete... You should've just helped the kid quickly and quietly, no quips, no showing off and NO talking him afterwards. Why couldn't you have done that? Ugh! Where the hell are you even swinging to?'

As his mind continued to wander, he found himself landing on another nearby building and started pacing once more on the ledge as he tried to gather his thoughts.

He needed to figure out where he was firstly, then find his doppelganger (if they even existed) and then find a way back home. He stopped pacing, sat himself down on the ledge and stared into the unfamiliar skyline. 'God! Why can't life ever be easy for once?'

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the shadows. "Something on your mind?"

Startled, Peter jumped back onto his feet and turned to the direction of the voice. He spotted a figure in the shadows and stiffened into a more defensive pose. Whoever it was probably didn't intend him harm, as if they did his Spider-Sense would have let him know before they even had time to get close.

"Well, somebody's jumpy..." The feminine voice added.

The figure stepped out from the shadows and into full view. He felt a tinge of hope as a sense of familiarity hit him.

He looked the woman up and down. She was wearing a form-fitting, black, body suit, made from what looked to be a mix of leather and a light Kevlar-like material.

She had a whip attached to her hip and her upper face was covered in a black mask adorned with, assumedly, cat ears. One of her hands rested on her whip-free hip as she stood. A, seemingly full, black duffel bag lay on the ground just beside her.

"Cat? Is that you?" Pete found himself asking, he saw the resemblance and his mouth moved faster than his brain apparently. 'Idiot, Pete! Stop just saying things… Let's use our brain, I need to play things cool here.'

He then studied her closer, the similarity was there, sure. Hell, even the gimmick seemed to be eerily similar.

But the face, the voice, the… well the body was still unbelievably good, he had to admit. But Pete could see the differences, he quickly noted some before he averted his eyes and focused on her face again, he didn't want to seem like or, incidentally, be a creep.

His momentary, leering pause was interrupted by the woman continuing to speak, though it appeared she was smirking at Peter's mildly embarrassed body language..

"So you've heard of me hmm? Interesting, can't say the feelings mutual…" She paused expectantly. Her expression trying to coax a response from the Spandex clad individual in front of her.

"Oh, err… Spider-Man." Pete responded instinctively. His voice soft and nearly uncaring, his disappointment and confusion starting to slip through into his voice.

"Well, Spider-Man the pleasure is all yours…" She replied with a grin before her face suddenly darkened into a serious and piercing gaze, "But I'm only going to say this once so listen closely… Only one person may call me 'Cat' and that certainly isn't you, got it?"

"Huh? Oh right, yeah sorry, that was actually not… Sorry. No, I thought… I thought you were someone else." He replied without thinking.

He sounded defeated, Pete was growing more tired and confused every second and as such he had no idea how to respond to the woman, and so he inadvertently decided to give up with all the smoke and mirrors.

His plan to play it cool had been thrown out the window. And instead his voice had started to betray the lost teenager, revealing his vulnerable state to the stranger ahead of him.

"Well try not to sound too disappointed… Someone else though you say? Don't tell me a there's a copycat out there?" Selina looked at the masked figure with intrigue in her eyes. She was trying to get a response from him that would satiate her curiosity, and so far most of this 'Spider-Man's' responses had only made her more curious.

Peter took a breath and met the woman's gaze again.

Questions raced through his mind, he had no idea which ones to start with or even if she would be able to help, her costume was some hint at something at least, this place seemed to have heroes or at least costumed vigilantes.

He looked back at the woman, she was staring at him quizzically, he then realised he'd been thinking for a while and a loaded silence now hung in the cold night air. Deciding to cut his losses he figured he'd start with the basics.

Ignoring her comments, he began to speak again, "Okay, sorry. I'm having a little crisis here." He eventually managed, "could I just ask a few questions…." He pauses, realising that if this isn't Black Cat he should start off easy and gain momentum from there.

"Um… what can I call you if 'Cat' is off the table?" He asked.

"Catwoman." She replies candidly, still fixing him with curious eyes. "And I don't normally go round answering the questions of random vigilante types in masks…" She takes another loaded pause and the two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

She continues, "But tell you what, I'm in a generous mood, and you certainly have me curious… So how about a little back and forth?"

In truth, she was interested herself about this figure and wanted questions of her own answered...

Several minutes prior she had been minding her own business exiting the scene of a, dare she say, expert burglary, when all of a sudden she heard a commotion in an alleyway a block or so away.

Keeping her distance, she moved to the rooftop of closer building and watched as a young boy was being harassed by a group of what appeared to be Black Mask's thugs. In the midst of a moral conflict she decided to hang back, not wanting to cause herself any trouble with Black Mask, from what she heard the boy would get a bit beaten up but would be overall fine.

She thought to herself she'll only step in if absolutely necessary, after all this was a job for Bruce and his pajama-clad friends. She could always send a message over to Alfred to send one of the Robins to check on the kid and find the thugs, this wasn't her fight.

Then she overheard the apparent leader of the troupe say something truly despicable regarding the boy's sister. At that moment she decided against hanging back and was about to give these thugs a very painful lesson on respecting women.

Mask already wanted her dead because of her relationship with the Bat-Family, what was he going to do? Want her dead more?

But before she could even move to get closer to the thugs and lay the hurt on them, something happened, she saw the leader's arms covered in some form of net, she heard the voice of a young man from the building adjacent to her own and she watched as he somersaulted into the alley.

She then watched on with fascination as the skinny, but decidedly well-built, stranger in spandex danced in circles around the goons, taking them down quickly, humiliating them in some cases, all while cracking stupid jokes.

She saw as he used technology similar to Black Spider to incapacitate the thugs, 'I doubt Spider turned over a new leaf… So this punk stole some gear and is now using it to stop muggings? Bruce isn't going to like this… At least he seems to have some fighting chops and isn't completely clueless.' She thought to herself.

In fact he seemed to be more than capable in taking these guys on, he must have had some training. But by who and why was he here now? This was Batman's stomping grounds, no one came here, not even the league, not without his say so.

After the 'fight' (if you could even call it that), she tried to listen as he talked to the kid but his voice was quieter now and she couldn't quite catch what he was saying, except for something about jazzercize, which only fuelled her curiosity more.

She then watched as he leapt over the building he was on earlier. She was impressed by the leap, but unsure whether the stranger was a meta-human or his, probably stolen, gear gave him a boost. Nevertheless she decided to follow as he swung through the city, and when the stranger landed on the roof of another building she saw an opening and decided to introduce herself.

Now she stood mask to mask with the stranger as he stared back at her with big white lenses. He seemed to be considering her offer.

"Okay. A little I tell you mine you tell me yours?" He paused, considering, "I suppose that will have to do for now, It's not like I have any other options..." Spider-Man eventually replied to the woman, he needed some answers and if he had to give some of his own to get them, so be it.

Besides people in this place didn't seem to know who he was so he could always lie.

"Ouch..." The woman responded.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just I really need some answers." He hurriedly tried to reassure her.

"I'm pulling your leg, Spider-Boy. And you're right, you don't have any other options, either you answer my questions, or neither us get any…" The woman said with a sly grin, causing the young hero to blush slightly under his mask.

'Slightly suggestive phrasing aside, I suppose this is my best choice of approach so far. I mean she's wearing a costume, has a gimmick and a name, she's got to be a hero or something like that… And she hasn't tried to kill me yet. So she's proba- Hopefully… Not a villain.' Finally he spoke: "So, who goes first me or you?"

"Ladies first I think." She replied. And Peter decided not to argue with the strange woman, he didn't want to upset the locals more than he already had. She continued: "Where'd you get the suit?"

'That's her first question? She wants to know about my fashion choices, sure red and blue spandex definitely has a certain flare to it, but so does a skin-tight cat suit… Anyway my turn next, let's not reveal too much, gotta be somewhat tactical about this.'

He quickly answered and added his own question: "I made it. Okay my turn, I'm actually kind of lost and dealing with some memory problems… Think I hit my head too hard or something earlier, so could you remind me what city this is?" 'You're an idiot, Pete. Like she's going to believe a story like that, why are you so bad at this? So much for tactics…'

Selina had thoughts of her own on the spandex-clad man ahead of her and her mind started to run: 'He made it? That's odd, he must have stolen the design or at least based it off of Black Spider's… The abilities it gives him are so similar… More powerful, but similar…' Still confused by his answer it took her a second to register the stranger's ridiculous question and the weird rambling he prefaced it with. 'Wait, what did he just say?'

Voicing this confusion she responded: "What city is this? That's your question?"

"Err…. Yes." Pete had realised by this point that lying may no longer be an option, and he still wasn't great at being subtle when it came to attractive women it seemed. So, if she asked about where he came from he might just have to be honest. But, he still needed to know where he was right now.

Her eyes narrowed, her expression seemed to shift from amused curiosity, into suspicion. "Seriously, who are you?" She replied, her voice cold.

"No. My question first." Peter replied bluntly. He needed answers and he was tired of trying tiptoe his way around every interaction. He'd only had two so far and already the pressure of not revealing too much was getting to him.

He'd felt similar before, after 5 years of trying to conceal his identity, he became quite good at bending, stretching and twisting the truth, even lies had become easier. After all, it was to protect those he cared about, and he knew the consequences if he failed to keep that secret safe. He learned that the hardest way imaginable.

But this was different, stretching the truth and lying was so much simpler when he was home, and it wasn't even necessary when he'd previously travelled the multiverse to fight weird energy vampires.

This was all new, he lacked all the simple details you fail to appreciate because they're always there. Where you are, what time it is, who your friends are and most importantly, who your enemies are.

This time, Pete felt truly alone, and trying to lie under those conditions was nearing impossible, he just wanted answers. Consequences be damned, as far as he knew he was the only one at risk for now, and he was okay with that.

Selina paused, slightly taken aback by his change in tone. A silence hung in the air for a moment.

Finally, she answered: "You're becoming more mysterious every time you speak. But a deal is a deal... This is Gotham City." She kept her steeled expression, and her eyes narrowed even more as she focused on the stranger.

'Gotham?' Pete thought to himself, 'I know that name. It's an old name for New York, so this must be an alternate version of my home. But why does it look so different, I've been to other New Yorks before and there's always some similarity. Why is this one so different?' He looked around himself once more, hoping to find something he would recognise, then he noticed something, something he should have noticed straight away. Then again, perhaps he did, but was so distracted it slipped his attention: 'And why the hell are there so many blimps?'

"Gotham. Like New York?" He eventually said.

"No." Her voice was stone still now, cold, matter of fact.

"Does Gotham have a different name, like New Amsterdam or something then?"

"No. I know where you're talking about, this isn't it. New York is somewhere that way," She said pointing ahead of her, passed Pete. "In New York State, we're in New Jersey right now."

Although Selina still had her suspicions, she could sense a level of desperation from the stranger and, although she wanted answers, she felt that the least she could do was let him know where he was. But, his response still seemed to only make her suspicion of the stranger grow.

"My turn. Also I'm getting two questions since I just answered twice." The woman responded, a level of seriousness he'd not yet heard made her voice heavier, more cutting. "Who are you… Really?"

"I suppose, 'your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man' isn't gonna' cut it?", Her dark green eyes peered back at him from behind her mask, Pete felt as if they were piercing through him.

"No. I need more than that. You're a newbie here, and Gotham isn't the sort of city that welcomes newbies… So, I'll ask again: Who. Are. You."

Pete sighed, "I'm not telling you who I am behind the mask if that's what you mean. I can't do that…" There was a long pause, he looked her in the eyes, her face softened for just a moment, as if to communicate that she accepted the condition.

"But what I can tell you is, I'm Spider-Man. I don't thin- No. I know I'm not from around here, in fact I think I'm very far from home right now."

Her face softened again, reverting back to its more inviting, yet curious, expression "I still need more. You can't just show up, perform some acrobatics in a onesie, bust up some thugs and call it a night without attracting some attention, not here at least."

"It's actually a two piece, not a onesie..." He offered, her unamused expression informing him now probably wasn't the best time to be pedantic. "Sorry." He added.

She could see 'Spider-Man' right himself before shuffling on his feet, he was clearly considering what she was saying. She continued, ignoring his correction. "Look, trust me when I say this, answering my questions will be easier than answering Batman's."

That was the third time Peter had heard that name, he must be a big deal here. But for now, 'Catwoman' was the only one with him, and she wasn't trying to press him too hard at the moment, other than a serious tone and some 'evil eyes'. 'Answering her questions couldn't be too bad could it?'

Using his fingers to emphasise each point, as if making a list, he replied. "Okay… I'm Spider-Man. I got super powers from a radioactive spider. I'm from New York. I've been fighting crime for about 5 years. And I'm very confused about everything, so I'm not sure how much information to actually… Give… Right now… Not that I don't want to I just…"

"I get it. That'll have to do for now…" She said, with her hands in the air, her voice getting softer.

"But 5 years? And in New York? How come I haven't heard of you, I thought Powergirl was the only cape there? You've got to see why I'm so… intrigued, everything you say just gives me more questions."

"If it makes you feel any better, everything you say only makes me more confused, so we're about even there." He replied, chuckling slightly. A hint of melancholy sprinkled within his laugh.

"Sooo… this back and forth game might go on for a while. If, we keep playing that is."

"I have nowhere to be, I was about to retire for the night anyway… and I believe you still owe me at least one answer."

"Okay then. Ask away…" Pete replied, more casually this time, the truth is he was starting to warm up to Catwoman, partly because she reminded him of Felicia, but also because she was actually turning out to be quite pleasant to talk to.

Moreover, the fact she was able to sneak up on him without alerting his spider-sense, definitely couldn't be ignored. It alerted him to him to danger, and her managing to actually making him jump, although terrifying at the time, only communicated to Peter that she had no ill intent. At least not yet.

Selina, now sitting on the wall adjacent to Spider-Man, considered for a second before asking her next question. She had so many racing through her mind: 'Why is he here? Why did he steal Black Spider's gimmick? Hell, he might not even know who that is. He didn't even know what city he was in, and when he I told him it sounded like he'd never heard of it. Why show up here? Why now? How has he been doing this for 5 years without me knowing? I thought I was caught up with most of the big deal capes, so how has he managed to keep this low of a profile all this time? How come the Justice League haven't recruited him yet? Did he turn them down?'

Thinking too hard on her next question was pointless, they would be here for hours if she asked every single one. And Spider-Man himself seemed to have just as many questions, they could keep going back and forth forever, and as much as she was enjoying this, she needed to get her stolen goods back home before the night really got going. It was forecast to be long one for the Bat-Family after all.

Finally, she made a decision, asking every question would just spoil the mystery anyway, so she settled for something more casual, "So, who is Black Cat?"

"Errr… A cat burglar, back in New Yor- Back home. Similar dress sense and gimmick as yourself…" He considered not adding his last words, but Catwoman's new, more welcoming and casual attitude, caused a momentary lapse in judgement, "And kind of my ex, I guess…"

She rose an inquisitive eyebrow from behind her mask. "Oh wow. You really are a fascinating one aren't you? Though, I can't say I'm too pleased to hear someone has stolen my thing. I really thought I was the only cat themed cat burglar out there. I may just to visit New York and teach someone a lesson about stealing other people's tricks."

Pete chuckled at that, genuinely this time. He moved himself to sit on the wall next to Catwoman. "Sorry, but no offense, I'm pretty sure neither of us had heard of you either… She may be a thief, but she took the mantle from her father… Not you." A pinch grabbed his heart and he remembered the pain her father had later caused him in his burgling career, and how it hurt their relationship when he refused to help her get him out of jail.

Changing the topic, he continued speaking, "Though, I suppose that confirms my suspicions about what's in the bag." He said, pointing a thumb in the direction of the duffel bag.

"Are you gonna' try and take me in to 'Gotham's finest'?" She replied calmly yet direct, her voice taking on a darker tone as she continued. "Because that won't work for me. And I would hate for our night here to have to end so… Unpleasantly."

A low hum came from Pete's spider-sense, he paused before chuckling again, Pete responded. "No, I'm not. Not tonight at least. I have bigger worries right now… Plus I have no idea where I would even take you to be honest, this whole place is new to me."

Slowly, some puzzle pieces surrounding Spider-Man had started to fall into place for Selina. She looked him in his lensed eyes before speaking, "Wow. You're really far from home aren't you?"

"I umm, don't know how to respond to that honestly."

"Oh please, I'm not stupid. You don't know anything about this place, you come from seemingly nowhere, yet somehow you've been doing this for 5 years? Also, I would definitely have found out if someone was going around using my image. Plus, you barely reacted when I warned you about Batman. Meaning you're either very brave, very dumb or you're very ignorant. It's the last one, isn't it? You're so confused because you're really not from around here, right?"

Pete was taken aback from the sudden onslaught, and how accurate it was. He sighed dejectedly, "Yeah, you're right."

"So, Past? Future? Alternate Timeline? Another universe? Which is it?"

"The last one, at least I'm pretty sure it's the last one. Could also be the third I guess… You're not acting as shocked as I thought, though."

"Oh please, you're not that special. New York's own Powergirl isn't from this world either, and that's been public knowledge even since Supergirl showed up."

"Umm… I don't know who any of those people are."

"Right, sorry. So how'd you get here then, judging by how stressed you seem, it couldn't have been on purpose?"

"It wasn't, I was fi-"

Pete was cut off by sound of an explosion from further in the city. His spider-sense started tingling as he jumped to his feet, leapt to the other side of the roof and began looking for the source. He saw smoke and could hear sirens ahead of him in the distance.

Without thinking, he dove off the roof. Selina jumped to her feet, as he disappeared from her vision, concern started to build as she waited for the sound of Spider-Man hitting the ground. Only for her to see a line of webbing attach itself to the building opposite and a red a blue clad figure rise through the air.

"Sorry, duty calls! Nice meeting you!" We'll have to catch up another time!" He called back, his voice growing quieter as he swung off into the distance.

A wide smile crept its way onto Selina's face, 'See you around, Spider-Man.' She thought as she picked up her duffel bag, and leapt off the building from the opposite side of the chaos.

Chapter 4: You're NOT Batman

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

DC Universe – Specification Unknown –

Gotham City

As Peter pulled himself higher into the air, his eyes were constantly fixed on the smoke ahead. He was a couple blocks away now and he was starting to see the light flicker of yellow-orange flame reflecting off the surfaces of the buildings ahead, confirming he was on the right track.

Back in New York, his New York, he was so used to the landscape, he could basically swing blindfolded and still find his way. But, he wasn't used to the layout of this foreign city, and since the tingle of his Spider-Sense had stopped by now, he was relying purely on his human senses to find the source of the explosion.

The HUD in his mask wasn't much help either, it relied on (about as much as Peter) home territory, and being thrown into another universe meant that he'd lost all connection to the police and radio frequencies, his cell phone signal and Wi-Fi/Data.

In fact the only things he could use it for now was changing web modes, checking his web capacity and Bluetooth apparently. Though, with all that was going on, playing music wasn't really all that appealing.

Continuing his upward swing, he kicked his feet up so was nearly upside down. He launched himself off the web, high into the air. Bringing his feet back down, he shot out a web line and pulled himself forward just before descending.

He could hear gunshots and muffled yells as he neared closer to the source of the explosion heard earlier. As he got even closer, the sounds grew louder. When they sounded close enough, he stopped mid-swing, landing on a roof facing to the street were the calamity seemed to be happening.

Squatting on the edge of the building he peered down, on the ground closest to him, he could see what appeared to be a shootout between the police, and armed thugs.

The thugs were mostly dressed in suits, though some were dressed more tactically. All of them however were wearing black, skull-masks. They partly reminded Pete of Martin Li's henchmen, though he had to admit, the demon masks worn by Mr. Negative's followers were cooler.

The henchmen were well armed, with machine guns (both sub and otherwise), shotguns and he even saw a couple holding what seemed to be grenade launchers. He could assume all of them were also armed with pistols on their hips, though he only saw a few on his brief scan, the others potentially obscured by their suits.

The police were decidedly less well equipped, armed only with pistols and a couple shotguns. They were clearly in a sticky situation, all of them taking cover behind their vehicles. One of which had been thrown upside down, currently aflame. Probably the result of one of the grenade launchers, and most definitely the source of the explosion Pete heard across the City.

Had Peter been less stressed and confused about his entire predicament, he may have made a correlation between these thugs and the supposed 'Black Mask' the would-be muggers mentioned earlier. However, for now he was only focused on checking the situation and deciding when to jump in.

He was only on the roof for about a second or two, scanning the gunfight, but things were getting out of hand and this cursory glance would have to do. He jumped off the ledge he was on and over the goons, who were unaware of the arachnid themed hero.

Renee Montoya, a detective of the GCPD, was taking cover behind a patrol car, her partner, Harvey Bullock next to her. The two had been following a lead on a case when they received a call for back up, an ambush by the GCPD against Black Mask's henchmen had gone south. Most likely due to a rat in the department warning Mask, leading to an armed response.

The GCPD were ready and waiting outside a warehouse where a meeting was supposedly taking place, only for one their patrol cars to be hit with a grenade. Several armed, and seemingly prepared, henchman filtering out of the warehouse and opening fire immediately on the police force.

Detective Montoya, now peered over the hood of the car and took a couple of pot shots in the direction of the goons. Several whipping ineffectually passed the goons, but one found its mark, hitting one of the thugs directly in the chest, taking him down, but not out.

"sh*t! They've got Kevlar!" She called out to her partner and the other officers near. Her voice nearly entirely drowned out by the symphony of gunfire around her.

She then saw as one of the henchmen armed with a grenade launcher, took aim directly at the car she and Bullock were using as cover. However, before she could react to move, or even yell a warning, she saw as the weapon was yanked from the goon's hands, by what seemed to be a white piece of string.

Just moments earlier, as Peter was flying through the air over the masked thugs, he twisted his body and, in a half somersault, shot out several web lines onto their weapons. Claiming both grenade launchers, two machine guns and one shotgun. He pulled, stealing the weapons from the hands of their wielders. He threw the lines high into the air and shot several pieces of webbing at the jumble of weapons, encasing all of them.

He finished his somersault as several goons, alerted to his presence by the intrusion, tracked him with their gaze. He landed on the street in a crouch, mid way between the police and the thugs. The webbed pile of guns landing unceremoniously on the ground behind shortly after him.

He eyed them as they stared at him, bringing himself into a standing position he spoke, "Fellas! Little early for Halloween isn't it?" He actually had no idea if it was or not, it was just the first quip to present itself.

They was a deafening silence, a temporary ceasefire seemed to find its way onto the battlefield as both the police and henchmen were stunned by the new arrival.

One of the sub-machine gun wielding thugs closest to Pete spoke, breaking the silence, "It's December…" He replied, not thinking.

This earned him a hard stare (as hard as possible when wearing a mask at least) from the thug next to him, formerly equipped with a grenade launcher. He stiffened, realising his mistake.

'December? Ugh... Well at least I know when I am, even if I still don't really know where...' Peter thought to himself, his thoughts interrupted by the voice of another goon.

"Who the hell you s'posed to be?" The now grenade launcher-less, thug asked. Venom in his tone.

"Oh, we're doing introductions? Well I-" Peter started, but was cut off when the thug spoke again.

"Never mind. Just Kill the freak!" He yelled.

The cacophony of gunfire started again as a hail of bullets were launched from the weapons yet again, this time exclusively from the henchmen, and exclusively aimed at Peter.

Launching himself forward and twisting through the air, avoiding the onslaught of bullets heading his way, he landed in a front handspring. Pushing off his arms he sent himself forward, feet first into the goon armed with the sub-machine gun who'd spoken earlier.

"Hey! It's rude to open fire on Spider before he can finish his sentence." Spider-Man quipped.

The sub-machine gun thug was sent flying as Pete kicked himself off the goon into a backflip. 'Wow! Twice in one night? I gotta' start using this move more often...' Pete thought as he, still airborne, shot out a web line from his right shooter and an trip mine from his left.

With his right hand grabbing the line, he yanked the sub-machine gun from the, also airborne, thug's grip. And, he watched as the trip mine placed itself on the thug's chest, it's laser catching the unarmed thug, who'd also spoken, he was standing next to just moments prior.

Still mid-flip, he pulled the line taut and sent the sub-machine gun flying into a third thug who was loading a shotgun with more shells, knocking the weapon out of his hands.

A line now shot out of the trip mine Peter had fired, following the laser onto the back of the unarmed thug who was yanked backwards. The airborne thug's trajectory now shifted forward, causing some minor whiplash but nothing a month's bed rest wouldn't fix. The two crashed into each other mid air, their head's connecting, knocking both unconscious as they fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, on a adjacent rooftop, a bat-themed vigilante, clad in yellow and purple, was crouched, watching the display.

She was twenty-two year-old Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl. She had been sent to aid the GCPD after an ambush had gone wrong, but when she arrived on the scene she was met with a surprise in the form of a red and blue figure leaping into the fray, disarming several of the perps of their weapons.

At the sight of this display, she immediately informed her boss. Who, across the city, was also watching the view from her lenses.

"You seeing all of this?" She asked.

"Hmm." A soft grunt was the only reply received from her comms.

"Want me to step in yet?"

"Negative. Keep watch for now, only step in if absolutely necessary."

"You got it. What should I do with him when this is over?"

"Bring him in. We need answers."

"And if he refuses?"

There was a silence. "I get it. Bring him at all costs?"

"Hmm." an affirmative grunt was the only reply, before the voice continued, "Update me of any developments."

"Will do." she replied.

At the same time, Peter was in the air yet again. This time he wasn't alone, as he delivered a right cross into the face of a similar airborne thug, whom he had yanked skyward moments prior. The blow sent the thug flying towards the ground, his landing softened by a second thug who was knocked prone by his ally's falling body.

Montoya watched as the strange figure continued to engage the henchmen, laying out several of them at a time, moving quicker then any normal human, seemingly evading every blow, slash and bullet sent his way.

"Great. Just when I thought this city was done with the costumed freaks… Who the hell is THIS guy?" Her partner, Bullock, said with frustration.

"We'll find out later, for now let him keep them busy." She replied, before directing the ofiicers around her, "Check on any injured and keep laying suppressive fire, they're nearly all down!"

After a about a minute or so, the combatants were nearing the end of the fight, only one thug remained. Spider-Man was ducking and weaving out of the way of every bullet being sent his way from the handgun in his adversary's hand. Until they stopped. Replaced with a series of clicks indicating the mag was empty.

"Okay, your outta' bullets now... You can stop pulling the trigger..." Spider-Man spoke as the goon continued trying to fire the empty gun.

"Listen, do you wanna just give up, or are you just gonna' keep trying to-" Spider-Man's sentence was cut short by the empty hand gun being thrown at his head.

He casually moved his head out the way of the make-shift projectile as it sailed past him.

"Wow… Got it all out of your system, now? Just put your hands up and I'm sur-" He continued again before being interrupted.

"SHUT UP!" The thug said as he quickly reached into his coat and pulled out a flip-knife, "I-Im warning y-you..."

"Oh no... My one weakness… Small knives..." Spider-Man replied, casually waving his arm in mock distress.

He'd used a quip similar before, but this time decided to replace the mock terror he used last time with dry sarcasm. Still, he felt it was a classic, and it was a personal favourite.

Suddenly, the knife was knocked out his hand as a light whipping of wind was heard. It clattered to the floor, alongside a metal, bat shaped object. Spider-Man and the thug both looked at the object and then back to each other.

"Hey, don't look at me! I'm just as surprised as you are." Pete offered, shrugging.

The thug's gaze then shot passed Peter, over his shoulder. His eye's widened before he started running in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Wait-" Peter stopped his sentence as a second, yellow bat-themed projectile whipped passed his own head and directly into the temple of the goon, knocking him out cold. "Nevermind..."

Casually, Peter turned round to the supposed source of the projectile. In a dark alley opposite him, he saw a figure encased in shadow with what appeared to be bat-ears. 'So that must be this Batman I've been hearing about?'

"Nice throw!" He called out to the figure in the shadows.

"Thanks!" He heard the mysterious shadow call back.

Suddenly, his spider-sense shot out a signal, and Peter threw a hand in front of his face, catching a third bat shaped projectile.

"Whoa! I'm on your side. I think… What if that hit me?" He shouted to the figure.

"I had a hunch you'd catch it." A decidedly feminine voice replied, matter of factly, as they stepped out from the shadow.

He looked the figure up and down. She was wearing a purple, lightly armoured suit with a zip down the front to her waist.

It was adorned with yellow pouches on her hip and along her yellow belt, wearing yellow boots on her feet.

Similarly, a yellow symbol in the shape of a bat was on her chest, and she was wearing a black and yellow cape on her back with a cowl covering the entire top half of her face, aside from her eyes, complete with bat ears.

"I'm gonna' take a wild guess here, and say you're not Batman..." He offered the stranger. with a hint of questioning.

"You're right. I'm not." She replied, before her tone grew more curious, "The real question is, who are you?"

"Umm… It's kind of a long story, I can give you the cliff notes version?"

"Thanks, but no need. I'm gonna' have to ask you to come with me. You can tell Batman the whole thing."

"And what if I were to say no?" In truth, Peter had no intention of saying no.

Whoever Batman was, he was clearly a big deal here, and was most likely his best chance at getting home, or at least helping him find someone who could. But he wanted to know more, most importantly how they react to not getting their way.

A grin appeared on the strangers face as she pressed a button on her belt.

Peter's spider-sense exploded in the back of his head. Realising the threat, he desperately tried to throw the bat projectile that was in his hand.

Too late. Just as it left his grip, it beeped and a blinding light stunned Peter as it exploded.

One of the down sides of his heightened senses was that it exacerbated the effects of the stun grenade. But thankfully he would recover quick from the immense disorientation it had caused. Now though, his ears wear ringing, the bang battering his heigthed hearing, and he could see nothing but white for what felt like an eternity. In truth it was only a couple of seconds, which was apparently all the figure needed to close the distance. As his vision began to return, and he saw a yellow-purple blur rushing towards him.

Unable to determine his spider-sense from the effects of the flashbang, he narrowly avoided a strike to head from the, still blurred, stranger. But before he could attempt to counterattack, he realised that it was meant as a distraction. His legs were swept out from underneath him, causing him to fall prone on his back. His vision started to clear as he felt the figure kneel on his chest, a tonfa held above his eyes.

"I take you in... It's my bad, I shouldn't have said 'ask'... It wasn't really a question…" She said, determination clear on her face and it was clear she found a bit too much satisfaction in the moment.

"Okay. Nice to know where we stand… or I guess lay in my case." He spoke, before kicking his feet up and pulling himself back on his feet in one motion, sending the stranger of his chest and into a backwards role, which she used to bring herself back onto her feet.

She lunged at him, and Peter ducked and leant out of the way of each strike she threw. "Alright you can stop, now." He said, just as he caught the tonfa that was aimed at his head.

Her piercing eyes stayed on his lenses fierce determination on her face, she was clearly preparing for another attack when Peter spoke, "I'll come with you..."

Although she didn't attack again, her expression didn't change, nor did her eyes leave his. Clearly unswayed, he added, "I will. I swear. I just wanted to see what you'd do if I said 'no'."

"Why should I believe you?" She asked.

"Maybe because I could very easily just leave, and I haven't? Or maybe, because I haven't tried to attack you once, despite the feeling definitely not being mutual? Really though, it's just because I'm very charming and likeable and you want to believe me..." Peter suggested.

Barbara was still unsure of the stranger, but she did want to believe him.

She didn't know how an actual fight between them would go, he was definitely strong enough to hold his own against her, her attacks so far had little to no effect on him and it was clear he wasn't trying to fight back...

Not to mention, the efficiency with which he took down Black Mask's men showed talent. His strength, speed and agility where clearly superhuman, and he recovered from the flashbang nearly instantly.

She definitely felt she had the experience over him though, he was a newbie, he couldn't have been doing this for more than a couple of weeks, otherwise Batman would have definitely taken him in for questioning already.

She'd been fighting crime, in some form or another, for nearly 6 years. And experience nearly always wins out against talent.

But, was a fight necessary? He wasn't resisting, or so he says... And she didn't really want to test out her 'experience versus talent' hypothesis if it wasn't needed.

"Fine." She finally said, removing her tonfa from his grip and stepping out of her fighting stance, "But if you so much as THINK about running away, I WILL take you down and drag your unconscious body to Batman. Got it?"

She felt the venom in her own voice and it scared her for a moment as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. It wasn't like her to get so riled up so quickly and she worried Bruce may have been right about her current mental state...

"Jeez, I got it... I said I would come, ease up a bit." Her fierce expression stayed fixed to her face.

She was going to apologise, but before she could open her mouth a third voice called through the air and interrupted her thoughts.

"Not so fast, Batgirl! You can't just show up outta' the blue and start making demands." A rough voice called. "If this guy isn't one of yours, then he's gonna' have to answer some of the GCPD's questions first."

While Spider-Man and Batgirl's exchange was happening, the police officers present had been tending to their injured, as well as cuffing any unconscious thugs and trying, and ultimately failing, to remove any webbed perps from their cocoons.

Most had been continuing their duties, while stealing a glance at the two costumed vigilantes every now and then, but a couple of rookies were so enamoured with the display they gave up all pretence of doing any work.

The more experienced officers continued as if nothing was amiss, it was Gotham after all, working here long enough you get used to events such as this.

Detective Bullock however, had immediately started approaching the two vigilantes as their 'fight' came to an end.

"Sorry, Bullock. But, that's not happening. GCPD can talk to him after Batman." Batgirl responded.

"Like hell! Batman isn't above the law! WE have priority here, if he wants to talk to this…" Bullock looked Spider-Man up and down before continuing, "Man-Spider, he can visit the station and put in a request to see him in holding, like everyone else."

Batgirl rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, this was getting them nowhere.

"Man-Spider? Really, that's the best you can come up with?" Spider-Man responded.

"Bullock. I'm telling you, that isn't happening. You know the commissioner would agree, why try to challenge us on this? Batman sees him first. This is his city, we can't have unknown vigilantes running around without our knowledge on who they are and what they're capable of." Batgirl continued, already getting tired of Bullock's crap.

Bullock was getting more agitated, "Well that's just it! It's not his city, it's the people's... The same people the GCPD are sworn to serve, this is a police matter. The Bat-gang, or whatever you call yourselves, may have Gordon's approval, somehow, but this guy? We have no idea who he is. He's coming with us!"

"I mean, Spider-Man is right there. You just swap the words around…" Peter continued, to no one in particular.

"Exactly! We have no idea who he is. All the more reason for Batman to see him, we're better equipped to deal with him." Batgirl responded, still growing evermore frustrated.

"You literally have a guy called 'Batman'. Surely it would make most sense to-"

"SHUT UP!" Both Bullock and Batgirl responded in sync, turning to look at the stranger for the first time since the beginning of their argument, impatience, frustration and mild rage colouring both their expressions.

"Sorry, but if you're going to talk about me like I'm not here why would I respect your lovers' quarrel, or whatever this is?" Peter replied.

Both figures stared at Peter, annoyance still clear on their faces. He spoke again, "Look, if its going to cause so much conflict I can just leave-"

"NO." Both figures yelled, again in sync.

"Okay, okay. Go back to your pointless arguing. I'll just wait here…" He replied, defeatedly waving his hands above his head.

A fourth voice joined the fray, "Or, you could show us how to get rid of this stuff you left everywhere… Spider-Man, is it?" Detective Montoya was now approaching the three as they all turned to her.

"Wow, finally someone who cares enough to learn my actual name..." He directed to Bullock, "See, this is how polite people act…" Peter gestured to the woman as she neared the trio.

She continued, chuckling softly, "This… Webbing? Or whatever it is you use, doesn't seem to want to give in."

"Oh right, yeah sorry. It's pretty tough stuff, I'll come give you hand…"

"You're not going anywhere..." Batgirl ordered.

"Relax, I'm just going over there, with…" Peter responded before pausing.

"Detective Montoya." Was the response from the newcomer.

"With Detective Montoya, I'll be in view. I won't try to run or anything," Pausing to think, 'I have nowhere to run to anyway.' He continued, "You guys just keep bickering about me behind my back, I'll be fine."

"Fine. But don't even think about-" Batgirl was cut off by Spider-Man.

"I won't. I got it the first time: You take me in. Yadda yadda, unconscious body. Yadda yadda, Batman." He responded, waving his arm dismissively, as he walked away from Bullock and Batgirl with Montoya.

Peter and Montoya left the two to their bickering and approached the scene ahead of them.

Several unconscious henchmen were being cuffed, resuscitated and read their rights. Others were struggling against the webbing that kept them fixed to the ground, the walls and even a couple of street lamps.

The GCPD officers trying their best to get them out of their web-prisons, ready for booking. One officer even reading a thug his rights as the officer's partner tried to yank him down from the wall he was stuck to, suspended several feet from the ground.

Pete was the first to speak, "Thanks for getting me out of that, whatever that was…"

"Don't mention it, if I had a nickel for every time Bullock and one of the Bats got into a stupid argument, I could probably afford to retire." She replied. "Now about this webbing?"

"Right. It usually dissolves in an about hour," He looked to her, her expression screaming: 'you've got to be kidding me?' He smiled under his mask at the sight. "But I doubt you want to wait that long. So I use this…"

He reached into the pants of his suit, causing a look of confusion and minor disgust from the detective. But before she averted her gaze, she saw (to her relief) that he was actually wearing a, nearly paper thin, utility belt under his suit. Reaching into one of the pockets he pulled out two small vials of translucent blue liquid.

"Just a drop or two on a few key areas and most of the webbing should dissolve." He said as he handed her one of the vials.

The pair proceeded to untangle the webbed goons as the uniformed officers began to cuff them, a comfortable silence between the two. The silence gave Peter time to think, productively for perhaps the first time since he arrived, he properly examined the black masks of the henchmen and began connecting dots in his mind.

They were in the midst of freeing, then subsequently apprehending, their second goon when Spider-Man spoke, breaking the slience, "So these masked goons, any relation to someone called Black Mask?"

Montoya eyed the strange man curiously, he spoke as if he had been living under a rock, at first she figured he was merely a newbie on the scene. That idea was slightly cracked at the way he spoke of his gadgets and equipment, suggesting experience.

There was also the chance he'd simply been testing them in a basem*nt somewhere, but more than that, he definitely didn't carry himself, or fight, like he was a newbie.

But nearly everyone in Gotham knew of Black Mask, they either feared him, owed him, or hated him. Usually a combination of the three, her current hypothesis was that the stanger came from out of town. But then that begged the question of why he came to Gotham, to Batman's city, no one could be that stupid.

She decided answering his question wouldn't cause any harm, it was pretty much common knowledge after all, "Yeah, these guys are… members of his enterprise."

"So what was the blowout for? Arrest gone wrong?" He continued as he deliver drops from his vial onto the webbing of the unconscious crook stuck prone on the floor.

Unsure of how much information to give, she continued carefully but honestly, "Something like that... The uniforms were meant to ambush them after a meeting, but they seemed to be prepared. Causing… this" She gestured to the battered street and chaos around them.

Peter was interested now, he couldn't help that this was an odd response from the gang. "So if they knew you guys were coming why didn't they just, you know, not show up? It seems like a lot of effort just to evade an ambush…"

Detective Montoya was actually impressed at how quickly this Spider-Man seemed to be putting things together, especially considering his supposed ignorance of the goings on in Gotham.

Spider-Man continued externalising his thoughts, "Also, if he has enough pull to organise all this… Why did I just stop a few muggers on his payroll earlier from trying to collect money from a street kid? Was it just out of principal?"

Deciding to throw him a bone, Montoya responded to his mostly rhetorical questions, "Partly. But he may also just need the money… His empire was all but destroyed after his last tussle with the Batman. He's basically in hiding, grasping at any chance for power he can get."

Peter thought on what the detective said for a moment, before continuing, "So this wasn't just a way to avoid arrest… It was meant to send a message? That he still has some power in this city?"

Detective Montoya nodded, indicating Peter was on the right track. 'So this Black Mask guy is desperate… That's why he needs to take all the scraps he can get, even from people who already have nothing… And I just poked the hungry animal with a sharp stick…' Peter thought, his disgust for both the kingpin and himself growing. 'I shouldn't have just let that Eddy kid go, I should have found out what the money was for. More than that, I should have made sure he was actually okay. If all this is true, they might try again and respond harder next time. I probably just made things worse… Again.'

Montoya saw as the demeanour of the hero changed, his body language was more rigid now. He seemed less composed and self-assured, he seemed as if he was in deep thought, and the comfortable silence from earlier was replaced with a loaded one.

Offering a life line out of the ocean of thoughts Spider-Man seemed to be drowning in, Montoya spoke again, "Correct… He wants to prove he can still bite, not just bark. Or at least make the people think that anyway. You showed us that his bite was toothless, though. He won't be happy, but you did a lot of good here. This will seriously cripple his efforts to expand. Not to mention… You saved all of our skins…"

The detective's words eased Peter slightly, though he couldn't help but wonder about Eddy still. He was certain that after everything he had to do tonight, he was going to find his way back to where he started and find Eddy, check on him and the sister he heard mentioned and get them out of danger. He was hopeful that this Batman character would still help him, even if he couldn't help him get home, he could help him fix the mistakes he'd made in this world.

Spider-Man and Detective Montoya continued to de-web the henchmen in silence again. 'You've been in this world for what, 20 minutes? And already you've upset a desperate psycho on a power trip and put a kid and his family in danger… Great going, Pete.' his inner monologue delivered.

After Peter had let down the final goon from his trap on a street lamp, the two watched as he began being cuffed by a fresh faced officer.

"Thanks." The rookie delivered, gratitude and fascination gracing his face as he smiled at Spider-Man.

Peter, taken out of his brooding and slightly taken aback by the positive response, stammered out a response, "Uh.. Err. Um Sure, no problem."

Although his time in New York, and his work alongside Captain Watanabe and her predecessor Captain Stacy, had definitely helped somewhat in mending fences between the NYPD and himself. Peter was still unused to the genuine gratitude he could see on the faces of the officers around him. Many of the officers smiling at him gratefully as he and Montoya removed the goons from their webbing, with a handful even approaching and offering thanks for his assistance in the gunfight.

In fact, aside from Bullock, and the suspicious stares of a couple of the more wizened patrol officers, Peter's experience with the GCPD officers had mostly been positive. Causing him an odd discomfort, he wasn't certain how to respond to their praise, especially since he felt he didn't deserve it.

"That's the last one Garfield, load him up in the van and get clean-up here so we can get out of here." Montoya said to the recruit as he finished cuffing the perp.

"They're already on the way, Detective." He replied, the smile never leaving his face.

"Good. Then I'll leave the rest to you guys, I need to speak to our blue and red friend here."

The two watched as the rookie begun escorting the thug away, before turning again to each other. "So I guess you have questions of your own you want me to answer?" Spider-Man started.

"I do. If your willing that is... I'm not going to drag them out of you. I'll leave that to Batman." She said, a slight smile on her lips.

"Not your partner over there?" Pete replied, gesturing to Bullock who was still arguing with Batgirl.

"Harvey? Oh please. He's fighting a losing battle and he knows it, there's no way Batman would let a rogue vigilante roam free in Gotham. As far he's gonna' be concerned, your within his jurisdiction, GCPD be damned…" She paused, "Still, you have all of us curious… So, wanna' get some of it off your chest before the interrogation you'll be getting later?"

Spider-Man let out an exasperated sigh. "Sure... Why not? Where do I start though? It's a pretty long story… I think."

"Let's start with the basics, you talk like you've been doing this for a while... I can safely say no one here has heard of you before, the Bat-Family included it would seem. So where'd you come from?" Montoya replied.

"New York, kind of…"

"Kind of?" Raising her eyebrow as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know if you'll believe me but… I'm like 95 percent certain I'm from an another universe." He replied, fatigue in his voice.

Shock flashed onto Montoya's face as she basically blurted out, "Oh wow. You're really not playing your cards close to your chest… Seriously?"

She was right. He wasn't. He was too tired at this point to dance around the subject again.

"Seriously." He replied, candidly.

She fixed her gaze on him, his face was obviously obscured, but she didn't detect any insincerity in his voice, his body language also shifted slightly. He looked tired, and defeated. He was either a very good actor, or he was telling the truth.

Or he was insane, but if that was the case Batman would just drop him off to Arkham later, but the way he held himself and acted made Montoya feel as if that wasn't the case. After all, Gotham had more than its fair share of crazies, and Spider-Man certainly didn't seem like one.

"Okay… I actually believe you… I honestly have no idea how to move on from here though…" Montoya finally said, shock still evident in her face.

At this point however, Batgirl and Bullock had seemed to finish their little spat, and the former was now approaching the two. Her eyes stuck to Spider-Man.

"I have a feeling we won't have the chance anyway, looks like my mom's here to pick me up…" Pete said as he turned to face Batgirl who was now standing with the pair.

"Funny." Batgirl replied coldly. "Good to see you, Montoya." Her demeanour changing as she regarded the detective with sincerity.

"Likewise." The detective replied, "Well I guess our time is up, Spider-Man. It was… Interesting to say the least. Maybe I'll see you around, if Batman doesn't keep you locked in a dark hole somewhere never to be seen again, that is." She said, with a grin as she started to make her way back to an irritated Bullock.

"Err, yeah. You too… Um not the Batman thing but the… You know." Pete stuttered in response.

This simply earned a chuckle from the detective as she shook her head, and continued on her path. Disbelief was ever present in her mind about the hero's origins, but it was overpowered by amused acceptance. She would have to regain her focus, Bullock and herself still had yet to chase a lead after all.

Spider-Man and Batgirl watched as she made her way back to her partner, before turning again to each other. Her expression was less agitated than earlier, but it was clear that her exchange with Bullock had left her with remnants of irritation.

Peter knew better than to attempt to test her patience, whether he would act responsibly with that knowledge was a different matter both of them would find the answer to shortly.

"So, my place or yours...?" He spoke, revealing that he was indeed, incapable of acting in his own best interest. 'You're an idiot, Pete.' He thought to himself.

"God... You're going to be really annoying, aren't you?" She responded with a sigh.

"Probably… So, where are we headed? Do you folks have like a Bat-nest or a cave or something? I don't really know how things work here." He replied.

Ignoring him, she pressed her finger to her ear and spoke to whoever was on the other end. "Batcave. This is Batgirl, I have him and I'm bringing him in. Check the place is clear of any… breakables."

"Very well, Miss Gordon. All the preparations have been made for our… Guest. We will see you shortly." A formal, British voice responded.

'Gordon, huh?' Peter thought to himself. He had heard the reply, although it was faint to him.

He tried not to convey anything, his superhuman hearing was often a trick he himself forgot to utilise, but because of that it often meant he also forgot to tune certain noises out. He didn't want to eavesdrop, after all, he knew why heroes wore masks. Being accidentally exposed to someone's secret identity, even partly, wasn't a responsibility he would take lightly.

He felt bad, he didn't want to invade on the privacy of one of his would-be captors/hosts. He knew why they needed to speak to him, he'd act the same if someone just randomly showed up in New York and started busting up the some of his adversaries out of the blue.

It wasn't as likely, as most of the heroes back home all knew of each other by this point, and nearly all of them were stationed in the same city, but still he got the scepticism surrounding his sudden appearance.

From what he could gather from his interactions in this world so far however, it sounded like each hero had their own cities to protect. Catwoman mentioned how 'Powergirl' seemed to be the protector of this world's New York, but Gotham was clearly under the watch of the 'Bat-Family', as Detective Montoya had called them. With Batman clearly being the one calling the shots.

"Follow me." Batgirl spoke, taking Peter out of his thoughts.

"Right. Are we walking or something?" He replied.

"No. I'm parked round the corner. Come on." She said, her tone unamused. Peter felt as if he was still trying her patience slightly, despite his intentions to do the opposite.

They made their way along the street in silence, Peter opening his mouth every now and then to speak, before deciding against it upon seeing the unwavering seriousness glued to her face. He felt quite small in this moment, both physically and spiritually.

Batgirl, from what he could tell, was about his height, maybe slightly taller, although her thick heeled yellow boots and the ears on her cowl gave her a few inches over him.

The loaded silence was what was mostly causing his diminutive feelings however, he felt as if he'd already stuck his foot in his mouth and ruined any form of a good first impression with whoever this Batman turned out to be.

He wanted all the help he could get to go home, to his city, his friends, his Aunt May… Even his enemies. He knew Miles would be able to take care of the city, but his villains were his responsibility, it shouldn't be up to the lesser experienced Spider-Man to pick up his problems.

Batgirl could feel the stranger constantly looking at her, his discomfort and growing agitation clear in his body language. Sighing, she spoke, "What is it?"

Peter, surprised by the confrontation of his discomfort, replied, "Sorry, it's nothing. I just think we got off on the wrong foot…" He paused, seeing she wasn't stopping him he continued, "How about we try a bit of small talk to mend the fences?"

"No." Was the abrupt reply he received.

"Okay then. Sorry, it's just… I'm not very good at this whole… Silence thing."

"I noticed..." She replied, definitively ending the brief exchange.

Thankfully, just as the exchange came to a close, the pair reached a purple motor cycle which Batgirl gestured to as she regarded Spider-Man with a demanding glare. "Get on." She ordered.

"Wow, for me? You shouldn't have… I don't even have a license!" Peter responded.

She simply stared back at him, he could feel her frustration growing. 'For god's sake Pete, for once in your life, just keep your mouth shut…' He once again berated himself.

"Sorry… Again. Look if it's all the same, I'm much more comfortable swinging, how about you lead and I follow? I already gave my word I wasn't going anywhere."

"That is definitely not happening. Either you get on willingly, or I strap your unconscious body to the seat." She spoke, her voice leaving no room for negotiation. "At least then maybe you'd shut up." She added under her breath.

It was clearly to herself but, unfortunately for both her and Spider-Man, it was said just loud enough for Peter's enhanced hearing to pick up on.

She couldn't help but be agitated, but she was struggling to keep her cool. And clearly failing... Cringing internally at the aggression in her tone but unable to turn it off. She was so high-strung and she couldn't tell why...

"Fine." He said as he mounted the bike and sat himself on the back of the seat. He looked to Batgirl, still standing next to the bike and still staring at him with annoyance. "Happy now?" He added, petulantly.

Batgirl rolled her eyes and, as she herself mounted the front of the bike seat, delivering one last cutting remark, "I'll be happy when you're Batman's problem, not mine."

Before Spider-Man could respond, the bike started and the pair began speeding through the streets of Gotham, apparently headed towards the so-called Batcave.

Chapter 5: Joke's On Me

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

DC Universe – Specification Unknown –

Gotham City

'CRASH 'Splinters of wood exploded into the air as Peter's body collided with the wooden crates that were standing behind him just moments ago. His chest was violently aching as his bruised ribs were screaming at him. His back was also treated to some minor punishment as it destroyed the crates he was now laying atop. The contents which appeared, and felt, to be metal machinery parts, were now either destroyed or bent beyond repair.

'As far as first nights in new universes go… I've had better' He thought to himself as he shot out a web line to the wall opposite, pulled himself out of his make-shift bed of wood and metal, and launched his body directly towards the assailant who'd sent him there. He readied his fist for a punch and as he shot through the air, he was ready to strike with a blow that would give his enemy a taste of the pain he'd just felt.

As he flew towards his attacker and prepared to engage them, his thoughts went back to earlier in the night and he considered all the steps which led him to this moment…

Fifteen Minutes Earlier

As the motorcycle sped through the cold night streets, Batgirl's ginger hair flicked violently in the wind, inches from Peter's face. The red hair sending him spiralling into thoughts of home.

He thought of MJ and what he would give to just be able to talk to her at this moment. Even though they were no longer dating, the two had remained close. She was his best friend and she was the best person (outside of Aunt May) at helping him with his problems, all he had to do was look at her and she seemed to know what he was worried about.

About half a year after Gwen was taken from him by the Goblin, the two started a relationship when they were around 17. It was short-lived (a few months at most) but sweet. However, it was clear to both of them he still wasn't fully ready for another relationship at that point, not to mention the strain caused by his secret double life in primary coloured pajamas.

She supported it, and even showed pride at times, but Peter couldn't help but see the stress it put her under. The constant worry, the cancelled dates and the 'nurse MJ' moments as she used to call them. Eventually they all piled up until their weight was too much and the relationship began cracking under the stress.

It all came crashing down after one particularly brutal fight with Kingpin in which Peter was sliced up and subsequently beaten down by Fisk. Although he won the fight in the end, his injuries weren't anything to scoff at.

He remembers her breakdown as if he was living it all over again, he'd never seen her so upset, angry and worst of all scared. The fearless and confident MJ was terrified of losing him, and he hated to see her like that, he hated making her feel like that.

'Peter, you're going to die doing this… You're going to die in that stupid costume!' Her words from that night rang out through his mind as he thought about his friend, the hurt of her worry in that moment clutched at his heart as he relived it.

In another life they may have worked out. Hell, Pete often thought that if the opportunity ever presented in this life they might try again. After all they were older and more mature now, and were much better at communication.

But the fear they would slip back into the old roles of their relationship was always there, and if it happened a second time… Peter wasn't sure if the friendship would recover the second time. It wasn't worth the risk, he'd much rather have her in his life as a friend, then not at all.

Regardless, Peter needed her right now, he felt tense, he needed her advice more than ever before. He'd never felt more lost, he was reaching breaking point. He wanted to be able to hug her, to feel safe in her arms again. 'What have I gotten myself into MJ?' He asked to the aether in a vain attempt to reach her.

Silence was all that spoke back to him.

His thoughts continued to spiral, for the first time since he arrived in this strange world, he genuinely started thinking about the worrying implications of his situation. 'What if I can't get back? What are MJ and Aunt May going to think? Do they even know I'm alive?' His mind started to race, his thoughts going fast enough to give Batgirl's motorcycle a run for its money.

He thought of Aunt May, how she would feel if she thought he was dead? She knew he was Spider-Man, she was proud of it. But he knew she worried. If she heard about this? If Peter was gone for too long... He didn't want to think about what that would do to her...

While Peter was ruminating, Batgirl was focusing on the road, swerving every now and then between the late night traffic. He had kept silent as they rode, initially for the simple point of not wanting to yell over the bike's roars as it sped through the streets. Now however he was so lost in his own thoughts, that everything around seemed to fade into near non-existence.

However, during a long stretch of road, Barbara too began to lose herself in her thoughts. Keeping one eye ahead of her, she briefly looked in the bike's mirror which revealed Spider-Man sitting deathly still, his posture no longer that of the overexcited newbie she'd encountered earlier. Instead she could see he was clearly pondering something, and although he was masked, his body language communicated to her they weren't happy thoughts.

She felt bad, she knew what it was like to be the overexcited new kid on the block. Her attitude towards him reminded her of how Batman treated her when she first started out at sixteen, and she didn't like the comparison.

It also wasn't even his fault she was in a bad mood, Bullock took that a large chunk of that responsibility, at least for tonight. And after their little spat, she took her frustrations out on him, although his jokes didn't help the situation.

She couldn't help but think that normally she wouldn't be so harsh, but she'd only recently got back into the suit..

After what had happened to her, she could feel herself growing colder. A part of her, deep down, knew that something had been brewing recently, something dark.

Even Dick's humour that she normally laughed along with was starting to irritate her. The result of being cooped up for too long maybe... But even as Oracle she had more patience and would even join in on the jokes. She couldn't help but wonder what had changed in her?

As the two rode in silence, the faces and voices of all Pete's loved ones started flooding his mind. Nearly everyone he ever cared about came flashing to his vision: MJ, Aunt May, Miles, Kitty, Flash, Rand, Angel, Bobby, Liz, even Eddie Brock..

His mind then went away from his friends and to his clone siblings, he knew Kaine would be pissed, and probably (hopefully), at least a little sad if he thought Pete was dead. He'd be even more pissed when Peter got home and it turns out he fussed over nothing.

Ben would definitely be grieving, but he also thought he might then leave Las Vegas and take up the mantle back in New York to carry on Pete's legacy…

But then again maybe not. Afterall, both Ben and himself knew that Miles would be up to the task, he had proved himself as Spider-Man a while ago. One that Pete honestly believed would someday be even greater than himself.

Perhaps that thought was the result of Pete's constant self doubt, or maybe Miles won't be any greater, he will just be different. No better, no worse, just different. Regardless, he will do it as himself, not as Peter, and that gave him a small comfort as his mind stopped to focus on his young partner in crime-fighting.

He trusted Miles and his brother's to take care of Aunt May and everyone else if he couldn't get back, but they shouldn't have to.

Miles may be a friend and Kaine and Ben may be his clones but they all have their own lives. They shouldn't have to put them on hold to take of Peter Parker's old life. Especially not Ben, he'd been through that before when he thought he was the original Pete, he couldn't bear to think how painful it would be trying to fit back into that role...

And finally, Jess. Although the four of them considered each other family, Jess and Pete were the only ones who were truly like brother and sister. She, unlike their brothers, stayed in New York, even living with him and Aunt May to this day. Well maybe just May now… 'No. Don't go there Pete…'

While the other two clones felt the need to distance themselves, so they could truly create their own identities, Jess never had that desire to leave. Peter had long a go decided this was probably the result of the gender swap, she could carve her own identity outside of Peter without having to separate herself entirely from his world. The similarities between Jess and Pete were unnerving, but the differences were just as present, and they were externalised in a way Ben and Kaine's couldn't be .

She was given the name Eve by the octopus themed villain who created her, as she was born from the DNA of a male, DNA that was stolen. But she made her name, and her life, her own and took on the name Jessica Drew-Parker. As an homage to their family name as well as the other Spider-Woman who helped Peter in getting Jess to adjust to everything. Although Pete tried his best to help Jess acclimatise, he thought having a female, spider powered, perspective would also help. And he was right, but it did also make her jealous of not being able to fly…

Jess was also blessed, or cursed depending on your perspective, in the fact that her memories as Peter Parker began to fade with time. They were still there, but she once described them like dreams of another life, one that wasn't hers. Again, most likely the result of her swapped gender. After all she knew the memories weren't hers, she wasn't a boy.

The other two clones actually took this a little hard since they battled with Peter's memories, Ben even thinking they were his own for a time, Jess never had that issue. Allowing her to truly just be herself.

The pair had only grown closer with time, and she was truly part of the family. Pete enjoyed having a sister and Jess clearly enjoyed having a place, and people, she could call home. But now Peter may never see her or their 'brothers' again, and that thought began to hurt him.

Although he hadn't seen Ben and Kaine for a some time anyway, and didn't know whether he ever would again, even while in New York... It was something entirely different to face the prospect that he may have that chance ripped away anyway. It was one thing to face the possibily of never seeing anyone again, it was another to face the possibility you may never even get the chance to see them again.

He then thought of the remaining members of the Fantastic Four, he had grown even closer to them after Johnny died... Not to mention, he could really use Reed's help right now, Pete was smart, really smart, but inter-dimensional travel was just slightly beyond him. He could maybe figure it out, but right now he was on his own and without any resources to make it happen.

Barbara eyed Spider-Man again in the mirror, perhaps the stress of confronting Batman was finally getting to him, sapping away all of his earlier confidence. 'No, that's not it...' She thought. He barely even seemed that phased by the idea, in fact he seemed eager. So what was eating at him? Was it how she acted towards him?

'That's not it either...' Again, thinking as she eyed his reflection.

Something else was certainly bothering him, but she couldn't shake the feeling her input had little to no impact on his sudden change in bravado. The first couple minutes of the ride, he was twiddling his thumbs and she could swear she heard the drowned tones of him whistling.

Now, he was sullen and still, and she couldn't help but wonder if Spider-Man was really some rookie trying his had at heroics with an assassin's stolen gimmick, or if there was more to him than her initial thoughts.

It seemed there was something deeper that was slowly chipping away at him bit by bit. Perhaps the jokes were a distraction, and now he was deprived of them, whatever they were distracting him from came rushing back to the surface...

As Peter's angst-ridden journey of the mind continued and brought him to memories of his time with the Avengers, he realised something he hadn't attempted reached into his suit and took the card out his concealed belt and looked at it, tracing over the large red 'A' with his thumb before staring at his own costumed image. 'This definetly isn't going to work...'

Desperately trying in vain to contact them, he pressed the small white circle and watched as the small lights along the arrow dashes of the 'A' flashed at him following the line before they simultaneously flashed twice and stopped. Unresponsive, just as he thought, unable to reach across the infinite space between them.

Barbara saw as Spider-Man reached into his suit and pulled out the white and red card. She was curious as to what it was.

She briefly caught an image of what looked to be a photo of Spider-Man to the right of larger red 'A' encased in a circle, which was broken by the arrow of the letter, continuing as dashes of triangles. She saw as the dashes began to light up one by one, before repeating the sequence a few times, and eventually stopping. 'What is that? Did he make his own hero card? What's the 'A' For?' she thought.

The faces of many others rushed into Peter's thoughts as he sat, practically motionless on the bike seat, still clutching at his ID badge.

He stared at his photo, his big white lenses staring back at him, alone with only himself. He'd always been a bit of a loner as Spider-Man, mostly out of choice, but this felt different, more definite.

He was staring at a physical manifestation of his separation from home, watching in real time as his desperate pleas for help were being lost to the endless void between worlds...

Barbara was just about to open her mouth to speak, planning to question Spider-Man on his peculiar, assumed, superhero ID. Hoping to draw him out of his dark stupour and potentially rebuild the bridges she'd accidentally burned earlier with her tone.

Her mouth was stopped before any noise could leave it as she heard Alfred speak in her ear, "Sorry to bother you while your escorting our would-be guest, Miss Gordon. But there's an issue that requires immediate attention and all other members of the Batfamily are either indisposed or currently unavailable…" The formal British man delivered through his comms.

"No worries, what's the problem?" Barbara asked back, raising her voice slightly to combat the engine of the bike and the rushing wind brought with it. She knew Spider-Man would probably hear her, but as long as she kept any sensitive information out of her mouth she was in the clear.

Meanwhile, Peter had been guided out of his ruminating by the formal British voice speaking through Batgirl's headset. The noise of the bike and their movement through the street blanketed over the comms, quieting the voice. But Peter's enhanced hearing was just powerful enough to hear what was said as though it were a whisper a few feet away. Difficult to fully comprehend and slightly muffled, but by no means unheard.

This time he was eaves-dropping on purpose, hoping for a fraction of a chance someone found him and had somehow already contacted Batman. Although what was said certainly didn't seem to fill Peter with hope, it sounded important nonetheless. So he kept listening, hoping to get an understanding of what was happening.

"The GCPD are currently dealing with a hostage situation a few blocks from you, I'm sending the location now." The male voice continued.

"I have it, thanks. What do I do about the stray? Drop him off and then circle back?"

"From what I've heard, time is of the essence, the perpetrator appears to be very unstable…"

"You're not suggesting I bring him with me?

"I am not suggesting anything Miss Gordon, I am merely stating the facts. What you do with that information is entirely up to you…"

There was a pause, all that was heard by Peter was the low rumble of the bike engine and the whistles of the night air whipping past. The conversation was in some way about him, alleviating a minor amount of guilt from Peter as he continued to listen-in.

"Hmm, We're on our way. Batman won't like this, though."

"Master Bruce has his own way of dealing with things. I however, saw the same as him and have formed my own opinion on this Spider-Man character. I believe it may be similar to your own…"

She paused, briefly glancing in the mirror at Spider-Man, he was obviously listening to what she was saying, although he hadn't interrupted. Showing some form of maturity on his part. Barbara knew what Alfred saw in Spider-Man, she saw it too, he reminded her of Dick, how he used to be.

Although only partly, the similarity was there, the jokes, the light-heartedness, even the acrobatics, although that wasn't her focus. Dick hadn't truly lost his jovial nature over time, but it had been dulled, diluted, nearly blunted by the crushing weight of Gotham and Bludhaven as well as the many losses he faced during his years with the Titans.

Alfred was being annoyingly observant in picking up on her feelings, not annoying in the sense she thought any less of him, but annoying in the way only a parental figure could be. It was the Batfamily equivalent of her Dad knowing she was upset even when she said she was fine.

All of the Batfamily had noticed a change in her after she donned the suit again, and none of them liked it, especially not Batman although he hadn't said it, she could sense his disapproval and she knew if it continued he'd eventually insist she return to exclusively being oracle.

Although her interaction with Spider-Man was heated to say the least, in fact she'd acted towards Spider-Man with near exclusive disdain, both she and Alfred knew he wasn't the reason for her cold-heartedness, merely its unfortunate target. He genuinely seemed an overall trustworthy individual, plus with his talents he may even prove to be useful, and if not she can just let the GCPD babysit him while she does all the work.

Alfred was 'not suggesting' he tagged along, both because of the urgency of the situation and Spider-Man's demeanour.

Alfred was hoping that by showing this new, happy-go-lucky rookie Spider-Man the ropes, teaching him all she knew and finding out why he put the suit on may help remind her of the reason she put on the cowl herself. Potentially draw her away from the darker thoughts that had begun to consume after her return to Batgirl. Alfred wasn't being subtle about his intentions, but she knew he was right.

Finally, she ended the pause, "We're on our way. But you're going to have to explain this to Batman when we get back…" She replied definitively.

"Miss Gordon, Batman poses little threat to someone that used to change his nappy" The voice replied before cutting the comms, his voice never losing it's formality or sense of authority.

"Change of plans, we're making a detour." Batgirl said, this time directed to Peter who was still sat on the back.

Peter, not wanting to reveal his snooping, replied with a lie of omission, "Okay. Where are we headed?" Feigning ignorance of the situation.

In truth Peter had heard every word of both parties, and again he was feeling the guilt of knowing too much.

Not only did he know Batgirl's last name, but was now privy to the first name of Batman himself, as well as having an insight into the relationship between him and the disembodied voice. That was far more than he wanted to find out, at least without their consent.

"We're checking out a hostage situation, it's on our way." She replied, raising her voice to combat the noise around them.

"And you're sure you want me to tag along?" He added.

In truth he hoped he could help, but he didn't want to cause any more trouble for the heroes of this city than he already felt he had. But if he correctly interpreted what he heard from the British voice over the comms, they may have actually seen some merit in Peter's capabilities as a hero, and this situation may be a good way to prove himself and earn back some of Batgirl's respect.

"It's apparently pretty urgent! I don't have time to drop you off beforehand. Please just follow my lead and don't do anything stupid..." She replied, bluntly.

Although Peter wasn't a fan of being treated like a newbie, as far as this city was concerned, he was. Besides he couldn't blame Batgirl for her perception, he was an unknown element here, any logical person would assume he was some kid playing dress up in an attempt to be the next 'Batman'.

He also noticed a slight tonal shift in her voice from before, it seemed to have lost part of its earlier coldness. Potentially the result of her having to shout over the bike, but based on what he'd heard the Brit say, he hoped it was a sign she was starting to soften towards him a little.

"Aye Aye!" He said with a mock salute.

Although, he wanted to show he was a serious hero, he still wasn't going to give up his Spider-Man spirit. Besides, a myriad of negative thoughts were threatening to infest in his mind and he needed to distract himself from them with his bad jokes.

Batgirl didn't respond, instead she just rolled her eyes as she changed their route. Though as she eyed his childish response in the mirror, Barbara felt something, a reflex she couldn't stop, a slight twitch of the mouth as a fraction of a smirk let itself breakthrough the dark cloud hanging over her. 'God this guy's an idiot…' She thought to herself, this time the frustration replaced with something more akin to slight amusem*nt.

The bike turned down a street to their left and continued to race through the city, gaining speed as they headed towards their new destination.

Their once more silent journey was nearing it's end as they arrived outside a notably large warehouse, a handful of GCPD patrol cars and an old, unmarked, grey sedan rested in the parking lot, their emergency lights flashing.

Several officers were analysing what appeared to be blueprints of warehouse while others were rushing about, seemingly preparing for a potential infiltration. Leading the officers was a older, dark-auburn haired, moustachioed man wearing glasses and a brown trench coat.

Keeping their distance, so as not to spook the perp they circled round the block, out of view of the warehouse but within view of the parking lot. Batgirl looked over to the scene and pressed her fingers to her cowl, a moment after this the older man appeared to check his phone before subtly glancing over to their position and giving a swift nod to Batgirl before whispering something in a uniformed officer's ear. He pulled out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth and lit it deftly before he was out of view, blocked by a building on the street they were passing.

The bike soon settled in an alley and the two costumed heroes dismounted the bike and, with Batgirl a couple of steps ahead, they headed along the street where they soon found the older man leaning on a wall, smoking his cigarette. When the trio were within talking distance, he addressed the two.

"Batgirl, good to see you. Who's this?" He said, nodding his head towards Spider-Man.

"You too commissioner Gordon," She replied, adding the formality was one of her and her father's methods of dissuading suspicion of her true identity. Although, by now it had become so trivial it was basically habit.

Peter couldn't help but raise a masked eyebrow, 'Gordon? Are they…? No! Focus, Pete. You can find out later… People are in danger.' He thought as he focused his body on containing his surprise at the name.

Batgirl continued, "This is Spider-Man. He's… New."

Spider-Man decided not to annoy Batgirl further by putting his foot in his mouth again, especially not during a crisis such as this. He instead opted to give a simple wave to the commissioner, who returned a neutral nod to the hero.

"So, what's the situation with the hostages?" she further spoke, ignoring the greeting between the men.

Alfred hadn't given much information on the details of the situation other than the first call, suggesting the GCPD hadn't been all that forthcoming on their own channels. Hopefully it was to help protect the hostages and not because they lacked the details.

"You're right, no time for pleasantries… It's just the one hostage, a boy was abducted a couple days ago on his way home from school. We hadn't heard anything about him since… That was, of course, until tonight. A man calling himself Larry Warner uploaded a private video and sent a link to the boy's father, Johnathan Neeley, a mid-level manager at Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals. He gave this address and time, demanding a ransom and frantically raving that Neeley would pay for ruining his life. If he didn't show up, or contacted the GCPD his son would be killed..." He paused, and gave Batgirl a fixed look, indicating more to the story.

"So this John Neeley guy did the opposite and you guys show up with the red and blue disco lights putting his son in more danger?" Spider-Man said, earning a look from both the Gordon's who at this point had mostly been ignoring his presence after their initial 'introduction'.

Peter had expected a cold glare from Batgirl, one that screamed 'Seriously?!' Instead both of Gordons gave him a look of mild surprise. Their expressions may have been mild, however the pause in the air made Peter feel as if the very fact he was able to speak at all was a miracle to the other two.

After the momentary shock had faded, the commissioner sighed before replying, "...In hostage situations, we have to follow protocol... Even if it goes against the perp's instructions…" The commissioner exhaled another sigh before replacing the lost air with an inhaled drag from his cigarette.

"I can feel a but coming…" Batgirl now spoke.

The commissioner expressed a soft, grim smile of affirmation, Peter even thought he detected a twinkle of pride in the commissioner's eye at Batgirl's question.

The older man exhaled a cloud of tobacco scented smoke and continued, "But…Johnathan Neeley didn't tell us. At least not directly. We received an anonymous tip, an email with no subject or message, untraceable and with no eligible name. It contained a link to the video and that was it."

"Well that's not suspicious at all…" Batgirl added, under her breath but loud enough for both the men to hear.

"Hmm." The commissioner grunted in agreement, "Even more suspicious is the fact that Larry Warner was fired by Neeley for drug abuse and gross misconduct over ten years ago... No one has even heard from him since... He was reported missing by his family and presumed dead. We spoke to him on the phone when we arrived at the scene, and he was still demanding the ransom money, he even put the kid on the line when we asked…"

"So he was bluffing and didn't actually want to kill the son? That's good… I guess. But why now? If his life was really ruined, why wait ten years before getting revenge?" Spider-Man again added, and the two turned to him again, this time without surprise.

In fact it seemed as if they were genuinely listening to him. He felt like their equal in this conversation and began settling back into himself more as he felt the result of his years of experience catch up with him.

It was a refreshing change of pace compared to his earlier interactions with 'Miss Gordon' and even Catwoman to a degree, their tones making him feel like the rookie they thought he was. Now he found comfort and ease in his position as a vigilante once more... He knew what he was doing and their surprise at that fact only reminded him it was time to start focusing.

"That is the question I've been asking myself all night…" Gordon responded to Spider-Man's question.

"Maybe he finally reached his breaking point? Or it's a trap? Something to lure Neeley in… Either way it's definitely odd..." Batgirl added.

Commissioner Gordon grunted with affirmation before continuing, "There's one more thing, we haven't been able to reach Johnathan Neeley at all. Not since we received the video. There's a chance he's in the warehouse and has already attempted to give the money over, but if that was the case-"

"Why would Warner still be asking for the ransom?" The younger Gordon questioned aloud, not expecting a response.

The commissioner offered yet another affirmative grunt at Batgirl's response.

"So this is definetly a trap, right? We're all on the same page?" Spider-Man added.

Now it was Batgirl's turn to sigh, "Yep... Definetly a trap... The question is, for who?"

"Doesn't matter, trap or no trap, there's a still a hostage. So I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves…" Spider-Man replied, looking towards Batgirl.

Barbara was mildly surprised by the severity of Spider-Man's tone. He sounded more focused than she expected.

"You're right. No matter what the details of the situation, there's still a kid being held captive in there..." Batgirl replied as she turned back to Spider-Man.

"So, how are we going to play this?" He continued.

Batgirl looked back to the colourful hero, "How are you with stealth? I mean, no offense, that costume doesn't exactly scream subtle…" She spoke.

"True.. But you'd be surprised how little bad guys check the ceiling… I can be sneaky when necessary."

Electing to ignore the implication of experience in Spider-Man's reply, and instead deciding to take him on his word, she replied, "Okay, Good. Then we'll enter the warehouse from the top floor windows on the east side of the building, away from the GCPD presence. We'll scan for heat signatures you grab the kid and get out of there while I focus on the perp."

"And if it's a trap?" Peter asked, electing to omit the fact he can scan for heat signatures himself.

"Well then we throw that plan outta' the window and make a new one..."

"Sounds good... You ready?" Peter replied.

The commissioner, who was observing the interaction, stubbed out his now finished cigarette, flicked it on the ground and pulled himself off the building he was leaning on and into a standing position, "Well I guess I'll leave you youngsters to do all the hard work, besides it appears my smoke break is over." He spoke while looking at his watch, "it was good to meet you… Spider-Man, was it?" He said to the vigilante.

"You too, commissioner. Hopefully next time you see me I'll have a hostage…" Spider-Man replied before thinking about his wording, "Not that I'll have take anyone hostage… I mean I'll have the hostage with me… I mean I- I'll um… You know… have rescued kid… I... I don't know why I'm still talking, you- you obviously knew what I meant." Peter felt his face getting hotter, he was doing so well, but yet again he allowed his mouth to move before his brain could think.

Not wanting to move his mouth without thinking again, his mind again began to race, this time his internal monologue was berating him for his lack of self control. 'Well, there goes whatever credibility I had with the commissioner. Of course he knew what you meant, Pete! You just wasted everyone's time, again! God! I am so tired… Why am I so tired? my body is aching too, has that been aching the whole time or am I just noticing that now? Can't be from here, unless I'm getting rusty, so must be from back home… Ugh! I wish I could remember what happened!'

The commissioner let out a small chuckle and begun walking away from the pair, he paused, "Oh, and Batgirl… Be careful, as we've said, this whole situation seems off. So just, keep an eye out. Don't take any unnecessary risks..." He said, as he turned his head to look Batgirl in the eyes, a level of concern evident.

Batgirl kept her cool as she responded, but it was clear there was something deeper behind her words, "I uhh… Appreciate the concern, commissioner… We'll make sure to be on guard..."

Spider-Man looked back and forth between the two, his suspicion of their shared name being more than coincidence was further confirmed by the interaction between the pair. However, he decided to pause any further ruminating until the boy was safely out of harms way.

The older man appeared to clock Spider-Man's gaze, and cleared his throat "Ehem… Yes, of course. Good luck and be careful both of you..." He corrected before he recommenced walking away from the heroes and back to his post with the rest of the GCPD.

When the commissioner rounded the corner and out of sight, the two heroes shared a quick glance before scaling the warehouse. Spider-Man electing to leap directly onto the Eastern area of roof near the top floor windows, while Batgirl used her grapple gun to pull herself into the air to the same area.

She was only a second or two behind Spider-Man, yet it was still enough time that the former was able to turn around and offer her a hand onto the roof so she didn't have to pull herself up. She paused before taking it "T-Thanks..." She replied softly.

She knew she should apologise to him for her earlier attitude, but she felt weird bringing it up. She also knew now was not the time. They had a hostage crisis to deal with first, apologies could wait.

"Right. I'll scan for people inside and let you know where we have to go…" She spoke quietly before she the checked inside the closest window and, seeing it led to empty office room, opened it climbed inside silently.

Peter jumped in after, equally as silent and replied, to her earlier statement also in whisper, "I didn't mention earlier, but I can actually scan heat signatures and tag any unfriendlies myself as well… Saves you from having to constantly update me…"

The old wooden floor of the office let out an audible creak, one that caused the two heroes to pause, but the sound was so soft even Spider-Man struggled to hear it. Then they heard muffled voices below indicating there was definitely more people than expected.

"Oh… Well okay then… Let's do this quickly and get the kid home." Batgirl spoke.

The two both went silent for a second as they activated the scan and tag functions of their lenses. Peter didn't like the sensation he was feeling from his Spider-Sense, it kept him on edge, warnign him was a trap. They'd theorised as such but in the silence both heroes stiffened before looking at each other, their supicions had been confirmed by their scans.

"Please tell me my lenses broken... Are you seeing this too?" Spider-Man broke the silence with another soft whisper.

"Yeah… That's way more than just one hostage and perp… 32 in total, all armed except two. You?" Batgirl responded.

"Same, I thought as much from the voices, so Warner brought friends? Hopefully its just more hostages with toy guns designed to throw us off... Not that I want more people to be held hostage, just you know…" Peter stopped as Batgirl interrupted him

"I know." She looked at him and let out the ghost of a smile, "Less people to hit…"

"Well, this was definitely a trap for someone. Doubt it's for Neeley, though. This seems way too excessive for a disgruntled employee's revenge."

"You're right. But it does actually seem like there's more than one hostage if I'm seeing this right…"

In the office room opposite theirs on the same floor, there seemed to be two figures on chairs, judging from the position of their arms, and the way they were constantly struggling, it was safe to say they were bound to them.

Had they walked along the roof just a little more and went to the second section of windows, they would have found the hostages right away. The heroes thought they were being cautious and it made sense to enter the first empty room they saw.

Despite all the details discussed, this was far more intense of a situation than they were expecting. Still, both of them felt quite stupid for missing the opportunity to go straight for the hostages, if they had only scanned the place before they entered they could've got the hostages to safety and focused on the other 30, seemingly less friendly individuals…

Batgirl was kicking herself, not only had she become colder since going back into the field, apparently she'd also become sloppier.

Spider-Man too felt like he was becoming sloppy, probably the result of his sudden extrication from his home world and the constant distraction and stress it was causing him. Plus the soft constant thrumming of his head since he arrived. Apparently sudden cross-dimensional travel can cause headaches, who knew?

The two offices each had a metal stair case leading from the floor below to a door directly to the office rooms which were connected by a gangway. Both offices, and the gangway, looked down over the floor below where all of the other heat signatures, seemed to be.

"Who do you think the second hostage is? And why the hell are they just left on their own? I'm really starting not to like this..." Spider-Man asked whispered.

"Me neither... But get the hostages out first. We can think about the rest after, can you sneak back on to the roof and to the other room? I'll let the Batcave know of the development while I do recon on our new friends below…"

"Hostages. Got it." Spider-Man quickly replied with a nod before turning to exit the same window they entered from.

"Wait." Spider-Man's swift motion was temporarily halted as Batgirl's hushed voice cut through the air, "Before you go, take one of these…" she said as she reached into one of her utility belt's pouches a pulled a small silver circle.

"Thanks… Is this?" He responded taking the diminutive device.

"Yes. If anything happens we can stay in contact." Batgirl responded as Spider-Man turned away from her and lifted his mask, placing the device in his ear.

Out of respect, Batgirl also turned away so she wouldn't see his face.

Batman would most likely demand him to reveal his identity anyway but now wasn't the time, and Batgirl needed to keep his trust.

"Cool. I'll get them to the GCPD... Back in a jiffy… Should I let the police know of our friends? Backup could be helpful." He said, still slightly ducked, although not all of the lights of the warehouse where on, enough light was shining that any of their movements may be spotted by the men below if they weren't careful.

Batgirl was glad that Spider-Man was competent enough to stay hidden even with her sloppiness in forgetting to warn him of the ins and outs of infiltration.

This rookie was far more adept at this than she thought. In fact the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like Spider-Man had been doing this for a while, further begging the question of how none of the Batfamily had heard of him before.

"I'll scout out the sitch first and let you know, hopefully we should be able to handle these guys ourselves…."

Spider-Man simply nodded, he too didn't want to put more people in danger, even if they were experienced officers, there was a certain level of responsibility every hero had essentially accepted was just part of the lifestyle.

Risking a police firefight may just make things worse, when someone donned their costume they accepted the risks, drawing others into a fray was never something to take lightly.

Spiderman hurried to back of the room and leapt out of the open window and back on to the roof with grace and silence.

He remained low so he could control his body better and move as silently as possible. He quickly crawled to the other set of windows and let himself inside the other office. Climbing in, Peter thought his eyes and ears were playing tricks on him. But the tingle from his Spider-Sense let him know that wasn't the case.

What he saw was beyond anything he expected, even with all of the surprises of the situation so far.

The shocking display ahead of him disturbed him to his core, "Erm.. Batgirl, you should really see this…" He said in a whisper, one which was the result of his stealthy approach as well as his discomfort and confusion.

Static was the only reply, he tapped his ear. Was he given a dud? No that wasn't it, his Spider-Sense's warning wasn't just for the display ahead of him.

He'd realised now he'd felt it as soon as he entered the building. He initially thought maybe it was just because of the number of perps, but the intensity had risen as he looked at the hostages.

This was a trap but it wasn't for Warner, it was for them. For whoever would enter the building to rescue the hostages he was looking at. The hostages that were currently unnerving Peter in way he hadn't felt for a long time.

Sat before him were two people, a young boy and an older man dressed in a suit. Presumably Johnathan Neeley, the boy's father.

Both were tied to chairs, and both were thrashing in them, but what disgusted Peter was the expression on their faces.

The choking rigidity of their movement as their hoarse voices attempted to make noise against the dehydration of vocal chords that had been torn from strain.

It was practically silent but it was obvious. They were laughing hysterically... Their mouths were wider than aything Peter thought humanly possible. Their eyes held a horrificly misty red hue and tears had obviously been running down their cheeks but they had stopped. They had clearly ran out of moisture now...But the strain on their faces...

Who knows how long they had been stuck like this. Nothing about what Peter was seeing seemed natural, it was a horrifying display. The very thing that was meant to communicate joy had been twisted into something indescribably perverse. He felt sick.

Batgirl meanwhile edged forward, ducking out of view of the windows surrounding the office. When she reached the windows overlooking the floor below she peered over the edge, keeping to the corner so she had as effective a field of vision as possible while still maintaining her cover.

Her eyes widened when she saw who was below, "No… Not him... He shouldn't be here. He can't be here…" She was thankful Spider-Man had left her alone for the moment, had he heard the soft whisper that left her throat in that moment, it surely would've shattered any respect he may have held for her.

The strong and fearless personalities of both Batgirl and Barbara came crashing down in an instant. The coldness that had been growing in her came rushing to the surface, but it was no longer one of apathy and annoyance, it was one of fear. Her blood was frozen and every hair on her body stood on end.

Then, as quickly as it came, the fear left. The coldness was gone. Her blood was instantly unfrozen and was beginning to boil. Her wide eyes tightened into daggered slits of rage. The goosebumps of fear wear replaced with ones of pure hate.

In the back of her mind she knew she had to calm herself, this was a scenario they had discussed. She and the rest of the Batfamily knew she may run into him sooner or later, and she couldn't allow her emotions to control her.

As Oracle she was separate from this world, at least partly, and it allowed her a level of objectivity. She had even came face to face with him before while she was wheelchair bound. She defended herself and breaking his sick smile was scarily satisfying, she hated how much she enjoyed it.

But still, to her, revenge was never an option. It was an idea she never wished to entertain. Her 'revenge' would be continuing to fight, as Oracle, as Batgirl, as Barbara. It didn't matter how, but she wouldn't let him break her, and for a time, a time until this moment she hadn't.

Right now however, looking at his white skin, his bright green hair, his painfully wide smile (which he obviously had fixed at some point, God knows how) and even his tacky purple suit, all of it angered her. Her thoughts were of pure hatred and rage. Part of her was broken, her focus was shattered, her vision was blurred by the red mist enveloping her.

The last fraction of her subconscious was screaming at her to calm down, that this was the very reason the others were worried about her being back in the field so soon. But her unconscious logic was being silenced by her thundering heartbeat, as white hot adrenaline began to race through her entire body.

She gripped one of her tonfas, the squeeze of her hand making an audible stretching sound, the veins on the back of her palm were straining under her gloves. She was about to forego any sense of stealth and leap into the fray when a voice called out from below, and yet again her blood ran cold, her boiling rage and adrenaline was halted instantly.

"Is that you Batsy? I know you're up there. You were uncharacteristically loud with your entrance… You're getting reckless in your old age… I'd find it funny if it weren't so disappointing..." The voice called in a tone of disgusting glee.

Batgirl was shocked he was able to hear them at all, the creak earlier was barely audible.

All those years dealing with Batman had clearly made the voice's owner to grow more observant. She'd be impressed if she wasn't so pissed off at both her own failure, as well as the figure behind the voice.

Spider-Man heard the voice too, it sickened him.

He knew the sound all to well, it was one of pure unfiltered madness. He'd heard it from Cletus Kasady as Carnage, and worst of all he'd heard it from the man who took everything from him.

The one man he truly hated, the one man who he was glad was dead, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. He didn't know who this voice belonged to, but still it made him freeze momentarily.

He regained his composure, he untied the hostages with inhuman swiftness, whatever was wrong with these hostages he needed to get them out, even if their cover was blown, the further away from here he could get them from here the better.

The hostages didn't react, their arms fell as he untied them. They're upper bodies still thrashed as they continued laughing maniacally, clearly tearing their already shredded vocal chords even more. He carried both of them, one under each arm and led them to the window before gently placing them one at a time onto the roof.

He too climbed out, and tried his comms once more, "Batgirl, are you there? Please come in…" No reply.

'Amazing! Parker luck strikes again! Is it too much to ask for simple hostage situation?' Realising the stupidity of what he was wishing for he shook his head before once again picking up one of the hostages and bounding to the other side of the roof in a single jump.

Spider-Man had decided to drop the hostages of with the commissioner before jumping back into the warehouse to support Batgirl, he felt conflicted about not telling her, especially since the perps knew they were there, but he hoped by getting the hostages to safety she would recognise he did the right thing.

Batgirl, still in the warehouse decided to arm herself with several Batarangs. The voice had inadvertently snapped her out of rage filled trance, now both her fear and her anger was pushed to the back of her mind.

His voice and what he said reminded her of one simple truth, he was obsessed with Batman. Everything became clear, this was a trap for him.

It's true, had this been Batman he wouldn't have been as sloppy. And that was no excuse for her to lose her edge.

She wasn't going to let her mistakes cost the lives of the hostages, she was Batgirl again.

Despite what he did, he never targeted her because of her secret life as hero. He had know idea who she was under the cowl, he targeted Barbara Gordon to get to her dad.

To break him, all to prove a point to Batman and, most importantly, he failed.

By letting him consume her thoughts, she would lose sight of herself, she'd be proving him right. Even without him knowing, she would know, her father would know and the Batfamily would know. She couldn't disappoint them.

Her momentary lapse of judgement, her sudden urge for revenge was muted. She remembered why she was here, and trusted Spider-Man to get the hostages, her focus was coming back to her.

"Batcave, I need backup." She said into her comms, she heard nothing but white noise. 'Great! Just great...'

It was obvious her comms were jammed, at least at long range, "Spider-Man, come in. Are you there?", again no reply, short range was jammed too. They were alone at least for now, she needed to buy Spider-Man time to get the hostages to safety, their heat signatures told them they were alive, at least for now. It was their duty to keep it that way.

She watched as Spider-Man's figure leapt off the roof torwards the parking lot, carrying the form of the boy on his back, as he held the man in his arms.

She reached into her utility belt and armed herself. With three Batarangs in each hand she leapt through the window, shattering it and beginning her descent to the floor below.

While she fell, she let loose all six of her Batarangs, all of them finding their mark. She sent two to each of her targets and knocked down 3 of Joker's goons as they span and curved through the air into the temples, foreheads and chests of the armed men dressed in clown gear.

She landed into a roll and, while in the motion of the manoeuvre, pulled out both of her tonfa sticks before coming into a standing position.

Her eyes landing on the man who tried to ruin her life, all to prove a stupid point. Rage was building again, but now she had tamed it, at least partly.

She would still beat the crap out of him, but she wouldn't do it out of desire for revenge, merely out of necessity. If she enjoyed it a little bit as well though, well that wouldn't be too bad…

"Ugh… What are you doing here. You're not who I wanted…" The man who was known only as the Joker said, his voice whiny like a child throwing a tantrum.

He was pouting mockingly, before his sick smile returned. He looked her dead in her eyes, it took every ounce of Batgirl's self control not to avert her gaze.

"Oh well! Guess I can always try again! Might as well be a good host and kill you anyway... It's no trouble really, it's the least I can do since you came all this way… Heheheheuhuu… Boys, shoot her!" He said as he raised his arms in mock resignation and turned away as the clown thugs armed with guns began to take aim.

"How gracious of you…" Batgirl replied through gritted teeth as she weaved out the way of the bullets and took cover behind a piece of machinery.

Although, she had regained her composure, the rage still bubble inside her, it was approaching boiling point again but she wouldn't allow it to. Not for him.

"What can I say? I'm nothing if not accommodating." The Joker responded, his perverse grin never leaving his wretched face. He turned back to face Batgirl's direction his voice a yell as he combatted the hail of gunfire around him.

"Not the word I'd use…" Batgirl, responded.

Although she too was yelling, the coldness in her voice was back. Her attempts to keep her emotions in check led to her muting any sense of feeling in her tone.

"Now, now! Don't be rude! Say, you have me curious… Since when were you back? What happened to the blond hussy running around in your suit? Actually, no. Don't tell me, I'll just pick the answer from your brain when its splattered over the walls…" A dirty laugh followed his ramblings.

Just before the Joker began to engage in the gunfire scored tete-a-tete with Batgirl, Spider-Man had arrived in the parking lot with the hostages, he carefully placed them down next to the commissioner who immediately seemed to recognise their condition.

"Oh god. It's him… How? He's supposed to still be in Arkham…" The older man spoke, more to himself than Spider-Man.

Peter was going to ask who he was referring to but decided against it, he didn't have time, "I need to get back in there. Batgirl may be in trouble…"

Spider-Man paused as he was turning away when the sounds of gunfire began to be heard from within, he turned to the commissioner, "Look after them! I'm going back in!" He replied before shooting a webline and launching himself back on to the roof, this time from the side closest to the parking lot.

The commissioner didn't even have time to respond, he was impressed by what he had seen of Spider-Man so far, both on his way to them and his return to the warehouse. He pushed aside his awe however and began barking orders to the officers around him.

"Thompson, get the hostages to the hospital! Quick as you can!"

"Err… Yes, Sir!" The young officer replied, he and the other uniformed officers were completely shocked at the new hero's arrival and the state of the hostages.

Gotham knew all to well the effects of the Joker's laughing gas, his slight hesitation was halted by the commissioner's orders and he began to lift the boy into one of the marked police vehicles before returning for the father.

"Anders, send out a call for back up, this is no longer a hostage situation, it's an active firefight! Also contact Arkham Asylum... Find out if they know Joker's escaped or if there's a decoy in his cell."

"On it, Commissioner!" Anders replied as he rushed into his vehicle and began immediately radioing dispatch.

"The rest of you, gear up we're going in to support Batgirl and Spider-Man…" Gordon saw some of the confused faces of the officers around, though they were obviously able to use context clues to work out who Spider-Man was.

Many of them assumed he was a villain at first and were preparing to fire on him when he jumped down to them with the hostages, however the commissioner immediately told them to holster their weapons before he landed.

They knew the commissioner had ties to the Batfamily and was in contact with them, so didn't question him when he vouched for Spider-Man.

Many of them were on board with the vigilantes, too many of Gotham's bad guys were out of their league and they knew it.

Still, they were confused as to who this new hero was and why he was here. They were also unaware of Batgirl's presence inside the warehouse, giving them more cause to hesitate.

Staring at the officers, he continued his orders, "Now!"

All of the officers came out of their trance and began rushing themselves around preparing for an assault, "And watch you're fire in there! You know how the Joker dresses his goons, so aim for the clowns, I don't want anyone hitting either Batgirl or Spider-Man!"

At this point Batgirl was ducking and diving between different areas of the warehouse for cover, throwing the occasional Batarang as she moved.

When behind cover one of the clown goons not armed with a firearm would attempt to engage her in close combat, not very successfully as she would take them down with a couple of hits, but still it was enough of a nuisance that she knew she had to remain alert.

She had taken out at least 5, maybe 6 of Joker's thugs by now but she was starting to feel the pressure, she knew she couldn't keep this up for long. She just hoped Spider-Man was able to get the hostages out.

Since the comms were jammed she couldn't check, she didn't like not knowing, she felt as if she had to keep stalling for as long as possible meaning she couldn't press the attack herself and change the tides however, were changed by another boat joining the waters.

The gunfire came to an abrupt stop and she cautiously peered over her cover to see several lines of web snatch the guns from most of the firearm equipped clowns, launching them into the air.

She let out a smile, a big one this time. She didn't think she'd be this glad to see him, especially after how he tested her patience when they first met, even if it wasn't entirely his fault.

Spider-Man had entered from the window on the west side of the building, jumped straight over the gangway and descended to the ground floor. While he was falling he shot out a webline to the 4 thugs who were armed with assault rifles and snatched them out of their hands.

The sudden intrusion and unexpected event however, caused all of the armed goons to briefly pause their assault on Batgirl as everyone looked up.

Peter landed in his signature three point half crouch, it was pose that gave him confidence. It had almost become as big a part of his heroic persona as his 'friendly neighbourhood' catchphrase and his quips.

"Hey fellas! Careful with those, someone could get hurt…" He cheerily quipped as he landed, as he stood back up he continued, "Sorry I'm late. Lost my invitation in the mail... I also feel like such a ditz… No one told me the dress code was circus rejects and…" He looked the man who seemed to be in charge up and down, "…Pale purple pimps… Wow! Say that three times fast. Palepurplepimps. Palepurplepimps. Palepurplepimps… Huh, not actually that hard.."

The Joker was dumbfounded, his sick cheer was momentarily replaced with confused anger as he spat, "WHAT?! Who is this? You're not one of the Bats!"

Spider-Man looked at the man dressed in a purple suit, his face was white as a sheet, his hair was bright green and his mouth was painted with a bright red smile. He was clearly the leader of the gang of thugs, but more than that, he was clearly a maniac. A dangerous one.

"What…? I'm not…?" Spider-Man started to frantically check his chest with his hands before stretching his top out and pretending to examine it, "Oh my God! This isn't a bat, it's a spider! I knew the lady at the store was lying to me..." He began to approach the purple suited man whose white face was becoming flush with rage.

"You know, I said to her, 'I'm pretty sure bats have wings…' but still she insisted…. God! I didn't even keep the receipt..."

"Hehehehehe…" The laugh was coated in sot fury, "Whoever the hell you think you are, this is a private party… " The Joker said, his rage apparently beginning to subside as he pulled out a revolver and pointed it at Spider-Man, the foulest grim coming across his face, "But I'm a good host… Hehehe. No guest leaves without a gift... Not even uninvited ones."

Peter's spider-sense didn't go off at the weapon pointed at him, indicating it wouldn't fire. Still he froze and stared at the figure, before replying "Hey, I'm telling you it was lost in the mail!"

Spider-Man's lack of worry however, was confirmed when the Joker pulled the trigger and a pointed metal stick came out, a red flag unfurled from it, the word 'BANG!' was written on it in a pointed exclamation bubble.

"Oh phew for a second there I thought you were gonna' shoot me… Hehehe" Spider-Man said, feigning relief.

The figure laughed before pulling the trigger again, this time Peter's spider-sense did go off. As the pointed flag shot directly to his chest Spider-Man caught it deftly. Causing the Joker to pause for a moment, that was definitely unexpected.

"Oh wow! A flag? What a gift! How did you know? Man, now I feel bad… I didn't get you anything." Spider-Man said as he inspected the flag

The pale man unstiffened, before laughing maniacally, he clearly found the response hilarious. The laugh, while unhinged and disturbing, was genuine.

The man bent over his knees and was wiping tears from his eyes. It was very unsettling for Peter but he laughed along in exaggerated fashion, the scene caused the goons around them to also laugh along uncomfortably as they looked around to each other, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation.

"I like you… You're funny!" The Joker said between chuckles as he pulled himself upright and wiped away the last of his tears, his face then becoming deadly serious and the confused laughter around the room stopped, "But, I'm the one who tells the jokes around here… Kill the Bat, I'm gonna' teach this one a lesson myself…" He said as he glared at Spider-Man.

Batgirl, for her part, had used Spider-Man's distraction to propel herself up the gangway above the scene with her grapple gun. She was observing the scene and had picked her targets to pounce on.

However her faith in Spider-Man was beginning to waver as he seemingly chose to immediately piss off and pick a fight with the Joker himself, 'Great... How could he be so stupid? He was supposed to be my back up and now I'm gonna have to save him…'

She saw as the goons who were armed began firing again at her previous position, 'Well at least he's not as stupid as those guys…' she thought as she looked back to see the Joker quickly pull out a very large knife behind his back, obscured from Spider-Man's vision.

She was going to jump in and save Spider-Man before the Joker had a chance to attack, but the villain was too quick.

She tensed and expected the worst but was shocked to see Spider-Man dodge with inhuman speed and catch the knife in one smooth motion, the hero and the villain shared a look between them.

Spider-Man then delivered a powerful uppercut to the Joker's chin, sending him flying backwards several feet and immediately knocking him unconscious, a few of his yellow teeth being launched in several different directions.

She was glad that her lenses were always recording everything she saw, unless she turned them off, Batman needed to see this and the live feed was most likely halted by whatever was scrambling their comms. 'Okay… I forgot about this guys strength…' she thought, mildly impressed by the new hero.

In the back of her mind she felt the bristle of a sick satisfaction in seeing the Joker being toyed with then brutally smacked across the room.

"Good lesson. I think we all learned something there…" Spider-Man replied before turning around to engage the rest of the goons, several of whom seemed shocked at the quick dispatch of their leader. Their shock quickly turning to anger, as the ones not shooting at where they believed Batgirl to be, began to open fire and charge at Spider-Man.

At this point Batgirl joined the fray, leaping on top of a larger one of the goons. Her padded knees landing on his shoulders with an audible crack as she pulled out her stun gun and pressed it too his neck, shocking him until he fell unconscious. As he fell forward she went into a forwards roll and swept the leg out from under another goon before tasering him.

She placed her stun gun back in its pouch and pulled out her tonfas as she pulled her self into a sprint, avoiding the hail of bullets from the goons who were now aware she was no longer behind her cover.

She leapt towards Spider-Man's position and delivered a decisive strike to the temple of one of the goons firing at him, dazing the thug. As she landed, she turned on her feet and faced the goon, she followed up from her initial attack with a flurry of blows, one to his hand disarming him, another to his chest, knocking the wind from him and one final strike to his temple again, knocking him unconscious.

Spider-Man was also weaving and dodging all of the bullets aimed for him, he called to Batgirl, "There you are! What, did you step out for take out?"

"No, I was just watching you make a fool of yourself… And an enemy of Gotham's most dangerous nutcase." She replied, as she engaged two more enemies.

"What can I say, I'm starting a collection... Seeing how man enemines I can make on my first night here."

Batgirl didn't respond, at least not vocally, 'First night here? What's that supposed to mean, where's this guy from?'

Spider-Man shot out three more weblines and pulled, disarming the last of the goons with guns. He combined the weblines which webbed the weapons together in one motion, and then again with a speed, and lack of dizziness, impossible for a non-powered human, he span on his heel several times.

He then launched the weapons back at one of the now disarmed thug's chest with immense speed and power, knocking him prone and taking all the air from his lungs.

Now that their leader was down and none were equipped with ranged weapons, the two hero's made quick work of the rest.

A clown armed with a chainsaw charged at Spider-Man who spun and kicked the weapon from his grip before leaping over the goon and, as he was still mid-air, he grabbed the goon by the shoulders, pulling him off the ground.

He then used the thug's weight to carry his own momentum forward into a flip. When Spider-Man's feet were firmly planted back of the ground he stuck to it, and used the continued acceleration of the thug to carry him over his shoulders before letting go, launching the unfortunate goon through the air.

Just before he landed and let the goon fly, he called to Batgirl, "Hey Batgirl, I think this one's yours!" seeing her turn to him and offer a quick nod, communicating she was ready. This prompted Spider-Man to send the goon flying with an overhead throw.

Batgirl, who was about to be attacked from behind herself, grabbed her assailant's shoulders from over her own and pushed her self off the ground as she pulled her legs upwards, using her attacker's weight.

As she was pulling her legs upwards, Spider-Man's delivery passed by feet first, and she delivered a kick to the back of the goon's head as he continued his flight. Stopping his screams of terror as he was knocked unconscious. His now sleeping form landing ungracefully on the ground in a slump.

Continuing with her upwards trajectory she was now completely upside down, performing a handstand on the thug's shoulders for brief moment.

Then she continued her journey, letting herself fall back to the ground and landing on her feet as she let go of the, very confused and scared, clown's shoulders. She kicked him behind his knee and he fell into kneeling position before he too found himself put to sleep by a chop to the neck from Batgirl's hand followed by a hit to the head from the other side by one of her tonfas.

The fight continued and the two heroes were dispatching thugs with ease. Their enemy numbers were dwindling rapidly...

When only ten enemies were left, Batgirl and Spider-Man had found themselves back to back as the clowns began circling them, slowly approaching the pair, ready to attack but it was clear they were nervous and many of them seemed unenthusiastic about the idea.

"Seriously, are these guys ever gonna' give up?" Spider-Man asked over his shoulder to Batgirl.

"The Joker's goons are frustratingly loyal… Probably because if they weren't, he'd kill them and whatever family they have in horrific ways…" Batgirl replied nonchalantly.

"Charming…" Peter replied as he made eye contact with one of the goons. The thug was shaking uncontrollably and fear draped his face, "Does he at least offer dental?" Spider-Man offered to the goon.

"Can you focus? I wanna' wrap this up already…" Batgirl responded, her voice offering no room for argument.

A hint of frustration was clearly bubbling up inside Batgirl, but Peter didn't feel any resentment being directed towards him.

Spider-Man webbed the hands and feet of the goon he was facing before jumping at him and punching him in the gut.

The wind was knocked from the goon as Spider man then grabbed his collar and threw him at two other approaching goons, they let out a grunt as they were knocked to the ground. As the three of them lay in a pile on the floor he shot out several impact webs and stuck the goons to ground and each other.

"This is me focused…" He replied, "I'm genuinely interested in the kind of employee benefits this 'Joker' guy offers…" He continued as he performed a graceful leap into a forward roll and swung his fist at another goon.

The goon was large, standing several inches taller than both himself and Batgirl. He was clearly built entirely out of muscle. But Spider-Man had faced 'strong' guys before, and was still pulling his punch so he wouldn't separate the man's jaw from his head.

His fist connected with the goons jaw. But, something unexpected occurred, Spider-Man's hand... Hurt?

The goon who received the hit didn't seem the least bit fazed, his face barely even moving as the red gloved knuckle collided with it.

Spider-Man paused and looked at his hand, he then looked up into the face of the goon who was standing there, unmoved and grinning.

Pete's punch was lighter, much lighter, than a full powered punch, but still it should've been enough to make the goon drop like a sack of potatoes.

He looked back to his hand once more, it was aching slightly, "Hmmm… Well that doesn't seem right." He spoke, as he continued to look back and forth between his hand and the goon's face.

His Spider-Sense blared at him as his momentary shock at the thug's resistance provided an opportunity for the larger enemy to strike back.

The thug backhanded Spider-Man's face and the hero let out a sudden yelp as he was sent flying across the warehouse, "Woahhh!".

Batgirl who was currently engaging two of her own enemies, watched as her newfound ally was sent hurling through the air. She was momentarily taken aback by the display of the flying figure in red and blue, complete with his voice crying out with a loud

"Spider-Man!" She called out in surprised concern.

As she too was distracted for a fraction of a second, she also felt a blow land on her face. Thankfully, this one was clearly weaker than the one superhuman one that had launched Spider-Man across the room. It was still enough to make her stagger, though..

Unbeknownst to the unlucky goon who landed the punch, it was also exactly what Batgirl needed to break out of her trance. As she stumbled, she used the momentum of her movement to swing back around and land a solid hit on the goon's head with her tonfa, eliciting a loud 'Whak!' as it connected and banished the man's consciousness.

Continuing with her full body swing she delivered a brutal kick right into knee of her second assailant, causing him to keel over in agony as his leg shattered, a fragment of bone sticking out of the side.

He let out a choked cry of pain before she delivered a second kick into his head and sent the rest of his body down to ground, he lay next to his ally and joined him in his sleep.

Spider-Man collided with floor and bounced along the surface before coming to a stop, finding himself laying prone on his back.

The collision, and subsequent bouncing, hurt a bit. Had he not been super powered, it would've hurt a lot.

Instead the mild ache only fully confirmed to Peter that this wasn't a dream, everything that had happened so far was real. He'd obviously already accepted this, but the soft clouds of doubt were dissipated by the blow. In a way, the thug had quite literally knocked some sense back into Peter.

Looking over to his side, he saw the leader of the band of clown-dressed thugs, the Joker. He was expecting him to still be out cold.

In actuality, the Joker had regained some semblance of consciousness just in time to see Spider-Man being flung across the warehouse by the fist of one of his goons.

Laughing and turning towards the hero, he spoke, "I… *Cough* I see you've met one of the twins…" Pulling himself up into a siting position he rubbed his head and screamed at his men, "Bubbles! Colin! Beat this punk to a pulp right now so I can finish him off!"

"Seriously? Colin? Did you give up on the creative names halfway through?" Spider-Man asked as he pulled himself to his feet, preparing to web Joker's mouth shut.

He stopped and turned however just as he felt his Spider-Sense ring again before another goon, identical to the first save for a different hairstyle, emerged from the crowd with inhuman speed and grabbed Spider-Man by the neck and lifted him in the air before he could react.

The Joker let out another sick cackle as he too rose to his feet, rubbing his jaw, "Actually… Those are their real names… I swear! you couldn't make it up!" His laugh growing louder and sicker as he pulled out a second knife.

Looking into the enraged eyes of the large clown thug, "T-They're g-good s-trong names… I l-like the-m I s—swear…" Spider-Man replied through choked breaths.

The goon's hand tightened around his neck. The Joker's cruel, twisted laughter providing a soundtrack to Peter's struggled sentence. 'Superhuman speed and strength? Fantastic! Really loving the curveballs you've been sending lately universe...' Peter thought to himself before webbing the eyes of the large thug.

The thug whose name was either Colin or Bubbles tightened his fist even harder in response to the webbing he received. He grabbed at it with his free hand and tore it from his face.

Spider-Man looked into his eyes and felt the hatred piercing his soul.

If his neck wasn't being squeezed with the strength comparable to the Rhino, or at least a baby of the Rhino, he would have let out an audible gulp.

In a fit of rage the 'twin' threw Spider-Man as hard as he could towards his brother, his minute sense of self control, coupled with his fear of his boss, just barely stopped him from snapping the hero's neck.

Spider-Man let out another yell as he was airborne, "Woahhh!"was all that escaped his mouth as he was rocketed through the warehouse yet again.

His Spider-Sense blared at him once more as he felt the clasped hands of the other twin connect with his chest. The blow sent Spider-Man flying in a new direction, making him start to feel like a human pinball.

Batgirl had dispatched the last of the goons, aside from 'the twins', and began rushing over to the scene. She saw as Spider-Man was thrown from one of the twins into both fists of the other, who in turn sent him flying into a stack of crates. 'This isn't good... We need back up! At this rate, the rookie is gonna' die on his first night. God! We're in over our heads… I knew I should've dropped him off before coming here…" She thought.

Batgirl was furious, she'd let Alfred talk her into bringing along the new hero nobody had heard of. One whose lack of experience and carefree attitude made him an easy target.

Her recklessness would cost his life, right now he was her responsibility, and he was going to die because of her mistakes.

This was a trap for Batman, she was foolish to ever think it would be easy, but she wasn't expecting the Joker to have metahumans on his payroll.

But, then again he'd been battling her mentor for long enough now that, he would know thirty armed henchmen wouldn't be enough, especially if he brought along another member of the Batfamily. She should have seen something like this coming…

At first Spider-Man easily levelled the playing field, but under different circ*mstances she would have most likely been able to win the fight on her own. If she hadn't been forced to take a hiatus, if there weren't metahumans, though it still would have been extremely difficult and risky. There would be no room for mistakes, one wrong move would cost her life.

Even if she was still in her prime, she would've been grateful to have someone to fight beside her, especially a metahuman like Spider-Man.

In fact if the Joker never did what he did, took from her a part of herself, she wouldn't have been so harsh on the rookie hero and their newly formed partnership would've been stronger, even the Joker's power house twins wouldn't have been a problem had they been more co-ordinated.

Right now though, she was only a shadow of her former self and it was all his fault. She looked at the skinny man in the purple suit, his sick laughter echoing in her mind as the thundering pump of her rage filled heart sent molten blood coursing through her veins...

Even if he was super-powered, Spider-Man was out of his league against the Joker's meta-human twins (or so she thought), and she needed to save him before he was killed. It was her turn to level the playing field.

'CRASH' Splinters of wood exploded into the air as Peter's body collided with the wooden crates that were standing behind him just moments ago. His chest was violently aching as his bruised ribs were screaming at him. His back was also treated to some minor punishment as it destroyed the crates he was now laying atop. The contents which appeared, and felt, to be metal machinery parts, were now either destroyed or bent beyond repair.

'As far as first nights in new universes go… I've had better' He thought to himself as he shot out a web line to the wall opposite, pulled himself out of his make-shift bed of wood and metal, and launched his body directly towards the assailant who'd sent him there. He readied his fist for a punch and as he shot through the air, he was ready to strike with a blow that would give his enemy a taste of the pain he'd just felt.

As Spider-Man was readying for his attack, Batgirl shot out two wires from her stun gun which connected to the back of the goon who'd just sent him flying. A powerful current of electricity ran from her gun into the goon, causing him to tense and let out a cry of pain and frustration. Spider-Man's target was now standing, tense and spasming. Batgirl had just given him the perfect opening, one he didn't ask for but appreciated greatly as it tackled the brother's inhuman speed and made him easy prey.

"Okay, that was rude." He called out as he shot like a bullet through the air. He co*cked his arm back and delivered a swift, hard punch to the brother's face, causing the brute to stumble slightly as he let out a grunt of pain.

"I said, I-" Spider-Man spoke as he delivered another strong punch to the goons stomach, "Liked." He continued as a second punch was delivered to the goons jaw, "The names!" He finished his sentence as he shot a webline passed the goon whose back was now to the crushed crates and machinery components.

The line attached to a large and heavy piece of machinery, Spider-Man pulled with both hands, sending the large metal object into the back of the head of the thug. Causing him to yell and drop to one knee.

"I'll handle the twins. You wanna' take skinny and freaky over there?" Spider-Man said as he pointed a thumb to a rather aggravated looking Joker.

Batgirl let out a sigh of relief, she knew Spider-Man was strong, but after the hit he took, and the subsequent uncomfortable landing.

She was hoping he would only be out of commission for a few minutes. But she was terrified that he may be out permanently, that would be a level of failure she would never be able to live with.

Seeing Spider-Man get up almost immediately and returning to the fight completely unphased and without so much as a scratch on him, gave Batgirl a sense of immeasurable relief. She was overcome by a renewed sense of determination and focus. She smiled and nodded at Spider-Man before turning to the Joker, her smile instantly leaving her face as anger punctuated every detail part of her expression.

As Batgirl charged at the Joker, the second of the twins, seemingly rather annoyed by the assault on his brother, moved at superhuman speed and attempted to grab Spider-Man.

Now aware of the goon's speed, Spider-Man was expecting a sudden attack, he responded as his Spider-Sense rang through his head and leapt over the thug's arms, delivering a quick kick to his jaw. After this he used his web shooters to pull himself to the side as he was mid-air, allowing him to land safely to the side of the goon, just out of reach of big brute's arms.

This event, as swift as it was, lasted just long enough to allow the first of the twins to catch his breath, rub the back of his head and bring himself back to his feet. He turned to face Spider-Man who was now standing in a fighting stance between the twins.

"Right. Before we start, which of you is Colin and which is Bubbles?" Spider-Man asked, to no reply. Instead they both let out a yell of frustration and charged the hero.

Batgirl and Joker had now reached each other by this point and were swapping blows, exchanging looks between counter, parries and dodges. The Joker never losing his sick grin, while the hero's look was one of fiery determination.

The Joker was a gifted fighter, he was quick and knew just how to make his opponent hurt. Batgirl however was faster, and focused her hits on an efficient take down.

Unfortunately, the Joker was also used to this, he fought Batman semi-regularly and knew how to counter the Batfamily's styles, he was unpredictable and was always on the attack.

This style was what was preventing Batgirl from getting an opening to hit back effectively. She knew she was going to win, she was determined to, but it was going to be a challenge.

However, her focus was strong and she had foregone her anger for the moment. Now her mind was fixed on the fight, constantly working to find and seize the opportunity to gain the upper hand.

The opening came sooner than expected, most likely due to Joker's earlier discombobulation at the hands of Spider-Man. The Joker had just swung his knife directly at Batgirl's face, which she easily blocked with her tonfa. In the brief moment the two connected, the Joker's guard was down, allowing Batgirl to deliver a swift chop to the Joker's arm, forcing him to drop the knife in pain.

As he was distracted by this, her focus slipped momentarily and she couldn't help but deliver a childish, yet strong, kick to his shin, the result of her rage slipping through.

It served no real tactical purpose other than causing the Joker some pain, but the opportunity was too good for the darker side of Batgirl to ignore.

Although it was subdued, at least mildly, as she could have just as easily gone for a more delicate area of the Joker's anatomy. But even in this state, that would be too crass and beneath her, even when overcome with rage. She was better than that.

Continuing her assault, she smacked the Joker in the face with her tonfa causing him to stagger back. As he stumbled, he turned again to face her, yet another knife in his hand.

"Seriously! Where do you keep those things?" She replied, throwing several Batarangs as she spoke.

The Joker deflected the question, as well as each of the Batarangs deftly with his knife, as he darkly chuckled back a reply, "Heheh… I can't wait to carve you up and spread you all over Gotham…"

Spider-Man meanwhile had managed to encase one of the twins, who he had decided to name 'Bublin' (seeing as they refused to give him their actual names), in webbing. The result of a trio of web bombs being fired onto the goon's chest. 'Bublin' was writhing in annoyance at the restriction, causing him to lose his balance and topple to the ground clumsily.

The second twin, whom he had named 'Cobbles', was now throwing powerful yet sloppy punches at Spider-Man left, right and centre. The speed of the attacks put Peter in a tricky spot, although he was able to avoid the blows. That was all, except the last one.

The final blow came from Cobble's clutched fists, which connected with Spider-Man's chest just as he attempted to leap over the goon.

The force of the hit sent Spider-Man flying directly upwards with considerable speed, and directly into the ceiling. The force wasn't enough to send the hero through the metal roof, but his body left a sizeable dent as he bounced back down and onto the gangway above the rest of the warehouse's occupants.

"Ow." Spider-Man groaned. It hurt after all, however it was nothing compared to the beatings he'd received from Rhino.

Peter theorised if there was only one of these goons he would already have them gift wrapped and dangling from the ceiling for the GCPD to collect. As it stood, their speed was proving to be troublesome. Especially when paired with the fact that collectively they possessed double the amount of limbs as the Rhino.

Capitalising on the momentary dispatch of the hero, 'Cobbles' was able to tear off the webbing and free his twin, 'Bublin'.

'Cobbles' then leapt up onto the gangway in a single bound, the weight of the goon and force of his landing causing the metal platform to shudder from the impact.

He was shortly followed by his twin, who was able to remove the last remnants of webbing from his chest, before promptly pulling himself to his feet and leaping after his brother, causing the gangway to shake once more.

Spider-Man had also been able to pull himself up in this time and was crouching on the railing of the gangway, staring at the two enemies facing him. The duo cracked their knuckles and snarled at him, their expressions, along with the rest of their faces he supposed, were identical. Even for twins, their synchronicity was unnerving.

The one dubbed 'Cobbles' spoke, "We're gonna' squash ya nice and good, bug…"

Spider-Man rolled his eyes before answering, "Does NOBODY know biology? Spiders are arachnids!" webbing 'Cobbles' eyes and leaping off the railings as he spoke.

He planted his left foot on the blinded goon's face who stumbled backwards into his brother who also received a foot to the face, this one being Spider-Man's right.

Using the twins as stepping stones he hopped gently off their faces, into a backwards somersault and back onto the gangway. Point lauching himself upwards off the platform and onto the ceiling, narrowly avoiding 'Bublin's' arms as he tried to grapple the hero.

Turning himself around on the ceiling so he was facing the goons, "Although... I guess 'Arachnid' is a hard to say if your only capable of saying one syllable words…" Spider-Man jabbed at the pair below him.

"Heh. Learn to count. Gonna' is two syb… Sylbib… Syllall… Word-sounds, jackass." 'Bublin' responded, the anger in his voice overshadowed by smugness.

'Damn! I hoped he was too stupid to notice…' Spider-Man thought to himself before replying, "Ah. You're right, I apologise. Although, technically it's three, as it's a contraction of 'going to'. But, that just makes it more confusing... And harder to count. I guess I understand why you confused eight legs for six…"

"What legs? We're talkin' 'bout words, ain't we?" 'Bublin' replied again, instinctively.

"SHUT UP! You're such a dumbass, Colin. He's talking about the… Ah forget it." The other twin, formerly named 'Cobbles', now confirmed to be Bubbles, responded. He had freed his face of the webbing and now turned to Spider-Man, "You! Stop confusin' my brother…"

"I assure you, it wasn't on purpose…" Spider-Man replied truthfully.

Meanwhile, Batgirl had just managed to wrestle the third knife from the Joker's grip. It clattered to the floor as she elbowed him in the ribs. She felt a crack, informing her the blow was effective and powerful enough to provide an exploitable weakness.

The clown prince of crime to stumbled back a couple of steps and grunted in response, before he stood back up. Between laboured breaths, he spoke, "You know… This reminds me of a Joke… This guy walks into a bar… And the bartend- Guh!"

His joke was cut off by Batgirl immediately rushing the villain and swinging one of her tonfas into his wounded ribcage. The Joker, as a result of the blow, expelled all of his breath and keeled over by reflex.

While he was bent down, Batgirl delivered her knee into his nose, causing it to break, for what seemed like the hundredth time this year. Blood spurted from his face as he arched his body backwards in response to the hit, only to find his legs swept out from under him by Batgirl's.

He now lay on his back yet again, groggy but conscious enough to spit out another sentence, "Party pooper…" He replied through cracked, yellow and blood-stained teeth.

This was met by a punch to the jaw by Batgirl, who was now kneeling over the incapacitated Joker. He closed his eyes and lay still for a moment before turning back towards the hero and softly chuckling.

Batgirl punched him again. And then she punched again, and then again, and again. The Joker's sick laughter however wasn't stopping, in fact it seemed to be getting harsher, as if he was finding it funnier with every strike.

Batgirl's focus was gone, evacuated by the Joker's sick laughter. Her rage, which had been aggressively bubbling throughout their encounter, had taken her. Red mist clouded her sight as her blood boiled.

She was no longer Batgirl, no longer Oracle and she was no longer Barbara Gordon. Right now she was just a vessel for a deep brewing anger beyond her conscious control.

Revenge wasn't something Barbara had ever wanted, until tonight. Until she had put the cowl back on and felt the power of it once more, Batgirl wasn't a hero for the people of Gotham... No, it was how she could get back and the man who hurt her, without letting him have the satisfaction of knowing he was the one who made Barbara Gordon snap so much she killed him.

But that wasn't true. And deep down she knew that. Her conscience was screaming at her trying to get her to control herself, that he wasn't worth becoming a killer for.

No matter what her mind was trying to communicate to her however, her body didn't want to listen. And so it didn't, it was only listening and responding to Joker's laughter. She needed it to stop. She needed to make sure she never heard it again. And so, she continued to punch him and he continued to laugh. She would keep hitting, keep going until he wasn't laughing anymore. Until even the Joker couldn't see the funny side.

She was blind to her surroundings, she saw only his face. His sick, twisted face. She heard only his laughter and her own strikes. She felt only rage. She was oblivious to the, rather loud, encounter between the superhumans above her…

Moments before Batgirl lost her focus, Spider-Man still clung to the roof as he was engaged in a verbal encounter with his assailants, "Gotta' say, I wasn't expecting the smart one to be called 'Bubbles'. Guess I have some biases I need to work on…"

Colin responded, "Hey! Who says he's da' smart one? I'm plenty clever…"

"I'm sure you are, buddy. Just remember, Spider equals arachnid."

"You know what? I will... Wait, what da' hell's an 'anakrid'?"

Bubbles seemingly growing impatient at the exchange, slapped his brother, "Shut up! He's mocking you!"

"Hey 'dat hurt! Wait.. He is?" Colin looked up to Spider-Man, seemingly rather hurt by this discovery. Spider-Man simply shrugged in return.

"And You!" Bubbles continued, now pointing at Spider-Man, "Come down here and fight like a man!"

"I don't suppose I could convince either of you to come up here and fight like a spider?" Spider-Man responded. 'Jeez Pete. I know its another universe, but still… You need to get some new material…'

"Okay!" Colin replied before he leapt at the hero, fists clenched.

Not expecting a response, Spider-Man was taken aback by the sudden attack. However, he somersaulted out of the way of the assault. Just in time to see the goon punch a hole right through the ceiling and continue his ascent upwards into the night air.

Spider-Man looked to Bubbles for a beat after he landed back on the railing. He offered another shrug before following the other twin through the hole he created.

As he landed gracefully on the roof, he looked up and saw Colin, who had now lost his upward momentum and was descending through the air.

Colin was about to scream as he fell before he spotted the hero, 'Heh. I've got ya now, bug!' he thought to himself as he clenched his fists and raised his arms above his head. Preparing to crush Spider-Man as he landed.

Spider-Man responded by simply firing two impact webs, one at Colin's arms webbing them together, and another at Colin's head. The second impact web covered the goons face in the breathable webbing, and the force of the impact was enough to cause the twin to recoil his head, throwing off his balance and changing his downward trajectory.

Spider-Man then decided to attach a webline to the falling criminal and pulled down as he jumped upwards, using Colin's weight to propel himself high into the air as the thug's descent was quickened.

Shooting upwards and passed Colin, who was descending rapidly and screaming, Spider-Man decided to go with a familiar attack.

Twisting in the air so he was facing the falling thug, he shot out two weblines onto the roof either side of Colin. He then pulled himself downwards and landed on the twin's chest with his feet. Continuing to pull, Spider-Man sent them both hurtling down towards the roof.

Commissioner Gordon, as well as many of the other GCPD officers who were arming themselves, was distracted from his preparations to breach the warehouse by the sound of a crash. Looking over to the warehouse he saw as a large figure dressed as a clown launched through the air before falling back down, seemingly preparing to attack someone.

Just then his trajectory changed and a red and blue figure shot upwards after the criminal before landing on the thug and seemingly launching them both downwards. The commissioner was intrigued by Spider-Man before, but now he was downright impressed. The kid surely knew how to put on a show.

Pulling himself away from the sight, he grabbed a shotgun from the patrol car ahead of him and fastened his bullet-proof vest before yelling, "Everyone! After me! We're going in!"

By this point, bubbles had also jumped through the hole his brother had created and landed on the roof. He looked to either side of him and saw two weblines, still taut. He looked up just in time to see the figure of his twin rocketing towards him, Spider-Man standing on top of his chest clutching at the two lines of webbing.

Realisation set in a second too late, "sh*t!" was all he managed to say before the bodies crashed into him. He was knocked down and sent through the roof, creating a second, much larger, hole in the ceiling.

Spider-Man leapt off Colin's chest as the three of them violently re-entered the warehouse. He shot out a slew of webs at the twins, trapping them together as they fell. Now a bundle of web muffled cries, the brothers were rapidly nearing the concrete floor. Accepting their fate they both closed their eyes, ready to embrace their deaths.

Except, they didn't die. In fact it felt as if they were bouncing and swaying in the air. Looking up, they saw Spider-Man, still on the ceiling waving to them. He had attached a webline to the duo and fastened it to the ceiling before they had hit the ground, saving their lives.

Instead of lying as a mess of crumpled bodies on the floor, they dangled. Webbed together and upside down. Spider-Man dropped from the roof and onto the ground floor beside where they hung.

"Well fellas, it's been great… Tell your parents if I ever have any little spiders running around, I'm going them for baby names, and err… Oh yeah! Sweet dreams…" He said before he delivered a punch into the face of Colin who was snarling at him, knocking his head into his brother, sending them both unconscious.

Still in a trance, still seeing red and still punching the Joker's ever laughing mouth, Batgirl was oblivious to Spider-Man's display only a few feet away from her. The world around her ceased to be and her arm wouldn't stop moving. The voice in her head urging her to stop was deafening, but her body still wouldn't listen.

Suddenly her arm was restrained, she tried to move it with all of her strength but it wouldn't budge. She snapped her head to her arm and saw Spider-Man crouching next to her, his hand on her clenched fist.

The world around her began to seep back into vision, the Joker's laugh had seemed to stop, she realised it had stopped a while ago, yet she was so consumed by rage that she couldn't help but hear it as she continued beating him.

She froze as her eyes widened, realisation dawning on her as she looked to the Joker's unconscious form and felt numb.

The satisfaction of revenge was gone, as if it never existed in the first place, it was over shadowed by disgust at her own lack of control. She looked back to Spider-Man, his hand still on her own as she kept the tension in her arm.

The moment was held between them, she could feel her eyes beginning to wet as she looked into the large white lenses of the other hero, her own faint reflection pitifully staring back at her.

If he hadn't have stopped her… She didn't want to know what would have happened, part of her felt she would never go as far as to become a killer. But another part of her knew the only thing that stopped her from continuing to pound the Joker into a puddle was Spider-Man's intervention.

"I think you got him…" Was all Spider-Man said as he broke the silence between them, his voice was kind and concern was clear in his tone.

Batgirl finally let her arm go slack and continued to stare at Spider-Man as he let go of her fist, stood up and then offered her his hand. She took it and absentmindedly pulled herself to her feet, subconsciously moving as far away from the Joker's sleeping form as she possible could in one movement. She was still in shock at what she had done, but even more so at what she could've done had Spider-Man not stopped her.

When the two were both stood, Spider-Man let go of her hand and his gaze was fixed on her, following her every movement. She had stopped staring at him and was now looking at the unconscious body of the Joker on the ground.

His face was a mess and blood soaked the floor around him, but he was breathing. And Batgirl felt something she never thought she would feel, she was actually relieved.

Spider-Man's voice drew her away from her thoughts, "You good?" He asked.

"… Umm. Y-Yeah. Thanks…" She replied as she whipped her head round to face him.

"Don't mention it… We've all be there, right?" He spoke before he truly thought about his words, but he nevertheless meant them.

"Have we? I mean I've never- I've never… If you weren't here I would've-"

Spider-Man stopped her before she went any further, "Don't think like that… It won't do you any good. Trust me… He's alive. We're alive. The hostages are alive." 'I hope...' "That's all that matters..."

He could see that she was mostly unmoved by his words, but he didn't blame her. She was clearly still in shock.

For the first time of the night he actually felt like the more experienced one between them. Obviously he had no real way of knowing who was more experienced between them, but being treated like a newbie certainly didn't make him feel like he'd been doing it as long as he actually had.

"Listen… I saw the hostages, what he did to them… This… Joker guy, he seems like a real piece of work. You snapped. That's all… We're only human. Don't let it eat you alive. He's not worth it."

"That's not it. I let it get personal… He-" She stopped herself before she said too much.

Spider-Man looked at her, "It's fine… You don't have to tell me. Just trust me when I say, I understand… Probably more than most..." His voice was tinged with darkness.

He looked at the Joker as he lay their in a puddle of his own blood, a crooked smile still somehow on his face. He felt sick just looking at the man. He thought about the hostages earlier and felt an anger rising within him, an anger he hadn't felt for a villain in a long time.

Staring at his form, he couldn't help but compare. Green and purple colour scheme, yellowish teeth and eyes, a sickeningly insane smile and a laugh that sends a chill down the spine.

Peter definitely understood why Batgirl snapped. The familiarity Peter felt was an uncomfortable one, it made him feel cold. As if he was looking at the Green Goblin through a hallway of mirrors.

He had no idea how long the Batfamily had been dealing with this man, but from the sounds of it, it was a while. After a time, dealing with someone like that, it starts to chip away at you. The constant battle with violent insanity.

The struggle to help the person behind the actions always getting harder and harder as the years go on. As the collateral damage begins to rise. As more and more innocent people begin to suffer. As the bodies begin to pile up. Pete truly understood how something like that can cause someone to snap, to forego their morals just for a moment, because it seems like there truly is no other way.

The internal battle to keep your morals, to not let the pain consume you becomes nearly impossible as they begin take away another art of you every time. Spider-Man didn't know what the Joker had done to Batgirl, but the way she was staring at him now, and the way she looked when she was beating him. It was clear he took away a part of her, just as Goblin had done to him. If the roles were reversed, he wasn't sure he'd do any different, in fact he was almost certain he'd be worse.

The pair were both pulled from their thoughts as groans could be heard throughout the warehouse and a handful of goons began to rise to their feet again.

"Seriously? You guys are more persistent than… Ugh I don't know! I'm getting too tired to come up with anymore witty quips. Sue me!" Spider-Man said as he looked to Batgirl, her sullen expression still practically unreadable, "Well… Ready for round two?" he asked her as he pulled himself into a fighting stance.

"Not really…" Batgirl replied, as she seemed to briefly escape the vortex of emotions she was currently trapped in, and looked at Spider-Man, "But let's get it over with anyway…" She said, and the ghost of a smile returned to her lips and she picked her tonfa up from the ground.

Before the fight began again, the garage door to warehouse began to open and several uniformed officers rushed in with their weapons drawn, led by Gordon.

"GCPD! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" Called out the familiar voice of the commissioner from behind a megaphone.

The thugs looked around the room at their unconscious allies, and saw their boss lying on the ground in a bloody mess. The fight was over, they had no way of escape. They complied with the order.

More officers began slowly filtering in and cuffing the goons around the warehouse. The commissioner approached the heroes, he looked at the unconscious body beside them. Now being cuffed by one of the, very nervous looking, uniformed officers as another carefully searched him and confiscated a variety of weapons.

The commissioner's face grew slightly dark as he reached the pair, "You two okay?" He said as he looked at both of them. Holding his gaze on Batgirl for a moment, her face beginning to blush as her eyes grew misty behind their lenses. It was clear he was asking more for Batgirls sake then Spider-Man's.

Barbara wanted nothing more than to hug her father right now, but she knew she couldn't. It was always slightly difficult separating her two identities when working with her father, and some nights were harder then others, this night it felt practically impossible.

Peter watched the two, he knew more than he should, he didn't want to reveal that. Not right now, but it was clear Batgirl was uncomfortable with their current situation.

Deciding to give the two of them some space, he spoke, "I think we're okay. But why don't you two discuss the details outside, I'm going to help the other officers get rid of the webbing…"

Gordon looked at Spider-Man with a fixed expression. He was unsure of what to make of the other hero, his displays earlier were impressive, but his candid attitude was weirdly calming. He could tell he was covering for Barbara, trying to give her space away from the scene. But still his attitude had a peculiarity about it, it was clearly for Batgirl's benefit, but why would he suggest both of them go outside, unless he knew something only a few others knew.

Gordon knew that all of the Batfamily knew each other's identity, and he was okay with that as long as they had each others back. Spider-Man was new, but if he had been given the okay from Batman, chances are he would know too. But Gordon didn't like that members he'd never even heard of already knew his daughter's identity. He would've at least appreciated a heads up from Batman.

Gordon cooled his suspicion as he looked towards Batgirl, she was clearly still in shock. Regardless of Spider-Man's reasons, it was what would be best. Besides he may not even know, Gordon may just be getting too lost in his own thoughts. After so many years on the force, it was hard to turn off his inner-detective.

Batgirl was momentarily snapped out of her trance by Spider-Man's words as she said, "Woah! No. That's not happening. You're under my supervision, remember. I can't just-"

"Hey, I was fine last time, wasn't I? Besides, we're in an enclosed space surrounded by GCPD officers, where could I possible go?"

Batgirl was going to argue but was stopped by the commissioner, "He's right Batgirl I'd rather here the report from you... Uh, no offense.

"None taken." Spider-Man replied.

The commissioner continued as he surveyed the warehouse, "Besides the officers seem to be struggling with that… Webbing… Stuff. I'm sure they'd appreciate a hand…"

"See? Go on. I'll be fine…" Spider-Man said as he looked at Batgirl. All three of them knew why Spider-Man was doing what he was doing, but they all kept up the pretence anyway.

"…Alright, but don't take too long. Meet me back at the bike when you're done, We still have to report back to the Batcave as soon as possible… We've spent far too much time here as it is…" Batgirl replied before walking out of the warehouse with the commissioner.

Barbara wanted to get out of this place as quickly as they could. Both for her sake and Spider-Man's. In truth, the entire ordeal, including the debrief with Gordon, took less than ten minutes. However, it was double what it should've been had this been a simple hostage situation. And Batman was definitely not going to be happy with the delay.

Had the situation been as simple as Alfred advertised, Batman's annoyance would've been easier to deal with. But facing the Joker immediately after receiving explicit instructions to return to base, meant that all of them were in for a long lecture. Not to mention the fact that Batman was unsure about sending Barbara back in the field in the first place, she dreaded to think his reaction when he saw how she snapped at Joker.

Leaving the warehouse behind them, they made their way to the alley where Batgirl's bike was parked. Tense silence hung over them, the eyes of several GCPD officers on them as they walked through the parking lot. Batgirl stood tall and kept her posture, to the untrained eye she seemed as heroic and nonchalant as ever.

But her father was not untrained, he could see the difficulty she was having in keeping her composure, more than that he could feel the struggle behind her movements, she wanted to fall down right there and scream at the top of her lungs in frustration and pain. He saw the Joker's state, and the tension between them and his daughter's sullen expression told him Spider-Man wasn't the one who put him there.

The GCPD officers left the commissioner to go with Batgirl, they were used to the post vigilante debrief, and knew to allow him his space with the Batfamily. However it was unusual that Batgirl left a newbie behind unsupervised, when the new Robin first started Batman insisted he stayed by his, or whoever else was supervising's, side at all times. The older officers even remembering similar behaviour with the other Robins and Batgirl herself, not that they'd always listen.

Needless to say, they were then confused by Spider-Man's presence. However their confusion very quickly shifted to relief when they realised how ineffective they were at removing his webbing, something he seemed to be prepared for as he used a combination of a strange liquid and his super-strength to help the officers.

They postponed their questions and instead got to work at apprehending the thugs as Spider-Man freed them from their web prisons. Still, he was definitely a curiosity, and had already become the subject of much discussion within the GCPD. Many of the present officers had heard over the radio about his involvement and assistance in taking down Black Mask's thugs, which only caused them more fascination when he then shortly showed his red and white face at their crime scene.

What was more fascinating, was his behaviour around them. He never stopped cracking jokes or making light-hearted small talk with both the officers and the thugs alike; Though his attitude with the latter was more taunting and childish.

It was an odd sensation for the officers, who were more attuned to Batman's brooding attitude. Although Batgirl, Nightwing and Red Robin were often more friendly and were even seen to offer the odd quip at times, Spider-Man's entirely personality and behaviour oozed levity.

Many of the officers reciprocated the hero's positive energy with their own, however a few of the more experienced officers kept their distance, not finding his behaviour appropriate to the situation.

Regardless of their thoughts on him, Spider-Man did his best to help them process the perps quicker. He had just finished 'freeing' the last of the thugs, who was encased in a web cocoon on the ceiling, and was now slowly lowering himself, thug in arms, down to the ground floor. He placed the unconscious, clown-themed goon down, who was then quickly cuffed and resuscitated before being read his rights.

Looking around the space and seeing what he thought to be a job well done, he decided he'd probably given Batgirl enough time and decided to head back to the bike. After waving his goodbyes to the officers, some of whom returning the signal, he exited the warehouse.

He took his time as he walked through the parking lot, after all he wasn't in any rush to intrude on Batgirl and her… father? Maybe? It didn't matter, regardless he didn't want to snoop any further. He passed by several uniform officers, most of whom looked at him with optimistic bemusem*nt save a few who fixed him with suspicious gazes.

He was used to that from cops though, a large chunk of the NYPD still didn't like him, but he was amazed how quickly, the majority of, the GCPD officers he encountered accepted him. One such officer smiled at him nervously as she escorted a disoriented and aggravated Joker to the back of a patrol car.

The Joker was semi-unconscious, searched, stripped of all items, cuffed and even shackled. But, Peter still saw the uneasiness in the officer's smile and knew the Joker was the reason why. He didn't blame her.

Despite only having a brief encounter with the villain, he could feel the chokehold this character had on the city. The faces of realisation he saw when he dropped off the hostages, the pure rage in Batgirl's eyes, even his own disgust at the man immediately communicated to Peter that this guy was one of, if not the most feared and despised criminal in Gotham.

Just before he was shoved down into the back of the car, the Joker regained some semblance of awareness and immediately, upon seeing Spider-Man, delivered a threat from behind a broken and bloody smile, "You made a big mistake Spider-Punk!".

"Actually, no. That's someone else… Easy mistake though, we dress kinda' similar, I just wish I could play guitar as well as him…." Peter replied, unfazed by the threat.

"Oh-ho-ho you have some good material… When I get out, I'm going to split your skull open and steal every last corny one-liner from that brain of yours. Euheheheu…" Joker's laugh grew from a sick chuckle to a twisted cackle, clearly distressing the officer attempting to hold him.

"Johannsen! He's awake, get the muzzle!" She yelled, in both frustration and growing anguish.

"No need…" Spider-Man replied as he webbed the villain's mouth shut, before approaching the man.

He helped the officer push the now riving and thrashing Joker into the vehicle, his pale, white face growing a shade of light pink as the rage made his cheeks go blush. Spider-Man webbed the Joker's hands in their cuffs for extra security before looking at the man as he flailed on the back seat of the car.

"Listen, Chuckles… if I had a nickel for every time a criminally insane mass murderer with a purple and green colour scheme threatened me… Well, I could probably afford to buy you a new suit and some hair dye." Spider-Man said to the man who was staring at him with angry and confused eyes, before he decided to web his upper body a few more times to be safe, effectively fashioning a straight jacket for the villain.

"Sorry about that, the webs will dissolve in about an hour but I think it's better for everyone if he's a bit more… restrained for now." Spider-Man then said to the officer as he closed the car door on the Joker.

"Sorry? You just saved Johannsen from the most terrifying job in the force." She replied as she co*cked her head to the thirty-something officer who was holding a muzzle and looking visibly relieved.

"Huh, you actually have a muzzle… I thought that was a joke…" Spider-Man replied.

"Oh trust me, no jokes around this clown. We've even called someone from the asylum to come help sedate him so he's easier to transport. Since, you know, normal drugs won't do the trick…" She said to the peculiar looking vigilante, unsure of why she was conversing with him so much. But she, and many of the other officers, felt more at ease with this newcomer than they were with most of the Batfamily for some reason. She continued, "But I guess we can tell them not to worry now…"

"Oh… Well, your welcome I guess. Anyway I should really get going…" Spider-Man said as he pointed over his shoulder to the parking lot exit, "I think Batgirl is probably waiting for me. Don't want to upset the new boss on the first day, you know?"

That was mostly true, but the main reason Peter wanted to extricate himself from the conversation was the fact he could, literally, feel the Joker's hate-filled eye's on the back of his head. The low hum of his Spider-Sense was ringing in a tone of constant anxiousness and paranoia. As much as Peter knew he wasn't in any real danger from the Joker, he still wanted to put as much distance between himself and the criminal as possible.

The officer simply smiled and nodded in response before again thanking him and waving him off as he walked away, Peter responding with his own over the shoulder wave as he wandered towards the alley.

Meanwhile, Barbara was in the midst of losing herself in her father's hug. The comfort and security of his arms alleviating her of all her stresses, if only for a brief moment. They stayed in their embrace for a while, revelling in that brief moment in time in which they only existed as father and daughter and all other responsibilities ceased to be. No GCPD, no Batgirl, not even Jim and Barbara Gordon.

Her cheeks were moist with reserved tears, the kind that never had time to fully form, the result of her holding back the inevitable breakdown that would entail had she let them go. Instead the salt water continued to grow, stinging her eyes as she walked with her father, the tears only being pushed out in miniscule droplets with each blink.

Even now as the commissioner held her in his arms and she clung on desperately, as if letting go would result in her death, the tears wouldn't properly flow. She'd stowed them for too long that now they refused to break the emotional dam she had built, her red, salt stung eyes and damp cheeks being the only indicator of their ever existing at all.

After a substantial amount of time had passed, Barbara prompted the end of the embrace as she wriggled her body in attempt to extricate herself from her father's arms, Jim held the grip for a moment longer before begrudgingly letting his daughter go. As the two separated they resumed their roles, albeit with less pretence, as the commissioner leant on the wall behind him, lighting another cigarette, Batgirl half sat on the seat of her bike.

A smoke-clad silence filled the air as the commissioner took another drag of his cigarette. He wasn't going to speak first, he knew to let her get to whatever she was thinking in her own time. If nothing was said, then so be it.

She watched him as he smoked, a habit which she normally despised, but in this moment she found peace in his simple ritual. Disassociating for a second, she watched as the grey smoke danced slowly in the wind as it rose, slowly losing its colour and form the higher it got. Part of her wished she could ride on that cloud of cigarette smoke, to weightlessly drift through the city without a destination or goal, to not have anything tying her to the ground.

But she was tied to the ground, the weight of her responsibilities kept her placed firmly on the floor, tethering her to reality.

She reflected as she watched the smoke dissipate in the air, approaching the fact that for one fleeting moment, this very night, she felt that weightlessness. A kind of weightlessness where thought and reason didn't matter, just feeling and response.

In that moment her desire for short term satisfaction outweighed the worry of long term consequences, and in that moment she nearly became a murderer.

"Any chance for a smoke?" Batgirl finally spoke, crippling the silence, but not killing it. A slight, broken smile forming on her shaking lips.

Jim looked her up and down, unsure of what thoughts were racing through his daughter's head. The wounded silence hanged there in the night, heavier than before, as if Batgirl's speaking had activated a timer for response from the commissioner. Or else the moment would be gone forever.

"Not a chance. These things'll kill ya, you know?" The commissioner responded through clouds of smoke, the lit cigarette still in his mouth. Eliciting a reserved chuckle from his daughter.

"I know… I wish you'd quit them." Batgirl spoke, Her smile slowly dropping as she looked to the floor, kicking a stray pebble near her foot. The pebble bounced across the alley, coming to a stop by her father's feet, causing the commissioner to pause as he looked to it.

"Heh… You and me both." Jim offered back before softly kicking the pebble back to his daughter as he took another drag of his cigarette, savouring the taste as he delivers another reply from behind a cloud of smoke, "You know… If we're talking about things that could kill us…"

"I'm not quitting Batgirl, dad..." Barbara responded, looking up from the floor and meeting her father's eyes for the first time since they left the warehouse.

Jim's gaze however, hadn't left his daughter's face since he saw the Joker's beaten form on the floor. He was constantly trying to read her, to figure out what she was thinking. To figure out the right words to say to help her. He'd clearly hit a nerve now, but with that he'd found an opening for discussion, a focal point she can talk around without having to feel pressured.

Softly smiling, he continued, "I know. I don't think I'd even want you to, I'm proud of the hero you've become and I know this is what you want… But is this what you need right now? Do you think that maybe you got back into the game too early?"

"I– I snapped. That's all! I just… That stupid f*cking smile…" Barbara's fists turned into white knuckled balls under her gloves as she gripped the leather of her bike seat.

"Language." Jim knee jerked a response, looking at his daughter and smiling with soft regret, "Sorry. Force of habit…"

Barbara let out a snort before looking back to floor, placing the pebble under the toe of her boot and pushing it around the floor in small circles. She felt each groove of her boot interacting uniquely with each groove of the pebble, each dent on the floor shifting the path of the rock depending on which angle it was approached from. She let her mind go blank as she guided the imperfect ball across the damaged and chipped ground with the grip of her shoe and focused entirely on the sensation below her.

Observing that his daughter was disassociating again, and that progress would be slow if he let his daughter control the flow of discussion, Jim felt he should gently nudge the conversation towards the green-haired elephant in the alley, "Nobody in the GCPD thinks badly of you for going hard on the clown, you know… Many of them would easily put a bullet in his head and be done with it. Hell, even Batman's put the Joker in worse states…"

"It's not the damage done that's the problem, dad." Batgirl responded, slowly rolling her foot off the pebble and back to floor, "It was my lack of control. I just wasn't expecting to see him so soon and I couldn't take it… Part of me was trying to kill him. I could feel it and I couldn't stop it… If Spider-Man hadn't been there… "

"But he was, Babs… The Joker's alive. You're not a killer."

"But I would've been."

"But you're not."

"Dad! Please just…"

"No!" His voice was raised slightly.

"What?" Barbara snapped her head up as she spoke, meeting her father's gaze, confusion and desperation evident in her tone.

"Just… Trust me, in this line of work the more you focus on the 'what ifs', the quicker you'll burn out, and I'm not just going to stand here and watch you eat yourself alive over something that could have happened. That can be Batman's job, my job is to make sure you're okay…"

"That's what Spider-Man said…"

"Well, he sounds like a smart kid… You should listen to him…"

Batgirl opened her mouth to respond, before stopping herself, not knowing what words to say. Her eyes grew moist again before she stood up and hugged her father once more.

Slightly taken aback by the sudden assault of affection, Gordon did his best to avoid spilling cigarette ash onto his daughter's costume as he attempted to hug back.

A moment passed before Gordon spoke again, still holding on to his daughter, "So… Do you want to talk about it? You know, what happened in there?"

Batgirl finally released her grip on her father and took a step back so she was once again leaning on her bike, "Not really… At least not right now. But when I'm ready… I promise."

"Alright then, as long as that's what you want. I won't force you…"

"I know, Dad. I just… need a bit of time to think. Actually think, not just focus on the 'what ifs', you know?".

Jim just simply smiled gently to his daughter, before stubbing out his cigarette and flicking the butt into the dark of the alley.

"I understand, pumpkin. It looks like that's all we have time for anyway…" Gordon added as he nodded his head passed Batgirl, who in turn turned her head to see the red and blue figure of Spider-Man approaching them from the adjacent street.

"It's a shame, though. I actually wanted to learn more about that colourful new friend of yours..." Gordon added as he walked passed his daughter. Putting his hand on her shoulder as he added, loud enough for Spider-Man to hear, "Thank you for the help Batgirl, I'll make sure to add your statement to my report."

Batgirl simply rolled her eyes as another smile crept on to her face, nodding to her father. Gordon returned the greeting with his own comforting smile before continuing down the road.

As Spider-Man walked towards the alley, he saw the commissioner approaching him, his hand outstretched inviting the costumed hero to shake it. The two men stopped as their paths crossed, and the commissioner spoke as Spider-Man grabbed his had and shook it, "Nice to meet you, Spider-Man. Thanks for all your help tonight."

"Oh err, you too commissioner. It was nothing really…" Peter responded as he returned the handshake, trying to exude an air of confidence which was betrayed by his vacant hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"I disagree. Both Johnathan Heeley and his son were able to reach the ICU in time and are in stable conditions thanks to your efforts, a minute later and they would be dead. Two people are alive because of you, and that is never 'nothing'."

The commissioner's words were a welcome surprise to Peter, causing him to reply, "Oh wow. That's great, glad they were able to make it in time... Thank you commissioner. Your words means a lot more to me than you realise."

Although Spider-Man had positive working relationships with both Captains Stacy and Wantanabe, there was still a time the former wished for him behind bars before they were able to establish trust between them. And as for the latter, although Peter is certain Yuri definitely tolerates him, he still feels as if they are a far cry away from truly being partners. However, after less than half an hour after meeting him, commissioner Gordon had already communicated, not only tolerance, but true respect and appreciation for his actions as Spider-Man.

"I was only telling the truth…" The commissioner responded with an honest smile, before adding, "But, you can stop shaking my hand now…"

"Right, right… Sorry." Peter replied, flustered as he let go of the commissioners hand.

Gordon simply chuckled as he continued walking, speaking one last sentence as he wandered down the street, "Looking forward to working with you again, Spider-Man…"

"Yeah, you too…" Peter replied, omitting the fact that he'd much rather go home before he had the chance.

Peter carried on down the street until he reached the alley. Batgirl promptly stood up from her bike and looked at him with a soft smile on her face. One of regret and kindness.

"Hey… I umm wanted to say thank you… And sorry." She stated.

'What is going on here? I've never received so much praise in one night before, and I've only been here like half an hour…' Peter thought to himself. That wasn't strictly true, but it sometimes felt that way thanks to Triple J's efforts back home. He watched Batgirl shuffle slightly on her feet as her face grew slightly flush from embarrassment.

"You're welcome. But there's no need to apologise really…" He responded calmy.

"Yes. Yes there is."

"Look it-" Peter's reply was cut off by Batgirl interrupting him.

"No. Stop talking… Err sorry. But please, can you just let me say what I have to say?"

Spider-Man simply nodded while pretending to zip his masked mouth shut, Batgirl smiled back before she continued, "I ah- I've been going through a lot lately and it was unfair of me to take it out on you… And yet, despite me treating you like sh*t, you never once tried to escape. Despite the fact we both know you could have… And then, you save me from doing something I would've regretted... So yes, there is a need to apologise. I think I made a bad first impression, so if you will let me… I'd like to start over." She said as she too offered her hand to Spider-Man.

'Wow. These Gordon's love their handshakes… Then again it is a very common greeting, I guess. Ugh god. I. Want. To. Go. Home.' Ignoring both the ramblings of his cross-dimension addled brain and the newfound aches and pains of his now resting body, he too put his hand out and shook Batgirl's.

"Batgirl, nice to meet you…" Batgirl stated, this time with a smile, though their was still sadness and stress evident on her face.

"Spider-Man, nice to meet you, Batgirl." He said as the pair held each others grip and shook their hands together before parting.

"Well, now that we've officially met… Are you ready to meet my boss? Unfortunately, I still can't give you the choice to refuse… But I mean if you were to run away, I wouldn't be able to stop you…"

"Ha. No, I'm ready. In fact, I think I need to meet him. He sounds important… No offense to you, obviously."

"None taken… You're right. He is kind of… Important." Batgirl was still confused by the hero's choice of words, and starting to consider the possibilities of his origin, with theories such as time and/or dimensional travel being at the forefront of her hypotheses.

One thing she was certain of though, he was definitely not the rookie she thought he was. His experience in this game had slowly crept through in the way he fought and how he talked throughout the night. Batgirl would have to be blind not to notice, but she was maybe slower on the realisation than she would be normally.

"Great! Well shall I drive or you?" Spider-Man replied.

Batgirl simply chuckled politely in response before turning round, ready to mount her bike, "Get on... Let's go."

"Actually, Wait!" Spider-Man stopped her with his sudden outburst to which she paused and looked at him confused, "If we're starting over… I should also be honest with you…"

"It's fine, we can go over it all at the Batcave…" She replied.

"No. It's something I need to tell you specifically…"

She looked at him inquisitively, before slowly nodding for him to proceed.

"I ermm… I kind of overheard something I shouldn't…" By now Batgirl's face was returning to her earlier expression of annoyance, "… Not on purpose! I swear. I kinda' have slightly enhanced hearing and sometimes I forget to shut it off…"

"What. Did. You. Hear?" Batgirl said, stressing each word and communicating the importance of his answer to her question. Her main concern was him eavesdropping on her conversation with her father, not just due to security concerns, but also because it was a private and personal between them and not one for outside ears. Not even Bruce would be able to watch that moment and she made sure to cut all comms during the conversation.

"Nothing much… Just a snooty British dude talking in your ear. Said something about a guy named Bruce and changing 'nappies', which I'm pretty sure is fish and chip language for diaper…" Spider-Man was speaking very fast at this point while he was trying to explain himself, Batgirl's expression however, had not changed once during the entire monologue, "And… He also called you 'Miss Gordon'… And I don't want to assume anything here… But the commissioner is also called Gordon, so…"

Batgirl held her harsh expression for a second longer before sighing and shaking her head, "Great… Okay well its not like you can unlearn anything you overheard. But yes, I am the commissioner's daughter. I assume that's what you were thinking?" Spider-Man simply nodded in response, "Hmm, well… As someone who also wears a mask, I'm sure you understand the importance of keeping that fact a secret?"

Spider-Man simply nodded again in response, not wanting to say anything that may cause Batgirl to backtrack the good grace she'd just started showing him.

"…As for the Batman thing… It might be better to play that one close to your chest for now. It's rare for someone to meet with Batman knowing more about him than he does about them… So I wouldn't start with that. Well, unless you want to piss him off straight away."

"I'd rather not, you know, given the choice" Spider-Man replied.

"Smart decision." She responded with a smile before sitting on her bike seat, "Anyway, if that's it, we should get going…"

"Uh… Yeah I guess it is. Are you not annoyed, like at all?"

"I guess. But there's nothing we can do about it now… I mean I also nearly killed someo-"

"I don't think you would have, for the record."

A grim smile spread across her face, one that showed she disagreed with Spider-Man's assessment, but appreciated it nonetheless, "Umm thanks… Either way. You accidentally… It was accidental, right? You're not lying to me?"

Spider-Man again nodded, before replying "Kind of… I was listening in, only because I thought it might be something about me… I wasn't trying to snoop on you or your team…"

"Well, although that was stupid of you… I can't really blame you, I didn't really give you much of a choice. And as I was saying, you accidentally learning something you shouldn't have isn't worth getting angry at now. Especially when considering everything else that has happened tonight… Besides, I was just saying we should start over. It'd be hypocritical of me to then immediately get pissed at the first moment you're honest with me… Now, with that out of the way, can you get on the bike? We're running late as it is…"

"Huh. Not the reaction I was expecting… Yeah, let's get going… How far away is this place by the way? Do I have time for a nap? My mind is all over the place right now." Spider-Man said as he too mounted the bike, behind Batgirl.

She softly chuckled at his reply as she started the bike, before responding, "Sorry, but it's not far at all, so that pretty little head of yours won't be resting just yet."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"You want me to be mean again?"

"Shutting up now…"

The crackle of the bike's exhaust rang down the alley as the pair began speeding their way to the Batcave. Peter feeling slightly better about his situation than he had before. Although, this place wasn't his home and he wanted more than ever to get back, he would be lying if he said he didn't feel as if the majority of his interactions had been mostly positive, clown themed supervillains notwithstanding.

Batgirl for her part was more conflicted than ever. The guilt she felt for her treatment of Spider-Man had actually increased after she apologised, his reaction letting her know he hadn't even noticed or held the slightest grudge, making her feel even worse.

But that was overshadowed by the dark thoughts of her fists continually smashing into the Joker's face, the enjoyment she felt in it, and the hatred she felt towards herself. The question she kept asking herself was: 'Am I really ready to be Batgirl again?'

Whatever the answer to that question, she knows that Spider-Man saved both Batgirl and Barbara Gordon from becoming killers tonight, and for that she would forever be grateful.

Chapter 6: Masks Off

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

DC Universe – Specification Unknown –

Gotham City

Batcave

A shadow loomed over the Bat-Computer as the figure sat in front of it constantly glanced between several recordings of the night's events, two live feeds and a series of news reports of current global events.

The recordings mostly comprised of the figure's own prior revelations and activities as they tangled with the Riddler's newest deadly puzzle, each clip providing an extra clue to the bat themed hero as they neared a solution to the riddle.

The lenses of Red Robin and Robin were what provided the hero at the computer the live streams they were also checking. Red Robin was currently on a recon mission, alongside Spoiler and Orphan, as they tailed and kept tabs on several individuals with supposed ties to the league of shadows, the feed a precaution in case anything went awry.

Robin was with Nightwing as the stream showed the pair engaging in an firefight with Blockbuster and his men. At the moment, it appeared that the two had the situation under control and that backup would not be needed just yet. The figure in the chair hoped it would remain that way but kept checking the feed ever few seconds nonetheless, Gotham was a city that revelled in ensuring each night had its own challenges for the watchful guardian and his allies, his family.

Batman was currently reviewing each piece of information on the computer screen as they developed. Hoping that the night would be free from any more surprises.

Surprises such as the sudden appearance of a hero in red and blue, whose acrobatic and unique fighting style intrigued all those who witnessed him in action. His unprompted arrival enough to leave even Bruce Wayne perplexed.

He was in the middle of his fourth rewatch of the footage Batgirl had shared with him, each time he watched the clip anew, further details revealed themself.

The initial thought that marched through Batman's mind, in regard to the stranger's origin, was that he was a young rookie trying to make a name for himself. Relying on a mix of his new found meta-abilities and crude, potentially stolen, technology.

However, upon closer inspection, Bruce had diverged from that theory. The precision of the stranger's movements and the efficiency with which he was able to dispatch enemies was impressive, too impressive for a rookie.

Although, it was entirely possible that the stranger mostly relied on his meta-abilities. Most notably the stranger seemed to rely on some kind of precognition, which allowed him to make flawless evasive manoeuvres, even against unseen opponents. However, even if the stranger was simply trusting in his powers, it still wouldn't explain the uncanny fluidity and competence of his every move.

It appeared as if they had been performed a hundred times over, like they were practiced and nearly perfected behaviours. There was a mix of styles and techniques that were each adeptly performed, all seemingly adapted to better suit the stranger's superhuman abilities. It was as if the hero had somehow developed his own form of martial arts to work in conjunction with his powers.

The hints were subtle though, hidden behind a scrappy and improvised exterior. Most people would be forgiven for assuming the stranger was a newbie meta-human trying his hand at being a superhero with newfound powers, especially when considering the wider context. Batman was not most people, this stranger had a story to tell, and Bruce would make sure that he would tell it.

Batgirl's comms showed her advancing approach on the map, they were drawing nearer. She had been unreachable for a short spell and Bruce was seconds away from heading to her last known location to check that she was okay. However, he stopped himself after receiving confirmation from both Alfred and Barbara that she was okay and that she and 'Spider-Man' were headed over to the Batcave. At this point, Bruce was finished with his own lead and with that he too sped back to the base.

Arriving at the Batcave before Batgirl and Spider-Man, Bruce had only been sat at the computer for a few minutes, relieving Alfred of the duty. To which the older man responded, "Of course, Sir. I will put the kettle on for our guest… Do try to be nice…"

Bruce's concern however, had shifted slightly away from the stranger after Batgirl re-established contact for a second time, stopping Alfred's exit as he paused to listen. Not telling either Bruce or Alfred what had actually happened, she instead just stated to them that she they were drawing nearer and they would be arriving soon.

Both the Dark Knight and his butler could tell from the tone of Batgirl's voice that something had upset her deeply, and that it may have been a mistake on Alfred's part to have given her the intel. To which the two men shared a look, Alfred's expression was one of contemplative regret.

Nearly every single one of the Batfamily, save Barbara herself, was wary about her going back in to the field so soon after recovery. Yet, she insisted she was fine, and at the end of the day, she was an adult and capable of making that decision herself. Even if Batman himself strongly disagreed with the idea.

Regardless, Bruce simply nodded kindly to his guardian to which the older man began ascending the stairs out of the Batcave. Both men knew that Alfred was part of a very select group of people that Bruce was unable to scold, even if the older man went against Batman's explicit instructions.

As such, he elected not to question his butler on why he had given Batgirl and Spider-Man a mission despite going against his wishes. Besides, if the older man's expression at Batgirls second communication was anything to go by, he felt bad enough about what may have happened to Barbara as a result of his suggestion.

As Bruce was considering all this, rethinking on the events just gone, he refocused his attention to Spider-Man. At first, Bruce was cautious of him and even assumed he may have been the cause of Barbara's distress, an idea she quickly dismissed, albeit very awkwardly, perhaps due to him listening in.

But now, Bruce was actually considering Spider-Man a prospective solution to Barbara's problems, not only would he give answers of his own origin and motivations, but he was also a second witness to the events in the warehouse.

By now, Batman was wholly aware of the Joker's escape and how he had been the one who staged the warehouse kidnapping, using one of his goons' identities as a scapegoat for the crime. As such, both he and Alfred were able to deduce what may have triggered Barbara's sour mood.

However, due to the jammer, there remained the mystery of the specific ongoings inside the warehouse, the ins and outs of the scenario: How Batgirl handled the situation, whether or not she was able to keep her cool and if she wasn't, whether she would lose focus in similar situations in the future.

Then there was the question of what Spider-Man was up to and whether it hinted to him being a potential liability, or worse, a threat. But finally and most importantly, the question plaguing both Bruce and Alfred the most, was Batgirl okay? There were too many unknown variables for Bruce's liking and he was going to ensure they became known as soon as possible.

As soon as possible became even sooner as Bruce watched Batgirl's icon approach the Batcave. He stood and turned, facing below to the platform where his Batmobile was parked. He heard the rumbling of bike's engine as he observed Barbara coming to stop and parking herself next to his car, the strange new hero sat on the back.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Spider-Man asked as he felt the bike come to a stop.

"Yes… We're here." Batgirl replied as she made eye contact with her mentor, who was looming over them on the platform above.

Peter's lenses widened as he opened his eyes and he quickly glanced about his surroundings, dismounting the bike as he did so.

"Cool… H- Holy shi- umm sorry… I mean, wow this place is so cool..."

He was amazed at the sheer number of things he could see around him, the base seemed to be underground, built into a natural cave system with flowing water which pooled underneath the platform they were standing in. There were bats sleeping above them around the stalactites of the cave.

"Wow… I see that 'Batcave' is both thematic and literal… Just wow- Is that a dinosaur? …And a giant Penny? Why do you even have those?"

"Oh, those? I don't actually know… They've been around so long, you stop noticing them after a while." Batgirl replied, "Anyway follow me…"

"Cool sure…"

Peter responded absentmindedly as he followed, never once looking forward. His base desire of curiosity keeping a firm hold of his attention as he continued glancing at all the cool design aspects and trinkets of the Batcave around him.

A series of different levelled platforms surrounded them, in the distance on one he could see a brief hint of what looked like different costumes in display cases. Several distinct sections all separated by theme in what he assumed was the differing costumes of several different 'Batfamily' members, all with at least three alternate designs. Perhaps different suits for different purposes.

He looked to the other side as he walked, a mannequin in a tuxedo wearing a red helmet stood tall in a display case. Behind it was a life-sized 'Joker' playing card. 'Three guesses who that belonged to…' Peter thought as his feet continued to carry him as he vacantly followed in Batgirl's footsteps.

"So is Batman here, or do we have to wait?"

"Maybe if you looked forward, you'd see he's been staring at you since we arrived…" Batgirl replied.

As amusing as she was finding Spider-Man's childlike wonder at the grandeur of the Batcave, she knew that it was probably best that she made him focus for now. Bruce won't be best pleased if they kept him waiting for too long.

"Wha- Oh god!"

Peter's soul nearly left his body in surprise as he finally saw the shadowy figure standing on the platform ahead of them. He was tall, an attribute that was further exaggerated by his elevated position. However the figure was nearly entirely cloaked in darkness, a dark cape draped over the figure giving him an ethereal visage. As if a silhouette had somehow been given physical form.

He leaned back slightly and his cape, which was draped over him like a cloak, shifted slightly as the light briefly caught the figure, softly illuminating him for a brief moment. Peter made note of all the features he glimpsed in that short time. The man's shoulders were broad and his jaw was square and chiselled, seemingly dotted by the small hairs of a faint 5 o'clock shadow.

Aside from the bat ears and crest, his suit held little similarities to Batgirl's. Batman was adorned in a grey armoured suit, contrasted by a deep, practically black, navy blue which coloured his cowl, cape, gauntlets, boots and shorts. A black bat symbol lay prominent on his chest and, similar to batgirl, a dull yellow utility belt sat above his shorts. His face was gruff and fixed in a brooding expression, he was staring at Spider-Man with an unreadable glare that gave Peter the shivers.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?" Peter whispered to Batgirl as they continued marching forward, approaching the stairs that led to the platform above.

"And miss you making a fool of yourself? Again?" Batgirl whispered back, a smirk forming on her lips.

"You know, I think I preferred you when you didn't have a sense of humour…"

"You want me to call that bluff?"

"…No."

Their whisperings came to an end as they began ascending the steps, Batman in turn moved away from the edge of the platform and disappeared from their vision momentarily before he was back in sight again. Standing over the computer and tapping away on the interface. Pulling up several of the images and footage of Spider-Man fighting acquired by Batgirl, most of which had seemed to have been annotated with notes on potential martial arts forms and fighting styles, as well as theoretical notes on strengths and abilities.

Batgirl and Spider-Man stood there for a beat, Peter feeling evermore uncomfortable with each passing second. Several times he went to open his mouth before deciding against it, every potential greeting seeming like a worse idea than the last.

After what felt like an eternity, Batman finally turned to face the pair. He looked Spider-Man up and down.

"Hmmm…"

Peter, not knowing how best to respond to the grunt, leaned closer to Batgirl.

"Was that a good or a bad 'hmmm'?"

"Hard to tell… I think it was neutral."

Batman finally spoke, "Why are you here, Spider-Man?"

The awkward silence returned as Peter felt the eyes of both Batgirl and Batman watching him curiously.

"Ummm… Hi. Firstly, nice to- errr meet you, Batman… Sir. Sir, Batman… Batman, sir…" Peter's voice betrayed him, he seemed a lot younger than he was.

"Smooth…" Batgirl offered.

"I panicked." Spider-Man chirped back.

Ignoring the whisperings of the two younger heroes, Batman instead just furrowed his brow in impatience and annoyance. A move which was mostly unseen due to his cowl, but was by all means was somehow still felt by Spider-Man who rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Answer the question, Spider-Man. Why are you here?"

His tone hadn't shifted but the tension in the cave still rose with each passing second. Peter felt himself shuffle before he looked to Batgirl. She simply shrugged in return as if to communicate: 'just answer the question.'

"I'm confused… I came here because Batgirl said you wanted to see me..."

"No. Not the Batcave… Gotham. Why are you in Gotham?"

Spider-Man squinted, trying to read the situation. He could feel that Batman was growing more impatient, but he didn't feel any threat from the imposing figure; his spider-sense remaining deafeningly silent.

"Well I feel like you could have been more specific…"

Batman did not flinch, Peter's exasperation was beginning to catch up with his now resting mind and body. Yet again, he was feeling the weight of his situation bearing down on top of him.

"*Sigh* Honestly?"

"Honestly." Batman's tone was no softer, but somehow felt more comforting.

"I don't actually know. I mean I have an idea about the cause... But I don't know why I ended up here. Or even where here is… Well, I mean Catwoman… I think that was her name?"

Pete turned to Batgirl who was looking at him curiously. She nodded in response, as if to confirm that he had indeed got the correct name. Though her expression was mixed with surprise as neither she nor Bruce were aware he had met Selina.

"Cool. Right, yes, Catwoman said this is New Jersey. But I mean… Ugh. I feel like you're not going to like this answer, but it's the only one that makes sense… I'm like ninety-to-ninenty… Seven? … Percent certain that I'm from ano-"

"Another universe?"

Detecting no lie in the younger man's voice, Bruce finished his sentence for him before he simply grunted once more before turning back to the computer. He had suspected as much, from his analysis of the young hero's behaviour. Including the video Batgirl had sent of his actions while on the back of her bike. As well as the picture he now pulled up on the computer.

Batgirl had also come to a similar conclusion, but still hearing it aloud took her out for a moment. So much so, she had stopped leaning on the barrier behind her and was now looking at Spider-Man with even more curiosity.

"Do you recognise this?"

Peter's eyes, and in turn his lenses, widened in surprise as he saw what was on display. It was a picture of space, seemingly just above earth's atmosphere, but the location was only the second most peculiar part of the image. The thing that truly shook Peter was the object floating there, a building. Nearly intact in it's entirety albeit slightly battle worn and damaged.

"Fisk Tower? What? But how? I mean, again, I can guess but like… What?"

"So you do recognise it?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm pretty sure I'd recognise those big bold letters saying 'FISK' anywhere…"

Batgirl snigg*red slightly at the mild sarcasm in the remark, Bruce however look as unamused as ever.

"Sorry… Actually no, I'm not apologising anymore… But, yes. I do recognise it. I have no idea what its doing in space though… I swear, that's not where it normally is…"

"I figured. Where is it normally?"

"Umm… New York… My New York."

"In this world, there are no known companies with that name, either in New York or anywhere else. I looked, and aside from some small family businesses… Nothing. Certainly not any skyscrapers with, as you say, big bold letters saying 'FISK'."

"I mean, is that so weird, we already kinda' established that both me and that building aren't from this universe?"

"We haven't established anything, merely speculated. Regardless, assuming you are telling the truth… What universe are you from?"

"What do you mean?"

"My first assumption was that you, Spider-Man, were an alternate reality doppelganger of this earth's Black Spider. A ruthless mercenary and member of the League of Assassins… But, after watching you fight, and seeing you now, there are too many differences for me to confidently go with that assumption…"

"So what does that mean? I mean none of those words mean anything to me… except 'doppelganger', 'alternate reality', 'mercenary'… 'spider', actually that last one's kind of a big part of my lexicon… Okay, I know what a lot of those words mean. But, aside from an educated guess, I have no idea what the League of Assassins is… I've also never heard of a 'Black Spider', and I've met a lot of alternate universe spider-people…"

At this point, Batgirl was getting mildly frustrated at the circles being ran round and round by the two men as they talked. Although she was appreciating the distraction from her darker thoughts of the evening, she felt that the current line of questioning was less than efficient. Especially since it seemed Spider-Man was getting too (understandably) flustered to think clearly about his answers. Not helped by the fact he liked to talk… A lot.

Speaking up, she said, "Okay! Stop. Please… This is giving me a headache, we're getting nowhere. Please just answer the question, Spider-Man…"

"Agreed, try to be more concise if you can. But, we will revisit the 'alternate spider-people' topic later. First though, let me start with what is troubling me about your arrival… does your universe have a designation? Something like a name or number?"

"Err… Let me think…'What did Reed call it? Come to think of it, I think Madame Web also gave my universe the same label… Think, Pete!' … Yes, I do! It's '616161'."

Batgirl and Batman looked at each other, their expressions and the unspoken communication between them giving Peter a mild sense of dread. The silence hung over the air for a moment before Peter couldn't stand the tension any longer and spoke.

"Okay… What's with the looks, what's wrong?"

"Spider-Man… That's not…"

Batgirl didn't know how to break the news to her new ally, and instead found herself deferring to her mentor figure as she looked to him for reassurance.

"It's not possible. That universe doesn't exist…"

"I mean it has to right? I'm standing right here… And the building…"

"That building is the one of the only reasons I don't think you're lying right now…"

That wasn't strictly true, Batman had also been reading the masked figure's body language and studying his voice as he spoke. All of the hero's mannerisms also pointed to him telling the truth, or at least what he believed to be true. But Bruce was too paranoid to take that a face value, especially when the figure was wearing a mask and saying things that couldn't or shouldn't be true.

"But like… how can a universe not exist? The multiverse is infinite…"

"No… It's not."

"What? Yes. It is. Listen, not to toot my own Spidey-horn, but I'm pretty smart, and like… I've travelled the multiverse before. And met other people from different universes, all of them talking about the infinite multiverse…"

"No. There used to be. Now, for reasons we don't really understand, there are only fifty-two unique universes in the multiverse, no more, no less… And from our research and knowledge into those alternate realities… We have never heard of a 'Spider-Man', nor do we recognise that designation."

"Okay that is impossible, you can't just lose infinity… And I definitely exist… I'm right here… And so do others… You know like I've met dudes from like… '1610-C', '199999', '2099-B'... How can they exist if the multiverse is capped at fifty-two?"

Peter continued, "An- And I'm sorry but that's the label my universe was given by people with, no offense, much higher authority on the multiverse than you. If your ego, and seeming misunderstanding of quantum mechanics can't handle that, then that's your problem not mine! Do you even know the designation of this universe?"

Batman had been a statue throughout Spider-Man's desperate ramblings. Expressionless and solidly still, "Yes which is why I know that yours is an impossibility. This is Earth-Prime…"

Peter was silent for a moment as exasperation seemed to wrap itself around him like a blanket attempting to smother him to death, "Well, that's just self indulgent..."

'Typical Parker luck! The one person I'm told might be able to help, and this is them. A confrontational brood machine who doesn't even understand the basics of the multiverse?'

Peter was starting to get agitated with the conversation's progression, causing him to lean back on the railing behind him in shock at his shattered hope. Batgirl, who was still standing, and Batman both looked at Spider-Man with suspicion and growing concern. Batman specifically, who was still trying to read the mask figured body language, had inched closer as his expression became grimmer.

Although Batman did not believe the explanation he had been given, for some reason he believed the one giving it. Not enough to trust, but enough to question… He was beginning to question all his knowledge of quantum physics, it was actually seeming more likely that the very laws of multiverse itself had been broken then it was that Spider-Man was lying. Still a good liar would be able to convince anyone of anything, Batman needed to look in the young man's eyes.

"Spider-Man… I need you to remove your mask…"

"Wha- No. Why?"

"How do I know this isn't all a ruse, that you aren't just Black Spider, or even someone else trying to trick us?"

"Because that would be ridiculous? Why would the 'League of Assassins', or whatever, or anyone else for that matter, go to all the effort of putting a building in literal space just to trick you? That's insane. That's like… Doctor Doom, levels of insane."

Brushing off the 'Doctor Doom' comment, Batman continued, "You're right that would be insane. But not impossible. Also, as you said yourself, the name is on the building… What's stopping me from assuming you didn't just make up the story when I showed it to you? If you're truly from another earth, you have no reason to keep the mask on, especially if removing it will help corroborate your story."

"Yes I do. I have every reason to keep it on, it's mine. I wear a mask for a reason, to cover my face. Same as you, so I'm not just going to hand it over to you just because you ask. You haven't even said please…"

"I'm not asking Spider-Man."

The tension continued to rise, the pressure of the room slowly but surely approaching boiling point. Batman had now shifted his body, not entering a true fighting stance just yet, but closer than he had been before. Peter felt a low rumble in the back of his head, threat wasn't imminent, but it was becoming more and more of a possibility with each passing second.

"Batman, maybe we should-"

Batgirl was silenced by a glare, she stepped back with a sigh of disapproving resignation. Peter could feel it, he knew know that if he didn't remove his mask willingly the bat-themed hero, potentially both of the bat-themed heroes, would attempt to take it. Getting up from the railing behind him, he looked between the two figures surrounding him.

"… What's to say that you're not lying to me?" Peter said, his voice reeking of desperate realisation.

"Spider-Man. Take off your mask…" Batman's voice had grown even colder.

"No! No… I have been very accommodating up until now… Willing to go along with all of your questions," Spider-Man looked at Batgirl, "Y- your snide attitudes…"

While Spider-Man's offhanded remark stung a bit, Barbara felt that it was at least somewhat deserved. It was also clearly the result of Spider-Man's growing agitation. A mood that was understandable, especially if what he was saying was somehow true, despite the impossibility of it.

Peter however, had regretted it as soon as he said it, even before he saw Batgirl flinch in response to his comment. She was clearly hurt by the remark, and Peter truly felt bad about that, he didn't mean to make her feel worse than she clearly already did. Nevertheless, he continued.

"I- Sorry. I didn't mean… But, no. I'm not taking off the mask… I've had a very bad day. Night! I don't know! One minute I'm fighting… Electro? I think… ARGH! I don't even know, it's all fuzzy! But… It was Spring for god's sake, now it's Autumn? Winter? I don't know!"

Peter looked directly at Batman who was still listening, for now. But the rumble of his spider-sense, paired with Batman's own shifting body language and determined glare, told Pete that a fight for his mask could break out at any moment.

"I've told you the truth. The honest truth. And now, you want me to reveal my face? Why should I? What's to say this stupid interrogation isn't all just some ploy? That this isn't all some kind of Mysterio illusion? But… You know what, sure… I'll take my mask off, I'll even tell you everything… If, and only if, you do the same for me."

"That's not happening. Look, I don't want to have to do this, Spider-Man. So either take off your mask or I'll take it from you…"

As if it were currently a dog with its hackles up, the soft rumble of Peter's spider-sense became a brief growl at that sentence. At least that's what Peter assumed it was responding to, in actuality Batman's shifting body language and assertive words distracted Peter from the older hero's subtle reach into his utility belt, readying a flash bomb in the palm of closed hand.

"You can try…" Spider-Man said as he stood tall, facing Batman.

Batman didn't reply, at least not verbally, instead throwing the flash bomb to the ground as fast as he could. Peter's spider-sense warned of an attack, but his frantic mindset left him blindsided by the flash of light and loud bang.

By this point Batgirl had removed herself from the situation, stepping back to allow the men to have their inevitable scuffle uninterrupted. She didn't want to stand against either of them, nor did she want to involve herself in the, quite frankly, childish display to come.

Also as much as she'd love to stand up for Spider-Man, she knew Bruce would be too stubborn to listen to her. Truth be told though, as it stood she was secretly routing for her new ally rather than her mentor, perhaps this could even be good way for him to earn Batman's respect. From what she'd seen so far, she felt that Spider-Man could actually incapacitate Bruce pretty easily.

Just like with Batgirl earlier, Spider-Man's momentary disorientation due to the flash bomb, made it harder to interpret his Spider-Sense. 'Again? I can't believe I fell for the same trick twice…' Peter thought as he readied his body, unable to see clearly as his eyes, as well as the HUD in his lenses, were frazzled by the bomb.

Not a millisecond too late, Peter focused and felt a final blare of his sense as he ducked backwards out of the way of a charging Batman. Before the older hero was able to react to the Webslinger's evasion, Spider-Man had used his palms to stick himself firmly to his chest, either side of the armoured suit's bat shaped crest.

As the two fell backwards, Spider-Man planted his feet onto Batman's stomach, pushing upwards as his back landed on the floor. Peter deactivated the adhesion to his new found adversary as he pushed up with all four limbs, sending Batman flying rapidly skyward.

While still on his back Peter then shot two impact webs at the ceiling bound vigilante, encasing him in webs and launching him up even faster. As soon as Batman made contact with the rocky surface above them, he was immediately cocooned even more as he was webbed to the ceiling.

Peter's spider-sense then made two things horrifyingly clear to the Webhead. Firstly, a small blinking device had been planted on his chest by Batman, which sent a pulse of electricity through the hero's body. It was clearly designed to incapacitate, but Spider-Man's durability meant the device just caused him to thrash in pain for a couple seconds before resting back on the floor.

The aftershocks of pain running through Pete's body, both from the device and the still untreated aches of the night's multiversal misadventures, were nothing compared to the annoyance Peter felt at his second realisation. His mask was gone. Looking up, he saw it firmly in the hands of the thrashing hero above him. Peter rested his head on the floor defeatedly, he felt as rough as he must have looked.

A shadow cast itself over him as Batgirl entered his vision, she was looking down at him with a compassionate face of pity. Peter had no idea where to go from this moment, unsure if Batgirl would also return to her antagonism towards him. His spider-sense however had been silent since she had walked into view. He looked at her, his face one of pure defeatism and self-contempt.

Softly smiling at him, she offered him her hand. He took it and she helped pull him up to his feet. A silence decorated by the flutter of bat wings, running water and hums of the computer, filled the Batcave. Barbara looked at the young hero's face, it was soft and kind. But also deeply sad and tired, something which diametrically opposed the façade he had with the mask on.

He was clearly a similar age to herself, his slightly dishevelled brown hair framing his head. His face was punctuated by a couple of cuts and bruises from the night's exploits as well as a few smaller, barely visible, scars from what she could only assume were previous battles. She looked into his deep brown eyes, the whites replaced with an exhausting looking red.

"You know, I was imagining blonde hair…" was all that Batgirl said as she looked at him.

Peter softly chuckled before replying, "Funny you should say that, one of my clo- No. Never mind… Forget I said anything."

She felt it best to ignore his comment for the most part, instead asking, "Are you okay?"

Peter sighed as he looked above him, Batman still in webs and thrashing about on the roof of the cave. Peter's Spider-Man mask in hand. Peter then saw a flutter nearby as he saw several small bats, sleeping a bit away from the vigilante, Bats that he had seen initially scatter and disperse as Batman rapidly collided with the ceiling near their earlier position.

"Not really… Kinda' pissed off actually..." He replied as he looked back to Batgirl before looking up at Batman again, "That was a cheap shot!"

Spider-Man pointed at Batman as he spoke, before sighing once more and looking at the bats again. Finding some semblance of peace in observing the small, sleeping, winged mammals. Batgirl watched as he did this, not speaking again. Unsure how to act towards him now, she felt it was best to watch for potential retaliation from the hero. But judging by his character so far, he didn't seem the type to go that far.

"I'm sorry it went like this…" She said.

"Yeah well, what could you do?"

"Not much, if Batman's set his mind on something it's hard to get him to change it… Sorry I didn't, you know… Step in."

"I get it, he's your boss… I'm just the stranger who waltzed in to your city like forty-five minutes ago..."

"Sure, but still…"

Batgirl in turn then removed her own cowl, looking at Peter with her unobstructed face.

She was probably around the same age as him, her skin was pale and freckled. Her deep blue eyes contrasted her vibrant red hairs, something that he only really noticed now her mask was off, despite the fact both were visible earlier.

Her face seemed gentle but firm, kind but troubled and soft but strong. She had a slight cut on her nose, probably from taking a hit earlier in the night.

Peter realised how much she reminded him of MJ. Aside from the obvious similaritities, the two women were wholly distinct in appearance. It was less a comparioson of how they looked and more a comparison of how they looked. They both held a smilar resting facial expression, one that simultaneously communicated great compassion, unwavering self assurance and formidable strength.

One distinct difference was abundantly clear however, and would have been clear even if Peter hadn't witnessed Batgirl snap at Joker, there was a glint of darkness in her eyes. The kind of coldness that had developed after years of fighting crime, after years of seeing some of the worst humanity has to offer. But there was hope in them too, the kind of hope that was the result of seeing some of the best of humanity as well.

"You know, I was expecting black hair." Peter joked.

"Hah… You're so funny." Barbara dryly remarked back, a slight grin on her face as she then offered her hand, "Barbara Gordon. Pleased to officially meet you…"

Peter sighed as he contemplated his next move carefully, "Peter Parker…" He eventually spoke as he shook her hand.

"So what now, Barbara Gordon?" He continued.

"I guess we talk… Peter Parker…"

"Yeah, sur- Wait a minute, this wasn't all just some kind of elaborate 'good cop, bad cop' routine, was it? Oh god, I told you my name and everything…"

"No… I promise. Look, I'll even let you ask the first question and answer as honest as I can…"

Peter looked up once more before looking Batgirl in the eyes, "Fine… I don't have many other options anyway I guess… So… Okay, one thing has been bothering me since we arrived."

"Go ahead."

"Who cleans up all the bat poop? I mean there must be quite a lot right?"

Barbara was taken aback by the question, not expecting that to be the first thing he asked. Dumbfounded at the sudden shift in tone, she was unsure of how to answer it. Thankfully, that responsibility was alleviated from her hands and placed upon those of the Batcave's newest arrival…

"That would be me…"

A familiar British voice echoed across the cave as Peter and Batgirl turned to see the approaching figure responsible for the reply. A formally dressed balding man with a pencil moustache was descending the steps into the Batcave, he was holding a tray which was populated by several cups and saucers.

No one spoke as the man promptly approached Batgirl not really knowing how to proceed as Alfred eventually joined the trio in the Batcave. Spider-Man was instead mildly confused by the appearance of the fourth person and their attire. His clothes and demeanour wholly out of place in the superhero lair. Yet it was seemingly fitting when considering the cost of everything in the Batcave.

'Of course Batman has a butler… Why wouldn't he?'

The silence crumbled when the butler spoke, "Tea?" he asked as he neared Spider-Man and Batgirl.

"Umm… Sure. Thanks." Peter replied as he picked up one of the cups and its saucer, inspecting the steaming translucent brown liquid inside.

Peter turned to Batgirl with a look of suspicion, she simply shrugged in response. As if to communicate that there were no tricks at play, that the liquid truly was tea and that the man was simply offering a drink.

"Do you take milk and sugar?" The older man asked as he watched the guest as he held the cup and saucer with care.

"Ummm… No thanks. I'm good." Spider-Man responded before tentatively taking a sip of the hot liquid.

After he took a sip of the tea he watched as the man also offered a drink to Batgirl who politely accepted the offer. Smiling solemnly at the older man's concerned face as she took her own cup.

Upon further inspecting the tray Peter also saw a larger mug at the edge, filled with a similar, yet darker, steaming beverage. A black coffee he could only assume was prepared for the brooding bat on the ceiling.

The entire situation felt so surreal, Peter had no idea what he was doing anymore. After meeting several hero's throughout his career as Spider-Man, Batman had quickly established himself in Peter's mind as one of the most intense and stress inducing personalities he had ever encountered; both through the way in which others spoke of him and by how the older hero had presented himself.

And yet, as serious as Batman seemingly took himself, there was a level of ridiculousness in the entire situation Peter had found himself thrust into. Here he was, standing in Batman's fancy basem*nt, drinking tea that he was served by the gruff hero's polite British butler as the man himself struggled on the ceiling above them. Most likely watching the whole display.

The moment felt as if it lasted an eternity, as if his mind was battling itself. The knowledge that he wasn't dreaming wrestling with the absurdity of the moment, insisting to Peter that he must surely be asleep.

"Sorry… Thanks again… This tea's… Actually very good… Wow. That's delicious, how do you brew it so perfectly? It's even better than the sweet tea Aunt Ma- Nope, sorry I was distracted, that's not what I was gonna' say… What I meant was, who are you?"

"Alfred Pennyworth, at your service… Mr. Parker, was it?"

Peter slowly began to place the voice as he looked at the man, he was the person Batgirl was talking to over her comms earlier. As this realisation dawned on him, Peter's mouth moved before he could think.

"Ah. You're the guy who changed Batman's diapers..."

Barbara nearly choked on the tea she was quietly sipping at the sentence that barrelled its way out of Spider-Man's mouth. She looked from Alfred's bemused expression to Peter's reddening face.

Almost immediately, Peter shut his mouth in an attempt to stop any further noises escaping as he closed his eyes in mortification. Not wanting to face the consequences of his big mouth, he hoped he would open his eyes and find himself laying on the floor of Fisk's basem*nt, amongst the wreck of an exploded collider. Recuperating his addled brain after a long, vivid hallucination of purple suited weirdos and bat-themed vigilantes with posh butlers.

Instead he opened his eyes and met Alfred's, a deadpan expression on the butler's face, before he turned and placed the tray on the table behind him, turning back as he spoke.

"Indeed, I did." Nonchalance heavy in his tone, "I must say though, although we have been sharing names, I am curious how you came across that information. It would require certain knowledge of my own and Master Bruce's relationship. Knowledge I am surprised you have, especially considering you are supposedly not from this dimension…"

The British man's glare intensified with each passing sentence, Peter feeling every second of the gaze. 'Jeez. Even the butler's scary…' Peter then saw as the gaze moved to the side of him as Alfred made mildly accusatory, intensely inquisitive, eye contact with Batgirl. Clearly assuming she had shared the remark with him.

Barbara simply rolled her eyes as she spoke, "Don't look at me like that, Alfred. I didn't tell him… What possible reason would I have for sharing that? He overheard it from you. And he said he wasn't going to mention it…"

Peter was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he continued to cringe at his own idiocy. 'Christ. I need sleep…'

"Overheard it? Why was he on the comms channel, Miss Gordon?"

"He wasn't… Hey, Peter you wanna' take a break from drowning in embarrassment, and explain?"

Before Peter could open his mouth, an intense ringing blared through his ears, causing him to again close his eyes. This time in anguish as the high pitch frequency pierced his eardrums with ferociousness. He clasped his hands to his ears in a desperate attempt to disrupt the flow of the sharp ringing. The display causing confusion and concern in both Batgirl and Alfred.

"He has heightened senses, included superhuman hearing…" Batman spoke as he pressed the button in the small blinking device in his hand, ceasing the onslaught of high frequency noise attacking Spider-Man's senses.

Everyone in the room turned to face the Dark Knight, a myriad of disapproving looks staring in his direction. Causing pause in the hero as he realised the selfishness in his action, he had wanted to test the limit of Spider-Man's powers, yes. But more than that, he knew part of him wanted payback for Spider-Man swiftly incapacitating him.

"What the hell, man? That was so unnecessary! I was about to explain! Also how the hell did you get down from the ceiling?"

Batman, placed the device back in his utility belt as he neared the others in the room.

"I apologise… I should have warned you. I merely wanted to test the theory…" He spoke, ignoring the second question proposed by Spider-Man.

"Well consider it tested, you get the results you wanted?"

"Partly. We have confirmed you aren't Black Spider, nor a doppelganger. As for your origin that is still yet to be confirmed. I have more questions for you, Mr. Parker…" Batman said as he approached the Batcomputer, placing a sample of webbing on the scanner.

"Nuh-uh! I'm not giving you anything else until you give me something back… Also, again… How did you get out of my webbing?"

Batman merely stretched his arm out and passed the mask back to the younger hero who cautiously took it from the gauntleted had offering it to him. There was a silence as Peter realised the figure was still ignoring his question and was unlikely to answer it. Instead he eyed the shadowy figure who now loomed over the computer, inspecting his webbing.

"This… 'Webbing' is impressive. How did you come across it?" Batman finally asked.

"I made it." Peter simply replied as he tucked his mask into his waistband, not seeing any point in wearing it anymore.

Batman turned to Peter and looked him up and down before grunting curiously, a hint of impressed fascination lacing the noise.

"Interesting…" Batman replied as he stood to face, "So tell me, if you truly are from another universe, multiverse even, if what you say is true… How did you end up here?"

Peter looked to Barbara, he was tired of the questions and quite honestly just wanted to lay down and close his eyes. Batgirl offered him a sympathetic smile before nodding, communicating that it was best he answered them as well as he could.

"*Sigh* I… Well I can't remember the specifics, but that building there," Peter spoke as he pointed at the image of Fisk Tower in the corner of the screen before continuing.

"Well, it had a super collider in its basem*nt, designed for multiversal travel by evil scientists under the orders of a power hungry and grief stricken Kingpin of crime.

"And to cut a very long story short, it had caused… problems before, so I tried and failed to destroy it… then it was actually destroyed by some other heroes… Yay, multiverse saved… Kinda'.

"But earlier… today? I guess. Maybe. Could be days ago actually, I dunno' how spatial and temporal relativity here affects my earth, yet. Which is actually pretty, terrifying when I think about it…"

Pete shook his head, as if to physically shake off any rogue thoughts about the scary implications of potential time dilation. Pushing them to dark recesses of his mind for the time being as he continued.

"Anyway, a bunch of my enemies attempted to rebuild it and it was causing tremors, and dimensional instability… You know? Classic super collider stuff…

"So me and the other Spider-Man… He's kinda' like my… Not sidekick perse, he's his own hero. But like, I'm the original Spider-Man so he's like my… Mentee-slash-sometimes-partner kinda' thing… But he does his own thing too, even though he's a bit younger…"

Peter looked at the expressionless faces that stared at him, clearly growing unamused by his evermore convoluted explanation.

"Sorry, right. That's not relevant. Anyway me and him… Him and I? Whatever. We were trying to stop a bunch of evil guys from potentially destroying the fabric of reality, and I remember getting in a scuffle and their being this a big white light.

"But I can't remember, what actually happened, I just remember… Flashes. And every time I try to think about it, it just makes my head hurt, like It's locked behind a door in my brain or something… But yeah, that's all I can really tell you right now."

There was moment after Peter had finished his frantic rambling, a loaded silence which every person in the Batcave felt, all of them desperately trying to process the convoluted explanation given to them.

Batgirl was the first to speak, "Wait. There's another Spider-Man? And he was with you when the collider sent you here? Doesn't that mean…"

"That he could be here as well…" Alfred finished Barbara's sentence.

Peter closed his eyes for a moment as he pulled an expression of unbridled focus, "No. I- I think he got out in time… I don't know how. Nor do I know, how I know. But part of me just kinda' knows, ya' know?"

At this point everyone, Peter himself, turned to face Batman.

"Hmmm… Nevertheless, we should be vigilant in case he is lost somewhere out there as well… Hopefully he'll cause less trouble then yourself… What of the villains? Your enemies?"

"That, I have no idea about. Like I say it's foggy, with the other Spider-Man my intuition, or maybe my Spider-Sense, is telling me he's not here. With them… I just can't tell, I can't even fully remember who I was fighting, let alone what happened to them… Also, what do you mean trouble? I helped stop the Joker…"

Batman raised an imperceptible eyebrow at the term 'Spider-Sense', but elected to move past it for now, "Yes. That is part of the trouble I am referring to. You also stopped Black Mask's thugs…"

Batman looked directly into Peter's eyes, his stare was stubborn and self assured, yet not unkind to the young hero, "You may not realise it yet, but you're already making a name for yourself in this city. That will put a target on your head… There may already be a bounty as we speak."

Peter, shifted slightly, but kept Batman's gaze. He was right, and for some reason, that greatly irritated Peter, nevertheless he let the older man continue.

"Plus, we don't know if you brought any of your enemies here, more unknown variables… Potentially dangerous ones. I would say that counts as trouble."

"Alright, fair enough… But, I didn't ask to come here, I was shanghaied… And, I'm being as honest as I can be, if you don't like it, that's your problem… If my villains did end up here, I will happily find the stragglers and take them, and myself, back home as soon as possible… I was hoping you could help with that, since it would also stop me from causing more trouble. You're the one who told me my home doesn't exist…"

"As far as we know, it doesn't. That is an issue for a later time… Now, tell me how you came across your meta-abilities…"

"My meta-what? You mean my powers?"

Batman gave the most minute nod humanly possible.

Peter rubbed the rim of his nose as he sighed a reply, "Radioactive spider bite. Next question?"

"I need more details."

"Listen tall, dark and grumpy. I'm not going through my whole superhero origin story with you in your basem*nt while you keep throwing question after question at me. I've had enough, I came here because I hoped you could help me get home. I want your word you will help me."

There came yet another painfully loaded silence. Batgirl and Alfred had already extricated themselves from the discussion partly. Engaged in their own soft spoken conversation while they observed the other two from afar. They felt the silence, and looked in each others eyes with surprise at Spider-Man's assertion, before turning back to the watch the other duo.

"Fine… You have my word, Spider-Man. I will do everything in my power to help you, assuming everything you have said is true… Now your powers..."

"Nuh-uh, I want you to say it to me face to face, you took my mask so it is only fair… Look me in the eyes and promise. No cowl."

Barbara and Alfred yet again looked at each other, wide eyed with shock at the demand.

"Well he is certainly brave…" Alfred whispered to Barbara, yet still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You are in no position to be making demands, Peter." Bruce simply replied as his white lensed eyes tightened.

"Neither are you… I've been humouring you so far, but trust me, I could leave at any point. I fell for your tricks once, I won't again. So either you show me your face, Bruce. Or I leave and find someone else who can help me and you get no more answers. And, if you try to stop me, I'll show you what I can really do."

Peter's face was made of stone, unshakeable and solid. Inside however, Peter's heart was violently thumping with adrenaline and fear. Here he stood, in front of, as far as he could tell, a mortal man with no powers, yet one who exuded pure authority.

The brooding symbol of justice, law, order and sheer human will, stared at Peter, unmoving; his expression, frighteningly unreadable. And here Peter was, a nineteen-year-old, staring him down. Demanding he take off his mask, 'Ohmigod! What are you doing Peter? He's your biggest chance of getting home, and your doing this?'

Peter ignored the voice at the back of his head, he had faced monsters, demons and gods. He wouldn't let this man with fancy gadgets, a big wallet and a god complex keep pushing him around, not anymore. Yet still, in the Batman's presence, Peter couldn't help but feel like a kid again. His body and mind sending him signals reminiscent of the sixteen-year-old fanboy he once was during his first run-in with Captain America; albeit he was less star-struck this time and more nerve-struck.

Peter's biggest weakness was often his own self-doubt, the feeling he didn't belong among the other heroes, that he wasn't doing enough, that he wouldn't be strong enough to live up to his Uncle's expectations.

But right now Peter's adrenaline was working overtime, his fear and doubts were being drowned by the boiling blood coursing through his veins, as he faced the man towering over him. The symbol of Gotham whose influence had been felt almost as soon as he arrived in the city. The Batman.

Peter still wasn't going to budge, however. He may be new here, but he had been a hero for five years and he wasn't going to be talked down to like a child. His subconscious had decided for him, he was going to be treated like an equal or he would leave.

All eyes fell on Batman as the now silent spectators eagerly awaited for a response from the hero. The air in the Batcave felt impossibly dense yet the somehow simultaneously non-existent, as if the oxygen had become so thick it had changed its very nature into something else, with an atmosphere of pure tension and curiosity replacing it.

Barbara and Alfred were both so silently still that a pin drop would seem like explosion in comparison. They were staring between two figures, shooting their eyes back and forth as if watching tennis. In all the years Barbara had worked with Batman she had never seen anyone, outside of a handful of exceptions, stand up to Batman this strongly. And she had most definitely never seen someone demand he remove his cowl on their first meeting.

Barbara was at an actual loss for words, as well as possibilities. She was so shocked by the exchange that she couldn't think of a single possible outcome for this scenario, she could only think that time itself would surely have to cease at this very moment leaving everyone in the Batcave in suspense for all eternity.

Alfred too was genuinely unsure as to how this moment would progress, albeit to a slightly lesser extent than Barbara. Nevertheless he watched the two men with extreme fascination, subconsciously counting the seconds of silence as they passed.

Eventually Batman let out a soft grunt of resignation as he pulled the cowl back over his head, revealing the chiselled face below. He was handsome, unfathomably so. His face, even with the 5 o'clock shadow and soft scars, wouldn't look out of place on the cover of a magazine. His blue eyes were piercingly intense, highlighted further by the jet black eyeshadow surrounding them.

"Wow… I wasn't actually expecting you to do it. Thought I was just going to have to give up and tell you anyway…"

Bruce's eyes narrowed as he looked at Spider-Man, clearly unamused by the comment.

"Errr… Sorry. I tend to make dumb jokes in tense situations."

"I noticed."

"Right so umm… My powers."

"You mentioned something about a spider bite?"

"Yeah. There's not really much more to it other than that I guess. I was 14. We were on a school trip at Oscorp and were being shown some radiated and genetically altered spiders, I notice one was missing and before I could even say anything… Well, it bit me. Next thing I know I go from scrawny kid with glasses, to superpowered and… hmm- marginally less scrawny kid with abs and perfect vision… Plus you know, the whole sticking to walls thing…"

"And then you became a hero?" Batgirl spoke, almost absentmindedly, still reeling from the fact that Bruce actually took his cowl off.

"Ehhh… Not exactly, not straight away at least."

All eyes were back on him again, beckoning him to continue. Bruce's face he found had actually softened a bit. Not to the point that it was any less intense, but more so that the frustration and irritation had been replaced with careful consideration and interest. As if he was actively listening to Peter, not just hearing the words through his own bias.

It was as if the absence of the cowl had made him more vulnerable. The intimidation game had been mostly given up by this point and his façade had been cracked slightly, not through fear, but instead through the fact that no one in the room felt it was necessary anymore.

"Look." Peter continued, "I'm going to be honest here. When I was bitten, I was just a dumb kid. I mean, I was a genius. Still am I guess. But still, I was selfish and angsty and just angry at everyone else... I wasn't that popular in the early years of high school, and the years of torment and stuff, it made me feel weak. Powerless. And then…"

"Then you were bitten?" Alfred finished the sentence. His calm manner and judge-free tone seeming to give Peter more confidence to go on.

"Yeah. And I won't lie, I became a bit of… Well a dick to be honest. I saw it as a way to stand up for myself and for the first couple weeks or so I did. I stopped taking the bullying and I guess I went a bit far a times… But you know I was kid. I was just a stupid kid…"

Batman spoke, "You hurt someone?" his voice nearly neutral, but with the slightest hint of understanding.

"Yes. But it wasn't because of anything I did really… More that… Look, when you can do the things I can, and you don't… And then the bad things happen... Well they happen because of you… And I found that out the hard way."

No one spoke, everyone continued to look at Peter with patience. When Peter's eyes glanced over Barbara's she gave him a soft smile of comfort as she nodded slightly, ushering him to continue. She communicated the safety of the room in that single motion, allowing Peter to ease himself away from his hesitation.

"Other than petty revenge at high school, I found a way to get some cash, quick." Peter continued, "I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle, and they weren't the wealthiest of people… I thought I could help a bit… Help with bills and stuff. But you know, also keep some cash for myself so I started…"

"Stealing?" Batgirl suggested. Her voice inviting and non-judgemental.

"Oh god no. I wish. That would be far less embarrassing…" Peter grimly chuckled before continuing, "No. I started pro-wrestling. And I was good at it, obviously. But the guy who ran things wasn't the nicest of guys and he underpaid me after a fight. So I thought, it wasn't my problem when he got robbed. I even held the door open for the thief..."

The room was silent as everyone could hear the pain building in Peter's voice, his eyes growing even more red, the tiredness being overshadowed by the beginnings of tears.

"But, that thief I didn't stop… He shot someone… Someone very important to me… my uncle Ben.

"And he died and it was my fault and… He thought he was dropping me off at the library and he was there waiting to pick me up… That's why he was there… And that's why the guy tried to steal the car…"

Peter paused, there was clearly more to say but he needed to breath for a moment. He thought about uncle Ben everyday. But saying out loud was always harder, especially this time.

His thoughts were becoming tangled and so were his sentences. His emotions had been kept at bay for a while now, but revisiting one of the hardest days was made even more painful by the fact he didn't know if he could ever get home, he was becoming overwhelmed again and he needed to readjust himself.

He knew he would never see his uncle again, but what if he never saw Aunt May again, either? He decided it was a thought best not dwelt on, especially now. Blinking the water out his eyes he took a deep breath in as he looked to the expectant faces watching him. Sympathy and understanding on all there faces, even Bruce's. He realised, they knew the pain Peter was revisiting.

"I umm… I saw him on the street before he went, and I… All I could think about was revenge… And I went after the thief, and I was ready to kill him, but I stopped myself, because… Because, I remembered what uncle Ben had told me that day when he dropped me off outside the library…

"We got in an argument and I said some things I'll never be able to take back… Things I wish I could forget. But what I will never forget is what he said to me… he said: 'With great power, there must also come great responsibility.' I didn't know what it meant at the time, but as I looked up and saw the man wriggling in my grip… His face… He was terrified, and all that satisfaction from revenge, just sapped away…

"And that's when I swore I would never use my powers for revenge again, that I wouldn't use them just to get rich, or for personal gain. That I had a responsibility to help others, that I would protect those who couldn't protect themselves. So those words became the words that I live by. And I do everyday…"

The gentle hum of the monitor and soft fluttering of wings above created a heavy atmosphere in the Batcave, one that felt monstrously loud in comparison to the silence of its occupants. Each one of Peter's audience looked at him with pity and sympathy.

Except Bruce, Batman looked at Peter with what could only be seen as respect. Respect born of complete and utter understanding, as if he shared Peter's pain. The knowledge that the worst day of your life can often turn you in to the person you were always meant to be. Bruce recognised the determination on the young hero's face.

He saw that Spider-Man was the hero he was not in spite of his pain, but because of it. Just as Batman was Gotham's hero because Martha and Thomas Wayne were gunned down before they could be. That without the pain Spider-Man wouldn't be the hero he was clearly trying to be. The words Pete's uncle had told him were clearly embedded in his ethos and they mirrored Bruce's own.

Batman now saw that Spider-Man threw himself in harms way not for glory or recognition, and not through stupidity and naivety, but because he knew it was his responsibility to help everyone he could. Even if it put a target on his back. He wasn't dangerously inexperienced, he was recklessly selfless. A selflessness that was born from guilt.

Barbara was the first to speak, "I'm sorry, Peter. I cant imagine how it felt to go through that... Your uncle sounds like a great man…"

Peter smiled back with red eyes, "Thanks… He was… Not a day goes by I don't think of him." Peter wasn't allowing himself to cry. Not through fear of judgement, but through the simple fact if he started now he wouldn't be able to stop.

Alfred also spoke, "Although I don't know you very well Mr. Parker… If you are half the hero you seem to be… Well, I'm sure that your uncle would be very proud."

Peter didn't speak, he couldn't, not without immediately choking up and becoming a mess of tears. Instead he simply smiled at the old brit and nodded gratefully, his eyes growing ever redder.

Finally, Batman spoke, "For what it's worth… I'm sorry too, Peter. I understand, that kind of pain never truly goes away… I also want to apologise for earlier… While I still stand by my actions, I nevertheless, am sorry for how everything occurred. No matter how necessary it was…"

Peter felt as if that was the best apology was going to get, he looked to Barbara who seemed baffled by the fact Batman was even apologising at all. She looked at him wide-eyed and nodded, desperately trying to tell him to just accept the apology.

Peter turned back to Bruce before speaking again, "Thanks… I think? I'm sorry for how it happened too… Though I don't forgive your actions, I think I can at least understand where you were coming from…"

Batman nodded affirmatively, his unmasked face returning to its earlier expression of resolute focus, "I think that will do, for now."

"It will? Finally…" Peter involuntarily responded.

Batman spoke as he turned his back on Peter, "Yes. While I still don't fully trust your interdimensional origins, Peter Parker…" He continued his monologue as he was re-equipping his cowl and approaching the computer, "I trust your words, and I don't believe you were lying about your uncle. We will look further into where you came from later. But for the record, though I still don't believe it myself, your body language tells me that at least you think you are telling the truth."

By the end of Bruce's sentence, he was sat back at the computing. Reviewing several pieces of information in the screen.

"Did you just offer condolences and then immediately imply I was insane? Cause' that's what it sounded like…"

Batman ignored the question, instead he seemed to be pulling up pictures of crime scenes and what seemed to be puzzles, "I need to get back out in to the city, I have spent too much time here as it is… Spider-Man, you will be staying here tonight… Alfred will show you too one of the guest rooms…"

Bruce's tone and matter-of-factness left little room for argument, something Peter may have attempted had he possessed more energy. Instead he simply accepted it. He knew Batman wanted to keep him somewhere he could keep an eye on him, and although it mildly annoyed Peter, the offer of a soft bed was too good to deny. Even if said 'offer' was more of a demand born of pragmatism rather than an act of generosity.

"Umm… Okay? Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but you're still going to help me get home, right?"

"You have my word… I need to do some research first. I will get to the bottom of this, Peter Parker. I warn you now though: If you've been lying to me, I will find out. And, you will regret it."

The threat disguised as a warning was so intense that even Peter himself began to doubt his own story, if only for a moment. A momentary hum rippled through his Spider-Sense, Batman was telling the truth alright.

"Heh. Well good thing I'm not lying then, I guess…" Peter said rubbing the back of his neck, while he was comfortable he could beat Batman in this moment, he had no idea what other tricks he could possibly have up his sleeves should they tussle again.

Batman now turned to face Peter again, he simply looked at him and grunted before turning to Barbara. She had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout his and Spider-Man's interaction. Perhaps out of respect for the two, but Bruce could see there was also something darker occupying her mind.

Nevertheless, there was little time for it now. Plus even he could recognise that it was too early for Barbara to talk about what was truly bothering her. A few years ago and Bruce would have simply demanded answers right away, but not anymore. He recognised that approach would only cause further distance between them, shutting down any chance for actual progress.

Over time as Bruce spent more time with other Justice League members, and as the 'Batfamily' itself grew, so too did Bruce's understanding of others emotions. He would never admit it himself of course, but it was nevertheless obvious to those around him that he had become less stubborn and more empathetic to his allies over the years.

Dick, Barbara, Alfred, and even Jason, noticed the change the most and welcomed it; though the latter would never concede that due to his own stubbornness. Of course Bruce could still be abrasive and even downright antagonistic at times, but to others, it was clear he was trying harder than he had in his earlier years as Batman.

Barbara and Bruce held the gaze between them for a moment, before Bruce softened his eyes and nodded at her questioningly, looking for reassurance she was okay. She nodded back, to which Bruce finally broke the silence of the room.

"We will discuss what happened in the warehouse, tomorrow. That includes you, Spider-Man." he continued as he looked between the two younger vigilantes, "For now though, both of you get some rest. That goes especially for you, Peter, we still have a lot more to clear up, beyond what happened tonight."

"Umm… Right. That makes sense." Peter replied, a little taken back by the sudden return to formality in Batman's voice. Again though, he was too fatigued to question it. He was basically coasting at this point, his aching body running on fumes.

In mere moments Bruce downed his now tepid coffee in one gulp, thanked Alfred, before jumping into the seat of the Batmobile through the open hatch, starting the engine and speeding off into the night. The others watching in silence as he left.

Peter secretly thought the whole display was actually rather ridiculous. Yet somehow, through its ridiculousness a level of complete and utter seriousness was felt. Only a man of total focus, and determination could act so abnormally with such severity and have it seem so characteristically normal.

By this point, Peter had come to accept everything about his newfound colleagues without the slightest apprehension. Perhaps the result of Batman's no nonsense attitude and unwavering commitment to his city, perhaps the result of severe physical trauma and sleep deprivation on Peter's part; most likely it was a combination of all those factors.

"Hmm. That went well, I think." Peter said as he turned his attention back to Barbara.

"Well? That went amazing... I'm actually shocked, Batman was less annoyed by you than me." Batgirl replied.

"That was less? I felt like I was walking on egg shells the whole time…"

"What can I say? Batman's less is everyone else's more…"

Peter shrugged before responding, "I mean, I have been attacked by both of you tonight… Let's not forget that."

"I was more he was less, it all balances out. Trust me… As far as Batman is concerned, that was a good first impression…"

"Okay. I'll take your word for it… Not really first, though. Considering he was spying on me…"

"Yeah… You'll get used to that. But trust me, I've seen plenty of first meetings with the big, bad, Bat. And that was definitely in the… top five, at least."

She gave a sly grin as she spoke, causing Peter to smirk back, it was clear she was being somewhat sarcastic. Her expression and tone implying that she was far more impressed than her words may suggest.

Peter didn't fail to notice how Barbara's earlier antagonism towards him was now completely gone, shifted into a sly playfulness. One that seemed to be much more natural and comfortable for her. Pete definitely enjoyed her current attitude a lot more, but perhaps there was also a level of contextual comfort at play. After all, when he compared her to the Batman, even Barbara's meaner attitude felt positively delightful.

Alfred interjected into the conversation, "Indeed. Mr. Parker. You even managed to convince Master Bruce to willingly remove his cowl on your first meeting. That is no mean feat…"

"Well, I didn't want to… But you know, he started it…"

"I assure you Mr. Parker, I am by no means judging your decision, merely impressed that it actually worked."

"Oh. Well, thanks."

"You're welcome… Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room for the night. Ms. Gordon. I believe you should be heading home as well. You both deserve some rest…"

"Right. Thanks, Alfred…" She said, giving the older man a quick hug which he reciprocated.

Peter stayed silent as the two of them shared their moment, but was surprised to find himself also caught in an embrace from Barbara after she had let go of Alfred. It was quick and friendly, but nevertheless there was a tightness in the hug Peter wasn't expecting. He held her back softly before the two separated themselves.

As she pulled back she looked at Peter as she put her hand on his shoulder, smiling sincerely, "Thank you."

"Didn't you thank me earlier?"

"I did. But I was also a bit emotional earlier, so I'm saying it again to prove I meant it…"

Peter chuckled slightly at that remark before replying, "Fair enough, then. You're welcome."

Barbara smiled as she looked between him and Alfred before she too said her goodbyes, not that Bruce said much of a goodbye in comparison. The two men watched her as she mounted her bike, started the engine and rode off into the night.

"Now, if you'll follow me, Mr. Parker…" Alfred spoke.

"Lead on, Jarvis…"

The older man raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that statement, to which Peter blushed slightly in embarrassment before responding, "Sorry… Inside joke."

Alfred simply smirked and continued to lead Peter up the stairs into the building above the Batcave. Peter had obviously figured that Batman was pretty rich judging by all his fancy gadgets and swanky lair. Still he was completely taken aback at the absolute grandeur of the mansion above the Batcave.

Alfred led him through several elegant hallways and passed multiple rooms could easily fit his entire shared apartment into. Eventually after what felt like hours, Peter was led into a vacant bedroom. Again, Peter was amazed at the sheer elegance in front of him. The bedroom on its own was larger than his, Bobby's, Angelica's and Rand's bedrooms combined. Not that they were necessarily large rooms, but still in comparison, this room was gigantic.

He briefly paused and thought about how his roommates were doing, if there was no time dilation, then they probably hadn't even noticed anything was wrong, they would just assume he was out doing Spider-Man things. But, perhaps they were out, looking for him. Or maybe everyone thought he was dead. Again, his mind went to places he didn't want it to go. So he shook the thoughts away and focused on the room in front of him.

The ornate furniture of the large room was unreasonably clean and polished, to the point Peter felt he could see his gobsmacked reflection in the dark oak. The trinkets, odds and ends and bits and bobs that served merely to decorate the spare room were themselves so fancy that Peter felt even pawning one of them would be enough for him to by a mid-sized studio apartment in Manhattan.

There was an equally grandiose door open in the corner, beyond which Peter could see an En-suite, something which had never been a part of anywhere Peter had stayed before; let alone one which apparently came with a bidet.

But what really put everything into perspective was Bruce's comment about Peter staying in one of the guest rooms, and yet Peter felt as if this room alone held enough value within it to pay-off the entirety of Aunt May's mortgage, twice.

"Wow… You didn't need to go to all this trouble for me…"

"Excuse me?" Alfred replied with confusion, genuinely unaware of Pete's meaning.

"Well I really appreciate, but this room is too much, anything with a bed would've been more than enough."

Alfred chuckled before responding, "You misunderstand, Mr. Parker. This is actually our smallest room… I was actually going to apologise, if I had more time I would of prepared one of the larger ones…"

"This is the smallest!" Peter's tone was one of complete and utter disbelief, "How many other rooms are there?"

"Well discounting mine, Miss Cassandra's, Master Bruce's, Master Damian's, Master Tim's, Master Dick's and Master Jason's, although the last two aren't used very frequently… Let me think… Seven."

"Seven spare rooms?"

"Yes."

"And this is the smallest?"

"Yes."

Peter muttered the words, "Holy sh*t..." under his breath.

Although Alfred very clearly noticed, he didn't pull the younger man up on his language, instead he simply smiled and responded, "Holy sh*t, indeed. It makes upkeep an absolute nightmare..."

The butler continued, "Now, there are some clean clothes that should fit you in the wardrobe. There are some simple toiletries in your bathroom and some pyjamas on the bed should you need them… Oh, and if you leave your suit on the outside doorknob door after you've changed, I can clean it and patch it up for you…"

Peter looked at Alfred suspiciously, unsure what to make of the offer.

"Of course, the decision is entirely yours… I just thought that you might want you suit in one piece before you go home…"

"Thanks, but if it's all the same to you, I'd rather fix it myself tomorrow."

"Of course. Should you need me don't hesitate to ring the bell on your nightstand. Goodnight, Mr. Parker"

"Right. You too. Thanks for everything."

The British man simply smiled as he excused himself and left Peter in the lavish room. Peter was still in a state of disbelief, but now introspection was not at the top of Peter's priorities, sleep was. He unceremoniously tore his costume off piece by piece before performing his nightly bathroom rituals and throwing himself into the ridiculously large bed.

He sunk into the cloud below him and for the briefest of moments all of his fears and worries for the future seemed to slip off into the distance, his vacant head becoming the perfect staging ground for sleep to overtake his body. Before Peter could even approach the simplest thought, his mind and aching body became still, and he drifted off into the blankest and most dreamless sleep.

- Meanwhile -

DC Universe Prime

Gotham City

Black Mask's safe house

Roman Sionis was currently watching the 3rd replay of the bodycam footage from one of his GCPD rats. The expression on Roman's permanently fixed, skull-like mask was one of morbid fascination laced with tempered fury. He looked up to see his assistant Ms. Li looking back at him with patient expectance.

"Who is this, punk?" He asked, referring to the red and blue clad vigilante in the video, who was currently backflipping over one of his goons.

"We don't know, sir. Word from our GCPD informant is that he refers to himself as 'Spider-Man', he showed up from practically nowhere. Stopped our ambush and also helped put the Joker back in lock-up."

"Ugh… Batman, Robin, Catwoman and now 'Spider-Man', what's next… Pigeon-Kid? Who does this kid think he is? He can't just put on a stupid costume and pick a fight with me, he's nothing but a punk who's in over his head…"

"Regardless, sir, he has stopped two of our operations tonight…"

"Two? What was the second one?"

"A debt collection in the narrows, not much mind you. But still, they were known employees of us…"

"Great… Where are they now?"

"Jail, GCPD picked them up not long after they were taken down…"

"See if we can get them out… If not, have them killed. Don't want them spilling anything… What about the masks at the ambush?"

"We're waiting on bail… We still have a couple of judges in our pocket so shouldn't be too long."

"Good. I want to talk to one of them about what they saw, and who this kid is…"

"Very good, sir. What about Spider-Man himself?"

"Hopefully Batman will send him on his way, can't imagine he's too happy with this development… Regardless, this is my city, I can't let him disrespect me and get away with it… Put a bounty on his head, 100 grand. Dead."

"Understood, sir… Anything else you need of me."

"No that'll be all, Li…" Roman replied as he got up from his desk and began pouring himself a glass of bourbon.

Ms. Li simply bowed her head slightly before exiting his office, closing the door after herself. Roman swirled the drink in his hand for a moment as he stood and stared out the window. Taking a sip, he surveyed the city contemplatively.

This used to be his city, he had near complete control of the criminal underworld, now his empire was crippled. The Red Hood and Batman denting his criminal enterprise nearly beyond repair. Quite frankly, he was lucky he wasn't dead, both Red Hood and the Joker came close enough, but still here he was.

He had narrowly avoided prison, through some strategic greasing of palms and other, less pleasant, methods. Yet now, his once vicelike grip on the city's underbelly was a mere clutch at strands. He sighed with contempt as he took another sip, he would take back this city.

There was nothing anyone could do now, not Batman, not Cobblepot, not the Court of Owls and certainly not some punk dressing up in his kiddy pyjamas. A part of him secretly hoped Spider-Man would be dealt with by the Bat, 100 grand may not have been a lot to Roman a few months ago, but now it was enough to cause slight discomfort.

But the other, more spiteful part of him, definitely wanted to see the new wannabe hero dead. Unceremoniously and swiftly, a decisive and clear message to everyone out there, Black Mask was still a threat. And once he claimed his city back, he would laugh about ever worrying about a measly 100 grand.

He grinned under the skull-like mould stuck his face, a sickening sight to any who would see it; but as the only one witness to the display, Roman found it a glorious sight. He focused on his reflection in the window pane and as the city began to become a mere distant blur below his own figure, he saw his goal perfectly reflected. The entirety of Gotham, under him.

Chapter 7: Where Is My Mind?

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Wayne Manor

Peter's sleep was deep and dreamless, yet not untroubled. Although his unconscious mind was unable to produce any imagery, there was a lingering sense of anxiety. Semblances of ideas and thoughts were floating through the blank void that was his mind, as his body lay still.

Through the dark hours, though they felt like seconds, it was as if he was hearing his own voice from underwater. He felt like he was making pleas to nameless things for peace, for reassurance, all of which were maliciously ignored. He felt as though his subconscious was probing the void beyond all things, attempting to speak to something which should never, under any circ*mstances, be spoken to.

And yet, as soon as Peter became aware of his own begging thoughts they ended; and they were gone from his brain as if they were never there to begin with and, more worryingly, as if they should never have been thought at all; As if the very attempt itself was a taboo beyond comprehension. He felt the disdain from whatever beings heard them, and a sense of unimaginable dread filled his slumber.

He woke with a start, in a cold sweat, disoriented and angst ridden. For a merciful second he thought he was back in his own bed at his shared apartment, then reality slapped him in the face as he was confronted by the noise that awoke him. It was the voice of Alfred and another man; he didn't move at first and instead listened to the men talk.

"Come on, Alfred! I just wanna' see the new guy… You know I was asked to." The voice that startled him from his slumber spoke from the hall.

Although Peter was thankful for the respite from the anxiety laced, unfinished, and in many ways entirely unthought, words that plagued his sleep. He was, nevertheless, annoyed for the intrusion as his body still ached and he felt just as exhausted as he had when his head first hit the pillow.

"I do, Master Dick. But you can wait a few minutes longer, he needs his rest." Alfred responded.

"It's already twelve-thirty! He has to get up at some point…"

"That may be so, but the boy went through a lot last night…"

Peter felt as if he should intervene and relieve Alfred of his worries, quickly stretching and approaching the closet where he found some spare clothes. Throwing on a pair of grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt, before calling out, "It's okay, Alfred. I'm up! You can come in!"

The voices stopped and Peter was unable to see as the two men looked at each other, Dick raising his eyebrows with a grin as if to say, 'I told you!'. Alfred simply sighed and rolled his eyes at the young man as he opened the door to the spare room. Dick Grayson found the source of his curiosity sat on the side of the bed, looking at the door.

Peter watched as the young man, who he assumed was Dick, entered the room. The man was handsome, impossibly and irritatingly so. Peter felt as if he would resent the man's looks if didn't also appear so friendly. His bright blue eyes were shining with fascination and kindness as the man approached Peter with a wide, genuine smile and a welcoming hand outstretched. Peter responded by standing and shaking the hand, smiling back, albeit very groggily as he attempted to push his exhaustion away.

"Dick Grayson, nice to meet you, Peter? Was it? Bruce and Babs told us all a lot about you…" The dark-haired man spoke.

"Yeah, uh… nice to meet you too, I guess." Peter felt like the man seemed friendly enough. Though, he still wasn't sure how he felt about so many new people in this world knowing his name.

"Right… You're probably wondering who the hell I am?" Said Dick, clearly picking up on the apprehension on Pete's face.

"Heh, yeah a little bit…" Peter replied as the two of them stopped shaking hands and he rubbed the back of his neck.

Alfred decided to interject and spoke, "Dick is one of Master Bruce's adopted sons."

"Right…" Peter said looking back to Dick curiously, Batman didn't seem to be the fatherly type, "And do you also… You know?" He continued, clenching his fists and rolling them around the air a bit, imitating a fight.

"What? Dress up in a costume and fight crime? Yes. We kinda' all do…"

Peter was unsure what to make of this information, while he was glad his secret identity was at least in the hands of other crime fighters, he still didn't know how many members of the Batfamily there were, and he wasn't sure how comfortable he felt about that information being shared amongst them without his knowledge.

He pushed that grievance aside for the moment and instead asked, "So, just how many people work for Batman?"

"Hey, I don't work for Batman, I just kind of help out here and there…" Dick said, still smiling, but slightly irritated by the insinuation.

"Oh, sorry. I don't really know how any of this works…"

"No problem. I'll fill you in as we go, we've got a big day ahead of us. First though, you look like you could use some coffee…"

"You have no idea…" Peter replied. He was going to question what the 'big day' entailed but felt as if he would find out in due course anyway, right now the offer of caffeine was too good to pass up.

"Ha, well follow me, we'll get some breakfast…"

Alfred quickly spoke before the two young men left the room, "Oh, Mister Parker. I know you were against it last night, but have you reconsidered my offer in regards to your costume?"

Peter looked between the two men, unsure of what to say. He trusted Alfred to a certain extent but was still unsure if he wanted someone else tampering with his suit. He looked at Dick who simply shrugged.

"You're going to need it later, so I'd take the offer. It'll be in good hands, trust me." Dick said in reply to Peter's apprehensive expression.

"Um… Yeah, okay, thanks. But please be careful with it. And its machine washable, it… probably needs it… Except the mask! That needs to be hand wa- Sorry, you probably know what you're doing…" Peter said as he grabbed each part of his suit, removed and pocketed the contents of his concealed belt, and handed his costume to the older man, slightly embarrassed at his confession.

His suit smelled a little ripe and could probably do with some care. So, Peter conceded, to which Alfred smiled, looking at Peter before nodding and heading off down the hall. Peter then quickly picked up his web shooters and equipped them on his wrists before pocketing his phone, it wasn't much good here, but still he felt safer with it on him. He then followed as Dick led him out of the room and down the hall, in the opposite direction to Alfred.

Peter looked after the old man, still not entirely sure about his decision. He felt exposed in this new world, in a house wholly unfamiliar to him, with people that all seemed to know a lot more about him than he did about them, and now he was without one of the few things connecting him to his own world. A feeling of anxious nakedness darkened his mood as he absentmindedly followed the other man through the maze-like halls of the mansion.

Dick picked up on the awkward shift in mood, and tried his best to alleviate some of the tension by talking to the stranger, "So, Barbara tells me you can stick to walls?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. And other, spidery things… Spin a web of any size, catch thieves just like flies- yadda yadda… You know how the song goes-" Peter paused, he had momentarily forgotten his predicament, "Actually, I guess you probably don't…"

Pete felt his embarrassment grow as he was confronted but just how little he had adapted to his situation. His mood was soured slightly at the brutal reminder at how lost he was. Mostly though, he was hoping that the other man didn't realise, and subsequently, question him on his word choice.

The grin on Dick's face seemed to communicate that he did, in fact, notice Peter's choice of words, "Hahaha, song? What, like a theme tune?" He said with enthusiastic curiosity.

Dick thought that softly pushing Peter to open up may help extend an olive branch between them. Even if that meant picking up on, and softly poking fun at, the embarrassment of the other man. Still though, letting Peter explain himself may also be helpful in alleviating said embarrassment.

Peter just sighed slightly, he was still discomforted by his own accidental admission, but he felt oddly comfortable in Dick's company. Comfortable enough that he allowed himself to give a soft confession to the other man, "Yeah… There's a few actually. Most of them are pretty cheesy though…"

"Ha! Please tell me you sing them while you fight crime!"

"What? No. God. Nothing like that. They're just little jingles some folks back home came up with…"

"Well… Don't leave me in suspense, how do they go?" Dick felt as if some playful teasing as they walked to the kitchen wouldn't hurt. In fact, he hoped it may help to coax the younger man out of his sullen mood, a theory that was being supported by the slowly growing smirk on Peter's face.

"That is not happening." Peter replied, struggling to fight the small smile that was determined to blossom into a grin.

"Oh, come on… You can't say something like that, and then not sing me at least a little bit!"

"I can and I will. Or won't, I guess. I'm not that easy Mr. 'Grayson'. You gotta' at least buy me dinner first."

"Yeah? It's a date, 'Spider-Man'."

Peter just smiled at that, the playfully banter painting the mood between them for the rest of the day. One built from mutual understanding and humour. For the first time since Peter had arrived in this world, he felt optimistic about his situation.

There was still a slight sense of melancholy within him, but it was lessened by his newfound comradery with Dick. The young man showing none of the hostility of his adopted father, in fact Peter felt as if he had been friends with him for a lifetime despite only meeting the man a minute ago.

It was nice too that Dick wasn't tiptoeing around Peter and his situation. His tone was sickeningly sweet and chipper, and it helped Peter feel more at ease with the direness of his life's current story arc.

Due to this, part of Peter felt, rather dangerously, as if his earlier stress was unfounded. Causing only the more rational parts of him to begrudgingly accept that his stress was not only warranted, but entirely necessary if he is to find a solution.

Yet Peter was entirely aware that Dick knew about his worries, simply trying to keep him distracted with mundane and friendly conversation. Both could sense the dangling plot thread tying them together, holding their newfound kinship for ransom, demanding their attention. Yet neither of them addressed it as they traversed the winding halls, both men content to ignore that beast until they had at least partaken of their breakfast.

The two of them eventually found themselves sat in an impressively large kitchen, and Dick poured them each a cup of coffee as they sat and ate a small but hearty breakfast of fresh fruits and croissants. Chatting casually the whole time, Peter was now starting to feel like a welcome guest in the manor.

To help ease Peter into the flow of discussion, so that they may eventually attack the elephant in the room head on, Dick spoke first. Sharing details about the family that lived in the halls they currently resided, giving the intricacies of their lives both in and out of costume.

He shared with Peter the fact that, currently at the age of twenty-one, he was the oldest of Bruce's adopted children. How he had been raised in the circus, his parents being famous and exceptional trapeze artists. How that, when he was orphaned and adopted by Bruce Wayne, he was ushered into the world of crime fighting as 'Robin' the boy wonder.

Peter gave a Dick a veritable buffet of expressions in response, offering condolences to the loss of his parents, interest at his subsequent adoption, and a look of disapproval that bordered on disgust at his apparent grooming into crime fighting. Dick did his best to counter Peter's unsureness, but Peter was still unapproving.

"I see your point… But nine years old? I mean come on, really? That's way too early, if you ask me. Batman owes you a childhood…" Peter said, his disapproval only slightly tempered by Dick's reassurance.

Dick's face remained friendly, but it hardened near imperceptibly. What was perceptible however, was the severity that coated his tone as he spoke, "The only person who owes me a childhood is Tony Zucco…" The atmosphere in the kitchen became noticeably darker.

Not wanting to sour the mood further, Dick spoke on, hoping to re-establish some levity to battle the thick layer of tension that had enveloped the room.

"Look… I know it sounds bad, and if I was in your shoes, I'd probably think the same as you. But, going through that, having your childhood ripped from you like that… I think- I think Bruce saw himself in me. Do I agree with everything he did? No, not at all. And by God does he know that…"

Dick looked at Peter, whose deep brown eyes were watching him back curiously, Dick continued, "But in the end, I think… I can't believe I'm about to say this: He was right. It was necessary, Gotham isn't the sort of place where kids can easily recover from something like that… And that's the point, that's what we're trying to change. All of us. Bruce has made a lot of mistakes but, in one way or another, he saved our lives…"

Peter nodded with understanding; his judgement had been slightly disarmed. Though, still not fully made impotent, "I'm sorry. I guess none of us really had the life we were supposed to have, did we?" he spoke.

Dick laughed grimly at that, "No, I guess not. Still, you play the hand your dealt, right?"

"Probably, I don't know… I've never played poker…", Peter replied with a grin.

Dick chuckled slightly as the air of the kitchen loosened, "Seriously? Cause' I can teach you how..."

The casual flow of conversation returned as quickly as it left, allowing both the men to breathe and speak comfortably once again. The tension gone, seemingly to never return.

"Ehh... The Avengers never invited me to their weekly games, said my Spider-Sense made it unfair..." Peter waved his hand dismively as he spoke, barely hiding his frustration...

"Who are the Avengers?" Dick asked, genuinely curious.

"Uh-Ah-Ah... I'm not falling for that... I've was talking about myself to Batman all night last night... You first. Tell me more about Dick Grayson..." Peter said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Dick continued to detail the chain of events, both good and bad, between himself and Bruce. The results of which eventually encouraging Dick to forge his own path as 'Nightwing'. Telling Peter that as Nightwing he mostly offered aid to his family in Gotham from time to time. Instead, spending most of his nights protecting his new home city, Bludhaven; Peter, of course, hadn't the slightest clue where that was. Nevertheless, he assumed, like Gotham, it was in New Jersey.

Dick digressed, delivering yet more anecdotes surrounding the personal history of himself and his family. He mentioned that Batman also had one adopted daughter, Cassandra who went by 'Orphan', as well as two more adopted sons, Tim and Jason, the former of which was currently going by 'Red Robin'.

Conversely, Dick said very little of the latter, as if there was a dark history there that was too taboo to casually mention over pastries and coffee. Peter felt it was best not to pry any more, lest the atmosphere grow heavy again. Pete appreciated that Dick was sharing as it was, he didn't want to stare into the mouth of a gift horse by pushing the boundaries of what Dick was comfortable sharing.

As Dick moved away from the topic of 'Jason', Peter got the impression that the sibling lesser spoken of was the proverbial black sheep of the family. The awkwardness in Dick's tone communicating to Peter that their current relationship was not personal enough for him to divulge much more than Jason's name and the mere fact of his existence.

On a wholly related, and all the same unrelated, note: The mantle of 'Robin' now belonged to Bruce's youngest, and only biological son, Damian, bringing Bruce's total number of children to five.

This surprised Peter, he had heard the term Batfamily, but did not consider that it would be so literal. From his short interaction with Bruce, he had not pegged him for a family man. Nor the type to broaden his team so liberally. This initial impression on Pete's side led to his shock growing with each member Dick recounted to him.

He also mentioned the members that weren't part of the 'family' but were still part of the family. He'd obviously met Batgirl, so Dick didn't mention much about Babs. He did mention Stephanie, though, the younger former Batgirl who now went by Spoiler.

Although the details weren't too in depth, as Dick was getting agitated at his attempt to explain the entire history of his family in a fashion appropriate to casual breakfast Resulted in him merely explaining their existence and the briefest overview of how they each joined the team. It was clear that he had not fully considered the true scope of the Batfamily until this moment. Even Dick was finding himself surprised in how many members he felt the need to mention.

Finally, Dick drew to the end of the onslaught of information he was delivering to Peter. Concluding his anecdotes with the mention that the final members of the Batfamily were more 'unofficial' in their roles and association.

More just helping sometimes. The first of which, for lack of detail, was 'Huntress': A purple clad vigilante with crossbows, which Peter admitted privately to himself, sounded cool.

'I should invest in a web-crossbow, that'd be pretty cool…' Peter thought to himself as he drew a comparison to the web-shotgun he had been given by Fury once.

Then there was the former partner of Joker, this led Peter to stare in disbelief, unsure of how to process what he was being told. Unsure of how someone who used to work alongside a man such as that could ever gain Batman's trust. He let Dick speak however, and he explained that the woman, named to him only as 'Harley Quinn' was currently working on being a better person.

She was now the type of personality that was a chaotic force for, mostly, good. Sometimes a crook, sometimes an anti-hero, usually a mix of the two. Apparently, her former connection to the madman in purple had also proved invaluable, as she had personally helped to put him away, twice.

Peter reserved his judgement, in fact he felt as if her description slightly reminded him of Deadpool. He only hoped that should he meet her; she would prove to be less annoying than Wade could be.

The final person Dick spoke to Peter about, was the most interesting, Peter's eyes perking up as he mentioned the feline themed anti-hero.

"I've actually met her, I think!" Peter interjected, enthusiastic about finally having a sense of familiarity with the information being presented to him.

"Oh, really, you met Selina? How'd that go?" Dick replied, interested in the revelation.

'Selina… So that's her name, huh.' Peter thought before replying, "Well. I guess. She was like the second person I encountered yesterday so I was still adjusting to the angst… But she reminded me of someone back home, so that kinda' put me at ease a bit, I think." Peter seemed to be genuinely considering his answer between sips of his coffee.

Although a lot of time had passed, Peter hadn't really had much time to reflect on his thoughts of the people he met yesterday. As such, Peter hadn't really thought about how his meeting with Selina had gone, nor how his first impression may have been. In fact, he was realising now that he must have seemed, at least a little, insane: With his unexplained revelation of dimensional travel and his confusion at nearly everything told to him.

"Really? Who?" Dick spoke, referring to the 'someone' Peter had mentioned, conceding his role as speaker and breaking Peter out of his thoughts.

"Oh… This cat-burglar, back in my New York. Similar gimmick, but younger, I think. White hair. Different name. She goes by 'Black Cat'… Similar personalities, though. They're both pretty… Forward."

Dick looked at Peter with a little confusion before nodding in understanding. It's true that Selina is a little playfully flirtatious, but Dick had known her so long now he hadn't really considered it from an outside perspective. Nor, how flustered it must have made Pete. Besides everyone knew that it was mostly fruitless, her eyes only really belonging to one Bat.

"Yeah, I think I get what you mean…" Dick responded, before leaning in a little closer, "But, trust me, it's best to stay away. She'll give you nothing but trouble. Besides you really aren't her type…"

"Oh no… I've been there, trust me, doesn't end well…" Peter didn't notice Dick's eyebrow raise in curiosity, "Plus if I had to guess I'd say she was more into the tall, dark and brooding type. Preferably with bat ears…"

"What makes you think that?" Dick responded, mild suspicion on his face.

"Just a hunch… But your face right now isn't really dissuading me from that theory…" Peter responded as he squinted back into Dick's eyes. A sly grin creeping onto his face.

"You know Peter Parker, you're smarter than Bruce gave you credit." Dick replied also grinning as he took a sip of his own drink.

"The Cat and the Bat, huh? Ha! That's so good… So how serious?"

"Nuh-uh… Not my place to say… You'll have to find out for yourself, either from her or from him…"

"Probably better to ask her, right?" Peter responded. His tone was deathly serious.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Dick responded nodding, "Tell me about the Cat and the Spider, though…

"What? No? I would never, she seems too old for me. Plus, now I know she and Batma-" Peter spoke at what seemed to be one-hundred-miles-an-hour.

Dick simply chuckled back as she shook his head, interrupting Peter, "Dude! Chill… Not Selina…"

"Wha- Ohhh… You mean?"

Dick simply nodded back with a sickeningly handsome grin, his suaveness mocking Peter who could feel his head growing hotter and hotter.

"No comment." Peter responded, his face beetroot red as he took an exaggerated sip of his coffee..

Dick chuckled back, "Really?" Clearly Reading through Pete's flustered expression, he continued, "I was just guessing! How'd that go? What's she like? Are there wedding bells ringing for the 'Black Cat' and the 'Spider-Man'?"

"I refuse to comment on whatever may or may not have happened in my love life…" Peter responded, still blushing.

"Fine. I won't pry…" Dick replied, a knowing expression on his face, silently communicating to Peter 'I'll get the info out of you eventually'.

Peter, for his part, felt much more at ease with Dick than he had with Bruce, and even Barbara. Chatting over breakfast, even with Dick's teasing, was much more inviting than the interrogation the night prior, and, as such, Peter felt comfortable to give a few details of his own life back home, telling the man about his powers and some of his villains, as well as other non-hero details of his life.

Details like how he was raised by his aunt and uncle, with Dick offering his condolences at the loss of his parents and his uncle to which Peter thanked him before continuing. He spoke about his best friend MJ, his friends, Miles (the 'other Spider-Man' as he put it), Kitty and Flash. Then he told Dick about his other super powered friends from school, briefly mentioning his short stint at 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' with his team.

"Wow… Did you go to like a special high school for superheroes or something?" Dick asked as he chuckled slightly into his coffee before taking a sip.

"Haha, no they were placed there by the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. He wanted me to lead his team of young superheroes for some reason…"

"Woah... That's… Pretty cool… What's 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'?"

Peter looked at Dick slightly suspiciously, as a moment of fear struck him. Was this another ploy? All to gather intel for Batman…

Dick put his cup down and raised his hands in mock surrender to Peter's suspicious gaze, "Hey, no tricks here… You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious."

Peter believed him; besides he had also been given a lot of sensitive, potentially incriminating, information from Dick about the Batfamily. He decided to go on, as he felt like this was genuine interest and not just another interrogation.

"They're basically an international defence agency, very involved in superhero affairs. I can't remember what it stands for… 'Strategic, Homeland' something, something. Personally, I just think they chose the words cause' they thought the acronym 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' sounded cool."

Dick laughed softly at that and seemed satisfied with the answer, prompting Peter to continue with his life story.

Although Pete didn't mention the friends that he'd lost, like Harry or Johnny, nor did he even hint at the topic of Gwen; not wanting to ruin the atmosphere or revisit the memories. He did mention he was studying a double major of Biochemistry and Biophysics at ESU and living with his friends from school, Rand, Bobby and Angel. Talking candidly about how the last two were also mutant superheroes and sometimes members of the 'X-Men', going by 'Iceman' and 'Firestar' respectively.

"Firestar? Really?" Dick replied with wide-eyed fascination.

"Yeah, why?" Peter responded curious to the interruption.

"My girlfriend, Kory, she goes by 'Starfire'…" Dick spoke with a wide grin.

"Really? Huh. That's weird…"

"Pretty cool, though. Does she shoot green energy blasts?"

"Woah… How'd you know?"

"Really?!"

"Nah. I was lying, I just wanted to see your face… She can like manipulate microwave radiation."

"Oh. Well, that's still pretty cool, I guess..." Dick said, mildly disappointed by Peter's betrayal.

As the two of them continued, the food became mostly ignored and their coffees grew cold as the conversation kept distracting them from consuming their breakfasts. They continued back and forth, and Dick gave Peter some more information about the world he found himself in, talking about how this earth was protected by the 'Justice League', also giving a quick overview of some of their more prominent members.

Peter interjected, "'Superman'? Really? Isn't that a little, you know, on the nose?"

"A little, I guess… No more so than ' Spider-Man', though." Dick replied.

"Yeah, no. You're right… I retract that statement."

Peter in turn spoke about 'The Avengers' and the 'X-Men' and gave a quick history lesson on the adventures of Captain America and how he was basically considered the first 'superhero'.

"Dude… Seriously, 'Superman' is too much for you, but ' Captain America' isn't?" Dick asked chuckling at the absurdity of the title.

"Alright, alright! You made your point..." Peter replied, laughing. And it was now his turn to raise his hands in mock surrender.

Pete then mentioned the civil rights issues surrounding mutants and the prejudice they face. How it's an issue that is important to him, not just because its major human rights issue, but also because of how it affects those close to him; like his roommates and his ex-girlfriend, Kitty Pryde.

Dick showed an intense interest at this part and mentioned how it echoed how certain governments treat 'Metahumans' in this world. They're conversation then shifted from the political and back again to the more personal as Dick told Peter about his team the 'Teen Titans', sometimes just referred to as the 'Titans'.

He mentioned how the team was quite large now as the older members including himself, his girlfriend Starfire, and his other friends all took on more of mentor type role and instructed the younger members. One of which was Damian, the current Robin. He didn't mention the members they'd lost...

When it naturally became Peter's turn to talk again, he decided he could trust Dick further and decided to talk about how he 'technically' had two brothers and a sister but that he was only close to the latter as there was still some tension with his 'Brothers'. He also mentioned that they hadn't grown up together, as his siblings were also his clones.

This did cause Dick to raise his eyebrows in curiosity, but Peter communicated that it was too long, convoluted and painful of a story to properly discuss now, one which he didn't really like revisiting. The violation he felt, to find out someone had stolen his DNA and created new life with it, life that never asked to be created. It was a feeling that still stung.

Peter also didn't want to go into more detail as it would remind him of the fact that he didn't know when, or even if, he would see his newfound family again, among others. Dick simply smiled at Pete's apprehensive face knowingly, not acknowledging the dark inflection that quickly passed over Peter's face.

As if on cue, the door to the kitchen opened as Alfred walked in. The older man smiled soflty as he spoke, "Mister, Parker, your suit is ready. I suggest the two of you get ready as soon as possible if you are to make your appointment."

"Right. Thanks. Wait- What appointment?" Peter replied, looking at Dick.

"Oh really, that time already? My bad, I got so caught up in the conversation I completely forgot to tell you, we're going to the watchtower…" Dick said, with a wide grin.

"What? You mean the satellite thing, where the-?" Peter spoke, recalling what Dick had told him.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Well, not that my company isn't great, but I imagine that you'd want to get home at some point, right? There are some people in the league that may be able to help, but they need to speak with you." Dick spoke with a smile.

"Wow. Cool… I wasn't expecting to meet them so soon…"

"Well, finish your coffee and let's go." Dick said as he picked up his own cup of, now stone cold, coffee.

The two young men chugged their respective cups of the cold brown liquid and, almost simultaneously, each cringed slightly at the once warm drink's current taste.

"Why does cold coffee taste so bad when iced coffee is so nice?" Peter found himself remarking to no one as he stared at the mug before placing it back down on the counter.

"Ugh... I love iced coffee… I know a great little place back in Bludhaven, I'll take you there sometime…" Dick responded as he softly patted Peter on the back and the three of them continued out of the kitchen, following Alfred into the drawing room, where he played a few notes on the piano.

After the sequence of notes, a panel on the wall shifted and revealed a stairway to what Peter assumed must lead back into the Batcave. Peter once again marvelled at the base of operations, this time his higher vantage point giving him a chance to properly admire the sheer scale of the cave.

As the trio, led by Alfred, reached the bottom of the stairs, the older gentleman approached a large table where Peter's costume lay. He handed it back to Peter with a smile and curt nod.

"I hope I did a good job with it; I must admit your suit is more… delicate than I am used to working with. I more accustomed to Kevlar and other more protective materials. I'm astounded that your suit was so undamaged considering how thin it is…"

"I usually try to avoid most things that can cut my suit, and me for that matter… But I have like three suits back home that were way less lucky than this guy…" Peter replied as looked over the suit.

As he inspected Alfred's work, he could hardly believe it was the same suit he had handed to the butler earlier. The suit was incomprehensibly clean, the red and blue popped in a way Peter hadn't seen in too long a time. The scrapes, scratches and small rips that had been delivered to his costume, and his body, had been repaired with expert precision, so much so that Peter struggled to find the seams of repair despite knowing exactly to look.

"Alfred… Wow… This… This is as good as new. Better even, I think. How the hell did you do this is such short time?" Peter asking, his astonishment evident.

"You're too kind Mr. Parker. Though, for my own sake at least, I hope you consider using tougher materials in future. A knife would go straight through your current suit. And subsequently, you."

"Trust me, I know." Peter replied, still admiring the handiwork of Alfred. Essentially ignoring his advice.

As someone who had spent years pleading with Bruce, urging him to reconsider his more self-destructive tendencies, nearly all in vain, Alfred knew it would be useless to further argue the point. So, he simply continued.

"I also took the liberty of patching the interface of your mask to our system, so you may communicate with us and access our shared server."

Peter paused and looked between Alfred and Dick, "I'm confused, I thought we were going to meet the Justice League so I can go home?"

Dick spoke, "We are. But it won't be as simple as that. We need to figure out where you're from and go from there, we don't just have an inter-dimensional portal ready…"

Peter, obviously, understood. In fact, he had half expected as much. It would probably take at least several days before they could even begin the process of sending him back.

Peter nodded, nevertheless unable to fully hide his disappointment, "Right. Yeah, that makes sense. I'll probably be stuck here for at least a couple weeks either way, huh?"

"Right." Dick replied as he smiled softly at the other man, "So you might as well pull your weight around here."

"Wait. Batman's okay with me 'thwipping' around in Gotham?" Peter replied, his eyes wide.

"He hasn't said no… Mostly, because we haven't spoken to him about it in all honestly." Alfred replied candidly, as he was busying himself clearing the sewing utensils off the table in front of him.

Peter looked at Dick slightly apprehensively to which the dark-haired man simply replied, "Ehhh… We'll cross that bridge when we get to it… And hey, you're always welcome in Bludhaven! For now, though, just get suited up. You have some important people to meet."

Peter shrugged in response before following Dick to one of several small changing rooms. As he changed, Peter fell deep into thought. He didn't like how numb and accepting he was becoming of his situation. As if every second he wasn't fighting his newfound status quo was a step further into gentrifying himself into someone else, someone from this world.

The crushing weight of 'reality', a term which was becoming increasingly more subjective every second, was starting to press down on him. He knew that everything, the entire course of his life, hung on the meeting he was about to have. If the Justice League were unable to help him, he wouldn't even know where to begin searching next.

The thought was so impossibly overwhelming that he reached an all too familiar dissociative state, losing himself in the monotonous action of changing his clothes. The stress felt, as Peter prepared himself for the consultation that would ultimately decide his fate, was so immense that it curtailed itself. Condensed into such a fine and concentrated point that nearly every other aspect of him was beyond numb.

His soul was wrenched back into his body by a knock on the door to his changing room, "Hey, you nearly done in there? You don't wanna' be late, do you?"

Dick's voice was friendly as ever, but his words troubled Peter 'Would it even matter if I was late? It's only the rest of my life on the line…'

Peter almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his situation, but instead he simply replied, "Just coming!"

As he exited the changing room, fully suited, he looked Dick up and down. The other man had also changed into, what Peter could only assume was, his own costume. He wore a black body suit made from a similar material to Batgirl's with a blue bird symbol covering his chest. The blue from top of the wings carried on down his arms and ended with his middle and ring finger on each hand. His eyes were also now covered by a black domino mask.

Dick smiled at Peter, unable to read the other man's expression now due to his mask, instead he could only see his own grinning face reflected to him by the mask's lenses, "Nice suit!" Dick responded.

"Ditto! I like the blue…" Peter replied. His voice chipper. His attitude also worryingly chipper. 'I should be more nervous, right? Why aren't I nervous?"

"Thanks… Well, you ready?" Dick asked as the two of them stood opposite each other dangerously close to finding themselves in an awkward silence.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Peter replied.

At that, Dick led them both to a metal pod. It had a small monitor attached to it next to its curved door. Peter watched as Dick tapped several keys on the monitor before opening the door and ushering both himself and Peter into the small pod.

They stood there in the steel chamber for a moment before Peter spoke, "Is this an elevator? don't tell me there's another cave below this one."

"It's slightly fancier than that…" Dick responded, fixing Peter with a smile "Hold onto your molecules!"

"What's that supposed to-" Before Peter could finish his sentence a wash of bright white light came over the two of them as they both found themselves transported, to somewhere else entirely. The dark enclosed walls of the pod replace by a large open space. "- mean… Woah."

Rapidly whipping his head about, him like an overexcited puppy, Peter's lensed eyes widened in astonishment. Peter, still wholly unadjusted to his sudden transposition, surveyed his newfound surroundings with an unyielding fervour.

Nightwing and himself were standing in the middle of a circular metallic platform, sizeable enough to fit several people, even a couple of larger specimens such as the Hulk or Thing would find themselves with ample room to spare should they stand on the platform. Peter's scientific instinct was battering him with excitement, he theorised that this platform must be a teleporter pad linked to the pod in the Batcave.

The large room that they now found themselves in was intricately designed and all the same simplistic. Silver and white metallic surfaces formed the curved walls, of the rounded open space. Gargantuan, hopefully thick, transparent windows similarly curved themselves around sections of the room, assaulting Peter's wondered eyes with the spectacularly, and mildly worrying, view of unending space: A deep black backdrop dotted with bright, flickering stars filling Peter with a sense of melancholic calm as it reminded him of how small he truly was.

Although he was aware of the Watchtower and its orbital nature thanks to Dick's quick history lesson, the realisation that he was no longer on the surface of earth hit Peter like a truck. An apprehensive sense of hope filled his soul as he continued to gawk at the scale of the engineering marvel, he found himself suddenly thrust into.

At very first glance, the level of technology at the disposal of the Justic League appeared to be at least comparable to, perhaps even better than, that of the Avenger's. Peter could only hope that this was merely a taste of the League's scientific power and not its utmost peak.

Dick's voice jolted Peter out of his wonder-induced stupor, "Welcome to the Watchtower… What do you think?"

"W… We're in space… I mean I knew we would be, but... We're in space!" Was the only response Peter's dazed brain could conjure.

"Ha! Nothing gets passed you, does it? Come on, Sherlock… Your first appointment is just ahead…" His arm extended forward as he gestured to the two most prominent figures ahead from them.

Dick's voice was coated in a sickly-sweet syrup of soft sarcasm. He was clearly finding immense entertainment from Peter's shock and awe. This enjoyment remained unhindered as Peter stayed silent, unable to vocalise the rush of thoughts which continued to bounce rapidly around his head.

Straight forward from the circular platform, up a shallow slope, appeared to be the bridge of the space station. It was impressively wide and populated with a myriad of high-tech monitors atop thick-based computers. Several of which were manned by various individuals in purple jumpsuits; whom Peter could only assume were 'civilian' staff/volunteers working for the Justice League.

Alongside the assumed 'staff', were the two, noticeably less civilian attired, individuals that Dick was gesturing to. One of the pair was a shorthaired African American man wearing a black, red and white leather jacket over top a, similarly coloured, jumpsuit. A black mask in the shape of a 'T' was fixed to his face through a yet undetermined method. His lips were curved in a smile as his red-lensed eyes looked between Nightwing and Spider-Man before he turned to the other man Dick was gesturing to.

The other was a bald, red eyed, green skinned man. He wore blue trunks, boots, cloak and little else. His bare green chest covered only by a red 'X' which extended up from the red belt around his waist, towards each of his shoulders, seemingly holding his cloak in place. He looked back at the other man before turning himself to face Nightwing, and subsequently, Spider-Man. An expression of neutrality fixed to his face, yet somehow laced with a coat of kindness.

Peter's body, disregarding his mind's overwhelmed state, took control of itself and carried him forward, following Nightwing who was a step ahead of the other hero.

"Spider-Man, allow me to introduce Mr. Terrific, the third smartest person alive, and J'onn Jonzz, The Martian Manhunter. J'onn, Mr. Terrific, this is Spider-Man..." Dick was gesturing between everyone as Peter and himself finally came a stop in front of the other pair.

Before Peter's overwhelmed brain could instruct his mouth to speak a greeting, the human man had already reached his hand out in a flash, grabbed Peter's own and began shaking it. Interrupting Peter's thoughts of potential introductions by seizing the initiative and snatching the chance from him.

"It's an honour to meet you Spider-Man, your story is fascinatingly unbelievable…" He spoke, a friendly smile on his face. Although his eyes were concealed behind a deep red, Peter could still swear they were glimmering with excitement at the prospect of unravelling the mystery of Peter's arrival.

"Errr… Thanks, I guess. Nice to meet you, too. Also, can I just say this place is awesome! You guys definitely know how to make a good first impression on wayward Spiders…" Peter spoke as he gripped Mr. Terrific's hand in turn and shook it.

Letting go of Spider-Man's hand, Mr. Terrific pulled a small metallic ball out of his jacket pocket before replying, "Thanks! I wish I could take the credit, but this beauty was a member of the league long before me… Still though, the view on the observation deck is unbeatable… Hold still a moment."

Before Peter could question the instruction, the small ball circled him as a red laser traced its way up, down and all around his body, scanning him.

"Ummm… Why the scan?"

"Nothing major, just checking your atoms… I'm going to run the data through the computer in my lab to see if we can find your world…"

"Wow! You guys don't mess around, huh?"

Mr. Terrific simply chuckled before responding, "When it comes to someone in need? Never. Although… There may also be a couple wagers going on here as to whether you're telling the truth. So, the sooner I find out, the sooner I get paid."

"Ha… Good one. That's a joke, right? Right?"

Mr. Terrific simply smiled before walking away, delivering one last message as he departed, "I'll be in my lab, it was good to meet you Spider-Man, I'll see you later. Nightwing will show you to my lab in a bit."

Peter waved him off, unsure of himself for a moment, before turning to the green skinned man and likewise offering his hand to him.

The Martian shook it in response, fixing Peter with a gentle expression as he spoke, "It is good to meet you Spider-Man, if your story is true, then you have certainly gone through a lot. If we can, we will do everything in our power to help send you home."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you too."

The green skinned man let go of Peter's hand before motioning for him and Dick to follow, leading them down the winding metallic hallways as he spoke, "No thanks needed. As Mr. Terrific said, we take helping people in need very seriously…"

"And the bet?"

"I believe that was indeed a joke, I have heard nothing of any wager…"

"Speak for yourself, I have fifty riding on all this being some kind of experimental performance piece…" Dick spoke with a massive grin as he looked at Spider-Man.

"How did you know?!" Peter replied in mock surprise as the three of them found themselves entering a room in what appeared to be the medical wing of the Justice League headquarters.

The room was small and unremarkable, a twin bed with railings lay adjacent to a small metallic chest-of-drawers. There was a chair in the corner for visitors and a slim door next to the entrance, behind which Peter assumed must be a small bathroom.

Aside from the view into unending space, the room was comprised entirely of sanitised simplicity, ubiquitous uniformity and all-encompassing accessibility. The kind that would be found in nearly every hospital across the globe, it's familiarity oddly comforting to Peter as J'onn ushered him to sit on the bed. The only stand out feature to Peter was the view beyond its window, with the all-to-common city skyline or concrete parking lot replaced with a never-ending black punctuated with shimmering stars.

Peter did so, offering little resistance as he looked to Dick for reassurance, to which the other man simply nodded. Pete found himself staring back up at the now towering figure of the Martian hero as he sat on the bed.

"Sooo, am I here for a medical evaluation, or what? Cause I feel mostly fine…" Peter asked, a soft sense of wariness creeping its way into his mind.

"Not unless you feel you need one. No, we are here to check that you are telling the truth among other things… If you'll allow me." Martian Manhunter spoke.

Peter felt the need to protest, but that intent was subdued by J'onn who fixed Peter with a reassuring look, one that implied he was seeking permission to continue his explanation.

"What do you need to do?" Peter asked. Not entirely dissuaded but still uncertain of the implication.

"I wish- We wish, that is, the League wishes, to verify your story by reading your mind. But more than that, Batman said that you claim to have little memory of the events that led to your arrival in this dimension, is that correct?" Jo'nn's face was kind, his voice was soft, and Peter couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort from him.

J'onn carried himself as a man of unwavering severity and commitment, but unlike Batman, he did not project this into an intimidating façade. It appeared simply to be his nature, there was also deep kindness to his voice and eyes, one that was infinitely sincere and altogether painful to witness. The weight of his voice was undeniable, and Peter had the overwhelming feeling that J'onn, much like himself, had encountered great pain in his life.

Peter nodded in response to the question.

"I hope to be able to explore the moments just before your sudden appearance in Gotham, to gain a full picture of how and why you were sent here. There was also the matter of your adversaries…"

"Right. They could have been sent here too…" Spider-Man's masked eyes fell on J'onn's "Okay. If you really think it will help… I will let you read my mind. But just the last day or two. No further!"

"I promise. I will only look at what is necessary… Nightwing, the door, please."

Nightwing looked to Spider-Man his expression expectant, as if searching for affirmation that Peter was okay with him remaining in the room. His unspoken question was unanswered by a small nod from Peter. Dick closed the door as instructed by J'onn before leaning back on its solid metallic frame and crossing his arms as he looked on curiously.

Peter watched as J'onn grabbed the chair and brought it opposite where he was sitting on the bed. The green skinned man sat opposite Spider-Man and stared into his lensed eyes before speaking.

"Would you be more comfortable with or without your mask?"

"Errr… With, I think. No offence to you but I'd rather not be too liberal with the whole 'secret identity' thing…"

"Understandable, I will do my best to avoid any aspect of your non-heroic life while searching your mind." J'onn replied as he reached his hands out and placed them on either side of Peter's head, "Now, I need you to relax and think of what you can last remember before you arrived here…"

Peter's eyelids became steel weights and came crashing down, drowning his vision in darkness as his eyes found themselves encased in their warm embrace. His thoughts went to the last lucid memory he had of his adventures at Fisk Tower, and as though he were dreaming the events played in his mind as flashes. He felt the barrier of his Spider-Sense soften as he invited J'onn into his broken memories.

Images flew through past his 'vision' at near incomprehensible speeds as J'onn connected his own mind to Peter's, taking control of the flow and directing his memories to the information they needed.

Peter saw Miles and himself battling the three villains in the basem*nt of Fisk tower. Doc Ock's metallic tentacles throwing computer monitors, desks and even the odd snow globe at both the Spider-Men. Then just as quick as the visions appeared, they were gone.

Screaming scientists in lab cloaks, cowering and attempting to escape the chaos all while being berated and threatened by Doc Ock. A few finding their way to the elevator before being grabbed by a metallic claw, before it was ripped off from the harness controlling it by Spider-Man. Then the images were gone again.

Replaced by images of Peter dangling upside down as Vulture carried him through the collider by the leg before dropping him after a well-placed web to his face. Peter catching himself in a swing only to be blasted by yellow lighting as Electro entered the collider, an explosion of debris and static behind him.

J'onn could feel the familiarity of these figures, though he himself didn't know their names, he wasn't prying into Spider-Man's mind further than necessary. Nonetheless he felt the tension and severity of the situation that the hero and his young protégé were in.

Peter's mind began to ache as the images and the cacophony of mismatched and distant sounds kept battering through his conscious. J'onn too felt the strain, it was peculiar, he could not manage to get either himself or Spider-Man to focus on a clear image, it was as if something was blocking them.

"Is it normally this... Nnggh- Painful?" Peter managed to ask, though he wasn't quite sure if the question was spoken or thought.

"No. Something is disrupting our connection…" J'onns reply was ethereal.

"Can you un-disrupt it…? I feel like my mind is being torn in two!"

"As do I. Can you focus more? Try to expand on a singular point."

"I can't do anything, I don't feel in control here, these memories are just… happening!"

A piercing yell came from Dr. Octavius as Electro missed his mark as he attempted to fire a lightning bolt at the older Spider-Man, hitting the console behind him. The machine below them whirring violently as sparks flew from the collider, bright lights and egregious alarms assaulting all in the collider.

As J'onn and Peter landed on Pete's memory of staring into the erupting mouth of hell that was the erratic collider below him, they saw visions of other worlds: strange alien worlds, familiar mundane worlds. Ones that defied all physics, others that followed such strict laws of physics that they were remarkable in their remarkability.

Then they felt past-Peter's focus shift as he watched the younger Spider-Man desperately attempting to absorb the energy spewing from the collider's main generator. Screaming as red, white, yellow and blue electricity sparked from his body, tearing through his suit and even burning parts of his flesh.

The name 'Peter' was yelled in panic by the younger Spider-Man as he took a hit from an enraged electro, J'onn felt the name's familiarity and both himself and Spider-Man knew exactly what it meant. Past-Peter's body became a human sponge, absorbing the current of electricity that was meant for the other Spider-Man tampering with the collider.

Then the image faded. One of calm, came over the scene, the villains' unconscious forms splayed throughout the collider in which the younger Spider-Man was kneeling, frantically trying to regain control of his breathing. The older Spider-Man swinging back into the office and viewing the now calm screen of the computer.

A flash and the images were gone replaced with visions of past-Peter swinging the few remaining scientists down the collider, leading them to the abandoned subway tunnels, directing them to the other Spider-Man who was instructing them how to escape.

A flicker and the alarm returned, the sensation of past-Peter's spider-sense was so strong that even now as they attempted to revisit the events, both J'onn and Peter felt the buzz as strongly as if it were happening now.

They watched as past-Peter grabbed the final scientist from the collider, a long-haired bearded man whose name rang through Peter's memory as Dr. Johnathan Ohnn. They saw as he threw him up to the arms of the other Spider-Man.

Words played as phantom tones and the images became more transparent, beginning to fade into each other…

"Miles! Take him - Tunnels! Now!" Peter's own voice rang through the air, distorted and incomplete.

"What? I can do it - I need to - I - Absorb the - Nuform!" The protests by Miles were heard by all three of the beings experiencing the memory, past-Peter, J'onn and Peter.

The young Spider-Man's complaints clearly weren't headed as they saw past-Peter frantically typing on the monitor in the office, turning away briefly as he watched Miles and Dr. Ohnn disappear into the dark of the tunnels opposite.

Then the visions slowed, the alarm stopped as the monitor ceased its visual assault of warnings and pop-ups urging to abort. The growing mass of anti-matter in the collider fell into itself and the tears into the fabric of reality appeared to be stitching itself back together.

As the crack into the multiverse itself closed, the world's beyond still shifted, visions of colour and infinite nothingness flashed by. The building blocks of creation constantly changing as they moulded different realities. Different beings looked out of the void of everchanging worlds.

One being seemed to recognise Peter as he too saw nothing but familiarity in the flaming face who was yelling his name, the voice ringing through both of their minds. J'onn and Peter saw as his past self-attempted to reach out at grab his friend and reason with the shock at seeing someone he thought was dead. Then the crack closed.

Silence fell, both over the now calm visage of the past and the two present minds who watched over it. That was until, as if sharing one thought between time, the voice of Peter and past-Peter spoke simultaneously.

"Johnny?"

As quickly as the chaos had ended, it began again several times faster. An eruption from the middle of the collider, and Peter could feel himself being drawn back into the sensation he had once felt before as his body was torn apart and reassembled countless times over. The images that assaulted both his and J'onn's senses were wholly unexplainable, both the men screaming within their minds, their physical bodies replicating the act.

Their screams pierced the air of the Watchtower's medical room, much to the distress of Dick who had been desperately trying to grab their attention for the past hour. J'onn's own niece M'gann kneeling beside them, as she had been anxiously seeking an entrance to their connection for over half of that hour. Dick calling her after the two men began straining, twitching and muttering in pained voices twenty minutes into their psychic link.

J'onn felt his niece's voice calling to them but he couldn't talk back. He felt himself in Peter's body and he lived his days, he saw the pain that his days as Spider-Man had brought him, and he felt every happy birthday of his childhood. He felt the love of his aunt and uncle, and he saw the watery image of his parents in the babe's eyes when he was only a few weeks old.

Peter, likewise, saw as H'ronmeer's Curse burned through his people, his family. He felt the loss of his planet and finding his place on earth. He saw as he celebrated Christmas with his friend Clark, and he felt Jonn's joy when he met his niece who had survived the death of the Martians.

And they both felt the overwhelming, crushing weight of all possible realities and realities beyond even them pressing down on them as it tore them apart. They both heard the voice of M'Gann hopelessly trying to pull them out of the collapsing mindscape before they were lost forever.

The cascading waves of psychic energy crashed violently against the insurmountable wall of Peter's spider-sense as it pulsed in agony. Repelling all that threatened him, which at this moment was everything. The images of past-Peter's vision into the abyss of all things constantly fighting for dominance of the soup that had once been two separate consciousnesses.

M'Gann's voice faded as her already weak connection to their minds became increasingly tangential. A fourth voice claimed control of all of them, absorbing Peter's pain and banishing his consciousness to somewhere safer. Deleting all memory of the events as it did so.

The thing did not know what it was, it only knew one thing, it loved Peter. It must protect him, them, at all costs, and so amidst the calamity of psychic energy it found itself able to replicate the mental powers of the two Martians. And it thought, for the first time ever since its birth within Peter.

As it thought, its voice oozed out of Peter's subconscious, where it had been lying dormant for years, ever since the seperation. It's own, fragile, yet strong, consciousness slipped effortlessly into the degrading mindscape of himself and J'onn.

"III WILLLL SAVVVEE USSSSS… PETERRR…"

And as suddenly as a TV screen goes dark after its cable is wrenched from the wall, the connection was ended, and a violent wave of psychic force exploded from between J'onn and Peter's bodies sending all four of the room's occupants flying backwards several feet.

As the only one whose mind had remained entirely within his own body, Dick was the first one to pull himself to his feet, looking over the room he saw as M'Gann was similarly trying to bring herself into a vertical position. Rushing over to her and offering his hand, which she took with one hand as the other clutched her head.

"Nnngh… Thanks…"

Dick didn't reply as his eyes remained fixed on Peter's suspended body. Seeing his distraction M'Gann turned her gaze to where Dick was looking and they both watched with morbid fascination at the black tentacles that were protruding from Peter's back. They had somehow managed to claw into the metallic ceiling, and they began slowly stretching lower down and softly placed Peter's unconscious form on the bed before suddenly retracting back into his body with a wet 'flap!'.

The two of them shared a look of confusion and bewilderment before looking down and proceeding to help, the slowly awakening, J'onn to his feet. J'onn gripped his head in anguish as he thanked the two of them before turning to Peter who was likewise being pulled back into consciousness.

"Ugh… Ow- Jeez my head kills. What the hell happened…?" Peter asked as his eyes adjusted to the light of the room.

"I was hoping you could tell me. It has been many an age since I had felt psychic resistance that strong…"

"Oh, sorry. I thought my Spider-Sense would have been quiet since I let you go poking in my mind."

"No. It was not your Spider-Sense, that was no doubt strong, but what I felt was more than that, when we saw into the explosion… I- I have never felt power like that before…"

"When we…? I—I have no idea what you're talking about."

M'Gann and Dick looked to each other once more as the other two spoke.

"What do you remember?" J'onn continued.

"I remember you grabbing my head, closing my eyes, and then… Nothing."

"Hmmm… I- What you saw... In the collider. I do not believe any mortal being was ever supposed to see that. The sheer enormity of it all- I… It hurts to even think of."

"I don't remember any of it…"

"Who is Johnny, Peter?"

Although Peter did not remember telling J'onn he felt no aversion to the Martian saying his name, as if he simply accepted the man knew his identity, most likely a result of the mind meld of which he had no recollection. He did feel an intense disdain at hearing Johnny's name, however.

"Johnny?" Peter felt the hairs on his body stand on end as he felt a sharp stab in his heart, "I- Why?"

"You said that name, as the collider was closing… Before the chaos."

"Johnny… He- Johnny's dead… I don't know why I would've-"

He looked to the floor as he felt his eyes begin to wet, an overwhelming surge of emotions pulsed over him as if the pain was fresh.

"I apologise… I didn't realise…"

"No. It's not your fault, I don't know why I would've said that…"

"Alright, but do you remember the… Other? The voice in your subconscious…"

"That who-what now?"

J'onn looked at Peter with curiosity, he knew the young man wasn't lying, but there was clearly more to the story than initially thought.

"There was something- or some one else in there with you… Its energy was in here too, it… caught you, put you back on the bed. Before you hit the window." M'Gann spoke, capitalising on her uncle's momentary loss for words.

"What do you mean it caught me? Also, sorry, who are you?" Peter's confusion was reaching yet unseen heights, struggling to understand what they meant while wrestling with the realisation that there was another person in the room with them. A young woman about Dick or his age with jet white skin and red hair and orange eyes. She was wearing a suit with a similar logo to J'onnz.

"M'Gann M'orzz, J'onnz's niece. Nice to meet you, I think. Despite you nearly killing us…"

Dick interjected, "I called her in for help when you two started being all creepy and I couldn't wake you up. And I mean like, exorcist levels creepy…"

Peter nodded as he rubbed his head, "Right. Sorry about that, nice to meet you too, I guess… Thanks for pulling us out of that…"

"That's the thing… I didn't, I couldn't. You were both on the verge of dying, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. But that Other did. And it also did that." She pointed to the ceiling.

Peter saw several holes in the metal above the bed, the result of something piercing partially into the thick steel.

"Riiiight," Peter's anxiety grew as he felt something bubble in the back of his mind, "What did this 'Other' look like exactly?"

"Black/Gooey" Dick and M'gann spoke at once.

Peter froze, he had no idea how that could possibly be, the symbiote was gone, it had been for years now, it was on Eddie… so how? His mind began racing with possibilities as his breathing grew impossibly quick and he stood up from the bed before pacing, turning around promptly and sitting back down again.

"Peter… Are you okay?" Dick spoke, softly, carefully as if trying not to drop a delicate vase full of eggshells.

Dick looked to both J'onn and M'Gann as the three of them all stepped back partially to allow the clearly anguished Peter space.

"Me? Sure! I'm Great! Ha! No… I don't think I am actually… Nope! Not at all! Hahaha! I- I'm gonna' take my mask of real quick, is that okay? What am I saying, of course it is! I- I umm… I just need- Air! Air, yeah I need to breath… I umm. Think I just might be- Yeah, I think I might be having a panic attack, sorry! Hah! How embarrassing!"

Peter's words shot from his mouth like bullets from an automatic weapon, as his breaths grew shallower and shallower with each passing nano second. They were interspersed with episodes of hysterics and laboured chuckles of panic. He began reaching his shaking hands to his head and he scrunched his hand into a violent, white-knuckled ball as he pulled the mask of his face.

Dick slowly took a step forward, "Peter. Breathe. Slowly. Deep breaths. You're okay, you're with friends…"

"Hah. Friends! I just met you guys… I'll never see my friends again, probably. And now. It can't be back, can it? I'm sorry you all seem very nice! I- This can't be happening..." Peter's head whipped to the window behind him, the stars beyond offering no comfort as he gazed into the endless dark dotted with lights millions of miles away, "I can't be here! I want to go home, now! Please can I go home?"

His panic-stricken ranting ceased as his face grew red and tears filled his eyes, he felt his chest fighting his lungs as the air desperately escaped his body every second only to be violently sucked back in the next. He had lost all control over his body and surrendered himself to the constant assault of his sucking lung, feeding hungrily yet completely ineffectually at the bottled air that was being pumped into the room hundreds of miles above an earth that wasn't his.

Dick looked to M'Gann who had already began slowly approaching Peter, reaching out into his mind, slipping past the defence of his Spider-Sense that had once been keeping her locked out of the maze of fractured memories that J'onn and Peter were earlier trapped in.

"Shhh… It's okay. You're safe, Peter… Breathe…" She spoke, slowly.

She said the words aloud as she also quietly, gently pressed them into his mind. She felt his barriers fall and his eyes fell shut once more before he began to fall forward off the bed. J'onn catching his flaccid body as it grew heavy, lying him softly back down on the covers.

J'onn stood back up and stepped away from the bed before turning back to his niece, "That was dangerous… You shouldn't have gone back into his mind like that."

"I just sent him to sleep, uncle J'onn. You know I wouldn't go past the first the layer of his outer conscious without his consent… Besides, what were we supposed to do? Just let him have a panic attack in a space station, above an earth that he has no connection to, surrounded by people he doesn't know?"

J'onn sighed, she was right, "Still. We don't know what could have happened… His mind, it isn't just fractured, nor do I think it is only his… That Other, it seemed to save us, but… His reaction, the panic and dread he felt, it was so powerful."

"I know, I felt it too…"

"Even I felt it…" Dick spoke, "What could it be to make him just… breakdown like that?"

"Nothing good." J'onn spoke.

"Are we sure? I mean it didn't feel malicious, it seemed to want to protect him… And it did, it saved both of you… You would have been destroyed in there, I could see your minds breaking…"

"She has a point, J'onn. Neither of us could wake you but whatever that thing was, it did, maybe a bit violently but you're still here because of it… What did you even see in there anyway?"

"I… I saw everything, or parts of it at least… Flashes across his entire life… He has been through so much, especially for someone so young… He has felt such pain. But more than that, when he was pulled into the collider…" He paused, thinking deeply, "The sheer scale of it, of all things, everything, across countless universes, the horror… The beauty. If I live a thousand years, I would still not be able to even grasp the slightest understanding of what I saw."

"Okay. Wow... Existential crises aside, this confirms that he's telling the truth, right. The multiverse is infinite, not finite like we believed?"

"Maybe. It is possible his reality was destroyed along with countless others, and he was sent here before his reality ceased to be. But after seeing into that… abyss. I simply do not know…"

"Or there could be more multiverses out there, ones that weren't affected by whatever happened to ours…" M'Gann offered.

"Also possible… I believe I also saw parts of that Other, though I do not understand it. It was something alien, a symbiotic entity… It fed off his pain. But he expelled it I believe… And that Other, it felt, different… I cannot quite explain, nor, do I think, can Peter… Forgive me, I also need rest. Whatever happened in our mindscape, it has drained me, completely… I will inform Batman of all that transpired here and then retire for the day…"

"Sure thing, J'onn. Thanks for everything."

J'onn nodded to Dick in gratitude and acknowledgement before placing a paternal hand on his niece and smiling gravely at her. Leaving the room slowly, immense weight punctuating his every step.

"You go on too, M'Gann… I can take it from here."

"You sure? What if he has another episode?"

"Then I'll call you, I promise. Go home and rest, thanks for coming in, but you shouldn't have had to be here…"

"I'm fine, I didn't feel any of the strain my uncle went through…"

He looked at her and smiled softly, sincerely, "You know that's not what I'm talking about…"

She looked down shivering slightly at the ghost of fresh grief that passed through her, "… I know. I think- I think I'd rather stay busy for now… I'm not ready to go home just yet. It's so… Empty there."

Dick nodded with understanding before grimly chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" M'Gann asked.

"Oh nothing, just the irony of it. I've got two people to take care of today, now. One who desperately wants to go home, and one who doesn't…" His head nodded between Peter and M'Gann.

Her lips curved to a half smile, but her eyes remained dark, "I don't need you to take care of me, Dick."

"I know. But you can't stop me from trying, either. It's my job as your friend."

Her lips curved again, this time into a genuine full smile as she grabbed his upper arm and squeezed it in thanks.

The room grew silent and all that could be heard was the soft hum of the space station interspersed with Peter's soft breathing as he lay there unconscious beside them.

"I'm sorry, we haven't had time to talk about it all yet. It's just still so… Fresh, you know?" Dick's voice was uncharacteristically dark.

"I understand. I don't think I'm ready yet, anyway."

"Then we won't."

The two looked at each other for a moment before Dick began picking up and repositioning the furniture of the room that had been strewn about the place during the psychic explosion. M'Gann began to help Dick as he tried to return the room to its earlier layout.

Once they had reorganised the room as best they could, they both sat and watched Peter as he slept peacefully… Waiting for him to awake from his psychic induced slumber.

"How long will he be out?"

"Should only be a couple more minutes now… Hopefully he'll feel better after the rest. He hid it well, all things considered, but if uncle J'onn was mentally drained, well… I dread to think what that kind of strain would do to a human's mind. 'Spider-sense', or whatever he called it, or not."

"Then add on, the whole black goop thing… That shook him up real bad…"

"Yeah… I don't know how he'll be when he wakes up to be honest…"

Meanwhile,

Earth Prime - New York City

Queens

Outside of world threatening emergencies, it was extremely rare for Batman to be spotted outside of Gotham City. It was even less rare for him be spotted during the day. So, for the citizens of Queens who were going about their business in the early afternoon of the winter Sunday, it was very hard for them to tear their eyes aware from his form as he strolled through the suburban streets.

Many assumed he was simply a very dedicated cosplayer who had poured hours and far too much money into a convincing replica of the Dark Knight's uniform. They stared nonetheless at the impressive dedication of the assumed fan of the hero.

Those sceptics, however, soon had their suspicions, and weariness at the man's legitimacy, dispelled as they saw a red and blue blur appear in the sky above him. Slowly floating down to Batman's position and walking alongside him with a smile. The dark and brooding Bat only offering a curt nod as the man of steel spoke to him with an enthused inflection.

"You called?"

"Hmm…"

"Care to explain why? Don't get me wrong it's good to see you, Batman, but I would've appreciated a little context."

"I'm following up on a lead. You remember the young man I told you about?"

"Spider-Man, right? What about him?"

The two slowed their walk down as they approached a bench and Bruce ushered his friend to sit down.

Standing next to Superman, he asked, "Still reading in sub-second intervals, I assume?"

"You know I am. Can read the entire works of Shakespeare before you can even speak the 'W' in 'Will'…" Clark replied, matter-of-factly as he took the folder Bruce handed to him.

Both men knew Clark wasn't bragging, he was merely giving an example.

"I began looking into Spider-Man's story, and although J'onn appears to have confirmed he was telling the truth… There are… unintended discrepancies."

"Clearly." Clark replied as he handed the folder back to Bruce, having read the contents in their entirety before Batman had even begun his sentence. "So, we've established why we're here. But you still haven't told me why I'm here…"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Bruce spoke as his friend stood back on his feet.

"No. But I wouldn't mind hearing it…" Clark smiled widely.

"You're… Better with people than I am…"

"Please. You're not that bad, Batman… You're nicer than you give yourself credit. You need to learn how to properly open-up one of these days…"

"Hmmm… Well then, I learn best by observing… I would appreciate your help."

"You already had it, I wouldn't be here otherwise… Let's try and make this quick, though… I'm on the clock, after all."

"Why? Is there a cat stuck in a tree somewhere?" Bruce responded a tone as close to friendly banter as he could muster.

"Something like that…" Clark replied as the two began walking again.

As the two continued their approach to their destination, their path was blocked by a small boy, roughly seven or so in age. He wore a thick coat that was opened over top a black shirt with a yellow oval, stamped with a black Bat symbol.

"Errr… Excuse me… Are you really Batman?" The kid stuttered out his question shyly.

Clark beamed joyfully, clearly languishing in both the wholesome display of the child, and the mild shuffling noise of Batman bristling in discomfort.

"He sure is, son." Superman spoke as he smiled brightly at the child, dispelling the boy's shyness and putting him at ease.

Excitement replaced the kid's shyness at near inhuman speed as he exclaimed, "Wow! Can I- Would it be okay if I got a picture with you?"

Before Batman could even open his mouth to voice a polite dismissal, Superman had already answered, "Of course you can! Want me to take it for you?

The kid simply nodded as he handed over a phone that clearly belonged to his mother who was standing just ahead of the trio, watching them with glee.

The boy immediately sidled up next to the Dark Knight whose expression remained a fix glare at Clark as he took several photos of the two of them. A wide, toothy grin never leaving the boy's face.

After the impromptu photo shoot had ended Clark handed the phone back to the boy who grabbed it carefully with both hands, before Superman asked happily, "Would you like a picture with me as well?"

"No thanks! My Daddy says you're boring." The kid replied, the smile never once leaving his face.

"Well okay, then…" Superman replied, slightly dejected by the rejection.

The boy then ran happily back to his mother who took the phone back and tried her best to match his excitement. As she stood back up, the woman mouthed the word 'sorry' to Superman who simply smiled back, chuckling slightly as he waved a dismissive hand at the child's unintended offence.

Superman turned back to his friend, smiling at the Batglare that he was currently receiving.

"What? You can't be that shocked to find out you have fans…" Clark replied.

"Hmm…" Batman's face shifted slightly into a thin smile, "Perhaps more than others…"

"Oh, he'll come around. I mean he was wearing a Batman shirt, clearly, he's going through his edgy phase early…" Clark spoke playfully.

"Or perhaps your shirts are just too… Boring." Bruce smiled back; the boys parting words had seemingly alleviated some of the discomfort of the Dark Knight.

Clark chuckled back as the two of the recommenced their stroll through suburbia, "Come on superstar, we're nearly there…"

After less than a minute the two of them were approaching the door of a simple detached house. They ascended the porch stairs before Batman pressed on the doorbell and a soft melodic chime could be heard playing within the house.

After a moment the door opened slowly, and the two heroes of titanic acclaim were stood face to face with the home's occupant.

Clearly surprised by the unexpected visitors, a ginger and uncertain voice came from the homeowner's mouth, "Ummm… Can I… Help you?"

"Ben Parker?" Batman replied.

"Yes?" The man, who was in his early fifties responded, still uncertain at the presence of the two heroes.

Superman continued speaking on behalf of the two costumed men, "Sorry to bother you Mr. Parker… We're here to talk to you about your nephew, Peter. May we come in?"

"My nephew?" The shock at hearing Peter's name had clearly only confused the man further, and before he could reply another voice was heard from within the house.

"Who is it, Uncle Ben? Oh... Wow…" The seventeen-year-old girl stopped in her tracks as she looked past her uncle into the eyes of the Man of Steel who smiled softly back at her.

Ben spoke, not answering his niece, "But… Peter… He…" unable to finish the sentence.

"We know, sir. We have a lot to talk about… This will be a lot easier if we could all sit and discuss this… May we?" Clark continued, nodding his head softly past the older man.

"I… Yes of course, come in…" Ben ushered the two heroes into the living room as he peered out into the street, looking left and right still unsure as to whether someone was playing a cruel prank.

The door softly closed shut, and the cold winter air continued to whistle through the streets of Queens…

Chapter 8: All Along The Watchtower

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Parker Residence, Queens

The rhythmic tick of May's old grandfather clock rang through the living room, acting as a metronome to Ben Parker's frazzled mind. Keeping the flurry of thoughts in beat with one another as he struggled to grasp the explanation the two Justice League members had given him.

"Wow… Sorry. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this… I- I'm being rude I haven't even offered you drink can I get you some coffee or anything?" He looked at the men before regarding Batman specifically for a moment, curiosity and confusion on his face "Err… Do you… Drink?"

Batman's elusive and mysterious nature obviously preceded him. Bruce however did not react to the question, he understood why many of the public perceived him with such scepticism. It was mostly by design after all.

"Er, we appreciate the offer, Mr. Parker but no, thank you. Are you feeling, okay? do you need a moment?" Superman, ever the diplomat was trying to coax the Man from his shocked state.

"I- Um… No, I- Just let me go through this one more time, I want to check I'm not imagining things…" This would be the third time Ben had reiterated the main points of the conversation, clearly repeating the process to help alleviate the struggle he was feeling, "My nephew, Peter. Our Peter, is dead…"

He looked to the heroes for grim confirmation. Peter had been dead for nearly two years now, a terrible car wreck had claimed the lives of both him and May. There was no doubt about the mortal status of his wife and nephew, Ben having to identify the bodies himself.

He waited for the small nod of affirmation from Superman before continuing to vocalise his thoughts, "But there is a different Peter… Who has… superpowers?"

"Spider themed powers… Don't forget that part." Teresa Parker had barely spoken since the revelation; her tone was uncertain and shaky.

Ben continued, not ignoring his niece but simply moving on from her addition to his ramblings, "Right, Spider themed powers… Sure. And this Peter is from a different earth? One where I died…"

"And without a sister…" Teresa injected.

"We aren't sure about that last one," Batman added, looking at the young woman, "He made no mention of a younger sister, that doesn't mean he didn't have one… The only siblings he mentioned were… Surrogates."

Bruce was being as honest as possible without revealing too much unnecessary detail, bringing the notion of clones up now would only cause more confusion. He felt the most efficient way to approach the interaction with the understandably confused Parkers was to be honest but pragmatic.

The information he himself had learned, and in turn presented to Clark, was gathered from multiple sources. Peter's own words to him, as well as further research into the Peter Parker from this reality by Oracle, a doppelganger whose very existence confused both Batfamily members… Should his extra-extradimensional origins be believed.

And finally, Bruce and Oracle, much to the protest of the latter, had read a transcription of Peter's conversation with Dick at Wayne Manor as it was happening. Dick also protesting before begrudgingly agreeing after Bruce fully explained his intentions.

Afterwards, Batman elected to view and listen in to a live feed from a very reluctant Dick, showing both of them Peter's curious interaction with J'onn and the suspicious ooze which exuded from his body on the Watchtower.

At this moment Batman was watching the young hero sleep in the medical bay as he kept the other half of his consciousness aware on his present surroundings.

"Right…" Teresa was in no way reassured by the excuse made by Batman, his vague non-explanation only furthering her scepticism, "Superman?"

"Yes. Are you alright, Teresa?" Superman looked at her inquisitively.

"Um… I guess. I just wanted to ask… Is Superboy really… You know, gone?"

"Teresa!" Uncle Ben had been snapped out of his shocked stupor by the inappropriate question.

"What?... Sorry, I was just curious…" Sheepish defiance was in her tone her heavy eyes were cast to the ground.

"It's alright… Really." The diplomatic politeness of Clark's tone did little to mask his discomfort, "I- Yes… Superboy is gone…"

"I'm sorry. This must be hard for you too then…"

"Thank you, I appreciate that, but how do you mean?"

"I mean you lose your younger brother, and then like a week later you're here… Telling me my older brother is alive…"

"I- Thank you…" Clark, genuinely taken aback by Teresa's emotional maturity, felt a lump in his throat as he replied.

"Technically Peter isn't-" Batman's voice broke through the air like a hammer.

"Right… He isn't really my brother…" Teresa looked over to the mantle.

On the mantle above the fireplace sat, among other miscellaneous decorations, two portraits. One of May Parker and the other of a bespectacled, seventeen-year-old Peter Parker. He was freshly eighteen when he died, Teresa felt herself fiddling with the star of David on the chain around her neck as she stared in the eyes of her brother's photo.

The crushing reality of the fact she was now older than the Peter in the picture marinating with the fact that Peter's birthday was only a couple weeks away, he would be turning twenty if he had lived. And instead, in a couple months, Teresa would become older than her big brother ever had the chance too.

She gripped the metal jewel of her necklace tighter, the star of David being her connection to Peter as she turned her eyes to the watch beside Peter's picture, their father, Richard's, watch. The same watch that Peter inherited while she inherited their mother's necklace.

"Superboy's death is pain I'll have to carry with me... I don't think I'll ever truly recover from it. You must feel the same about Peter, it's clear you loved your brother, a lot." Superman spoke carefully, as if being too forceful with his words would cause the young girl to shut down completely.

"Ha… My brother was an arrogant, overprotective, judgemental, hypocritical, too smart for his own good, dumbass!" She twirled her necklace even more between her fingers, "I miss him, everyday…"

She looked at the two Justice Leaguers in her living room, their presence becoming worryingly mundane compared to the weight of the news they brought with them.

Ben Parker, still wrestling with his shock, had been watching his niece with paternal concern. He was struggling, but he had no idea how hard this must be for her. Especially considering the reveal from Batman that they suspected this other Peter had no younger sister.

All things considered, he felt as if his niece was coping remarkably well… But he also recognised this was most likely a sign of unprocessed shock.

Ben spoke again, "So this other Peter… He's trapped here, but doesn't know how?"

"There's slightly more to it than that, but that's gist of it. Yes… We're sorry, we understand this must be difficult for you. Both of you." Superman looked away from the young girl he was previously regarding as he spoke, "But we wouldn't be here so soon if we didn't think it was necessary."

"I think… Er, No. Of course. I understand why you came. It's... Just quite the shock, to say the least."

The room once again fell into silence, a stiff air of unspoken thoughts punctuated by the rhythmic tick of the May's clock in the corner.

"I- I'm sorry. The um, backyard is just passed the kitchen," Ben was gently indicating to his right as he spoke, keeping his eye on his niece who was slowly starting to show discomfort on her face, "Could you… Could I have a moment alone with my niece?"

"Of course, Mr. Parker. Take all the time you need." Superman stood as he replied, fixing Batman with a severe and concerned look as the two exited the living room.

Finding themselves in the backyard, they stood opposite each other, a conversation of stares silently being communicated between the two.

Eventually Clark noticed the confusion on Bruce's expression grow, "What are you thinking?"

"Hmm… I don't like this. This entire situation. None of it makes any sense."

"I thought that was obvious, that's why we're here, right?"

"Mr. Terrific is trying to find answers about Spider-Man's home dimension… And what he is showing me right now… It only gives me more questions…" Batman was eyeing the data being transmitted to him from the watchtower as he spoke.

"How do you mean?"

"From everything Spider-Man told us, there were definite similarities between his world and ours… Celebrities, the odd politician, pop culture, a few key historical events... The building blocks were all there, as if our worlds had the same foundation…"

"But?"

"But again, assuming everything he has said is the truth, the differences were too severe… The entire system around superheroes and metahumans seems too different to our own… Too different to every other alternate earth we have documented so far. Then there's the fact that there's only supposed to be fifty-one other worlds. An idea Peter himself challenged… If you combine all of that with what Mr. Terrific is showing me right now…"

"I'm not sure I'm a fan of whatever your tone is implying… What is it?"

"It seems as if Peter was telling the truth, he really is from beyond our multiverse…"

"Is that even possible?"

"It shouldn't be. The very existence of his world destroys everything we know of the multiverse… But to travel here… He broke a barrier that we didn't even know existed. The effect that would have on someone. Their body. Their mind. I think I understand why J'onn was so shaken…"

"Wow… This is big, then?"

"No. This is catastrophic. Answer me this, if we have just received confirmation Spider-Man is telling the truth… Then how are we here?"

"In New York…?" Realisation suddenly dawned on Clark, "I- Why did he have a doppelganger here?"

Batman nodded affirmatively, his eyes still tracing rapidly across the transcript of data being shared to him by Micheal Holt, Mr. Terrific.

"Couldn't it be a coincidence? You said yourself, there were similarities… Like certain celebrities-" Clark asked.

"I don't believe in coincidences… Besides, this is too specific, the odds of this happening are astronomically low."

"So, what does this mean?"

"Aside from standing here, theorising. I guess we'll have to see what Peter has to say about this when he wakes up, which if I'm seeing this right, should be any second now."

"Wait, what? You're spying on him?!"

Batman looked at Superman, unwavering except for a slight, near imperceptible, flinch on his lips, "You disapprove."

"Of course I disapprove! How much of the information that you showed me did he actually give willingly?"

"He gave all of it willingly…"

"You know that's not what I meant… How much did he share with you specifically?"

"I understand your disappointment, but this is the quickest way to verify his story and help him as best we can."

"Come on, Bruce. You're better than this... Serving the greater good doesn't mean sacrificing doing what's right."

Batman considered Superman's words. humbled by their truth. Bruce wasn't above admitting that sometimes his relentless, borderline obsessive, need to uncover the truth meant sometimes foregoing his own sense of right and wrong.

Some part of him knew Clark would be against Bruce's actions, and subconsciously, that part had shared the information on purpose. Bruce needed the reminder of his own faults sometimes, Oracle and Dick had both protested, but neither had stood against him enough to halt his operation.

Clark however felt no obligation to appease Batman, perhaps this is truly why Bruce had summoned his friend. And perhaps that was also why he had subconsciously incriminated himself.

Batman paused, he looked to Clark as close to apologetically as his demeanour would allow, "I- When the time is right… I will have Dick tell Peter the truth."

"Promise?"

"You have my word."

Clark simply continued to stare at his friend expectantly, he wanted Bruce to use his language, to which Bruce sighed as he added, "I promise."

Meanwhile:

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Watchtower

Light began to flow into Peter's vision as his mind exited its state of rest. He felt a sense of calm washing over him, his panic exiled to the furthest recesses of his mind. He sat up and looked to his side, Dick and M'Gann were sat next to the bed, regarding him with curiosity.

"So… Be honest, how bad is all this looking?" Peter asked.

"Actually, we were hoping you might be able to tell us that… How are you feeling, you know, all things considered?" Dick asked, delicately, kindly.

"Pfft… Ha! What a question. I should feel terribly I guess, panicked, terrified, but err… I feel surprisingly calm…"

"That would be my doing… Sorry. We were worried you might have another panic attack or harm yourself so I may have given you a little Serotonin boost while you slept…" M'Gann interjected.

"I guess I should be pissed off by that... You know, messing with my mind. But I understand. This must be somewhat normal for all of you I'm assuming?"

"Ha. It's definitely not 'normal', but it's not the weirdest this space station has seen, either." Dick said as he looked to the ceiling above Peter's bed, the holes from the ooze still there, "The errr 'Other'. It's a symbiote, bonded to you?"

"I- Think so… But it shouldn't be here, I got rid of it, years ago, someone else has it now. Unless it left them and came with me here? But that doesn't make any sense, either. This whole situation is one massive headache, but throw the symbiote on top of it…"

M'Gann looked between Dick and Peter, before very carefully asking, "I could um… Check if you wanted. Try to talk to it?"

Peter looked at her suspiciously, the memory of his last psychic adventure thrumming through his mind as he remembered the splitting headache it caused.

"Is that a good idea? I mean, you said that last time I nearly died, and took your uncle with me…"

"I actually have a theory about that, your mind isn't the issue. The event itself is."

"The event?"

"The collider, the thing that brought you here… You saw into it as it collapsed… All of reality, of every possible reality, I could sense its power through my uncle… It was tearing your minds apart… I think that Other is why you have barely any memory of it, it shielded your mind."

"Errr… Okay. But, what about my spider-sense?"

"That could've been part of it as well, maybe it was a combination of the two that protected you… Either way, we shouldn't try to go back there… But your mind itself should be safe. I mean, my uncle was attempting to revisit the event that sent you here, I think that's what caused the resistance, we weren't prepared for the amount of damage to your mind… I'm just going to try communicating with your subconscious, to talk to whatever lives inside you… Far less risky."

"Right… I can't say you're filling me with a lot of hope, but… As long as you avoid poking through my memory… It should be okay. Is that what you're saying?"

"Big emphasis on the should" M'Gann smiled playfully yet not without apprehension, it was still a big risk after all.

Peter saw as Nightwing looked at his ally, Dick speaking to M'Gann through their psychic link.

'Are you sure this is safe, M'Gann?'

'About 70/30, but we need answers…'

'We don't need them right now! We shouldn't be taking risks like this!'

'Look at him! He's desperate and alone, more than that he's terrified. This is the best way for us to help him…'

'I just feel like you wouldn't normally be in such a rush, if Conner-'

'Conner's gone, Dick! And even if he wasn't this is my decision…'

'Sorry… But what if what happened to J'onn happens again? Are you willing to risk dying for answers?'

She paused before staring at him, resolutely, 'Dick I'm sick of feeling useless, let me do this please, I promise we'll be fine.'

'How can you promise that when you don't even know?'

'I'm not an idiot Dick, I wouldn't suggest something like this if I wasn't confident it was safe… My life be damned, you know I wouldn't risk someone else's like that!'

Dick's eyes were still fixing her questioningly, he didn't like this, he saw first hand the chaotic effect of Peter's psychic link with J'onn.

The loaded silence in the room as the two spoke telepathically was broken by Peter's voice, "What is this? What's going on? Are you two having a staring contest? Cause' Nightwing's blinked like five times…"

"Sorry, we were… Having a debate." M'Gann replied.

"Umm… Okay? Who won?"

"Well, Dick? Who won?" M'Gann fixed him with a pleading yet agitated look.

Nightwing was still their leader after all, although she disagreed with his hesitation, she ultimately would follow his decision.

"Ugh. Fine! But the moment there is even the slightest hint that things are going south, I'm calling J'onn and getting you out!"

"Fair enough… Peter? Are you willing to go through with this…"

He looked at them both, he wasn't sure what to think, he did know however that ignoring the symbiote was a bad idea, the sooner he can get answers the sooner he can remove it, "'Willing' is a strong word… I- Yes. Do it. I want- No. I need answers…"

"Okay. Close your eyes, even if you fully invite me in, I suspect I will only have a few moments before your spider-sense kicks me out…"

"Can I not just allow you to stay until you have answers?"

"Even if you let me in, you can't control a subconscious reaction… Hold still."

M'Gann nodded as she replicated her uncle's earlier actions, encasing Peter's face in her palms, she began searching for the presence she felt earlier. Seeking its mind, slipping past Peter's conscious and into his subconscious where it had emerged.

Her astral form descended into the dark and saw it, a pile. A shifting moving, pulsing pile of black ooze. Suddenly it reformed itself and stood opposite her, its faceless naked body unmoving as the shape of its head regarded her.

"Thisss iss nottt your trueee form…" The black ooze shifted its shape into a silhouette of M'Ganns natural martian form, before shifting again to its humanoid shape.

"No. It isn't…" M'Gann was surprised by the greeting but nonetheless kept her cool.

She could feel the being's energy, it wasn't wicked in nature, and it meant no disrespect, it was… Curious? It was as fascinated by her as she was by it.

She continued, "Would you prefer to see my true form? Will that help you… Make you more comfortable?"

"III do nottt careee… I onlyyy caree for Peterrr…"

M'Gann reeled as she felt the 'Other', the sliver of symbiote, search her mind as she searched its.

"How are you-?" She was silenced by its reply.

"I learnttt ittt from youuu… You areee a frienddd to Peterrrr?"

M'Gann's ghostly visage nodded as she felt the presence reading her intent. While she did not know Peter well, she was here to help him after all, and to the 'Other's' childlike mind, that was a friend.

"All of us want to help him, but he's scared…"

"Yesss… Scarrredd of ussssss."

"Yes, he is afraid of you, what you were…"

"No. Not meeee… Usss… Peter and me… together. Vennommm was badd… I was part of Venommm… He is scareddd of what usss would beee. But Venomm issss gone. It isss on Brocckkk… And ittt isss nottt baddd now… It learnnttt… I learntttt. No painnn, Peterrr hurtt… We hurtttt…"

As the symbiote child spoke, it shared its memories with M'Gann. She saw Peter's struggle with the original symbiote, both as black suit Spider-Man and later after it was removed. She understood now, the 'Other' was born from both the original symbiote and Peter' himself. It shared his DNA. For all intents and purposes it was his child with the symbiote...

It was gestating though, unaware of its own existence until it was awakened by J'onn's exploration into the explosion. Reaching out and developing conscious thought as it tried to save Peter.

I see… The Venom symbiote was an external force that fed off Peter's negative emotions… But you don't? You were born from within... You just… exist."

"Yessss… Pain badddd… We lovvveee Peterrr… Keeeppp safeeee. Keep happyyy… Not stronggg. Weakk… Can't helppp." There was a strain in its thoughts, this interaction clearly required a lot of exertion from the symbiote.

She felt its truth, it was weak, it could only observe. Helping Peter and J'onn escape the mind meld was its first waking action, and it had been crippled by that. Its gestation in Peter's body halted. It was being honest, the Venom symbiote was once malicious, fuelling Peter's rage. But this, the 'Other' was neutral.

It was bonded fully to Peter, it was part of him. She felt Peter's apprehension as he observed the interaction from above, unable to interact but still watching. Peter thought of dispelling the symbiote again, using soundwaves to separate them so he could give it to Eddy brock if he ever found a way home.

The Other felt Peter's intentions, "No! Wee would dieee… Loveee Peterr. Other cannotttt liveee withouttt Peterr…" The Other had seemingly adopted the name J'onn and M'Gann had been using to refer to the remnant of Venom, "Peterrr canottt live withouttt Otherrrr…"

M'Gann felt a shiver run through her as Peter's shock and denial shook his very subconscious where the Martian and the Klyntar-Human hybrid were having their conversation. M'Gann could sense the truth in the statement however, they had bonded completely. On a much deeper level than he had to the original symbiote.

"I do nottt interfereee. I cannottt. I onlyyy watchhh… Learnn… Keep Peter healthyyyy… Cannottt Keepp Peterrr happy… But tryyyy…"

Both M'Gann and Peter felt the defeat of the symbiote as it shared that… It truly wasn't Venom, it was the result of a weka leftover of the original and Peter's own DNA melding into one being. One that truly did only care for keeping Peter safe.

It was too weak to take over his body now, but even if it gained that power eventually, as M'Gann shared her 'gestating' theory telepathically, it wouldn't have the same effect on Peter's psyche as the Venom symbiote.

More than that it was being truthful, Peter was healthier in the years since he lost the symbiote, barely ever even catching the common cold. And he felt the truth, if it were somehow removed, it would kill them both. To say Peter was unhappy with the development would be an understatement, but he felt reluctant acceptance wash over him.

M'Gann and Other felt it too, the latter sending out waves of contentment as it felt Peter's acceptance of it for the first time since its birth within him almost four years ago.

"But, if you can't interfere, how did you catch Peter's body?"

"Desperattte. It hurrrrttt Otherr. But helped Peter."

"So, you couldn't do something like that again?" M'Gann was asking the question that Peter desperately needed an answer for.

"No. I ammm weakkk." The shame of Other was deeper than anything M'Gann had felt,it regarded M'Gann directly as it continued, "Peterrr frieenddd?"

"Yes, Other?"

"Thank youuu for lettingg Peterrr hearrr mee… You aree frieendd to Otherrr. Friend of usss."

M'Gann did not reply as her phantasmal figure simply smiled back, her acceptance and reciprocation of the title of friend was nonetheless felt by the Other.

M'Gann suddenly felt her form being slowly pulled back into her body as Peter's spider-sense noticed her presence and started softly exiling her from his mind. It was gentler this time, perhaps because there was no sense of immediate threat, unlike last time.

Peter's own observation was ended prematurely, quicker and more directly however, as his spider-sense interpreted danger and snapped him out of his own mind. He was wrenched out of his subconscious and back into a state of complete consciousness.

Before she was fully displaced however, the Other shared one last strained thought with M'Gann. The disjointed nature of the message communicating the Other's struggle with its own astral awareness, a wealth of knowledge it could not understand.

"We sawww the web of creationnn… All dimensionssss. A Storm trapped… Negativeee… The Torchhh is burningggg… Anhililus. A Goblinn… Connerrr is Phantomm… West was too slow… Now too Fassttt… A forceeee…"

"Wait… What do you mean? What does that mean?!"

"I do notttt knowww… Sorrryyyy. M'Gannn feels painnn…" M'Gann's was masking her grief, yet Other could feel her heartbreak, "Otherrr cannottt help but wantsss to… Friendd."

As if a light switch was turned on, M'Gann's eyes snapped open as her mind rejoined her own body. She looked at Peter with curious eyes as he stared back at her with shock.

"So... What happened in there?" Dick asked, relieved that M'Gann and Peter only seemed to be gone for moments as opposed the hour J'onn and Peter were missing earlier.

"I- I don't know how to feel about this…" Peter replied, "Part of me is relieved, the other, literal Other I guess, just feels like something bad could happen at any moment…"

"I would focus on the relieved…" M'Gann responded, "It said some strange things before I was forced out…"

"What kind of things." Dick asked.

"Very confusing things, it mentioned Conner…"

"What about him?" Dick's voice was strained with confusion and anguish.

"I don't know… It- It wasn't clear, I don't even think Other understood what it was saying…" She took a breath before looking back to Peter, "What about you though, how are you feeling about all this? I mean, it showed me what Venom did to you. Even if Other isn't the same, this must be… Weird."

"Ha. Weird… You can say that again… But honestly, this is probably the least stressful thing going on in my life right now… Now that we've got answers, at least. Look, I can't say I'm pleased but, this was probably the best possible outcome… At least I know it won't make me lose control like Venom. Plus I guess this means I'm a dad technically... Which is weird..."

"Right. Well congrats, I guess... But you hear yourself, it's still too weak to exist outside your body right now, it could be years before it is ever able to externalise like the full symbiote…" M'Gann spoke with a familiarity of Venon akin to Peter's own.

"Yeah… And I don't feel it affecting my strength yet, and if it really is just learning, I guess it's just up to me to not lose my cool… Which I guess depends on how the rest of today goes…" Peter's voice was still a bit shaky, but it was clear he had realised the futility in attempting any kind of removal right now, nevertheless he could feel the shadow of unprocessed shock peeking its head around the corner.

"Okay…" Dick spoke, "I'm not gonna' pretend like I understood the context of anything you two just said… But this went well, right?" He was still mentally reeling from the 'dad' reveal.

"As well as could be expected, I guess." Peter spoke as he pulled himself off the bed and stretched, "So… Where next?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down… Are you sure you're good? This is a big adjustment, right? I mean you were having a panic attack at the idea of this thing five minutes ago and now, what? You're fine? Peter… Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Ha! Not at all…" Peter's manic tone was worrying, but the determination in his voice was unlike any Dick had heard before, "But hey, there's not much I can do about it right now. Not while I'm stuck here at least. Why? Does Batman disagree?"

Dick was taken aback by the question, unsure of how to answer, "I- What do you mean?"

"Oh please… I'm not an idiot, in fact I'm insulted you all thought I was… Sure, I only met him the once, but Batman is too paranoid to not be listening in."

M'Gann whipped her head around to face Dick with a speed that would cause major whiplash to a lesser being, burning judgement emanated from her eyes, her orange irises aflame with disbelief at her leader. A sense of disapproval radiated from her being.

Dick felt M'Gann's burning gaze melting his resolve, but nonetheless kept his eyes on Peter as he responded, "When did you realise?"

"It was less a realisation and more a suspicion, one you've just confirmed…" Peter was now standing, looking down at Dick who was still sat on his chair, "At breakfast, I saw a twinkle in your eye. At first, I thought you were just falling in love with me. Naturally, I was flattered and trying to think of ways to let you down gently…

Peter continued staring at Dick, as he went on with his monologue like a detective in a mystery novel, "But then I looked closer, there was text in your eyes. Your lens was transcribing our conversation… After that I had hoped you were just recording it for later use, and you'd ask before sharing my private details. But as the day went on and you continued to say nothing, I suspected it was a live feed for someone… And it wasn't hard to guess who…"

Dick kept his face upwards, looking Peter in the eyes with a firmness the other hero had not yet seen. In truth Dick was staring at Peter with such unwavering commitment because if he hesitated and looked at M'Gann, her judgement would make him crumble in an instant.

Dick squinted with suspicion as he read Peter's nonchalant expression, "*Sigh* I didn't want to, I swear... But Batman, he's trying to help… Still, I shouldn't have done it. Though, you seem less annoyed than I thought you'd be…"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm livid. Mark my words, I'll definitely get ya' back. But I don't really blame you… Is he listening now?" Spider-Man waited for Dick to nod before he continued, "Great! Hey, Batman: Hurggerdy durggerdy flippity flopperty flimflamflom ahh shoohacka shamalangadingdong shoohup shipup diwup shackalacka-"

Queens, New York

Parker Residence

"-Mikki dee doo da dumdum doohup dilup-" Batman cut the comms as the babble of noise continued to berate his ears.

He looked at Superman standing opposite him, a wide grin plastered across his friend's face. He was clearly listening in to the exchange.

"Hypocritical much?" Batman spoke.

"Please, I only began listening when you started making weird faces." The amusem*nt on Clark's face was indescribably irritating to Bruce.

"They couldn't possibly be as weird as the one you're pulling now. Please wipe that annoying grin of your face, you look ridiculous…"

"Not a chance… The kid really got one up on you! I'm going to enjoy this moment for a while I think…"

"*sigh* I'm glad you find this so amusing, but at least try not to look so smug…" Bruce's lips quivered slightly, teetering dangerously close to a smile.

He composed himself before continuing, "How long have we been out here now?"

"A while, I think they're nearly finished talking, though." Clark adjusted his head to better hear the pattern of frustrated speech from inside the house, not listening to the words.

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know. Unlike someone, I don't make it a habit to spy on people…"

Batman looked at Superman with a fixed gaze for a moment before continuing, "We needed answers. A coordinated approach is the best way to get them…" Superman was still just staring at Batman with an unwavering glare, "You're too much of a boy scout, sometimes… This is why people think you're boring…"

"Because I don't invade people's privacy?"

"Because you're too nice…"

"Good. I'd rather be too nice than violate people's trust…"

Batman paused, considering Clark's words, "Perhaps you're right… Sometimes I get carried away, I apologise."

"Hey, I'm glad you're starting to notice… But we both know, I'm not the one you should apologise to."

Batman thought about his friend's words for a moment before the door to the back yard opened, recalling the two Leaguers from their conversation.

Ben Parker stood at the door and looked at them for a moment before speaking, "Umm… You can come back in, now… We- We err… Discussed it as well as we could…"

Watchtower

Peter stood there in stunned silence. His reequipped mask hiding the sheer devastation on his face. He had been standing in this motionless state ever since he heard what Mr. Terrific had discovered.

The three of them, Nightwing, Miss Martian and Spider-Man had entered Mr. Terrific's lab only a few minutes earlier, shortly after they had vacated the medical room. M'Gann staring at Dick with disapproval as they traversed the halls of the Watchtower, mentally berating him for spying on the other young man.

Dick took the lecture in stride, not bothering to defend himself as he mostly agreed with his teammate.

Meanwhile Spider-Man, now donning his mask, was still trying to annoy Batman who had long since disconnected his comms. And so, Peter continued to loudly, and futilely, state gibberish in Dick's ear, only stopping upon seeing the confused expressions of several uniformed civilians and at least one other costumed hero whom Peter did not know.

After Spider-Man had stopped spouting nonsense for fear of bringing himself further embarrassment, he waved sheepishly at the mace wielding red-haired woman with wings who was staring at him curiously. She seemed to chuckle back and gave a wave of her own before Peter was mercilessly led down another hall away from the heroine by Dick.

When out of site of the other woman, Spider-Man looked to his side and saw as both M'Gann and Dick were staring at him, struggling to contain their amusem*nt. The latter's face was turning beet red as he tried his best to stifle the laughter that was fighting to rise to the surface.

"Laugh it up, Bird-Boy… I swear I'll get you back when you least expect it." Peter replied, his face blush with mortification behind his mask.

"Hey. I didn't make you walk around babbling like a mad man… That's on you." Dick was grinning unashamedly.

"Maybe you didn't directly. But you and Batman spying on me is the reason I felt the need to. So, it's your fault by proxy… Who was that anyway? She wasn't important, right?"

"Hawkgirl. Founding member of the Justice League, same as J'onn and Bats. But don't worry you only have like four founding members left who haven't seen you embarrass yourself. After them you're all caught up!"

Dick knew that technically he hadn't really embarrassed himself in front of J'onn but leant into the joke for effect. Yet again, he felt the playful banter envelop him and Peter naturally and used it as a tool to distract the other man from his ever-growing mountain of troubles.

"Oh, ho ho… No, do go on. Keep laughing. I swear my vengeance will be sweet…" Peter remarked aloud to himself, performing his best Doc Ock impression.

As Dick kept softy giggling to himself, he felt a fist hit his upper arm, "Ow! M'Gann… What was that for."

"Stop being a dick, Dick!" She looked past her leader and at Spider-Man, "Ignore him, Spider-Man, he's an idiot. Besides, you haven't embarrassed yourself that badly. Not on purpose at least, that's the important part."

"Thanks Miss Martian… I think?"

"No problem. Plus, who cares? be embarrassing! Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. It's nice to see you coming out of your shell…" Peter noticed a glimmer of pain in her eyes as she rapidly looked at Dick for a moment.

M'Gann wasn't just speaking to Peter, she was also speaking to herself, "I'd hate for you shut down again because of one slightly embarrassing interaction."

"Wow. Thanks… I was mostly joking but… That's umm… Far more earnest support than I was expecting. Hey, Miss Martian…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Nightwing, cause' he'll get jealous," Peter pretended to talk past Dick, covering his mouth with his hand as he spoke in a faux whisper, to which the other man simply rolled his eyes in disbelief, "but I think you're my favourite."

"Ha. I appreciate that… Favourite what, though?"

"Just my favourite in general, I think you're the most helpful person I've met here so far."

Peter, although exaggerating the point to rub it in Dick's face, was being mostly truthful. Aside from perhaps Alfred; J'onn and M'Gann had been the most honest, caring and generous people to him in this new world, or above it, technically. There was a deep irony in the fact that, so far, Peter had the strongest feelings of humanity and empathy with the two Martians.

Sure, Dick was friendly enough, but Peter would be lying if he said he forgave him for the espionage and sneakiness. Even if it seemed Dick seemed honest about only reluctantly agreeing to help Batman, Peter still didn't appreciate being spied on. And although Barbara came around, he hadn't seen her since yesterday and half of that time she was looking at him like she wanted to hit him.

"Jeez! I get it, okay. I'm sorry for spying on you… Again! How many more times do I have to apologise?" Dick's voice was a co*cktail of genuine remorse and mild annoyance at Peter's childish behaviour.

"Meh… Maybe a few more? I'll tell you when I've had enough."

The trio eventually found themselves in Mr. Terrific's lab where Peter now stood, speechless. His mind swimming in the vast ocean of terrible news that the last two days had brought.

Peter had hoped the 'third smartest person alive' as Dick had called Mr. Terrific, would offer a lifeboat, but instead all he did was push the boy further underwater as he explained that Peter's world was beyond their reach. Peter's immense sense of loss not at all dissuaded by Mr. Terrific's enthusiasm at the quantum mechanical puzzle.

"Listen, this must be hard to hear, but all of this it- It's fascinating! The amount of anti-matter coming from you was weird enough, but then… My computer couldn't even begin searching for your home world, I thought it didn't exist and that you were lying… Then bam! There it was."

Micheal Holt continued rambling on, his mania at his discovery never faltering, "Then it was gone again…Your earth is like the Schrödinger's cat of the multiverse… No! The omniverse! By all known laws of quantum mechanics your world shouldn't exist, it doesn't. I mean I couldn't find it, but then the scan from my T-Sphere kicked into the program. The information from that contradicting what we knew. Your molecular structure couldn't be from this multiverse, but still the data was there, it existed. You exist!"

He continued marvelling at the holographic presentation in the middle of the room, every one of the room's occupants staring at the flickering shape of an earth which was constantly fighting to remain on screen. Flitting between existence and non-existence as the word 'ERROR' flashed above the display.

Mr. Terrific looked over to the young hero who was still statuesque in his disbelief. He was being gently comforted by both Nightwing and Miss Martian who were trying to coax him out of his stupor.

"Spider-Man…" Mr. Terrific looked at Peter with sympathy, "I know this sounds like a dead end. But it isn't…"

"I think I need to sit down…" Peter spoke as he moved to the wall behind him.

He ignored the chair that Dick had placed beside him and instead slowly began climbing up the wall, twisting around and using his back to adhere to the ninety-degree surface, as he propped his arm on his leg, resting his head in his hand.

Impressed by Spider-Man's vertical seated position Mr. Terrific paused his explanation for a moment.

"So how exactly isn't this a dead end? It sounds pretty dead." Peter asked, his voice more resolved than anyone was expecting.

"I- Obviously I'm just guessing, here… But the data from your scan, its paradoxical. It's impossible, but there it is. You shouldn't exist, but there you are. The fact that we are even having this conversation is proof that the laws of quantum mechanics can be broken. And I don't know about you but I wanna' try and break them again."

"Okay… I guess I'm glad to hear that. But how long do you think before there's any progress?"

Mr. Terrific sighed as he continued to look up at Peter, "Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Well, I'll have to look through a lotta' notes and research on quantum mechanics, review them, dissect them all, then throw them out and basically start from scratch. I'll probably have to get a few more heads on this so we can compare every theoretical idea about the multiverse with the data you've given me. I'm good at learning... But still, this isn't my area of expertise so I'll need some help to speed the process... Even with the help though, it'll take months at least."

"I'm stuck here for months?"

"No. Sorry I should've been clearer. It'll take me months to begin theorising on how to find your earth… And if we even can. The entire process could take several years… Decades even. I'm sorry, Spider-Man… But I won't give up on this! You've given me the toughest puzzle anyone could ask for, and I will crack it and find a way to send you home. No matter how long it takes, I swear to you."

Peter didn't respond as he felt his heart break all over again. He watched the blinking hologram of earth pitifully as he saw his world slip from his grip, the reality that he was truly stuck here for the foreseeable future. He counted all the possible holidays and birthdays that would pass all while his own world moved alongside this one.

Yet, a grim sense of peace had also washed over him, he felt a dark tickle of relief run up his spine. His hope was shattered, but now he had no options left except one, keep moving. He had spent too much of his time these last two days moping and worrying. And now he could grieve the loss of his earth in peace and move on with the new life he would be stuck with.

"Okay."

Nightwing was stunned by Peter's response, "'Okay'…? That's all you have to say? Dude, you just found out you're gonna' be stuck here for years! Are you sure you're alright?"

Dick felt M'Gann putting her arm on his shoulder as she shook her head at him, she recognised Peter would need to process this himself, without Dick's input. Even if the other man was only trying to help.

"I- I guess so… Huh? Weird. I mean I guess I went through most of the other stages of grief last night, so I guess 'acceptance' is all that's left… Mr. Terrific?" Peter's voice was growing monotonous and uninflected, it was clear a wave of shock was crashing through him.

"Yeah, Spider-Man."

"If I really am stuck here for a while, is there anything I can do to help your research?" The robotic nature of Peter's voice was unnerving, as if he was running on autopilot, merely asking questions for the sake of it.

"Actually, there is… Ar- Are you sure you're alright? This has gotta' be a big shock."

"Sureeee! But what's one more shock, all things considered? Anyway, you were saying…?"

"Right…" He looked to Miss Martian who simply shrugged, if this was part of Peter's process than he should answer the young man honestly, "Um, well, you mentioned to Batman that some of your villains may also be here, right?"

Peter had actually forgotten that issue in and amongst all the other problems on his plate, "Oh yeah…"

"Well… If they are on the loose and we capture them, the anti-matter from all of your… Travels. Well it could help. Different people different samples basically. I can compare their data with yours, isolate what's result of the collider explosion and what isn't. It would help us narrow down our search, a lot."

"Sure thing! I was gonna' be on the look out for them anyway so now you've just given me even more of an excuse…"

"Ummm… I'm glad." He looked back over to the other two young heroes who were still looking at Spider-Man with concern, poised and ready for the breakdown that all of them could feel was coming.

"Cool, cool. So, anything else besides the whole 'capture the villains' thing? Ya' know I'm pretty smart myself I can probably help with some of the nerdy parts as well! I built all my own tech after all, interned at ESU as well while in highschool… Nearly interned with Reed Richards this year as well! You obviously don't know who that is, but trust me, he's smart."

"I… Err… Sure. I think Ray had something that could use your attention anyways… Tell you what… I'll… get in contact with the Batcave, you can swing by sometime and help Dr Palmer with his research."

"Ha! 'Swing' by… classic… Sounds good! Anyway, I can help at all, I have time, I guess! Lots of it, apparently!" He flipped off the wall and landed next to his newfound comrade "Hey, Nightwing!"

"Spider-Man…" Dick flicked his eyes to M'Gann for a moment before keeping them on Peter.

"Does this place have liked a training room or something?"

"It does…" Dick was regarding Peter's every move with intense observation.

"Perfect! I errr- I really need something to hit right now."

M'Gann had been carefully considering Peter's state of mind, reading his body language and the inflection of his words as he spoke. She didn't want to infiltrate his mind again, not unless absolutely necessary, but nonetheless she could smell the despair on him.

"Spider-Man…" M'Gann spoke slowly, "Are you sure that's the best idea right now? I think you're in shock… We can take a break if you need it."

"Oh yeah… No, I know. I'm definitely in shock. I can literally feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. So, I think I need to work this off…"

Peter's voice was firm and solid, unwavering in its assuredness, his body however was shivering with adrenaline, his hands shaking violently as he continuously punched his own hand softly, symbolising a fight.

"…Okay. That should be fine, right Nightwing?" M'Gann looked at her leader with uncertainty, neither of them was sure this was the best course of action but they both knew that trying to argue with Peter in this state would be useless.

"… Err. Sure thing… Besides we were gonna' do a physical evaluation anyway."

"Great! Two birds with one… stone, no offense." Peter looked at the symbol on Dick's chest.

"No worries, man… Come on, this way."

Dick and M'Gann didn't speak to each other, either out loud or psychically, but both of them knew what the other was thinking. Spider-Man had truly been given a rough deal so far and the fact he hadn't simply crumbled was miraculous. The panic attack earlier seemingly being the peak of his stress.

M'Gann couldn't help but compare herself with the young hero. After Conner, she was practically catatonic for the entire journey back to earth. And here was Peter, a boy who had just been told his entire world was out of reach, that it would be potential decades before any real progress could be made. Such a large chunk of his human lifespan, gone.

What if he had elderly relatives, what if something terrible happened during his time away, what if he was killed in this world? There were infinite uncertainties, and no doubt Peter would be exploring them all every day he would be trapped here.

The trio quickly found themselves entering the War Room, a wide-open space of different platforms, high ceiling and ample amounts of space for excessive movement. It reminded Peter of a larger version of the X-Mansion's Danger Room that Kitty- he stopped the thought before it had time to fully manifest.

"Woah… so how does this room work? Robots, holograms, robots with holograms?"

"Err… The second one, hard light holograms that recreate environments and scenarios…"

"Cool. Turn it up to hard. I have some excess energy I need to spend." He said as he began strecthing his muscles, warming up for a fight.

M'Gann and Dick shared yet another look before leaving the main area and entering the control room. Dick starting the computer and logging into the UI as an air of tension filled the room, both of them were constantly considering Peter's current mental state.

Dick once more staring at his friend with doubt as he asked, "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course not… But we have to just let him work through this at his own pace… We can't dictate how he should grieve."

"Fair enough. But what if he hurts himself?"

"Then we'll be here to patch him up…"

Suddenly a voice was heard from afar, the two of them looked down into the war room at the tiny figure of Peter below, "Hey! We starting this thing or what?"

Dick called back, "Sure. Give us a moment… Well, no turning back now, I guess."

Dick looked to M'Gann as he selected the simulation. He didn't want to overwhelm Peter, so he kept the environment the same and opted to use generic mannequin style enemies. The kind that would function as crash test dummies.

He set the starting difficulty to level three; the level used for newbies. He wanted to ease Peter into the simulation as the young hero was clearly still in a state of immense shock, and Dick didn't want to risk injuring him on top of his stress.

However Dick put the cycle on endless, each wave of enemies Peter defeated would cause the simulation to restart at a higher difficulty. M'Gann's eyes landed on his as her face communicated hesitation.

"What? He asked for a challenge, this way he controls the pace… Like you said."

She simply sighed in reluctant agreement and the two of them watched the other hero as the program started.

Spider-Man tensed and readied himself for a fight as around ten or so crash test dummy style figures appeared around him, the majority were carrying a variety of melee weapons except one which was holding some kind of replica handgun which fired blue lasers mimicking bullets.

Peter twisted in the air as he easily avoided the 'gunfire', and he observed as a wave of blue shocks hit the wall emanating from the point of impact. Demonstrating that the lasers would cause a sensation of strong static on whoever had the misfortune to be hit while training, causing mild discomfort but no harm.

Within moments Peter had closed the distance and grabbed the arm of the dummy that fired at him, kicking it in the chest and sending it backwards into another, both flickering before disappearing from the room in a flash of light.

He ducked easily out of the way of another blow before he somersaulted over the dummy who tried to swing at him. He shot a line at the hologram while air born and pulled as he landed, sending the dummy stumbling towards him.

He kicked it in its artificial head as it staggered closer before he leapt in the air and flung both his legs out in the splits, striking two more dummies that were trying to approach him from either side. All three holograms blinked and, like the others, vanished.

Peter was quiet, focused, unthinking. His body was moving without his input as he continued to slip further into a dissociative state.

Another dummy charged and lunged with its crowbar at him. Peter jumped back, landed in a single-handed backwards handspring and fired of a web with his other hand. The web was planted firmly onto head of the dummy to which the figure recoiled from the impact.

It mimicked human behaviour, desperately trying to remove the web as the sensors on its head were obscured. Peter would be impressed by the level of programming on the hologram if his brain was able to form a solid thought.

Instead, he absentmindedly leapt into the air shot another line at the dummy he'd blinded. While airborne Peter tugged on the line, pulling the dummy skyward before he planted his feet on its body. Sending it crashing back down as he pushed himself further into the air, gracefully backflipping before pulling himself into a swing.

The dummy crashed into two more figures and, yet again, all three flashed before turning back into harmless nothings. Peter continued his swing, picking up one of the only two remaining dummies before throwing it carelessly into the wall, it shattered on impact and exploded into millions of light particles.

When his swing reached its arc, he let go, flipping in the air before landing on top of the last hologram, knocking it prone as he crouched over it. He didn't even consider its presence before his body had already acted, punching the dummy in its head. It too flickered and disappeared.

Dick and M'Gann returned their gazes to one another, both of them impressed with the display. Peter had cleared the wave in seconds, all while acting on pure instinct. His movements were thoughtless, yet fluid and precise, there was no wasted time as he dispatched the ten holograms seemingly without breaking a sweat.

Peter stood up and looked around the empty room, he couldn't recall specifically how he had beaten the simulation but the empty room around him communicated that he had. Before Peter could think to ask Nightwing to run the simulation again, there were several flashes of light as more dummies began to populate the space, surrounding him.

There was more this time, all armed, less melee weapons however and more ranged weapons. Several handguns and a few others clearly replicating shotguns and automatic weapons. The shape of the dummies themselves varied this time as well, several taller and thicker models that seemed to be tougher than the others.

Peter sprinted forward, continuing his run vertically along the chest of the dummy in front of him, he kicked its head as he backflipped off it, shooting a web line onto it and tugging, sending the hologram crashing to the ground.

He landed in a three-point crouch before rolling forward to avoid a 'sword'. He kicked the blade and it shattered into light particles, before he punched its wielder in the head, launching it several feet in the air.

Nightwing and Miss Martian were standing ready, watching Peter and recording his fight for later use and evaluation, but nevertheless awaiting the inevitable emotional breaking point Peter would reach.

It was clear Spider-Man's adrenaline fuelled flurry of combat was a form of distraction, he was exerting himself to avoid having to think about the consequences of the news he'd just received. Nevertheless, it was an impressive showcase of skill.

After less than half a minute the second wave was defeated, Peter once again barely breaking a sweat. His breath as steady and controlled as would be expected of a casual stroll. Once more Peter stood in the empty room, his dread threatening to overtake him as the distractions were once again muted.

Then more flashes of light, yet more enemies appeared. The arsenal of weaponry much more advanced as the variety of foes increased, some possessing wings, some had static sparks of electricity emanating from their holographic hands, others equipped with laser cannons in substitute of arms.

Difficulty level five. Certainly, a challenge, but nothing too stressful, this was the standard difficulty for the more experienced members when they wanted a simple exercise or warm up. The difficulty levels for a standard simulation however, increased exponentially, each one doubly as difficult and complex as the last.

While engaged with level five, Peter was always moving, although still never thinking. He was dispatching foes left and right as he flipped, twisted and somersaulted his way around the room. Landing on the platforms above and sending enemies crashing to the ground before landing on the wall and launching himself forward, punching the larger holograms with intense force.

This wave was the first time Peter's voice could be heard; soft grunts of exertion were creeping out of his mouth while he was constantly on the offensive. He ducked and dodged out of the path of countless lasers as his limbs were almost always being used to hit or grab one of the other dummies.

Once more, the room was empty, save for Peter, his mind threatening to assault him with its conjurations. Peter was spared the indignation of thought by flashes of light as many more hard light holograms began to fill the War Room.

Level six was a real test in comparison, Dick himself only being able to beat it a handful of times, and never before his days as Nightwing. Even his victories were close calls, however. Level six and up were mostly used for team exercises, with the higher levels being immensely difficult non-superpowered members on their own.

Peter's body persisted as his brain remained still, numbness overcoming all possible mental processes. The Other felt his stunted pain and desperately hoped to soothe his mind, but its impotence prevented it from interacting with him. And even if it could, it recognised his fear of it and knew that any attempts of contact, at the time being, would only further Peter's discomfort.

The dummies were tough now, tactical, smart, fast, strong and equipped with a litany of offensive weapons. The defensive capabilities of even the simplest holograms of this level were far beyond the toughest foes of the prior waves.

Spider-Man nonetheless remained in his assaultive state, never stopping or hesitating as he began dispatching the holograms with haste and vigour. His body never remained in one position for more than a moment as he twisted and flipped with a grace and precision even Dick was envious of.

Dick was well known for his agility and flexibility due to his familial circus talents; his body was, figuratively, as malleable as rubber thanks to years of relentless training. But Peter was on another level, his form was in constant flux.

Peter was continuously twisting, turning and moving in ways no normal human could ever hope to achieve. More accurately, the poses themselves were definitely possible, Dick able to replicate all of them, but the reactions and the speed at which Peter could shift between them while attacking and evading, that would be impossible for even the most talented of non-powered humans to replicate.

Not to mention the accuracy and grace with which the positions were performed were astounding, far better than even the most gifted contortionist or gymnast Dick had ever encountered; himself included. The fact the young hero wasn't making himself nauseous with the constant movement was miraculous.

"I can't believe he's doing so well considering everything he's learned today…" M'Gann spoke as she watched Peter clear level six in under three minutes.

Peter completed the level two and a half minutes faster than Dick's best time and only thirty seconds slower M'Gann's, which, considering the difference in their powers, was phenomenal.

"No. Look at him, that's pure adrenaline… He isn't doing this well in spite of his shock, but because of it. He's numbed himself so much he's practically reached a flow state…" Dick corrected, unable to tear his eyes away from the display.

Level seven was clearly a much tougher challenge for Peter, unsurprisingly as this was basically reserved for team training. Dick himself was only ever able to beat this difficulty alone once, with immense struggle, and purely as a personal challenge to match Batman, no one even expected him to beat it alone. Even the fact Batman was able to, also with much difficulty, was impressive itself.

Regardless, Spider-Man cleared the difficulty level. The timeframe however was noticeably longer, taking him the same length of time as all the previous levels combined. He also made a lot of noise comparatively; it was clear he was beginning to sweat. He even took a few hits this time, none of them keeping him down for long, however.

Nonetheless Peter demolished both Bruce and Dick's times and was still raring to go. His body was hot with anticipation as the enemies of level eight began to appear. Dick's and M'Gann's eyes widened further and further with each subsequent challenge Peter surpassed. Difficulty level eight, nine and ten.

The door to the observation room slid open as Dick turned to see the new entrant. Batman nodded to his former protégé and spoke calmly, "Mr Terrific said we'd find you here. How is he?"

"See for yourself." Dick nodded to the frantic form of Spider-Man below.

Peter was starting to tire now, level ten was hard. The enemies were aggressive and relentless, Peter felt like he was fighting 3 Sinister Sixes at once. He was beginning to receive more blows than he was giving out. His body was slower, clumsier and the grunts of exertion had been amplified to yells of frustration and barely subdued rage.

The emotional pain in his voice was evident to everyone, the decline had begun and soon there would be nothing left for Peter to do but stop and think.

"Not well, I take it?"

"I struggle to see how else you expect him to be?" Miss Martian spoke, not hiding her annoyance at the Batman, "You spying on him probably didn't help either…"

Batman didn't look at M'Gann as he replied, instead he continued to watch the desperate movements of Peter as he struggle against his virtual enemies, "I was following a lead, I needed intel."

Batman turned and saw as both the younger heroes were staring at him in disapproval, M'Gann through her own moral objections and Dick a combination of morality and guilt due to his own reluctant involvement.

Batman sighed as he continued, "I will apologize in time, but something tells me he'll understand…"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Dick asked, genuine puzzlement mixed with defiance in his tone.

Batman took control of the computer, ended the simulation, killed the recording and looked to Nightwing and Miss Martian, "Stay here…"

He left the observation room with no further words. Leaving M'Gann and Dick looking at each other in confused silence.

"You know. I used to hope he'd become less vague over the years…"

M'Gann didn't reply, simply smiling with exasperation as she shook her head in disbelief at the interaction.

Peter landed on his feet, stumbling slightly as he fought to keep his balance. He whipped his head around as the holograms had stopped attacking and stood lifeless, his confusion doubling as they all simultaneously blinked out of existence.

"Hey! Nightwing! What's the big idea, man? End the simulation just as it's getting interesting? Why would… Why would you…" His adrenlaine began to wane and deep realisation assaulted his mind, "Oh god…"

Peter's breathing was laboured and slow as his shock dissipated and the impact of the day was slowly starting to take its toll on him, mentally and physically. As his mind slowly began rebooting and providing him with grim thoughts he slumped to his knees.

His panic never returned; instead, his psyche was assaulted by a steady current of absolute dread.

His shaky hand once again reached to his head as he removed his mask, he had no idea if anyone else was in the observation booth but was abnormally uncaring about who might see his face.

"Peter…" Batman had entered the War Room and was slowly approaching the slumped form of Peter's body.

Peter looked at the intruder and as realisation set in, the expressionless fatigue on Peter' face was replaced by a soft, burning ember of rage. But more than that, there was also a sense of complete and utter exasperation causing the young boy to laugh with grim irony, "Of course you're here… What, come to gloat? Must be glad to hear you were right, my world doesn't exist. Not in this multiverse at least…"

"I didn't hear everything, I stopped listening when-" Batman stopped when he saw the exhausted red of Peter's eyes piercing his own, "I'm sorry… I should have been honest. But I swear to you I had your best interests in mind… But that's not important right now…"

Batman, now standing next to Peter's seated body, offered his had to younger hero.

Spider-Man looked to it with disdain before sighing and begrudgingly taking the hand offered to him, pulling himself to his feet and standing opposite the other hero, "… Yeah, I guess it isn't… All things considered. I really am stuck here…"

"Not foreve-"

"I'm not naïve… I don't care how smart Mr Terrific is, we all know he was being extremely optimistic. No one has any idea what any of this really means, and we… We may never find a solution."

"So what? You're just going to give up? I swore to you I would do everything in my power to get you home, and I will. We will. But you? Giving up at the first hurdle? Being a quitter doesn't suit you."

"Pfft. Cause' you're such an expert on me? Don't think, just because you saw me talking while eating croissants this morning, that you have the slightest idea of who I am!"

"No Peter, I recognised the fire in your eyes. I saw you fight. You told me your code… The man I spoke to last night, he wasn't a quitter. I know, because neither am I."

"Stop pretending like you know me! You don't! Everyone who really knows me… Who I know, there all somewhere else, somewhere we may never reach… I'll never see any of my friends or family again…"

"That's not technically true."

Batman looked back to the door and slowly nodded towards it, Peter tracing the movement with his eyes before he saw what, who, he was gesturing to.

"I- What? That's… That's not- How is this possible?" Peter's eyes were no longer able to hold in the tears he was delaying, streams of salt water began rapidly flowing down his cheeks.

"Hey, kiddo…" The middle-aged man in the doorway spoke as he slowly began approaching the pair.

"Un- Uncle Ben? I- I don't understand… What is this?" Peter was frantically looking between Batman and the man who was walking towards them.

Bruce then shocked Peter even further as he did something the younger man didn't think he was capable of; he smiled. He gestured to the older man, inviting Peter to approach him.

Peter stumbled slowly towards his uncle, still uncertain and confused. Immensely confused.

But one emotion overpowered his shock and confusion, relief. And as he stood face to face with the older man before the strength in his legs left him, the sheer weight of his emotions pushing him to floor.

The older man was quick to react, semi-catching the younger man, semi-falling with him. And so, the two knelt there for a moment. Ben holding his nephew's double as the tears continued streaming from his eyes. Ben too, let his tears fall, tears of joy at seeing his nephew's face once more.

Peter grabbed the older man back with vigour, grasping tightly and refusing to let go. And so, they knelt, in each other's arms and they cried as they held each other. Thousands of miles above the earth, a world which was only home to one of them, but one that didn't matter to either of them.

Right now, there were no doppelgangers, no collider, no existential crises, no Other. There was only this moment, this miraculous, beautiful and painful moment between two men. An uncle who had found his nephew, and a nephew who had found his uncle.

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Pamela Eisley's Penthouse, Gotham City

"Oh, come onnn, Red. Please." Harleen Quinzel's voice was persistent and ringing through their penthouse.

"Ugh… I don't even understand why you care so much about Christmas, Harls. You're jewish!" Pamela Eisley replied to her girlfriend with mild annoyance and confusion.

Harley didn't respond, she just stared at her partner with stubborn indignation and began to pout.

"Oh my god… You're really not gonna' give this up, are you?" Ivy sighed back.

Harley's face remained fixed as she shook her head violently.

"Ugh, fine! We can get a plastic tree… But I swear to God, as soon as it's January, you're taking it down!" Pam reluctantly conceded.

"Eeee! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Harley replied in between attacking her girlfriend's face with kisses.

"Alright, alright! Give it a rest already…" Ivy was chuckling softly at the assault of affection before her eyes were drawn to Harley's phone as it sounded an all too familiar chime, she nodded towards it "Hey, what's that about?"

"Hmm? I dunno'…" Harley replied as she picked up her phone and checked the notification.

It was a post on the highly unofficial, very illegal, mildly disturbing, yet surprisingly easy to use and intuitive, 'Gotham Underworld' app. A gateway to a site on the dark web that placed bounties, offered jobs, and warned about intel on certain GCPD and Batfamily movements.

Her eyes darted across the post, and she clicked on the pictures and videos attached to the open bounty. Fascination and confusion were evident on her face as she was reading the details on the post by the False Face Society's proxy account.

"What is it, Harls?" Poison Ivy asked as she regarded the other woman curiously.

"…Who da' f*ck is Spider-Man?"

Author Note:

So this is the end of the first story arc, the 'settling in' arc. It's been a slow burn so far, 7 chapters for two days but I didn't want to rush in to Peter in this new world.

The pace picks up a bit now. The stage has been set now its time for the players to get up there and break a leg.

Also if your reading this story on AO3 there's still a couple more chapters to come. But, after Chapter 9 (10 if you count Prologue), you're all caught up and you'll have to wait like everyone else.

I'm tweaking them and fixing grammar/cleaning up exposition as I go so AO3 is basically getting the final drafts. Sorry FF readers... But don't worry I'm updating those chapters as well so they're all the same, but you may notice the changes on re-reads and get a mandela effect situation, especially if you've been with this story from the start...

Hope you enjoyed, reviews are apreciated and make sure to tip your server. Also did you know sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't float away?

Sayonara.

Chapter 9: Peter Vs. The Piano

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Gotham City

Mac Gargan, AKA the scorpion was sitting across from Alexei Sytsevich, eyeing his comrade with suspicion as he carefully moved one of his pawns. They'd been playing chess a lot since they found a board and a (mostly complete) set of pieces in the abandoned apartment building they were laying low in.

The several pieces that were missing were replaced by a couple of substitutes but, all things considered, it was good way to kill the time as they waited for their other ally, Jackson Brice, AKA Montana, AKA the Shocker to return from his supply run.

Gargan was surprised to find out that the Rhino was actually pretty good at chess, considering how much of a meathead he was. Perhaps he was playing purely instinctually, or perhaps there was a decent tactician hidden somewhere below his three brain cells.

Nevertheless, they were tied right now, and this game would be the decider, until the next one.

It was their first day in this strange city since their arrival the night before and as luck would have it, they were in the rougher area of this so-called 'Gotham'. Meaning they were able to quickly find a decrepit crack den where they could remain hidden while they got their bearings. Much to the fear and surprise of the addicts inside, whom they mostly ignored.

By now the poor souls had all fled the premises, save for a couple of the more catatonic specimens. Thankfully they would most likely consider the otherworldly occupants as some kind of shared hallucination, the result of the many substances plaguing their bodies.

"I do not like all this waiting…" Rhino spoke in his thick Russian accent.

Scorpion stared at the rhino as he moved the Batman figurine that they were using in place of a rook, "Neither. But we don't exactly blend in…"

Gargan was no happier than his villain in arms but had reluctantly compromised to allow Montana take point in this world, being that he was the only one capable of slipping through the streets unnoticed.

"Ha! Why must we 'blend' we could crush our way through this city in search of the others." Rhino laughed back with disbelief, his accent exentuating his annoyance.

"You need to learn subtlety at some point, Rhino. One of these days you're gonna' get ya horn stuck somewhere it doesn't belong, and I won't be there to bail you out."

"Pah. I do not need you to bail me. You are the one in need of bailing…" Alexei moved his knight and trapped the Hello Kitty keychain that represented Gargan's queen.

"Hmmm… Good move." Scorpion responded through gritted teeth, frustrated at the possibility he might lose to Rhino yet again.

The door to the small apartment opened and Jackson Brice entered wearing his civvy clothes with a baseball cap and sunglasses.

"I got news. One good, two bad." The shocker spoke as he threw the bag of fast food, labelled 'Big Belly Burger', on the table next to the chess board.

He looked at his allies who were staring at him expectantly, "The good news is, it seems like our cash works here, wherever this is… The bad: we're broke, that was the last of ma' spare change."

Brice placed the tray of coffees down next to the food that Scorpion and Rhino had begun divvying up between themselves. Scorpion taking a bite from a, surprisingly good, cheeseburger before he looked back at Brice.

"The other bad news?"

"The Spider's here, alright. Been makin' a name for 'imself already."

He threw the newspaper he'd been carrying under his armpit to the other two, landing on the table as the front page of the 'Gotham Gazette' became visible to all of them. Big bold letters stating: 'WHO IS THE SPIDERMAN?'.

"Heh. They spell his name wrong." Rhino chuckled to himself as he took a hefty bite out of his burger, looking back at the other two who were staring at him curiously "What? There is supposed to be dash between 'Spider' and 'Man', no?"

Gargan rolled his eyes at the brute as he looked back to the Shocker, "So, where do we go from here… I'm sick of sitting around with this moron."

Rhino growled at the remark, to which Shocker interjected, "Easy now, big fella. This might not be all bad… Word on the street is, there are other players in this here town that might want the Spider dead. Not all publicity is good publicity."

"Hmmm?" Gargan grunted with curiosity at the response.

"Look. We ain't heard nothing from the Doc or the others yet. Hell, we don't even know if they survived! As far as we know, it's just us… But I'm gonna' go out again tonight. Get a lay of the land… Just read the paper, he pissed off someone with deep pockets apparently. We might be able to make a deal. Catch us a Spider and squish 'im for good."

The three men looked at each other, a sick grin on each of their faces.

Several days later…

Gotham City Streets

Spider-Man was weaving out of the way of a flurry of slashes by a knife wielding combatant. The thug was untrained and sloppy, not knowing where he was swinging, his attacks reeked of desperation. In some ways it made him more dangerous than a professional, not to Peter but to everyone else, there was a higher chance of collateral damage to the wielder himself or others.

"Seriously, guys? You're like the..." He paused as he counted with his fingers, still weaving out of the way of the slashes, "Sixth group trying to kill me this week! I'm trying not to take it personally but, I can't lie, it breaks my itsy-bitsy Spider heart a little more every time. A guy has feelings, ya' know?"

Spider-Man grabbed the goon's arm while he quipped, before twisting and throwing him over his shoulder into another thug running at him with knuckle dusters, knocking them both down.

"Well, look on the Brightside. You must be getting better at avoiding assassination attempts by now…" Batgirl called over to Peter as she kicked a gun out of another goon's hand who was preparing to take aim at Gotham's newest vigilante.

"A very generous use of the word 'assassination' there. Either way though, it wasn't really a skill I was all that interested in perfecting, if I'm honest!" As Peter was riffing with his friend, he was mid leap.

He curved in the air and shot an electric web at the two prone would-be assassins who were scrambling to their feet. Their progress halted as waves of static electricity coursed through them, stunning them both as their muscles spasmed against the current.

He landed on top of a streetlamp and webbed both the spasming goons, yanking them up before attaching the line to the post, leaving them dangling several feet in the air off the light.

"It can't hurt to stay ahead of the curve, think how good it would look on your resume!" Batgirl replied, finishing off the opponent she disarmed with a quick punch to the gut followed by an elbow to the face.

She cuffed the goon to the handle of a dumpster in the alley, leaving him for pick up from the GCPD whom the Batcave had already alerted. She started walking towards her spandex clad friend who deftly flipped off the post. Waving to the waiting traffic as he landed, indicating they could go about their business uninterrupted now.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll look great, I can see it now: 'Mr Spider-Man, it says here you're an expert at avoiding assassination, please tell us, why were so many people trying to kill you?'"

"At least it shows that you're popular. Or, you could say: 'it shows I'm a very valuable member of society.' I mean you're worth two-hundred grand at least!'" Batgirl chuckled slightly as she spoke.

"False Face 'Society', maybe… Jury's still out on regular society…" Peter replied as he looked at driver of the car who had just started moving again, she was eyeing with curiosity mixed with mild annoyance at the inconvenience of the traffic jam, "…Wait two-hundred? I thought it was only one!"

"You didn't know? Word from Catwoman is Mask has doubled the price… You know, since everyone who's gone after you has ended up behind bars. Stopping one of his drug operations the other night probably didn't help you get in his good graces either..."

Peter thought on that night, he was paired with Red Robin. It was the first time he had met Tim and all in all he seemed like a nice kid. There was an oddity about the Batfamily in that almost all of them aside from the Bat himself, and the current Robin who seemed far too co*cky for his age, were overwhelmingly friendly.

Perhaps the result of encountering Bruce's more self-destructive tendencies first hand for much of their adolescence, or perhaps even Bruce subconsciously surrounding himself with proteges that were more optimistic than himself.

Ignoring the thought he responded to Batgirl, "Eh. I'm okay with staying in his bad graces. Besides, destroying drug rings is one of my favourite pastimes... Not gonna' give that up anytime soon. Still though, I'm worth two-hundred and yet I'm still broke- Look out!" Before Peter finished his sentence, he shoved Batgirl back sending her flying a few feet before she landed unceremoniously on the floor.

Peter leapt into a black flip as a bullet sliced through the air, grazing his suit and nothing more. He whipped his head to the roof tops searching for a sniper as the sound of gunfire finally caught up. Cracking through the cold night air.

The time between bullet and noise signifying a very impressive range far beyond even the best snipers.

Batgirl sat up and dusted herself as she quickly jumped back to her feet also searching for the source of the gunshot. She saw a brief flicker, blocks away, too far for anyone other than a select handful of people. People that would prove to be more of a hassle than the common thugs they'd been dealing with thus far.

In the distance, the sniper looked through his scope at his target as they landed, "Impressive reflexes, kid." Floyd Lawton, Deadshot spoke aloud to himself. Pulling back the bolt of his gun and readying another shot, as he fixed the spider themed target in his sites again, "Let's see if that was fluke."

Spider-Man ducked as a second bullet sailed for his head, embedding itself in the wall behind him. Before he had time to continue searching for the sniper another shot rang through the air, Peter barely twisting in time to avoid it. The sounds delay again meaning Peter was acting purely on reflex from his own senses without any audible warnings.

Batgirl, clearly aware she wasn't the target and was safe for the time being yelled to Peter, "Spider-Man, 10 o'clock! Don't get too close and wait for me! If this is who I think it is, this could be tricky."

Spider-Man nodded before he leapt onto the wall of the building behind him, Batgirl was patching herself, and Peter, into, what she assumed must be Floyd Lawton's, comms frequency, "Is that you Deadshot?" She asked into her earpiece.

Spider-Man, still constantly dodging had spotted the glimmer of a sniper scope, 'Damn, that's far! Who does this 'Deadshot' guy think he is? Bullseye?' and was scaling the building behind him to get a better vantage point for approach.

"Batgirl? How did you-? You know what, doesn't matter. So, you're back, huh? Good for you, last I heard you were out of commission. What happened to the blonde Batgirl, though. Did she retire, or something?"

"Or something, she's fine. We both are thanks for asking. As nice as this small talk is, though, you wanna' explain why you're trying to blow my friend's head off?"

"Come on, kid. You know there's about two hundred thousand answers to that question."

Batgirl saw as Spider-Man, ahead in the distance, had begun rapidly moving toward his attacker, still twisting and curling out of the way of the barrage of sniper shots aimed at him while he swung through the city streets. She had also reached a nearby rooftop and was running across it, readying her grapple gun for another shot.

"It was mostly a rhetorical question. But isn't this a little small time for you? Bit high risk, low reward if you ask me, did you miss having a bomb in your head or something? how much do you wanna' go back to Belle Reve?"

"Ehhh. Not that big of a risk. Besides, I'm between gigs at the moment. A man's still gotta' eat you know. Hey, what the-!"

As Floyd's target was slowly getting closer, he was preparing to adjust his aim, only to see as Spider-Man aimed his hand directly at him. The barrel of is gun was suddenly and violently encased in webbing and the impact was enough to vibrate through Floyd's entire upper body.

He quickly jumped back from his rifle and took aim with his right arm cannon, firing shots at Spider-Man who managed to flip and evade all of them, barely. Landing on the water tower above Floyd's location.

"Not a big risk? Dude! You've missed like all of your shots…" Spider-Man spoke as he stuck to the side of the tower.

Deadshot kept his aim on Spider-Man, his wrist guns fixed on his position, temporarily ceasing his fire as he replied, "I don't miss. You dodged them, game recognises game, kid. You've got some good reflexes."

Spider-Man flipped to the roof, landing opposite Deadshot as he spoke, "Thanks. But like, if none of your shots hit their target: AKA me, you missed, by definition, you missed. A lot."

"All of my bullets landed exactly where I wanted them to, the target was avoiding their path, there's a difference."

"Oh, my bad! I'll just stand still and let you hit me, next time! It's not my fault you can't hit a moving target. With a name like Deadshot, I would expect the shots to make me more, you know… Dead."

"Listen, kid. I was only gonna' kill you but keep talking and I'll have to kneecap you as well. Let's be professional here."

As Spider-Man saw Batgirl was quickly nearing their location, he muttered under his breath "Yeah, like you could even hit my knee…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Sure, hold still, kid." Deadshot aimed his gauntlet direct at P1eter's head and prepared to fire.

Batgirl by this point was on the ledge of building opposite, ending her sprint as her eyes went wide, noticing something Peter hadn't. This was a trap. Before she could speak Peter had begun moving.

Peter was running at Deadshot as he fired, ducking under the bullet as it sailed above his head. Floyd smiling under his mask as the new hero did exactly what he had hoped he would.

"Spider-Man, wait!" Barbara's voice was drowned out by the crack of the gun shot.

As the bullet continued on its path it hit its mark, a small black puck, designed for trick shots was attached to the side of the building behind Peter. The bullet's trajectory shifted, and it returned diagonally across the rooftop they were on.

A small black stand was attached to the ledge, propping up another trick shot puck. In fact, there were several dotted about, but Peter hadn't noticed them as he was too busy focusing his attention on the shooter.

The bullet flew into the other puck, bounced off, and began flying towards Spider-Man, its trajectory aimed directly at the side of Peter's chest. Noticing his spider-sense, he stopped in his tracks and leant back, the bullet grazing the flesh of his chest as it tore through his suit before finally embedding itself into the wall opposite.

He jumped back in surprise, holding his chest as a searing, burning pain ran through him. Blood beginning to trickle from the cut the bullet had left as it ripped his skin off while soaring through the air. It wasn't a deep cut thankfully, but it still hurt like hell.

"I told you. I don't miss. My bullets land exactly where I want them to… Still though, I really thought I had you with that one."

"You set all this up because you knew I would come here? I'd be impressed if it wasn't so… meticulous. Oh boy, you really need to get a hobby; it can't be healthy putting this much effort into murder…"

Peter and his newfound adversary were talking amongst a barrage of bullets being aimed all about the roof, causing Peter to constantly shift, twist, turn and dodge from their intersecting paths.

"I'm not a fan of the 'M' word, I kill people for money, that's my job, kid. 'Murder' makes it sound like I get some kind of sick kick from all this… I'm just a professional. So don't take it personally. I don't." While he was speaking, Batgirl had begun her own ranged assault on Deadshot.

Barely looking away, Deadshot raised his arm to the side and fired three shots. The bullets deflected the three batarangs that were flying towards him, and he turned to face Batgirl who was mid-leap, between the rooftops.

Deadshot fired another five bullets at five different pucks around him and Spider-Man felt his sense blaring again as he twisted to avoid the bullets. As the bullets kept coming, their constant intersections made them harder and harder to dodge as they joined the others that were still whizzing around him. He managed to avoid all of them entirely except the last.

The final bullet just grazing his flesh as he felt a burning pain on his shoulder.

"Oh sure! Let's not call the professional killer a 'murderer' cause' it hurts his feelings!" 'Damn! It's getting harder to keep up with these…' Spider-Man quipped as he flipped and twisted his body in response to even more bullets bouncing around him as Deadshot fired several more times in different directions.

Peter was stuck in a dance on the roof, unable to find an opening to leap above the danger zone he had inadvertently landed himself in.

Deadshot finally aimed his arm at Bargirl as she landed on the roof next to him, quickly taking a swing at him which he narrowly avoided as he spoke, "Hey, Batgirl! Look I don't wanna' have to fight you as well, just lemme' kill the Spider and then I'll be on my way."

As he spoke, he continued to block and duck out of the way of her attacks before managing to take a few steps back and give himself some distance before firing five more shots in five different directions.

Spider-Man who was just preparing to charge at Deadshot after more acrobatics, now had to yet again keep his body in constant flux as he tried his best to avoid the five bullets that were bouncing around him. 'Great… I feel like sitting duck here… Or a dancing Spider... Or a... Oh screw it.'

"Ooooh tempting… Lemme' think about that one…" Batgirl responded as she continued her attack.

"It's gonna' be a 'no', isn't it?" Floyd replied as he fired four more times from each of his gauntlets while manoeuvring his way out of Batgirl's attacks.

"How'd you guess?" Batgirl's reply was chipper and taunting in its sarcasm.

Batgirl was aware that none of the shots were aimed at her, only Peter. Deadshot wouldn't want to risk collateral for such a small payout, it wouldn't be worth the trouble, especially if that collateral was a member of the Batfamily.

She also knew she'd be safe as, while on the other rooftop, she had quickly surveyed the area that Floyd had laid out and had noted that the trick shot targets only covered a certain section of the roof. Meaning there was a safe zone that Lawton could fire from without having to avoid any of his own bullets.

Considering she didn't possess Peter's superhuman reflexes, she needed to make sure she avoided the danger zone completely, because even as she surveyed the rooftop and had managed to map all possible trajectories of the bullets in her head, she would still struggle to avoid them without Spider-Man's speed.

Spider-Man had managed to avoid seven of the total eight bullets that were currently whipping around him from all directions. The final one puncturing the upper part of his left leg as it entered his limb and embedded itself there with a stab of intense, gripping pain. Peter fell to one knee in anguish as he landed and let out a small cry of frustration and stinging.

Pete had been shot before, a few times, but he still never enjoyed the experience, he looked to Deadshot who had paused his gunfire as he was fighting Batgirl hand-to-hand. He definitely knew how to keep up, but Batgirl was slowly gaining the upper hand. And more importantly she had given Peter time to react himself.

The mercenary called out, "I told you I'd put one in your knee!", ducking out of the way of Batgirl's leg as he yelled.

"Actually... That… Nngh," Peter's bullet wound ached as he considered its position, "Was my upper thigh! Ergo, you missed. Again! …Ow. Still hurts, though."

Floyd watched and examined Spider-Man's leg as he pulled himself to his feet "Damn! Has anyone ever told you, you're a very annoying arachnid to kill?"

"Actually, no… Everyone else says 'bug'. You're the first person to get it right. I'm… I'm touched." Spider-Man was wobbling slightly on his weak leg, before he leapt towards Deadshot and Batgirl, capitalising on the distraction that kept him unable to fire anymore shots.

Floyd, starting to feel the mounting pressure of his situation, aimed his arm at the red and blue figure flying towards them only to see his gauntlet destroyed by a batarang being stabbed into the barrel of his arm cannon.

He looked at Batgirl, annoyance under his mask, as he fired three more shots at Spider-Man with his other arm, which the hero twisted away from. While firing he was also preparing to send a kick at Batgirl.

However, Deadshot realised too late that Batgirl had already read his move and had already begun to attack low, causing Floyd to fall onto his back as his legs were swept out from under him. He quickly shifted his aim, and the barrel of his arm cannon found itself aimed directly at Batgirl's face as she paused mid strike.

She eyed Floyd's mask before looking at the barrel which was pointed right between her eyes. Using the distraction, he followed her example and kicked out her legs, causing her to lose balance. Floyd rolled across the floor of the roof. Narrowly avoiding the bottom of Spider-Man's foot as he landed where Deadshot's chest used to be.

As the assassin pulled himself to his feet, he fired a couple more pot shots at the young hero. Spider-Man dodging them all, annoyingly casually, before shooting a webline to Deadshot's only working arm cannon and yanking, snatching the gauntlet off his wrist and making him stumble a couple feet forward.

Unfortunately for Floyd, he staggered directly into the leg of Batgirl, who had likewise managed to get back on her feet. She delivered a harsh kick to his chest knocking him backwards into the ledge behind him. He caught his breath, as he used the ledge to right himself and in a last-ditch effort, he quickly drew his last ranged weapon, his pistol.

He was feverishly aiming between the two heroes who stood opposite him. A couple of bullets behind them were still whizzing about the danger zone before eventually losing their momentum, falling to the ground, impotently.

"Last chance, Batgirl. Walk away… Let me finish my job." He now kept his gun fixed on Spider-Man and his eyes on Batgirl.

Spider-Man was shocked by the confidence in Deadshot's tone, "Seriously? Come on, man… You really thin-"

Spider-Man was silenced by Batgirl as she looked to him with focus and raised her hand, communicating for him to stop talking and trust her, a motion he had grown used to by now, especially since it was no longer coated with the disdain of their first meeting.

Hey voice was calm as she attempted to appeal to FLoyd's rational side, "Listen, Floyd… Is this really worth it? The chances of you winning this are getting pretty slim… Sure, you could maybe kill Spider-Man…"

"Hey!" Peter interrupted.

She looked at him with mild annoyance but mostly ignored the comment, "Again, emphasis on the maybe… But then what? You escape? Still not guaranteed…"

She continued, Floyd keeping his gaze on her as he listened carefully, "But let's say, hypothetically, you do. You know that I, and all the other Bat's in Gotham, wouldn't rest until we found you.

"Murder in our city is pretty frowned upon, ya' know. But hey, maybe you buy yourself some time. Hell, maybe you kill me as well… Do you really want Batman breathing down your neck for the rest of your life? For what, two-hundred grand? And again, that's the best case-scenario.

"Most likely we'll leave here mostly unscathed," She gesture to herself and Spider-Man as she spoke, "and you'll head back to Bell Reve to be Waller's lapdog. Again. So, what's it gonna' be? You wanna' give up the guns and we'll pretend we never saw you here…"

Deadshot considered her words for a moment, the cold chill of the December air whistling around them as time seemed to slow.

"Well? Anytime tonight. It's not like the wind is starting to irritate my bullet hole or anything..." Spider-Man spoke casually as he used the brief respite from violence to concoct a makeshift bandage with his webs.

"Shut up, I'm thinking…" Floyd responded, snapping his head towards Spider-Man, before turning slowly back to face Batgirl who was looking at him expectantly, "I'm a professional. I have a reputation to uphold…"

"Did Mask give you a contract?" She asked, simply, directly.

"No. You know it's an open bounty."

"Then it doesn't matter if you decide the money isn't worth the hassle. There's no shame in that, right?"

She was right, this was becoming more of a struggle than anticipated, especially for an open contract that was much lower than his normal contracted rate. At least that would be true if he hadn't only just escaped from under Waller's thumb, he actually could do with the money. It wasn't just his mouth that needed feeding...

He looked between the two young heroes as he considered his options, landing his eyes on Batgirl once more as he asked, "You being honest? About letting me go. Pretending I wasn't here."

"…Yes." There was a mild flicker of hesitation in her voice.

"You're a bad liar, kid." Deadshot responded as decided to take the risk, pulling the trigger and firing once more at Spider-Man.

Peter ducked out of the bullet's path as he lunged at the assassin, tackling him and sending them both over the edge of the building. As they fell, they crashed into the Christmas decorations that were hanging between the streetlamps, causing an explosion of festive light as their bodies destroyed several bulbs and tore the frame.

As they continued their descent they grappled, Spider-Man easily overpowering Deadshot, wrenching the gun from him and throwing it back to the roof, before catching them both with a webline.

Swinging himself to the ground, he unceremoniously tossed the mercenary across the road, shooting a barrage of webbing at the mercenary as he rolled, stopping his movement and fixing him to the street.

The mercenary was struggling against the webs grunting and writhing as he remained fastened to the floor. The late afternoon traffic stopping as the road became littered with a mercenary and the remains of the overhead decorations.

"Nggh. Ugh… Arrggh. Get this off of me! What even is this stuff? God, when I get out of this, I'm gonna-"

"Hey, hey, hey... Don't take it personally! I don't. I'm just doing my job as a friendly neighbourhood, Spider-Man..." He spoke, his tone mocking as he repeated Deadshot's earlier words.

Deadshot stopped struggling before looking at Spider-Man and laughing, "Hahaha… I like you, kid. Fair play, you got me. I surrender. Damn! I really thought this would be an easy one… Guess I'm off my game."

"Or you just got outplayed..." Spider-Man offered as he leapt onto the side of a building, sitting on its verticle surface as he conversed with Deadshot.

"I admit. I underestimated you, so… You gonna' get me out of this stuff, or What?"

"That depends... You gonna' admit you missed?"

"Not a chance…"

"Agree to disagree, I guess… But um, just to be safe I think I'll let you stay there for a while..."

As Peter hobbled slightly to the side of the road, a car horn blared through the air, causing him a minor shock, "Like hell you are! Get him out of the road! And what do you think you're doing busting up the lights? What, you hate Christmas or something?" the voice of the disgruntled driver called out from their window.

Peter looked at the face, it was the same woman from earlier, "Great…" Peter sighed to himself as Batgirl rappelled down and landed next to him, they looked to each other before he responded to the woman, "Sorry! I'll clean this up! Also, for the record, I don't hate Christmas!"

Peter thought to himself, 'Although, I'm not really feeling the Christmas spirit right now…' his lack of festive mood most likely a result of the date having been April for him less than a week ago.

"Well, you've ruined mine!" The angry civilian called back.

"Okay, ma'am we apologise for the inconvenience, but let's not be dramatic. It's only December Eighth…" Batgirl responded, standing up for her ally as she rappeled next to him on the street.

The woman simply harumphed as she shook her head and rolled her window back up. Batgirl turned to Spider-Man and shrugged with sympathy before her expression became harsher. Her eyes, piercing his even behind their masks.

"I have a feeling you're annoyed at me…" Peter responded as he hopped off the wall and stood next to the slightly taller woman.

"You rushed in! Didn't even check the area, and you didn't wait for me, like I said! Come on, you said you've worked with a team before, so stop acting like a solo act! Nightwing said you did something similar last night… I know you're still pissed about the whole…"

"Spying?"

"Yeah… That. But you've gotta' try to trust us. We're only trying to help…"

"You're right… I'm sorry. I've been going at this alone for too long now... It's been a while since S.H.I.E.L.D... Hard to get back into the team mindset, you know?"

"What about the other Spider-Man? Or Spider-Woman?" Batgirl asked, referring to Miles and his clone, Jess whom Peter had mentioned before.

"It's different with other Spider-People. Less communication... We usually go off instinct. Our tingles… align." Peter shifted his head as he spoke, truly considering how weird of a statement that was.

"Well I can't relate to the tingles… But instinct's good. But you have other senses you can rely on," She softened her expression and smiled, "Other people… Just, try to communicate from now on, for my sake at least..."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry… I got ahead of myself. Turns out I'm still not fully back at the top my game... This whole week has been a rollercoaster… Thanks for looking out for me."

"No problem, how's the leg?"

"Oh same ol'. Same ol'. Except it's got a bullet in it. How's yours?"

She knew he didn't mean anything by the question, she hadn't told him about her injury courtesy of the clown... Or the fact that she lost the use of both legs as a Peter had known, he wouldn't have made that joke.

Instead Barbara rolled her eyes and stared at him, he was slightly leant to the side, putting his weight on his other leg. It clearly hurt, understandably, but they both knew he was tougher than most people so for the time being he could carry on as long as he didn't push himself too far.

"I've had worse. It hurts a bit, but I'll be fine." Spider-Man eventually responded, sincerely.

"Good. Serves you right for being reckless…" She softly smiled as she playfully punched his shoulder.

A moment was held between them. One of comfort and ease in each other's presence. A smile on each of their faces. Although only one could be seen, the energy of both was felt. It was a kind, merciful moment for them, one that took them both away from their many problems upon problems.

Floyd's voice shattered the sincerity of the comfort between them as he called out. "Ugh. This is making me nauseous... I can feel you two making puppy dog eyes at each other from here! Can, you please stop flirting and get me out of this sh*t already?"

Both the heroes straightened their postures, looked to Deadshot and then around them. The lady in the car staring at them with annoyance as she raised her arms in expectance. Both heroes' blushing under their masks, which thankfully for Peter, allowed him more privacy. Batgirl's rosy cheeks however, were evident even under her half cowl.

"…Errr. Right. I'll get Deadshot… You got the lights?" Batgirl responded as she reached into her utility belt and pulled out one of the small vials of anti-web formula that Peter had given the Batfamily.

"Um. Yep. I got the lights. Lights are on me. Want the lights back, I'm your guy. Yes, siree bob, you got it." Peter turned away and began limping forward for a couple steps.

Peter leapt onto the lamppost, ignoring both the shooting pain that pinched his thigh as he landed, and the embarrassment that was causing a hot flush to course through his body.

He webbed up the debris of the decorations and, using his new longer lasting webs, tried his best to reassemble it. Sending a message to the Batcave to alert the city as soon as possible for repairs.

After he had finished, he dropped softly down from a web, not wanting to strain his leg further. He was approached by Batgirl who was holding a cuffed Deadshot by the arms.

The events that followed consisted of allowing the traffic to resume on their journeys, a call to the GCPD for Floyd's pick up and eventually a quick bike ride back to the Batcave for debrief and medical attention.

Batgirl left the cave again shortly after dropping Peter off, to go back on Patrol while Alfred began tending to Peter's wounds, to which the younger man constantly protested, insisting he was fine.

As Peter sat there, unmasked and bandaged on his chest and shoulder, he gripped tightly to the arms of his chair as Alfred probed inside his leg with his tweezers. Finally wrestling the bullet out of Peter's leg and placing it in a metal basin.

"Jeez… Thanks for the help, but you could be a little gentler, Alfred."

"And you could be less of a baby, Mr. Parker. I've heard more crying from you in the last five minutes than I have from anyone else here combined…" The older man replied, simply.

"Wow… I think that hurt more than the bullet."

"Chin up Mr. Parker," Alfred continued as he began to wrap several layers of bandages around Peter's leg, "It's refreshing that at least one person in this cave doesn't feel the need to put on a tough façade…" The British man cast a look over to Batman who ignored the comment and continued studying his computer screen.

"Heh. That's cause' I don't need a façade, I'm tough as nails…" Peter spoke as he beat his fist on his chest, immediately regretting the action as he thumped his other wound very hard. "*cough* Ow! Forgot about that one…" He began softly stroking his chest over the bandages trying to ease his self-inflicted sting.

Alfred simply smiled and begun collecting his utensils placing them on his metal trolley before beginning to pick up Peter's discarded costume, "Either way Mr. Parker. No Spider-Man for a few days while your wounds heal…"

"What? Hey! Come on I'll be fine in the morning. I told you I heal fast!"

"That's precisely why I'm not saying a few weeks."

"Come on, Alfred. I'm going to New York tomorrow. You gotta' let me swing about my hometown…Kinda. At least for a bit!" Peter hopped out of the chair and was hobbling around behind Alfred as he pleaded with him.

"That would have been a compelling argument, sir, if you were able to stand on two feet and tell me…"

Peter fixed the older man with a stare of determination as he put his weight on his leg, wincing in anguish before trying to hide his pain with a visage of nonchalance, "See. I'm perfectly fine." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"As convincing as that display was, my decision is final. A weekend of rest will do you well…"

"Oh come on, that was a joke! Mostly... I swear it's not that bad. A little swing about this New York will be fine! You know, I once took down Taskmaster with a knife sticking out of my stomach..."

"Mr. Parker… All that anecdote does, is prove to me you haven't the best sense when it comes to healthy lifestyle choices."

A third voice called out, indignant and snide in tone, "I think you should let him."

"Thank you!" Peter responded, still looking at Alfred while gesturing towards the voice.

"It only allows him to prove his incapability farther…" The voice continued.

Peter turned to the person who spoke, 13-year-old Damian Wayne AKA Robin, and sneered at the young boy before stopping himself and thinking, 'He's a child Peter, don't stoop to his level…'.

"Okay. Ignore the second part of that statement…" Peter said as he looked back to Alfred, "Look I know my limits, I'm good. I can do a little exercise; I'll mostly be healed by tomorrow morning!"

"Enough, Peter." Batman finally spoke as both he and Robin began moving towards the Batmobile "Even if you weren't injured. I'm uncomfortable letting you run around another city without one of us to supervise."

Peter held back a look of disdain 'Supervise…'. He had only been here for a few days now and was thankful Batman was allowing him to continue being Spider-Man in Gotham, especially while he was on lookout for his villains.

But he'd be lying he said he didn't feel suffocated by the constant presence of at least one Batfamily member while he did his Spidey thing. It made him feel like less of his own hero and more like a sidekick to Nightwing, Red Robin, Batgirl or whoever else they would stick him with next.

Peter had been part of a team before, but as a leader of his peers, and he could still do his own thing every now and then. And sure, he had been partnering up with Miles a lot more lately, but that wasn't always the case. He was still mostly a solo act back home, but this week he'd felt less independence than he ever did even working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

As such he'd been extremely excited, among other more stressful emotions, about his upcoming weekend in New York. Not just because he could stay with Ben, or meet Teresa, but also because he could gain back a sense of freedom and do his own thing again without feeling Batman's breath on his neck.

"I'm starting to get real sick of everyone treating me like a child…"

"Have you considered not acting like a child?" Robin added as he walked past Peter, his tone harsh and severe.

"Have you considered not being a child?" Peter whipped his head to Robin and responded with mild annoyance "I mean seriously, he's like eight! Why is he allowed to go out on his own and I'm not? I've been Spider-Man for five years, and I know New York, it's my home. Even here..."

Batman stopped near Alfred and Peter and looked the younger man in his pleading eyes before speaking "Hmm. I'm too busy to argue this. Alfred, for all intents and purposes, he's your patient. The decision is yours."

Peter was actually taken aback by how quickly Batman changed his tone, perhaps Spider-Man's actions this week had actually helped to convince the Dark Knight of Peter's competence as a hero. Bullet wounds notwithstanding but, considering that was actually his first real injury since his arrival here, there was a level of leniency.

Also, Peter had made it very clear he was only accepting the conditions from Batman as a means of showing good faith. He could obviously leave whenever and they would struggle to stop him, but seeing as Bruce, and Barbara as Oracle, had handled all the details of Peter's new identity in this world, essentially taking his doppelganger's place, he felt somewhat obligated to allow the supervision.

There was odd moral sensation within Peter about resuming the life of the other, deceased, Peter Parker. No matter how many times his 'Uncle Ben' told him that both he and Teresa, the latter more reluctantly, had agreed to the idea.

Regardless of his own ethical concerns, he still felt an immense sense of gratitude to the Batfamily for sorting out his life is this new world.

Alfred was considering his options in this moment, staring unphased at Peter who was fixing him with desperation and a pitiful attempt at puppy dog eyes, pleading with the older man…

The next day Peter awoke early. His night dreamless yet again, as they had been ever since his first night in this universe. It was an odd sensation, unlike any normal dreamless sleeps, as in those rests, dreams most assuredly did happen, they were just unremembered.

But in this reality, it was as if his mind itself was incapable of producing any dreams, like they were locked away within a realm unto themself, one which he was barred from entering…

Nevertheless, he pushed away his ruminations as he stretched and yawned out the morning drowsiness. He felt up his leg and peeled of the bandages. The bullet hole had sealed itself fully and there was now a faint red mark where the wound had been.

It lightly stung but was mostly healed, within a day or two, the mark itself would be faint. A minor scar to join the growing gallery of cuts and marks across his body, symbols of history's battles.

Peter jumped out of bed and stood, testing his weight on his injury. Mild pain but nothing he was unfamiliar with, and so, after donning some clothes he casually strolled the halls. The mansion seemed mostly empty, it was about 9 AM and so most of the other occupants of Wayne Manor would either be resting from their nightly exploits, or already up and about.

After sorting himself some coffee and a quick breakfast he was casually scrolling his phone in the kitchen. After connecting his phone to this world's services a couple days ago, he finally had Wi-Fi and signal. But he still found an odd and grim fascination in checking his social media feeds, nearly all of the accounts he followed, along with his own, no longer existing.

Because of this, Peter had a fresh online presence and used his off time to read up on the history of this world and its more prominent figures. Nearly all of them complete strangers to Peter's alien mind, but there was a weird sense of dark relief to find a lot of familiarity when it came to some celebrities and politicians, even the bad ones.

It was odd comparing the works of this world's figures compared to their doppelganger's back home, for example entire albums by Blink 182 that existed in this realm that were entirely non-existent his own.

Famous movies like the Lord of the Rings featuring a difference in casting; Peter shuddered when he found out that in this world Christopher Lee was cast as Gandalf while Ian McKellen played Saruman. 'Not sure how I feel about that… Gonna' have to check that out when I get time.'

As he mulled over his research into the pop culture of this society, Alfred entered the kitchen and sighed.

"Mr. Parker… Apologies, if I had known, you were awake I would have fixed you a proper breakfast." Although courteous there was a hint of frustration in his voice, as if he was disappointed Peter had fed himself.

"I appreciate it big Al. But I can sort myself out."

Alfred simply rolled his eyes at the repeated conversation; this was the third time Peter had 'sorted himself out' and Alfred was getting tired at his refusal to accept his help. His independence reminding him all too harshly of Bruce's own rejection of his services, at least before Alfred started 'insisting' in a not unthreatening matter to his surrogate son.

Changing the subject, the brit asked, "And how is our leg feeling today, sir?"

"Leggy…" Peter saw the unamused expression on the butler's face and decided a demonstration was needed, "It feels fine... Look, I'll show you." Peter continued as he hopped off his stool and started jumping up and down to communicate his healed status.

"Hmmm… Wobbly jumps aside, I suppose I'll just have to take your word for it. Your suit is in the Batcave, repaired and cleaned. You'll need it for your appointment with Dr Palmer."

"And…?"

Alfred sighed out a reluctant response, "And New York… Against my better judgement."

"Yes! Thanks Alfie, you're the best!" Peter raised his hand to the older gentlemen for a high five to which Alfred simply stared, stone faced.

Peter clicked his fingers and turned his upturned palm into a finger gun, pointing at Alfred as he spoke, "Got it, we aren't there yet… That's cool."

Alfred let out yet another sigh, a noise which was becoming all too familiar to him any time he interacted with the young 'Mr. Parker', "I have some other errands to run today so I doubt I will see you before your departure for New York. I hope you enjoy your weekend with your family and please try to get some rest. For the sake of my sanity at the very least…"

"You got it! See ya' later, Jarvis" Peter called as he began to exit the kitchen, Batcave bound.

"And if you could refrain from calling me 'Jarvis' that would be appreciated." Alfred called out to the young man who was already some distance into the hallway.

"Never gonna' happen!" Peter called back as he continued towards the Batcave entrance.

Before he reached the piano where he mostly entered the cave from, Peter realised something annoying, he had yet again forgotten the sequence of keys needed to enter Batman's base of operations. So quickly turning on his heel, he approached the one room where he knew another of the manor's occupants would be.

When he approached the door, he heard muffled giggles and talking from two voices of decidedly opposing genders. Hesitating for a moment as he considered finding another way in tp the cave, he eventually conceded to himself and knocked lightly at the door.

"Hey Tim… Sorry but, you got a moment?" He called as he knocked.

The voices stopped for a moment before the door swung open and Peter was met by a face that definitely wasn't Tim's.

The young girl who opened the door was blonde and smiled as she greeted a very befuddled looking Peter, "Hi! You must be Peter, right? I've heard a lot about you."

"Eh heh… Hi. And umm, you must be Stephanie? Tim and the gang have told me about you, Spoiler, right?"

"Yep! That's me, nice to finally meet you, Spider-Man! Gotta' say I saw some of the videos, I like your moves." She beamed as she stuck her hand out to his, inviting him to shake it.

As he reciprocated the invitation and shook her hand he replied, "Same here, about meeting you I mean, can't say I've seen much of what you can do, sorry…"

"No stress, you'll find out on Monday anyways…"

"Why what's happening Monday?"

"I'm gonna' be on Spider duty." She smiled brightly as she spoke.

'Spider duty, like they take turns babysitting me… I need to talk to Batman about this, I'm Starting to feel insulted now. I mean I'm my own hero! Plus, I'm older than Tim and Steph, and I'm the one being Spidey-sat?'

"Oh… Right. Well, looking forward to it, I guess." He was being polite, in truth he was quite aggravated at the prospect of still being under probation, especially when his 'Spidey-sitter' was a full three years his junior, "Anyway sorry to interrupt but can I borrow Timmy boy for a bit?"

Stephanie read his apprehension, she didn't take it personally, it must be annoying constantly being under watch in this city, especially if Spider-Man had been his own hero for five years like she had heard.

"Sure thing, man. What do you need." Tim spoke as he approached the other two, holding his fist out to Peter to which the older hero dapped.

"Nothing major I just umm…"

"Forgot the code?" This was the second time Peter had forgotten, and Tim could read the embarrasment on his face.

"Heh… Yeah, got too many other things in this here brain o' mine. I'm sure I'll remember it this time." He probably wouldn't.

"Hey, it's no stress, I get it… Let's go." Tim replied, optimistically as he gave Steph a quick kiss to the cheek before leading Peter down the hall.

"Nice meeting you, Peter! I'll see you later!" Steph called out as she observed the other two moving through the hallway.

"Yeah, you too!" Peter called back as he waved goodbye to the younger girl.

After Tim helped Peter by opening the passageway he gave Peter a smile of understanding and left him be. Returning to his room and girlfriend.

Tim could read Peter like a book, same with most people. He was an impressive detective in his own right after all. Although Peter had settled more and had become better at masking his stress, it was clear there was a lot troubling him. Understandably.

For one still was under 'probation' while operating in Gotham. Then there was the bounty, the very reason for the probation. He was a target for every criminal in Gotham, which was a lot of criminals.

And considering his lack of experience in this world, and with the more dangerous villains that might see him as easy prey, Deadshot being a prime example, Batman felt the need for someone more versed in the Gotham scene to be watching his back when on patrol.

Then add on to that the search and lookout for any of his own villains, for which there was still no sign of. They might not even be in this world, but then how could they even check if that's the case? And if not, where are they? Peter clearly feels they are his responsibility regardless.

Then he still had to wrestle with the notion he was stuck in this world for potentially years. The stress of the dormant symbiote still latched to his body. And finally, he had this weekend visiting the doppelgangers of his family, one who was dead, and the other who didn't exist at all in his home world.

Compared to that, Peter's new life as… Himself, kind of... Starting/continuing as a student at ESU, and the attached internship at Wayne Enterprises, next week must seem like small fry for Peter.

When Tim counted the reasons that Peter must be feeling stressed, he felt himself becoming stressed by proxy. He shuddered at the prospect, considering the entourage of problems playing their part in Peter's psyche. Tim felt his sorrow and admiration for the older hero grow.

Peter had now descended into the empty cave, equipped his suit and entered the teleportation pod. Quickly finding himself yet again at the bridge of the Watchtower. A few heads turned his way as he wandered the halls, many had heard of him, fewer had actually seen him.

He waved and nodded back to all the unknown costumed heroes who greeted him. By this point he had formerly met all seven of the core members in a meeting where Batman briefed them all on his situation. He had been granted membership by them and could now freely go about the watchtower, but his presence was still a novelty to most.

Although his extra-dimensional origins weren't common knowledge to all Leaguers, it still wasn't really a secret. Everyone that did know had a reason to know, but much like many other members, his identity and origins weren't considered necessary pieces of information.

So other costumed heroes who kept their identity close to their chest just saw Peter as a new member, an up-and-coming rookie who had proved his worth and was now counted among this world's protective force. Not that he had actually participated in any League missions yet.

He found the lab he was looking for and entered, the doors sliding open as he looked at the shrunken skyscraper on the desk. He called out, "Hey doc! You here?"

Peter was shocked when he initially encountered the miniature version of Fisk Tower, but by now he had adjusted as this was his third meeting with the scientist and hero who had shrunk and transported the building for study, Dr Ray Palmer, AKA the Atom.

As Dr Palmer re-materialised before his eyes, he greeted the other hero and responded, "Ah, Spider-Man you're here. Good to see you. How's the leg?" Shaking the younger man's hand, he felt the pause in his form, "Batman told me, said I should go easy on you. But hey, I need your mind not your legs."

"Oh… Well both mind and leg are good, thanks. I bounce back quick."

"Good to hear, still though, watch yourself. Don't want to make yourself worse by ignoring sound medical advice…"

"I will. But what can I help you with today, doc. Reconsidered your position on the whole talking to ants thing and want my help with the frequency?"

"Thanks, but no. Staying ant free for now… But as for this," He gestured to the tiny tower behind him, "Mr. Terrific got all the readings he needed and we've catalogued and stored most of the building's inventory, by now. Some of the documents we found… This Fisk guy sounds like a real piece of work.

"That's one way to put it, yeah."

"Well, you'll be happy to hear his file on you was pretty sparse. Seems he still doesn't know your identity so all your family and friends back home should be safe."

"Wasn't a major worry honestly, he didn't seem to know me as anything more than a thorn in his side, but still a relief to hear. Can't help thinking that you wouldn't call me up here just to tell me that, though."

"You're right, I didn't. We've found something else, something… Interesting that I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on."

"Cool. Hit me."

The Atom looked at Peter curiously, with an expression of grim fascination that gave him goosebumps as he led Peter through his lab and into another room further in. There was another worktop sitting atop of which was a strange rock. About a foot squared in sized, it was dark and grooved with a red spiral in its centre.

As soon as peter neared the workspace his Spider-Sense blared violently. A ringing that wasn't like its normal pitch. As Peter gripped his head and stepped back the sound in his skull softened. Enough for him to realise that it wasn't his Spider-Sense ringing at all, but instead the Other, the baby symbiote inside his subconscious screeching in agony.

"Woah, are you okay?" Dr Palmer asked as he observed Spider-Man's reaction to the unidentified material.

"…Yeah. Ow. The symbiote does not like that thing at all. Can't say that I'm too fond of it either…"

"You know what it is? It's molecular structure is unlike any known material in this world."

"Same as back home, that rock there," Peter pointed at the meteor, he recognised it completely now, "Is the meteorite that brought the Venom symbiote to my earth."

"Wow. I've gotta' be honest with you, Peter," The Atom continued as he turned between Spider-Man and the rock, "Your reaction hasn't helped ease my mind all that much, I was putting off several tests on it because, and I'm speaking purely scientifically here, the thing gives me the creeps…"

"I'm not surprised. Even Reed Richards said it made him uncomfortable, couldn't figure out its origins, either. I don't even want to know how, or why, Fisk had this in his possession before his arrest."

"Right. Well good thing it's in safer hands now I guess. But tell me, this Reed Richards…" The Atom had heard about Mr. Fantastic from Peter earlier, but had no knowledge of his work with the Symbiote, "Did he ever mention anything about the rock…" He trailed off as he stared at it intensely, clearly unable to vocalise the rest of his thoughts.

"'About the rock' what?"

"… Whispering to him?" The Atom tore his eyes from the strange meteor. It hurt to look at, as if its very existence was an assault on all his senses and scientific rationale, yet whenever he was near it, he felt his gaze being drawn to it.

"No. Never... Please don't tell me it talks…"

"I could be imagining things… But yes. Not in any language I recognise mind you, but still, can't say I've enjoyed these last few hours alone in the same as lab as it." Ray Palmer shuddered slightly as he spoke.

"Doc, I think we need to lock 'The One Ring' over there away. Somewhere safe, any information we could get out of it isn't worth the risk. Trust me. If something is symbiote related, it's probably bad news…" Peter turned his head as he spoke aloud to himself and his body's guest, "No offense, buddy."

Peter was still a little uneasy about the presence of the dormant slice of symbiote grafted to him, but after a couple more psychic counselling sessions with M'Gann, he and the Other had actually come to an understanding.

He knew the Other would actually leave him if it could, seeing as that would help make Peter happy and that truly was its only concern. But seeing as it couldn't be removed without both symbiote and host dying, instead Peter had conceded to semi-regularly checking in on his stowaway. Promising to keep his emotions in check even more than normal, now he knew of its presence, for both their sakes.

He felt a soft rumble of acceptance from the symbiote as it heard his last words. Taking no offense from the remark as it too felt nothing but pain and hate emanating from the meteor.

"I hate to turn away from potential answers, but for now I think you're right," Dr Palmer replied, "I'll find a dark corner in the Watchtower's evidence storage for it. Regardless of whatever this thing may be, I don't want to find out what it could do in the wrong hands… But hey, maybe a 'Mount Doom' will present itself in the future and we can deal with it properly." He smiled back to Peter as he reciprocated the younger man's Tolkien reference.

"I wouldn't hold your breath doc. Even if there was a solution, I doubt we'll find it in this dimension. This thing is even further from home now…"

"Yeah but, what can I say, I'm an optimist." He smiled again as he led them out of the back room of his lab and back into the main area.

"Well, if your glass ever overflows, feel free to share some of that optimism with me. Mine has been half empty for a while now…"

"Try not to stress too much, Peter. I'm sure things will start to turn around for you soon enough." Ray spoke cheerily as he patted Peter softly on the back.

"Yeah well, don't take it personally if I don't take your word for it. Anyhoo, moving on from… That whole experience. I still have a couple more hours. You have anything else I can help with? Preferably something less Lovecraftian."

"Hmmm… I'm sure I can think of a few things, always helps to have another perspective."

Although only his third time here, Peter enjoyed helping Dr Palmer around his lab, regardless of whether the work was related to himself or not. He liked the older hero's company; he was a positive presence and a great lab partner. Getting to talk science with someone else without any pressure was always a welcome experience for Peter.

As he idled away his free time with Dr Palmer, Peter found himself softly coaxed into a feeling of something akin to serenity. Working his brain on little problems and puzzles of a scientific nature drew his thoughts away from the constant hum of stress which had been steadily whittling away at his self-esteem.

Soon though, the hours passed, and Peter had to leave. He said his goodbyes to the Atom and, using the teleporter, returned to the Batcave. When safely back on solid ground he noted the time and had to rush a bit, no matter what earth he found himself on, his time keeping skills still needed improvement.

Returning to his room, he quickly changed and grabbed his bag of weekend supplies, stuffing his costume inside it. He rushed back down the maze-like halls and to the piano where he stood impotently before facepalming. 'How, Peter? How the hell have you already forgotten the sequence?'

After sheepishly collecting Tim for a second time, to which both Steph and Tim found immense amusem*nt, he continued on his path to the teleporter through the Batcave where he found Dick and Barbara, in their civilian clothes.

"Hey guys, gotta' run, sorry. Can't stay and chat." He said as approached them, making a beeline straight for the teleporter.

"Calm down, Pete. You won't be late. Besides you didn't think we'd let you run off without at least saying goodbye, did you?" Dick said as he stood up from the rail he was leaning on and closed the distance between them.

"Huh?" Peter said as he paused his movement.

"We were waiting for you, dumbass…" Babs added with a smile as Peter looked between her and Dick mildly stunned.

"Umm… Guys I appreciate it, really. But like, I'm only going away for the weekend, I'll be back Monday."

"No duh. But, come on Pete. Cut the crap…" Dick said softly before continuing, "We can tell this weekend's been stressing you out."

"Heh. I don't know what you mean..." Peter rubbed the back of his neck; a tell-tale sign Dick and Babs had picked up on that communicated whenever Peter felt embarrassed or uncomfortable.

"Oh please! You're really not as good at hiding your emotions as you think you are, Pete… That's why we're here to tell you, you got this. It'll be fine, so stop worrying and try to enjoy the weekend. Even if they aren't technically, you're family, their still you're family. They're gonna' love you… No matter what." Barbara added as she approached him.

"And hey, if they don't, you still have us!" Dick joked as he placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Dick!" Barbara snapped with exasperation at the unhelpful addition.

"Sorry. Sorry. Dumb joke… For real, though, man. I'm sure this'll be good for you, all of you."

"Thanks guys, but I really don't know. If it was just Uncle Ben I'd be fine, but with Teresa as well… How the hell can I just take her brother's place? I don't even know her…" Peter still hadn't met his doppelganger's younger sister and from what he had heard, she was far less enthusiastic about the whole situation than Ben.

"It'll be weird, sure. We aren't saying it won't be, but just try to stay whelmed. Don't get hung up on trying to be their Peter… He's gone. You're not him, you're you. So just be you. You know?" Dick was calm and controlled with his speech, trying to ease Peter's worries, "Plus we got you something to remember us by while you're there. Babs, show him the thing."

"Jeez... Way to ruin the surprise, Dick." Barbara rolled her eyes she presented Peter with a brown paper bag she'd been holding behind her back.

"Wow… You guys. I don't what to say."

"Don't say anything, just open it." Babs responded.

As Peter unravelled the contents from their Paper container, he inspected the gift as he was bombarded with waves of sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation. Inside the bag was a snow globe showing Gotham city in the winter, tiny representatives of its landmarks and iconic buildings such as Wayne enterprises, the One Gotham Centre and the Knightsdome.

A miniature of the monorail, complete with a spattering of static cars, weaved through the little city. There were a couple of tiny model blips suspended by thin, barely visible wires above the buildings and there was even a little Bat symbol painted on the backdrop's moon to represent the resident hero.

What really touched Peter was the engraving which read in big letters: 'Greetings from Gotham', below which there was a smaller body of text, clearly added by hand, reading: 'To Peter, The Big Apple isn't the only city that never sleeps... There's a home here when you need it. From Alfred, Babs, Dick and Bruce.'

"Wow… From the big man himself as well, huh?"

"Actually, it was his idea…" Dick added.

"Really?" Peter couldn't hide his shock.

"Uh-huh. The engraving was done by him too…" Barbara added.

"Woah, I'm actually speechless… No, I'm not. Wow. The Batman really is a big teddy bear deep down isn't he?"

"Ha! Don't let him hear you say that." Dick replied as he chuckled.

"Thanks, guys. I feel a lot better now…"

"What else are friends for?" Barbara added as she pulled him into a hug, "Just be yourself and everything else will fall into place."

After Barbara released Peter from her arms, Dick took his turn and gave Peter a big bear hug. The squeeze of which would have probably been quite suffocating if Peter wasn't superhuman.

'Friends.' The word rang in Peter's mind as his lips curled into a giant smile. He truly did have friends in this world. The pain of his friends back home being locked away from him was still there, but the sting was softened as he looked at Dick and Barbara in front of him. All things considered, he really lucked out by meeting them.

Perhaps in another story they may have met under less painful circ*mstances, but as it stood, he began to realise he could actually see himself building a life here knowing he had people like them to rely on.

"Now go get em', tiger!" Dick said as he softly punched Peter's shoulder.

After saying his, very nearly teary, goodbyes to the other two. Peter thought about Dick's last words to him. It wasn't an uncommon phrase, but hearing it here, he couldn't help but think of his ex-girlfriend/best friend from his own world. 'You know, I think I'm gonna' be okay, MJ… I hope you and everyone else are doing alright without me…'

The bittersweet voice in his head sung its tune and Peter felt a slight bristle from within his subconscious, the Other, with its newfound abilities of soft communication, sending out waves of its own peace and satisfaction.

'Hmm-mm. You and me both, buddy.' Peter sent his own message of agreement back to the slimbiote (a term he had just coined for little slice of Venom inside him). His reluctance to its presence softening as he felt it feeding off his positive emotions, showing its opposition to the symbiote it spawned from.

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Parker Residence, Queens

After exiting the teleportation base in New York, Peter took the subway and a couple of buses until he found himself at his, new, old home. The similarities were uncanny, and Peter found himself choking up as he was led through the house by Ben, who was watching him with quiet apprehension. Unsure what he could possibly say to calm the whirlwind of emotions that was storming through his mind.

Peter, in spite of his pep talk from Dick and Babs, just couldn't produce any words from the dessert that was his mouth. Several times he parted his dried lips to speak just to find himself choking on oxygen.

Whiplash shook Peter's entire being when he entered 'his' room. It was identical to his own, right down to the posters. Sure, there were different faces on some of the movie posters, some of his knick-knacks were different, but at its core, it was the exact same room. Same layout, same furniture, same bed.

Ben who had also been silent felt a pinch in his heart as he saw the anguish on Peter's face, "You okay, sport?" He finally spoke, the first sentence uttered since their greetings at the door.

"I- Yeah… I think so. This is just all so… Surreal, I guess. Um, thanks again... for letting me stay here, Ben."

"Peter… You can call me Uncle Ben…"

Peter breathed out soft chuckle through his nose, "Thanks. This whole thing is just weird. I mean I still feel the pain from my own Uncle Ben, and then here you are standing there… You must feel the same, right?"

"Little bit... But Peter, you gotta' remember, none of us are here to be replacements for anyone else. We're here for you, Peter. But you gotta' be here for us. I know it's hard but, baby steps, alright?"

"Right. Yeah… So, what's the first baby step?"

"Getting to know each other. Properly, not as who we resemble, but who we are. That's why I'm fixing us all some lunch, nothing fancy. But you know, first time eating as a…" Ben stopped his sentence unsure as to whether or not it was too early to say the word.

"I get it… Might be a little too soon to drop the 'F' word…" Peter responded, alleviating the weight from Ben's shoulders, "Um… Can I…? No never mind, it's stupid."

"What is it, Peter?"

"…Can I give you a hug?" Peter felt like a child as he said the words aloud. As if he was a 14-year-old boy yet again, one who should have hugged his uncle more in the week before his death.

Ben didn't respond with words; he simply gave his nephew's doppelganger a comforting embrace. He spoke as he held him, "You never have to ask for one of these, Pete…"

The moment went on for what felt like hours, yet it was over all to soon as they eventually separated. Both men were misty eyed as they looked at each other for a bit. Ben eyed Peter's face, there was still a sense of uncertainty emanating from the young man.

"I can't tell something's on your mind… I'm gonna' go ahead and guess you're still worried about Teresa, right?"

"Heh… Yeah…"

"Well don't be. Listen, kiddo, this is new territory for all of us. I gotta' be honest with you Peter, she hasn't been exactly looking forward to this weekend…"

"Wow. Ummm… You're not really filling me with a lot of confidence, Uncle Ben…"

"I hadn't finished…" The older man softly raised his hand as light chuckle came from his lips.

"Sorry. Go on."

"But no matter what Peter, I never would've invited you to stay here if she hadn't agreed. Don't get me wrong, I would have still reached out, but… This is her home. This," he gestured at the bedroom around them, "is her brother's room… This whole thing is hard for her... But do me a favour, champ?"

"Anything..."

"Reach out. Introduce yourself, get to know her… I'm sure in time she'll come to accept you. Like I do. Just… Make sure she knows you aren't here to take our Pete's place… Err what I mean is-" He hesistated when he realised offense that Peter might take to his wording.

"No. No. I get what you mean…" Peter responded, no hint of annoyance or offense in his tone.

Ben smiled as he continued, "I just think it'd mean a lot coming from you… No matter how many times I tell her, she can't quite get a grip on it…"

Peter thought for a moment, his new identity was his old identity. Kind of, with some strategic doctoring of news stories and official documents, Peter, in the legal sense, had become this world's Peter Parker.

Peter had literally taken his place in the world, but to everyone who knew him, especially his family, Peter wasn't Peter. Just like how he knew Uncle Ben wasn't really Uncle Ben. There was a disconnect, one that needed to stay no matter how much it may shrink in the future, because to ignore it would be to disregard all the people that came before…

This world's May and Peter, and his Uncle Ben. They had lived, their memories were all that remained to those that loved them, and although Peter couldn't truly express the joy he felt when he saw that a version of his uncle was alive in this world, he could never let himself forget the grief of his own. And he would never, ever, forget the lessons he learnt from him.

After his momentary journey of thought, Peter nodded as he replied, "I'll try… This is gonna' be so weird…"

"Ha! You're not wrong, son. Hey, lunch won't be ready for a few hours, so how about you get yourself settled, then go and make yourself known. Just talk to her for a bit, yeah?"

"Yeah… Umm… Is she here?"

Ben pointed out the door to Teresa's room, it was right opposite Peter's. No doubt she would have heard the muffled sounds of them talking, maybe even their whole conversation. Peter didn't know if it would be better or worse if she had been listening in.

"I'll let you get set up, I gotta' get started in the kitchen. One last thing though…" Ben pulled the young man in for another hug. This one was shorter, but just as tight. "Go easy on her… And try not to take anything personally if she does get a bit… You know?"

"Teenagery?" Peter offered.

"Yeah… Let's go with that." Uncle Ben replied.

After Ben went back down the stairs to the kitchen, Peter began quickly getting himself situated. He placed his snow globe on the shelf above his desk and admired it again for a moment. He thought about the man he was a week ago, the worry and fear he felt that first night.

Each day since that night those feelings had faded just that little bit more. That was until this moment, now he was struck with another spell of absolute dread as he plucked up the courage to walk across the hall and knock on his doppelganger's sister's door. He looked at the miniature Gotham inside the globe as he thought, 'Well, wish me luck guys… I'm gonna' need it.'

Peter swallowed the dryest, largest most painful lump that his throat had ever produced as he stood outside Teresa's door. He knocked softly, and he felt as if he was existing outside his body as he completed the motion.

Somehow, without conscious input, he managed to stutter out a sentence, "Hey… Ummm, Teresa? It's… It's Peter, can I come in."

For what felt like eternity, he stood there, in the hall. Hearing the soft tick of May's grandfather clock down the stairs, counting the seconds he remained motionless in the hallway.

When the door finally opened Peter realised, he hoped the eternity he was stood alone would've lasted longer. 'You know, I think a little part of me would have preferred to have the whole sinister six be on the other side of the door. At least then I'd know what to do…'

The face that did meet him at the door was not an unfamiliar one, though he had never actually seen it before. It looked similar to his own, or more accurately it looked like Jess'. Not completely, but one that was akin to a face she could've had had she actually been a blood born sibling and not his genetic copy.

That made sense, Teresa was, in a way, his sister. But having never encountered her himself, his mind couldn't help but draw connections between the people he was more familiar with. It was desperately trying to tether any kind of link it could, to draw comparisons between the familiar and the unknown entity that was the girl opposite him.

She stared at him expectantly, painfully, with both disdain and care, all shadowed by an expression of complete and utter terror. No doubt, her mind must've been in a similar state to Peter's own.

He felt himself freeze, and he realised they had been wordlessly staring at each other for nearly a minute now, neither of them blinking or looking away from the other's eyes. 'sh*t… What do I do, now?'

"Ummm… Hi…" Was all that his mouth allowed him to say.

"Hi…" She replied with an infinitely complex tone, one that Peter had no clue as to how he would even begin to decipher it.

'This is gonna' be a long weekend…'

Peter would eventually realise how incorrect of a thought that was when the weekend finished, but that was not known to him at this moment. Instead, all he knew was that he knew nothing. He had no idea where to go from here as his mind desperately tried to conjure up some kind of active thought.

Gotham City

Black Mask's safe house

As Roman Sionis looked about his office at the incapacitated and injured bodyguards thrown about the floor, he drew his eyes back to the face of one of their attackers. A man in a green, armoured, exoskeletal suit, complete with tail that was holding his assistant, Ms Li, suspended in the air by her arms.

She had stopped struggling once she realised the futility of the act, but her face was red with rage as she stared at her captor's helmeted face. She turned to her boss with an apologetic look, but her eyes were still burning with impotent rage at her situation.

"So, let me get this straight. You barge here into my office, beat up my men and hold my assistant hostage, all so you can ask me for a job?" Black Mask spoke as he finished his drink, his own rage communicated by the glass shattering in his grip after he drained it of its contents.

"You got it in one, pardner." The other man, who was leaning on his desk spoke.

Roman turned to the other assailant in the room as he realised, the gauntleted man in the red and yellow costume was the diplomat of the two, "And just why the hell would I do that?" Mask asked him directly, a controlled fury in his voice as he slowly reached for the gun below his desk.

"Hey now, don't go getting foolish on us…" Shocker spoke as he spotted the movement by the crime lord, he pointed his fist at the kingpin's face, "Let's keep those hands where we can see 'em."

Black Mask let out a growl of annoyance as he rested his hands on his desk, blood was starting to trickle out of the cuts from the shards of glass embedded in his palm. The severed tendons stinging with a burning sensation as the rest of his hand grew numb at the blood loss.

The man was right. Whoever his attackers were, they were deliberate with their strikes, none of his men were dead. It was clear that was by choice. It was also that choice was not born of mercy, it was pragmatic, tactical even. The whole display was meant to be a demonstration, not an assassination.

If these guys wanted him dead, he'd be dead. And that pissed Roman off to no end. They could have just made an appointment, but instead they decided to show off... And worst of all, it had worked. Roman was impressed.

"Despite appearances, we actually come in peace…" The costumed man continued in a strong southern drawl, "This here was just a demonstration of our capabilities. Scorpion, let the dame go, I think we made our point just fine…"

Scorpion softly placed the woman back on her feet before releasing the tension in his tail and freeing her arms. She looked over to her employer as she rubbed her sore wrists, still aggravated but waiting for his command before taking any action.

She quickly darted her eye to one of the groaning thugs on the floor, his gun wasn't far away. She could make a dash for it and get close to the red yellow figure. Close enough to impact his kevlar suit, or place the barrel to his head.

Mask shook his head at his assistant. Communicating for her to stand down for the moment, as he saw that the armourd figure with the tail had his eyes fixed firmly on her, watching carefully for any sudden moves of retaliation.

Mask also wanted to hear the intruders out first anyway, to allow them to get to the point of the intrusion in the first place, "Consider your capabilities shown. Though, give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now?"

"I can do better than that, fella. I'll give you three: One. You couldn't if you tried. Two. We've got a big fella' by the name of Rhino waiting for us out back." Shocker noticed the confusion of Mask's skull, "He ain't here cos' he's got a little penchant for…" Montana paused as he considered his phrasing.

"Squishing people." Scorpion finished his partner's sentence as he crossed his arms.

"Thanks, Scorpion. Couldn't quite find the words… Now where was I? Oh yeah… Three. We heard you've got a bit of a Spider problem. Just so happens we have experience when it comes to that particular bug…"

"You expect me to believe that? I've been running this city for years and I've never even heard of you guys…" Roman questioned as he started trying to fill the gaps in his knowledge.

"Hey, you ain't never heard of the Spider, neither. Not 'till a few days ago… Let's just say we ain't from round these parts and leave it at that." Shocker shrugged as he replied.

"Hmm. Alright. You've proved your worth... Can't say I appreciate the property damage or the medical costs, but I get the message. Now what is it you want?"

"Like we said, a job. No offense but an open bounty? Seems a little desperate. So whad'ya say ya' close it and let us take on a contract? Say about three hundred? Hundred each for me and my partners… Pretty good deal considerin'..."

"And you'll disappear once the Spider's dead?"

"Unless you got a better idea?" Montana was grinning under his mask; the crime boss had taken his bait.

Roman stood up from his desk and walked around to the front as the man who introduced himself as Shocker stood up from his leaning position.

"I won't lie, what you've done here..." He surveyed his goons, some of whom were groaning as they writhed on the floor, "I should kill you just for the disrespect... But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't need more manpower. You two just proved that…" His tone was still laced with annoyance, but a coat of respect was weaved into the sentence.

He continued, "So, consider the Spider a trial run. I've seen what he can do, and as much as it frustrates me to say, I underestimated the punk… So sure, I'll give you a contract, but after he's dead I want you both, working for me… Your friend too if he's as dangerous as you say. You're gonna' help me get this city back under my thumb. What do ya' say to that?"

Scorpion and Shocker looked to each other for a moment. They still had no idea where the other members of the sinister six were, and as such, steady employment was too good of an offer to turn down. They knew Rhino would agree.

"I say, you got a deal... Pardner." Shocker looked Roman in his skeletal face as he offered his hand to the crime lord.

Roman shook the gloved hand offered to him with his own bleeding one, squeezing tight and revelling in the pain. Using the sting of his open cuts to fuel his desire for control.

His hand throbbed as he thought about the opportunity that came barging through his safe house, the physical sensation being his body's sign of recognition of the capabilities of his newest potential employees. If they could cause this much damage, and cause him this much frustration, just to send a message, then they would be great assets indeed...

Chapter 10: The Bat And The Spider

Chapter Text

Author Preface:

The chapter title is a little nod to Nothingspecial43 from FF who has been very helpful throughout this fic for me, thanks mate.

Its a reference to both the chapter content as well as THEIR fic that you should definetely check out. I'm still not caught up but I'm enjoying it a lot.

See ya on the other side (if anyone actually reads these author prompts...)

Chapter 9

DC Universe – Earth Prime

Queens, New York – Parker Residence

As Peter's eyes were locked on the stranger's face, his 'sister's' face, he eventually willed his mouth to speak again. Though, it was an intense struggle...

A battle between his force of will fighting to say something, anything, against all the synapses of his brain refusing to give him any input. His body fighting him too, refusing to overcome his fear and allow him to speak.

Nevertheless, through immense mental strain, a sentence stumbled its way from Peter's lips, "So… How's life?" He observed himself from outside his body and saw as a wave of cringe shuddered through him. The broken silence becoming a sweet memory in comparison to the utterly absurd question he just asked.

Teresa's expression flashed with shock at the question before truly considering its stupidity, causing the shock to immediately dissipate and be replaced with a look of irritation and bafflement, "How's life? That's the best you could come up with! How the hell am I meant to answer that? Grrrah! You're such an idiot!"

Peter watched as she stormed back into her room and threw herself defiantly onto her bed, picking up one of her stuffed animals and clutching at it aggressively. Clearly trying to seek comfort from the teddy and relive a sense of childhood innocence as the whiplash of Peter's question rumbled through her.

She was staring at her bed sheets with a look of annoyance and hurt as she huddled into herself, pulling her knees to her chest. Muttering to herself in aggravation though no sounds escaped from her lips.

Peter rubbed the back of his neck before sighing and trying to reclaim his first impression, "Sorry, that was dumb… I'm just kinda' at a loss for words here…"

Teresa shot her eyes at him for a moment before resuming her stare of disassociation at the bed, muttering under her breath, "Yeah... No sh*t..."

"Language…" It was a knee jerk reaction, one from his younger years raised by Ben and May, who were strict about profanity, "Sorry. That just slipped out… You have every right to swear at me. And be mad. That was terrible. Can I try again? I notice you didn't slam the door in my face so, can I…?" He gestured to the chair next to her bed, prompting her to look back at him and see his request.

"Go ahead, I guess…" She said with a severe tone, one that wasn't from malice but from pain.

She was struggling to hold back her emotions, desperately trying to keep her cool, but it was harder when she saw Peter's face.

His opening sentence had cracked her composure slightly, she was faintly shaking while trying to regain control of herself before she began crying.

Peter walked into the room and sat on the chair, he looked to her again. She was purposefully avoiding his gaze, he sighed as he looked at the ground and spoke again, softly this time, carefully, "What do you want me to say? How can I make this easier for you?"

"You can't… Just… Don't say anything." She replied, still not looking at him.

So, Peter didn't speak, he just sat there with her, in silence, passively studying her.

He didn't know what her thoughts were, but he theorised they were unpleasant to experience.

She was stiff, rigid, strict with every minute movement of her body. Her breathing was slow, and her eyes remained fixed forward.

There was an aura of strain about her being and the slightest twitches were intermittently dancing on her face. As uncomfortable as Peter felt, sitting static in the room, he could tell she felt worse.

The ache in her heart was a painting that had chosen her face as its canvas, it hurt for him to look at.

After far longer than was reasonably comfortable, her eyes darted to him. They were red and painful, misty from un-cried tears that were begging to fall. Peter froze for a moment when he felt her gaze meet his, unsure how to react to the sudden acknowledgement of his presence.

"You're an idiot…" The words escaped from her mouth with an exhaled chuckle of annoyance.

"Excuse me?" Peter replied instinctually, confused by the confrontation.

"I don't know what I expected you to say, but that?" She sighed as she looked deep into his eyes, "Y-You're just like him… He was an idiot too."

"Well, I guess we're two Pete's in a pod." Peter cringed again as he spoke without thinking, his mouth moving simply to kill a silence, rather than to actually say anything of worth, "Errr… Pretend I didn't say that."

She just looked at him with mild contempt before speaking, "You look older than he did…" Her voice was stern, solid. But there was a hint of invitation in her tone, she was urging Peter to respond.

"Well, I am older."

"No. That's not what I mean… You were born in the same year, right? You just- I guess you look like how he would if the car wreck never happened…" Her voice was trailing slightly as her thoughts meandered before she continued with harsh focus, "But it did happen. He's dead and you're alive."

"I'm sorry."

"Did… Did you just apologise for being alive?" She had placed her stuffed toy on the bed and was turning to actually face him now as she spoke, her expression still painful but was ever so slightly softening into one of curiosity, offering input from Peter.

"What? Oh… No. I- I meant sorry for your loss…"

She paused for a moment and stared at him, taking in the details of his face, "It is so weird hearing that from his… You're face. God, this is sooo messed up!"

"Heh. You're definitely right there… You know, funnily enough, I know how it feels… Seeing someone else with the face of someone you've lost…"

"Uncle Ben, right?"

"Yeah…" Peter thought for moment longer, Ben wasn't the first time he experienced the feeling, "And others…"

"Others? Like, who? I thought we were the only family from your world that exist here?" Teresa had shuffled on the bed, she was closer to him now, subconsciously closing the gap as they begun to settle into each other's company.

"I… That's too long of a story to get into now..." The story of him meeting Ghost-Spider was too complex for this moment, and talking about meeting her would only remind him of Gwen, Peter didn't want to allow those thoughts to overwhelm him, not now, "I will say though, this isn't the first time I've travelled to another earth…"

"Wow… You know, having spider powers sounds way more complicated than I thought they'd be." Teresa was vocalising the stray thought as she recalled what Batman and Superman had told her of how Peter arrived here.

"Yeah, you can say that again…" Peter spoke as he chuckled grimly, "Listen Teresa, I can't tell you how you should feel, or pretend that I know exactly how that is... But, for me at least, it got easier..."

Teresa didn't respond, she didn't know what words would do justice to her thoughts. She just looked at him. The shellshock when she first saw his face was fading and she realised what he said held some truth, it didn't hurt to see his face as much anymore.

As they held the moment Teresa noticed a chain around Peter's neck and felt her hand being drawn to her own. Noticing the sudden movement Peter's eyes tightened, "What is it?" He asked.

"You're necklace…" She replied, slightly startled by his voice.

He looked down at the chain he was wearing and pulled it out from under his shirt, seeing Teresa's eyes widen as he did so. It was his mother's necklace, one of the few belongings he had from his parents.

As Peter showed her the Star of David he wore whenever he wasn't Spider-Manning, she copied his action and pulled her own necklace from under her top. They were identical.

"You have mom's necklace…" She said, her voice slightly stiff.

"So do you." He replied, it was a pointless statement, but Peter was trying to fight another silence coming between them.

"I guess that makes sense, I got the necklace, he got dad's watch…" She said as her eyes drifted to his left arm, noting the watch on his arm. It too was identical to the one next to Peter's portrait downstairs, "You got both… Hey… P-Peter?" It hurt to say his name out loud.

"Yeah?" Peter replied as Teresa began to formulate a question.

"Do you believe in an afterlife?"

"Phew… That's a heavy one… I don't really know… I'm not religious if that's what you mean… I don't believe in God or anything like that, other than the ones I've met…"

"You met God?" Shock was evident in her tone.

"Ehhh… Demi-Gods technically, you heard of Thor? The Norse thunder God? He's kinda' a hero back home…" He then thought to his meeting with the Justice league, "Also Wonder Woman, I guess… Apparently, she's like the daughter of Zeus or something."

"Wow. You've met Wonder Woman? That is so cool… What's she like? Wait, don't. D-Don't answer that… I'm getting sidetracked… Experiencing something and believing in it are different things. So… you didn't really answer my question."

Peter thought for a moment before answering, faith was never really something he considered all that much, "My Aunt May and Uncle Ben were Catholic… May still is, I guess. But me? I don't know, I guess you could say I'm agnostic. But an afterlife? I- I just don't know… The scientist part of me thinks that when someone dies, they're dead… But another part of me likes to think they're still out there somewhere…"

Teresa seemed to be considering his words as she nodded slowly, "Our Uncle Ben's Catholic too… I don't believe in anything though. I wear this to remember mom by, but other than that I don't have any spiritual connection to it… But I like to think my brother's soul is somewhere, watching over me. May too… Maybe not heaven, but I just… If there's nothing, then what's the point?"

Peter looked at his own necklace for a moment, studying it. He never really considered himself Jewish, nor Catholic. But his necklace had always been one of his only connections to his mother, in a way it was a connection to her faith. Even if he himself had no belief in it.

Same with Ben, May prayed and spoke to him nearly every night, he had seen her do it. He never considered Ben would actually be listening… But he realised something, he spoke to Ben too sometimes, whenever he found the chance to visit his grave.

He had spent hours at the graves of Ben, Harry and Gwen, just sitting, talking to them. In those moments was he really just speaking to empty stones, or could they hear him? He hoped it was the latter.

"If there isn't anything, then I believe it's up to the living to keep their memories alive. That's the point..." He absentmindedly ran his fingers over the Star of David on his chain as he spoke as his gaze drifted to his watch, in a way, they symbolised that his parents never truly left him...

Peter looked back to her, the room had developed a morbid atmosphere and Teresa was looking at the ground as she seemed to be thinking deeply about what he had said.

Taking his eyes off her, his gaze wandered around her room, in his reality this was the spare room. The one Jess had taken when she moved in with them.

Unlike his own, this room was distinctly unique in comparison to its counterpart. Peter felt himself passively studying it's layout and decorations, trying to gain a stronger impression of the girl who lived in it.

On her desk, besides which Peter sat, he spied a mini figurine of the Empire State Building. Looking back to her timid frame he gently tried to coax her out of her morose thoughts. "Hey, you wanna' get out of here?"

She looked at him curiously, his attempt to change the subject wasn't subtle, but she appreciated it nonetheless, "A-and do what…?"

He picked up the figure next to him and presented it to her, "You ever been? The view is great!"

She saw that he was holding her figure of one of New York's most famous tourist landmarks, "Empire State? No, never… We nearly went as a family once, but… it didn't happen. And then… You know…"

Peter nodded with understanding, "Wanna' check it out?"

"Right now? What about lunch? Besides it's closed for repairs…"

Peter just chuckled softly as he smiled, "Let me worry about that… Get changed. It's a little cold for pajamas. Meet me downstairs in five?"

"I- What are you doing?"

"You look like you could use some air… So could I. Whadya' say?"

She squinted her eyes as she inspected his face, he was smiling at her kindly and his eyes had seemed to light up with enthusiasm, "I- Okay." The thoughts of mortality were pushed to the back of her mind as she grew interested in Peter's offer.

"Great! Just let me know when you're ready."

She was watching him curiously as he left her room, she didn't know what to make of him.

In many ways he was exactly like she expected him to be. But in too many others he was entirely different. That in itself wasn't all that surprising, but she couldn't tell if that made everything easier or harder. All it seemed to do was make every emotion feel more complex than they ever had before.

Peter quickly told Ben where he was taking Teresa, checking if it was okay and giving the older man details about his talk with her.

After getting overwhelming approval from the older man, Peter got changed himself, donning his costume once more before sitting with Ben in the kitchen as he prepped lunch.

After a few minutes, Teresa also came downstairs. Wearing jeans and a hoodie, she paused as she saw Peter, in full costume, save for his mask, sipping at a glass of water at the table.

"Woah… Is that your costume?" She asked excitedly as her confusion was immediately replaced with fascination. Stepping closer to him as she knelt down to examine it closer, taking in details of the fabric and design.

Until the other day, when she met Batman and Superman, she had never actually seen a superhero up close. Her closest before that being one time when her school had to close early while Powergirl was fighting a D-list villain a few streets away. She saw her flying off in the distance and it was one of the coolest moments of her life.

Comparatively, the meeting with Bats and Supes was much more intimate, but she quickly lost the feeling of being starstruck as the conversation grew more painful. After a minute she barely registered their presence at all.

As such, being able to get this close to Peter's costume was incredible to her. Even if he didn't have the same star power as the bigger names, he was quickly becoming notable within Gotham.

She had been keeping up with the news and forums about him online but had never been able to see the costume up close. Most of the pictures were pretty blurry and unclear.

"No. Why would you think that? This is my lounging outfit… I wear it when I lounge…" Peter put down his glass and gestured over his costume as he replied with soft sarcasm.

She looked up into his eyes as she stood back up, her enthusiasm dropping and being replaced with amused annoyance, "Dumbass…"

"I kid, I kid…" He stood up from his chair and put his hands on his waist, puffing out his chest heroically, "Soo… What do you think?"

She crossed one of her arms as she put the other to her chin, examining the suit closer as she focused her gaze and looked him up and down, "Hmmm… Not bad. Red and blue always a classic. I think black would make the red pop more, though. Oooh maybe a bit of white too… Have you ever thought about wearing a-"

Peter interrupted her, "Spider-Man doesn't wear capes!"

She looked him in his eyes as she raised a curious eyebrow, smirking as she spoke, "I was going to say hood…"

"Oh… A Hood… Ehhh… Hood's aren't really my style. Although…" Peter thought about it for a moment, he'd seen other Spider-People with hoods, and they wore it pretty well. "Hmm. You know what? I'll think about it…"

She had crossed her arms and was watching him with a grin while he pondered her suggestion, "So… Mr. 'doesn't wear capes'… I'm ready whenever you are."

"Right! We'll be back in a bit Uncle Ben." Peter turned back to the older man with a grin as he spoke.

Teresa felt a grip in her chest as she heard Peter say the words… Uncle Ben… It reminded her that technically, legally, Peter had become her brother.

A sense of guilt momentarily grabbed her. She suddenly felt as if her enjoyment in Peter's company and the comfort she felt in the moment was a betrayal to her brother…

Ben had paused his prep as he had been watching his niece and 'nephew', a wide smile on his face.

It dropped slightly as he noted the sudden shift in Teresa's demeanour and paused for a second before looking back at Peter who was looking at him expectantly, unaware of his words' unintended consequence.

"Have fun you two… Lunch'll be ready at two so don't be too long… Hey, Pete, can I have moment with Terri?"

Peter looked between them and noted the sudden shift in tone. Teresa had retreated into herself again and was staring at the ground. He looked back to Ben who was still smiling at him but with a knowing look in his eyes.

Peter simply smiled back, "Sure thing. Meet you outside?" He said to Teresa who nodded back stiffly, her smile forced as her eyes told him all he needed to know…

Peter exited the kitchen and stood in the garden, using the moment to put on his mask and check his web fluid and other mundanities through its HUD. Trying to distract himself as he waited in the cold. For a moment he heard the sounds of talking, immediately realising his superior senses would pick up on their conversation.

Not wanting to pry, he tried to focus his superhuman hearing on other sounds around him. Focusing on the distant sounds of birds singing above as he allowed Ben and Teresa their moment.

As Peter was lulled by the birdsong and other sounds of nature around him, the muffled talk ended, and Peter turned to see a noticeably less depressed looking Teresa coming down the steps towards him, wearing a coat over her hoodie.

Not referencing their conversation, he smiled at her before realising she wouldn't be able to see through his mask. So instead, he just turned around and crouched, getting ready to speak before he was interrupted by her.

Looking at him strangely as he changed his position, she said, "Popping a squat in the backyard already? You know we have a bathroom inside, right?"

Standing up and turning to her he crossed his arms as he replied, "Toilet humour, really? Come on that's just childish…" 'Although I will admit that was pretty good… Gotta' use that one later if I get the chance… Actually, I don't want to think about a scenario where that might happen.' He thought to himself as he noted she too had inherited Uncle Ben's childish sense of humour.

Clearly whatever Ben said to her in the kitchen had worked wonders though, and she chuckled slightly as she replied, "Sorry. Sorry. You just looked sooo stupid."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hop on, before I leave you here…" He said as he turned back around and leant down, less suggestively this time.

She jumped onto his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, before he webbed around her back and wrapped it around his front, as well as attaching a strand to each of her shoulders and fastening them under his armpits, creating a makeshift a harness for her.

"Errr… This stuff doesn't stain, right?" She thought as she inspected his webbing.

"Nah, it's fine. It dissolves in an hour…"

"Ermm, no offense but I don't want to be stuck to you for an hour…"

"You won't be, trust me. I've done this a ton of times; this is just added safety in case you let go. But for the record, try not to let go. Hey, how are you with heights?"

"Alright, I guess… Just please start off slow."

"Alrighty then…" Putting on a faux-pilot voice he spoke, "Thank you for choosing air Spidey. Please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and all breakfasts safely un-hurled! Seriously though, please try not to vomit on the suit, it's just been washed."

"You're such a dork…" Teresa chuckled her reply before immediately shutting her mouth as her eyes widened when Peter started moving.

Peter leapt over the house in a single movement and Teresa clenched her teeth and shut her eyes as the motion shuddered through her.

"What was that?" Peter called; he genuinely hadn't heard her as he focused on his trajectory.

"N- Nothing-gg!" She called as Peter shot a web to the leafless trees ahead and pulled them forward.

"How are we feeling back there?" Peter replied as he continued to swing on the taller trees and buildings, landing sometimes on the roofs of the smaller houses which he used to point launch forward.

Teresa opened her eyes again before immediately closing them again, "I'm g-g-good! You do this every day? How the hell are you not constantly throwing up?"

"Hah! Lot's of practice!" He called back as they approached the Queensboro bridge.

When they reached the bridge, Peter's movements became calmer and easier to handle as he had a consistent target to swing from. As they swung across the water there was a softer rhythm to the movements and Teresa's eyes opened properly now.

It was surprisingly calming, and she could appreciate the view now without constantly trying to focus on keeping her breakfast inside. As she slowed her breathing, she looked at Manhattan island as they drew closer, taking in the city from a new perspective she'd never even considered would be possible for her to experience.

Her wonder grew as they swung further into Manhattan, sailing through the buildings and catching the eyes of several pedestrians who stopped and stared at them as they effortlessly moved through the city skyline.

Peter was careful with his movements, going much slower than he normally would and keeping the tricks tame. Never once going upside down for Teresa's sake.

But he'd be lying if he said the swing wasn't nonetheless enjoyable. A bittersweet sense of familiarity hitting him as he took a route that he knew so well he could do it with his eyes closed.

The Empire State Building was one of his favourite thinking spots and he had memorised every shortcut and route between May's house and the iconic landmark.

For a moment he truly felt at home in the city, as if he would look around a corner and see the all too familiar sight of Iron Man or someone else flying off in the distance.

"Hey, can you flip upside down?" Peter was taken from his thoughts by Teresa calling out against the wind.

"I can… You sure you can handle it?" He called back, his voice battling the rush of air around them.

"Hell yeah! This is so fun!" Her queasiness and apprehension when they first started swinging was all but gone now.

"Alright. Just try to keep any stomach content inside for me!"

"Trust me, that is my top priority right now! Now do a barrel roll!" She responded, citing a retro game that she used to play with her brother when they were kids.

Peter just smiled to himself as he shook his head in disbelief before pulling them into a swing. When at the highest point of the arc he let go and launched them both high into the air as he used his legs to pull them into a backwards somersault. It wasn't barrel roll, but it was still fun.

"Wooo-hooo!" Teresa yelled as they flipped upside down through the air, closing her eyes as the wind stung them, but still enjoying the feeling of complete weightlessness.

Peter mimicked her behaviour and also called out to the air with a cheer. It had been a while since he had enjoyed a swing this much.

Most likely it was the result of him vicariously experiencing the moment through Teresa on her first Spidey outing. Reminding him of how much fun it was when he finally got the hang of swinging in his early days all those years ago.

Eventually though, Teresa's roller-coaster ride drew to a close as Peter landed on the side of the Empire State Building. Crawling the last few feet until reaching the top, hopping over the tall fence of the observation platform. As they landed Peter got out a vial of his solution and removed the webbing from between them.

Teresa watched fascinated as she dismounted Peter's back and saw as the webbing dissolved almost instantly, "That's so cool…" She muttered to herself.

For a moment she looked up at Spider-Man, his demeanour was different now, his confidence while in the suit seemed almost tangible. Then the moment passed as she looked past him and saw the view from the top of Empire State.

"Woah… The city looks beautiful from up here…" She stated as she walked right past Peter and towards one of the viewing telescopes. Fishing through her pocket for loose change for a moment before putting two quarters in the slot and looking through the lenses.

"Everything looks so small…"

"Yeah… That's called perspective… They're actually a lot bigger up close!" Peter replied, adding a tinge of sarcasm.

She looked away from the telescope and rolled her eyes at Peter before resuming her tourist experience. She viewed the city through the lenses for a couple minutes before she had enough and pulled away.

As she looked back to Peter, who likewise was admiring the view of the city, she asked, "Hey can we go up to the top?" Nodding her head above them as she spoke.

"Sure. Grab on." He offered his back to her again and leapt above the viewing platform. Right to the top of the building where he helped her down so she wouldn't slip.

They sat there, as high as they could possibly go without climbing the spire, their legs dangling off the side as they allowed a moment of peaceful silence to fall between them.

Peter removed his mask and tucked it in his waist band so he could appreciate the view uninterrupted. Embracing the cold wind that was blowing against his face.

The wind was strong, but Peter sat in front of it's path to shield Teresa, but he was still worried about her falling so he kept looking back every now and then.

"What…?" She asked, with a curious smile, "You keep looking at me..."

"Just making sure you don't fall… Uncle Ben would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

He said it again and her smile dropped slightly. This time Peter noticed what caused it, and realised what must have caused her mood to change earlier as well.

"Sorry… It must be hard to hear me calling him that... I'll stop if that'll make it easier for you."

She shook her head slightly as she looked off into the distance, "No! No… Don't do that… That's not fair to you… You should be able to call him that. I- I can't imagine how it felt to lose him…"

"I mean you lost your Aunt and Brother…"

"Yeah, but that was different. For both of them it was different. A different pain… You know?" She looked back to him for a moment, he nodded, she returned her gaze to the skyline, "But Uncle Ben… I couldn't have gone through that without him… He- He's all I have… Even though you had Aunt May... I just don't know what losing him would be like… I don't what to think about it… I guess I'm just sorry, for your loss…"

Peter looked to her before he too stared at the city below them, "Thank you… But I can tell that's not really why you're upset…"

She let out a breath, which developed into a dark chuckle, a frustrated exhalation of air that communicated Peter had seen right through her, "I didn't want to like you, you know… And I guess hearing you say that... It reminds me you're just taking his place… And that just reminds me of him… Part of me feels so guilty about enjoying this moment, with you. But I do... I am..."

"I get it, trust me… It feels like your disrespecting Peter's memory by talking to me."

"Yeah… How did yo-" she paused as she realised, "You've been through this before… Right."

"Look, I'm going to try to say this in a way that isn't complicated, which is hard cause' this entire situation is really messed up, but, If I was him. Which I kinda' am, but like, If the roles were reversed... Okay. How do I put this?"

Peter considered his words, "I got it! Aunt May and my adopted twin Jess… If I was gone… Which to them I might as well be, I guess… But if another Peter was sent to my world. Which could've actually happened now I think about…"

He shook his head as his sentence was running away from him, "Anyway, if another Peter was sent there, if another one has been sent there… Well, I wouldn't want them to feel guilty for being happy about it… I'd just be glad their happy. You know?"

He kept on with his speech, "…To answer your question earlier, really answer it this time… I don't know if there is an afterlife. But I can say this, I do believe your brother is looking over you. And I can tell you, he's glad that you're smiling… Because I am..."

He looked at her and noticed she was staring at him, carefully listening to his words. Smiling darkly as she wiped away a couple of budding tears.

Not wanting her to lose her composure or to feel more grief than she already did, he finished his monologue, "You just need to remember I'm not him. I'm me." Peter looked to her, "Hi. I'm Peter Parker of Earth-616161. Nice to meet you." He smiled invitingly as he extended his hand to her.

Her resistance to her happiness faltered and her guilty smile was replaced with a genuine, unapologetic one as she dried her eyes, "I'm not gonna' shake your hand you dork! For two reasons: One, this isn't the sixties, and two I might fall if I let go of the ledge… But thanks… I think I needed to hear that."

"I must have missed the memo that handshakes died in the seventies, but you're welcome… Can I say one last thing?"

"Oh, they did! After the big handshake riots of 69, don't you know your history?" She joked back before composing herself, "Sorry… Go on…"

"I may not be your Peter, but if you let me… I think I'd like to try being your brother…"

She looked away from him as she knew that if she kept his gaze she would start to cry, properly this time, "I- I think I'd like that too." She said as she playfully nudged him with her shoulder, careful not to lose balance.

One last thought lingered in Teresa's mind, and timidly she asked, "Hey, Peter… If Jess is adopted, how can she be your twin? You know that's not how twins work, right?"

Peter chucked as he responded, "Now that is a long story… I promise I'll tell you one day, but not right now…"

She nodded understandingly before looking into the distance.

The silence returned as they sat comfortably in each other's company, the wind whistling around them as the symphony of city sounds played their afternoon score.

As Peter took in the landscape, he noted the differences, not noticing Teresa as she watched his face while he carefully studied the buildings.

"Tell me about your New York." She said, continuing when he looked at her, "You're noticing the differences, right? Tell me about them."

Peter smiled at her; she was perceptive, clearly very good at reading people. Or perhaps Peter was just terrible at masking his thoughts. Maybe a bit of both…

"Okay." He looked about for a moment before pointing, "You see that building there…" He was pointing at a large skyscraper with the logo for Queen Industries.

"Yeah."

"Well, whatever that company is, isn't there. Instead of a 'Q' imagine a red 'A' on a white background. In my world that's Avengers Tower…"

"Avengers Tower? What are the Avengers?"

"'Earth's mightiest heroes'. Basically, my world's Justice League. There's Iron Man, who paid for the whole thing, he's mega rich… Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Captain Marvel… A bunch of people really… I'm a member, too. Well, reserve member, but still counts."

"Bullsh*t!"

"It's true! My membership card's in my bag at home... I'll show you when we get back."

"Ugh... That's so not fair! You're basically a member of two Justice League's… I don't even get to be part of one…"

"Ehh… Just get bitten by a radioactive spider and they'll let you in… It's how it worked for me."

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen…"

Peter gave her knowing smile as he thought of all the Spider-People he knew, "Happens more often than you think… Ooh. I got another one… There!" He pointed at Wayne Enterprises.

"Okay remember Iron Man, well his name is Tony Stark. That is where his building is, Stark Industries."

"Wait he owns two skyscrapers in New York? Greedy much?"

"Yeah well, he's a billionaire and a superhero… He gets to be a little greedy, plus at least he uses his money for mostly good…" Peter thought about the poetry of Wayne Enterprises inhabiting the same building as Stark Industries, "Kinda' like Batman, I guess. Makes sense they'd share a location, sorta'…"

Teresa looked at him confused for a moment before her eyes widened in shock and recognition. "Wait! Bruce Wayne is Batman?!"

Peter slapped his forehead as he realised what he'd just done, looking at her face of awe and excitement as he desperately tried to calm her, "Shhhh… Not so loud!"

"Oh, shut up. Who the hell could be listening? We're a thousand feet in the air! But seriously, he is?"

Peter sighed as he spoke, "Yes… But you have to promise me you won't tell a soul. Not even Uncle Ben…"

"Oh, Uncle Ben knows… He'd refused to tell me."

"He did? Actually, that makes sense now I think about it… But please Terri…" Neither Peter nor Teresa had noticed he'd used her nickname without thinking, "This is serious… That information in the wrong hands… Swear to me you won't say anything."

"I know! I'm not an idiot… Besides, I already got this talk from Uncle Ben about you." She put on deep voice as she mimicked Uncle Ben's speech, "'Teresa! With great knowledge, there must also come a great duty to do the right thing!' Or whatever he said... I usually tune those speeches out…"

"Well don't. He's right… Trust me. Also, it's 'great power, great responsibility'." Peter was paraphrasing the actualmessage Ben had most likely given Teresa.

"That's it! God, that's been bugging me for days… Tip of my tongue, you know?"

"Right… But you promise?"

"Yes. Yes. I promise… Bruce Wayne… That's so cool…" She stared out in the city with bewilderment at the information she had just learned, before her face shifted into another excited expression, "Now give me another one! What else is different?"

"Alright, alright. Last one, though, we need to start heading back soon…" Peter found another building, but hesitated for a moment when he realised what stood in its place.

Teresa saw his eyes focus on a spot and misread his contempt for fascination, "You found one?"

"Yeah…" He realised what he had done but knew he wouldn't be able to dissuade her interest. He sighed as he spoke, "That building there."

"Lexcorp?" she asked as her eyes followed his arm.

"Well back home, that's Oscorp. And it used to be owned by a villain…"

"Heh. It's owned by a villain here, too."

"No, I don't mean a corrupt billionaire, although he was that too, I mean an actual villain…"

"So do I… Lex Luthor is a real piece of work, he's had it out for Superman for years... Tried to destroy the League a couple times… It's all pretty common knowledge, there's even a documentary about it…

"Woah, really?"

"Uh-huh… Right now, he's running for president, it's a massive scandal. Apparently, he's 'reformed'. I don't believe it. Doesn't matter what I believe though, because apparently, he's doing well in the polls... It'll be brutal if he's elected next year... No one knows how it'll affect the League, but it probably won't be good..."

"Woah. I should read up on this Luthor guy. Need to know what I'm getting into if I'm gonna' be a 'friendly neighbourhood Justice Leaguer'."

"We can watch the documentary tonight… I mean… If you want." Her voice became mildly timid for a beat.

"Yeah… I'd like that."

She smiled softly as she avoided his gaze again, before looking back at him, "What about in your world? Who's the villain there?"

Peter had hoped she would've forgotten his lack of explanation, "I- Norman Osborne… The Green Goblin." He paused as his thoughts lingered on the sick face that haunted his dreams, or at least they used to.

One of the mercies of this world were his dreamless sleeps, whatever their reason, they freed him from the Goblin's control over his sleeping thoughts. Now he only plagued his waking ones.

Teresa was still looking forward, not noticing the change in Peter's expression, "Hah! 'The Green Goblin'... What kind of name is that? Sounds like a crappy theme park ride…" She turned to him and felt her smile immediately being wiped from her face as she saw the coldness that came over Peter, "Hey, are you okay? Sorry, I didn't- Peter, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"I don't want to…" Peter's voice was uncharacteristically harsh before looked to her and smiled softly, "But I'm not going to keep secrets from you, either... I don't want that. Just… Give me a second."

"Okay." She looked at him severely now, his face was focused, and there was a deep, unending pain behind his eyes. She wanted to cry just seeing how his face changed. Whatever this guy did, it clearly broke Peter for a time. Maybe more than once.

"I won't go into too much detail, not now… But that man, that monster… He was one of the worst of the worst. At least, to me… The Avengers… They fought some bad guys, I was even there for some of it… Trickster Gods. Power mad Titans. World Eaters. Evil Robots..." He looked out into the distance as he vocalised his memories of the Avengers level threats.

His eyes darkened and his voice became colder, "But Norman Osborne? He didn't care about the Avengers at all… He had his eyes on one target. Me. He made it his life's mission to make mine hell."

He paused and looked down, swallowing a lump in his throat, "At first, it was small… Fun even, a villain that I could banter with… A goofy man in a silly costume trying to grow a criminal empire with pumpkin-themed mascots… Then, he pushed harder, it was never enough. He took a lot of lives…" Peter shook his head, fighting his urge to break into tears.

"Then- Then he found out who I was… And he wasn't just targeting Spider-Man anymore, he was after Peter Parker. And anyone that I cared about…" Teresa's eyes widened as she realised the implication of Peter's words, dreading what she might hear from him next.

Peter didn't notice Teresa's terror-stricken face, he was too focused on his dark memories, "The Goblin got what he wanted; he killed people that did nothing wrong except be stupid enough to love me…"

He thought about Gwen and then Harry. In some ways Gwen's death was a mercy, at least she was spared what happened to Harry before he died, "…And worse…. No one was safe, not even his own son."

"Jesus…" Teresa couldn't help the word escaping her mouth.

"But even after all that, he just kept pushing. And…" Peter inhaled the largest most gut-wrenching sigh Teresa had ever seen, he stopped talking for a moment.

"What happened to him?" She asked, cautiously. Her heart breaking as his eyes became windows into the deepest pit of despair she had ever seen on another human.

"There are some lines I refused to cross, but Goblin just saw that some kind of sick challenge. He wanted me to snap… To finally kill him. I'd be lying if I said part of me didn't want it too…"

"And did you? You know… snap?" She was terrified of his answer, but her morbid curiosity got the better of her and she felt the question escpaing her lips before she could stop it.

Peter didn't answer, he just looked out over the city, his eyes lingering on Lexcorp. Even the buildings were similar, they both had purple colour schemes and both looked unnecessarily intimidating compared to the rest of the city... Peter couldn't help feel a dark shiver as he imagined the building that held Lexcorp's place in his own world.

Deep down, Peter knew that Norman's death was an accident, he never gave up on trying to save him, but when he finally died… Peter's relief was sickening.

To Peter, that made him guilty of murder. He didn't mourn the Goblin. Not for a second. But the man who was once Norman? That was the man Peter felt guilt for.

He looked back to Teresa, she was anxiously waiting for him to answer, "No."

Teresa breathed out a sigh of relief at Peter's definitive answer. Not because she had any moral aversion to someone as evil as the Green Goblin being killed, but because of the impact that choice would have had on Peter.

Peter, breathed heavily before continuing, "He caused his own death... But that doesn't matter because when he died, when that sick grin finally left his face, I just felt so… relieved. So, in the end I guess he won…"

The Slimbiote inside him bristled, trying to comfort Peter. But he could feel the Other's hate to the Goblin in its attempt at reassurance.

Peter knew he shouldn't linger on his anger; he didn't want to feed the Slimbiote any negativity. But he knew deep down, its feelings were its own, and it hated the Goblin as much as he did.

Teresa didn't respond with words; she was too shocked. But she leant towards Peter and squeezed his arm.

He looked back at her, his eyes misty and red, he quickly wiped his eyes with his arm.

Peter smiled at her cheerily before he jumped to his feet, "Anyway! Enough doom and gloom... We should head back, don't want to miss lunch. Phew! I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

As Teresa took the hand that Peter offered her, she stood up, wobbling slightly as she felt the wind hit them. Her eyes never left his and before he could react, she had grabbed him, hugging him tightly. They both knew It wasn't for balance…

After a moment, Peter felt his smile become genuine and he hugged her back. His heart ached, but now it was an ache of love, not pain.

He felt Teresa's grip tighten even more and Peter knew now, it was more than words on paper, more than convenience of a name or a face, he had a sister... One that cared for him. One that never wanted to see him hurt like that again.

Eventually, the hug ended. She stared into his eyes with her own empathetic ones, her expression communicating all her grief for the Peter she lost, but also for him. For the pain he suffered.

"Yeah… I'm pretty hungry." She said, and her words were true. But they both felt the meaning hidden under them.

After a quick swing home, the Parker's found their peace in one another as they ate their lunch as a family.

The evening came and they watched the documentary about Lex Luthor, as a family. Peter making notes throughout as he tried to gain a deeper understanding of the villain turned presidential candidate.

After another dreamless sleep, Sunday came. Peter went for a several swings in the big apple. Stopping crimes, fighting muggers, repairing a kid's bicycle, even rescuing a cat from a tree.

And again, his evening was spent with his family. Serenity washing over Peter as he settled into the simple life as Peter, and the familiarity of Spider-Man watching over New York.

And all too quickly, the weekend ended... Peter had his last dreamless sleep in his old bedroom. At least until next weekend.

He said his goodbyes and hugged his family, he paid his respects to the Peter before him and the Aunt May he never had the chance to meet, and he made his way back to the teleporter. Ready for another week in Gotham.

Gotham City, New Jersey

Wayne Industries – Chemical Engineering Lab

"And this is where you'll be working, the mechanical engineering department…" Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Industries, Wayne Enterprises' R and D subsidiary, spoke as he led Peter through the wide-open lab.

The space was impressive to say the least, but Peter expected nothing less from Wayne Industries. He was surprised to find out though, that his point of contact in the company was the CEO himself, assuming that wouldn't be typical of any other intern.

He assumed it was because of Lucius' connection to Batman, the man being given all the necessary information about Peter's situation.

This assumption was dissuaded by Lucious who simply explained that Mr. Wayne likes to run a tight ship and so they only have a handful of interns in the whole subsidiary, all of them reporting directly to Lucius if there are any issues.

However, by that point in the meeting Peter's shock had a different culprit. He had just been informed that the internship was actually paid.

He had assumed it would be simply unpaid on lab work, like his brief stint as an ESU intern when he was a highschooler.

Peter's mind had been reeling since that moment, excited that he was actually going to be getting paid to do science all day… It was a dream come true.

"Now, let me show you who you'll be working under, Dr Micheals... He's brilliant but be warned he can be very… Intense."

As Peter was taking in the beauty of all the fancy science equipment around the lab, Lucius led them through to an open plan office section where a very befuddled looking man in his late 40s was frustratedly running through work on his desktop. Pausing briefly to gulp down the remainders of his stone-cold coffee, cringing at the taste.

He held his hand up as he spotted the Peter and Lucius approaching from his peripheral, speaking, "Wait! Don't say anything, I've nearly got the bastard… I'm this close to a major breakthrough!" he pinched the finger and thumb of his upheld hand together.

Pausing their approach, Peter looked to Lucius with confusion, to which the older man simply shrugged and smiled. Communicating this is what he meant by 'intense'.

In contrast to the rest of the lab, the other open office spaces included, Dr Micheals' was an absolute mess of books, papers, wrappers and other equipment.

Thankfully it appeared all the important stuff was safely stored, but Peter couldn't help but think those were deliberate choices by the Dr Micheals, causing the rest of the clutter to build in their stead.

Peter had read up on the Doctor of chemical engineering in preparation for his internship. He was born and raised in Yorkshire in the UK and his wiki page noted that throughout his career and studies he had won lots of award-winning research and commendations, but also, as mentioned on his Wikipedia profile, he had an ADHD diagnosis.

This in no ways affected Peter's opinion of the man, in fact it made him respect him more, but he could definitely see its effect on his workspace as the chaotic sense of organisation, or lack thereof, made Peter's own disorganisation seem like child's play in comparison.

"Agh! Nothing! Why the hell won't you work for fu-" The man spoke in a strong Northern English accent.

"*Ahem* Dr. Micheals… This is your new intern, Peter Parker."

"Eh? Was that today? Christ! Is it Monday already? Bloody hell… Sorry mate, forgot you was comin' today." Dr Micheals stood up from his desk and grabbed Peter's hand in one fluid motion, shaking it violently.

He had a full head of very curly and unkempt hair, and his eyes were weighed down by dark bags, he looked about his workspace before his face went slightly red from embarrassment. "Err, sorry about the mess… Was gonna' have a tidy up, but got a little distracted…" His eyes became slits of rage as he angrily stared at his computer monitor, "This pissin' 'clean energy' project has been nagging at me for weeks… Err no offense, Lucius. I mean, it's all very important work, I…"

Lucius held up his hand as he smiled, stopping the man's ramblings.

"None taken Dr Micheals, I know how dedicated you've been to this project. You can curse at it all you like..." Lucius looked to Peter with a smile, "Despite our suggestions for him to take a break, Dr Micheals has been working around the clock on our latest initiative... We're trying to create a more fuel-efficient alternative to standard fossil fuels, ideally with zero carbon emissions."

"Wow, impressive. How long have you been working on it?" Peter asked as he looked at the layout of the lab.

"Pffft… In total? Years… But I've been getting closer these last couple weeks, I know it… been stuck in the lab all weekend." His accent was difficult to decipher for Peter's New Yorker brain, but he was slowly catching on to his dialect.

The English accent, or accents, were baffling to Peter, how could Dr Micheals sound so different to Alfred when they came from the same tiny island?

"Well hopefully Peter here can give you a hand. Help speed things along... Maybe after showing him the ropes, you should head home, though. Rest that brain of yours..." Lucius Fox added.

"Trust me, won't be getting any rest at home either, not with my missus. I do miss my dog, though…" He playfully punched the air in front of Peter's shoulder, careful not to actually make contact, lest he face a meeting with HR. "Hah, that's a joke… I don't have a dog. Haha, nah really, I love me wife, honest. Just lightening the mood… You married?"

"Err, I'm nineteen…" Peter was mind blown by how quickly the man was speaking, causing Peter to think really hard about his replies.

Peter could probably handle his accent and his pace separately, but together? It was like the English language had been thrown in a blender, creating a liquid dialect that was being used to waterboard him.

"So probably not, ay? No judgement if you are though, me mum n' dad were married at sixteen! But different times back then, eh? But you ain't here to hear me talk about me family. Let me guess science is your missus?"

"… Um… Yes? My 'missus' is science… Specifically Biochemistry and Biophysics… But I was told this place had the best facilities for Chemical Engineering, so I switched majors…" Peter said, after taking a moment to decipher what the other man said as well as remember his story.

"Fair play don't need to justify yourself, mate. But you made a good choice if ya' ask me… Anyways glad to 'ave you here! Let's get cracking then, shall we?" He spoke enthusiastically as he led Peter into his office proper and began showing him around. Giving the younger man a lab coat and other equipment.

Clearly the sleep deprivation was causing an adrenaline spike in the older man, as Peter was struggling to keep up with, and understand, his northern ramblings.

Lucius Fox said his goodbyes and returned to his office, giving Peter his emergency number if there were any issues.

After a while, Peter settled into his role and he saw what Lucius meant, Dr Micheals truly was brilliant, when he actually understood what he was saying. His casual, yet all the same frantic, demeanour was refreshing.

In a field like this, there was an odd dichotomy in the behaviour and language of Dr Micheals, which Peter felt would better fit the stands of a Soccer stadium, and the groundbreaking research he had been conducting.

After an hour, the older man's energy had all been sapped from him and he was yawning out sentences painfully slowly. So, he called a cab and headed home, leaving Peter with a list of jobs to do.

After somewhat organising the space and setting up his own desk opposite Dr Micheals' workspace, he began working on several tests, logging the results as he went.

A few times he had to ask for help in finding equipment from the other technicians and scientists about, most of whom were pretty willing to aid him.

The open layout of the lab meant there was also open communication between them about their progress and work, despite the fact they were all leading, or working on, different projects.

While Peter was in the midst of one of his tasks, a familiar voice called out to him from behind, "Keeping busy?" he turned to see none other than Bruce Wayne himself behind him, his hands in his suit pockets, an expression Peter had never seen before on his face, he was smiling...

Peter had seen Bruce smile before. But those were soft, subdued, genuine. This was exaggerated, large, charismatic…

Before Peter could vocalise his confusion, the older man stretched his hand out and offered it to Peter speaking, "Good to see you again, Peter! Lucius tells me you've been given a lot of work from Dr Micheals already… I'm sure a prodigy like you will catch up quick, though…"

Bruce's voice was calm and friendly, and it unnerved Peter just how well he was able to slip into the charismatic philanthropist, playboy persona.

"Umm, thank you, Mr. Wayne. That means a lot… Thanks again for the opportunity." He spoke, loudly as he noticed several of the other employees in the lab were looking at them with fascination.

In a way though, what he was saying was entirely true. He was genuinely grateful for the opportunity.

"Don't even mention it! Once I heard your story and saw some of your work… Well, it was only natural I had to offer the best opportunity to a mind as great as yours… Hopefully you'll learn a lot here! Try, not to go wandering too far either, a scientific mind like yours? Well, I'm sure the competition will be snipping at your heels soon enough... Can't have Lex Luthor taking away another one of my potential employees!" Bruce's tone was overly chipper.

To everyone around he sounded as charismatic and friendly as ever, but to Peter it was downright disturbing.

He knew Bruce was going to pay him a visit, it was part of their cover. According to the news Peter had been missing for two years, assumed dead in a car wreck that killed his aunt.

Their current lie was that Peter had actually lost his memory in the car crash; a John Doe's body being mistaken for his.

Fake Peter had actually been living in homeless shelters across NYC, eventually applying for ESU and gaining full scholarship due to his genius.

This was not completely untrue as Peter had taken several tests Batman had given him to check his mental capabilities, his scores warranting him an actual scholarship in this world.

According to their story, the amnesia eventually left him and when his memory returned, he moved back in with his family.

Bruce Wayne had heard about Peter and, out of sympathy for the young man, offered him an (apparently paid) internship.

Again, not entirely untrue, but obviously there were major disparities between the real story and the fake one.

Nonetheless there were already articles about it, Peter surprised to find himself in the news when he saw he had apparently given an interview to a reporter named Clark Kent. No such interview had happened obviously, but it had gone semi-viral in the Gotham area.

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne, I hope I can live up to your expectations!" Peter's performance was just as convincing as Bruce's. The result of years of practice.

"Haha, I'm sure you will! Just keep up the good work. We're only trying to change the world after all!" Bruce replied cheerily before going around the rest of the lab and checking in on his other employees.

Although it was a rarity to actually see him in person in the R and D department, Bruce Wayne had garnered a positive reputation from nearly every one that worked for him.

He was a very caring boss and there were several stories of his dedication to his employees among the co-workers across all departments.

He'd been known to personally pay for surgeries and treatments for his workers and their families who suffered from complex afflictions. Even helping with tuition fees for his employee's families without being asked, and with no request for repayment.

All employes were provided with healthcare, dental and even housing (for any employees who needed it). All of this while providing a very competitive pension scheme that was so extreme it bordered on socialistic.

Peter had initially thought that those stories were exaggerations, merely part of Batman's Bruce Wayne persona, but seeing him interacting with everyone, it was clear deep down there was some truth to his philanthropy. He was a man that truly wanted to help Gotham from the inside, using his enormous wealth for good.

During his earlier research into his new home, Peter's scepticism about Bruce's intent was shot down.

Peter had discovered that they were several homeless shelters, orphanages and even a hospital with completely free healthcare, all operating under a Wayne subsidiary.

Interestingly, very few people actually knew about those as his name wasn't even attached. Peter having to do some pretty deep digging to realise it was Bruce behind the company, it wasn't a publicity stunt to deepen his cover, it was a genuine effort to better the city.

Peter had realised, relatively early into his stay here, that Batman wasn't just Bruce's excuse to hit people. It wasn't a waste of money that could better be spent trying to improve social programs. That money was being spent, Gotham's services and social infrastructure were actually far beyond any US city Peter had been in before.

But it seemed that nearly every other rich socialite, or businessperson in Gotham was determined to sap the city of its every penny.

Regardless of the social benefits Wayne Enterprises provided, there were at least ten other corporations, both legit and in the underworld, causing the very problems that made them necessary in the first place.

The city was poisoned. Corruption and crime were so rampant that even with Bruce Wayne, the billionaire, pouring his heart and soul into bettering the city, the rot still festered. That is why Batman existed, to end the corruption in a way Bruce Wayne couldn't.

After a few hours, Peter had finished all of his daily jobs, and he was pretty proud of his work. It felt great to be actually working in a field that interested him, and to be getting paid for it. When he remembered that fact, he grinned to himself. 'I'll finally have actual money, not just pocket change from taking photos for picklepuss…'

Wayne Manor

Batcave

Later that night Peter was getting ready for patrol, stocking up his web fluid and other odd jobs in the little corner of the Batcave that had been unofficially designated as his space.

He'd been working on a couple of prototypes for new gadgets, taking supplies, as well as prompts, from some of Batman's gear. Only one was in working condition though.

It was inspired by a gadget he'd seen Batgirl use, a grapple extension that created a zipline for her to walk along or slide down.

Peter had designed a small metal pellet that would stick to a wall and send out a webline, similar to his trip mine, but not for offense.

It would be less violent and have a much longer range, designed to make an easier environment for stealth or simply to give him somewhere to crouch while he wallowed in angst.

He'd also began sketching designs for a new suit, one more appropriate for the Gotham scene. He loved his OG costume, but when out in Gotham, especially when paired with another Batfamily member, his red and blue spandex did stand out a little.

Alfred had offered to design and create a new one for him, but Peter denied. At first because he didn't think he'd need one, but now he simply because he wanted to do it himself.

He was studying the materials Alfred had provided him with and admired the craftsmanship. They were thicker than his suit, but not by any outwardly noticeable degree. The security and protection would be leagues ahead of his current material, but it would still seem mostly skintight.

He decided he would get working on crafting it from tomorrow, but now he was waiting for Steph to enter the cave, he was out with Spoiler tonight apparently. A voice called out to him; it wasn't Steph's.

"Change of plans, Peter. Spoiler is patrolling with Robin tonight."

Peter, unmasked but suited, turned to the voice. Batman was entering the cave and was approaching the younger man.

"Oh… So, who've I got? Red Robin, Nightwing?"

"Tim's taking the night off to study, and Dick's in Bludhaven… Get in the car."

"Wait. You? You're babysitting me tonight…" Peter didn't know if that meant Bruce trusted him more or less…

"No."

"We're meeting up with Babs, then? Or am I finally going to meet Orphan?" He'd met Cass in the manor earlier but hadn't worked with her as Orphan yet.

"Peter, stop talking."

"Stopping talking…" He replied as he mimed zipping his mouth shut.

"We've got a lead to follow… I'm taking us into the city. From there, you're in charge."

"Are you smelling burnt toast too, or is that just me? Seriously? You're going to follow my lead? Why...? Don't get me wrong I'm honoured but…"

"For someone so smart, Peter, I thought you'd piece it together. Doesn't matter. Get in, I'll explain on the way."

Peter was looking over the information on the small tablet device in his hands, sending the relevant details to the HUD in his mask as he spoke, "An arms deal, huh? Always a classic..."

Black Mask was moving for territory and had a tricky relationship with the other gangs in the city. There was still one unspoken agreement; although still rivals, Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, was willing to deal with Sionis.

Roman had respected the Penguin's territory in the past, and though the tension was rising as Mask became more desperate, for the time being they still upheld their uneasy alliance.

"Is the intel good?" Peter asked as he returned the tablet to its dock in the dashboard, it retracted into the car as a quiet whirr was sounded.

"Oracle picked up a tip last night."

"Right. And what was her source?"

"You're asking questions… Good." Bruce said with a grunt of approval.

"Enough of the hand holding Bats. Is it really that hard to believe I know what I'm doing?" He continued, "So what was it? I doubt one of Mask's dudes was just casually tweeting about it… Although, I wouldn't put it past some guys, criminals never fail to surprise me with their stupidity…"

He looked at Peter for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. It was hard for him not to coddle Peter; he hadn't seen his experience with his own eyes. Not like he had with Dick or Barbara, so it was easier for him to underestimate Peter, even if he was trying not to.

"Quinn. Some former Joker goons who defected to Mask's crew gave her a heads up."

"And you trust her?" Peter asked, unsure of what to make of Harley Quinn. She was on probation apparently, trying to distance herself from her life as Joker's partner.

"I trust the information. A lot of Joker's former clowns were much more loyal to her than they ever were to him. Besides it isn't Harley's MO to feed oracle false intel."

Harley actually had a soft spot for Nightwing and Batgirl, even when she slipped back into her more criminal tendencies, she avoided trying to kill them. Batman wasn't so lucky in those moments, but they both knew he wouldn't take the attempts personally.

That was the past though. Now Harley was a minor inconvenience at worst and a helpful asset at best. She hadn't tried to fight any of them for nearly a year now. More surprisingly, neither had her partner Ivy for some time.

"There's a pattern to this… So, you're letting me take point on Mask's grab for power, right? Is that's why I'm leading the charge? Makes sense, if he already has a bounty on me… No point giving him more targets. I go in cause a ruckus and you take them down from behind?"

"Yes and no… Mask is focused on you right now, which makes him desperate. You're our wildcard. The more noise you make, the closer we can get to finding him and stop the brewing gang war… But there's more."

"What?"

"Your bounty has been closed."

"I feel like that should be good news, but the more sensible part of me knows it isn't…"

Batman nodded, "Your right. According to Quinn's source, Mask has some fresh blood that have taken on a contract for your head..."

"Anyone I should know about?"

"That's the problem… Their descriptions don't match any of the big-name mercenaries we thought he might hire. They're unknown entities. Like you."

Peter was piecing the puzzle in his head, "You don't think…"

Batman gave another small nod as he spoke, "All Quinn heard was that one of them has a tail that shoots acid… Sound familiar?"

Peter actually felt some sense of relief, finally, someone he knew, "Now I get why I'm leading. That sounds like Scorpion... I hoped they'd learned to be subtle by now, but I guess they can't resist a chance to take me down and get paid for it… Wow, I wish I'd planned this on purpose…"

"Accidental or not, this is an opportunity we can't pass up… Scorpion? Armoured suit, increased strength, speed, agility and durability?" Bruce was recalling the brief Peter had given the Batfamily on his rogues.

"That's the arachnid… Doubt it's just him though, any word on who the others could be?"

"None. That's why I need you to take point. You know their weak points and what makes them tick. I want you to push them, irritate them, make the others come out of hiding."

"Oh-Ho-Ho, trust me, that I can do."

After stopping the Batmobile a sensible distance away, they continued their approach to the shipping yard at the docks where the deal was taking place, via the rooftops.

Batman held back a few blocks and was perched on a skyrise, adjusting his lenses to view on the tiny figures below as he saw Spider-Man swing to the taller section of shipping containers near the arms deal, before crouching on the ledge.

Shortly after finding his position a few cars and a couple trucks arrived, from two different parties.

Peter scanned the area, both figuratively and literally. His HUD told him there were 17 criminals in total. Mostly common variety thugs, but two figures stood out to him.

"Who's the pudgy guy with the umbrella? Penguin?" Peter asked through his comms, his voice quiet so as not to alert the criminals below.

Bruce grunted affirmatively in response, "Hmm-Mmm. Don't see anyone matching Scorpion's description. What's your visual?"

"Seventeen, all armed. Scorpy hasn't shown up unfortunately, I see Shocker though…"

"Shocker… Trained mercenary, Kevlar suit, shock gauntlets."

"You forgot cowboy, but yup, that's the one. Any pointers on happy feet?" Peter replied, referring to Cobblepot.

"Trick umbrella. Can be difficult at range. Get in close and you'll be fine…"

"Got it." Peter replied quickly as he tested his new webline gadget and attached it to the flood light opposite. Leaping onto its middle as he listened to the villains below, now he was in a better position.

"I see Mask 'imself couldn't honour us with his presence. Yet again." The Penguin spoke in a thick co*ckney accent, taking his cigar out of his mouth as he spoke.

'Another brit? With another different accent? Seriously, what is it with Gotham and British dudes… Is there a cult of fish and chips here or something? Is it the miserable weather?'

"You didn't say the Penguin was British…" Peter whispered through his comms.

"He's not. He went to boarding school in England. Why does it matter?" Batman replied unamused.

"Oh… It doesn't really. Just making conversation."

"Well don't. Focus."

"Pffft. Spoilsport…" Peter muttered to himself. Batman ignored him.

"Yeah, yeah… You got the goods Cobblepot?" The lead thug spoke, clearly this was a common complaint from the Penguin.

The Penguin sneered at the disrespect for a moment before gesturing his men to open the back of the truck labelled 'Gotham Fish Market'.

'Thematic… I can dig it.' Peter thought to himself.

"Only the finest fishin' gear this side of the Atlantic… Got some special gear courtesy of Intergang n' all… Competitive rates, of course…"

Several of the mask thugs representing the False Face Society began inspecting the equipment.

"Who's the new fella' in the funky suit?" Cobblepot questioned as he pointed to Shocker with his umbrella.

"Pest control, Mask has a Spider problem." The lead thug spoke as he was eyeing an assault rifle.

"Oh yeah… Heard 'bout that. Nasty business... But can't say I haven't enjoyed the peace and quiet from Sionis' latest distraction… Rivals n' all that. You understand." Cobblepot responded to the thug, who didn't look back at him but absentmindedly nodded in acknowledgement.

Penguin took a hefty drag of his cigar before approaching Shocker. Waddling slightly as he moved.

'Huh, he actually walks like a penguin… Is that on purpose or just a coincidence?'

"So, what's so special about you then? Got some bug spray hidden in that fancy suit a' yours or something?"

Shocker was unphased, stood crossed arms as he finally spoke, "Or something. Name's Shocker…"

"Cor blimey! Now that accent's the real shocker, mate! Long ways from home ain't ya'… Get tired of fighting the 'Injuns' did ya'?"

Shocker, bristled slightly but kept his cool, "You mockin' me?"

"Eh? Don't get your nickers in a twist, lad. Jus' taking the piss... Say, you ain't expecting the Spider here are ya'?" Cobblepot turned his head as he directed the question to the lead thug.

"Can never be too careful…" The thug responded as he was checking the sights pf the rifle in his hands.

"Right… Well as long as you ain't too careful with my payment. Can't say that I give much of a toss 'bout who you got with ya'. Eh, Butch Cassidy?" Penguin replied before laughing with a grating high pitch sound, like a bird cawing.

'Jeez, he even sounds like a penguin. Well… guess that's my cue.'

He quickly whispered in his comms, "Batman, making noise, starting… now." He said as he webbed the Penguin's umbrella and snatched out of his hands.

"Copy that. Stay on guard."

Peter didn't respond to Bruce, instead loudly calling to the villains below, "Hey, cool umbrella! Where'd you get it?"

"Huh? Give that back ya' little prick!" Cobble pot called as he looked up at Gotham's newest pest.

"Wow... Interesting name for a store! Do they do deliveries? Or do I have to waddle down there myself?" Peter responded as he pressed a small button on the umbrella and saw a blade come out the end, playfully swinging it around himself as the criminals below rushed around in panic, preparing to act.

"I thought you said he wasn't gonna' be 'ere!" Penguin shouted at the lead thug who had dropped the empty rifle he was examining and pulled out his pistol, firing shots at Spider-Man.

"Does it look like we invited him?" The goon shouted back as he continued to fire.

"Wait you didn't? Ah man, now I just feel silly…" Spider-Man called as he dropped to the ground between Cobblepot and the thug, launching the umbrella in the river as he fell.

He weaved out of the way of the bullets before attaching a line to the gun and sending it flying into the head of another goon who was more colourfully dressed. Presumably one of Penguin's.

He leapt in the air and webbed the lead goon to the back of the floor next to the truck, before leaping off the ground once more.

Landing on the side of a cargo container he regarded Shocker, genuine cheer in his tone, "Hey Shocker! My buddy! My pal… My good time boy! How ya' been? Still roaming the old west, herdin' cattle and taking names?"

He leapt off to avoid more gunfire and flipped through the air as he swung before launching several tethers to different thugs from both groups and pulled them into a pile in the middle of the battlefield.

"Been just dandy, pardner! Can't believe I'm saying this, bug. But it's good to see ya'!" Shocker called before he fired at his adversary with his gauntlets.

"Aw shucks, Shockster. You really do care...! I'm choking back tears here..." Spider-Man had landed on the top of one of one of the containers and started running to avoid the shock waves being fired his way. He flipped off it and planted his feet on the chest of one of the thugs that was stumbling to his feet after Spider-Man pulled him to the ground.

He punched the thug who dropped like a sack of potatoes before he front flipped off him and fired a few web grenades at the remaining pile of thugs who'd been slower than their ally at standing up.

There was a collective cry of frustration as a cocoon of webbing fastened them all to the ground and each other.

Penguin grabbed Shocker's collar as the mercenary temporarily halted his fire, "What ya' pissin' about for? Stop chatting to the bug and finish 'im off! That's what you're here for ain't it?"

"Get your stinkin' hands offa' me! I don't take orders from you, fish breath! 'Sides what's it look like I'm doing?" Shocker responded with anger as he shoved Cobblepot off of him.

"Looks to me like ya' just fannying around!"

"Wanna' say that to my face, limey?"

Peter was chuckling softly to himself as the two bickered, using the distraction to focus on the regular thugs. Yanking a bigger guy into the air as he twisted and kicked him the back of his head. Covering him in webs and casually flinging his unconscious body into the side of a cargo container, suspending him on its surface.

"What'd you call me, ya' yankee git?" penguin responded as he pulled out his own sub-machine gun and begun firing at Spider-Man who was weaving in and out of the bullet spray as he was easily dispatching several goons.

He flipped and yanked the gun from Cobblepot's grip, to which the older man let out an avian caw of frustration. Spider-Man kicked another thug in the face, knocking him out before landing and flipping over one of the last remaining goons.

Crossing his arms and attaching a web to each side of the thug's shoulders as he leapt, he flipped and pulled the goon in the air. The goon was turned upside down before being thrown him back down to the ground, landing on his upper back and rolling onto his front as he was sent to sleep.

Peter leapt up on top of an isolated shipping container, turning around to face the bickering villains.

"Fellas, fellas. You're both pretty! Although, Penguin, is it? Shocker's right, your breath does smell like fish…"

Cobblepot went red with rage before throwing his hands in the air, "Screw this! I ain't getting roped into doing Black Mask's dirty work! The deals off! Lads, we're leaving…" Cobblepot looked and saw that all of his men were either webbed up, unconscious or both.

Before the Penguin could react however, his early exit was halted by Spider-Man.

"Aww… So soon? But we were just getting to know each other!" Peter remained crouched on the container as he sent a webline to the back of Cobblepot and pulled him to the ground.

"Gah!" Was all he managed to vocalise before his face and the rest of his body was encased in webbing.

Shocker simply looked at the annoyed figure of Penguin as he writhed in rage against the webbing, before casting his gaze back to Spider-Man who was now sat with his legs dangling over the side of the container. Shocker casually crossed his arms as he looked to his nemesis. Grinning under his mask as he saw where the Spider had coincidentally chosen to sit.

Peter looked around and noticed he'd already defeated everyone else, now it was just him and Shocker.

"So… Just the two of us. Can't help but notice you're not shooting at me… Wanna' play catch up? How about twenty questions?"

"Tempting, but you might wanna' count again, Spider. Fellas' it's showtime!"

"Woah." The cargo container Peter was on shook violently as the doors burst open, Peter stood up as Rhino charged out, Scorpion leaping out after him, "Ah come on! Don't tell me this was all a trap!"

Peter jumped of the container and swung away as he avoided more shockwaves as Brice recommenced his assault.

"Nope. This here was meant to be a gen-u-ine deal. But like the other fella' said can't be too careful, not when there's bugs about." Shocker called out as he fired at Spider-Man.

"Wait, so if I didn't show you, two would've just sat in there all night? Hah, that's so ridiculous!" Spider-Man quipped back, regarding Rhino and Scorpion as he fired several webs at Gargan who flipped and ducked out of the way of the ranged attack.

"Call it a gamble, Spider!" Gargan replied as he fired his own acid attacks back at Spider-Man with his tail.

"And our bet paid off, no?" Rhino responded as he picked up the container they were just in and threw it at Spider-Man.

Peter was mid swing as he saw the larger container flying at him, the closed side first. He suddenly adjusted his position, attached his webs to the closed doors that were quickly approaching, and pulled.

Yanking the doors open as he pulled himself forward, he tightened his posture as his form sailed through the container. The contents inside flying around him as he saw two stools, a table and a chess set floating in the air.

"Wait! You guys were playing chess in there? That's so adorable! Who won?" Spider-Man asked as he continued flying through the container and in the air the other side.

Landing feet first into the side of shocker who stopped firing as the wind was knocked out of him and he was launched backwards.

"Me/Me!" Rhino and Scorpion called out in sync before turning to each other with annoyance.

"God you two are like an old married couple… Like two peas in a pod, or two buffoons in a shipping container…" Spider-Man replied as he flipped off shocker, literally not figuratively, and landed deftly on the ground.

Catching Scorpions tail as it was aimed to strike right at his face. He was wrestling back as Scorpion kept pressing down, weaving his body out of the way as Gargan swiped at him with his claws.

He dodged all of the attacks except the last when Scorpion twisted his body and wrenched his tail from Spider-Man's grip before kicking him in the chest, sending him back a few feet as he let out a grunt.

Peter landed on his back before rolling backwards and pulling himself to his feet. His Spider-Sense blaring as he leapt and twisted his way out of the path of a charging Rhino. Landing vertically on the shaft of the floodlight behind him.

"So, where're the Otto and the rest of the gang? They're not in another container playing Yahtzee, are they?"

"Pah! We would not tell you even if we knew, Spider!" Rhino responded as he punched the light post, Spider-Man flipping away as the pole was shattered in two and the top part was sent flying into the water behind them.

"Oh. So, you don't know… Give a me a sec to decide whether that's good news or bad!"

"Damnit Rhino! Learn to keep ya' mouth shut ya' blockhead!" Shocker called back as pulled himself to his feet and immediately started firing again at Spider-Man.

"Hey, go easy on the big guy! It's gotta' be hard trying to keep up with who's here and who's not when you struggle with all the numbers past three…"

By this point a couple of Penguin's goons had managed to cut themselves free of their webbing and rushed to their boss. Using the distraction to cut the Penguin free.

"Let's get out of here!" Penguin called as he was helped to his feet by one of his goons, "Had enough of this bloody freakshow...!" He stated as he look at the chaotic display around him.

Peter noticed the Penguin clambering to his feet and rushing to the vehicle with their contraband. Frantically ducking and dodging the webs, debris, acid and shockwaves being thrown about in every direction.

Spider-Man tried to find an opening to stop them but was still in a deadly dance with three of his villains. Avoiding several ranged attacks from the two S's while Rhino was throwing deadly punch after punch at his position.

Penguin's thugs managed to start the truck as their boss clambered into the back and picked up a weapon, the one he'd acquired off Intergang. He paused slightly as he watched with annoyance as one of the crates fell out the back of the truck. Ignoring his frustration for a moment he pulled, what he assumed was, the trigger and the rifle looking device whirred for a moment as it heated up before it fired.

A blinding light shot out the end, and an extremely satisfying noise rang through the air as it sent forward a singular red laser beam that caused devastating damage to the containers behind Spider-Man as he flipped out the way of its path.

The beam also caused Scorpion to flip back as he narrowly avoided being fried by the blast. Rhino also stopping his charge as Penguin was cackling sickly while the truck began speeding off.

The gun overheated quickly however, and Penguin let out a cry of frustration as it burnt his hands, "Ah, ya' little bastard!" He shouted at the weapon as it dropped to the floor of the moving truck.

He desperately clambered to grab it as he struggled to keep his balance in the moving truck. He watched pitifully and angrily as a web line was attached to its barrel, and it was snatched out of the truck.

He snarled as he watched the airborne hero, who was flying toward him with impressive speed, caught the device before tossing it behind him and webbing it to the side of another floodlight.

Ironically, Penguin had caused exactly the distraction Spider-Man needed for him to be able to catch him, his rogue's stopping their assault on him as they avoided the beam. Or so he thought.

As Spider-Man pulled himself towards the truck, his Spider-Sense rang violently. Too late for him to react and avoid being sent flying sideways as a wave of concussing force from Shocker's gauntlets struck him.

He twisted in the air to try and right himself and pull himself to attack shocker, but his Spider-Sense struck again as he felt his body being grabbed.

Scorpion had managed to use the moment to leap into the air and grab Spider-Man with his tail. He flung it down violently as he released his grip, launching Spider-Man out of his grip and directly at Rhino.

Peter felt another warning from his Spider-Sense as a blurry image of Rhino readying a punch came into view. There wasn't time for him to launch webline and avoid the hit, so instead he curled into a tiny ball and braced for impact, blocking his face with his arms.

The punch obviously still hurt as Spider-Man was sent flying backwards in response to Rhino's gargantuan fist, but his shins and forearms took the brunt of the blow. 'That's gonna' leave a bruise…' He thought as he was launched into the side of a shipping container at the bottom of a pile of five.

The side of the container crumpled in its entirety as peter found himself violently landing inside of it, hitting the other side with enough force to majorly dent both it and the container behind.

The roof had been ripped apart too as a result and Peter heard a worrying creak as he looked up through the giant hole his body had created. The container above, or more accurately containers (he knew there were several above the one he was in) was beginning to fall as their weight couldn't be supported by the flimsy excuse for a bottom container that remained.

Before he was squished by the containers, he pulled himself to his feet and raised his arms as their weight crushed the remains of the all-but-destroyed container around him. Crumpling the behind wall and bending the doors beyond any recognisable shape.

His legs buckled slightly as gravity continued to fight against him. Desperately trying to force the containers down on him.

"Spider-Man," Batman's voice called through his comms, "I'll get Cobblepot. Going to circle around after, you need backup?" There was a soft rumbling in the background, he had clearly left his rooftop and was in pursuit of Penguin in the Batmobile.

"B-Batman?" Peter had nearly entirely forgotten about Batman's presence, "I-I've got this. Wouldn't mind a h-hand with c-cleanup, though…" Peter could feel the floor of the container in his hands was crumbling under its own weight as he desperately held it above him.

"Copy. Be with you shortly." He could hear muffled gunfire and tires screeching as Batman was clearly in a high-speed chase.

"J-jeez, what the hell's… Ugh… I-in these things?" He spoke aloud as he looked up and saw a shipping code between his arms, reading aloud he continued his struggled sentence, "L-Lexcorp, huh?"

He thought about his conversation with Teresa as well as the documentary they watched over the weekend, "Whatever it is… Agh… I'm sure it's something e-evil…" His legs buckled a bit again as the containers creaked above him, the dents his hands were making were growing "It definitely feels h-heavy enough to be evil…"

Even if Peter could hold the weight forever, which was unlikely given whatever the hell the contents were, eventually the pressure his hands were putting on the floor above would cause it to tear.

Any longer and his arms would go straight through the floor of the container above and the pile of large metal crates and and their contents would drop all the same.

That didn't matter though as he looked forward and saw as Rhino was charging towards him, "H-hey Rhino," He called as adjusted his hands to give him more leverage and pushed with all his strength, "Catch!"

Peter gave once last push, and he felt the tower of giant crates jump out of his grip as he sent them skyward with impressive force. All of them separating from each other slightly as they flew through the air.

As they begun to fly upward, Rhino was still charging. Spider-Man, now free from carrying them, leapt over the charging villain who crashed into the other side of the crate behind.

As he leapt, he twisted in the air and landed on the bottom of the still rising containers. He quickly checked the area and spotted a mildly stunned and… impressed? Looking Scorpion who was watching the display.

As the containers creaked and began falling again, Spider-Man shot a webline on to either side of Scorpion. Moments before the chaotic collapse of the containers, Peter had stopped his adhesion and pulled himself forward on his weblines.

The containers crashed to the ground, one after the other on top of Rhino; who'd incidentally managed to embed his horn into the container he collided with.

Launching himself at Scorpion like a human bullet, he heard Rhino yell in frustration and pain as the containers fell on him. Crushing the crumpled bottom container as they started collapsing in on their own weight, their structural integrity destroyed by Rhino's armoured form. Causing the machinery inside to batter his form as it was being steadily buried.

While flying at Scorpion, Spider-Man landed a punch on the villain's armoured face. Causing him to call out in pain as he was sent flying backwards, bouncing along the ground before catching himself and skidding across the floor.

A couple of streets away, Oswald Cobblepot was desperately firing an assault rifle at the armoured car behind him. All of the bullets ineffectually pinging off the side of the Batmobile.

Batman continued driving, unphased, before he pressed a button on his dashboard. A small metal bullet was fired from the front of the vehicle and contacted the chassis of Penguin's truck beside the back wheel.

A tiny explosion emanated from the point of contact and the wheel was blown off as the truck flipped over onto its side from the force of the explosion. Penguin yelled as he thrown backwards, sideways and upwards by the sudden shift in his vehicle's position.

The truck let out a painful screech as it skidded along the ground before eventually coming to a stop.

Landing on the floor, which was originally the side, of the truck Oswald let a cry, "Goddammit!" He rubbed his head, "Stupid bloody Bat..."

He tried to stand but was immediately sent unconscious by a batarang colliding with his head.

Batman casually approached and cuffed the unconscious crime lord before he left the back of the truck and checked on the driver and his colleague in the front.

After he'd cuffed them all and sent an alert to Jim Gordon he returned to his car, readying to circle back to aid Spider-Man.

Gargan leapt forward once he caught himself. Launching himself directly at Spider-Man who was in the middle of a backwards handspring avoiding fire from Shocker.

Feeling his Spider-Sense again, Peter twisted in the air and delivered a kick to Scorpions head. Which the villain had anticipated having been the victim of such an attack many times before, he caught the leg with both hands before circling around a couple of times, planning to fling the Spider back towards Shocker.

"Woah-ahh!" Peter called by the sudden shift in momentum, but he stopped Gargan's by sending a line to ground and clinging desperately.

Scorpion felt a sudden tug halting his spin as he staggered, he still had the Spider by his leg, but he felt a second foot strike his head as Spider-Man used his other leg to kick at him.

Staggering back from the hit he lost his grip on the hero, who had landed in a crouch before grabbing Scorpion's tail. Spider-Man copied Gargan's idea and span on his heel before launching Scorpion directly towards Shocker.

Quipping as he did so, "And Spider-Man takes the first pitch of the season! Can the Texas Ranger, Jackson Brice, meet the ball head on or will he crumble under the pressure?"

He watched as he let go of Scorpion's tail and sent him flying at Brice, putting his hand over his eyes to mimic blocking the sun as he watched Shocker yell as he quickly dove into a forward roll out of the way. Narrowly avoiding Gargan who crashed into the railing behind him.

"Stee-Rike!" Spider-Man yelled as he watched Shocker jump out of the way.

Shocker jumped to his feet and took aim at Spider-Man, or at least he would've had the Spider stayed where he was, instead he was midair, flying towards him pulling his fist back readying a punch.

Shocker leapt backwards and desperately fired off a shockwave which Spider-Man was able to dodge. But Brice had managed to avoid Spider-Man's assault.

As Spider-Man landed he swung at Shocker with his fist which the Mercenary barely avoided. Shocker was getting desperate now, as he activated both his gauntlets and smacked them together.

A concussive wave shuddered out of the point of contact and sent both Spider-Man and Shocker flying backwards. Shocker's suit absorbed the kinetic force, so his skeleton wasn't shattered, but he was still launched backwards from the sheer impact caused by the wave.

Peter bounced along the floor after he finally landed, being sent several feet. He quickly rolled back on to two feet. Standing up and seeing the much smaller figure of Shocker climbing to his feet as Scorpion was also back up, standing next to his ally.

Spider-Man leapt and swung himself closer, still keep his distance from his enemies who were clearly growing unenthused by the continued battle.

As Peter landed, he spoke, "Come on guys… How many times do we have to do this dance? You try to kill me; I try not to die. I web you up; you go to prison. You break out… Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat. Can't we just catch up over coffee and have a civil conversation? Like normal people…"

Shocker was growing noticeably tired, while Scorpion was rubbing his head, clearly fighting an oncoming concussion from his blows to head from Spider-Man.

"We ain't exactly normal people, are we, bug…" Shocker responded.

"No, I guess not. But look I've got a proposition. I can help get us home…"

Scorpion and Shocker looked to each other before Shocker spoke, "We're listenin'…"

"Look, I know some- Ah!" Peter leant back to dodge a cargo container being thrown at him.

It crashed into the other side of the shipping yard, causing another crash and collapse of the stack of containers beside him.

Rhino let out a growl of anger as he walked towards Spider-Man, smacking his fists together, he was clearly unhappy about being buried under several shipping containers worth of, very heavy, Lexcorp equipment.

"Stupid Spider… I crush you…" He was angrily mumbling to himself between, what Peter assumed was, profanities in Russian.

"Hold it, Rhino… We're hearin' him out for now…" Shocker called out.

"What? But he is right here! I can crush him and then we 'hear him out'…"

"How da' hell are we meant to hear him out if ya' crush him first? Ya' giant-" Shocker paused as he took a breath to calm himself, "Just, git on over here would ya'?"

Rhino simply stared at Spider-Man and growled again before reluctantly agreeing and walking over to his allies, Spider-Man just shrugged at his titanic rogue.

"Speak, little Spider. Before I decide to use my stinger and make you speak…" Scorpion said after he watched Rhino defiantly stomp over to them.

"As I was saying before Rhino rudely threw a container at me… Not gonna' take that personally by the way, tensions are high, I get it… Look, I've met some people. They think they can send us back, but they need to run some tests… To find out the cause of whatever sent us here..." Peter paused as he noticed an opportunity, "Say, I don't suppose any of you guys know what Doc Ock was trying to do with the collider in the first place, do you?"

Shocker, Scorpion and Rhino all look at each other. They didn't need to answer, they clearly had no idea, but it was clear from their body language it wasn't this…

"He never felt the need to tell, didn't matter to us, we was still getting paid… But even if we knew we wouldn't tell ya'." Shocker responded.

"Yeah, I figured… Honor among thieves, right?"

"As pleasant as all this small talk is… You gonna' get to the point Spider-Man?" Scorpion added his voice indignant and sarcastic.

"Right. So, these guys I know… They can make a portal, but to do that they need to find our earth first… It's all very complicated and science-y, you know?"

"How long?" Scorpion asked with a growl…

"That depends... Do you want the bad news, or you want me to lie?"

"How long?" Scorpion repeated.

"Answer the question, bug…" Shocker added, his own voice deep with contempt.

"Errr… It's- It's a… You know that's a funny story actually-" Spider-Man replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Rhino, you can squish him now." Scorpion spoke as he looked up at the brute who had a sick grin on his face.

"Coming in hot Spider-Man…" Batman's voice came through Peter's comms as he noticed a faint rumbling in the distance.

"Wait! There's one more thing." Spider-Man called, halting Rhino's approach momentarily as the giant now stood between his allies and Spider-Man.

"Say it quick, Spider." Scorpion replied as his tail bristled with anticipation.

"Well, you see, I wish I could let bygones be bygones and all that. Kick your asses and just leave you be until ya' next jailbreak, you know like the old days. But there's just one thing you forgot to consider…"

"Yeah, n' what's that?" Shocker replied as his gauntlets began to whirr.

"Well, this isn't New York. If it was this could go differently, but… Look what I'm trying to say guys, is unfortunately it's not up to me… This isn't my city…" The rumble of Batmobile grew steadily louder as Peter spotted its movement, it was close, close enough for Peter to time the ending of his sentence perfectly, "It's his."

Spider-Man nodded his head behind Rhino who turned as he heard the rumbling of a car rapidly approaching, he opened his mouth to yell but was halted by the grill of an armoured car smacking him square in his face. Sending him flying back as he landed unceremoniously on the floor, bouncing along the ground.

Batman had used the boosts at the bottom of the Batmobile to gain some air and aimed his vehicle directly at the larger armoured villain, who bounced backwards several feet as the car made contact.

Before the Batmobile landed itself and performed a hand brake turn, screeching to a stop, its top opened. In a matter of moments Batman leap out, stretching his arms wide as he pulled his cape up behind him, causing it to bristle in the air.

Shocker took a step back in stunned awe as the figure rose through the cold night air, he looked ethereal. Like the embodiment human will in the form of a mortal man.

Batman landed on the ground as his car parked itself behind him, the vehicle rumbling with hellish power from its engine. The Dark Knight slowly stood back up, he was staring at Shocker and Scorpion with a glare so intense it made the two of them hesitate for a moment.

They had heard of the Batman from some of Black Mask's goons, and he had clearly crafted an image of fear in the hearts of Gotham's criminal underworld. At the time they dismissed it, he had no superpowers, just fancy gadgets and tricks. But as they saw his face, heard the deep rumble of his armoured tank playing a symphony of power and terror, they began to understand the fear.

"First and final warning. Stand. Down." Batman's voice was cold, calculated, certain. It sounded like vengeance itself.

"God… You have no idea how good it feels to be on the receiving end of backup for once… So, guys what's it gonna' be?" Spider-Man spoke as he hopped over the car and walked up next to Batman.

"What? Was that display supposed to scare us?" Scorpion asked, his voice betrayed the air of nonchalance he was clearly trying to emit.

"I mean, yeah, kinda'… Come on Scorpy, your at least three supervillains short of a Sinister Six. And I've kicked all of your asses more times than I can count, way more than Rhino here can count at least…" He gestured to Rhino who rubbing his head and moaning in pain as he sat up on the floor, "Wait, hold on a sec…"

He shot a flurry of impact webs and web grenades at the dazed Rhino on the floor, the titan being pushed to the ground by the force as he was coated in layer after layer of webbing. Struggling pointlessly against tense substance as he yelled muffle expletives in Russian.

Spider-Man turned back to the other two, "Sorry, where was I? Oh right… So, do you guys really wanna' go through all this again? Especially now that I have the Watchful Guardian here on my side?" He said as gestured to Batman.

Shocker and Scorpion shared a glance. The former was tired, he had no superhuman abilities after all and his age was catching up to him. Not to mention he could feel he had several broken ribs courtesy of Spider-Man's earlier blow to his chest.

Scorpion wasn't doing much better, his lens was cracked and the HUD on his helmet was flickering with static, but his helmet was doing better than the head inside it which was throbbing with pain. He definitely had a concussion, and the back of his armour was battered slightly as a result of Spider-Man flinging him into the metal railing. His tail wasn't fairing much better either as Spider-Man's grip on it had slightly severed the connection to his spine, meaning its response time would be slower and it also hurt to use it.

Rhino was, mostly, physically okay, if a bit bruised and battered. But that didn't matter now as he was buried under a mountain of webbing, writhing in fury.

"Choose. Option one or option two." Batman spoke, his voice cutting, "Option one, you hand yourselves in and we hold you in the meta-human wing at Blackgate while we work on sending you home. Option two, the exact same thing happens but we punch you first. Decide."

The two villains looked to each other before nodding, "If it's all the same to you, pardner. We choose option three..." He spoke as he looked up at the giant loading crane above them, firing his gauntlets at the structure above.

Scorpion leapt to the other side and switched the firing mode of his tail to its shock blast setting as he fired at the leg of the structure from the other side.

As it began to collapse Spider-Man shouted, "Batman!" He grabbed the hero and, before the older man had time to react, he was thrown backwards several hundreds of feet through the air.

Batman tried to grab his grapple gun, lest he be in for a painful landing. But instead found his fall suddenly halted as he landed in the middle of a large bed of webbing that Spider-Man had fired shortly after throwing him. Suspending him roughly a hundred feet in the air as he watch the structure fall on top of Peter.

Spider-Man flipped out of the way of the two-ton container that the crane was carrying as it crashed to the floor. But the beam that was supporting the crate, which was ironically much heavier, was about to fall directly on top of him.

Stopping in his tracks he braced and held his hands above his head as it landed in his palms, his legs buckling and he fell to one knee as his feet were pushed further into the ground causing two major impact craters below his legs.

He was struggling to hold the weight of the structure as more debris began piling on top of it, choking slightly as dust and smoke began to fill the air. He looked forward and saw as Shocker was standing in front of him, his gauntlet aimed directly at his chest.

"See ya' around, bug." He said as he fired one last shockwave at Peter who was sent falling backwards as the rest of the structure fell as a result of him no longer able to hold it.

Several hundred tons of, legs, platforms and cargo containers fell down on top of Spider-Man in an explosion of metal debris and smoke.

Using his Batarangs in combination with the formula Peter had shared with him, Batman finally managed to free himself from the giant cobweb he was stuck to. Using his grapple gun, he rappelled down to the ground and ran towards the pile of metal that he saw fall onto Peter.

"Spider-Man! Come in Spider-Man!" He called into his comms. Peter's comms still worked but he was unresponsive, a grating static noise was all that Bruce heard in his cowl.

He pressed a button on his belt and saw as several pieces of scrap fell off the Batmobile as it shuddered. It was beaten up, badly, but had activated its automatic shielding, so it appeared to be in something akin to working condition.

He looked to the side and saw a pile of webbing under a bunch of metal scaffolding, flecks of acid decorating its circumference, the Rhino had evidently been freed from his cocoon.

"Scan for heat signatures." He spoke and his visor shifted. He looked around and saw the outline of a body under a pile of steel.

One immensely large beam was covering his lower body and stomach, while smaller bits of debris and scrap covered his upper half. It was a miracle there was even a body to be seen underneath all the scrap, if it were Bruce in Peter's stead, he'd be nothing but a puddle.

He desperately wrestled with the fallen metal and cleared the lighter beams and sheets, grunting in frustration as even they strained his muscles. He saw Peter's chest and head now; he was breathing thankfully.

Bruce's eyes were drawn forward as he heard Mask's truck being started, Shocker clearly taking the driver's seat as Rhino piled into the back, Scorpion following close behind.

Batman quickly pulled out a tracker Batarang and threw it towards the vehicle, watching as it sailed through the air before being casually swatted away by Scorpion's tail as he climbed into the back of the truck. The armoured villain turned and snarled at Batman as he closed the shutters before it sped off into the street.

Bruce stared at the villain for a moment before looking back down, "Spider-Man! Can you hear me?"

The younger hero murmured slightly, an incoherent babble of noise escaping through heavy breaths.

"Alfred, Send the Batwing to my location and prep the med bay, Spider-Man will need medical attention."

"It's on its way sir, ETA four minutes…" Alfred replied. His voice calm but tinged with concern.

Bruce grunted in frustration before he turned back to Peter, "Batmobile, winch." He spoke and the front of his car shot out a metal spike with embedded itself into the large beam.

It revved loudly as it desperately tried to reverse against the piles and piles of scrap behind it, only moving slightly.

The beam shuffled slightly, uncovering more of Peter's form, his suit was torn and tattered and blood was covering his stomach as Batman noted a metal pipe was sticking out of his side.

When the beam reached a few inches above his waist, the beam proved too heavy for the car as it stalled, and smoke began pouring out the from under its hood.

Batman desperately reached into his utility belt and pulled out a corrosive liquid which began eating away at the metal, not fully destroying the beam but weakening it. He frantically rummaged around once more and pulled out a tiny metal cylinder.

He pulled the cap off and pressed down on the switch as a tiny blue flame fiercely spewed from the end, he pressed it to the beam and began cutting away at it, managing to split the beam in half before the flame flickered and fizzled out, unable to cope against the strain of the cutting wind and the beam's density.

"No! Damnit, no! Work!" He smacked the device, but the flame fizzled out completely.

Bruce looked at Spider-Man's damaged body and pulled off his mask, the was a large gash on his head which was bleeding profusely, "Spider-Man! Peter!" Peter only groaned more nonsensical noises.

Batman searched the area around him and found another, metal pole. He dug it into the ground next to Peter and pulled desperately. Straining with all his might, he saw as the beam shifted a fraction.

"Yes! Come on…" He said before the pole snapped in two causing Bruce to stagger back.

He looked back to Peter; his breathing was becoming shallower. Bruce sighed before he pulled out once last-ditch effort from his belt, a small capsule which he snapped In half and held under Peter's nose.

It was dangerous to try this, especially considering Peter's head wound, but it was the only option left.

Peter's eyes darted open as a rush of adrenaline hit him, his gaze was falling around his head, and his eyelids were heavy.

"Peter! Peter! Look at me." Bruce spoke as he grabbed the younger man's shoulders.

"H-hey man… Ugh… My head… I feel so dizzy…" Peter replied, drowsily as if slightly drunk. He wasn't fully lucid and the blood loss from his head was clearly interfering with his conscious state, but he was aware enough to feel pain which was a good sign.

"Peter. Listen to me, I can't get you out… I need you to push."

Peter's head rolled back as his eyelids became close to closing, Bruce grabbed him again, and lightly shook him.

"No. Don't close your eyes, you need to stay awake." Bruce snapped his fingers in front of his face and Peter's eyes widened again.

"I'm awake! I'm awake! Jeez… Ow… My head is killing me…" His eyes continued to widen even further this time as a form of awareness seem to suddenly overtake him.

"Having several hundred tonnes of steel fall on your head will do that… You have a major head wound." Bruce replied as he helped clearer away more of the smaller pieces of scrap around Peter's body.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Peter pulled his hand to his head and felt the warm blood through his glove, "Well that's definitely not good…"

"And worse…" Bruce looked down and cast his gaze over the pole sticking out of his side.

"Oh damn… I got stabbed by a pipe? Man, that sucks…"

"You good enough to lift this?" Batman asked as he looked at the large beam covering half his body.

"Huh… Oh yeah," Peter looked at the beam on top of him, he realised that was probably the cause of the crushing sensation he felt on his lower body.

Peter strained as he pushed, his arms shaking as he continued to lose blood from his head wound, "Agh… Come on!"

The beam continued to rise, but as it shifted it collided with some scrap, which was supporting another beam, causing the second beamn to fall on the other side of Peter. Creating an arc over his body and covering a large section of his chest as he grunted in pain and frustration and the development.

"Ugh… You've got to be kidding me!" He turned to face Bruce, "Do you think I did something terrible in a past life? I mean it can't just be bad luck at this point, gotta' be karma or something…"

"Peter. Focus… I can't help you here, you've got double the weight now, so you're going to need to push even harder…"

"Yeah, yeah… Easy for you to say, you're not the one trapped under two-hundred tons of metal…"

"It's more like two-fifty/two-seventy-five, due to the overlap…"

"Hey, Batman…

"Yes, Spider-Man…"

"I know you think your being helpful, but comments like that? Aren't all that helpful..."

"Do you think you can lift it?" Batman ignored his statement and cast his gaze over the giant metal support struts over Peter's body.

"Pfft… I mean maybe… If I really pushed myself... But normally I don't have a major head wound or a pole sticking out of my stomach…"

Batman just looked at him.

"Alright! Fine! I'll give it another try…" Peter's face grew red, and his arms were shaking violently as he continued to push.

The beams began rising again, painfully slowly before he lost grip, his hands slipping and the beams beginning to follow after them.

However, they stopped mid fall as Peter braced his body for another overwhelming crushing sensation. He stared dumbfounded as thick black tentacles were sprouting from each of his wrists, holding the beams in position a few inches above his waist.

His legs were still trapped however so, as Peter felt tremendous power surge through him, he watched with fascination as thick black goop wrapped itself around each of the beams.

Yelling as he pushed himself harder, he pulled himself to his feet and gave one last shove.

"Gah!" He yelled and the beams were flung flying in each direction, spinning through the air before crashing violently into the river on either side of the shipping yard.

"Wow! Holy crap! Thank you Slimbiote!" He stated and he felt a very tired, but appreciative, bristle from the Other.

Batman looked at him, smiling only slightly. So slightly that to people who didn't know Batman, it wouldn't look like he was smiling at all, "Well done…" He spoke plainly.

"Thanks… Err sorry about polluting the harbour, I didn't know they would go that far... Did Shocker and co. escape?" Peter asked as he yanked the pipe from his side with a grunt and began webbing up his wound to stop the bleeding..

"Yes."

"Damn!"

"Well done tonight, you did good."

"I did good? Did you miss the whole villains escaping, major head wound and major property damage thing?"

"Considering the destructive capabilities of your villains, I'd argue that the fact any part of this place is even standing at all is astounding… But that's not what I meant. Stop focusing on what didn't happen and focus on what did."

"Oh yeah and what's that?"

"You stopped an arms deal; you made your villains reveal themselves and you also helped capture Cobblepot. All in all, I'd say tonight was mostly a success…" Batman looked up as the Batwing finally appeared above them, it slowly descended to a clear area near their position and the screen opened up, ushering them to enter, "And Spider-Man…"

"Yeah?"

"Next time just take the compliment… Now get in."

Gotham City

Black Mask Safe House

Rhino and Shocker stood to the back of Sionis' office while Scorpion stood near the desk. Black Mask was standing facing them, his skulled face filled with rage.

"You only got ONE crate?" His voice was being torn to shreds by his fury.

"And this." Scorpion said as he threw the laser rifle onto Mask's desk.

The crime lord eyed it for a second, before looking back at him, "And just what the hell is that supposed to be!?"

Scorpion shrugged, "Laser cannon, I guess. Don't really care… Penguin nearly fried us with it, though. Packs a serious punch..."

Roman sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "Tell me this entire travesty was worth it. Is the Spider dead? The Bat? Anyone?"

"Ehh… Don't rightly know, pardner." Brice spoke.

"What do you mean you don't know? You dropped dockyard crane on him! A big one!" Roman yelled with bewilderment.

"Da. This is true," Rhino spoke, the crane fell on him too, before he was fished out from the debris and webbing by Scorpion, thankfully the larger sections missed him entirely, "But the Spider… He is tough. A crane may not kill him."

"This was a disaster…" Roman said with barely contained anger, "Not only did the deal go south. I also lose at least five of my men. The Batman comes swooping in and Cobblepot ends up back behind bars! Plus, we don't even know if the Spider died, the entire reason I hired you in the first place!"

"Cobblepot behind bars is good for you though, right? Wasn't he your rival?" Scorpion spoke, his tone annoyingly casual.

"Of course he was! But he's also one of the only people in this godforsaken city willing to still cut a deal! I doubt that'll happen again after tonight! God… The press are gonna' have field day with this, I'm gonna look like a joke! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't terminate your contract right now!"

"I don't see the point in makin' all this fuss over nothin'. The Spider and the Bat knew about the deal anyhow… Woulda' gone south even if weren't there… Least' thanks to us, the Spider's gonna have a hell of a headache. Plus, ya' still get that crate there and whatever that is… All without giving the limey son of a bitch a penny!" Shocker was clearly agitated, but what he said made sense.

Scorpion looked at Mask as he spoke, "And we still made it back, that's more than can be said for most of ya' other men…"

"Maybe, more of my men would have made it back if you hadn't dropped an entire f*ckING shipping yard on top of them!" Black Mask yelled sitting back down as he breathed heavily before slamming his fist on his desk.

"Li! Sorry… Li…" He calmed his tone as he looked to his most loyal employee.

"Yes, sir…" She replied, unphased by his anger.

"Could you please grab my meds before I pop a GODDAMN blood vessel?"

"Of course." Li spoke calmly before exiting the office.

Mask stood back up and walked over to his window, staring out over the city before taking a deep breath and sighing.

"You're right…" Mask finally spoke after a very uncomfortable silence, "I suppose you did better than I'm giving you credit for… You're the only people so far who've managed to a fight the Spider without being put behind bars… Already had to grease some palms to keep Deadshot out of lock up…"

He paused as he grinned sickly, it took a lot of effort to keep Floyd out of prison, but having a mercenary like him in his pocket was worth it…

His grin faded as frustration once again took hold of his expression, "But still, it's clear that he's more capable than even you three are willing to admit... Throw the Bats in as well and I'll never get back control of this city! That's why I going to have to pull some strings, maybe some I'm gonna' regret pulling… But I'm not left with a lot of options here…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scorpion, spoke as he stared at Roman.

Black Mask didn't answer, he simply looked at Li as his assistant re-entered his office and placed a bottle of pills on his desk.

"Thank you, Li. Could you do one last thing for me?"

"Of course, sir. What is it?" She spoke, her voice was unbelievable controlled and professional.

"Get Slade Wilson on the phone… Tell him… Tell him Black Mask is willing to cut a deal with the Light…"

Author Note:

Obviously Dr Micheals is OC but he isn't meant to have a big role (this may be his only appearance) but I couldn't find any apropriate DC characters to fit the bill. So I just tried to make a fun character for the sake of it... I don't how well I did, but I thought he was worth the word count lol...

Also for AO3 readers, firstly, hi. Secondly, this is it, you're all caught up now so the next chapter will be out whenever it's out.

Also here's a Top Gear intro for this chapter for any fans of that...

TONIGHT ON TOP GEAR! Peter trauma dumps on a child... Batman drives a car... And the author uses the word 'container' so much he questions his sanity...

Just imagine that with the theme tune in the background.

Also next chapter should be fun, I've had the idea for it for a while and I'm excited to get started on it.

Till next time,

Bye