Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Episode 7: The Truth

Before we start, I'd like to address some issues that the FFN website has been having. I'm well aware that it's kind of like a cranky old platform, and it's lately become so cranky that not only am I not able to see the stats, but now we're having a little technical difficulty with people being able to read new chapters. That said, if this problem persists, I will have no problems letting people know that you can always visit AO3 to look up new chapters of Spider-Man. And finish off Fall of Cybertron. I know I haven't been focused on that lately, which makes it feel like that I may have forgotten it entirely, but my plan right now is to finish off with Season 2A before I can finish off Transformers. I've got some wicked plans for Season 6 on that note.

And before I finish ranting, I want to warn my audience that this episode's gonna have a very cold opening, something of which might feel unsettling and, dare I say, triggering. So if you wanna skim through this harsh bit, you have my express permission. Anyway, let's get this show on the road.

All Characters belong to Marvel and Disney.

ENJOY!

Footsteps echoed as they walked. Every step was slow, shaken with grief. The steps found a small flight of stairs, and they ventured forward. Every breath taken was another to hide the pounding in the chest, booming in their ears. The footsteps climbed, and turned, and stopped where they needed to be. A seat was taken, and another breath was made as a hand was pressed on the book that all the other hands had laid upon when acknowledging the oath to the representing bailiff.

"Do you solemnly swear (or affirm) to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do." The hand rose, and the book was pulled as the words were said.

"State your full name on the record."

Another breath was pushed out as the answer was given. "Leland Bankole."

"Where do you live, Mr. Bankole?"

Leland's throat was swallowed before he answered the second question. "Highland Park, in Brooklyn."

"Mr. Bankole, could you tell us where you were on the night of..."

April 9th, 7:43 P.M.

"So... Welcome to Battery Park City, and we officially start the day one finale of spring break right here!" Leland Bankole spoke with encouragement as he filmed a smiling young girl in her early twenties. "One more month before college graduation, and we're here to celebrate my baby girl by doing some shopping right here in the Brookfield Place!"

"Dad, cut it out!"

"Come on, tell Daddy what you wanna do after you graduate?" Leland tells his daughter, as she gives a flattered smile.

"Celebrate with my friends over a few drinks?"

"Okay, and after that?"

"Well... I'd visit the world for a little bit. I always wanted to see Australia," Leland's daughter says. "And after that, I will attend my dream job in the marine wildlife reserve at the Pittsburgh Zoo."

"Everyone is so excited for you! Pittsburgh, you better watch out, because my Rachel is coming for you!"

"Oh, Dad, there's the food court," Rachel announced, pointing at a small spot in the food court. "You wanna go get some pretzels before we shop for-?"

"HE'S GOT A GUN!"

KA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KA!

The shots were fired as the warning was given. The Bankoles dropped to the ground once the bullets were fired, hiding inside a photobooth while the violence occurred. Leland held onto Rachel tightly while they hid, protecting her the only way he knew how to at this exact moment as they forced themselves to listen to the sounds of screaming. He heard small shuddering from Rachel, feeling her shake in his arms.

"It's okay. It's okay, stay quiet for me, Rach."

"d... ad..."

"Rach?"

Rachel choked, and suddenly, something warm entered his skin. Leland looked down and became terrified when he saw a bleeding hole in the base of her throat.

"Oh god... RACH!"

He held her in his arms, feeling her convulsing violently as she lifted her eyes, unfeeling of everything around her, while her Dad held her, trying to scream, pleading for her to stay awake...

"Mr. Bankole... Could you please tell the court what happened next?"

Leland's hands shook as he held on to the bench. His tears showed while he breathed, shaking at the violent memory he had to share with the court. The assistant district attorney who questioned Bankole on the stand took notice of his distress, approaching him with care.

"Mr. Bankole, would you like to take a minute?"

Leland shook his head, giving his answer after taking a shaky deep breath. "...She died in my arms. Died a meaningless death, so soon before she could live what... what she wanted to be. All of the dreams she wanted to fulfill, and they were taken from her, by that... That man."

The ADA nodded, taking a step back to provide reasonable space after noticing the resentment that stemmed from Leland's emotions. "The man who shot your daughter... Is he in this courtroom today?"

Leland nodded slowly, giving word to affirm his answer. "...yes."

"Can you point to the person who took Rachel's life violently?"

Leland narrowed his eyes to the one responsible for his grief and his growing hatred. He raised a finger, pointing to a man dressed leisurely as he stared back, unfeeling of Leland's sadness and rage he had over him.

"No further questions, your honor." The ADA retreated into their seat while Leland remained seated on the bench, listening to the judge addressing the defense attorney.

"Mr. Donovan, your witness."

The defense attorney, Mr. Benjamin Donovan, rose from his seat, speaking on behalf of the defendant as he addressed Leland personally.

"Mr. Bankole, let me express my deepest condolences on your daughter's passing," Donovan told Leland. "I cannot imagine how you could have possibly felt, losing your child like that. It's a crime itself that there are no words to use for a parent who has lost a child, while words like orphan continually exist."

Leland did not choose to argue with the defense attorney, simply nodding as a small, silent agreement to Donovan's words.

"However, like so many, I can imagine that the incident that took claim on your daughter's life can be rather... Overwhelming," Mr. Donovan spoke, providing a statement. "Perhaps enough to cloud a person's judgment."

Leland raised his head, staring at Donovan. "What are you accusing me of, counselor?"

Donovan stood firmly over the stand, resting his hands together. "Mr. Bankole, you told the court that you and your daughter hid inside a photobooth during the shooting, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"So could you tell the jury how you could have seen my client's face during the time you and your daughter were fleeing?" Donovan instructed critically. "How were you able to prioritize your and your daughter's safety while prioritizing the identity of the person responsible for the attack?"

"I-I wasn't..." Leland stuttered, blinking out of confusion. "I was focused on getting my daughter safe..."

"Then, how could you have seen my client's face?" Donovan questioned aggressively. "Can you tell the jury that out of everyone that was either injured, dying, or rushing to safety as you have, that you have made a clear and positive identification that the man you accuse of today is the same man who put a bullet in your daughter's throat?"

"Objection, bagering the witness, your honor!"

"Sustained," The Judge honored the objection. "Lower your tone, Mr. Donovan."

Donovan smiled, taking a stand back from Leland as he already had the result he was looking for. "No further questions, your honor. I'd like to respectfully ask that Mr. Bankole's testimony be discounted from the record due to its insufficiency. Without any physical evidence to back Mr. Bankole's testimony, I'm afraid it's simply hearsay."

Leland bowed his head in shame as the Judge answered in favor of the defense.

"Sustained. Motion to Dismiss, granted."

Bang!

"HE'S A MURDERER!" A few dozen on the opposite side of the defense, attending the trial, stood up, announcing their protest as they held a sign that read "GUILTY" under Lloyd Bloch's face. "MURDERER!"

"Order in the court!"

"Lisa Bennett! Clyde Kent! Devon Ashby!"

"I said, order in the court!" The Judge demanded while the protester only rose their voice in defiance.

"Rachel Bankole!"

"Guards, escort them off the premises!"

"Say their names, Lloyd!" The protestors demanded as they were being removed from their seats. "James Snyder, Yolanda Slott!"

"We want to hear you say their names, Lloyd!"

"Out of the premises, now!"

"SAY THEIR NAMES!"

Bang! Bang!

The gavel pounded as furiously as the roars of the jungle outside the courthouse. Outside the trial was a mass protest that had only one thing that mattered tonight: the objective. Having Lloyd Bloch declared guilty. It was enough to spark the interest of the world itself as news organizations gathered to share everything there is to know right outside of the courthouse.

"Today marks the first day of the trial of the alleged Battery Park Shooter, Lloyd Bloch, who stands accused of the murder of thirteen victims..."

"As you can see behind me, thousands have gathered here in protest after leaks of the case against Bloch, supposedly responsible for the Brookfield Place shooting, have baffled millions due to a lack of evidence against Bloch..."

"Footage of the incident on April 9th that showed the identification of the gunman was mysteriously wiped, leading to speculation..."

"Conspiracies of alleged mob involvement are at large due to Bloch's criminal history of working with the infamous gang organization, the Maggia..."

"Despite powerful, emotional witness testimonies that were delivered to the court, the prosecution struggles to put Bloch away since the evidence against him is severely lacking due to the majority of the evidence being wiped out during the outbreak of violence and chaos weeks ago, induced by Oscorp CEO, Norman Osborn. Because of this side effect of the Goblin Outbreak, the courts were given no choice but to dismiss a drastic 60% of criminal cases, leading to a high volume of crime rates that is currently..."

"If the prosecution does indeed fail to deliver its promise on putting the shooter away in prison, then one thing remains certain: New York is going to explode."

"BLOCH MUST GO!"

"JUSTICE FOR THE LOST!"

"RELEASE THE EVIDENCE!"

"AVENGE OUR DEAD!"

"NEW YORK STRONG!"

"WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE WAITING FOR?"

"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"

"GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!"

Chief Stan Carter was on his phone, watching a news feed of the event happening during the funeral of Jean DeWolff. He put away quickly, watching as the guns fired by policemen and soldiers alike as part of the three-volley salute. They had continued to do so until the casket that held Jean's body was laid to rest. Then everyone began to make their quiet departures. Everyone except for Yuri, who stood out of respect for her fallen friend. And next to Yuri was a man who came to lay Jean's beret on top of her tombstone.

"...she would have wanted you to be here," The man spoke quietly, stepping back from the hole as he addressed his words to Yuri. "Thank you for coming."

Yuri turned her head to the man, nodding at him. "Hello, Brian. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

Brian nodded, keeping his hands resting on a pair of dog tags. "...When my sister joined the service, I hated her for it. I knew she only enlisted because I did, and she knew that I knew that she only did it so she'd keep an eye on me, which meant that I had to keep my eye on her." Brian snickered, raising his eyes to the sky. "Turns out... We were awfully good at it. When the hole cracked open over Stark Tower, unleashing hell above, Jean and I were among the first to be deployed. And we fought like hell against the invaders. Whatever they threw at us, we just kept pushing back, like wraiths in the wind. Because while our hearts were still beating, it was almost like we were numb from the inside. Alive on the outside. Dead on the inside."

Yuri breathed, stepping closer to Jean's Brother. "I realize there is nothing I can say to provide any comfort, but I want you to know that whatever goes on, I'm here for you. Jean would have liked that."

Brian nodded, smiling briefly at Yuri's words. "I appreciate it. But I wouldn't bother, Yuri. The man you see before you? That man died when his sister died. All that's left of me is just a reflection of a hollow shell. A wraith in the wind." He patted Yuri on the shoulder, despite how concerned she was about what he was saying. "Take care of yourself, Captain."

Brian turned to leave, but not before tossing his and Jean's dog tags into the hole where the casket was buried. Yuri watched as Brian walked away, until she looked back to watch over Jean's grave. She stood for a moment when the Chief came to her.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but we've got business to get back to," Chief Carter told Yuri. "The Bloch Trial officially turned into a nutshell, and I'll need all hands on deck on this."

Yuri nodded, having given her respects as she followed the Chief back to the parking lot. On the way, she got on her phone to text a private number.

Yuri

It's time. Meet me at this address.

Some of the students at Midtown High were on their phones when class was on the verge of ending, paying attention to the media feed of the Lloyd Bloch Trial. While the studen watched the crowds protesting with such rage, Peter was busy reading the text he was just got from his private contact with the NYPD before putting away his phone, checking out what everyone else was viewing.

"This thing with the trial is really making everybody go nuts..." Peter whispered, observing how people had waved signs written in red, spotting Janice Lincoln on her phone to see what everyone else was viewing, overhearing what he muttered.

"If you ask me, people have a right to be," Janice shared her opinion, raising Peter's head on her. "That guy everybody's protesting shot up a mall full of folks who did nothing to deserve it. If anyone deserves punishment, it's definitely Lloyd."

"I remember when that day happened. It made my Aunt May cry so much, my Uncle Ben had to hug her."

"Everybody will be crying a lot less if our justice system doesn't get its shit together," Janice bemoaned with irritation. "I swear, when I graduate and go into college, I'm signing up to be a lawyer. I bet I'd make a kickass lawyer, have all the other lawyers bend their knees and lick my heels."

"That's... Kinda gross."

"Gross for them, nice for me," Janice said without a care. "Anyway, what are you gonna do once the bell rings?"

"Just... Run an errand," Peter said. "It's actually kind of an important errand, really."

"Is it gonna be one of those errands where you hurt your back, again?" Janice asked, widening Peter's brow while Ned took a look over to his area. "Everybody in homeroom noticed how sore you were this morning."

"Yeah, but I'm doing a lot better now!" Peter stood up, smiling eagerly. "And this one is actually going to be pretty simple enough where hopefully, I can move on with the rest of my day and spend the night just relaxing for a bit."

"A lot of us need that these days," Janice nodded, lightly tapping on Peter's cheek. "Go break some legs, homie."

"That's the plan... kinda," Peter chuckled lightly while Janice walked away from him to put on her headphones, letting his chuckling turn into sighs as he approached Ned next. "God, I'm such a horrible liar."

"What are you gonna tell Harry when he hears you have to cancel tonight?" Ned asked, seeing how nervous Peter is.

"Well, I'm hoping that I won't have to," Peter answered as he and Ned spoke in private. "It's a simple thing. I help get the evidence that they have locked up for safekeeping, have it sent to the courthouse to help with the Bloch case, and then let the rest take care of it so I can get back to hanging with you guys."

"When has it ever been that simple, Peter?" Ned asked rhetorically when Betty Brant came to approach the two. "Oh, hi, Betty."

"Hi, Ned. Peter, have you heard the news?" Betty asked Peter directly.

"About the Bloch Trial? It's really nuts."

"Not that," Betty shook her head. "It's about Mr. Jameson. He had a heart attack today!"

Peter widened his eyes upon learning the news as Ned shared his stunned expression. "Is he okay?"

"I think so. He got sent to the hospital right after it happened," Betty told him. "Randy texted me and said that his Dad is currently with him, says that he's in the ER right now."

"I hope he dies," One student said brutally, overhearing what Peter and Betty were talking about. "That guy said nothing but lies and slander."

"...That's not funny," Peter told the student, who remarked casually.

"Neither is blaming the same dude for being a hero over and over again," The student laid out an insult to injury. "You ask me, I say that Black Spider should hurry it up and bite his stupid head off already."

Some of the students who were in the room were listening in on the argument and expressed the same sentiment with agreement and encouraging cheers. Peter looked back, disturbed by what he was listening to when Betty stepped in to speak.

"What if it were your head?"

The students looked at her, stunned to hear her talk back at them. "Say what?"

"Picture this: You're on the street trying to drink an iced tea, or you're eating a snack, maybe a sandwich from your favorite deli," Betty continued to speak while Peter and Ned remained silent in her argument. "Then, as you're walking, you finish with whatever it is you're consuming, and you decide to throw away the trash. Only instead of throwing it in the trash can like you're supposed to, you end up just littering and tossing whatever to the ground. Just like that, five seconds later, the Black Spider shows up, pounding his feet in front of you, and decides to eat you whole. You're probably thinking; I didn't do anything wrong! But according to the Black Spider, you did, because you couldn't bother to just throw the trash into a trash can like you're supposed to do."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you," Betty scolded the student who made harsh remarks about Jameson's critical condition with folded arms. "All these bad guys that the Black Spider is scaring off, who do you think he'll target next when all his enemies start to vanish entirely? What do you think will happen on the day that crime doesn't show up anywhere at all? Who do you think he'll come after to justify having his stomach full for the day?"

The students stared at Betty, silent of what she had spoken of. Even Peter and Ned were initially quiet, contemplating the thought with dread. Then the student who talked badly of Jonah just scoffed at her words with ignorance.

"Yo, this is exactly what you'd expect to hear from a Daily Bugle shill, am I right?"

The students shared their side, laughing with them while Betty rolled her eyes, turning away as she had given up trying to make everyone see reason, retreating back into Peter and Ned's corner.

"...for what it's worth, you made a pretty convincing argument back there," Ned told her, giving Betty some small comfort. "It's not your fault; those guys are idiots."

"I don't usually like making a confrontation like that, but there needed to be someone to voice an objective opinion on the Black Spider," Betty said. "I don't care what everybody likes about him; at least Spider-Man doesn't eat people. Good or bad."

Peter nodded solemnly in silent agreement. Then the bell rang as everyone made their departure. "Thanks for letting me know, Betty. See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

Peter and Ned fled the classroom together, but had to split up due to the urgency of his mission. Peter walked out of the school, then jumped high enough to run up the wall and venture onto the school rooftop. From there, there was a quick change in clothes, and Spider-Man swung right out to his next adventure.

"Hey, Karen," Spider-Man called out, swinging into the Queens area. "How are you feeling today?"

Fine, Peter. All my systems are fully functioning and operational.

"Good to hear your voice, again!" Spider-Man leapt on top of the train, feeling the snow hitting his costume. "Yuri sent me an address. Can you lead the way?"

The location is already on your HUD.

"Appreciate you," Spider-Man expressed gratitude as he saw the pinpointed dot on his lenses. "Let's hurry. Captain Watanabe is really counting on us with this!"

"...okay, this is really slow..."

Eddie hummed, rubbing his fingers on his chin as he saw the upload of the thumb drive he snagged from Felicia Hardy exceed his expectations in the worst way possible. He tapped his foot while Venom tapped on his tendrils, feeling increasingly impatient.

"...How's our wifi bandwidth?"

Venom growled in irritation when Eddie made the question. "I told you the first time. I told you the second time. And I told you the last time; it's not the wifi, it's the goddamn STORAGE SPACE!"

Eddie groaned, feeling disappointed by how this discovery was going. "Well, this is a bummer."

knock knock

"NYPD, open the door, Eddie."

"Oh... Mulligan's here," Eddie muttered, closing the laptop and unhooking the thumb drive to slide into his pocket as Venom quickly hid out of sight. "Must be for my statement."

(I don't like this guy.)

"I don't even know if anyone likes him at all," Eddie whispered before opening his door was a forced smile. "Detective, come for an autograph?"

"Actually, I was hoping to get your statement first before you decide to share it with your fan base," Mulligan replied to Eddie bluntly, who smiled continuously.

"Well... I'll have you know, I'm doing just fine. Thanks so much for checking up on me, you are a damn fine good cop if I knew one."

"May I let myself in?"

"Please," Eddie made a hole, letting Mulligan threw while Venom's tendril planted a sticky note on his back.

Kick Me, I'm Detective Shithead!

Eddie attempted to hide his laughter as he closed the door. Turning around, silencing himself as he saw Mulligan sat down on a chair. "So... You have questions, I have answers. And we both want to get out of each other's faces, so let's get this over with, shall we?"

Mulligan relaxed with a leg cross as Eddie sat on his couch. "Mr. Brock, you were there at Jacks' Credit Union when these Demons attacked. According to eye witnesses, you asked to interview them, and they arranged for you to be escorted downstairs. What did you talk about?"

"...Evil," Eddie told him, making Patrick scoff. "No, man, I'm serious. I asked them two questions that they allowed me to ask without getting shot at. One was about purpose, and the last was about why. And the way they answered my questioning was very... very, very eerie."

"...Ok," Mulligan leaned back, paying attention to Eddie's statement. "Describe the answers that they gave you. What was their purpose?"

"The very first thing I said; To defeat Evil. And I did try to ask what kind of evil they wanted to conquer; corporate greed and etc, and all they told me was just Evil. Like, crimes against God and whatever."

"What kind of crimes?"

"You'd think I'd tell you that already if they told me the specifics?" Eddie asked rhetorically, unamusing the detective. "Believe me, I'm as dumbfounded as you."

"...Talk to me about the why," Mulligan said, uncrossing his leg. "How did you lead the question when you had to ask about the why?"

"Well..." Eddie hummed, pausing for a second as he heard Venom talking. "...If I'm being entirely honest... What they said to me was like a conspiracy."

"So they're insane?"

"I think, culty, would the apt description in their psychological analysis," Eddie confirmed. "They do seem hellbent with their agenda, as ambiguous as it is to me."

"What exactly did you talk about in there?"

(Should we really tell him? I don't even know what good of a help this dingus will be.)

Eddie breathed, clasping his hands tightly as he looked at the detective, squinting. "...Have you ever heard of a woman that goes by the name... Shikata?"

"...Is that what they talked to you about?" Mulligan asked with a quiet tone, as Eddie noticed how disturbed his expression was. "How much did they tell you about her?"

(Wait, what?)

"...Not much, actually..."

"What else did they tell you?" Mulligan stood up from his seat as Eddie looked up. "Actually, don't tell me. Did you use your phone to film the interview?"

"Obviously, I did-!"

"Hand it over," Mulligan instructed, taking Brock by surprise by the sudden order he was given. "Now, Brock!"

(Ok, now I'm at a loss here.)

Eddie stood up, doing what Mulligan said as he surrendered his phone. "Something I'm missing here...?" Eddie rose his eyes when Patrick dropped his phone and started stomping on it immediately. "What the hell?!"

Mulligan gave one last stomp, making sure the phone was damaged beyond repair, before turning back to point a finger at Eddie. "Listen to me, kid, and listen good because I'm only telling it to you once. That story they told you down there? The one with the freaky, evil conspiracy that they sold you? It's just a conspiracy. A wide-eyed delusion, nothing more."

"Could have told me that before you broke my damn phone!"

"Listen to me, dammit! I'm trying to save your life here!" Patrick snapped, taking Brock in a speechless position as he breathed, trying to recompose himself. "...There are some things in this world that are worth chasing, and some things that just aren't. So those Demons you talked to? Let 'em chase after the thing that isn't worth it. Make up a different story, shit, talk about the Trial for all I care! Just do anything else that ain't about her."

Mulligan turned around to write something with a pen as Eddie stood there, just taking in everything that he just learned from this encounter. After a moment, Mulligan went back and gave Eddie a note.

"Here. Go to this address, talk to my guy. Tell 'em Detective Mulligan sent ya, they'll hook you up with a new phone, no questions asked." Mulligan turned around, straightening himself out before taking a hand on the door. "Do the right thing, kid. Walk away before it's too late."

Having said his piece, Mulligan opened the door and closed it, leaving Eddie alone in his apartment with a broken phone.

(Alright... I'm very certain that the cops are not on our side on this Shikata conspiracy.)

"...no shit."

Spider-Man's web slinging took him all the way over to Roosevelt Island, arriving at the Motorgate Garage, where Yuri Watanabe was with Chief Carter on her side.

"Hi, Captain..." Spider-Man greeted, tilting his head at the Chief. "...Uh, hello, Chief..."

"Relax, kid, I know you're one of the good ones," Chief Carter said, digging into his pockets. "Hell, I'm the one who suggested bringing you in on this delivery."

"Oh... That's cool..." Spider-Man raised a brow, tilting his head. "Delivery...?"

"You're aware of the controversy surrounding the Bloch Trial, right?" Yuri questioned, turning around to give a signal to an outside force. "The Maggia involvement behind it?"

"I'm guessing you're about to tell me that it's all true..."

"It's true, but we can't prove it," Carter informed. "But ever since what happened in April, the evidence that the DA gathered against Bloch started to disappear out of nowhere, month after month. At first, it was just people who moved out of town and couldn't get in contact with them, but then the murder weapon that had the perp's fingerprint DNA suddenly just vanished."

"How is that even possible?"

"We don't know," Yuri kept waving her hands in her direction as a UPS truck was driving out of the garage. "And until we find out exactly what the cause behind these disappearances is, the Chief and a handful of us kept the location of the remaining evidence a secret."

"Until the day came for Bloch to meet his day in court, which is now," Carter raised a hand to demonstrate the truck Spider-Man was staring at. "What's in there is damning evidence against the son of a bitch who shot up that mall. Transactions, intercepted sms messaging, and screenshots of where Bloch was at the time of the shooting, before and after."

"It's not much, but it's the best we've got to put him away," Yuri turned back to face Spider-Man. "Everything in that truck needs to be sent to the courthouse by five o'clock tonight."

"And you wanted to hide it all here on Roosevelt Island?" Spider-Man questioned. "Sorry to be a critic, but don't you think traffic is gonna be a little difficult tonight?"

"That's because we're not the ones who's going to deliver this evidence," Yuri took a duffle bag from the driver, turning around to hand the bag over to Spider-Man. "You are."

"M-Me?"

"You move around fast. Faster than any of our officers could ever dream to be," Chief Carter told Spider-Man. "The UPS truck is meant to play the role of misdirection in case anyone dirty enough decides to snitch to their bosses and give away the truck."

"But what nobody knows except for the four of us is that the real score is currently being delivered to the courthouse halfway ahead of us," Yuri told Spider-Man as she put the strap over his shoulder. "All you gotta do is meet with our contact. Name's Cherry, he works at the 15th Precinct. Surely you're familiar with the area."

"Kinda..." Spider-Man rested his hands on the duffel bag strap on his chest, feeling his heart pounding against it. "Uh... Listen, I think I should get this off my chest, and you might not like me for this, but... I have a bad habit of losing backpacks. Like... A LOT. Are you sure that I'm the right guy for this?"

"You're the only guy for this," Chief Carter told him. "That bag you're holding on to is more important than anything else. Whatever plans you got going on, whatever purse snatcher that's running down the street, you gotta put it all aside for this run."

"Whether or not you realize this, but you're the one person in this city that nobody is crazy enough to go after," Yuri said, trying to reassure Spider-Man. "You're perfect for this run. All you have to do is NOT. LOSE. THIS BAG."

"And to make sure that you do not damage the evidence inside it," Chief Carter added to Yuri's instruction. "A lot of people out there are counting on you to deliver that package. And I'm not speaking on just the behalf of the department. I speak on behalf of everyone whose friends and families were lost on April 9th."

Spider-Man looked at the two NYPD officials before him. He stood back, holding the strap closely, making a firm grip as he became motivated to do his part.

"...I'll get it to the courthouse before 5," Spider-Man said, agreeing with the side hustle. "I won't let either of you down."

Yuri sighed, appreciating Spider-Man's promise. "The truck driver will start driving to help give you time, but I'd get started right away. The earlier the evidence hits the courthouse, the better."

"Roger that," Spider-Man spins a web at a flagpole, performing a salute. "Wish me luck!"

Spider-Man flung himself into the air, heading directly to the bridge connected to Manhattan. While Spider-Man was on his way to the courthouse, he was being watched from afar with a pair of binoculars. The person who spied started making contact on their phone.

"I got eyes on the package. But we've got a problem. A Spider-Sized Problem."

"...Arrangements will be made. Do whatever means necessary to keep the evidence AWAY from that courthouse."

"I'm outside of the Jacks Credit Union Bank, where an incident involving the Demon group led to multiple casualties, including three hostages. One of them belonging to the criminal crime family, the Maggia, as Bradley McConnell was confirmed KIA with a single shot to the head..."

"A toast," A bottle of liquor was poured onto a glass as the hand that held it raised high. "To one of the meanest sons of bitches to ever live. And all the other mean sons of bitches who went down making that ugly bastard run last night!"

Clink!

Glasses clinked together out of respect of the recently departed as Hammerhead's group was sitting at the 414, drinking together while Hammerhead and Tombstone sat together at the bar.

"A shot to the head... Been a while since I've heard that phrase," Hammerhead sipped his gin, drinking with Tombstone. "Almost makes me forget about the monster of the night."

"At least Brad died on his own terms rather than the Boogeyman's." Tombstone downed a whole glass of bourbon, growling at the effects it had on his tongue. "I'll have another one, D."

"Coming right up," Delilah poured a shot of bourbon into Tombstone's glass, making contact with him and Hammerhead. "Sorry about your man. Bank robberies a bitch."

"Only as long as it depends on the crew who's running the robbery," Hammerhead replied as he engaged with Delilah. "In my day, when Silvermane and Rigoletto used to go way back, if you wanted to rob a bank, you'd at least give somebody the decency of a fair warning BEFORE you decide to shoot. These Demon punks? They have no decency at all, just impulsive, premature aggression. No respect shown to anyone."

"Once we find a permanent solution to the Black Spider, we'll wanna go after them," Tombstone pitched an idea to his employer. "Truth be told; we're being shoved into the sidelines. And everybody on our payroll's getting restless."

"Once we deal with the Boogeyman, the Demons are next," Hammerhead agreed. "Nobody shoots one of us and gets away with it. Nobody."

Delilah bit her lip as she watched the two clink their drinks together. "...Any chance Freddie's here right now?"

Tombstone sipped his bourbon, setting it on the bar in front of her. "Freddie's been with us after we posted his bail last night. Got a broken arm, but he'll live."

Delilah narrowed her eyes while Hammerhead watched her expression change awkwardly. "...about that..."

vrooom...

The lights flickered out. Electricity was gone, switching everything off including the TV, startling most of the patrons in the bar. While everyone was caught off guard, Hammerhead remained seated with Tombstone, staring at Delilah, unfazed by what just happened.

"Something you gotta say to us?" Hammerhead questioned as he watched Delilah back away quietly.

"I'm sorry about this."

"Good afternoon, Joe H!"

All the Maggia henchmen became deathly silent when a voice spoke through the darkness. Hammerhead turned around, hearing footsteps wander from below as two appeared in the bar. Two familiar faces.

"Apologies for the interruption," The Crime Master spoke as he walked with Shikata, who appeared more in person than she had the night before. "I don't mean to intrude, but I have some business that we would like to discuss with you."

Hammerhead narrowed his eyes back at Delilah, who just hung back in silence. Then he turned back to Crime Master, shrugging off with a professional smile. "Hey... After that tip you gave us about the Black Spider, I'd say I'm open ears with ya anytime."

"Appreciate the gratitude when it's noted," Crime Master joined Hammerhead and Tombstone at the bar, raising two fingers as Delilah served him and Shikata a drink as she sat next to Tombstone. "I promise, this will be relatively short."

"Sure," Hammerhead raised his glass, clinking it with Crime Master. "What do we gotta talk about?"

"Two things," Crime Master said as he took a straw and stirred his drink. "First and foremost, your guy Lloyd Bloch is getting the best Christmas gift he could ever have: a get-out-of-jail-free card."

Hammerhead raised a brow, staring at Tombstone as he shared the surprise expression. "...Really?"

"Really," Crime Master said while Shikata downed her drink with restless ease. "Though it is my duty to inform you that, since we are overseeing the Bloch Job, the evidence against your man is on its way over to the New York Courthouse. Not by the police, but by the one and only Spider-Man. But before you spoil your pants and decide to throw a fit, I've come to reassure you that we have our very best on the job. And even if that evidence reaches the courthouse, my employers have run the extra mile of providing... additional arrangements. So what I'm here to tell you, Joseph, is that you and your pals have absolutely nothing to worry about. All you gotta do is lay low until the trial ends, and then have one of your drivers be ready to pick Lloyd from the courthouse."

Hammerhead scoffed, feeling a little odd about how calmly reassuring this Crime Master was about the message he had given to him. "...that's it?"

"Well... There's that other matter I wanted to speak to you about," Crime Master told Hammerhead. "Actually, more importantly... Would it bother you if we invited Freddie over here for a minute?"

All the eyes of the Maggia turned, diverting on the one man with an armcast. He looked around, feeling a little tense by the staring and the mention of his name. Hammerhead joined in, adding a more aggressive stare as he turned away from Crime Master momentarily.

"Get over here, Fred."

Freddie nodded, rubbing his broken arm nervously as he climbed out of his seat and approached his boss and Crime Master personally.

"S-Something I can help with?" Freddie asked sheepishly, noticing how Shikata turned and stared at him with a viper's gaze.

"Well... I was hoping you'd tell your bosses what you was saying behind their backs," Crime Master mocked a southern accent as he turned around, holding his glass. "So we can help understand the offense you made."

Freddie raised a brow, confused while Shikata continued staring. "...but I don't understand... what offense?"

"Great question, Freddie boy," Crime Master turned his gaze between Tombstone and Hammerhead. "See, sometime ago, somebody was wandering this fine establishment during closing hours and spoke with the owner about this really fine lady. Of course, all the boys have a lady they'd like to dream about. Or a boy, perhaps. But this lady, well... Not only was she already spoken for, but our employers and I were led under the assumption that ain't nobody in this neighborhood, or any neighborhood, was allowed to speak her name, unless business was being conducted. So imagine how insulted Shikata must have felt when she heard a little bird giving the news that somebody was asking questions about her. And from where I'm sitting, from what we were told, the only way that somebody too stupid or naive enough to say her name so daringly so was because somebody else told them her name."

"...y-you think it was me?" Freddie stood back, frightened by the accusation, while everyone just kept staring at him.

"Well, from what the bird whispered into our ears... That someone else who told someone mentioned your name, Freddie," Crime Master revealed, making Freddie scared and defensive.

"Wait-wait-wait a minute, that's a mistake! I ain't ever talked to anybody about her! I'm not stupid enough to share her name with anybody I don't know!"

"Yet, according to our source, the words said about the description of the snitch were, "Freddie From The Maggia," Crime Master said while Shikata slammed her drink down, standing up to intimidate Freddie. "And believe it or not, you would be the only Fred we know that works in this family alone..."

"You have it wrong! I was in the hospital, in handcuffs! I got witnesses to back me up!" Freddie turned to his friends, who chose to keep their distance from the subject. "Louie, Nigel, back me up over here! Tell them I didn't say anything about her! I never said a word!" Freddie noticed Shikata pulling out a blade as she advanced on him. "I swear, I never said a word!"

"You know what?" Hammerhead stood up, walking over to Freddie while getting in Shikata's way. "As somebody who got out of the joint for a while, I'm still trying to acclimate to this new environment that I wandered myself into. But the way I see it, if somebody in this family offended anybody in any way, then we would make it our job to not only apologize for this offense, but to offer ourselves in service to the offended so we may find forgiveness as well as leniency for our transgressions. Is that something that we can arrange, Mr. Crime Master?"

Crime Master stared at Hammerhead, making a shrug while sitting cross-legged. "Where we come from, such a thing as clemency does exist in our shared circles."

"Ah... Clemency. I like the sound of that," Hammerhead rested a hand on Freddie's shoulder. "What say you, Freddie boy? Would you be willing to help us gain some clemency for this offense?"

Freddie nodded, desperately. "Y-Yeah. Anything you want done, I'll make it happen."

Hammerhead grinned, patting Freddie on the back. "Good boy."

Hammerhead kept his smile, chuckling while watching Freddie chuckling with him, nervously. Then he grabbed Freddie by both shoulders, lifting him to launch a brutal facebutt against his skull. With one furious blow, Freddie fell limp, unmoving, while blood poured from his earlobes and nose. His friends stared in horror, seeing how bloodshot Freddie's eyes turned after Hammerhead's unrelenting assault. Hammerhead sighed, grabbing a napkin off the bar to wipe the blood off his forehead, looking back at Crime Master and Shikata equally.

"...How's that for clemency?"

Crime Master and Shikata both glanced at each other, letting her sheath her weapon back in place while he spoke on their own behalf. "Consider the transgression on this matter resolved. All is forgiven. Allow us to take out the trash."

"Be my guest." Hammerhead turned to leave so he could clean himself up while everyone else stayed and watched Shikata grab Freddie by one leg and drag his bloodied figure with her as she accompanied Crime Master to his exit.

Peter P.

Got an errand to run. Bound to swing back around sometime after 5! ;)

"Well, I have a feeling he's gonna be late, as usual," Harry said, putting away his phone as he walked with Ned. "Looks like it's just you and me."

"For now," Ned replied as he hid his hands in his pockets. "It's been forever since we did this."

"Only a whole year's worth," Harry answered as he and Ned crossed the street. "And my god, what a year it's been."

"The only thing that sucks is that it's not even over yet," Ned informed, causing Harry to groan. "Two more weeks, and it's a whole new year."

"Amen..." Harry looked at a corner, giving Ned a nod. "Over here."

Harry led the way while Ned followed. Outside of the streets, they entered a vacant corner where few tread, an empty lot with nothing but graffiti and trash in between. Harry tested a ladder, and gave a thumbs up as he started climbing. Ned followed Harry from behind as they climbed a two-story building.

"Holy shit, it's high."

"Just don't look down, you'll be okay."

"Tell that to my fingers." Harry shivered, nearly making it to the top, when someone above walked over the edge.

"There you are!" MJ smiled, lending a hand as she helped Harry up. "Glad you could make it."

"Me too." Harry kissed MJ on the cheek before they both helped Ned climb up. "Have we got it started yet?"

"No, but you bet your ass we'll make it start!" Randy Robertson said as he helped set up a pit. "Just wanna say how thankful I am for y'all to be letting me be part of this. I always wanted to go camping!"

"This is just a bonfire, nothing more than that." Ned went over to assist Randy while MJ rubbed her shoulders.

"Good, because I do not want to spend one night sleeping outside in the cold." MJ told the party. "How many lighters did you guys bring? It's gonna be hard setting something up in this weather."

"Actually, I got it covered." Harry unzipped his backpack, letting out a package of bottles. "Everybody watch that ethanol!"

The four came together and helped set up a bonfire. After enough prep work, seats were made, and Harry, Ned, MJ, and Randy sat together in front of the working firepit they set up.

"Oh, man... Love that heat..." Randy hummed, relaxing himself. "...how soon do we start s'mores?"

"Well... Traditionally speaking, usually, we start s'mores when we're all together. Which normally starts with Ned, Peter, and me," Harry said. "But we're expecting a few more than we're used to, and Peter just said that he'd be coming sometime before five after he was through running an errand."

"Until then, that makes the four of us," Ned said. "Me, Harry, MJ, and you, Randy."

"So who else is coming? That's the question," MJ said as she sat cross-legged. "So far, we know Peter's coming, and so is GG."

"My girl..." Randy chuckled. "Who else?"

"Gwen." Ned answered. "She's with Gloria right now, trying to pick up graham crackers and marshmallows so we can start the party."

"And the chocolate?"

"Oh, absolutely." Ned nodded, answering MJ's question. "For now, it's just us four, hanging out in the snow."

"They better hurry it up, because I'm dying to try out some s'mores!" Randy said, eager while standing up, doing a little dance move. "ME HANGRY!"

Everybody laughed at Randy's mockup while Ned started sending a text with a laughing smile.

Peter's on an errand. How's the S'more Hunt going?

Gwen and Gloria departed their train and walked to their entry point, leading them into the Spider-Lair. Inside, Gwen took off her backpack and checked her phone relaxed on the chair while Gloria went over to open the fridge.

"Again?" Gloria mumbled, letting Gwen spin around and see an empty fridge.

"...Pizza's all gone already?"

"Girl..." Gloria shut the fridge, walking past Gwen with a lectured stare. "You outta tell your boyfriend to save some for the rest of us."

"You'd think after getting buried alive under a building, he would actually go straight back into superheroing before heading back for a quick snack," Gwen said as she spun back around to face the computer. "Although I was kinda hoping he'd come back here first."

Gloria went to the storage cabinet, picking up marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolates. "You didn't tell him yet?"

"How I spoke to my ex-boyfriend turned absolute alien murder machine at his crib?" Gwen shook her head. "Nope."

"He's gonna be pissed if he finds out you're holding out on him."

"I already told him about the beat-up gangster last night, I just... didn't mention Eddie being there," Gwen said while turning the computer on. "And besides the point, I still have to tell Peter about the third drive."

"Which your ex-boyfriend/alien murder machine somehow discovered his own?" Gloria questioned as she sent a thumbs-up text to Ned while Gwen rubbed her hair. "Yeah, you caught yourself in a deep shit situation, sister."

"I know! I know..." Gwen sighed, leaning back in stress. "I just have to talk to him first before Karen says anything. And she's bound to say something first unless I tell Peter like I told Karen I would."

"Just give him a call," Gloria finished packing up the essentials. "Rip open the band-aid, get it over with. And spare no detail about it as long as he knows about that thumb drive."

"Yeah, the thumb drive, which Eddie somehow discovered. I'm still trying to figure that out." Gwen straightened herself, looking at the screen as she saw a highlighted map of NYC, spotting a Spider-Man placard moving. "He's in the Manhattan area, traveling past Midtown. Looks like he's locked onto a pinpointed destination in Lower Manhattan. Is that the courthouse?"

"CALL HIS ASS!"

"OKAY, jeez..." Gwen put on the audio speaker before connecting to Spider-Man's comlink. "Pete, it's Gwen. Can we talk?"

"Yeah!" Spider-Man swung through the air, flipping sideways before moving the duffel bag to the front of his chest after landing his back on the wall. "OH! God, that was too close."

"Too close to what? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine! I-I just almost destroyed the evidence, that's all. heh."

"What evidence?"

"You know anything about the Lloyd Bloch Trial today?"

Gwen widened her brow, looking back at the map she glimpsed moments ago. "...that's why you're going to the courthouse."

"Yeah... Wait, how do you know that's where I'm going?"

"Oh, I'm in the lair," Gwen told her boyfriend. "GG's here with me helping gather s'more supplies for the bonfire..."

"Sup, bitch?"

"I'm speaking to you on the Web's transmission. You're delivering evidence against the Battery Park Shooter?"

"And I'm under strict orders from Yuri and the police chief to get the evidence to the courthouse BY 5 P.M," Spider-Man informed as he swung off the wall and placed the bag behind his back once again. "And they had me delivering it in a backpack of all things."

"Oh god... You're terrible at keeping backpacks!"

"Which is why I cannot take this bag off my back for any reason at all, and I sure can't have time to put a tracker on it to look for it tomorrow."

"No, you can't, today's a really critical day," Gwen agreed. "After losing most of the evidence from the Nightmare, the courts have let out over a dozen bad guys, some of whom you had to fight over the last couple of weeks. And if the DA doesn't have enough evidence against Bloch in time...!"

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I think Gwen has something interesting to share," Gloria mentioned, standing up after she got tired of Gwen prolonging the reveal. "Wouldn't you agree, Karen?"

"Karen?"

I recently received an update on an open objective, which Gwen informed me that she wanted to share with you in person.

"Thanks for the reminder..." Gwen gritted out with an irritated expression while Gloria mimicked a rip-off motion on top of a box of band aids she placed on her lap.

"Well, I appreciate the thought, but I don't think I can come see you right now..."

"No, it's okay, I just need you to listen," Gwen said, watching Spider-Man moving through the screen of his lenses after switching to see his POV. "So... I had Karen do something for me, and she located the final thumb drive that you were looking for. The one from the Black Cat incursion?"

"Oh, great!" Spider-Man leapt on top of a flagpole, keeping a watchful eye on Lower Manhattan from a long distance. "If I had to keep track, Cat's got one, I got one, and that leaves number three currently unoccupied for now."

"Actually... It's been occupied."

"How?"

"Eddie has the drive."

Spider-Man widened his brow, spinning a web to zip off the flag pole so he could glide through the air. "Eddie? Our Eddie?"

"The one and only ex-boyfriend/alien rage angry killing machine," Gwen confirmed with a quiet nod. "Our Eddie, alright."

"Oh crap. How did he get his hands on that drive? Actually, how do WE know he has the drive?" Spider-Man questioned while Gloria stared at Gwen, nodding at her while mouthing at her.

Tell. His. ASS.

Gwen stammered, narrowing her brow as she got ready to confess. "...well, we would know... because..."

Incoming call from Aunt May

"Crap. Sorry, I gotta take this."

"Peter, wait-!" Spider-Man disconnected just before he could hear the rest so he could answer May's phone call.

"Hi, May. How's everything?"

"I was just calling to make sure you were doing okay. I've been at work a lot, and I don't ever come home anymore."

"Well, I'm not at home right now, I'm just out and about, like a normal New Yorker should be."

"Of course. But if you are going out, please don't go anywhere near Lower Manhattan. I've been watching the news, and the area surrounding the courthouse is extremely packed. And I'm afraid if the courts do let go of that awful man..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Aunt May. I heard somebody on the job is making sure that awful man stays in jail for a long time," Spider-Man chuckled through the audio, unaware he was being monitored by Gwen and Gloria.

"How is this even possible?"

"GG, I swear to god..." Gwen found an alert on the screen, switching off to check out the map. "...are you seeing this?"

Gloria got off the couch, seeing red dots on the map. "Multiple alerts in the area... Right where Peter's going."

Gwen raised a brow. "...is that even possible?"

BOOM!

Gwen and Gloria became spooked by the loud noise the audio generated while Spider-Man was taken off guard by a sudden explosion from his perspective, seeing it from a distance a little off from his route.

"...are you kidding me?"

"Peter? What was that?"

"Uh... That was just a street performer! They just set out this really loud beat, it's so cool. Anyway, I gotta go, love you!"

"Well, alright. Take care!" Spider-Man heard the call disconnect, giving him a chance to speak freely.

"Karen, where was that explosion?"

Over a block away from ESU. Multiple civilians are reported trying to flee the fire!

"Dammit..." Spider-Man stopped, looking back at his route before turning to face the flame. "The courthouse is going to have to wait. Let's go!"

Spider-Man spun after where the danger lived. Entering the Greenwich area, Spider-Man found the building on fire as he saw people leaving the building, checking in on them on the ground.

"Hey, Spider-Man!"

"Is everybody okay?"

"We're fine down here. Everybody's mostly accounted for, but we heard somebody screaming for help on one of the top floors. I think they're trapped."

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"OK, call the fire department, I'll get them out!" Spider-Man launched into the source of the screaming, running through the fire as he kept his duffel bag on his back. "Hello! Hello, can you hear me?"

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

"I've come to get you out, just tell me where you are!"

"HELP! PLEASE HELP!"

Peter, I am detecting an unusual signal coming from this floor.

"It could be the trapped victim. Can you trace it?"

I'm pinpointing a radar system to help trace the victim.

"HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!"

"I'm COMING!"

Spider-Man ran through the fire and debris, trying to find the missing victim. He followed Karen's radar, tracing the source to an open room set ablaze, yet there was no one there.

"Hello! It's Spider-Man, I've come to rescue you!"

"HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Where are you?!"

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Peter, I think I found the source of the signal... Look to the ground in the middle.

Spider-Man walked to the middle of the room, looking down to see a phone that was generating a recorded audio that was set on a loop, causing an uneasy feeling in his gut.

"...what the heck?"

"HELP! SOMEBODY Heeeeeeellllllpp..."

The screams stopped as soon as Spider-Man turned off the device. Then his lenses squinted slightly when his senses warned him of an incoming danger.

"My hero!"

FWOOOOSH!

Spider-Man darted forward, away from the flames. Bouncing back, Spider-Man fired a web, but the web shot melted by the burning fuel that the perpetrator behind the fire used, appearing in a mostly black street clothing with a black vest and a black hoodie, and a welder's mask with flame tags painted on the chin of the mask.

"Hello, Spider-Man!" The arsonist was greeted with eager hostility as he showed off his flame gauntlets. "Butane at your service, and I'm really glad you showed up when I needed ya to!"

"Seriously? A pyromaniac?!" Spider-Man shrieked when Butane unleashed his flames, keeping his distance to make sure the fire did not hit the duffel bag. "I DO NOT need this right now!"

"Well, I can't have you delivering that evidence to the courthouse, now can I?"

"...what evidence?" Spider-Man questioned, jumping off the floor as he clung to the ceiling to avoid Butane's flame blast. "I never said anything about a courthouse."

"Argh... just give me the bag, bug boy!"

Peter, I've fully scanned the schematics of the arsonist's gauntlets. Would you like me to deploy the fire suppression protocol?

"Uh, yes, please!"

"Please, what? I don't know what you're... oh..."

Spider-Man hung on the wall as the spider on his chest dismounted from his suit, flying over to Butane. Then that spider split, dividing itself into multiple Spider-Drones as they hovered around Butane, making him try and send fire at them, which they dodged with excellent maneuverability.

"Oh, come on!"

Butane tried to destroy the drones, but failed at each shot. Then, once he became overwhelmed, the drones sprayed water vapor onto Butane's flames, pushing back with increased velocity that caused Butane's Gauntlets to die down and malfunction from the wet impact it had.

"Oh, COME ON!" Butane screamed, feeling frustrated when Spider-Man leapt off the wall and sprinted after him. "No, wait!"

Spider-Man gave him no chances as he jump-kicked Butane out through the window. Then he grabbed Butane by the hood, spinning a web back to the scene of the crime before sending Butane back up in the air, letting his Spider-Drones deploy web-shooters that forced the arsonist to be caught by a web hammock.

"...come on..." Butane moaned, shaking his head while Spider-Man checked on the duffel bag, seeing it safe and secure while engaging with incoming firefighters.

"Hey, that guy that's just sitting up there? He's the guy who set the building on fire, so let's leave him for the cops, K? Happy holidays!" Spider-Man spun a web, letting the fire department handle the rest. "OK, that guy knew about my route. How could he know that?"

It's not just the arsonist. I'm picking up multiple alerts pinging all over the area, ranging from this location all the way to our route to the courthouse.

"What? Show me!" Spider-Man stopped on top of the Washington Square Park arch, reading the map that Karen displayed for his eyes as he saw alerts popping up all over his route. "...how is this possible?"

Most of these alerts are not as extreme as the arsonist. We can still pick them up along the way...

"N-No! No, this is a distraction, that's all it is!" Spider-Man shook his head. "OK, contact the PD and alert them to these locations. We've got a job to do!"

Spider-Man swung back into his route where he needed to be. As he swung, Eddie Brock was looking at the sky above, seeing the Web-Slinger moving through the air.

"...is he wearing a duffel bag?"

(Who cares? Let's get snacks already!)

"OK, let's get in." Eddie walked inside of a deli, approaching the chef. "Hi. I'd like to purchase four burritos. One for me, and two for my roommate at home."

(Make that three.)

"Actually, make that three burritos for my roommate. He has diabetes."

(Liar.)

"Wait... You're Eddie Brock, right?" The person at the counter clocked, recognizing Eddie immediately. "Yeah, you were at that robbery earlier! How are you?"

"Fine, sir. How much for the burritos?"

"For you? Consider it on the house."

"Oh! Thanks!" Eddie grinned as he rested his hands into his pockets.

(Eddie... I spy three little pricks with guns outside.)

Eddie dropped his grin, turning around to see a car parking, letting three men out with automatic weapons. "...now...?"

"Everything okay, young man?"

"Hey, sorry, can I use your bathroom? I gotta pee."

"Take that door, turn left of the hall. It's right next to the exit."

"Thank you so much, I'll be right back!"

Eddie turned to take a "break". Meanwhile, the thugs outside prepared to initiate a robbery when Venom appeared, dropping on top of their getaway car.

"Guess who...?" Venom sang with a tease, terrifying his enemies.

"Shit! Wrong Spider!"

"RUN!"

The thugs aborted their mission, fleeing to the street while Venom stood and watched, oddly puzzled by what they said.

"...wrong Spider?"

(What was that about?)

Venom reached out with his tendril, stealing a phone off the thug's pocket without their notice. He took it, seeing a message on the device he had stolen from, as well as a photo of Spider-Man with the duffel bag.

1 MILLION CHECKOUT! STOP SPIDER-MAN/DESTROY TRIAL EVIDENCE

USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

"...huh..."

As Venom took into account the intel he had gathered, Gwen and Gloria remained at the lair to track down the alerts that were meant for Spider-Man to answer.

"Gwen, all these alerts, all this sudden crime activity; it's not a coincidence!" Gloria told her as Gwen shook her head.

"The rumors said that the Maggia had been involved with Bloch in making an early release. I guess that they knew Spider-Man was involved, so they decided to play dirty."

"I don't know about that, Gwen. The Maggia usually likes to make themselves known when they commit crimes." Gloria turned off the TV, putting her backpack on. "But whatever's going on, I gotta head down to F.E.A.S.T. If this crime wave hits the shelter, I want to make sure my family's safe..."

"Go, I'll take it from here," Gwen told Gloria, fully understanding of her situation. "Be careful, out there."

Gloria nodded, smiling lightly. "Don't be a stranger."

Gloria left the lair, leaving Gwen alone while she stayed and worked the keyboard, reconnecting with Spider-Man.

"Peter, it's Gwen! Are you still on route to the courthouse?"

"Yeah!" Spider-Man said as he swung through the air, leaving Greenwich Village. "Are you reading what I'm reading?"

"The crime wave has gone off the charts! It's like the Outbreak all over again, but it's coordinated!"

"All of it stretched all the way to the courthouse," Spider-Man ran across a building, wallrunning. "Gwen, we had a plan. The cops were supposed to be a distraction, but someone must have known..."

Incoming projectile, watch out!

"What the... AHH!"

"Peter!"

Spider-Man was caught by a pair of green bolas, forcing him to drop down from the sky. He maneuvered himself to land right on his feet, breaking a hole through the top floor that broke his fall and entered the floor below it. Spider-Man broke himself free, seeing himself standing in a parking garage.

"Holy shit, that was..." Spider-Man shuddered, stepping out of the broken debris. "How are my feet not broken?"

Thud!

Another pair of feet descended from above, landing right where Spider-Man had stepped off from. He thrner around, and that's when he saw him. The man in a green and purple costume. The Prowler.

"Who the hell is that?" Gwen questioned, seeing from Spider-Man's perspective. Meanwhile, Spider-Man kept his bag close to him, even while confronting a whole new opponent. "Karen...?"

I'm analyzing this individual, and there is absolutely nothing in the public database about this man. No identity, no matches. This would technically be the first public engagement this subject made.

"So... I don't usually say this about most of the bad guys that I meet, but... I really like your costume!" Spider-Man said while the Prowler stepped off to the floor. "I'm serious, it is a really cool design! Mind if I ask about your tailor?"

"Drop the bag and walk away, kid," Prowler told Spider-Man as his claws geared up for a fight. "You don't want to be part of this."

"Part of what? The putting-away-the-worst-guy-ever-part?" Spider-Man put on a defensive stance, squinting through his lenses. "Yeah, I beg to differ."

Spider-Man and Prowler engaged in combat, with Spidey making the first move as he jumped-kicked at the chest, but Prowler jumped high enough that he only kicked his purple cape instead. Landing with a roll, Spider-Man turned around and bent his back when Prowler turned and swung his daggered nails that burned green like they were fingertips.

Spider-Man flipped back after Prowler made his turn to attack, bouncing on top of a parked car and shooting a web in Prowler's direction. Prowler raised his fist, allowed the web to land on his gauntlet, then severed the web by swinging his open wrist to free his bound limb. Then Prowler raised his hand, and pincers fired from his gauntlet, making Spidey react and jump off the car as the pincers broke through the car window.

"Whoa, that was really dangerous!" Spider-Man went after Prowler, charging a fist at him. "Who told you those were toys?"

"You think you gonna sweet-talk me into revealing my secrets like all the street punks you deal with?" Prowler dodged Spider-Man's punches, then caught him by the shoulder with an arm lock, forcing Spider-Man to bend over. "You're out of your league, kid. Go home before you piss off the wrong people!"

Spidey's lenses squinted from the hold Prowler had on him as he lowered his sights to the ground. "You forgot to say... pretty please!"

Spider-Man moved and kicked Prowler's shin, forcing him to loosen his grip enough for Spider-Man to shake himself free to pounce on the green and purple-clad opponent, launching themselves on the ground. Spider-Man had the upper hand until Prowler lifted both feet on his stomach and threw Spidey off of him, letting the red and blue-clad hero land on both feet naturally. Prowler got back up, and the two masked men looked back at each other, having both been granted equal distance.

"Okay... who taught you how to fight?" Spider-Man questioned Prowler. "Was it the Power Rangers?"

"You one to talk, Jason." Prowler quipped, kicking his boots to switch his rockets on, launching himself on Spider-Man, slamming him against the wall before the Webhead threw the bag and spun a web to make it stick to the elevator door. Meanwhile, Gwen sat in her seat, curious by Prowler's words.

"Did... Did he just call you Jason?"

"wait..." Spider-Man coughed, feeling the sprain in his back while Prowler held him. "You called me... Jason... That's the name of the first Red Ranger! You just spoke nerd talk!"

"And you speak too much," Prowler pulled Spider-Man and tossed him against a car, but got kicked back in response, watching as Spider-Man flipped back and stood on the hood. "Go home, little man. Let this one go; it doesn't concern you."

"But apparently, it concerns you?" Spider-Man countered with a critical question as he kept his eyes on the bag on the door. "A guy like Bloch is a really terrible person, but here you are, trying to beat me up with a slightly cooler costume, and referring to me as the Red Ranger. I could be wrong, but you kinda look like a nice guy under the mercenary-for-hire get-up."

"And you look like some good kid under the Avengers' endorsed costume," Prowler replied, sharing some acknowledgement to Spider-Man's reply. "But that's your problem. You're young. You surround yourself with people like Stark and Fury so much that you can't even look past the mirror to see how the world really works without one of them holding your baby hand with an open flashlight in the other that keeps you blind from the truth."

"As much as I appreciate the one minute of you not trying to beat me up, I really do not appreciate you calling me a baby!" Spidey snapped, jumping forward to launch a kick down on Prowler, who pulled back from his attack. "I don't remember ever calling you anything mean, not once!"

"Here's something to remember by," Prowler spoke, raising his arms to guard himself from Spider-Man's punches. "That package you're trying to deliver? It won't change anything."

"It'll put a murderer behind bars," Spider-Man replied with a swift left kick to Prowler's hip, but his kick was caught, making Prowler throw him over, forcing Spidey to rebalance himself. "It'll have to be enough."

"You hearing, but you ain't listening, youngblood!" Prowler dropped something from his belt, and multiple projections of himself appeared, taking Spider-Man off guard as they all swarmed after him. "There are forces at play here with Bloch's Trial. Forces that will do anything and everything to make sure that whatever happens with the verdict, Bloch goes free, whether we like it or not!"

"And why on Earth would you... Ah!" Spider-Man ducked his head to evade a jab in the face, jumping up to defeat a Prowler hologram with a swung kick to the head, letting it disintegrate into green particles. "Why not stop it?!"

"Because there ain't no stopping it," Prowler responded while Spider-Man kept fighting his holograms. "Once the forces that be want something done, it's gonna get done one way or another. And if you try to stop it, all you're gonna do is get on their watchlist. And when that happens, they're coming for you and everybody you ever talked to."

"Are you threatening me?!" Spider-Man questioned as he unleashed electric webbing to disable all the holograms to locate the real Prowler, moving close to the elevator door to retrieve the duffel bag.

"Not me, kid." Prowler's hologram faded in front of Spider-Man, stepping in the real Prowler. "Just the people in charge."

Prowler used his rocket boots with one leg to slide kick Spider-Man by the chest, pushing him into an empty elevator shaft. Spider-Man tried to hang on and get back up when Prowler jumped in and kicked Spider-Man by the chin after stabbing the wall with a claw to hold on. Prowler's action made Spider-Man fall for a bit, reaching his hands to spin webs and hold himself in the air and the bag that he dropped down the shaft.

"Sorry, little man," Prowler narrowed his eye on a wire cable. "Whatever happens now, it's gonna suck."

Prowler used his escape to swipe the wire cables on his way out, forcing the elevator high above Spider-Man to shift and move violently under gravity's will.

"Oh crap-!"

SLAM!

The elevator forced itself onto Spider-Man, sending him plummeting onto the ground floor. Prowler retreated to the surface, walking to the elevator door to pry it open. When Prowler opened the door, all he found was an empty shaft, and a Spider-Kick in the chest after Spider-Man got out with the bag intact, letting the elevator hang on a web net.

"You know... That actually SUCKED!" Spider-Man snapped as he shot a web grenade, effectively keeping Prowler immobile on a car. "Great chat, but I've got a package to deliver now."

"They ain't gonna let you do that." Prowler squirmed from the webbing as Spider-Man checked on the bag, seeing it was still secure.

"Yeah? Who and what army?" Spider-Man turned to walk away with a sarcastic question. Then his eyes narrowed when his senses became triggered. He ducked down, immediately jumping onto the ceiling to avoid another projectile in the form of...

...a boomerang?

pouuUUEEEPP!

Spider-Man turned, seeing trucks parking right in front of the exits. Then his senses became triggered again, and Spider-Man dropped down when a masked offender wearing a red and black jumpsuit with gloves, kneepads, elbow pads, a black armored vest, and a balaclava mask with black strips attached to his head, leaving nothing, but naked eyes to peek through. In addition, he also wore boots that had retractable blades attached to them. And he showed those blades off when he swung a kick in the air that cut through the webbing trapping Prowler where he was.

Becoming free once again, Prowler stood with the man in red and black, as well as a man in blue and white gear that used boomerangs as weapons, joined by an army of goons that came in to surround Spider-Man.

Multiple hostilities detected, exceeding tolerated parameters. No public records identified any of them.

"...uh-huh..." Spider-Man kept a defensive stance, readying himself for a fight against a bigger audience. "A party made just for me? You guys shouldn't have."

"I tried to be nice to you upstairs," Prowler told Spider-Man as he joined in on the mass offense. "Was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

"Oh shit..." Gwen breathed, seeing Spider-Man go up against an actual army, when she got a phone call from an unknown number she had answered. "I'm sorry, but whoever's calling, I can't talk..."

"Your boyfriend wouldn't happen to be in a garage fighting off some bad guys in two murder trucks, right?"

Gwen widened her eyes, listening to the voice on the other end of the call. Hearing Eddie speaking. "...Where are you?"

"Tell Peter he owes us big time."

click!

She gasped, hearing the call disconnect while she watched from Spider-Man's POV, keeping the bag on his back, standing up with firm fists.

"You want this bag? You'll have to get to me f-!"

CRASH!

The wall behind Spider-Man broke apart, startling him and the rest of his combatants when out of nowhere came the Lethal Protector in the flesh, snarling with menacing glee.

"Did someone say they were throwing a party?" Venom joked, moving past Spider-Man while startling the rest of their enemies. "Why did nobody invite me?"

"Eddie..."

"Oh shit!"

"SHOOT THAT UGLY BASTARD!"

Shots were fired, and Venom produced a shield to protect himself and Spider-Man, allowing them time alone as the symbiote grabbed Spider-Man with one hand.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Saving you for one thing, you ungrateful little shit!" Venom snapped as he carried Spider-Man out from where he came out of. "Now run back to the courthouse where you're supposed to be, little Spider."

"The courthouse... how did you know...?!"

"Just RUN, Parker!" Venom shouted before throwing Spider-Man out of the hole, covering it up with his black webs before turning back to the hostiles. "You wanna party? LET'S PARTY!"

"NOOOO-!"

CHOMP!

Venom went on a rampage in the garage, taking apart the ambush that was set for Spider-Man. As for Spider-Man, he was thrown so strongly, he had to use his gliders to slow his velocity down into an immediate stop, moving right on top of a museum under a church. He looked back, seeing the trucks parked in the garage being shaken, presumably by the violence.

"holy shit..."

"Peter..."

"It's him... Eddie, he's...!"

"You gotta go!" Gwen told him, shaking her head furiously. "You can't fight him, and you can't stop now, not as long as you still have evidence to turn over!"

"Gwen, he's going to...!"

"Stick to Fury's Plan!" Gwen lectured, narrowing her eyes awkwardly. "...whatever that is."

Spider-Man's eyes bulged, shaking his head furiously. "Goddammit..."

Spider-Man, against his better judgment, focused on his priorities as he made it headfirst for the courthouse. Back in the garage, Venom was making a killing, letting bullets rub off him like it was nothing. His tendrils grabbed two cars and instantly crushed three gunmen upon slamming both vehicles together. Prowler watched from a distance, shaking his head at two of his costumed allies in the area.

"This fight's a lost cause." Prowler dropped a pack of smoke bombs before he cloaked himself. "Fall back and scatter!"

"Not like I'm getting paid enough to handle that thing anyway!" The man with the boomerangs snipped before running with his red and black companion, fleeing from the killbox through the smoke. Some of the lucky few managed to follow suit, but the rest got caught up in the smoke, and friendly fire ensued. One got shot up by a hailfire of bullets, and the one responsible paid the price by letting Venom grab them by the head and ruthlessly bodyslam them against a parked vehicle.

Soon enough, one of the gunmen who survived limped back to one of the trucks and drove away, leaving behind the unfortunate few who tried to escape before being dragged by symbiotic tendrils. Screaming lasted for one more minute, until all that remained was silence, and the Lethal Protector who stood out of the garage, unleashing a shrieking roar into the sky.

"I'm standing outside of the courthouse where the protest against the Battery Park Shooter continues unchallenged, as well as evidence against the shooter remains unpresented. With only 30 minutes before the courts officially close for the day, the judge will be left with no other choice but to declare Lloyd Bloch free of all charges, marking yet another criminal case file dismissed..."

"Hey, up in the sky, LOOK!"

The reporters, along with everyone in general, turned their eyes in amazement as Spider-Man came in, landing on the courthouse steps as he approached the police right outside of the protest.

"HI! Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, happy to be of service," Spider-Man announced himself to the cops. "Can I speak to somebody who goes by Cherry?"

"You the one we're waiting for?" The one known as Cherry stood up, walking over to Spider-Man while the Wall-Crawler approached him, moving up the steps.

"Captain Watanabe and Chief Carter wanted to deliver some long-overdue holiday cheer." Spider-Man delivered the duffel bag, handing it over to Cherry. "They thought you guys could use the boost."

Cherry unzipped the bag, nodding as he saw the evidence being held inside the bag. "You've no idea. This is exactly what we were waiting for, you just helped make a lot of people happy!"

"Happy to do my part," Spider-Man nodded, waving at the cops. "Have fun in there, officer."

"Thanks, Spider-Man. You really are one of the good ones!"

Spider-Man nodded, turning around to wave at the crowd in front of him before looking up and shooting a web to make his departure, letting the world film him with every second they could.

"...wow... did you get all that? That... That was New York's most controversial superhero at the courthouse, having an interaction with the police while handing over what may be the crucial evidence against the Battery Park Shooter! As you can see behind me, the crowds have become mad with excitement and hope as justice may finally be served to the families of the victims on April 9th. Could we be witnessing a Christmas miracle at long last? Time will only tell by the end of this trial."

"JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS!"

"NEW YORK STRONG!"

"GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT!"

"THANK YOU, SPIDEY!"

The crowds roared in epic applause, celebrating what felt like one of the most glorious victories ever imagined. Spider-Man hung back on a spot, hearing their cheers from below as he made contact with Gwen.

"You did it," Gwen said, smiling as she felt a pang of pride for her boyfriend. "Bloch is going to be put away, thanks to you."

"Yeah... I know what that's like, wanting somebody put away for something really bad." Spider-Man spoke, removing his mask halfway through, where his face could be seen. "Just wanted to return the favor for everybody else."

Incoming call from Captain Watanabe.

Peter sighed, closing his eyes. "...I gotta take this call."

"I know. I'm gonna disconnect now, let's meet up where Ned and Harry wanted us to meet."

"Yeah... See you there." Peter ended the call to answer Yuri's call. "Hey. I got the job done."

"I heard. Got a lot of feedback from some of the people I've helped cope with the April 9th Shooting. You did a good thing today."

"Anything else I can do for you, Cap?"

"Nothing else left to do but to let the jury handle the rest. Thank you for doing this, Spider-Man. I've heard you ran into trouble on the way over."

"Yeah... Trouble," Peter put his mask back on. "Listen, I got something to take care of..."

"I already had units sent to respond to 911 alerts on your route. I don't think there's anything else to take care of."

"That's not what I..."

"I wouldn't worry about it; they're already dead."

Spider-Man turned around, shocked to find Eddie just sitting on the same roof ledge he was standing on top of, swinging his feet out while looking down on the masses below him.

"...Anyway, I gotta go."

"Of course. Take care, Spider-Man."

Spidey ended the call, taking a step back from Eddie as he made clenched fists, squinting his eyes while preparing himself for an immediate engagement.

"...If we wanted to kill you, don't you think we would've done it at the garage?" Eddie questioned rhetorically. "Or are you scared we might take your mask again?"

"...how did you know about where I was going?" Spider-Man questioned Eddie, who replied by throwing him the phone Venom took from earlier, making him catch it. "What's this?"

"Some prick's phone that we took without them noticing. They wanted to rob the deli we were inside of, so we stopped them." Eddie answered, narrowing his eyes on Spider-Man. "Non-Lethally, of course."

Spider-Man tilted his head, removing his mask completely as he stared at Eddie. "And you didn't think to non-lethally stop those guys in the garage back there?"

"Was that supposed to be a thank you?"

"Eddie... You realize what you're doing is wrong, right?" Peter questioned critically. "You killed people. Not one person, people. A whole bunch of people."

"Not good people."

"And that makes it right?" Peter asked rhetorically while Eddie pulled himself away from the ledge to stand. "Do you even feel bad about all the lives you took, or is Venom making you not care anymore?"

Eddie snickered, turning over to take one good glance at Peter. "...Did you think Norman Osborn felt bad about the people he killed before you took him out?"

Peter felt a nerve hit him when Eddie asked him a daring question. He took back, tightening his fists further while taking a deep breath, feeling his heart pounding inside his chest.

"...That's not what happened."

"But what happened still happened."

"I didn't. KILL HIM!" Peter snapped, stepping forward with a finger pointed at Eddie. He took a step back, pulling his finger back into a waving fist. "...he killed himself."

"And good riddance for it!" Eddie replied coldly, stepping back from Peter after he leaned his head forward to make that savage comment. "Sucks for Harry, obviously, but you don't hear everybody else bitching about it."

"And what are you doing here, then?" Peter questioned, getting sick of Eddie's disregard for his words. "You climbed all this way just to mock me?"

"Actually, we came up here to make sure you delivered that evidence WITHOUT any other dipshit trying to screw everything up for everybody else," Eddie answered. "But yeah, your thanks are appreciated."

"So that's what you're looking for?" Peter scoffed, shaking his head. "Did you come here wanting me to say thank you?"

"We didn't do what we had to do for you; we did it for them," Eddie raised his finger, pointing down at the masses. "Those people outside that courthouse are just like you. Angry, vengeful, committed to see justice being done, and we just gave it to them."

"Oh god!" Peter stood back, rubbing his head. "Are you really saying we, as in the three of us?!"

"Are you officially acknowledging Venom as a person, now?" Eddie stepped forward, proceeding with this argument. "He's more than a piece of goo that you took home just to toss out like garbage!"

"...You know what? You're right, he's more than just a piece of goo. He's a parasite!" Peter snapped harshly. "A parasite who only feeds off of your rage while making you have an excuse to feel good about it!"

Eddie tilted his head, taking a step forward as his feet morphed into inhuman toes, becoming the symbiote personified as Venom, marched to Parker, leaning down while seeing how intimidated he was.

"...and how do you think Harry will feel about you, when he finds out you let his father die?" Venom came back with an even harsher question. "How well will your friendship hold if he were to discover your part in it?"

"Leave Harry out of this!"

"Then stop calling me a parasite," Venom retorted, turning his back on Peter with a grin. "When you and I know which one of us is the truest parasite of them all."

Peter stood still, keeping himself together while Eddie changed back into his human form. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

Remember the plan

"...This has to stop, Eddie," Peter told him, reopening his eyes. "One way or another, you're going to do something you can't ever take back, and then you'll give everybody an excuse to come after you. And it won't just be me."

"Look, I've already had this talk with Gwen," Eddie scolded, making Peter raise a brow. "The last thing I need is to prolong it even further with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're done here, Parker."

"About Gwen!" Peter called out, making Eddie freeze. "What did you mean by that?"

Eddie turned around, looking back at Peter. "...She didn't tell you she visited my apartment yesterday?"

Peter was taken aback, stepping forward after Eddie. "What was she doing there?!"

"Why don't you go back to Gwen and ask her yourself? You're not the boss of us." Eddie told Peter, walking backwards to the ledge. "Adios, Iron Boy Jr."

Eddie back-jumped off the roof, letting Venom switch to leave the area, while Peter was left utterly speechless. Looking back, he put his mask back on, breathing through it in the cold air.

"...Karen... What did Gwen want to tell me?"

Are you sure you wouldn't rather she tell you herself?

"Karen, please... How did we know Eddie had the last drive?"

The trial of Lloyd Bloch continued uninterrupted, proceeding with a well-paced delivery as the prosecution spoke up, having been given undeniable evidence that was desperately needed.

"As you can see, these messages were made just hours before the shooting started, with Bloch being given direct instructions to enter the Battery Park mall with the explicit intent to do harm." District Attorney Jennifer Walters explained, taking charge as she spoke to the judge and jury of the court. "The screenshots here prove that Bloch was in fact within the area during the attack, with the murder weapon on hand. You've heard over a dozen handfuls of testimonies to back up this evidence. And more importantly, we have the receipts that have Mr. Bloch's name on the record. Now that you've seen this proof up close, it is up to you to do the right thing and declare this man guilty of manslaughter in the first degree."

"...Mr. Donovan, care to say a few words on behalf of the defense?" The judge asked as Benjamin Donovan stood up after Jen took her seat.

"No words needed, your honor."

"Very well... We shall resume after a twenty-minute recess, and then the jury will return with the verdict."

Bang!

The gavel banged as cameras continued to stream the last few seconds before going on break. Robbie Robertson was in the hospital, sitting next to Jonah's patient bed as he watched everything on the phone. The door opened, and Eddie let himself in before quietly closing it.

"How's he doing?" Eddie asked, turning to look at Jonah while Robbie put away his phone.

"He's just resting. Blood pressure was high, but he'll live." Robbie leaned forward, looking at Eddie directly. "I thought you were ignoring my texts."

"Believe it or not, some jerk cop broke my phone," Eddie told Robbie as he took a seat next to him. "Sorry, I couldn't read it. Were you trying to tell me about Jonah?"

"I was... And to tell you to stay away," Robbie answered, letting Eddie sigh. "His wife's coming over, and she ain't gonna be happy if she finds you in here."

"She's not the only one who's in line," Eddie nodded, tapping his foot. "But I won't be long. I just wanted to check on him, and then I'll be on my way."

Robbie stared at Eddie, curious about what he said. "...what did you mean when you said a cop broke your phone?"

Eddie blinked, turning to Robbie. "Did I say that outloud?"

(Yes, you did.)

"Yes, you did."

"...huh..." Eddie leaned back, scratching his neck. "Um... About that..."

"Did you report the officer?"

"No..."

"Do you have a name?"

"I do, but..."

"But what are you waiting for?" Robbie questioned, appearing concerned for Eddie. "Did you get yourself into some kind of trouble?"

(YES.)

"...I don't know, actually," Eddie said in his own honest opinion. "But I tried asking questions, and... It raised some red flags in some very percarius circles."

"What kind of flags are we talking about?" Robbie asked while Eddie leaned forward, holding his own hands.

"...you ever seen somebody shoot themselves in the head because they're terrified of the question you wanted to ask them about?"

(I'm fairly certain he shot himself because of ME, but that was a meager coincidence, and I won't bitch about it.)

Robbie was disturbed by the question that Eddie presented to him, but went on to full-on reporting mode. "...the reports mentioned one of the Demons you spoke of having a bullet in the head when the authorities investigated the bank. Is that what happened today?"

(Among other things...)

Eddie leaned against his chair. "I um... I met this... source from inside the Maggia. Told me about somebody bad, that nobody is supposed to talk about. I went to ask somebody else about it, and they kicked me out of the bar for it. Then I asked a cop about it, and he took my phone and stomped on it before walking out of my apartment."

"What kind of questions are you asking, Eddie?"

"Oh, now that's the dilemma," Eddie spoke, folding his arms. "Because if I asked you the question, and you don't know the answer, then there could be a chance that I could be putting you in danger. So if I do ask you this question, and you have absolutely no idea what that is, then I'm gonna need you to promise me that you'll help try looking into it while maintaining a very low profile about it. Get me?"

"...I had a friend of mine who worked at the Bulletin who was good at asking questions that nobody wanted to ask. It cost him his life, but he did his job right, and it exposed the right people into who and what they really were." Robbie nodded at Eddie. "Whatever you want to ask me, I'll do my part to keep quiet, if I have to."

"...You know a woman who goes by Shikata?"

"OK, so get this: what rhymes with s'mores?" Randy asked his group while they sat together on the roof. "Come on, guess!"

"Let's start with lore," Harry answered, talking to Randy. "Wanna guess the exact year s'mores were invented, and who did it?"

"The Girl Scouts, in the mid-1920s," MJ gave her answer to the group. "They packaged it officially in 1927, but I feel like they kinda ripped it off from somebody else during a camping trip way back."

"OK, but there was other stuff too, before the s'mores came into the big picture," Ned said. "And MJ was right because there was actually treats that were made with the same ingredients as a s'more, but they were all made differently. It has been on the shelves since 1913. Does anyone here eat mallomars?"

"Oh man, I loooove mallomars," Randy confirmed. "I wanted to try cooking the mallomars into a microwave so I could turn them into s'mores. But I went to the bathroom, and I came back to find the microwave on fire."

"Oh shit!"

"Yeah, I had it set for a minute..."

"Oh... no!"

"Yeah... My parents got really pissed at me that day," Randy explained as MJ and Ned were stifling their laughter. "Turns out if I wanted to cook s'mores, I'd have had to cook them for fifteen seconds or less."

"So what happened?" Harry asked Randy, who answered truthfully.

"Dad banned me from using the microwave on mallomars ever again," Randy nodded. "And you know what? I dig this old method anyway because it has that feel-good, camp vibes. Almost makes it natural."

"...There was also a pie," Ned said, taking everyone's attention to him. "Yeah, they called it moonpie. 1917."

"Oh yeah, it was produced by the same group who brought oreo cookies to life in 1912..." Harry explained when he saw someone climbing the ladder. "And look who it is!"

Everyone turned around to find a new face to warm up to the bonfire as Peter Parker walked in, smiling.

"Hey, everyone," Peter greeted his friends, taking a seat next to Harry and Ned. "You guys talking s'mores trivia without me?"

"Actually, the correct term would be s'mores lore," Randy coined it, making everyone laugh. "Yeah, that's right! And I'm trademarking it, so don't fight me on it!"

"Hey... You can have it." Harry gave his consent as he turned to Peter, sitting comfortably on his chair while resting his hands against the open flame. "You get here, okay?"

"Kinda," Peter answered, glancing between Harry and Ned with a reassuring smile. "I uh... Ran into some really... really crazy folks. But it was nothing I could handle."

"Yeah... I hear the Bloch Trial is really getting to people out there."

"Hey, no! We came up here not to discuss any of the scary stuff, okay?" Harry told Peter and Ned equally. "What is our number one rule on S'mores Day?"

"Throw all our problems out the window for one day..." Peter and Ned said together while Harry wrapped his arms around the two.

"Exactly! So let's make sure to stick to the rules that separate us from the animals, okay? I'd like to have nothing more, but feel good vibes the whole time," Harry said, catching his eye on the ladder. "And speaking of good... Hello!"

"Hey!" Gloria climbed up the ladder, getting help from Randy and MJ. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to stop by at my place. Wanted to check on my fam real quick. It was kind of a family emergency."

"Where's Gwen?" MJ asked. "Wasn't she with you?"

"I'm down here!" Gwen called out, reaching her hand out. "Can someone give me a hand?"

"I got you." Peter went over, pulling Gwen off the ladder as the two reached eye contact. "I got you. You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Absolutely, sure?"

"Dude, I climbed a ladder, I'm alright," Gwen nodded, patting Peter's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

Peter looked at Gwen, then smiled as he held onto her while Gloria went over to the bonfire, unloading her sack. "Alright... Who's up for some S'MORES?"

"Hell. YES!"

"Somebody put on that playlist!"

Midnight City by M83 played in the background while everyone celebrated together as they all joined at the bonfire. Some additional ethanol was needed to refuel the flame while Harry introduced everyone to a poker stick. Mounting their own, individually handcrafted snack, everyone reached their sticks above the open flame. Some were successful in making a delicious s'more, while a few made some minor messes, such as when Peter and Randy both messed up their s'mores when they both melted off their sticks. Ned got caught up in his own laughter that he ended up losing track of his s'more, having been lowered too close to the fire.

"Ned, your s'more!"

"Oh shit!"

"HA!"

"OH SHIT!"

After some more shits and giggles, everyone tried again at their s'mores, this time, having a relatively different outcome. Though each s'more was not perfect, it was good enough to enjoy as they all ate through the treat, making messes out of their mouths. After a moment, most of the group splintered off so they could all have private, individual discussions with each other. Peter and Gwen were with Harry and MJ as both teen couples stood together, overlooking the New York skyline, lined across the Manhattan shoreline.

"You know, this was the most chill party I've ever been to," MJ said, looking at Harry and Peter. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for coming," Harry expressed his thanks, looking back at Peter and Gwen. "All of you, really. Thank you. I've had so much on my mind that I really could have used this distraction."

"Hey... What do we say about our number one rule?" Peter questioned, pointing at Harry. "J'accuse much?"

"Fine, you got me!" Harry grinned. "All I'm saying is; I'd really like to finish this year with more stuff like this. Like Coney Island, for example, that's opening back up next up."

"Oh, that's on my watchlist," Gwen said. "Everyone's really amped up for the Coney Island grand reopening."

"First thing I wanna do is hit the rides as soon as I can," MJ revealed her plan. "Cannot leave without going on a ride once."

"Hell. Yes! And I'd be honored if you would have me by your side." Harry said to MJ as they smiled at each other. "You wanna get some more snacks?"

"Plenty of crackers and marshmallows left."

"You're on."

Just like that, Harry and MJ moved on to grab another s'more while Peter and Gwen stood together, watching the water splashing on the docks across from where they stood.

"...This has been really fun, hasn't it?" Peter asked her, holding Gwen's hand intimately. "At least, I think it's fun..."

"This... has been exceptionally fun," Gwen said to him, keeping her smile. "I never get to do this. I've been camping before, but not on this level."

"...Harry's Mom used to do this with him when he was growing up," Peter told Gwen, raising her interest. "She introduced it to us when we came over one time, and he said that they would do it at least once a year. After she died, we came together, and we honored her memory by preserving this by calling it S'mores day. Or night. Whenever we wanted to do it, preferably after school ended."

"...You are so full of surprises, aren't you?" Gwen asked softly, smiling at Peter as the two got closer. Then she lowered her eyes, leaning further to prepare for a kiss.

"...Eddie came to talk to me earlier," Peter interrupted, making her open her eyes as he gently pushed back from the kiss. "And um... He said something to me."

Gwen stared at Peter, quietly while she squeezed her hand on his. "...what did he say?"

Peter breathed, lowering his eyes on the ground before pulling away from her.

"...Why did you have to go to his apartment yesterday?"

Gwen raised her eyes, seeing how his rose up, seeing how Peter was feeling hurt by this info. She breathed, reaching out to hold both of his hands together, raising them on his chest. "...he didn't hurt me."

"Which one?"

"Neither of them, I swear..."

"So why didn't you tell me about it sooner?" Peter questioned, worried about Gwen. "That sprain on your wrist, was that because you-you followed Venom last night?"

"Peter... Look, I wanted to do something..." Gwen tried to speak, explain herself when Peter's phone started to vibrate. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to pull away once again as he took out his phone.

"...It's May. I gotta take this, we'll talk more about this later." Peter told Gwen before turning around to answer the phone. "Hi, May. I'm with my friends right now..."

"Stop whatever you're doing and go home!"

Peter's eyes widened, hearing the urgency in his Aunt's voice. "...why? What's wrong?"

"It's the Bloch Trial! The verdict came, but something went wrong... and now people are starting to become violent..." Peter put on the speaker to let Gwen in on the conversation, letting her know how concerned she was. "Listen to me, DO NOT try to find me! Don't come anywhere near Manhattan! And if it gets out from here, then take your friends if you have to, go back to our apartment and stay there! DO NOT open the door unless a police officer is knocking, do you understand?!"

"May... what do you mean...?" Peter looked back at Gwen, who was startled as he was. "What happened at the trial?"

"Oh my god!" Ned yelled, making everyone pay attention. "Is anyone seeing this?!"

Manhattan Superior Court

4:55 P.M.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor," The representing juror stood up, holding a sheet of paper to announce the verdict. "On the charges of first-degree murder, homicide, and assault, use of unlawful possession of illegal weaponry, we find the defendant, Lloyd Bloch, guilty."

"Thank you, that will be all."

The audience sitting on the prosecution's side clapped their hands together upon hearing the verdict being announced. Witnesses such as Leland Bankole sat on their seats, tearing up out of relief and heartache. The defense looked back on the prosecution's side, silently sneering at them while his lawyer stood up, raising his voice to speak up.

"Your honor, if I may offer a moment of your time."

"Make it quick, Donovan. We are nearing closing hours."

"I promise, I won't be long," Donovan spoke up, rising with the defendant. "Your honor, we request a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. It is my understanding that the jury's decision was based on heavily biased testimony, along with insufficient evidence that was randomly brought in out of the blue by someone who acts more like of a vigilante than he does a sanctioned, government official on behalf of an organization who has been renowned for covering up their crimes as well as making up the crimes of others, and thus should be dismissed."

"Mr. Donovan, such an appeal would require that the jury itself be granted circumstantial evidence rather than direct evidence presented over the course of this trial." The judge told the defense, making Jennifer Walters nod with a smug smile. "And it is my conclusion that I find this appeal to be legitimately appropriate."

Jen's smile faded immediately, raising her head at the judge while the audience sitting on the prosecution's side became gravely concerned. "...Your honor... The evidence presented clearly shows…"

"The evidence presented that was brought forth by a vigilante?" The Judge responded harshly, taking Walters back by the sentence alone.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I must agree with Mr. Donovan on this," The Judge says, raising many alarms as the prosecution turns a critical stare at the one who holds the scales. "It appears to me that the evidence that was presented here in this courtroom was presented at the very last minute, none other than by some careless, impulsive adolescent in a costume. Mr. Bloch had no evidence of being involved in the assault for days, and suddenly, this proof was just produced right before the hour of his sentencing? Proof that was delivered by a lawlessvigilante who can crawl on walls? I'm really supposed to take his word over the defendant's?"

"Your honor, that opinion by itself feels extremely prejudicial in the expression alone; would you care to recuse yourself?"

"There is no bias in my judgment, Miss Walters. Only facts," The Judge explained, proceeding with the lecture. "And the fact is that the Spider-Man in question was involved in delivering this circumstantial evidence to this case. The same Spider-Man who has violated the Fourth Amendment by live-streaming his engagement with an alleged Kingpin, and not to mention the fact that I recently recieved word that this evidence was delivered in collaboration with some creature that likes to bite people's heads off."

"What the hell?" Eddie muttered under his breath, joining a crowd that was standing in front of the TV store streaming the court case, some of whom expressed discontent with the Judge's words.

"So it is with my understanding that we're supposed to take in these circumstantial evidences brought on by vigilantes who are openly sponsored by powerful men like Tony Stark and Nick Fury, and we're the ones who are supposed to be okay with the alleged idea that this defendant before me is ultimately guilty because… some stranger in a mask says so?"

"Your honor, I'd like to approach…"

"You may not."

"I actually insist-!"

"Take your seat, Miss Walters."

"What you are doing right now is not just a blatant disregard of your duties as a judge…!"

"Sit down, Miss Walters."

"But what you are doing is setting a very dangerous notion to dismiss. A dismissal that will not go the way you think it will if you choose to do this...!"

"To your seat, Miss Walters, or I will be happy to declare a mistrial!" The Judge demanded, and so Jennifer retreated to her seats in contempt while the court carried in Lloyd's favor, much to Donovan's cold satisfaction. "Motion for dismissal for jury notwithstanding the verdict granted. Mr. Bloch, see to your probation officer, then you're free to go."

As soon as the gavel was about hit the judge's seat, most of the audience on the prosecution's side rose in an uproar of protest, shouting out objections that were televised to the general public

"COWARD!"

"This is bullshit!"

"MURDERER!"

"He's goddamn guilty!"

"Order! Order in the courtroom!" The judge pounds the gavel, yet the attendees grew angry and out of control due to an overwhelming reaction the judge's alarming decision.

"He killed my daughter..." Leland Bankole spoke, standing up, feeling enraged by the judge's apperant lack of consideration as his voice growled out in boiling hatred. "HE KILLED MY DAUGHTER!"

"He's a murderer!"

"We demand JUSTICE!"

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Order! Order in the court!"

"You let him go, you're complicit as shit!"

"I said, ORDER!"

"And we said, FUCK YOU!"

SPLAT!

An angered attendant tossed a bottle of water at the judge, leading chaos to erupt as attendees and guards started shouting and screaming, and Lloyd Bloch's side was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer force of the opposing side of the court, demanding justice to be made immediately. Chaos overtook the courtroom without a second to waste, letting the entirety of the world watch as outside the courthouse, the protesters became just as equally embittered by the sudden overruling of the promised verdict.

"They can't do that."

"Lloyd Bloch is guilty!"

"What does that judge have against Spider-Man?"

"Just another goddamn Bugle Shill like all the other vermin in this city!"

"Corrupt piece of shit...!"

"This isn't good." Lieutenant Detective Mahoney took a glance at the crowd, quickly becoming fueled by rage as Cherry came over to his side. "We're gonna need backup. We need to stop this from turning into a riot!"

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, I think we're a little late for that..." Cherry shared his opinion as he watched the protesters marching up the steps.

"Let us through the doors!"

"That judge and the lawyer are in bed with the Maggia!"

"Back up!" Cherry raised his hands as he and his fellow officers tried to contain the masses. "Everybody, calm down, and back up!"

As chaos moved to the street right outside the courthouse, the courtroom was not faring any better as guards swooped in, trying to defuse the situation while Donovan remained with his client, hearing the judge speak through the rampage.

"Mr. Donovan, take your client and leave my courthouse, now!"

The guards moved to escort Bloch and Donovan out of the courtroom, letting their desperate escape be broadcast live. Eddie watched everything unfold, turning away to watch as the city around him enveloped itself in a sudden loss of morale, seeing hope being taken from everyone he walked past. And if not sadness he had walked into, then he saw the anger that was represented on television present itself in person as others expressed a deepened betrayal from this outcome. Sirens drove past him while screaming was being heard around him. Eddie closed his eyes, hearing the noise starting to close in around him, threatening to swallow him whole. Then he turned to a corner, looking to watch a reflection of himself, but that reflection changed.

And then there came the silence.

Eddie stared, seeing Venom in the reflection. He stopped, watching as Venom's movements matched how he moved. Eddie walked close to the glass, watching as if Venom was walking closer to him, moving to converse in person, hearing nothing else but his heartbeat as well as the voice of Venom.

(Well... What are we going to do about it?)

Eddie tilted his head, staring into the symbiote's gaze while the loud world around him remained silent. "...I've got an idea."

"...they didn't..." Gloria watched the news of Lloyd Bloch's verdict being overturned, which left her and all of his friends grief-struck. "I mean, they can't really do that, can they?"

"Peter? Peter, can you hear me? Please tell me you understand!"

"I'm still here," Peter nodded, talking to May on the phone as he pulled away from his friends. "Don't worry, I'll go straight home."

"Was that May?" Harry asked as Peter ended the call, seeing him turn to his friends.

"...May said that I need to go home, and that I should take you guys with me if I have to."

"We have to get off this roof," Randy moved, clearing out the fire as well as gathering all the essentials. "Alright, this is gonna sound nuts, but before I climbed up the first time; I stock piled a bunch of trash bags so I could show off this really cool, epic getaway move when we would have ended this bonfire as planned."

"Do you even know if that would work?" Gloria questioned critically, seeing him nod.

"I would. I tested it myself," Randy answered, raising everyone's horrid brow. "It's... totally harmless. No broken bones on me!"

"I'd rather climb down instead..." Harry shook his head when he saw Peter moving forward. "Peter?"

"GERONIMO!"

"PETER!"

Everyone screamed as Peter jumped off the roof, falling on top of the garbage bag pileup. Climbing out, Peter stood up with a smile and a thumbs-up.

"It's cool! Come on down!"

Ned shook his head, dreading this decision. "...oh man."

One by one, the group jumped on top of the pile, reuniting on the surface as Ned was the last to go. Everyone picked him back up on his feet after they regrouped, seeing the rioting already starting.

"That looks really bad," Peter blinked, turning back to the group. "So, my place is like a fifteen-minute walk, so if we wanna stay over..."

"You forget that you and I practically live together, right?" MJ questioned, sharply interrupting Peter as she turned to the group. "OK. My place, his place, wherever we're going, I'd really like to know before things get really bad out here!"

"I can call my driver," Harry suggested. "He can take us wherever we want to go, no questions asked."

"Hey..." Randy called out, letting everyone stare at him. "Something's happening at the courthouse."

"I'm standing live outside of the courthouse where thousands around me have reacted poorly after the judge presiding over the Lloyd Bloch Trial overturned the guilty verdict in favor of the defense."

"BLOCH IS GUILTY!"

"My god, they're pissed!" One of the Maggia thugs snickered, laughing off the public reaction of the Bloch Trial like it was a comedy sketch.

"Keep it together, fellas. We're almost ready to pick up our boy, we just gotta wait right here."

The driver of a limousine looked outside the courthouse as the urban jungle erupted into a volcanic wasteland. Police officials came in to contain the crowds in an attempt to avoid a mob incident, while others oversaw everything. Yuri stepped out of her vehicle, joining Chief Carter as they saw Lloyd Bloch being escorted off the premises while being guarded by courthouse guards and police alike.

"...this is a disaster," Yuri muttered, shaking her head while Carter noticed her disdain over this consequence. "The judge shouldn't have pardoned him like this. What were they thinking?"

"It's out of our hands now, Captain." Carter rested his hands together below his waist. "We did our jobs the best we could, but right now, our job is to ensure crowd control and let the perp leave our miserable faces for...!"

SLAM!

A sudden vibration shook the surface, making everyone drop still from the surprise. The cops turned back, widening their eyes as some screamed, seeing Venom standing in front of Bloch with a nasty glare.

"...out of my way!"

Venom unleashed his tendrils, forcing policemen and guards to be cast aside, pushed to the crowds on both sides of the hole. Benjamin Donovan stood frozen, shaken by Venom's sheer willpower before being destined to be smitten down by the Lethal Protector with one hard, fist-swinging hand. And just like that, Donovan was flying backward toward the steps, landing harshly next to Walters and McDuffie, both horrified by the sight of Donovan having a broken jaw with loose, broken, and missing teeth.

After Donovan, no one was left to stand in the way as Bloch was jawstruck, shaking his head when Venom reached out and grabbed him by the throat, raising him up for everyone to see, snarling at him. Flicking his tongue at his sweaty cheekbone.

"...you taste... Guilty." Venom taunted with a hiss, taking joy in seeing how petrified Bloch was under his grasp as police in the area took to the scene, pointing guns on the symbiote.

"NYPD, put him down!" Mahoney commanded, keeping a gun trained on Venom. "Put the man down-!"

Mahoney's words were cut off when more of Venom's tendrils sprayed from his back, reaching for everyone holding a gun. In one fell swoop, Venom took all the guns off the officers' hands and produced a black cocoon that effectively sealed everyone's arms. All anyone could do now was stare as Venom looked for any other objection, seeing some of the protesters as they saw him holding Bloch as he did.

"...kill him." One of the protesters said, taking Venom's immediate attention as more started to join in on the chant by the hundreds of thousands.

"KILL HIM!"

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"

"AVENGE OUR DEAD!"

"DEATH TO THE GUILTY!"

Venom listened to the chants, hearing the masses crying for blood. Feeling all motivated further, Venom turned his sights back on Bloch, who shook his head in a desperate plea that was drowned out by the roaring masses.

"Don't do it... Don't." Lloyd whimpered, seeing Venom use his free hand to grab his head. "PLEASE, DO-!"

Kraaaaaaak!

Venom twisted Bloch's neck into a full 360-degree angle, silencing the chants as Bloch's body went limp as soon as Venom did the did. His body went still as soon as it dropped from Venom's bare hand. The crowd watching fell silent as Venom turned around, seeing everyone staring, shocked at witnessing death struck by his hand… and then a voice from the crowd cried.

"SCREW THAT PIECE OF SHIT! THAT PIECE OF SHIT DESERVED TO DIE!"

"HELL YEAH!"

Bystanders around the area started sharing the protestor's point of view, cheering, and applauding for Venom's lethal performance. Those on the side of the law were left speechless by what people were saying in the face of murder. Those outside of it, who oppose what Venom does, remain painfully silent by this loud noise the majority were screaming. Those who watched from all the corners of the world were struck in quiet trances, fixated on the fact Venom committed a murder and people were just cheering him for it. And Venom? It can be said that he smiles all the time due to his jaw. But from his perspective?

It felt like he had his smile genuine.

"This is the BBC reporting in... The Black Spider made a dramatic entrance following the most controversial overruling for the entire evening... My god, he's dead! It killed him, the Black Spider killed Lloyd Bloch, and-and people are cheering for it!"

"There were over a hundred cops, and none of them did anything to put a stop to that Black Spider..."

"Mass riots have started across Lower Manhattan following the court system's lack of..."

"Lloyd Bloch was guilty, and the courts knew it, and so did Black Spider! Death to the Guilty! DEATH TO THE GUILTY!"

"We have to get out of here, it's getting too dangerous to film on this spot... Cut the feed!"

Deet!

Multiple screens were displaying the aftermath of the Bloch Trial while somewhere that held those screens, an armory decorated with crossbows, blades, spears, and all sorts of weapons that were considered too primitive, now upgraded with enhanced equipment. A man stood naked, exercising by practicing throwing knives at his targets. Once the targets were dealt with, the man with a broad chest, long hair, tattoos on his arms, walked over to retrieve his knives. One knife he plucked out was one that was stabbing a photograph of the Lethal Protector.

"...Soon..."

Greetings. Hope everybody's having a good day. If you're reading this on the FFN side, I salute you. If you're reading this on the AO3 side, I welcome you. Hope you enjoyed this, wherever you are, and I hope to hear your feedback.

PEACE!