"We're starting at hell, aren't we?" Peter (Earth-616) grumbled. A normal Spider-Man opening should involve catching bike thieves, helping old ladies cross the street for a pancake reward, and being a friendly neighborhood hero, right? Why were they starting with the Bosses? Any one of these four was the final boss of a video game stage! Fighting any one of them alone would take ages. And four of them together? Insane!
However, the good news was that they had a lot of help themselves. There were six Spider-People! Spider-Man Noir counts as one. Middle-Aged Peter counts as one. Spider-Ham counts as one. Gwen Stacy counts as one. Peni Parker, with her mech, counts as one. Peter (Earth-616) and Miles reluctantly count as half a person each.
Six vs. Four. Advantage: Ours! Peter's confidence instantly spiked.
Just then... "Idiot! Why are you spacing out in a fight?" Gwen grabbed Peter's arm and violently flung him away.
A mechanical octopus tentacle slammed where Peter had just been standing, piercing the pavement below and shattering the concrete slabs. Thanks to his recent training in the abandoned warehouse, Peter's body was now familiar with its potential. He quickly adjusted his body in mid-air and reached out to shoot a web to fly back. However, upon reaching out, he realized that Spider-Man Noir had sealed his web-shooters earlier, and in the chaos of the immediate fight, they were still sealed!
"Shoot! Peter, you set me up!" Peter cried out in anguish, missing his chance to swing back and instead crashing onto the roof of Aunt May's neighbor's house.
But no one was paying attention to him now. With Madam Octopus's opening move, the fight immediately devolved into chaos. After throwing Peter, Gwen turned and lunged at Madam Octopus.
Spider-Ham approached Tombstone with a look of conflict: "This guy looks tough and smells bad. I really don't want to fight him."
The Scorpion tried to bypass the fighting and rush into the house to get Miles. Just then, Middle-Aged Peter jumped in. "Hey, buddy, you're a scorpion, and I'm a spider. We're distant cousins! I don't think we need to fight... Ouch! You're very enthusiastic!" Middle-Aged Peter dodged Scorpion's stinger attack and landed a kick on his side. "Hiss, this guy is solid!"
"I'll take him!" Peni, having completed her sync with her mech companion, charged out of the house, piloting SP//dr. The mech's left hand transformed into a sharp, rapidly spinning disc. The disc sliced against The Scorpion's armor, showering sparks everywhere. The Scorpion shrieked in pain, roared, and his massive metal tail struck the mech, sending it flying.
"Using such violent tactics against a little girl? Does your conscience not bother you?" Spider-Man Noir swung out from the house, shot a web to tie up The Scorpion's two back legs, and then shot another web at his head, using his hands to swing him away.
"Why did you come out?" Peni, piloting the SP//dr mech, hopped back. "Where is Miles?" "Miles? The enemies are all outside; he should be safe, right?" Noir asked, exchanging blows with The Scorpion. "But I gave him The Gadget before I came out!" Peni revealed.
Spider-Man Noir:?
"Why didn't you tell us something that important earlier?" Spider-Man Noir snapped. "I thought you would stay inside... like a reliable big uncle," Peni admitted. "Hmm... Big Uncle?" Noir shot her a bewildered look. "Well, what else?" Peni somehow managed to shrug while piloting the mech. "Anyway, maybe you should go back inside and help Miles?"
A crisp sound of breaking glass rang out. Accompanied by a low, suppressed mechanical roar, a purple figure shot into the house, heading straight for the bewildered Miles Morales!
Although Miles had very little combat experience, he still knew how to perform simple evasions. Aided by his Spider-Sense, he performed a backflip and dodged the attack almost instantaneously.
CRASH! The sofa behind him wasn't so lucky. The Prowler's charge and swipe immediately tore the sofa into shreds, scattering stuffing throughout the room.
"Oh! My God, how dare you break into someone's home and destroy their belongings?" Aunt May furiously marched over with her baseball bat and swung it at The Prowler.
The Prowler was hit, but Aunt May's strength was minimal, and he was protected by his armor; he didn't budge. However, lack of damage did not equate to lack of concern. He glared at Aunt May, raised his clawed hand, and prepared to teach the disrespectful old woman a lesson.
"Hey! Who's the scum here attacking children and old ladies?" From behind, Spider-Man Noir's voice preceded his arrival.
The Prowler's eyes narrowed. He knew that if he was delayed by any of the Spider-People, his mission to eliminate the target would be jeopardized. To avoid complications, The Prowler immediately abandoned punishing Aunt May, turning his sharp claws back toward Miles.
However, thanks to Aunt May's sacrifice play, Miles had recovered. He instinctively activated his Camouflage ability and bolted out of the shattered window. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid. He knew his uncle, The Prowler, was targeting him. As long as he stayed inside, Aunt May was in danger. So, he chose to flee immediately—to at least draw The Prowler outside!
HUMMM— A dull sound mixed with a sharp mechanical whirring followed him like a parasite. Even without turning around, Miles knew his uncle was right behind him. He didn't dare stop or even call out to the others for help. Perhaps subconsciously, he didn't want his uncle to fight the Spider-People.
"Kid, hand over The Gadget, now!" The Prowler's voice demanded from behind. Miles couldn't respond; he just focused on running.
However, he made a critical mistake. His simple escape route, in the eyes of a seasoned hunter like The Prowler, was as predictable as a cornered animal! He was too easy to catch!
The Prowler suddenly put massive force into his steps, multiplying his speed several times. He instantly appeared behind Miles and slammed a fist into the ground near him. Miles fell hard, tumbling several times. As he tried to stand up, The Prowler was right on him, pinning him down instantly.
Cold, steel claws gripped Miles's neck, immediately cutting off his air supply. Miles began to struggle for breath! He looked up at the cold, cruel mask, remembering the face of the kind man beneath it. He managed to lift a hand and pulled up his makeshift fabric mask. "Uncle Aaron..."
The Prowler's claw stopped inches from the kill.