As Peter looked at the translucent screen floating in his vision, a sharp, dangerous smile played on his lips.
[Mission Name: The Rise of Heroes]
[Mission Objective: New York City is drowning in crime. Use a powerful victory to announce your arrival to the world!]
[Mission Rewards: 1,000 Points, 1 Skill Point]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour]
"Heroes?" Peter whispered to himself. "No. Let's call us Anti-Heroes."
He turned to Gwen, his eyes bright with anticipation. "Gwen! No time to waste. Let's head to 12th Avenue in Manhattan. Things are getting lively over there, and we might even see some people we know!"
Gwen was just as excited. This was her very first real battle. She could feel her blood pumping, a heat spreading through her veins that made her feel more alive than ever.
She swung her fist through the air experimentally. CRACK! The punch was so fast and powerful that it created a small sonic boom. It was hard to believe that her slender frame held such world-breaking strength.
Whoosh!
Peter's thrusters roared to life, and he shot into the sky, streaking toward Manhattan. Gwen didn't hesitate. She fired a web line at a nearby building and launched herself forward. Using her spider-strength, she swung from skyscraper to skyscraper, keeping pace with Peter's high-tech flight.
Manhattan's 12th Avenue was a scene of total chaos.
Over a dozen cars were crashed and jammed together in front of the bank's main entrance. A group of masked men, heavily armed and carrying bags of stolen cash, marched out of the building.
Several police cars were parked further back, but they were blocked by the wall of crashed vehicles. The robbers weren't afraid of the police; in fact, they seemed to be enjoying the fight.
"Hell yeah, brothers! Today is our payday!" the leader shouted. "Let's put on a good show for Boss Jin!"
DA-DA-DA-DA!
The robbers opened fire with semi-automatic rifles. Bullets shredded the front of the nearest police car like it was made of paper. The officers, armed only with 9mm pistols, couldn't even stand up to fight back. They stayed crouched behind their cars, desperately shouting into their radios for help.
A moment later, more sirens wailed as backup arrived. Leading the pack was George Stacy, the Police Director. He jumped out of his car, wearing a heavy bulletproof vest, and ducked behind a door.
"What's the situation?" George shouted.
"Director! Their firepower is too much! We can't get close!" an officer yelled back.
"Have you called S.W.A.T.?"
"They're on the way! Five minutes!"
"Good! Five minutes is all we need!" George ordered. "Spread out! Use the cars to block every exit. We aren't letting these bastards get away!"
George was a smart leader, but he didn't realize he was dealing with a group of lunatics. Instead of trying to run, the robbers saw George's arrival as a challenge. They increased their fire and began to slowly march toward the Director's car.
Cold sweat rolled down George Stacy's face. At this rate, he wouldn't last one minute, let alone five. By the time S.W.A.T. arrived, the robbers would have already killed them all.
In what he thought were his final moments, the image of his daughter, Gwen, flashed through his mind.
If something happens to me, I hope Peter looks after Gwen, George thought. For some reason, in the face of death, Peter Parker was the only person he felt he could trust with his daughter's future. I should have helped them get together sooner. Peter is a good kid. Too late now, I guess.
The robbers closed in, their guns aimed at George's hiding spot. But then—
BOOM!
The sound of heavy metal hitting the asphalt echoed through the street. The robbers spun around, startled.
Two figures stood in the middle of the road.
One was covered in deep red metal armor, with a mask that looked high-tech and intimidating. The other wore a sleek black-and-white suit with a white hood and a mask. Both of them had the same large, expressive eye patterns on their faces.
It was Peter and Gwen, wearing the battle gear Deep Blue had helped design.
"What the hell is this?" one robber spat. "Die, you freaks!"
DA-DA-DA!
A hail of bullets flew toward them. But Peter didn't even have to move a muscle himself—Deep Blue sensed the incoming fire and automatically tilted the thrusters. Peter drifted sideways through the air, the bullets whistling harmlessly past him.
Gwen was even faster. To the human eye, she was just a white-and-black blur. She left glowing afterimages as she darted between the cars.
Before the robbers could even blink, several webs shot through the air, pinning the hands of three men together. On the other side of the street, Peter landed near a parked car with flat tires. He grabbed the frame and threw the entire vehicle like it was a toy. The car rolled over two more robbers, who screamed like frightened animals.
The teamwork between Peter and Gwen was perfect. In less than a minute, half of the gang was already down.
The pressure on the police vanished instantly. George Stacy peered out from behind his car, his eyes wide with shock. He hated the idea of "superheroes" because they made the police look useless, but he couldn't deny that these two had just saved his life.
As he watched them dismantle the rest of the gang, a new thought crossed George's mind.
If I make it home alive today, I really need to talk to Peter about him and Gwen. It's time for those two to stop being 'just friends' and start dating!