Chapter 6
“Where are we going Phin?”
Miles was currently following Phin up a flight of stairs. It was the next day and she was supposed to be introducing him to the Underground.
“I’ll tell you when we get up top,” she called back to him.
“Then answer me this. How the hell are you wearing a leather jacket right now?”
While the summertime had been cooler than normal (thank you global warming) it was still much too hot for leather.
“I put cooling pads in the linings of it. Made them myself. Means I can stay cool while looking cool.”
“Of course you did.” Miles chuckled to himself before looking back down at his phone.
He’d been texting Gwen all morning. So caught up in reminiscing with Phin, Miles had neglected to check his texts the previous day. When he finally did after she left, he’d seen multiple missed messages from Gwen asking for updates regarding Hammerhead and the Tinkerer, and just generally wondering how he was.
Miles knew he’d messed up. He’d replied last night but didn’t get a single answer from the blond. A trend that had continued into this morning. He looked at his last four texts.
I’m sorry I didn’t answer your texts last night Gwen!
I was hanging out with Phin, and I lost track of time. Can I call you later?
Gwen? Are you ignoring me?
Gwennnnnnnn
That last one may have been a little whiny. But clearly, Gwen was not happy with him at the moment.
“Miles!”
“Gah!”
Miles nearly dropped his phone over the railing, startled by Phin yelling at him. He looked up at his friend, who had already moved up to the next flight. She stared back down at him in amused confusion.
“Get a move on molasses.”
Miles grumbled as he hurried up the stairs to catch up.
“You know, that nickname wasn’t funny in middle school,” he huffed at her as they began their ascent again. “And it ain’t funny now.”
“It makes me laugh.”
“...I hate you.”
Phin’s cackle echoed through the stairwell. Miles went back to tapping on his phone, typing out another message to Gwen.
“Who are you texting,” Phin asked him.
“Oh. Uhh, Gwen. She texted me yesterday, but I didn’t respond because I was with you. And I think she’s mad at me now. Hasn’t responded to me at all.”
Phin paused right as they reached the top and looked back at Miles.
“Oh. Sorry about that Miles. I didn’t mean to keep you.”
Miles shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I should have paid more attention. I hate when she’s mad at me.”
His admission prompted Phin to ask him something she had been wanting to know for a while.
“Miles. A-are you and Gwen…dating?”
It took a moment for the question to fully register, but once it did, Miles blushed furiously. He waved his hands widely.
“Me and Gwen? Dating? No. No no no no no. We’re just friends. Honestly.”
Phin was unconvinced, crossing her arms.
“Then why was she wearing your jacket?”
Phin had only barely contained her jealousy when the girl had pulled up to the arcade with Miles’ jacket on. Something she apparently did regularly.
“Gwen loves taking my jackets. Girl’s always sneaking them out of my closet. I’ve gotten used to it.”
“So, she just takes your stuff without even asking. And you’re cool with that?”
“Pretty much.”
“...you sure you aren’t dating?”
“Phin, I promise you. Me and Gwen aren’t like that.”
“ Regardless of how much I may want us to be, ” Miles thought bitterly to himself.
Meanwhile, Phin was silently breathing a sigh of relief. It was pretty obvious that Gwen was into Miles. That girl couldn’t hide her affection at all. Luckily, the curly-haired boy hadn’t seemed to notice. Which meant Phin still had a chance.
“Ok Miles,” she responded, before turning and opening the door, leading Miles outside.
“Now are you going to tell me where we’re going Phin?”
“You’ll need to prove yourself to the Underground,” she explained leading him up a small set of stairs and across the rooftop. “I’ll show you how when we get to Fisk Tower.”
“Wait? Fisk Tower? You guys are set up in Kingpin’s space?”
“After he went to prison, the feds seized his property. Haven’t gotten around to selling it yet so we moved in.”
“That’s insane!”
Phin jumped up to reach a higher landing, reaching back to help Miles up. She continued to lead him across the rooftop, hopping over some piping.
“How have you guys not been noticed yet?”
“Probably because they didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to squat here. Not exactly your run-of-the-mill empty building.”
They went down a few pathways and climbed up a power box before Miles finally saw where Phin was leading him. It was a large crane, with the arm extended out over to Fisk Tower, which loomed large.
“You’ll need to jump from the crane to the balcony. Show them you’re fearless.”
“They’re watching?”
“Through the windows. You have to do this. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
They both climbed up onto the crane platform. Phin was the first to traverse out onto the arm, carefully shuffling her way across.
“ Gotta do this without giving away I’m Spider-Man, ” Miles thought. Walking across a crane was child’s play compared to sitting upside down on a building.
He began to slowly move out onto the arm, taking care to move as slowly and unsurely as he could. Down below, the Brooklyn traffic was in full flow, the sounds of the city floating up to them.
“You’re doing great Miles,” Phin called to him. She had reached the end and was waiting for the boy to catch up.
Miles walked the last few feet and stopped right behind Phin.
“Now what?”
Phin smirked at him. “Now, you jump.”
She leaped off towards the balcony. She landed and rolled, making it look super easy. She turned to stare back at Miles and waved at him to join her.
“She’s really agile,” Miles whispered to himself.
He took a few small steps back to give himself a bit more room before getting a running start and jumping off, flying through the air. But in his attempt not to show off his superpowers, he miscalculated the distance and ended up coming a bit shorter. Instead of landing on the balcony, he just barely caught the ledge, feet slipping.
“I got you.” Phin immediately ran over, grabbing his arms and helping him up. They smiled at each other when he was on his feet.
“I knew you could do it Miles!”
They both laughed, doing their special handshake and bumping fists at the end.
“So am I officially in the club now,” Miles asked as Phin led him to a door.
“Sure,” she answered as she opened it, letting Miles go through first. “But watch your back. These guys take a while to warm up to new people.”
Phin led Miles down a few corridors, eventually arriving in a hallway lit with the purple glow that was a staple of the Underground.
“Here it is,” Phin gestured spinning around and grinning. “This is where the plan comes together.” Her Tinkerer mask formed on her face and she continued walking. Miles followed closely behind.
“So, your plan. How exactly does Nuform fit in?” Now was as good a time as any to try and get some info out of Phin. “Hammerhead was saying on the news you stole a shipment.”
“I stole one canister. I’m making some adjustments-don’t worry about it at the moment Miles. Take today to settle in.”
Miles frowned as the girl avoided answering in full, but he let it slide.
At the end of the hallway, one of the Underground gang members stood guard.
“Good. You’re back,” she said looking at Phin. “Gavin needs you-”
“Not now,” Phin cut her off. “We’ve got a new recruit.”
The gang member clenched her teeth. “Tch. Fine.”
She stepped aside, allowing the two to pass. They entered what must have been a workshop. There was gear all around, all of it glowing a neon purple.
“You built all of these?” Miles swiveled his head around, overloaded with how much there was.
“Yeah. As long as the new weapons keep coming, the Underground stays loyal. Especially since Spider-Man keeps breaking them. God, he’s annoying.”
Miles felt a sweat drop roll down the side of his face. Even though the Underground were focused on whatever Phin’s plan was, that hadn’t stopped them from committing their standard crimes. Robbery, Hijacking, Extortion. The usual stuff. And being the friendly neighborhood hero that he was, Miles was obliged to stop them. And Phin was right. He had broken a lot of their weapons. Venom power really was a cheat code sometimes.
“Oh cool! A programmable matter sword!”
Miles’s train of thought was cut off as he spotted the piece of tech. He walked up and grabbed the handle. Even with the blade extended, it was shockingly light. He pressed a button on the side and the blade faded back into the handle.
“She’s not gonna show him downstairs, right?” Miles heard one of the members whisper to another. That piqued his interest.
“ I wonder what’s downstairs. The Nuform maybe?”
“Boss!”
Another person walked up to Phin.
“That lady is back again. Said she wanted to see you.”
Phin groaned. “What could she possibly want now? Ugh. Miles, I need to deal with something. Hang here, ok?”
The boy turned to her and nodded. “Sure thing.”
The girl ran off, leaving Miles by himself amongst the rest of the Underground.
“ Now’s my chance to look around. Gotta figure out where she’s keeping the Nuform.”
He walked through the doorway, finding himself in a much larger space. There were a lot more members standing around here. There were some racks sitting on tables, filled with programmable matter guns. And sitting higher up on the wall across from him was a picture of Kingpin. Only, it had been defaced. A terrible mustache and fake tears were crudely drawn over his face. Along with a speech bubble that read, “The Underground owns Kingpin.”
“Fisk would not like this if he could see it,” Miles chuckled. A gang member nearby overheard him and laughed as well.
“Heh. Guy had secrets and trapdoors all over this place. We cracked them all though,” the girl bragged. “We own Fisk Tower now.”
“ Secret rooms. ” That sounded promising to Miles. “ Good place to hide a deadly fuel source. ”
Off in the corner, a truly staggering amount of money sat in piles on a table. Miles walked over, seeing someone with a clipboard going through it all and counting it all.
“That’s a lot of cash,” Miles told him.
“Even more downstairs. Old man’s basically funding us, whether he likes it or not.”
“More stuff downstairs huh?That’s definitely where I need to go then.”
“Break times over, kids. Group 2, head downstairs for training!”
A section of the Underground members started to move towards a set of propped-open doors in the back. Spotting his chance, Miles followed them. They led him out to the large lobby of the tower, where they all started to leap over the railing and head through the hole in the floor. At that moment, Miles felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out. His eyes widened seeing that Gwen had finally texted him back.
Nice of you to finally get back to me.
Gwen! I know I said it already, but I really am sorry.
No need to apologize. I get it. Phin’s your best friend.
So are you!
Miles groaned when he didn’t receive an immediate reply. He wasn’t even sure why the girl was so mad at him. It was only one day!
“Sorry about that Miles,” Phin spoke up as walked up from behind. “I swear that lady-what’s with the look on your face.”
“Gwen finally texted me back,” Miles told her. “I’m still on her bad side. I’m working on it. Who was the lady you had to go talk to? I overheard you talking.”
“The biggest pain in my ass next to Spider-Man,” Phin huffed, leaning on the rail. “And…also the person who’s been helping me with my plan.”
“You’re working with someone else besides the Underground?!”
“Yeah. She’s one of the head scientists at Hammerhead Industries.”
“WHAT!”
“Keep your voice down dude!” Phin smacked Miles on the arm.
“Sorry. But that’s crazy Phin.”
“I know, I know. But she’s been helpful, even if she’s annoying as hell sometimes. Plus…she knew Rick. And she wants the same thing I want. Revenge.”
“Are you sure you can trust her?”
“I trust her enough. Not…not as much as I do you though.”
The sincerity in her eyes forced Miles to look away, lest she see the guilt written all over his face.
“You know, you were never this nice to me before. It’s kind of throwing me off.”
Phin laughed. “Don’t worry. I still plan on making fun of you, molasses. Keeps your ego in check.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Miles deadpanned, making the girl laugh harder.
“Anyway,” she said once she was done. “You ready to continue your first day?”
Uh-oh. Miles really needed to search for the Nuform. But he couldn’t do that while he was with Phin. No, he needed his suit for the next step. Which meant he needed to get away without alarming the girl. His phone buzzed again. It was Gwen.
Buy me a couple of slices later today and I might forgive you.
Hmm. That gave him an idea.
“Actually,” Miles began. “Do you mind if we rain check? Gwen just told me she’s free and she wants to hang.”
If it wasn’t so terrible, Miles would congratulate himself for being able to come up with decent lies.
“Really Miles? You’re ditching me for her?”
“I’m not ditching you! I’m just-I haven’t spent as much time with her since you came back. She’s my best friend too Phin.”
Phin scoffed but she couldn’t really bring herself to argue with Miles. She understood where he was coming from. A thought then crossed her mind. She looked at Miles nervously.
“You haven’t…you haven’t told her I’m…”
“Of course not.”
Phin breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
She hopped up on the railing, balancing carefully.
“You can head out that way.” Phin pointed in a direction. “See you back here soon?”
“Definitely.” Miles smiled at her.
Seeing him grinning so widely at her, and knowing he was going to hang out with the competition, gave Phin the courage to do something she’d never done before. She leaned down and planted her lips on his cheek. She felt Miles freeze in shock. It was quick, less than a second really, but Phin could feel her heart racing like she’d just run a marathon. She could already feel her cheeks beginning to burn.
“Bye Miles.”
Without waiting to see his reaction, Phin flipped off, heading downstairs with the rest of the Underground.
Miles remained in place, only barely registering the girl leaving. He could feel his own cheeks lightly coloring.
“ What the heck was that? ”
He had no clue where this new, affectionate Phin had come from, but he really had no clue how to deal with it.
“ Does she…”
Miles shook his head rapidly. He could sort out…whatever that was from Phin at another time. Right now, he needed to focus. After checking to make sure no one was around, Miles headed towards the door that led to the staircase. He slipped through, and headed one floor up, where there was no one else.
Finding an empty room, he slipped off his clothes, revealing his suit. Putting on his mask to complete the look, he grabbed his phone and leaned against the desk. He typed out a reply to Gwen’s last message.
I can do that! Meet me at mines in a couple hours?
Sounds good.
Great! I might have an update on the Tinkerer too.
He put his phone back in his suit pocket. Spotting a vent, he zipped up to it and pushed it open, crawling inside. It was dusty inside and there were plenty of cobwebs that Miles had to make his way through.
“ Man, it’s dirty in here.”
It was basically a maze, but Miles did his best to navigate and head down. He could feel the metal around him creaking as he moved. Before long, he found himself crawling up to a grate. Just below, he could hear the training session going on.
Activating his invisibility, he opened the grate and fell down, landing silently on a pillar. He was in a very large atrium. There was Underground all over, practicing with their weapons. There was even an obstacle course set up, allowing them to practice with their booster boots.
“ Don’t wanna try fighting my way through this,” There were way too many of them for that. “ Now, if I were a secret room, where would I be hiding?”
Nothing stood out to him immediately. He scanned around some more before a statue in the back caught his eye.
“ Seems like a decent place. ”
Miles quietly made his way over. Most of the people down here were focused on training, which made it a bit easier for him. In no time at all, he was standing in front of the statue. It was a depiction of a samurai kneeling, arm outstretched with a katana in hand.
“ Now how am I supposed to open it? ” Miles looked around for a switch of some sort but he couldn’t find anything. “ Even if i did, I can’t exactly just do it without attracting the attention of everyone in here.”
Fortunately for Miles, three members happened to walk up at that moment.
“Come on! Boss wants to see us.”
One of them walked over to the statue and grabbed the handle of the sword. They gave it a good tug, causing the hand to start spinning. The platform it was on started to rise, revealing a set of stairs.
“ So that’s how it works.”
Miles followed the unsuspecting criminals down and onto a platform. One of them pressed a button on a console and it started to move down.
“ Kingpin must have used this as a secret exit. In case he needed to make a fast getaway, ” Miles surmised. Not that it mattered much now.
The elevator reached the bottom and the three Underground members stepped off, moving through a door and into a hallway. Rather than walking right behind them, Miles zipped into the ceiling vent and followed from above. He eavesdropped on the trio’s conversation as he crawled.
“Why the hell are we taking orders from this girl anyway,” the one on the left angrily asked.
The silver-haired girl in front had a quick response. “Because she’s the only reason this gang has as much notoriety as it does.”
“But she’s just a kid!”
“You wanna try taking on the cops without her tech? Or Spider-Man? Face it, we need her. That’s the deal we made. If you don’t like it, you can get out.”
That was the end of that conversation.
“ Guess not everyone’s happy to take orders from Phin.”
Up ahead sat a massive vault door. It swung open, pushed by another member. The trio walked in, while Miles crawled in above them.
Inside, there were stacks upon stacks of cash and gold bars, as well as containers. In the center, Phin stood at a table, a map of the city laid out in front of her.
“You moved the Nuform,” Phin questioned as they walked in. “Safely?”
“Yeah. To the lab uptown,” the silver-haired one replied.
“ Damn it, ” Miles cursed. “ Nuform’s not here. ”
“We’re not sure if the canister’s safe though. It was hot, and buzzing, like it was unstable.”
Phin shook her head in frustration. “It’s that new Spider-Man. His powers messed with the structure. Tell everyone not to touch it.”
“ Crap. I’ve seen what that stuff does when it’s unstable. I need to find it. Quickly. Maybe that map has more info.”
Miles leapt to the ceiling right above the table and attached a web to the ceiling. He then slowly lowered himself down.
“We don’t know enough about this stuff!” The angry guy from earlier slapped his hands on the table. “What it is, where it came from. How do you know so much about it?”
Phin sighed, before deciding that they deserved to know more.
“My brother created Nuform.”
The admission silenced and shocked them.
“He was Chief chemist. And Hammerhead killed him.”
Meanwhile, Miles tried to maneuver himself to get a better look at the map. He put out a hand to balance on a container with a piece of paper on it. However, his hand slipped a bit and sent the paper falling to the floor.
Phin noticed this and turned in confusion. She walked over to pick it up. Miles quickly covered his mouth to hide his breathing. As Phin stood back up, she glanced around before staring straight ahead.
Miles froze as he met the girl’s eyes, which seemed to be glaring right at him. He wasn’t sure how, but Phin seemed to know he was spying on them.. It sent a shot of fear running down his spine.
“I won’t stop until Hammerhead’s gone,” she declared, before turning back to the others.
Miles received the hidden message loud and clear.
Don’t get in my way.
“Are you with me?”
“Of course!”
“You know we are.”
Phin nodded. “Good.”
The Tinkerer mask formed on her face and Phin began heading through a security gate in the back. The rest of the Underground members followed.
“I need power,” Phin told them. “Generators, car batteries, whatever you can find. Bring them to the theatre.”
Miles dropped to the floor once they left, turning back visible.
“She said theatre. But which one?”
Unfortunately for Miles, a massive, seven-foot-tall Underground member chose that exact moment to walk in.
“Spid-” He started to yell, before forming a colossal hammer with his hand and jumping up.
Miles ducked out of the way just as the blow would have slammed on his head. Instead, it smashed the tables to pieces. And absolutely obliterated the map.
“Jesus you’re huge,” Miles exclaimed.
The man growled at the superhero, a shield forming in his other hand. He slammed the hammer against the shield and roared.
Miles lunged forward with a web line, his fist connecting with the shield. It caused a resounding clang. The force of the blow sent shockwaves through Miles's body, but he refused to relent.
As the gang member followed through with a thunderous strike, Miles jumped into the air. He soared above the gang member's head, unleashing a torrent of electrified venom that pelted the giant's armored suit. The gang member staggered, momentarily blinded by the attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Miles descended with a flurry of kicks, striking the gang member's shield with precision. The impact vibrated through Miles's limbs, but his unyielding determination kept him going. He flipped backward, landing on the vault floor with grace.
The gang member, undeterred, swung his massive hammer in a brutal arc. Miles leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the weapon's destructive path. He webbed the hammer's handle, tugging it with all his might. The gang member struggled to maintain his grip, his fingers slipping.
With a final yank, Miles disarmed the giant. He swung the hammer around and launched it back at his foe. It rammed into the shield, causing both to shatter into purple sparks. It also sent the massive human flying back. He impacted with the wall, hard, and slid down to the ground, unconscious.
“ Mierda! That shield was as hard as a rock.” Miles shook his right hand, trying to alleviate some of the stinging in his wrists.
He walked over to the console that controlled the same security gate Phin went through.
“ I got to find that hidden lab they were talking about, ” Miles thought as he made his way out of Fisk Tower.
“ Phin mentioned a theatre. Don’t know which one though. And there’s no way I can check them all. I need to find a way to narrow it down. They’re probably using another Kingpin property to do it. But how to find them?”
Suddenly, the perfect name popped through his head. He pulled out his phone and started texting someone.
Hey man! Are you busy right now? I need some help.
“No.”
“But dude! Come on!”
“I said no Miles. This is how it starts!”
“No it isn’t. I just need you to do this one little thing-”
“And then you’ll want another thing. And another thing. Pretty soon, I’m your guy in the chair. And I don’t want to be your chair guy!”
Miles groaned as Ganke swiveled back around in his chair.
“Ganke!” Miles moved around back into his friend’s eyesight. “We’re talking about potentially saving the city man.”
“Let me get this straight. You want me to hack into the FBI’s database and steal confidential records containing property listings for Wilson Fisk, all so that you can find out where the Tinkerer is hiding an unstable energy source capable of blowing up a bridge?”
“ Part of a bridge...but yes.”
“No!”
“Ahh!”
Miles slapped his face in frustration. Alright. Appealing to Ganke’s morality had failed. It was time for plan B.
“I’ll let you borrow my Jordans for a week if you help.”
“...make it two weeks and you got yourself a deal.”
“Deal.”
The two shook hands on it.
“Alright.” Ganke stretched and cracked his knuckles, beginning to type quickly on his keyboard. “This will take me a couple of hours just so you know.”
“A couple of hours! You can’t go any faster?”
“This isn’t a movie, Miles! Hacking takes time. Especially if you want to do it well. So, you’ll just have to wait. I’m sure you’ve got other things you can do. Go hang out with your girlfriend or something.”
“For the last time, Gwen is not my-wait. Gwen!”
Miles hurriedly checked his phone and sure enough.
Miles! Where are you?
Seriously dude! How are you always late?
“Crap.” Miles opened Ganke’s window and climbed out. “You’re right Ganke I gotta go! Text me when you find something. Remember, I’m looking for a theatre.”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Ganke waved him off.
Miles shot out a web and began swinging home as fast as he could. He really needed to work on his time management skills.
“You know, you’re really lucky I like you, Miles.”
Miles grinned sheepishly as Gwen devoured her pizza. They were sitting at a booth inside a favorite spot of hers that she always liked to stop by when she came to his universe. She was already on her second slice and there were two more still sitting on her plate. An interest charge he had accrued for being 20 minutes late.
“I know. I’m so-”
“Stop apologizing Miles. It’s not that big of a deal. Anyway, you said you had more info about the Tinkerer, right?”
“I do.”
Miles began to explain to her what he had found out while at Fisk Tower, obviously leaving out his fake joining the Underground, explaining it away as him getting lucky and spotting some of the gang sneaking inside. He told her that he hadn’t found the Nuform, but he did know that it had been moved to a theatre.
“That’s why I was late. I needed to ask Ganke for his help.
“Ganke? He agreed to help?”
“I…may have needed to bribe him.”
Gwen laughed. “How much?”
“Not important! Anyway, as soon as Ganke finds something, I’m going to head over and grab the Nuform. I need to get it before it goes off and destroys something else.”
“You know I’m coming with you right?”
“I expect nothing less.”
Gwen picked up another slice and took a victorious bite. It was always nice when Miles saw things her way without any pushback.
The two didn’t talk too much after that as Gwen kept eating. As she did, she noticed that Miles seemed to be deep in thought about something. Finishing up her last bite, she slid the plate to the side and called out to him.
“Miles.”
The boy looked up at her.
“Huh?”
“What’s on your mind? Something’s bothering you.”
‘What? No-I’m…I’m fine. I-actually, it’s Phin.”
Gwen felt her lips frown before she could even stop herself.
“Oh…Phin.”
“Yeah. I found out what’s been bothering her lately. And…it’s bad Gwen.”
Gwen’s frown got even deeper as she heard the seriousness in Mile’s tone. “What happened?”
Miles sighed, wishing he could just tell her the whole truth. “It’s not really my place to tell. But it really hurt her Gwen. And I just-I don’t know if I can help her. At least not the way I’m trying to currently. I feel like I’m being a bad friend.
Miles hung his head when he finished, looking down at his hands.
Gwen felt her heart melt a bit. God, this boy was too good for the world sometimes. He cared so much about people. Almost to his own detriment at times. She got up from her side on the booth and moved over to slide in next to Miles.
Miles looked up, startled by the sudden movement.
Gwen grabbed one of his hands, intertwining it with her own.
“You worry too much sometimes.”
“But Gwen-” Miles made to pull his hand away, but Gwen held on tight.
“No. Listen to me, Miles. I don’t know where this is coming from, but I won’t have you believe that. You’re a great friend Miles. The best anyone could ever ask for.”
He nodded slowly, but the uncertainty still lingered in his eyes. "I just don’t wanna fail her. The thought…it's eating me up inside.”
Miles wasn’t sure he could handle it if something happened to Phin. He’d already lost his uncle. Almost lost his dad. He was so tired of the people he cared about being in danger.
Gwen shifted closer to him, her voice a soothing presence. “Miles, listen to me. Being a friend doesn't mean you have to have all the answers or that you won't make mistakes. It means being there, even when things get messy. Even if…even if it’s your fault things get messy in the first place.”
Gwen paused for a moment there as the memories of her mistakes flashed through her mind before continuing.
“It means showing up and trying your best, even when you can't fix everything."
Miles met her gaze, his eyes searching for solace. "But what if my best isn't good enough?"
Gwen's words were gentle but firm. "Your best is always good enough, Miles. Just talk to her, Miles. Let her know you care, and that you're still there for her. She'll understand that you're doing your best. I've seen you in action, seen the kind of person you are. You have a good heart, and that's what I lo-that’s what makes you special.”
Miles felt his heart racing, a combination of Gwen’s sincere words and the close proximity of her face. From this distance, her blue irises shined brightly and deeply. He could get lost in them for hours. His eyes quickly shifted down back up again, a blush coloring his cheeks.
Gwen’s breath hitched when she saw this. Miles had clearly just glanced at her lips. It signaled the promise of something she had previously thought impossible. She couldn’t help herself. She started to lean in. Miles did the same. It was a moment suspended in time, as a connection that neither of them could ignore, something deeper than friendship, began to bubble up and over.
Just as their lips were about to meet, Miles' phone buzzed, shattering the moment like a fragile glass. He shot away from Gwen, slamming his back against the wall. He was blushing wildly.
“Sorry!” Miles began digging in his pocket to grab his phone. He pulled it out. “Oh, it’s Ganke.”
Gwen groaned with frustration. They had been so close! She would have some choice words for Ganke the next time she saw him.
“What did he find?”
Miles scanned through the message. “Turns out, Kingpin owned the Gem Theatre. It’s Uptown. Another property the FBI hasn’t sold yet.”
“And you think the Nuform’s there?”
“I’m sure of it. Let’s go.”
They slid out of the booth and out of the restaurant. Finding an alley with no onlookers, they changed into their suits and leapt onto the roof. Gwen was just about to take off swinging when Miles decided it was his turn to grab her hand, forcing her to look back.
Miles's eyes reflected with gratefulness. “Thanks, Gwen. For what you said. I needed to hear that. And for coming with me now.”
Gwen smiled brilliantly at him. “Anytime, Miles. Remember, you're not alone in this. We're a team, and I've got your back.”
And with that they were off, swinging their way through the city, heading uptown. As they traveled, the last light of the sun began to fade. As they reached the theatre, the night sky had settled in over the city.
They landed on the side of a building overlooking the top of the theatre. A large, square section of the roof had been cut out and replaced with a large metal barrier, which was currently electrified. There were also six Underground guys standing around guarding it.
“That barrier looks…gnarly,” Gwen said, grimacing as a spark ran off.
“Yeah. Let’s worry about that after we take care of the goons. After you?”
“Such a gentleman.”
They jumped off and landed behind the gang members, causing them all to turn around in shock.
“Spider-Man,” the leader shouted, only to do a double take when he noticed the white-suited Gwen. “Wait! There’s two of you now?”
“I called in a favor,” Miles quipped. “Now if you guys don’t mind, I really need to…”
The leader cut him off by slamming his gauntlets together and taking a step forward. “Shut up. It doesn’t matter anyway. You're not welcome here, Spider-freaks!”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Spider-freaks? Really? You guys need better insults.”
Miles couldn't help but smirk under his mask. “Yeah, seriously. It’s like you're not even trying.”
Before the Underground could respond, Miles leaped into action. He shot a web-line at the nearest enemy, yanking him off his feet and sending him sprawling. Gwen followed suit, using her web-shooters to swing down and deliver a swift kick to another member's chest.
The rooftop became a battleground. Miles moved with quickness, ducking and weaving between attacks and using the openings to launch his own. Gwen's movements were a blur of precision. She used her graceful agility to strike from unexpected angles.
But the Underground members were no pushovers. They fought back with a vengeance, their tech-enhanced weapons packing a punch. Electricity crackled as one of them launched a high-voltage bolt toward Miles. He narrowly dodged it, feeling the heat singe the air.
Gwen was surrounded, but she remained unfazed. She used her web-shooters to disarm one of the Underground members, sending his weapon clattering to the ground. With a swift kick to the chest, she sent him tumbling backward.
Miles swung towards her, his spider-sense tingling. Just in time, he shot a web-line to intercept a charging Underground member, wrapping him up in a cocoon of silk. “Nice save,” Gwen quipped, flashing him a quick grin.
With Miles and Gwen working together, the fight didn’t last much longer. They worked seamlessly, their movements flowing as if choreographed. Soon, the Underground members found themselves overwhelmed, their high-tech gadgets failing them.
As the last of the Underground members was incapacitated and webbed up, Miles and Gwen stood victorious on the rooftop. They exchanged triumphant glances before sharing a high-five.
“That's how it's done,” Gwen said, her voice filled with satisfaction.
Miles grinned beneath his mask. “Yeah, not bad for a couple of spider-freaks, huh?”
They both walked over to the electrified barrier, Miles bending down to get a closer look.
“Any idea how to take this down,” Miles asked Gwen.
“I’m guessing it’s powered by that generator over there.” Gwen pointed to Miles’s right.
He turned to look and sure enough, there was a big generator sitting right there, a power cord connecting it to the barrier.
“How the heck did I not see that?”
“Too busy beating up the bad guys I guess.”
Gwen walked over, checking the piece of machinery. “I don’t see an off switch or anything. Maybe just smash it?”
“Let me try something first.”
Miles glanced at his hands before placing them on the generator. He could feel the energy inside and focused on drawing it into himself. The blue sparks of venom started to crackle along his forearms as he absorbed the energy. The generator shorted out, smoke coming out of it. The electricity covering the barrier disappeared immediately.
“You know, it’s really unfair that you got all these cool, extra powers when you got bit.”
Miles smugly grinned as they moved back to the barrier. “They are pretty sweet, aren’t they?”
Together, they jumped up and slammed their fists down on it. The metal caved in like a sheet of paper as they punched through, landing in the lobby of the theatre.
“It’s a shame this place had to close,” Gwen remarked as she glanced along the room, spotting the thin layers of dust that covered everything.
“Maybe they’ll sell it to someone who isn’t a criminal mastermind this time.”
“One can hope.”
Spotting the door leading to the main auditorium, Miles gestured for Gwen to follow him.
“This way Gwen.”
They walked up and through into the next room. The inside had been completely gutted of any chairs that might have been there. Instead, right in the center of the room, sat a large, white armored silo. There were cables running off it that led to two generators nearby. Sitting on a desk next to it were a bunch of monitors attached to a rig.
“That seems promising,” Miles said as they walked up to the makeshift supercomputer. He grabbed the keyboard and began typing on the keys. Meanwhile, Gwen circled the silo, eyes wide.
“I know I said Tinkerer was a stupid name, but she’s really got the whole supervillain lair thing down. I’ll give her that.”
“Definitely,” Miles agreed. “And I’m guessing the Nuform is inside this thing.”
“Where else could it be?”
“Touche. But I’m not getting anything from this computer. I think this thing needs power. Well, more power. Do you see any more generators nearby?”
“Let me check.”
Spotting a couple of cables that were attached to the container but not to the already activated generators, Gwen followed them off to the other side of the room. In a corner, sat two more.
“Over here, Miles!”
The boy ran over.
“Nice. Here. Head back to the computer. I’ll power these up.”
Charging up some venom, Miles slammed his fist on one of them, releasing the energy into it. The generator sparked back to life. He repeated the process on the other one and then called out to Gwen.
“Try it now Gwen.”
Gwen pushed a button on the keyboard and the silo let out a loud whir as it powered up. The metal shield on the outside of it slid open to reveal glass panes. Inside sat the stolen container of Nuform.
“That worked Miles!”
He zipped back over, landing next to her. “Alright. Let’s see what the Tinkerer’s up to.”
On the desk sat a holographic device, which started to project images of the silo and the generators, with arrows pointing from them to the silo.
Gwen bent over to look closer. “She’s pumping energy into the Nuform. Making it unstable.”
“My venom did the same thing. It exploded the bridge.”
“I thought you didn’t blow up the bridge?”
“Shut up.”
Gwen chuckled before looking back at the hologram in confusion. “So, what, is she planning on blowing up this theatre? That doesn’t make any sense.”
The image switched, suddenly showing a rendering of Hammerhead Industries.
“Not the theatre.” Miles felt a sense of dread run through his body as the unstable Nuform container was dropped into the reactor in the middle of the facility. The simulation showed that it would cause a massive explosion.
“She wants to blow up Hammerhead’s new facility.”
Gwen swiveled to him, the eyes on her mask wide with shock. “What? That’s-that’s insane! What about the people who work there?”
Miles went back to the computer and began typing, searching for something.
“I got it,” he said, pulling up an email. It was an internal memo from Joseph Hammerhead himself. “The facility is closed for the next two days. Doesn’t say why. Just that no one is allowed in. That means there’d be no casualties when she blows it.”
“But Miles…”
“I know. We can’t let her do this.”
On top of the silo, the Nuform container popped out with a hiss of smoke. Miles hopped up and grasped the handle, beginning to pull it out.
“I’m taking the Nuform.”
All of a sudden, both Miles and Gwen felt their spider-senses go off.
“Above you Miles!”
The Tinkerer smashed through the ceiling. Miles only barely spun out of the way as she landed on top of the container. He tried to grab her, but she smacked him away, sending Miles back to the floor.
Gwen shot a web at the villain, but the Tinkerer pulled up a shield just in time. She then formed a rifle in her other hand and aimed it at the blond, pulling the trigger. A bolt shot out and hit Gwen right in the chest, sending her flying back, crashing through a wall.
“Gwen!’ Miles shouted with concern.
“Sorry. Can’t let you take that,” she told Miles, grabbing the Nuform for herself and putting it on her back. She shot a grappling hook at the ceiling and flew upwards.
“Wait!”
Miles shot out a web at the Nuform container, just barely latching on. He soared after Phin as she burst through the ceiling and back out onto the roof. The moon was bright against the backdrop of the dark sky as Tinkerer began running up the building, Miles sliding along behind her.
“Hey!”
Miles planted his feet and tried to jump onto the Tinkerer’s back. She turned her head just in time, flipping to avoid him. She landed on a small ledge while Miles stuck to the wall above her.
She glared up at him, gauntlets forming on her fists. She shot up and punched Miles in the stomach before uppercutting him, sending him flying back.
“ God she hit’s hard! ”
Miles flipped in mid-air and shot out two web-lines. They connected with a statue. Miles used the tension to catapult himself forward. He looked down and spotted Tinkerer, her boots glowing purple as she ran along the side of a building. He booked it after her, swinging fast.
“Ph--Tinkerer! Stop!”
“So you can steal my Nuform? Not a chance in hell!”
Miles screamed in frustration as Phin jumped from building to building, her boots giving her a boost. It was insane how fast she was moving! Miles dug into his suit pocket, pulling out the comm Gwen had given him. He slipped it under his mask and into his ear, hoping Gwen had thought to put hers in.
“Gwen? Can you hear me? Are you ok?”
He only heard static at first before Gwen’s voice finally came back through.
“I’m fine Miles, just a few scratches. Where are you?”
“I’m chasing-woah!”
Miles had to twist in midair as Phin shot an energy bolt at him. He just barely avoided it. It slammed into a building, blasting off some of the concrete.
“Miles?”
“Sorry. I’m chasing the Tinkerer!”
“Where are you?”
“Just follow the explosions!”
The chase continued. They weaved through the streets, leaped from rooftop to rooftop, and darted through narrow alleyways. They eventually broke out onto a street right next to Central Park.
“Back off Spider-Man! This is between me and Hammerhead!”
Tinkerer shot another energy bolt at the building Miles was about to swing by, sending pieces of debris flying into his path. He slipped through them, continuing after her.
The Tinkerer paused on a roof, turning back to look at him. Miles leaped her, the collision sending them both into the side of a building. The two struggled with each other, trying to gain the upper hand. It sent them careening down to the street where they landed on a car and bounced off.
Miles scrambled to his feet quickly while he had the chance. He rushed over to the Tinkerer, grabbing her wrists and pinning them down to the ground.
“How about...we use our words,” Miles grunted, struggling to keep her pinned.
“How about-you stop being so clingy!” Tinkerer shouted back, putting her foot on his chest. She blasted Miles off her. She got up and turned, running down the street.
“How is she not tired yet?”
Miles shot out a web and started swinging after her again. Phin started firing off blasts at parked cars, causing them to explode in an attempt to slow him down. Miles was thankful for the lack of people out and about at this time of night. There was no way he could’ve caught up to Phin if he had to stop and protect civilians.
“ Not that I’m doing a great job right now anyway!” Miles again just avoided being turned into a crisp by a blast.
“Miles!” Gwen’s voice crackled in his ear. “Have you caught her? What’s going on?”
“It is not! Going! Well! I need a new strategy.”
“Like what?”
“I…I have one idea.”
Miles thought back to what Gwen had told him earlier, back at the pizza shop. He needed to talk to Phin. Honestly. Without any of the lies.
“What’s the idea?”
“Just keep swinging Gwen. I’ll handle it.”
Miles focused back in on the Tinkerer, calling out to her. “Tinkerer, I gotta tell you something! Slow down!
She scoffed back at him. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“You’ll wanna hear this. I promise!
“Step off, Spider-Man!”
The chase led them to the docks. Tinkerer leapt onto a container ship, running across and over containers as she tried to shake him. But Miles wouldn’t let her get away that easy. He followed right behind, refusing to let any of the obstacles stop him.
The Tinkerer jumped off onto another ship, running along the side. She started firing at the containers sitting on top, causing them to fall off behind her.
“Oh crap!” Miles ran along the side as well, keeping his feet moving as fast as he could to avoid being caught in the landslide of containers. “Not good, not good- I hope this ship’s gonna be ok.”
Miles ducked under the last one and shot out a web, zipping forward onto one of the shipping cranes and shooting off it, still on the Tinkerer’s coattails as they moved back onto the streets. Behind them, the sirens of police cars sounded, blue and red lights flashing.
“I’ve had enough of this,” the Tinkerer growled to herself. Spotting a skyscraper, she shot up the side, getting up to the roof in a matter of seconds.
Miles swung onto the building and began running up after her.
“I said…STEP! OFF!”
Miles felt his spider-sense blare at him as energy wheels started to roll down at him, the sharp edges carving through the metal. Miles leaped over them, landing and continuing to run up.
“Why did she invent death wheels,” Miles exclaimed as he continued to dodge.
He avoided one last barrage before finally reaching the top. He jumped up over the railing, only to run right into the Tinkerer, who grabbed onto his wrist.
“Crap!”
She slammed him stomach-first into the railing, denting it heavily and knocking all of the wind out of him. She then swung him around and launched him. He skidded across the ground, only coming to a stop when his back finally hit the slightly raised edge, head hanging over the side. Down below, he could hear the police pulling up.
“ Damn that hurt,” Miles thought, holding his stomach. He watched as the Tinkerer walked up to him, a sword forming in her hand. She brought the tip to Miles’s throat, just barely tickling it. Her mask glared menacingly at him.
“Give me one good reason not to end you.” She pushed the tip a bit closer to emphasize her point.
Miles sighed, tilting his head back a bit to stare at the sky.
“ Only one choice now.”
Miles lifted his mask up, just enough to reveal his face.
“My parents would be very upset with both of us.”
The Tinkerer mask disappeared, showing the shocked visage of Phin, who stared at him in horror. The sword in her hand also faded away.
“...Miles?” She stepped back from him. She’d said it almost as if she was hoping what she was seeing wasn’t true.
Miles clambered back to a standing position, mask back on his face and holding his side. He limped towards her hesitantly.
“Can we just-”
“Miles!”
Gwen landed on the roof and shot out a web at Phin, who dodged it. She was about to continue her assault until Phin turned to her, allowing Gwen to see her face. It stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Phin?”
That seemed to finally activate Phin’s flight response. She ran the other way, jumping off the roof.
“Wait Phin!”
Miles tried to go after her, but he fell to his knees, the pain in his stomach too much to fight through. Gwen ran over to him, crouching down next to him.
“Miles! Are you okay?”
“I think I cracked a rib.”
Gwen checked his side, using her fingers to confirm the injury.
“I think you’re right. But Miles, was that Phin?”
Miles nodded, hanging his head. “Yeah. It was.”
“She’s the Tinkerer?! She almost killed you. Wait-did you know that before?”
“I’ve..I’ve known for a while now. I found out the same day she attacked the bridge.”
“WHAT?! You’ve known for that long?!”
“Gwen…”
“How could you not tell me?! Wait. Did she just find out you’re Spider-Man? You’ve been willingly hanging out with a supervillain-”
“Gwen.” Miles grabbed her hand, stopping her rant. “I know you’ve got a lot of questions and there’s a lot I need to talk about…can we just not for the moment? I need your help getting home. I promise I’ll explain everything.”
He could see her frowning even through her mask, but she nodded, leaning down to put his arm over her shoulder. Once he was secured, they jumped off, beginning to swing back to the Morales home. The entire time, one thought kept running through Mile’s mind.
“I screwed things up. I screwed things up badly.”