“You’ll want to put your dominant foot forwards and rest your weight on your backfoot” I said, showing the stance. “Once you’ve got this, try to stay on the balls of your feet, but only just. It’ll make it easier to move quickly.”

Miles and Josh watched closely as bounced on the balls of my feet, fists raised.

“Then take your forward most hand and do a quick punch” I said, letting jabs fly. After a few, I let out a breath and turned to the others, crossing my arms, “Now you try.”

They both assumed the stance, glancing at each other, before punching at the air, with wildly different mixtures of tenacity.

Miles’ punches were quicker, his form looser, wilder, as he darted back and forth almost playfully. And Joshua’s form was stiff, his punches slow, telegraphed but audibly heavy. But his expression was focused.

I’d feel bad telling either their form didn’t look quite right, especially since mine probably wasn’t much to go off of.

“Right, that’s good” I said, clearing my throat. They both turned and looked to me. “So… uh… what did Emi say? Right. Uh... jabs are great, mainly cause of our strength. It’s really effective against people physically weaker than us, who can’t defend against it properly”

“So hit regular crooks with just jabs?” Joshua asked.

“Basically. It’s light, quick and easy”

“It won’t hurt them? The speed?” Miles asked.

“Well still pull your punches a bit” I said.

“Ok. What else is there?”

“Uh… the straight” I said quickly getting into position. “With your dominant hand you’re going to punch and put your weight into it this time. It should be just as fast but stronger. Like this”

I darted forwards and threw a straight, feeling the muscles in my side tighten. I pulled out of it and stretched massaging at my side. Ow.

“You okay?” Miles asked.

“Yeah, probably should’ve stretched first. Anyway, now you guys try it out”

They nodded, then mimicked the move, both pulling their arms back a bit too far. I ignored the mistake, and let them continue practicing, glancing out at the streets below. Peter said he’d be quick, but I doubted he meant five minutes. I didn’t know that a lot. I didn't know how much longer I could teach these guys.

What did we do when we finished? Play Uno? We definitely couldn't go on patrol. I sighed and looked back to them, watching as they continued them punches.

“Ok, good, good” I said. “Uh... right. For uppercut it’s the same type of punch but start lower and throw it upwards. For a hook, sideways. Like this”

I threw the punches slowly, then faster, moving carefully as my side tightened further. “Ok, now you’re turn” I said looking to the two.

They repeated the movements, Miles more carefully this time as Joshua punched relentlessly, his fists cutting through air like baseball bats.

“I feel like I’m not getting it right” Miles said, stopping.

“We can work on polishing the moves later, since you probably won’t be fighting anyone anytime soon. For now, just try and mix them together. Kind of like a combo from a videogame”

The two nodded and then got to work. They started slowly, before picking up the pace, then both began throwing in their own moves, trying to outdo the other in imaginary competition as they leapt back and forth fighting imaginary opponents.

“Alright, enough of that” I said smiling to myself. “Uh… what else… right, kicks. So-”

Suddenly a loud explosion rocked through roof. I spun around instantly and stopped, staring wide eyed at a building a few blocks over. The space around the building warped and shifted, shimmering with the familiar glow. It was like the portal I’d come back through.

“What the hell was that? Miles asked.

“Might be a portal to another universe” I mumbled.

“What?!” they both cried. I ignored them staring at the wafting smoke as the fires from the explosion began to spread across the now open interior of the top floor. Crap. Unless Peter had gone in that direction, I was definitely the closest. I needed to go, now.

“What do we do?” Miles said, his voice panicked.

“We? You’re doing nothing. I’ll handle this” I said, taking steady breaths.

“Are you sure?” Miles asked.

“Definitely” I said. “Just wait for me to get back”

“But I can help”

“No”

“But you said I was part of the t-”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Not now!” I said, my heart beating hard. I paused and looked to him. “Sorry. Just… stay here, ok?”

He hesitated but nodded. I nodded back then rushed for the street.

“Wait! He might be a kid but I can help” Joshua said. “And I live near there. My daughter’s staying with me, she could be in trouble”

I glanced back to Joshua then swore.

“Ok. Let’s go” I said. He leapt onto my back, and then – with a final glance at Miles – I leapt off the side of the building and fired a web. We fell, the wind rushing past us, then the web went taught under my fingertips. With a grunt of effort, I pulled us up, away from the street as I swung forward.

“Christ you’re heavy” I mumbled.

“Comes with the powers” he muttered as we continued swinging towards the building.

I looked over the mess my mind racing as I tried to decide what to do. The warp was fading now, and didn’t look like it was doing much. But the fire was spreading steadily, the flames growing larger quicker and quicker – a mix of orange and ghostly blue as they danced on the surface of everything.

“Jesus” I muttered. It looked like fire made of negative energy. That couldn’t be good at all.

“That don’t look good” Joshua muttered. “What’s the plan?”

“Ok, ok… you help people out on the lower floors, I’ll help the people on the higher ones. Get them to safety quickly, and… save people?”

“Alright”

Another explosion suddenly rocked the building again, and I looked away, cursing as the white flash of light seared itself against my retinas. I blinked as the stinging came, accompanied by the slight buzz of my spider sense, then paused recognising the familiarity of the sensation. It was the same one I’d gotten back in Ricardo’s room when everything had gone wrong.

What the hell? Negative energy bombs? Tiny negative energy bombs? Were tiny NE bombs coming through the portal?

I looked back up, black spots swimming across my vision. Then I spotted him, a figure clad in green rags flying about on a glider. My eyes widened as I watched them cackle maniacally, chucking orange grenades at the windows as they circled the rooftop.

“Shit. I guess someone came through the rift” I cursed. “Alright change of plans. I’ll fight the guy, you help people on the top floor. That, ok?”

“Perfect” Joshua replied. He didn’t sound sure. I glanced back to him, and my eyes widened.

“Wait, shit you haven’t even got a costume, just a mask. Someone will be able to tell who you are in a second. Crap we've got to-”

“It’s fine. Just let me-”

His skin and clothes suddenly turned to stone, a patchwork of bricks and debris that rumbled heartily as he chuckled.

“I... wow. Ok” I muttered. “Not sure your supposed to be able to do that, but pretty neat”

I looked back to the building, and with a final swing, wrenched us up to the top floor. I landed amongst the initial wreck, on rock where the flames had died and looked around spotting abandoned science equipment, tables filled with beakers of chemicals that looked ready to burn. Great.

“You okay?” I said, looking to Joshua.

“Yeah” he mumbled.

“With the fire I mean”

“It’s fine” he grinned, growing slightly as he absorbed some of the rock beneath our feet. “Stone doesn’t burn”

Then without another word, he rushed off into the fire, his footsteps thumping loudly against the tiled floor. I nodded, then leapt back out and swung around, searching for the green glider.

Suddenly my spider sense blared and I dodged as a bomb flew past me and detonated. I spun through the air, pulling away from the heat as my spider sense continued to buzz, louder and louder. Then something slammed into me. I rolled with the blow, felt my feet touch ground and steadied my body. I stared in open shock as I found myself face to face with a grinning man, yellowed bloodshot eyes staring back at me.

His face was a taught mess of bone, peeling skin, and darkened green veins, his patchy hair covered by a purple hood, and the rest of his body covered in dreary green rags, hints of the metal sheen of a Might enhancement suit underneath shining through. He smelt like vomit and sewer water.

“Spider-Man!” he cackled demonically. “Change of costume? I liked the old one better!”

“I’m glad!” I cried, wrenching my hands away before kicking him in the chest. We both flew backward, glider forgotten and crashed down.

“You really are fast!” he cried, speeding towards me over the roof. I readied myself to meet him, then dodged the glider as it swept through the air narrowly missing me. He landed atop it, then zipped towards me, cackling as claws extended from his ragged gloves.

I fired webs at his face, but he dodged easily and slash for my neck. With a quick sidestep I avoided, then grabbed a hold of the back of his glider. It yanked me off my feet. He cackled to himself as we took off, skywards, then raised the bladed gauntlet to cut at me.

In a panic, my fingers extended into claws and I ripped through the back of his glider with ease. It sputtered and swerved, the blades narrowly missing me, then we both fell out of the sky, spiralling towards the ground. He cackled as we fell but made no move for me. So, I dived at him, slamming a fist into his face followed by one to his gut, and then an elbow to the nose.

We crashed to the roof, skidding across it as I kept punching him. Then with a kick to my stomach, he forced me off, my side tightening to the point of pain. I stumbled back, wheezing as I raised my fists again, my heartrate through the roof.

“What the hell?!” he cried, wiping his face. “That was dirty! Dir-”

I hit him again, a jab to the throat as he stumbled back eyes wide. Then I kicked him, knocking him to the floor hard with a roundhouse.

He bounced against the concrete, then flipped up, growling with rage as the blades emerged from his gauntlets again. He rushed at me with speed beyond that of a regular humans’ slashing desperately, his cackles gone.

“Stop running!” he roared. “FIGHT!”

“Fuck that! You’re trying to kill me!”

“That’s what we do!”

“We?! I don’t know you!”

“What?! How could you say that!?” he raged. “Spider-Man would never say that! Who are you?! WHO ARE YOU?!”

“I could ask the same question?!” I cried back, dodging as he swung more blades at me. I darted forwards and kicked at him twice before leaping at him. He met me halfway, both of us locking hands in a battle of strength before he kicked me away.

“No somersaults, no leg sweeps, no style! It’s all crude and dirty! It’s all wrong!”

“You want style?!” I cried. I leapt at him, narrowly dodged a punch then grabbed him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’ll show you style fuckface!”

His feet left the ground and he squealed.

"Wait! Wai-"

I suplexed him into the roof, hard, and the stone crumbled underneath us both of us failing through the air before slamming into broken ground. I thudded against the floor, and shielded myself as brick and debris fell atop me, cursing at my own stupidity.

Of course the roof would be fragile. He chucked about three fucking bombs at it.

I struggled against the mess of brick and stone, forcing my way out as quickly as I could. But when I leapt to my feet, only distant fires surrounded me, and a human sized hole. I heard familiar cursing in the lower floors, and quickly dropped down to meet my enemy.

I found him lying on the floor, face bloody as he muttered uselessly to his captor, holding his back. A nine foot tall humanoid of brick stood over him, before looking back to me.

“I got him with the straight” Joshua grumbled, the bass shaking the floor as his somewhat intimidating stone giant form grinned at me. I glanced to the green glider, his entire face bloody and body practically limp as Joshua held him by the rags of his hood. I looked back to Joshua.

“Right” I muttered, “But I think you can stop hitting him now.”