Faster update. I really wanted to finish up the prison arc and deal with the Bullseye and Noir fight. It wasn't as 'epic' as I wanted it to be but hopefully people are fine with it.

Next arc will be the Morbius one and I did some tweaks. Explained more in the ending AN. For now just read this one and I hope you all enjoy it :)

Peter had tangled with every kind of monster and crazy ever since he got 'taken' to this madhouse. Petty criminals who just wanted a buck, so-called criminal masterminds who fancied themselves rules and anyone else in-between. The supervillains were the worst. Clowns in costumes who decided that they could do whatever the hell they wanted, damn the innocent people that got hurt.

"Jack..."

And above even them Jack was the king. Matt made his life hell, broke him to the point that he just wanted to end it all and took Bullseye on top, but he was a demon. It didn't change anything but...knowing that was a reminder. That all this evil, all the monstrosity that came from him, was because of something made for it. Didn't make it better, but it was understandable. Didn't expect a demon to be anything less.

Jack was different. No powers, no twisted possession, nothing. He was just a crazy, mad bastard that decided it was his life's mission to ruin everything Peter had. No demons, no grand reason, just plain human cruelty and spite. And for a while it worked. Because of him the city knew exactly who Spider-Man was, that the Parkers had to uproot and start a new life elsewhere because staying in the city would've been a death sentence.

And now he was here. Propped up on display like a mangled prize.

Jack's demented grin somehow widened and he laughed. It sounded like the rasps of a dying animal, "I knew it was you!" He moved, just barely, but the cage held firm. It was a demented contraption, seeming to match its owner. A metal thing that wrapped itself around him like a vice leaving no trace of flesh open safe for a few bits around his wrists, upper arms and neck. And even those were wrapped around with needles and wires pumping some kind of fluid into him. Life support of some kind?

"Huh..." Peter narrowed his eyes and gripped the shiv tighter. It was silly, the way his heart raced in an adrenaline fueled rush. Jack was helpless. He didn't kill him all those months ago but it might have been a mercy if he did. He wasn't alive, not really. Looking at him now it was obvious that his body was more a coffin than anything else. Just somebody waiting to die.

And all that was waiting for him was the inferno.

"Is that all you have to say?" Jack rasped. He sounded even worse than he did a year ago. The words were barely legible and it was as if he had to choke every word out like he was being choked, "All this time waiting for you to come visit and this is what I get? I'm disappointed."

"Get used to that feeling, Jack. That's what the rest of your miserable life's going to be till you finally croak."

"Aww, still playing tough? That's the Peter I know!" He tried to laugh again. Instead what came out were raspy coughs and Peter winced at the flecks of blood that hit his face, "Sorry if I couldn't dress up. You rode me a bit too hard on our last date. Still feeling it."

"How the hell are you still alive...?" He didn't kill him, but he honestly expected him to die anyway after the beating he took.

"Wonders of modern medicine." He tilted his head slightly to emphasize the stretched, leathery skin of his neck and the wired needle attached to it, "They've got this stuff in me to make sure I don't croak just yet. Warden says I'm a warning to everyone who thinks it can't get any worse. Personally I think he's just angry I killed his hubby last year. Some people take things so personal."

"You deserve worse." Sometimes it was hard to figure out if he hated him more than Matt.

"So nice to know you think of me." He tried to lean forward. The metal cage kept him bound tight but he didn't seem to care, "This place ain't so bad, though. I just wish you left me one of my eyes so I can see you again. You left me one of my ears, at least, so I can still hear your voice."

"That can be changed." He fingered the side of the shiv. Wouldn't take much to slide it up towards his right ear and stab. Then he really would've just been in a fleshy coffin.

"Tease." Peter scowled. Nothing ever fazed the demented bastard, "So, what took you so long to visit? I was waitin' for you ever since our magical day at the carnival. Don't tell me you went crawling back to Spider-Woman? You know she's no good for you!"

"..." He bit his tongue to keep from snapping back. He was always like this. Just like Matt the slack-jawed bastard had a way of getting under his skin. Even now when both of them were the size of figurines and he was stuck in that cage nothing changed. The year of isolation didn't seem like it affected him at all and there were still desperate clowns who worshiped the ground he walked on.

"Giving me the silent treatment, huh? I'm disappointed." He sighed. Peter half-expected him to spit out more blood, "So what is it now? What made you shrink yourself down just to see me again?"

"What makes you think you're the reason I'm here?"

"Did you find somebody else? Haha, no way! No one could ever love you as much as I do!" Peter grit his teeth and pressed the edge of the shiv to Jack's neck, "Oooh, getting kinky! This reminds me of our last date! Come on! Push it in! I can take it!"

Peter growled and was about to cut his throat open when he heard footsteps behind him, "What the...?" He turned back and scowled at the dozen prisoners stepped in with all the confidence of people who had victory handed to them.

He recognized them all. Those bastards who were in that warehouse he went to after the train station bombing. The one in front in particular was familiar. He was the clown who practically wet his pants before he dropped him from the rafters. Now he looked different, exposed arms covered in pumpkin tattoos and his scrawny physique replaced with someone who had to shape up or die.

"Heh, the old hag was right." he said, mouth open in a nasty sneer, "David Walters, or do I call you Spider-Man?"

"Back off." Peter stepped to Jack's left side and pressed the tip of the shiv against the laughing maniac's head, "Get any closer and your idol chokes on his own blood."

His sneer was immediately replaced by a scowl, "...You kill him and you die."

"What, and you'll just let me go if I don't? Not likely." He pressed harder till the shiv broke skin and drops of blood came down, "Doesn't take anything to stab him. At least he'll still be dead."

The leader's scowl worsened and he looked like he was about to order them to back off when one of the other Lanterns - a short, twitchy guy who looked like he'd been on the wrong end of a few needles - suddenly screeched and charged towards him. His spider-sense blared and he took the shiv away from Jack's neck so he could defend himself.

He was tackled to the ground with the deranged gremlin screeching and clawing at him. Peter grit his teeth and batted away his frenzied strikes as best he could. Through the writing figure he just barely saw most of the Lanterns rushing to join him while a couple focused on trying to get their idol down, "Get...off!" He stabbed the trashing madman in the neck twice, blood splurting and hitting him in the face, and shoved him off.

He tried to stand only to get a kick to the face, his spider-sense blaring uselessly. The back of Peter's head slammed against the ground and he barely had time to brace himself before nine of the bastards started punching and kicking at whatever they could hit.

He couldn't do anything but curl in on himself and try to weather through it, 'Now'd be a good time to come back, Spider-God!' he screamed mentally. Another kick to his side cause his head to jerk upwards and the next hit to his jaw had hid him seeing stars.

Two of the Lanterns grabbed him by his arms and pulled him to a kneeling position. His vision swam and it took everything he had to glare up at the lead Lantern's smirking face. Without a word he grabbed the shiv Peter dropped and made a deep cut on his cheek. Peter didn't scream even when he pressed two fingers in and tore away a part of the mask roughly.

The Lantern tore off the rest of the mask and his smirk widened to something grotesque, "You have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?" He grabbed the back of Peter's head and made him face up, "They threw me in here because you caught me. I was just a kid who wanted to have a little bit of fun. You really think that I deserved to be put in prison for the next 25 years?"

Peter spat blood right into his left eye.

"Rrrgh! You son of a bitch!" He pressed the shiv against Peter's neck, "I'm gonna-"

The two lantern's holding him suddenly fell to the ground. Peter just barely caught the small bits of metal impaled on their foreheads before two more behind him fell, "What the-" The leader turned back to the entrance. Peter grabbed both legs and, with a desperate pull, the both of them fell to the ground with Peter on top. He grabbed the fallen shiv and, ignoring the screams of the dying Lanterns around him, stabbed the blade into his back three times.

Peter coughed, the taste of blood on his tongue, and looked around. All of the Lanterns were dead, even the ones trying to get the Jack's cage mobile. He turned to his savior and coughed again when the smiling figure offered him a hand.

"Fancy seeing you here, kid." Bullseye grinned down at him. His face was covered in blood, but he knew enough from experience to figure it wasn't his. Peter looked at the offered hand blankly, "Ah come on, I ain't gonna stab ya! If I was your fancy spider-sense would've warned you."

"..." Peter held his hand and the older man pulled him up cheerily, "See, that wasn't so hard!" He clapped Peter on the shoulder and whistled at the bodies around them, "I knew I'd see you, but I didn't think I'd be comin' to your rescue again. What happened? Big, bad Spider-Man really did lose his powers?"

"You already know the answer to that." Peter held onto the shiv tightly. He wasn't an idiot - the chances of him being able to win a fight against Bullseye head-on without his powers was already slim, but after the beating the Lanterns gave him? "...Aren't you here to kill me?"

"Huh? Well technically I'm here for this guy." He gestured to the bound Jack. The bastard was still laughing his head off, "You know the old bat's been usin' his fanboys to try and stir shit up in the city. Well, he thinks we can use him to go on a recruitment run. You know, 'here's your fucked up Jesus, now go and die for us!' sort of thing. Wouldn't be the first time she used that kind of thing."

"...You're going to take him, then?" He wasn't sure if he could stop him even if he wanted to.

"Ooh, are we going on a field trip!? Lemme pack my things!" Jack cackled.

Bullseye took one look at Jack's bloody, emaciated body and said, "Nope." Jack actually stopped laughing at that. If it were any other situation Peter would've found it funny, "In fact, I'm just gonna do a little something and..."

He pulled out a paperclip and, without a care, flicked it to the left wall. The plastic ricocheted against the metal surface and slipped between Jack's mask and hit his right ear. Jack screamed at that, thrashing against his cage as blood dribbled down the side of his head.

"...Why the hell did you do that?"

"Cause I don't care what that old bitch wants. And I wanted some privacy." His smile was malicious and all too familiar, "See, she brought me back to kill you. And I can totally agree with that. But she honestly thinks I care about making sure she and her Illuminati wannabes stay on top? No. She gets this guy on her side and she'll get a bunch of assholes with nothing to lose trying to kill you. And why should I let them have all that fun?"

"I thought-"

"What? She brainwashed me? Well, kinda. Thing is without Matty boy's demon on their side they ain't exactly the best at it. Figure that's why their old pet went over to your side." Echo... "She thinks she's got me right under her thumb."

"If she doesn't then why are you doing this?" Why did he attack Lana?

"I already told you. Pay attention, kid." He slapped the side of his face mockingly, "I wanna kill you. You and Matty boy. I wanna hurt you till you're practically beggin' for me to end it," he said it so calmly and without a care, "While I was burnin' down there getting pitchforks shoved up my ass you and him were having a fun old time up here, weren't you?"

"I only did that so you wouldn't stay down there."

"Bit too late for that, isn't it?" He shrugged, "But hey, no harm no foul. I mean I'm still gonna kill you both but we don't have to make it this big, sad thing." He nudged his head to the entrance, "Now come on, let's get you outta here."

"...What?"

"Let's get outta here. Gonna make sure you survive this."

"And why the hell do you wanna do that?"

"Cause killing you now ain't gonna give me anything," he said, looking at Peter like he was stupid, "Sure I could kill you right here, and I doubt you can stop me, but then what? That's boring! I wanna fight with Spider-Man, the kid who fought every damn criminal this city could throw at him and came out on top! I don't wanna kill some guy holding a knife like safety blanket!"

"So you're willing to completely ignore Gao just because you want to kill me 'better'?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" He clapped mockingly, "I told you I don't care what she wants. She'll scream that she's the one with all the cards but really she's just a desperate old bat trying to stay on top. See she's not like Matty boy's old demon buddy. She can't just pull the plug and make me dead the second she doesn't like what I'm doing. Pretty stupid of her, but like I said she's desperate. Thinks cause we're old pals I can kill you better."

"And she didn't realize someone like you can't be controlled." Meaning everything he did - that fight in the subway and the attack at the FEAST shelter - was all his choice in the end.

"Exactamundo. Now, can we get the hell out of here so we can go back to killing each other proper? Listening to your old boyfriend scream is pissing me off."

Peter looked back at Jack. He'd stopped screaming now. Instead he was calling out his name, wondering if he was still there. He was tempted to finish what he started earlier and cut his throat. Would've been simple now, and he deserved it more than anyone else in the room.

But why make his trip to hell short?

"...Fine. Lead the way."

Silly Crow: So one thing I don't get: how does Spider-Man have so many friends?

Reply from Dark Bunny: wdym?

Reply from Silly Crow: Like he keeps leading groups like the Defenders and according to EPFrog's post he was hanging out with Spider-Woman, Striker, Scarlet Spider and Spinerette after the hospital incident. But every time we see him on camera he acts like a major prick. How does a guy like this hang out with anyone?

Reply from Ben Vogel: Well the Defenders were all anti-heroes, right? For the other four...he's going out with Spider-Woman and Striker was a former Defender, so there's that. Dunno why Spinerette and Scarlet Spider are friends with him, though.

Reply from No1SpiderManFan: We don't see what he's like 24/7! I bet you he's got a nicer side. I made some interviewer here and a few people in Hell's Kitchen said he was pretty nice to them. One guy even saw him trying to cheer up a kid who was crying.

Reply from Silly Crow: Still really fucking weird that he has so many people working with him...

Echo ducked behind the table as one of the prisoners passed by. She had hoped to blend in, perhaps come up Moonstone then take her out without her noticing, but the Hand had already made countermeasures for that. Gao had exposed all their identities to the prisoners and, while she hadn't done anything to garner their ire like the rest of the group, her former taskmaster had promised that any that ensured her demise would be allowed an escape.

Which made her current task far more...difficult.

Echo grabbed the passing inmate and, after a brief struggle, jammed the shiv into her neck. The prisoner briefly choked, hands grasping at the air uselessly, before Echo dragged her bleeding body behind the table out of sight.

Finding her way to Moonstone was proving troublesome. Rioting prisoners stalked the halls and even now she was forced to duck into a corner office in order to avoid a large cluster, save one who stayed behind to try and loot the room, "..." She looked around the room and eyed the ventilation shaft at the right corner of the room. Crude, but it would suffice.

She hopped up on a nearby bookshelf and gripped the bars. A few tugs later and it came down with dry squeak, "What was that?" someone outside asked. Guard or prisoner; either way they wouldn't treat her well. Echo flipped up the shaft and closed the vent just in time for a group of six prisoners to barge into the room. An easy enough fight, but one that served no purpose.

She crawled along the shaft and made sure not to draw attention to herself. Traveling in such a way was limiting but it was better than getting into needless fights that were better avoided.

She stopped over one of the open vents and narrowed her eyes the dead guard slumped against the wall, "..." She jumped down and quickly searched the woman's pockets. Pointless - all her weaponry was already looted despite being built for her size - but the oversized keycard drew her attention. While most of the doors were already opened due to the riot it could prove useful.

The door opened behind her and two prisoners came in, "Hey, we should-"

Echo charged and slammed the first one against the wall before stabbing the shiv into forehead. The second prisoner stumbled back in surprise and Echo immediately grabbed her by the head and snapped her neck. It was possible that they wouldn't know who she was but she couldn't afford that possibility.

"Good girl."

The side of Echo's mouth twitched and she ignored the translucent figure of Bakuto - her former master - clapping sarcastically. These visions were...inconvenient, "..." She returned to the vent and followed the noise of the riots. Her goal was Moonstone, but any of the Gifted were fair game. Gao wasn't particularly choosy when it came to which bodies she threw into her battles.

Eventually she stopped over another room. This one looked to be a break room of some kind for their wardens judging by the size of the tables and the furniture. And at the center of it all was her target, one hand holding a phone against her ear while the other held onto a weakly struggling guard's neck, "Heh, too easy." Moonstone smiled as she took out the last, barely twitching guard and looked over her handiwork. Echo counted at least half a dozen dead guards from her vantage point, "Is that good enough for a test run?"

"It is satisfactory." That was Gao's voice, "You know the rendezvous location. Go there and you will have your freedom in exchange for-"

"For helping you kill Spider-Man. Heard you the first time." She cut the call and scoffed, "Desperate old bat..." she muttered. Echo took another glance at her surrounding. Apart from the dead guards there were two inmates slumped over on a nearby desk.

Echo opened the vent and dropped down silently. According to the information she was given this woman was as vulnerable to blades as with any other human. One hit in the proper place would suffice.

Echo made to stab her at the base of her neck when Moonstone suddenly took to the air, "Nice try!" She grinned and shot concentrated light from her palms. Echo flipped back to avoid the attack and gripped the shiv tighter, "Heh, the old bat told me about you. Said you'd try and stop me." She gathered light in her palms again, "It's nothing personal, just so you know."

Dodging the next attack, Echo jumped behind an upturned table. The metal dented from the force of the impact and the table pinned her against the wall when it was suddenly pushed back by another blast, "Ngh..." She grit her teeth and kicked the table away.

Moonstone landed on the ground and sneered, "Let's just make this quick! I want to get out of here!" Another blast. Echo ran to her and, after dodging two more shots, quickly brought the shiv up to slice her neck. Her sneer turned into a grin and the knife passed through her harmlessly.

"Nice try." Faster than any human could, she reached her left hand out and grabbed Echo by the neck. She lifted her up with one hand while the other prepared another blast, "Now let's-"

Echo grabbed her thumb and twisted it back. Her cocky expression was replaced by a painful scream, which was also cut off when Echo flipped back and kicked her in the jaw, "You fucking bitch!" Echo grabbed one of the inmate's bodies and used it as a shield against her next attack. She shut her eyes to protect them from the splatter of blood then, once the attack ceased, tossed the freshly bleeding body towards her opponent.

The body passed through without making contact but it was enough to give her an opening. Moonstone flickered back to a normal state just before Echo slashed across the length of her stomach, "Agh! You fucking-" The next punch was aimed for Echo's head. She dodged the fast, but clumsy blow and hid behind another, "Stop running!"

It appeared her intangibility could be held only for a brief moment. That would suffice.

Echo charged for her again. She dodged the first two blasts of light only for the third to graze her right cheek. The flesh burned but she continued on. Moonstone's eyes widened and she became intangible, causing Echo to pass through her and head straight for the wall.

Before she made contact she changed course and ran up the wall before jumping back. Moonstone looked back only to see her leap overhead and throw the shiv at the base of her neck.

Moonstone's scream was brief and quickly interrupted when Echo grabbed her shoulders as she landed and slammed her against the ground. The shiv was ground deeper into the wound and Echo stomped on her neck one last time to make sure.

"Wh...what did you...?" She tried to fire, tried to move, but her body remained still and the blasts fired off harmlessly from her paralyzed hands, "D-Did you just-"

Echo ignored her desperate pleas and picked up another weapon - another makeshift knife - from one of the dead prisoners and stalked closer to her. Moonstone's previous bravado was replaced by fear, by promises of not truly planning to kill her or other such pleas. She'd heard it all too many times. Rare was the one who faced death with any sort of dignity rather than restoring to begging and crying.

She made it quick. One stab in the forehead and another in the chest where her heart lay. Echo watched the blood pool around her feet and and let out a soft breath, "..." Simple enough. Perhaps Echo had overestimated her. The Hand believed the powers of the Gifted was what would tip the scales, but what good was power to those who didn't know how to use it? Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight and Daniel. It wasn't their powers or technology that made them such difficult opponents.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Bakuto's voice said once more. Echo ignored it, "Your daughter's more powerful than you could ever hope to be but she doesn't know how to use her gifts. We could've taught her."

The feeling of the collar against her neck suddenly felt suffocating. Echo picked up the shiv and, after a minute of adjustment, popped the metal off. It was time for her to reunite with the others.

Medium Sized Dan: So let me get this straight, Matt Murdock the former Kingpin claims he was possessed by the devil and suddenly he gets off completely scott free? Dafaq?

Reply from ZombieWeiss: Where've you been the last couple months? Yeah, he was possessed. Your remember the big freaking demon in Times Square? Pretty big proof right there.

Reply from Moma v.: Op has a point though. Murdock says he's possessed and suddenly I'm supposed to believe that he's totally blameless and it wasn't his fault? Sounds like a big load of BS to me.

Reply from GwenTheDrummerStacy: Definitely. There's no way that Murdock bastard is this innocent guy who just got caught up in it.

Reply from Brian P.: Oh yeah didn't your dad put the Wilson Fisk in jail?

Reply from GwenTheDrummerStacy: Yeah, and it's complete bullshit that Murdock just cops a plea deal and gets a fancy penthouse in Midtown. He belongs in jail.

Reply from ZombieWeiss: I dunno. If he's really possessed then you're just putting an innocent man in jail.

Reply from Briar Rose: I'm more pissed at everyone copying his lead. Just look online and you've got dozens of people saying there were possessed and didn't mean to rape that woman or kill that guy. It's a joke.

Peter cut the prisoner's throat then stabbed him in the gut. He felt blood on his hands and the dying gurgle brought out a small sense of guilt. Not for them - they didn't deserve it - but for Gwen. Despite her claims of trying to change his and Mary's minds through her own actions he could tell it hurt her knowing that they piled bodies when she wasn't looking.

Especially considering who he was working with now...

Off to the left, Bullseye clamped his left hand over the inmate's mouth then jammed his own knife into the poor bastard's right eye socket. He struggled and screamed, trying to knock Bullseye away, but the older man just grinned and continued to hold him in place till he eventually stopped moving.

"Ha." He wiped his bloodstained hands on his face, smearing blood all across it. Down here, surrounded by dead criminals with barely any innocent people in sight, it reminded him of the old Bullseye. The self-confessed son of a bitch who tried to make the world a better place one corpse at a time, "Good job, kid. Looks like you didn't lose everything, huh?"

Peter didn't say anything and just walked on ahead. They both agreed to cut through the mess hall then go their separate ways from there. Moon Knight had their extraction planned out and it was pointless going after Murakami now in the state he was in. He thought they would've gotten a chance to get him alone, but with this riot there was no way that was happening now.

Speaking of...

"How the hell did Gao pull this off?"

"Hm?"

"This riot..." he muttered, "There are people outside. Alarms are ringing, they should be coming in now."

"What do you think? Just greasing the right palms." Bullseye shrugged and walked past him, "You're right. Any riot'll go bad once the giants outside realize what's happening. But what happens if the guy manning the alarms just 'slips' and makes sure that no one outside can see anything? And what if that same guy fixed the camera feed so for anyone else looking in it's business as usual?"

"It's that easy, hm?"

"You should know better than anyone. Doesn't matter how airtight something is; there'll always be that one guy you can break or bribe to make sure he fucks it up for everyone else. Or did you actually buy that the system actually works now?"

"...Point." He sighed and trudged ahead so they could walked side by side. A part of him wondered if he could just raise his hand and stab him in the side of the head right now. Just one hit and-

"Heh...bullseye."

"Hey, kid, you alright?" He shook his head to wave off the images of Matt's grinning face and turned to look back at Bullseye. The tattooed man's face was still locked in an easy grin, "What's wrong? Hearing the voices again?"

"I'm fine."

He grit his teeth and scowled when he saw three more inmates - Lanterns - looting the bodies of what looked like two nurses as soon as he rounded the corner. They weren't looking at them, "On you, Spidey." Bullseye laughed. Peter ignored him and, after making sure they were too busy looting to notice him, stabbed the closest one at the back of his head.

The other two noticed their friend's death throes just in time for Bullseye to shoot them both down with two more bits of plastic. Peter knocked the inmate to the ground and stabbed him in the chest two times for good measure. He saw the light fade from the man - who looked barely older than Peter himself - and his cheek suddenly throbbed from the fresh cut. Damn Lanterns.

"Nice job." Bullseye gave him a thumbs up. Peter ignored how familiar that was, "Just like old times, huh?"

"Hm..." The mess hall was close. Once they got past there they'd go their separate ways, "...Let's keep moving."

"Whatever you say, kid."

The mess hall wasn't empty. Not that he expected it to be considering the state the prison was in now, but seeing eight inmates with that wheelchaired mook Hammerhead at the center was still a nasty surprise, "Knew you was comin'." His ugly mug moved to an even uglier smile and his eyes shifted from Peter to Bullseye, "Thought you weren't friends with him anymore?"

"This is what you'd call a temporary alliance." Bullseye held his hands up, "So what say you gentlemen get out of our way? Spidey dyin' right here wouldn't really make me happy, ya know? So do me a favor and make sure you don't try and kill yourselves."

"Hah. Funny." He nodded to the assorted goons. Most of them were the garden variety thugs but two drew his attention - a guy with fiery skin and a big boy who looked like he gargled steroids packing a sledgehammer. Those two were gonna be trouble, "See, we don't give a shit what you want. We're getting Spider-Man, and if you don't like it we'll go through you too."

Bullseye gave him a wry, amused look then, without any warning, threw two paperclips that hit two of the mooks right in the eye.

All hell broke loose after that. Peter ran to the right while Bullseye went to the left, "Shit...!" He slid across the table and grabbed a tray as he passed. He threw the metal square straight at one of their heads and ducked the punch that came from another. He stabbed him twice in the stomach and kicked him away just before another three came for him.

Bullseye wasn't faring much better. He took down another goon just in time for the big galoot to throw him against the wall with a painful crack, "Bullseye!" He threw his shiv at the mook's back, giving Bullseye a chance to recover.

Why did he...

"Hey, get him already!" Hammerhead screamed. Damn it, he had to focus. The firestarter aimed a blast of fire directly at him. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the closest inmate and used him as a human shield.

The desperate, dying shriek was nothing compared to the smell of burning smell that wafted up his nostrils. Peter let the flaming body go just in time for two of inmates to grab his arms and hold him in place, "Hold him steady!" The firestarter screamed, preparing another fireball.

A flash of metal caught his eye and the one holding onto his left side suddenly fell, a sharp piece of metal - his shiv - jutting out of the side of his head, "You me one!" Bullseye shouted. Peter threw the other prisoner into the next fireball's path and, after grabbing the impaled shiv, ducked under the tables before he could get hit again.

Peter got out from under the table and grabbed the closest thing, a metal cup, and bashed firestarter in the jaw. It was enough to knock him off balance and gave Peter a chance to stab him in the side of the neck three times.

"You useless mooks! There's just two of them! Do your goddamned job!" Hammerhead screamed again. There were just three left - two more mooks and the big guy with the sledgehammer.

Bullseye threw one more projectile - a card - and slicked one mook's throat while Peter took the other. One stab to the gut and he was on the ground before Peter straddled him and bashed his head against the floor twice. Might've been unconscious, might've been dead. Didn't matter.

His spider-sense blared and he looked to the right just in time to see the giant with the sledgehammer raised. Peter grit his teeth and willed his body to move, but he knew he wouldn't make it.

"Comin' through!" Bullsye shoved him out of the way. Peter rolled along the ground and looked up with wide eyes as the sledgehammer hit Bullseye in the left arm, "Shit, that smarts!" His left arm hung limply. The roided goon pulled back for another hit when Bullseye grabbed the fallen shiv and stabbed him straight in the right knee.

Bullseye pulled the knife back and threw it to Peter as the goon went down on one knee. Peter jumped on the giant's back and started stabbing, piercing at whatever flesh he could reach. Bullseye stumbled back and watched with a grin as the big guy went down while he just kept stabbing to make sure he was dead.

It was only after the seventh stab that he finally stopped. Peter stood up shakily, panting and shaking, and glared at Hammerhead. Egotistical moron was still there, "Hey, you don't mind if I take this one, do you? I feel like I deserve it?" Bullseye gestured to the limp, useless arm.

"...Go ahead."

"Thanks!"

Peter watched as Bullseye grabbed the sledgehammer and dragged it to where Hammerhead was desperately trying to roll away. The first hit broke his jaw and the next ones broke his arms. Peter looked away as Bullseye finished up his 'fun', "Damn it..." He reached a hand to his back and clicked his tongue at the stinging pain. Didn't even notice someone cut him.

By the time Bullseye was done Hammerhead was a broken, twitching mess who had more blood outside than in. He grinned and set the hammer down, "Ah, that felt nice!" He looked back at Peter with a grin, "You still got all your parts, kid?"

"Yeah..." Bullseye saved him. Twice.

"Right. Let's get the hell outta here then."

They ended up on the nearby shower room. Mostly cause it was empty and partially to try and wash the blood - both theirs and others - off. Bullseye turned on all the showers and breathed a sigh of relief as the water washed away the red from his skin and jumpsuit. Peter kept his distance, eyeing the limp, broken arm and the bloody shiv he held in his hand.

"...What are you going to do after this?"

"Hm?"

"After we get out. What are you planning to do?" If he just went after him and Matt...Peter could live with it.

"Depends. Probably have to go after a few of Gao's unmentionables." He shrugged with one arm, "I don't care what Gao wants but I gotta play ball sometimes. She's gonna be pretty pissed she couldn't get that Jack-o-Lantern guy." He hummed, "I dunno, maybe I'll pay Lana a visit again. Heard she got out of the hospital. Or maybe someone else you're friends with. I wanna make our fight real personal. Gotta make it dramatic, ya know?"

Drama. That was why he did this. Why he helped him escape and why he put Lana in the hospital. It was all a show to him.

Peter took a deep breath and stepped closer. Bullseye showed no care at his closing footsteps.

"...I can't let you leave." Bullseye stopped, just for a second, and turned back slightly to look at him, "If all you're going to do is kill people once you're out then I might as well stop you here and now." He crushed down any sense of gratitude he felt. This wasn't Bullseye. His friend was dead.

"This really how you wanna end it? And here I thought we were doing so well." He sighed dramatically and turned to face him fully, "This ain't how I wanted it to go. You don't have your powers and I'm down to one good arm. Don't even have any clips left. This is gonna be one lame fight."

"Fine with me."

"Heh...alright then."

Bullseye aimed a punch straight at his face. Peter moved back to avoid the hit and slashed his chest. The cut was shallow and the blood was immediately washed away by the rush of water around them.

"Nice hit!"

Bullseye suddenly tackled him to the ground, grabbing at the wrist of the arm holding onto the shiv with one hand while he pinned down the over with his leg. They struggled against the ground, Bullseye laughing all the while, before Peter finally managed to loosen his grip, "Let...go!" Peter slashed the side of his face and, as Bullseye stumbled back, charged forward and stabbed his right shoulder.

Bullseye pulled back, taking the impaled shiv with him, "Hey, come on! At least go for the arm that's already broke!" Peter clenched his hands into tight fists and moved forward to hit him. Bullseye dodged effortlessly, grabbed his outstretched arm and tossed him to the wall.

He didn't get a chance to move before Bullseye grabbed the side of his head and bashed it against the wall. His head was smashed three times before, vision swimming, Bullseye made him face forward choking his neck, "Come on, look at me!" Bullseye cried, staring down at him with manic glee, "If you wanted to have our match early at least gimme that! Come on!"

Peter grabbed desperately, pushing against Bullseye's head before his grip hardened and he found it harder to move. Peter opened his mouth, desperately trying to breath, but the only sounds that came were desperate gasps. Bullseye's manic grin widened and he leaned closer till their faces were practically touching. Peter's vision swam and everything was going black.

Using his last burst of energy, he grabbed the handle of the impaled shiv and pulled it out of Bullseye's shoulder. His look of surprise was cut short when Peter desperately stabbed him in the thigh and twisted.

"Ahh, shit!" Peter tried to shove him off only for Bullseye to suddenly headbutt him. Peter's vision swam again and he barely noticed Bullseye pull him back and punch him in the jaw.

They both fell to the ground. Peter covered his bleeding lip and leaned against the wall while Bullseye looked down at his freshly impaled thigh, "Bullseye..." Peter tried to stand, but the collected injuries were too much. It took everything he had not to just collapse on the ground.

"Hah...you really wanna kill me, huh?" Bullseye grinned, teeth bloody, "Good, that's good. It'll make our real fight much better."

"You-"

"Hold onto this for me, will you?" He pulled out the shiv and threw it straight at Peter's right shoulder. Peter screamed, curling in on himself and pressing harder against the wall while Bullseye, somehow, managed to stand up, "That'll be your reminder. Make sure to get your powers back quick cause I wanna fight you for real." He looked back, "Heh...well, it's been fun. See you around, kid."

Bullseye turned to leave. Peter grasped the hilt and almost pulled the shiv out before thinking better of it. He'd bleed out, "Bullseye..." he said, voice so soft he was sure the other man didn't hear him. Bullseye stopped anyway, "...I'm going to kill you. Next time we see each other you're dead."

"Same here. See you around, Pete."

And then he was gone. Peter didn't know how long he sat there, water dripping down around him as he flitted in and out of consciousness, but eventually he heard a familiar voice, "I've got him." Peter looked up and and saw Matt's face. His telltale grin was gone, replaced with a barely restrained frown. A quick look at his jumpsuit showed cuts and tears not too far off from what Peter had.

"Matt..."

"Don't talk. Your wounds are rather grievous." He slung Peter's left arm around his shoulder and pulled him up, "The mission's a failure. Murakami escaped with his fresh recruits and this place will be our tomb if he stay."

"Bullseye, he-"

"I suggest you save the debrief for later. Come, Moon Knight made contact with both Spider-Woman and Spinerette. They'll be extracting us. Just grit your teeth and hold on till then."

Numbah_5: So I just came back after a week away and apparently Susan Storm's one of the Gifted?!

Reply from Angel Santana: Yep. Apparently she got exposed to some kind of new Terrigen Mist and got powers. Johnny Storm made a blog post about it here.

Reply from kirabook: That's crazy. She's already a big celeb and now she's got superpowers too? Some people get all the luck.

Reply from spartan211: I heard that her role in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2099 movie's being re-written! Can't wait to see what they do with it!

Reply from J ri: I heard a rumor that her and Striker are going to do some team-up hero stuff! That's gonna be awesome!

Being back in Gwen's apartment was a bittersweet feeling. It was safe, more than any other place in the city, but the fact that he was still stuck at 3 inches tall dampened any sense of homecoming he might have felt, "We're here..." Gwen whispered. She deposited him and Matt at the living room table and reluctantly sat on the couch nearby. She was careful handling them all the way back. Even if she didn't care about Matt she needed someone the same size to help look over him.

Cindy took Moon Knight, Rand and Echo with her. Apparently they had other arrangements.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked.

"Mmm." Peter gestured slightly. It wasn't much considering his size but it was something, "...Where are the grow particles?"

"Uh...actually, about that-"

"I'm afraid we'll be in this state for a while yet, Peter." Matt hummed. Despite his numerous injuries he didn't show any signs of weakness or fatigue, "Moon Knight's safehouse was raided and they took the particles he had stashed for our return. Wasp herself is currently dealing with the aftermath of our failed operation and won't be in any position to return us to our normal size."

"She said we could swing by tomorrow," Gwen added. Peter winced and tried to ignore how loud her voice was even as she whispered, "We should...look at your wounds first."

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not." Arguing with Gwen was hard at the best of times. It was impossible now considering he was barely the size of her pinky.

"As much as it might displease our host, I agree with her," Matt said, "Lucky for you Moon Knight prepared supplies just for this occurrence." Of course he did. Guy was crazy enough to have kid's clothes on hand just in case they took a dip in the fountain of youth, "We should have enough here to ensure our wounds don't kill us in our sleep."

"...Does he have whiskey, at least?"

"Afraid not. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with painkillers."

Gwen set down the supplies next to them and watched warily as Peter lowered the top half of the jumpsuit and pulled the dark shirt underneath over his head. As soon as the fabric was over his head she gasped, "...That bad?" Stupid question. It would've been a miracle if he didn't look like ground meat by now.

"I can't see the same way as Ms. Stacy, but judging by your heart rate and the way your muscles move? Yes, it's 'bad'." Matt handed him the shrunken medical kit, "There are sutures, disinfectant and anything else you'll need. I suggest healing yourself as best you can before doing anything else."

"Thanks for the advice, Sherlock..." He swallowed a little over the recommended dosage of painkillers then wiped away what blood remained on the shoulder wound with disinfectant. From behind him Gwen bit her lip and looked like she wanted to do something only to barely hold herself back. As much as she wanted to help him it wouldn't have been a good idea considering his state.

He sewed up the slice as best he could. The stitching was crude and wasn't what he would call neat, but it'd get the job done. Again he found himself wishing for the Spider-God to appear in his dreams again. Back there in the shower room, as he was flitting in and out of consciousness, he felt it trying to reach him. Hopefully that meant his powers were coming back soon.

"...Could I-"

"I would recommend against that, Ms. Stacy," Matt said coolly. He was wrapping a bandage against a circular wound on his right wrists, "I imagine someone like you has broken her fair share of dolls and I would hate to see Peter suffer the same fate."

"Go fuck yourself. The only reason you're here-"

"Is because Peter cannot cover all of his own wounds. I'm well aware," Matt interrupted, "I may be an unwanted guest but could I suggest you please lower your voice? Given my delicate sense of hearing it's rather disturbing."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that better?" she asked back mockingly, making sure to raise her pitch with every word.

"Mock me if you wish, but I will need focus to ensure your boyfriend doesn't bleed to death." Peter had to admit, he was almost impressed. Gwen was stronger than Matt normally but even now when she could literally crush him like a bug he didn't seem to notice or care, "Now if you're done with such petty actions, could I ask that you get us some water and a rag? Not unless you want blood on your table."

Gwen pursed her lips but ultimately followed the request. Peter didn't say anything as Matt sat behind him and took the needle and thread from his hands, "Looks like I wasn't the only one who had an eventful afternoon."

Peter didn't say anything. He just sat silently and let Matt clean what blood and dirt was left before sewing up the biggest cut that ran across his back. Gwen watched over them protectively and a part of him almost laughed. Spider-Man and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen shrunk to the size of dolls while Spider-Woman watched over them. It would've been comical in any other situation.

Matt traced a finger through the numerous wounds and Peter grit his teeth. Too close, "...What happened to you?" Peter muttered.

"I ran into Murakami." Matt pulled the needle with practiced precision. Even if Peter couldn't see it he already knew it looked better than the roughshod work he had, "Needless to say my attempt to stop him proved fruitless. If Daniel hadn't been present I expect that I wouldn't have made it out of that confrontation." If there was one thing he could give that old bastard it was tenacity.

"What about you, Peter?" Gwen asked softly.

He almost didn't say anything, or at the very least lie that he just got caught up in the riot. Looking back at Gwen's pleading ways cut that plan short, "...Bullseye." Her blue eyes widened while Matt paused briefly in his sewing, "He...we fought." After he saved his life twice, "I just...I couldn't beat him." Bullseye could've killed him right then and there. It wasn't a tie, much as he wanted to pretend it was.

"Fuck..." Gwen looked away and muttered more curses under his breath.

"Perhaps you should have killed him when you had the chance, Ms. Stacy." She glared down at Matt. Again he paid her no mind, "Well, too late to cry over spilt milk. We'll just have to rectify that mistake when you get your powers back."

"Yeah..." He looked down at the wound on his shoulder. A reminder, he said. From the old friend who sacrificed everything to make sure he survived last year.

And now here he was, letting Matt sew him up.

The next few minutes were quiet save for Matt cleaning up his wounds when he could. Peter looked straight ahead, ignoring the way his hands and face twitched. He shouldn't feel guilty. His friend was gone. What Gao and the rest of her parasites dug up was a twisted corpse.

"Hmm, that's all I can do." Matt said. Peter felt heavy from all the bandages wrapped around him.

"Great. Now I can call Page and get you the fuck out of here," Gwen said.

"...What about your wounds?" Peter asked softly.

"Hm? Oh, they'll pass."

"...Turn around." Matt raised a brow while Gwen looked at him questioningly. He didn't say anything and grabbed another needle from the box, "Turn around. You're just as wounded as me and I don't want you bleeding out."

Matt, for once, looked honestly surprised, "I wasn't going to ask-"

"Then don't. Just do it before I changed my mind."

He did. Peter eyed the numerous wounds, forming bruises and patches of blood, "Murakami did a real number on you." Matt laughed at that, a small sound that felt off coming from him. Peter followed Matt's lead and cleaned the wounds as best he could. It was practical. He wasn't exactly swimming in allies and the least thing he needed was one of them dying out of spite.

"Speaking of, here's one thing I'm curious about: why is he still alive?I definitely remember that bastard havin' us dead to rights and you beggin' for my life. I didn't hear any promises of revenge, but that was implied. So now you're, what, buddy buddy with him? He's my replacement, huh? You got shit taste, kid."

"I'm done." Wasn't the best look, but at least he wouldn't bleed out any time soon.

"Hmm..." He moved his left arm experimentally and nodded, "It's adequate. Thank you."

"You did the same thing."

"You know it's customary to say 'you're welcome'."

"Don't push your luck."

The doorbell rang. Gwen opened the door and Peter winced when he saw Page on the other side, "It appears my warden's here." Matt's shoulders slumped slightly. For some reason a part of him wanted to ask Gwen if Matt could stay before he crushed it down. Where the hell did that come from? "I suppose I'll see you soon, Peter."

"Yeah..."

Gwen handed him over to Page and closed the door. Now it was just the two of them, "So..." Gwen wrung her hands nervously and sat back down on the couch, "Is there...anything I can do? I don't know what I can really help with..."

"I'm fine, Gwen." A lie, but a harmless one for now, "...Maybe you could order a pizza? I'm starving." Least trying normal food at this size was new.

Gwen gave him a small, genuine smile and gently ruffled the top of his head with the tip of her right pointer finger, "You got it." He watched her call and tried to ignore the throbbing on his right shoulder. The next time he saw Bullseye one of them would end up dead.

Prison arc done. Like I said before I did some tweaking for the Morbius arc so instead of it being a Gwen solo thing she's actually going to be working with Peter since a big part of it is investigation. Hopefully you guys are cool with it. Seems like people wanted more of these two working together anyway.

Anyway, the Bullseye vs Noir fight was what I was looking forward to the most. In the previous vote people wanted Noir to fight him rather than Matt so this is what we get. Whereas Matt vs Bullseye had irony with the former villain fighting the former anti-hero here it's two ex-friends just trying to hurt each other.

Questions:

1. Do you guys agree with Noir trying to kill Bullseye right there or does it make him look ungrateful considering how Bullseye acted the rest of the chapter?In the end fight Noir acts as the aggressor and Bullseye, for his own reasons, does try to defuse it. And Noir didn't really accomplish anything besides getting himself hurt and giving Bullseye some cuts.

2. Contrasting that, do you guys think Gwen's unfair of her treatment of Matt considering he was possessed during V1 and can't be held responsible for what happened? Or is it alright given all the crap the Beast pulled while wearing Matt's face? This goes double if Matt ends up as MJ's love interest.

Review Answers:

KasugaRomio - DC's a bit hard for personal reasons. Maybe at some point.

Dr. Sugarcakes - I thought you fed off of suffering?

Esquire-Man - There was but corona either cancelled or delayed it. Shame.