Don't worry folks, I'm still alive, and I got chapter two of my new story right here.

Chapter 2

Brooklyn, NY

Spider-Man finally makes it to the home of his friend/pupil Miles Morales and his mother Rio. After getting evicted from his apartment, he had to stay with them for the time being. While Peter is thankful that they were willing to help him after everything he and his aunt has done for them, he tries not to overstep any boundaries. As he removes his mask, he realizes he is not the only person present in the room.

"Wow, got kicked out of your apartment and now you have to crash at a friend's place. For someone who's saved an entire city, not gonna lie, that's kinda pathetic."

Peter turns around and sees Dick sitting on a recliner in the corner of the room.

"Yeah well, not all of us have a legal guardian who's a rich tycoon," the spider hero says back. "You're a long way from Bludhaven, and I see you still don't believe in the front door."

Dick gets up from the recliner and approaches Peter, "Look who's talking, "Wall Crawler"."

The two men stare each other down for a few seconds before their intense glares begin to turn into smiles. They deliver a handshake which immediately turns into a hug.

Once they break apart, Peter says, "How've you been?"

"Well, from having to protect my city, to juggling two separate superhero teams, I've been pretty busy, and from what I've heard, you've been pretty busy too. What's this I hear about the entire city being infected with a virus?"

"I'll tell you once you tell me what brings you to said city."

Dick looks to the side and scratches the back of his head, "I think you already know the answer."

"It's about Clark isn't it?"

Dick nods and gives him an explanation on the current situation.

"Huh, I guess things have gotten a lot worse than I thought," says Peter.

"I know this a lot to take in, but I came to you because you're the only person I can trust. If you don't want any part of it, I understand. I know how much you don't like leaving this city…"

"Dick, it's not just the fate of New York that's at stake, we're talking about the entire world. If you need my help to clear Clark's name and by Bruce some time to come up with a solution to our meteor problem, then count me in. Besides, I now have a "Robin" of my own who can look after this friendly neighborhood while I'm gone."

"…I don't even want to know how you managed that. But, uh, there's something you need to know before we take off. I needed MJ to tell me where you were. In return, she wanted to score an interview with Luthor…so she's tagging along."

"WHAT?"

The Hall of Justice, Washington D.C

Certain members of the Justice League were summoned to the Hall of Justice: Power Girl, Katana, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Hawkman, Black Lightning and Shazam. These heroes were hand-picked by Captain Atom in order to apprehend Superman, by order of President Luthor. However, Luthor made sure to pick some of his own people to make sure Captain Atom doesn't get out of line, those being Silver Sable and Major Force. Sable is standing in the main conference room, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. She watches all the costumed heroes present mingle as they patiently wait for Captain Atom and Major Force to arrive. Sable hates being forced to work with these capes. Despite the fact that she had to join forces with one in order to save the Mayor of New York City, she doesn't trust them one bit.

Her train of thought was immediately interrupted by someone talking to her, "Hi." She looks to her side and sees Power Girl standing beside her. "Can I just say, I absolutely LOVE your hair," the blonde heroine says with a friendly smile.

Sable scowls, "We both have the same hair style."

Power Girl now has a look of fascination, "Wow, you really are from some European country aren't you? It's hard to fake an accent like that. Hey, can you say "Moose and Squirrel" for me? Just once."

Sable looks away from the blonde, "Hmph, you're just like the Spider. Annoyingly chatty."

"You know Spidey?"

"What's it to you?"

"Let's just say he and I go way back. One super cool team up later and we've been thick as thieves ever since."

Before their conversation could go any further, Captain Atom and Major Force have finally arrived.

"Finally, we can get down to business," Sable says as she moves from the wall and towards the conference table.

Captain Atom takes a good look at everyone present, "Everyone is here, good." Once everyone gathered around the conference table, the nuclear powered soldier begins to inform the group, "Most of you know this already, but President Luthor is doing a live interview with Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane and Daily Bugle reporter Mary Jane Watson later tonight. I don't know much about the Watson girl, but if Lane is going to be here in D.C. then Superman won't be too far behind. So we need to be ready for him in case he does show up. I've also been told that some metahumans who either have a grudge with Superman or are just looking to get that one billion dollar reward will be coming for him as well. If we want to avoid any civilian casualties, we need to make sure we get to him before they do."

It was at this moment that Power Girl raises her hand.

Major Force was the first to notice it and chuckles, "What is this Kindergarten?"

The blonde Kryptonian gives the nuclear powered supervillain an annoyed look.

"You have something to say Power Girl?" Captain Atom now says.

"Yeah, I have a question, in fact it's more like a problem. We're supposed to be superheroes right? We protect this planet and everything on it. So why the hell are we focusing our attention on Kal when we should be more focused on the big Kryptonite meteor that is threatening to wipe us out?"

"That is not our top priority."

"Like hell it isn't."

"Hey," Major Force finally cuts in. "Luthor says he's got it covered. You have your orders, so it's in your best interest to shut your mouth and follow them."

"Or what, you'll stuff me in a refrigerator too? I'd like to see you try, Kool-Aid Man."

"Now you listen here you blonde bi…"

"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH," Captain Atom shouts. "I understand your concern Power Girl, but there's not much we can do about the asteroid. If Luthor says he's taking care of it, then we have no choice but to take his words to heart."

With that, Power Girl slinks back down and crosses her arms, "I'm starting to think Peter made the right call in refusing to join the League. What the hell happened here? We went from a unified force for good to government lap dogs. And speaking of Peter, at least he's back in New York and away from all of this. The last thing I want is for him to get involved."

Meanwhile Sable couldn't help but hear a particular name being brought up during Captain Atom's briefing: Mary Jane Watson. The Symkarian mercenary recognizes that name as it belongs to a certain red haired reporter from New York. That same red haired reporter she caught sneaking around Norman Osborn's penthouse all those weeks ago. Sable knows that woman is connected to Spider-Man somehow. Wherever she goes, he is sure to be close by, meaning it's only a matter of time before she crosses paths with the wall crawler once again.

The Batcave, Gotham City

"I still can't believe you roped MJ into this," Spider-Man says as he and Nightwing make their way through the underground corridors leading to the Batcave.

"I needed to find you and I was desperate," Nightwing replies defensively. "She pretty much had me by the balls at that point."

"Well no surprise there, you've always had a weakness for redheads. Let me guess, she shut you down…again."

"…I don't want to talk about it. Besides, what about you and Power Girl?"

"…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, we may not have seen each other in a while but I still keep up on current events. Up until she joined the Justice League, you've had more team-ups with her than me and Wally combined."

"Yeah? So? Bruce and Clark had just as many team-ups. Besides, Karen and I are just friends. Sure, we went on one date but that was just to make my aunt happy."

"Sometimes one date is all it takes. Pretty soon you'll be asking for another one…that is… if you haven't already."

"…Whatever," Spider-Man says as the two arrive at the Batcave, where Batman and Superman are waiting for them.

"It took you long enough," the Dark Knight says to the two younger men.

"Sorry to keep you waiting hon, we got lost in traffic," Spider-Man responds.

Superman just stands there, surprised at the wall crawler's presence, "Peter?"

Spider-Man looks at the Man of Steel and waves, "Hey Clark, Dick told me you were in a bit of a bind, so I decided to help."

Superman approaches Spider-Man and puts a hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate it. I understand leaving New York unprotected must be really hard for you."

"Maybe, but there comes a time when you realize that you can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there is no neighborhood. Our planet is about to face total annihilation, and if you need my help to stop that from happening then so be it. So, what's the game plan?"

Superman looks over at Batman and nods.

Batman explains, "I've had someone from the inside look into what Luthor knows about the Kryptonite meteor, something that he refuses to share to the public. Apparently, the rock is emitting a special type of radiation that makes destroying it with a simple nuke impossible. Just yesterday I had found someone who is willing to help us, but before he can do anything, he needs the data that Luthor has."

"So what you're saying is we need to go to D.C. and steal some secret government information," Spider-Man confirms.

"Now you see I was hesitant in getting you involved. By doing this, you will be committing a federal crime. You'll be a fugitive like the rest of us."

Spider-Man lowers his head, taking in Batman's words and then looks back up, "Well, I know J.J. will have a field day once he catches wind of this. But if it means I get to save the world in the process, then it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Nightwing chimes in, "When Lois and MJ keeps Luthor busy with that interview, we'll make our move. So you have plenty of time to prepare."

Washington D.C.

Mary Jane takes a look around the random room the secret service had escorted her in. As she waits for the president to greet her, she notices one other person in the room with her, that being Daily Planet news reporter Lois Lane. The redhead knows she should focus on the task at hand, but she couldn't help but feel a bit star-struck being in the same room with the very woman she idolized ever since she was a teenager.

"Well, since the president is taking his sweet time, I guess now is the perfect opportunity."

Mary Jane approaches the older woman, "Ms. Lane? Or I guess it's "Mrs." what with you being married and all. I gotta say, it's an honor to finally meet you."

Lois looks at the younger woman and raises an eyebrow, "What, are you some obsessed fangirl looking to get my autograph?"

"Well…that part I won't deny, but another reason I'm here is because your husband is actually good friends with my ex."

The brunette was now confused, "Did they use to live next door back in Smallville or something?"

Mary Jane shook her head, "Remember that time when Ultra-Humanite attacked New York? Your husband helped my ex take him down."

Lois now has a look of realization, "Spider-Man is your ex?"

"Yeah, but we're on good terms now, and he's here right now to help Batman and Superman get some hidden data on the Kryptonite meteor. I'm here for the same reason you are, to be a diversion."

Lois takes in all of this new information and then says, "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into kid."

"Oh believe me, this isn't my first rodeo…Hey can I ask you something?"

Lois looks back at Mary Jane, "Ask away."

"You and Superman must have been through a lot. I mean, lord knows how many times he had to pull your ass out of the fire, and yet the two of you were able to stay together for as long as you did. Hell, you even got married. Spider-Man and I were never able to make it that far in our relationship. So…how did you guys do it?"

Lois couldn't help but feel caught off guard. No one has ever asked her that question before. But the look in the younger woman's eyes told her not to leave it unanswered. So she replied, "Well, I won't lie to you and say that it's simple. I guess it just came to a point where we understood and trust one another. I know it can be annoying sometimes, him constantly being worried about me as I go to great lengths to chase a story, but I realize that's just who he is and I've learned to accept it, even admire him for it. Maybe I keep getting into trouble because I know he will always be there for me. But, every once in a while, I try not to get way in over my head, because other times he may NOT be there, if that makes any sense. I know there's a sense of duty when it comes to being a reporter. Chasing the next big story is a bit of an obsession, but don't be afraid to reel that obsession in from time to time."

Mary Jane takes all of this in and nods in understanding.

"So, what brought all of this to your attention? You looking to get back together with him?"

The redhead snorts, "Yeah, I think it's too little too late for that. Pretty sure he has his eye on someone else…even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"Okay, so is there ANOTHER costumed hero who's catching your eye then?"

Mary Jane bites her lip and was silent for a moment, "Nope, not at all."

But before Lois could push the matter even further, Lex Luthor enters the room with his many bodyguards in tow.

"Ah, Ms. Lane, or should I call you Mrs. Kent?" the president says with a smile. "I guess no matter where I go, or what position I take, I can never escape you." He then looks over at Mary Jane, "And you are?"

"Mary Jane Watson, Daily Bugle," the redhead says as she extends her hand.

Lex shakes it, "Right, I don't know what motivated you to want to interview me, but hey, you're here anyway, so I'll just roll with it. Now, let's get started shall we?"

The heroes arrive at the Washington Monument. Superman traveling through flight, while Batman, Spider-Man and Nightwing are flying in a specially made Batwing that holds up to three passengers.

"Are we there yet?" asks Spider-Man. "Because I gotta tell ya, this has got to be one of the most boring flights I've ever been on. No in-flight movies, no food, remind me to write a bad review on the Wayne Enterprises website when this is all over."

As Batman flies the jet, he glances over at the eject button.

"Don't even think about it," says Nightwing. He didn't need to look over the Dark Knight's shoulder to know what he was thinking.

"He's really tempting me," says Batman.

"Well, at least the comm-links are working," Superman says with a smile. "I think we should land over…"

But before the Man of Steel could finish, he is hit with a huge sonic blast. The Batwing is also affected by this and Batman begins to lose control. The plane crash lands near the monument.

Batman, Spider-Man and Nightwing exit the plane, and the wall crawler says, "Yep, definitely writing a bad review."

"What the hell just hit us?" asks Nightwing.

"I don't know," answers Batman. "But keep your guard up. Something tells me we aren't the only ones here."

Suddenly, Spider-Man's spider sense starts buzzing and he tackles Nightwing, "INCOMING!"

The two heroes barely avoided an incoming blast from what looked like ice. Batman looks over his shoulder and sees a familiar face in the form of Mr. Freeze, with Captain Cold and Killer Frost accompanying him.

As the three heroes try their best to avoid the blasts being shot by the ice themed villains, Spider-Man tries to contact Superman, "Hey Supes, where did you go? We're getting hammered here."

"Just a second," Superman responds.

A few seconds later, short bursts of heat vision comes raining down on Mr. Freeze, Killer Frost and Captain Cold, incapacitating them completely. The Man of Steel floats downward towards the other three heroes, with Silver Banshee in his arms.

"I take it this is who we should thank for our abrupt landing?" asks Nightwing.

"We should probably do something before she wakes up," says Spider-Man. He then sees Batman plant a device on her chest. "What's that?"

"Hypersonics," the Dark Knight answers. "Effective on even paranormals. With a minor adjustment, it will send her sonic scream right back at her."

"Is everyone alright?" Superman asks.

"That was a brand new jet," says Batman. "So no, I'm not alright."

"Gonna be hard to explain to Lucius, that's for sure," says Nightwing.

"Let's just add that to the list of problems we have with the president," says Spider-Man.

Suddenly, his spider sense starts tingling again, "Now what?" He looks behind him and sees, Mongul, Solomon Grundy and, to his surprise, the Rhino all standing there ready to attack.

"I told you Luthor wouldn't come quietly," says Batman.

"Or they're just here to get that one billion dollar reward," says Spider-Man.

Mongul fires a laser from his chest that hits Superman while Grundy charges after Batman and Nightwing and Rhino goes after Spider-Man. Spider-Man dodges a punch from Rhino and vaults over him to avoid another.

"The Raft REALLY needs to up their security. So who broke you out this time hornhead? Was it Luthor?"

Rhino doesn't answer, he just charges at the wall crawler.

Spider-Man jumps over him once again, "Giving me the silent treatment huh? Are you still mad that I put you and Scorpion against each other? Speaking of which, is he here too?"

"Well, this is a surprise," Rhino finally says, but in a voice that is unrecognizable to Spider-Man. "I expected Superman to go crawling to the bat for help, but I didn't expect him to ask for your aid as well. Oh well, another minor annoyance that needs to be dealt with."

The wall crawler was put off by this, "That doesn't sound like the Rhino I know and despise. Either that or that Russian accent was fake this whole time. Something's not right here."

Meanwhile Grundy is holding Batman and Nightwing by their throats.

"Is it just me, or is Grundy a tad bit smarter this time around?" the former Robin asks.

"He is known to change personalities each time he dies," Batman explains. "But what I want to know is what the hell Mongul is doing here. One billion dollars should mean nothing to an interstellar conqueror."

"How about we focus on getting out of here before Grundy decides to squeeze us like grapefruits."

As Spider-Man continues to avoid Rhino's attacks, he gets a call from Mary Jane.

"Peter? Are you there?" The redhead asks over the comm.

"Kinda busy at the moment MJ," the wall crawler answers.

"I just wanted to tell you that my interview with the president has been cut short. He's on the move."

"Oh, great, can things get any worse?" Spider-Man's spider sense starts tingling once again and he barely avoids what looks like a bolt of lightning striking down on him. He looks up and sees Electro hovering over him. "Aaand things just got worse."

Grundy, having just dunked Batman and Nightwing's heads into the pond in an attempt to drown them, pulls them up and takes a good look at their barely conscious bodies.

"Hmph, and to think the Joker had so much trouble with the both of you," he now says.

But before Grundy could continue, streams of smoke begin to spray from Batman's cowl and onto his face. The two masked vigilantes see the zombie getting disoriented, giving them the opportunity to perform a double takedown maneuver. But before the two can check to make sure Grundy is down for the count, another mysterious figure strikes the back of Batman's right knee, and roundhouse kicks Nightwing in the face.

The Dark Knight was the first to get his bearings and takes a good look at their attacker, "Lady Shiva."

"So, you're here too Max?" Spider-Man asks as he dodges Electro's attacks. "What, you got so sick of losing to me that you decided to pick on Superman? I don't really see how that's any better to be honest."

And just like Rhino, Electro doesn't say a word.

"Okay, seriously, this mime act is starting to freak me out."

The wall crawler sees the Rhino charging towards him, so he jumps over him while shooting some impact webbing on his face, blinding him. As Rhino stops in the middle of the pond to get the webbing off of him, Spider-Man dodges another attack from Electro and fires a web bomb his way. The webbing wraps around the electric supervillain, giving Spider-Man the opportunity to fire two more web-lines and yank him into the pond alongside Rhino. Electro, having come into contact with the water begins to short circuit, electrocuting Rhino in the process and rendering to two of them unconscious. Spider-Man breathes a sigh of relief and takes a look around to see what has become of his fellow heroes. Superman just took down Mongul while Batman and Nightwing took care of Shiva.

"So, did anybody notice something odd about the guys we just fought?" the spider hero now asks.

"You mean the fact that none of them said a single word throughout the whole bout?" says Nightwing. "Yeah, I noticed."

As Batman observes Lady Shiva he says, "I don't think they were acting of their own accord."

"A telepath maybe? Or Psionic?" asks Superman. "I guess a billion dollars doesn't buy you what it used…" The Man of Steel is suddenly grabbed by a large shadowy hand.

"Solar energy…being drained," Superman says as he begins to weaken. "Magic?"

Batman tries to cut through the shadowy arm with a batarang but it went right through. "Possibly. It seems organic…hard light…shade or someone with those powers."

Nightwing looks for where the source of the large shadow is coming from and see a purple woman dressed in black with a domino mask. "Batman, over there."

Batman looks where Nightwing is looking, "Nightshade."

Nightshade now speaks, "Interesting, even the lesser antagonists have some value when their powers are put to better use."

Spider-Man immediately recognizes the voice, "That's the same weird voice Rhino had. I think someone IS controlling these guys."

Batman activates his night-vision and begins searching the area. He sees that they're surrounded but the person he is looking for is nowhere to be found.

"Batman," Superman spoke up. "Look upward…on top of the monument."

The Dark Knight looks up and sees the source of the mind controlled villains.

Spider-Man also looks on top of the monument, "Grodd? Of course. Batman, Nightwing, see if you can distract Nightshade while I get King Kong off that skyscraper."

The two masked heroes nod and engage Nightshade. Spider-Man turns his attention to Grodd and fires two weblines at the top of the monument, "Gorilla Grodd, come on down. You're the first ever contestant on our new game show, "Light's Out"."

The wall crawler proceeds to yank Grodd from the monument. Superman, now free from Nightshade's grasp, sees the telepathic ape heading his way. He raises a fist and throws a swift punch right into Grodd's face, knocking him unconscious.

Spider-Man walks over to the incapacitated gorilla and whistles, "You might want to see a dentist after that punch."

"Uh, guys?" Nightwing says as more villains emerge from the shadows and surround the heroes. Criminals such as Black Manta, Giaganta, Cheetah, King Shark and Weather Wizard.

Spider-Man sighs, "This is going to be a long night, assuming we survive of course."

But before another fight would break out, all the villains were immediately taken out by a barrage of energy blasts being shot from the sky. The four heroes look up and see Captain Atom with his Justice League team and Major Force in tow.

"Boy am I glad to see you," says Superman. "We could really use your help."

"I'm sorry to say you're terribly mistaken Superman," says Captain Atom. "We're not here to rescue you, we're here to turn you in."

Spider-Man looks at the Justice League team accompanying the nuclear powered soldier. Underneath his mask was a look of shock and betrayal upon seeing Power Girl with the group. Power Girl, upon seeing the wall crawler, has a look of disbelief and guilt.

And with that, this chapter comes to a close. Be here next time when Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Nightwing all face off against the Justice League, and with Power Girl now face to face with our favorite web head, will she follow orders and bring him in?

Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on the story so far, and those of you waiting for the next chapter of Spider-Man: The Young Avenger will be happy to know that I'm already working on it by the time this gets posted. I'll be sure to have that out soon.

Stay safe everyone...