AN: Alright, so here is an attempt to do a continuation fic of the Spectacular Spider-Man, a show that was tragically cut short much too soon. This comes with a couple disclaimers: for one thing, I am aware that other people have tried to make continuations of this show before. As such, I have deliberately gone out of my way not to read any of them, so as not to influence my own ideas. If anything I write here winds up resembling someone else's fic, it's a coincidence, because I haven't read any others. My sources of inspiration are the show itself, and the comics.

Second, I am, obviously, not Greg Weisman. I am aware of the structure he and his crew have said that they had in mind for SSM, with five seasons followed by movies, and I have to inform everyone that I am going to be doing things my own way, and will not necessarily be following this structure if it doesn't work out for me. Anyway, please enjoy!

MOTIVATION

Tell me there's something worse. Go ahead and try.

A young man sailed through the air, the rush of the wind filling his ears.

And y'know, it's kinda funny.

His feet touched ground, only for a split second before he sprung into the air again.

And I don't mean 'Ha Ha' funny. I definitely don't mean 'Ha Ha' funny.

Throwing his hand in the air, he tossed a line and began to swing.

But what's funny is that a year ago, I had the best summer of my life. Now I'm coming off the worst.

Letting go of the line, he made contact with the vertical surface before him, clinging like an insect.

First, my best friend's dad dies. I mean, he was an evil jerk, but even evil jerks deserve mercy.

He started crawling up the rows of windows.

And then there's Gwen and Harry... ugh, I don't even want to think about that right now.

He reached the top, leaping the small guardrail to land his feet on the roof.

And the crime... hoo boy, the crime this summer. With all the gang leaders on the downfall, I thought it would slow down. Nope. The uglies have been out in force, and I haven't been able to track down any of the leftover super-goons from Master Planner's crew.

He walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking out across the sprawling cityscape of Manhattan, dreary and glum-looking under a greyish-white, overcast sky. The usual New York sounds of car horns and sirens greeted him, muffled by the wind scraping across the high-rises around.

Even the WEATHER has been miserable for months. Where's the sun when you need him? Still...

He suddenly leapt forward, diving from the roof dramatically. A thwip sound announced the release of a strand of silvery webbing from his wrist, launching upward and adhering to the guardrail he had just leapt. Hanging upside-down from the webline, the teenager examined his reflection in the windows on the side of the building; a small but still somewhat muscular frame, covered from head-to-toe in a red and blue costume, with intricate black webbing patterns all leading back to the jet-colored sigil of a spider dead in the center of his chest.

I am still Spider-Man, and I have a job to do.

Far below, the sounds of sirens had become a lot louder and closer. Spider-Man's eyes narrowed.

Speakin' a' which..

Letting go of the strand, he entered free-fall.

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The sirens blared and tires screeched, cars honking all around in an epic cacophony that was not helping Otis' stress levels as he punched the gas. Ahead of him, taxis swerved aside and pedestrians hopped out of harm's way as the armored car barreled ahead at full speed. Otis wiped the sweat off his forehead, before returning to clutching the wheel in a deathgrip and staring ahead with bugged eyes and gritted teeth.

To Otis' right, his partner leaned out of the open passenger-side door, craning his neck to look at the pursuing police cruisers.

"Get back in here, man, you're gonna get jacked up!" snapped Otis.

His partner leaned back in and shut the door. "Oh, jeez, this is so wrong..."

"Chill. We just gotta lose the cops and we're good."

"We're gonna go to jail..."

"I SAID we'll be okay!"

"But what if the Spider shows up?"

Spider-Man landed on the hood with a loud thump. "Now, you wouldn't be talking about little ol' me, wouldja?"

"Oh no..." said Otis, a look of dread passing his face for a moment before being replaced by an angry scowl as he seized his pistol and raised it, firing through the windshield and spraying himself and his partner with chunks of broken glass.

Spider-Man effortlessly leaned to the side, the bullet passing him harmlessly. "See, here's the thing, uh... didn't catch a name?"

"It's Otis!" he snarled, firing again.

Ducking slightly, Spider-Man dodged the bullet while snorting with laughter. "Wow, seriously? I am truly sorry for you."

As Spidey spoke, Otis continued firing, to no avail. "Anyway, Otis, thing is, I kind have this Spider-Sense thing that warns me of danger, so I know exactly where each bullet is gonna go before it even leaves the barrel. Makes me pretty hard to shoot..."

Click. Otis looked down at the now-empty weapon.

"...Which you probably wish I had mentioned earlier. Oh well."

Raising both hands, Spider-Man fired a pair of web lines from his wrists. The two criminals yelled in surprise as the lines struck them in the chests, only for Spidey to give the webs a sudden yank, pulling both crooks out of their seats and into his hands.

Standing up on the hood and holding both of them by the collars, Spider-Man threw them high into the air with incredible strength, before raising his right wrist to cast a huge, white net of webbing, which suspended itself between the buildings and caught the duo like flies.

Turning his attention downward to the still-out-of-control armored car, Spider-Man scrambled through the vacant windshield and into the cabin, where he quickly assumed the driver's seat and gripped the wheel just in time to swerve around a newspaper stand. His eyes widened, however, as he saw something ahead:

Standing in the middle of the crosswalk was a little kid in a blue t-shirt, with his back to the impending danger, looking the other way at a dense gridlock of taxis. The Spider-Sense kicked into high gear as time seemed to slow down, Spider-Man thinking at a million miles a minute.

Okay... I can definitely hit the brakes in time to not hit that gridlock, but not the kid... I can't swerve around him, I might hit someone else... if I get out to save him, the truck will hit the taxis, but if I stay here to hit the brakes, the truck will hit the kid... THINK!

Spider-Man moved fast. Letting go of the wheel, he began to crawl out the windshield, while using his free hand to shoot a glob of webbing at the brake pedal, pinning it to the floor. Clambering back onto the hood, Spider-Man leapt forward with every ounce of strength he had, which happened to be quite a lot.

Between the truck's momentum and his, the hero launched through the air well ahead of the truck, landing deftly in the street right behind the kid. Wasting not a single second, he scooped the boy up in both arms and jumped straight up, just in time as the armored car came screeching right over the crosswalk. Backflipping through the air, Spider-Man wound up upside-down just in time to look down and see the roof of the truck passing less than an inch under his face.

The armored car managed to screech to a halt just in time, nudging the rear bumper of one of the taxis. Spider-Man landed perfectly, releasing the dazed and confused ten-year-old, whose mother quickly ran up to hug him.

Turning around, Spider-Man saw a trio of cop cars pull to a quick stop, the officers stepping out to survey the scene. He continued to look around, seeing a surrounding crowd of people gazing back. The mother and son, the crowd, and the police all stared blankly at the red-and-blue hero, unsure of what to make of him.

Okay Spidey, he thought to himself, this is it. For once, an audience that isn't trying to throw bombs at you or bury you in sand. This is a chance to get the people on your side, so break out that signature wit, and say something really funny, and clever, and heroic, NOW!

Spider-Man stared blankly at the crowd. "Um..." he pointed at the armored car, "I, uh, I stopped it."

Silence.

Somebody coughed.

Without another word, he shot up a web and swung away.

As he swung, he returned to his thoughts. Well, that stunk. I think the embarrassment came closer to killing me then the gunfire. Still...

He landed on a horizontal flagpole, looking up the street and watching as firefighters extended a ladder to retrieve Otis and his friend from the web. That could have gone a lot worse. The crooks were caught, the armored car is safe, and nobody got hurt. I hope things stay this easy for a while...

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"Things are about to get difficult..." said Dr. Kafka.

The woman kept her eyes fixed firmly on the screen as she typed, her fingers doing an elegant and high-speed dance across the keyboard. Watching the screen was getting more difficult by the second, as it kept flickering and flashing. Still, she did her best to keep up with the rows of text flying across the screen.

"There's no mistake, Doctor," said one of the orderlies. "Our power is being drained."

As if on cue, the lights in the already dim control room died, plunging Dr. Kafka and her two orderlies into near-darkness, the only remaining illumination coming from the yellow-green glow of the screen, which was now very intermittent.

"I can see that." Kafka deadpanned. "I think we can reasonably guess who's doing this. I'm going to have to try and calm him down."

Storming out of the control room, Kafka began down the bright white corridor running through the Ravencroft Institution at a fast walk, her heels clicking loudly. The two orderlies followed briskly.

"Doc..." one of them asked, "shouldn't we call the police?"

The lights flickered as she replied. "Only as a last resort. I don't want to upset the patients any more then has already been done."

They passed by several heavy cell doors, inside one of which a man's voice was howling, "YOU CAN'T KEEP US APART FOREVER, WE WILL BE VENOM AGAAAIIINNNN!"

At another door, a once-handsome, but now quite disheveled man pressed his face to the window. "Is it the power? Where's the power, I've got to have it, GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

In another window, an ugly, red-haired man with gaunt cheeks and crooked teeth gave a leering smile before speaking a southern drawl. "Heya, Doc. Sounds like someone's gettin' some killin' done."

"Go back to bed, Cletus." The doctor said tersely.

Rounding the corner, she reached the passage she was looking for, where a cell near the end was flashing a bright, incessant green and yellow. Dr. Kafka began to slow her pace, approaching more cautiously.

"Max? Can you hear me?"

"Sorry?" came a voice from within the cell. It buzzed unnaturally, as though being put through a voice filter. "Not sure I heard you right, there, Doc."

She sighed. "Let's talk about this, Max. What are you doing in there?"

"I said I'M NOT SURE I HEARD YOU RIGHT! It sounded like you called me Max..."

Turning around, Kafka gestured to the orderlies to hang back, then began to advance towards the door. Reaching it, she found the light coming from the window was too intense to look inside. Shielding her eyes, she began to speak through the metal.

"Max, please just calm down."

"You know that's not my name anymore, Kafka."

She sighed again, finding herself in a difficult position. If she called him by the name he wanted, she was putting control of the conversation in his hands, and maybe reinforcing a negative example the other patients could follow. But if she called him Max, there was a chance of him losing his temper, which could be much worse.

Finally, she settled on giving in.

"Please, let's talk... Electro."

The door was blasted off its hinges, flying out and flattening her against the opposite wall in a huge flash of yellow-green lightning.

"WE HAVE A WINNER! HAHAHA!"

The crumpled metal door fell away from the wall, hitting the floor with a clang, revealing a badly bruised and unconscious Dr. Kafka, who promptly fell forward onto the wrecked door.

The orderlies were quick to draw nightsticks as Electro stepped out of his cell and into the hall. He was dressed in an insulating green bodysuit, with only his eyes visible through the glowing yellow goggles of his facemask. The orderlies were quick to note the metal rings on his wrists.

"I don't get it!" one yelled, "he's still in his power restraints!"

"Restraint? What's that?!" Electro yelled, whipping off his mask and revealing a face that could barely be seen under surging waves of gold lightning, with only the outlines of his manic eyes and grinning mouth visible. Raising his hands, Electro shrouded them in the same yellow-green lightning, burning away the restraints.

One orderly began to back away in fear, but the other held his ground. "Back in your cell, Dillon! I won't ask again!"

Still grinning at the man, Electro raised his hands, palms up. The lights flickered and died as two surging arcs of electricity emerged from the fixture above him and flowed into his hands. As the two orderlies watched in horror, Electro's energy began to change color from its usual green-tinged yellow to a bright neon blue. The hallway was illuminated with cool blue light, as the dark green bodysuit sizzled and turned black.

"OH, YEAH!" The supervillain yelled, his voice sounding more staticy and filtered than ever, "ELECTRO'S BACK, BABY! NEW AND IMPROVED!"

The frightened orderly backed away, crouching in an alcove in front a broom closet. His compatriot, meanwhile, was advancing. The hiding one turned and tried to get the closet open, only to suddenly be blinded as bluish-white light filled every inch of the hall. Rubbing his eyes and blinking several times to restore his blurred vision, he looked back out into the hall.

Electro was still down at the end, now walking this way, but the other orderly was nowhere to be seen... until he looked down, and noted a conical pile of smoking ashes on the floor. Stepping over the pile, Electro simply muttered "no real loss," and kept going, walking right past the alcove.

Standing up, the orderly, shaking with fear, watched Electro walk around the corner, then turned and ran to Dr. Kafka. Quickly checking her pulse, he turned and looked into the cell, which was very dark. Stepping inside, he drew a flashlight and directed it to the rear wall, where a newspaper, a months-old Daily Bugle, was tacked to the wall. Instead of showing the front page, the paper was pinned open to page five, which showed a picture of a man in a labcoat and mustache, with a headline reading 'ESU LAB UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.'

Outside the front of the Institute, Electro stopped halfway down the steps, then looked up at the sky and grinned. "Dr. Warren, here I come." Surrounded by crackling blue power, Electro rose into the air and began to float away.

SPECTACULARSPIDERMANSPECTACULARSPIDERMANSPECTACULARSPIDERMAN

Spider-Man tried to be quiet as he slipped through the open window of his bedroom, stepping softly to the floor and removing his mask, revealing the kindly face and messy brown hair of seventeen-year-old Peter Parker.

Peter turned around and slid the window shut as quietly as he could. Nice! he thought. Back without a sound, in time for lunch, and Aunt May will never know the difference. He quickly got changed, his standard light-blue shirt and assorted other drab clothes. Anything to look unassuming.

"Peter!?" yelled a woman's voice from just outside.

"In here, Aunt May!" Peter called back, quickly tossing himself on the bed and snatching a book from his desk to give the impression he had been reading.

A woman of nearly sixty pushed open the door to lean inside, her silver white hair tied up in a bun. "Peter? How did you get up here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You left through the front door! I didn't see you come back in."

Peter could have hit himself in the face with the book. MORON, MORON, MORON! How did I forget that?

"Huh. Well, I just, uh, came in through the back."

Aunt May tilted her head. "...Why?"

"Just felt like it."

"Alright. Well, lunch is almost ready."

"Be right down!" Peter finished with a smile as she left.

The door clicked shut, and Peter dropped the book on his own head in annoyance at himself. He continued to sit like that for a moment, before leaping to his feet and going to his desk, where his computer sat directly in front of the wall where he had placed a large corkboard. Pinned to the board were mostly notes and papers, lots of it just old homework and complicated-looking science-y gibberish that would confuse Aunt May whenever she looked at the board. However, in the bottom right corner was a sticky note that, in bold, underlined black letters, told the board's true purpose: GET SERIOUS.

Smiling, Peter reached up over his computer and grabbed the board, pulling it away from the wall and flipping it around, before hanging it back up like that, now showing what he had really been using it for. A large strip of paper headlined the top, simply reading "AT LARGE". Beneath that, papers were lined in three vertical categories, each one headed by a photo of a different supervillain.

The farthest left category was headed by a photo of the monstrous Kraven the Hunter, with a caption reading "Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter". Underneath, various strips of paper held such notes as:

KNOWN ASSOCIATES:

Doctor Octopus/Master Planner

Sinister Six

Lion? (WTF?)

Mysterious drums or something

KNOWN HIDEOUTS:

?

Where'd this wacko GET those powers, anyway?

The next column showed the ridiculous-looking fishbowl head of Mysterio, complete with more notes:

Mysterio/Quentin Something (Note to self: Google that)

KNOWN ASSOCIATES:

Doctor Octopus/Master Planner

Sinister Six

Chameleon

Beardy-glasses guy (Something Mason?)

KNOWN HIDEOUTS:

Old East Prop-house

The third and final column was headed with the photo of his first superhuman foe, the Vulture. Peter smiled at the twirly mustache he had long ago added to the photo in permanent marker.

Vulture/Adrian Toomes

KNOWN ASSOCIATES:

Doctor Octopus/Master Planner

Enforcers?

Sinister Six

KNOWN HIDEOUTS:

?

Looking back, Peter couldn't help but frown at the lack of new information he had collected over the summer. In three months, he was no closer to catching any of them. He really needed some help with all this detective stuff. It was probably a good idea to consult with Captain Stacy on this kind of thing, but he couldn't help but feel like he would be putting the Captain at risk going to his office again.

Leaning back in his chair and staring at the board, Peter sighed. Oh well. At least I can be at the ready if any of them try anything big. Figuring lunch was almost ready, he cracked his fingers, turned the board back around, and headed downstairs.

He could already hear the TV as he skipped down two stairs at a time; the news was on. Good. Always good for leads. As he reached the clean, airy living room, he saw the television and listened...

"Making this the fifth time the singer's baby was found driving her car!"

Okay... maybe not.

Aunt May stepped out of the kitchen behind him, and Peter turned to see her carrying a platter of excellent-looking sandwiches. "Hope you're in the mood for bologna!" she said cheerfully.

Peter quickly cleared a spot on the table. "More then it's in the mood for me. Anything good on?"

"Not today, I don't think." she said with a sigh, putting the platter down and taking a seat.

Once both seated, they each grabbed a sandwich and started to dig in. They had each made a sizeable dent in the platter when Aunt May turned down the news. "Now, Peter, we need to talk about getting your back to school supplies. I think we should go today."

Peter's thoughts quickly turned to the coming school year. He had hoped to have time to round up Mysterio, Kraven and Vulture before summer's end to leave enough time for Spidey to take a leave of absence while Peter Parker tried to, for once, NOT fall behind in his start-of-semester work. Balancing the two was not going to be easy. Like it ever is, he thought to himself.

"Sounds good, Aunt May. I think I just need a few books, so money shouldn't be an issue this time around."

As he was saying this, Peter couldn't help but notice the story changing on the news, with a big "special report" header. Keen to see if one of the Big Bads was up to something, Peter turned the volume up, and was quickly disheartened to see where the reporter was standing.

"-Here at the Ravencroft Mental Institution, where there has allegedly been a major breakout."

Behind the reporter, Peter and May could see the front steps and door of Ravencroft, with police officers milling about, talking to staff and taping off the area.

"Sources within the Institute have verified that only a single, metahuman patient has escaped."

Peter's heart began to race. Please not Eddie, please not Eddie, please not Eddie...

"...Former electrician Maxwell Dillon, also known by the self-appointed moniker 'Electro'. There has yet been no word about casualties within the Institute."

Peter breathed a sigh of partial relief. Okay, Electro. Electro's not too hard. I can handle Electro. And he's not nearly as brainy as Vulture, Kraven or Mysty, if I move fast, I might be able to track him down at any of his old haunts. Peter nabbed another sandwich and got to his feet. "Hey, sorry, Aunt May, I'm gonna have to take this upstairs, I got some really important homework..."

"Peter, don't tell me you actually put it off all summer!"

"Heh, you know me, Captain Scatterbrained! Anyway, I should get on it..."

Sprinting back up the stairs, Peter stuffed the sandwich in his face and lamented how awful he was at excuses. He threw open the door to his room, took a seat at his desk, and booted up the computer. As it was turning on, he reached up and flipped the board again, revealing his makeshift profiling. Alright, he thought, just pop on Google images...

'Internet explorer cannot display the webpage'

...or not. Alright, we'll do this the hard way. Grabbing a sheet of paper and some colored pencils, Peter began to scribble. In about a minute, he had a... frankly awful doodle of Electro before him, with the electricity that was supposed to surround his head looking more like a ridiculous yellow mask.

Whatever, it'll do. Peter tacked the picture up on the board, quickly scribbled out "Electro/Max Dillon" on a strip of paper, then began to think. Okay, known associates... well, there's the Simpering Six, Master Planner... about it, really. All that tells me is that he might try to contact any of the baddies currently at large... and since I can't find them, that doesn't help at all. Hideouts?

Peter tapped his chin thoughtfully; without the Six at his back, Electro had never really used a hideout. His apartment, I guess. I'll start there. Peter hurriedly tacked up what he had and flipped the board back around, before turning to get changed.

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The same report of Electro's escape, meanwhile, was playing on another TV on the other side of town. Situated on a table in the middle of an expensive, high-tech laboratory, the set was being watched by one Dr. Miles Warren. His bushy brown eyebrows tilted as he sighed heavily at the report. He knew what this was about, and what was going to happen.

Warren stood up and looked around the lab. His assistant, Deborah Whitman, was nowhere in sight, but it was best to be cautious. Striding across the lab, his coat whipping behind him as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, he threw open the door to the darker back room, and slammed it loudly behind him. With no time to waste, he held the phone up and began to dial, before bringing it to his ear.

"It's me. It's... it's Dr. Warren, Dr. Miles Warren? You remember? Yes. Listen, I... listen! I need your help. I can pay. Are you interested?"

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Spider-Man was in the wind again, sailing above Manhattan as he threw himself from webline to webline, heading for the former apartment of Max Dillon. I doubt I'll find him here; even Electro's not impulsive enough to go right back to his house while the police are looking for him. Still, it's worth a try, I guess. Up ahead, he could see the building in question. Letting go of his current web, he shot another on forward at the wall right below what had once been Max's window, and pulled, causing himself to launch forward.

Spider-Man landed deftly on the wall, his feet and fingers clinging to the bricks as he reached up to open the window and scuttled inside. His feet touched down on a dusty carpet, and he looked around, taking in the sparse, empty place. No Spider Sense, so I know this isn't an ambush. And the place is pretty small, so unless Electro's hiding in the bathroom... He snuck over to the door and peered inside; empty.

Crud. Peter thought to himself. Well, this was a longshot anyway. I guess I should AAAAHHHH! Peter yelped out loud and jumped onto the ceiling as his phone rang, startling him in the silent apartment. As he clung to the plaster, he sighed in embarrassment at his own panic. He dropped back to the carpet and grabbed the cell from his belt, answering to make it stop it's rendition of "the itsy bitsy spider."

"Hello?"

Aunt May's voice came from the other end. "Peter, it's me. I'm ready to leave, but where are you?"

"Oh right, the school supplies! Listen, I'll... I'll have to meet you there, okay?"

"Why? What are you up to at the moment?"

Oh, you know, just snooping around the former home of a glow-in-the-dark psychopath, no biggie.

"Just... out with some friends. Out with MJ, actually! But I can meet you at the store in twenty minutes?"

"That sounds fine, dear. You tell Mary Jane hello for me!"

"Okay, bye Aunt May!"

As he hung up, he internally chastised himself. Stop embellishing your lies, stupid! Sighing out loud, Peter tucked the phone away and scrabbled out the window.

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Dr. Warren paced his lab nervously. He was still holding out hope that his suspicions about Electro were incorrect, or that failing that, help would arrive before they were confirmed. He also needed to think of a way to get rid of Deborah if she should show up, and he didn't even WANT to think about the potential risks of her arriving while his guest was present.

All in all, it was a difficult situation that would have to be balanced very, very carefully.

After another twenty agonizing minutes passed, he heard a soft rustling in the shadows of the lab. Instinctually, Warren reached for the revolver he had made a habit of keeping in the back of his belt. He stared into the shadows, one hand on the cold gun. "Hello? Is it you?"

He was relieved to see the massive, hairy form emerge from the darkness, and to hear it a familiar growling voice speak in a thick Russian accent. "It is I, Doctor. Kraven the Hunter has returned."

Kraven was a beast of a man, in more ways than one. Seven feet tall and broad-shouldered, he was nevertheless noticeable less for his height then his animalistic appearance; an entire body covered in yellowish-tan fur (save for the huge brown mane), and the face of a lion, complete with yellow, slit-pupiled eyes, tended to be a head-turner.

"I am to assume you have work for me?" Kraven asked.

"Yes, and believe me I wish I didn't. Paying your fee will completely negate what you paid for your powers. Trust me when I say that I wish this wasn't necessary."

Kraven folded his massive arms. "So we have established I will be paid, all well and good. But you still have not told me what I am meant to be doing here."

"Of course. Your former, ah, comrade, Max Dillon. Electro? I believe he may be coming here tonight, and I think he intends to kill me. I'd like you to keep him at bay, whether by force or convincing him to leave. You know him, after all."

Kraven began to prowl, looking around the lab, much of which had been rearranged since his last visit. "I know him little, but I am confident that I can defeat him if it comes to combat; though his power is great, Electro has little discipline, and even less intelligence."

"It's good to hear that you're so confident."

Kraven turned back to Warren, piercing him with a predatory gaze. "Why exactly do you believe, Doctor, that Electro intends to harm you?"

"That's-" Warren's answer was cut off by the click of the door. He dropped into a harsh whisper. "That's my intern, she can't see you here, hide!"

Not needing to be told twice, Kraven leapt silently into the rafters above, his great form hidden in shadows. Warren strode to the door, grabbing just as it was pushed open from the other side. As Deborah gave a start, not expecting the door to be stopped, she looked through the narrow opening and met eyes with Warren. "Oh, Dr. Warren, I'm sorry." she said in a professional tone. "Are you going out? I was just-"

"Listen, Deborah, now's not really the best time for you to be here."

"...Why?"

Warren gave a harassed sigh. "Because the lab is being cleaned right now, and I don't want anyone getting in the way!"

"I only need to grab some equipment, I'll be quick."

Before Warren could brace himself to stop her, she shouldered through and entered the lab. He whipped around and followed as she stormed in.

Deborah strode through the lab, looking around. "I thought you said this place was being cleaned? There's no one here."

Warren's eyes darted between her and Kraven, still hunched in the rafters, eyeing her. If she were to catch sight of him... instinctually, Warren's hand went back to the gun again. "It's... going to be cleaned. I said 'it's being cleaned tonight.' You must have thought I meant right now, correct?"

She looked at him. She could have sworn he had said "right now" and not "tonight..." But, she figured, he must have misspoke. "Yes, Doctor. Sure."

As she turned her back to him, opening a cupboard on the wall to retrieve her things, Warren paced nervously, one eye still on her, one hand still on his revolver. As this was going on, he happened at one point to put his back to Kraven's hiding spot, and the criminal got a good look at the hand holding the firearm. Kraven growled softly, remembering how much time Warren had spent adjusting his belt when they last met... the Hunter had assumed it was some kind of nervous tic. On one hand, he respected the Doctor's preparedness somewhat. Still, he would remember to keep a closer eye on Warren from now on.

"Okay, that's all." said Deborah, turning to leave. "Farewell, Doctor."

"Have a nice day, Deborah..." Warren said, relaxing. He adjusted his belt and exhaled, before turning to see Kraven already standing before him, having descended in perfect silence. "Now, back to business..."

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May Parker, having just paid fare, stepped out of the taxi onto a bustling New York sidewalk. Since her heart attack about ten months earlier, she preferred to take cabs as opposed to driving whenever she could, but goodness they could smell. Still, she had arrived in one piece, and, checking her watch (she tended to forget that her cell could tell her the time), was happy to see that Peter should arrive any minute. She approached the crowded steps leading up to a shopping center, and was surprised to spot the shockingly red hair of...

"Mary Jane? Goodness, is that you?"

MJ, young, red-haired and green-eyed, spun to look at the old woman with a smile. "Oh, hey Ms. Parker. Here, it's chilly, you should get inside."

"Oh, thank you, Mary Jane..." May said as her best friend's niece took her arm and shepherded her through the doors, "But really, call me May."

MJ chuckled. "Alright, May. Is Pete here with you?"

May gave the girl a surprised look. "Me? Peter told me he was hanging out with you. I thought he had brought you along..."

MJ blanched slightly. She had a sinking feeling she may have just gotten Peter into some trouble. She hated fibbing to the old woman, but whatever Peter needed covering for, it was probably important... "Oh, no, I mean, he bailed prety quick, I just figured he had already caught up to you. Not really sure how I got here first..." Nice one, MJ, solid save, A+.

"Oh, alright. Are you here for school supplies?"

"Nah, Aunt Anna picked those up a few days ago. I wanted to get some new gloves, mine are just getting a bit ratty. Oh, look, there's Pete now!"

As Peter (looking rather shocked at MJ's voice) walked through the doors, she ran over to greet him quickly, calling out, "Hey, you took off so quick, I'm surprised it took you so long!" She gave him a quick hug, using it as a cover to whisper, "You better have a pretty good reason for why I just lied to your Aunt, Tiger."

As Aunt May caught up, Peter caught himself quickly, returning their smiles and hugs while quickly sputtering, "Oh, right, I stopped to.. get a hotdog, y'know, nice warm dog on a brisk day and all that." As May patted his cheek, MJ smiled and shook her head a bit. "Well, you two have fun. I'm off."

As Peter and May headed off, he looked back and called "Later, MJ!" before silently mouthing thank you!

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Dr. Warren rifled through his filing cabinet, Kraven leaning against the far wall, arms crossed. He was watching the man closely. "So, Kraven... don't suppose you know what any of your old compatriots are up to these days? The ones not in the Vault, at any rate."

"I am here to protect you, Doctor, not idly converse."

"Doesn't mean we can't pass the time..."

"By which you mean, it doesn't mean you can't pump me for information. Kraven is not revealing Master Planner secrets to the likes of you."

Warren turned to smile at the Hunter. "Now, now, Kraven, there's no treachery here. What harm could I even do with the information of what, say... The Vulture is up to?"

Kraven stepped away from the wall, approaching Warren. "It is none of your concern what Vulture is doing, or any of the others. I may be willing to work with you, Miles Warren, but do not think for a moment that Kraven the Hunter trusts you. I live by the Law of the Jungle. And the wise predator does not disclose information..." he leaned in close, glaring into Warren's eyes. His breath smelled of raw meat. To Warren's credit, he didn't back down. "...with prey."

The two's eyes remained locked for several seconds, before Warren forced another smile. "I was just chatting."

Kraven sneered and walked away.

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The bookstore was predictably crowded as Peter and May searched for his schoolbooks, dodging as best they could through hordes of like-minded teenagers and parents. Peter juggled an armload of books as May collected more of the ones on the list. Gazing balefully at the stack, Peter wondered aloud, "Sheesh, heavy coursework this year or what?"

"They're just trying to get you ready, dear. Not too far to college, now. Still set on ESU?"

"I don't see why not. It's in town, so I can still keep an eye on my favorite aunt."

"Mm-hm. Well, take these up to the counter, you little charmer, your favorite aunt needs to take a look at the cookbooks."

"Eyeing up the competition?" Peter asked.

"Hush now!" May replied with a smile. "You'll give away my secret!"

Peter staggered his way up to the counter, but with the stack of books blocking his view, he didn't notice the line until it was too late; he had already bumped into the blonde in front of him. "Oh, jeez, sorry, I didn't-" She turned around.

It was Gwen.

Gwen and Peter stared at each other in shock for a moment, then looked away awkwardly. Since she did away with her glasses and start wearing her hair longer, Gwen didn't even look like the same person to most people who knew her, though Peter could still recognize her instantly. They'd been friends a long time, after all.

"Um... hey." he managed.

"Hey." she said back sadly.

Hoo boy this is rough. Peter thought to himself. He and Gwen hadn't seen each other or spoken all summer. He had tried calling a few times, but she never answered. And even before that, the situation had begun to get rather... complex.

"Hey, Peter!" speaking of complex... Peter had some very mixed feelings as his best friend Harry Osborn joined them, quickly putting an arm around Gwen as he smiled at Peter.

"Hey, Harry. Man, I haven't seen either of you all summer... how are things?"

"Oh, great, great..." Harry said with a grin. Gwen was just staring at the floor. "We're just here with Gwen's dad, y'know, getting our school stuff... anyway, see you around, Pete!" They paid in a rush and hurried off. As Peter bought his books, his mind was troubled. Gwen sure didn't seem happy there. And is it me, or did Harry almost seem... smug? Like he was... rubbing my face in it? No, c'mon man, you're just imagining it because he's with Gwen. Harry's been through a lot, it only makes sense he might seem a little off sometimes...

Leaving the counter, Peter saw them still outside the shop, standing with Gwen's dad, Captain Stacy... Captain Stacy! Of course! If I approach him as Peter Parker, then Spider-Man's not putting him in any danger! "Uh, hey, excuse me!" Peter sprinted after them, trying to catch the group before it faded into the crowd. "Captain Stacy, hey!"

Stacy, a middle-aged man with white hair to belie his age, stopped and turned. Seeing Peter coming, he told Gwen and Harry, "You kids wait in the car, I'll just be a second." As they left, he turned to meet Peter.

"Peter. Unexpected. To what do I owe the surprise?"

"Well, sir, I wanted to ask you some things. You see..." Okay, come on, good lie this time... "...I'm taking Creative Writing this year..." OR, Y'KNOW, THAT. "...And as a pet project, I was thinking about writing sort of a crime thriller as a side thing this year, but I want to really... really ground it in reality, you know?"

"Now that sounds like a challenge. You know there's a reason so many of those stories are so exaggerated, right?"

"I know, I know, but I figured, what better way to make it work then with advice from an actual cop! So, if it's not too inconvenient, I was wondering if I could occasionally pester you with questions? Y'know, about criminals and stuff?"

Captain Stacy smiled. "Well, that sounds like a good idea. Shrewd, even."

Huh? What a weird thing to say...

"...Of course I'll help, Peter. You know I approve of all your endeavors. Anything you needed to know right away?"

"Well, okay... say a criminal had just escaped from prison. And he wasn't at any of his usual bolt holes... How would you find him?"

"Well, you should think a bit about the perp's motivation. Where would they want to go, Peter? Like, take, for example... Electro. Just broke out of Ravencroft today. Where do you think he wants to go?"

Peter looked down, rubbing his chin. "Well... when Electro first appeared, he went to the Connors' lab for a cure... but that wouldn't make sense, he likes his powers now, he doesn't want anyone to... to get rid... of..." OH. MY. GOD. Why didn't I think of that before!?

"Brainwave, Peter?"

He looked up in shock at the smiling Captain. "Uh.. yes... listen, Captain Stacy, I have to go... thanks for the advice, bye!" Peter sprinted of through the mall.

"Good luck, son." Stacy muttered.

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After putting Aunt May back on cab, making up an excuse about wanting to go meet up with some friends, and scurrying into the bathroom for a quick change of clothes, Peter was once again in the wind as Spider-Man. I hope I'm right about this... he mused as he swung between skyscrapers. If Electro's headed to the ESU Lab, then I can take him down on familiar territory. And, hopefully, before anyone gets hurt.

As he changed course, so did his train of thought. And another embellished lie I have to live up to, great. I guess I have to enroll in Creative Writing now, and write a crime thriller on the side. Hooray. On the bright side, though, now I have an excuse to ask Captain Stacy about criminology whenever I want. So yeah... that was pretty shrewd. He landed on the opposing rooftop overlooking the lab as the sun set, dusk falling over New York City. And now... I wait.

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As the gloom set in, Dr. Warren stood in his lab, back to the door, looking over some notes. Behind him, he heard a sizzling sound, but didn't turn.

Sparks flew from the doorlock as it melted, before the door flew open, and Electro stepped in. His suit was still burned black, but his lightning had reverted to its standard green-tinged yellow. In addition to the suit, he wore a devilish grin.

"Please, come in." said Warren calmly, not bothering to turn around. Electro was caught slightly off guard by this, but recovered and began to walk towards the scientist.

"You got any idea who I am?"

"Yes, it's Max something-or-other, isn't it? As I understand it, you used to work here before your... shall we say, your episode. Dillon, that was the one."

The supervillain stopped in his tracks, annoyed. Warren still wasn't looking at him "It's Electro! And yeah, I worked here, back under Doc Connors. Thing is, even when they asked him, Connors could never figure out a way to make me normal again. Guess he just didn't have the chops for it!"

"And you're afraid I do."

"I ain't afraid!"

"But you're worried that the city will commission me to take away your powers, and worried I'll succeed. So you've come to kill me, and stop that happening."

Electro grinned again. "Wow, you really are a genius. But not smart enough to try and figure out a way to stop me, or evOOF!"

With a mighty roar, a huge, furry form had dived from the shadows and tackled Electro, before tossing him bodily across the room. Sliding to a stop on the concrete floor, Electro scrabbled to his knees in a panic and looked at his attacker. "What the- KRAVEN?"

Kraven crouched and bared his claws. "Electro! In honor of our past partnership, I ask you now to stand down! Leave, or I will disembowel you!"

Standing, Electro glared and flared up his electricity. "Just try it, furball!"

"Or maybe everyone could just get along!"

Electro, Kraven and Warren all looked up in surprise at the speaker: Spider-Man, hanging from a web on the ceiling. "Wow, would you look at this? A heartwarming reunion between two old friends... would honestly be a shame if you two wound up doing any... disemboweling."

"MORE LIKE DISINTEGRATING!" Yelled Electro as he fired of two blasts, one from each hand and one for each opponent. Caught off guard by the arrival of Spider-Man, Kraven took the full blast in the chest and flew back into some shelves, the smell of singed fur filling the lab. Spidey, meanwhile, swiftly dropped from his web, avoiding the bolt just in time. As he dodged more blasts, he strategized on the fly. Alright, first priority, let's get the old bug-zapper somewhere he can't do as much damage. Ugh, and second priority, let's not call him 'bug zapper' anymore, that does not bring a pleasant image to mind...

Quickly jumping back to the ceiling, Spidey called out "Still not getting much aim practice in the loony bin, are ya pal?" as he crawled out of the skylight. Growling angrily, Electro ran to underneath the opening and pumped electricity from his hands straight down, the kinetic feedback from the two jets of plasma sufficient to propel him through the skylight and up onto the roof, where he was immediately struck in the back of the head by a small clod of webbing. "Argh, you little...!" he spun around and fired, but Spiderman was already dodging, pouncing and flipping all over the roof in unpredictable patterns.

"So, tell a little spider, Zappy," Spidey said as he jumped and ducked and flipped, "How'd you get out of the slammer, anyway?"

"Nice, huh?" Electro grinned as he tossed bolt after bolt. "I figured out that not only can I discharge electricity, I can absorb it, too! All I had to do was suck down enough juice from the nuthouse's main grid, and I broke out of my gizmos, ha ha!"

To his surprise, though, Spiderman was chuckling. Electro hesitated, his smile fading. "What? What's so funny?"

Spiderman came to a stop on the railing on the edge of the roof. "I'm sorry, it's just... you've had these powers for what, almost a year now? And you're just now figuring out that you can do this? Wow."

Electro scowled and tossed more lightning, which Spidey easily avoided; "I mean, you were an electrician! You must have a brain in there somewhere!" another toss, another dodge. "Oh man, and now you just explained it to me! Like a Bond Villain! Man, Maxie, for someone who's powers move at the speed of light, you're really pretty slow..."

Electro glared, gritting his teeth. "You know what I don't miss about the outside? You, constantly running your mouth!"

At that moment, however, he had noticed something else: an open junction box on the wall of the roof. Electro grinned. "Maybe it's time I seared it shut!" Tossing a couple quick bolts to get Spider-Man moving again, Electro took advantage of the momentary confusion to run for the fusion box and jam his hand inside.

Immediately, all the lights for the campus began to flicker. Electro's energy was beginning to turn blue again... "Uh-Oh..." said Peter, quickly realizing what was happening. He shot a web, trying to pull the villain away from the source of his power; but the second it connected with Electro's back, Spidey was electrocuted, yelping in pain as the sheer power of the surge was enough to bodily launch him from the roof. As Spidey landed in the parking lot (regaining solid footing just before touching down), he observed all the lights in the area die, nearly plunging ESU into blackness... save for the bright, neon blue coming from the roof...

Spiderman webbed his way back up as quickly as he could, just in time to see the grinning blue-and-black form of Electro floating on a pillar of brilliant azure lightning. "Time to even the odds!" Electro yelled.

"Um... can I tag out?" Spidey asked.

With a savage growl, Kraven leapt from the shadows, pouncing high into the air and swiping at Electro from behind, claws bared. The impact landed hard, launching Electro forward. "Ugh!" He flew ahead and hit the radio tower facefirst while Kraven the Hunter landed on all fours.

"...Oh. I wasn't actually expecting that to work."

Kraven purred, gazing hungrily at the hero. "It didn't. Don't think that Kraven forgot the whole reason he even came to United States... to prove himself stronger than the Spider." The two began to circle each other.

"Funny, I coulda sworn we already answered that question. Like, three times."

"Like you Americans say... if at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

The two were prepared to attack, but were interrupted by a sudden burst of electricity. Both the Spider and the Hunter ran for cover, hiding behind AC units as a shower of bright blue lightning raked across the rooftop. "I'LL REDUCE YOU BOTH TO ASHES!"

Well... Peter thought, he hasn't mellowed down at all...

Electro drifted back up to the roof, a look of rage on his face, and electric sparks flying from the slashmarks in his back. He was holding his hands out, blanketing the rooftop in scorch marks and dancing cinders. In the lab below, Warren hid beneath a desk as hot sparks showered down. "KRAVEN! HE'S DESTROYING MY LAB, HURRY UP AND STOP HIM ALREADY!"

In his hiding place, Peter was still thinking. Alright, so, two super-losers at once. I can do this. I've done this before. And hey, these two aren't even working together! Boy, that's gonna make things (relatively) easy! Leaning out a bit, he found that, without exposing himself directly to the barrage, he had line of sight to Kraven's cover. That'll work. As he aimed a web, he vaguely heard Warren yelling something to Kraven. Ignoring it, he fired his line right at the AC unit that was shielding the Great Hunter. Before Electro could blast the line or Kraven realize what was happening and sever it, he pulled hard, tearing away Kraven's cover and yanking it over to himself.

With Kraven now unprotected, Electro refocused his attention. "THAT HURT, FURBALL!" he yelled, focusing his hands together for a single, powerful blast. Kraven was already bolting, sprinting full speed across the rooftop on all fours in a desperate bid to find more cover. A single, spiralling beam of condensed lightning raced after him just as he reached the edge. Kraven jumped for freedom, but only too late as the high-speed jet of plasma found the corner of roof he had just jumped from, tearing it to pieces in a catastrophic blast, the shockwave of which caught the Hunter in midair, sending him out of control.

Kraven barely managed to dig his claws into the bricks of another of the campus buildings, and tried to scramble to safety, but took a bolt to the back. As his fur burned, the animal winced, baring his sharp teeth and growling in pain and anger. "Hurts, don't it? Hahahaha!" Electro tossed more shots, Kraven quickly scrabbling to the roof in avoidance. He began to leap from roof to roof, fleeing as Electro flew after him, laughing and tossing lightning. Spider-Man, meanwhile, was far from idle. He ran from cover after Electro, both hands carrying a webline from which he still dragged the half-melted AC unit he had pulled away from Kraven.

Seeing an opportunity to attack from behind as one villain chased the other, he jumped after Electro and swung his makeshift hammer-throw in midair, letting go of the line as the AC unit arced in front of him, therefore flinging it right at Electro. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Electro screamed as the person-sized machine struck him right where Kraven had cut him, causing him to fall from the sky and crash down on a rooftop. Now the ball was in Kraven's court, as the hybrid braked hard in his retreat, driving his claws into the roof to slow himself as he whirled around to face his former pursuer, before lunging straight forward.

Electro staggered to his knees, groaning in pain as he held one hand to his dizzied head. "What is with everyone hitting me in the back today... HUH!?" He had no time to consider the irony of his words as Kraven came at him from the front, making use of his momentary confusion to land a mighty punch to Electro's fizzling and sparking jaw, launching the living battery back off the roof and into the campus trees below. On the opposite roof, Spider-Man ran to the edge and looked down, trying to make sure Electro was okay... a tactical miscalculation, as the spider-sense barely managed to warn him in time as Kraven leapt the gap, taking a swipe at the arachnid.

Ducking, Peter spun around as Kraven landed behind him, turning to face his fellow genetic hybrid. "Sorry Whiskers, I forgot to ask... what are you even doing here?"

"Fullfilling a contract. And taking your head!"

With that, Kraven stepped forward with a quick swing that Spidey barely managed to dodge, followed by another and another. Avoiding these strikes had pushed him back against the edge of the roof, so... he simply let himself drop. Falling about ten feet, Spider-Man reached out and grabbed hold of the wall with his spider-powers, looking up to spot Kraven scrambling down the wall after him, snarling ferociously. All around, ESU students were poking their heads out of their windows, and snapping pictures of the confrontation on their phones.

As Kraven swiped again, Spider-Man simply jumped, a solid forty feet, across the way and onto the opposing wall, before running up to that roof. Becoming annoyed, Kraven mimicked the jump, sinking his claws into the brick... only for Spider-Man to turn around, looking down at the hybrid from the high ground. Raising his wrists, he began to pelt the Hunter with heavy clods of webbing. Roaring in anger, Kraven shielded his face, but could not stop the onslaught from loosening his grip on the building and dropping him fifty feet into the bushes below.

Spider-Man took a moment to catch a breath, but the respite was short-lived, as the bright blue glow was beginning to flare up again... "Aw, c'mon..." moaned Peter, turning to run as a jet of lightning crashed into the spot where he had just been standing. Electro rose up and began to fly after him.

"YOU CAN'T GET AWAY THAT EASY, YOU LITTLE FREAK!" He yelled as he pursued the teen across the rooftops, spamming lightning all the way. Spidey hopped and dove, doing anything he could to avoid the souped-up blasts. A couple times, they came unsettlingly close to giving him a shock he wasn't sure he could get up from.

"Yeow! Sheesh, Maxie, turn down the lights, will ya? One might almost think you were trying to kill me or something!"

"HAHAHAHA! What a crazy notion!" he responded before literally spitting another bolt at the web-slinger.

Spider-Man reached an obstacle: he had come to the edge of another of the campus rooftops like any other... except it overlooked the football field, meaning that if Peter intended to continue in this direction, he would give up his high-ground advantage, and be a sitting duck... But Electro made the decision for him. As Spider-Man hesitated, looking for somewhere to swing to, Electro smiled, and, taking advantage of the split-second difference, launched himself right at the Spider, arms outstretched.

He tackled his foe from behind, yelling "GOTCHA!" as he flew out across the field, holding Spidey in a death grip and pumping electricity into him. Spider-Man struggled; the electrocution hurt, but he was sure if he could just get a solid grip... Uh-oh. He was trying to pry Electro's fingers loose, but they wouldn't budge. So being super-charged like this also powers up his muscles... he's as strong as I am... hoo boy, this is gonna hurt...

Finally reaching the opposite endzone, Electro raised Spider-Man up high, before throwing him with all his might into the turf, thirty feet straight down. The wall-crawler slammed down face-first, the impact digging a small trench in the ground which he became embedded in. HAHAHA! TOUCHDOWN!""

"Ugggghhhh... I call unnecessary roughing..." Peter slowly crawled from his hole in a daze, but Electro wasn't giving him a break, and fired a blast. The Spider-Sense flared, and Peter rolled aside as quickly as his pained body would allow, though he was still grazed by the searing beam as it tore through the dirt hole he had just escaped, kicking up a shower of soil and smoke.

Spidey staggered out of the cloud, clutching his side and looking up at his grinning enemy. Electro was the only source of light around, meaning that the entire field appeared bright blue... including Kraven the Hunter, who was charging towards his two quarries on all fours, his claws spraying dirt behind him. Seeing him coming, the webhead formed a quick plan... jumping out of the way of another arc, he began sprinting back up the field, right towards Kraven. Seeing him coming, Kraven's gaze intensified, his teeth bared, and his speed increased.

Electro, meanwhile, still hadn't ceased his attack, and was still throwing lightning bolts at Spider-Man, who listed left and right to avoid them, while still keeping a course right for Kraven. Closer and closer the two genetic anomalies came, only seconds away from impact. Kraven jumped forward, raising his claws and snarling, ready to finally end a hunt that had been over eight months in the making... grinning like a demon, Electro drew back a fist and then swung, tossing a blast powerful enough to cook the wall-crawler from the inside-out... Kraven reached the zenith of his pounce, ready to behead his prey, when Spider-Man simply yelled "Nope!" and fell into a slide, pasing straight under Kraven... who took the full blast of Electro's lightning right in the face.

The sheer kinetic force that the burst of plasma was moving with was enough to send the Hunter spinning end-over-end in the air, to say nothing of how much the current had hurt. Kraven crashed down on the grass nearby. Spider-Man stood up, brushing himself off. "One bad guy down, and I didn't even break a sweat. Though I guess I did get grass stains all over my suit, so there's that... YEEOW!" He hopped to the side as another bolt grazed his foot. Electro was flying towards him, spitting lightning like there was no tomorrow.

Spider-Man jumped around, buying himself time to think. Okay, now how to shut off the human lightbulb over here... oh, I got it! Changing course, he ran right under Electro and back towards the cratered endzone, prompting the maniacal malefactor to turn in midair to pursue. Spidey tossed a web up to the goalpost and pulled himself up, landing inside the giant "U" shape of the metal object and balancing there, turning to look at Electro. His pursuer stopped in the air and, predictably, threw more lightning. Spider-Man ducked, letting it pass over. Another blast, and he jumped up to cling to one of the poles. Another, and he jumped across to the other pole.

This pattern continued for over a minute, with Electro growing increasingly frustrated as Spider-Man dodged every single blast, and never left the goal post, nor stopped jeering the entire time. "Wow, Max, make sure you never play pro! Kraven landed more hits then you, and he can't even shoot lightning!"

"THAT'S IT!" Electro yelled, launching himself forward. If Spider-Man wanted to stay on the goalpost so badly, then he'd pay for it. Electro landed on the post and reached down to grab it. He took hold, channeling a strong current through to fry anything in contact with the metal... but by that time, Spidey had already jumped clear.

Twisting in midair, Peter fired a web at Electro's wrist, grabbing hold and pulling. "Hey! What're you-" with the force pulling him free, Electro's hands no long touched the goal, and Spider-Man was able to land safely on the pole again, quickly tying the other end of the web around it. Electro was trapped; one of his wrists was now tied, via a long web, to the pole. He could move around in theory, but couldn't get more than ten feet or so from the goal post. Still standing on the beam, he fired another blast from his free hand, but the arachnid spun a web and swung to the other pole, where he repeated his tactic: grab Electro's wrist with a line, tie it off to the pole. Electro was now immobilized, both of his arms suspended outward. "Hey! Lemme go!"

But Spider-Man was already making his way back to the other end of the field, zipping along via webs to hurry the process. Within seconds, he had reached the opposing goal. Passing it, he jumped up on top of the scoreboard, and looked back at the bright blue beacon that was Electro, still struggling against his bonds. He yelled across: "Y'know, Max, it sure is a good thing you charged yourself up like that! Y'see, even your muscles and bones seem to have been reinforced by the extra power! That's lucky, 'cuz otherwise, I'd be afraid to try this!"

Electro stopped struggling and looked back at him. "Huh? T-try what?"

Spider-Man fired two webs, one at each of the poles of his goal. And he held on. He began to lean far back on top of the scoreboard, stretching the lines out.. in fact, he was beginning to resemble a slingshot... Electro's eyes widened. "Oh no!" He started to struggle again, even harder.

Spider-Man stretched further back... further...

With his feet, he let go of the board.

Electro winced as Spider-Man sailed through the air at astounding speed, shooting across the field like a rocket. He twirled in midair, ensuring that his legs were pointed towards Electro, and extended one outward as a kick...

BOOM

Were Electro not charged to superhuman levels of durability at the moment, the impact of Spider-Man's leg would have easily snapped his sternum and gone through his vital organs like pudding. But his body held. He shot back so hard, the webs holding him in place immediately snapped, and he launched not only clear out of the field, but over several city blocks, screaming in a panic all the way.

With the light provided by Electro gone, the field plunged into darkness. There was a soft rustle as Spider-Man landed safely on the grass. And that's two down. The impact should knock Electro out cold, and the cops'll find him before I do. Not a bad piece of work.

Twenty yards behind Spider-Man, a pair of eyes watched him in the darkness. Capable of seeing in the deadest of nights, the predator's vision had no trouble picking up the slight frame in the gloom. A powerful sense of smell picked up his blood, the scent of falling adrenaline and rising endorphins...

Powerful, quiet muscles slunk forward. There was barely a whisper of sound, indistinguishable from the wind itself as a mighty carnivore slipped through the dark, creeping closer and closer...

Spider-Man still had his back turned. He was gazing off into the distance, perhaps hoping to spot some sign of Electro. This is my chance... Claws unsheathed without a sound. Padded feet made their way forward as softly as could be. The smell of grass was overpowering, almost nauseating, but nothing could detract from the scent of the kill...

He was only feet away now! A paw was raised... one good swipe to the back of the neck would be all it would take... sever the spine... I HAVE HIM!

Just... a little... closer...

Spider-Man whirled around and, without sight, punched Kraven right in the face. The hard blow knocked out the already weakened Hunter and sent him sprawling into the grass.

"...Stiiiiill not understanding the whole spider-sense thing, are we?"

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Ten minutes later, the football field was swarming with police. The power had returned several minutes ago, and now white light bathed the field as several officers questions students who had witnessed parts of the fight, several more held back the press, and yet several more were gathered around the crater where Spiderman had been thrown by Electro, taking selfies. A semi-conscious Kraven was strapped to a gurney, drooling while they rolled him to an armored transport truck.

Dr. Warren stood on the roof overlooking the field, watching the proceedings in silence, his labcoat fluttering in the breeze. He looked down at the scoring on the edge of the roof, where one of Electro's lightning bolt had struck. He leaned down and ran his hand over the melted asphalt...

As he did that, Spider-Man silently dropped to land on the wall behind him.

"So, you and Kravy Train seem to be on a first-name basis. What's that all about?"

Warren didn't react. He just stood up and turned to face Spider-Man, hand in his pocket. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Not to mention, despite everything that happened, I can't help but notice that everything seems to have come up Miles Warren."

Warren smiled. "Yes, I suppose so. Do you have a point?"

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. The only sounds were the breeze, and the distant police radio chatter.

"...Just that I think I'm going to have to keep an eye on you from now on." Spider-Man turned around and swung off into the night. Warren turned around and looked back across the field. His eyes focused in on that crater, and he got an idea...

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Peter crawled in his window, groaning in muted agony. With the adrenaline from the fight leaving him behind, all the hurt he had taken was catching up with him. Peeling off the costume, he looked at himself in the mirror: he had cuts, bruises, burns... he had bled a bit in this fight, that was always a good way of knowing it was one of the tougher ones.

Knowing that his improved healing would do its part, Peter sighed, slapped on a couple bandaids and called it a night. As he changed into his PJ's, he ran through the day in his head, checking to be sure that there was nothing he had forgotten. Call friends? Nope, too late at night. Aunt May? Already in bed. Food? I've been smelling singed fur all night, I can't say I have much of an appetite.

Deciding there was nothing, Peter pulled back the covers and... Wait a minute... I did forget something! Running over to his desk, he grabbed the bulletin board and flipped it around again, revealing his makeshift "most wanted" list. Smiling proudly, he reached up and happily tore down the Electro and Kraven columns, delighting in the feeling of tossing them in the trash. Left holding only the photo of Kraven the Hunter, he looked down at it.

I put away two pretty bad dudes tonight. They might've hurt a lot of people, and I stopped that from happening. That... is one heck of a feeling. And y'know what?

Tell me there's something better. Go ahead and try.

AN: Do please remember to leave a review, those help a lot in motivating me to keep working.