Chapter 202: Establishing the Spider-Man Club
"Got it!" Femster signaled to three men, and they plunged into the Red Oak Grove.
To capture a few civilians, three armed men were more than enough.
"Stop!" Femster made a sharp gesture, and the two men behind him halted instantly.
Femster scanned the surroundings. He noticed several unusually high piles of fallen leaves and curled his lip into a smirk. "The mice have learned how to bury themselves."
His companions noticed the piles as well.
"Come out, or we start shooting," Femster shouted toward the thickest cluster of leaves.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" Aidan was the first to crawl out from under the foliage. He held his hands high, trembling as he shrieked in terror.
Because of Aidan's panic, the positions of the others were immediately compromised.
"I didn't expect to find eight little mice~" Femster was genuinely surprised. He had assumed there would only be two or three people. After all, who in their right mind would come to such an undeveloped, dangerous area for fun?
"This is all your fault, Aidan," Jayden hissed, his hands raised near Aidan's ear.
"What are you muttering about over there?!" Femster marched forward and delivered a brutal kick to Jayden's chest. The sheer force sent Jayden tumbling backward.
"AGH!" Jayden clutched his chest in agony, certain he felt a rib snap.
"Shut up!" Femster lost his patience and raised his rifle toward Jayden. With so many hostages, he didn't mind losing one.
The Hero Arrives
"Hey! Firearms are dangerous. How about I keep those safe for you?"
Three strands of webbing shot out, wrapping around the rifles of Femster and his men. With a powerful tug, the weapons were ripped from their hands.
A figure in a new red and black skin-tight suit landed in front of Flash and the others. The suit featured a prominent black spider emblem on the chest, with black accents running along the arms and sides.
"Spider-Man!" Flash Thompson was the first to cheer at the sight of his hero.
"Cool! Spider-Man! You got a new outfit?!" Aidan shouted, feeling as though he'd just seen a savior descend from heaven.
Peter nodded and chuckled. "New suit, yeah. Looks pretty sharp, doesn't it?"
"It's amazing!" As Spider-Man's number one fan, Flash was the quickest to respond.
"Alright, don't get too excited yet. I'm here to get you out of here," Peter said, calming the group.
"Spider-Man?" Femster looked up at his rifle, which was now webbed to a high branch. He couldn't wrap his head around why the wall-crawler was all the way out here.
"Do you know me? I guess I am pretty famous," Peter joked. "Would you like me to treat you to a drink in prison?"
"No thanks! How about I send you to hell for a drink instead!" Femster signaled to his companions, then swiftly drew a combat knife from his thigh, lunging for Spider-Man's heart.
Peter performed a graceful side-step, easily dodging the strike. He reached out and caught Femster's wrist. "Careful now, don't want you hurting yourself."
Femster struggled to break free, but he found that no matter how much strength he exerted, Spider-Man's grip was like an iron vice.
"Looks like your 'drink' plans are canceled. See ya!" Peter fired a flurry of webbing, cocooning Femster and hanging him from a nearby tree.
"Mmph! Mmmph!" Femster's mouth was firmly webbed shut.
The Great Escape
"Alright, it's dangerous here. You all need to leave now," Peter said. He watched the other two terrorists flee deeper into the woods, but he didn't give chase. His priority was getting Flash and the others back to the city.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please step into the safety tunnel." Peter used the connection to Silas's power to open a portal to the Shadow Kingdom right on his own shadow.
"Is it... really safe to go in there, Spider-Man?" Aidan stared at the pitch-black void, paralyzed by fear.
"Aidan, I've decided," Aidan's girlfriend snapped. "As soon as we get back, we're breaking up." She was utterly disgusted by his cowardice.
"How could Spider-Man lie to us?! If I hear you question him again, I'll punch you myself!" Flash barked. He couldn't stand anyone doubting his idol.
Peter jumped in to de-escalate. "Okay, okay, let's just move! If the others show up, you'll be in real trouble."
"Let's go!" Flash supported the injured Jayden and led the way into the Shadow Kingdom. The others followed suit, trusting the hero implicitly.
Just as Peter was about to close the portal, Flash Thompson ran back out! "Whoa—hey! What's wrong?" Peter asked, startled.
Flash fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a pen. "Spider-Man, could you... please sign my chest?"
"Uh, sure. No problem." Peter was stunned by how much Flash liked "Spider-Man," which made him wonder even more why the guy was such a jerk to "Peter Parker."
Peter quickly scribbled a message on Flash's shirt:
Spider-Man — I hope you possess a heart that aids the weak and resists the strong.
"Thank you!" Flash took the pen back, his face beaming with excitement as he vanished back into the Shadow Kingdom.
"Well, I guess I have a hardcore fan in Flash," Peter muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't help but wonder what Flash's face would look like if he ever found out the truth.
Back in New York
Flash and the group emerged in a quiet alleyway in the city. Watching the familiar yellow cabs and city traffic, Flash let out a cry of disbelief. "Unbelievable! We're actually back!"
"I think I might be in love with Spider-Man," Audrey said, looking completely smitten.
"I've decided to start a Spider-Man Club," Flash announced. "What do you guys think?"
"Great idea," Jayden said, clutching his chest. If it weren't for the hero, he'd probably be a corpse on that mountain.
"I... I don't know," Aidan whispered. "If we start a club, won't Spider-Man's enemies come looking for us? That would be really..."
Before he could finish, Flash's fist stopped inches from Aidan's face. Aidan flinched, nearly falling to his knees.
Flash pulled his punch only because he noticed the words on his chest: Aid the weak. "Forget it. My club doesn't need people like you." Flash helped Jayden walk away, and the rest of the group followed, leaving a lonely Aidan behind.
"Fine! See if I care!" Aidan shouted after them. "Just wait until a supervillain finds you!"
Back on the Mountain
"Did something happen to Femster?" Scarface asked, checking his watch. It had been far too long since they heard from the scouting team.
"Probably not, boss. It was just a few kids," Ian said nonchalantly. As Femster's long-time partner, he knew the man's combat skills were solid.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the shadows.
"Are you waiting for your partner? He told me to give you a message: don't wait up. You can go find him in prison."
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