[IC] The Amazing Spider-Twins

[King Kindred]

The heroes were making quick work of the Ultron Bots. With the main Ultron being preoccupied with Vision these mere robots stood no chance against the combined might of the two Avengers teams.

The battle between Ultron and the Vision raged on. Ultron was giving it his all, but Vision was prolonging this fight for as much as he could. He knew they were on the clock, but wanted to having a lasting experience with this being that was so much like him, yet so corrupt and unwavering. Part of Vision wished that he could turn Ultron, but from what he knew of the future this one in front of him was a lost cause. Perhaps things would change if he were one day born anew. But for that to happen this one needed to die.

Vision rushed forward phasing into Ultron instead of through him. It was almost like he possessed him like a ghost. It wasn't a complete possession. Ultron was still there, but for a moment their consciousnesses connected. Ultron finally saw the hope that Vision saw, but it was too late. With his corrupt programing there's no way he'd see the light. While inside him Vision released the data from the Ultron Virus and quickly exiting his body before it could have the chance to affect his own data or existence. He watched as Ultron started to malfunction. His words broken and slurred. The infection spread immediately. Every Ultron Bot connected to the main body was falling to the floor completely depowered. Vision had won. The heroes had won. The people were safe, but there was something bothering him. It seemed too easy, yet metaphorically it was hard on his mind. He shook his head returning to the ground.

The heroes gathered together while the civilians cheered on. Though there was a good number of them calling for Tony's head for starting this mess, but because no one died or was seriously injured their voices of disapproval were drowned out by the cheers of appreciation of the saving and show they just witnessed.

Vision made his way to Nathan and Tony and began speaking once he arrived. "I hate to break up the celebration, but you must leave. The others need you in Los Angeles. I'll remain here to assist in the clean up efforts."

"Take my Quinjet." Tony said.

"Dude. We're riding in the Quinjet?" Spider-Woman asked as she landed near them. "Officially the greatest birthday ever."

---

The flight over to LA was smooth and fast. The Spider-Sisters joined the Young Avengers on their mission at Dani's begging. There was no way she was going to miss this. Liz and Camilla took the flight to catch Caty up on everything that had been happening since Christmas. About how they were actually Agents of SHIELD and that they've been training and helping out the Avengers on some missions. Their first field op was the Wakandan Invasion. Caty tried to hide her jealousy. Then they continued to say that overtime the two of them fell for each other. Caty told them that she figured it out and she was happy for them and that she and Karolina started dating today. Everyone was happy and took the remaining time to rest before they landed.

---

Meanwhile there was one Ultron Bot that didn't completely shut down with the others. Ultron transferred his consciousness to it and used it to escape. It was badly damaged and practically inoperable, but it was enough to get him on the footsteps of one Anna Maria Marconi. "I... need help."

Anna saw what had happened with the Avengers and Ultron. Maybe this was her chance of saving him and humanity. She took her phone out and called someone. "Otto come over now. I need your help."

---

The Quinjet landed on the beach and the team wasted no time heading for the shore. Nathan formed a barrier around them to get them down to the Gibborim ritual site. It was now time.

[Crimson Flame]

Upon seeing the Gibborim in their full glory, Danny was terrified. Danny felt a chill run down his spine. The monstrous figures were a nightmarish sight. Danny’s heart pounded in his chest, he was paralyzed by fear.

Chase noticed Danny’s hesitation, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we can do this. Remember, we’re a team.”

Danny took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. “Yeah, you’re right. We have to stop them.”

And then Danny heard a familiar voice. “Lucky for you! Reinforcements have arrived!” Dani swung in, kicking a Gibborim in the face. Which very clearly pissed it off.

Chase raised an eyebrow at the smaller, female version of Danny standing in front of him. “Uh… who is this?”

Danny smiled underneath his mask. “This is Dani. She’s my cousin/clone. It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.” He then gave her a hug. “Good to see you again! Although, I wish it were under better circumstances…”

The others joined Dani on the scene. They were truly assembled now like a full team. Liz, Nathan, and Karolina hovered above while the ground troops remained below.

Liz was surprised by what she was seeing. She was still the newest to things like this. “Wow. Those guys are huge.”

“That just means the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Caty said ready to take these guys on so she can enjoy the rest of her birthday in peace.

Alex and Nathan thrust their arms forward. “Young Avengers! Let's kick some ass.” They said in unison as the group charged forward.

Karolina, Nathan, and Liz started off by firing beams of energy, one hitting each of the trio of giants. The blasts had some effect, but clearly weren't enough on their own.

“Don't let them blast you with anything! They're deadly!” Nathan yelled out while dodging a blast of fire.

Danny swung back into action. He launched himself towards one of the Gibborim, firing webs at its face to obscure its vision. “Come on, you big ugly, thing focus on me!” he taunted, dodging a massive swipe from the creature.

Dani joined him, using her own agility to dance around the Gibborim’s attacks. “You know, for a nightmare creature, you’re really slow!” she quipped, firing webbing at its legs to trip it up.

Chase aimed fiery blasts of energy from his fistigons at the Gibborim’s legs to destabilize them. “This doesn’t seem to be doing much!”

Nico, her Staff of One glowing brightly, chanted another spell at them. “Keep pushing! We can do this!”

Molly used her super strength to leap onto one of the Gibborim, landing a powerful punch that caused it to stagger.

Dani was in awe. “Neat! It’s nice to have someone my age in the group.”

Cloak and Dagger worked together. Dagger would throw Light knives, while Cloak would transport her out of danger whenever they tried to strike back.

Meanwhile, The Pride stood back. Too stubborn to admit they had messed up.

Alex charged forward using his gift from Nathan to his advantage. He formed a shield of energy that resembled Captain America's. He used it to parry magic blasts back from one of the Gibborim causing it to be pushed back from its own blast.

Caty launched towards the Gibborim that Alex hit with a blast and punched it in the face with all of her might to push it back even more. She swung away before he could react to her. This was going well, but not well enough. These guys seemed impossible to beat. Even their own magic barely did anything against them.

Old Lace was chomping away at their legs not staying in one spot too long so he wouldn't get stomped on before moving onto the next Gibborim.

Nathan was annoyed at Pride for just standing around and not helping. He yelled down towards them. “Are you going to sit around and let your kids clean up your mess? What kind of parents are you?”

The Pride members exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from guilt to defiance. Tina Minoru stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. “We have our reasons.” she said coldly, though there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

Molly, overhearing the exchange, jumped down, and stood next to Nathan. “We could really use your help right now,” she shouted. “This is bigger than all of us!”

Geoffrey Wilder clenched his fists, his eyes darting between the massive forms of the Gibborim and his son, Alex. “I didn’t sign up for this to see my son die,” he muttered, finally stepping forward.

Tina Minoru, her resolve wavering, tightened her grip on her staff. “Fine. We’ll help,” she said, her voice more resolute. “But this doesn’t mean we’re on the same side.”

Victor Stein activated his high-tech gauntlets, turning to Janet. “We do this together,” he said, and she nodded, her own gauntlets glowing with energy.

Stacey and Dale Yorkes exchanged a look, their futuristic weapons at the ready. “Let’s make sure our kids come out of this alive,” Dale said, and Stacey gave a determined nod.

Leslie and Frank Dean, their alien powers crackling around them, joined the fray with renewed determination. “For our family,” Leslie said, her eyes glowing with energy.

Alice and Robert Hayes, the telepathic and telekinetic duo, shared a brief moment of understanding. “Protect the children first,” Alice said, and Robert agreed, his focus sharpening.

As the Pride members stepped forward, the battlefield shifted. Tina raised her staff, casting a powerful spell that struck one of the Gibborim, causing it to howl in pain. Victor and Janet Stein used their advanced technology to fire beams of energy, adding to the onslaught. The other members of the Pride followed suit, their combined efforts finally making a noticeable impact.

Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder worked in perfect sync, Geoffrey’s precision shots with his energy rifle, while Catherine fought them with electrified batons. Stacey’s laser whip cracked through the air, slicing through the ethereal forms of the giants, while Dale’s plasma rifle sent explosive bursts of energy into their midst.

Leslie and Frank Dean unleashed beams of radiant energy, scorching the Gibborim and forcing them back. Alice projected illusions into their minds, creating confusion and chaos, while Robert used his telekinesis to hurl massive debris at the giants, each impact causing them to stagger.

Alex looked at Nathan saying, “Thank you.” He stayed true to his word. Even with their parents initially fighting against them he gave them the chance to make up for it. He had renewed determination. Everything would finally be okay. No doomed futures and a life of beauty and wonder for him and his friends.

Caty watched in amazement. This moment reminded her of Flint Marco and what he was doing for his daughter and how he fought back against the Sinister 5 and Osborn. She needed to check on his daughter once this was all over.

Nathan hovered in front of the group as they pushed the Gibborim back. With Pride on their side they could actually overpower them. “Everyone with energy based powers and weapons release them at me. Everything you got! I'll absorb and release it in one attack.”

They all did as he said. Liz started with her bioelectric energy shooting him with a blast that recharged his suit and then some. Karolina and her parents fired off blasts as well, her parents having augmented energy from the Gibborims and boosting it even more.

Geoffrey used everything in his energy rifle to shoot him where the others had. The Stein family released their energy beams along with Chase’s initially reluctant flames, but his parents assured him that fire was still energy. “You guys still kinda suck, but this is amazing and I'm glad we got to do it together.” Chase said having the best time since they began this Runaway adventure.

The Minoru clan blasted Nathan's suit with energy spells and Tandy finished it with a summoned sword of light that she threw into his back stabilizing all of the energy inside of his suit. Nathan felt overwhelmed with power. He never felt anything like this before. If his suit wasn't containing all of this he was sure he'd be dead by now. But he felt after this his suit might not be able to do anything like this again.

The Gibborim stepped forward preparing to counter. They looked towards their Pride. “You have truly disappointed and failed us.”

“You failed yourselves.” Iron Knight said before releasing a massive beam of energy at the Gibborim sending them all crashing to the floor and dying.

With the energy they had left they put their hands together forming a counterspell to blast them all away.

Alex's body moved on instinct and jumped in front of the group. He formed a giant barrier from his wrist that took on the force of the blast. The tech that Nathan gave him allowed him to form shields and barriers like the future Invisible Woman. Unfortunately or rather fortunately Alex was a human and wasn't able to naturally absorb these energies like her or Nathan's suit. The barrier protected everyone, but Alex absorbed energy that leaked through his barrier altering his DNA in the process. He was human, but also part Gibborim.

Alex dropped the barrier once the Gibborim and the spell faded. They had won. They really won. They saved the world. Alex fell backwards, but his father caught him. “You did good, son.”

As the dust settled and the Gibborim were finally vanquished, the atmosphere was a mix of relief and exhaustion. The Young Avengers and the Pride stood together, breathing heavily but victorious.

Chase looked around at the team, a proud smile on his face. “We did it. We actually did it.”

Danny, still catching his breath, nodded. “Yeah, we did. Together.”

Nico, her Staff of One glowing faintly, stepped forward. “This isn’t over. We still have a lot to figure out, but at least for now, we’ve won.”

Alex turned to his parents. “We need to make sure this never happens again.”

Just then, the sound of sirens pierced the air, growing louder as several police cars and S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles approached the scene. Agents and officers quickly surrounded the area, their weapons at the ready.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill stepped forward. “We received reports of a massive energy disturbance and unauthorized gatherings. What’s going on here?”

Nathan stepped forward. “We’ve stopped a catastrophic event, but these people—” he gestured towards the Pride—“are responsible for endangering countless lives. They need to be held accountable.”

Tina Minoru stepped forward, her staff lowered. “We’ll go quietly. Our children don’t deserve to pay for our mistakes.”

One by one, the members of the Pride allowed themselves to be handcuffed and led away. Geoffrey Wilder glanced back at Alex. “You did good, son. I’m proud of you.”

Alex, his emotions conflicted, simply nodded. “We’ll make sure the world is safe.”

Victor Stein looked at Chase, a hint of pride in his eyes. “Keep using your talents for good, Chase. Make something of yourself.”

Chase nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. “I will, Dad.”

As the Pride members were escorted into police vehicles, the Young Avengers gathered together, their faces a mix of relief and exhaustion. Danny looked at his friends and allies, feeling a sense of unity stronger than ever before.

The victory was bittersweet. Caty was glad that this was all over, but she felt bad for her friends. They were losing their parents. She understood what that was like with her dad. She walked over to Karolina and held her hand.

Nathan looked around at all of them. He did it. He saved the future. He wasn't disappearing though. He figured that his timeline branched off once things changed here. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. They were alive, but the world still had faced so much. He was just glad that they came up with the virus when they did. Even if things looked bleak in the end he trusted his family to win in the end. He'll return home to them one day, but for now his home was here. Protecting this timeline and helping his family here. “Alright everyone. Let's go home. The Quinjet awaits.”

Cloak was relieved he didn't have to transport everyone back to New York.

Caty was glad to finally be going back home and catching a break. “Finally. I love the beach, but I miss New York already.”

[King Kindred]

It was the first day of school and for the first time in a long time Caty was pretty excited for it. It was her Senior Year and ever since her birthday everything's been pretty amazing. Her friends were staying in New York with Nathan. They had a home and it was pretty close. She and Karolina officially started dating. It's been pretty amazing and they even patrolled the city together. It became clear rather quickly that Karolina was better suited to be a daytime hero, but she still helped her at nights on some occasions. She also spent time with her son, Vision. It was still an adjustment looking to herself as a mother, let alone to a powerful android like Vision. She was still a teenager. But she loved him unconditionally. He was sweet, curious, and very smart. He was pure, but towards the end of the summer she felt a hint of sadness in him. She wanted to ask him about it, but they didn't really have the time. Vision decided to join the Avengers instead of staying with the Young Avengers. He wanted to help the world accept those like him after what happened with Ultron and found the spotlight of the Avengers to be the best place to do it. That and his powers were better equipped to serve the situations they took on. She could tell there was another reason that he wasn't sharing yet. Look at her son. Already hiding things from his mom. They grow up so fast.

There was another reason Caty was excited for the first day of school. After taking extra online classes over the winter and summer breaks she got her GPA back on track and was able to dual-enroll at ESU officially taking courses with Professor Otto Octavius. She remembered when she went to tour the campus with Danny and their dad and how he wouldn't let her sneak off to one of his lectures. He told her to be patient and here was that patience finally paying off. That felt so long ago now, but the feelings of her father still felt new. She hoped she was making him proud.

Caty closed her locker door to see a face she certainly wasn't expecting to see at her school. "Hey cutie." The person in front of her said. "I'm looking for my girlfriend. She was a cheerleader, has purple hair, and is honestly pretty hot. But not as hot as you. You wanna get out of here? But she's kind of this big superhero so she may kick your ass."

"I'm actually getting out of here early, sucks for your girlfriend. I just won the lottery and I'm pretty good in a fight. Karolina, what're you doing here?" Caty asked while embracing her.

Karolina kissed her on the lips before answering her question. "Nathan got us all enrolled here. Even Molly as a Freshman. Took a lot of tutoring to catch us all up after all the running we did. I wanted to surprise you."

Caty couldn't be happier. She was quite literally walking on air. She didn't want to say her thoughts out loud in fear that her curse would activate, but this has officially proven to be the best year ever. "Let's look at your schedule. We have the same homeroom." The two started walking off to homeroom.

Nathan watched them from afar. He was starting to get nervous. He didn't understand. If they were this in love here why didn't they end up together in the future? He was worried, but there was still some time before he and Davina were supposed to be born. He wouldn't forgive himself if he did anything to hurt her mom just so she could be born. He'd let them be happy and just watch as things progressed.

---

Meanwhile things between Alex and Nico really improved. His potential sacrifice to save everyone did not go unnoticed. In fact it was both the stupidest and the hottest thing Nico had ever seen. They almost conceived Jia on the Quinjet, but remembered there were two curious kids present. They spent the rest of the summer working on their relationship and trust, studying with Nathan and running tests on Alex after the battle. It was discovered that he was now part-Gibborim, but was still mostly human. His appearance stayed mostly the same. He gained more muscles and some abs and was starting to grow a beard. His afro was growing at a more rapid rate as well so he decided it was time for him to get his hair locced up. It felt better doing it here in New York than back home. It felt like a fresh new start. Alex's transformation brought he and Nico closer together. With him being able to use magic the two felt like equals, a true power couple. She taught him a lot and they took trips back to her parents' house to find any grimoires and texts to learn more together.

Another benefit of being in New York was that no one really tied them to their parents. They weren't Pride's kids. They were just the new kids and that's a title they were more than happy with. The two kissed outside of their lockers before heading to homeroom making sure to do it there instead of being that couple in front of the classroom door.

---

Gert was making sure that Molly was getting adjusted to school on her first day. They stood outside the Freshman Academy and Gert fixed her hair before stepping back and getting a good look at her. "Okay, remember. No powers. No telling anyone you have powers. No telling anyone about our adventures and that we're the Young Avengers. Not even if you get bullied for being a little younger."

"You don't have to worry about me, Gert. If anything it's you that needs to be careful. Lacey may not be here, but you were with the Avengers when Ultron went psycho and you didn't really have a disguise." Molly said in response. Her tutoring sessions with Nathan also helped her in situations like this.

"Please. It was chaos out there. If anything people were focusing on the dinosaur tearing apart robots, not the random girl commanding her."

Molly shook her head and placed her hand on Gert's shoulder. "You really need to have some confidence, Gert. The girl commanding the dinosaur is just as awesome as the dinosaur. Have fun today. Meet some boys, some girls, some theys. Just relax."

"When did you get so smart?" Gert asked puzzled by Molly's sudden maturity.

"Life on the run changes a person." Molly simply said before removing her hand from Gert and walking into the Academy to find her homeroom.

"Something is wrong with that kid." Gert said starting to walk off, but hit something hard causing her to fall back. She was caught by the same thing that she ran into. "Thank you?"

"You're welcome. Are you okay? I'm Victor Marconi." A tall, handsome young boy said. He was around her age.

"I'm okay. I'm Gertrude Yorkes, but everyone calls me Gert." She said catching her composure and getting a good look at him. She tried to look down to hide her blush.

Victor lifted her head up by her chin with his finger. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gert. I'm lost. I'm looking for the principal's office. I'm new here."

"You're really lost. Fortunately for you I'm also new and so happen to know the way. Come with me. So, Marconi... Your dad some kind of mafia boss?"

The two laughed as they walked towards the principal's office together.

[Crimson Flame]

Meanwhile, Chase and Danny were holding hands, navigating the hallways of their school, excited to finish their senior year together. The events of the summer had bonded them closer than ever.

Danny grinned at Chase as they headed to their lockers. “I can’t believe we’re actually seniors now. After everything we’ve been through, this feels almost…normal.”

Chase nodded, a smirk on his face. “Yeah, it’s weird. But I’m glad we’re doing this together. It’s like a fresh start.”

Danny adjusted his backpack and looked at Chase. “I think we deserve it. A little bit of normalcy can’t hurt, right?”

Then Danny heard a familiar voice. “Well well well, it looks like somebody took my advice. I knew you could do it!” The voice belonged to MJ, who was filming a video on his phone. “Do we have Midtown High’s new It couple over here?”

Danny laughed sheepishly. “Oh, hey MJ. Chase, this is MJ. MJ, this is Chase.”

MJ lowered his phone, grinning. “Nice to meet you, Chase. Danny’s told me a lot about you.”

Chase raised an eyebrow, glancing at Danny. “All good things, I hope.”

MJ chuckled. “Mostly. So, what’s the story here? Are you two officially a thing now?”

Danny blushed slightly. “Um… Well… I guess we are…”

Chase looked at Danny, surprise and amusement flickering in his eyes. “Really? I mean… Yeah, I guess we are.”

MJ’s grin widened, his phone capturing the moment. “There you have it, folks. Midtown High’s newest power couple. Congrats, you two!”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a combination of embarrassment and happiness. “Thanks, MJ.”

MJ waved as he walked away, still recording. “You guys are going to be the talk of the school. Catch you later!”

As MJ disappeared into the crowd, Danny turned to Chase, still a bit flustered. “Sorry about that. MJ can be a bit... much sometimes.”

Chase shrugged, a playful smile on his face. “It’s all good. I guess it’s official now, huh?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Chase placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Well, I’m looking forward to this year even more now.”

Danny smiled. “Me too. Let’s make it a great one.”

With that, they headed off to their first class, ready to face whatever challenges senior year had in store for them.

[King Kindred]

Caty got to her lecture with Professor Otto early. She was way too excited and it helped that she could swing across the city and reach ESU in no time. It felt liberating being able to swing and not worry about any random criminals. With the Avengers and Young Avengers being more present daytime crime was rather low. People weren't willing to risk getting jumped by two superhero teams over a purse or jewelry, especially when one of them were a bunch of teenagers who were way too happy to use their powers and dinosaur. She honestly loved Old Lace. She wondered if she could mate asexually like Blue from Jurassic World. That would be so awesome.

Caty was thrust from her thoughts into reality at a wonderful smell. She turned her hair to see a young boy around her age. She recognized him from her date with Liz. Wow. He had some amazing cologne. "Hey, I know you."

The boy looked at Caty recognizing her instantly. "Oh, yeah! From Coney. I'm glad to see you're okay. That girl chasing you seemed crazy."

"Oh, her? Nah. That's my cousin, we had some differences that we had to figure out. We're all good now." Caty said. She wasn't exactly lying. They had decided that their clones would be their cousins and definitely needed to figure out their differences.

"I'm glad. You were pretty awesome back then. I'm glad we have this class together. When my school offered the chance to study with THE Otto Octavius I had to sign up." The boy said excitedly.

"Wow. It's like looking in a very handsome mirror." Caty thought out loud. "Wait, I'm sorry. I meant to think that." Caty started to blush a very deep red unable to believe that she actually said that out loud. She started to put her hood over her head and pretend that neither she or him were there.

The boy placed his hand on hers, stopping her. "You think I'm handsome? Thank you. I think you're gorgeous. I actually haven't been able to stop thinking of you and your lavender hair since we met."

Caty couldn't believe what she was hearing. She put her hood back down revealing that she was blushing even more. "Thank you. I do and that you're the best smelling boy I've ever met, and you're clearly very smart, but I have a girlfriend."

"I figured you weren't single. The girl I saw you with before?"

"No, she's my ex and funnily enough she's dating my cousin now." Caty said feeling a bit more at ease.

"Wow. And y'all are still good now?" The boy asked intrigued by this daytime tv drama.

"Yeah. It's not a big deal. We grew apart and they grew close. I'm happy for them."

"You're the most mature person I've met. I'm Hobie by the way. It's a pleasure to officially meet you." Hobie said extending his hand for a shake.

"Caty." She said extending her hand in return and grabbing his. "The pleasure's all mine."

Footsteps are then heard approaching the front of the lecture hall. "Alright, class! I hope you've enjoyed your summers. The time for relaxation is over. The time for work is now. For those of you who don't know I am your professor for this semester, Otto Octavius. Welcome to Electrical Engineering."

---

Harry was also having a half-day. Due to this being his senior year Norman wanted his son to focus more on the company and get more practical hands on science so when it was his time to takeover the family business he'd be ready. So Harry was spending his work study at Oscorp. He wished Gwen could be here with him, but she ended up getting a work study at Dr. Connor's science research facility. He didn't know how she got in, but he was happy for her nonetheless. That's something he knew that she always wanted and if he were to be honest she was probably safer away from his dad's company after all of the psychos that attacked it. He also wasn't sure that he completely trusted his father. He had been acting stranger than usual ever since Caty and Danny got their powers.

Harry walked into his father's office to see that he wasn't there, but that his desk screen was on. He walked over to the desk to see what was on the screen. He saw many different video files of Spider-Woman and Spider-Man all at once. Them swinging through the city, their fights, their interactions with people, everything. It was like the work of an obsessed fan. What was his dad up to? He decided to snoop around and find out. First he needed to find out where his dad was so he wouldn't just walk in on him snooping. He checked the security cameras and saw his dad on one talking to a man dressed like a soldier, but it was clear that he wasn't part of any branch of the American military. He must've been a mercenary. Harry turned on the audio.

"I need everything to run smoothly." Norman said. "I'm dosing you with a serum that'll make you stronger than your wildest dreams. All you have to do is pretend to be me under the mask when I can't or when I need someone to take the fall. You will lead my operations. You will move as I would move and do as I would do. I need all of New York under my control and I won't let the likes of Kingpin, Cottonmouth, Tombstone, Bushmaster, Purple Man, or Mr. Negative stand in my way. God, their names are terrible, but to be taken seriously in this topsy turvy world we must join the wave. From this day forward we will be The Green Goblin and New York will know to fear the name."

"Whatever. All I care about is the money and this bonus power. It'll make doing my other jobs a lot easier. Anything I should worry about?"

"The other leaders shouldn't be too much of a problem. But you do need to worry about Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, otherwise known as Daniel and Catherine Davis. If they get in your way you have complete authority to kill them."

Harry gasped. Kill his friends? What should he do? Should he tell them? Find a way to stop his dad? Then he remembered something. That serum... What if he could gain the power to save his friends instead?

[Crimson Flame]

As MJ walked away, he was feeling a bunch of emotions. When he had told Danny he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship and that they should see other people, he hadn’t anticipated how quickly things would change. Seeing Danny with Chase, officially starting a new relationship, hit MJ harder than he expected.

MJ kept the camera rolling, forcing a smile for his vlog. “There you have it, folks. Midtown High’s newest power couple. Congrats, you two!” He gave a v sign, and stopped the camera.

Deep down, MJ felt a pang of regret. He had thought giving Danny space would be the best thing for both of them, but now he couldn’t help but feel he had lost something important. The easy-going, carefree persona he maintained for his followers felt heavy and insincere at that moment.

“Wow, Danny,” MJ muttered to himself, lowering his phone once he was out of sight. “I didn’t think you’d move on so fast.” He leaned against a locker, staring at his phone screen, which still displayed the video he had just recorded.

MJ sighed. “Maybe I was wrong,” he thought. “Maybe I wasn’t ready to let go.”

As he walked to his next class, MJ decided to keep supporting Danny and Chase, even if it meant dealing with his own complicated feelings. He knew he had made his decision and that it was only fair to respect Danny’s choices. Still, the sight of Danny finding happiness with someone else was a reminder of what he had given up.

“Guess it’s time to focus on me.” MJ thought, trying to shake off the sadness. He straightened up, put on his best smile, determined to make the best of his senior year.

—-

MJ sat at a corner table, scrolling through his phone as he waited for his date. He had met Morrie Bench online, and while Morrie seemed nice enough, MJ wasn’t looking for anything serious.

Morrie arrived, flashing MJ a wide smile. “Hey, MJ. Thanks for meeting me here.”

MJ looked up and smiled politely. “Hey, Morrie. No problem. How’s it going?”

The conversation flowed easily at first. Morrie was charming and attentive, but MJ couldn’t shake the feeling that Morrie was a bit too intense. As the date went on, it became clear that Morrie saw this as the beginning of something serious, while MJ was just looking for a casual hangout.

“So, what do you think about us going to that concert next weekend?” Morrie asked, leaning forward.

MJ hesitated, trying to find a gentle way to let Morrie down. “I’m not sure about that, Morrie. I’m kind of busy with my vlogging and school stuff.”

Morrie’s grin still didn’t leave his face. “Maybe we can do something next week then?”

MJ sighed. “Look Morrie, you’re a nice guy, but I can tell you want a boyfriend out of this, and I’m not ready for that. I just want to have fun.”

Morrie’s expression fell, but he tried to hide his disappointment. “Oh, okay...”

—-

Morrie Bench paced back and forth in the dimly lit warehouse, frustration and anger bubbling inside him. He had really liked MJ, but it was clear MJ didn’t feel the same way. Feeling rejected and humiliated, Morrie had taken a part-time job at a local shipping company, hoping the physical work would help him forget about MJ.

But fate had other plans. During a routine loading operation, a faulty valve on a container filled with experimental chemicals burst, dousing Morrie in the strange liquid. The pain was unbearable, and he collapsed, unconscious.

When he woke up, his body felt different. He looked down and saw that his skin had taken on a watery appearance, his limbs shifting and flowing like liquid. Panicked, Morrie stumbled out of the warehouse, only to find himself melting into a nearby puddle and reforming moments later.

Realizing the extent of his transformation Morrie grinned. MJ was going to pay.

—-

MJ was packing up his things, ready to head home, when he heard a commotion outside. Curious, he walked out to find a crowd gathered, looking towards the street.

“What’s going on?” MJ asked a nearby student.

“It’s some kind of water monster,” the student replied, pointing.

MJ’s heart sank as he recognized the watery figure, standing in the middle of the street, shouting his name.

“MJ! Get out here!” Morrie shouted. “It’s your fault this happened to me, and now you’re gonna pay!”

Students around MJ began to whisper and back away, leaving him exposed. Panic gripped him, but he knew he couldn’t run. He stepped forward, trying to remain calm.

“Morrie, what happened to you?” MJ called out, trying to reach the humanity in the man he once knew.

Morrie’s watery form shifted, his eyes filled with rage. “You rejected me, and now look at me! I’m a freak! It’s all your fault! Guess what, Morrie Bench is dead because of you. Now, Hydro-Man is going to make sure you get what you deserve!”

Before MJ could respond, Hydro-Man sent a wave of water crashing towards him. MJ braced himself, but at the last second, Spider-Man swung in, grabbing MJ and pulling him to safety.

“Stay back MJ. We’ll handle this.”

Meanwhile, Talkback was dealing with Hydro Man. “Bro, you need to calm down!” Chase shouted, activating his Fistigons. “This isn’t the way to solve your problems.”

Hydro-Man lashed out, sending another wave towards Chase. “You don’t understand! None of you do!”

Spider-Man and Chase worked together, trying to contain Hydro-Man’s attacks and keep the students safe. Danny swung in, firing webs to try and contain Hydro-Man’s watery form, while Chase used his Fistigons to blast at the water, hoping to destabilize him.

The chaos of the battle with Hydro-Man had spread throughout the street in front of Midtown High. Students and teachers scrambled to safety, but Hydro-Man’s attacks made it difficult to find a secure spot. Among the fleeing students was Skyler.

As Hydro-Man sent another wave crashing through the street, Skyler was caught off guard and thrown to the ground, struggling to get back up. Spider-Man, noticing Skyler’s peril, immediately swung into action.

“Skyler, look out!” Spider-Man shouted as he swung over and picked Skyler up to get him out of the way.

Skyler stared up at Spider-Man in shock. “How did you…?”

Spider-Man didn’t have time to respond as Hydro-Man lashed out again. “Stay down!” he ordered before leaping back into the fray to help Chase.

Chase fired at Hydro-Man with his Fistigons, the blasts of energy evaporating the water momentarily. “I get it, you’re hurt. But attacking people isn’t going to change what happened.”

Spider-Man swung back into the fray, landing next to Chase. “We need to contain him. Do you have any ideas?”

Chase nodded. “Yeah, but it’s risky. We need to evaporate as much water as possible and then contain what’s left.”

Spider-Man nodded, webbing a nearby fire hydrant to create a temporary barrier. “I’ll keep him distracted. You set up the containment.”

Chase quickly rigged up a makeshift containment unit from materials around the school, using his engineering skills. Meanwhile, Spider-Man swung around Hydro-Man, keeping him occupied and dodging his attacks.

“Hey, Hydro-Man! Over here!” Spider-Man taunted, firing webs to slow him down.

With the containment unit ready, Chase signaled to Spider-Man. “Now!”

Spider-Man swung down, firing a web line at Hydro-Man’s core, yanking him towards the containment unit. Chase activated the unit, and a powerful heat blast evaporated a significant portion of Hydro-Man’s water form, leaving just enough to be contained within the unit.

Hydro-Man, now weakened and partially contained, thrashed against the barriers, but it was no use. The authorities arrived shortly after, taking Morrie into custody.

As the situation calmed down, MJ approached Spider-Man and Chase, feeling a mix of relief and guilt. “Thanks, guys,” MJ said quietly. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Spider-Man placed a reassuring hand on MJ’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, MJ. Morrie made his own choices.”

Chase nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ve all had to deal with stuff like this. Just remember, we’re here for you.”

MJ nodded, feeling relieved. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”

—-

Later, Danny changed out of Spider-Man costume and rejoined everyone else. He was approached by Skyler. “Did you see what happened? Spider-Man saved me. He even knew my name too! It was awesome!”

Danny nodded, trying to keep his relief from showing too much. “Yeah, I heard. He’s a real hero.”

“Yeah, unlike you! You ran away like a baby. Ha!” He laughed and shoved Danny aside. Typical Skyler. Danny shook his head as he went to join Chase.

“Everything okay with Skyler?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Skyler is stil a jerk. You would think a near death experience would change a person, but nope.”

Chase patted Danny on the back. “You still did good, Danny. That’s the kind of thing heroes do. Who knows, maybe you set him on the path towards a redemption arc.”

Danny scoffed. “As if. But whatever, let’s just go home.” The boys kissed, and walked away hand in hand.

[King Kindred]

A young man was chained to a wall deep in a cellar. He hadn't seen the sun in he didn't know how long. Time didn't matter to him anymore. He had lost everything the moment he entered this stupid universe. His mother, his father, his girlfriend and his entire crew were all dead. Shot down by a greedy golden pig. Why was he still alive? Why couldn't he have died with him? What need did this bastard have with him when he had his ship he so desperately wanted? Noh-Varr's heart was shattered, but he had his mind steeled and focused on one thing. Revenge. The bastard would pay for what he had done.

The door to his cell opened and Noh-Varr looked forward at the woman in front of him. She had been the only good part of his capture. She was his captor's daughter. The man was so sick that he apparently poisoned her mother with chemicals while she was pregnant with her just to turn her into some genius superweapon. He had even convinced her that her face was brutally disfigured, but he was able to reveal to her the truth. But the look on her face now worried him.

"We need to get you out of here. My father... He's accessed the power of your star drive. He's... he's become something monstrously insane."

Oubliette Midas got close to Noh-Varr's head as she went to undo his restraints. Noh-Varr took the opportunity to headbutt her and knock her out. Noh-Varr thrust his arms forward ripping his chains out of the wall. He thought about crushing the restraints, but decided against it. He may have need for these chains yet. He turned to look at Oubliette. The first kind soul he met since coming here. "I'm sorry, Princess. Betrayed once again by a man you trusted. I wish it didn't have to be like this. I thank you for your hospitality and for allowing this to go on longer than it should. Thanks to you this world is safe... But your father? He'll crumble beneath my feet."

As if on cue the ground beneath them began to quake. He was coming and he was apparently very large. The former Dr. Midas entered the room, but he was no longer a man in golden Iron Man armor. He was a large cosmic rock creature with a blue glow between his rocks.

Noh-Varr laughed at the display. "And you had the nerve to call your daughter disfigured. Look at you. You got what you were looking for."

"You think I care what I look like?" Cosmic Man roared. "All I care about is power and I have that now. Power to claim everything I want in this world. No. In this universe."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm going to crush your dreams here and now. You made the huge mistake of taking everything I love and pissing me off. I'm going to destroy you!!" Noh-Varr charged forward to fly straight through his body with his fists. In a moment of fear Cosmic Man reacted by forming a barrier around his body. But this barrier didn't stop Noh-Varr's momentum. Instead it sent the barrier flying with him straight through the roof of the cellar.

The noise startled Oubliette awake. Noh-Varr was gone and there was a large hole in the ceiling and the area was starting to destabilize. She quickly got to her feet. "Noh-Varr? Father?" She picked up her golden gun and headed up the stairs. She needed to help. She managed to grab a few things on her way out.

---

Meanwhile Caty was at Hobie's home in the Bronx. Professor Octavius tasked them to partner up and come up with something that could change the world. They had a month to complete it, but the two wanted to get on it immediately. Caty was surprised to find out that he and his seven siblings were practically raising themselves. There was another that left to pursue a career in crimefighting as a trio of martial artists who wore an amulet. He didn't abandon them and routinely sent money to help out. Caty remembered coming across a group like that when she first started fighting, but she hadn't seen any of them in a while. They actually thought she was a villain when they first met. It was actually kind of funny. Maybe she'd be able to tell Hobie this story one day. Hobie had two other older siblings. A sister and a brother. His sister Susie was a hairstylist and makeup artist. His brother James worked warehouse jobs and on stop of going to school Hobie also washed windows. These three were amazing and it was thanks to their hardwork that they were able to move out of their old apartment into an actual house they can truly share. They took care of each other. They only had each other. It made her wonder what she and Danny would have done if they had lost their mom when they lost their dad. Would they have given up on crimefighting and only focused on themselves? Or would she abandon Danny like she almost did?

She was saved from her thoughts by a large crash outside the window. Everyone got up to see what was going on. There was a large rock creature and some kind of flying man fighting outside.

Hobie quickly took control of the situation. "Susie, James, hide the kids in the bathrooms. Away from the windows. You join them. I'm going to make sure people are okay outside."

Caty was shocked to hear him say this. "No. You all stay inside. I'm going to make sure people are okay outside."

Everyone looked at her like she was nuts. What was a skinny little white girl going to do? Caty could feel the intensity of the stares and felt awkward. "Hobie, can we talk in your room?"

"Yeah... You guys go ahead."

The two rushed to Hobie's room while the others hunkered down for safety. As soon as the door was closed behind them Caty went out and said it. "Instead of trying to sneak around you and your family so I can save lives I'm going to tell you this. Honestly, I trust you with this secret. I'm Spider-Woman."

"I know." Hobie said, completely unsurprised.

Caty on the other hand was completely baffled. "You know?"

"Yeah, I figured it out at Coney. Your 'cousin', more like clone, was chasing you. The way you two moved and then they shut down the House of Mirrors because there was a fight there that had some crazy collateral damage. Your secret's been safe with me."

"You're possibly the smartest guy I've met and maybe the best. Don't tell my brother. But that doesn't explain why you think you're going outside to save people."

"Because I am." Hobie walked into his closet and pulled out his Prowler suit. "I was inspired by you, your brother, Daredevil, and Stiltman to come up with this. I haven't quite figured out your web-formula yet but I have retractable grappling cables and other assorted gadgets here. If you ask me I finished our project early because The Prowler's going to change the world."

Caty was amused and it was shown by the smile on her face. "Then suit up, Prowler. We have people to save."

[Crimson Flame]

Meanwhile, Danny and the rest of the Young Avengers crew were hanging out in their new HQ. The intention was just to do homework, but somewhere along the way, the kids got distracted. Danny and Chase wound up playing Mario Kart on the giant TV, while the others watched and cheered them on. Nathan had really tricked this building out!

Then the gaming session was interrupted by alarms blaring, and the Video Games on the TV screen changed to a large rock creature and a flying man fighting. Danny sighed. He had already dealt with the situation with Hydro Man, now this. Hero work never ends. “Alright guys, suit up. It looks like we have work to do.”

“Wait!” Karolina yelled. “That's near where Caty's working on a project.” Instead of waiting for the others to suit up and ride out she decided to go on ahead. She couldn't leave Caty to deal with all of that by herself. She activated her super form and flew out of the HQ's hangar.

---

Spider-Woman and the Prowler were working to get civilians out of the area. The two fighters seemed to only be focused on each other so the only danger people were really in was unintentional collateral damage.

Spider-Woman was impressed with the way Prowler worked. Despite not having powers he was actually really good at this. Hobie was both freaking out and having a good time. This was the first time he's actually ever used the costume to help people. Before it was just used to help him with his job, but he felt like he was really meant for this.

The Prowler was taking a young kid to his mother when a large chunk of the ground came flying towards them. Caty swung forward to punch the debris but it caused it to split in pieces still heading towards them.

The two pieces were suddenly shot down by colorful rays of energy crumbling them into dust. “Looks like you two could use a hand. Fortunately for you, the Young Avengers are on the job!”

“If it isn't my guardian angel.” Spider-Woman said, smiling under her mask. “Thank you.”

Danny, Chase, and the others arrived after Karolina did, now fully suited up. “You know, it would make things a lot easier if I could instantly change into my costume…” Danny quipped. “Anyway, what’s the situation? I just got the notice of the rock creature and a flying man fighting. Any ideas of how we’re going to deal with that?”

Iron Knight was surprised by what he was watching. He didn't recognize either of the people in front of them. But the creature. It looked like The Thing! But he was still different. Corrupted and it looked like he had the powers of the rest of the Fantastic Four. Just what the Hell was going on?

“Team this rock monster wields Cosmic Energy. As far as I know he has the powers to stretch, create force fields, use fire, and maybe even turn invisible.” Nathan said.

“How in the hell are we supposed to beat all of that? The guy's one giant cheat code.” Gert exclaimed.

“Doesn't sound like he's immune to magic.” Nico said.

“And he's not the only one who can shoot flames. Maybe he just needs to cool off.”

“But none of us have the power to freeze anyone.” Dagger said.

“Y'all are doing way too much talking. I'm gonna go join that guy in punching him.” Molly said, charging forward.

Spider-Woman swung forward making sure Molly didn't get in over her head. Karolina, Alex, and Nico followed in pursuit. Gert wasn't really sure she and old Lace would be good here. Cloak enveloped Dagger and Nathan to bring them closer to the fight. Cloak didn't see much use for himself here, but he could at least help them maneuver through the battle.

Hobie knew he wasn't ready for this kind of fight yet and continued with the rescue efforts.

“Ok great, you do all of that. I’m going to go talk to the guy punching the rock monster. He obviously knows something we don’t…” Danny said as he swung towards the white haired man. Spider-Man swung into the fight, to the white haired man. Oh my gosh, this guy is handsome ! Danny thought to himself. Focus Danny, you have a boyfriend… Danny shook off the thoughts. “Hey, name’s Spider-Man. Do you mind explaining what you and that thing over there are doing?” Danny asked, gesturing to the rock monster. “You’re causing a lot of collateral damage.”

Noh-Varr was so focused that he didn't realize anyone had shown up to their battle. It wasn't until Spider-Man directly spoke to him that he was able to take a look at all that was happening around them. He sent the Cosmic Man barreling back with another punch before turning to answer Spider-Man. “This monster took everyone and everything I ever loved from me! My family. My girlfriend. My friends… So I'm going to take his life. Do not get in my way.”

Noh-Varr charged forward but was stopped suddenly when a small pink cube was thrown into the center of the battle. He recognized that cube. It was his. Suddenly the cube expanded in size before sucking in everyone in the immediate area.

Once inside they'd find themselves on a computer like grid before the world around them transformed. They were seemingly still in New York, but the arena was undamaged and there were no civilians in sight. Oubliette walked in between her father and Noh-Varr. “Enough with putting civilians in danger. You want to end this? End it.”

He seems nice… Danny sarcastically thought to himself before they and the other Avengers were sucked into the cube along with the rock monster, and the white haired pretty boy. “Guys, is everyone alright?”

“We’re good!” Nico replied. “But, what just happened?”

“This place is weird,” Chase muttered. “What is this, some kind of virtual reality?”[/color]

“More like an alternate dimension,” Nathan said, analyzing the surroundings. “We’re still in New York, but we’ve been transported to a different version of it.”

“It's a battlebox.” Noh-Varr spat, annoyed at all of the constant interference. He turned to Oubliette, “How'd you even know how to use it?”

“I'm a genius and I've dealt with strange technology before. But I won't stop your fight. Go.”

Cosmic Man found himself surrounded by a bunch of junior nuisances and his daughter once again betrayed him. He wasn't going to stand for it any longer. While Noh-Varr was distracted he extended his arm out to sucker punch the space boy right in the face sending him hurtling towards the ground. He followed this with a backhand to Oubliette, sending her flying into a nearby building.

He turned his attention to the heroes and sent a torrent of flames at them with both hands trying to torch them and the area. He was going to get out of here or take them all down with him.

“Uh… Scatter!” Danny shouted as the flames approached. The team quickly moved in different directions to avoid it.

Nico immediately began chanting a spell. A jet of water burst from her Staff of One, countering the flames.

Molly, charged straight at Cosmic Man. “Let’s see how you handle this!” she yelled, delivering a powerful punch to the rocky monster. The impact caused Cosmic Man to stagger, but he quickly recovered, retaliating with a swing of his arm, sending Molly flying.

Chase shot a stream of flames from his Fistigons. “You’re not the only one who can shoot fire.”

Cosmic Man growled and absorbed the flames like it was nothing. “You think your toys can match my power?” He sent another torrent of flames towards Chase, who despite the Fistigons, was not fireproof.

Spider-Man swung in, and pulled Chase out of harm’s way. “This is ridiculous. He recovers from everything we throw at him.”

“Thanks, Spidey!” Chase said, catching his breath. “We need a new plan.”[/color]

Alex took the opportunity to test out his own flames against this Cosmic Man. He threw his arms forward shooting forth his own torrent of flames directly at Cosmic Man's to keep him distracted so the others could attack. “I've got his arms covered! Just pile on him!”

Nathan took the opportunity that Alex provided to shoot a repulsor beam Cosmic Man. It made contact and destroyed part of his rock body, but it quickly regenerated. Maybe they could overload it.

Noh-Varr was impressed with their display of teamwork and powers, but they were still getting in the way of his fight. He charged forward flying straight through Cosmic Man's torso sure that this would be enough to kill him, but once he exited the other side he turned to see that he was still regenerating the wound and didn't even seem bothered by it because his flames had not stopped against Alex's.

Caty wasn't sure what she could do, but she had Karolina fly her closer so she could at least keep him busy or distracted enough so Alex could overpower him. Once close enough Caty shot a web directly at Cosmic Man's face, covering it completely.

He yelled out in anger and stopped firing flames in one of his hands just so he could rip the webs off. This was enough to give Alex a bit more of an edge before Cosmic Man recovered and continued his assault.

“Now’s our chance!” Danny yelled. “Everyone, hit him with everything you’ve got!”

Everyone with energy attacks focused their blasts on Cosmic Man. Nico summoned more water from her Staff of One, Karolina fired her beams of light, Nathan unleashed another repulsor beam, and Chase shot his fiery blasts.

Cosmic Man roared in pain and fury as the combined attacks began to overwhelm him. The energy crackled and surged around his rocky form, causing it to crack and shatter. “No! You cannot defeat me!” he shouted.

In one last ditch effort the Cosmic Man fueled the power of his flames with his rage. The once blue light in his body turned a fiery red, but before he could fully realize his plan an arrow shot him directly in the chest surprising everyone present. Hawkeye!?

The arrow opened up releasing a torrent of fire dousing foam putting out his flames for good. Everyone turned to the direction the arrow was fired and saw a girl around their age wearing a purple costume similar to Hawkeye's. “Thought you guys could use some help and an archer. Can't be the Young Avengers without one.”



Before they could find out anymore about this mystery archer a gunshot rang out catching all of their attention. They turned to see Oubliette with her gun aimed towards her father, now turned into a golden statue.

Noh-Varr descended to the ground and walked around the Golden Cosmic Man to look at him from the front. Oubliette approached him. “Is he dead?” Noh-Varr asked.

“Yes.” She said calmly.

“He was mine to kill. You said you wouldn't interfere with the fight.” Noh-Varr responded with fury in his tone.

“You're not the only one he took everything away from. I didn't. He lost. This kill was just as much mine as it was yours. And now that his empire belongs to me, you can have the rest of what he stole from you. Your ship and your weapons. I don't need either.”

Noh-Varr sighed. What was done was done. He almost lost himself completely here. “Battle Over.”

Suddenly everyone except for the lifeless statue was ejected from the Battlebox and back in the Bronx.

The Prowler had been waiting for them outside after making sure everyone else was okay. He tried to find a way into the box or get it to open, but it was locked completely. He was glad they were all okay. “Thank you all for helping save the Bronx. The Young Avengers are good here anytime.”

“Maybe the Prowler will join us one of these days.” Spider-Woman mused.

“Maybe, but I'm still a little green. But if you guys need help you know where to find me.” He took that opportunity to spring off and check on his family.

Meanwhile the mysterious archer silently approached the group. “If that open offer extends to me, I'd gladly take it.”

Noh-Varr stepped forward as well. “I apologize for causing such chaos on your world. I was captured and tortured by that man after he killed everyone I had ever loved. I lost a bit of myself. I also would like to join this Young Avengers and help Avenge those that have been wronged.”

“Wait. Is that why they're called the Avengers?” Molly asked, just now getting it. Everyone laughed.

“Let’s go home and talk this over.” Nathan said to everyone.

Noh-Varr turned to find Oubliette to see if she'd join as well, but she was already gone.

Gert was kind of disappointed when she noticed she was gone. “Man. She really fit our Runaways team with her evil ass dad.”

---

The team was now back at the Baxter Building. Caty decided to head back with the others instead of continuing her night at Hobie's. They still had a month to complete their project. They all sat around the living room while Noh-Varr and the mysterious Archer stood in the middle ready to introduce themselves. The latter spoke up first.

“Okay, hi! I'm Katherine Bishop but everyone calls me Kate and if it's cool with the OG I want to be Hawkeye. I've been a huge fan of his ever since the Avengers formed to save New York and you guys after seeing you all against Ultron's bots. I had already been training hard, but I knew I had to find the perfect opportunity to impress you.”

“So that's how you ended up in the Battlebox with us. You're gutsy. I like you. I'm Caty by the way. We have the same name.”

Kate squealed in excitement. She was really going to be an Avenger and her other favorite superhero was right in front of her and they shared the same name! This couldn't be real. She had a feeling Spider-Woman and Spider-Man were teenagers, but seeing them on the Young Avengers team confirmed it.

Noh-Varr cleared his throat. “I'm Noh-Varr. I'm from the Kree Empire of an alternate reality. I was trained and genetically modified to be a peacekeeping super soldier between the Kree and Skrull Empires. My designation was Ensign Marvel or Marvel Boy. My crew, my loved ones and I were stranded in the Multiverse and on our way back home we ended up here and attacked by Dr. Midas.”

“So you're sorta like Captain America and Captain Marvel rolled into one.” Karolina said.

“And a bit of Nathan too.” Alex added pointing to their leader. “Except alternate timeline instead of alternate reality. Though that may just be semantics.”

“You have a Captain Mar-Vell here?” Noh-Varr asked, surprised.

“No idea who Mar-Vell is, but yeah. She's this super badass spacewoman.” Karolina responded.

Noh-Varr was confused, but interested in finding this woman and finding out what the Kree Empire was like here. “I'd like to meet her.”

“She's away at the moment.” Nathan said. “But she'll return in time. But while we wait, make yourselves at home Young Avengers.”

Kate couldn't contain her excitement. The girls ran up to her to congratulate her as well as introduce themselves respectively.

Noh-Varr was starting to feel like he hadn't lost everything after all.

After the introductions and initial conversations, the boys decided to properly welcome Noh-Varr into the group.

Danny, now out of his Spider-Man costume and back in casual clothes, approached Noh-Varr with a friendly smile. “Hey, Noh-Varr, welcome to the team.”

Noh-Varr nodded. “Thank you. It’s good to meet all of you properly.”

“We’re a pretty tight-knit team, and it looks like you’ll fit right in. If there’s anything you need or if you want to share more about your world, we’re all ears.” Chase said

Noh-Varr looked around at the group of young heroes, feeling a sense of camaraderie he hadn’t felt in a long time. “Thank you all. I’ve lost a lot, but being here, with you, it feels like a new beginning.”

Danny, sensing the need for a lighter mood, said, “So, Noh-Varr, ever played Mario Kart? It’s kind of a tradition around here.”

Noh-Varr looked curious. “Mario Kart? I’m not familiar with it.”

Chase’s eyes lit up. “You’re in for a treat. It’s a racing game. We usually play to unwind. Come on, we’ll show you.”

The boys set up the game, and soon enough, they were all sitting around the giant TV, controllers in hand. Danny and Chase took the time to explain the basics to Noh-Varr, who picked up quickly.

As they played, the atmosphere became more relaxed and jovial, the tension from the battle fading away. Noh-Varr even managed to win a few races, much to everyone’s surprise and delight.

“Not bad for a first-timer,” Alex said, laughing.

Noh-Varr smiled, genuinely enjoying the moment. “Thank you. This is… fun. I needed this.”

Nathan nodded, happy to see their new teammate fitting in. “Well, get used to it. We work hard, but we also know how to have fun. Welcome to the Young Avengers, Noh-Varr.”

[King Kindred]

"Say cheese!" Caty said as she looked into the camera at the couple in front of her.

"Cheese!" The two enthusiastically said at different frequencies. The camera clicked and flashed. Suddenly a blur appeared behind the couple stopping and revealing itself to be a man in a Sonic the Hedgehog costume. He placed his fingers above the heads of the couple creating a pair of bunny ears.

"Oh, come on Pietro! You ruined our photo." The young woman said annoyed at the shenanigans of the speedster. She was dressed as Angelina Jolie's Maleficent.

"I couldn't help it, sis. I never got to do something like this with you growing up. This is your first time with a boyfriend for a holiday date. Well, first time with a boyfriend period. But you can take another one, ain't that right, Pinocchio?" Pietro nudged her date with his elbow.

"Yes, but my name is Vision." Vision said calmly. He however was dressed as Pinocchio.

"I know, it's... nevermind. Forget it." Pietro said starting to lose the fun in his brotherly shenanigans.

"Alright. Enough. You're ruining my proud mommy moment." Caty said preparing to take another picture of the couple. It was Halloween and her baby boy, Vision, was going to a Halloween party with his new girlfriend, Wanda Maximoff. She and her brother Pietro recently joined the Avengers. They were apparently mutants who were on the run from their father, Magneto. He was apparently the leader of a group of mutant activists named the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The name seemed counterproductive to what they were fighting for, but she decided for now that wasn't any of her business. She was just happy to see Vision making connections and finding the humanity he had been searching for.

The two posed for another photo with Wanda kissing Vision on the cheek. The cuteness caused a tear to fall from Caty's right eye. So precious.

"So how exactly are you his mom again?" Pietro asked after they were done with their photoshoot.

"Technically I'm only one of his moms. I helped create his body with Iron Knight, but my friend Dagger gave Vision here life with one of her daggers."

"That's still the craziest thing I ever heard, but I love it. Seeing your boy Vision here inspired Wanda and I. For so long we've been fighting mutant hate and oppression, but the wrong way. People saw the dangers of Ultron, but they're able to accept Vision because of the Avengers. We want that for our people too."

"Yeah..." Wanda said softly, remembering the things that they went through before joining the team. "Thank you, Caty. Your son and what he stands for matter so much to me."

"Awww, shucks. If anything, it's all Vision. He decides everything for his life. Isn't that right, my precious baby?" Caty said squeezing Vision's cheek.

"Mooooom. You're embarrassing me..." Vision said with his cheeks taking an extra red hue.

Everyone laughed and continued to talk before Caty had to get back for her team's Halloween plans. They were also going to a party. She and Karolina were dressing up as Velma and Daphne respectively.

---

"I'm home!" Caty yelled as she made her way into the team's lounge area. Everyone was there and ready. She even switched into her costume before she left Avengers Tower. She kept her hoodie on so people wouldn't see Velma swinging through the skies, but she wanted to be ready when she got there.

As if on cue a dense fog entered the room knocking everyone unconscious, even Noh-Varr who'd normally be impervious to such attacks fell under the spell of Nightmare.

Nightmare

[Crimson Flame]

Chase and Danny were sitting together on one of the couches, deep in conversation about their own Halloween plans. “So, what’s the plan for Halloween?” Danny asked as he tossed a candy corn in his mouth “It’s our first holiday together as boyfriends, and I feel like we should do something...”

Chase leaned back, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Well, I was thinking we could hit up a haunted house or two. I heard about this one in Brooklyn that’s supposed to be super intense, like actual actors and animatronics.”

Danny shook his head vigorously. “No thanks. I deal with enough scary things as Spider-Man.” He shuddered. “Any other ideas?”

Chase pulled out his phone and showed Danny an ad for a big costume party happening at an old warehouse downtown. “It’s this huge Halloween rave. Costumes mandatory, lots of music, and no cover if you show up in a superhero costume. Figured we’d fit right in.”

Danny thought about it for a moment. “I guess…” To be honest, Danny wasn’t a big fan of big parties like this. He was always awkward at them. He figured it wouldn’t be so bad having Chase be there with him. “I mean, it’s way better than getting jump-scared every five seconds in a haunted house.

Chase noticed Danny’s hesitation and gave him a reassuring smile. “Hey, we don’t have to go if you’re not feeling it. We could always do something more low-key. But if we do go, we can stick together the whole time. No pressure to dance or anything crazy. We’ll just be the coolest couple in the room, you know?”

Danny smiled at that. “Thanks, Chase. I do want to go—I just get a little anxious at big parties. But I think it’ll be fun as long as we’re together.”

Chase nodded, giving Danny’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Plus, we get to show off our costumes. And hey, if it gets too much, we can always dip out early, grab some snacks, and have our own little movie night.”

Danny’s smile widened. “That actually sounds perfect. Let’s try the rave, and if it’s not our vibe, we’ll do our own thing. I like the idea of us just hanging out and enjoying Halloween our way.”

Chase leaned in, giving Danny a quick kiss. “Then it’s settled. We’ll make the most of it, whatever we end up doing. Besides, it’s our first Halloween together, so as long as we’re having fun, that’s all that matters.”

Danny nodded, feeling excited about their plans. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s do it.”

“And hey, maybe we’ll get to show off a little—Spider-Man and Talkback, saving the dance floor.”

“Oh um… about that. Wouldn’t showing up as Spider-Man and Talkback be a little too… obvious?”

Chase tilted his head, considering Danny’s point. “Yeah, good call. We don’t want to blow our cover, especially not at a huge party like that. We could go in our regular costumes, but that might just be asking for trouble.” He smirked, an idea clearly forming in his mind. “How about this? Instead of going as ourselves, we switch it up. You go as a superhero version of me, and I’ll go as a superhero version of you. No one will ever expect it.”

Danny laughed. “You mean, like, you in the pink and purple Spider suit and me in your Talkback gear? That’s… actually kinda brilliant.”

Chase nodded eagerly, getting more excited. “Yeah! We could totally make it work. I’ll rock your colors, web-slingers, and all, and you can wear the Fistigons. We’ll still be in costume, but no one will think we’re actually Spider-Man and Talkback. It’s perfect.”

Danny grinned. “You’re gonna look fabulous in pink and purple.”

“And you’re gonna look badass with the Fistigons. Here’s to our first Halloween as boyfriends—and making it one for the books.”

—-

The warehouse was packed with partygoers, each one dressed in elaborate costumes that ranged from classic monsters to pop culture icons and, of course, plenty of superhero lookalikes. The walls were draped in cobwebs, and green and purple lights cast an eerie glow over the entire space. A DJ was set up in the corner, blasting a mix of electronic beats and Halloween remixes.

Decorations hung from the ceiling, including fake bats, dangling skeletons, and flickering jack-o’-lanterns. Fog machines added a layer of mist around the ground, and the occasional strobe light created an exciting atmosphere. A bar set up along one wall served themed drinks in glowing cups.

Chase and Danny made their way through the crowd, Chase dressed in Danny’s pink and purple Spider-Man suit, and Danny rocking Chase’s Talkback gear with the glowing Fistigons. “Dude, this awesome!” Chase exclaimed. “You look cool in my gear. It’s like those Fistigons were made for you!”

Danny flexed his hands. “Thanks! I’ve gotta say, this is a lot of fun. I can see why you love these things. They make me feel… powerful.” He giggled. “And look at you! You’re pulling off the Spider suit way better than I expected. Pink and purple really suits you.”

Chase struck a dramatic pose. “Maybe I’ll start a trend. Chase Stein, the fabulous Spider-Man. Can’t believe I haven’t worn spandex before—it’s actually kind of freeing!”

Danny blushed. Chase really filled out his suit well. Danny tried to keep his composure, but his eyes lingered a little longer than he should have. Chase really did look good in the pink and purple Spider suit, his athletic build accentuating every detail. The way the fabric hugged his body made Danny’s heart skip a beat, and he quickly looked away, trying to focus on the party around them.

Chase caught the blush on Danny’s cheeks and grinned. “What’s the matter, Spidey? See something you like?”

Danny laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe… just didn’t expect you to look this good in my suit. It’s… distracting.”

Chase chuckled, enjoying Danny’s flustered reaction. “Distracting, huh? Guess I’ll have to wear it more often, just for you.”

Danny shook his head, still smiling. “You’re ridiculous. But hey, whatever gets you in spandex more often, I won’t complain.”

Chase and Danny soon found themselves at the bar, picking up glowing drinks. They clinked their cups together in a mock toast.

“To our first Halloween together.” Chase said.

Danny smiled. “To us.”

As the night went on, they danced together. Or rather, Chase danced, and Danny swayed pretending to dance. At one point, the DJ called for a costume contest, and Chase nudged Danny. “You think we’d win if we entered as each other?”

Danny laughed, shaking his head. “I think we’d blow their minds, but I’m happy just watching.”

They leaned against the wall, enjoying the spectacle of wild and creative costumes parading across the makeshift stage. A person dressed as a giant, glittery unicorn won the top prize, much to the crowd’s delight, and Chase and Danny clapped along with everyone else, enjoying the show.

—-

Danny and Chase left the party soon after, and decided to spend the rest of the night watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. Or they would have, if it weren’t for the fog knocking everyone unconscious.

[King Kindred]

Caty groggily opened her eyes. When her vision cleared she noticed she was in a warehouse laboratory. That part wasn't what surprised her. She had been in plenty of these in her career as Spider-Woman, but she never found herself in one of their glass chambers. She never felt claustrophobic before, but she was sure this was what it felt like. Before giving into the panic and fear she punched her way out and jumped across the floor to avoid the glass. She was still in her Velma costume and her web-shooters were gone. This was weird. Where was everyone? Where was Karolina and Danny?

She ran towards the door and opened it to find one of the people she was looking for. Except she wasn't alone. There was a green creature, some kind of alien standing above Karolina. The alien had her in a force field that was draining her of oxygen. Caty rushed forward to attack the alien, but felt her danger sense going off. Suddenly the alien's arm stretched out to grab her. She dodged it and continued forward. The arm was pulled back before turning into flames. This was starting to seem familiar, but that didn't matter. Right now she had to save her girlfriend. She somersaulted over the alien, but got grazed by their flames on the way down. She winced, but pushed through the pain to reach Karolina.

"Karolina, I'm going to get you out of here. Don't worry, Lucy, you'll be shining in the sky again soon." She pulled her arm back to punch the shield, but the only thing that happened was that her arm hurt like Hell. She pushed through the pain once again to punch the shield. She didn't care if she broke every bone in her arm. She wasn't going to lose Karolina.

"It's useless." A familiar voice said. It was... her voice? Caty turned around to see the green alien shifting into her. She had never been more confused in her life.

"Who are you? What are you?" Caty asked.

"I'm you. The real you. The you that destroys everything you love."

---

Meanwhile the real Karolina was going through a nightmare of her own. She was in a warehouse hallway. This place reminded her of one of the places she and Caty would stakeout when they patrolled together. Maybe she was here. "Caty?" She asked as she walked down the hall. She heard a sound further down the hall and inched forward.

As she got closer the noise got clearer and she realized they were moans and one of the voices sounded familiar, but it couldn't have been who she thought. She approached the door and opened it to see Caty in a very compromising position with her classmate at college. Her eyes were filled with fury, but not at Caty, but at whoever really thought that she'd believe Caty of all people would cheat on her. She blasted the fake Hobie away and glared at the fake Caty. "Who the Hell are you and what have you done with my Caty?"

"Wow. I'm impressed." Nightmare Caty said before conjuring clothes back on her body. "No one's ever seen through one of my nightmares this quickly. But I assure you what you just saw wasn't a mere illusion. I know a world. A delicious world filled with nightmares where these two were married and had a daughter. A daughter so special she made your leader change the past to prevent a world where she'd suffer. I've been cut off from those nightmares. So now I'll feed on the nightmares of your friends in this age. You all gathered together on the scariest night of the year. I thank you for this feast."

"Yeah, not happening. We're breaking out of this now. And as for that other world? It's just that. In this one Caty and I are endgame." Karolina blasted Nightmare Caty dissolving her and the illusion. She ran into another room and saw Caty tormenting Caty with herself in a barrier. She sighed before blasting the fake Caty to break the illusion. "Caty!"

Caty turned to see Karolina still in her Daphne costume, but shining brilliantly in her power form. She really loved that woman. "Karolina!" She ran towards her and embraced her. She didn't have to ask if she was real. She knew she was. She cried into her arms. "I thought I lost you."

"Never. I'm here always." She frowned, thinking about what Nightmare Caty had told her. She may have told her off, but the possibility lingered in her mind. "Let's find our friends."

[Crimson Flame]

Danny’s eyes snapped open. Chase was nowhere to be found. In fact, he wasn’t even in the Baxter Building anymore. Instead he was… back at Midtown High? This was different though. The fluorescent lights flickered above, casting a dim glow that made the place feel more like a prison than a school. Danny looked down, and to his horror, he saw that he was wearing the same clothes he wore when he was younger. He glanced around, panic setting in as he realized this wasn’t just some random hallway. The lockers looked exactly the same, and the distant sounds of students’ laughter and chatter echoed down the corridor.

Danny’s heart sank when he saw Skyler, and his group of friends up ahead, laughing obnoxiously. It was just like it had been back then. Danny’s stomach churned as he remembered the daily torment he had endured.

Skyler noticed Danny and sneered. “Well, look who it is. Little Danny Davis. Still as pathetic as ever.”

Danny tried to walk away, but his feet felt heavy, like he was wading through quicksand. He wanted to fight back, to say something, anything, but his voice caught in his throat. All the confidence he’d gained as Spider-Man felt like it had been stripped away, leaving him vulnerable and scared.

“Where’s your stupid costume now, huh?” Skyler taunted, shoving Danny against the lockers. The impact was jarring, and Danny winced, feeling that familiar helplessness creep over him.

Danny’s back hit the cold metal of the lockers, the sound echoing through the hallway. Skyler loomed over him, his sneer turning vicious as he grabbed Danny by the collar, pulling him closer. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? You’re so chatty when you thought you were something special.” He shoved Danny back again, hard enough to make his head slam against the locker, a sharp pain shooting through his skull.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out Skyler’s taunts.

“Pathetic.”

“Loser.”

“Freak.”

Each word cut deeper than the last, and Danny felt tears well up in his eyes, his body frozen in fear. He wanted to scream, to fight back, but all he could do was curl into himself, waiting for it to be over.

Skyler raised his fist, ready to take another swing. “Let’s see what happens when you don’t have your stupid mask to hide behind.”

—-

Meanwhile, Chase found himself in a different kind of nightmare. He was standing in a dark, cold lab filled with old, dusty equipment and the faint hum of machinery. It was the exact setup of his father’s old lab—a place Chase had avoided even thinking about since the day he ran away. He was wearing his old school clothes.

Chase knew exactly what was coming next. He could hear the echo of his father’s voice, stern and filled with disappointment.

“You’re nothing but a failure, Chase. You’ll never be anything without me.”

Chase turned around, his heart racing, and saw his Victor Stein standing there, looming over him. The room felt smaller, the walls closing in as his father’s presence filled the space with anger and resentment. Chase tried to leave, but the door was locked.

His father stepped closer, shoving a prototype of the Fistigons into Chase’s hands. “You think you’re a hero? You’re just a stupid kid playing with toys you don’t understand.”

Chase’s hands shook as he held the Fistigons. He wanted to tell his father he was wrong, to prove he was more than just a disappointment, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he felt small, trapped in the shadow of a man who had always made him feel worthless.

“You’re a disappointment.” Victor said coldly.

Victor loomed over him, a towering figure of disappointment and disdain. “You’re not smart enough to use those,” he sneered. “You never were. You couldn’t even get your grades up, let alone be a hero. Without me, you’re nothing.”

Chase’s heart pounded in his chest. He had heard these words so many times before. He wanted to scream, to fight back—but, to do something, he couldn’t move. His feet felt glued to the ground, and his voice was caught in his throat, silenced by years of self-doubt.

“You’re weak,” Victor continued, stepping closer. “You always have been. That’s why you keep failing. That’s why you’ll never be anything.”

Chase looked down at the Fistigons, his hands trembling. The words cut deep, and for a moment, he felt like that scared, lost kid all over again. But then, somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered all the times he’d proven Victor wrong—every battle, every time he’d stood up for his friends, every moment he’d used these gauntlets to protect the people he cared about.

He wasn’t just a kid playing with toys. He was Talkback, a hero in his own right, and he didn’t need his father’s approval to be that.

Chase’s grip on the Fistigons tightened. He looked up at his father, his fear slowly giving way to anger. “You’re wrong.” Chase said, his voice shaky but gaining strength with every word. “I’m not a disappointment. I’m not weak. I’m stronger than you ever gave me credit for.”

Victor’s expression twisted into one of rage, but Chase didn’t flinch. He activated the Fistigons. “I’m not you.” Chase continued, raising the Fistigons. “And I never will be.”

With a burst of energy, Chase aimed the gauntlets at Victor, firing a powerful blast that sent his father’s shadowy figure hurtling back. The room shook, and the illusion shattered, the walls of the lab crumbling away as the nightmare began to break apart.

Victor’s form disintegrated, leaving Chase standing alone in the ruins of the lab. He had faced his father’s ghost and, more importantly, he had faced himself.

Chase felt better, but it wasn’t time to celebrate. His father may have been gone, but he knew he wasn’t back in reality yet. If he had to face his nightmare, then Danny was dealing with something too. Chase wasn’t about to let him face it alone. “Hold on Danny…”

[King Kindred]

Alex found himself in a world laid to waste, but in the distance there was an oasis of beauty, light, and life. He waded through the destruction. He couldn't even recognize where he was. At one point he thought he saw someone in the corner of his eye. But he had to have just been imagining things. That was until he saw them again. He followed them into the remains of a building. It was dark and he couldn't see them anymore. Suddenly two lights shone in the dark. "Hello, Alex. So nice of you to come to us so we can kill you without the Gibborim around."

The two figures revealed themselves in the lights. "Mr. and Mrs. Minoru!? Where's Nico!? What's going on here?"

"Don't play dumb, Alex. You may have been able to fool your friends, but not us. Playing dumb won't save you. Nico is dead because of you!"

No. This couldn't be real. Where was he? When was he? Where were all of his friends? Where was Nico?

The Minorus took the opportunity presented by Alex's weird act of confusion to attack him with their staffs, but before they could they were stabbed in their backs by an older Alex. "Thank you for bringing these two out of hiding for me, me."

Alex was starting to get it. This was supposed to be some kind of future where he went through with his plan to betray his friends for Nico and their parents. This wasn't real. This was some kind of nightmare. "I was starting to get worried this was all real and I lost my friends. Some villain just has me trapped in some nightmare. Sucks for that genius. I've accepted my past and my friends have too. There's no chance I'd ever betray them again."

"Oh, this isn't a simple nightmare. I'm connected to the multiverse. This is a certain reality where you did succeed in betraying your friends. In this timeline Nico refused to join you so the Gibborim killed her in front of you. Roasted her alive and turned the world into this. Her parents refused to live with the Gibborim and your family after that. They built a rebellion of two, but as you see it amounts to nothing. You decided to learn magic to either kill the Gibborim or bring Nico back. But you were never quite strong enough for either. But to fill you in on a little secret... I can leave you here. Inhabit your body and trap you in this reality of despair and hopelessness. Unable to see your precious Nico ever again."

Could he really do that? Alex found himself terrified at the thought. This world may not have been real, but this threat very well could be.

"Your fear... it's delicious." Nightmare Alex said licking his lips.

---

Nico found herself in a battle damaged New York. What was going on? Where was Alex? Where was everyone? Her questions were answered once she looked around to see all of their friends on the ground dead, but still she couldn't see Alex.

"You're next, girl." A dark voice behind her said.

Nico turned around to see Alex? No. This wasn't Alex. He had a goat horn sticking out of the right side of his forehead. "Who the hell are you?"

"The Gibborim. You thought you won. We've been reborn in this boy. Biding our time. Preparing for the perfect moment to strike."

"Get the Hell out of Alex!" Her Staff of One was already in her hand. "Exorcise!" She yelled sending a blast towards Alex. It seemingly worked, expelling the Gibborim influence from Alex. His horn broke off and he fell to the ground. Nico ran up to him and tried a healing spell, but nothing was working.

"I think... I think this is it, Nico. I'm sorry for always hurting you and our friends. I really did it this time. Take care of our baby girl for me."

"No, no. You're going to be okay. You're going to take care of her with me. I can't do this without you. I can't do this alone." She started to cry desperately as Alex faded in her arms.

"You won't be alone. I'll always be here." Alex said approaching her from behind. "This is a nightmare created by some kind of cosmic being. We gotta get out of here and find our friends."

---

Kate woke up to find herself in Avengers Tower, but the lights were eerily dim. She was suddenly hit by an arrow that exploded into a giant net that sent her flying into the wall. She was trapped and couldn't move. She knew who and what this was. Her theory was confirmed once Clint Barton, the Hawkeye, stepped out of the shadows.

"I've had dreams about this, but your face was a bit more friendly. Actually, a lot more friendly. Okay, I'll admit it. It was a wet dream and you were seducing me!" She closed her eyes and blushed in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she said that out loud and to her hero at that. Wait a second. That was it. This wasn't a dream. "This is a nightmare. Literally. I'm asleep."

After immediately coming to that realization a knife slipped out of her sleeve and into her hand. She used it to cut herself free before launching the knife at the Hawkeye impersonator. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, but left his bow and quiver of arrows behind. "Sweet. Kind of like video game drops." She picked them up and headed out of the door to find her friends.

---

Ty found himself alone and back in New Orleans. He stood in front of his brother's grave. He still couldn't believe he was gone, but he couldn't understand why he was here. Did he teleport here? The last thing he remembered was that he, Tandy, and the rest of the Young Avengers were getting ready to head to a Halloween party at night. But here it was daytime and he wasn't wearing his costume. Even with the time difference this didn't make sense.

He wasn't actually here, was he? He and Tandy dealt with plenty of nightmares before and after gaining their powers, but nothing quite on this scale before. He sensed out for Tandy and teleported to her. They were on a rainy bridge. It was the night her dad and his brother died. She was watching the final moments on the road before she and her dad crashed into the water.

Ty stepped in front of her to cover her. She didn't need to see this. "Don't worry, Tandy. I'm here and your dad is always with you, too. Let's go find our friends." "Thank you, Ty." Tandy said crying into his chest. He sensed for Caty having locked onto her and her brother's signatures before. He found her next to Karolina. He teleported them over to the couple.

"So that confirms we're not the only ones trapped in this nightmare dimension."

[Crimson Flame]

Chase blinked, stepping out of the ruins of the lab he’d just escaped and suddenly finding himself in a place he hadn’t expected—back in school.

The fluorescent lights flickered above, and the sound of laughter echoed down the corridors. Chase felt a knot form in his stomach as he walked down the hall, not sure why he was back here.

And then, his heart sank when he saw Danny, pinned against the lockers by none other than Skyler.

Danny looked like a shadow of himself, younger, smaller, with fear in his eyes. It was a look Chase had never seen on Danny’s face since they became close. Skyler and his group of friends taunted and laughed, as if time had rewound and Danny was trapped in his worst nightmare.

Skyler sneered, raising his fist. “You’re still just a loser, Danny. Always will be. You couldn’t even save your dad.”

For a moment, Chase’s mind flashed back to his own nightmare. He knew exactly what Danny was feeling right now. And there was no way he was going to let this play out.

Chase’s blood boiled as he watched Skyler taunt Danny, his cruel words cutting deeper than any punch. The sight of Danny, so vulnerable and terrified, made something snap inside Chase.

Without thinking, Chase charged forward, his Fistigons activating as he slammed into Skyler, sending him flying across the hallway. Skyler crashed into a row of lockers with a loud clang, his gang scattering in shock.

“Back off!” Chase growled.

And yet, Skyler didn’t seem phased at all. “Big move hero boy.” Skyler taunted as he got back up.

“Hero boy, huh?” Chase shot back. “Better that than a coward like you, Skyler.”

Danny, was still pressed against the lockers, still looking terrified.

Skyler cracked his knuckles, stepping forward with a wicked grin. “You think you can save him? Just because you’re here doesn’t change what he is. He’s weak. He’s nothing.” And then Skyler’s voice became more sinister. “That boy has so much torment inside of him, it’s amusing really. I can get so much power from one boy.”

Chase became aware that this was not just some high school bully. Something far more dangerous was at work here. As if being trapped in a nightmare wasn’t the first giveaway.

“Who are you?” Chase growled, stepping in front of Danny protectively. His Fistigons hummed with energy, ready for a fight. “You’re not Skyler.”

The creature wearing Skyler’s face let out a chilling laugh, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. “Oh, you finally caught on,” it sneered, its voice a mix of Skyler’s and something demonic. “I’m not Skyler. I am the embodiment of his cruelty, his malice, all the things that broke your little friend here. I am Nightmare.”

“Danny’s not broken.” Chase spat. “Not anymore.”

The creature tilted its head, amused. “Oh, but he is. You think he’s strong because he puts on a mask and plays hero? Underneath it all, he’s still the same scared little boy who couldn’t save his father. And he knows it.”

Danny’s gasped at the mention of his dad, his body still frozen against the lockers. The memories of that day—of losing his father because of his own mistake—still haunted him, and the creature knew exactly how to twist the knife.

“I’ve had enough of this!” Chase growled. “You don’t get to mess with him. Not now, not ever.”

Nightmare’s grin only widened. “But it’s so easy.” He purred. “All I have to do is remind him of the truth—that deep down, he knows he’s not a hero. He’s a failure. And you… you think you can save him? You’re just as broken as he is, with your daddy issues.”

Chase flinched at the mention of his father but didn’t let it distract him. He wasn’t going to let Nightmare get into his head. This wasn’t about him. It was about Danny. He glanced over his shoulder at Danny, who was still staring at the ground, trembling, the weight of his past suffocating him.

“Danny.” Chase said, his voice gentler now. “Don’t listen to him. This isn’t real. You’ve already faced your past. You’ve saved more people than you can count. This? This is just another fight, and you’re Spider-Man.”

But Danny wasn’t moving. The words weren’t reaching him. His eyes were glazed over, trapped in the memory of losing his father, of not being able to save him.

Nightmare laughed, enjoying the scene. “See? You’re wasting your breath. He’ll never be free of his guilt. You both know it.”

Chase’s heart pounded in his chest. He had to do something to reach Danny, to pull him out of this nightmare before it consumed him. Nightmare was feeding off Danny’s fear and guilt, but Chase knew that deep down, Danny was stronger than this. He just needed to break through the haze that was trapping him.

“Danny!” Chase shouted, full of emotion. “You’re not that kid anymore! You’ve faced bigger threats than this! You’ve stood up to villains who could destroy the world, and you’re telling me that this bully is gonna beat you?”

Danny flinched at Chase’s words, his eyes flickering as if trying to come back to the present. But the grip of the nightmare was still strong, and the mention of his father’s death weighed heavily on him, making it hard to breathe.

“I… I couldn’t save him…” Danny whispered, his voice shaking. “It’s my fault…”

Chase took a step closer to Danny, lowering his voice. “It wasn’t your fault, Danny. You’ve carried that guilt for too long. You’ve done so much good since then—your dad would be proud of you. But you have to let this go. You’re a hero.”

Nightmare hissed in frustration, seeing the flicker of doubt in Danny’s mind. “Don’t listen to him!” it snarled, stepping forward menacingly. “He’s lying to you! You’ll never be free of your past!”

But Chase wasn’t done. He squared his shoulders, standing tall in front of Danny, his eyes blazing with determination. “I know who you are, Danny.” He said. “You’re my boyfriend. You’re the guy who’s always looking out for everyone else, even when you’re scared. You’re the guy who saved my life more times than I can count. You’re Spider-Man.”

“I… I’m Spider-Man.” Danny whispered, as if he was trying to remind himself of who he really was.

Nightmare’s twisted grin faltered as it sensed the shift in Danny’s resolve. “He’s lying to you, Danny! You’re weak, just like you were when you couldn’t save your dad. You’ll always be weak!”

But Chase wasn’t having it. He turned toward the creature, his Fistigons glowing with energy, ready to strike if Nightmare made another move. “Shut up!” Chase growled. “Danny’s stronger than you’ll ever be. And you’re nothing but a pathetic illusion!”

With those words, Chase fired a blast from his Fistigons, the energy hitting Nightmare square in the chest. The creature shrieked in pain, its form flickering and distorting, but it wasn’t finished yet. It recovered quickly, turning back to Danny.

“You can’t escape your past.” Nightmare hissed. “You’ll always be haunted by it.”

But this time, Danny didn’t flinch. He took a deep breath, his hands curling into fists. The weight of his guilt still lingered. It always would. But Chase’s words were cutting through it, reminding him of all the battles he’d fought, all the people he’d saved. His father’s death had been a terrible tragedy, but it didn’t define him.

Slowly, Danny straightened up, pushing away from the lockers. He raised his head, his eyes locking onto Nightmare. “You’re wrong.” He said, his voice stronger now. “I may have made mistakes… but I’m not weak. I’m not a failure. And I’m sure as hell not afraid of you.”

With that, Danny’s Spider-Man suit began to form around him like a magical girl style transformation, the pink and purple material glowing with energy as he embraced his true self. The mask slid over his face, and suddenly, he wasn’t just Danny anymore—he was Spider-Man.

With a surge of determination, Danny shot a web at Nightmare, yanking it toward him. “And I’m not afraid of you.”

Nightmare snarled, thrashing as Danny’s web tightened around it. “This isn’t over!” He hissed, and then vanished in a puff of smoke.

Chase, still standing nearby, let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He walked over to Danny, his Fistigons powering down, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

Danny looked at him and nodded. “Yeah… I think so. Thanks to you.”

Chase gave him a reassuring smile. “Hey, we’re a team, right? I’m not letting some creepy nightmare version of Skyler keep you down.”

But that thing was right about one thing, this wasn’t over yet. Because they were still in school.

[King Kindred]

Nathan found himself trapped in a nightmare so familiar. It's one he hadn't stopped having ever since he came to the past. He hadn't told anyone. He couldn't tell anyone. He was their leader. He was supposed to have all the answers. What would it look like if he couldn't stop giving into his fears every single day and night? Wishing and wondering if there was possibly anything he could do to at least check on Davina and his family. He left them when they needed him the most and he didn't even know if they were alive. Did Ultron kill them? Did changing the past erase them? Was an alternate timeline created and if so did they survive in the original timeline? These questions and more ran through his mind on a loop. Missions distracted him a little, but every time he was having fun with this family he felt like he was failing the ones that truly depended on him. It was nearly driving him insane.

This time his nightmare felt more real than before. Like he was actually back in his time. He could smell the sulfur, the smoke and dust mixed together. That poor quality of air. Ultron was meant to save the world. He couldn't believe this was his definition of saving it. Nathan ran to where the X-Bunker was supposed to be, but when he got there all he saw was destruction. The bunker was caved in and there were only a few who could've survived that. Did Ultron kill off the rest? He began to dig through the rubble to see if there was anyone, at least a sign of anyone inside. His hands were starting to get dirty with dirt, rock dust, and his own blood when he heard the sound of metal pressing against the ground behind him.

Nathan turned around to see Ultron himself. In an instant his armor watch activated, surrounding his body. He punched Ultron, but the robot simply caught his fist. "Pathetic. I would've thought the one that bested me to be better than this."

A compartment opened atop the wrist of Nathan's armor firing a tank missile directly at Ultron's face. Nathan jumped back from the explosion, but knew that wasn't enough to take out his world's greatest villain. When the smoke cleared revealing Ultron to still be there he yelled out, "What have you done to my family!?"

"I've killed them. Every single last one. The initial blast took out quite a number of the rats. A lot more of you survived than I thought. My army took out the survivors, but I personally killed your family and that Spectacular Spider-Girl of yours. They put up quite the fight, but she had faith that you'd come back and save her. Save all of them. She died being wrong of course."

If armor could cry this Tin Man would cry himself rusty. The tears poured out on the inside blurring his vision from accurately seeing the HUD display. He would've realized none of this was real otherwise. But that didn't matter now. All he saw was red. "I'll destroy you!!!" He yelled shooting repulsor beams at the robotic menace. He took everything from him. He lost everything.

Ultron responded with beams of his own creating a clash that erupted into a smokescreen. Nathan charged through the smokescreen to punch Ultron in the face. His punch landed sending the robot flying backwards. Nathan wouldn't let up though. He continued to fly after Ultron stopping behind him to catch him by the back of his neck. He slammed Ultron into the ground and started piling on him with beams of energy making sure he wouldn't be able to get up again.

[Crimson Flame]

Noh-Varr stood on the battlefield, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen crew. His mother, his father, and his girlfriend, everyone he had ever loved, lay dead at his feet. The sky above him was dark, swirling with the aftermath of destruction, and standing before him was the man responsible for it all—Dr. Midas.

“You failed them, Noh-Varr,” Midas sneered. “You couldn’t protect them. You never could.”

Noh-Varr stood frozen, his fists clenched, his body trembling with rage and guilt. “I tried… I tried to save them…”

Midas stepped closer, towering over Noh-Varr. “But you didn’t. You let them die. And now, you’re all alone.”

Gert was trapped in a nightmare where she was completely alone. Old Lace, her loyal dinosaur companion, was nowhere to be found. Her friends had abandoned her, their voices echoing through the dark, empty space around her.

“You’re not useful without your dinosaur,” a cruel voice taunted her from the shadows. “You’re just average… No one really wants you around.”

Gert stood there, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, trying to fight back tears. “That’s not true… they care about me… don’t they?”

“Everyone else around you has Superpowers. What exactly do you bring to the table besides that dinosaur? I’m sure even that boyfriend of yours just feels pity for you. He knows he can do better.”

Molly sat on the ground in what appeared to be a dark twisted version of her old family home. Her parents stood before her, their faces looking down on her in disapproval.

“You’re not a hero, Molly,” her mother said in a cold, stern voice. “You’re just a child playing pretend. No matter how strong you think you are, you’ll never live up to our legacy.”

Tears streamed down Molly’s face, her usual cheeriness crushed under the weight of their words. “I… I’m trying so hard… I just want to help people…”

Karolina and Caty turned to see Ty and Tandy teleport in. Karolina ran up to them, giving them a hug, sensing they were their real friends and not some nightmarish doubles. “Man, am I happy to see you guys. I was worried it was just Caty and I trapped here.”

“How’d you find us?” Caty asked as she walked over.

“Y’all are like family now. As long as I’m trying, I can sense you no matter where you are.” Ty said with a smile, just now realizing how much he’s grown to love this group.

“We are family.” Tandy corrected.

“So that means you can help us find everyone else? Can you take us to Danny? I’ve been worried about him.” Caty pleaded.

“Already on it.” Ty enveloped them in his cape and transported them over to Danny and Chase.

Meanwhile, Danny and Chase were catching their breath after their encounter with Nightmare. “Well… that was definitely something…” Chase remarked.

Danny nodded. “Oh yeah, a nightmare demon forcing you to face your guilt and trauma. Amazing experience. 10/10 would do it again.” His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Chase chuckled. “Heh, so Spider-Man. What are we gonna do now? We’re still stuck in high school…”

Sure enough, right on cue, Ty, Tandy, Karolina, and Caty teleported in. Danny immediately ran over and gave Caty a hug. “Oh thank God!” He let go for a second to ask, “Wait… you’re not a Nightmare-induced illusion, are you? Ugh, whatever, this whole experience was awful.”

Chase breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see more friendly faces. “Hey, you found us. You have no idea the shitshow we just went through.”

Caty was so happy to see Danny. His warm and very real hug almost made her forget about what she had gone through in this nightmare. “If you can’t tell your twin from an imposter, we’re gonna have some problems.” She said with a laugh, but she was at least partially serious. “But yeah. This is enough horror for one night. Let’s find the others and get out of here.”

“If we even can get out of here,” Tandy said.

“So who’s next?” Ty asked, ready to take the group to their next destination.

“Molly. She may be brave, but she’s still the youngest.” Karolina answered.

But before they could head out to find Molly, another couple found them.

Nico and Alex burst through the door, following a blue light that was leading them to the group. “Thank God we found you guys. Y’all were the biggest cluster, so we headed to you first. Are you guys okay?”

“Physically I’m fine. But I’m sure facing your trauma and fighting off some nightmare demon can’t be good for the psyche…” Danny quipped.

“Same here,” Chase added, rubbing the back of his neck. “This nightmare dimension is pulling out all the stops on trauma.”

“Tell me about it.” Nico said, looking at Alex before turning back to the others. “This freak definitely knows what triggers us.”

“Yeah… Experienced something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” Alex added.

After comforting Molly, the main group continued on to find the others. Nico suggested that they find Gert next. They arrived to find her all alone, voices echoing in the dark. Nico approached first.

“The Gert I know would’ve told those disembodied voices off. Ty, are you sure you teleported us to the right Gert? This isn’t another nightmare fake, right?”

“Nope. She feels like the real deal. But y’know, what? You’re right about this not being the Gert I know.” Ty added with a smile, understanding what Nico was trying to do.

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Gert conceded before hugging Nico. “I was caught off guard and then figured why fight? My friends are coming to get me.”

They arrived on the battlefield where Noh-Varr’s nightmare had been. Kate was glad to see the group. She thought she and Noh-Varr would have to search for them on their own. “So everyone really is here. Now that we’re all together, where’s the boss and how do we get out of here?”

“That’s where I come in.” Suddenly, an orange portal opened in the sky above them. It was as if the man on the other side had been waiting for this exact moment to act and introduce himself.

He floated through the portal, revealing himself. He was an older gentleman with a goatee and graying streaks in his hair. His outfit seemed almost otherworldly—like something out of a Shakespearean play fused with futuristic elements. He wore a blue blouse, midnight black pants, and a vibrant red cape that billowed dramatically behind him.

Doctor Strange

This was the last straw for Nightmare. He stepped through a green portal, revealing his true form to the group. “Strange… You’re not supposed to be here.” He spat, his voice dripping with venom.

“Neither are these kids. Let them go, Nightmare, before I show you why I’m the Sorcerer Supreme!” Doctor Strange replied, his tone firm.

“What’s a Sorcerer Supreme?” Tandy asked, turning to Nico.

She shrugged. “First time I’ve heard of it. Any knowledge from the Gibborim, Alex?” She turned to see Alex looking a bit annoyed, but she brushed it off as they were dealing with an irritating situation.

Alex shook his head, trying to regain his composure. “But from the way he’s boasting, I’m guessing he’s the greatest sorcerer in the world or universe.”

Nightmare hissed at Strange, his green eyes burning with malice. “They and their fears are mine! Delicious, delicious fears.” Nightmare licked his lips, savoring the thought of the terror he had consumed, but his hunger was insatiable.

Doctor Strange sighed, his expression softening for a moment. “I thought I’d ask nicely first.” Then, with a swift motion, Strange ripped a hole in the fabric of Nightmare’s dimension, one large enough to allow everyone to escape. The sheer force of the spell caused Nightmare to cry out in pain, as if his very essence was being torn apart.

“Quick! Everyone, into the portal!” Alex yelled.

“Wait! I kind of want to watch this,” Nico said, watching in fascination as Strange continued to battle Nightmare.

“Are you mad?” Kate asked incredulously.

“More importantly, where’s Nathan?” Caty asked, realizing for the first time that he was missing. She turned to Ty, panic rising in her chest.

Ty furrowed his brow, trying to sense Nathan’s presence. “I can’t feel him… That means he’s not here. He should be fine… I hope.” Ty answered, though his voice lacked its usual certainty.

Reluctantly, Caty jumped into the portal, hoping she wasn’t abandoning her son-in-law. As she crossed through, she felt an odd sensation, as though her soul was returning to her body after a long absence. The experience was surreal—cool and eerie, yet strangely comforting.

One by one, the others followed her through the portal. “Come on, Nico! We gotta get out of here. We can learn from him later.” Alex urged, trying to pull her away from the spectacle.

Nico sighed before reluctantly jumping in with Alex, the two of them disappearing into the rift.

Caty awoke in the real world, her heart still racing from the ordeal. She looked around, relieved to see Nathan sitting on the couch, waiting for them. “Took you all long enough.” Nathan said with a grin, his voice warm and teasing.

“How did you get out?” Caty asked, getting to her feet and rushing over to him.

“I faced my nightmares. No fake one was going to hold me for long. I tried to find a way to you all, but somehow, I broke through the dimension and got back to my body. Is everyone okay? How did you escape?” Nathan asked, his tone shifting to concern.

Caty gave a relieved nod. “Some Sorcerer Supreme named Strange. He’s fighting on our behalf. Do you know him?”

Nathan shook his head, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Not from my future. Almost everything from here on out is news to me.”

As the group settled down, still recovering from the nightmare realm, Chase approached Danny. “You doing okay, man? That was… rough, for both of us.”

Danny gave him a tired but grateful smile. “Yeah, it was rough. But we made it through. Thanks for helping me back there.”

Chase grinned, giving Danny a playful nudge. “Anytime, Spider-Man. You’d do the same for me.”

Danny chuckled softly, the weight of the nightmare world slowly lifting now that they were back in the real world. “Yeah, I guess I would. But still, I don’t know if I could’ve done it without you. That whole thing with Skyler… it really got to me. I thought I was past it, but seeing him like that, saying all those things…”

Chase nodded, his expression softening with understanding. “Hey, no one’s ever fully past their stuff, man. I had my own nightmare to deal with. My dad… well, you know how that goes. But the important thing is, we didn’t let it break us. We came out stronger.”

Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just didn’t expect it to hit me that hard, you know? I’ve faced real villains, but the stuff from my past… it still lingers.”

Chase leaned in closer, his voice low and reassuring. “That’s normal. We all have things that stick with us, no matter how much we try to leave them behind. But that’s what makes you strong, Danny. You’ve got this huge heart, and you care so much about everyone. That’s why you’re Spider-Man. You take all that pain and turn it into something good.”

Danny smiled, the weight on his shoulders easing just a bit more. “Thanks, Chase. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Chase shrugged, a playful grin returning to his face. “Probably trip over yourself more often. But hey, that’s what I’m here for—to catch you when you fall.”

Danny laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

“Yeah, but you love me for it.” Chase teased, nudging Danny again.

Danny blushed slightly but nodded. “Yeah… I do.”

Meanwhile, Caty and Karolina embraced, happy to finally be free of the nightmare realm and back in each other’s arms. “I’ve had enough scares for one Halloween. I hope that Strange guy is okay.”

“I’m sure he is,” Karolina answered confidently. She then glanced at Caty with a concerned look. “But are you okay? We didn’t really talk much about what you went through.”

Caty hesitated, her voice less steady. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn’t let that happen again.”

Karolina hugged her tighter, smiling reassuringly. “You’re never going to lose me. No one can stop Spider-Woman and Lucy in the Sky!” Her voice was bright, but she couldn’t help hiding her own worries. Could Nightmare’s words have affected her more than she thought?

“Do you still want to go to the party?” Karolina asked, trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject.

“Actually… yeah. I think I need it more than ever, but I want to wait until I know Strange is okay.”

And so, they waited. Who would win this fight for Halloween? The Strange Sorcerer Supreme or the Ruler of Nightmares?

Find out next time on The Amazing Spider-Twins!