Chronicles of the Spider

Axis vs Shadow Society Part 1 - Raven

Peter had told his closest friends about that. Understandably, Clark, Diana, and Allison were horrified when hearing about his years as Spider-Man, while Bruce, Selina, Karen, and Alex were spitting mad. Alice was in tears, along with his siblings, when hearing about how he died to Doomsday (a name that Peter discovered when fighting the monster for the second time). His team and friends betraying him still had a massive impact on him, and it showed in his behaviour. He was slow to trust, something they'd seen when it took him a very long time to reveal his identity to them. He was even very reluctant to work with a younger hero, something all of them were sure that he would enjoy, given his adoration for children. Then again, with the mentees he had in the other world, maybe he'd be a little skeptical too.

XXXX

Peter zipped through the city on webs, heading straight for his building. Alongside him was Stinger, his partner. Though, more often than not, he worked with Alex and Karen, he found himself having to mentor a young girl, one he had saved years earlier. 

Sophie Leyton, whom he'd saved during Maxie Zeus's first rampage in the city, had been inspired by his actions, and proudly declared herself his greatest fan. One day, when she'd been bitten by a radioactive spider, she'd sought him out and asked him to train her. Though he refused for the longest time, her constant insistence, along with Bruce's encouraging words, prompted him to grudgingly give in. She'd proven herself over the years, though, so that was one decision he didn't regret.

He headed inside his penthouse, Sophie following him hastily.

"What's the rush for, boss?" she asked curiously.

"We might be on the brink of a Crisis here, Soph," Peter replied gravely. "Be on guard."

She startled at the word Crisis. Even though she hadn't participated, most of the Justice League had scattered memories of the various Crises they'd taken part in. That was very dangerous word to be throwing around, and the fact that Peter used it gave her some indication about how grave the situation was.

Peter retracted his mask, and dialed a number on his phone. It rang a couple of times before the other side picked up.

"Hello?" came a cool, elegant voice from the other end.

"Al," Peter greeted his old friend sharply. "Do you know anything about where Raven is?"

"Pete?" he could hear the raised eyebrow from her. "You know I can't talk about this stuff with you. We had a deal!"

"This is a world ending scenario, Allison," Peter hissed back. "If Raven's power is used wrong, or, Presence forbid, the gem on her forehead is broken, the planet would crack like an egg! Do you understand what's at stake here?! Now, if you want to keep living, tell me everything you know about Raven's or Postman's location RIGHT NOW!"

There was silence on the other end, before a thick voice replied. "Meet me in my office in half an hour." With that, the line cut.

"Peter?" his girlfriend's voice came from the entrance. He turned to see both Karen and Sophie staring at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright?" 

Peter sighed stressfully. His bad feelings had only increased in the last couple of weeks, and something kept prickling at his senses, telling him something big was coming. He had a fear that this would be the cause. He knew that he'd perhaps gone a little overboard in dealing with his friend, but right now, he had bigger concerns. The planet could not afford Trigon getting loose again.

"I'm fine," he dismissed, before striding to the door, his Spider-Suit melting off him into his skin, leaving nothing but a formal black and white suit. "I'll be back later."