27

Chapter 27: craziness leads to insanityNotes:

1) I'm ngl, this update took so long because I had writers block over my cliffhanger last chapter. I changed it from angsty to this because it felt too OOC for this story.

2) We're getting closer and closer to Infinity War!! I reckon there's about 1 more build-up arc then I'll finally get to the main event!

3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Tensing his muscles, he flipped off of the building with extra momentum and dove after the bomb, shooting a web at it as it flashed neon green.

Goblin's pumpkin bomb flashed as he fumbled with it, the white flashes consuming his vision.

The web connected.

Completely disregarding his safety, he yanked the bomb towards him and slapped a web bomb on its side as it passed him, throwing the bomb as far away from the building as possible before it exploded.

Bang!

Slivers of smoking webs rained down on him as he landed, barely managing to distribute his weight enough so he didn't break a bone. Bystanders stared in awe at the webs raining from the sky, some still videoing as he looked around to work out where Chase had gone.

"Karen, where'd he go?" He asked as he shot a web to a building and pulled himself up for a higher vantage point. Various office buildings provided cover for Chase but Karen had started tracking his heat signature.

"He went south east. Security camera footage shows he is half a block away," she replied.

"I can make that up easily."

He leaped off of the building and swung quickly, internally thanking his past self for working out all the shortcuts and mapping them onto his HUD. Parkouring over one of the rooftop gardens, he kept an eye out for Chase as his subconscious screamed at him that this whole scenario was incredibly familiar to before.

Goblin hovered right in front of him in the apartment building foyer, taunting him about his failure to cure the other villains.

"Strong enough to have it all…too weak to take it!"

He shook himself out of his thoughts as he dove off of a ledge before carrying on swinging, the smoke trail from Chase's jetpack making finding him easier. Chase was not like Goblin; he wasn't a psychopath from a serum (hopefully) and his actions were from grief, not whatever Goblin had going on.

It wasn't the same situation.

"Incoming projectile," Karen announced.

"What-? Oh shit!" He let go of the web in his hand to dodge the grenade flying towards him, shooting another web bomb at it.

Boom! His ears rang as more web debris rained down on innocent civilians, catching a few looks of confusion and fear as he used a lamppost to make a sharp right turn. The webs were harmless, though New Yorkers had learned that wherever he swung there was normally danger in front or following him.

Pursuing Chase took longer than it should have but it wasn't his fault. Chase used his jetpack like he had used it a million times before. He deftly avoided obstacles as he dropped more bombs onto unsuspecting civilians, easily slowing Peter down as he destroyed the bombs.

Yes, Chase was his target, but his priority was keeping innocent people safe. The last thing he needed was the FBI investigating him over someone's death or a close call like the ferry incident.

(He didn't want to deal with Ross before he had time to deal with Thanos. Not when the deadline was in a few months.)

"C'mon Spider-Man, I thought they said you were better than this!" Chase yelled as he threw three bombs at the surrounding buildings.

His heart froze in his chest as he let go of the web he was swinging from. His mind ran at a mile a second as he shot multiple webs at the bombs, connecting them so they formed a triangle before yanking them all towards him.

Tony was going to call him suicidal if he ever saw the footage.

All the bombs flashed a sickening shade of green as he pulled them towards him before throwing them high into the air, way above the people watching from street-level. Switching to another type of web, he barely waited for Karen to announce the code number before he shot an impact web at the bundle of bombs.

The impact web connected, propelling the bombs higher into the air to the point they were above the highest building in the area.

Boom!

Crashing into the ground, he gasped as the nerves in his shoulder screamed in pain. He didn't have time to check if it was dislocated, choosing to sprint down the street before jumping on top of a bin and swinging again.

He didn't want to think of the damage that could happen if Chase kept throwing the bombs and he wasn't there to contain them.

Dust floated from the ceiling and caked the collapsed pillars and debris scattered around. He breathed in a sparse breath and coughed as it assaulted the back of his throat.

May was in a similar state as she staggered to her feet, dust dyeing her hair as she clutched the bag of antidotes to her stomach.

The burst of adrenaline hid the pain, his desperation to catch Chase growing as he gained speed. Buildings flew by in a blur as he dodged billboards and parkoured over rooftops to catch Chase. How did he even get a jetpack? How did he know how to fly so well? How did he make his bombs?

…did he use schematics from some company to make them or were they homemade? He could imagine the latter since it would be expensive to make bombs that would cause significant damage in one area.

The air whooshed past him as he closed the distance between him and Chase before he let go of his web and jumped on top of the criminal, waving at Chase's shocked expression before he threw an impact web inside of the jetpack.

Something inside the jetpack cracked and the smoke trail coming from the jetpack changed from light grey to black in seconds as Chase yelled out, completely caught off guard as he started to descend rapidly.

Jumping off of Chase, he shot a web at one of the buildings around, breathing a short sigh of relief before his eyes widened and he slammed into a wall.

His breath caught in his throat as he crumpled to the floor, spots swimming in his peripheral vision as he took in his surroundings. Maybe jumping from a jetpack was a bad idea.

'Scratch that,' he thought, groaning as he propped himself up on his forearms before standing up. His shoulder ached as he leaned against the wall for a couple of seconds, gathering his bearings. 'Jumping from a jetpack is a horrible idea.'

"Karen, search for heat signatures in the area," he said as he looked around.

Funnily enough, Chase had led him to the docks by the East River. Sunbeams reflected off of the windows, painting the concrete a warm orange around his shadow. The waves rebounded off of the foundation as cars whizzed down the road about 50 metres to his left, completely oblivious to the dangerous man hiding away somewhere around the docks.

"Two heat signatures found. They are hidden in between these warehouses." Karen highlighted where they were on his HUD. "One is Chase, the other is an unidentified figure."

His blood ran cold as he followed the route on his HUD before he realised he probably needed to go into this situation with more care than before. If Chase had found someone to help him, he may benefit from listening before he captured him. If it was a hostage situation then things would become much more complicated.

He took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he crawled up a wall on the warehouse next to where Chase was, reaching the top and peering into the alley to see who was with him.

"Did you draw enough attention?" A man with a thick Russian accent asked. He was pretty burly and had a notable moustache; he looked more like one of those intimidating guys he'd see in one of those motorcycle gangs who worked for Tombstone.

He wore a pair of jeans and a white vest but strangely enough he wore a sleeveless fur coat which looked suspiciously like a cheetah's skin. Cringing internally at his thoughts, he listened to Chase's reply.

Weirdly enough, Chase looked absolutely fine. His jetpack lay against the wall, smoke still emerging from it. He was casually leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face, a couple of abrasions on his chin the only sign he had taken any damage from his fall.

"Yep, there was a massive crowd and even Spider-Man turned up," he boasted. It was if he didn't care that he had fallen from the sky! How was he still okay after he had taken out his jetpack?

"Spider-Man?" The Russian man asked, the slow lift of the corners of his lips causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. What did this man want with him? "Tell me you had your camera on."

Chase scoffed. "Of course. Why, do you want it?"

"It'll be the least you can do considering I provided you with everything necessary to the mission, including the schematics for your bombs."

"Yeah," Chase sighed as he fiddled with the camera strapped to his chest. "The Stark Industries schematics was the cherry on top for me. Thanks for that." He handed the man the SD card from the camera. "What'll you do with it?"

"Hand it to my employer."

"Tch, what a waste."

"What?" The Russian man's eyes glinted, the air temperature suddenly plummeting as the man slowly advanced forwards towards Chase. His demeanour changed from something cocky to wary, bordering fearful as he was cornered against the wall.

"I- I just said, 'what a waste'! You're a powerful man, why would you give precious information to someone above you?" Chase stammered, seeming much smaller against the burlier man.

"You work for me because you know you'll be rewarded, I work for him because I know what I will gain. It's the same principal," the man growled as Chase's eyes widened.

He readied himself as he sensed things could escalate, glancing at the only exit the two men had and shooting a trip mine at the centre of it. If one of them ran then it would hopefully catch them and save him a bit of trouble.

"Okay, okay, I get it." The man backed off at Chase's confession, a smirk on his face as he pocketed the SD card.

"Good. Now, I'll see you in a few months when we have another mission for you." The man turned his back to Chase as he sagged against the wall, relived to have escaped without heavy consequences.

"Whatever you say Kraven, just don't ghost me for months," Chase exclaimed before he put his head in his hands.

He decided to make his move.

Dropping down from the roof, he shot an impact web at the Russian man -Kraven- before shooting webs at Chase to keep him out of the way.

Kraven grunted, startled by the force of the web as he stumbled forwards and over the trip mine which yanked him to the floor.

"As dramatic as that confrontation was, I can't let you get away with dropping bombs over the city," he said, his Spidey-sense buzzing in the back of his head. He tilted his head to the side to avoid whatever projectile was about to hit his head, his eyes widening when a dagger stuck into the wall a foot away from his head.

"Pesky spider," Kraven growled, the webs from the trip mine dangling from his right hand as he reached for another dagger with his left hand. Were they hidden in his fur coat? "I intended to deal with you later but perhaps it'd be better to eliminate you now."

"'Eliminate' me? What, am I on your bounty list or something?" He asked as he dodged another dagger, internally debating if he had time to ask Karen to analyse whatever material the daggers were made out of.

"Precisely." His stomach dropped. "You catch on fast."

He was on a hit list. Of course he was, why wouldn't he be?

"Wanna explain why I'm on your hit list?" He asked as he avoided another dagger, keen not to get stabbed or wounded in any form since he didn't want to go back to the medbay and see Tony's disappointed look.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who knows they're being hunted." Hunted? God, this guy made it sound like he was merely an animal rather than a human. What a weirdo.

Then again, he had chosen the name Spider-Man rather than something like Kid Arachnid. He hadn't wanted to make himself sound any younger than he had been when he had started being a vigilante – he internally shivered at what Tony would have thought of it.

Another dagger whooshed past his side and grazed his suit but didn't damage it badly. Karen showed a diagram of the suit on his HUD and highlighted the small tear in the partially Kevlar suit. He frowned as he tried to work out how sharp the daggers had to be.

"I leave him to you for now," Kraven said, grinning maliciously as he started walking backwards. "I look forward to meeting you again, Spider-Man."

"What the-?" He murmured, confused until his Spidey-sense buzzed in the back of his head.

Swivelling around, he caught Chase's fist before raising an eyebrow at him. "Really man?"

Kraven's daggers had to have been aimed at wherever he had webbed up Chase because he hadn't shown any sort of enhanced strength before. The daggers were stuck in the wall, the metal handles glinting in the sunlight.

"For fucks sake," Chase grunted, struggling as Peter held his fist easily. He had caught a punch from Bucky, the man with a literal vibranium arm. "He's taking the piss."

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He asked, cringing internally as he realised that was something Tony would definitely say. It clearly annoyed Chase even more as his eyebrows scrunched up angrily.

"You heroes and your morals. You're too rigid in your flawed justice," he muttered as something clinked against the concrete.

He stiffened as the bomb at his feet flashed green. He released his grip on Chase's fist as he shot as many webs at the bomb as he could, using his final one to yank the bomb into the air as it activated.

Boom!

Windows shattered as the bomb exploded, glass raining down onto the concrete and creating an eerie tinkling sound as the two materials met. The concrete tremored and he struggled to stay upright for a couple of seconds.

Turning around, he realised Chase had sprinted away and fallen when the bomb had activated as he frantically scrambled to his feet and ran out of the area, turning to the left. Peter sighed as he realised Kraven had been caught and escaped from his trip mine, prompting him to sprint after Chase.

It took him a few seconds to find Chase, the man in question panting as he sprinted down the docks as he searched for a way to escape. Shooting his webs at Chase's feet, he winced as he fell forwards and slammed into the concrete.

"Ouch, sorry dude," he muttered as Chase raised his head, his nose bleeding badly as his blood trickled onto his chin. "Can't say you didn't deserve it though."

"Shut up," Chase growled, struggling feebly as he raised a hand to his chin and wiped away the blood even though it was useless. "Just call the police and arrest me already. I'll escape soon enough."

"Pft, you wish. You'll probably be sent to the Raft," he replied as Karen notified him she tipped off the police.

Surprisingly enough, there was a particular police unit in the area which he recognised the number of once Karen brought it up. He watched as the police car down the docks, standing up once the police officers left the car.

"Hey Officer Davis!" He said as he approached him.

"Hey Spidey, how's it been?" Officer Davis replied as his partner examined Chase – unfortunately, the guy hadn't stopped cursing at him as his nose continued to sluggishly bleed.

"It's been alright," he said, sighing as he looked at Chase. "He's the first crazy criminal I've had to deal with in a while – well, he's not crazy crazy. His motivation was grief but he was taking it out in a…"

"Wrong methods?" He nodded at Davis's suggestion. He sighed. "We tend to meet a lot of people with the right motivation but wrong actions. They tend to have lost everything and want help by the end of it, especially homeless people."

"All they need is some kindness or someone who understands them at the very least."

The other police officer had cuffed Chase and nodded at Peter to rip away the webs keeping him glued to the ground. Afterwards, he sent him a grateful look before walking Chase to the police car, his demeanour more relaxed than when he had first met him all those months ago.

"Does having someone understand them always help?"

"If the situation allows it, then yes."

He hesitated on his next question before deciding not to ask it, simply nodding and waving goodbye to Officer Davis before the police car drove away.

"Stephen?" He asked as he entered the Sanctum. The lights softly lit up the foyer and the Cloak floated towards him from the kitchen, swirling around him before ruffling his hair. "Oh, hi," he replied cheerily, following Cloak as it levitated up the stairs.

Once he reached the top of the stairs he peered out of the Window of Worlds, the sunset casting the remnants of a golden shadow onto the Sanctum floor. He couldn't imagine himself having this view before since Stephen had kept him, Ned and MJ in the basement.

"Hm, kid? What are you doing here?" Stephen asked as he strolled out from the corridor to his left. "I thought you would still be patrolling."

"I was but I encountered this guy who was taking out his rage against Tony," he replied.

Stephen sighed. "I'm not surprised considering Stark's track record. I assume he didn't succeed for long?"

"Nah, I chased him down to the docks and watched him meet up with some moustache-guy before taking him down." He realised he was rambling and talking to Stephen about his patrol wasn't the reason he went to the Sanctum. "I have an idea which you might think is crazy."

"This is about Thanos, isn't it?" Stephen said, his tone slightly resigned and honestly it was pretty off-putting. He strengthened his resolve, determined to say his idea.

He had spent the summer wondering what he could do to increase their chances from 1 in 14,000,605 to something that would inspire more hope, even if it seemed a bit insane. Obviously trying to reason with Thanos wouldn't work. There weren't any major threats that would persuade Thanos to fight with them instead of against them.

They had formed an alliance with Wakanda, had Shuri working alongside them which definitely made things easier considering how smart she was, had managed to get the Mind Stone out of Vision's head which reduced the chances of him dying, thus helping them in the long run.

However, he doubted changing those events would have a massive impact on the outcome of the final battle against Thanos, whether it was on Earth or another planet. He had to think outside of the box -or rather, sphere- that was Earth.

Stephen had warned the Nova Corps on Xandar which meant the Power Stone was safe, he hadn't deemed it a 'morally-sound' enough time to steal the Reality Stone from the Collector and the Soul Stone was a problem in itself. The Mind Stone was locked in the most secure vault on Earth and Stephen had the Time Stone with him.

All that was left was the Space Stone and obviously Thor would be the best person to warn, right? He was the literal God of Lightning, surely he would be able to protect the Space Stone.

The state Thor had been in at the funeral said otherwise. It was obvious the years during the Blip hadn't been kind to Thor in the slightest and he couldn't blame Thor for becoming depressed, especially since he had apparently lost all of his family (he had asked Pepper who had told him about it; he wanted to comfort Thor if everything went wrong again.)

Speaking of Thor's family…

"What's your idea then?" Stephen asked.

He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the backlash of his suggestion.

"What if Loki fought with us?"

Notes:

How do y'all feel about timeskips?

Also, if Peter had any final words before his death, what would they be?