Chapter 169

[Third Person's PoV] 

Seeing that most of the situation was under control, Spider-Man had a thought as he observed Ross' angered expression.

'Even though I know S.H.I.E.L.D. is mostly infiltrated by Hydra, it might be best to hand over the Abomination to Fury. The Abomination would be too high-profile for Hydra to take without Fury or anyone else noticing, which could lead to them getting caught. So, it's safer to keep him with S.H.I.E.L.D.

There's really no safe option. It feels like I'm choosing the lesser of two evils. And the fact that I'm even considering Hydra as the better option says a lot about Ross.

I can't take Abomination with me—I have nowhere to hold him, and I'd be charged with kidnapping. Besides, I don't even think I can undo the transformation…' 

Not even a millisecond had passed since Spider-Man had taunted Ross. Ross was about to say something, but Spider-Man placed a finger over Ross' lips, stunning him. "Shhh, I'm making a call."

"Hey, Arachnid, first bring the Weaver, then call Papa Fury for me, please," Spider-Man said, tapping the side of his helmet with his other hand. He turned his head to the side, completely ignoring Ross, as if he wasn't there, while still keeping his finger over Ross' lips.

Ross began turning so red with anger that Spider-Man wondered if he was about to turn into the Red Hulk from sheer rage.

Ross swung a fist in a body shot toward Spider-Man, but Spider-Man swatted his hand away before it could connect.

"Hello?" Fury answered, sounding confused.

Ross kept swinging, trying to hit Spider-Man, but Spider-Man easily blocked and deflected all his attempts with one hand.

"Yooo! Nicky J!" Spider-Man exclaimed enthusiastically, slapping Ross' fists away.

"How the hell did you get my private number? You've got five seconds before I hang up and change it."

"Well, the thing is, I need your help. I'm sure you're aware of what happened in Harlem. We need a place to contain the Abomination."

"I thought the U.S. Military had that covered?" Fury questioned.

"Don't play games with me right now, Mr. Spy. We both know Ross isn't equipped to hold the Abomination, and we both know I'm not talking about physically. If I leave the Abomination in Ross' hands, a lot of people will suffer the consequences. He'd be safer with you, which is why I'm calling... So, will you come?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll handle it. But you're putting me in a tough spot here. The military will be breathing down our asses, demanding we hand him over."

"Then talk to the president. Come to an agreement with him. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. is an independent organization, it's still secretly part of the government. If you're holding him, so are they. You can use that in your argument."

"Alright, I see where you're going with this. I'm on my way," Fury said before hanging up.

Meanwhile, Ross was huffing and puffing for air. He reached into his side holster, pulled out his pistol, and began shooting. Spider-Man's hands blurred as he caught each bullet, letting out a sigh.

"Man, I love that guy," Spider-Man said with an affectionate shake of his head. He then dropped down, sweeping Ross's legs out from under him, making him tumble to the ground.

Spider-Man quickly shot his webs, binding Ross tightly. No matter how much he struggled, Ross couldn't move.

"Release me! You're making a terrible mistake! You're making an enemy out of me! I'll get you for this, Spider-Man!!!"

"Aha! Finally!!" Spider-Man celebrated with a fist pump.

Ghost-Spider landed gracefully next to Spider-Man and looked at him in confusion. "What are you celebrating?"

"I've always wanted someone to shout, 'I'll get you for this, Spider-Man,' since I first started! And it's finally happened! I couldn't be happier."

"You get happy over the weirdest things, I swear," Ghost-Spider said, shaking her head.

"Father, the Weaver has arrived," Arachnid informed him.

They both then made their way toward the Hulk, where Betty was peeking out as the gunfire had stopped.

"Hulk!" Spider-Man called out. The Hulk turned to look at him.

"Why don't you come with us?" Spider-Man asked, causing the Hulk to point at himself in confusion as the others joined them.

"Hulk doesn't belong anywhere. Hulk is best alone!"

"And how lonely have you been because of it?"

Hulk let out a gruff sound at the question. "Hulk isn't lonely," he said in a low voice.

"Of course not, you always had Banner with you."

"Puny Banner isn't Hulk's friend! Puny Banner hates Hulk, so Hulk hates Puny Banner!" Hulk said, almost like a child throwing a tantrum.

Betty was surprised to hear this. 'They really are two different people then…'

"Are you really planning on inviting him to our hideout?" Nightwing asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, I trust him," Spider-Man replied with a confident nod.

"Trust him? We literally just met him," Spider-Kat said, looking at Spider-Man with confusion.

"And we're already best friends, right, Hulk?" Spider-Man said, crossing his arms and nodding as if it were obvious.

Hulk tilted his head in confusion. "Hulk's... friend?"

"Yup! And I want to help you. When you're with me, you won't need to be on the run. We can help you out with whatever you need," Spider-Man said, still nodding.

Nightwing leaned over and whispered, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Once you start paying rent and the bills, then you can worry about who we bring in," Spider-Man shot back with a grin.

Nightwing gave him a straight look and rolled his eyes.

Spider-Man turned to the others. "What do you guys think?"

Scarlet-Spider was the first to respond. She jumped up and landed on Hulk's shoulder. "I say we bring him along. He seems nice," she said, patting his head.

Spider-Kat leaped onto Hulk's other shoulder. "I agree! It could be fun. Plus, we might finally have someone who can beat Pe—Spider-Man," she added, catching herself before almost revealing his identity.

"Well, he's certainly fascinating. I don't see any problem with having him around," Ghost said, studying Hulk thoughtfully with a hand on her chin.

"I'm mostly curious about how strong you really are," Nightwing said, eyeing Hulk with interest.

"Hulk is the strongest!" Hulk roared, flexing his massive muscles.

"Haha, I don't doubt that," Nightwing replied, amused by Hulk's enthusiasm.

"Does my opinion even matter at this point? I mean, I just joined, after all," Firestar said awkwardly.

Spider-Man's expression grew serious as he nodded. "Of course it matters. You're already part of our team, so we value what you have to say."

"Eh? Really? Oh, wow," Firestar said, rubbing the back of her head, slightly embarrassed. "Well, Hulk fought on our side today, so I say it's okay!" she added, giving a thumbs up.

Spider-Man nodded. "See, Hulk? With that, you're officially part of the Spider Family!"

Hulk rubbed the back of his head, still a bit confused. "So Hulk goes with you... Hulk won't be hunted?"

"I can't promise that 100 percent, but I can promise to protect you and do my best to keep you safe from being hunted down," Spider-Man assured him.

"Hulk doesn't need protection! Hulk's the strongest!" Hulk declared proudly.

"Alright, bring her down. Arachnid," Spider-Man ordered as a jet decloaked and descended to the ground, its hatch already open.

"When will I see you again?" Betty asked, looking at the Hulk with sadness in her eyes.

"Betty won't come with Hulk?" Hulk rumbled sadly, his voice low and mournful.

"It's to keep you safe. Being with me, the General's daughter, wouldn't do you any good," Betty replied with a self-deprecating smile.

"You know, you can come with us too," Spider-Man interjected. "I kind of assumed you were a package deal, so I didn't ask earlier. My bad."

"Eh? You want me to come along?" Betty asked, pointing at herself in surprise.

"It's mostly for Hulk's sake so he won't be lonely. What do you say, Hulk?" Spider-Man asked.

"Bring Betty with Hulk! Betty Hulk's friend!" Hulk said, a touch of celebration in his voice. Betty couldn't help but smile softly at his words.

Ross, still tied up, heard Hulk's response and saw the jet in the distance. "BETTY! YOU BETTER NOT DO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DO! COME AND RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT! AM I NOT YOUR FATHER? YOUR FAMILY? WOULD YOU REALLY BETRAY ME FOR THAT MONSTER?!"

Betty's expression grew conflicted as she looked between her father and the Hulk. She stared into Hulk's green, subdued eyes, then steeled herself. She stepped away from the Hulk and turned to face Ross.

"I'm a grown woman, capable of making my own decisions! Your choices led you to where you are now. It's time I make some decisions of my own and I choose the man I want to love," Betty declared firmly, making her stance clear.

"Betty! Get back here this instant! I am your father!! BETTYYYYY!!" Ross yelled, struggling against his bindings as he watched Betty turn her back on him and walk toward the Hulk.

Suddenly, a large helicarrier loomed overhead, casting a vast shadow over the scene.

Before long, Fury arrived as his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents used jets to carry the Abomination towards the helicarrier.

"Where's Natasha or Clint?" Spider-Man asked, shielding his eyes as he looked around.

"They're in the middle of their own mission," Fury replied, watching the Abomination being secured. 

"Really? Sending two of your best agents away at the same time? Not the smartest move, is it?" Spider-Man remarked, shaking his head.

"I can take care of myself just fine. I don't need your concern," Fury shot back before turning to face Spider-Man. "And shouldn't you be on your way? Why are you still here?"

"Just making sure everything's properly taken care of… Wow, you really don't want me around, huh? That honestly kind of hurts."

"You'd be more tolerable if you weren't the way that you are," Fury quipped. "Anyway, what are you going to do about him?" he asked, nodding toward the Hulk as he boarded the jet with Betty and the others.

"Try to help him out while keeping him away from people as best I can. That's why I'm taking Betty with us. I'm hoping she'll be able to calm him down if he ever gets too angry."

"I see. So, she's the key to keeping him in check," Fury mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Spider-Man rolled his eyes, already sensing where Fury's thoughts were heading. "Look, I need to go. Call if you need anything; you've got my number," he said, before turning into a streak of lightning and zipping into the jet.

Fury watched with a scoff as the jet blasted off. A small smirk crept onto his face but was quickly wiped away as he turned back to his men. "What is General Ross still doing tied up? Untie him!"