Chapter 18

I had finally gathered all the spiders. Honestly, I was surprised by how many there were. Then again, this world was a mix of Marvel and DC, so maybe they were needed.

That thought left me uneasy. If this many spider-powered individuals existed, it meant something big was coming—something bad. But that was a problem for later. Right now, I needed to figure out whether they wanted to be heroes.

They all stood around me, waiting.

"Alright, I want to talk to you all about your future, but first, I need to change into my usual outfit. It won't take long," I said.

"Come on, man, the suspense is killing me!" Miles groaned.

"You kidnapped me, and now you're just going to walk off?" Julia snapped.

"Technically, I only sort of kidnapped you," I corrected. "And I am returning you. Just give me a couple of minutes, and I'll be right back."

"You have two minutes," Julia warned. "If you're not back by then, I'm breaking myself out."

"That's fair," I admitted. "I'll be as fast as I can."

With that, I grabbed Green Ghost and teleported back to our base, reappearing in the briefing room.

"Thanks for your help," I said. "I can handle it from here. You can head back to Central City."

As I turned to leave for the workshop, Alana stopped me.

"Wait, Ed—are those kids about to join us?" she asked.

"No," I said firmly. "They won't be part of the main team, just a branch of our group. They're teenagers, and what we do… it's not for them. Not yet. This kind of work isn't good for their mental health."

"Good," she said. "Because I'd have a problem with that. We're planning to kill people."

"We're killing Nazis," I countered. "Can you even call them people?" I smirked.

She didn't laugh. "Regardless, we're taking lives. I don't want them involved in that."

I nodded. "Agreed. When they're older, we can decide if they should join us, but for now, they'll just be a small independent group. We'll help them if they need it, but we have to stay under the radar. I don't want the public connecting us."

"I have no objections when the time comes," she said.

"Good to know. See you later."

I teleported to the workshop, urgency in my voice as I called out, "Marlize, I don't have much time—detransform me, now!"

She didn't say a word, just focused her power. A glowing butterfly detached from my mask, and in an instant, my white suit disappeared. Now, only the prototype mask remained. I took it off, teleported to my room, and quickly changed into my hero outfit.

With no time to waste, I teleported back to the warehouse.

Some of them were sitting on the couch, others in chairs. The moment they saw me, they all jumped up, eyes wide with surprise.

"You're Arsenal!?" Gwen gasped, her voice filled with excitement.

"No way," Miles and Anya muttered in disbelief.

Cindy and Julia just stood there, frozen in shock. Meanwhile, Peter remained calm—like he'd already known.

"Cindy? Julia? Are you two okay? You look like you forgot to breathe," I said.

After a few seconds, they both inhaled sharply.

"Sorry, I just—" Cindy stammered. "I was caught off guard. I couldn't breathe for a second. You're Arsenal!"

"You're the world's greatest superhero!" Julia blurted out.

I chuckled. "I appreciate that, but I'm pretty sure Superman has me beat on that title."

"To me, you're the greatest," Julia muttered, blushing in embarrassment.

"Thank you. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations," I said. "But the reason I brought you all here isn't just to talk about me—it's to talk about you and your powers."

"Wait," Gwen said suddenly, her face turning red as she remembered something. "You were the guy in the white suit?"

"Yep, that was me," I confirmed.

"Why'd you wear that thing? If you had just worn your real suit, we would've come with you way easier," Miles said.

"It's complicated," I admitted. "Let's just say that suit is the reason I was able to find all of you."

Miles shrugged. "Alright, fair enough."

"The reason I brought you all here is to ask you an important question," I said. "But first, let me explain a few things.

"All of you got your powers from genetically enhanced spiders. Those spiders were part of a failed super-soldier experiment, and somehow, they escaped and found their way to you. That's why you have your abilities. Now, the question I need to ask is this—do you want to be heroes?"

"Heroes? Like you?" Gwen asked. "Wait… do you want us to join your team?"

"What team?" Miles frowned. "He doesn't have a team."

"He does," Gwen corrected him. "He told me before. It's called the Vanguard Initiative. He's the leader. The other members are Green Ghost, A-Train, Starlight, Silent, and All Might."

Everyone except Peter looked surprised—and excited.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," I said, "but you won't be joining the main team. Just like Spider-Man hasn't."

Some of them looked disappointed, but Peter looked shocked.

"Wait… Spider-Man isn't on the team?" Peter asked. "I thought he'd been with you guys for a while."

"He has," I said. "But just like the rest of you, he's underage. I won't put a kid on the main team."

"But Spider-Man's done all the training," Peter argued. "So he's not on the team just because he's underage?"

"The training was to help him survive and take down villains without risking civilian lives," I explained.

Peter looked down, clearly a little disheartened.

"And another reason?" I added. "I'm afraid of his mom."

The entire room erupted into laughter.

"But in all seriousness, I can't in good conscience let him join yet. That doesn't mean he—or any of you—won't get the chance when you're older. But for now, you'll form your own group. You'll be the Web Warriors."

"That's an awesome name," Peter and Miles said in unison.

"But this is only if you choose to be heroes," I said. "If you don't, that's fine—I'll still help you train to control your powers so you won't hurt yourselves or others."

"If I become a hero… that means I can help my neighborhood, right?" Miles asked.

"Yes. Your mission would be to protect New York in the best way you can. That includes your neighborhoods."

I could already see it in their faces—they all wanted this. But before they made their final decision, I had to warn them.

"Before you all decide," I said, "you need to hear the hard truth about being a hero."

"There are bad parts?" Cindy asked.

"Like what?" Julia added.

"You will get hurt. You'll see things you aren't ready to see. And worst of all… there will be times you can't save everyone. People will die, and you'll have to live with that."

The room fell silent.

"Being a hero isn't about fame or glory," I continued. "It's a responsibility. If you take up this mantle, you have to be ready to do whatever it takes to protect people. And people will hate you for it. A lot of people. But you can't let that stop you."

They all remained silent, processing what I had said.

The first to speak was Miles.

"My dad's a cop," he said. "He puts his life on the line every day to help people. I look up to him for that. If I can save lives, I want to. So my answer is yes—I want to be a hero."

I was surprised by Miles' answer. I had to remind myself to be careful—his dad didn't have a good fate in the comics. I should definitely keep an eye on him.

Cindy spoke up next. "I saw you and the rest of the team on the news. Just last week, I watched All Might save a bunch of people from a house fire. He got everyone out—no one died. Afterward, the news interviewed the people he saved. They were crying, hugging their families, grateful to be alive. Without him, some of them wouldn't have made it back to their loved ones. I want to do that. I want to be the reason someone makes it home. I want to be a hero too."

Gwen crossed her arms. "My dad's a police chief, and to be honest? He really doesn't like you guys. He thinks you're just a bunch of vigilantes breaking the law and taking things into your own hands. But… I don't agree with him. I see what you do. You help people. You make the world a better place. That's what I want to do too."

Julia clenched her fists. "I have two little brothers, and we don't live in a safe neighborhood. They barely go outside to play. There's a playground by our apartment, but because of all the gangs, no one actually uses it. Kids should be able to play outside without worrying about getting caught in the crossfire. I want to change that. I want to be a hero."

Anya hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "It's just me and my mom. My dad died in a shootout—he was just walking home from work. He had nothing to do with the gangs, but he still got caught in the middle of their stupidity. I'll never forget the day we found out he wasn't coming home. No one should have to go through that. No one should have to lose a family member over some pointless fight about a block they don't even own. If being a hero means I can make my neighborhood safer—if it means I can stop something like that from happening to someone else—then that's what I want to do."

One by one, they all made their decisions.

Looking at their faces, I could see it—resolve.

Good.

"Well, now that that's settled, I guess you all can finally meet Spider-Man," I said.

Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Well? Aren't you going to do something?" I glanced at Peter.

They all followed my gaze, their faces shifting from curiosity to shock—especially Cindy.

"You're Spider-Man?!" Cindy blurted out.

Peter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh... yeah, I am."

"Oh my God, it all makes sense now! Why you always disappeared at random times, why your clothes were all messed up when you came back—how did I not guess this before?!" Cindy exclaimed.

"I tried to make sure no one found out," Peter said sheepishly.

"I get that, but come on—your excuses were terrible. I mean, really terrible. I'm honestly surprised no one else figured it out," Cindy shot back.

"Okay, I wouldn't say they were that bad. I was thinking on my feet!" Peter protested.

"No, they were bad. I could list them off for you," Cindy challenged.

"There's no need for that," Peter said quickly.

Ignoring him, she started listing off his excuses one by one. I had to admit, she had a point—they were pretty dumb.

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Peter finally said, looking embarrassed.

Everyone burst into laughter, including me. Peter just sighed, clearly defeated, but he took it in stride. It took a few seconds for the laughter to die down.

"Alright, back to business," I said, regaining focus. "For your training, Peter will teach you how to use your spider abilities, and Master Bang and Panda will train you in combat."

Miles blinked. "Wait—you have a guy named Panda on your team?"

"Yeah. And once you meet him, you'll understand why," I replied with a small smirk.

"Your training officially starts tomorrow after school," I continued. "I'll text you where to go, and a portal will open. Step through, and you'll arrive at our base. But for now, I'll teleport you all home."

Before sending them off, I added one last thing.

"And this should go without saying—but don't tell anyone about this. Not your friends. Not your family."

Everyone nodded—except for Anya and Cindy.

"I'm sorry, but I have to tell my mom," Anya said. "She's the only family I have left. She'd definitely notice if I started disappearing randomly. Besides, I don't really have that many friends."

"And my grandpa already knows about my powers," Cindy added with a shrug. "I used them in front of him when we were getting mugged."

Well, that complicated things a little.

"Alright then, I guess I'll have to talk to your mom and your grandpa later," I said.

Cindy shrugged again—she clearly didn't mind. Anya, however, looked worried. I had a feeling this was going to be a heavy conversation.

One by one, I teleported them all home. Miles was the only exception—I simply sent him back to the alley where we first met.

Anya was the last one. I stayed with her because I wanted to talk to her mother first.

"You look a little worried. Does your mom have a problem with people who have powers?" I asked.

"If you're asking if she hates mutants, no," Anya said. "There are a few living in our apartment building, and she's friends with most of them. I'm just worried she won't let me be a hero. You said it yourself—I'm underage, and I'm the only family she has left. I don't think she'd be okay with me going out and putting myself in danger."

I nodded, understanding her concern. "I get that. And if she doesn't let you be a hero, I'll have to respect her decision. But I will try to convince her to at least let you train so you can control your powers."

She looked disappointed.

"But," I added, "I'll also try to convince her to let you be a hero."

Her eyes met mine.

"I can tell—you really want this," I said. "So I'll do my best to help you. But if she says no and stands firm on her decision, I need you to respect that. You can wait until you're eighteen, and then you'll be able to make your own choices."

Anya frowned. "If she says no, then I have to wait years to make my neighborhood safer? How many people will die because of that?"

"Not as many as you think," I assured her. "Your neighborhood already has a hero—Julia lives here too."

She fell silent, thinking about what I said. I sat down with her, and we waited for her mother to return.

A couple of hours passed before we finally heard the door unlock.

"Anya, I stopped by the store and got some steak. It was buy-one-get-one-free today," her mother called out as she stepped inside.

She paused mid-sentence when she saw me sitting there. Her face froze in shock, but thankfully, she didn't scream. That was a good sign.

I stood up and walked toward her, closing the door behind her since her hands were full. Then, I took the groceries from her and placed them on the kitchen table. She didn't stop me—just kept staring in surprise.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of, let's sit down. We need to talk," I said. "First, introductions. I'm Arsenal. And you are?"

"I'm Sofia Corazon," she said hesitantly. "I'm sorry, but… why are you in my house?"

"I'm here to talk about your daughter."

Sofia's eyes darted to Anya. "What about her? What did she do?"

"Nothing bad. I just think it's best if we all sit down and talk first," I said.

We moved to the living room. Sofia and Anya sat on the couch while I pulled up a chair in front of them.

"First, let me be clear—your daughter is not in trouble," I said. "The reason I wanted to speak with you is because she has powers."

"What?!" Sofia turned to Anya in shock.

"Are you a mutant, mija? If your powers activated, that means you were in a stressful situation, right? That's what Clarice told me. Why didn't you tell me? I would have understood."

That name caught me off guard. I hadn't expected to hear it. It might not be her, but I needed to make sure.

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "Clarice—what's her last name?"

Sofia looked confused but answered anyway.

"Ferguson. Clarice Ferguson. She's our neighbor. Been living here for two years now. Why?"

"No reason. Just checking a theory of mine," I said.

This was unexpected. I never imagined running into her here. This could be good—maybe I could convince her to join the team. We could definitely use her abilities.

Sofia gave me a suspicious look, but she focused back on her daughter, waiting for an explanation.

Anya hesitated before finally speaking.

"I knew you'd be okay with me being a mutant," she admitted. "But… I'm not. I actually got my powers from a spider."

Sofia frowned. "A spider?"

"I was going to tell you eventually," Anya continued. "But I wanted to figure things out on my own first. Then Arsenal showed up and promised me training to help me control my abilities."

Sofia let out a small breath of relief. "Okay, that makes sense. I get that. But… a normal spider doesn't give people powers. How did he even find you?"

"It's complicated," I said. "But it involves a special suit. The important part is that the spiders were an experiment from a company trying to create super-soldiers. They escaped, and that's how she got her powers. I tried to track the spider down, but it was too late—it had already bitten others."

"Others? What others?" Sofia asked.

"There are more people like her," I admitted. "But we can talk about that later. Right now, there's something more important your daughter needs to tell you."

I turned to Anya, giving her the floor. She looked nervous but still spoke up.

"Arsenal offered me a chance to be a hero," she said. "And I want to do it."

Sofia shot up from the couch. "No. Absolutely not! You're just a child—I'm not letting you do this!"

Anya stood up too. "But he's offering me training! I have powers—I can help people!"

"No," Sofia said firmly. "It's too dangerous. I'm not letting you go out there and fight gangs, powers or no powers!"

"But I won't be alone! The others on the team want to be heroes too. We're going to work together," Anya argued.

"Are any of them of age?" Sofia challenged. "Or are they all underage?"

Anya fell silent.

"That's what I thought," Sofia said. "No. I won't lose you like I lost your father."

Anya's expression softened, but she didn't back down. "The reason I want to do this is so no one else has to go through the pain we did."

Sofia's face froze. The room went silent.

I decided to step in.

"Miss Sofia, I understand why you don't want your daughter to do this," I said. "But I promise you—she will receive the best training. I'll personally craft a suit for her—fire-resistant, frost-proof, bullet-resistant. I won't let her go out there unprepared. And if she ever needs me, I'll be there in a heartbeat. I swear to you—your daughter will come home every time because I'll be watching out for her and her entire team."

Sofia gave me a sharp look. "Tell me, Arsenal—do you have any children of your own?"

"I do. But he's not human. He's a sentient airplane I brought to life using a special artifact."

She blinked at me in disbelief.

"Regardless," she said, "try to imagine your child was flesh and blood, someone who could die from a single mistake. Would you let them do what you do?"

I didn't hesitate. "If they truly wanted to, and if they had powers they could use to help people, I would make sure they were prepared for the world. Just like I'm going to do for your daughter."

Sofia didn't respond right away.

I stood up. "I've said all I need to say. This is a family decision, so I'll leave now. I'll return tomorrow for your answer."

With that, I teleported away. I could tell Sofia needed to talk to her daughter alone.