Date: Monday, October 18, 2010.

  Location: Outside Oscorp, Manhattan, New York

  The Unity Day Festival was a riot of color and sound, pulsing with life. New Yorkers crowded the downtown streets, ughter ringing out to mih the sizzle of vendor food and the distant thrum of music. The air was rich with the sts of hot dogs, pop, and that unmistakable buzz of excitement that came whey united in celebration. Macy Gray's voice soared above it all from the main stage, drawing a sea of spectators with her live performance. Peter Parker threaded his way through the crowd, camera strap around his ned an eager glint in his eye. He snapped did shots of smiling faces, kids with painted faces gazing in wo floats stretg to the sky, and couples dang ireet to the rhythm of the city. Peter fiddled with his camera settings, squinting as he aimed for a high shot of a spectacurly tall float modeled after the city's skyline.

  Among the elite guests enjoying the festival from the Oscorp baly was Mary Jason. a cherry-red blouse with softly curling auburn hair, she stood beside her date, Harry Osborn. They watched the parade from their lofty vantage, removed from the press below. Close enough to hear the music, but distant, standing in the shadow of the t Oscorp building behind them.

  Tyson stood wat the baly, security earpied crisp suit marking him as one of the personnel assigo the Oscorp event. His posture was straight, but his eyes sed the crowd below with a focus that was more than professional. Notig Peter weaving through the throngs. Tyson's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile.

  But Tyson turned his attention skyward, aware of what was ing.

  The parade wound its way through the urban yons, Macy Gray’s performance building to a cresdo. Her voice ed the city in a powerful melody, and the crowd swayed, lost in the moment.

  On the baly, Harry leaned close to Mary Jane, pointing out parade features in an attempt to impress with his float knowledge, eae sponsored by different Oscorp departments. Mary Jane offered polite smiles, her green eyes occasionally drifting to the crowd, unknowingly searg. Peter looked up from his camera. For a split sed across the distance, his gaze met Mary Jane’s. Peter offered a shy smile, his heart began pounding. Though he had beeing closer to Gwely, he couldn't deny MJ had his eyes sihey were kids.

  The su down on the Unity Day parade, its harsh gre obsg details in the bright blue sky. On the Oscorp baly overlooking the festivities, the board members swayed oblivious to anything but their own enjoyment.

  All except for Tyson.

  He stood apart, one mismatched eye the pale blue of a wiream, the other a strey. His gaze stantly sed the crowds and skyline, ever alert. The crackle of his earpiece drew his attention, and he listened ily to the garbled warning from air traffitrol. Something about an unauthorized drone. His frown deepened, fingers reag up to adjust the volume.

  There. A flicker of movement where no aircraft should be. Sunlight glinted off something in the distance, approag fast. Tyson's unease solidified into certainty. Whatever was ing didn't belong here.

  "This is Tyson on the Oscorp baly," he spoke urgently into his mic. "I have a visual on an uified object approag from the east, fast. Notify all units to be o."

  The speck greidly rger, its shape still obscured by distand gre. Adrenaline flooded Tyson's system, his muscles tensing. Around him, the crowd's cheerful chaos tinued, oblivious.

  With a bone-jarring explosion, their obliviousness ehe Green Goblin swooped down out of the sun on his glider, nightmarish and cag. His bizarre e blended military armor with an appearance desigo strike fear upon those who viewed it, and he lobbed glowing pumpkin bombs indiscriminately into the crowds below.

  Screams and paampedes repced the festive atmosphere. Debris rained down as the Goblin's bombs detohe sharp tang of smoke and chaos flooding the streets.

  On the baly, the board members recoiled in horror, their wealth and power meaningless in the face of a supervilin. The Goblin lobbed a bomb straight at them, and time slowed. Tyson saw the bomb ing as if the moment was drawn out. He leaped forward, snatg it out of the air bare-hahen he pivoted and hurled it back at the Goblin.

  The bomb detonated with a thunderous boom that rattled the baly's floor beh his feet. The cussive force smmed into the Green Goblin's chest, knog him off his glider. For an instant, Tyson's eyes met the goblin's behind his grotesque mask and Tyson saw the shod fury swirling withihen he was falling, plummeting toward the unfiving pavement below. His glider, now riderless, zoomed away on its preprogrammed course, abandoning its master to gravity's harsh judgment.

  The pani the baly quieted to a collective gasp as their eyes tracked the Goblin's dest. Behind Tyson, the Oscorp board members' expressions were mingling disbelief and gratitude in equal measure. His focus stayed locked on the filing figure of the Green Goblin as he rapidly neared impact. Duty called, so with quick, decisive ands Tyson herded the shaken board members away from the vulnerable baly and into the retive safety of the building's interior.

  Down below, the chaos tinued unabated. People ran screaming as debris rained down around them. But in a shadowed alley nearby, Peter Parker's hands shook with adrenaline as he yahe familiar red and blue suit from his backpack. The fabric stretched to aodate his frame as he hurried into it, then pulled the masked cowl down over his face. In an instant, Peter Parker was gone, repced by the amazing Spider-Man.

  Spider-Man emerged from the alley and shot a web lio haul himself upwards for a better vahe se below was a mosaic of panicked citizens fleeing every which way. But Spider-Man allowed his hyper-alert seo guide him. He swooped down to snatch a woman from the path of a careening taxi, then webbed up a k of falling debris before it could crush a huddle of bystanders.

  A bellow e refocused his attention upward. The Green Goblin had recovered, once again astride his glider. His masked face torted in hatred as he spotted Spider-Man. "Spiderman!" he roared, charging directly toward the web-slinger.

  The Green Goblin swooped down on his glider, hurling a glowing pumpkin bomb straight at Spider-Man. The wall-crawler backflipped out of the way just in time. The bomb's explosion bloomed e where he had been perched a split-sed before. Spider-Man shot a web lio yank himself upwards, using his momentum to deliver a powerful double-kick to the Goblin's chest.

  The Goblin gru the impact but kept his stan the glider. Razor-sharp talons protruded from his glove as he swiped at Spider-Man. The hero, now standing horizontally on the side of a building, bent backward, and the cws hissed past his nose, missing by a hairsbreadth. Rec his bance, Spider-Man twisted and nded a heavy punch to the side of the Goblin's head.

  The Goblin reeled from the blow, but his glider kept him airborne. With a guttural shout, the Goblin grabbed Spider-Man's arm and hurled him downwards. Spider-Man smmed into the top of a float, pung through in an explosion of fetti.

  Spider-Mahe situation was dire. The Green Goblin's attack had already caused untold damage and hurt far too many i people. Spider-Man o end this quickly before the destru and casualties mounted even further. He shot a strand of webbing directly into the Goblin's eyes, temporarily blinding the vilin. The Goblin bellowed in rage, thrashing and swinging his glider wildly in an attempt to rip the webbing away. Spider-Man seized the opportunity and moved in close, unleashing a rapid series of powerful blows to the Goblin's head and body. But despite the blinding barrage of hits, the Goblin was immensely strong. He fought back savagely, forcefully bading Spider-Man and sending him careening into the brick face of a nearby building.

  Spider-Mahe breath explode from his lungs on impact. The unfiving bricks dug painfully into his back through the e. He slid down the wall, nding hard on the pavement below. The Goblin swooped down towards him, still half-blind but ughing maniacally. Spider-Man shook his head, trying to clear it. He pushed himself up on wobbly legs. This fight couldn't end here. Too much depended on him.

  High above on the Oscorp baly, Tyson finished seg the terrified board members. He ripped off his Oscorp security uniform revealing the dark, sleek outfit of Mirage underh. He pulled the white fox half-mask over his fad leaped from the baly. Mirage nded on the pavement below with one fist dramatically smming into the ground in the quintessential superhero nding.

  Mirage spriowards the ongoing battle without hesitation. "Spider-Man!" he shouted, "Help the civilians escape! I'll handle Goblin!"

  Spider-Man, while dodging another of the Goblin's explosives, caught sight of the newer. A spark of surprise cut through the haze of pain and exhaustion. But there was no time to wonder about the new hero. Spider-Man nodded gratefully and swung away, heading for the screams of those still trapped by the Goblin's wake of destru.

  The chaos below had distracted Spider-Man momentarily from the peril above. Mary Jane was desperately clutg at a baly's broken crete. Her grip was slowly slipping. His spider-sense screamed a warning and Spider-Man whipped his head up to see her terrified face.

  "Hang on, MJ!" he shouted, shooting a web-liowards her. He swung with adrenaline-fueled speed, colors and sounds blurring around him. At the st sed, he reached out and snatched her from the air as she fell.

  Relief flooded through him as he held her close, swinging them both to safety. He set her gently down on a fire escape, away from the destru. Her vivid green eyes were wide with lingering fear, but awe at her rescuer.

  "Are you okay?" Spider-Man asked, evident even through the muffling mask.

  Mary Jane nodded, breath ing fast. "Y-yes...thanks to you, Spider-Man."

  For a moment, Peter, behind the mask, got lost in MJ's eyes. Their gazes locked in a brief but intense e. But another explosion shattered the moment, reminding them of the ongoing battle. "I have to go," Spider-Man said regretfully. "I'll e back for you, as soon as it's safe."

  With great reluce he fired a web and swung back towards the chaos, leaving Mary Jane's heart rag as she watched him rejoin the fighting.

  The battle raged oween Mirage and the Green Goblin. Mirage’s illusory es darted around the vilin, taunting and distrag him. The Goblin cackled maniacally from his glider, weaviween the false Mirages. He was ing enough not to fall for the illusions pletely, but staying airborne made it difficult for Mirage to nd a solid strike.

  A streak of red and blue announced Spider-Man’s return as he swung bato the fray. “Heads up!” he called te before ung himself feet-first at the Green Goblin. The Goblin jerked his glider out of the way just in time to avoid Spider-Man’s attack.

  What followed was a dizzying aerial dance. Mirage’s illusions swirled through the air, mingling with Spider-Man’s webs and the Green Goblin’s fming pumpkins. The heroes were starting to gain the upper hand, but the Goblin was nothing if not uable.

  Sensing he was being ered, the Green Goblin’s grin twisted into a snarl. With a wild, eg cackle, he began hurling explosives indiscriminately at the crowd below.

  Spider-Man’s heart lurched. “No!” He fired web after web, snaring the bombs and flinging them skyward. They detonated harmlessly above, bursts of fiery flainst the cityscape.

  The Goblihe attack as a distra. Cag triumphantly, he guhe glider’s engine and rocketed away. Spider-Man whipped his head around just in time to see his foe’s retreating form. As he retreated, the Goblin shouted, "So long, Spider-Man!"

  “Are you going after him?” asked Mirage.

  Spider-Man had already swung up to a higher vantage point, his gaze fixed on the fleeing Goblin. But then he saw the aftermath below. Injured civilians, scattered debris, fear, and fusion rampant. They needed him here. He looked back at Mirage and shook his head. “No. The people need us here.”

  Spider-Man and Mirage turheir attention to the wounded civilians, assisting the emergency responders where they could. Mirage used his illusions to calm and direct the frightened crowd while Spider-Man put his prodigious strength to work clearing debris and creating paths for the emergency responders.

  Though shaken, the people of the city erupted into cheers and cries of gratitude for their heroes. "Thank you, Spider-Man!" a young woman called out, her eyes bright with relief and admiration. "Mirage, you rock!" shouted a teenager, pumping his fist in the air. Their appreciation washed over the pair in a palpable wave, a mix of desperation, wonder, and gratitude.

  But both Spider-Man and Mirage remained solemn, their thoughts already turning toward the vilin who had fled the se. Spider-Man turo his new ally, breaking the pensive silence. "Nice moves out there, Mirage," he said, a hint of warmth c the usually stoie of his voice. "Couldn't have do without you."

  Mirage tipped an illusionary hat in response, a spark of humlinting behind his white mask. "Anytime, Spidey. It was good to see you out and about."

  Spider-Man's senses prickled, his instincts alerting him to an ingruity. Something about Mirage's voice, and what he'd said teased at the edge of his awareness with an elusive familiarity he couldn't quite grasp. Spider-Ma his thoughts veiled behind the unreadable lenses of his mask, burying his curiosity deep out of long habit.

  "Well, see you around, new guy," Spider-Man said lightly, though an undercurrent of warihreaded his words.

  Grinning, Mirage gave a jaunty salute. "t on it, Spidey," he said. Then with a snap of his fingers, smoke billowed around him. When it cleared, Mirage was gone, leaving behind only a lingering st of mystery in the night air.

  Spider-Man shook his head with a chuckle, the city never failing to surprise him with its characters. Laung himself upward, the cool air rushed past his masked face. He angled his swing toward the fire escape where a familiar figure waited. Mary Jane's vibrant hair whipped in the wind as she gazed out over the city. Spider-Man touched down on the nding beside her.

  "Hold on tight," he said, holding out a gloved hand. Mary Jaurned, relief flooding her face as she grasped his hand without hesitation, trust shining in her eyes. Spider-Man ed an arm around her waist and pushed off, web-shooting from his wrist. They sailed between buildings. Mary Jane's grip tightened around his neck as the city blurred beh them.

  Spider-Man aimed for ay rooftop, releasing a web to slow their momentum before toug dowly. Mary Jane's cheeks were flushed from the wind and her eyes bright with exhiration as he gently lowered her to stand on the roof. They were utterly alone up here, the sounds of the city were a distant hum as a cool breeze eddied around them. Ty d

  "Are you okay?" Spider-Man asked, his voice soft with beh the mask.

  Mary Jane nodded causing her auburn strands to dance across her face. "I am now," she said breathlessly, gratitude mingling with curiosity in her searg gaze. "Who are you?"

  Spider-Man stepped closer, the lights of the cityscape flickering behind his silhouette. "You know who I am," he murmured, a quiet fidence resonating in his words.

  Mary Jaudied the familiar tours of his mask, the strength in his shoulders, the timbre of his voice. Reition stirred within her. "I do?" she whispered hopefully.

  He leaned in a fra, spiratorily, raising MJ's anticipation. "Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man," he said lightly, not revealing the deeper truth between them.

  Mary Jane's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. But Spider-Man stepped back, hearing the siren's call of the city. "I should go," he said regretfully.

  Mary Jane nodded, uanding, hope, and sadness warring in her eyes. "Of course."

  With a st lingering look, Spider-Man shot a web and unched himself off the roof, s between glittering towers. Mary Jached his silhouette fade into the city, knowing somehow that her life had bee entwined with someone amazing.

  — Rogue Rept —

  Tyson lounged ba the plush armchair in his spacious hotel suite, the adrenalihat had coursed through his veins during the day's events had ebbed away. The sudden ringing of his cell phone shattered the quiet tranquility of the room. Gng at the caller ID, Tyson's face transformed into a genuine smile as he reized the number.

  "Hey, Jubes," he greeted warmly as he answered the call.

  Jubilee's voice crackled with barely taiement through the phoy, don't you work at Oscorp?"

  He chuckled softly, leaning further bato the armchair and feigning ignorance. "Uh-huh," Tyson responded casually, his voice the picture of nonce.

  "And you're just 'uh-huh' about this?" Jubilee's voice climbed an octave in incredulity. "I just saw the repy of the parade. There erhero smackdown at your workpce!"

  "Uh-huh," Tysoed, the smirk now evident in his amused tone.

  "Tyson!" Jubilee exploded in exasperation. "Are you even listening to me?!"

  "Yup," he retorted pyfully. "But Jubes, maybe you should look closer at the video."

  A brief pause stretched between them, filled only with the faint clig sound of Jubilee accessing the video on her puter and the tinny audio as she pyed it. Then, a sharp intake of breath broke the silence.

  "Mirage is... you! I should've known!" Jubilee's voice was a mixture of awe and exasperation as she put the pieces together. "Tyson, you sneaky fox!"

  Tyson couldn't help the rich, full ugh that escaped him. "Guilty as charged," he admitted with a grin.

  Jubilee's questions came in aed torrent. "What's Spider-Man like?" she asked hurriedly, the words tumbling over each other in her haste.

  "A real stand-up guy," Tyson replied thoughtfully, the respect he held for the webslinger evident in his tone. "Quick is an uatement, but kind of nerdy too."

  "How strong was the Green Goblin? He looked so tough and scary!"

  At the memory of their battle, Tyson's expression sobered. "Strohan he looks, but weaker than me. He doesn't hold back though."

  "People 't stop talking about your illusions, they were all over the news! How do you even e up with that stuff on the fly?" Jubilee asked in awe.

  Tyson rubbed the back of his neptively. "Instinct, mostly. But I o practice with them more. After the fight, I thought of a whole bunch of better ways I could've used them."

  Tyson rubbed the back of his neptively as Jubilee's ughter rang out from the speakerphone. "Okay, spill it superhero. What's for Mirage?"

  "Actually, I'm thinking it's time to turn anti-hero," Tyson decred, a new edge to his voice that Jubilee hadn't heard before. "Going to take down a vilin from the shadows."

  "Really?" Jubilee's tone was a mix of surprise and intrigue. "Going dark on us?"

  "Yeah," Tyson affirmed, a hint of resolve threading through his words. "This crime lord is strong-arming local businesses into selling to him. I'm teaming up with another indepeo take them down."

  "That's so cool, Ty!" Jubilee gushed, the admiration evident in her enthusiastic voice.

  "But this indepe I'm w with is kinda hot, like a sexy damsel-in-distress type," Tyson added casually.

  Jubilee's excmation was loud enough that Tyson had to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment. "You're rebounding?!" But her excitement quickly gave way to . "Are you sure that's what you want to do? This isn't some emo phase because you miss Illyana, right?"

  He chuckled ruefully, the sound hollow and mirthless, betraying the weight of unspokeion. "Maybe," he admitted. That single word held a world of meaning that Jubilee could clearly hear.

  “So a new maybe-girlfriend? That’s it? So soon?" Jubilee teased, her tone a perfect blend of mock e and curiosity. "I’m a little jealous."

  Tyson leaned ba his chair, uo keep a grin from spreading across his face as he spoke into the phone. "It's not that serious...," he defehough his torayed his delight at this new prospect.

  Tyson leaned ba his chair, phoo his ear, as Jubilee's excited voice demanded details through the speaker. A grin spread across his face at her enthusiasm. He had known she would react this way to the bombshell he had dropped about his new acquaintance.

  "Alright, alright," he acquiesced with a chuckle. "I'll tell you the story."

  He reted the events leading up to his meeting Felicia, being careful not to reveal her yson described the dangerous situation she had found herself in through no fault of her own, expining how her father's substantial debt to the crime lord had forced her into ag as his agent. She helped him seize trol of various busihrough coer and manipution. But now she wanted out and had turo Tyson as an ued ally in bringing the crimelord's operation down.

  Jubilee gasped and excimed through the pho eaew twist and turn iale, demanding ever more details. Tyson obliged, painting a vivid picture of Felicia's motivations and her dangerous predit. Jubilee was nearly breathless with excitement as the story cluded. "That's incredible!" she excimed. Tyson grinned, amused by her enthusiasm.

  As he tinued reting his budding romantic prospects, Tyson's mind drifted to another woman who had retly made his life more... iing. Natasha. He hesitated, p the wisdom of discussing her over the phone. With her ties to SHIELD, who knew if she had ways of listening in? But, throwing caution to the wind, he decided to tease the situation a bit, just in case she was eavesdropping.

  “So, I’ve got this teacher,” Tyson began, the mischief apparent in his lowered voice. “Well, she’s not really a teacher, a student-teacher. There was this fight at school, and she singled me out. Gave me detention just so she could check me out alone in the weight room.”

  “You’re such jailbait,” Jubilee cut in, her ughter clear evehe phone.

  “I knht? But she’s crazy hot. Unfairly so," Tyson tinued, picturing Natalie's fwless features and athletic physique. "And you remember I’ve been taking those csses at the dojht? She shows up there too, and she’s incredible. Fights as well as the sensei. We’ve been practig together. Grappling, making eye tact... the works. I’m pretty sure she’s into me,” he cluded, the smirk practically audible in his voice.

  “Sounds like you’re projeg. Just like with Professor Ororo,” Jubilee shot back without missing a beat, her tone rich with amusement.

  Tyson ughed heartily at that, the sound eg in his sparse apartment. “Maybe. But I’m stig to my story. We’ve got a e; it’s only a matter of time.” Even as he said it, he wondered if there was any truth to his bravado.

  “Yeah, sure, Ty. That’ll be the day,” Jubilee retorted, though her voice held a hint of genuine amusemeh the skepticism. Her voice softehen, a serious uoh her pyful banter. "Just be careful, okay? This world is full of all sorts of dangers, and I don't mean just the kind that throws pumpkin bombs."

  "I know, Jubes, don’t worry, I’ll be careful," Tyson replied, siy returning to his voice. However exg his life had bee tely, her warmed him. He knew she always had his back.

  — Rogue Rept —

  The dimly lit briefing room was illuminated only by the ghostly blue glow of a rge s dispying footage of the ret parade chaos. Nick Fury stood at the forefront, his one pierg eye sing the faces of his elite agents as they gathered for the urgeing.

  "Alright, listen up," Fury's anding baritone voice filled the room, effortlessly capturing the attention of everyone present. "The i at the parade has put two new pyers on the board. Spider-Man and Green Goblin. We o find out who they are, what they want, and what they're truly capable of."

  On the s, images of the lithe, red, and blue-cd figure of Spider-Man fshed by as he swung through the crete yons of New York, adhering to sheer walls with his fiips. Other clips showed him lifting vehicles and debris with impossible, superhuman ease and moving with a grad agility that seemed to defy physics itself.

  "First, Spider-Man," Fury tinued, his stern gaze focused on the footage. "He demonstrates extreme agility, superior strength, and produces some kind of bio-cable webbing from his wrists that allows him to swiween buildings and create s and snares. He appears to be ag on the side of justice...for now." Fury's eye narrowed, "Acc to NYPD reports, he also seems to have a vea against petty criminals matg a certain profile. We need more information."

  Agent Phil Coulson, ever the stickler for details, spoke up, "What's the source of his abilities? Geic mutation? Advaeology?"

  "Uain at this time," Fury replied pinly. "We'll o closely monitor and gather more intelligen Spider-Man before drawing clusions."

  The s then flickered to show the menag figure of the Green Goblin, seen gleefully hurling explosive pumpkin-shaped bombs and cag maniacally amidst the chaos aru.

  ", we have this green maniac," Fury's gravelly voice turned grave. "Enharength, high resilieo damage, and armed with military-grade onry. The high-tech glider he flies on? That's a stolen Oscorp prototype developed for DOD tracts. This is no prankster. He's equipped for warfare and willing to kill."

  t Barton spoke up, "Any leads yet on who's uhe mask?"

  "None so far." Fury replied with a scowl, "Oscorp's not giving us much to go oher. They o knowledge, but something doesn't smell right. We o dig deeper into this."

  Natasha Romanoff had been silently analyzing every fragment of data. She finally interjected, "The emergence of these individuals now, so soon after we discover mutants, ot be a ce. There are rger forces in py here. We o stay ahead of this."

  Her warning hung ominously in the air as the agents exged grave gnces, aware their world may be on the precipice of ge.

  The room was thick with tension as Fury nodded, his single eye fixed in an intense gaze. He appreciated Natasha's assessment.

  "Agreed," he rumbled. "We keep eyes on both Spider-Man and this Green Goblin. The web-slinger could prove a valuable ally or a serious threat. But the Goblin is a clear and present dahat must be tained."

  Around the room, agents began gathering papers and making moves to leave. But then t Barton, the mate spy, raised a hand. His bearing shifted subtly between utter professionalism and casual joking. "Hold up, people," he said, stilling the room. "There's something you all o hear."

  He tapped at a tablet. An audio file sprang to life, filling the space. The voices of Tyson and an unknown girl, identified by Barton as 'Jubes', echoed off the walls. The team listened ily as Tyson revealed his ow identity as Mirage and his pns to colborate with some mysterious indepeo take down a major crime lord. As the rec ended, ptive silence desded. Fury turo Natasha Romanoff, his gaze intense. "Romanoff. Thoughts on who this indepe could be?"

  Natasha's razor-sharp mind was already sifting possibilities. "Unsure, Director," she reported. "We need more information."

  Sensing the need for additional text, Barton spoke up. "There's more," he said. Aap and the versation tinued with Tyson describing the indepe as a "kinda hot, sexy damsel-in-distress type."

  Natasha's eyes glittered knowingly. "Could be Felicia Hardy. She matches Tyson's vague description. There was an i during gym css where he publicly scored a date with her. Might be worth looking into her background."

  Fury nodded. "Coulson," he rumbled, "dig into this Felicia Hardy's history, especially her family. We o identify who this crime lord is that they're targeting." Coulson was already tapping rapidly at his tablet, eng the search. Fury surveyed the room, an isnd of stoic calm amidst the brewing storm. "We'll watch, for now, see how Tyson hahis. We o ascertain if he's an asset or another potential problem to resolve."

  The room hummed with agreement as the gathered agents absorbed the implications of the recorded versation. The palpable air of serioushat had bhe utilitarian space began to lift ever so slightly as t Barton's lips curved into a mischievous smile.

  "Hey, Nat, there's more to the versation, if you're ied," he said, not b to wait for the infamous Bck Widow's reply before hitting py on the rec devi his hand.

  The fident, youthful voice of Tyson filled the room once more, his words yered with the natural coess of an average teenage boy. He wove a tale of being singled out by an attractive student-teacher after a fight at school, then tinuing with a tale of suggestive interpretations of his detention in the weight room and private martial arts lessons. His ughing insistehat she was into him and it was only a matter of time until they got together was met with pyful skepticism from the female voice identified as Jubes.

  As the rec ended, Natasha rolled her eyes, but a hint of a wry smile pulled at her lips even as she projected annoya his antics. "Real mature, Barton."

  t just ughed, obviously enjoying himself. Despite the ever-present gravity of their work at SHIELD, little moments like these were precious, humanizing ss ien too-serious world the agents operated in. Director Fury, however, was all business, his voice slig through the amusement like a sharpened bde, the undercurrent of authority ever-present. "Let's look into this Jubes as well. If she's close to Tyson, we o know her role in all this."

  Nods of agreement circled the fereable. The lingering ughs faded away as the agents refocused oask at hand. In their dangerous line of work, thhly gathering information and uanding their assets, including the most personal details of their lives, was not just necessary. It was critical.

  — Rogue Rept —

  The opulent Empire Suite was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun streaming through its expansive windows as Felicia paced its plush carpet. Her emerald eyes darted over the detailed blueprints of Fisk Tower that Tyson poured over where he sat on the suite's luxurious sofa.

  "So, my tacts came through after all," Felicia said, her voice a mixture of triumph and apprehension. "Fisk's security is iron-tight. State-of-the-art surveilnce, motioors, the whole nine yards. And he's got plenty of trained goons on the payroll." She smirked, "As handy as your illusions are, handsome, your powers only work on the living, not tech. The cameras will be ger ."

  Tyson nodded, g her point. "I know, I know. That's why we 't give them anything to see. We'll need a distra, something big and fshy, to draw security's attention away from us. Meanwhile," he tapped a spot on the blueprints, "we sneak in through here."

  Felicia leaned in, her curtain of ptinum hair falling forward over her shoulders. "Servitrance. Smart move. Lowest surveilnce ce. But it'll be locked up tight."

  "Not a problem for yht?" Tyson asked with a teasing grin, well aware of her exceptional skills at bypassing any lock ever devised.

  She fshed him a wink. "Child's py. Now, the evidence we need is up owelfth floor, in Fisk's personal office suite. That's the true Fort Knox of the building's security."

  Tyson's expression became serious, his easy smile fading. "Then we'll have to move fast once we're inside, find the intel, a out before they even know we've breached the perimeter." He tapped his temple. "I cast a few illusions as we go, keep the guards distracted, make them see ahings that aren't there. As long as they're human it's no problem."

  "And what about the non-human problems we might run into?" Felicia asked, arg one slender eyebrow.

  Tyson just shrugged in reply, not seeming ed. Felicia chuckled, the sound soft yet brimming with fidence. "Right. Leave the muscle to me, hero. We've got a Kingpin to dethrone."

  The night ed around Tyson and Felicia like a cloak as they stood hidden in the shadows. Their eyes were fixed on the imposing edifice of Fisk Tower, its dark silhouette looming against the city skylihe stant hum of the city seemed distant, muted by anticipation as they focused on the fortress of their enemy. The unspoken challenge of breag its perimeter hung heavy in the air.

  Without warning, the stillness shattered as a chilling, maniacal cackle sliced through the night. It echoed off the surrounding buildings, the haunting sound sending shivers dowhe most ceous spines.

  The guards statio the entrao Fisk Tower stiffened, hands instinctively moving to their ons. "That's the Green Goblin!" one excimed, voice tinged with equal parts fear and reition. He reized the ughter from tless news reports detailing the vilin's reign of terror.

  "Call for backup!" another barked, already reag for his radio. In seds, the front of Fisk Tower came alive with activity as more security personnel poured from its doors, eyes sing the skies for any sign of the ughing menace.

  Unbeknownst to them, Tyson was using the chaos to his advantage. As each guard rushed past their hidden vantage point, he locked eyes with them, allowing his powers to seep into their minds more fully. They saw the Green Goblin all right, but not the true threat. It was an illusion of the Goblin appearing to hover near a building across the street, his demeanor almost pyful, curious, but not immediately threatening.

  With the guards distracted, Tyson turo Felicia, his face set iermined lines. "That should give us enough time," he said.

  Felicia, her bck catsuit, simply nodded. "Let's go py heroes," she quipped, and together they dashed from the cealing shadows, making a beeline for the servitrance.

  Tyson and Felicia moved as one, slipping through the night like silent shadows. Reag the servitrance, Felicia crouched, her gloved fingers deftly maniputing the set of lockpicks. In seds, the lock clicked open, proof of her exceptional skills. They slipped ihe heavy door closing softly behind them with a muted thud.

  Now they were in the lion's den, surrounded by the imposing state-of-the-art security system. Cameras swiveled menagly, red lights blinking, but the two intruders moved like ghosts through the sterile corridors. Years of honing her abilities allowed Felicia to dodge and evade the eleic eyes effortlessly. Tyson projected subtle illusions, visible only to Felicia. Phantom arrows indicated safe paths, and ghostly words provided warnings. Meanwhile, Felicia employed her gymnast's agility to flip, twist, and tort past dangers, bending her lithe body into whatever shape necessary to avoid dete.

  Every inch of the sterile corridors of Fisk Tower was monitored by the test in cutting-edge surveilnce. Cameras swept bad forth ceaselessly, their cyclopean red lights searg for any intruders daring to trespass upon their domain. Motion sensors studded the walls and ceilings, vigiries ready to sound the arm at the slightest disruption of the empty stillness.

  Felicia glided phantom-like through this forest of eleic eyes, Tyson a wraith at her side. "Cameras left," she murmured, barely a breath yet veying volumes to her partner. With an almost tender caress, she flicked out a small device that struck the camera with a brief spark. The red light sputtered and died, blinded for the moment. Tyson focused his talents, crafting illusions that slid into the guards' minds, showing oy hallways where moments before the two intruders had been.

  Together, they slipped through the teological snares, Felicia's lithe gymnast body twisting through ser grids, her quick fingers dang over security pao disarm them. Tyson wove his illusions, painting a vivid alternate reality over the guards' senses. Like ghosts they moved through the tower, their skills plementing each other perfectly in this intricate dance of deception and infiltration.

  Felicia stood before the imposing vault door, keenly aware that the clock was tig. She and Tyson had made it this far through Fisk Tower ued, but their luck wouldn't hold forever. Beyond this final barrier y the evidehey o take down the Kingpin's empire.

  The thick metal door loomed, daring any to attempt to breach its defenses. An intricate dial sat tered at Felicia's eye level, requiring the proper bination to unlock its secrets. She cracked her knuckles, theo work, long tapered fingers dang nimbly over the dial as she relied on her exceptional seo feel out the tumblers within.

  Left, right, left again, pausing briefly between each delicate turn of the wrist. The silence was deafening save for the soft clicks sounding with each fraal rotation. Felicia's brow furrowed in tration, her body stilling as she focused all her attention oask at hand.

  A louder click suddenly rang out as the final tumbler fell into pce. Felicia's red lips curled into a triumphant smile. "We're in," she whispered.

  Felicia stepped through the vault door, her emerald eyes sing the dim interior. Rows of floor-to-ceiling shelves stretched out before them, packed tight with boxes, folders, and straifacts. This vault held the most sensitive secrets of his crimierprises.

  Tyson followed, treading softly, senses alert. He khe clock was tig. Their window of opportunity was brief, just mio find what they needed before the guards realized they'd been duped.

  "Start searg," Felicia instructed tersely, already moviween the rows, sing bels, pulling down likely boxes. Tyson joined her hunt, rifling through financial records, tracts, and shipping mas.

  The vault's dim interior stretched before Felicia and Tyson, the rows of floor-to-ceiling shelves packed tight with boxes, folders, and straifacts. This hoard held the most sensitive secrets of Wilson Fisk's criminal empire. Tyson's senses remained alert as he followed Felicia's lead, treading softly across the crete floor. He kheir window was brief. They would have just mio find what they needed before the guards realized they'd been duped.

  After several tense minutes of searg, Tyso out a low, sharp cry. "Got something!" In his hands, he held a file folder, an emblem of a hand embzoned on the front. Felicia's fingers flew across the keyboard of the vault's lone puter, her emerald eyes sing lines of code. Theoo struck gold. Financial records, and a web of illegal transas, all leading back to the Kingpin himself.

  "This is it," Tyson said, his voice tight with excitement. "Everything we o take Fisk down." Feliodded, her gaze steely. In quick, precise motions she plugged in aernal drive ahe download in motion. The clock was still tig but with this evidence, finally, their pursuit of justice could begin.

  Tyson and Felicia turo leave, prized eviden hand, when a broad silhouette appeared, blog their exit. Stepping forward, the light revealed the formidable figure. He stood well over six feet tall, his physique bulky with sbs of muscle. But his most strikiure was his head. It was ft on top, jutting forward over his colr in a blocky ridge. It resembled a hammer or anvil, hard-edged with no curvature. He gred at the intruders with small, deep-set eyes under a heavy brow. His nose was smashed ft and his thin lips twisted in a scowl.

  "Well, well," he rumbled, "What do we have here?"

  Tyson shifted subtly, angling himself between the man and Felicia. His muscles tensed, ready t into a. Felicia's catlike gaze narrowed.

  Hammerhead chuckled darkly. "Looks like a couple of rats done snuto the boss's private stash." He cracked his neck, the motion atuating his massive, sledgehammer-like head. "'t have that now, we?"

  He took a menag step forward. Tyson tered his advance, rising to his full height, an imposing figure even pared to Hammerhead's bulk.

  "We were just leaving," Tyson stated evenly.

  Hammerhead sneered. "Ain't happenin', punk."

  With startling speed belying his size, he shed out. A meaty fist rocketed toward Tyson's head. Tyson ducked uhe blow, the rush of air from its passing ruffling his hair. He tered with a fist of his own, striking Hammerhead's forehead. The thug didn't even flinch from being struck full force by Tyson's adamantium knuckles.

  "My turn," Hammerhead growled. He grabbed for Tyson, but even as the ft-headed man's fingers entwined in Tyson's tight bck top, he g Felicia, a silent unication passiween them. She nodded once, sharply, and stepped back, giving Tyson the room he needed.

  The air shimmered and Mirage vanished from Hammerhead's grasp. Tyson whirled around to see not one, but four identical versions of the illusionist grinning cheekily back at him. "Over here, Hammerhead!" one duplicate called out with a wave.

  Hammerhead let loose a roar of pure frustration and charged straight at the illusion, which dissolved the moment he made tact. The thug tinued forward, smashing head-first through the drywall.

  Mirage nimbly danced aside as another copy of himself appeared on Hammerhead's left. "ry again!" the illusion taunted.

  Felicia watched the proceedings tensely as Tyson led Hammerhead on a merry chase, the big man's iructible head smashing holes in the walls and floor everywhere but their actual target. Seamless aig, the illusio Hammerhead charging like an enraged bull.

  Felicia caught Tyson's eye and jerked her head meaningfully. There, in the wall just behind where Hammerhead was currently taking out his frustration on another illusion, was arical panel, wires spilling out like the guts of some futuristic creature. Uanding fshed in Tyson's eyes. He crafted o illusion to stand right in front of the exposed wires, goading the angry vilin.

  “e on, is that all you've got?” it jeered.

  With a bellow of pure rage, Hammerhead charged. The illusion popped like a soap bubble a mere two seds before Hammerhead's steel-pted head smmed into the electrical wires. A brilliant fsh of light and a crack like thunder apahe impact, and then Hammerhead was flying backward, thrown by the current several feet until he crashed to the floor. Smoke rose from his charred clothes but he did not rise.

  Felicia moved to the fallen goon and checked for a pulse. "He's alive," she firmed, "but he's going to have one heck of a headache when he wakes up… No pun intended." The ughter burst from Tyson before he could stop it.

  Tyson approached Hammerhead's downed form. The man's bulky body rawled limply across the floor, residual smoke still rising faintly from his charred clothes. Tyson crouched dowo him, eyes narrowed in tration. Carefully, he forced open one of Hammerhead's eyelids, exposing the eyeball underh.

  Tyson focused, willing his power of illusion to take root in Hammerhead's mind. "You will only remember fighting the Green Goblin, and losing," Tyson murmured, his voice low but yered with persuasive and. He fed the images directly into Hammerhead's brain; visions of the maniacal, green-masked vilin swooping down from the skies, cag gleefully. Hammerhead recalled futilely trying to fight back, only to be overpowered by the Goblin's irength. The false memories took hold, ting themselves over the truth.

  Satisfied, Tyson released his mental hold on Hammerhead, allowing the man's eyelid to slide closed once more. When Hammerhead awoke, Tyson hoped he would have no recolle of their infiltration or obtaining the incriminating evidence. As far as he khe Green Goblin was to bme for the destru in the vault. Tyson and Felicia's involvement would remai.

  "Let's move," Tyson said tersely, keenly aware their window of opportunity was shrinking by the sed. Felicia turned without another wracefully navigating her way back through the maze of shelves. Tyson followed close behind, senses alert for any other threats. In his mind, he was already plotting their escape route, crafting illusions and diversions to eheir getaway.

  They moved swiftly through the sterile corriduided by Tyson's phantom arrows and ghostly warnings visible only to Felicia. He wove illusions in the minds of the guards they passed, cealing their preseogether, their skills plemented each other fwlessly, Tyson's illusions and Felicia's agility allowing them to slip through Fisk Tower like ghosts.

  The shadows of the murky alleyway enveloped Tyson and Felicia in damp ess, a brief respite after their narrow escape into the city's darkness. Adrenaliill thrummed through their veins from their getaway.

  "That was...inteyson exhaled, his breath pluming in the chill night air. He leaned against the alley wall, broad shoulders sagging as the tension began to bleed from his muscur frame.

  "Wele to my world," Felicia quipped, though her pale eyes were serious beh the fall of ptinum hair across her forehead. She stood poised on the balls of her feet, lithe body coiled and ready for a despite her apparent ease. The thrill of their success put a spark in her icy gaze. "But we did it. We actually did it."

  "We make a good team," Tyson said with a nod, the dim light catg on the sheen of sweat across his dark brow. Feliodded back, the barest hint of a smile toug her full lips.

  AN: It was at this point iory that I started a Patreon page where you go to support my writing. If you’re ied in tributing to the cause, Patreon./Steatoda. Same name as here. Assuming you’re reading on WebNovel or Scribble Hub, there will tio be regur updates to this story until it catches up to the other publicly released chapters (End of Arc 4).

  There’s a poll where readers vote for Tyson’s power. Anyone vote, not just supporters. The options be a bit of a spoiler if you look at them too closely. The poll will remain open until I’ve finished writing Arc 6, which shouldn’t be too much longer.

  As far as Patronage goes, a bu the tip jar gets access to geed images for my stories. A few more bucks get NSFW images and early access to the chapter. The highest tier gets that, 2 chapters ahead, a sneak peek at the arc’s cover, plus some unreleased drafts.

  If you ’t or aren’t ied in supp, no worries. I appreciate that you’ve hung around Tyson’s jourhis long, and hope that you’re enjoying the story. This story will tio be posted for free. O’s caught up, updates will be weekly, usually on Wednesdays.