Chapter Text
Normal talking: "Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!"
Thinking: 'Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!'
Over Radio/Speaker: .:Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!:.
All Might/Powerful Beings Speaking: "Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!"
All Might/Powerful Beings Thinking: ‘Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!’
All Might/Powerful Beings Over Radio/Speaker: .:Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!:.
Sound Effects: *BLAM!*
AIs/Computers: "Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!"
Speaking Another Language: {"Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!"}
Spinner sat in the van that acted as their as of yet unnamed vigilante group's primary means of transport, currently parked a few buildings away from a laundry detergent factory. Though he was sharpening his sword with a whetstone, Spinner found himself distracted, thinking back to that morning. The day had started off largely normal, when Miss Yashida announced over breakfast that one of her contacts in the Shie Hissakai leaked some vital information.
“A drug lab?” Spinner asked, eating from a can of peaches. The rest of the group of vigilantes, plus Eri, were sitting around a table eating from cans and boxes of takeout.
“Yeah… and my contact says it’s not just Trigger that’s being produced, either. It’s some new super weapon… one that’s been halted ever since Eri-chan escaped.” Miss Yashida explained.
“So it’s likely that she was the source of their production.” Spinner's fist clenched in anger. “How long do we have to take it down?”
“A few hours. Overhaul's in a meeting with the other oyabun, and most of the Eight Precepts are at his main base of operations, so this is the best time to take action.”
“Agreed.” Steven Grant said, before giving control to Jin. “Tsutsumi-san, I know you just got here, and you're hiding from HYDRA, but it would mean a lot if-”
“Stop.” The sniper woman smiled. “You had me at ‘drug lab.’”
Coming out of his musing, Spinner was able to catch Marc asking Miss Yashida “So, what’s the plan, lady?” The woman in question was bent over some blueprints of the building, trying her best to study them.
“The fuck if I know… I’m no good at this assault type stuff.” Yashida admitted. “I figured we would just go in and wing it.” Marc was about to speak up, but surprisingly, Spinner beat him to it.
“No, that’s a terrible idea for a number of reasons. We don’t know who’s actually innocent or not, so we should try to avoid lethal attacks. Also, we don’t know how long of a window we’ll have before the big boss calls in for a report. Therefore I think our best bet is a confusing, but quick surprise attack, a blitzkrieg to be precise.” Pointing at a couple of windows, Spinner continued. “I say that first we disable any communications, then we throw in some of Goryō's smoke grenades, or maybe some flashbangs, and while they’re disoriented, we run in and take down the guards. When everyone’s either disabled or knocked out, we break into the lab and grab whatever’s in there, making it look like a robbery, then dispose of the drugs or whatever else we find off site.”
After a moment, Spinner realized that everyone was staring at him in surprise.
{“...how the hell’d you come up with a plan so quickly!?”} Hecate signed, her costume an odd mix of military body armor and witch/arcane style clothes.
“...I… played a lot of tactical shooters.” he admitted with a blush.
“Huh… well, I like it, kid.” Miss Yashida.
“Agreed. I think that’s a solid plan… we just need to know where the drug lab’s entrance is.” Kaina muttered, staring at the blueprints.
“According to my source, there’s a hidden staircase in the main office that requires either Mimic or Overhaul himself to open, so we'll need to use explosives.” Miss Yashida explained.
{“Can't you just use your claws to cut a hole through it?”} Hecate signed, Spinner translating for the older woman.
“Sure. If you don't mind waiting thirty minutes while I cut through the wall. My bones aren't coated in Adamantium, and my Yokai Flame only affects organic matter, not brick.” Hecate nodded in understanding, before focusing on her various bullets and blades, each one glowing a light blue briefly.
“Feasible, sure, but that’d take too long.” Kaina muttered, arm currently in rifle form as she loaded several hair bullets into the chamber on the side.
“Huh, last time I saw you, you could only load one bullet at a time. What changed?” Twice asked.
“Your divine roommate.” Kaina explained. “He gave me two extra quirks. It’s expanded on what I’m capable of, so long as I use them in the name of justice. In my case, that usually means taking down HYDRA’s forces.”
Hecate smiled, placing a stereotypical witch’s hat upon her head, the dirt-colored apparel at odds with the military body armor.
“So, how do you want us to call you while we're in the field?” Spinner asked, securing his mask in place.
{“Hecate, like the Greek goddess of magic, is fine. After all, it’s how I pull off my impossible shots.”} the young sniper signed, smirking as she pulled up a muddy brown scarf over her mouth.
“Wait, so Hecate isn't your real name??” Miss Yashida asked. “Why haven't you told us your real name?”
Hecate shook her head. {“My old identity is … too dangerous to use anymore, especially in Japan.”}
“Why? Got enemies here? Besides HYDRA, I mean.”
Hecate shook her head again. {“I have family here, innocent of my activities. I can’t drag them into it.”}
Yashida shrugged, but then sat up, sniffing the air. “North American Violets, that's the signal.”
Spinner nodded, climbing out of the van with his katana sheathed. “We need to hit everything at once so they can’t send a message to their bosses. I’ll get the phone and ethernet. Hecate, you handle any security cameras. Goryō, Moon Knight, you guys will throw the grenades in once the cameras are out. Miss Yashida, you'll handle the door and locks.” Using his quirk, the Gecko heteromorph scaled the wall of the nearby building, leaping to the other side, quickly locating several phone lines, and got his katana ready to slash them. “Goryō, Moon Knight, get into position, tell us how many cameras there are so Hecate can take them out.”
Kaina, callsign Goryō, nodded, slipping on a ghoulish looking skull mask while she ran to the left side of the building. Moon Knight, meanwhile, took the other end. Doing a quick count, the avatar of a moon god pressed a finger to the com in his ear. “There’s about… three cameras on my end, I think.”
“Four on mine.” Kaina added. “Though why am I not the sniper here?”
.:I figured you’d want to stay hidden from the HPSC, and no offense, but your bullets are too distinctive.:. Spinner sheepishly explained over the coms.
“Fair enough. Hecate? Mind showing off what caught my attention?”
Hecate smirked, tapping the side of her com once before pulling out a cheap camera drone, using it to get a better view of her targets. Taking note of her targets and the surroundings, she silently calculated what the settup would require. {‘Sept cameras… equally spaced out. Une alleyvay covers only the trois, ze deux are on ze other vall, and ze rest are facing ze street… best to devlect ze shot off ze street light at ze ozzer end. ‘Ave each shot bounce off ze valls ov ze buildings until eet can take out ze vinal camera. Zis is going to be calling vor…. Sept hits on ze cameras, quatre on ze alley vall, trois on ze buildings, and une on ze street light, so I should be viring a Magic Bullet vith a charge level of treize.’} reaching into her belt, Hecate drew out a single rifle bullet, focused her Quirk upon it for several seconds, and carefully loaded it. Taking careful aim at the street light, her silver eye glimmering blue, she fired a single silenced shot.
*Pshew!* *CRACK!* *Clang!* *CRACK!* *CLINK!* *CRACK!* *CLINK!* *CRACK!* *CLINK* *CRACK!* *CLINK!* *CRACK!* *CLINK!* *CRACK!*
The bullet, glowing a sparkly blue, first hit a streetlight, denting the metal. The bullet didn’t slow, instead deflecting off each surface with minimal damage, the last camera finally stopping the bullet in question.
Hearing the noises, Spinner slashed through the phone lines the same time he heard the shattering of glass and plastic. Leaping down, he joined Kaina, Moon Knight, and Miss Yashida. The four vigilantes ran in, knocking people down with their weapons and using cheap cable ties to restrain them.
“It’s heroes!! Get them!” a deep voice shouted, the speaker hidden in the smoke. Regardless, several men, all using either baseball bats, pipes, or their quirks, ran to intercept the intruders.
“MADMAN’S PARADE!”
With that shout, a platoon of Moon Knights, Moon Ninjas, and Mr. Knights appeared. Though weak, each clone quickly created a copy of itself, the numbers overwhelming the thugs.
“How’re you holding up?” Spinner asked Jin while taking down a man with spider-like legs emerging from his back.
Moon Knight rubbed his head, Jin responding. “Not too bad… spreading my roommates’ minds over these clones is a bit straining… but this shouldn’t take much longer.”
Indeed, Jin’s prediction proved accurate, as the remaining thugs were handled by the clones. By the time Hecate joined them, there wasn’t much left to do than knock everyone out.
“So… what do we do with the copies?” Kaina asked.
*slash!*
Everyone turned to the sound of one of the Doubles slashing across their chest with their daggers, the others following in its stead with their own weapons. Although their sickles and daggers were doing little more than cutting deep enough for blood to shed, it was enough for each one to melt into muck.
“We agreed that any copy should immediately harm itself after the mission’s done. This way, we’ll know for a fact who’s the original one.” Marc Specter, the real one, spoke up.
“....not going to lie, that’s pretty morbid.” Yashida muttered, but shook her head. “Right now, let’s focus on finding that lab.”
“Shouldn’t we have kept them awake, then?” Steven Grant asked.
“No need, I’ll know where it’s at.” Taking the lead, the former yakuza boss lead the vigilantes to the main office, sniffing around. “There, North American Violets. Someone rubbed flowers on that wall.”
Noting where the old woman was pointing, Kaina immediately got to work, setting explosive charges. “Everyone get back!” Once they were clear, she set them off.
*BOOM!*
Waving away dust particles, Hecate took lead, her pistols out in case of men hiding. When she saw no one around, she gave a thumbs up. Spinner ran in, mask over his face. The stairs didn’t go that far down, and going by the look of the walls, Spinner wouldn’t be surprised if Overhaul had simply converted a disused tunnel into the lab. Miss Yashida climbed down, sniffing. “Were clear. No one’s hiding down here.” Turning on the lights, everyone there immediately cringed or gasped in horror.
***
To call it a true labratory would have been far too generous. It looked closer to a butcher shop mixed with a drug lub, thanks to all the bloodied equipment and tools laid out upon crates of Trigger. Even worse still were the fridges and coolers full of bloodied body parts, including inhuman hands, massive wings, eyes on stalks, and chunks of things that Spinner didn’t want to identify.
“My god…” Kaina removed her mask in horror. “Is this where Eri..?”
“No.” Yashida assured them. “Eri’s scent is here, but it’s old, and smells only like blood, no sweat or skin. Kai would never let someone so valuable-” the woman practically spat the word, “out of his reach for long… this was probably where they refined their drugs, testing its effects on heteromorphs… making sure it wouldn’t exclude them from whatever the effects were.”
{“How could Eri’s blood refine drugs?”} Hecate asked in horror.
“Kid’s quirk rewinds things, right? And Kai’s against quirks, right?” Moon Knight muttered, looking at a pile of cash sitting on the table. “How much money do you think a quirk eraser would go on the market?”
Before anyone could respond, a roar of rage resounded from Miss Yashida, whose claws emerged, engulfed in her Yokai Flame. Beserk, the woman trashed the lab, overturning tables, spilling chemicals, burning remains, and shredding any notes or reports she could find.
All the while, her companions watched, too scared from seeing the normally composed woman lash out in such a violent, animalistic way.
***
The rampage only stopped when Moon Ninja used his kusarigama to ensnare the berserk yakuza woman. “Enough, Yashida! What happened here was disgusting, but we can’t lose sight of our mission! We need to properly destroy this lab, in a way that can’t be traced to you, or else you’ll put Eri-chan at risk of being recaptured!!”
Snarling, Miss Yashida tried to tear through the mystic bandages, but the reminder of her granddaughter made her pause. Huffing angrily, the woman nevertheless took several deep breaths, her flames extinguishing and claws retracting. “You’re right… let’s get what we came for and leave.”
“I’ll grab the Trigger crates… well, the ones that are intact.” Spinner muttered, rushing to the plastic containers that survived the woman’s rampage. A clatter at his feet made him stop and kneel. At his feet was a small metal box. Picking it up, the heteromorph felt for the lock, and opened it up. “Guys!”
Showing them the bullets inside, Miss Yashida immediately snarled, though despite everyone’s worries, she maintained control. “That’s definitely Eri’s blood… but it smells off, like it’s been modified though.”
“I think we found the super weapon…” Kaina muttered, carefully picking up the needle-tipped pistol round.
“Then we burn them to ash!” Miss Yashida shouted, a claw popping out in flames, only for Hecate to stand in the way. “Move, kid..!” Hecate however, shook her head, rapidly signing to the irritated Japanese woman. “I don’t know JSL!”
“She… she says we should keep it.” Spinner translated. “That it… it could be useful… and… imagine if Kai got hit with one of these.”
The group was silent, quietly debating to themselves if using such a thing was the right move.
“...fine.” Miss Yashida sheathed her claw. “But once Kai is dead, I’m melting those things into slag!”
“Fine by me.” Moon Knight nodded, Spinner agreeing and putting the case in his hoodie pocket. After that, the group went to work, spreading flammable chemicals all over the lab’s remains while gathering up the yen and Trigger. While Dr. Moon made sure that the people upstairs were still unconscious, Kaina lit a road flare and tossed it into the lab, letting it go up in flames.
“So, why are we taking this Trigger stuff with us instead of just burning it?” Jin asked Miss Yashida, who was intentionally jostling her crate of Trigger, letting some vials fall and break open.
“So Kai thinks that this was a rival gang’s attack.” Miss Yashida explained, dropping a crate on the ground and spilling its contents. “Make him think we were here for the cash and Trigger, destroying whatever we couldn’t carry.”
“And spilling the product?” Kaina asked.
“Makes us look sloppy, like amateurs who were rushing, trying to get the stuff out before heroes showed up.” the old woman continued.
“Yashida-oyabun.”
“SHIT! It’s one of the Eight Bullets!” Spinner drew out his sword, hands shaking at the size of the man before them. Miss Yashida, however, gently pressed down on his weapon with her hand.
“It’s okay… he’s on our side.” Miss Yashida stated, calmly approaching the man.
“Oyabun… thank you for this…” Kendo Rappa said, bowing his head low. “If I had known what that bastard was doing to Eri-chan when I joined him-”
“He’d have killed you.” Yashida said simply, drawing her sword. “But your actions do well in restoring your honor, Rappa-oyassan. Now hold still, we need to make this look good.”
“Go for my lower arms.” The brawler said. “I value them… and would not ask for them gone in any other circumstance.”
“Thus deflecting you away from suspicions of being a spy.” Miss Yashida nodded. “There's an active steam pipe not far from here. Use it to keep yourself alive until Chisaki fixes you. Tell him a rival gang did this. The crew was small, about seven people, all inexperienced men in cheap masks and plain clothes, but with high end gear, the kind of stuff only organized crime can get a hold of.”
Kendo nodded, kneeling on the ground.
“Shouldn't I shoot him?” Kaina asked, Rappa nodding in agreement after thinking about it.
“Get me in the shoulders and legs. That'll be enough to disable me and my quirk, leaving me open to Miss Yashida’s attacks.”
“Wait… we have to know, are these things Kai’s super weapon?” Spinner asked, holding up the small box of ammo to Kendo while Hecate handed her pistol to Kaina.
“No, they aren’t. Or, sort of…? Well, Overhaul says they’re supposed to erase quirks for good, but right now these guys only last a few hours.” the fighter explained. “I don’t know the science or process though, I wasn’t allowed near the labs… but I know it needed Eri-chan’s blood.”
“As we thought…” Yashida muttered grimly. “The rest of you should go back to the van. You don't need to participate.”
Deciding not to argue, the vigilantes left for the van, throwing the stolen money, containers of drugs, and bullets into the back. Right as they finished, they heard four gunshots.
“... so… how does Miss Yashida know that guy?” Jin asked, breaking the silence, eager to get his mind off the lab.
“The hell if I know.” Spinner shrugged. “He called her Oyabun though… so I guess they met in the Shie Hissakai?”
“Not quite.”
Miss Yashida left, whipping off her katana with a scrap of cloth. “I found him participating in fight clubs, saw that he was angry without direction, so I decided to train him, teach him honor… with admittedly mixed results. Still, he keeps an eye on things for me in the clan. Now come on, we’ve only got about half an hour before the next shift of guards comes in.”
Hosu Police Station
Magne sat in her jail cell. It had been at least a month since she had been sent to jail, following the Hosu incident. Her trial had to be delayed several times due to strange and often unusual incidents, and it was frankly starting to annoy her.
“Loki above, I just want to get out of here…!”
“Well, perhaps that can be arranged.”
Magne looked up, spotting a pale man with red hair and yellow-white eyes standing on the other side of the cell door. “Who’re you supposed to be, my lawyer?”
“Something like that. I’m here to make you an offer.” the man said. “Call me Mr. Roarke.”
“Well, Mr. Roarke, what do you want?” Magne asked, sitting up.
Mr. Roarke smiled. “I’m gathering some… individuals with aligned goals to act as my eyes and ears within a certain group.”
“Which group?” Magne asked, pulling out a cigarette, only to find she had no lighter. Thankfully, Mr. Roarke held out his finger, a flame appearing on the end. “Thanks.” she leaned forward, letting the flame catch before leaning back. “Fuck, that’s great…”
Putting out his flame, Mr. Roarke smiled at the woman. “Your welcome, and to answer your question, the League of Villains.”
The woman stared at him for a few seconds. “...who?”
“Ah, the ones who attacked the USJ and Hosu.” Mr. Roarke clarified.
“Oh, those losers?” Magne paused to take a few puffs of her cigarette. “I heard they’re a joke… the leader’s a manbaby and their “unbeatable All Might killer” got taken down by that Mysterio kid.”
“Technically, the boy only threw the monster out of the USJ. He didn’t destroy it. Regardless, I feel the group has potential, but right now it needs members who can do more than just rely on their quirks to do everything.”
“Not interested.” Magne responded flatly. “I mean, I don’t mind starting shit and fucking with heroes, but I want it to be worth my while, and that League’s leader isn’t anything like Stain, from what I’ve heard.”
Mr. Roarke nodded, conceding to the Magnetism user’s point. “True, he has yet to find his conviction, but I’m working on that. In any case, I wouldn’t come to this without giving you something in return.”
“You’re offering money?” Magne asked.
Mr. Roarke shook his head. “Even better: I can make your body match who you truly are.”
Now Magne looked over. “What?”
Mr. Roarke smiled, revealing sharp teeth that made him look sinister, especially with his eyes glowing. “I think you heard me. I have many connections, and I know a way to alter your biology to match what you know it should be.”
“You… you can do that!?” Magne asked, excited. “But… but the quirks that can do that are-”
“Outrageously expensive, I know.” Mr. Roarke interrupted. “But if you help me out with this, and not only will you receive your freedom and a lot of money, but you’ll have the body that you should have been born with. The one that was denied to you.”
“I’ll do it!” Magne stood up.
“Excellent, I’ll be in touch.” Mr. Roarke nodded and left through the door, smiling. ‘That’s Magne, Dabi, and Toga handled… now I just need to deal with the Shigaraki boy’s lack of convictions… assuming my little… pet project hasn’t set him straight yet.’
‘Soon… everything will be as I have envisioned it.’
New York
Parker Industries, originally an independent tech company run out of a small garage in Queens, New York by Spider-man’s civilian alter ego Peter Parker, was now a nationwide giant. Eventually it grew in strength enough to gain ownership over OsCorp, Alchemex, Horizon Labs, Bestman Electronics, and Toomes Aerodynamics, to name only a few. Even now, long after Peter Parker was laid to rest with full honors, the corporate giant stood tall, with its focus on helping people over making a profit making them a beloved business in its home state of New York.
The door to the CEO’s office opened up, and in stepped an older man wearing a dark blue suit with a red tie. Miguel O’Hara, formerly the Spider-man, stopped in, loosening his tie as he sat in the chair. Knowledge of the villainous Spider-man in Japan had become more widespread thanks to Japan’s Plastic Beach News, and the local branch of the Spider Society, the Spider-Clan, had gone under scrutiny as a result of it. Plastic Beach News and other news publications critical of Heroes like the Daily Bugle had become much bolder, more open to criticizing the Spider Society for not doing more to track the blood manipulator down, or deal with the Midoriya boy using an old villain identity to be a hero. While Miguel personally thought the kid’s persona was done in bad taste, seeing as the kid was in another country and under the protection of Rocket Raccoon’s star apprentice, he knew it would be better suited for Spider-Sakura to handle. Besides, he had problems closer to home that needed to be dealt with.
‘I wonder if this is how Parker felt when Jameson was running the Bugle.’ Miguel pressed a button on his desk, a hologram of a golden woman, physically modelled after Marylin Monroe, appeared. “LYLA, How does my message inbox look? Spider Society business only, please.”
LYLA, or the LYrate Lifeform Approximation, smiled and gave him a nod, summoning a tablet as she scanned the inbox. “One moment, CEO O’Hara. Update: you currently have 562 emails. Scanning the contents, one hundred and twenty two of which are from Japanese media outlets requesting information on the Blood_Spider and his connections to the Spider-Society, one hundred and eighty six reports from various Spider-Society members regarding their patrols and crime, two hundred and fifty-three strongly worded and often crude personal messages from various civilians demanding action be taken against the Mysterio boy, and one email from David Shield requesting your presence at this year’s I-Expo, with passes to include your family and a plus one of your choice, what fun!”
Miguel audibly groaned. “Oh great… LYLA, call Tempest, tell her there’s a chance I won’t be making it to dinner tonight.” the older man sighed as he looked over the requests for more help in the investigation. “Ugh, I miss the days when all I had to worry about were Tyler Stone and Alchemex… I doubt I’ll even be able to attend this year’s I-Expo-”
‘Miguel.’
Miguel sat up in his chair. The voice that he heard did not come from over the intercom. It wasn’t one that he heard often, and never was its owner the one to summon him. Usually he went to her. “What..? Was that-”
‘Miguel, get in here now. This is important.’
Miguel swallowed nervously, but stood up, though not before resummoning his AI assistant. “LYRA, update the message to Tempest. I’m definitely going to be late… Original Spider-Family business.”
“Understood, sir. Activating Office Privacy mode.” At once, the shutters of the office clanged shut, the internal cameras switched to thermal, and all signals to and from the room were blocked.
Going to a wall, the man moved aside a portrait of his parents George and Conchata, revealing a secret control panel. Punching in a code, then placing his hand under a DNA scanner, he allowed the machine to get a reading on his Altered DNA. When it was finished, a nearby wall opened up, exposing a hidden room that the CEO entered.
The room wasn’t very large, about the size of a garage, but throughout the room were golden cables, glowing softly with a strange power, crisscrossing with each other, all leading to several screens, each one showing a member of the Spider Society, from the different factions all over the world, as well as seemingly random strangers. Covering the walls, wherever there weren’t cables, electrical components, or screens, were runes. Miguel didn’t know what they did, but Dr. Strange had personally placed them all over, to protect the sole occupant who resided in this lonely alcove. In the center of the room, facing the most massive concentration of screens, was a single hospital bed. Mystical objects and alien machines of all kinds were hooked up, monitoring heart rate, brainwave activity, breathing, and so much more, all to keep their patient alive.
Stepping into view, Miguel approached the chair placed beside the bed, and after a moment of hesitation, sat down. He stared at the woman laying before him. She was ancient, bald with wrinkles and burns across her form in equal amounts, what little hair she had left, once red, was now sickly white. She wore a long red and blue dress with a black, web pattern adorning it, the silk garment trailing past the owner'slegs like a serpentine tail. After a moment of trepidation, he spoke up. “Madam Webb… did you see another candidate?”
The woman did not respond immediately, but eventually she turned her head towards him. Though she wore a blindfold to hide her damaged eyes, Miguel knew that she didn’t need her vision to see him.
Just as she didn’t need her voice to speak anymore.
‘I have… but that’s not why I called you here.’ the telepath explained. ‘I had a vision… of disaster, of the means to avert it… and my successor.’
“Success… no, you don’t need a-” Miguel sat up, trying to protest the woman’s claims, only for a mechanical arm, modelled after a spider’s limb, to emerge from the bed, gently pushing him back down. The limb retracted back into the base of the bed, and the one who laid within it faced him, smiling sadly through her oxygen mask.
‘Miguel, I’m nearly a hundred and thirty years old… Dr. Richards, Mr Stark, The Guardians, and Dr. Strange did everything they could to keep me in this… sad state, but even technology and magic have their limits. I simply cannot, should not, keep on going like this.’
“...you said you foresaw a disaster?” Miguel asked, unwilling to argue with his original mentor.
‘I did… I saw several disasters… all of it centered on Japan… and a secret legacy. But more importantly, it involves the Prophecy of Webb and Myst.’
“The Prophecy of…” Miguel’s eyes widened in shock. It was the last vision that the previous Madam Webb had, and it involved one of the most dangerous beings Peter Parker ever encountered. “You mean the one with… him?”
Madam Webb grimaced, her fist weakly clenching in anger. ‘Yes… the entity that tried to keep my parents apart, only to fail. He is back, and has enacted several machinations that would allow him to finally gain power in this world… one of which is coming to fruition… at I. Island.’
“The I-Expo…!” Miguel realized in horror. “What do we need to do?”
‘You need to travel there… work with the boy that accompanies All Might.'
“Just the boy? Not All Might? Why him?” Miguel asked.
“He has a power that will end His most dangerous pawn, but he has yet to unlock all that it is capable of.”
Miguel nodded. “Alright. How will I find him if he’s separated from All Might? The man’s fanclub isn’t exactly easy to bypass.”
Madam Webb smiled. “Oh no worries, he’ll be easy enough to spot, since he’ll be wearing Mysterio’s fishbowl.’
Smirking in spite of himself, Miguel was about to speak when the psychic continued.
‘And I must be there as well. In person.’
“What?!” Miguel actually stood up this time. “But Madam Webb, if you leave these chambers-”
‘I’ll probably die. I know… and I’m fine with that… but I won’t let it happen. Not until I get to my successor.’
“...she’s there?” Miguel asked.
‘Yes. She knows hardships unlike most, but has kept her heart heroic… and understands the burden and the responsibility of power, no matter what form it takes.’
“I… I understand. I’ll begin the preparations immediately.” the retired Spider-man promised, before standing up. “Rest well, Madam Webb.”
The old woman gave a bare hint of a smile. ‘Miguel, I’ve told you countless times, you’re my friend, and all of my friends call me Mayday.’