Chapter Text
"Hey, man!" The young mechanic pulled a gun and aimed it at the giant intruder. "This is our garage! You can't just come in here and--"
Hun backhanded him without a care. The man and his gun went flying off to the side, with the gun going off as it hit the floor. Luckily for everyone, the bullet shot up and embedded itself in the ceiling.
"I need your cars. All of them." He demanded, crossing his arms and silently challenging anyone to defy him.
"They're not yours." A twenty-something Hispanic man glared at him. "This is my family's garage, and those cars are our responsibility."
Hun glared at the young man. He was just reaching for his sword when an older Hispanic man came over.
"Stand back," he whispered to the other man. "I'll take care of this."
He turned back to Hun. "You heard Robbie, get out of our garage."
"I see you were not listening." The Foot soldier sneered.
He moved faster than anyone in the room expected. In seconds the man was on the floor, struggling for breath.
"GABE!" The young man screamed.
The garage erupted into chaos. Hun smirked.
In minutes, the only ones left alive were himself, and the young man leaning over his brother.
"Like I said." Hun repeated. "My Purple Dragons and I will take the cars."
The mechanic never reacted as the gang members took each of the cars. He simply wept over his brother. Hun laughed as he drove away with the last one.
What a weakling.
- - - -
"Gabe." Robbie couldn't help it. His big brother, his best friend...
Gabriel Reyes was gone.
He didn't know how long he wept. But after a while, all he could think about was that monster delivering a killing blow. Murdering their friends and coworkers. Driving away with every car they'd been paid to fix.
Rage bubbled up inside him.
He didn't care what it took, what he had to do. He'd avenge his brother. He wanted that man to pay for what he'd taken from him. He wanted every member of that gang to pay...
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a deep voice.
"What would you be willing to give to ensure that your brother's killer is brought to justice?"
Robbie answered readily.
"Anything."
"I can help you."
Robbie turned around. And saw the scariest person he'd ever seen.
- - - -
"Thanks again for letting us have my birthday party here, Professor." Petra thanked the leader of the X-Men.
"The pleasure is always ours, Petra." Professor X smiled. "After all, with the team thwarting another Sentinel attack and final exams coming in two months, the students needed a bit of levity. Your birthday happened to come at the perfect time."
There was a series of loud whoops from behind them. Bobby had made a copy of Mikey's unflattering portrait of Boliver Trask, and had tacked it to a dartboard. Raph, more than a few students, and even one or two X-Men were participating in the game. Storm got huge cheers when she forwent the darts and instead shot a tiny icicle right at the portrait's nose.
Pet knocked back her cup of soda and grinned at the party scene. Leo and Esmeralda were talking by the snack table (she kept asking him whether or not they were official, and he kept blowing her off). April was trying to keep Casey and Gambit from playing poker again. Donnie was deep in conversation with Doctors Grey and McCoy. Mikey was telling a bunch of the younger students about some of their more exciting recent fights while Bobby Drake sat next to him, one of his arms around the turtle mutant and a warm expression on his face. The Professor had moved on to talk with Splinter and Agent Coulson.
She was about to go to the snack table and refill her drink when she heard a familiar raspy voice.
"Kid."
Pet turned around, smiling. "Hi, Logan."
Most people (including other students at Xavier's) were often shocked to learn that she and Wolverine were friends. Even being told about Logan's history with her late parents didn't dull the shock. But Pet truly liked him; she saw him as a bit of a hardcore older cousin.
He didn't smile back, which wasn't unusual. But he looked around before he bent down a little to whisper to her, which was unusual.
"I need to talk to you. Come on."
Surprised, the spider girl nodded and tossed her empty cup in the trash before following Wolverine.
He led her into one of the school hallways. Because the party was mostly taking place in the main foyer, the hall was empty.
"Where's your boyfriend?" Logan got straight to the point, arms crossed.
Pet nearly laughed. So that's what this was about.
"He got laryngitis. He's over it, now, but he's still getting his voice back. We're going on a date next week, though." She raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to worry about telling him not to hurt me or anything. Splinter and my brothers already took care of that..."
"This isn't about that." He all but growled. She paused, surprised.
"Kid," Logan began. "Sh--Crap I'm bad at this stuff..."
"What stuff?" Petra was growing concerned.
"You and I have healing factors." Logan started again. "Even though mine's stronger than yours, they both keep us from getting as hurt as we would in a fight. Right?"
"Right." Pet nodded.
"Healing factors are great. But they can make you sloppy. Make you think that you can do anything and not get hurt. But healing factors only protect you and me. Not the people we care about."
Petra wasn't quite following, but she nodded.
Logan sighed. "I suck at this... Did Fury tell you what happened with your parents after Mary learned she was pregnant?"
"Yeah, they both took lighter assignments until I was born, then went back to being full-time."
"He didn't tell you everything. Rick and Mary had to leave you with your aunt and uncle all the time because they knew their jobs put a massive target on your back."
He pointed at her as he finished the sentence. Her eyes widened.
"Your parents had a lot of enemies, kid. Some were AIM agents, some were mercenaries, some were even on SHIELD's most wanted list. If any of them had known about you, they would have tried to use you to get to them. That's why they made sure you were only ever seen in public with your aunt and uncle. They never wanted to do anything that would put you in danger."
"...Oh." Petra couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Superheroes, mutants, agents, we all make enemies. Sometimes dangerous enemies." Logan glanced at where the rest of the party-goers were. "Your dad knows that."
Pet nodded. Logan knew all about the Shredder; he'd taken it as a personal insult when he learned about Shredder's spring-loaded razor gauntlets.
"All I wanted to say," Wolverine finished, "is that your boyfriend could get in big trouble if anyone in the Foot Clan ever finds out he's dating you. If Shredder's as crazy as you say, he or one of those crazy bastards working for him might target your boyfriend. I've seen it happen to others a thousand times."
He looked her in the eyes. "Be careful, kid. Got it?"
She nodded. "Got it."
They went back to the party in a slightly somber mood.
That mood was lifted when there was an angry yell that only could have come from Raph.
Running at top speed, Mikey and Bobby (holding hands as they ran) streaked through the foyer with matching panicked expressions.
Seconds later, a dripping wet and ticked off Raphael ran after them.
- - - -
Hun smiled to himself as he entered his quarters.
As of late, things had been going very well. The fly was gone, Shredder's lab pet/daughter was gone, Tiger Claw was gone, he'd stolen enough cars to fund the Foot Clan for weeks, and now...
Now he had a lead on how to lure the Spider into a trap.
Hun grinned maliciously at the image one of the more tech-literate of his Dragons had pulled from a security camera.
It was old, from nearly three months ago. But it showed, all too clearly, a boy with red-streaked hair kissing the Spider.
He'd already sent a Dragon to the location the image had been taken at, but it seemed the boy didn't live there.
No matter. All it would take was a run through facial recognition software, and the boy's identity would be found.
And he'd finally win back his place at the Shredder's side when he threw that brat at his feet!
- - - -
Something was wrong.
No matter what, MJ was never late for their dates.
They'd set it all up: a picnic on the roof of Avengers Tower, then a Broadway show. They'd decided to meet up at six.
It was six-thirty, now. She hadn't even gotten a text from him.
She decided to call him, and hit her speed dial. She waited, and someone picked up on the third ring.
But it wasn't MJ who answered.
"So nice to talk with you after so long, Spider."
The fifteen-year-old's blood froze.
Hun.
"And to think," the Foot soldier continued. "All it took was kidnapping a teenage brat."
"What do you want, Hun?" She said through clenched teeth, trying to keep the utter terror out of her voice.
"Come to the Empire State Building," he sneered through the phone, "and you'll find out. Come alone, and do not contact SHIELD or your clan members. Otherwise, the brat gets it."
Her heart dropped, and she hung up.
Wolverine's words came back to haunt her as she began to webswing towards the meeting point. She heard a motorcycle below her gun it's engine, but she was too distracted to look.
Nor did she wonder how the bike seemed to be following her.
- - - -
The sight that greeted her when she landed on the Empire State Building froze her blood.
Hun stood at the very edge of the building. In his massive hand, he held MJ's wrist. Marcus James himself didn't look too worse for wear, although he seemed pretty scared.
Spider-Ninja drew both kama.
"Hun, it's been a while."
"Too long, Spider." Hun sneered at her. "The Shredder wishes to meet with you."
"I know what the Shredder wants." She growled, entering a battle stance and getting ready to charge. "This is between you and me. No one else needs to get hurt. Pull him back onto the roof, and let him go."
Hun laughed. "You think I care who gets hurt? My master is right, Yoshi made you weak. The Hamatos have always believed in sparing life; that is what makes the Foot strong. Try all you want, Spider, but you can't save everyone."
"That doesn't mean I'll stop trying." She growled back. "I'm giving you one last chance. Let. Him. Go."
Hun gave a malicious grin, and Pet's spider-sense went nuts.
"Fine."
He released his grip on MJ's wrist. Her boyfriend's eyes went wide as he began to fall.
"NO!" She screamed.
Moving faster than she ever believed possible, she crossed the rooftop and leapt after him. She barely heard Hun cackling.
He was falling several feet below her, faster than her due to his climbing momentum. She debated stopping him in mid-air with a web, but squashed that thought immediately. That could break his neck if she wasn't careful.
She instead shot a web at a passing wall and used it to propel herself forward. She caught MJ in mid-air.
"Hang on!" She reassured him. She felt his arms tighten around her. She held him with her left arm while she shot out a web line with her right. Then she swung her feet forward, swinging them in an arc.
She didn't know how far they were from the street when she began the arc, and she never wanted to. As the arc completed, she swung a shorter line and steered them towards different rooftop. She held him in her arms as she let her feet take the brunt of the impact.
Petra set MJ down and looked him in the eyes. "Are you okay?"
He had a dazed look in his eyes, but he shook it off and smiled at her.
"I'm fine... Well, I might need a little therapy after this, but..."
He pulled her in for a hug.
"I'm sorry." She said into his shoulder. "You were in danger because of me. Logan warned me that people might come after the ones I love to get to me... I should've listened better..."
"You saved me." He corrected her. "I'm alive thanks to you... and I'm really sorry for ruining date night."
She let out a tiny chuckle. "Hun gets the blame for that."
Hun.
Her smile disappeared, and her eyes grew hard with resolve.
"Wait here. I have something I need to take care of."
"Tiger, wait--"
She shot a web line and swung back up onto the roof of the Empire State Building.
Hun was waiting for her, his sword up.
He never stood a chance.
Petra was running on fear and fury, and she didn't want to hold anything back.
In a matter of minutes, Hun's sword was broken, along with an arm, his nose (again), possibly a leg, and at least four ribs. He was lying on ground, staring at her with fear as she approached, cold fury in her eyes.
"Please," he begged before spitting out a few teeth. "Don't..."
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't." She growled.
She moved for her kama...
Her mind went back to that night in the alley. The man who'd killed her aunt and uncle.
Great power, great responsibility.
She was no killer. She wouldn't be like Hun, or Shredder.
Pet blinked in surprise, horrified at what she'd almost done, before she growled at the Foot soldier.
"If you ever come near anyone I love again... I'll come after you. And I'll bring my friends."
Hun looked like he wanted to get up and punch her, but his body was too broken.
"This is not the end, Spider." He growled.
Petra started walking away.
Her spider sense alerted her to the kunai Hun had just thrown.
But someone caught it before she could dodge it.
She looked at the newcomer with surprise.
He was a twenty-something year old, dressed in black motorcyclist clothes. He threw the kunai down, and stared at Hun with pure venom.
"You?" Hun started laughing. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to get revenge for the man you killed."
The Foot soldier smirked. "You will have to be more specific..."
He stopped smiling as the man's eyes turned bright orange.
Petra watched in horror as the biker screamed in pain. Before her eyes, his head burst into flames. In seconds, his flesh had burnt away, leaving behind a flaming skull. Somehow, his clothes hadn't caught on fire.
He stomped over to Hun, and lifted him up by the front of his shirt.
"Look into my eyes." He commanded. His voice had grown deep and guttural.
For a brief moment, Petra wondered how he was talking without vocal chords...
"Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent." The flaming skull continued. "Feel their pain."
Hun started screaming in agony. The screams went on for at least a minute before they stopped short.
The flaming man dropped Hun back onto the ground, where he laid at an odd angle... with smoke tendrils rising from his body. Then the man turned to look at Petra.
She was tempted to go for her kama, but for some reason the flaming man wasn't setting off her spider-sense.
He pointed at her.
"You. Innocent."
"Um... thanks. For catching the kunai." She responded, not entirely sure what to say. "Wait, who are you?"
He glared at her, but answered.
"Ghost Rider."
He whistled. A motorcycle with flaming tires rolled up (how the heck had THAT gotten to the top of the Empire State Building?) and stopped in front of Ghost Rider. He boarded, revved the engine, and drove off the side of the building. She raced to the edge, and saw him driving down the side of the building, defying gravity with ease.
She stood there for several shocked seconds before she realized she should probably call SHIELD.