Since Charles showed up, Charlie's life had oddly settled down.
For half a month, not a single bit of trouble stirred.
At night, after Harry's birthday party wrapped up, Charlie rode his outdated motorcycle through the streets.
Vroom~
The engine roared as he passed a dark alley. A shadow emerged from the gloom.
Watching Charlie's back, the figure raised a communicator. "He's here. Grab Charlie Parker, and we can use him to threaten Spider-Man."
Before the words settled, steel rebar from the walls twisted into serpentine shapes, striking like vipers and piercing the figure's body.
Stab~
Thud!
The body hit the ground. On the rooftop, a buzz-cut man narrowed his eyes.
"Charles, it's done."
"You killed him?" Charles' voice, laced with unease, came through the communicator.
"It's Erik."
Erik's expression didn't shift as he glanced at the corpse's attire. "Hand ninja. They're after Spider-Man. I had to take him out."
Charles frowned. "That's the sixth one. You need a break."
"No need."
Erik scanned the direction Charlie had gone. "This guy's Spider-Man's friend. He can't get hurt—not until that lord regains full power. Spider-Man can't be killed by others or fall into traps. It'd be a hassle if he got injured."
Charles shook his head. "Actually…" He trailed off.
"Actually what?" Erik pressed.
"Nothing. You'll see eventually."
Charles changed the subject. "I'll keep watch here. You handle the Hand. Just warn them."
Erik's eyes flashed with menace. "Got it."
A warning wasn't enough. These threats needed to be eradicated.
As Erik left, Charles, lingering by the roadside, sighed.
Since that incident, Erik's bloodlust had grown. Not a good sign.
Hopefully, he'd figure it out.
That lord felt off, and though Charles was wary, Erik's pursuit of power was becoming reckless.
He was worried.
Vroom~
Charlie's motorcycle roared past. He pretended not to notice Charles.
Charles' powers were still developing; his telepathy couldn't pierce Charlie's mind, so he wouldn't know Spider-Man's identity.
Charlie knew the recent calm was an illusion crafted by Charles and Magneto.
Anyone targeting Spider-Man was quietly dealt with by the duo.
It gave Charlie a warm, fuzzy "sense of security."
Who doesn't love free muscle?
Except Charlie.
With these two around, he had no chance to rack up retry points.
Plus, Wanda's warning all but confirmed that lord's identity.
Whoever it was seemed very interested in Spider-Man's "stronger with every death" trait.
So, until they showed themselves, they wouldn't let "Spider-Man" get hurt.
Charlie, though? Fair game.
Suddenly, above him, the unfinished skyway groaned. Glass panels cracked rapidly, shards raining down.
As the debris threatened to bury Charlie, Charles' face paled. "Too late!"
Before he could act, a black shadow shot down from the skyscrapers.
Whoosh~
Webs fired, the shadow swung across the street, and Charlie vanished.
"Wait, my bike…"
Charlie's yelp was cut off as the glass engulfed his motorcycle. The shadow whisked him to a billboard.
"You okay?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Charlie grinned at the Spider-Woman before him.
Spider-Man saved by Spider-Man. Pure bliss.
"That was my only ride," he said.
Gwen shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not buying you a new one."
Charlie shook his head. "It's fine. I made some cash recently—enough for a new hoverbike."
"You should see this."
Gwen showed him her phone. "Stark Industries is breaking into the auto market. They've got a Spider-Man-branded hoverbike—wall-crawling, web-clinging, super versatile. Worth a look."
Charlie eyed the Spider-Man endorser on the screen, then glanced at Gwen. "How much was your endorsement fee?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Another missed business opportunity.
Gwen shrugged. "Decent. Just bought another mansion."
"Motherf—!"
Charlie glared toward Stark Tower.
Decision made: hush money doubled!
"Thanks for the save. I've got stuff to do, so I'm out."
Charlie clumsily hopped off the billboard and bolted toward Stark Tower.
Symbiote Gwen. The other Resurrection Match contestant was definitely Venom Parker.
As Charlie left, Gwen's eyes narrowed. Black liquid on her suit writhed, forming a feminine demonic face.
"I smell him. He's delicious. Let's eat him!" The demon's tongue curled, eyes gleaming with greed.
Gwen frowned. "He's my friend."
The demon face leaned closer, its grin stretching to the back of her head. "I don't mean that kind of eating."
"Then what?"
The demon whispered in her ear, making Gwen sigh. "I'm done with you. No more of those movies when we get back."
"No! Please! I love those actresses!"
The demon wailed as Gwen smacked it back into her suit.
"Let's go."
"You owe me a midnight snack."
The black shadow swung away. Below, Charles mused, "Charlie Parker's got more than one Spider-Man friend. He's really interesting."
The next day, Charlie was in high spirits.
Pepper's hush money was very satisfying.
But stepping into the living room and seeing it littered with tissues, his mood crashed.
Wade, with his dragonbone fossil, was way too undisciplined.
Glancing at the fossil on the couch, Charlie grimaced, no intention of touching it.
The Time Tablet was shattered, and Wade had burned through the fossil's last energy on this.
He needed to kick this guy out.
Wade's presence filled his life with crude innuendos.
Not even funny!
Beep, beep~
His communicator buzzed.
"Mr. Spider-Man, today's the Avengers' new recruit party. You in?" Carter asked.
"New recruits?"
Charlie raised a brow. "The Avengers got fresh blood?"
"Yup."
Carter sounded exasperated. "Superhumans are popping up like crazy, and our weapons can't keep up with the updates. So, I'm hiring newbies to ease the pressure."
Charlie's mood sank further. "But I'm still unemployed. Those superhumans are avoiding me."
"Invincible Spider-Man, no crook wants to run into you mid-crime."
"Love hearing that."
Charlie hung up and slipped into his nano-suit.
"Let's roll!"
Whoosh~
The red-and-blue figure leapt from the skyscraper, firing webs to swing between buildings.
"Oh~ It's Spider-Man!"
Hearing the crowd's cheers, Charlie knew.
The city's crime rate was spiking again.
The mutant era.
That guy moved fast.
Mid-thought, his electric spider crawled onto his chest, and Charlie surged skyward as an arc of lightning.
Zzzzt~
Soon, Sky Island.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
At the lawn party, agents mingled with champagne, savoring a rare moment of ease.
Natasha, in a black gown, unleashed her charm.
Barton, ever stoic, wiped his quiver while eyeing the new recruits.
In the crowd, a young man in a blue suit chatted lively with Natasha.
Nearby, Coulson and other agents fired pulse guns at a hulking stone figure.
Bang, bang, bang
Energy pulses hit, but only chipped off bits of the stone man's tough exterior.
No real damage.
"Wow, Grimm, you're solid," agents marveled.
Big guy Grimm's ego swelled. He struck bodybuilder poses, showing off from every angle.
In the corner, Alexei watched the stone man, seething with envy, crushing his champagne glass.
"Hmph, ugly as hell. What's being hard worth without power?"
He barged into the crowd, standing beside the stone man, striking even sharper bodybuilder poses, egging on the agents' cheers.
"Oh! Grimm, match him!"
"Yeah, the Avengers can't lose to the Thunderbolts!"
Grimm doubled down. Alexei refused to back off. The two shoved each other, vying for the spotlight, nearly brawling.
"You pushed me!"
"You pushed first!"
As the giants squared off, agents backed away.
"Look, Spider-Man's here!"
Someone pointed at the streaking arc of lightning. Alexei straightened, smug.
"My buddy's here. Done with you."
"Your buddy?" Grimm gaped as the red-and-blue figure landed. "Your buddy's Spider-Man?"
"Of course, my best pal."
"Wow, that's awesome! I wanna be Spider-Man's friend. Can you hook me up?"
"Depends on your performance."
"I'll shine, Senior Alexei."
"Senior?"
The word sent Alexei to cloud nine, legs wobbling.
"Hahaha, not bad. You're doing great. I'll introduce you to Spider-Man," Alexei promised, pounding his chest.
Meanwhile, Charlie spotted Carter. "Hey, you're really into red," he said, eyeing her red gown, tiptoeing slightly.
"Maybe skip the heels next time," he added, stepping back.
No way anyone notices Captain Carter's slightly taller than Spider-Man in heels.
Carter chuckled. "Got it, Mr. Spider-Man. Let me introduce the newbies. You'll be shocked."
She waved, and a handsome, upright man approached.
Before he could speak, Charlie blurted, "Captain?"
Johnny glanced at Carter, then struck a serious pose. "Avengers assemble… Blazing Thunder!!"
With a shout, flames engulfed Johnny, and he rocketed skyward as a fire-wreathed figure.
Charlie: "…"
He turned stiffly to Carter, hands spread. "Seriously?"
Carter shrugged. "I was shocked too at first. That's Johnny Storm.
He was an astronaut at one of our thirteen bases. When the artificial sun was created, cosmic rays fried him. He just woke up with flame powers."
She nodded toward the stone man and a couple in matching blue suits. "Those three are in a similar boat."
Charlie scanned them, palming his forehead. "Congrats, four solid new Avengers."
"Yep."
Carter gestured to the couple. "Reed and Susan. They're about to tie the knot. Reed's power is shapeshifting his body—like a rubber man."
"I've seen One Piece," Charlie said.
"Pirates?"
Carter shook her head. "Don't get it."
She pointed to Susan. "Johnny's sister. Her power's invisibility."
"And the stone guy, Ben Grimm. I tested him—about a hundred tons of strength. Way stronger than Alexei."
Charlie nodded, glancing at the still-flying fire man. "Why's he still up there?"
Carter thought. "Probably hasn't figured out how to land."
Charlie: "…"
Sure enough, Johnny yelled from the sky, "Help! I can't stop!!"
Carter: "…"
Seeing Charlie's odd look, she waved it off. "No rush, I've got this."
She signaled Agent Hill, who grabbed a garden hose.
"Come here!" Hill called.
"Got it."
Johnny swooped low, water blasting him, mist rising as his flames fizzled.
In the crowd's eyes, the doused Johnny plummeted. Reed stretched his arm to catch him.
The fiasco ended quickly, agents unfazed.
At Carter's signal, Charlie followed her to the lab.
"We've confirmed the Time Tablet's beyond repair. Its power's completely gone."
Eyeing the shards in the glass case, Charlie remembered something. "Felicia's dad?"
"He's fine," Carter said. "While you were gone, Walter was healed by the Time Tablet.
But he stole too much, so he's in lockup."
Charlie: "…"
"Confiscating his castle?"
"Nope."
Carter's eyes teased. "That castle's generations old. What're you thinking?"
"Such a pity."
Charlie sighed. "Felicia's still a rich girl. I'm bummed."
"To get Walter out, Felicia's joined the Thunderbolts," Carter added.
Charlie clapped. "Brilliant! Worthy of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s commander. Compared to you, Fury's like crap and—"
"No need to compare. I know you're praising me," Carter cut in.
Charlie exhaled. "Good thing you stopped me. I hadn't figured out how to describe you yet."
Carter: "…"
Mentioning Nick Fury soured her mood. "Thought that guy would be picking cotton after getting canned, but I was wrong. He had a plan."
She asked Charlie, "Heard of S.W.O.R.D.?"