Hawk moved first.
Peter followed close behind.
As Gwen gasped and Mary cried out, both girls felt the world spin, their vision blurring as a sudden weightlessness swept over them.
The next second—
With a deafening crash, the massive screen that had ripped free from the Times Square tower slammed into the plaza below, shattering into countless fragments.
By sheer luck, it missed the crowd.
But the explosion of glass shards still cut into several bystanders.
"Holy shit!"
Mary stumbled as she landed, nearly falling. Wide-eyed, she stared at the panicked crowd fleeing in every direction, then at the ruined screen in pieces across the street.
"Wait—where's Peter?"
Hawk, who had already whisked Gwen to safety, raised a finger. "There."
Mary turned.
Up ahead, Spider-Man had already suited up, his red-and-blue figure arcing gracefully through the air. With a flashy twist, he landed atop a police car with a solid thump.
Mary's lips twitched.
Gwen patted her arm gently. "Look at it this way—Peter made sure you were safe before he jumped in. That means he cares."
Mary blinked at her, then reluctantly nodded. "…Fair."
Gwen exhaled in relief, then turned to Hawk.
Hawk cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"Nothing." She forced a smile. "What's going on over there?"
Hawk followed the screams and sparks back to the square, and his expression grew odd.
"Max Dillon?"
"Who?"
Gwen frowned—she knew the name but couldn't place it.
"The electrical engineer from Oscorp," Hawk reminded her. "The awkward guy with glasses who visited your lab."
"Oh… him?" Gwen's eyes widened. "What happened?"
"He mutated." Hawk shrugged.
It didn't even surprise him anymore. First villains from the Raimi movies, now enemies from The Amazing Spider-Man showing up—it was a stitched-together mess.
…Still, the Green Goblin last year had been Raimi's version.
Hawk rolled his eyes. Definitely a patchwork world.
He turned back to the girls. "Anyway, we should go."
Gwen nodded firmly. "Right. Dad always said—don't run toward danger."
Mary bit her lip. "…But Peter—"
"He'll be fine," Hawk cut her off with a smirk. "C'mon, it's just Electro. Even the Amazing Spider-Man handled him. And Peter here is the original—the one tough enough to walk away from a ten-story fall with nothing but a sore back."
Mary faltered. Gwen tugged her hand. "He'll be fine. If we stay, we'll only distract him."
They rushed off toward Hawk's Audi.
The car blinked its lights as Hawk pulled out the key and handed it to Gwen.
She froze, staring at him.
"Take Mary and go," Hawk said with a smile.
"…You're staying?"
"Relax. He's no Hulk." Hawk's grin didn't waver.
Gwen hesitated, then narrowed her eyes. "Swear?"
"I swear—on Anya."
That silenced her. Gwen knew better than anyone—Hawk would never swear on his sister lightly.
"…Alright." She pushed Mary into the car, slid behind the wheel, and gave him one last look through the window. "Be careful."
Hawk nodded.
With a squeal of tires, the Audi sped away.
Only then did Hawk turn back toward Times Square.
He hadn't planned to get involved. Electro wasn't worth more than a punch. And Peter was already handling him.
But this was Times Square.
Times Square, the place that had haunted him since September 10, 2009.
…
Five minutes later, Hawk stood on the rooftop of the Times Square tower.
Below, the square lit up with bursts of lightning as Peter swung back and forth between billboards and neon signs, dodging Electro's blasts.
Then, seizing an opening, Spider-Man launched himself with twin webs, kicked off like a spring, and drove both feet into Electro's chest.
Electro flew backward, smashing into the fountain statue. The stone crumbled.
Hawk's gaze lingered on the villain, then swept across the chaos—the screaming crowds, civilians shocked and collapsed, a boy shielding his sister as he tried to escape.
Hawk's eyes hardened.
"Peter. Kick him into the air."
His voice was calm, spoken at normal volume. But Peter heard it all the same.
Spider-Man glanced up, spotted Hawk on the rooftop, and nodded.
In an instant, Peter flung webs at a nearby police car, flipped backward, and yanked it through the air. The car hurtled toward Electro.
Electro sneered and unleashed a torrent of lightning. The car exploded midair.
And at that exact moment, Peter vaulted low across the ground, webbed Electro, and yanked him forward—then planted both feet into his chest.
Electro soared skyward.
Perfect.
Hawk's eyes lit up. He clenched his fist and swung a plain, uncharged punch.
But his punch didn't need theatrics.
The air itself cracked as it connected.
Electro's body detonated midair, bursting into a storm of raw lightning that cascaded outward like enraged dragons.
Boom. Boom. Boom!
The lights of Times Square flickered out, plunging the district into sudden darkness.
A thwip echoed as Peter slingshotted himself onto the rooftop beside Hawk.
He stared at the smoldering void where Electro had been. Then at Hawk. "…Weren't you friends with him?"
"Max Dillon?"
"Yeah. Did he do something to piss you off?"
"No."
"Then why—"
"Because Times Square doesn't allow someone that overpowered to exist."
"…Right."
(End of Chapter)
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