Chapter 2: Rescue
"No damage at all?" Spider-Man asked.
Under normal circumstances that would have been good news, but right now it felt unsettling.
"Correct. My guess is that Amadeus realized from the very start that they stood no chance, so he triggered the Iron Spider Armor to return on its own," Fury explained.
"That preserves what little strength we have left, and it also warns us how dangerous the enemy is."
"Without the suit, Amadeus is just a brilliant person. He can't survive the Arctic for long," Spider-Man worried.
Fury nodded. "Exactly. The climate there is brutal. Even fully equipped S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can't last more than three days. With Amadeus' body condition, he won't survive four hours. That's one of the reasons we need you to go."
If Amadeus' life weren't in imminent danger, Fury would never have sent Spider-Man out this quickly.
Spider-Man reached out and took the Iron Spider Armor from Fury.
The moment he touched it, the armor unfolded and wrapped around him in an instant. The red and blue Spider-Man suit was instantly covered by the red and gold Iron Spider Armor. Built with combined tech from Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D., the Iron Spider's performance practically matched Stark's latest armor. It represented the peak of Earth's engineering.
"No time to waste. I'll head out now," Spider-Man said.
"Be careful," Fury replied.
This wasn't the Director speaking, but the mentor who had watched the kid grow.
Spider-Man let out a quick sigh. "If I pull this off, do I finally get a jetpack?"
Spider-Man has longed for a jetpack since his first day at S.H.I.E.L.D., but to this day, S.H.I.E.L.D. still hasn't given him one.
Fury pressed a red button with a blank expression.
The helicarrier's deck split open, ready to launch its lone hero.
"So stingy," Spider-Man muttered.
The Iron Spider Armor's thrusters roared to life, and he shot out of the carrier.
Adjusting himself midair, he darted toward the Arctic.
The armor's engines carried him fast enough that he vanished into the horizon in seconds.
Fury and Coulson watched from the command deck in silence.
"Director… I rarely question your decisions, but sending Spider-Man alone feels risky."
Fury didn't respond. His gaze stayed fixed in the direction where Spider-Man had disappeared.
Seeing that, Coulson returned quietly to his station.
Ten minutes passed before Fury finally spoke.
"Come back alive."
Out on the way to the Arctic, Spider-Man's face had grown tense.
There was something he hadn't told Fury.
The moment he put on the Iron Spider Armor, a hidden message had triggered.
"Spider-Man, don't come. You're the one they want. It's a trap," Amadeus Cho's voice echoed from within the armor.
"If this trap is meant for me, then Iron Fist and the others got dragged in for nothing. Whatever's waiting in the Arctic, fine. Just don't hurt my teammates."
Ring ring. Ring ring.
At the worst possible moment, someone was calling.
A holographic ID flashed across his mask display, showing who was trying to reach him.
"Aunt May…" He accepted the call.
"Peter, where are you? You said you'd be home today. Why aren't you here?" May's worried voice came through instantly.
"Uh… Aunt May, something came up. I might be a little late."
"Is this another Spider-Man thing?"
"Yeah… S.H.I.E.L.D. ran into some trouble. I have to take care of it."
"Peter, I'm not against you being Spider-Man. But you promised me it wouldn't take over your life," May reminded him gently.
"I know. I swear this is the last time. Once this is done, I'll come straight home," Peter answered.
"Alright. Just promise me you'll stay safe. Today is Ben's memorial day, and I can't shake this bad feeling. It's the same feeling I had the day he…" She glanced at the photo of Ben Parker on the table, her voice tightening with fear. "It feels like I'm going to lose someone close again."
Peter froze. He had completely forgotten what day it was.
"Aunt May, don't worry. I'll be careful. And… what's for dinner tonight? I'm kind of craving apple pie," he asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
"Then I'll make apple pie for you tonight," she answered softly.
"Aunt May, I've got something to take care of. I'll call you later."
"Peter…"
She didn't get to finish. Peter ended the call.
Beep… beep… beep…
May slowly lowered the phone, the uneasiness in her chest growing stronger.
"Please… let Peter be safe."
Up in the sky, Peter felt a knot tightening inside him. Aunt May's premonition and Amadeus' warning filled him with pessimism for the upcoming Arctic trip.
"They're targeting me. Iron Fist and the others got dragged into this for nothing. No matter what's waiting out there, I'm bringing them home. That's my responsibility."
His thoughts drifted again to Uncle Ben, as they always did in moments like this.
"With great power… comes great responsibility," he whispered.
Spider-Man pushed the thrusters harder. The Iron Spider Armor streaked through the sky toward the Arctic at full speed.
The Arctic stretched before him, a land ruled by eternal cold. During the endless day, the sun hovered low on the horizon and cast a pale glow across the ice fields, making the frozen ground shimmer like shattered crystal. When night returned, the heavens became a theater for the aurora, green and violet ribbons flowing like silent silk over the desolate world.
The ground was locked beneath meters of permafrost. Frost-coated rocks, smoothed by ages of wind and snow, lay scattered across the barren expanse.
Today, however, a violent storm ripped across the Arctic, twisting the landscape into a blinding chaos.
When Spider-Man arrived, the entire region was being torn apart by the raging blizzard.
"Please tell me Amadeus didn't get caught up in this thing… he'd never survive it," Spider-Man muttered, then dove straight into the frozen wasteland.
Visibility was nearly nonexistent. He relied on thermal imaging and the faint S.H.I.E.L.D. signals Amadeus had left behind to navigate.
Ten minutes later, Spider-Man finally located Iron Fist and his team.
There, across the endless white, lay the bodies of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's heroes and the agents who had gone before them, scattered helplessly across the snow.