Washington D.C. – S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
The security in the Triskelion was airtight on paper.
Armed guards patrolled each floor. Surveillance drones scanned the airspace. Every hallway was sealed with biometric locks.
None of it mattered.
Viper moved like a shadow.
Slipping through security grids with precision and silence, her green suit glistened faintly under the low lights of the server room. Her emerald eyes scanned the darkened chamber as she inserted a bypass chip into the mainframe.
"Avengers Initiative," she whispered.
The file opened with a soft beep. One by one, she downloaded every classified detail and there was names, power levels, psychological profiles, weaknesses.
Iron Man. Captain America. Thor. Hulk. Black Widow. Hawkeye. Spider-Man. Wolverine. Ant Man. Wasp.
A twisted smile crossed her lips.
She moved like a ghost again, out the corridor, disabling a passing agent with a whisper-quiet pressure point strike. Then she vanished through a ventilation shaft.
Moments later, a black stealth jet screamed into the sky, leaving only silence behind.
HYDRA Bunker – Undisclosed Location
Red Skull stood at the edge of a long war table. A large screen lit up before him, projecting the S.H.I.E.L.D. files.
He turned as Viper approached and bowed.
"You have done well," he rasped, voice like grinding steel.
"They have assembled gods, monsters, and children," Viper replied. "But even gods can bleed."
Red Skull turned toward the screen, eyes narrowing at Nathan's file.
"Begin the culling," he said. "Bring me those who will make the Earth fear again. We will start with the young spider."
Queens
The crack-boom of concussive energy shook the street as Shocker unleashed a blast from his gauntlets, sending cars flipping and alarms wailing.
Nathan, suited up as Spider-Man, flipped over a mailbox, webbed it mid-air, and slammed it into Shocker's chest.
"Still haven't learned to keep a low profile, huh, Herman?" Nathan grunted, dodging a blast that took out a fire hydrant.
"I'm not here to play around, Webhead!" Shocker growled. "I just want my money and out!"
Nathan fired a web at his gauntlet. "You picked the wrong city for a withdrawal, dude."
With a twist, he yanked the gauntlet upward and flipped behind Shocker, landing a heavy boot to the back.
One more web to the legs, a punch to the jaw, and the villain was down.
Nathan stood over him, panting. "Guess you still shock at this."
Police sirens echoed down the street. Nathan shot a line upward and launched into the sky.
Queens – Nathan's Apartment
Nathan landed lightly on the fire escape, pulled his mask off, and wiped sweat from his brow. His phone buzzed.
Ava Ayala – Calling…
He stared at it.
Then declined.
He sat for a long moment before opening his window, stepping inside his room, and pulling the mask fully off.
He was halfway to his bed when he heard a knock on the front door.
Confused, he walked over and opened it.
Ava stood there.
Fuming. Hurt.
Nathan blinked. "Ava?"
"So now you're answering doors but not your phone?" she snapped.
He stepped back, startled. "Look, I've been busy…."
"Oh really?" she cut him off, storming inside. "Too busy to call me back? Text me? A single word?"
"Ava, I-"
"Don't 'Ava' me, Nathan!" Her voice cracked. "After graduation, you just vanished and it's been 6 months! You didn't even come to my birthday only MJ and Peter came."
Nathan flinched like he'd been struck. "I couldn't…"
"I lost people too, Nathan!" she shouted. "I didn't know them long, but they were the only real friends I've ever had! And now they're gone and you just disappeared like they never mattered!"
She was crying now.
Nathan's mouth opened but no words came out.
He could face monsters. Fight villains. Leap off rooftops.
But right now, he couldn't even defend himself.
So he stepped forward.
And hugged her.
Ava resisted at first, trembling. Then she broke.
She collapsed into his chest, crying, hands clinging to his shirt.
"I just don't want to be alone anymore," she whispered.
Nathan held her tighter. "You won't be. I promise."
They pulled back slowly, faces inches apart.
Their eyes locked.
And then they kissed.
Soft. Quiet. Real.
When they pulled apart, Ava's voice was barely a whisper. "Don't leave me."
"I won't," he said. "Not again."
Later That Night – Nathan's Apartment
The room was dark and quiet now.
Ava lay asleep in Nathan's bed, the moonlight casting gentle silver across her face.
Nathan stood in the doorway, just watching her. He felt something in his chest and it was a warmth he hadn't felt since Harry and Gwen died. A sense that maybe, just maybe, everything wouldn't fall apart again.
He stepped out into the living room, barefoot, rubbing his eyes.
The apartment was silent.
Until a lamp clicked on.
Nathan froze.
Natasha Romanoff sat in a chair, one leg crossed, a book open in her lap.
"Beautiful girl," she said calmly, gesturing back toward the bedroom. "You're lucky."
Nathan's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. "Nat?! What the hell…..how did you….?!"
"Front door," she said, unfazed. "You should lock it."
Nathan blinked, still processing.
"Is she safe?" Natasha asked, serious now.
"Yeah," he said. "She's… she's good."
Natasha studied him. "You look better. Stronger."
He nodded, then leaned against the wall, still dazed. "What are you doing here?"
Her expression hardened. She closed the book and placed it on the table.
"We have a problem."
Natasha handed Nathan a flash drive.
"This was stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D. two nights ago. Every file on the Avengers Initiative. Including your file."
Nathan took it, confused and nervous. "Why me?"
"Because you're on the list now," she said. "And someone's assembling killers to erase it."
Nathan's jaw clenched.
"I've already reached out to Tony and Fury and Fury will reach out to the rest" Natasha added. "But we're not just protecting the world anymore but we're protecting each other."
Nathan looked back toward the bedroom, then down at the drive.
He felt the weight of everything crashing down on him again.
But this time, he wouldn't face it alone.
He nodded.
"Then let's finish what they started."