-----
-----
In a quiet corner of the museum—
"Sorry!" Ned quickly apologized to the man standing in front of him.
The man stared at Ned blankly, his deep, dark eyes like a bottomless abyss. Ned felt a chill down his spine—this guy was seriously scary.
"My friend's waiting for me!" Ned blurted, then turned and rushed off. The man gave him serious predator vibes—like a wild beast about to pounce.
After walking a few steps, Ned glanced nervously over his shoulder and saw the man still staring at him.
Quickening his pace, Ned muttered to himself, What the heck is with that guy?! He's terrifying!
His heart was racing with fear.
Meanwhile, the man silently watched Ned leave. He felt like there were pieces missing in his mind—like something was broken. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. His emotions started spiraling out of control.
Who am I? he thought. The Winter Soldier? Or a soldier who once served to protect his country?Fragments of memories flashed through his mind, only fueling his rage.
Then, he finally snapped.
The man let out a loud, beastly roar, startling everyone around him. People scattered like frightened fish, scrambling to get away.
He raised his fist and slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous crack, the floor beneath him shattered, leaving a huge crater. His confused expression slowly faded as clarity returned to his eyes.
He was the Winter Soldier.And he stood up, ready for action.
"Holy crap!" Ned bolted off to find Peter Parker—he was the only one who could handle a monster like this.
But Ned couldn't find Peter. Turns out, Peter and Gwen Stacy had stepped out to grab something just a little while ago.
"There's something dangerous here!" Ned quickly reported what he'd seen.
"Go hold off the threat," Jasper ordered Shadow-Spider.
Shadow-Spider darted along the shadows. In no time, she spotted the Winter Soldier—but surprisingly, it wasn't him that seemed the most dangerous. It was the huge guy standing next to him.
A tall, bulky man. Built like a tank.
Shadow-Spider locked eyes with him.
The big guy noticed her emerging from the shadows and frowned. Then he turned to the young man beside him and said, "Take care of that eyesore."
The young man stepped forward and pulled out a gun, aiming it straight at Shadow-Spider. He was ready to kill.
But the moment he drew the gun, Shadow-Spider struck—smashing him with a powerful punch before he could even react.
She then lunged straight at the big guy.
He furrowed his brow and threw a heavy punch her way. Shadow-Spider raised her hand to block it—and instantly felt how powerful he was. This guy isn't normal!
She flipped up and kicked him hard with both legs, sending him flying.
He took that hit like it was nothing. He's super dangerous. I've got to take him down fast!
Meanwhile, the museum visitors were being evacuated in a hurry.
Jasper moved with the crowd, keeping a low profile. As he scanned the chaos, he spotted the Winter Soldier... and also recognized the huge man fighting Shadow-Spider.
Well, that's a fun coincidence, he thought. Kingpin and Winter Soldier—both here.
With Kingpin distracting everyone, Winter Soldier had slipped into the crowd unnoticed.
Jasper looked off into the distance and saw Peter Parker sprinting back, still a few hundred meters away. Guess I'll have to stall the Winter Soldier myself.
Quietly, Jasper moved closer to Winter Soldier.
Using the people around as cover, he fired a web and wrapped it around Winter Soldier's leg. The Soldier looked down in confusion—just in time to catch a knee slamming up into his chin. He tried to block it, but it was too fast.
WHAM!!
Winter Soldier flew backward from the hit, and while the crowd gasped in shock, Jasper had already disappeared back into the masses.
Winter Soldier crashed to the ground but bounced right back up, scanning the area with fierce eyes.
Just then, Peter Parker dropped down from above.
Before Peter could even speak, Winter Soldier charged at him.
BAM!!
Their fists collided in a heavy clash.
Winter Soldier staggered back slightly—but Spider-Man didn't miss a beat and webbed his face.
Blinded and disoriented, Winter Soldier yanked at the sticky mess.
But Spider-Man wasn't going to waste the opening. He delivered a solid kick, slamming Winter Soldier into a wall—cracking the concrete on impact.
Jasper wasn't idle either. He fired webs into the shadows, which then shot out from the shadows near Winter Soldier and wrapped around him.
Spider-Man stepped forward and landed a crushing blow to the head, knocking Winter Soldier out cold.
BOOM!!!
An explosion rocked the area.
As the smoke cleared, Shadow-Spider returned to Jasper's shadow and reported that the big guy—Kingpin—had set off the blast and used the distraction to escape.
Spider-Man helped restore order, then quickly disappeared once he was sure everyone was safe.
Cops showed up shortly after, and the teachers ushered the students to a safe location. Ned was still searching for Peter Parker. A few minutes later, he finally spotted Peter blending back in with the other students.
Peter walked over and asked, "Everything okay?"
Ned nodded. "Yeah, all good."
"Roll call!" the teacher suddenly shouted.
One by one, names were called. Everyone was accounted for, which brought the teacher some relief. They hadn't expected anything like this today.
"Jasper," whispered Michelle Jones, leaning closer. "Did you notice how Peter slipped back into the group right after Spider-Man left? He disappeared earlier, and then Spider-Man showed up. Now he's back again right after Spider-Man's gone. Isn't that a little too coincidental?"
Jasper looked at MJ thoughtfully. Spider-Man's identity isn't going to stay a secret for long at this rate...
He tilted his head slightly and replied, "No clue. Did you notice anything else?"
Michelle shook her head. "That's all I've got for now."
"I'll keep an eye out," said Jasper.
Michelle nodded, and the two of them continued chatting.
Then Gwen Stacy joined in. "Looks like we're probably going to be sent home after this."
Michelle rubbed her chin. "It's still pretty early. Why don't we go hang out somewhere?"
"I'm in!" Mary Jane chimed in, joining the conversation.
Jasper looked at the three girls and said, "Let's bring Peter along."
They all nodded in agreement.
Of course, Ned was coming too.
Just then, a motorcycle roared past them. Jasper caught a glimpse of the rider—it was Winter Soldier.
Already escaped police custody?! That was fast.
Peter was chatting with Mary Jane at the time and didn't even notice.
"You guys? What are you doing here?" Annie looked surprised to see Jasper and the others. She hadn't expected to run into them like this.
What a coincidence...
"....."