Marvel : Web Of Evolution

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Great Reveal



All parties locked in a tense standoff. Red and blue police lights flashed against the walls of the alley. The Italian mobsters clutched their weapons, eyes darting between the cops and the masked vigilante.

Captain George Stacy stepped forward, his hand raised to keep his officers from firing.

"Hold your fire!" he barked, hand raised. "Spider-Man! Surrender now, and we can talk this out."

Peter resisted the urge to groan. Oh sure, let's just sit down and chat over coffee while the actual criminals make their getaway. Great plan, Cap.

His eyes flicked toward the fleeing figure at the end of the alley. Chameleon, now disguised as one of the mobsters, was slipping into a black sedan.

["Sir, if you let him escape, he'll be impossible to track again."]

Peter sighed. "Yeah, I know."

["Sir, what's the plan now?"] CELESTE chimed in his earpiece.

"I'll be honest, CELESTE," Peter whispered, lowering himself into a crouch. "This plan is extremely stupid."

Then he vanished.

The police gasped as Spider-Man seemingly disappeared into thin air.

"Where the hell did he go?!" one officer shouted.

Peter, now cloaked in camouflage mode, sprinted across the alley walls. He launched himself onto a rooftop just as the black sedan peeled out onto the street.

"CELESTE, give me traffic data and track that car," he whispered, already swinging into pursuit.

["Already on it, sir. Speed: 80 mph. Heading west on 39th Street. Chameleon is in the driver's seat, Minimal traffic for three blocks, but cross-streets are busier. If this turns into a high-speed chase.."]

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Peter muttered. "I'll handle it."

The car sped west down 39th Street, weaving through empty lanes.

He shot a web ahead, slinging forward like a missile. Within seconds, Peter dropped onto the rooftop of a passing city bus, riding it for another second before leaping off, soaring toward the sedan below.

He landed hard on the car's roof.

BAAM!

Inside, Chameleon's eyes widened as he saw the masked menace staring at him through the windshield.

Peter knocked on the windshield, upside-down, grinning. "Hey, buddy! You forgot your receipt."

Chameleon swerved violently.

Peter stuck on like glue. "Wow, terrible driver AND a thief? Real classy."

Chameleon snarled, pulling a pistol from his jacket. He fired through the sunroof.

Peter snatched the bullet out of midair. He held it between his fingers, unimpressed. "Really? You thought this would work? Come on man, I could dodge lasers if I wanted to."

Frustrated, Chameleon yanked the wheel, sending the car shifting toward an intersection.

Peter got serious. "Alright, gotta end this before he hits someone."

Peter backflipped off the car, soaring through the air as he fired two webs at the streetlights ahead.

He yanked hard enough to send his body snapping forward with incredible force, before launching a thick net of webs across the street.

The sedan slammed into it like a fly caught in a web, the force absorbed by the elastic strands.

The car jerked to a sudden stop, tilting onto its back wheels for a second before settling down, completely immobilized.

No crashes. No collateral damage. Perfect.

Chameleon, disoriented but still conscious, reached for the door.

Peter landed beside it, ripped the door clean off it's hinges and yanked Chameleon out by his collar.

"Ding-dong! Special delivery."

Chameleon swung at him.

Peter dodged effortlessly, then punched him straight in the jaw.

THWACK!

The shapeshifter slumped instantly.

Peter webbed him up, glanced at the suspended car, then dusted off his hands.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call express parking."

Not long after, every citizen in New York received a notification.

[SPIDER-MAN is LIVE NOW!]

People instantly tuned in. The video feed showed Spider-Man hanging upside-down, while Chameleon, still disguised as a mobster, was wrapped in webs like a cocoon.

"Hey there, New York!" Peter greeted. "I know what you're thinking. 'Spider-Man, why are you upside down?' Well, because it's cool. Also, I caught this guy impersonating me."

He gestured to Chameleon.

"This little shape-shifting gremlin has been running around stealing things while looking like yours truly and making me look bad. I mean, I already have the Daily Bugle ruining my reputation for free, I don't need extra help."

He reached into his suit and pulled out a UMF fabric patch, slapping it onto Chameleon's face.

"Now, I know some of you are thinking: 'But Spidey, how do we know you're not making this up?' Worry not, for I came prepared."

The next second, the fabric vibrated at high frequencies. Chameleon's true face flickered through.

The audience gasped. His pale, noseless, eerie face was revealed. Peter recoiled dramatically.

"Oh my God."

Chat exploded instantly.

> RavenclawKween: BRO LOOKS LIKE VOLDEMORT WTF

>IgotaTonyPP: Nah, that's He-Who-Should-Have-Stayed-Hidden

>BridgeBroGuardian: This is why we don't visit earth anymore.

>Watcher#1345: I didn't know we were getting a Harry Potter crossover.

>Spoderman86: Yo mama played 'got-yo-nose' fr.

Peter rubbed his temples. "No wonder you steal people's faces, dude. You're running around looking like a Death Eater with commitment issues."

He pointed to the camera. "Folks, let's take a vote. Does this guy look more like:

A) Voldemort before skincare,

B) That weird goblin nobody remembers from Gringotts, or

C) The forbidden lovechild of Gollum and a Dementor?"

The chat exploded.

> LunaLovebad: ALL OF THE ABOVE.

>OneEyedFury: Motherfucka too ugly to be left alive!

Peter nodded. "Understandable. Also, quick PSA: if you see someone looking like a rejected Hogwarts villain committing crimes, it's not me."

He zoomed in on Chameleon's twitching face.

Chameleon croaked in a hoarse voice, "My brother will know about this. And when he does, he will find.."

Peter punched him mid-sentence.

THWACK!

"Sorry, Young Master, but I'm the main character now."

Peter tilted the camera back to him. "Now, for all my fans in blue, he's for you. An early Christmas gift."

The chat filled with laughing emojis and shocked reactions.

Peter smirked. "You'll find him under the tree... I mean, bridge. Fully wrapped, no returns."

He patted the struggling Chameleon on the head. "Don't worry, pal. I made sure it's the best silk, straight from the premium collection."

Chameleon growled, muffled under the webs.

Peter gasped. "Oh no, he's casting a spell!"

The chat lost it.

>MysticMama#1: Stupefy this man into the dark realm.

Peter chuckled. "Alright, folks, I'd love to stay and roast Noseless McGee some more, but I got places to be. And besides.."

His lenses narrowed. "The next video's about to be even juicier."

He was about to end the live stream when he noticed a comment.

> PurrfectlyCriminal: You still suck, Spidey.

Peter smirked. "Aw, you're one naughty kitten."

--The feed cut--

The second the live stream ended, CELESTE's voice rang in Peter's ear.

["Sir, I am now uploading the next video containing irrefutable evidence against the Daily Bugle. Estimated time: 15 seconds."]

Peter smirked. "Perfect. Let's see how they spin this one."

Within half a minute, notifications flooded the city:

[NEW VIDEO FROM SPIDER-MAN: EXPOSED: THE DAILY BUGLE LIES!]

And just like that the internet erupted.The video containing the footages of Chameleon shapeshifting in Oscorp and all the evidence against The Daily Bugle went viral.

The video exploded online.

- Spider-Man fans celebrated, calling it the greatest livestream of the year.

- The Daily Bugle's reputation tanked, with people calling out its anti-Spidey bias and corrupt methods.

- Criminals panicked, if Spider-Man could expose Chameleon like that, who was safe?

- Police forces scrambled, they had no choice but to acknowledge Spider-Man was framed.

Peter perched on a galvanized steel wire on the bridge, grinning under his mask. Down below, police hauled Chameleon into a squad car. Captain Stacy stood nearby, arms crossed.

["Sir, public sentiment is shifting. You're at 68% approval now."]

Peter chuckled. "Wow. I'm almost as popular as pineapple pizza."

["Sir, that is a highly divisive topic."]

"Exactly."

Peter called down "I assume everything is under control?"

Stacy looked up. This time, he didn't seem angry.

Instead, he nodded. "Everything is fine, Spider-Man. Just one question."

Peter tilted his head. "Shoot."

Stacy locked eyes with him. "Why keep doing this?"

Peter's usual wit faded for a moment. For he himself didn't have an answer for that.

Then, he simply said,"Because someone has to."

And with that, he swung off.

Later, Peter strolled into a flower shop. He picked up a bouquet, smiling to himself.

["Sir, about what Chameleon said... There are no records of the Chameleon to begin with, so it's pointless to look for records of his brother. Who could he be referring to?"]

Peter walked outside, spotting a familiar figure waiting for him.

Felicia stood there, waving her hand, wearing a leather jacket, a flowing black dress with thigh-high slits, a black choker, and her signature platinum hair.

In a whisper, while waving back, he told CELESTE:

"Not brother. But half-brother, to be exact. His name is Sergei Kravinoff."

Felicia hugged Peter when he got close. "Took you long enough, Tiger." she teased after a quick peck on his lips.

Peter smiled, handing her the flowers. "Sorry babe, traffic was crazy."

At 14th Precinct, Manhattan, Captain George Stacy sipped his coffee, staring at the crime maps on his office wall.

Officer Sanchez approached. "Sir, with all due respect… why didn't we take down Spider-Man?"

Stacy sighed. "Because he's not the enemy."

"But he killed a scientist."

Stacy shook his head. "We've seen this kid in action for months. He's reckless, sure. But a killer? No."

Sanchez hesitated.

"After everything we've seen," Stacy continued, " after the events of today, do you still think he's the enemy?"

Sanchez hesitated. "...No, sir. But a vigilante is still a vigilante."

Stacy sighed. "And what happens when the law fails? What happens when people like Kingpin abuses the system?"

Sanchez had no answer.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

A voice called out, "Captain, a federal agent is here to see you."

"Send him in."

A man stepped in, prim and proper, wearing a suit.

He extended a hand.

"Hello, Captain Stacy. I'm Agent Coulson."

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