Pride Goeth

(One Month Later)

Peter walked through his middle school with a skip in his step, it seemed like after years of life being tough things were finally starting to come together. The money he had gotten from the drug den was laundered through the fake charity that Ned had set up and then donated the money to pay his uncle's medical bills. He had managed to hit a few more drug dens though luckily these weren't as dangerous as the first.

His Uncle had been into surgery a week ago and it had been successful, and there was plenty of money for him to have over a year's supply of the pills he needed. Needless to say, things had been going perfectly for Peter, he'd also not been seeing Flash around much which made his school life better, though he would get death stares from the football team once in a while as he'd crippled their star player.

It was fourth period and Peter was skipping class, he lightly jogged down the corridors careful to avoid anyone and went outside, he walked behind the bleachers and climbed inside "Hey Jess, you here?" He asked as he looked around.

"I'm here Peter!" He heard from a bit deeper inside, he walked down and sitting down drinking from a bottle was none other than Jessica Jones. They had become fast friends when Peter came back from suspension, she had after all told him Gwen was hurt and offered to be a witness against Flash. So they started hanging out when Peter had first come to offer his gratitude.

"You should stop drinking that, it's barely after noon," Peter said as he took a seat next to her.

"Pfft it's not like I can get drunk from just this bottle," Jessica said as she rolled her eyes.

Peter raised an eyebrow at her "So why even drink it?" He asked

Jessica shrugged "I don't know... piss off my parents, cry for attention, I'm not even sure at this point" she replied

Peter grabbed the bottle deftly with his hands "Hey!" Jessica said as she tried to grab it back, however, Peter stood up and easily avoided her hand reaching for the bottle. She narrowed her eyes at him and then stood up before trying to grab it again, though Peter once again moved out of the way with a smirk on his face "Peter stop being a dick!" She said as she tried to grab it again only for Peter to put his hand on her head holding her back.

"I bet sucks being so short right now," Peter said with amusement in his voice, however, Jessica just smirks and grabs the hand Peter put on her head and turned around swinging him over her shoulder "Oh shit!" Peter shouted as he went over, though he managed to throw the bottle up in the air so it wasn't broken underneath him.

Jessica grabs the bottle before it falls to the ground and takes a swig before sitting back down "You know for a genius it's pretty funny how often you forget I'm nearly as strong as you" she said to Peter who still lay on the ground.

This was one of the things they had bonded over, While Peter had not told her about his powers initially and didn't plan to, it was hard to keep them a secret when she threw a full-force punch that he caught by accident. He was just glad it was Jessica, Even after knowing her for only a short time he knew he could trust her with his secrets, though he hadn't told her about his vigilantism yet.

"I think genius is too strong a word for the amount of mistakes I make," Peter said as he groaned on the floor before getting back up.

"Is home alright?" He asked her with a more serious look on his face.

Jessica shrugged and leaned back against the bleachers frame "I've had a few instances where I lost control... I think my family are slightly afraid of me but they haven't said anything"

"I think I might run away," she said abruptly which caught Peter off guard, he stood up and sat next to her.

"Don't you think that's a little drastic, Maybe if you tell them the truth they'll understand" he said to her, however, she just shook her head as she took another swig from the bottle.

"They already look at me with fake smiles and make excuses not to be around me... I'd rather get it over with before they make an excuse to get rid of me" She replied, normally she wouldn't confide in anyone about how she felt but Peter was different. She knew he would support her no matter what she wanted to do, and they were the same, they had some weird powers that made them different.

Peter put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side "If that's what you wanna do we will work something out, but I think you should talk to them" he advised.

"I'll think about it..." she replied, though she was hesitant to do it, She would probably break down if they reacted badly, the world of what-ifs was more comforting to her.

"Good, now I gotta go, I have Gwen in my next period and she'll be pissed if I ditch genius or not," Peter said as he stood up and waved goodbye to Jessica who gave him a small smile.

———————————————————-

"Peter, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ned said through his earpiece as Peter swung himself over a building landing on a water tower, the cold night air stinging his hands.

"It'll be fine Ned, This one has barely any guards, I'll be in and out in 20 minutes" Peter replied

"It's not just that Peter, but is it a good idea to keep doing this, your uncle is better now and his treatment is paid for, why do you need to keep taking money?" Ned asked with concern and doubt laced in his voice.

"I don't want him to have to worry about money problems when he gets home from the hospital, I'll just take a bit more so we can live a bit more comfortably," Peter said to try and reassure him.

Ned wasn't sure about this, while he supported Peter when he needed the money for his uncle's treatment this just felt wrong to him, Gwen definitely wouldn't approve of it which was why Peter had told Ned not to tell her which he found difficult, Peter was his best friend but so was Gwen and it made him think that perhaps Peter thought he was in wrong as well since he didn't want Gwen to know.

"Peter this feels wrong, I know you have money troubles but isn't taking money to make your life better just stealing?" Ned asked

Peter sighed "Ned it'll be fine, this will be the last one, I just need to make sure this doesn't happen to my uncle again" he replied.

Peter then jumped off the water tower and dove towards the streets below, though just before he hit the ground he shot a web and swung through the air, he then launched another one and zipped over a building. He lightly landed on the building that was his target for the night, it was a warehouse in the New York Harbour. Ned had managed to break into a few different laptops that Peter had found in the drug dens and had gotten the information on this warehouse which was used as storage.

While it most likely meant it stored drugs, Peter hoped he'd at least find a good amount of cash there. He crawled on top of the building and opened a skylight before crawling inside. The warehouse was mainly empty but there were quite a few large crates and cargo containers that were placed in the middle of the room, however like he predicted this place was hardly guarded, and he supposed they never expected someone to discover its location.

One of the guards was on the open second floor of the warehouse looking down to the lower floors while he smoked a cigarette, Peter focused his eyes and he could see the glint of a gun in his coat 'Not like he'll be fast enough to use it' Peter thought to himself while he smirked. He climbed across the ceiling before casting a web and lowering himself down slowly behind him "This is such bullshit!" He groans as he throws his cigarette over the edge.

"I know but we don't have a choice mate, Mr Lincoln said that product was overflowing so he needs to use our warehouse for the time being," another man said from the lower floor.

"But now our deal with the Russians is fucked, we were about to get paid a cool five hundred G's to store their coke, and now we're being paid pennies" the man in front of Peter moans as he leans over the railing.

"Hey you wanna call up Mr. Lincoln and tell him you're upset with the deal go right ahead," the other man said with a chuckle.

The man in front of Peter just silently cursed and went to turn around, Peter jumped in the air flipped over him and landed on the railing, though he timed it so it happened as he turned around. The man then went to walk to an office that was on the second floor and Peter followed closely behind him, once they went into his office he struck him on the back of the head lightly which knocked him out. He then grabbed his body and threw it up to the ceiling before shooting a web at him and sticking him there, he then looked around the office for any kind of safe or place where they'd hide the money.

It happened to be behind a painting which Peter thought was cool if a bit cliche. He easily tore off the door but was disappointed when he only found a couple thousand dollars, he was so sure that there would be a big payday here so he was more than a little disappointed that he only got a thousand. When he looked inside the safe to see if there was anything else he could only see an envelope, he grabbed it but as soon as he did he felt something detach from it and then a bunch of gears clicking.

But he couldn't think too much about it as his head started to hurt, it was like a stinging pain that pierced his brain. Eventually, Peter managed to compose himself though the pain was still there if a bit lessened, he looked at the letter in his hands and couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw to whom the letter was addressed.

'Thief'

*A man's property is only his own as long as he has the strength to protect it, So I will not fault you for taking large amounts of my money. So I hope you do not fault me for making sure it doesn't happen again*

Sincerely Tombstone

Peter couldn't help but start to breathe heavily, he'd never encountered this kind of situation before and so he had no clue what to do 'Run you idiot' he thought to himself, he rushed out of the office before pushing his legs from the ground and heading towards to roof, however, he stops in his tracks when he hears a soft banging on the cargo containers in the middle of the warehouse 'There is someone trapped in there...' he cursed as he realised he couldn't leave them behind and so he flipped midair and shot a web at the ground before yanking himself down.

The last remaining guard jumped out of his skin when he saw Peter jumping down from the roof, though that didn't last long as Peter kicked him and knocked him out. Peter then rushed towards the cargo container, his head started to throb again when he pulled the door open. He almost threw up when the smell from inside the container, but the sight was remarkably much worse than the smell.

Inside were children of various ages, some who looked around four while others looked his age, Before Peter could even say anything a phone started to ring, he looked down and saw a small phone on the floor of the cargo container at the entrance. He picks it up and answers it, he's met with a deep breathing on the other end of the line.

"Is this the thief that I have the pleasure of talking to?" Asked the voice from the other side of the line.

Peter found himself choked for words as the situation was quickly overwhelming him "Yes" were the only words he could think to say in the situation.

"Splendid, I have to admit I was rather sceptical on whether you'd fall for this little trap of mine, but I am glad you're here" he stated

"Now as I'm sure you know by the letter you undoubtedly read I am Tombstone, is there a name you would like me to refer to you as or will thief suffice?" Tombstone asked with genuine politeness.

Peter gritted his teeth "Thief is fine, now tell me what the hell you're doing here!"

"It is simply business Mr. Thief, Whether it be drugs, guns or human trafficking business is business... and you Mr. Thief are a rival," Tombstone said the last words dangerously sending a shiver up Peters's spine.

"I'd never do something as disgusting as this!" Peter shouted back through the phone which had the unintended effect of scaring the kids as Rhys backed up further into the container.

"You've shut down my operations, taken my money, and cost me, my employees, What else are you if not a rival? But that is neither here nor there... no what matters is the deal we make now" Tombstone stated.

"If you look closely you'll see all of those children are wired to a bomb in the centre of the room, should any of them be disconnected then the bomb will explode, should you try to meddle with the bomb it'll explode, the only way to disarm it is a code that only I have access to" Tombstone explained

"What makes you think I care about them at all" Peter said as he clenched his hands

"You never kill, you always call the police after you raid the den, you're a regular old vigilante. Now the only way to save those children is to inject yourself with the anaesthetic that I have provided on the left-hand side of the bomb" Tombstone stated

"Once you've done so I will give you the code to disarm the bomb, Do not think you can deceive me as multiple cameras have been mounted to ensure your compliance" he continued.

"You're bluffing... You wouldn't blow up so much of your product just for one person" Peter said in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

"Defective product is useless, they just take up space... to be frank with you you'd be doing me a favour if you blew them up," Tombstone said coldly through the phone.

"Tick Tock Mr. Thief I give you one minute to decide," Tombstone said and as he did a timer appeared on an LED screen on the bomb.

'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' Peter thought I himself as he put the phone down next to the bomb.

"Ned! Do you know anything about bombs" he whispers through the earpiece

"A few things why? Peter is everything okay?" Ned replied through the earpiece with slight concern in his voice.

"No, it's all gone bad! I need to disarm a bomb in a minute can you help!" He asked his friend, desperation laced in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry Peter but I can't do it in that time, There are so many things you need to know about a bomb before you can attempt to disarm it" Ned replied.

'Shit!' Peter thought as he saw the counter just dip below 30 seconds. He grabbed the syringe ignoring the sharp pain in his head and opened the cap, he injected it into himself before throwing it to the ground "Tombstone, I did it Now give me the code!" He shouted, he then saw a message come through on the phone, he picked it up and saw a six-digit code.

He quickly input the code into the computer and the counting stopped at 10 seconds, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He then saw the phone beep again as another message came through.

*It was nice meeting you Mr. Thief, though it is a shame that you fell for my schemes once again.*

His head started to hurt as he instinctively looked back up at the counter which had started going down again, only a lot faster. Peter didn't have time to think, so he did the only thing he could do, he grabbed the closest person to himself and jumped with as much force as he could out of the container and into the warehouse before zipping a web to the roof and pulling them to the roof.

*BOOM*

The bomb exploded while they were still in the warehouse and Peter grabbed the girl and turned them around shielding her from the force and flames which scorched his back. They were both blown clear of the warehouse, Peter struggled to aim his web shooters as his vision had started to get blurry but he eventually shoots it and it attaches to a tall crane in the Harbour. They both bang against the metal frame before Peter holds onto it, he pushes the girl onto the ladder "Go down... wait for the police" he said slightly slurring his words. All the girl could do was nod her head as she was too shocked to think at all.

Peter his whole body feeling sluggish jumped off the crane before swinging out of the Harbour onto a nearby building. As he set himself down on the roof he ripped his mask off and threw up all over the ground he couldn't help but feel enraged and guilt-ridden at what had just happened. Tombstone had just murdered a whole group of children like it was nothing, just because Peter had been taking money from him.

Peter curled up into a ball on the roof and started to cry, he took the earpiece out of his head and ignored the shouts of his friend asking him if he was okay.

———————————————————-

Peter didn't go to school the next day, he just went to his base and spent the day there alone, At the moment he was watching a TV that he and Ned had stepped up in the abandoned warehouse, The news was reporting on the incident last night and it threatened to make him throw up again.

*A total of Sixteen children were killed in the explosion, While no information on how the children had gotten there in the first place has been revealed, the police department has revealed that there was one survivor, One Jean Gr-*

Peter looked up as the TV had been turned off, Stood there were Gwen and Ned both of them not looking too pleased with Peter at the moment "You went behind my back and told Ned to lie to me, just so you could get more money" Gwen stated

Peter nodded his head "I did..." he said before putting his legs down.

"Peter, what happened to being a hero? Saving people? Isn't that what you wanted? What you're doing is being no better than a rival gang!" She shouted at him, though her last words had managed to trigger him.

"I'm nothing like them! They're the criminals, not me! They're the ones who blew up the warehouse!" Peter stated adamantly.

"Peter that trap was set for you! If you'd had stopped this wouldn't have happened!" Ned shouted, which was entirely out of character for him.

Peter felt his heart clench in pain when he thought about the children who had died, Though it hurt more when he thought that it was his fault. So he blamed Tombstone who was ultimately responsible "It's not my fault! But I'm going to make sure Tombstone can't do it ever again" Peter growled out

"Peter you can't do this, Look what just happened, you could get someone killed if you try going after him, This is just petty revenge, leave it to the police" Gwen implored as she grabbed Peter's hands.

"Damn right, it's revenge! For me and those children, I'll take away the money he loves so much and then I'll take everything else away" Peter shouted, as he moved his hands away from Gwens.

"Peter please don't do this! We don't want you to get hurt" Gwen said with teary eyes.

"Peter I can't be your wingman for this, You're doing something dangerous and while I can't stop you I won't help you hurt yourself," Ned said to him before he turned away and walked out.

"I don't need you! I'll do it on my own!" He shouted at his friend's back as he walked out. He then looked at Gwen who had tears falling down her face, she didn't say anything else she just turned around and followed Ned out of the warehouse.

Peter just gritted his teeth and punched a steel beam that was leant against the wall bending it

'I can do this on my own'

(AN: Two more chapters till the end of the Prologue Arc, so the entire idea I had with this was Uncle Ben not dying and Peter continuing down the path of arrogance and abusing his powers, not learning responsibility, he's also younger and has more volatile emotions)

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