30 Moving Forward Part 7

-Hells Kitchen - 

*Boom*

A part of the incomplete building was blown out into the streets below as Peter's fist met the concrete wall. Iron beams hang loosely off the floor while cement dust fills the air. 

"Come on Spider-woman stop running, fight me, I know you can. Why so shy?" Peter taunted from the rubble looking up at Spider-woman who clung to the iron beam watching him warily. 

"Show me what you really are!"' he growled. 

Spider-Woman and Peter fought across the incomplete structure of the building. Their speed and reflexes carried them far from the prone form of Daredevil to the upper floors.

Spider-woman's mobility was something to behold. With that, her annoying ability to evade danger as she continued to avoid Peter was like a fly buzzing around the building. She didn't even have to see it coming to know when to dodge. 

Yet she wasn't out of reach, Peter's technopathy gave him a general idea of where they were in the building and he knew eventually she would run out of the building soon. 

" Dude, you clearly have some anger management issues there, if you wanna talk to someone I know a really good therapist" Spider-woman joked, her playful attitude was really getting to Peter. 

What did she think this was, some game? Peter was starting to suspect that she had some sort of danger-sense. It was uncanny, she didn't seem all that skilled yet all his attacks were being evaded by a hair's length, too close for it to be intentional. She somehow even managed to evade his bandages and they were supposed to be invisible. 

"Naa, I'm all good, In fact, I've never been better. Enough with the running and fight." Peter replied. 

Peter shot up at Spider-woman again. Even with his speed, she was already moving before he could strike her. Even so, Peter didn't slow down in his pursuit, the more she moved the faster he chased. Neon blue outlines filled his vision as he noted everything down, from the structure of the floor to its contents. He pinpointed the right spot to destroy which would force him to climb higher to avoid him. 

Long since her primary goal was to lead him away from Daredevil so their fight wouldn't put him in any more danger than the unconscious state Peter left him in.

*Boom*

This was quickly turning into a game of cat and mouse as more parts of the building were being torn apart. Spider - woman she couldn't keep this up forever, the higher they got the less room she had. Peter gave her no chance to rest, even for a moment. She dodged him as he shot towards her again and in a fluid display of agility and strength used her webs to grab onto a pile of hanging streal beams towards her before flipping over them, sending the pile flying towards Peter. 

"Here, take a chill pill" Spider-woman quipped as the effortlessly moved over the pile before kicking it towards Peter for some extra momentum. 

Peter repaid her in kind in his own display of skill, hitting the pile with an open palm in the air, tearing apart their bindings then pivoting in place hitting each beam with controlled punches, and kicking right back at the fleeing Spider-woman. There it was again, she dodged all the incoming steel beams without even looking. Moves with enhanced agility, dodging, and flipping in the air with the help of her webbings. It was pissing Peter off, her nonchalant attitude, her blatant disregard of him, and after everything she did him too. 

 "Whoa shit, easy over there Mummy Reject, it's almost like you're trying to kill me." The arachnid-themed hero joked as she dodged the steel beams, climbing even higher up. 

There were no more floors up this level, just an incomplete structure of steel beams meant to be the foundation of the buildings. 

"Crap!" Spider-woman cursed as Peter suddenly flickered in front of her using the steel beams she dodged for footing to propel himself at him, she brought her arms up for a crossguard, but it did little to save her from what was coming. 

" You know I really don't understand you" Peter spoke in a low tone, Peter punched her with the controlled strike, and the force sent her flying off the side of the building, taking a piece of the beam with her. 

Spider-Woman was nothing if not resourceful, she used her webs with one hand to stick onto the building and then the other to send the steal beam flying at Peter with a grunt. 

"Arg. Aww and here I thought you were terrified of me!" Spider-woman threw it back with surprising precision.

Peter swiftly evaded the beam and met her in the air before she could recover, he grabbed the web she used to anchor herself to the building and pulled her towards him. It was too late for her to dodge as they were both in the air. Spider-woman stilled herself and pulled her fist back, Peter did the same as they drew closer. 

*Boom* 

A miniature shockwave raptured the sky as both their fist met throwing them apart each other, straight down. 

They landed on a crane a few feet from the building. Peter and Spider-woman used their own means to land securely on the outstretched metallic arm of the crane. Spider-woman used her webbings while Peter used his bandages.

They gave each other a wide breath. Spider-woman observes Peter cautiously for any movement at all. She was crouched low on the edge of the crane's arm towards the driver's cockpit while Peter stood at the opposite end with his back towards the building. 

Even now with the moonlight and illumination of both fighters, Spider-woman's suite seemed to glimmer in the light where as Peter's all-black dressing style sucked in the light around him. 

"For someone terrified of me, you sure have a funny way of showing it cause from where I'm standing it's almost like you hate me." Spider-woman glanced at his fist and drew aback slightly. 

 Peter noticed and glanced at his fist himself, it was bleeding, she was unsurprisingly strong, if not stronger than he remembered, he willed his bandages to wrap around his hand tighter. He could feel the wound knit itself back to gather and feel the blood around his hands but willed his control over it to stop. 

There was no need to show all the cards he had in his corner to reveal himself. 

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Peter asked sarcastically, glancing at the spider-themed hero, up close she seemed rather small. He blocked back an involuntary flinch from her image. His active trait shutting the traumatic events attempting to flood his mind, nipping the bud of his PTSD before it could even take root. 

" Oh I don't know, the whole- come here and die vibe you got going on not to mention the fact that you've had it out for me since the moment I showed up, you didn't even give old Daredevil a second glance. So you gotta problem with me, buddy" Spider-woman replied, her heightened senses and stance on high alert. Her white bug-eyed visor narrowed in focus. 

"Really, I didn't notice, and don't call me buddy, it makes me sick" Peter replied, he let out a sigh and focused himself, trying to calm his mental turmoil. Even with his abilities helping him, the root of the cause was still there, they were only holding back the worst of it. 

"Look, I don't hate you, in fact, I used to worship you, you were my hero I wanted to be like you, dreamed of fighting crime in the city just like you," Peter said, his tone was low and nostalgic, 

" Wait, really? then why are you doing all this?" Spider-woman paused and gestured around her as if to make her point. " Listen, I don't know what's going on here. I mean I didn't ask to be anyone's hero when I started all this and this stuff isn't as easy as you think it is. I'm learning as I go. It isn't easy but not everything should be resolved in a fight" 

'What? What is she saying right now?' Peter thought. This couldn't be her, it didn't fit with his memories of her, with his idea of her.

That night she never said a word to him. 

"We can talk, If you're worried about old Devil don't be, trust me he's been through worse, When I first met him, the dude was walking off having a building dropped on him. He'll get back up, he always does" Her voice sounded chirpy and upbeat. 

'Is she being serious right now?' Peter suddenly felt rage bleed into him in waves. 

"We can talk this out-" Spider-woman flinched back as if physically struck, her posture back into her signature crouched form.

"Stop" Peter whispered almost growling. "Stop talking, after what you did, listening to you like this makes me wanna hurt you even more?" 

'Where was all this even coming from?' Peter thought silently.

"What?" Spider-woman asked surprised.

"You don't even remember me do you?" Peter asked. His clenched up tightly. His eyes narrowed, and the golden yellow glow increased in intensity. 

" What are you talking about, am I supposed to remember you or something? Buddy, I don't even know you." Spider-woman replied. 

That proved to be the wrong thing to say.

'Where was all this consideration when you beat me to death?!!' His thoughts screamed. 

Peter Flickered from her view, she reflexively dodged a punch coming right for her head. She slipped through the triangular holes to avoid another attack. 

"Why?" Peter asked, following her down, she tried to dodge but it was too narrow to move, Peter grabbed he ankle and slammed her against the metal tails of the crane. 

"Arrk!" Spider-woman coughed out when Peter's palm struck her dead center sending her tumbling back.

Dropping into the narrow metal interior of the crane was her biggest mistake. As soon as she did Peter willed his bandages to stretch and cover the whole length of the outer layer of the crane's arm, trapping them both inside. The bandages flowed out of him in an endless wave, wrapping around the crane's arm like snakes in a matter of seconds. 

"Why?" Peter asked. Moving forward, much like Daredevil did to him before he did the same to Spider-woman. He attacked from all angles, his skill, instinct, strength, and speed further boosted by the active state of his incarnation ability made him a frightening foe to someone like Spider-woman who relied on her super-powers and danger-sense to fight.

Spider-woman couldn't move out of the narrow space and her ability to evade Peter's attack was wearing thin as the fight went on. When she tried to retaliate Peter hit back harder. Her webs were proven useless as Peter's bandages intercepted them before they could do anything to him.

Soon it was a one-sided beatdown, for some unfathomable reason, as Peter discovered since their one vs one fight began, the damn hero was holding back. 

"Why?" Peter asked, not sure where it was to her or himself. 

She didn't hit as hard as she did, not as hard as she could. Peter hit her again with a kick to the chin, launching her up only for her to bounce on his bandages and tumble back. 

"Why?"

She evaded more than she attacked. Almost as if she was scared to hurt him. 

"Why?" A punch connected with her upper cheek cracking her visor. 

And for some unfathomable reason as Peter continued his onslaught. 

 "Why?" A hand grabbed her wrist before an elbow buried itself in her gut.

Peter couldn't understand why, after everything she did to him.

 "Why?" An invisible force bashed her against the metal structure of the crane. 

After she killed him.

"Why?" An open palm struck misdetection, the air left her lungs as she was sent tumbling violently against the glass cockpit of the crane.

After she mutilated him and left him for dead. 

 "Why?" Before she could move Peter's ankle met her chin and she was launched into the air. As she fell Peter's bandages flew through the air and wrapped around her tightly and held her in place. It tightened around her bringing her towards Peter standing at the highest point of the tip of the crane's edge. 

"Why the hell can't I just kill you? What is it about you that I still consider you a decent human being?" Peter was unsure whether he was asking her or himself. 

"Ca-can't BReeath!" Spider-woman wheezed out, struggling under the force of the bandages. 

With a glower, Peter tossed her across the crane.

Spider-woman rolled to a stop at the edge. Both stood on opposite sides to where they were when the fight began. 

Spider-woman picked herself up with deep huffs, trembling, beaten and battered from the fight, or rather beat down she received. But giving up wasn't her way so picked herself up she did. 

When she finally looked over at Peter her breath stopped short. She froze as if all functions to her brain were suddenly cut off. Her Bug-eyed visor widens in surprise. 

The bandages covering Peter's face slowly unravelled themselves, and the yellow hue in his eye faded revealing a cold brown. He pulled back his hood revealing a mop of wild, untamed brunette hair. 

" Remember me now?" Peter spread his arms apart as if to say here I am.

" Tell me, does my face bring anything to mind"

Neither of them said anything for what felt like a whole minute, frozen in place by their own internal turmoils. 

"Well?" Peter asked, his face twisted into an unrecognizable smile, reflecting the traumatized broken teenager he was inside without his abilities. 

"Peter?" Spider-woman's voice came out in a trembling whisper, it sounded so fragile, so confused it gave Peter pause. The smile dropped from his face as his eyes lit up with recognition his pupils dilated with an electric blue glow. 

"You-What?" Like a switch was flicked Peter suddenly found himself in a similar position to Spider-woman. A mental ping went of in his head, his technopathy informing him of something that shook him to his core.

One of his passive abilities granted by his technopathy was verbal and auditory memory, which had never occurred to him until now, it made no sense to even consider the possibility. But this time it was reflexes an unintentional thought. How did she know him? His technopathy simulated possibilities until it came across the solution of cross-referencing her voice with those Peter had heard before and hello and behold there was his answer. A match was found in his own memories, a complete vocal match to someone he had never for the life of him ever considered. The one person who mattered more to him on this planet with the exception of his aunt and family. His first and only friend. 

His best friend. 

"No way, Gwen!?" 

-Chapter End- 

 Noir Persona Look 

Red Cypher Person Reference Look