Aim: Hydra | Y/N Story | Sequel to "Aim: Avenger"

10. Follow the Rules

I heard a soft thud next to me, and whipped around, ready for a fight, only to see a familiar red and blue suit next to me, along with a webbed-up thug. "Rule two: no killing." He pointed at me sternly.

"You know my body count, Peter. This is what I do." I huffed.

"I know. But you want to use your skill set for good, right?" He asked, and I nodded. "Okay, then that's where we'll start. No more tally marks."

"Fine." I grumbled, rolling my eyes, but turned my attention back to the main group. There were seven people on the floor, tied up. None of them could've been over the age of 17, and they all looked like they'd been through hell. None of them appeared to be severely injured, but I would have to get a closer look. Blocking my path were four other people, all dressed similarly to the guard we'd already handled; all black, and carrying assault rifles and a smaller gun. "Four more. I'll go in as a distraction, but I'll probably be able to handle them. You stay at the ready in case they try to pull the hostage card, or if I need help." I turned to see him nod in agreement.

"Your plan is a lot more sophisticated than what I usually do." He commented. "There's a staircase over here, you can surprise them." He suggested.

"Good idea." I soundlessly climbed the staircase, staying attentive for any surprise guards. When the area was cleared, I pulled a line from the belt that could lower me to the ground and jammed it into the wall. Okay, Y/N. Time to be good. Never thought I'd be on the side of the angels.

"Where'd Jim go?" Someone said.

"No Jim, only me." I jumped over the half-wall separating me, and landed on the shoulders of one of the operatives, forcing him to the ground and kicking the gun out of his hand. I threw a taser disk at his neck as I moved on to another, kicking him hard in the stomach. Bullets fired at me from multiple directions, but my suit kept me protected. I'd pulled the third criminal down, knocking him unconscious and started towards the last one when someone yelled "stop!"

I saw their leader gripping on to a small girl, tears streaming down her face as she quietly whimpered. "Another step and she's dead."

I pulled a gun from my waistband and aimed it right between his eyes. "Try me." I hissed. Before I could do anything, the man was pulled off his feet by a web. "I had him!" I yelled as I kneed the last one in the face and dropped him on the ground.

"I said no killing." Spider-Man said, gathering the mostly unconscious goons and webbing them up. "Karen, can you call 9-1-1 please? Thank you. Hello! This is Spider-Man, there's a bunch of bad guys in an abandoned building with seven kids." He continued to relay the events to the police as I turned my focus to the children.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." I soothed, taking the mix of duct tape and rope off their wrists and ankles. "Is anyone hurt?"

"He is. He won't wake up." A little girl, who couldn't have been older than 11, pointed to the boy from before. Dried blood was crusted just above his ear, where he'd been hit. I summoned an antiseptic wipe and began to clean the gash. It began to bleed again, so I wrapped it up with clean gauze, then took a small flashlight from my belt and opened one of his eyes, flashing it at his pupil.

It didn't respond.

"Crap, Bugsy, tell the ambulance to hurry. His pupils aren't responding, and unless he's high, has a tumor, or having a silent stroke, he's got brain trauma. None of those sound too appealing." I hurried. Peter echoed my words, but I knew they wouldn't get here in time. I couldn't let this kid die because of me. "Oh, screw it. Spidey, stay with the kids." I carefully lifted the small child, making sure to not move his head, and activated my jetpack.

"Y/N, wait-" I took off before he finished. I flew as high as I dared without risking the air being too thin, constantly checking he was breathing. My eyes scanned for the nearest hospital, but my mind wouldn't focus.

"Behind you, three blocks, straight ahead." V said in my head.

"Thank you." I flew down and into the emergency room. "This boy needs help, suspected brain trauma." A nurse immediately rushed a small team to take the boy, and they disappeared behind a swinging door. "He's been held captive for who knows how long, so starvation and dehydration are likely." I called out. When they left, I noticed everyone else in the room staring at me, not something I was used to. "Hi."

"Who are you?" I felt a small hand poke mine. I turned and saw a small child, holding a half-eaten cookie.

"No one." I said, smiling, before my wings popped out and I flew out again, back towards Peter and the other children. I hovered a few feet above the street, seeing all the police cars and ambulances, and counted all six of the remaining children, the older ones talking to the officers while the smaller ones sat together on the curb. Spider-Man was with them, waving his hands enthusiastically, most likely telling them a story. The scene made me smile; I'd done something good. I'd saved someone.

"We're proud of you." Ben said.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"Go, join them." V ushered.

"No. I have to stay in the shadows. I can't be known." I landed on the roof of a building and took off my suit, wearing a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans under it. Then, I climbed down the fire escape and landed on the ground in a dark alleyway, where I joined the small crowd gathering around the commotion. Several people were excited to see Spider-Man, and were taking pictures, the bravest asking for autographs, but he ignored them all, keeping his focus on the kids.

I need to find Y/N, but I can't leave these kids. He thought.

Good old Peter. I disappeared into an alley and manifested a police uniform, throwing it on over my normal clothes.

"Two costume changes in three minutes, color me impressed." Ben said, while V giggled.

"Oh, hush." Strolling back over to the crowd, I gently pushed through, uttering many 'excuse me's before eventually reaching the front. "Finished perimeter check, seems Spider-Man did a good job." I said, slipping past the barriers.

"He usually does." One policeman enthused. Clearly a fan of my Bugsy. Er, not my Bugsy. Just Bugsy. Pete. Peter.

"I'm going to go see those kids, see if they remember anything." I pointed to the group and ambled over to them. "Hey guys. I'm just going to borrow Spidey here for a second. How about you go talk to that lovely woman over there, okay?" I kneeled down to their eye level, speaking with a gentle smile. Their small heads nodded and my eyes followed them as they trudged over to one of the First Responders.

"How's that kid?" Peter asked, placing his hand on my wrist to get my attention.

"I don't know, I didn't stick around. I hope he's okay. God, it's all my fault." I buried my head in my hands, trying not to remember the way his body didn't move, the way the blood crusted around his ears and dripped down his dirt-smudged face. But I could do nothing but remember, my curse forever.

"How is it your fault? I would've never realized he was hurt that bad." He argued, trying to get me to feel better.

"He started to cry because he heard me. He was calling for help, I heard his thoughts. He was too smart, and he knew what to do, and it's my fault." I breathed heavily. "I should've listened to you, gone in quietly, not slammed the door open. I'm so used to being able to just shoot the targets, I've never dealt with hostages before."

"Y/N. It's okay, you're still learning, and you didn't hurt him. You saved him. That little boy is alive because of you and your amazing heart." Peter pulled me into a hug.

"People are probably staring at Spider-Man hugging a distressed policewoman, right?" I joked.

"Yeah." He stated simply, his arms still encircling me.

"We should go. Other people might need saving." I whispered.

"Spoken like a true hero." He pulled away, and shot a web onto a building, flying through the air. I snuck into an alley, changing back into my suit, and flew closely behind him.

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