Spoiler warning for Homecoming and (obviously) The Defenders. After Peter decides to stay a street level hero, a mysterious organization enters his life and makes his life as Spider-Man harder.... The Hand. Things get even weirder for Peter when he...
When Peter went home that night, he found Aunt May and Ned waiting for him. "Hey guys. Ned what are you doing here this late?" Peter asked curiously. "My parents are away helping my aunt and uncle with something in another state and they asked Mrs. Parker if I could stay here until they get back remember?" Ned asked. Peter nodded. "Oh yeah I forgot" Peter replied. May inspected Peter as he spoke with Ned. "Good it looks like you are ok" May said in relief. Peter nodded. "Aunt May, Ned and I need to do some research on something" Peter said. May gave him a strange look. "Is this something Spider-Man related" May asked. "Could be. I don't know yet to be honest" Peter replied. May sighed. "Just be as careful as you can" May said. Peter nodded and he and Ned went to Peter's room.
Ned grabbed his laptop and sat down. "What exactly are we looking for?" Ned asked.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I don't really know to be honest. Earlier before those tremors started, the guy who got shot said that the Hand could be found at the Circle. Maybe there is something circular in the city with a dark history or something" Peter suggested. Ned searched the web but he and Peter continued to find nothing. "Maybe we should try again tomorrow since it will be Saturday and all" Ned suggested. Peter nodded. "Unless more tremors start up, Spider-Man is done for the night" Peter said in agreement. Ned got his air matress set up while Peter got under the covers of his bed and the brother like best friends feel asleep.
When Peter woke up, he felt like energetic and alive. He had an idea. "Ned wake up" Peter said as he tossed a pillow below him to where Ned's air matress was. Ned quickly woke up. "Peter, what's with the early wake up?" Ned asked. "I think we have been looking at this circle thing all wrong" Peter said. Ned gave Peter a look of interest, now very curious about what they could have missed. "Last night we looked for circular things with a dark history, but what if the Circle is actually a place of some kind" Peter suggested. Ned looked at Peter in realization. "This might be a long shot but there was an article a while back that mentioned a place called Midland Circle Financial. The article spoke about how Rand International was no longer going to be doing business with them due to shady activities there." Ned said. Peter's eyes widened. "Mr. Stark also said he didn't trust the people at Midland Circle, I thought it was a company war thing or something... but maybe you are on to something. Rand International recently did crack down on heroin sellers around their plants, which is the same heroin operations Daredevil wanted to take down according to rumor, so maybe... it's a long shot but maybe Midland Circle had something to do with the heroin" Peter said. Ned and Peter stared at each other in realization that maybe they were on to something beyond conspiracy theories. "Peter you need to check that place out" Ned said. Peter nodded. "I'll bring my camera. With my new job as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle, I could always say I'm helping with a story on the relatively new business" Peter said, Peter grabbed his backpack and ran out of the door. Ned tried to call Peter when he saw he had left his suit and sighed. "I hope he has his homemade costume in there" Ned said with a sigh.
Peter was walking down the streets, trying to get a general direction to where Midland Circle was when he saw a woman who looked like Jessica Jones. Peter's interest went up as he began to follow her, but Jessica disappeared. A blind man had suddenly stopped. Peter was curious, who was this blind man and why was he tailing Jessica Jones? Did he realize Jones disappeared? Peter then recognized the man, Matt Murdock... a lawyer who helped take down Wilson Fisk legally and exposed him for the Kingpin of Crime that he was. 'Ok Mr. Murdock, you got my attention' Peter thought. Peter began to follow Matt, unaware that Jessica Jones was now tailing them! Matt took a turn, followed by Peter, who was followed by Jessica! Matt turned to an alley, Peter and Jessica close behind. When Jessica saw Peter tailing Matt, she walked at a bigger distance, but not so much of a distance that she'd lose her 'prey'. Suddenly, Matt took off running and started climbing the towers of wood and windows of the alley like he was a ninja! "Whoa" Peter said in shock, unaware that Jessica was snapping photos. Peter then jumped onto the building, curious where Murdock was going and he climbed the building, unaware that Jessica was now also snapping pictures of him. When Peter got on the building Matt was gone. "Darn. Oh well, to Midland Circle I go" Peter said, climbing down the opposite side of the building and into another alley.
Before Peter went to Midland Circle, he stopped by the Daily Bugle offices. "Hey Peter" greeted Robbie Robertson, J Jonah Jameson's 'second in command' of the Bugle. "Hi Mr. Robertson" Peter replied. "I told you already son, just call me Robbie. Mr. Robertson was my father" Robbie said with a smile. Robbie liked Peter very much, he saw Peter as a kid with a good head on his shoulders. "Do you have any assignments for me today? Maybe something to do with Midland Circle?" Peter asked. This made Robbie curious. "Why would a 15 year old want to cover a story that has to do with a financial busniess, thinking of getting into finances when you grow up Peter?" Robbie asked. Peter shook his head. "Not at all sir. You see in my school, architecture is an elective course and one of my friends in the Academic Decathlon team is taking the course. I promised her that I would help out by taking some pictures of Midland Circle since she is going an architecture project on it" Peter said. Robbie nodded. "Amazing what kind of courses they begin to offer with new funding by Tony Stark. Ok Peter, we do have a story on Midland Circle. Just snap some extra pics of the place for us and you'll be set" Robbie said. Peter nodded and walked to a computer, doing research on the building. Afterwards he went to the restroom and and went inside a stall where he opened his backpack. "Oh man" Peter said as he saw what was in there. It was neither his Stark made Spider-Man suit nor the homemade suit he used before Tony found him. It was his first attempt at making a suit. "Better than nothing" Peter said as he put the outfit on under his normal clothes. "Now... to Midland Circle" Peter said, hoping he was ready for what was to come, wondering what happened to the man that was shot in the mall.
