Chapter 1: New Mission
Night fell over New York. High above the city, a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier glided through the sky under full stealth mode.
Inside the command deck, Senior Agent Phil Coulson paced with growing urgency. Director Nick Fury sat in his chair, staring at the data on the main screen, though his focus seemed miles away.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The vast command room was so quiet it felt unnerving. Only Coulson's footsteps echoed across the floor.
"Coulson, enough. Take a breather. Your pacing is getting on my nerves," Fury said, frowning.
"Director, those kids are still unaccounted for. There's no way I can calm down right now," Coulson replied.
His words left Fury silent. It was his mistake; he shouldn't have sent those kids on that mission.
"Where's Spider-Man?" Fury finally asked.
In moments like this, he always thought of the one who had pulled off the impossible time and time again.
"He just wrapped up the Rafinia assignment. I've already contacted him. He should be here any minute."
Hearing that Spider-Man was on his way eased the tightness in Fury's brow. Among those students, Spider-Man was the standout. He had pulled off miracles more than once. Having him here brought at least a little comfort.
"Director, are we really sending him? We know nothing about that place. Spider-Man is the last hero S.H.I.E.L.D. has left. If anything happens to him, how are we supposed to face Aunt May?" Coulson asked, worry creeping into his voice.
He trusted Spider-Man's abilities, but this time felt different. The threat was unknown. They had no idea what they were up against, and no one could promise Spider-Man's safety.
"Coulson, this is the only option we have. Every hero on Earth is gone. Only Spider-Man remains. If even he fails, then those kids truly have no chance," Fury said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
He didn't want to send Spider-Man either, but there was no one else who fit the mission.
And as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., his personal fondness for the kid couldn't stop him from choosing the one person who still stood a chance.
"But—" Coulson began, only for Fury to cut him off.
"That's enough, Coulson. I've made my decision. Spider-Man goes."
"…Understood, Director."
The order was final. As Fury's subordinate, Coulson could only comply.
Seconds turned into minutes before Spider-Man finally arrived.
"Director Fury, is this how you treat your freshly victorious, top-of-the-class S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy graduate?"
"Seriously, I just flew back from Rafinia. I didn't even get to swing home and change, and you drag me back in."
"You'd better tell me this is one of those world-saving missions only I can handle, or the spider is going to be very upset."
Spider-Man's voice reached the room before he did, talking nonstop as usual.
On any other day, Fury might have lectured him for the attitude. Tonight, Fury remained silent.
"…Director?" Spider-Man stopped short, sensing something was off. Fury not lecturing him was never a good sign.
He stepped into the command deck and saw the grim faces on Fury and Coulson. The shift in atmosphere hit him immediately.
"Director, you look like you've seen the end of the world. Don't tell me I actually guessed right," Spider-Man said as he walked up to him.
He desperately hoped his guess was wrong, but the grim expressions on Fury and Coulson's faces told him that something terrible was about to happen.
"I'm sorry to say this, but something has happened. And it's something only you can handle," Fury replied.
"When you say 'something'… how big are we talking?"
"This big." Fury tapped a few commands into the console.
A large holographic projection lit up before Spider-Man.
Crimson dots clustered around a single point deep in the Arctic.
"These are Iron Fist and the others' signals. What happened to them?" Spider-Man recognized the signature markers instantly. They belonged to his team.
Fury glanced toward Coulson, giving him a small nod to take over.
Coulson let out a weary sigh before stepping closer.
"Two days ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up a distress beacon from the Arctic. To confirm whether it was real, we dispatched a squad of agents to investigate. Unfortunately, the agents lost contact just an hour after entering the Arctic."
"Four hours ago, after discussing it with Director Fury, we agreed it was time for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy heroes to intervene. But the moment they entered the Arctic, the exact same thing happened. They lost contact within one hour of entering the Arctic."
"All of them?" Spider-Man asked, almost disbelieving.
There were dozens of heroes from the Academy. He couldn't imagine what, in the Arctic of all places, could overwhelm that many so fast.
"All of them," Coulson confirmed.
"What about the Avengers? Something this big, there's no way they'd just sit back," Spider-Man pressed.
Right now, the only backup he could think of was Earth's mightiest team.
"The Avengers left for Asgard five days ago at Thor's invitation. We haven't been able to reach them," Coulson explained.
Fury's voice followed, steady and heavy. "Kid, that means you're the only hero on Earth still able to fight."
Spider-Man's usual quick wit vanished. His teammates' lives were hanging by a thread.
"When do I leave?" he asked after a brief moment of thought.
Fury had expected nothing less. He knew Spider-Man's sense of responsibility. There was no world in which the kid would turn away from this.
"You can move out anytime. Before that though, take this." Fury took out a mechanical backpack.
"The Iron Spider Armor? Why is that here?" Spider-Man asked in surprise.
Ever since he had passed the armor on to Amadeus Cho, the suit had been in Cho's hands.
Wasn't Coulson saying all the Shield Academy heroes were lost in the Arctic? How did the Iron Spider Armor end up in Fury's hands?
"The Iron Spider Armor flew back to the carrier on its own yesterday. To be precise, it looks like Amadeus triggered an emergency return protocol at the last second before his defeat." Fury said.
"After it returned, our scientists examined it thoroughly. Not a single scratch on the armor, and no message or data left by Amadeus," he added.