章 48: Where is Spider-Man? (Cindy Moon)

"A week has passed since Spider-Man was last seen by anyone. Despite who people are now calling Spider-Woman, a new female version of the hero, taking up the mantle of New York's protector, crime rates have skyrocketed as criminals do not have that same fear as they had with the original hero..."

A news story played on a TV inside a restaurant, catching the attention of both Cindy Moon and Harry Osborn, while Lily Hollister looked at her phone. They were showing clips of Silk, who they were calling Spider-Woman, fighting bad guys and saving people, comparing her to Spider-Man doing the same thing.

'It's Silk...' Cindy thought, watching the news story as the people continued to call her by the wrong name. Though she'd said her name before, it didn't take off in the way that Spider-Woman did.

Harry glared at the screen intensely, looking at this so-called Spider-Woman and how much she resembled someone he knew...

Someone across the table from him. Of course, it could just be a girl with the same haircut as Cindy, she had pretty basic, long black hair which was common for Asian girls her age. To say she was Silk or Spider-Woman because of a haircut would be silly.

However, there were too many coincidences happening all at once so it wasn't out of the question. He wanted answers.

"Did Eren tell you anything about his trip?" He asked Cindy, his face didn't look like someone who was curious, it appeared more as if he was interrogating her.

"Yeah..." Cindy said awkwardly, confused as to why he was speaking to her in such a tone. Even Lily thought it was weird, looking up at Harry momentarily with a puzzled expression. "We call every afternoon before he goes to bed since it's nighttime where he is."

"I see." Harry said plainly before looking back up at the news story playing on the TV. "You ever feel like he's hiding stuff from you?"

Cindy and Lily both glared at Harry with confused looks, though Lily's seemed a bit more annoyed rather than just confused. "You're still on this?" She asked him, sounding as if he brought this up to her in the past.

"I'm just asking, what's wrong with that?" Harry rebutted, speaking as if he wasn't actually asking because he was upset with his friend for lying to him.

"On what?" Cindy asked Lily, prompting Lily to sigh, roll her eyes, and explain her boyfriend's silly thoughts.

"He thinks Eren might be Spider-Man." Lily began to laugh at the absurdity of it, though Cindy and Harry didn't laugh at all. Cindy was afraid, in fact. If Harry knew about Eren, it wouldn't be too hard for him to figure her out soon enough.

She wondered if she should just tell him then and there, but she wasn't sure if telling people about her other self was a good idea. She thought it would be best to consult with Eren first.

"It's not funny, Lily." Harry told her, looking at her with an annoyed expression. He felt as if she were making fun of him, but that really wasn't the case.

"Babe, Eren can't even hurt a fly. Do you think he's going around fighting giant lizards and electric maniacs? C'mon, Harry, he let Flash bully him for years. Why would Spider-Man do that?" She asked him, still laughing at how it doesn't make any sense.

Harry was clearly pissed off at how she was taking him for a joke at that moment, though he was able to calm himself. He didn't want to get angry with her and yell, despite the fact that he wanted to.

He didn't want to be like his father.

Harry exhaled calmly. "Lily, please stop laughing at me. I'm being serious right now." He told her quietly. Her laughter ceased, as did her smile once she realized she wasn't really accounting for his feelings.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you, it's just that I can't see someone like him doing that. No disrespect to Eren, but he's no fighter. He's a great guy. He's a genius, he's kind, and he's been a great friend as of late. I just can't see him wearing the suit." She told him.

"I know, Lily. I get it, but what if that was the point? What if he acted weak on purpose to make it seem like he wasn't a hero? What if he actually was weak and became Spider-Man somehow afterward? Think about it, the bullying stopped, right?" He told her, silencing her for a moment.

"Well, yeah, but how would he just magically get powers?" She asked him.

"That part I'm still working out." Harry said, placing his hand on his chin. "Another thing, Spider-Man has been gone for a week and so has Eren. Isn't that proof enough? Right, Cindy?" Harry looked directly at Cindy, trying to gauge her response.

She was stunned, stumbling over her own words before spewing out an answer. "I- How would I know? If he doesn't tell you, his best friend, why would he tell me? I feel like that's more of a bro code thing or something."

"True." Lily interjected. "Every superhero movie has the best friend know his secret while the love interest is oblivious." Lily saying this did nothing more than annoy Harry, bringing an emotionless expression to his face.

"Seriously... life isn't a movie. Plus, I have a theory about that-" Before Harry could continue, the news story changed, gathering the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

"Breaking News: A shipment of Carbonanium has been stolen by a band of thieves. This group of thieves goes by the name of the Maggia, having reemerged after being stopped by Spider-Man some months ago. Perhaps due to Spider-Man's absence, the group feels as if no one can stop them. Where is Spider-Man? Where is Spider-Woman? If this Carbonanium gets in the wrong hands..."

Harry and Lily both looked back at the table, seeing that Cindy was gone, in a similar fashion to how Eren would disappear on them. The two looked at each other, realizing that Harry might be right about his theory, though the two wondered why the two spider people were keeping it a secret.

By the time Silk, wearing her webbed costume, was swinging through the city, the Maggia had already escaped. However, Silk had something up her webbed sleeve.

Like Spider-Man, Silk had her own type of sense, something she called Silk-Sense. However, hers was much more advanced than his. This was both a good and bad thing for the heroine, as she was able to detect danger and people who need help from a much further distance. Inversely, she always felt as if her brain was telling her that something bad was happening elsewhere.

It was so intrusive, she began to start to just ignore it half the time. Whether it be someone having a minor inconvenience or someone actually needing help, she couldn't tell the difference. It made it hard to sleep at night.

However, if she really focused, she could almost form a topographical map of the city in her own mind. She remembered the region based on the small video clip she saw on the news, heading straight to that point in the city before getting atop one of the tallest buildings in the area, shutting her eyes, and focusing.

Silk exhaled, focusing on trying to detect where they were in the city, where their hideout was, and where they took the Carbonanium.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open and the heroine turned around to shoot a web at a figure standing behind her, though the figure was able to dodge to the side and avoid the attack.

"I see you won't let me sneak up on you like my little spider does." The figure spoke, revealing itself to be a woman in a skin-tight, black, leather outfit. It was Black Cat, continuing to dodge Silk's attacks with a sly smile on her face.

'My little spider?' Silk thought to herself, continuing to try and land an attack on the cat burglar. 'Does she mean Eren?'

Black Cat lept in the air, flipping to land atop a water tower behind her before checking out the new hero in town intensively with her feline-like eyes. "So, Spider-Woman, huh?" Black Cat said as she looked Silk's body up and down.

Finally having a good look at the scandelously dressed woman, Cindy couldn't help but check out the cat's perfect figure. She eventually snapped herself out of it before replying to the woman's statement.

"It's Silk. Not Spider-Woman." She told her, crossing her arms and striking an impatient pose. "Who are you?"

Black Cat laughed before adjusting herself on the water tower slightly as if she were about to leap down. However, Silk forming claws at her fingertips using her webs stopped the feline in her tracks. "Easy there..." Black Cat said with her hands over her head. "You can call me Cat. I'm a friend."

"Okay, Cat. Why are you here? And what do you mean by 'my little spider'?" Cindy asked, reverting back to her pouty pose.

Black Cat laughed slightly, sensing a bit of jealousy in the air. "Don't worry, it's just a nickname, we haven't done anything if that's what you're wondering..." Black Cat said before sitting down on the water tower "Yet." She teased, though she really had no intentions with Spider-Man anymore after he informed her about his relationship. She wasn't very interested in being a homewrecker though she did still enjoy teasing him.

There relationship had shifted slightly, she would give Spider-Man intel about whatever crime she'd overheard and he'd let her off the hook if she was doing anything less than legal, though he didn't let her push those boundaries too far.

"I'm trying to stop the Maggia for my own reasons. I was hoping Spider would show up, but he's not here. You know where he is?" Black Cat asked, kicking her feet on the water tower as she spoke.

"He's... on vacation. I can stop these Maggia guys myself." Silk said with resolve in her voice though Black Cat was doubtful of that.

"No offense, Silky-" Black Cat started, however, Cindy interrupted her to make one thing clear.

"It's Silk." She said coldly, bringing a smile to Black Cat's face.

"I like you." Black Cat said with a bit of a smile. She could tell Spider-Man's lover was no pushover. "Well, Silk, no offense but I don't know if you can handle these guys on your own. They're ready to fight Spider-Man, not you. Let's be honest, neither on of us is as strong as he is."

Silk took offense to this, frowning at the mysterious woman with her arms still crossed. "And how do you know?" Silk didn't like this new image that was being formed about her. She didn't like the idea that she was the supposed weaker version of Spider-Man. Of course, it was true, but she still hated it. Though she had many advantages over him, such as having a better sense and more natural speed, she lacked one crucial factor.

Godspeed.

"I know what it's like, Silk. You feel underestimated right now, you feel weak because of what everyone else is saying, but you don't need to try and prove anything to anyone. From what I can tell, you're strong, but don't bite off more than what you can chew. These guys are serious business. We can't do this on our own." Black Cat admitted. "I want your help with this. I 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 your help with this. And I think I can help you too."

Silk thought about Felicia's words, knowing the woman was right. She was far more experienced than her in every way. 'She knows Eren, he'd never be close with someone he couldn't trust. He doesn't have many friends to begin with.'

"Okay, Cat. We can help each other." Silk said, though she still sounded a bit uncertain.

Black Cat jumped from the tower, landing in front of Silk before extending her hand out to her. "I knew you'd come around. Partners?"

The two clawed fighters shook hands, sealing the deal that they were now in a partnership. "Partners." Silk replied, however, she still felt a bit reluctant.

New York was in their hands now, however, what was in store for them was far beyond anything they could have ever predicted.