Chapter Text
“Bank robbery on 23rd street, reported to be five individuals.”
The familiar voice rang through his comms swiftly, strong and assuring. Without any hesitation, he leapt from the building, preparing his descent whilst extending his arms for web support.
Green mask shrouding his emotions, he smirked a childish grin, one ready for action and suspense. Too long had he been waiting on that rooftop, and too long had he been astraining from the avarice and jealousy he felt when he saw the police take action before he could arrive. Now, he had an opportunity to get involved.
The wind collided against him; soft kisses of chill dispersing beneath his thin suit as he swung through the hair. He loved to swing. He loved the freedom and joy that came with it. As he allowed himself to freefall through the air, nothing threatened to stop his fall - he was his own lifeline. That gave him more comfort than he could imagine, relying on only his own actions, no one else's.
Sky dark from the late evening, his vision was corrupted, yet it made him even more reckless. It was the thrill that fuelled him, the danger on his doorstep diminishing his fear and instead increasing his confidence. Without the mask, he would cripple. Without the mask, there was no shot in hell that he’d be able to do what he does, as with it, he was a different person. He preferred this version of himself - he was sure most others did too - as it was brave; a hero. The people adored heroes.
“Stay safe, Spider-Man. We’ve got your back.” A sincere, robotic voice chimed, followed by supportive cheers from the other boys in the back.
Lloyd’s once devilish smile morphed into one of joy, comforted by the sounds of his friends. With, or without the mask, he knew he wouldn’t be able to complete his vigilantism without them. Their support was essential, advising him what to do and where to be. Whether it be petty muggings in the street, or mass shootings, they were always there with the police on speed dial and his location active. He often wondered if other vigilantes in the City had this kind of inside support during their shenanigans. Running into the man who called himself ‘Daredevil’ a few inconvenient times, he did learn that the fighter had friends, but Lloyd was clueless as to who they were. The guy showed half his face, yet was completely unreadable - the blonde envied it, still anxious every time he removed his mask in private.
Without realising it, Lloyd had somehow completed the short swing to the bank in record time. His senses went haywire almost immediately after landing on a building close to it, surveying the scene thoroughly. Giving himself a clear view of the chaos, his comms soon began to blare, ideas and thoughts from his friends being shot his way.
The bank was surrounded by police cars in a semi-circle barrier, each one with their doors open and multiple armed cops accompanying them. Insufficient - but making a slight mark - bright blue lines of tape coated the street and sidewalks, blocking nosy civilians from getting too close. The seriousness, and lack of action, caused Lloyd to dictate that the assailants were dangerous, with some kind of weapons on their person.
“Be careful with this one, Lloyd,” Kai conveyed through his ear, worry evident in his tone. “These are devices procedures, so at least one of them have a gun-”
“-Or a bomb!” Jay cried in an exaggerated tone, causing Lloyd to roll his eyes.
“ Jay!” Lloyd heard a groan on the other end of the line, before Cole’s shushing cut it off.
Laughing, the blonde readjusted his mask, discarding any creases it held. “When I made you all my ‘guys in the chair’, I thought you’d be a little more useful.”
“Hey! We are useful, I think…” Jay growled, whimpering like a puppy.
“I’m kidding!” Lloyd bellowed, “I’ll just go in, fight the bad guys, web them up, and then it’ll all be dandy.”
“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Kai exclaimed before the comms went silent, leaving Lloyd alone.
Releasing his grip on the rooftop edge, he vigorously leapt from his spot, landing directly in the middle of the semi-circle of police. Almost immediately, all the cops pointed their guns towards the new arrival, shouting in genuine surprise as he stood rather calmly. Within a few moments, all attitudes were switched as they realised who the figure was - their very own friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
Lloyd chuckled to himself as all guns were lowered, watching with anticipation as the Police Commissioner rose from the ground, approaching the hero with friendly intent. Lloyd had learnt to respect the fact the cops were on his side. At first, they despised him being on the streets, calling him a menace and accusing him of being a monster and mutant .
It took a very dramatic mugging, and a vulnerable, upset wife of the Police Commissioner being saved by Spider-Man to make the man even begin to respect him. Over time, Lloyd had assisted the police force in many events when they needed his help. On occasion, however, he was informed that he wasn’t needed, leaving the hero to slump away sadly, disappointed by the lack of action; Lloyd had developed the feeling that if he wasn’t helping, he was directly putting lives in danger himself. Consequently, the teen often threw himself into dangerous situations without even realising it, impulse - and crying voices - influencing him to put others first.
His friends often worried when he didn’t turn up to school the morning after patrol. When it happened - and it happened a lot - considerable amounts of commotion took place. Lloyd was smart, top of his class, and he also had a good home life with his Mom; he had no excuse to his school, or his classmates, as to why he’d come in with black eyes and bruises. So, he began to stay off until they healed. Thanks to his high metabolism, they healed quickly, but his absence would cause his friends to panic, hoping he made it home the night before. He always did.
“Spider-Man!” The commissioner stood in front of the hero, extending a hand to shake. Lloyd accepted it happily. “I was hoping you’d show. This one’s a sticky situation, six hostages and five armed assailants.”
“Well, sir,” Lloyd crossed his arms, smugly. “Sticky situations are my speciality!”
A cringe was heard through his comms, followed by a faceplant and a chuckle from Jay. “Don’t say it like that, Lloyd!”
The commissioner coughed, awkwardly. “Anyways, sources believe there may be some kind of explosive in the building. We feel that if we all charge in, guns blazing, we could trigger it. Got any ideas?”
“I have a few.” He lied. Lloyd had no idea what to do, for this was an easy toy between life and death. In any other scenario, he would let his impulse take route, therefore believing it would do him good today. He trusted his gut way more often than he should’ve. “Give me ten minutes. If I don’t come out, then… don't worry about it. I’ll sort this.”
Lloyd strutted towards the door, ignoring the concerned questions from the police commissioner. It was times like these he wondered why they allowed a seventeen year old to have so much control, but then he would remember how they thought he was an adult - thanks to his strong build. In reality, he was far from it, simply being a reckless teenager with really bad luck. That was his hamartia.
Grabbing the handle, he slowly pushed it open, slipping through the smallest crack he could before jumping to the ceiling. Crawling on the roof, he used his webs to close the door, silently making his entrance as strategic as possible.
Almost immediately, he heard commotion. At first, he only noticed the imperative commands from those who he assumed to be the assailants, but quickly began to catch the cries and pleas from those imprisoned by them. Lloyd’s heart began to ache at every noise, simply motivating him even more to capture these criminals.
A loud, deafening beeping devoured his mind as he crept down the hallway, clutching the ceiling and using only the tips of his fingers and toes to crawl along. Without his enhanced senses, he never would’ve heard the noise, yet it was eating his ears alive as he approached it, leading him towards the correct direction and making him sure of where the threat actually was.
The roof was high, and in no way easy to navigate. Lloyd cursed the fact banks decided to make their interior so fancy, forcing him to manoeuvre his way around excessively exaggerated lampshades and engraved detailing surrounding them. Luckily for him, however, the roof was a soft marble white, smooth as day; he, similarly, was coated in the suit coloured in light green and white itself, causing him not to stand out too much.
As he rounded the corner, he entered the room where the beeping was originating from. He almost lost his grip on the roof when he saw the scene close up: Five armed men, dressed in their own individual tactical gear, wearing - causing Lloyd to cringe - Sons Of Garmadon masks. The blonde scoffed at the look. He despised the gang in general for their creepy dedication towards his father, and it didn’t take long for Lloyd to catch on to the fact that this was more than just a bank robbery;
This was an extremist terrorist scheme; the Sons Of Garmadon's trademark.