Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Webs and Shells Pt. 1
"All right. For those of you who weren't listening, let's do this one last time. My name is Peter Parker. I was your average 16 year old raised by my Aunt May and Uncle Ben ever since my parents died under mysterious circumstances. I was (and still am) a frequent bullying target, though I had a few friends like April O'Neil and especially Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, founder of Oscorp. A short while ago, I was on a field trip to Harry's dad's company when I was bitten by a spider I'm pretty sure was radioactive or something because I gained the proportionate powers of a spider as well as being able to climb walls and a sixth sense for danger. Basically, I could do anything a spider can!
"Unfortunately, I started getting a slightly swollen head. I figured with these powers, I could make an easy profit, so I tried getting into showbiz for some quick cash. It didn't work out. I made a mistake in anger and my Uncle Ben… died because of it. After that, I decided to become a hero and live by his words–‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’. So now, I’ve been going around the city, saving people from muggers, gangsters and crooks who think they can get away with it and hurt the citizens of this fair city. Thanks to me, they know better.
"...Of course, it's certainly not ALL peaches and cream. Not a lot of people are thrilled with the idea of a guy who can lift cars and climb walls running around. In fact, the city's main news source, The Daily Bugle, doesn't seem to have a lot of faith in said vigilante hero. Already the head pinhead, J. Jonah Jameson, has started calling me a menace, saying I'm a threat to the city should I decide to go rogue or 'break from the act'. Or even suggesting that I'm just beating up bad guys so I can thin the competition. Because of that, almost everyone screams and runs away after I save them, yelling for someone to save them from the 'Spider-Menace'. Not so much as a 'thank you'! Sheesh!"
“But you know what? I'm not going to let that get me down. Because the only thing standing between this city and criminal corruption is me! There's only one Spider-Man, and you're looking at him!"
The web-slinging hero used his web line to swing gracefully through the skies of New York. He flung himself to a wall to run across it, sticking to the bricks easily. Once he reached its corner, he jumped off and shot another webline, giving a strong enough swing to launch himself high to the top of the nearest building on the block. He targeted the top of the satellite tower and perched himself right at its tip.
From where he was, Spider-Man could see the brilliantly lit Big Apple at night through the white eyelids of his red mask that matched half of the rest of his costume, minus the blue underside of his arms and legs, the black spider logo on his chest, and the web-themed pattern along the red parts.
"This is Spider-Man, giving you your friendly neighborhood eye in the sky," he said aloud like he was a news reporter. "It's 64 degrees now. Relatively cloudless skies, though you can't see any stars here 'cause, you know, New York. Honestly, the ‘City That Never Sleeps’ seems to actually be pretty quiet tonight. Not even a single purse snatcher deciding to mess with innocent old ladies." He yawned and stretched. "Looks like I might get to turn into bed on time after all.”
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
Spider-Man let out a frustrated sigh. "Why do I always have to jinx myself?"
Spider-Man followed the sound of the scream to the road. He saw a teenager driving his motorcycle wildly with a fearful look on his helmeted face. From the Antonio's Pizza T-shirt he wore and the stack of pizza boxes shaking behind him, it was obvious what his job was.
"Runaway pizza dude," Spider-Man mused. "And here I thought I'd seen everything."
Spider-Man then shot his web and swung on down to ground level right in front of the delivery boy. The guy stopped his motorcycle with a SCREECH just as Spider-Man landed before him. He gasped at seeing the superhero.
"Um, dude, do you have any idea how fast you were going?" Spider-Man asked. "See, this is why I prefer web-travel. There are no speed limits that way."
"Y-You…" the pizza boy exclaimed with a startled voice. "You're that guy from the paper! The Spider-Menace!"
"Uh, not quite. It's Spider-Man," said hero piped up, inwardly groaning at meeting yet another believer of Jameson's rhetoric.
"L-Look, man! Please, don't hurt me!" The pizza boy pleaded, clasping his hands. "I'm having a bad enough night!"
"Well, we've all seen New York after sundown." Spider-Man said with a slight chuckle to try and alleviate his fear. When it didn't seem to work, he sighed. “Look, all that garbage from the Bugle's papers and news shows is just that- garbage. If I wanted to hurt you, I probably would by now, don't you think?" This statement thankfully seemed to finally get the guy to calm down a little. “So why WERE you driving and screaming like a maniac? Honestly, you look like you just saw a ghost."
"No. I saw something worse," the pizza boy said in a shaking voice. "I just saw monsters down the block! B-big, green m-monsters!
"Uh, huh," Spider-Man nodded skeptically. "Let me guess. They came from the sewers?"
"Maybe! I don't know! Look, I'm not joking! There were four of them, and one snarled at me! They were gonna eat me, I know it! I left as fast as I could! Although, I think I may have dropped a box when I zoomed off. Oh, that is SO coming out of my paycheck!"
Spider-Man sighed. "All right, all right. Look, I'll go and check this supposed monster sighting.” He switched his tone to that of a police officer. “Just as long as you mind your speed, young man."
"Hey, you want to get eaten by giant turtle monsters, be my guest, dude! Me? I'm living to see another day!" The pizza boy started up his motorcycle and continued his route going around Spider-Man. The web-slinger watched him drive off to make sure he wouldn't go too fast again.
"Green monsters," Spider-Man repeated with a chuckle to himself. "Probably just a hoax. Some nutty web show or publicity stunt. This IS New York after all.” He scratched his chin in thought. “Still, that guy swears he saw something. Probably would be best if I checked it out. If anything, maybe I can convince these guys not to go too far in their stunts anymore.”
Spider-Man then spent the next twenty minutes swinging around the block where the pizza delivery guy swore he saw the “turtles.” He finally stopped when he landed on a rooftop to rest. He took another look at the city before sighing in defeat.
"Well, so far, no 'giant turtles' scaring the pies out of delivery boys," Spider-Man said to himself. "Looks like it WAS all just a prank. Like I said, probably a bunch of bozos wearing costumes for a dumb show or something. It's certainly easier to believe than man-sized reptiles in shells roaming around the streets."
Suddenly, a distant noise caught Spider-Man's attention. He turned his head and followed the sound. He then quickly sent out a web line to zip himself over to the next block where he planted himself on the side of a building. Spider-Man looked at the street below… and saw something that he couldn't believe.
The street was filled with a multitude of different figures fighting. Half of them were identical-looking men in black suits. Those men were fighting what looked like HUMANOID TURTLES just like the delivery boy had said! The turtles each had different feudal Japanese weapons in their hands and the bandanas that they wore around their eyes were different colors.
"Ooookay. There's something you don't see every day," Spider-Man commented in slight shock.
He then looked at one of the turtles, one with a purple bandana. He was standing over a red-headed girl in a yellow shirt. She screamed while trying to crawl away from him.
"Wait a minute. Is that…” Spider-Man narrowed his eyes, then they widened as he realized who it was. “My gosh! It's April!” At the sight of seeing one of his best friends in a Damsel in Distress situation, he immediately leapt down into the fight to help.
What Spider-Man didn’t know was that the turtle in purple was actually just trying to REASSURE April. Though she was taken aback by fearful surprise at him, he did his best to calm her down.
"No, no, no. No. Don't worry. We're the good guys. It's okay."
April turned to see two of the men in suits threateningly approaching her. She looked back at the turtle who offered her his three-fingered hand. She then raised her own hand slowly, going to accept it, but before she could have had the chance, Spider-Man intervened.
The web-swinger sent a line from his wrist which attached itself on the back of the turtle's shell. He turned around slightly in surprise before being yanked from the street. At the same time, Spider-Man jumped from the wall and flew towards the turtle who he kicked in midair. The turtle flew from the kick and crashed to a nearby dumpster while Spider-Man landed on the ground.
“Donnie!” one of the turtles called out.
"Not to worry!” Spider-Man said, striking a heroic pose. “Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is… here?"
He turned to where he'd seen April only to find that she wasn't on the street anymore. He looked ahead and saw the guys in suits putting her into the back of a white panel van. Spider-Man also saw another man with balding red hair and beard. He recognized him as April’s father, Kirby O’Neil, an old friend of his late parents! The driver of the van was a large man with brown hair, wearing a green-striped shirt and sporting a nasty sneer. Spider-Man got a good look at him as he swerved the van and drove out of sight.
"What… just happened?" Spider-Man asked, very confused.
"I'll tell you what happened! You let those guys take that girl and her father away!" yelled the turtle in the purple bandana. He remembered hearing one of the turtles call him “Donnie”. He picked himself up from the garbage and angrily confronted the web-slinger. "What in the name of Einstein’s theory is wrong with you?! Why did you do that?! She was about to accept my help!”
"Hey! From where I was swinging, some weirdo in a turtle costume was standing over a frightened high-school girl!" Spider-Man argued back. He then looked him up and down. He was rather tall and lanky with a gap between his teeth. "Seriously, why the turtle gimmick? It's not even that scary. Honestly, it's sort of dopey-looking."
“Dopey?!” Donnie asked, affronted, a tic mark appearing on his forehead.
Spider-Man suddenly reached his hands up and grabbed the sides of the turtle's head. He pinched and tugged hard, making Donnie yell out in pain.
"OW! OWOWOW! OKAY! OKAY! QUIT IT! THAT'S MY FACE!”
As soon as Spider-Man realized what he was holding WASN'T a mask, he cried out in shock and released him. "Wait a minute! That's not…"
"Whoa!" yelled out a turtle in an orange bandana. He was a little shorter than the rest and had freckles on his cheeks, his blue eyes sparkling. "You're that spider dude from the news! Bros, we’re in the presence of a bona fide superhero!"
"Wait a sec. Didn't that loud mustache guy on the news say he was a bad guy, Mikey?" asked a turtle with a red bandana. He appeared to have a scowl embedded on his face and had a lightning-shaped crack on his shell, his acid green eyes glowering menacingly. "If that's so, then I won't feel bad about pummeling him for helping those kidnappers."
"Hold on! Kidnappers?" Spider-Man asked, becoming confused by all that was going on. "What are you guys talking about? Are you all really giant talking turtles?!"
"Forget about him. We got a van to track down," said the one in the blue bandana. He seemed to be the oldest and spoke with a calm commanding tone.
Donnie seemed to agree as he picked up a bo staff from the ground and ran off in the direction of the van.
"Fine!" the red-bandana turtle groaned as he and the others followed after. "I still can't believe you jabbed me with your sword, Leo!”
"Well, I didn't know you were gonna land where I was stabbing, Raph!" argued the turtle with the blue bandana.
As he watched the turtles disappear down the alleyway, Spider-Man stood alone in the center of the road. He kept his white mask lenses pointed straight ahead.
"This… This cannot be real," he said in disbelief. "Maybe a good night's rest is all I need. Yeah, that's it. I've been working too hard. Hallucinating."
Spider-Man shot a webline upwards and swung himself out of the street, continuing to mutter to himself. Little did he know that the turtle in the orange bandana- Mikey- stuck around to watch him leave high above his head.
"Whoa. That dude is SO cool!" he said in awe before noticing that there was one man in a suit standing up. "Oh. One more, huh?” he asked confidently. “Well, I'll take care of this guy in a flash."
About half a minute later, though, the young turtle would see something truly unbelievable.
Swinging his way back to Queens, Spider-Man's head was flooded with thoughts.
‘There's no way what happened really happened, right? Those weren't REAL turtle monsters, right? Those guys in suits didn't really kidnap April, RIGHT?! Oh, boy. Can my life get any crazier or worse?’
"OOF!" Peter grunted loudly as he was pushed to the lockers the very next day. The guy who pushed him was a large jock with blonde hair and a smug smirk.
"Aww! Looks like Puny Parker really likes the lockers, doesn't he?" he asked with a mocking tone. “Man, what happened to that guy who wanted to put me in my place three months ago? Guess he ran off scared, huh?
It's times like these that made Peter really regret removing his spider outfit and putting on his plain, bright-blue shirt and bright-brown pants instead. He also really wished he could use his spider powers to fight back against his usual bully, Flash Thompson. He had tried that once shortly after he got his powers, only to get in trouble for fighting and in hot water with his uncle. Since that day, in order to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret, he reluctantly had to keep it all to himself and go back to being the wimpy Peter from before.
Thankfully, he had his friends in school too, however few they may be. One was April, who he hoped to see in class to prove he had just imagined the things he'd seen the other night. His other and best friend, Harry Osborn, happened to see Peter in trouble again and stepped into Flash's way.
"Hey, come on, Flash. Why don't you go hit somebody your own size?"
"They hit back," Flash countered.
"Wow. That's some reasoning, Flash," Peter snarked with a smile on his face. "I can hardly believe you thought of that."
Flash sneered and stepped closer to his victim, but Harry stood his ground between the two of them.
"You know what?" Flash scoffed, lowering his fist. "I'm not feeling it today. Good luck being a nerd, Parker. See ya, rich boy.”
Once Flash walked away, Harry turned to Peter. The young genius brushed himself off and smiled at his friend.
"Thanks for that, Harry."
"Hey, you know I always got your back." Harry said. "Although, I wouldn't have to so much if you didn't talk back to Flash a lot."
"Aw, but he makes it too easy." Peter chuckled before letting out a wide yawn which Harry noticed.
"Hey, you okay, man?"
"I'm fine. Just… had a long night. Barely got any sleep."
"What, you stay up working on your homework again?" Harry asked with a chuckle. "Take it easy, man. Otherwise, you'll burn out and actually start seeing things."
"Gee, I hope that's all that was," Peter said under his breath thinking back to the impossible encounter he had with the giant turtles holding ninja weapons. "Well, I gotta go. Geometry isn't going to figure itself out."
"Wouldn't that be something though?” Harry returned.
Once the two boys went their separate ways, Peter headed straight to his geometry class. He sat down in his seat, noticing that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. He was prepared to wait, but a voice behind him caught his attention.
"Hey, Peter."
He turned to face a girl with blonde hair and circular glasses behind him. It was his classmate, Debra Whitman, another friend of April’s.
“Yeah, Debra?”
"Have you seen April anywhere?"
Peter's eyes widened upon hearing that question. Remembering that April was also in his geometry class, he turned to see where she normally sat, which was the first seat on Debra's right. Much to his worry, the chair turned out to be empty. He hid his fear as best as he could.
"Uh, no. Haven't seen her all morning." That technically wasn't a lie.
"Weird. It's not like her to just vanish like this," Debra said curiously.
"Maybe she just called in sick," Peter said hopefully.
"Yeah, but you'd think she'd text her friends at least. You, me, Harry," Debra stated before looking worried.
“I… I-I guess,” Peter stammered.
Debra paused before saying, "You know, just the other day, she and I were talking about the mysterious kidnappings."
"Kidnappings?" Peter asked, his hopes lowering by the second.
"Yeah. There have been a lot of kidnappings happening around the city these past couple of months," Debra answered. "The police have suggested people stay indoors at night until it's solved. Though maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions. I just hope she's okay."
Peter's hopes were shattered in that moment. He turned away from Debra, hiding his face which was filled with both guilt and worry when the teacher came in to begin class, though Peter barely heard a word she said.
‘Oh, crud! That was real! I thought those guys were helping April, but it turns out they KIDNAPPED her! Those turtles- whatever they are- they actually WERE trying to help, and I blew it! Now April and her dad are who knows where! I HAVE to fix this. And I know just the person to help.’
After dark, in another part of the city, a Japanese woman stepped out of a coffee house and was about to head to her police car. But just as she gripped the driver's door window, she heard a metal thump above her. She smiled a little and looked up to find Spider-Man crouching on top of her car.
"Hey, Yuri."
"Spider-Man," the woman greeted. "Since when are we on a first-name basis?"
"What? Just last month, I helped you catch those Purple Dragons you were staking out. They almost turned the tables on you if I hadn't shown up. I would think that would count for something.”
Yuri nodded and took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, it did. I figured you were a good person from the beginning and that moment proved that what Jameson was spouting was a load of hooey. I’ve tried sticking up for you to everyone else in my precinct, but you're not exactly ‘Mr. Popular’ around there."
"No kidding. With them, it's always ‘Shoot the spider freak first, ask questions later.’ Still, as long as YOU like me, that's good enough for me," Spider-Man said. "That's why I know you can help me with something."
Yuri sighed without dropping her smile. "Why do men only compliment me when they want something? All right. What do you need?"
"It's the mysterious kidnappings," Spider-Man said seriously. "I think I witnessed one last night."
Finally, Yuri's smile dropped. "You sure?"
"I believe so," Spider-Man confirmed. "I don't know all the details though. I just saw a teenage girl and her dad get taken by some guys in suits, but it was a pretty crazy night, so I'm not sure what the situation was exactly." He decided not to mention having seen giant walking, talking turtles, lest he make one of the few people who trusted him think he'd gone screwy.
"A teenage girl and her dad?" Yuri asked with a pondering look. "That doesn't match the usual MO. The victims have usually been scientists."
"Scientists?" Spider-Man asked. "Now that you mention it, that girl was actually someone I had seen around before. I know for a fact her dad is a psychologist. Has an apartment office on 14th street. Would that count?"
"Maybe, but we can't know for sure unless we have solid leads," Yuri said. "Was there anything else you saw that might be important? Like maybe what the guys who committed the crime looked like?"
"Kinda generic, I guess," Spider-Man said with a shrug. "Most of them were men in suits that looked very similar. Kinda like Agent Smith from the Matrix.”
“Oh, that's a big help,” groaned Yuri. “For all I know, you could be describing the Secret Service or the Men in Black.”
“Wait! Hold on! Now that I think about it, there WAS one guy who looked different from them. There was a big guy in a green-striped shirt," Spider-Man said
"Green-striped shirt?" Yuri mused. She opened her door and reached in before pulling out a manilla folder. "Is this the guy?"
She passed the folder to Spider-Man who looked inside. Among a few papers, he found a mugshot of the same man he saw the other night.
"That's him, alright! I’d know that lack of style anywhere."
"Congrats, Spidey. We've been looking into him for a while. His name is Flint Marko," Yuri said, taking the folder back. "A former low-level bank robber who has since been paroled. He's risen up on our suspect list for a while after being supposedly spotted around several areas that the kidnappings have taken place in. Unfortunately, we don't have any solid evidence, so we can't investigate further. But if a certain red-suited vigilante were to pull something up…"
"Say no more, Yuri. Actually, say one more thing: the guy's address." Yuri then gave him an address to an area downtown. "Thanks. And who knows? Maybe this will be the beginning of…" He lowered his voice to be low and raspy. "Spider-Cop!"
Spider-Man shot a line and threw himself off Yuri's car. As she watched him swing away, she sighed and rubbed the side of her head with her fingers.
"That better not be a regular thing with him.”
"Give it up already, Leo!" cried Raph. "The guy's not gonna show!"
The four turtles stood on top of a rooftop that oversaw the garage. They were there waiting for Flint Marko after recognizing the logo on the building matched the one on his van.
"We have to be patient, Raph," Leo said.
"No. You have to come up with a better plan," Raph argued. "'Cause the four of us standing here with thumbs up our noses…"
"I don't think they'd fit," Mikey piped up after staring at his thumbs for a second.
"…is pointless."
"I had a feeling I'd run into you guys sooner or later." The turtles all turned in surprise at the voice that spoke up. They looked up at the top of a billboard that shared the roof with them. Spider-Man was sitting on top before he jumped off and landed between the four of them.
"You again?" Donnie asked.
"Yeah. It's me," Spider-Man said. "Man, I still can't believe you guys are real."
"Oh, we're real all right," Raph said, cracking his knuckles. "About as real as the bruises you're gonna have for letting those jerks get away last night!"
"Okay, okay!" Spider-Man said, raising his hands up in a calming gesture. He then sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry I messed up last night, alright? I misread the situation badly, and… I just want to make it right."
The turtles looked at each other, seemingly unsure. "So… you're here to help us now?" Leo asked.
"Yeah. So, if we're gonna work together, it would really help if I knew your names. And your backstory too, if you don't mind. I mean, how do four talking ninja turtles come to be anyway? Are you… aliens or something?”
“No! That would be stupid!” Raph scoffed. “Though I know SOMEONE who would think it was cool.” He looked over at Leo, who glared at him before turning to Spider-Man.
"Well, the backstory is kind of a long one," he said. "But as for names, I'm Leonardo. The hothead is Raphael…” Raph grunted. “...the one with the stick is Donatello…” Donnie gave Spider-Man an unsure look. “...and the last guy is Michelangelo. But we also go by Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey."
"Really? I'm just the 'last guy'?" Mikey asked dryly and seeming insulted. “Way to make me sound like a loser on our first superhero team up, Leo!”
"Leonardo? Raphael? Donatello? Michelangelo?" Spider-Man asked. "I'm… sensing a theme here."
“Let's just say someone we know loves Renaissance artwork,” Leo said.
“I’m still not sure about this,” Donnie said suspiciously.
“Would it help any if I said I was sorry for tossing you in the garbage, calling you dopey-looking and trying to tear your face off?” Spider-Man asked in a hopeful tone, holding out a hand for the tall turtle.
Donnie looked at it for a second before smiling and shaking it. “Okay, sure. I guess so,” he said. “Been called worse by Raph, trust me.”
“So how about a name from you, pal?” the aforementioned turtle asked impatiently.
“Raph! He can't reveal his name!” Mikey protested before stage-whispering, “Secret Identity Code, man.”
“Yeah, just call me ‘Spider-Man’ for now,” the web-slinger said. Raph crossed his arms and pouted, but thankfully didn't push further.
"So how did you find this place?" Donnie asked, gesturing to the garage.
"I got this acquaintance in the police who told me," Spider-Man informed.
"Wow! A real insider on the force! Classic superhero trope!” Mikey squeed.
“Said it was frequented by a guy called Flint Marko. He's the guy who drove the van," Spider-Man continued.
"Ha! So my instinct was right!" Leo declared, turning to Raph. "See? This is where the guy's going to be."
Raph groaned. "If he was going to be here, don't you think he'd show up by now? I said it once, and I'll say it again; it's pointless."
Leo looked down at the garage and gave a cocky smirk. "You sure about that, Raph?"
"He just showed up, didn't he?" Raph asked, slightly annoyed. "I should've complained two hours ago."
The white van parked itself in the alleyway, nearly concealed in shadows. The driver's door opened and Flint Marko stepped out. He shifted his eyes around suspiciously. While he did that, Spider-Man and the turtles looked down at him from above.
"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan!” Leo declared dramatically, missing the annoyed and odd looks the others gave him. “There's no time for hesitation! My orders MUST be carried out without question!" He then looked around and noticed that the others had left the rooftop without him. "Guys? Guys, wait up!"
“Does he do that often?” Spider-Man asked Raph as they jumped down.
“Like you wouldn't believe,” Raph grumbled.
As soon as Flint left the alleyway, he suddenly found himself surrounded by the turtles. He then looked up and saw Spider-Man crouching on top of a lamp post.
"You freaks found me?!" Flint asked.
"What can I say? I'm like a bloodhound when it comes to scum," Spider-Man quipped.
"All right, Mucko, or whatever your name is," Raph said, twirling his sai. "We can do this the easy way or—my vote—the hard way."
"Yeah, look at it logically," Donnie said, pulling out his weapon like the rest of his brothers. "There are five of us and one of you. What are you gonna do?"
"Well, I know what YOU'RE gonna do," Flint said slyly, reaching behind his waist. "Say hello to my little friend!"
In an instant, the hood pulled out what looked like a futuristic pistol. When he pulled the trigger, it shot out purple beams like bullets, causing the turtles to jump out of the way. He then fired at Spider-Man who swung to dodge. With the coast clear, Flint returned to his van and drove out into the street.
"What kind of heat is this Scarface reject packing?!" Spider-Man asked in shock.
"Who cares?" Leo cried. "He's getting away again!"
Spider-Man flicked out web lines and followed in hot pursuit while the turtles scaled up the nearest building and ran across the rooftop. They sprinted and jumped from one rooftop to the next while Spider-Man continued to swing in the van's direction.
At last, Spider-Man caught up to the vehicle and landed on its side. He beat his fist onto it to get Flint's attention. The crook looked into the mirror to find him sticking to the van's side.
"Hi there! I'm closer than I appear!"
Flint growled before reaching his laser gun out and blasting at Spider-Man, who threw himself over to the roof of the van. Flint also saw the turtles closing in and tried to shoot them too. However, like with Spider-Man, he had no success.
Leo swung his arm and released a ninja star to the van's front-left wheel. It lost all of its air upon impact causing the van to skid out of control. Flint tried to regain control, but it was no use. He hit a lamp post and the car flipped itself into the air. Thankfully, Spider-Man thought quickly and jumped off the van. He then fired a large amount of webbing and aimed it in front of the flying vehicle. In just a matter of seconds, he fashioned a web-like net which caught the van in midair, facing upward.
"Now we're getting somewhere," Leo said triumphantly.
The turtles regrouped with Spider-Man on the street. However, they couldn't avert their eyes from seeing the van trapped in a giant web like a fly.
"That was some quick thinking," Donnie praised, stepping forward to investigate the web. "This substance. Is it natural?"
"Nope. Chemical," Spider-Man answered proudly. “Made it myself.”
“You're kidding!” Donnie said excitedly, gently tugging one of the web’s edges. “Incredible! An extremely tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive properties! Almost like nylon, yet it can keep a van stuck and suspended! I would love to-”
"Hey, talk ‘nerd’ on your own time," Raph complained. "We got a crook to chat with."
"Just be careful," Leo said. "We don't know what other surprises he has in there."
Just then, one of the van's doors fell open and something dropped out of it. Everyone watched as a glowing-blue cylinder fell to the ground and rolled right to Mikey's feet. He looked down and took a good look at the unknown, goo-like substance that filled the glass container.
Just then, Mikey’s face gained a surprised expression. His eyes widened as he said one word while looking at the glowing canister.
"Mom?!"
"‘Mom’?" Spider-Man repeated noticing the rest of the turtles' similarly shocked reactions. "Um, what does that mean?"
"Well, remember the long backstory I told you about?” Leo explained. “Well, long story short, 15 years ago, we were just four regular baby turtles before we were exposed to a strange substance in a glass canister. It mutated us. That's why we're like this.” He gestured to them all.
Spider-Man's head turned toward the canister in an instant. "Mutated? And… that's the stuff that did it?"
"I believe so," Donnie said, picking up the canister. "It's the same container and the same substance. The same… mutagen. But… how?”
And that was the question that started it all. From that moment on, none of their lives would be the same ever again.