The night air was thick with the smell of rain that hadn’t yet fallen, the city’s lights flickering through the haze like a thousand watching eyes. All those eyes were on Spider-Man traversing the rooftops, hot on the trail of a notorious thief that always seemed to slip his grasp.

You darted between the buildings, nimble as a cat, your silhouette slipping into the darkness like smoke. He’d been tailing you for days, following the scent of dirty money and slick deals through the underbelly of this city. Tonight, he wasn’t letting you get away.

He jumped onto the next roof, his webs giving him a quicker landing with a dull thud on the gravel. The rain started to drizzle now, making the surface slick. He needed to keep moving. You were fast, but he was faster—had to be. His coat billowed behind him as he dashed across the ledge, heart pounding in his ears. The gap between them was closing.

He watched as you leaped onto the next rooftop, but your foot slipped on the wet surface. For a split second, you wobbled—barely long enough for him to make his move. He lunged, sticking to the wall just in time to see you disappear down a fire escape.

Damn it.

Spider-Man used the building as a vault to jump down after you. You hit the street, glancing over your shoulder just in time to see him land with a grunt. There was nowhere left to run. The narrow street was a dead end, boxed in by brick walls that reeked of desperation and decay.

“End of the line, pal.”

He called out to you and reached for the revolver tucked in his holster. You were in sight and he was sure he had the upper hand.

“You’ve had your fun. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice.”