Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

Jessica knew exactly what kind of person May Parker was. After all, she had once followed Nick Fury's orders to keep an eye on Spider-Man's family.

But she didn't think that going to May Parker in this situation would be of any help.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to you. Honestly, even going to Captain America would have been a better idea," Jessica muttered in frustration, pressing her forehead with her hand.

"But this is the safest place I know," Miles responded with a sigh.

At that moment, Aunt May noticed Jessica. She was curious about the girl who bore such a striking resemblance to Peter Parker.

"So, are you from another universe as well?"

May's question snapped Jessica back to reality. She quickly realized that her previous words weren't exactly polite.

"I apologize for what I said earlier, but I'm not from another universe. I'm Peter Parker's clone," Jessica stated matter-of-factly. She had long accepted her identity as a clone.

May's face was filled with shock.

She had never heard of Peter Parker having a clone.

"So, can we stay here for a while and lay low?" Miles asked.

Just as May was about to agree, a deep voice interrupted.

"No."

May turned her head to see Bruce, already suited up in his Bat-armor.

The only thing that didn't match his intimidating armor was the steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Miles was visibly surprised by Batman's presence. Logically speaking, he should have been back in his Batcave—why was he here, in Spider territory?

Bruce handed his coffee to May and then stepped in front of Jessica and Miles.

May wanted to say something, but Bruce simply waved his hand, signaling for her to go inside.

However, this time, it was clear that May had no intention of listening to the Bat.

"Let them in. They look exhausted. I'd guess they traveled all the way from Washington to New York," May said, completely ignoring Bruce's increasingly disapproving gaze. She simply waved for Miles and Jessica to follow her inside.

"They're a problem. Letting them stay here might bring you a lot of trouble," Bruce said to May after the two had entered the house.

"Sometimes, we have to take risks, don't we? You're quite a handful yourself," May replied with a smile, taking a sip of her coffee.

"You really didn't add much sugar."

She gave Bruce's arm a light pat before turning and heading inside.

Bruce didn't know what to say.

No wonder, in this universe, this old lady had always stood by Peter Parker's side in his Spider-Man journey.

But May wasn't wrong—he was a problem too.

"Look, this was the previous Spider-Man's Spider-Cave. Pretty overwhelming, right? Even another universe's Peter Parker admitted his place wasn't as good as this one," Miles said as he led Jessica into the Spider-Cave, eagerly showing it off.

"I wanted to ask this ever since we left the three-plane formation…" Jessica said as she glanced around before turning her gaze back to Miles.

"The so-called Spider-Men from other universes... have really arrived in our world, haven't they?"

Miles looked up and met Jessica's gaze, then nodded.

"It all started with that explosion in New York City."

Hearing this, Jessica immediately understood.

That was precisely the area Nick Fury had been keeping a close eye on.

"So, does that mean traveling between universes is possible?"

"I can answer that for him—right now, it's not."

Bruce suddenly interjected into the conversation between Jessica and Miles, stepping between them and separating them.

He hadn't expected Miles to reveal everything he knew to Jessica so easily.

If she asked a few more questions, Miles might even end up telling her the color of his underwear.

Jessica glanced at the bat who had inserted himself between them but chose not to say anything.

"Judging by your expressions, something went wrong with your mission, didn't it?" Bruce asked as the platform reached the bottom. He was the first to step out.

"My gut feeling is that there's been a rebellion within S.H.I.E.L.D.," Jessica replied, her tone filled with disbelief.

After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was an organization made up of like-minded individuals.

Their methods weren't always the most honorable, but at the very least, they had maintained world peace.

Miles, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked.

He had only been officially recognized as Spider-Man by S.H.I.E.L.D. two days ago, and now a rebellion had broken out?

He couldn't help but wonder if he was cursed.

Bruce turned and gave Jessica a glance.

He didn't say a word.

In Bruce's mind, no large organization was immune to internal rebellion.

The moment a group exceeded three people, there was always the potential for problems.

Unless, of course, the organization had someone akin to Superman—an individual with an unwavering will and unshakable beliefs.

But in Batman's eyes, nothing was ever absolute.

He had one steadfast principle:

"If there's even a one percent chance that someone could become our enemy, we must treat it as an absolute certainty."

Sitting in front of the computer, Bruce got to work.

Countless files and documents flashed rapidly across multiple screens.

The sheer speed of it made Miles feel like Bruce wasn't actually reading anything—just showing off his technical prowess.

Jessica, meanwhile, crossed her arms and quietly observed, curious to see what the bat was planning.

"So, do you know the outcome of Nick Fury's negotiations with Them?"

"No idea. By the time we returned, S.H.I.E.L.D. had already fallen into chaos."

Jessica shook her head. After the rebellion broke out, she had lost all contact with Nick Fury.

"If my suspicions are correct, then we'd better brace ourselves… for a turbulent America."

Bruce's fingers suddenly stopped moving.

A new file appeared on the screen.

It was the flight log for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Quinjet deployments.

Jessica had taken one.

Nick Fury had taken another.

But there was a third Quinjet—one whose destination hadn't been logged.

Yet Jessica and Bruce both knew exactly where that unmarked Quinjet was headed.

Because the person on board had a name.

Bruce Banner.

(End of Chapter)

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