Am I (Not) a Hero?

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...

[Peter Parker's POV]

Despite the accompanying dangers, the idea of ​​flashing a mask on the Internet seemed quite interesting to me.

She might even have a chance of success, but we're superheroes, so the risks are higher than ever.

I explained this to MJ while swinging around the city with my phone in my pocket.

On the other hand, Mary Jane, like Cindy, had no such protection.

Therefore, I had to tell the girls how intelligence agencies could determine their identities.

Of course, I didn't mention S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra—what's the point?

It's hard enough to hide from simpler threats.

We just need to avoid attracting too much attention for now and strike at the right moment.

At this point, no one gave a damn about us which means we were insignificant.

They were starting to get used to the running fools in suits, and we hadn't committed any serious crimes.

However, I'm afraid their interest in us was only a matter of time. I carefully assessed the risks, and the situation didn't look that dire.

As Mary Jane admitted, she had snatched the phone and SIM card from some criminal. She had also disposed of the battery far from home.

I even praise her for that.

She had done remarkably well for a newbie in information security and had become one of the pioneers among supers in this unusual field.

It was clear that the internet was buzzing with excitement over superheroes and their real identities as seen with the Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four's social media were literally bursting with followers, but there was also considerable interest in anonymous heroes.

We were lucky that in this version of the U.S., SIM cards were still not registered with identification.

"In any case, you did everything you could. You did well, but alas."

I shrugged.

"In the long run, this isn't effective."

"Thanks, Spider-Man. I suspected it wouldn't be easy, but…"

She shook her head.

"We shouldn't have gone out; couldn't you have told me all this at your place?"

I could have, but by the time that simple thought occurred to me, we had already changed and jumped onto the rooftops.

However, who doesn't make mistakes? The main thing is that they're not critical.

Sigh, I could really go for a game of DnD right now…

Feeling down, Mary Jane asked.

"So what am I supposed to do with this now?"

She tossed the phone in her hand.

"Throw it away?"

"It's better to destroy it."

I shrugged.

"Well, then I trust you to destroy it, Spider-Man."

She handed me part of the smartphone.

"I have no doubt you have some acid or something in your lab."

"I might have some."

I replied mysteriously because I definitely do. However, it's not particularly effective against smartphones.

YouTube videos can confirm that.

She sighed dramatically.

"Well, at least I was streaming on Neverland. They haven't traced Bullseye yet, which means they shouldn't have traced me either."

MJ proposed logically.

"Bullseye? A maniac with a fetish for throwing various sharp objects? Yeah, didn't see that coming."

But there's good news: I was familiar with that service, or rather, Peter knew it well and even had a user account there.

"Wonderland" is something like Twitch from my world.

How to describe it?

There's Anti-Venom, and this is the true Anti-Twitch.

It's unclear who owns it, but they call themselves the White Rabbit.

A lover of free internet and a damn wealthy individual. And the stickers featuring famous characters from Lewis Carroll and J.M. Barrie's stories hint at the reference.

"Now I need protection from the White Rabbit as well. They've surrounded us from all sides. These people... they won't let us live in peace."

I don't know how many hackers they have, but the site's security is powerful.

That's no exaggeration, and it's really strong because many "famous" people on the internet have tried to hack it, and the owner even invites people to try.

That's how Peter got a little curious about this topic and decided to participate.

It was obvious that he had a spectacular failure.

Peter could be a genius, but not in everything, or maybe in everything? To be fair, he just recently got into this.

As I remembered from the comics, the White Rabbit is a young billionaire's daughter who went a little crazy with the Alice in Wonderland theme.

She killed her old husband and snatched all his money.

What else… what else? She wants to be a villain, buys all sorts of high-tech junk with a rabbit theme, and gets beaten up by everyone.

There's no villain who would associate with someone like that.

I can't help but feel a bit sorry for her.

However, it's strange.

Why did she create the site in this reality?

She maybe got hooked on the internet instead of books?

A little adjustment for time, circumstances, and all that. Actually, if we connect some dots, it's quite symbolic.

Wonderland is an idealized inner world where a person feels safe and at peace.

It's an attempt to create a site where a person's thoughts and opinions can be secure.

I wonder how much she bombarded lawyers if a site with such vague rules hasn't been shut down yet.

Those imaginary numbers frighten me.

Dodson seems to be her real last name... or Dodsen? If it is really her, she can be tracked down and dealt with when she decides to rat someone out or blackmail them.

That includes getting rid of all the rich women with similar last names. 

She's a secondary character, and no one will miss her, nor will she strongly influence the canon.

When I snap out of my thoughts and see White Tiger's helmet ears drooping down, I want to pet her, but I don't because I might get hit for it.

"Don't get too upset; we'll come up with something. We won't be the first to invent ways to escape surveillance, and we won't be the last."

I said the obvious truth.

"You didn't link a card, did you?"

"I'm not that dumb."

She huffed discontentedly.

"Those donations were internal virtual currency. To withdraw real money, you apparently need to connect a separate resource and gather a certain number of paid subscribers… or something like that. I didn't really look into it. It was just a trial. An unsuccessful one. What can I say? It's not my first failed attempt…"

'Oh right. She told Uncle Ben at the cafeteria that she hadn't been cast in something or another.'

For a while, MJ continued to sulk over missed opportunities.

"What if we go kick some criminals around? You can shake off your disappointment, so to speak."

I suggested, lacking a better option.

She tilted her helmet to the side and replied ironically.

"Yeah, Spider-Man, you really know how to cheer a girl up. Let's go."

She said slightly cheerfully, then added slyly.

"If your girlfriend won't get jealous."

"What, are you going to tear each other's hair out?"

I joked.

'In fact, I don't even know how Cindy will react when she finds out that MJ is the White Tiger. She doesn't seem to have any personal hatred for her, but who knows.'

Afterward, we actually stumbled upon a trio of interesting characters in a grimy alley.

They were standing by a hidden black door and discussing something. We crouched on the roof and listened in on the conversation.

"...how about we smash that diner at the intersection of 50th and 10th streets?"

A slicked-back guy in a jacket sneered.

"What's wrong with the biggest McDonald's in New York, Ricochet? Do you even know who owns it?"

The most presentable one, wearing a gangster hat, lit a cigarette.

"I'll buy one just like that someday."

"For God's sake, who gives a damn, Montana? Fisk will lose it if we make in that much cash, and we'll come out with a nice chunk of change."

The other two criminals exchanged glances full of doubt.

He was hiding something.

"Yeah, a lot of cash from McDonald's."

The guy in the hat nodded.

"I believe that. Can you tell us the real reason?"

"They didn't hire me a few years ago, but I'm not suggesting this because I'm still bitter or anything! There's just a good opportunity there."

"Uh-huh, that sounds so convincing. You might as well add a 'ba-aka~' at the end."

"A few? Be specific."

The third guy is a big, dark-skinned in a brown leather jacket.

"What difference does it make? That was a long time ago, back when I was still in school."

He replied.

"In the early nineties?"

The smoker guesses.

"Dude, you should see a therapist or take some pills."

"For real, Dan. That's unhealthy..."

He nodded.

"Fuck, come on... 'Bro..."

The short guy pouted and went through the discreet door.

"What's with you? Why are you getting offended like a girl?"

The big guy laughed as he opened the door.

"We're not against trashing McDonald's. A new gig would only be a plus for the muscle. Just admit you've lost it."

"Oh, so it's the Brutes. Small fry, sure, but still a gang."

"Are you both degenerates or what?"

The third guy stubbed out his cigarette against the wall.

"I'm the boss here and I decide where we're going, Bull. If we're doing this, it's only on Friday when Fisk has that charity gala dinner. Until then, don't make a move."

"What a boring asshole you are…"

Both of them disappeared through the door.

I nudged White Tiger in the shoulder to signal her, and then I jumped down.

As soon as we landed, we prepared to attack the criminals.

Kicking down the door, White Tiger leaped to the guy in the hat and sent him flying with a kick to the chin.

I really hope she didn't break his neck.

I took on the biggest guy, first shooting a web at the third one's face, but he managed to turn his head slightly.

Bull was a tough fighter, and I had to use bioelectricity twice to take him down.

Dan, better known as Ricochet, screamed in pain as he ripped a thin layer of web from his left eye and tried to reach for his gun.

Now, the guy was missing his eyebrows and eyelashes. However, he didn't have time and got completely stuck in the web again.

While he screamed and struggled, White Tiger knocked him out with a punch to the jaw.

'Should I tell her that hitting civilians in the head is a bad idea?'

"No big deal."

White Tiger brushed her hands off.

"Yeah, yeah, good job. Now let's get out of here; I hear the cops,"

The siren of a police car indeed wailed somewhere in the distance, and my spider sense tingled ominously.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled us to the roof.

She yelped and clung to me like a cat. We stopped after running a hundred or a bit more meters from the crime scene.

"How does it feel?"

I asked with a slight smirk.

"Like we're the criminals."

She said.

"Did you see that? They had guns, and we took them out without a scratch! That was something, Tiger!"

She mixed up the nicknames in her excitement.

She leaned over the edge of the roof, scanning for the police car approaching the place where we had fled.

I got a nice view from behind, tightly clad in spandex.

Yeah, it was worth it.

"Is the police even heading there, or why did we run away?"

She stepped back from the edge, pulling me out of my fantasies.

"Looks like it. That was a small gang of gangsters. It's not that famous, but they sure ruin people's lives."

I explained to her.

"Furthermore, we attacked what could be considered 'ordinary' citizens without a reason, so it's better for the cops not to catch us. The cops generally aren't too happy to see us."

"Got it, I'll keep that in mind."

She nodded gratefully.

"Okay, Tiger, it was fun, but I'm heading home."

She waved goodbye, and her white helmet made the gesture slightly amusing.

"If there's any problem, you can call me. Or I'll come by myself."

"We usually patrol the city every night. Do you want to join us?"

I casually offered.

"I'll think about it… I hope you figure something out with those phones, security, and everything else. I'd be really grateful. See you later, Spider-Man."

She blew a kiss that looked a bit funny with her helmet on and ran off.

It was clear that she was much more interested in public activities than in fighting and adventures.

That's fine.

We'll manage without her.

In that regard, I like Cindy better because she likes fighting as much as I do.

After unhooking the web-slinging backpack from my back, I changed into a safe spot and returned home.

As soon as I walked in, Aunt May began asking how our date had gone.

I brushed it off, saying it was fine, and slipped into the lab.

Although our dinner had been rather dull, the gang was no different from the robbers at that jewelry store, but I did respect that man for his stamina.

...

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