Sunborn

Midnight painted the city in cold silver streaks. Rooftops shimmered under moonlight, and streetlights flickered like they were afraid of what might be watching. Somewhere between Queens and a stretch of overgrown industrial buildings, two shadows moved like whispers against concrete.

Raj stood on the edge of a derelict rooftop, his custom golden suit catching the moonlight with a quiet glow. The red stripes along his arms pulsed faintly with energy, and at the center of his chest, the orange sun emblem radiated the faintest warmth. A symbol. A warning. A promise.

Beside him, crouched and alert, was Peter Parker—Spider-Man in full gear. His red-and-blue suit clung to his frame like a second skin, the white eyes narrowing with focus behind his mask.

Below them, through the fractured skylight of an abandoned supply warehouse, was Adrian.

Or at least, the signal trail that Adrian had been baiting.

Earlier that evening, after hours of combing through the corrupted school document and decoding hidden metadata, Peter had found it: a location tag buried in an encrypted segment of the school's attendance file. Not normal metadata. Not from the Department of Education. This was embedded by someone with serious skills—and serious intent.

"'Subject R-9: signal bait activated.'" Raj had read the words aloud.

"Hydra's getting poetic," Peter muttered. "Next thing you know they'll start rhyming their death threats."

Raj had tried to joke, but there was no laugh in his throat. Just a growing heat in his chest.

They hadn't told anyone—not Ned, not any adults. They couldn't risk it. This wasn't just surveillance anymore. This was a game of mouse and lion, and neither boy wanted to admit which one they were.

So now, crouched above the trap they both saw coming, they exchanged a glance.

"You sure about this?" Peter asked.

"No," Raj replied honestly. "But I'm tired of running."

Peter offered a nod that was equal parts pride and worry. "Alright then. We go in clean. Test him. No glowing sunbursts unless things go nuclear."

Raj smiled, just a little. "I'll try not to detonate."

They descended with the silent grace of experienced trespassers—Peter by web, Raj by a fluid controlled leap that barely cracked the rooftop tile beneath his feet. They landed in the alley behind the warehouse, both aware that the second their feet hit ground, someone—or something—knew.

The door wasn't locked. That was the first clue.

The second was the faint, steady blink of a green light from the far end of the corridor—a tracking node. Adrian wasn't even hiding it.

They walked, slow and synchronized. Raj could hear Peter's breathing under the mask, light and steady. It grounded him. They had done this before, technically—cafeteria glitches, rooftop confrontations, trap dodging. But this felt different.

It wasn't Adrian hiding anymore.

It was Adrian waiting.

They reached the far room. It was wide, concrete-floored, lined with dusty crates, broken chairs, and electronic hums. In the center stood Adrian, his back to them, wearing his usual school jacket—except now, wires peeked from under the collar, and the metallic implant along the back of his neck blinked red instead of green.

He turned slowly.

"Hi," he said, voice casual. "Midnight training session?"

Raj stepped forward. "No mask this time."

Adrian grinned. "Didn't feel necessary. I'm not the one hiding things, remember?"

Peter tilted his head. "Dude, you literally installed facial mimicry software in your school ID photo."

Adrian chuckled. "Touché."

There was something off in his posture—too relaxed. His hands were in his pockets. But Peter could see the slight twitch in his left elbow. Ready to reach. For something.

"Raj," Peter whispered, "he's stalling."

"I know," Raj replied. "But let's see if he's better at acting than fighting."

Adrian's eyes sharpened. "You think you're here to interrogate me. But this isn't your stage."

Raj's eyes narrowed, heat crackling faintly at his fingertips. "Then whose is it?"

Adrian stepped back, arms spreading. The floor beneath them shimmered with embedded nodes—tiny metallic dots in a rough circle.

Peter's Spidey-sense screamed.

"MOVE!" he shouted.

Raj leapt. Peter fired a webline and yanked himself sideways just as the floor lit up and a concussive blast of force erupted from the embedded tech. It wasn't meant to kill—it was meant to contain. But the boys were already moving.

Raj slammed against the far wall, flipping midair and rebounding into a controlled crouch. Peter landed beside him.

Adrian walked out of the dispersing smoke, arms still calm. "Told you. Not your stage."

Raj stood slowly. "Then let's take it back."

And that was the moment—the quiet before impact.

The trap was triggered. The bait had been swallowed. But Raj and Peter had teeth of their own.

Raj stepped forward, his suit beginning to glow—not violently, but like a sun rising under cloth. His control held, barely. Peter stood beside him, in perfect sync.

Outside, the alley lights shorted out one by one.

Above the building, cameras turned.

Hydra was watching.

But Raj and Peter didn't care.

They had followed the trail. And now they were ready for the fire to begin.