Sentinel Gear
The Twin Spiders

Prologue

Throne Room
The Sovereign Nation Wakandaland

The vast doors parted and a lone man strode through. He wore an unknown type of full dress uniform and smoked a long cigar as he approached the ruler of Wakandaland: The Black Panther. The military man gave the slightest of nods which his highness reciprocated. "To what do we the owe honor of a man from SHIELD?" "The name's Jameson, your lordship, Colonel J. Jonah Jameson of SHIELD. A while back you guys had yourselves a little flap. We sent a couple of ours in to help..." "This caused us and many other countries to have to redraw their maps." Jameson took a long drag of his cigar and then expelled it as if ignoring the jibe. "Occupational hazard, your highness. At any rate we technically lost two of ours in that debacle… one to death the other disappeared. We've come to bring him back." "You cannot be serious Colonel! Anansi lost everything, even his identity! Why can you not leave him in peace?" "Highness call him whatever you like but he was born for the battlefield. Besides he is the only one who can help." "NO!" The Black Panther slammed his left fist into his throne and was on his feet bolt upright pointing with royal authority. "You will leave him alone! There are many operatives at your disposal so why not summon them? Or perhaps for the assistance of Iron Gear?"

Jameson frowned. "This type of operation is on a need to know basis, your worshipfulness. This means neither you, nor Tony Stark need to know!" Jameson was pointing back with cigar burning between his fingers. "Furthermore I didn't have to come before you! I'm merely here as a blasted courtesy to let you know we've come for our man!" The throne room grew silent for a moment. Jameson seemed to collect himself. "Thank you for your time and cooperation." He then spun on his heel and began to make his way back out. "You were a distraction all along?" The Panther realized. Jameson looked over his shoulder at the king. "You can think of it like that if you want your highness. But know this only a man with his unique talents can possibly accomplish this mission." "What makes you think that Colonel?" "Because he's exactly what we need… a menace!"

Chapter 1: The "Menace" Returns

The operative in question's name is Peter Parker; better known throughout the world of top secret black operations by his call sign Solid Spider. At a young age Peter became aware of his spider powers; from crawling on walls, his warning spider sense, to having the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider. He even developed his first web shooters. He began crime fighting at night to hone his skills while going to school during the day. Wanting to follow in the footsteps of his father Richard Parker, the great Black Tarantula, Peter eagerly joined the military out of high school much to the ire of the only parent he had even known his Uncle Ben. Peter rose quickly within the Army and his abilities caught the attention of SHIELD. Under the command of his father's friend, General Nick Fury, Peter trained hard earning the call sign Spider, the same as his father. Soon after he was then thrust into his first covert operation during the Genoshian Conflict.

The Genoshians had kidnapped billionaire scientist Anthony Stark and forced him as well as other world renowned scientific minds to build machines to persecute, subjugate and enslave the genetically mutated humans, or Mutants, inhabitants of their country using bipedal machines they called SENTINEL GEARS. Some of the captured mutants had their cells extracted to use in the genetic experiments to create a mutant clone army to further the military might of Genosha. The island was protected on all sides by the Sentinel Gears making a forward assault impossible. Without an option the U.S. government turned to SHIELD. Fury sent his best operative Master Murdock into Genosha and he never returned. After that failure Fury turned to his newest recruit Peter, the newly dubbed Solid Spider, to go into Genosha, rescue Master, Stark, the other scientists and stop the oncoming threat of Genoshas new fighting force.

Using contacts SHIELD had with the underground rebels Spider made his way on and through the island aiding them wherever he could. With their help he rescued Master, who was now blind by the torture and experimentation he was forced to endure. They in turn liberated the scientists and mutants aided by the armor Stark, with the help of his fellow prisoners, secretly built they called Iron Gear! With the resistance forces combined with Iron Gear and the other liberated Mutants Solid Spider made his way within the Genoshian Citadel to find the terrorist leader calling himself simply Sinister. As the battle began it was quickly clear that Sinister was a mutant himself with the ability to regenerate. Though Spider was injured he managed to use Sinister's own technology against him. With his regeneration ability dampened Sinister's he engaged the self-destruct sequence to detonate the island. Prior to making his escape Spider made sure the Sentinel Gears were disabled and destroyed as well. All maps had to be redesigned that day. Peter thought he'd seen the last of Sinister.

Two years after the Genosha incident Spider had been training some new recruits and even fell in love with a capable woman Felicia Hardy, call sign Cat. They were quickly separated however when a heavily armed military force began to invade the sovereign nation of Wakandaland. The overthrow of the government was swift once they murdered their leader the former king, the Black Panther. Soon after reports began to come in of giant bipedal machines standing guard at the country's borders. Not to mention invasions of neighboring countries as well. General Fury at this point had retired leaving Colonel James Jonah Jameson in command who sought out Parker to go in assess the threats and if so disable them. He at first refused until Jameson informed him Hardy had gone in and been captured.

With the help of Wakandaland loyalists, led by the crowned prince and new Black Panther, Spider made his way within the borders and discovered the rare ore of Wakandaland, the most unbreakable substance on the planet Ultimatium which is only obtainable in Wakandaland. It was being used within the nation's volcano as a factory to mass produce several newer models of Sentinel Gear that would almost be indestructible. Enough units to begin a full scale world war. Spider managed to find his way to where the prisoners were being held and freed them all including his beloved Cat. Together they hatched a plan to use the explosives they both had to cause an eruption within the volcano the factory for the new Sentinel Gears was to create enough heat to melt the Ultimatium to metal slag rather than into walking machines of death. However just as Spider was done he got a communication from Cat's frequency. It was the voice of Sinister. He had Cat and was goading Spider into a fight. With no other option Spider made his way to face his nemesis. The two traded words and blows with Sinister catching Spider off guard revealing that it was due to his insights into genetic engineering that Peter had his spider-like powers. Spider continued his advance only to be stunned by the appearance of his former commanding officer General Fury.

Fury then began to inform him of the rebirth of the Super Soldier program. Their intent was to recreate the formula to create a second Captain America since the first died at the end of that war due to the serum being unstable. The Black Tarantula was selected for his prowess as a soldier to be the first of new Super Soldiers. However something in the process went wrong and while his DNA was altered it was not the way they'd intended for Richard Parker's blood had become too irritated to the point that it was poisoning him. Before his demise they extracted cells from Parker's body so as to possibly find out what went wrong and attempt to improve the process. The end result was Peter Parker himself. As Sinister laughed Spider wasted no time and detonated the charges throughout the factory. The ensuing chaos was enough of a distraction for Spider to knock Sinister into the molten lava nearby and chase after Fury. As the factory deteriorated around them Fury began to shout admonishments and the truth about the Genosha incident. His last parting shot was the corpse of his love Felicia Hardy. The two then fought hand-to-hand in the emergency escape elevator leading back up to the surface but the eruption was happening too fast and the lava would engulf them both soon. Wasting no time Spider webbed Fury to the elevator floor and escaped through the roof hatch and used all the web fluid he had left to quickly pull himself out prior to the explosion.

Wakandaland was free of the Sentinel Gears but it had cost Peter Parker more than anyone else. For it seemed he was a genetically altered clone of a man he had admired under the orders of a man he felt was his father created by his nemesis. Spider would disappear into the jungles of Wakandaland with the help of a thankful new King. That was until yesterday when a small platoon of troops surrounded his home and escorted him at gunpoint to where he was now.

Rogers Class Submarine christened: "Bucky"
A few miles off the coast of Alaska
20 Hours to Deadline

"Listen closely you menace!" The gruff voice of his former commanding officer brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present. "The nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island in Alaska's Fox archipelago was attacked and captured by the Next Generation Special Forces being led by members of SHIELD. They have newly dubbed the island Spider-Island and themselves the Sinister Six." There was a chuckle from the operative. "Sounds to me like they're trying to get someone's attention!" The Colonel chuckled at the notion for his operative had a point. "They're demanding that the government turn over the remains of The Black Tarantula, a.k.a. Richard Parker. They say if their demands are not met within twenty-four hours... they'll launch a nuclear weapon. " Colonel James Jonah Jameson, call sign Triple J, let that information sink in as he took a small drag on his hand rolled Cuban cigar. His operative sat on the chair within one of the briefing rooms of the newly christened Rogers class submarine. Though he had been out of action for about two years he had been happy to see he had kept fit. Jameson hoped his skills were as sharp as ever so that he could survive this mission. He then went on "You'll have two mission objectives. First you're to rescue the DARPA Chief, Ben Urich and the President of Oscorp Harry Osborn. Both are being held as hostages. Secondly you're to investigate whether or not these terrorist have the ability to make a nuclear strike... and stop them if they do." Harry! Spider thought.

Without another word the operative stood and began to don the suit Jameson and his team had brought special for his mission. "What's the insertion method?" "We'll approach the facility by sub." "And then?" "Deploy a one man swimmer delivery vehicle. Once it gets you as close as you can, dispose of it. From there you'll have to swim." Jameson heard the operative grumble at this. Normally he would chide him for it but opted instead to continue. "SHIELD. You're former unit and one I was a commander of." Another chuckle from the operative. "So they're still around." "Never went anywhere, son. Unlike some people." Jameson jibed back. "There are six former agents involved in this terrorist activity: Doctor Otto Octavius, call sign Psycho Octopus... with his powerful psychic abilities. Lyla Kravenoff, call sign Kraven the Huntress… beautiful and deadly hunter. Her half-brother Dmitri Kravenoff, call sign Mysterious Decoy… a master of illusion. Mac Gargan, call sign The Scorpion... a deadly giant and Herman Schultz, call sign Shocker Ocelot... a specialist in interrogation and formidable fighter. Finally… in charge of them… their squad leader Liquid Spider." The operative was suited up and went visibly rigid at the sound of this. "Liquid Spider?" "The man with the same code name as you. We've no other information since it's classified to the highest level. All we know about him is he goes by Kaine." The operative began to flex and stretch in his new suit. "Why are these things always so tight?" Jameson ignored the question.

"The disposal facility covers the whole of Spider-Island. I'll instruct you by Codec when you arrive." The operative chuckled as he continued to get used to his new suit. "Anyone going with me?" "As usual this is a one man infiltration mission." "Weapons and equipment OSP?" It was Jameson's turn to chuckle. "All except these." Jameson handed the newly refurbished items to his operative. Within seconds the operative had them attached to his wrists and palms. He then began to shoot strands of strong webbing out each one sticking lines up against the bulk heads. "Latest version." A new voice chimed in. The men turned to find a young officer with Asian features, golden blonde hair, and a black hair band keeping it in place just behind her forehead. "Parker this is Gwen Ling. She's our new gear head. She's designed everything from your new web shooters to you radar system. You have a question about either give her a call on the Codec." Ling stepped forward extending her hand to Parker. "It is an honor to meet you, Spider." In a flash the operative Peter Parker, Solid Spider, fired a new web line into the ceiling and hung upside-down from it. With a free hand he took her hand and shook it. "I never imagined a designer of military technology to be so, cute!" Instantly Ling exploded into a fit of giggles. Jameson quickly swiped with his knife at the web line cutting it cleanly sending Parker to the deck with a thud. It happened so quickly that Ling even squealed in surprise. "Colonel!" "Focus on your mission, Parker! This is a top secret black op! Don't expect any official support!" Rubbing his newly injured head he began to stand as another woman ran in. "What was that noise just now?" "Oh it's just some flotsam from outside doctor. It's typical. Happens all the time." The Colonel lied. Dr. May Hunter approached Parker and examined him quickly. "As many chances you take Mr. Parker I'm honestly surprised you're still alive." "Don't coddle him, Mayday! He's hale and hearty, right Parker m'boy?" The gruff Colonel chucked Parker on his shoulder. Parker merely dusted off the shoulder Jameson had touched. They then made their way towards the torpedo room. "Have to say Ms. Ling I am impressed with these. You've really improved on my original design!" "I've added some new features as well. You've already tested the standard feature but if you need to immobilize an enemy deploy your impact webbing." Ling quickly grabbed Parker by the right arm and aimed it at a nearby chair. With a mere flick of the wrist the web shooter burst a ball of webbing out which completely covered the chair tangling it beyond recovery. "Also there's the new detonation feature. Your new sneaking suit not only comes with impact and regular web cartridges but also detonation packets. Place the desired amount of plastic explosive onto your web shooter and fire. There are various amounts of packets for any kind of situation but I only had time to make a small amount. So use it sparingly." "I will. Are you also the one who redesigned my suit?"

"I actually had a hand with that." Dr. Hunter piped in. "It's a prototype sneaking suit we're developing. It makes use of light refractive technology to find a way to blend in with its environment." Hunter took Parker's arm and moved him into an alcove. Within seconds the suit compensated for the lack of light by turning pitch black. "While it can help you to blend in if you don't give the suit enough time to compensate you may be spotted by the enemy so be careful. Also..." Hunter handed him the last piece of his suit... His mask. It resembled the one he always wore… red with black webs and the two white lenses to protect his eyes. However upon donning it the mask seemed to adapt to the new suit and turned black as well. "As you can see your mask also has the light adaptation technology. Also your lenses with accommodate for any type of light be it infrared or night vision. But be careful with the night vision if an enemy hears it may give away your position." "Wow. Feels like Christmas!" The ladies chuckled but the laughter was brought to an abrupt halt by the loud cough of Triple J. "Whenever you're ready, you menace, we have terrorists to stop!"

Peter had put up a brave front but the experiences of his life up to this point had scarred him. He did indeed joke, flirt and whatnot like his reputation would demand but if anything it covered the pain he felt over the betrayal of a man he trusted as well as the weight of the loss of the woman he had loved. Either his high sense of responsibility or survivor's guilt kept the pain of her death close. The time alone in Wakandaland was mildly therapeutic but since being forcibly returned into the military it did bring up harsh memories. A small vibration and beep within his ear shook him free of his thoughts. With a touch to his neck he connected the call that was incoming on his Codec. "You reading me, menace?" "Loud n' clear, bristle top!" Parker joked. "Glad to see you're cracking jokes again because here's where things get serious. We're close to the outside of their radar net. So prepare the SDV." Peter made sure his breathing apparatus was over his face and grasped the controls of the Swimmer Delivery Vehicle. It was a modified torpedo to accommodate one passenger for deployment into a hostile environment. It was launched through the submarine's torpedo bay which meant the tube, as well as the SDV had to be flooded with water. Hence why Spider was wearing the breathing apparatus over his face. "How's the new suit feeling?" The voice of Dr. Hunter piped in. "Feels better than my old one honestly. Will I be able to survive the harsh cold in just this?" "It's designed to prevent hypothermia. This plus the nanomachines should be sufficient to keep you warm." "In that case I'm grateful! Colonel is there a diversionary op in place?" "We've got two birds ready to fly once you land. Prepare for launch." The signal cut off as the water began to flood the torpedo tubes and the SDV.

Moments later the SDV was launched from the sub. It bucked and groaned for a while but began to slow as the momentum ended. Once it did Spider turned on the small turbine, the outside camera, and small lights. His map had him almost a few feet from the island proper. Once he felt close enough Spider popped open the canopy and began his swim up to the surface. He rose and found himself within a small dry dock. He noticed two guards patrolling the area so he moved as quietly as he could to a large cistern nearby so as to conceal his landing. He slowly pulled himself out of the water and turned with his back to the cistern. As he did so he could've sworn he heard a voice say something but couldn't tell due to alarm now sounding. He removed his breathing apparatus and flippers and recovered his face with his spider mask. Time to get to work. He thought to himself.