Disclaimer: Everything is owned by Marvel.
AN: For no confusion, I realize Kurt did NOT grow up in a public setting where he was attending Midtown High, but how else could he have gotten bit by the spider? Also, sorry if things seem OOC in places, I try my hardest but have not read enough of the comics to completely know everyone. And when Kurt kills it's because he believes he's doing it for the better good.
(Nightcrawler)
Upon my escapades at Fisk Industries I returned to the nigh abandoned Hellhouse. Apparently it was not currently an item of value to the various hitmen and supernatural criminals it was rumored to shelter, but still contained various telltale equipment and memorial trophies of such kinds that proved the past habilitation of other armed figures. Even with my newfound endurance of I would guess around ten renowned athletes, the events of the night made me exhausted. The discovery of who my mother was and what she's become, what I've become, were emotionally unsettling, and the sight of so much blood unhinged my nerves. I'd always been queasy at the thought, shunned violence from my mind... But after experiencing it firsthand and dealing it out, I seemed to feel differently about it. It wasn't something I exactly approved of, but nothing I believe should be ignored either...
(Queens, NY)
Peter Parker stared at his television in disbelief, sipping the milk and plain Cheerios from his spoon. His Uncle Ben shook his head sadly, a deep breath escaping his nostrils before his eyes lowered back down to today's edition of the Daily Bugle.
"... In a related story, investigators are still reminiscent in finding evidence as to the explosion of the church. Police say their only clue is that the bomb was placed inside and was set to detonate four hours after it was activated. Other than that, no trace of the criminal has been found."
"It's real sad, what with hate crimes and violence running about the world..." May Parker said in a troubled tone.
"Yeah..." Peter mumbled softly. He kept his eyes glued to the morning news, scooping up more out his bowl of cereal and eventually remembering he was running out of time to get ready for school. He quickly cleaned up after himself, put the milk and box of Cheerios away and waved to Aunt May and Uncle Ben before heading upstairs to get dressed. As he laid out a hooded jacket and jeans on his bed, he peered out his window to find the beautiful girl next door, Mary Jane, brushing her hair. What a perfect girl, Peter thought to himself. Too bad she'll always go after guys like Flash Thompson over me... He's handsome, popular, strong... I'm just a guy in the computer lab whom everyone hands their homework... I'll never get to be with her... It's unfair, she's just so nice... Peter sighed sadly before trying to clear his thoughts by focusing on other matters and began to change into the jeans.
Later on, Peter had managed to catch up with Harry in front of Midtown High. They greeted each other with casual "Hi"s and started walking towards their classes.
"So, you remember the midterm paper on Dr. Connors' assignment?" Peter asked.
"Oh, crap! I completely forgot about those!" Harry exclaimed as he stopped abruptly. "... Hold on. Let me call my dad, he'll sort it out... He knows I've been busy with stuff..."
(Oscorp)
Norman Osborn's cell phone rang. He was preoccupied with scribbling his signature on something to check who it was, but he was used to being a busy man and answered it anyways.
"Hello?"
"Hey, dad," Harry chirped.
"Good morning, Harry! So what's going on this time?"
"I forgot to do this homework thing for Dr. Connors... You know, the biology guy? Anyways, it was because I was busy with sorting out mom's stuff, if you remember last weekend..."
"Oh, yes... Yes, that's no problem at all, you should know Connors is a friend of mine... Actually, he's here in the office about to head to your school, he's running a little late..."
"Alright, cool. Thanks, dad."
"You're welcome, Harry." Norman clicked on the off button of his phone and proceeded to check his email.
(X-Mansion, Westchester)
Professor Charles Xavier was sitting in his wheelchair in front of the fireplace as he spoke to his mutant team assorted throughout the living room.
"X-Men, I'm afraid I have bad news. The Mutant Brotherhood has again managed to strike a portion of humanity. Recently, Magneto sent a shapeshifter going by the name Mystique to engage in organize crime and decieve mass gang leaders into paying her for assassination and sabatoge. She has fled and given Magneto her profits for the benefit of Genosha's weapons of mass destruction. I fear he could be planning to launch a particle beam on the entirety of New York that will wipe out all human entities."
"So if Magneto succeeds in firing this, the human population of the state will be gone?" Scott asked.
"Yes, and only mutants will remain."
"Wait, you said he got a shapeshifter to do that stuff?" Logan added.
"Yes. Mystique is a mutant who can change her physical appearance into whoever she wants. She can copy them right down to their very last physical features, including DNA, eye color, and fingerprints."
"You mean if she tried to look like someone like me, she could do everything I do? Cripes..." A flustered 'hmph' escaped Logan's nostrils.
"Not exactly. She could try to mimic your claws, Logan, but unlike yours they would be breakable. Her ability cannot substitute for any form of ours."
"That's a good thing," Logan muttered under his breath.
"There's not much time, X-Men," Charles continued, "Due to Magneto's base of operations blocking it's internal functions from Cerebro, his next actions are completely unpredictable. We must prepare to send a team to Genosha while others stay behind to look after the mansion. Those who are willing to head off to battle the Brotherhood, please pack your things. Ororo and Scott will be waiting for you at the Blackbird."
(Midtown High)
"That Dr. Connors is quite stern, Harry."
"I know! It's like he doesn't even know who my dad is! And he told him and everything! Ugh..." Harry shook his head in frustration. He and Peter were heading towards their usual luncheon hangout, an abandoned table under a tree. Mary Jane found them by heading from the opposite side.
"Hi, guys!" she said with a wave and smile. Peter and Harry both looked at her, halfway bashful and halfway friendly. Harry almost couldn't peel his eyes off her miniskirt.
"So, what's up?" she asked as she sat down on the other side, looking between Harry and Peter.
"Harry was too busy to do the homework Dr. Connors gave us, so he got his dad to tell him but still riled Harry for it," Peter answered as he rolled his eyes casually.
"Aww, that sucks... But you know how grumpy Dr. Connors is, Harry," Mary Jane perked in a cheery manner as she looked at him supportingly.
"Meh, I guess so. Recently he's been a real pain, but it's no big deal. It's not like I'm going to do homework my whole life," Harry replied with a small chuckle as Peter's eyes veered away in embarrassment and sadness.
"What about you, Pete? Connors doesn't give you a hard time, does he?" Mary Jane stared at him in concern.
"No, of course not. I get A's in his class all the time," Peter told her.
"Good. He shouldn't get on your case for working hard, Peter," Mary Jane replied playfully as she ruffled Peter's hair. Peter blushed slightly before turning his attention to his lunch bag.
(Genosha)
"This is superb," Magneto praised with a grateful smirk. "Finally, we have the supplies we need to ensure the future of Genosha..."
"It was no problem," Raven said as she smiled back at him. Off in the distance Victor Creed snarled impatiently.
"So when can I gut that little punk who calls himself Wolverine?!?" He said as he bared his fangs and examined his claws.
"Patience, Sabretooth. The X-Men will surely be diverted to coming here. You and the others will be free to do what you will with them. I have other things that need to be attended to..."
(Downtown Westchester)
A rapid hail of bullets came streaking after the dark-blue-and-white clad killer, tracing near the rear of his noggin as he fled for cover.
"Jesus Christ!!!" Bullseye exclaimed as he leapt beneath the shelter of the dumpster, barely avoiding a single arrow of lead that whizzed just above his head.
Frank Castle quickly fumbled with his submachine gun, reloading it as he hurriedly stormed to the dumpster. He kept his eyes locked on the spot that Bullseye had fled into, keeping cautious of any sudden noises or movements. Bullseye panted, paranoid, his fingers scurrying along his belt to find something he could retaliate with. A lifting comfort flooded his pounding heart as soon as he laid his hand on the packet of shuriken nearing his waist. The assassin smirked as Frank neared the edge of the dumpster and leaned over gun first to take the kill, but Bullseye tossed a single six-pronged blade faster than he could ever squeeze the trigger. Frank released a cry of surprise in pain while stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over a loose pipe that had tumbled onto the pavement from shooting at it earlier while pursuing Bullseye. A squirt of blood managed to spray onto Bullseye's crown and the edge of the dumpster as Frank clenched his teeth and pulled the shuriken out of his cheek, uttering a low, irritated growl as he strafed his gun in each direction in front of him, searching for his target.
Bullseye laughed hysterically from his small victory as he leapt out the opposite side of the dumpster, releasing a barrage of shuriken as he flew out. Two of them had lodged into Frank's leg while the others hit his bulletproof vest, but Frank ignored this as he fired madly onto Bullseye. Quickly Bullseye jumped back to his feet, but not before a bullet streaked past his shin and another buried it's way dead-on into the skin of his leg. Bullseye grinded his teeth together as he fought the smarting pain, leering into Frank's eyes.
"An eye for an eye, you son of a bitch," Frank said as he aimed for the crosshairs on the mask of his nemesis.
But again before he ever had the chance to fire, Bullseye released a furious battle cry as he lashed a final shuriken for Frank's arm. Caught by surprise, the man who called himself the Punisher lowered his gun a little in backing off. The speed and force of the blade sliced through the gun, parting it diagonally. He spent a moment in bewilderment at examining his gun before looking up to find Bullseye mount the motorcycle he had confronted him on and speed off.
"I'll get you, you bastard!!!" Frank shouted at the top of his lungs as Bullseye roared down the street. Frank shook his head in self-pity as he tossed the now useless firearm onto the street and walked around the corner.
(Nightcrawler, Hellhouse)
Over the course of merely a few days, my entire life has changed... Before, things were organized; I went to a school, lived in a Christian group home, everything was familiar, safe and sound... But now, now I was all by myself, disappearing from that world of order and security. All my decisions were up to me, but I didn't have enough worldly knowledge to support myself yet. What was I going to do? What was my future going to be like? Would life be over after I found my mother, or would I try to make a purpose for myself? Surely there was no going back now. Maybe people had assumed that I was in the church when it had exploded and died; maybe nobody really noticed in the first place. Whatever it was, it was different, uncomfortable... All this new power on top of what I've always had, it almost felt like I couldn't handle it, it didn't belong to me... Thinking about this put a lot of pressure on my mind to the point where my head started hurting. So, I teleported out of the Hellhouse, onto the roof. Instantly the chilling breeze overwhelmed my whole body, draping over my face and sinking into my skin through the thin fabric I was wearing.
Almost instantly this relaxing sensation came slowly creeping over my entire body... When I was younger, on cold nights like this, I'd like to stand outside and feel the breeze against my face... Of course I could rarely feel that due to my required being inside so often, and near that time of day I'd lose control of my transformation anyways. Now it seemed as if I'd always be able to enjoy this... Finally able to be left alone, able to disappear, away from all those hurtful people who hated me just because I was a mutant, away from all the people dragging me towards a life I didn't care about. I was free. I wanted to feel more of the cold, so I teleported to a high, nearby rooftop, and just leapt towards the ledge, the wind beating against my skin in rapid ripples. It felt good to look down from the edge of the roof, staring down at all the lights and cars as the chill kept crawling along my body. Formerly when thinking about this I'd be scared; but I felt a sense of belonging at this height.
I slowly craned my head back so that I was looking in front of me again, and saw the distance between the two rooftops, between that on which I stood and the one across the street. I bent my knees and pushed my feet forward, springing off the roof in an instant. I was amazed - here I was, soaring at least miles above the streets below, with as much effort as I'd put jumping my way halfway down the stairs as a youth. I was almost scared I couldn't clear it, but an instant later my feet placed themselves a yard beyond the edge of the roof. I shook my head in disbelief; this new power was so amazing, but I still wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with it.
I dove off another edge and fired a stream of web at the buildingside. It clung solidly against the surface as I swung around the building's corner towards I slightly smaller rooftop; I released the web and performed a single flip before landing on it with a loud thud. Suddenly that weird, prickling feeling on the back of my neck resurfaced, and my keen ears were picking up a scuffling noise... A group of rather suspicious men had been alarmed by my landing on the rooftop. One of them was hurriedly ushering someone to a car.
"Go, man! Get it outta here!" his nervous, quivering voice was only so tempting to investigate. I peered over the edge to find that the man scooting his way into the car was carrying a bundle of bags with a white substance. Judging from the activity around him I assumed it wasn't legal.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" I asked from the darkness above. The men frantically looked about in a panic.
"This is none of your business!" the first man shouted, trying to sound brave, but still shaky.
"Boss, who is it?!?" his cronies were in a panic. "Is it that Daredevil guy?"
"Daredevil who?" I whispered as I reappeared from behind the man. He briefly screamed as he whirled around, his fingers searching for his gun but even by the time I stood there long enough to let him point it at me he couldn't find the courage to fire. The minions were looking back and forth, bewildered and terrified at the same time. I released a quiet sigh before lunging forward and snatching his hand, pointing it away as he instinctively fired and squeezing hard enough to make him drop it. He winced in pain as the bones in his hand started to crack, but I eased up the pressure to make sure it wasn't broken yet.
"What is going on in that car?" I demanded. As if on cue the rear tires squealed as the driver tried to speed off. I fired a web at it's bumper and everyone's eyes followed; surprised by the strength of the car, it tugged me forward at first so that I was leaning, but held by posture, my feet still in place. The tires were ripping against the ground as the driver continued to floor the acceleration, his face a ghostly pale and beads of sweat streaming down his noggin. He jumped when he saw me in the rearview mirror, straining to pull the car back.
I released a furious growl before firing another web to the opposite side of the bumper and pulling back with all my might, throwing my body weight backwards. The car flew into the air and towards me; briefly I was scared that it would crush me and I raised my arms to shield myself. The prickling feeling returned, and I kicked away the man I was interrogating as my arms straightened and the car fell onto my palms, halting in my grasp. There was no pain in my arms anywhere; the car falling into my hands had turned out to be harmless, but unbelievable, unreal. I expected it to be a lot heavier, but it felt more like I was holding a textbook than a car.
The man in front of me was quivering on the ground, his mouth agape, eyes darting back and forth between the car and me. He was uttering terrified little syllables, completely speechless. All his men were about to make for the alley, but I hurled the car towards it. They all screamed and stopped as the car nearly crushed itself against the walls, the driver falling out and his forehead bleeding wildly. I teleported by it and released a gigantic, net-shaped web blocking the alleyway from further escape attempts.
"There's two ways we can do this," I said to the men as they stared at me in awe. "There's the easy way... You guys call 911 and turn yourselves in, and then there's the hard way... You try to run, and I bust your skulls in one by one. What'll it be?"
(Later That Night)
I returned to the Hellhouse. I'd made sure that the police were notified on the criminal's wherabouts, and webbed them up so that they couldn't escape. I stretched myself out, exhausted, before laying on a sofa in the middle of the place. Suddenly the prickling on my neck went insane, and forced me to leap all the way down this basement stairway, teleport through a barred door and press my ear against the ceiling. I heard a door open and two pairs of footsteps enter the Hellhouse.
"Well, the place doesn't seem any different," Bullseye said to his companion T-Ray as they started surveying the environment.
"Indeed. It's probably still effective enough to use as a base..."
"Do you know if anyone's still unlocked that damn thing downstairs?" Bullseye asked.
My heart jumped. They might come looking for me, I thought to myself.
"No."
"Why don't we just shoot it or something?"
"Because, you fool, it could be full of explosives or other dangerous material. What good will this place do if it's up in flames?"
"Oh, right... Sorry..." Bullseye paced a little more towards the armory area as he inspected the remaining weapons. "So should we call the boys and let them know it's still around?"
"Not yet. I want to make sure it has what we used before..." T-Ray replied as he approached a chalkboard. "It seems Patch left all the city grids and addresses here... I'd say it's still ready to operate in."
"Good, I've been waiting to run into a killer place that was like this," Bullseye told him in relief as he took a cell phone out of his pocket.
The Hellhouse was no longer abandoned, but I was able to teleport far enough from this room to outside. Nobody was going to come in here, so I still had a place. What would I do next, though? How am I going to track down my mother?
If she's an assassin, a killer for hire... Perhaps there are others in her same line of business that can lead me to her. But they're far more dangerous than the typical criminal scum you run into, I'm not sure if I could hold my own against them... I wouldn't really prefer to and I've never been raised to think this way, but I'll probably only be able to find her if I go into the same line of business until I can confront her. I'll find some way to make up for whatever happens...
(End Chapter)
Who is Bullseye contacting that will accompany him and T-Ray in retaking the Hellhouse? Will Kurt be able to follow through with his idea?
We'll see in the next chapter...