Chapter 4: Shocking Display

Second Floor Basement
17 Hours to Deadline

Spider returned to the elevator and rode it down to the next floor. Upon arrival he noticed his radar was being jammed. With a shrug he made his way into the room. Relying on his spider sense he made his way into the room which had several others small rooms littered about. He made his way to his left and down the hall. As he was halfway through his spider sense alerted to danger. Spider quickly jumped backward to find the floor where he was standing before fall away to reveal a pit trap. A murder hole. Sometimes the old ways are the best. Spider thought to himself.

Moving forward he attempted to access more rooms and listen to his spider sense the instant it went off to avoid the various pit traps in place. Spider managed to find various kinds of grenades, incendiary and stun, as well as some C4 plastic explosive. After combing the area, and finding numerous murder hole traps, Spider found himself puzzled. He could not see anything out of the ordinary. Jumping to the nearest wall he clung there. I'm missing something here. He thought to himself. What was it Urich had said? `..in an area with a lot of electronic jamming…' He looked to his radar to only find an error message. Okay. Bad but so far so good. What else did he say? Something about the walls? Spider moved along the wall down the hall and switched his lenses to infrared. Sure enough it revealed one section of the wall looked differently than the rest. Gotcha! Using the wall he made his way around the room until he was just above the newly cemented wall. He jumped down and switched his lenses back to normal. He then began to feel the wall and a thought came to him.

A few moments later the wall had a large detonation packet webbed to it. Spider stood around the nearby corner for safety and then pressed the detonator. A loud explosion sounded causing brick dust and smoke to billow out from the newly opened hole in the wall. After waiting a few moments Spider looked through the opening to see a hallway before him. Spider switched his lenses back to infrared and saw two more areas that had been covered... one directly ahead and another on his left. Not wasting any time he used two more detonation packets webbed onto the wall and caused two more explosions. Once the smoke cleared Spider made his way to the opening on his left. What he found shook him to his core. It was his old friend Harry Osborn aged by time and tied to the center post. The room had five total, one in each corner, and one in its center. Cursory glance at Harry made it look as if he had been through hell and not survived. Am I too late? Spider thought as he approached Osborn who then awoke. He's alive! "You're the president of Oscorp, Harry Osborn, right?" Spider asked hoping he would not recognize his voice. Osborn seemed to be attempting to clear his head and stand up straight. "Don't worry. I'm here to save you." Spider then moved his hands towards the wires binding his old friend. "NO! Don't touch it!" His spider sense issued its familiar warning as Spider noticed on the other end of wires were plastic explosive. He then heard an unfamiliar noise and somersaulted backwards just in time to avoid an electrostatic blast. As the air cleared of smoke Spider could swear the air was now thick with ozone. He then saw the source of the blast. He wore a uniform made of a rubber material thereby insulating him from the electric blasts. His body was covered in it from head to toe except for what appeared to be a space for a SHIELD patch which Spider presumed had been ripped off. From his wrist to his back forearm were thin metal gauntlets that seemed to surge from time to time with electricity. "That's right. Touch that wire and the C4 will blow up along with Mr. Osborn here! So you're the one the boss keeps talking about." "Wow. I've never had a fan before! I'm touched! Makes me wish I had some head shots! If I were to give you one, whom would I make it out to?" "Special Operations formerly of SHIELD… Shocker Ocelot." As if for added emphasis he brought the gauntlets together and electricity seemed to dance between them. "I've been waiting for you, Solid Spider. Now we'll see if the man can live up to the legend." He then brought them apart causing the electricity to work harder to complete the circuit until it sparked and dissipated. "These are the greatest weapons ever made… they operate on the same principle that generates static electricity. I just took it one step further!" "Huh. Shouldn't your outfit be made of carpet then? Then again you'd be Carpet Ocelot!" "Joke all you like wall crawler but it creates more than enough energy to fry anything that moves. Now you'll find out why the call me `Shocker'." As he moved his gauntlets to bear on his enemy Spider had moved faster and firing impact webbing at him then rushed to climb on the nearest wall. Ocelot's gauntlets fired at the incoming webbing and fried it to charred strands.

Spider quickly made his way into the shadows and waited for his suit to blend in with his surroundings. Once it did so he began to move slowly in the shadows. He could see Ocelot from where he was and he could swear he was laughing. "Hiding won't help you." He then charged and fired a blast into the wall nearest him. Spider thought it odd until he saw it bounce off it and reflect onto the wall nearest him lighting the area around him as it surged by. "I found you!" With a warning from his spider sense Spider fired a web line onto the ceiling and swung out just as the blast hit where he had been. Spider let go of the line and used his own momentum to deliver a speed kick to Ocelot's face. He then followed up with a swift kick to his legs sweeping his legs out from underneath him sending Ocelot onto his back. Spider then jumped onto Ocelot's chest knocking the wind out from him. He was about to web him up when his spider sense went off again and he heard the sound of the gauntlets charging up. Thinking quickly he jumped off Ocelot and back onto the wall narrowly avoiding the blast. "You're pretty good! Just what I'd expect from the man with the same code as the boss. It's been a long time since I had such a good fight. But I'm just getting warmed up!" Using his spider sense he managed to dodge and avoid Ocelot's blasts. Spider quickly examined the walls and noticed that someone had recently put these mirrors in place to allow his blasts to bounce as well as light the room up. He continued to avoid the blasts buying himself some time so as to plant some C4 on one of the mirrors. Spider then maneuvered himself back towards it. "Here kitty, kitty!" He goaded Ocelot. Naturally the reply came with a fully charged blast. Spider managed to avoid it just as the surge hit the C4 detonating it. It created a small smoke cloud which was what Spider wanted. He now had more time. He quickly jumped and web swung around the room to be just behind Ocelot. Sneaking quietly Spider carefully webbed a small detonation packet onto his opponents back and then bounded away.

As the smoke began to clear Shocker Ocelot got his bearings back and noticed Solid Spider was now hanging from a web line upside down in front of him. "Ready to accept death, Spider?" Spider feigned thought and then replied. "Nope!" He then detonated the small packet on Ocelot's back knocking the former SHIELD operative forward an inch. "Was that supposed to hurt?" Spider shook his head. "Funny. This is almost too easy." Ocelot raised his gauntlets and fired at point blank range at Solid Spider.

Who quickly dodged allowing the blast to hit a nearby mirror and reflect back at Ocelot sending the voltage into his body thanks to the large tear in the rubber suit on his back. The result was better than Spider could hope for. Ocelot's gauntlets were shorted out as was Shocker Ocelot himself. As he began to fall forward to the ground Spider swore he heard him say "You were lucky! We'll meet… again." Spider jumped down off the wall and checked Ocelot's pulse. Sure enough he was still alive. For good measure he fired some impact webbing to tangle his foe and prevent him from getting up. He then focused his attention to his old friend.

Once he successfully freed Harry he set him down on the floor leaning against the nearby wall. His tailor made suit seemed tattered, torn, and blackened in places. They had definitely worked him over hard in interrogation. "Can you talk?" "Who are you?" "I can assure you I'm not one of them. The DARPA Chief told me he gave them his detonation code… I think. Anyway what about yours?" Osborn nodded his assent. "Oh I get it. Maria sent you. You're from the Pentagon." "We haven't got time for this! What about your code?" Spider's old friend lowered his head in shame. "I… talked." "WHAT? Now the terrorists have both codes and could launch at any time!" "It's not like I didn't fight! I managed to avoid Psycho Octopus's mind probe!" Spider tilted his head in confusion. "How'd you pull that off?" Osborn coughed. "I told you, I talked! I never did have any training to resist torture." Harry then showed Spider his arm. On it were several burn marks. It could only be presumed that Ocelot had hooked him up to the same bed he'd seen Urich strapped into during the Psycho Octopus interference earlier. Spider chuckled. "Hey you're more than even now!" He motioned towards the now incapacitated Ocelot. The two men shared a laugh. "You're a funny man. Reminds me of a guy I used to know… was years ago…" Spider opted to change the subject. "The DARPA Chief… Mr. Urich… is dead." "What? It can't be! That's not what you promised her! Now you've come to shut me up too!" Osborn was scratching to get away from Spider who grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. "CALM DOWN! What the hell's wrong with you? I just told you I came to save you!"

After a moment Osborn finally settled down. "I didn't kill him." Spider continued. "He died from a heart attack, or something." Harry looked at him as if he had said pigs fly. "Seriously? You believe that? Don't be absurd!" Attempting not to be insulted Spider decided to change the subject again. "Anyway the terrorists have both codes now it seems." "They won't hesitate to launch…" "I agree. But what is it they really want?" Osborn attempted to shrug but winced in pain for his effort. "Who knows? Maybe they're like us in the arms industry.. `Always looking forward to the next great war'" Spider noticed he had quoted his late father Norman Osborn. He had heard of his passing prior to his infiltration of Wakandaland and mourned his passing but had failed to be there for his friend or the funeral. Spider then felt a pang of regret. "Well I for one am not about to let these maniacs start a war today! What about the card keys?" Osborn looked confused for a moment. "Card keys?" "The ones used to override the detonation code. I heard you had them."

After a moment's thought Harry Osborn finally realized what he meant. "Oh. No I don't have them anymore." "WHAT?! Who does then? Not the terrorists?" "No, no! I gave them to that woman." At first Spider instantly remembered the fiery red haired woman from the cell that could not pull the trigger. Taking his silence as confusion Osborn continued. "The female solider that was thrown into prison with me, she said she had just joined as a new recruit. They threw her in prison when she refused to take part in their rebellion. I gave her the key. Looks as though she managed to escape. I hope she's okay." "I'm sure she is. She's a bit green but she's pretty tough. Hang on… how did you know she escaped?" Osborn produced a small receiver from his pocket and handed it to Spider. "I've been in contact with her by Codec. At least until I was tied up here. Seems she managed to steal one from the guards." Spider tucked the receiver away into one of his pouches opting to get her Codec frequency later. "Also you may want to get in contact with Miguel Emmerich." "Emmerich?" Osborn nodded. "Team leader of the X project. A genius of engineering but a bit of an odd ball. If anyone can figure out how to stop Sentinel Gear its him." "Where would I find him?" After some thought Osborn replied. "I'd guess in his office in the Nuclear Warhead Storage building. It's to the North from here." Spider nodded. "I get it but one thing I don't understand… why Sentinel Gear? I thought the nuclear age ended with the turn of the millennium?" Osborn scoffed. "The threat of nuclear war isn't gone. On the contrary its greater than its even been!"

Harry adjusted his position as he began. "There are plenty of materials and scientists available for making a bomb. In the age we live in anyone, even small countries can have a nuclear weapons program." "What of the superpowers?" Spider asked. "Russia and China still maintain a significant presence. In this day and age nuclear disarmament is an impossibility. To maintain our policy of deterrence we need a weapon of overwhelming power." Spider shook his head. "Sentinel Gear." "Indeed. Our business suffered quite a loss after my father's death and budget cuts." Spider nodded. "I'd heard a lot about mergers and takeovers." "Once Oscorp lost the bid to build the Air Force's line of fighter jet Sentinel Gear was our ace in the hole. That's why we pushed to have it developed as a Black Project. " "Black Project?" Spider had moved so that he was sitting and clinging to the nearby wall.

"Secret projects paid for by the Pentagon's black budget. Red tape can be avoided as well as getting a great lead time on weapons production since no bleeding heart liberals on some oversight committee can bother you." "Heh. Bribes." Osborn shot a death glare at Solid Spider. "I prefer to consider it good business." Spider shrugged and Osborn continued. "Anyway Sentinel Gear was going to be formally adopted… once we got the results of the test data. Speaking of…" Osborn used his good hand and produced a small optical disc. "Here. This is what you came for." Spider got off the wall and took the disc. "What's this supposed to be?" "An optical disc obviously. It contains all the test data from this exercise. The main hard drive was destroyed by gunfire so this is the only remaining copy. No need to play dumb! I know you were sent to get this! I hid it from that sadistic bastard before he started torturing me! As far as I know they don't know this exists and hopefully we can keep it that way. Make sure you get this to Maria, your boss. Take my access card too." Spider examined it and noticed it opened all security level 2 doors. He placed it and the optical disc in one of his open pouches.

Osborn leaned against the wall as if attempting to stand. "Can you stand?" asked Spider as he attempted to help his old friend to his feet. "No. You go on without me. They got all they wanted from me I'm of no further use to them. Just promise me you'll stop them. If this goes public me, my father's company and everything I've worked for is finished!" "Doesn't Sentinel Gear use currently existing technology?" Osborn looked confused. "Sentinel itself does…. But…" His eyes opened wide with shock. "What the.." He then clutched at his heart and wailed out in pain. "What the hell is happening?" "It's… the Pentagon!" Osborn answered crying out in between breaths as he rolled and writhing on the hard metal floor in pain. "THEY'RE… THEY'RE…" Without thinking Solid Spider removed his mask and brought himself face-to-face with his friend. "Harry! It's me! It's Peter! Tell me who did this! Who at the Pentagon is responsible?" Harry's eyes blinked several times as he recognized his old friend Peter Parker. "Oh hey.. P-peter! Been a… while!" With the last few convulsions Harry Osborn took his last breaths in this world. Peter Parker sat on the floor next to his now dead best friend. For a few moments he wept and mourned his loss but then grew angry. He focused his mind and made the Codec call.

"Colonel! Have been listening? He's dead too!"
"I have no idea!" "DON'T LIE TO ME, DAMN IT! HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND!"
"It sounded like another heart attack." Mayday interjected.
Peter shook his head. "What is it? Some kind of poison?"
"Well there are lots of drugs that can cause a heart attack, in large doses of course, like potassium
chloride or dioxides. But we won't be able to tell until we do an… autopsy."
Peter punched the floor hard denting it to the point of breaking. "DAMN IT!"
"Spider I need you to work with that woman Osborn mentioned."
"Why the hell should I?" "Because she's my niece Parker!" The fact Triple J not only told him that but used his last name almost hit him like a physical wound.
"What is your niece doing here?" He asked.
There was a heavy sigh and then. "Several soldiers were reported missing the day of the revolt. She was one of the ones called in as an emergency replacement."
Peter caught his breath and sat down. After a moment's thought he smiled. "Thank God she didn't get any of your looks. Though she has your stubborn streak!"
Jameson chuckled. "She's my brother's little girl. Since he died in the Gulf War I've been looking after her. It's just been the two of us since my wife died. Her name is Silverburgh. Mary Jane Silverburgh." Peter frowned. "A personal motive? Not exactly very soldierly."
"I'm retired and just an old man now. Besides I thought we were friends?"
"Since when?"
"Since the uprising of Wakandaland." Peter chuckled. "With my personality it's difficult to keep friends."
"That's what I trust about you, Parker. It's what makes you human and good at what you do. Please!"
"Please save Mary Jane, Solid Spider! You're the only one who can!" After a moment's thought Peter finally answered. "All right but I have two conditions."
"Name them." "First no more secrets. I want full and complete disclosure at all times! Second I'll only accept orders from you. No cutoffs, intermediaries, or whatever involved! We agreed?"
"I agree. That is why I was called. Just one thing. You know I'm not a Colonel anymore."
Peter smiled as he put his webbed spider mask back on. "Oh I understand perfectly… Colonel!" He then ended the call.

After standing motionless to honor his friend Spider stood and removed his late friend's Codec receiver out of his pouch. He cycled through the frequencies and found the most used frequency. He then input it into his own Codec and sent the call. Through the receiver he saw someone wearing a baklava like the ones issued to the sentries patrolling the island however it did not trigger his spider sense.

"Who are you?" A female voice asked.
Spider relaxed a bit. "Seriously? How many people have you encountered around here wearing a mask like this?"
The eyes seemed to narrow. "You're the one from the prison."
"I have to say you impressed me with how you busted yourself out of there! You're the niece of the
Colonel, Mary Jane right?"
"Just who are you, anyway?"
Spider shoulders slumped down. "Hmm. Who could I be? Proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider, uses webbing, and has a rapier sharp wit."
She seemed to think for a second and then it hit her. "Could you be Spider? Are you THE Solid Spider?"
Spider raised in arms in victory. "At last! Thank you! Yes I'm called Solid Spider!"
"Sorry about before Spidey." She then removed her baklava. "I wasn't sure you were one of the good guys!"
"I knew you were."
"Oh? How's that?"
"It was your eyes."
She frowned. "My eyes? Let me guess: they're rookie's eyes, right? Geez. Typical male. You ever going to
let that go?"
After a moments silence Spider finally said. "I was actually going to say they seemed compassionate and beautiful to me."
She seemed taken aback for a moment. "Just what I'd expect from the legendary Solid Spider... You trying to sweep me off my feet?"
Spider chuckled. "Normally I use my webbing for that but usually people tend to be more irritated or annoyed when they meet me in person."
"We'll have to see about that."
"Maybe later. Right now I need some information. You were involved in this exercise from the beginning. What exactly happened here?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I was captured along with President Osborn right after the terrorist attack."
"That's alright. But what is this place? I get the feeling it isn't just for disposing for nuclear weapons."
She rubbed her forehead. "Wow. It's just like them. Nobody has told you anything have they?"
Spider was about to reply but she cut him off and continued.
"This place isn't for disposing of nuclear warheads. It's owned and operated by a dummy corporation of Oscorp."

The realization dawned on Spider. "This is a civilian base."
"Right." She confirmed. "Built just for the development of Sentinel Gear."
Spider balled his hands into fists full of rage. Colonel he thought to himself. "SHIELD and the Next Gen special forces were sent in for the test launch of a dummy nuclear warhead."
"Huh. Guess they needed to keep things quiet. Why else use SHIELD? But they had to have fired missiles before. What made this time so special?"
"Well I heard this test was to be the final one before the formal adoption of the Sentinel Gear program. At least that's what I heard."
"Huh." Spider after considering the information for a moment finally spoke again. "Seems kind of fishy to me. Anyway do you have any idea what the terrorists are after?"
Another shake of her head. "No idea. Like I told you I was locked up with Mr. Osborn right after the revolt started."
Spider snapped his fingers. "Right! That's when he gave you the detonation over ride keys!"
She seemed to chuckle. "You hit the jackpot, Spider!"
If he was not wearing a mask she would see him blush. Spider attempted to stay focused. "Am amazed you kept it so well hidden from the guards."
"Well women have more hiding places then men." She said with a wink. "So you met Osborn. How is he?"
Spider sighed. "Unfortunately dead."
She was visibly awestruck. "WHAT?"
"Yeah. Heart attack. Same as the DARPA Chief, Urich. You wouldn't know by any chance if either of them were ill or anything?"
"Not that I heard of."
"Hmm. Something's up. I don't believe in coincidences."
"I'd have to agree. But I've no idea what."
"Neither do I. Yet. Anyway Osborn mentioned the man who designed the new Sentinel Gear."
"You mean Dr. Emmerich."
"Right. Any idea if he's still alive?"
"He should be. He'd be in the research lab in the second floor basement of the nuclear warhead storage building to the North of here. I think they're forcing him to work on the nuclear launch program."
"So they'd need him alive until that's done. So we better get to him before that. In case we can't use the override in time I need to ask him how to destroy Sentinel Gear."
She seemed shocked. "You plan on taking that thing on by yourself?"
Spider chuckled. "Hey it wouldn't be the first time." She seemed to be in awe. Spider kept moving. "What's the best way to get to the building the doctor is being held?"
"That would be the cargo door on the first floor of the building." "What's the security level there?"
"Five, Which is fine since I have a level five card."
"You sound as if you think you're going with me." "That's because I am."
"Oh no you're not! You're still too green! I want you to hole up somewhere safe!"
She sounded as if she wanted to put up an argument but could not produce one.
Spider continued. "If you pause for just one second in front of your enemy and it's all over. Good luck doesn't last forever!"

"I'm not sure exactly what happened. I just… couldn't pull the trigger. I never had a problem like that in training! But when I thought about my bullets hitting those soldiers' bodies…. I.. hesitated. "
"Shooting targets and living breathing people are two different things. I've always tried to avoid doing such a thing."
"Ever since I was little I always dreamed about being a soldier. Every day of my life I've trained… my body and my mind… for the day when I'd see some real action!"
"So what now? Going to quit?"
"I can't quit!" She snapped. "I can't allow myself to quit now!"
"Listen Mary Jane everyone feels sick the first time they kill someone. It's been my experience that it gets easier to kill someone the more you do it. Part of the reason why I choose not to because taking a life shouldn't ever be easy. In a war mankind's worst emotions… worst traits come out. It's easy to forget what a sin is in the battlefield."
"But this isn't war, it's a terrorist action."
"You're just a little jumpy from the combat high. The adrenaline in your blood stream is beginning to thin out. Just take it easy." Spider began to make his way back out of the room and back the way he came to the elevator. He decided to crawl on the ceiling to try and avoid detection.

"Hey I learned all about combat high at the academy.." Mary Jane continued.
"We'll talk about it later. Right now let's just focus on keeping yourself alive." "If I make it out alive I'll think about that other stuff."
Once the coast was clear Spider entered the elevator and rode it back up to the first floor. "We'll link up after I grab the doctor. Then we'll worry about the detonation code override. "
"Gotcha. By the way Spidey… my friends call me M.J."

The elevator door opened back into the hangar. Spider used his spider sense to avoid detection as he made his way into a nearby vent. "Okay M.J. where are you?" There was a giggle and then. "Where I can see you!" Adjusting his lenses to the binocular setting Spider saw the various sentry's patrolling the room. One seemed to stop in front of the cargo door and within seconds it began to rise up into the ceiling. "I just opened the cargo door for you."
"Try not to move around so much!"
"Why? I'm dressed as a Next Gen soldier!"
"Yeah well they may suspect something with the way you walk."
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Spider felt he'd been caught. Which technically was true; Spider had noticed it when they first met in the detention area as she was running. She had a very particular way of walking when it came to her backside. He could not help himself. "…Nothing." THAT didn't sound convincing… She shook her head dismissing the confusion. "Listen Spidey that door is like an airlock its equipped with infrared sensors so be careful. If an intruder is detected the gas will be released."
"Gas?"
"Okay. See you later! Am heading for the nuclear warhead storage building!" "You're what?" The call then ended.

If not for the fact it would give his position away Spider would punch the wall of the vent he was in. He made to begin his exit and to move towards the cargo door when his spider sense warned him. Sure enough he heard two of the sentry's talking nearby and approaching his position. He crouched back into the vent and listened to them talk. "… been put on alert." "Why?" "I heard there was an intruder that already killed three people." Another intruder aside from me… Spider thought. And killing members of the Next Gen forces! Once the sentries were far enough away Spider made the Codec call.

"Colonel there's another intruder here besides me!"
"The guards you neutralized were they hidden?"
"Of course but I don't think they mean me! One of them said the intruder had killed some of the Next Gen forces!"
There was a grumble on the other end of the Codec then Triple J spoke again. "If there is a God help the poor bastard. I don't think we need to worry since it hasn't affected the mission."
"I understand sir. I'm going on." Spider then ended the call.

Once the coast seemed clear Spider made his way through the cargo door. Sure enough there were small recesses in the side of the walls and the floor themselves. He switched his lenses to infrared and saw the laser beams ricocheting from their alcoves either in the floor or off the walls in varying design. Without a word Spider dropped to the floor. With his back to the entrance he quickly ran from the entrance and took a blind leap. With his eyes shut he surrendered control of his body and senses to his spider sense. It was not something he liked to do regularly however in a case such as this it was needed. It was something he had developed with Master Murdock following his time on Genosha since the experiments they had done to his friend and heightened his senses as well. His body twisted and turned through the air almost as if by remote control. He landed a couple times between the beams but kept moving surpassing each laser beam until he fired a web line and pulled himself to the opposite wall. The cargo door sensing someone behind it began to open up for him. Spider carefully made his way to the floor and through the door.