Chapter Six
Dark Warrior, Greedy Magician
New York City. One of America's greatest cities. People call it the City That Never Sleeps, or simply the Big Apple. It's the home of the Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, and the resting place for all of the victims from the 9/11 attack. It is also the home of two of the greatest super hero teams in the world; The Fantastic Four and The Avengers. But in spite of that, it is a dangerous city, and has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Every day over a dozen people get killedand hundreds more are robbed on the street. Needless to say, none of these appalling acts are performed anywhere near the Fantastic Four or the Avengers' bases of operations. They manifest themselves in a much more secluded part of New York; a place called Brooklyn.
Brooklyn. A terrible part of town. The very base of operations for the Mafia, and a safe haven for corrupt police officers, murderers, drug dealers, and the notorious Kingpin of Crime; the billionaire Wilson Fisk. Fisk had the Mob in his back pocket. Even the Godfather was indebted to him. For every crime that's committed in New York, Fisk would get 40 of the profit. Whoever didn't comply would be sent to the morgue. Most of the area is run down and neglected, and there wasn't a single home not been robbed or defaced. Any person with some decency wouldn't be caught dead in this place, because they always end up in the Hudson River. Many people who come to Brooklyn call it 'the worst place in America.'
But there was one spot in Brooklyn where not a single crime had been committed since late 1994. An area that roughly spanned four city blocks, and was the most rundown place in all of New York. There hadn't been garbage service in that area for years, and attracted any and all forms of vermin to that area. Thus earning it's nickname.
Rat City.
Rat City was home to New York's most unfortunate; homeless, runaways, people damned by society, and people on the run from Fisk and the Mob. No wrong doer dared to even spit in Rat City's direction, for it was the home of who was possibly the most ruthless man in the world. The people who live in Rat City call him 'The Guardian,' for they believe he's there to protect them. Any person with even the slightest desire to do wrong that walked in Rat City always ended up in an alley in a pool of their own blood with their heads on backwards. So appalling were the killings, the media named the mystery killer 'The Rat City Butcher.'
Who was this man that protected the unfortunate? He used to be a man. A tall, strapping, handsome Black man at that matter. A soldier that lived to serve his country. He even took a bullet for the President of The United States while his bodyguards cowered behind the podium. After that, he was promoted to secret services. He became a government-trained assassin, and traveled around the world following orders for ten years. His name was Al Simmons.
And he was a hero.
But it didn't last. In 1989 Jason Wynn, the CEO of the government agency that Simmons worked for, ordered him to take Chapel, another assassin, to the jungles of Cambodia. There, Simmons and Chapel were supposed to assassinate a Cambodian arms dealer to ensure national security. But there was a flaw in his mission. By the time Simmons made it to the coordinates of the arms base, there was nothing there. There was no arms dealer either. Chapel then revealed that Wynn's real orders were to have Simmons terminated, and brought back saying that he was killed on the field. Chapel burned Simmons alive, and said that there was a terrible accident with some plastic explosives.
Simmons' charred corpse was taken back to America. He was given a hero's funeral, and the president himself attended. A parade was held in his honor, and was given a 200-gun salute during his burial. His country mourned for him, especially his wife, Wanda Blake. Wanda's last words to her husband were, 'Go with God, my darling.'
But Simmons didn't go to Heaven. If you slaughter people for a living, the chances of getting a key to the Pearly Gates are impossible. Simmons' soul was sent to the underworld, where the devil himself, Malebolgia, made a deal with Simmons. He could either burn in Hell for all eternity, or lead Hell's army and see his wife again. It was an offer that Simmons simply couldn't refuse. But there was a price he had to pay. Before he could see his wife, he had to burn in Hell for five years, slowly gaining the power of Hell's General. Most of his memories were taken from him, and his humanity was virtually erased. Five long years later, he returned to Earth no longer a man.
He was now a Hellspawn, Spawn for short.
He never lead Hell's army. He retreated to Rat City, the only part of the world that would accept him. Where else could he possibly go? He was a man from Hell that wore a 15-foot long red cloak with a high collar. That cloak had it's share of rips and shreds, but that wasn't it. The cloak was alive, just like the rest of his suit, the uniform of Hell. The cloak always swayed about, even without the benefit of wind. It never got caught on anything, for it would hinder Spawn's ability to fight. In retrospect, his suit wasn't very detailed. Jet black, skin tight with a white V-like design on his chest and upper back. Or, at least it seemed skin-tight. It was, in fact, part of his own flesh. He wore a mask that covered his scorched head, a white demonic wing-like design on the face. His eyes gave of an eerie green glow, signifying that he was no longer human. The most distinctive traits of the uniform were his chain belts with a demonic skull for a buckle, and his crimson gauntlets with steel spikesand matching footwear. The chains, like his cloak and suit, lived and breathed as he did.
Since he never lead the Army of Darkness, Malebolgia dubbed him a traitor to the underworld. And since he was a Hellspawn, Heaven didn't exactly think very highly of him. As a result, both demons and angels alike hunted him daily.
But none of them succeeded. Being a Hellspawn, he was granted near unlimited power. He even managed to defeat his arch-nemesis, the Violator. The Violator was Malebolgia's second in command, and lived to torment Spawn's existence. Sometimes the Violator would take the form of a hideous clown, adding more of a grotesque appearance.
But none of that mattered now. The Violator was dead. It's corpse decaying inside a desecrated church deep within Rat City. It had also been more than three months since a demon or angel attacked him, and Rat City was as quiet as ever. He stood in the moonlight atop a giant crucifix of the same church that was the Violator's grave. He never ate, he rarely slept, and he never stopped his savage killing. That was the real reason nobody on the wrong side of the law dared to go into Rat City. Spawn wasn't protecting it's locals; he was simply a predator defending his territory.
"Al Simmons," he'd say to himself every day to remind himself what it sounds like. His deep, foreboding voice was enough to send shivers up the spines of the bravest men. He had been a Hellspawn for almost 15 years, and he couldn't bear it a second longer. He had tried everything, even suicide, to end his existence. Nothing worked.
"Why?" he'd ask himself. "Why must I live on like this?"
"Because you have damned yourself, Hellspawn."
Spawn quickly turned in the direction of the voice he just heard, and met eyes with a young man wearing a blue robe standing on the roof of the church. The man looked like he just entered his twenties, and had dark-brown hair that went past his shoulders.
"Who the hell are you?" Spawn said in disgust. "If you're another hunter, you'd best get lost before you end up just like the rest before you!"
"You need not worry, Hellspawn," the young man said with assurance in his voice. "My name is Richard, and I'm merely a messenger. And as such I have come to deliver you a message, not to fight in a battle that will only result in my demise."
This had Spawn wondering what exactly was going on. "A message?" Spawn leapt from atop the crucifix and landed with astounding grace directly in front of Richard. The young man stood at about 5'5", and Spawn was at least a foot taller than he was. Spawn closely examined this boy who called himself a messenger. Spawn could sense angelic influence emanating from Richard's aurora, but he didn't seem the hunting type, nor could Spawn sense any hostility. Still, there was something very familiar about him.
"Hmm..." Spawn growled. "You don't look like a warrior, so that's bought you a minute. If you want to deliver me a message, you'd best talk fast. Start talking."
"Very well," Richard said, his voice slightly shaken. He had heard many unsettling stories about this Hellspawn, and now he was face to face with the bane of a thousand of Heaven's finest warriors. Needless to say, he was frightened out of his mind. But still, he had a job to do.
"I'll make this short then," he said. "Heaven's Grand Council has witnessed your defeat of the Violator, a demon of the ancient-"
"I know who the Violator is," Spawn barked. "Get to the point before I rip your spine out!"
"Uh, y-yes. Of course," Richard stuttered. "The Grand Council wishes to m-make a proposal with you...in exchange for...s-some of your time."
A proposal? This was very strange, for Heaven's only actions toward Spawn in the past involved sending him to oblivion. Now Heaven wanted to make him an offer? Something wasn't right. Was it a trick? A scheme? A folly in order to lure Spawn into a trap? Of course, what was the worst that could happen? Spawn's life had literally been a living Hell this past decade and a half, and not much worse could happen to him now. After all, he had lost his will to live years ago, and his friends and family that were still alive had almost completely forgotten about him. What did he have left to lose? Oblivion, after all, was a desolate place where no creature could possibly live. No sky, no Earth, no air, no Heaven, and no Hell. Only eternal solitude was what oblivion held. Suddenly, oblivion sounded very nice to the Hellspawn.
"Very well," said Spawn. "Tell your council that I'm interested."
"Good," said Richard, feeling relieved as ever.
"When do they want to see me?" asked Spawn.
"Well, actually," said Richard. "The Council wished to see you immediately...if you don't mind, that is."
"Fine."
"Good," said Richard. "Very good. Now, give me your hands, please."
Spawn did as Richard instructed and held out his hands. Richard cautiously took each hand in his own, then looked Spawn directly in his eyes.
"I advise you to brace yourself, Hellspawn," said Richard. "These teleportations can be both very treacherous, and most unsettling."
Just then, both Spawn and Richard were engulfed in a brilliant flash of light. The light was so blinding that Spawn couldn't see momentarily. When his eyes came to, Spawn couldn't believe what he saw.
Blue sky, clean air, golden streets and marble buildings crested with jewels and diamonds. Green, beautiful plants, flowers of all colors, and not so much as a chewing gum wrapper littered the streets. The city itself seemed as if it were a super-structure; a grand sculpture carved from a single piece of marble. The delicious smell of world-class meals filled the air, and not a sad face was seen among the white-robed, multi-skinned people all around.
"This is..." Spawn began in a sullen voice.
"Yes, Hellspawn." Richard finished with a smile and a caring look in his eyes. "This is Heaven."
It had been three days since Spider-Man's arrival at Titans Tower, and he had been feeling more at home than ever before. The Titans had accepted him as well, and let him join in their activities. He sparred with Robin, (won every time,) played video-games with Beast Boy, listened to Raven's poetry, (fell asleep through half of them,) worked on the T-Car with Cyborg, and had an occasional arm-wrestling contest with Starfire, (and always lost.) And of course, he joined in on movie night.
But his stay wasn't all play and no work. He gladly pulled his weight around the tower without a single argument. He cleaned, did the dishes, (since he couldn't cook,) washed the windows, and did lots of laundry. Anyone else would have scoffed at every single chore, but he welcomed them with open webs. After all, doing a bushel of chores was better than being found by Venom.
It was lunch time now, and the Titans were on the roof of the tower enjoying the contents of their barbeque at a fold-out table that Cyborg built for this kind of occasion. Beast Boy ate a grilled tofu burger with organic lettuce and tomatoes while everyone else treated their taste-buds to Cyborg's barbequed tri-tip sandwiches with grilled onions and pepper jack cheese.
"You know something," Spider-Man spoke up as he wiped barbeque sauce from his face, still wearing his jersey, sweats, and slippers. The tone in his voice showed that he was greatly enjoying himself. "I've been to a lot of super hero bases, but nothing like this. I mean, you guys really have it made! You've got freaking everything here! An arcade, a gym, a swimming pool, and not to mention a killer view! Where do you guys get all the money for this stuff, anyway?"
"From two sources," Robin said with his mouth full. He swallowed his bite before finishing his sentence. "We receive monthly dividends from both Wayne Enterprises and STAR Industries. After all, where else are a bunch of teenaged superheroes gonna get the money for a base like this? That, plus Beast Boy has his own internet business of selling books called 101 Ways of Cooking Tofu for twenty bucks a piece."
"Really?" said Spider-Man as he turned his head towards Beast Boy. "How's that working out for you?"
"Well," Beast Boy said as he finished off his burger. "A family in Japan bought one..." His shoulders then slumped as his face grew an annoyed look. "But no one else did. I still haven't figured out what to do with the 3,000 yen they sent me either..."
"Well," Spider-Man said as he swallowed another mouth-full of beef, bread and onions. "That explains the stock-pile of books I saw in the storage room..."
Raven didn't even pay the least bit of attention to any of the conversations. She simply sat in her spot and took small, delicate bites of her sandwich while thinking deeply. She thought mostly about why Cyborg's nightmares suddenly stopped. At least that was what she thought was the cause of her not waking up in the middle of the night due to spectral energies caused by painful emotions. That, plus Cyborg didn't seem the least bit exhausted the past few days, pointing out that he was getting a good night's sleep. It couldn't have been the herb that she gave him, for the dream-suppressing side-effect only lasted ten to twelve hours at the most. She doubted that it was the arrival of Spider-Man that stopped his nightmares, even though they seemed to be great friends and all. They couldn't have possibly just stopped on their own, for they had been happening too long to just suddenly stop.
Therefore, what could it be?
Raven's thought was interrupted by Spider-Man suddenly leaping into the air and landing ten or so feet behind his seat, taking a spider-like pose as he stuck to the ground. A look upon his face that none of the Titans could describe signaled that his spider-sense had just went off. Just then, a tremor erupted from the Earth, causing Titans Tower and all of Jump City to rumble and shake violently. But just as soon as it started, it stopped. Spider-Man stood back up and looked about with a look of both confusion and bewilderment upon his face.
"Okay," he said with a raised eye-brow and his head cocked slightly to the left. "What in the hell was that?"
"That was just another earthquake," said Cyborg, finishing his sandwich and acting as if nothing happened. "You forget, Spidey. You're in California now. We get them here all the time."
"Oh," said Spider-Man with a sweat drop on his face. "And here I thought that Dr. Doom was attacking us or something..."
"You do not need to feel foolish," said Starfire as she sipped her glass of mustard. "I too was frightened during my first experience of the quaking of the Earth, for I thought that the Xenomorphs had been burrowing underground. I was quite relieved when informed that it was only the collision of the Earth's tectonic plates that caused the violent shaking."
The blaring sound of the all-too-familiar Titan alarm could suddenly be heard, causing a groan from each Titan to emit. Everyone, Spider-Man included, darted towards the living room before Robin could say 'Titans, trouble.' They made it to the living room in no time at all, where the monitor showed that Mumbo Jumbo had robbed yet another jewelry store, and was currently giving the police a rough time.
"Aw, crap," Cyborg and Beast Boy said in unison with slumped shoulders.
"Anything but him again," Starfire groaned.
"Let's just go and be extra careful," Robin said. "I don't know about you guys, but the last thing I want is to get turned into a baboon again."
"You were a chimp, dude." Beast Boy corrected.
"Whatever. Titans, GO!"
The Teen Titans then headed straight to the garage where the T-Car and R-Cycle waited, leaving Spider-Man hanging in the living room.
"Uh, sure thing," Spider-Man said not nearly loud enough for them to hear. "I'll just...stay here and clean something, I guess..."
"Mumbo Jumbo!"
The spell that Mumbo had cast transformed the policemen's weapons into harmless squirt guns, and had changed their boots into concrete. Needless to say, chasing Mumbo on foot was impossible.
"Since you guys seem to have other problems afoot," he said with his trademarked grin while holding his bag of stolen goods. "I think I'll just take these jewels and be on my way."
A star bolt suddenly shot it's way through the air and directly hit the bag, causing it to explode and sending jewels, diamonds, and money flying in all directions. Black energy had engulfed the stone shoes of the police, thus causing them to melt away and rendering the policemen able to walk, even though bare footed. To Mumbo's dismay, the Teen Titans had stood before him, fighting poses taken and everything.
"Time to hang up the cape, Mumbo," Robin said with a birderang drawn. "Because the curtain's closed."
"On the contrary," Mumbo said as he reared up his wand. "The show has just begun it's second half! Unfortunately for you and your friends, your parts in my script are over!"
"Oh really?" Beast Boy said with his chin up. "I guess it's a good thing that we're not part of your crappy script."
"Well then," Mumbo smirked. "Why don't you kiddies show Mumbo what a first-class script is like...through your actions!"
With a flick of his wand, Mumbo sent many fireballs towards his opponents. Raven summoned a black shield that blocked every projectile, while the other Titans split in different directions in hope of finding an advantage over the mad magician. Cyborg readied his sonic cannon, Starfire charged up her star bolts, Beast Boy changed into a tiger, and Robin wielded three birderangs in each hand. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg attacked simultaneously while Beast Boy lunged forward in an attempt to maul Mumbo.
"Tough crowd," Mumbo smirked. "Oh well, show's over. It's time to par-TAY! Mumbo Jumbo!"
The spell that Mumbo had cast transformed Cyborg's beam into blue streamers, Starfire's star bolts into green confetti, Robin's birderangs into red and yellow balloons, and Beast Boy into a performing circus tiger.
"For me?" Mumbo said with the weakest puppy look he could muster. "You shouldn't have!"
Mumbo then made an attempt to flee from the confused Titans, but was foiled as chunks of concrete and asphalt the size of small cars engulfed in black energy were hurled towards him, both blocking his path and nearly crushing him in the process. As he looked into the direction of the falling debris, he met eyes with a levitating Raven.
"Now, now, now," Mumbo said, waving his finger about. "It's not polite to throw rocks at people. I think that you need a time out!"
With yet another flick of his wand, a surprised Raven was instantly pulled to the ground and tied to a chair, a dunce hat appearing on her head and a gag covering her mouth. In her current situation, it was impossible to use her powers.
Perfect, she thought dully. Just perfect.
With one down, only four Titans remained. Starfire and Cyborg came on Mumbo's right while Robin and Beast Boy, who had now taken the form of a dire wolf, came on his left. Each and every one of them were ready for whatever else Mumbo had in store for them, and prepared themselves for the worst. It was then that Mumbo realized that both the robot's body, the alien's collar, belt, and gauntlets, and the boy wonder's cape and boots were each made of metal. This gave him an idea that he should have thought of a long time ago.
"Give it up, Mumbo!" Robin exclaimed. "You may have Raven pinned, but you can't beat us all!"
"I don't intend to do so," Mumbo said with a grin. "I have something for the world to see, and you kiddies don't want to miss it. So why don't you just, stick around!"
One of the concrete chunks transformed into a giant square magnet, causing Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin to fly straight towards it, along with various other metal objects, (car keys, manhole covers, bullets, etc.) An ear-piecing clang was heard when Cyborg hit it, and both Robin and Starfire winced in pain upon impact. Cyborg couldn't move an inch, and Robin's cape had stuck to the magnet in a manner that covered his entire body. Although Starfire's legs were free and she herself was strong enough to break away, she had landed at an angle where she couldn't get any leverage to pull away.
Mumbo looked very pleased with himself, for now there was only one Titan left. Beast Boy lunged at him once again is his dire wolf form in an attempt to pin him to the ground. This time, he was successful in pinning Mumbo, and let out a loathsome growl over Mumbo's face.
"Your bad masters bread a bad doggie," Mumbo said with yet another smirk. "Time to teach you some new tricks. Down boy!"
Beast Boy was suddenly flung in the air as a magic dog collar wrapped itself around his neck and then tied him to a piece of asphalt that changed into a 900 pound dog house. The collar had a spell cast upon it that only allowed him to change into other members of the canine family. He couldn't change into a smaller dog and escape, for the collar adjusted itself to each size. (But that didn't stop him from trying.)
Mumbo's plan had worked perfectly. The Teen Titans were now in his grasp, and he didn't plan on setting them free unless the city had payed him one hefty ransom. 50 million dollars sounded reasonable, and Mumbo always wanted beach property. Maybe he'd buy every vineyard from Sonoma County to L.A., or maybe move into the governor's house. All that, of course, could be decided later. Right now, he had some demands to make. He walked proudly over to his captives with quite a sadistic smile.
"And now, my fellow teenaged bargaining chips," he bellowed. "It's time for the main event!"
Meanwhile, back at Titans tower, Spider-Man had just finished the dishes and was now enjoying the afternoon showing of his favorite movie; Pulp Fiction.
'...and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger on those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! And you will know my name is the lord as I lay my vengeance upon you!'
"BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!" Spider-Man exclaimed in unison with the TV's gunfire as he stood up on the couch while brandishing his imaginary gun. "Oh yeah! Great flick! Great freaking flick! I love this movie!"
As he sat back down, he looked at his watch. "Two-o-clock..." he mused. "They've been gone over an hour already. Hope they're okay..."
'We interrupt this program for an important news flash.'
At any other time in any other place, Spider-Man would have been furious that the media would even dare interrupt one of the greatest movies ever made, and most likely would have said something like, 'Somebody important better be dead or sick, cause that's the only excuse I'm tolerating for this.' But at the moment he was struck with worry, for he somehow knew that the bulletin involved his friends, and it couldn't have been good. He watched on as a reporter appeared on-screen in an area that looked like Jump City Square.
'We are reporting live at Jump City Square..'
He knew it.
'...where the unthinkable has struck. The villain known as the Amazing Mumbo has defeated the Teen Titans, Jump City's protectors, and is now holding them hostage.'
Sure enough, Spider-Man could see them in the background, all bound to some kind of restraining device.
'Mumbo has demanded that he be given 50 million dollars in cash, 300 acres of beach property, and a 2005 Dodge Viper. He has made clear that if his demands aren't made by sundown, the Teen Titans will be executed on the spot. City officials-'
Spider-Man heard enough. No way in Hell was he going to let some cracked-out magician hurt his new friends in any way, shape, or form. Without wasting a second, he leaped from the couch and dashed down the hallway towards his room. He made it there in less than ten seconds, and threw the door open has he went towards his closet. He quickly opened the closet where his both his now zestfully clean suit and fully loaded web-shooters that Cyborg re-designed for him waited. He reached for his outfit, pulled it off of the hanger, and then...
He stopped, realizing what he was doing as a look of dread fell upon his face.
"Wait a minute," he said aloud. "I can't go out there as Spider-Man. It'll be all over the news, and Venom will be over here before the day is out."
He shoved his suit back in the closet without hanging it up, afterwards pacing about the room frantically. He thought, and he thought, but he couldn't figure out what to do. He needed to save his friends, but how would he do so without Venom finding out? He simply couldn't go outside the way he looked, for Mumbo wouldn't take him seriously if he did so. He thought about borrowing one of Robin's outfits, but realized that it wouldn't fit him. He was taller than Robin by almost a foot, and as such he had twice as much muscle. Therefore, what could he do?
"Of course!" he exclaimed as he remembered. He brought some insurance for this kind of occasion, but got so comfortable in the tower that he forgot that he packed it. He rushed over to his gym-bag that he tucked under his bed, and pulled out his said insurance; a suit not related to Peter Parker or Spider-Man in any way possible.
"Good thing I brought you," he said with a smile of both pride and relief. He quickly put the suit on and darted towards the garage, in hopes of finding a spare R-Cycle he could use for quick transportation. As he left the living room, he didn't hear the last news update that would have later proved useful to his cause...
'In other news, the Jump City Police have confirmed the reports of a large, reptilian humanoid that was spotted in the outskirts of Jump City two days ago. The creature was first sighted in a campsite a few miles from Crimson Canyon, and has attacked a group of lumber jacks in it's wake. The creature was last spotted by the river heading straight for Jump City itself. Though officials have yet to confirm, witnesses have claimed that the creature is wearing both a pair of torn blue jeans and a blood-stained white lab coat. Officials advise that you stay indoors until this creature is contained. More on this story as it develops. And now, back to our regular programing...'
End Chapter Six (finally)
