Shade supervised his men as they loaded several boxes on the train while Octavius assembled some kind of device with a green liquid in a pressurised canister "it's almost done Shade Ms. Selina should be quite pleased with my master piece" Octavius confidently boasted with the arrogance of an above average intelligence person.
Shade however showed no signs of caring about the scientist opinion his concern was else were specifically on his belt. A bowie knife strapped to his belt which his right hand thumb was gently grazing the hilt in a matter of moments he would finally be rid of this pest. The train blew its whistle signaling the final departure and Shades men finished loading the last of the boxes "I want everyone rested and prepared there's no telling what kind of greeting we'll get when we get to dodge" Shade ordered.
The train began rolling from the station as Shades men moved into the luxury car even Octavius was helping himself to the refreshments completely unaware of his impending fate. The hours passed and the men got rowdy forcing the other passengers from the car all perfect except for Shade he sat at the bar thumbing his knife waiting for his moment. But for now he allowed Octavius to carry on.
"I don't care if that gun totting back wood hillbilly doesn't like me he can't harm me…I alone am single handily bringing forth Mr.… (*hiccup*) fortune and have guaranteed that Selina will be mine despite his delusional fantasy" Octavius slurred to the others. He wasn't even attempting to hide his arrogance of his self-superiority towards Shade and that was more than Shade would tolerate from him.
He walked up to Octavius with a false smile on his face his moment was here. "Octavius! Come here a second I'm sure a house rat like you would appreciate some wilderness scenery" Shade told him as they walked over to the door Shade slid it open "the glass obstructs the full value of the view"
The wind roared and rolled through the car kicking up dirt and dust and Shade slowly drew his knife "Octavius…Selina is mine regardless of your delusions and you're useless now" Shade daunted before drawing his knife and plunging it into Octavius's back between his 4th and 5th rib "feel that? That cold sting, the inability to breathe? My knife pierced your lung causing the air to leak out and the lung to collapse meaning you can't scream you know as you stumbled to close to the open door you lousy drunk!" Shade hissed into Octavius's ear.
"Please I have a son"
Shade shoved him from the car down the hill into the swamp lands "now you're gator bait you sniveling rat!" Shade closed the door and sheathed his knife satisfied with himself. "Selina is mine and so is Osborn's empire" he grinned to himself.
Meanwhile elsewhere as the sun rose General Stewart and his company rode into Knoxville with Colt doing everything in his power to antagonise them.
"You know I'm going to kill you right? Yeah you're smiling right now but believe me when these cuffs come off you're a dead man" he threatened at the general then turned towards the man on his right, a heavier set man. "And you! How does that horse support your fat ass all day long? Jeez I pity the poor creature…can't imagine how your wife survives"
That big man turned on his saddle and punched Colt in the face drawing blood from his nose "Jesus the women hit harder than you"
The man struck another punch causing Colt to sway in his saddle "Colt shut up!" Rawhide snapped.
"If I wanted a kiss I would have called your mother"
The third hit knocked Colt from his saddle and down to the ground and the big man dismounted his horse and rolled Colt on to his back with intent to beat him some more but just as Colt rolled his quick hands found the big man's holster and drew his gun. Two rapid shots fired off the first punched through the big man's chest, the second skimmed over the generals forehead shaving a handful of his hair and blowing two holes in his hat lifting it from his head. The big man's body dropped onto Colt pinning him down.
The general's hand jumped to his head feeling the bald spot on his head where the bullet grazed and a slow streak of blood trickled down "restrain that bastard and drag him!" he growled. "The next one to try anything will be shot!" he ordered.
Two more men tied a rope to Colts cuffs and the other end to his horse and shackled his ankles ending with a swift kick to his sternum dropping Colt to his knees as the company continued on its way dragging Colt along the way.
(2014)
The pale white moon hung in the air glowing over the calm glistening ocean. The city was relatively calm tonight as was the tri-carrier.
Ava sat in her room with a small carton of cookie dough ice cream she was growing worried the days were passing by quickly and the 21st was rapidly approaching. So she sat alone in her room starring at her laptop and Spider-mans eyeless mask "Peter come home…please… this team can't work without you" she sniffled taking another spoonful of ice cream. "This isn't fair all the times you saved us and we can't even save you once"
As the ice cream carton became lighter Ava's eyes got heavier "I miss you web head" she hit the pillow and was out like a light. She slept for what felt minutes when she awoke to the sound of someone creeping around the hallways her curiosity got the best of her and she quickly changed into her tiger outfit and went to investigate. The noise was coming from the mess hall kitchen as White Tiger crept through the dark she a silhouette of the figure rummaging through the cabinets and pantry "not exactly a cat burglar are you?" she asked assertively extending her claws menacingly and flicking on the lights and what she saw caught her off guard and stunned her speechless.
The stranger slowly turned around his bright colored suit stood out against the grey paint of the kitchen "well I should hope not after all you're the Tiger persona and I am just the simple Spider" he chuckled turning round to face her completely "hey tiger" he nonchalantly greeted "what's wrong cat got your tongue?"
Tiger retracted her claws and sprinted across the kitchen throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing as if she thought he would disappear again if she let go "you came back, you came back" she sniffled into his shoulder. Tiger held him tightly unwilling to ever let him go again until she realised Spider-man was Spider-man mask and all causing her to let go and step back "you're not real!" she exclaimed.
Spider-man leaned against the counter and folded his arms and nodded "no I'm not, I'm only here because you want me here…Ava you need to let me go the more you chase after me the more obsessed you'll become let me go if I'm meant to come back to you I will" he told her.
"You know I can't do that" she replied.
"Ava…"
"NO Peter! I'm not letting you go I will find a way to save you!" Ava protested before catching herself from getting to mad and taking a deep breath to calm herself "you never gave up on trying to save us when Goblin gassed us or when Dracula possessed us so ask us to not do the same for you?"
"Because the odds were only stacked against me in those times but for you to save me…they're non-existent"
Ava began to growl in anger this definitely wasn't Peter or even a fragment of what the man she knew was "go away!" she ordered
"Can't do that Tiger, you have to accept that you can't control everything… you need to let me go" Spider-man repeated.
Tiger flexed her claws once more threatening Spider-man "I will never give up! We can save him I don't care what part of my imagination you manifested from you're not real and what you say doesn't mean anything" she snapped slashing her claws through the Spider-man in front of her which reduced him to a wisp of smoke and the tri-carrier kitchen began melting and changing around her. The walls melted into a beach side scenery Luke and Danny were surfing while Sam was building a sand castle before she caught her own reflection in the water, Ava was wearing her pink bikini and sun skirt and Peter was lying in a hammock made of webbing this was her dream.
(1895)
Concealed by the thick woods in a small clearing was a small tribal village with various animal pelts hung by fires drying them out. Children played and adults worked. But there was one hut receiving all kinds of attention people crowding around and poking their heads in to see the wounded young man who was dragged from the river and brought to the village the eldest of the tribe stood over him warding off the spirits of death. He could sense the good in the boy and his potential but there was something else about this boy something elusive and it emitted from the spider on his chest.
"rise young warrior I sense your task is not yet done arise and fulfill your destiny" the elder chanted as the young woman beside the boy ground and mashed various berries, herbs and plant roots in a bowl forming a thick paste like substance rubbing it into the crevice of his wound which looked far less severe than it did when the boy was brought in last night. "arise and live" the elder finished sprinkling some kind of powder around the boy "we have patched his body called his spirit home we've done all we can the rest is up to him" the elder said waving the young woman out and pulling a blanket over the boy "a warrior of the spider may it save you from the fires"
The red glow of the dawning was giving way to the solid gold glow of the morning sun and still Peter remained lying under his blankets his wound had healed and was slowly stirring awake to the smell of wet dog and grass. "Aunt May why does it smell like wet dog in here?" he groggily groaned as he sat up and looked around reality set in and in a haunting painful memory flash came the recollection of being stabbed and left for dead Peter quickly lifted his shirt to see a faint scare where the sword went through "well general you got your point across" he groaned forcing himself to his feet "I can't believe I survived being run through and kicked into a river…I am awesome!"
Now on his feet Peter glanced around taking in his surroundings there was a wolf pelt and wool blankets where he was laying "what happened?" he asked himself looking around for his belt. The room was small and the floor was grass
"You're awake, good" came an aged voice from behind him.
Peter slowly turned to face a seasoned old man with long gray hair standing in the door way "please sit you were nearly dead when young wandering owl found you on the river last night"
Peter sat back down as the elder entered and turned over the remaining hot coals and passed Peter his belt "you are not like the others… the other white men who carry guns through these parts some are good and some would see to harm my people. But all of them carried guns with bullets and none of them wore a symbol of the spider on their chest but you, your guns are empty and there is no ill will in your eyes" the elder said.
Peter took his belt back and fastened it "the spider is my symbol, I share a few traits with them" he replied.
The elder then pulled Peter's goggles from a satchel and brought them to eye level "I know who you are arachnid child, eyes that can reflect a man's soul to see the wickedness he has done and hands fast enough to shoot 6 men and demonic speeds that allow him to dodge bullets and so it would seem immune to death so I ask you are you man or spirit?"
Peter took his goggles and continued to stare at the elder catching glimpses of native girls roughly his age poking their heads in to see him and turned his attention back to the elder "man, a friend often called me man of spiders I'm just a teenager who was given a gift that's all I'm not a spirit…thank you for all your help and saving me but my friends are in danger from a lunatic general" with that Peter stood up and the elder showed him out into the blinding sunlight Peter rubbed his eyes from the strain of the light as the elder led him to a small improvised horse pen to a black horse
"This is storm brave, powerful and loyal steed fast as the wind she'll help you on your journey just tell her your direction"
Peter placed his hand gently upon the horses head and sighed "problem is…I don't know which way to go"
The elder petted storms mange "animals are truly wonders of nature they live and do as their instincts guide them trust in yours and you will find them but if it helps you were found traveling south of the river there is a small hunting ground to the north where some travelers make camp because it's just above a mineral water pool." He calmly told Peter who simply nodded in response "good luck young hero"
Peter jumped on the horse and rode towards the river following it back as far as he could. Hoping to be able to pick up the trail of his friends.
The day dragged along until the sun was highest in the sky and the generals company arrived in the town of Knoxville stopping at the jailhouse. Colt was pulled to his feet as Rawhide was pulled off his horse and dropped to the ground "that wasn't nice" he growled Laura and James were like wise dragged from their saddles.
"Take those four inside and leave them for the sheriff. Their bounty should cover the expense of wasting my time on hunting them down as for black mask Marek take him to the stable…I want to kill him myself"
"For god's sake I wore the mask once!"
Sasha turned to face Marek with a disbelieving scowl "really that's what you're taking issue with?" she gasped.
"It bothers me" Marek replied before being pulled from his horse "general, I wouldn't get to comfortable if I were you. You know those demon children they don't stay dead for very long" he smugly smirked shooting the general a cocky triumphant grin.
Marek willing walked to the stable making sure the general and his men all knew he was smiling as he walked away. General Stewart grabbed Sasha and led her to the inn "you young lady are going up to the room and soon as the boys are rested and everything is taken care of we're going home!" he asserted.
Meanwhile inside the jail house having been locked inside the cell Colt, Rawhide, James and Laura sat on a worn out bench listening to the deputy and General Stewart's men.
"Sorry boys but the sheriffs on a prisoner transfer has been all week, but he should be back by Friday can't pay you or hang them until then" the deputy told them earning less than displeased remarks from Stewarts men,
"The boss won't like this, he wants them out of his way"
"I'd prefer shooting that little twerp who murdered Jerimiah!"
"It's like we're not even here" Colt sarcastically stated only to be kicked in shin by Laura
"Colt we're trying not to die!" she hissed.
Colt simply shrugged and leaned against the bars "doesn't matter by the time Friday gets here we'll be gone and I'll personally see to it that Stewart is portraying the role of the headless horsemen" he stated.
"good plan small flaw" Rawhide interjected "Marek's about to be executed in a stable Sasha is being watched like a damn hawk and we're all in here…how does your plan calculate all that?"
'simple, James uses those claws to lift the keys from the deputy when he brings us our food and when he's sleeping we walk out save Marek rescue Sasha and then kill the old man or we kill him first I don't care but that old bastard dies for what he did to Peter!"
Peter's on his own trying to find his friends.
Marek is left waiting for execution, the team is in jail and Sasha is captive by her father.
Ocatavius is dead by shades hand and the weapon is made for Selina Osborn!
and Ava is subconsciously losing faith in finding Peter, is she right to or will her stubborn drive prevail?
A/N: to the fans hoping for spider under cover and savage land 2's return I have some good news and some bad.
bad news: unfortunately i'll have to rewrite all the chapters for those two stories.
good news: I was able to recover the rough draft of the story outlines and the rough draft first chapter of Spider under cover 2 so it should be reposted shortly