Chapter 19: The Coming Storm Part 1: Head Hunt
A/N: sorry this took so long. I promise next week I won't take so long. This chapter is mainly to plant the seeds for a major character in a possible sequel to this story.
Houston, Texas, t-minus 1 Hour before Arrival
The Shipping Yards of Houston were full of gunfire as the Diablos, the leading Mexican gang, and the Sharks, the strongest multiracial gang in the city, duked it out for control over the cities criminal underworld. "Waste these fools!" The Shark' Leader said. "This city is ours, and no one can stop us! Not the cops, not the Feds, not even the Scarlet Spider!"
"(Kill these morons! Once they are dead, nothing will stop us! Show them why the Devils of Mexico are the strongest cartel in the world!)" the Diablo leader, a man wearing the costume and name of the Fantastic Four villain Diablo, said.
"Here's a better idea." A voice said from no direction in particular. "How about you both discuss plea deals, and maybe they'll send you to a federal prison. I hear those are nice this time of year." The Scarlet Spider said as he decloaked.
"Oh s**t! Kill him!" The Sharks' leader said, and every thug in the yard turned to him.
'My name is Kaine, and this is just a regular Friday afternoon for me.' Scarlet Spider thought as he leapt over the bullets flying towards him. 'These two gangs have been trying to kill each other for months now. It's only because one of the Sharks' top lieutenants struck a deal. Of course, that plea deal was him telling me what I want to know in exchange for me not breaking every bone in his body.' Scarlet Spider punched a Diablo on the face, before jumping in the air and spinning while he stuck his legs out, striking three criminals in the head. 'Thank god both their leaders agreed to one last showdown to determine who would get full control of the underground. I was getting tired of breaking up these guys fights.' A Shark that was behind him pointed a gun at the Spider-Man clone's head, only to clutch his head in pain. 'Scratch that: WE were getting tired of breaking up their fights.'
"Hey, this guy's still scared of the dark!" Aracely said from on top of a shipping container, only she wasn't dressed in everyday wear. She wore a green outfit, with yellow accents, a yellow many cape that was connected by a medallion with Mayan designs on her chest and a hood over her head, and her face was green. Kaine didn't know how she made her face look green, having deduced that it was with either her telepathic abilities or face paint, but he wasn't sure which, as she managed to get that outfit on faster than he could get his costume on. When she was dressed like this, she liked to be called Hummingbird.
"What did I tell you?" Scarlet Spider said as he used a webline to yank away the gun of a Shark who was aiming at Aracely, the rest ruling the guy punching them in the face as a bigger threat than the girl in makeup.
"Stay back, I know." Hummingbird said as Kaine leapt over the thugs, throwing punches left and right. "But I can't let you have ALL the fun."
"Since when do you find stopping a gang war fun?" Scarlet Spider asked as he flung a Shark into two Diablos.
"Since always." Hummingbird said as she watched her guardian/'brother' flip one thug on his back and backflip over another, delivering a blow to his head.
"You're strange." Scarlet Spider said as he took out the remaining thugs, and soon only Diablo was left.
"You think I am afraid of some gringo in a fake Spider-Man costume?" Diablo said.
"You think I'm afraid of some drug mule in a Halloween outfit who killed his way to the top?" Scarlet Spider said. "I know you're not the real Diablo. Who are you, some sort of wannabe?"
"That's rich, coming from you." Diablo said as he took out two vials from his belt. "Under my leadership, not even the Avengers will stop the Diablos from ruling this pathetic country!" Diablo threw the vials, and one erupted in green flames while the other exploded in smoke, the two combining to form a massive explosion. Scarlet Spider leapt just before the vials collided, and bounced off a shipping container towards Diablo, punching him square in the jaw and applying a little spider strength, nearly knocking the gang leader out. The Spider Clone slammed Diablo into a shipping container and webbed him to it, leaning in close enough that Diablo's breath misted up Scarlet Spider's lenses.
"Talk. How did an egotistical idiot like you get a hold of Diablo's equipment?" Scarlet Spider said.
"Like I'd tell you, gringo?" Diablo said. "I never rat on my friends, gorro americano!"
"Hummingbird?" Scarlet Spider said, and his sidekick levitated to the ground.
"Si?" She asked.
"Make him a bit more chatty." Scarlet Spider said, and the teenage hero grinned.
"You think I'm scared of some Chica?" Diablo asked.
"You should be. I am." Kaine said, and Hummingbird's eyes glowed blue. Instantly, Diablo's eyes turned the same color.
"I've never met him in person. I made the payments to an offshore account, and he left me the equipment in unmarked packages or dead drops." Diablo said. "I don't know who he is, but I do know he is in New York."
"Anything else?" Scarlet Spider asked.
"I wet the bed until I was 17!" Diablo said, causing Hummingbird to snicker.
"That's all he knows." Aracely said between giggles, and Scarlet Spider delivered a blow to the knock off villain's head, knocking him out.
'Well, that's one thing we can check off the list, though all these new Supervillains with old tech and names that have popped up since November is kinda troubling.' Kaine thought. "Aracely, call Wally and tell him that we've got a gift for the Houston Police department."
"On it, Kaine." Aracely said, and pulled a cell phone out of one of the pouches she had put on her costume, when said cell phone began to ring, "Speak of the Devil." She said, and handed the phone to Kaine, who read Wally's name on the caller ID. He answered it, putting the phone to his ear.
"Wally, we were just about to call you. There's-" Kaine started to say.
"Scarlet Spider, I need your help." Wally said.
"What's with the-oh, you're on the job, aren't you?" Kaine said. "What do you need?"
"Um, so I was responding to a disturbing the peace call, and…well, it's hard to explain. Just get down here." Wally said.
"Alright. Where are you?"
5 Minutes Later, Señor Martinez's All-You-Can-Eat Mexican Restaurant
Scarlet Spider landed on the ground, Hummingbird letting go of his neck as they walked towards Wally, who was standing in front of the door with his weapon drawn. "Oh thank god. I was about to call the SWAT team in." Wally said.
"This is a simple disturbing the peace call, Wally. Why do you need us here?" Kaine asked.
"Because of WHO is disturbing the peace." Wally said. "According to the manager, he stormed in 10 minutes ago and demanded all the chimichangas and tacos they had at gunpoint. He said he was going to sit there until the writer included him in this story, whatever that means." Kaine's eyes widened, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose through his mask.
"S**t. I was hoping to keep anything too crazy from happening while Aunt May's here, but with HIM here, I may not have much of a choice." Kaine muttered.
"What's wrong? Do you know who's in there?" Aracely asked.
"I do, but only by reputation." Kaine said. "Stay out here, and don't come in, no matter what kind of sounds you hear." Before Wally or Aracely could protest, Kaine entered the restaurant, and entered the main dining area, where, surrounded by a mountain of chimichangas and tacos, sat a man wearing a red and black costume with a mask that had two white eyeholes on it.
"It's about time I showed up in this story. Well, I DID show up in chapter 6, but that was a cameo along with the rest of the Thunderblehs, and let's not pretend anyone really reads that series." Wade Wilson, better known as Deadpool, said as he wolfed down a chimichanga, when he noticed Scarlet Spider. "Hey, it's that evil clone from the Clone Saga! Jeez, now THAT is a story that went on longer than it should've, but hey, at least it didn't last into the 2000's."
"Deadpool, what are you doing in Houston?" Scarlet Spider asked.
"I'm hunting a Dinorilla." Deadpool said.
"A what?" The former assassin asked.
"It's half dinosaur, half gorilla." Deadpool said, and he and Scarlet Spider glared at each other. "You don't believe me, do you?"
"No, of course not. Why would I?"
"Y'know, Spider-Man had this same reaction when I told him about Hit Monkey."
"Whatever. Look, whatever the reason you're here, as long as you don't kill anyone or make anything explode, I don't care." Scarlet Spider said. "I've got family coming over today, and they don't need to deal with your bulls**t."
"Yeah, I know. I read the epilogue for the last chapter." Deadpool said as he ate a taco. "Just let me eat some chimichangas, and as soon as I find Dinorilla, I'll be out of your hair. Do you have hair under your mask?"
"Look, as long as you don't end up on the evening news by doing something illegal, feel free to do whatever you want. Just don't do anything stupid." Scarlet Spider said.
"On, it's not me you'll have to worry about, trust me." Deadpool said.
"Whatever. Oh, and next time, don't demand food at gunpoint. Makes life hard for people who earn an honest living." Scarlet Spider said as he walked towards the exit. 'Alright, let's go though the checklist: apartment: clean; Food: Annabelle and Donald are taking care of it; gang war: stopped; any other…distractions can take care of themselves. All that matters is making sure that NOTHING too insane ruins my first real meeting with Aunt May.'
55 Minutes, Houston International Airport
"Are you sure he said it was ok if we came?" May asked Peter as they stepped off their plane from New York.
"Aunt May, Kaine said it would be fine if we came. Really, no trouble at all." Peter said.
"I suppose I'm just nervous. After I found out Teresa was still alive, I didn't expect you to tell me I had another nephew." May said. "I'm just worried that I'll say something horrible, and-"
"Don't worry. He isn't one who gets offended easily." Peter said, when he saw Kaine holding a sign that read 'Parker'. "There he is now."
"Oh my. He really does look just like you…" May said as they went to greet Kaine.
"Hi, Pete." Kaine said as he greeted his brother with a hug.
"Hey, Kaine. Hope us coming wasn't too much trouble." Peter said as they parted.
"Nah, don't sorry about it. Gave me an excuse to do some spring cleaning." Kaine said, and turned to Aunt May.
"Oh, um, hello Kaine. It's nice to meet you." May said awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I sound nervous, but it's a bit weird seeing two Peter's."
"I have a feeling that's going to happen a lot in the future." Kaine said. "C'mon, let's go. We already took care of your luggage, and Wally's waiting for us in the car." As Kaine lead his genetic template and his aunt to the parking lot, Peter's spider sense buzzed. He scanned the room, but saw nothing that could have set off his sixth sense.
'Having Doc in my head must have messed up my spider sense. It'll tell me that there IS danger, but not from where.' Peter thought, before shrugging. 'Probably nothing.' He followed his clone and aunt out the door, unaware of Felicia Hardy watching him.
'That guy…he looks kinda familiar.' She thought. 'Where do I know him from…wait, now I remember. He's been on the local news for the past month, he's the guy who started that new tech company at Spider's base.' Felicia thought as she collected her stuff from baggage claim. 'Wonder what Spider's reasons for giving him part of his HQ are. Knowing his whole guilt complex, he probably thinks he owes the guy something. Oh well, no sense wondering about it. Need to focus on the job at hand.' She thought as she hailed a cab, not noticing six figures, four males, one female, and a person wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora that obscured his face, watching her as she did.
"That her?" The female member of the group asked.
"Oh yeah. I'd know that ass anywhere." One of the males said.
"Hey, keep it in your pants, Herm. We're to do a job, not fantasize about the Black Cat." The man in the trenchcoat said, his eyes glowing blue. The lights in the airport flickered off, before coming back on.
30 Minutes later, Apartment of Aracely Penalba and Kaine Parker
"Peter!" Aracely said as she ambushed Peter in a hug. "It's good to see you again!"
"Back at you, kiddo." Peter said as Kaine carried in Aunt May's bags, the elderly woman close behind him, doing her best to keep up with her cane.
"You must be Aracely. Kaine told me about you." May said. "I'm his and Peter's Aunt, but you can call me May."
"Hello, Señora Jameson." Aracely said, extending her hand to May, who gladly shook it. "Whatever Kaine told you, I'm sure he was exaggerating."
"Hey, I only told her that you talk like your lite depends on it." Kaine said as he set down May's bag.
"Nice place, Kaine." Peter said as he looked around the apartment. It was about the size of Peter's apartment in New York, only maybe a little smaller.
"Thanks. The Penthouse got a bit, as I'm sure you remember, explode-y, and they weren't exactly too eager to have me back after that." Kaine said. "Thanks for helping me pay for this, by the way."
"No worries. Least I can do, seeing as Shathra was after me." Peter said. "Where are the others?"
"Wally had to go back to work, and Donald and Annabelle are getting the ingredients for tonight's dinner." Kaine said. "Wally will handle the cooking when he gets off work , and-"
"He won't need to do that. I'll handle the cooking." May said.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to exert yourself." Kaine said.
"Positive. You've never experience my cooking yourself, and I know the perfect meal to welcome you to the family." May said, when the door opened to deposit Donald and Annabelle, bags of groceries in their arms.
"We're back!" Annabelle said as she closed the door behind them. "You would not believe the traffic from here to the supermarket. We almost had to get out and walk back." She said as she and Donald set their bags in the kitchen, before joining the rest of the group in the main room.
"In this weather? Annabelle, it's over 90 degrees outside. I don't know about you, but me and the heat do not have a good relationship." Donald said. "Hello, Mrs. Jameson. Dr. Donald Meland, and this young lady is Annabelle Adams, pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, and please , call me May." May said. "I've already met your husband, Doctor, and I have to say that Kaine has certainly surrounded himself with a group of fine individuals."
"Thank you, May. Trust me, Kaine's a big softie when you get past his gruff exterior." Annabelle said.
"Hey, I do not have a gruff exterior." Kaine protested.
"I think we all beg to differ." Aracely said.
"Kaine, can I talk to you for a moment?" Peter said, and Kaine nodded, leading Peter to his bedroom.
"What's wrong?" Kaine asked.
"I don't know, and that's the problem." Peter said. "When we were in the airport, my spider sense went off. I don't know what caused it, but we should be ready for anything."
"Damn. And here I was hoping for a quiet weekend." Kaine said. "First Deadpool shows up in town, and now the looming threat of some upcoming crisis. Why can't thugs ever be simple?"
That Evening, Houston Museum
Black Cat, clad in her black leather body suit with white fur trimmings that showed off her feminine features, looked at the building that contained her target. It was the typical type of Muesem building, but she knew from the schematics her client had provided her that the inside was another story. 'Let's see here, how can little old me get in here.' Black Cat thought as she opened the skylight, carefully crawling through. She activated the claws in her gloves and foot and used them to stick to the ceiling, a little trick she'd picked up from a certain wall crawler she'd had a few wild nights with. 'No guards. Must mean they have one hell of a security system. Alright, let's get an idea of what I'm dealing with here.' Black Cat reached into one of the pockets of her suit, pulling out a pair of goggles and sliding them on. Pressing a button on the side, several laser beams became visible between the ceiling and the ground. 'Infrared motion trackers, sensitive enough to detect even a fly. Luckily, I'm a bit more graceful than a fly.' Black Cat thought as she carefully navigated the ceiling. 'They're holding my target in some sort of storage room. Apparently, the Houston Museum is opening up some sort of exhibit that showcases all the great American criminal mastermind, and Silvermane's head is supposed to be the centerpiece if the whole thing. Not sure how they got it, not sure I care.' Black Cat made it across the ceiling, and crawled into a hallway, following the schematics she'd memorized, until she came across a junction box. 'Oh, what's this? The master control box? Idiots. When you're building a museum, don't put the master control box in plain sight.' Black Cat took out a small, paw shaped device, and threw it at the junction box. It made contact, and the power box sparked before the motion sensors shut off. 'Spider has his gadgets, I have mine.' Black Cat jumped onto the ground, and went to the storage room. She quickly picked the lock, and opened the door to reveal the head of an elderly man with wires poking out of his neck held in a display case. 'Why the hell would they display a head in a museum exhibit? Something tells me that would put a few kids in therapy.' Black Cat went to the display case and used her claws to slice open a large hole in the case, carefully removing the head. 'Why do I get the feeling this is way too easy?' That was the last thing Black Cat thought, before something flew through the air and hit the ground next to Black Cat, exploding on impact.
Kaine's Apartment
"So? How did everyone enjoy the meal?" May asked, seeing empty plates all around the table.
"That was amazing, May. I never imagined something caller 'wheatcakes' could have been so delicious." Wally said.
"They've been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember." Peter said. "Her wheatcakes are like heaven packed into the shape of food."
"I have never eaten better food in my life." Donald said. "It's a nice change of pace from having to eat hospital food during the night shift."
"Mucho bueno!" Aracely said. "You have got to leave us this recipe!"
"Agreed. If I got fat as a house from eating these everyday, it'd be worth it." Annabelle said. "Hey Kaine, how come your aunt can make these delicious masterpieces on such sort notice, but when you make eggs they taste like burnt rubber?"
"Since when have you guys NOT liked my eggs?" Kaine asked.
"Since always." Wally said. "We just didn't want to hurt your feelings."
"Jeez Wally, thanks for sparing a guy some hurt." Kaine said, when they heard a distant explosion. "What the-? The hell was that?"
"Look, in the Museum District!" Donald said, pointing out the so for, where they saw smoke rising.
"People could he hurt. C'mon Kaine, let's go!" Peter said, removing his shirt to reveal his Spider-Man costume.
Museum District
Black Cat jumped from rooftop to rooftop, a duffel bag carrying Silvermane's head slung under her shoulder. 'Who is after me?' She thought as she dodged a missile, then ducked to avoid what looked like…was that a boomerang? Giving into curiosity, she looked over her shoulder, and saw her pursuers. "Ah s**t." She said, seeing the latest group of villains to call themselves the Sinister Six. Well, more like the Sinister Five, as the group was made of just Boomerang, Shocker, Overdrive, Speed Demon, and who she remembered was the new female Beetle, only now she was wearing a red and white armor.
"Just give up, bitch!" Beetle said.
"Wow Janice, I've never heard that angry before. It's kinda hot." Overdrive said as the teams female member shot energy bolts at the cat thief.
"I think she's just jealous that she can't pull off a leather body suit like she can." Shocker said as he fired his gauntlets at Black Cat, who ducked underneath the blasts.
"Few people can, Hermie." Black Cat said as she fished three spheres out of her suit, taking a guess at which of the five would come after her next. She threw them on the ground, and several calthrops exploded over the roof. Her guess paid off when Speed Demon zoomed towards her, only to scream in pain and trip as he hit the calthrops. "So what do a bunch of B-listers want with little old me?"
"Let's just say you've got something we want." Boomerangs said as he took out a razorang.
"You mean this old paperweight?" Black Cat said, gesturing to the duffel bag. "Sorry, but my client is paying me a ridiculous amount for this thing, and there's no way the Fumbling Five will be able to take it from me."
"Oh, you think there are five of us? Cute." Boomerang said, and Cat was about to ask what he meant, when electricity coursed through her body. "Meet our newest member, the guy who I'm not too proud to credit our escape from SHIELD to. I've believed you've heard of-" a nearby lightbulb exploded, and electricity poured out of it, forming a man with blue skin wearing a green full body suit with yellow lightning bolts on the chest and face. "-Electro."
"Hey Cat. Pleasure to see ya again." Electro said, and turned to Speed Demon, who was picking himself up off the rooftop. "That was a rookie move, Speed Demon, letting yourself fall for a trick like that."
"Oh Maxie, don't sound so high and mighty. I can think of quite a few instances where you've fallen for more obvious tricks." A very familiar voice said, and a web ball shot out and hit Electro in the face, exploding to cover his face in webbing. Overdrive looked to see where the web ball came from, and was promptly rewarded with his face meeting Spider-Man's foot. Spider-Man extended two of his mechanical legs, and the curve of the leg met Beetle and Boomerang's necks, the Spider's momentum knocking them to the ground. Shocker was about to fire his gauntlets at his longtime enemy, only for Scarlet Spider to uncloak and hit him in the back, knocking him off his back.
"Great, another one!" Shocker said. "What is it with all the spiders in this damn world?!"
"Would you believe me if I said clones and symbiotes?" Spider-Man said.
"Hey, web head, there ain't any fancy ground for you to use on me this time!" Speed Demon said, and prepared to run at Spider-Man, only to feel something clawing inside his head, and he felt his eyelids grow heavy.
"You feel sleepy, and you love kittens." Hummingbird said, floating onto the rooftop, and Speed Demon fell to the ground asleep.
"Cat? What are you doing here?" Spider-Man asked as he leapt over a razorang and a laser blast.
"Spider? Well, this is certainly a surprise." Black Cat said as she got off the ground. "Listen, I'm busy right now, but-"
"Spider-Man?" She heard Electro growl, and turned to see the webbing on Electro's face dissolve as his skin took on a pinkish tint. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Electro yelled, and Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider, who were in the process of punching Shocker and Boomerang respectively, turned in time to see Electro turn into a lightning bolt and fly and the original wall crawler, tackling and shooting off into the distance.
"Dammit Fred, I told you this would happen!" Shocker said.
"I didn't think he would actually snap!" Boomerang said as he dodged Scarlet Spider's punch.
"Time out. What the f**k are you talking about?" Scarlet Spider said.
"Jar!" Hummingbird exclaimed.
"It's Electro!" Shocker said. "He was Boomerang's neighbor at SHIELD's new super prison, and he helped Boomerang escape! They freed the rest of us, and Boomer asked him to join our team. At first, we were all for it. After all, a guy like him could help is get some major cash, but after a few weeks, I started noticing something." Shocker said. "He was acting weird. Kept a lot of pictures of Spider-Man around, and whenever he'd look at him, the lights would flip out. I warned Boomerang he'd snap, but he just brushed me off!"
"I didn't think we'd have to worry!" Boomerang said, and Scarlet Spider grabbed him by the neck.
"Here's a tip: next time, don't recruit a guy who keeps a picture of his worst enemy." Scarlet Spider said, and knocked out Boomerang. "Hummingbird, make sure these four stay knocked out. Shocker, you're coming with me. Black Cat, you-" when Scarlet Spider looked to where Black Cat had been a moment ago, only to find she had disappeared. "Damn." He cursed, and turned to Shocker. "You're going to help us take down Electro, and maybe, just MAYBE, I won't shove those gauntlets up your ass."
Houston Power Plant
Electro threw Spider-Man on the ground, reverting back into human form. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." Electro said, electricity cackling around his finger tips. "How long has it been, 5 months? Five months since you and your blonde lightning maker shoved me into that little canister, and then shipped me off to SHIELD's new playpen. That sound right?"
"Yeah, that sounds right." Spider-Man said, and leapt up just as Electro shot energy at where he had been a moment before. "Look, Max, you're not well. A friend of mine told me that when your body converted completely into energy, it messed up your mind, and when you had AIM turn your body into protons it messed with it even more. You're going insane, but my friend and I can help you."
"Help me? You think that would help me?" Electro said, firing another bolt at Spider-Man. "I've never felt better! All my life, people have walked over me! My mother, you, everyone else in my life…well no more! Now, I have all the power! I am the one who is in control, and I know just how to prove it!" Electro grabbed one of the power generators, and began to absorb energy. Electronics all over Houston turned off: TV's, lights, cell phones plugged into chargers, anything plugged into a wall shut off until the only source of light in the city was Electro, who began to grow in size, until he was 10 stories tall. "Would you look at that, everything really IS bigger in Texas!" Electro said. A short distance away, Scarlet Spider, Shocker hanging onto his back, saw Mega-Electro.
"Oh s**t." They said simultaneously. "I hope you have an idea of how to deal with THAT." Shocker said.
"I was planning on just punching him until he fell unconscious. Seemed to work for Spider-Man." Scarlet Spider said. "I have a feeling that won't work this one around though."
"Is getting beat up still an option? Because I think that would be a lot less painful than getting both crushed AND electrocuted." Shocker said.
"You run, I will sic my sidekick on you." Scarlet Spider said, and noticed something very familiar zipping around Electro's leg: Spider-Man, trying to avoid the electricity coming off the energy being.
"Scarlet! And Shocker? Never mind, I don't want to know." Spider-Man said. "His powers have never responded to absorbing energy like this. This just confirms what I've been afraid of: that he's growing more and more unstable, and if we don't act fast, the explosion will destroy at least Texas and half of Mexico."
"That much? Dear god." Shocker said, and looked at his gauntlets. "There's…there's something we MIGHT be able to do. After he busted us out of prison, I modified my gauntlets to absorb energy into the power battery. It was in case my battery cell went out of power in the middle of a fight, and Electro could just charge me up. Spider-Man, you're a smart guy. Think you can help me modify them to siphon all that excess energy?"
"Probably, but Herman, that much electricity will KILL you." Spider-Man said.
"Yeah, I know." Shocker said. "Look, I hate you as much as the next crook, but recently, I've realized there's a line to how far a criminal can go. My brother…he's fallen on hard times recently. He's got a ten year old son, and he's raising him all alone. The money from this job was going to go to him." The career criminal said. "He's the only family I got, and I promised our mother I would do my best to look after my baby brother."
'Heh, guess me and Shocker aren't too different.' Scarlet Spider said. 'When it comes down to it, well do anything for our family.' "Let him do it." The clone said to his brother. "You said it yourself, Spidey. If we don't act now, we all die." Spider-Man thought for a long moment, before nodding.
"Alright. Herman, here's what we're going to do…"
Electro stomped through Houston, relishing the terrified screams of the people below. "How's it feel, ya bunch of losers? How's it feel to have no power at all?" He said.
"Hey light bulb!" Max heard Shocker yelled, and looked to see his temporary teammate hooked up to some sort of power cord. "How come you're really f**king bright, but ya ain't to smart?"
"You think you're better than me? I'll show ya smart!" Electro said, and brought his hand down on Shocker.
"Now!" Shocker yelled. Back at the power plant, Spider-Man flipped a switch as Electro made contact with Shocker, both screaming in pain as Shocker absorbed Electro's energy and sent it back to the generators, giving power back to the city after a good 15 minutes. After it was done, Electro lay on the street on his back, Shocker's charred remains across from him. Scarlet Spider swung over to the site, and looked at Shocker.
'Rest in peace, Herman.' Scarlet Spider thought, when he heard Electro mumbling.
"You think that took all the fight out of me?" Electro said, and began to levitate off the ground. "I've still got enough juice left to kill you, and-wait, what's that rumbling?" Electro asked, and the ground was indeed rumbling. Electro looked behind him, and saw a creature with the head of a T-Rex but the body of a gorilla. "What the fu-?" Electro started to ask, when the creature swatted him aside, beating on it's chest and roaring. It was about to turn its attention to Kaine, who extended his stingers, when a gaping hole appeared in it's chest. It collapsed face first, revealing Deadpool dressed in an Elmer Fudd costume and holding a smoking rifle.
"I told you. I f**king told you Dinorilla was here. I'll see you again in about two or three chapters, and you had better be grateful when I do." He said, grabbing the Dinorilla and teleporting away.
'…I don't even know how to respond to that.' Kaine thought.
Hours Later, Houston International Airport
"Oh dear. I didn't expect any of that to happen." Aunt May said as Kaine walked her and Peter to their terminal. "Will everything be ok here?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. They make us tough in Texas." Kaine said. "What abou Shocker's family? He's dead because Boomerang decided to try and make a good pay check off of Silvermane's head, and Black Cat got away with the head."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of that." Peter said.
"Kaine, dear, I want you to know that, no matter what, you will always be a member of this family." May said.
"Thank you, Aunt May." Kaine said.
"And a piece of advice? That Annabelle is a real catch. Make sure to make an honest woman out of her soon." May said, causing Kaine to blush.
"I-I uh, sure, Aunt May." He stammered out, causing Peter to chuckle.
"Welcome to the family, Kaine. Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet." Peter said.
Epilogue I: Crossed Paths
Black Cat entered her apartment, sighing as she remembered what happened in Houston. "Damn. For Shocker to go through all those fights, them to die like THAT? Damn shame." She said.
"I'll say." A voice said from the ceiling, and she looked up to see none other than Spider-Man, a Spider Bot next to him.
"Spider? Pleasure to see you again." Felicia said. "Wish we could have chatted more in Houston with that other Spider. I'm always up for a little ménage a trois."
"Oh my god, that's just…wow." Spider-Man said. "First off: that's my brother. Second, and more importantly: I'm getting married." Felicia's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.
"You? Getting married?" She asked. "Yeah, you do seem like the type to settle down and have a family."
"Yes, family. That's what I'm here to talk about." Spider-Man said. "Y'see, I talked to Beetle and Overdrive, and they said Shocker had been thinking of dropping out of the game. Y'see, his little brother's wife got killed in Thanos's last invasion, and without her to help, he can't afford to support both him AND his ten year old son."
"Touching story. There a point to it?" Felicia asked.
"You got 20 mil from getting Silvermane's head, right?" Spider-Man said. "Surely that's more than enough to give half to the Schultz's, and still come away rich." He saw Felicia considering it, and decided to seal the deal. "Look, Felicia, one day, the thrill won't be enough. All these thefts, the flings, the whirlwind romances…eventually, you'll find someone more important to you than all that, and you'll want that someone to have a future."
"Alright, enough with the pep talk. My Good Samaritan instincts are kicking in." Felicia said. "What makes you so sure I'll have that someone?"
"I'm not. I met someone who you'll meet very soon." Spider-Man said, remembering the teenage Black Cat he had met in the future. "I didn't learn much about her, but I know she'll turn out pretty good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."
Epilogue II: Stunned Silent
5 Months Ago The Day After Otto Octavius Died, Coma Ward
"We got one waking up!" A doctor said, as he tended to the patient on the hospital bed. She weakly moved her arm, which large amounts of loose skin clung too, and grabbed the doctor's hand.
"Octavius…" she rasped. "Where is…Otto…Octavius…"
"What the-? Lady, you've been in a coma for almost 6 years, and the first thing you ask about is that piece of trash?" A nurse asked. "He died last night. Tried attacking the Avengers, and fought one last fight with Spider-Man, before he finally croaked." The woman's mouth dropped, before Angela Brancale, once called Stunner, screamed in heartbreak and agony.
A/N: yes, this was the fanservice chapter. Everyone wanted to see Black Cat, so I have them Black Cat.
Next Time: Stunned Senseless