Ultimate Spider-Man "Gang War Part 1"

The winds howled as an object streaked across the sky and struck the pavement with such force that a crater was left in it's wake. Inside the crater laid Spider-Man unconscious with his costume all torn up and his body riddled with assorted cuts and bruises. A crowd gathered around him wondering what could've fallen the wall-crawler when a masked man in green costume with a long barbed tail landed not too far away and walked up to the crater. He looked down at Spider-Man with sinister green eyes and reached down picking the hero up in his arms and placed him over his shoulder. The crowd was startled by the garbed masked man's appearance and even more frightened by the light of madness in his eyes. They slowly backed away as the stranger walked past and leaped away with Spider-Man in tow.

---

The red Billy Club of Daredevil sailed through the air and bounced harmlessly off his muscle bound attacker's chest. Daredevil had no clue who his foe was and even less of an idea why this person had chose this moment of all moments to mess with the guardian devil of Hell's Kitchen. All he knew was that he had to catch up to Spider-Man to prevent the eventual war that would spill out onto the streets between Kingpin and Crimemaster. To do that he had to get past the black leather wearing clown in front of him.

"Listen, whoever you are, I have no beef with you so why don't you let me be so I can prevent the blood-shedding from spilling out into the streets," Daredevil said as he completed a somersault over his foe.

"Fraid not Horn Head. My boss needs this war to prove who is the superior crime boss in New York and you're getting in the way of that."

"Well then I have news for you chum. You're in way over your head taking me on," Daredevil said with a dark grin as he motioned his opponent to come at him.

The heavily muscled brute charged at him with a full head of steam, but missed as Daredevil side stepped the attack and hit him with glancing blow. The masked enforcer stumbled around dazed by the strike, but managed to catch himself before he fell to the street. When he turned around Daredevil hit him with a shot between the eyes followed by a blow to the groin and an uppercut that knocked the him off of his feet. Daredevil stood over his opponent then bent down and pulled the man's mask off and grabbed him by the throat.

"Who are you? Talk now!"

"Zaran, I was sent here to stop you from interfering in Crimemaster's plan."

"Well Zaran you've cost me valuable time so I think it's only fitting I cost you something just as valuable."

"What?!"

A blade extended from Daredevil's Billy Club and he held it over Zaran's crotch and watched as a look of pure horror formed on Zaran's face. Daredevil smiled and made a swiping motion that had the hired enforcer screaming his lungs out until he passed out from the shock. Assured that his foe was unconscious, Daredevil retracted the blade and walked away leaving Zaran with his hurt pride.

---

Harry pulled his truck up beside the Allen house and Damon let Liz out. She wobbled as soon as her feet touched the sidewalk and put a hand to her head as she was extremely dizzy. Damon helped her to the door and made sure she got safely inside before he raced back to the truck and jumped back inside.

"Go dammit go," Damon said as he slammed the door

"Damn that was close," Harry muttered after they pulled away quickly.

"Did you get what you wanted out of her?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, it took some doing," Harry replied with a smile. "But I know what sets MJ's fire."

Damon grinned ear to ear, "Well that just leaves raiding your dad's house."

"Yep."

"When do we pull the job, Harry?"

"Soon. Very Soon."

"Then let's top the night off with some strippers."

"Woooooo!"

---

JJ strode through the bustling activity in the press room straight to his office and slammed the door behind him. He took a seat behind his desk and looked at the files laid on his desk. He sorted through them and noticed a letter from his son John Jameson. He immediately opened up the letter and found a picture of John in uniform standing next to a black haired blue-eyed bombshell. JJ looked up through the windows of his office, got up, and closed the blinds then returned to his desk. He pulled out the second item that was inside the envelope with the photo. It was a wedding invitation.

Eric and Alice Kafka cordially invite you to the wedding of: John Edward Jameson and Ashley Ann Kafka.

Jonah opened his desk drawer and grabbed a cigar out of his box of smokes. He lit it up and took a drag as he examined his new daughter-in-law.

"Damn, ten years and you go and find yourself a girl."

Jonah heard a knock on the door so he put his box of smokes, the wedding invite, and picture away and shut the drawer, "Come in."

Ben Urich walked in with a displeased look on his face.

"What do you want, Urich?"

"Why did you bury my story, Jonah?" Ben asked with his temper flaring. "I've worked for years on it!"

"You know that we can't handle the trouble Fisk can bring down on us, Urich," Jonah said, raising his voice. "As much as I want to nail him we can't do anything until he gets caught red-handed."

"So we just do nothing? We let Fisk sit atop his tower and kill more people with his drugs and his wars? What happened to your integrity?"

"You don't have a son to worry about, Ben. I lost my wife because I wouldn't back off a story. I won't lose my son now because of that earlier mistake."

Ben shook his head and left before he could say something he'd regret leaving Jonah frustrated over the matter.

---

The Kingpin sat behind his desk with a pile of photographs laid before him. He looked through each one of them trying to sort out who he would use to replace Elektra since her mysterious disappearance. He had tried to contact Bull's-Eye, but none of his men could locate the world's deadliest marksman. That left the Kingpin defenseless at the moment. Gargan was useful in his own ways, but Kingpin didn't trust him that well due to his history of mental instability listed in his record. He required some one more manageable. Some one he could easily manipulate. Some one like Herman Schultz, the man notoriously known as the Shocker. He checked out the phone number listed in Schultz file and dialed the number. After a few rings a voice came on the other end.

"Yea?"

"Is this Herman Schultz?"

"Yes."

"Then I have the right number."

"Who is this."

"The Kingpin."

The Kingpin could hear Schultz choking on his drink then muttering some curses in the background before he came back on. "Ah, what do I owe the pleasure sir?"

"I have a job for you that I'm sure you would appreciate since I hear business isn't good with your current employer."

"Things could be better -- much better. So if you have a better offer I'm all ears."

"My two top assassins have been indisposed and I need some one to come in as my right hand man. Have you ever tangled with Spider-Man before?"

"No, but I'd love a shot at that bug-eyed freak."

"Good. I'll have my secretary arrange a time where we can meet."

"You won't regret this. I promise you that."

"I would hope not."

Kingpin hung up the phone and turned his attention to a small monitor built into his desk, which showed Spider-Man hanging from some manacles surrounded by some goons and Gargan.

"Soon you and that troublesome friend of yours will be out of my hair."

---

Crimemaster and his thugs had set up a roadblock in the middle of the highway waiting for the tractor-trailer that was delivering cocaine to the Kingpin's dealers. He had a cigarette dangling between his teeth while his men were on the look out. Several thoughts ran through his mind as he reflected on the next bust they were going to make. One of them was a thought of the family in the picture that he destroyed. A family that seemed so far away. Left in the then and lost to the now. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke through his nostrils letting the nicotine set in his lungs. Barely a moment passed when one of his men spotted the tractor-trailer heading their way and tapped him on the arm. Crimemaster got out of his car and drew his gun.

"Remember. Don't leave anyone alive."

His men gave a silent nod and loaded their first round into the chambers of their guns and took aim. Upon noticing the roadblock the eighteen-wheeler picked up speed and Crimemaster gave the signal to open fire. The bullets zipped through the air and ricocheted off the big rig's armor plating. The driver inside the tractor laughed as he pressed a switch on the dash and the side panels of the trailer opened up to release drones armed with small caliber weapons. The drones flew around ripping into Crimemaster's men with a relentless barrage of firepower allowing the tractor-trailer to barrel past and escape with it's freight. Crimemaster dove for cover as bullets flew all around him. From his safe position under his car he could only watch on in horror as his men were wiped out by the mechanized drones. By the time they were done with their assault and moved on, he was the only one left among the dead bodies laying across the highway. He pulled himself out from under the car looking around at all the men he lost then turned to the heavens and screamed cursing Kingpin's name.

---

Spider-Man hung a couple a feet in the air unconscious by a pair of manacles clasped to his wrists. In the corner Gargan watched over the young crimebuster with his arms resting over the back of the chair he was sitting in. He waited eagerly for the web-slinger to wake up so he could rough him up again, but as of yet the wall-crawler hadn't awakened. The constant waiting started to get on Gargan's nerves so he got up and walked over to the web-swinger and slapped him across the face. The web-spinner shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts and allow his vision to come back into focus. He was startled by seeing Gargan standing in front of him grinning.

"Mornin' sunshine."

"Wha-where am I?"

"Here or there, which I suppose isn't much of an answer, but it will have to do for now."

"Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

"Me? My name's Scorpion and I've been elected to be your worst nightmare!"