Alistair Smythe walks down the dark, empty street towards Oscorp Tower, a briefcase gripped tightly in his hands. His suit jacket blows in the wind as he peers over his shoulder every once in a while, to make sure he isn't being followed.
He begins to walk quicker when he hears footsteps behind him, nervous. Alistair rounds a corner, Oscorp coming into view. He his head around, noticing the silhouette of two men following him, and gaining. The man puts one hand in his pocket and ducks his head, walking even quicker, when he stops himself.
Why are you scared? he chides himself. You are the owner of Oscorp. Nobody can hurt you. Nothing can hurt you.
Alistair stops, turning around to face the two men. A scowl graces his lips as they come into view, striding up to him. Ox and Montana reach Alistair, sinister grins on their faces.
"Hello, men. It's been a while since we last spoke," Alistair says, putting his briefcase down on the side walk. "Do you need something?"
"Don't play dumb with us, Smythe," Montana replies. "'Ya know why we're here."
Alistair steps back once Ox begins to walk up to him, a wicked smile flashing across his face. He holds his hands up in the air in desperation, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Men, please," he says. "I assure you there's a better way to deal with this. Do you remember all the deals we made in the past? I have plans - many plans - and we could work together-"
"Sorry. We got a better deal," Ox grins, cracking his knuckles together.
"I'm sure you could get an even better one in prison," a voice sounds from the sky. The three men look up to see the Aven-jet slowly descending towards the ground, two figures jumping out of it. Captain America and Black Widow stand before the men, Widow with her guns drawn and Captain America with his shield drawn.
"Free food, a good place to sleep," Black Widow continues. "Sounds great, doesn't it?" she adds with a smirk.
"Widow, please don't try to make them more hostile," Captain America sighs.
"More? They're trying to kill him," Black Widow says, putting her guns back into her holster. "Don't know how you could get more hostile than that."
Captain America sighs, lowering his shield and walking over to the two men. Ox and Montana turn to face him, scowls on their faces.
"Now, men, we can resolve this without coming a fight," he says.
"Askin' villains not ta' fight?" Montana sneers. "I thought you were supposed ta' be the smart one. Or is that Iron Man?" he wonders. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Let's take them down, Ox. Start with the little girl," he commands, pointing to Widow.
"'Little girl?" Black Widow asks, drawing her guns. "Excuse me?"
"You shouldn't have said that, men," Captain America chuckles, shaking his head. "Widow, I'm sure you can handle these two."
"Oh, I'll do more than that," she scowls, striding towards the two men.
Captain America walks over to Alistair as Black Widow engages in battle with Ox and Montana, her guns firing wildly.
"Mr. Smythe, are you alright?" he asks, worry evident in his tone.
"Yes, I'm fine," he says, picking up his briefcase from the ground. "Thank you."
"Well then, if you're fine, I'd like to ask you a few questions," he asks, noticing Alistair's body immediately tense up. "What are you doing out so late, Mr. Smythe?"
"Captain, shouldn't you be helping your teammate?" Alistair interrupts, trying to change the subject.
Captain America looks over to Black Widow, watching as she wraps her legs around Montana's throat and brings him down hard on the ground - her signature move. She pulls out her guns on Ox, flipping and twirling in the air to avoid any incoming blows.
"She can handle it," he replies, turning back to face the man. "I'll ask one more time, what are you doing out so late, Mr. Smythe?" the Avenger asks, his arms folded. "I'm sure you were aware that the Enforcers were looking for you, correct?"
"Yes, I'm aware," Alistair responds. "But I won't allow that to distract me from my work."
"But, Smythe-"
"Am I the one you should be focused on, Captain?" Alistair asks. Captain America narrows his eyes at the man, noticing his abrasive tone. "I'm not sure in you've noticed, but the Enforcers are a three man team. There are only two of them here at the moment."
"He's right," Black Widow says, striding up to the two men. "Too bad the two of them didn't put up much of a fight," she smirks, gesturing to their unconscious bodies. "Can't imagine the other one would too."
"Smythe, do you have any idea where Fancy Dan could be?" Captain America asks.
"Oscorp," Alistair plainly responds. His eyes widen when he listens to his own words, realizing the Enforcers' plan.
Oscorp. Why would he go to Oscorp instead of coming here? ...Perhaps there's something in the building they could use against me - ruin my reputation. It'd be just as bad as death...
"Something wrong?" Black Widow asks, noticing the man's demeanor.
"Harry is in Oscorp," Alistair lies. "They could hurt him, or worse..." He looks down to the ground, feigning worry.
"Then we'd better hurry," Captain America says to his teammate, turning back to walk into the Aven-jet.
"Not without the Nova Corps!" a voice rings in from the sky, causing the two Avengers to turn around. They look up to see the S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees flying towards them, Nova holding up each of them and flying over. They land on the ground, right in front of the Avengers.
"I'm not even going to respond to that team name anymore," White Tiger says, rolling her eyes at Sam's comment.
"Uh, you kinda just did," Power Man says.
"You're not helping," she replies, narrowing her eyes at him. She turns back to the two Avengers, noticing the puzzled looks on their faces.
"What are you kids doing here?" Captain America asks, his arms folded.
"Well, Spider-Man's been really tired ever since he got home today," White Tiger explains, lowering her voice to a whisper so Alistair won't hear her. "So we heard the message you sent on his communicator, and we answered it instead. I know we aren't on the same team, but a mission is a mission, right?"
The Avenger pauses for a moment, considering her words. "Right. A mission is a mission. You kids can tag along with us for the rest of the night, then," he smiles. "Good leadership skills," he says, putting his hand on White Tiger's shoulder.
"Uh, well, uh, thanks," she stutters, unable to believe that the Captain America just complimented her.
"Is Ava... flustered?" Power Man asks, his eyes widening.
"Captain America will do that to you," Iron Fist smiles.
The Avengers, along with White Tiger, Power Man, Iron Fist, and Alistair walk into the Aven-jet, while Nova stays where he is, his arms crossed.
"'Good leadership skills?!'" he exclaims, throwing his hands up into the air. "But I'm the leader!"
May steps out of the black car, a smile on her face as Coulson closes the door he opened for her. The couple strides towards the house door before May stops, turning to face him.
"I had a great time today, Phil," she smiles.
"Me too, May," he responds. "Except for the whole fight part in the restaurant."
The two share a laugh before May stops, her face turning into one of worry. "Oh, I hope Spider-Man is alright."
"I'm sure he's fine," Coulson replies. "Well, I should get going now..."
Coulson turns around to walk to his car, when May pulls on his arm, stopping him.
"Wait! Coulson!" she exclaims. "We should do this again sometime," she smiles.
"Uh, uh... well..." Coulson blushes, unable to find the right words to use. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."
May waves to Coulson as he enters his car, driving away. She narrows her eyes at a small logo on the back on his car: a white eagle. What was that supposed to represent? She had sworn she's seen it somewhere before, but that wasn't important right now.
The woman uses her key to unlock the door, closing it softly once she enters. She walks into the living room to put her bag on the table, her eyes widening when she finds Peter asleep on the couch and the TV on, its soft glow illuminating the room.
He came home on time, she smiles. What a surprise.
She walks up the stairs, her heels making a clacking sound against them. May stops when she hears movement from the couch, most likely from Peter.
"Oh, I'm sorry Peter, did I wake you?" she asks.
"Uh, it's fine Aunt May," he yawns, rubbing his eyes. "Where are the others?"
"The others?" May asks, puzzled. "Were they here?"
"Yeah, they were..." Peter looks around, searching for any sign of where his former teammates could have gone. His eyes widen when he spots his Avengers communicator on the table, slightly illuminated. He looks back to his Aunt May, who hasn't seemed to have spotted the device yet.
"OhnevermindAuntMaytheymusthaveleftbye!" he exclaims, grabbing his communicator and dashing up the steps, leaving a very confused May on the steps.
"He is just something else," May silently chuckles to herself, shaking her head and walking up to her room.
Phew, that was close, Peter groans, slumping against his door. Aunt May could figured out that I was an Avenger! Now she just thinks I'm crazy. Great.
The teen walks over to his bed, looking at his communicator with confusion as he sets in down on the surface. He turns the device on, listing in to the message.
"...spotted the Enforcers near Oscorp, and we believe they're looking for Smythe."
The message ends, leaving Peter to flop onto his bed. He ruffles his hands through his hair, sighing.
"They must have left without me..." he sighs. "Kind weird, since I'm the one on the Avengers!"
Peter pulls his mask over his face and replaces his web shooter fluid before he leaves. He opens the window, sticking his head outside and feeling the cool breeze pass.
I could meet up with them now if I hurry. It's not that late, right? He looks to the time on his phone, his eyes widening once he sees it. 1:00 in the morning.
Crap.
"Kids, stay close to me," Captain America orders, his shield drawn. "Don't leave anybody unprotected, and most importantly, try not to alert Dan that we're here. Harry may be in danger."
The two Avengers, along with the S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees slowly make their way through the building of Oscorp, looking for the third and last Enforcer. They weave their way in and out of doors, looking for Harry's room.
"Widow, where's Smythe?" Captain America asks.
"He's downstairs. I've got Power Man and Iron Fist watching him," she replies. "Can't trust him alone."
Nova flies in between the two Avengers, interested in their conversation. "What do you mean? Webs hasn't told us much about this detective party."
"It's much more than a detective party," Captain America chuckles. He turns to Nova and White Tiger, his face turning serious. "Kids, there are some bad people in the world. People who will want to use you. That's exactly what Smythe's trying to do. But we won't let that happen, because we're persistent. We won't give in. When you're Avengers someday, I hope remember that."
Captain America and Black Widow move ahead leaving the two teens in their thoughts. They look to each other, smiles slowly creeping upon their faces.
"Did he just say we're going to be Avengers one day?!" White Tiger exclaims.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure he also said something about people wanting to use us!" Sam exclaims, putting his hand over his mouth when White Tiger puts her hands on her hips. He lowers his voice to a whisper, "You heard what I said."
"Yeah, I know what Cap said, Nova," she sighs, lowering her arms. "I already know the risks that come with being a superhero. But if we could have other people - like the Avengers - by our side, I'm sure it'd be much easier."
"Whatever. I didn't know you were such a nerd for the Avengers," Sam says, rolling his eyes. "You and Peter are a perfect match for each other."
The Latina rolls her eyes, ignoring him and walking up ahead to catch up to the two Avengers.
"You know what I want to do? I wanna have my own team," Nova grins, showing off all of his pearly whites. "Not that I don't have one right now, y'know. I am the leader, after all."
"Shh!" White Tiger exclaims, crouching behind a door. She peers into the slightly ajar room, finding the last Enforcer, Fancy Dan, inside. More importantly, she finds Harry in the corner, trying to defend himself from the man.
"But I'm trying to tell you-"
"Shh! Look, in there!" she says, pointing to the room. "Get Cap and Widow, we need to stop him before he hurts Harry!"
Nova nods, flying away to call Captain America and Black Widow. White Tiger bursts into the room, her claws bared. Harry's eyes light up as Fancy Dan's grin fades into a scowl, and he pulls out his gun.
"Man, all these kid superheroes..." he grumbles. his finger on the trigger. "..Can get really annoying. If I can't take down Smythe, I can at least take you down," he grins. "You don't happen to have a spider-sense, do you? Would make dodging this bullet a lot easier."
White Tiger jumps and ducks to avoid the incoming bullets, her hair flapping around in the air. Her eyes widen when she lands, watching the Enforcer turn his gun on Harry instead. She reaches her arms out to stop him, when a familiar red, white, and blue shield enters the room, knocking the gun out of the assailant's hands. Fancy Dan and White Tiger look back to see Nova along with Captain America and Black Widow standing at the door, in battle-ready poses.
"Looks like I don't need spider-sense," White Tiger smirks, standing beside Nova.
Captain America picks up his shield from the ground, walking slowly towards Fancy Dan. He secures the shield on his back, raising his hands as he walks over.
"Dan, I don't want to fight you, alright?" he says. He kicks away the gun with one foot, sending it to the other side of the room. "Just let the boy go, and we can talk. This doesn't need to come to a fight."
"Talk? you want to talk to me?" Fancy Dan laughs. "So what, you can put me in jail right after we're done?"
"Yes," Black Widow says, folding her arms. She continues when everybody looks at her, "Listen, he already knows he's going to jail. How about we stop playing nice and just get our information?"
She walks up to him, her guns trained on his face. "Who are you working for? Why are you so bent on killing Smythe?"
"No, Natasha, we need to take a more civilized approach to-"
Black Widow pulls out her guns as soon as the fist connects with Captain America's face, sending him to the ground.
"Civilized, hmm?" Black Widow mocks as she helps her teammate up to his feet. By the time he's up, Dan has already grabbed his gun from the corner of the room, aiming at Harry.
"You let me go, I'll let the kid go," the man threatens.
Black Widow lowers her guns, considering the man's request, as do Nova and White Tiger with their hands. White Tiger's eye light up behind her mask as she watches a white strand of webbing enter the room through the open window, sending Fancy Dan's gun onto the floor.
"Now, is that any way to treat your host?"
The four superheroes look up to see the red and blue figure of Spider-Man perched on the windowsill, in a classic Spidey pose. He jumps into the room, landing before the Avengers and the S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees.
"Sorry I'm so late, got hungry on the way here," he jokes, earning glares from the others. "Bad time? Okay."
He walks over to his girlfriend as the two Avengers help Harry up off the ground.
"So. You left without me," he whispering, trying not to draw the attention of Nova.
"You were tired," she replies. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Maybe wake me up so I could go be with my team? Y'know, since I am the one of the team."
"Maybe I was just looking out for you," she replies, anger rising in her tone. "I don't know if you've realized this, Mr. Big Time Avenger, but we don't need you to save us from every battle. We can handle things ourselves."
"Except for the part where you didn't," the teen replies, gesturing to Harry's shaken state.
"Fine, you know what?" she scowls, her hands on her hips. "Next time, I won't-"
"Could you guys stop fighting for a second? This is kinda important," Nova interrupts. He points to the fleeing form of Fancy Dan, attempting to escape through the window. "Geez, you know something's wrong when I'm the only one listening."
"I've got him," Spider-Man announces, walking over to the window. He stops and turns to face his girlfriend, who appears to be more heated than ever.
"Listen, Ava," he sighs, lowering his voice to a whisper so Harry won't hear. "I'm sorry. I know you were just looking out for me. I just don't want you to get hurt. Or anybody, for that matter. Not because I couldn't do something."
"You know, I'm a superhero too. I can protect myself," she says, playfully punching his arm. "But apology accepted, I guess. For now."
"For now?" the masked teen asks, puzzled. "What's that supposed to-" his eyes widen when his spider-sense goes off in his head as he turns his head to the side, watching the criminal fall out of the room and down to the streets of New York.
Spider-Man jumps out of the window, using his sticky feet to stick to outside of the building. He shoots out three strands of webbing, stopping Fancy Dan mid-fall and pulling him back up, holding his body up by his suit jacket.
"S-so what? You gonna kill me?" Fancy Dan asks, his voice shaking.
"Nah, that would make me a menace. Which I am not!" he yells to the electronic screen in front of the Oscorp building, hoping Jameson will hear him."Huh, I guess he's doing something other than insulting me right now. Weird."
He looks back to the squirming Enforcer, desperately trying to get out of Spider-Man's reach.
"Mr. Criminal, you should probably stop moving," the masked teen sighs, tightening his grip on the man's suit jacket. "It's like you want to fall."
"Listen, just let me go, alright?" Fancy Dan pleads.
"Uh... I don't exactly think that's the right choice of words in this situation, buddy," Spider-Man says, tilting his head to the side. "How about we make a deal?"
Fancy Dan raises an eyebrow, staring at the masked teen. "Like what?"
"You tell me who you're working for, and I'll let you go. I mean, not let you go, as in drop you, but- you know what I mean."
Fancy Dan continues to stare at the teen, his smirk turning into a full-blown laugh. "You serious? I'm not telling you anything."
"Tell me who you're working for," the teen says once again. He frowns when he is met with silence, "Please?"
Once again, Fancy Dan remains silent, not wanting to give the identity of his boss away. The masked teen shrugs, sighing.
"Well, you can't say I didn't ask nicely." He lets go of Fancy Dan, sending him plummeting down to the streets below with an ear-piercing scream.
"Spider-Man!" Captain America yells, sticking his head outside the window. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Okay, maybe that wasn't the best idea, Spider-Man winces. "Uh, don't worry. I'm not actually gonna let him go splat. I only did that so he would think-"
"Go!" Captain America commands, pointing down to the falling figure of the criminal.
"Oops! Right, sorry." Spider-Man jumps from his position on the building, shooting his webs towards the ground to propel him further to Fancy Dan. He catches the man, landing on a small building near Oscorp. Spider-Man walks to the edge of the building, holding the Enforcer away from the edge so his legs dangle in the air.
"See, now we're on a much smaller building, so I'd have a shorter time to catch you," Spider-Man says, looking directly into the man's eyes. "So I'll ask you one more time. Who are you working for?"
"Ock! It's Ock!" the man exclaims. "Just don't drop me! Arrest me or something!"
Ock? Why would Ock want to kill Smythe? he thinks, confused.
"Your wish is my command," Spider-Man says as he lowers Fancy Dan to the oncoming police cars, in a web cocoon. He jumps down to the street, where the Avengers and his former teammates wait for him. Harry and Alistair stand to the side, engaged in conversation, concerned looks on their faces.
"Son, next time you make a plan like that, make sure you run it by us first, alright? We don't want anyone- including us - getting the wrong ideas," Captain America sighs. "But nonetheless, good job," he adds, his frown turning into a smile. "Did you get us the information we needed?"
"Yeah, turns out that he was working for Doc Ock, which is kinda weird..." Spider-Man replies with a shrug. "What could his motive be?"
"We can discuss this tomorrow," Black Widow says, summoning the Aven-jet by pressing a button on her communicator. "For now, I've installed more security cameras in the Oscorp building - ones only we can see. Smythe and Harry need all the protection they can get."
"Even if it is being run by that creep," Nova shudders.
The Aven-jet lands behind the superheroes, its large turbines creating a gust through the air. Captain America and Black Widow walk towards the vehicle, stopping once they realize their teammate isn't behind them.
"Spidey? you coming?" Captain America asks.
"Uh, I'll just go home with these guys," Spider-Man replies, gesturing to the other teenagers.
"That's alright. Get home safe, okay?" Captain America says before boarding the Aven-jet with Black Widow. The Aven-jet takes off into the sky, leaving the teens on the street.
"We'd better go," Power Man says. "I can hear the boys in blue coming already."
"You're right," the masked teen replies. "But hold on, I have to make sure Harry's okay."
Spider-Man walks over to where Alistair and Harry stand, a worried look on his face as he spots the small bruise on Harry's cheek.
"You okay?" he asks.
"Uh, well-"
"I assure you, Harry's fine. We have to go now, it's very late," Alistair interrupts, ushering Harry away from Spider-Man and into Oscorp.
Well, geez, okay then. "Uh... bye?" Spider-Man says, scratching his head. What's his problem?
"What was that all about?" White Tiger asks as Spider-Man walks back to his team.
"Smythe didn't wanna talk to me, no surprise there," Spider-Man sighs, rolling his eyes. "Let's go."
The five teenage superheroes travel away from the Oscorp building, leaving the police officers to Fancy Dan when they arrive.
"It's the same man from before, just as I thought," George says as he steps out of his police car. He rubs his chin, noticing the webbing that holds the criminal from falling down to the streets. "Spider-Man was here."
"That's true, sir. We've spotted the teenage superheroes down the street," a police officer reports to George. "Do we pursue?"
"No, we have bigger problems to deal with right now," he says, turning to face Fancy Dan. "For example... how are we supposed to get him down?" Captain Stacy asks with a sigh, scratching his head.
"PARKER! Who do you think you are coming in with pictures like these?!" Jameson yells, making the two teens wince. "They're all crap!"
Peter and Mary Jane stand inside Jameson's office at the Bugle, once again having to endure one of his temper tantrums. Captain Stacy stands outside the office, patiently waiting for the teens to come outside.
"Well, fine..." Peter sighs, taking his pictures off of the desk. He winks at Mary Jane, giving her a knowing look.
Three... two... one...
"I'll take all of them," Jameson says, snatching the pictures out of the teen's hands. "Get outta my office, see Robbie for your payment. By the way, Captain Stacy's waiting outside for you."
"Bye, sir!" Mary Jane exclaims as she walks out of the office with Peter.
Once Peter collects his payment from Robbie, the two teens walk over to George, who patiently waits by the front desk of the Bugle, engaged in conversation with Betty.
George's eyes light up as he sees the two teens walking up to him, "You kids ready for another day with me?" he smiles. "We'll try not to get into any super villain fights this time, I promise. I need to keep you kids safe."
"Are you kidding?!" Mary Jane exclaims. "I got so much footage last time! If we have more days like that, I'll be sure to be promoted."
"To a Daily Bugle who gets yelled at slightly less than an intern?" Peter asks.
"To above an intern, dummy," Mary Jane laughs, playfully punching Peter on his arm.
"Kids, the car is waiting outside," George says, changing the subject. "Today I'm taking you to the precinct. Come on, we don't want to be late."
Mary Jane walks ahead of Peter and George, giving them some time to talk.
"So, Peter, I saw those pictures you took yesterday... you got some of the Enforcers and some of Fancy Dan at Oscorp," he smiles. "Pretty amazing."
"Uh, thanks Captain Stacy," Peter replies. His raises an eyebrow, believing there to the conversation than just a compliment. What's he getting on to?
"But..." George starts, confirming the teen's beliefs. "I just have to ask, what were you doing out so late, Peter?" he asks in a serious tone of voice. "I know taking pictures is your job, but I find it strange that you were able to take pictures at such a late time."
"Well, what can you say?" Peter starts, a playful smirk on his face. "Guess I'm a night owl," he says, yawning. "Maybe not."
George watches as the two teens enter the police car, his brows furrowed.
Why was Peter out at such a late time yesterday? he thinks, a frown forming on his face. Does his aunt know about this?
George enters the vehicle, starting the car with his keys. He quickly drives down the street, watching as Peter and Mary Jane converse in the backseat. The man shakes his head, lost in his thoughts.
Maybe there's something wrong. Maybe Peter is involved with... he shakes his head once more, blowing air out of his mouth. I'll have to look further into this.
A/N: And here is the conclusion to New Faces! Seems like more and more people keep getting suspicious, huh? Now, this is finally something on topic for once! Have you guys seen season 3 of Ultimate Spider-Man yet? I have, and I really liked the first three episodes, but I won't spoil anything for the people who haven't seen it yet ;).
-ThatOneGirl32