Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
People tell me the thing nowadays is to say 'Happy Holidays' but instead I'm going to respond by quoting my favorite wooden doll and say "Screw you, it's 'Merry Christmas!'"
Steelrain66: Thanks for reading and for the kind words. Though I am hesitant about opening the story too much, I like how focused and charecter driven things are and bloat is something I want to avoid. I have actually considered spinning off some parts into a seperate story later down the line, so if that sounds like a good idea then say so. It's also reassuring that even those who haven't played the game are still able to follow and enjoy the story.
It's been a long week, I usually really like Christmas, but...this year I haven't really been able to get into things. Maybe it's the fact that it still feels like fall outside, maybe it's how world events have made me doubt the validity of every organized religion, or maybe it's the fact that the devs of the game I've been playing the most as of late decided to celebrate by giving their entire playerbase the middle finger. Then, when everyone got mad at them, they simply put up their other middle finger.
So if any of you gave those asshats over $250 for a collection of pixels in the shape of a boat that never existed...then I want to know how you're finding the ship, because I'll never get one.
Perhaps it is no wonder that this chapter is on the short side and has a title more befitting Halloween. This is the title track off of Ozzy Osbourne's 1983 solo album, though I do think there will be Black Sabbath at some point, this is what we have for now. Picked more for the nighttime setting than anything, the track is a fun ride made memorable due to Ozzy's distinct vocals and a good riff.
Power Without Question – Chapter 29: Bark at the Moon
Screams break the silence, Waking from the dead of night
Vengeance is boiling, He's returned to kill the light
Then when he's found who he's looking for
Listen in awe and you'll hear him
Bark at the moon
Cooper lay on the bed in one of the safehouses, Felicia wrapped in his arms. With the way things were going any time they could spend together was cherished. As it was, Cooper was delaying getting suited back up just so he could enjoy her company as he stroked her hair tenderly. They sat in silence, not much to talk about other than business, and that was the last thing they wanted to talk about. Reaching over to check his phone on the nightstand, the Pilot frowned. "Darlin?"
"Hmm?" she asked as the platinum blonde tilted her head up to meet his eyes before pouting as she saw the look on his face. "Just five more minutes" she pleaded as she pulled closer, draping one of her legs across him and putting one of her surprisingly delicate hands on the bandages wrapped around his chest.
Any protest Matthew had died on his lips as he tried to relax and enjoy the moment, knowing that it couldn't last. Six minutes later, Matthew finally had to get himself out of bed. Planting a last string of kisses on Hardy, he got up and began getting dressed, undisturbed by his attentive audience. No sooner than he was suited up then his phone buzzed on the nightstand. "Yuri" said the Pilot in greeting as he returned to the small arsenal in the safehouse, "I'm about to head out again, what's the situation?"
"Bad, getting worse" she replied bluntly. "These 'Demons' are expanding quickly. They've been hitting Fisk properties all day. That gang war you were expecting is coming…fast." Matthew merely grunted in acknowledgement, he took no pleasure in being right, but was happy he had prepared for the worst. "Word is you sustained some injuries dealing with Shocker this afternoon, are you up for this?"
"Armor took the brunt of it" he replied, "I'm still in a bit of pain, but all he really did was rattle my teeth pretty good" he assured as he worked his arms and hopped up and down a bit to test his bandaged ribs. Thankfully he only got a dull ache in return; considering the numbing agent in the treatment he applied wore off an hour ago, that was a good sign. "I'm locked, stocked, and ready to rock, just tell me where you need me."
"Alright, good to hear" said a relived Captain as Cooper put the phone on speaker and began stuffing magazines for his R-201 into their pouches alongside several drums for the versatile EVA-8 shotgun. "I'm getting reports of activity at one of Fisk's shipping yards. Spider-Man and one of my officers, Jefferson Davis, are heading over to investigate. I don't want to take any chances, so I want you to go there too."
"No kill like overkill" drawled Cooper as he clamped the axe down into his sheath and secured the MK6 before picking up the Carbine. "No worries Captain, we'll get it done" assured the Pilot, "I'm Oscar Mike, Marauder out." Even if he was feeling good, he didn't want to push it, so he took Widowmaker to the end of the line.
As much as he wanted to take the Widowmaker above ground, he knew the car would stand out and be too large of a target for both Fisk and the Demons in particular. So, he moved slowly but steadily towards his destination. The city was surprisingly peaceful, and while he did take the time to stop an assault in progress, he made it to the dockyard with little issue.
He could see six gunmen, flashlights attached to their weapons, patrolling the area. From his vantage the Marauder made out the thrashing forms of a dozen other gunmen from various perches or sprawled out and unmoving on the ground. "Mind if I join the fun spidey?" drawled Cooper casually, hand pressed to the side of his helmet.
"Sure thing, there's plenty of goons to go around" returned the webhead as Cooper got closer and singled out a lone guard who had isolated himself from his comrades. Dropping down, the sound of the jump kit got his attention as Cooper dashed behind a shipping container and into the shadows as he flicked out a pulse blade to ensure that no surprises were waiting for him. "Just try and keep the noise down, don't want to wake the neighbors."
"Copy that" responded the Pilot flatly as he collapsed the R-201 and clenched his fists, arc energy crackled menacingly. As the cloak covered the Gunfighter he stepped out and ripped the rifle from the goons hands before ramming his left fist into the Fisk man's gut to knock the wind out of him. "Goon night" snarled Matthew as he spun the man around and clamped his right hand down on his mouth before driving the arc charged knuckles into his unarmored lower back as the man thrashed and convulsed before finally falling limp.
As Cooper dragged the man into the shadows before laying him down carefully, Spider-Man found his own mark. Coming it at amazing speed, he put all of his weight into the strike, driving the man's head to the ground hard enough to instantly knock him out before pulling himself up and away as the sound of the dispatched goons rifle clattering to the ground got more attention.
With Spider-Man watching from above and the Marauder lying in ambush in the shadows, both vigilantes watched the remaining four rush to the fallen man and try to rouse him to no avail. One eventually broke off, heading for the group of crates that concealed the Pilot while another followed several paces behind. Pressing himself against a crate, the Pilot held his ground as he heard boots crunch on gravel get steadily nearer.
The first stepped into the gap just two feet from the crouched and cloaked pilot when there was a sudden sight of the trail man being thrown against one container and webbed firmly in place, much to both Cooper's and the gunman's surprise. Not questioning it, Matthew immediately fired his jump kit and slammed into the back of the thug, smashing him into the crate alongside his friend before getting hold of his head and giving it its own bash before dropping the man like a sack of potatoes. "The hell was that?" barked one of the Fisk men.
Before the other could respond, Cooper stepped out, still in shadow. "So are we doing this the easy way…" he began as he raised his head so that the glowing x-shaped visor stared out from the darkness, Carbine held at his hip, laser sight settled on one's chest, "or the hard way?"
Stupidly, they both tried to raise their weapons, but one got a burst of arc rounds from the suppressed Carbine in his armored chest as the other took the full force of one of the strange new web blasts and was stuck to a forklift. "I don't know what you're talking about" said a slightly annoying voice originating from an upside-down figure suspended from a metal overhang. A small grin appeared behind the helm, "that wasn't very hard at all."
Shaking his head at the quip, Cooper turned to look up at the red and blue superhero. "So you got a new toy huh?" he asked, nodding towards the webbed up man on the forklift, who only increased his struggles at the comment. "Took you long enough" he jabbed good naturedly.
The Wallcrawler shrugged, "Yeah, 'Impact Webbing' is what I've been calling it" explained Spidey. "Guess I finally got jealous of you one tapping everything and decided to join the fun." Cooper couldn't fault him, hell, he had been actively encouraging Peter to expand his arsenal for six months, but the man was even more stubborn than he was.
Their banter was interrupted by an approaching police car, lights and sirens on as it pulled up and came to a stop, both men turning to face the car as the man inside got out. Officer Jefferson Davis was a six foot tall African American man with a calm and cool demeanor, a good cop from what Yuri had told Matthew. "You know we can't have vigilante's trespassing or doing illegal searches…" he said, eyes going from one crime fighter to the other.
Cooper merely shrugged uncaringly, he wasn't on the side of the law, he was on the side of keeping people safe. The Webslinger sighed sadly though, "Yeah, I know…" he admitted, still suspended by his webline as the two regarded the officer.
Davis then smirked and pulled a piece of paper from inside of his jacket and held it up. "Which I why I brought a warrant. So, what do you say we do some perfectly legal searching?" he suggested with a glint of humor in his eye.
"I like the sound of that" agreed Spider-Man as the Marauder chuckled behind his helmet and the Webhead dropped down to the ground. Side by side, the two friends approached the Officer, "What's your name?" asked Spidey, extending a hand.
"Officer Davis" returned the cop as he shook Spidey's before grasping Cooper's own gloved hand. "Call me Jeff" he insisted, getting a pair of nods in return. "And you two are?"
Spidey stood there slack jawed as Cooper smirked, "He's Tobey Maguire" said the Pilot, pointing at the spandex clad super hero before pointing at himself, "you can call me Marauder" deadpanned the Pilot as Spidey narrowed his eye lenses at them. Officer Davis quirked his eyebrow as he looked at the two. "Inside joke" explained Cooper.
"Ah" replied Davis with a small grin as Spidey clearly was still trying to summon Superman's laser eyes and bore a hole through Cooper's brain. "My son's a big fan, be glad he didn't hear that" added Davis with a grin as he gave Spidey a light punch and the trio moved towards the main warehouse.
"So" began Spidey as they turned to business, the first obstacle, the massive door at the front of the building. In anticipation, the Marauder already had a Knock Knock in his hands. "Does that warrant cover breaking down doors?" asked the Wallcrawler.
"Not without a lot of extra paperwork" replied Davis as both cast glances at Cooper, who reluctantly replaced the breach charge on his person. Muttering a curse under his breath, Matt scanned the run down structure.
"Well if we can't make our own door" he mused, "maybe Mother Nature will have done the work for us." With that, the two vigilantes used their enhanced mobility to scale the structure and get a look for any sign of a way in.
"Any place this run down should have a hole in the wall or broken window…" guessed the webslinger as the pair made their way methodically down the length of the building on opposite sides of the roof.
Three quarters of the way down and no entrances in sight, Davis suggested "Check around back." Moving quicker, Cooper leaned neared the edge and looked down. "I'd go myself but…you know…not Spider-Man or the Marauder" joked the cop dryly.
Cooper grimaced, not seeing any obvious method of entry here either and was about to ask exactly how much extra paperwork a breach charge would cause when Spidey flipped over the edge and clung to the wall. When the bewildered pilot saw what the Webhead was next to, he grimaced, "What is it with you and vents?" he asked as he pulled out his axe and hung on the opposite side.
Peter merely shrugged as he pressed the vent cover up for Cooper to clamber through, the Marauder immensely grateful there wasn't some cramped shaft waiting for him on the other side. The two found themselves inside a warehouse that looked as abandoned and upkept as its exterior would lead one to believe. Rubbish was piled up in corners, what paint was there was a patchwork of colors, wood beams that made up the floors were uneven, and the bridge that connected the two sides of the upper floors was out. "I feel like I'm in a horror movie" said Spider-Man as the two moved along the beams at the top of the warehouse. "Hello? Any fishermen with a grudge and a hook for a hand?"
"If there is anybody who knows what we did last summer" answered Cooper dryly as he switched to the EVA-8 and racked the slide, "he's going to find out what happens when he brings a hook to a gunfight." The pair jumped down to the ground level and approached the door, Cooper satisfied they were alone, but keeping his Shotgun at the ready, nonetheless.
"Jeff, you there?" called Spidey as he looked over the large metal door, "I'm doing my best to refrain from knock knock jokes."
"Appreciated" deadpanned the two other men in reply.
With Matthew ignoring the look Peter was probably giving him, Davis continued to advise them from outside. "You see a junction box powering the door?" he asked as the two looked around before their eyes fell on a powerbox in the wall next to the large metal door. "If we can overload it that should force the door open."
Cooper already lowered his rifle and raised his fist, arc knuckles fully charged and ready. "Smart" replied Peter, ever the scientist of the two before inspecting the box and holding up his hand, "but the voltage on that is too high, you'll fry the box. And I don't have anything that packs enough current."
Matthew rolled his eyes; high explosives would make this a lot easier. "Here, try this!" called Davis as he slid his taser through a gap at the bottom of the door.
Spidey picked up the weapon, "Stun gun, genius!" he commented as he knelt down next to the weapon and began swiftly disassembling it. "Capacitors in this are just what I need for an upgrade I've been thinking of" he explained as the Marauder looked at him. Matthew watched as Peter swiftly rewired his webshooters to have the capacitors as a toggleable part of the circuit. While he would be limited by the charge of the capacitors it was still another tool in his rapidly expanding arsenal. When he was finished, he fired a glob of the charged web at the exposed wires, the lights turning from red to green. "Electric webs for the win!" he declared proudly as the door lifted open.
With the flashlight on his shoulder illuminating the way, Davis strolled in to the dilapidated warehouse as he looked over the interior. "Gadget man huh?" he asked as the two vigilantes joined him, "you remind me of my son. Started taking apart the TV when he was five" said Davis, a reminiscing look on his features. "Now he's unlocking his friend's phones."
"Sounds like he could teach me a few things" responded Cooper dryly, though there was respect in his voice. The banter ended as the three refocused on the task at hand, looking through the warehouse. Shipping containers lined the walls on both sides and floors, and a wrecked tugboat lay in the slipway at the center.
"Okay" said Davis as he panned over the area, "nothing illegal in plain sight" he observed.
"Kinda anticlimactic, huh?" quipped Spider-Man.
"At first glance" agreed Davis. "Let's look closer." The Cop took the lead at that point, Cooper knowing that he was out of his depth as he switched to thermals and saw nothing out of the ordinary, relegating him to pulling security.
Spidey followed after Davis as they headed for a shipping container with FISK emblazoned on the side. "Looking for something specific?" asked the wallcrawler.
"This yard's been here a long time" explained Davis as he began to slow, eyes focused on the floor. "Bootleggers used to use it back in the day" he continued as something clearly had the man's attention.
"Gotcha" replied Parker, "those guys sure loved their hidden rooms."
Cooper merely nodded as the two vigilantes joined Davis, though the gunfighter was out of his depth and feeling frustrated by that fact. "Damn it" he cursed as he slammed the container in an outburst only to tilt his head as he noticed something. "You two hear that?" he said, giving the container two more firm knocks, "it's empty…but here" he said as he hit the container a few more times, "it isn't."
Davis' eyes lit up as he focused on a bit of container that wasn't exactly uniform and Cooper noticed it too, passing the cop his Tomahawk as the man pried the panel open. "I got a hidden panel, like the one in the door" he called out as he handed the weapon back and looked at what it contained. "The conduits lead out the back, look for another junction box" he ordered.
Spider-Man scanned the warehouse before loosing another one of his electric websat a spot on the wall. "Did that work?" he called out as Davis fiddled with the controls to no avail.
"Nah" replied the Cop. "Must not be the right box, keep looking."
Spider-Man then pulled himself up to the second floor and fired again, this time to greater effect. Sparks leapt from the box and more leapt out form the panel into Davis' face as he recoiled back before the container hummed and there was the thunk of a deadbolt opening. One of the panels popped open to reveal a light inside as both Cooper and Davis strained to force it the rest of the way open. "Thanks, no way I could have gotten it open myself" said the Cop as all three looked into the secret room.
"I doubt I would have found it" replied the webhead as they looked at the barren shelves, opened boxes, and empty safe inside the container. "Hmm…we got a big fat nothing."
Matthew had to nod in agreement, but this one single room didn't seem worth all of the security stationed outside, especially with it being empty. "Where there's one secret room, there could be more" observed Davis as he knelt down to the cold concrete floor. "Notice anything about the floor?"
Cooper grunted in acknowledgement, "Scratches" he noted. "Those aren't new either and if they painted over them that would stand out too. That's how we find the doors." With a clear goal, the two younger men got moving with a firing of webshooters or Jump Kit. The less agile Davis stuck to examining the empty room, seeing if anything could be gleaned.
A few minutes later, Spider-Man hollered, "Paydirt! Scrape, but no door!" In a heartbeat, Cooper fired his grapple to pull him to that side of the building before activating his STIM and wallrunning towards the Wallcrawler.
"Great!" called Davis in reply as Cooper saw the scrape, "I'll be right there!" Cooper remained focused on the probable hidden room as footsteps echoed through the warehouse before there was a moment of unexpected silence. "Maybe not, elevator's busted" reported Davis.
Spidey quickly leapt into action, springing across the gap, "Sit tight, I'll pull you up" he called out over the radio. With casual ease, he fired weblines at the mechanism and pulled the elevator up to the second floor and held it there despite it weighing a full ton. As soon as Davis was out, Peter let go and the elevator crashed to the ground. "Second floor, rusted machine parts and big honkin' rats" announced Peter with a colorful flourish, drawing a smirk on Davis' face. "Careful, the bridge is out" warned the wallcrawler as he pulled himself back to the other side.
"I got this one" responded Davis as Cooper saw him line up on the far side and sprint forwards, leaping across, arms flailing as he easily cleared the gap before actually coming down and keeping his feet as he came to a stop.
"Hot damn" barked Cooper, "stuck the landing" commented the genuinely impressed Pilot.
Davis laughed heartily as he turned to the shipping container. "We're not all doughnut eaters" he defended. What followed was a repeat, Spidey finding the junction box that worked the lock as Davis and Cooper muscled the door open. "Hey, check this out" said Davis as all three took a look inside.
The room was as empty at the first, but Cooper noticed the odd shelving and placed it immediately. As he damn well should have, considering how many similar units he had in his safehouses. "I'd recognize those anywhere" said the Marauder as he flicked the hollow metal tubes that made up the shelves, "these are rifle racks."
"They kept guns here" agreed Davis with a grimace. "They wouldn't have moved them through the front door" he mused. "There's gotta be a passageway we're missing" he surmised. "Check out the wall, this might control access to another area."
"Fisk's men were talking about a vault" remembered Spider-Man as he tapped his chin in exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Maybe we're close?"
"Bet on it" replied Davis as he stepped inside and investigated the junction box inside the room. "Hmm…looks like a dual circuit, see if you can find a second junction box" he directed. Spider-Man swung off without a word, much to Matt's relief. A minute later, and after some racket across the building with the other elevator, the circuitbox lit up and there was the sound of another, much larger, deadbolt releasing.
"You were right Jeff" called out Spider-Man as the two normal men looked down to see one section of the floor pop up. "Trap door."
Davis and Cooper were down instantly; "Outstanding!" announced the officer as he crouched down and slid his hands into the seam. "Think you two could help me out? This thing's heavy" he asked after giving the thing a lift that accomplished nothing. Both vigilantes came to his aid, one to either side, adding super and servo enhanced strength to the effort. "One…two…three" called Davis as the door went up with relative ease, thought that was probably due to the car benching webslinger.
"That isn't spooky at all" commented Spidey sarcastically as he stated down into the tunnel, the flickering lights above the dusty stairs barely illuminating anything.
"If you're scared" said Cooper as he unslung the shotgun and began making his way down the steps, "get behind me." While the lighting wasn't enough for normal eyes, it was enough to screw with his nightvision, so Cooper reluctantly flicked on his helmet and weapon lights.
Both Davis and Parker followed close behind the Pilot. "Probably an old bootlegger's tunnel" mused Davis.
"And it looks like no one's cleaned it since Al-Capone" quipped Spidey dryly as Cooper looked at the mess of wooden support beams that partially blocked the tunnel.
"Al-Capone was in Chicago, dumbass" retorted Cooper before he noticed the odd looks the other two men were giving him. "What? I just saw the Untouchables" he defended brusquely.
The trio made their way through the rubble, Marauder and Spidey taking the high road while Davis crawled through on his hands and knees. The rumbling of the tunnel was beginning to unnerve the Pilot as it soon began to collapse around them and all three picked up the pace. Running the last stretch, they rounded the corner, all with their respective weapons at the ready to find another deserted room. "Damn" cursed Peter as they all took in what remained of the vault. "Demons are already gone. How'd they beat us here?"
"There must be a back door, see if you can find it" said Davis as Spider-Man tore off ahead, leaving the cop with the Marauder. "This place is one hell of an armory" noted the policeman as they made their way through it. "Or was" he corrected.
Cooper took a moment to look at the crates to find some of them still filled. "Looks like they only took the good stuff. We still got flashbangs, smokes, and stun guns" he noted as they moved forwards. "And they came in hard and fast, this looks like one of my smash and grabs where they didn't bother with the stuff that was bolted down" he said with a grimace as he saw the writing on some of the crates, MK153 SMAW rocket launchers and their ammunition, AKM rifles, boxes of C4 and detonators, and much more. Clearly this was one of the many places Fisk had used to store the weapons unused during Cinderblock.
And now the Demons had them.
"There!" called Spider-Man, getting the attention of the other two as they jogged over to join the Webslinger. "They blew the lock to get in." Cooper immediately readied the EVA and stacked up on the door as Spidey cautiously pushed it open before going stiff. "Demons" he hissed in warning, signaling the others to stay out of sight.
"Good" growled Cooper as he shoulder charged through the door and saw two movers trucks, one still had its read door open to reveal a mask wearing man inside. The shotgun barked once, sending a barrage of arc charged buckshot that sent the man to the floor of the truck as the doors closed and the trucks began to roll away.
A string of white silk shot out to either side of Cooper, one attaching to each truck and causing both to grind to a halt as Spider-Man dug in his heels and held fast. "Freeze! Stop the truck! You're all under arrest!" shouted Davis as he came out, brandishing his stun gun.
Both trucks opened to reveal masked men wielding swords bathed in black flame that severed the weblines with ease as Cooper fired again, getting one swordsman as the other truck drove away. The other truck stayed put, gunmen jumping out. "Light 'em up!" roared Cooper as he dropped an A-Wall and switched to the Carbine.
The two men with assault rifles got quick bursts and fell as Spider-Man pulled himself to one of the sickle wielding men and began engaging in hand to hand combat. Cooper's proximity alert blared as he turned just in time to see a Demon fall flat on his face, electricity arcing across his body and Davis behind him reloading his taser. "Thanks for the assist" called out Cooper as he turned and fired at the next man up.
"Just trying to do my part" called back Davis as the a-wall flickered out of existence and the Marauder went on the offensive, leaping up onto the truck as he shouldered the Carbine and rained fire down on the Demon's. A string of mandarin behind him caused the Marauder to spin around and pull down the trigger, only to get one round before the bolt locked open, magazine empty.
Without hesitation, Cooper rammed the muzzle into the Demon's throat before planting a boot in his chest and kicking him off the truck before reloading. Spider-Man unleashed a trio of blows that put another mask wearing man on the ground before his Spider-sense buzzed and he flipped away from a string of tracers. "Eyes up Marauder!" he called out. The Pilot responded quickly, shouldering the rifle and firing a burst of his own that caused the gunman on the catwalk to lose his footing and fall from his perch.
Two black sedans pulled up to unload their cargo of Demons who spilt themselves between the vigilantes. A concussion grenade was lobbed through the air and landed among a group of Demons preparing to scale the truck Cooper was on. Folding up the rifle, Cooper raised his fists and jumped down, giving one stunned man a kick in the head on the way. Arc knuckles crackling, he gave one a quick 2-3-2 before the stun grenade began to wear off and he leapt away, jump kit firing as he drove his knee into another's chin before activating his cloak.
As the Demons searched for him, shouting in mandarin, he worked his way behind one and sent him up only to use his grapple to slam him down into a second Demon as three more rushed him. "Come get some" snarled Matthew as he charged in turn, jumping high to take the first by surprise, a crushing punch coming down as the Marauder was already focused on the next. With his glowing scythe raised the Pilot slid under the swing before kicking the third and final goon's feet out from under him and punching him in the gut with the shock knuckles.
Jump kit firing, the Pilot flew skywards, twisting as he pulled out his pulse blade and tossed it, impaling the Demon is his right wrist as he howled in pain and dropped the weapon. Without pause, Cooper fired the grapple at the ground and pulled himself back, reversing direction as he slid through him, tripping him up as he got to his feet and activated his STIM, raining down blows before a final punch to the back of the head sent the man face first into the asphalt, knocking him out.
Just then the remaining truck rumbled to life behind Cooper, who dove and rolled out of the way as it tore past. Without thinking, he activated his STIM once again and sprinted at superhuman speeds after the vehicle before firing his grappling hook and wallrunning along the side of a skyscraper. It was clear to Matthew that the Demon's weren't short of manpower, but the weapons they were after were a different story, they were the priority.
There was a distinct 'thwip' from above as Cooper craned his neck up to see Spider-Man also in hot pursuit. Cooper bit back a curse as he leapt from building to building, using his grapple to swing around a corner in a desperate bid to get enough momentum up to close the gap, he wanted to take a shot with the rifle hanging at his side, but with the busy streets it was too risky, even for him. "Shit!" he swore as he saw a distinct flash in the back of the truck and activated his phase shift, seemingly blinking out of existence.
"Spider-Man, Marauder!" said Davis as the comm beeped in Cooper's ear once he returned to reality. "Still a few demon stragglers at the yard, I'm held up. How're you two looking?" he asked as a rocket streaked overhead towards Spidey.
"Not much better" admitted Spider-Man as Cooper's boots planted on a building and he activated his STIM to shoot ahead. "These guys are all over the road, they'll kill someone if we can't stop them." Of course, Parker would neglect to mention the anti-tank ordinance being sent back at them mused the Marauder.
There was the sound of more gunshots over the comm, "Doing my best to catch up!" assured the officer through labored breaths. "But you both might be on your own."
"Stay frosty Davis" called back the Marauder as he slid through the street in the trucks wake before firing his grapple to get him back on the buildings, "we'll make it through this" promised Cooper before cutting the line.
Finally, the driver made an error, turning down a road with a roadblock for the construction on it. But Cooper's minor elation was short lived as the truck merely blasted through the temporary barriers. The move did have one critical effect; the truck was slowed by the impact. Both vigilantes reacted instantly, Cooper STIMming and Parker web-zipping to close the gap before they fired their respective grappling devices at the truck.
Spider-Man flipped artfully through the air before setting down gently on the cab while Cooper crashed into the cargo area with the grace of a wrecking ball, slamming into the SMAW wielding Demon with his full weight, sending the two tumbling towards the front of the truck. A pair of powerful punches left the Demon in a daze as Cooper grabbed the rocket launcher and got to his feet, swinging the weapon like a baseball bat straight into the last man's gut. When he doubled over in pain, the Marauder brought the launcher down on the top of his head, sending him to the floor.
The truck suddenly swerved violently, sending Cooper into a wall as he fought to maintain his footing before it slammed headlong into some unseen object, flying up off the ground, the Pilot grunted as he slammed into the truck floor before flying out the back. Rolling and skipping across the asphalt, he finally came to a stop when he slammed into a building. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Cooper saw Spider-Man struggling to lift a truck clear of an approaching subway, but there was a larger problem.
Straight ahead was the truck, masked man at the wheel, bearing down right at the two. Cooper looked and saw his one, best hope, the loaded SMAW just a few feet away. Sliding over two it, he placed the rocket launcher on his shoulder and placed the sight on the center of the oncoming truck before squeezing the trigger.
With a shriek of fury and a distinct 'fwoosh' the rocket leapt from the tube like a hungry dog shown an open door into a meat locker. The HEAT round designed to punch through tank armor flew straight and true towards the thin-skinned civilian truck and slammed into it dead center.
Only nothing happened, the warhead had been a dud.
With no other ideas he charged forwards, leaping up into the air and coming down on the hood of the truck as he pulled himself up and punched the windshield, shattering it as he grabbed the man by the mask and slammed him into the steering wheel. But the act was futile, the truck was on a collision course with his friend. A flashing light caught his attention as he craned his neck over his shoulder and saw a cop car approaching at insane speed before slamming headlong into the truck and sending it careening into the corner of a building as Cooper was tossed into the brick at full speed.
And then his world went black.
Fighting through the haze that clouded his mind, Officer Davis willed his eyes to open, "not the best idea you ever had Jeff" he muttered as he blinked his eyes furiously to see the crumpled front end of his squad car before him. The next thing he registered was that he was upside down as he searched for the handle and yanked, ramming his other elbow into the door to knock it open before he crawled out. His ears still ringing, he couldn't make out what Spider-Man was shouting, though the hero was still pulling with all of his considerable strength on the fuel filled tractor trailer.
But he could follow his eyes as the Officer saw the other vigilante slumped against the wall in a heap. A flicker of movement diverted his attention from the Marauder to a Demon shambling from the wrecked truck. Fighting through the pain, Davis pulled himself to his feet as he reached for his stun gun, only to find his holster empty, the same was true of his service weapon, lost in the crash. At least the Demon didn't have a weapon either, but the eyes of the mask were focused on the Marauder's rifle lying on the pavement. Gritting his teeth at the spike of agony that shot up his spine, Davis forced his wounded body to get to its feet as he lunged at the Demon right as the criminal came up with the rifle.
While his foe was aiming the futuristic weapon, Davis cocked his fist back and unleashed a punch that, while it lacked form, was imbued with all of the strength he could muster. The result was the Demon staggering back into the wall and falling to the sidewalk, out cold. Still breathing heavily, he felt a hand come down on his shoulder and turned to see the bug eyed mask of Spider-Man. "You good Jeff?" he asked with concern as the Officer nodded and straightened, striding over with as little of a limp as possible as the two helped the now stirring Marauder to his feet.
While the two heroes spoke, Davis pulled out a pair of cuffs and slapped them on the downed Demon as the gathering crowd began to cheer and applaud, some pulling out phones to document the scene. "You're one crazy sonofabitch Davis" drawled a filtered voice as the Cop turned to see the Marauder standing there with an offered hand, "you can ride with me anytime." With that, the two men shook hands as the other hero flanked him in what felt like one of those surreal moments for the veteran officer.
Mary Jane made her way calmly through the crowd that had gathered around the scene, an alert from Cooper had caused the redhead to rush from her apartment. Overhearing a TV reporter giving her report, the Bugle writer worked her way around a fire truck as she tried to find the man Cooper had mentioned, one Officer Davis. "Excuse me, Miss, are you supposed to be here?" asked a familiar voice as she turned around.
"More so than you" she shot back quietly as the super-hero stalked down the side of the truck, sticking to the side in an utterly unnatural way. Watson had to turn herself sideways to squeeze through the gap in two vehicles. "After that auction house thing, the Bugle put me on the city beat. Which means I get to focus full time on real stories like this…and the Demons" she explained as she turned her back to him, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at seeing him like this again.
And then the overprotective dumbass had to kill such feelings instantly. "You know the closer you get to them, the more you become a target, right?" he asked condescendingly as he continued to follow her on the side of the truck.
Whirling around in anger, the redhead's eyes blazed. "The closer I get the better chance we have to stop them" she snapped back in a hiss. She vaguely registered a faint 'We?' behind her as she looked out and saw a man in police uniform lying on a gurney about to be loaded into the back of an ambulance. Swallowing her emotions and refocusing herself, she squared her shoulders and stepped out into the open. "Officer Davis, Mary Jane Watson, Daily Bugle" she introduced as she strode up to the man.
Her heart sunk as he held up a hand wearily, "No comment" he replied simply.
Watson's mind raced, looking back to see if she could get support from the wallcrawler, but frowned at seeing that he was gone. "I don't blame you" she finally said as Cooper's words when she asked what she could expect from the Officer. He's a good man, the kind I wish I was. Maybe he was more like the Marauder than he thought. "But these guys are going to tell their story with or without you. And they thrive on controversy" she added.
That was what ultimately kept the Marauder coming back to give her more stories, Matt just wanted to tell it like it was, and MJ guessed this officer would want the same. Indeed, the cop looked thoughtful as he regarded the reporter. "So what's your angle?" he asked curiously as paramedics lifted the gurney into the ambulance.
"I don't have one, I just listen" she said with every bit of sincerity she could muster.
The wounded man cracked a faint smile and chuckled lightly, "Okay" he said, "hop in."
Cooper's Logbook – Shotgun: EVA-8
I believe the sound of racking the pump on a shotgun is universally recognized to mean it's time to kiss your ass goodbye. This high tech 12 gauge may officially be on the way out with the advent of the newer Mastiff, but sometimes some fancy laser bolts don't quite cut it like good old school double ought buckshot. In addition, traditional shotgun ammo is plentiful and there is a candy store's worth of types. Non-lethal beanbags, rock salt, and rubber buckshot to standard round pellets, flechettes, slugs, and the appropriately named 'Dragons Breath' incendiaries.
It has two distinct features that separate from many other shotguns chambered in the near universal caliber, those being its select fire ability and drum magazine. The drum is a double edged sword, the capacity is good at eight rounds, but for a weapon meant to be used in close quarters this big thing hanging off the gun does tend to snag on stuff. But you can get those eight rounds into a relatively short and handy weapon in the way a traditional tube feed gun can't. A better idea is the select fire, either semi-automatic or pump action. Semi-automatic is my preferred setting for the higher cyclic rate and simpler operation, but having the option is great. When firing low powered shells (like nonlethals) or you get a bad round or jam, you just have to keep working that pump and all will be well for you…and unwell for your enemies.
In one key area, this weapon is second to none: Nicknames. The EVA-8 is known as the Deck Clearer, Mop, Broom, Thunder Gun, Street Sweeper, Slugger, and Universal Translator.
Weather or not it translates as 'shut the fuck up' or 'sit the fuck down' is still a matter of debate, however.
Closing Notes: Admittedly, that is an odd place to end it, but I am going to end it there. I promise that the next chapter will be longer and include one of the games best moments. Still, this one was fun to write, I actually missed that reference to I Know What You Did Last Summer the first time I played through the game. Yeah, no, that remark about a killer with a hook for a hand is a specific reference to the second biggest slasher film of the 90s with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a leading role.
Interestingly, the EVA-8s select fire feature is not unique, if you want a gun like that then you have a few choices. Practically, the Benelli M3 is your best bet, even if it is overshadowed by its younger brother, the M4 aka M1014. But if you're cool, you'll want the SPAS-12, as seen in the hands of Schwarzenegger, Chow Yun-Fat, and Lara Croft, it's also the preferred weapon of raptor hunters.
Next up, the new year starts with our heroes Jumpin off the deck and shoving into overdrive on the highway to the Danger Zone.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.