Author's Note: All Properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn entertainment, etc.
Thanks to raven18 for betaing and editing this chapter.
Also, shoutout to mrGoodCat2277 on DeviantArt for allowing me to use the image for the cover of this story.
Not a whole lot of stuff to say here, review, follow, or favorite if you want, or don't. Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story as we progress further into the main game's story. Sadly, for those who played the game, they probably remember some certain sections shall we say, not too fondly. One of those is here, hopefully they're less tedious to read than they were to play, not that I think that's possible.
As for the song, it's Joan Jett and was recommended by a reader as a matter of fact. I almost didn't use it because the actual title of the song is dumb, so dumb I only used the proper title in the heading below and spelled it properly everywhere else. Joan Jett has some great rock and roll music, and while this isn't one of her really big hits, it's a good tune that fits a character who'll be getting a bit more screen time in this chapter than she usually does. If you have a song you think would fit as a chapter title, feel free to PM me with it or leave it in a review. I have my preferences (if you couldn't guess) but I'm open to anything as long as I think it works. I won't guarantee I'll use a suggested song, but I will guarantee that it will be considered.
Shameless ploy to get reviews over and done with, so let's get to it.
Power Without Question – Chapter 33: Activity Grrrl
She can't accept that life is unfair
She wants to think the others care
And won't go away she's gonna stay right in your face
Activity grrrl trying to change the world
She's gonna knock on your door
Activity grrl in an uptight world
She's impossible to ignore
Spider-Man hung up after the update from Yuri, still swinging through the city. Cooper had sent him a few texts letting him know his deal with Osborn meant he was expected to cooperate with the Stormtroopers. The Marauder also promised to pass on anything he learned to Parker, though he wasn't optimistic. With two of his sources accounted for, it was time to check on a third. "Hey MJ" he said, trying not to sound too excited that they were talking again.
"Hey" returned the reporter before jumping straight to business. "So I dredged up some records on Marin Li's other business holdings" she explained as a file came up on his HUD, displaying a map of Manhattan. "He has places all over the city."
Peter examined the map between firing off weblines and quickly noticed something familiar about it. "Hmm…the locations line up with a map we found at that shipping business. Cooper wants those" said Spider-Man, feeling sorry for the poor Demons who got stuck guarding the locations.
"Make sure you two let me know what you find at each one, I'll work on building a case" replied the Bugle beat reporter.
"You got it" affirmed Spider-Man as he caught sight of his destination and began to slow. "I'm headed to Li's office at FEAST to see if I can learn more about why he's doing this – and what he's got planned next."
"Okay, say hi to May for me" answered MJ as her voice trailed off before coming back frantically. "Wait, you don't think she's in danger, do you?"
"No" answered Spider-Man firmly as he came to a stop, "Li only has one target on his mind: Norman Osborn." Peter could understand having issues with the father of his childhood best friend, but the lengths the Philanthropist was going to…he tried not to think about it as he changed into street clothes.
Making his way inside, he decided to treat this like a normal visit to the center, tracking down his Aunt May and finding the woman hard at work in the kitchen. "So if you're running this place while Mr. Li is out of town…" he began as he approached, "who's doing your old job?"
"Ha ha…me" deadpanned the woman in response as she turned to face Peter. Smiling sweetly, she pointed to a box of foodstuffs sitting on the counter, "but I could always use more help" she 'suggested' as the younger Parker thought back to a conversation he had had earlier that same day "Know anyone?".
"Actually, I do" replied the webhead as he grabbed the box and carried it over to the food prep area. "His name is Miles Morales" revealed Peter as May looked up from the box.
"Now why does that name sound familiar?"
Peter winced, "His father was being honored at city hall…" began Peter before May deflated as she put the pieces together, sighing audibly as the Lab Tech grimaced and moved on. "I talked to him at the funeral. He's a smart kid, he's just having a tough time."
May looked sympathetic, giving her nephew a knowing look, said nephew knew what was coming. "I knew a boy like that, once" she said, looking at the boy in question.
Peter smiled faintly as a few choice memories came back. "I remember it helped to stay busy" he answered. He knew he didn't need to plead his case to May, she would be more than happy to try and help Miles, it was just the kind of woman she was. "Might help him too. Here's his mom's number" he said as he handed off a sticky note.
"Thanks" she said, genuinely as ever, "I'll give her a call" she promised.
Taking a deep breath, Peter knew that with that bit of pleasantness out of the way it was time for the real reason he was at FEAST. "You haven't heard from Mr. Li, have you?" he asked, hoping he could get a lead. If Cooper came across him at one of those warehouses…Peter wasn't sure what would happen, but he didn't doubt the Texan would be willing to kill.
"No, why?"
"Just curious" he brushed off, trying to hide his disappointment as he avoided his aunt's gaze. "I've got a few minutes before work. I'm gonna…look around, see if there's anything else I can do to help you out" he said as he stepped back. He felt bad about deceiving her, but there wasn't another way.
"Oh, you don't have to" insisted May.
Peter just smiled, "I know…I want to" he finished before heading out the doors and up the stairs to the second floor. Trying the door into the main office, he found it locked. "How do I get in there…quietly" he mused, half expecting Cooper to decloak next to him with a breaching charge in hand.
Quickly having a look around, he spotted an opportune air vent. Moving under it he checked that his webshooters were still in place before looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was looking his way. With that done and his spidey sense quiet, the wallcrawler pulled himself up and into the vent with a flip, sticking to the ceiling as he slowly closed the grate. Making his way through the vent, he noticed a small back room he had never seen before, shrugging it off as he made it to Li's office. Dropping down, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary, the clean and orderly space was just like the man who usually occupied it. Going with the most obvious, he checked the desk first, and found a letter lying on the desk and leaned over to read it.
Dear May,
Very soon, you'll hear stories about me. Stories claiming I'm a terrorist and a murderer. Those stories will be true.
But the story we wrote together – the story of F.E.A.S.T. – is also true. I want you to know that I've always believed in our mission. It wasn't a front, or a show. It was an honest expression of my heart. When you help someone, you truly do help everyone.
Please don't let my failing shake your belief. You are strong, May. Strong enough to tell a new story at F.E.A.S.T., one unburdened by my faults.
Thank you for all you've done,
Martin Li
Peter had suspected, strongly, that the philanthropist was behind the Demons, but to have it in front of him in the man's own words…it was surreal. Cooper hadn't admitted it, but Peter could tell the Marauder thought the only way to stop Li would be two to the chest and one to the head. Watanabe had lost too many officers to be willing to do a thing to stop him if he tried, and Mercenary Lady would happily sit back and collect her paycheck.
Matthew, despite making so much effort to break through what he had drilled into his head, could revert to his old ways so easily. It was a constant effort to keep the Pilot from drifting across the line Peter had sworn to himself he would never cross. Every time he reminded Cooper that Li was still a human who had done some good, he always got the same type of response. "I'm sure that's a real comfort to the innocent people he's killed, and all the families will be happy to know that he didn't 'like' killing their loved ones" he would say, unbridled contempt in his words. Still, Peter tried to convince him otherwise, in his eyes, everyone was worth saving, and was thankful every day that, despite everything that he had done the last eight years, he hadn't been desensitized to the horrors he came across.
He knew what kind of man Li could be, and he knew that man was still somewhere inside him. But while Peter knew there was still good in Li, he needed to find something to convince everyone else. Looking around to do just that, he noticed the picture on the desk, particularly the shrine in it that he could see on the side of the room before he had an epiphany. "The room I saw should be on the other side of that wall."Looking closely, he noticed a keyhole in the picture frame and went straight back to the desk, searching drawers at random until he found a journal and began flipping through the pages. "Bingo" he said quietly as he found a simple key attached to the of curiosity, he scanned the entry, the last one Li had made.
Oct 2018
Wilson Fisk has been arrested. I can barely believe it, the day I've planned for – dreamed of – is finally here. But for some reason I hesitate. Can I really go through with this?
Things will happen so quickly if I give the word. My men will claim Fisk's arms, his explosives, his secrets. We'll use that strength to teach Norman true pain. He'll know what it is to see the things he loves destroyed by his own hands.
But achieving that end will mean giving up so much. Everything I've built here at F.E.A.S.T.–all the good I've done – could be wiped out if my plan succeeds. My chance is here, yet I still hesitate…should I turn back? A part of me wants to, but…the Demon is hungry…and I don't think I'm strong enough to hold it back.
"Li sounds…conflicted. Almost like he didn't want to head down this path…" murmured Parker sadly as he grabbed the key and worked quickly. Once the picture was out of the way he was faced with a puzzle lock. Turning one of the knobs at random, he saw the pieces begin to shift into a familiar shape.
Checking the picture on the desk again, he noticed the shrine had a yin-yang symbol, with that as good an idea as any, he fiddled with the knobs until he was met with a satisfying click. "Yes! Eat your heart out Felicia." Checking that it was clear after his bit of heist film like B&E, Peter slipped inside the dimly lit room. "Woah, what are you hiding Li?"
In it were a handful of items, the first to catch his eye was a sword imbued with the strange black and white energy the Demons had on all of their weapons. Picking up the blade, Peter could feel the weapon vibrate in his hands as it hummed with supernatural power. "Li's giving his power to the others" he realized before his scientific side took over. "How does Li imbue these with his power? Bio-electric induction? Compressed Phase Shift?" he wondered aloud. Placing it back down, Peter turned his attention elsewhere, trying to push the power he felt radiate off the blade from his mind as he inspected the mask, ignoring the other, normal, swords and sickles. "Li sure is obsessed with masks, is it a Jungian thing?" Wishing he paid more attention in that criminal psychology course in college, he tried to connect the mental dots. "Like…he needed to pretend to be someone else to let his darkest feelings out?" That was a sobering thought, since his own quippy, wisecracking side only came out when he was in costume.
More lightly, he had to wonder how anyone could see while wearing the masks, since the Webslinger couldn't see any eye holes.
On the back wall were maps and newspaper clippings about Norman Osborn, circled and highlighted were the names of anything he owned or anyone who worked for him. More than a few of those names were already crossed off. The table in front of that wall had a few other items, his hand was first drawn to the small voice recorder as he played the most recent entry. "Can feel my power growing, feeding off my anger" said a twisted version of the voice Peter recognized as Lis. Could this really be the same man who created F.E.A.S.T.? "Father would say I've lost the path of balance, but he could never understand: the only way to fight a monster is to become one."
Still reeling in shock at hearing who Peter had always held up as a kind soul say that, the wallcrawler put the recorder down. It was one thing to hear Matthew say something like that after fighting a war, it was another to hear it from Li. As he placed the recorder down, he tilted his head at a photo on the table, "Creepy" murmured Peter. The picture was of a couple, judging by the facial features, they looked Asian, and he surmised they were Martin Li's parents. The last item on the table was the one Spidey was the most interested in though.
It was something he recognized instantly; a file folder labeled 'Devil's Breath'.
Before he could grab it, his Spider-Sense blared, and he immediately leapt up and clung to the ceiling as electricity surged through the exposed wires and arced across the floor grates. Quickly firing off a few electric webs to trip the circuit breakers, he decided that it was probably time to leave. Dropping back down, Peter grabbed the file and tucked it under his shirt before dropping down through the floor.
Finding the one door in the darkened storeroom, the superpowered New Yorker shoved the pallet blocking his exit aside and opened the door. Stepping back into F.E.A.S.T. proper, a calm voice cut through the silence, setting Peter on alert as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Hello Peter." Parker spun around, trying his best to keep his composure.
"Mr. Li" greeted the Queens native as he forced a smile. Cursing himself for not noticing his approach sooner. Li looked placid, eerily calm as he strode towards Peter. "I thought you were out of town" said Peter in a questioning tone.
Marin Li was unfazed as Peter met his unnerving gaze. "Did you find what you were looking for?" asked the man emotionlessly. The web head's fists clenched, but he managed to maintain enough self-control to keep them at his sides and not reflexively move to protect the folder concealed on his person.
Squaring up to the man, Peter prepared for anything, including throwing down right then and there, until a new voice cut through the tension. "Martin! You're back!" said Aunt May happily as she approached the two men with a box of supplies.
Peter immediately wanted to get her out, away from Martin, his protective instincts switching into overdrive in an instant. "Here, let me get that" offered Peter, hoping relieving her of her task would convince her to leave. But even as May thanked him, Martin turned towards his aunt, the cold grimace replaced with a more typical smile, though without its usual warmth.
"And heading off again shortly, I'm afraid" said the philanthropist, there was no emotion in his tone, even if it wasn't as cold. "Just needed a few things from my office." Peter scrutinized him as his spine vibrated, hairs standing on end at just being so close to Li.
It was an unnerving feeling, it had never encountered something like that before, of all the villains he had fought, nobody had elicited such a strong reaction from his sixth sense. May, without it, was wholly unaware of the man's power. "Surely you must have heard about city hall?"
Mention of the attack seemed to catch him off balance, knocking him out of his cold persona. "Yes" he said, almost warmly, "tragic." Though his eyes soon turned back to Peter, as if he knew that the younger man knew his secret.
Parker kept a straight face, if only for his Aunt who was delighted to see Martin again to not be subjected to the harsh reality of the situation. "Peter was there" she said, "he was very lucky" admitted May as she gave Peter a small hug.
The nephew didn't even notice, still staring straight into Li's eyes, features placid, and superhuman muscles tensed for the slightest provocation. The Demon merely tilted his head as he placed his hands on his hips. "At an Osborn rally? I didn't know you were a fan" he drawled, trying to draw a reaction from Peter. The Queens native didn't give him the satisfaction however, merely staring unflinchingly and completely still. "Well" declared Li suddenly to break the silence as he drew his hands together, "what matters is that you're both safe."
May smiled, "Amen" she agreed.
Peter, however, did not. "But the bombers are still out there" he asserted with narrowed eyes. "Who knows what they've got planned next?"
Li shook his head dismissively. "I don't think you, or May, have anything to worry about" assured the man before turning back to Peter. All ease was drained from his expression and tone as the two superpowered foes stared each other down. "As long as you stay away from places you're not supposed to be" he added threateningly. The tension weighed the air down until Li smiled towards May, "Well, I should go" he said before turning away.
"When will you be back?" asked May, the question causing the philanthropist to halt dead in his tracks as he seemed to be pondering his response.
"When my work is done" he answered cryptically, though the words caused a chill to go down Peter's spine. What would that look like? When Osborn was dead? When the city was destroyed? Whatever he intended; Peter knew he couldn't allow that to happen.
But in the short term, he didn't want to leave his last living relative alone in the same building as Li. To pass the time as Li disappeared upstairs, Peter made himself busy helping his Aunt however he could. Entertaining her questions about him and MJ while keeping an eye on Li's office for any sign of the man.
Twenty minutes later he felt his brain hum as he snapped his head up to see Li bolt out of his office, phone pressed to his ear as he locked the door once more before storming towards the exit. Excusing himself, he began to follow the Demon from a distance right through the front doors of the FEAST shelter. His danger sense, which had remained silent, erupted just as he watched Li open the door to get into the back of his chauffeured car.
Before Parker could get a license plate, he turned to see one of the homeless men glowing an eerie and familiar black and white throw a punch that he easily dodged. "Wait! Wait!" he shouted in disbelief as he turned to face down even more luminescent attackers. He could hear Li's car pull away as he decided to shift his course of action.
Careful to hold back, he raised his left arm to block the next punch before he lashed out with a palm strike that caused the man's head to snap back before Peter began efficiently dispatching the others. Shoving one aside before planting a kick into the chest of another caused the glow to fade from his hooded head. Another came up from behind and tried to wrap Peter up as the fourth and final one came on the attack. If Peter were normal than it might have worked, but he simply jumped up and did a spin kick, taking down both with the single move. Whipping his head back around, Peter tried to find the black sedan, but to no avail.
Li was back in the wind.
"So I saw you had a run in with Silver Sablinova" said the Cat Burglar over the radio as the Pilot was only half focused on the conversation. "What's she like up close?" asked the thief.
"Intense" responded the Marauder as he stood and fired his Carbine, the arc rounds slamming into the pair of oncoming Demons and causing them to crumple to the floor before the Pilot ducked back into cover as rounds snapped past his head. The SRS Commando poked his head up to scan for the source of incoming fire. "She's good too" he drawled before he spotted the shooter and activated his Phase Shift to move to the next piece of cover. Once there, he heaved a gravity star towards the platform the Demon was stationed on. A two round burst put down the last opposition for the moment before the black hole collapsed. "Really good."
"Mmmhmm?" purred Hardy, though Cooper could imagine his lover licking her lips for some reason as he reloaded his rifle. "She's certainly easy on the eyes as well, I think I wouldn't mind meeting her myself, especially if I can get as close as you did." Matt shook his head, but didn't immediately respond, at the time his mind was in a different place than Felicia's was at the moment.
His response was cut off by sounds of more Demons, forcing the Marauder to grapple up and into the rafters, hoisting himself up onto the catwalk far above the floor of the warehouse. A door flew open on his left as the Pilot slung a pulse blade into the wall above the entrance as the first Demon made his way in. Eyes scanning as several Demons were lit up by the tactical, the Renegade gunfighter set down his rifle in favor of the Softball on his back. "Now that wouldn't be something I'd be opposed to watching" admitted the Marauder as he tried to push the thought aside and steady his aim.
The R-6P sounded its familiar 'thunk thunk thunk' as a trio of grenades landed amongst the gathered terrorists and exploded in their arc energized glory. Without hesitating, Cooper went back to his R-201 and jumped down to secure the area. "I'd want you to do more than watch Cowboy" purred Hardy seductively as Cooper kept his head on the swivel.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that either" he replied with a laugh as he continued his sweep, though it looked like there wasn't much opposition left. "But what about you? How does it feel to get back in the game?" he asked genuinely.
"Extraordinary"cooed Hardy happily, "it's good to see I still haven't lost my touch. No problems so far, and Spider has taken the bait, though he hasn't gotten close to catching me yet" she added. Matthew didn't like having to deceive his friend, but it was a necessity to mask the Black Cat's actual motive for the heists. "And the Dons haven't taken notice either, at least judging by the kind of security I'm seeing. I should have no problem with this job either."
That was a relief, with how the rest of the city was falling apart he wouldn't be able to help his lover with her scheme. This warehouse was the second he had taken down out of ten total properties. Like the first he found modest stockpiles of weapons and explosives, but no real intelligence. It seemed as if the warehouses were staging grounds for Demon 'cells' while the main group was headquartered elsewhere.
"Alright, don't mess with Sable's people though, they got itchy trigger fingers and if we can stay under the radar, we should" he cautioned coolly. "I may have been able to keep Yuri off your back, but Li will only keep this up for so long before we finally nail his ass."
Of course, he knew that something as trivial as the police wouldn't bother Felicia now that she was truly back in her element. The Black Cat was truly extraordinary at what she did, and in Matthew's eyes it was a testament to Peter Parker that he had been able to put a stop to her prior and that she felt he would play his part this time. The scheme he had agreed to wasn't one he would typically prefer, but he had been trying to pay back Hammerhead for nine months and had gotten nowhere, and that was even less preferable."Now there's an idea" whispered the vixen seductively, the proposition causing the Gunfighter to immediately send his mind to the gutter in record time. On the other end of the line, Felicia giggled happily at his silence before urging back to action, "Hurry up with Li so I can have all of your attention focused back on me Cowboy" purred the thief.
Cooper couldn't help but grin cockily behind his helmet as he made his egress up and out of the now clear Demon base. "You always make offers I can't refuse darlin'" drawled the Marauder as he took a breath to refocus, "after this is wrapped up I'll make time for the two of us" he promised before cutting the connection, totally unaware of what fate had in store for them.
Equally unaware was the silver haired Symkarian striding through one of the many checkpoints guarded by troops adorned in gear that bore her name. In the 48 hours since her arrival the situation in Manhattan had evolved very quickly. Attacks by the terrorist group had continued, but they had not engaged the Private Security Force in a prolonged fashion, preferring to use guerrilla tactics. In the six confirmed Demon attacks, all either took place off the beaten path or were two pronged, with one group performing a small attack to draw Sable forces away from their main target. The boldest action had been to perform a drive by on a Sable International Checkpoint once the majority of the troopers stationed there had been drawn away.
Even still, and entire squad had been taken out in the storm of automatic weapon fire, grenades, and RPGs that came at the position. Two dead and the remaining six in the hospital Sablinova had just come from with various levels of injury. Now, in the hope of preventing more of her men from suffering the same fate, the Mercenary was heading through a side entrance into City Hall on the way to meet her employer.
What she wanted was simple; the only person actually making any headway against the Demons was the Marauder. The Renegade Gunfighter had neutralized three Demon cells since her arrival and had nearly free reign to roam about the city, she wanted permission to give her people the same freedom as the vigilante. She met with the Mayor in his office, two of her troopers standing guard outside the door, after making her request, she was surprised at the swiftness of the response.
"No."
That was it, one single word that was so dismissive in tone that Silver flinched ever so slightly as she recovered. "And yet the Marauder has free reign to do as he pleases…and to great effect" she retorted; voice thick with contempt. "You are paying to bring my men here only to have them sit on their hands! If you want us to solve this problem, then we need the ability to be proactive."
Osborn looked down on her as if he was about to lecture a child before he spoke, still calm and unconcerned with her objections. "Ms. Sablinova; let me make myself perfectly clear, Sable International was never contracted to 'solve' the Demon problem. I have full confidence in the abilities of the Police, Spider-Man, and the Marauder to do that perfectly well on their own" he informed simply. Sable's brow furrowed and face tightened as the former CEO continued. "The purpose of Sable International's presence is to provide security for the citizens of New York and offer a sense of safety with their presence. I cannot allow another element free reign in my city."
After a brief flicker of confusion, Sablinova's face relaxed into a placid calm, despite the anger boiling up inside her. She and her troopers had been reduced to political tools for Osborn, a trinket for the ambitious man to parade around for his own benefit. It went against every fiber of her being to be used in this way…she had become a soldier to avoid this very circumstance.
Her mother, who Sable loved dearly, had been very traditional and had wanted to groom the princess into the model of elegant royalty. When she was a teenager she had rebelled somewhat and grown closer to her father, who trained her in his chosen profession. She didn't do it out of bloodthirstiness or a love for combat, but simply because she refused to be subservient to anybody and desired to stand on her own merits.
Instead of being arm candy for a high-class suitor or other member of European royalty she was the pawn for an ambitious business mogul in his political game. If she wasn't so preoccupied with other thoughts, she might have found that somewhat ironic. As it was, Sable dug in her heels and pressed Osborn further. "Yet you let the Marauder do as he pleases…why not allow my men to accompany him?"
"Absolutely not" answered Osborn flatly, a frown manifesting on his face as he only now turned back to the Symkarian. "I will say this only once; I am not pleased with the Marauder's actions. He is reckless and shortsighted, doing as he sees fit no matter the consequences" informed Osborn. Silver mulled those words over and realized what that meant; the Marauder wasn't under Osborn's thumb. "My 'agreement' with him is one I regret making."
The silver haired woman couldn't help but tilt her head inquisitively, "Then why did you do it?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her sound judgement. The Mayor didn't immediately answer, but he didn't order her to leave like she suspected he might. Instead he opened a drawer and produced a bottle of scotch and poured himself a glass before leaning back in his seat.
Only after taking a healthy sip from the glass did he begin to answer. "You're a very dangerous woman, would you agree?" he asked. Sable furrowed her brow before nodding, deciding to play along for the moment. "But you don't scare me. The Marauder however…does. As for why, that's simple" he said as he finished the scotch and grabbed a file folder from the open drawer and slid it across his desk.
It was a copy of a police report that was at least two inches thick, Sable flipped through it. The report detailed the events at a mansion not far from Manhattan and the unprecedented devastation that occurred there. Dozens of dead were found on the property from a variety of causes, mostly gunshots and shrapnel, but more disturbing was the complete lack of survivors. The report stated the combat that took place probably lasted less than twenty minutes, it was a swift and brutal engagement. One page had profiles of the two men responsible, one was Frank Castle, the Punisher, and the other was the Marauder.
"Two men?" she asked in disbelief, "you believe two could do all of this?"
The Mayor snorted faintly, "I know two men did all of that, but I believe that they really only needed one. One man and his Titan."
"Hey doctor" called Peter as he stepped into Octavius Industries, or what was left after the Mayor's people had ransacked the place. To his surprise, there were dozens of haphazardly stacked boxes all over the room. Octavius himself was busy unpacking one of the boxes, revealing some brand-new equipment.
The Doctor looked up from his work to the aspiring scientist. "Hello Peter. I'll be just a minute." In Parker's mind that was just fine, he was more than happy to simply take in the space. In the lab he found some of Otto's notes detailing the new construction of the artificial limbs. While he had been busy as Spider-Man, Octavius was busy inventing, trying to achieve something greater. And even as the city was falling apart around him, he was undeterred, still trying to make the world a better place, he was the kind of man Peter hoped he could be.
"Where did you get all of this equipment?" he asked out of curiosity. It had been less than two weeks since the laboratory had been stripped bare. To see that everything taken had been replaced and then some was mind blowing, nearly unbelievable.
"Called in every last favor" answered Otto, "took out a few loans. It's like we're starting over once again. But this time is going to be different" he assured with fierce confidence. Peter couldn't ever recall seeing the man be more determined than he seemed right now, and it caused the man's confidence to rub off on him.
Parker turned to see the prototype of the new arm he had put together, and just like Otto promised; it was definitely different. "You've been busy" commented the webhead as he examined the arm, impressed at what the man had put together in such a short time span.
"Just getting started" returned Octavius. "You know…until now we've been looking at prosthetics from the wrong perspective" commented the Doctor as Peter turned to him and cocked his head. "Why restore people to what they were…when we can make them better?" Peter didn't answer, knowing what 'better' sometimes meant, but nodded anyway. Otto took the younger man's silence as acceptance and continued, "Okay, I think that should do it…"
With that, the balding man reattached the back panel on the controller and approached the prosthetic as it hung lifelessly from its shoulder like mount, a ceramic coffee mug sitting on the table next to it. "You ready?" asked Otto as he gave a reassuring smile and flipped a switch on the controller. The result was immediate, the arm rising to life, fingers stretching in an almost lifelike fashion. With care, Otto worked the thumb sticks to bring the arm down towards the mug.
Only Peter noticed something was wrong, as he tried to make the finer adjustments at the end of the move, the arm began to tremble and shake. Thinking it might be a fault in the build, Peter turned to Otto only to see the man's hands shaking, causing the arm to falter. Octavius strained to steady his hands, but to no avail. "Everything okay?" asked Peter carefully.
Otto didn't answer, still focused on his task as the arm gripped around the mug and lifted it off the table, still shaking with greater intensity. Finally, the grip faltered and the cup fell to the floor, shattering as Peter winced. "DAMNIT!" cursed Octavius loudly, "This is all your fault Norman, you son of a BITCH!" roared the man as he threw the controller.
Otto looked like a much older man as he leaned against the table, breathing heavily after his outburst. "Well, I know who you're NOT voting for in the next election" Parker joked somewhat unwisely, judging by the withering glare Otto sent his way. "Sorry, I have a habit of making bad jokes in, uh, tense situations" he defended lamely.
To his relief, Octavius turned back and chuckled lightly, "It was a good joke Parker" he allayed gently. "Just a bit of an overreaction on my part." Even still, the man looked worn out and haggard, stress was clearly getting to him and Peter couldn't blame him.
"No…don't worry" managed Peter as he thought of what to do. "Why don't you take a break. I'll clean this up and get us ready for another test" he suggested. Otto didn't argue, silently nodding in agreement as he turned away, rubbing his hands gingerly while Parker knelt down and set to work. "So uh…hope you don't mind me asking…but it seems like you and Norman have a bit of a history…" began Peter tentatively, knowing full well he was treading on dangerous ground.
"We were lab partners in College" began Otto, "became friends, decided to start a business. We both had visions of changing the world – just in different ways." Peter nodded, knowing what that was like, him and Cooper working together to achieve the same thing with their own very different and often conflicting methods.
Only then did the gravity of what his mentor was saying click in the wallcrawler's mind. "Wait…you were at Oscorp when it started?" he asked in shock as he got to his feet.
"I'm half the reason it's called Oscorp" revealed Otto with a shrug. "In grad school everyone called us 'the O's'" he explained. Sitting down and letting out a sigh, he continued the story. "Add 'corp' to that and, well…It is a catchy name" he admitted. He seemed to smile at the fond memories as he recalled the early days of the now multibillion-dollar corporation.
"Well why'd you leave?" asked Peter, wondering what the man could accomplish with the might and resources of the organization at his disposal.
Otto let out a sad sigh. "Norman became more and more obsessed with genetics" revealed Octavius as Parker grimaced, don't I know that he mused dryly. "He started a project I considered unethical, and there was this…" he began before stopping himself suddenly and shaking off the memory before resuming. "Anyway, lawyers got involved. I chose to leave in exchange for a settlement" he revealed sadly. "But that money didn't last long, I've relied on grants ever since. If this project doesn't work…"
"Don't worry" said Peter suddenly, cutting off the Doctor. "It'll work" he assured. "Let me just fix this up…"
Otto nodded as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'll brew some fresh coffee" he said as he left Peter to it. After rewiring the shorted-out controller, Peter returned to Otto and offered him the remote. "Oh, why don't you do the honors this time" suggested Octavius with a weak smile as he grabbed his forearm to give it a gentle massage before placing a new mug down on the table while holding a second in hand.
Slowly getting a feel for the controls and finding them surprisingly intuitive, Peter brought the arm down to get a grip on the teal mug. A smile slowly manifested on his face as the mug came up, suspended by the grip of the artificial limb. "I think we did it" he declared happily as he turned to see a similarly smiling Otto.
"Next step: neural interface" replied Octavius, the genuine optimism back in full force.
"That's a lot of work for you to do all by yourself" pointed out Peter. "Sure you can handle it?"
Otto shrugged, "Apparently not, judging by today's debacle" he answered dryly.
"Because I still haven't found another job…"
"My funds are still…"
"I know" said Peter decisively, "It's okay, don't worry, I'll figure it out" he assured. "What's a few bucks when you're trying to change the world, right?" he said with a beaming grin on his face.
Otto returned the expression and raised his mug, "To changing the world." With that, Peter guided the arm down and clinked the two mugs together, both men sharing a laugh at the gesture. The next few hours went by in a blur as they fell back into a familiar rhythm. Though Peter noticed a new development, a certain green and yellow striped helmet was back out, some of the outer casing carefully removed to reveal the inner workings beneath.
The Pilot's helmet was truly decades if not centuries ahead of anything else and it was a blessing to have it available to them. Offering a neural link, HUD, filtration system, communications, and armor protection among other features, every aspect of it was fascinating to the two inventors. And now the most incredible aspect of the helmet was being examined again, the neural link.
Indeed, Peter didn't notice how much time had elapsed until his stomach suddenly rumbled and looked sheepishly at Otto before pulling out his phone and checking the time, only to have a missed call notification with MJs number stare back up at him. "Doctor, I need to go, but I'll be back" he promised.
Otto smiled knowingly, "Don't worry, the work will still be here when you get back" he assured. On his way out he noticed a few things that had escaped notice earlier, samples of armor plating, at least that's what his eye told him, a diagram depicting a hypodermic delivery system, and schematics of the RAFT. Shaking off the sights, he knew full well that Otto was expanding to new avenues to finance this venture, he just hoped the man wasn't doing something that would compromise who he was.
Mary Jane Watson grimaced as she checked herself in the mirror before going back to her laptop to look at the newsfeeds and emails and then double checking that she had everything Peter needed for whatever he was making. While she wasn't keen on taking a chance there wouldn't be a repeat of the dumpling incident, she was already taking a risk by inviting him over for dinner, why not go all the way and let him cook too? Despite everything they had been through, nobody really caused the same twisting in the redhead's gut and heat in her face. If this time didn't work out, then she sure as hell wasn't going to be the reason for it.
She was still pacing with a mix of anticipation, anxiety and ambient adrenaline when there was a knock on the door. Opening it in a rush, MJ was greeted by a Peter forcing himself to look relaxed, "Peter, you're not going to believe this" began the reporter without preamble before she pulled a surprised Peter into her apartment and slamming the door shut behind him despite his bewilderment. "So you know that address you gave me?" she began as she saw the look start to form on his face even before the next words were out of her mouth. "I went there."
His shoulders slumped and the surprise was replaced with sheer disappointment that was so strong it almost affected her. "MJ…" he began, but there was no way he was going to guilt her so quickly.
"I know I know" she allayed instantly, though it wasn't the most effective if the deadpan look on Peter's face was anything to go by. "But wait" she said as she grabbed a coin like object from her laptop and pressed it into his hand, beaming the whole time.
"What's this?" he asked as he examined the device with a curious and experienced eye.
"Just listen –"
A few hours prior…
Part of Mary Jane wondered why some people, meaning Cooper and Hardy, enjoyed getting themselves into these kinds of situations. She arrived at this 'Pale Horse Ridez' and found the establishment had about as much class as she guessed given the name, meaning next to nil. Tools, materials, and equipment cluttered the massive and dimly lit garage, of more concern were the men, all having a weapon either in an open holster or simply tucked into a waistband.
Part of her said she should have taken Cooper up on his offer to teach her how to shoot, but her more cynical side said that it wouldn't have mattered with the number of thugs there were.
Exhibit A was the walking stereotype with his back turned to her about five yards away who left the door open after he came back inside from smoking his joint. The good thing about this particular stereotype was that he was as dumb as a box of wrenches and, even with 'medicinal' assistance, was still jumpy at the sound of a falling one.
Proving that there was a God, a box of wrenches fell off a shelf, causing the stereotype to fumble the gun from his waistband and walk towards the sound. "What dumbass can't put their shit away?" he asked rhetorically.
Taking the opportunity, Watson crouched down and made her way to a workbench before 'encouraging' another box to fall, causing the biker to turn and give her an opening to cross the gap. Her best shot of finding anything useful would be in what looked like an office, so that's where she headed. "Woah" she whispered under her breath as she took in what was being worked on. The chassis of the massive vehicle was being fitted with tires as tall as she was when standing up. Hearing the men working on it talk about something called 'Grave Dust' got her attention as she crept along the frame's length.
Making her way around the vehicle and back towards her ultimate destination, the reporter continued to dodge bikers, getting a close call or two that forced her to hide in shadows and hold her breath as gunmen looked around. Slipping past them, MJ soon found crates of what looked like military crates and took a quick peek inside, finding bubble wrap covered metal plate. The label on the boxes read 'Chobham'.
Making her way carefully and quietly through the next area, she soon noticed there were figures in the office she examined the yellow 'Alchamex' labeled barrels. "What's in these?" she wondered quietly before there was a…complication.
"Boss, come on" said a man desperately, his voice echoing through the open office door and into the shop proper. "Li'll never notice…" he argued until he was cut off by the sound of flesh slamming into flesh so hard that the man went flying through the glass window and skidding across the glass covered floor, a handgun flying from his belt.
A massive hulking figure silhouetted himself in the doorway, pale skin giving a ghastly appearance as he turned to the down man and made his way over slowly before addressing him in gravelly tones. "You're right Rick" said the figure as he walked into the light and Rick crawled away in excruciating pain. "He won't notice" began Tombstone as he grabbed the down man by his neck and hoisted him up, "Because it won't be there" growled the crime boss before slamming the man back into the concrete.
The wounded man reached out and wrapped his hand around the grip of the gun, "God damnit" he shouted as he turned onto his back and raised the weapon, "I said I'll fix it" he insisted as one of the massive pale paws grabbed the gun and the hand, squeezing down hard enough to draw a cry of pain as the muzzle was pressed to the grey forehead.
"You got some stones Rick…let's see if they break" taunted Tombstone with an eerie chuckle. The tension only increased; MJ's eyes locked onto the confrontation despite all sense telling her to get out of sight. She was shocked and let out a small yelp that was thankfully masked by the sound that caused it as the gunshot echoed throughout the shop. Even more shocking was the sound of the bullet landing on the floor and bouncing harmlessly. "Such a disappointment" said Tombstone heartlessly before ripping the gun away and slamming it down on the biker, caving the side of the man's skull in with a single stroke. As if that wasn't enough; the man then pressed his boot down on and broke the shooters neck before discarding the gun. "And now I need to find a new welder" he grumbled before trudging off.
Two other men grabbed the body and dragged it away as MJ snuck behind them and into the office. Once inside she found blueprints for a supersized version of the vehicle the Kingpin's men had stuffed her in the previous year. An APC, or was an MRAP? She wasn't sure, but Cooper would know for sure and she snapped a picture to send to the Marauder while wondering what Li needed such a vehicle for. Moving over to the desk and tacky purple chair, MJ then found what she recognized as GPS trackers, complete with blinking red lights. "What does he need these for?" she mused.
"Alright boys" said the voice that could only have been achieved by lining a throat with sandpaper, "Time to move! Let's get the gear from my office." With that, MJ decided that discretion was the better part of valor, pocketing the tracker she had in hand and making her escape out the back door.
Peter blinked a few times to process the story that MJ had told him as he stood over the simmering pan of chicken curry. Tombstone building an armored vehicle for Li with Chobham, which turned out to be state of the art tank armor, was bad news. MJ had talked with Cooper and the Pilot believed that nothing Sable had would be able to stop that thing, insisting the only things that had a chance would be anti-tank weapons that only he had. Even with that, he had to take this one thing at a time. "Okay" he began, doing his best to not sound condescending, "I want to say 'don't ever do that again' but since I know you're going to anyway…" he said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small nylon bag. "Here" he called as he tossed the bag to MJ, "take a few of those next time" he asked, following Cooper's advice to help MJ and do what he could to make sure she came back from her…excursions.
"Nice" answered the redhead genuinely and she pulled out one of the bag's contents and examined it. The gadgets were simple audio-visual emitters in a dense and handy package that functioned as effective decoys, but Peter found he didn't need the help with infiltration considering he could use a burst of webbing to achieve the same thing. MJ would, at the very least, ensure the time and resources he invested weren't wasted.
And considering who they were up against, she needed all the help she could get, even if he didn't voice this thought. "You do know that Tombstone's crazy and pretty much invincible…right?"
"Everybody has their weakness" replied MJ dismissively, causing Peter to wonder if enabling her was really the best idea. That sort of thinking could get her hurt, or worse, which Parker did not want to consider. "Mine is…whatever it is you're cooking right now – smells amazing" she complimented as she turned to face him, flashing that brilliant smile of hers that he sheepishly tried to match.
"Chicken Curry…just needs some time to simmer" he replied as he silently thanked his Aunt May for the last minute recipe and made a mental note of it as he gave the dish one last stir before letting it sit.
"No dumplings I hope" deadpanned the redhead, completely straight-faced as the horrific memories of the now infamous dinner came rushing back to Peter's mind.
Despite that, he couldn't force himself to be angry, not at her. "You're never going to let me live that down" he observed morosely as he emerged from the small kitchen.
"Nope" replied MJ, popping the 'p' as she shook her head with a cheeky grin and gleam in her eye.
"The Great Dumpling Catastrophe" he replied with air quotes, shaking his own head at the memory as he sat down next to the reporter, pleasantly surprised that she didn't move away as he hung his head in faux shame.
MJ was clearly taking delight at his expense, which Peter did little to discourage, it made him happy to just see her happy. "I still can't believe they evacuated the entire building."
"I know, and in January too" remembered the webslinger as he sipped his drink and thought about how far back that was. MJ and him dating, Cooper was in a different dimension, Kingpin was still running his empire, Li wasn't a domestic terrorist wanted dead or alive, and there wasn't an eastern European mercenary outfit occupying the city. "Your neighbors hated me."
MJ nodded in agreement, still smiling at the memory. "Yeah, they were pretty happy when we broke up." With that, the conversation sputtered for a minute before MJ seemed to focus on business and Peter did his best to do the same. "Let's talk about what you found in Li's office."
As much as he enjoyed the moment, Peter knew he shouldn't press his luck and picked up the file he had brought with him off of the table. "Li clearly has issues with Norman Osborn" he said as he opened the Devil's Breath file and looked through the contents again.
"Yeah but…" began MJ as she tapped away at her laptop, "but why?"
Peter shook his head, "I don't know yet" he admitted. "But his next move looks like it involves Devil's Breath, whatever that is" he added. Though Cooper had confronted Osborn about it all he got was that it was something dangerous. The Texan had been adamant nonetheless, Li had to be denied the mystery substance at all costs. Coming from him that meant something considering the Pilot didn't exactly scare easily.
"Yeah…I'll dig into it" promised the reporter as she went back to her laptop. Though Peter didn't need a sixth sense to guess that there was more on the redhead's mind than she was letting on. Instead of pressing, he simply waited, knowing she was bold enough to just come out and say what she wanted to. "So, I was thinking…" she began suddenly, putting the wallcrawler on full alert. "What if we teamed up?"
Peter could feel his brain short out before he quickly gathered his bearings and stuttered out his answer. "Yo…you want to be…my sidekick? Like, uh…Spider-Girl?" he said before he saw MJ roll her eyes and look away as he quickly attempted to correct what he thought he flubbed."Spider-Woman. Woman" he emphasized.
"No, no" she replied dismissively as she 'hmphed' before recomposing herself. "No not a sidekick…a partner" she explained, completely serious.
That assertion took Peter a moment to process as he sat and stared dumbly at the redhead. Say something Parker he mentally scolded himself as his mind managed to mutter "Oh…" as he continued to simply stare, mouth slightly agape. He could see Mary Jane expecting an answer and he knew he would have to give one until the curry sitting on the stove hissed angrily and both of them turned to see steam billowing out of the pan. "Not again!"
Running off to try and salvage dinner, Peter missed the fact that his phone had begun to buzz as he worked furiously in the kitchen. Mary Jane picked up at his phone and saw why it was vibrating before tapping the screen. "Hey Matt, what's up?"
The immediate response was the echoing howl of a twin turbo V-8, giving away where the Texan was, and by the sound of it, he was going somewhere in a hurry. "Hey Watson, hope I'm not interrupting anything" he drawled with a tinge of humor. "Is Peter there? I need to talk to him."
"I'm here" replied Peter from the kitchen as MJ put the call on speaker and allowed Peter to talk as he finished turning the stove off. "You're not interrupting anything, me and MJ were just discussing Devil's Breath" he semi lied. "Is something happening?"
There was a screech of strained tires before a pop of exhaust and the hypercar roared back with full force. "System just pinged, there's a residential break in. The address is for one Charles Standish" revealed the Renegade Gunfighter.
"Sounds familiar…" said MJ as she began working away at her laptop before she got a quick result. "Oh" she said in realization, "Oscorp's CFO." Even before those words were out of her mouth, Peter was already shedding his shirt to reveal his so called 'Advanced Suit' underneath.
"Wait, it gets better" said Cooper in the kind of way that said to Peter the opposite was likely true. "Sable's got a whole platoon protecting this guy, split into four fireteams that are all stationed within a three-block radius" he explained before pausing to let it sink in. "As we speak, all four are heavily engaged with the Demons and could be overrun. Whatever is happening in that penthouse, nobody else can do a thing about it. Li's committing a lot of manpower to this, he values whatever they're trying to do, which means I do too. So get your ass in gear and get over here"ordered the Marauder with finality before the line clicked and went dead, the implication obvious.
MJ was still going through the man's background information on her laptop when she noticed Peter hadn't answered. "What do you think they're after Peter?" she asked as the apartment remained silent. "Peter?" she asked as she looked up to see Peter trying to make a quick exit out the open window. "Did…did you just leave your clothes on the kitchen floor?"
The webslinger stopped dead in his tracks, eye lenses wide as he looked at MJ, then the kitchen, and finally back at MJ. "Uh…." He said as he began to retrace his steps without bothering to turn around. Quickly returning into the living area with his neatly folded clothes in his hands, Peter awkwardly asked, "Where do you want me to, uh…"
"Just…the couch is fine" answered MJ, clearly having thrown her mental hands in the air at the whole debacle, giggling a bit as he set his clothes down.
"See you later?" he asked hopefully.
The redhead gave him that smile again, "Yeah" she answered as Peter smiled dumbly behind his mask before he remembered she couldn't see him. Mustering his remaining dignity, he turned and planted his foot on the windowsill and threw himself out into the chill of the night air.
He only got a block away before he was calling MJ, immensely relieved that the reporter picked up after two rings. "Hey, it's me" he greeted as he continued to swing towards the waypoint Cooper had sent him.
MJ hummed happily, "This curry is legit" complimented the redhead with her mouth obviously still full of the chicken dish.
Peter swelled with a bit of pride and made doubly sure to not forget that recipe as he quickly refocused on the task at hand. "So what do we know about Charles Standish?"
MJ was quick to answer, Peter quickly remembering how convenient it was having her able to keep him up to date on what was going on while he was being Spider-Man. "Let's see…Chief Financial Officer of Oscorp. Single. Known for his art collection. And if he owns the penthouse in that building, he must be super rich" she stated. It Peter's mind that made him sound like a typical rich pompous ass that was always an absolute…joy…to deal with.
Though the description did lead Peter to wonder about one thing. "If Li's after him, it's got to be related to Devil's Breath" he mused, though he wasn't sure what the exact relation was. As he got closer, he could hear the sounds of distant gunfire. He wanted to help but knew that Cooper was right, they both needed to keep their eyes on the prize, especially if Devil's Breath was involved.
"I'll run a search on everything in that file" she assured.
"Let me know the second you find something" he said as he swung closer to the elegant high rise, windows full of light. "I think Li might be planning something even worse than City Hall" he added grimly. That day was still a black mark that he couldn't forget anytime soon, it was something he had never seen before and would do everything in his power to prevent another attack.
But those thoughts were quickly replaced by a whole other set as MJ made a rather abrupt subject change. "So, are we partners now?" she asked hopefully. "Cuz it sure feels like we are" she added, layering the charm on thick. For better or worse, Peter couldn't say he was in anyway immune to her considerable charisma.
"Partners" he parroted before deciding to bite the bullet, "sounds good." Once the words were out of his mouth, he was surprised with how right it felt to say. Maybe Matthew had a point when he recommended to let MJ closer to his masked persona. Embracing the fact that Watson was taking a more active part in crime fighting.
"Okay. See ya…partner."
Cooper's Logbook – Titan Loadout: Brute
Some titans specialize in ranged precision, close range hit and run, or even jack of all tradesversatility, but the Brute only does one thing well: Blow shit up. The primary weapon is a titan sized M202, which is a quad barreled rocket launcher, each barrel holding four rockets. With 16 rockets on tap, they can be unleashed either in one continuous stream or four rocket salvos. Either way the result is the same unparalleled devastation. If you need a more precise explosion delivery system, then the same MTMS from the Expedition loadout is also available to put precision guided ordinance on target.
If all that isn't enough, then there's the ability to unleash every rocket on tap in one massive burst in pure death from above, saturating a massive area with high explosives is a sure-fire way to get rid of whatever ails you.
To sweeten the deal, you can always use the Vortex Shield to turn the enemy's own firepower against them.
This loadout is perhaps the most common on the Frontier, with something like 35% of all IMC titans being NorthStar pattern chassis with this loadout bolted on to it. They are cheap and plentiful, being easy to produce and economic to operate. When there are no titans to challenge it, the Brute can truly be a force. All of that firepowercan make mincemeat of infantry, light vehicles, and even heavy armor, never mind any sort of fortifications. Against serious opposition, either by virtue of good coordination and tactics or, god forbid, an enemy titan, the Brute is often totally outclassed.
However, the beauty of the Vanguard Class Titan is that I can have all of the firepower of the Brute loadout without any of the downsides of the chassis. While the NorthStar or Ronin may thrive with the added agility, the Brute does not need it and is much more suited to the tougher Vanguard. BT can weather a storm, and when it comes to a straight up slugfest, not much can dish out more punishment more quickly.
Some achieve victory with cunning, or skill, or precision. But with this I achieve victory through superior firepower.
Closing Notes: Yes, I did end it there because this chapter was getting kind of long, the next one picks up immediately after this one ends so look forward to that next week. If you have any comments or critques about this chapter, that review button is down there for a reason. I hope I'm getting the Peter and MJ stuff right as well as the additional bits with Silver Sable and Norman Osborn, two interesting characters who didn't get a whole lot of screen time in game sadly. This isn't me trying to 'fix' the game, I believe they said they had more planned but it was cut for a variety of reasons, and I need stuff for pacing.
Also, I'm currently working on expanding and improving the earlier chapters, so expect those to start being uploaded in the coming week as well. This might cause the main chapters to be delayed but I will do my best to ensure that doesn't happen, at least for the time being.
But no matter how I try, I find my way to do the same old jam, Good Times, Bad Times.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.