Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Big thanks to ravens18 for once again betaing this chapter.
DoctorWhoXX: Thanks for the suggestion and chatting about potential ways to handle the fights down the line. As I said, BT is a pain in the ass to write around from a power level perspective. If you or anybody else has ideas about that (or anything else really) I am more than willing to listen and discuss (shameless plug to encourage reviews goes here).
Straight off the bat, I want to say that I will probably be slowing down updates to every other week, at least for this month. Meaning the next chapter after this will be the 19th and then after that on March 4th. Once there I will reevaluate the upload schedule, depending on how much work I have gotten done on subsequent chapters at that point. The issue being that I'm currently writing an original arc and those simply take much more time to plan out and actually write, in addition to a few additions to earlier chapters I've put off for long enough, and just making sure everything is good.
Still, this chapter is a pretty good one, we get one of the few Side Missions I'm including, simply because I like the main antagonist. I also get to do a lot of buddy cop stuff, which was one of things I set out to do when I started writing this story as to replicate Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, or Rush Hour, but with superheroes. I think it came out pretty well, let me know what y'all think.
And we got a Queen track as a title here, this song actually topped the US charts when it came out in 1980. As an AC/DC fan the fact that this song hit number one when neither Back in Black nor Hells Bells did tilts me way more than it should. Even then, I can't deny that this is a catchy tune that came off the album 'The Game.' Interestingly, it was almost used in Rocky III in place of 'Eye of the Tiger' which is bizarre to think about. This song also gave birth to another legend: Weird Al Yankovic, his parody of it was what he played on his first TV appearance. In a very strange coincidence, this song had a very famous fan who helped the band with it, when you reach the closing notes you'll probably be able to guess the coincidence and who said fan was.
Power Without Question - Chapter 35: Another One Bites the Dust
You took me for everything that I had
And kicked me out on my own
Are you happy, are you satisfied?
How long can you stand the heat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust
Peter strolled into Octavius' Lab after a lengthy patrol and short rest. Despite his best efforts to be there early to catch MJ when she dropped off the tracker, he found a small cardboard box on his workstation. Opening it, he was greeted by a note card that read Make sure to thank me later Tiger which he smiled at reflexively before pulling out the coin like tracker and examining it.
It was an impressive piece of technology, especially by the standards of the mutated biker. Not that it was enough to give Peter more than a few moments of pause before he had the frequency the device was working on and made a call. "Hey Pete, you're up early" teased the Texan in his trademark drawl as Parker looked down at the time on his phone and saw it was nearly 11:00.
"Yeah well, there's a first time for everything" he joked back sarcastically, getting a chuckle at the comment as Peter rolled the transmitter between his fingers at speeds only his superhuman dexterity could permit. "MJ got a hold of some kind of tracker that Tombstone's using. I was hoping you could scan the frequency for me."
There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line before Peter thought he heard the sound of a door close. "The Jack of Clubs huh?" Matt muttered quietly; Peter unsure if he was meant to hear the designation for the crime boss. "Okay, give me a sec to get BT in on the call" said the Pilot much more clearly, though the Marauder was clearly now talking on speaker. The sounds of zippers and straps being done up gave some clue as to what was happening.
Soon there was a crackle of static before the warbling mechanical monotone of the Titan came over the line. "BT-7274 reporting as ordered" rattled off the machine, "do you require assistance Pilot?"
"Send me our profile on Tombstone and help out Parker" ordered the Marauder calmly, Peter able to hear that the Texan had flipped the switch and begun slipping into his alter-ego. A ping was heard a moment later as the requested intel appeared on Cooper's phone, "Thanks buddy."
Of course, the Pilot had profiles on everyone, always preferring to stack the deck in his favor.
Peter momentarily wondered if he had a profile somewhere in the Marauder's system before realizing that he probably did. "Hey BT, I was wondering if you could scan a frequency for me…" asked Peter cautiously.
"That is well within my capabilities Peter Parker" answered the Vanguard class Titan flatly, as if the answer should have been obvious. The scientist rattled off the frequency and waited for the Machine to get back to him, though it didn't take nearly as long as he expected. "There is traffic on this frequency. Location pings at regular intervals" he reported before a message with GPS coordinates appeared on his phone. "This is the last ping…be advised, the location is changing at speeds consistent with a motor vehicle" reported the Machine.
Peter was already on his way out of the lab about to complain lightly at the complication when the Texan beat him to the reply. "Sounds like fun."
Truth be told, Cooper was relieved to get the call from Peter to ask for help taking another card off of the table. Not that he didn't want to spend time with Felicia, but planning an infiltration into a highly secure skyscraper where raising an alarm was not an option? That was something that really only appealed to one of them.
While suiting up he had gone over what he had on Lonnie Lincoln, better known as 'Tombstone.' He was a piece of work, while thankfully not as ambitious or purely viscous as some of the kings and queens in the deck, the drug trafficker was superhumanly tough. Bullets, knives, and blunt force did nothing to even slow him down. Mix in strength that outmatched his own and a moderate proficiency with weapons and in hand to hand combat resulted in an opponent that Cooper made sure to not underestimate.
As for what he was up to, that Cooper was not able to say with any certainty. Tombstone had a reputation for being willing to do anything. He had been hired muscle for Kingpin at one point before striking out on his own. Once doing that his own group had run protection rackets, fencing operations, drug production and distribution, and now a chop shop. Every new venture he attacked with brute force and immense tenacity, making up for his lack of strategic foresight.
Soon Cooper was in proximity to the latest tracker ping and jammed the pick of his axe into the brick of a building as he scanned the streets below, soon spotting and waving to the red clad wallcrawler on the building opposite. Nothing stood out to the Marauder before the next ping a few moments later sent the pair moving on in pursuit. After fifteen minutes of tedium as the pair searched for the vehicle that all the areas had in common. "There!" barked Peter over the radio comms both had installed in their respective head coverings before the webslinger shot off.
The Marauder fired his grapple as he slingshot himself around the corner before disconnecting the line and firing his jump kit to propel himself to the far building and popping his STIM to catch up to the webswinging Peter. With a swift motion, Spider-Man fired a webline down and pulled himself to a moving truck and stuck fast to the roof. Safe in the knowledge that his friend was covering him, Spider-Man crawled along the roof until he reached the cab and anchored himself to it with a webline. Jumping off he pulled himself back to the passenger side window and shot through, back straight as an arrow and feet out in front. Punching the passenger with his left hand as he shot past before kicking the driver so hard the impact into the door knocked the panel off its hinges and sent the man flying out of the truck.
In a display that always amazed the SRS Renegade, a blast of webbing slammed the driver into a building wall and pinned him as Spider-Man swung himself around to the front of the truck and put his superhuman strength on display. Sticking his hands to the grill and feet to concrete, Matt's friend roared as sheer will slowed the truck down until the old manual vehicle stalled out and came to a halt. Still shaking his head at the sight, even if he had seen the same feat accomplished before, Cooper's grip tightened on his weapon, reminded of why he needed the Hemlock.
An opportunity to put the burst fire battle rifle to use soon presented itself as two sedans ground to a halt and armed men in biker gang garb emerged. Spider-Man didn't notice them immediately, still recovering from stopping the vehicle as Cooper slammed down onto the top of the cargo area and dropped an A-Wall before shouldering the BF-R. "Holy shit! It's the…" began one biker before the Hemlock barked out the Pilot's reply.
The three others that emerged alongside the talkative one soon got the same treatment, the sound of staccato bursts echoing off the surrounding buildings as the Marauder laid into his foes. Another group returned fire, their pistol and shotgun rounds impacting the wall of orange light harmlessly, merely sending ripples across the shimmering surface. "Careful" called a chipper voice as a webline ripped the scattergun from one biker, "You could hurt someone with those things!" Spider-Man threw himself into the group of thugs before effortlessly dodging fists and knives before lashing out with kicks and punches of his own.
With his rifle half empty and A-Wall faded, Cooper turned his eyes and attention to a trio of Bikers coming in atop their custom choppers, sawed off shotguns in hand. "You wanna go?" snarled Cooper to himself as he brought his own Mastiff laser shotgun to bear and jumped down before charging forwards. Slide hopping to build up momentum as the distance lessened and the closure rate passed 30 miles per hour.
The sight of a muzzle flash startled Cooper as lead slammed into concrete well past him, the weapon still out of effective range as Cooper slid over the pavement. Leering evilly, the wielder got a nasty surprise when he found that the Marauder's energy scattergun had no such failing. A flat line of brilliant blue laser beams slammed into his stomach, bending him over the bike's handlebars and causing the bike to veer out of control.
Leaping up, jump kit flaring with blue flame, the bizarre muzzle of the M1901 swinging around to the next target. Firing again, the Biker saw the slow-moving shock shot coming at him and veered to the side as Cooper reacted, firing his grappling hook at a mailbox. The helmet concealed the wicked grin on his features as the line clotheslined the biker, the impact killing the Pilot's momentum as the now rider less bike fell on its side in a shower of sparks.
With a squeal of brakes and tires, the final bike turned around and gunned its engine before it bore down on the Marauder. The murderous sneer on his face betraying his intentions as the Pilot held his ground. Not thinking why the Gunfighter was stationary with his weapon pressed tightly into his shoulder as the distance closed, the Biker's face turned from a sneer to total shock as he went through his target without the least bit of resistance.
Breaking again before circling back around, the man was shocked to find himself looking at two green armored figures, one with his back to him while the other was facing him with pistol drawn. Before he could react a smart 9mm round buried itself in the bike's front tire, the sudden pressure change forced the rider to struggle at the controls while the bike wobbled perilously. As he fought to stay on top of his motorcycle, the gang member failed to notice the flying knee that was coming right at him.
Even with his knee pad, fatigues, and under suit, Cooper could still feel the man's nose get crushed from the impact as the attached head snapped back. If the bike had been going any faster, the impact would have been lethal, either by broken neck or pieces of skull sent into the brain it was supposed to protect. As it was, the man who the Marauder now held by the shirt collar as they descended back to earth and came to a stop was still breathing. "Clear" called out the Marauder as he dropped the man and reloaded his weapons.
"One Biker Gang down" confirmed Spider-Man as he ejected the spent web cartridges and fresh ones were automatically cycled into the chambers, "Let's see what's in that truck." The pair returned to the stopped cargo vehicle and Cooper aimed his Hemlock at the door, covering it as Spider-Man threw it open. "Hmmm…chemical containers" observed the webslinger as he pulled himself up into the truck and examined the yellow barrels. "But they're scrubbed clean" amended the vigilante as he backflipped out of the truck. "Looks like they came from the Alchamex plant in Harlem…but what was in them?"
The question hung in the air as the two men exchanged furtive glances before heading towards the chemical plant. Cooper's mind wondered what Tombstone was up to as the duo worked their way towards Harlem. It was obvious enough that the trackers were placed on the trucks and then the trucks stolen for whatever they contained. After that it was a total crapshoot. Tombstone could be the middleman for another party, possibly Li, tasked with supplying the chemicals. Or they could serve some purpose to the bulletproof gang leader on their own. Shaking his head, the Marauder removed such thoughts from his mind, there was only one way to know for sure.
Peter perched himself on a pipe extending from the roof of a small corner building overlooking the courtyard of the Alchamex facility as the Marauder went prone, just peeking the top of his head over the rooftop. "Hmm…good timing. Tombstone's men are loading fresh supplies" commented the Queens native at the sight below. "What for though? Is he getting back into drugs?"
"Maybe" answered the Texan next to him, though he didn't seem any less sure. "Could be selling them…Li could use them to cook up explosives or incendiaries" suggested Cooper. The thought sent a chill down the webhead's spine; he had asked why such a weapon unnerved the Pilot once. In response the Gunfighter had simply gotten a book from his office and shown Peter a photo of Dresden after it had been firebombed. The prospect of New York seeing a similar fate was enough to keep him determined to never let it happen. "They're heavily armed" observed the Pilot as he readied his rifle, "but in terrible fucking position. Let's show them" finished the Marauder as he flicked the safety off.
Peter nodded and silently shot across the gap to the main facility with the aid of his synthetic silk before using the same material to pluck a biker on his lonesome as he smoked a cigarette from the ground. Spinning the gang member up before suspending him from the building as he struggled against the material to no avail. Across the way, the Marauder dropped down a bit less gracefully, causing a Biker to investigate. Using his cloak, the SRS Pilot got the drop on his mark and wrapped an arm around the man's throat and clamped a gloved hand over his mouth and nose and squeezed until he stopped struggling.
Though Tombstone's men were not professionals, the lack of patrols or sentries was testament to that, that also meant the pair couldn't thin the heard that much. "Looks like we're going to have to go at them" said Peter sadly as he readied a web grenade and looked down to find Cooper getting ready as well, shotgun and electric smoke grenade in his right and left hands respectively.
"Shame" deadpanned the Marauder dryly as he stepped out of cover and heaved the cylinder, the group of thugs turning to the green armored Pilot as the grenade clattered to the ground right in the middle of the group. With a pop, the obscurant threw up a wall of white smoke that crackled menacingly as the two caught inside writhed in pain before a pair of Mastiff shots put them flat on their backs. That was a mercy as the others didn't care who they hit as a deafening barrage of gunfire ripped into the smoke.
Unlike trained fighters, the biker's fell into the natural tendency to clump up as the smoke cleared to reveal the Marauder had vanished. When the guns fell silent, more than a few found themselves without bullets at the ready as the last pieces of brass hit the ground, and only then did Spider-Man make his move. "Heads up!" he quipped, leaping up from the rooftop, he flipped gracefully over their heads, releasing the web bomb at the apex before he too fell to the ground.
With evil sneers, the bikers raised their guns at the webhead who remained motionless, smirking behind his mask as the gadget detonated. The bikers struggled as their arms were pinned to their sides, some were slammed into cars or forklifts from the force of the device. Those that were lucky enough to not be completely immobilized were seen to by either Spidey or the Marauder, who had just phased back into reality. "Tombstone's men are down…time to find out what's in those barrels."
The Marauder's blue visor looked over the still struggling bikers as he reloaded his scattergun. "Time for you to remind me how much smarter you are Spidey?" drawled the SRS Renegade as he walked up, "should I get my notebook out for another science lesson?" Peter snorted in response as the two walked up to the truck and yellow barrels alongside.
"Nah, wouldn't want to hurt my hand punching the information into that thick skull of yours" quipped the Wallcrawler as he crouched down to examine the labels before turning back to look up at the Marauder. "That is how you learn, right?" teased Parker as the Texan chuckled audibly but offered no response, allowing Peter to focus on the task at hand. Spider-Man's white eye lenses narrowed as he read the label off for his partner's benefit. "Diox-3…isn't this the chemical Tombstone was exposed to as a kid?"
A moment later he had his answer. "That is correct Peter Parker" supplied the mechanical voice of BT-7274 suddenly. Peter jumped in surprise, causing Matthew to snicker behind him and getting a glare in reply. "Medical records indicate Lonnie Lincoln suffered acute Diox-3 exposure at a developmental age that triggered a heretofore unique, possibly allergic, reaction."
Peter took all that in, but his friend was more focused on the present. "What does he want with it now? What happened to him was one in a million…he won't be able to replicate it…right?" asked Cooper, though it was clear the Pilot was unsure. But before Peter could respond the roar of chopper engines approached, causing both to ready their respective weapons for more action.
Sure enough, a bike with a leather jacketed man came charging in before doing a tight circle and coming to a stop, rider dismounting. Both vigilantes stepped out and trained their weapons on him as he just grinned and pulled out an inhaler and sealing it against his face before taking a deep breath of the contents. Peter's eyes widened in shock as the dark skinned man's features changed, skin adopting the color and texture of granite and eyes becoming a blazing orange before he slammed the inhaler down. "Yeah! Let's go, come on!" he challenged.
Parker was weary, but Cooper was unsurprisingly up for the fight as the shotgun barked, blue hued beams sizzling through the daylight before impacting the man's chest. Unlike the other times the arc rounds were used, they had seemingly had no effect as Cooper fired again to the same result. "I'm guessing that stuff's not for asthma" deadpanned Peter as he stepped up, pulling himself to the mutated man as the Marauder shifted his fire to the two other bikers who each went down in a single shot.
While Cooper jammed more of the hexagonal shells into the gun, Peter punched and kicked ineffectually at the man, feeling like he was fighting a brick wall, the Biker was as tough and as graceful as one after all. But like a brick wall, he remained defiantly standing despite not landing a single blow on the Wallcrawler. Eventually it seemed like the Marauder grew tired of watching the ineffectual dance and got stuck back in, firing his grapple, the hook burying itself in the thugs boot before his legs were ripped out from under him and he was slammed into a shipping container.
As he tried to get back to his feet the webslinger fired said webs at a barrel and threw it into the man, the momentum driving him back down to his stomach before a barrage of webs pinned him where he was.
There was no rest for the wicked however as more bikers arrived and began to circle the pair, revving their engines in an attempt to intimidate the two veterans. While boxing them in was good in theory, it didn't work so well against those who could move in three, or four, dimensions. Peter fired a silk line at a lamp post and pulled swung away as he heard a distinct pop that indicated Matt had activated his phase shift. "You boys'll have to do better than that" taunted Spider-Man as he swung around the lamppost and came back on the attack, feet sticking out as he slammed into one of the bikers, knocking him from the chopper before webbing him to the side of the truck.
Realizing that their bikes weren't going to give them an edge, the remaining thugs dismounted, Peter saw one reach for an inhaler only for a green armored Pilot to emerge from a 4th dimension behind him. With an armored glove spinning the thug around before an axe slammed down on the inhaler, destroying it. Snarling, Cooper rammed his fist into the biker's gut causing the man to double over and enabling the Pilot to lock the axe behind the Biker's neck. Without hesitating, the Gunfighter rammed his knee into the thug's torso and head until the battered man fell on the ground in a heap.
Peter set to work bouncing back and forth between two more bikers, lashing out with a single punch or kick before going to the other to give the same treatment to keep up the pressure. The wallcrawler noticed both had those strange inhalers on their person and he was doing everything he could to prevent their use. All that effort was wasted when he felt his spider-sense vibrate furiously as he dodged away, avoiding the first punch only for a second cinderblock like fist to slam into his side.
The blow knocked the wind out of them, but the webhead recovered quickly and lashed out with an uppercut of his own that didn't even phase the biker. Backflipping away as a flurry of punches came at him, his head swiveled around, and a plan quickly developed. Extending his right arm, he fired a webline that snagged hold of a motorcycle and whipped it around over his head before hurling it at the Biker it once belonged to. With the opening provided he threw a trip mine onto a shipping crate, the laser activating just in time to be tripped as the drugged up thug staggered back and was ensnared in the trap.
But where one problem was taken care of, two more appeared as the men Spidey had been dueling with threw their inhalers away and raised their fists. They wouldn't have an easy go of it however, hearing a faint hiss and crackle to his right, Peter didn't need to turn to see that the Marauder was now at his side as both raised their fists in return.
Cooper charged in headlong, dodging by sliding under the blow that came at his head while Parker went high, flipping acrobatically over the charging biker as he planted a small burst of webbing in his eyes. After failing to find the now cloaked Marauder, the unblinded thug came at the Wallcrawler only to get a spandex clad foot in the face as the superhero launched himself skyward and the Marauder side armed a gravity star between the two recovering bikers.
As the ordinance activated and the two men were sucked into the vortex, the pair took a moment to regroup as the men flailed ineffectually. When the miniature blackhole collapsed, the two bikers were sent flying in opposite directions and the two vigilantes now had different dancing partners. That thought prompted Spidey to ask, "May I have this dance?" in greeting as he effortlessly flitted around the drug enhanced man. Across the parking lot, the Gunfighter was unable to prevent himself from going on the offensive, counterpunching to no effect.
Finally, Cooper became fed up with not having any impact on his opponent as he jumped up and away, triggering his Mastiff to stagger the thug. Firing his grapple and pulling him the other way caused the Biker to lose his balance and fall to the asphalt. Parker used his webbing, sticking the synthetic silk to his foes boot and attaching it to his other leg, tripping the enhanced thug up as he fell flat on his back. "Spin to win Spidey!" called out the Marauder as the webslinger wondered what the Pilot was thinking as he complied.
With the telltale 'thwipthwip' sound as each webshooter fired out a line that attached to each of the biker's boots, Spider-Man used his enhanced strength to spin and whip the man around over his head. Meanwhile, the Marauder grabbed his opposite number by the ankles, exoskeleton straining as the SRS Renegade spun once, whipping the thug around as Peter lowered the one he had on the weblines, the two slamming into each other before falling to the ground in unmoving heaps. Looking down at them, the Webslinger shook his head, "Got a bad feeling those drug inhalers and the Diox-3 related" he mused quietly.
"Probably" agreed Cooper as he tossed Spidey a discarded inhaler, "Alright Bill Nye, work your magic." Ignoring the jab, Peter carefully removed the chemical reservoir and took a swab before letting a module on his arm analyze it.
The results came back predictably, "Diox-3 plus designer amphetamines" revealed Peter as he set the inhaler down and turned to his friend. "Pretty clever recipe for temporary invulnerability…I'm impressed" admitted the Queens native.
"And addictive, for more than just the power trip" observed the Marauder quietly, the way he gripped his rifle tighter not escaping Peter's notice. "This stuff gets mass produced and we'll be facing a fucking army of invulnerable addicts. And there will be a market for it, the only way to stop that his to hit hard and fast, destroy this at the source…thankfully, there's only one."
"Tombstone" agreed Peter as he furrowed his brow, eye lenses narrowing at the center of his face as a result before he turned his head to eye the truck. "Maybe I can synthesize a counter drug?" wondered the wallcrawler aloud as he pulled himself to the truck and looked over the supplies inside.
"While you do that, I'm going to get a resupply and grab the Widowmaker" said the Marauder through the voice filter. "I'm tired of walking everywhere" deadpanned the Pilot as he began to make his way to the exit of the Alchamex facility.
Always having to get the last word in, Parker called out "Are you doing that because or lazy or just because you want to show off?" The Pilot stopped as if to ponder the question before turning and raising a singular finger in reply, causing the webslinger to chuckle at the response before setting to work. "Time for some artisanal science."
"I got an interesting tip today. Remember that barbaric beast named The Rhino? Apparently, last night he almost escaped the RAFT. How, you ask? Well, no one there seems to know, but they assure me he's been relocated to a 'more secure' cell. Now, I'm no expert in Supermax prisons, but isn't the whole point of them that there ISN'T ANYTHING ELSE MORE SECURE?" roared Jameson as the Marauder shook his head while behind the wheel of the custom P1. For some reason, despite their shared distaste for the man, everyone in the merry little band of crime fighting misfits listened to the retired editor's podcast. Him, Felicia, Peter, Mary-Jane, Yuri, hell, even Frank fucking Castle had gotten Micro to explain to him how to download every new episode. If Jameson was right and they all really were Prima Donnas, then he was singularly responsible for satiating their enormous egos. "I mean, he's a seven-hundred-pound maniac with an indestructible horn! If there's a more secure cell…WHY WASN'T HE IN IT!?"
As the podcast faded with a burst of static, it was quickly replaced by Bon Jovi as the Widowmaker prowled down the streets of Manhattan towards the Alchamex plant Cooper had been at less than an hour prior. He had barely brought the car to a stop when there was a soft 'thump' on the roof before the passenger door swung open and Peter flipped down and settled into the seat, not even bothering to reach up to grab the handle, instead using his webs to pull the door down. "You're cleaning that off when we're done" deadpanned Cooper as he watched Parker put his seatbelt on in disbelief before shaking his head. "What's that you got there?" he drawled, nodding towards the inhaler the webslinger held in his hand.
The red clad hero held up the device and explained. "One dose of the counter drug" he declared triumphantly as Cooper nodded in approval before clicking the right shift paddle and unleashing the 3.8 Liter Twin-Turbo V8. All around, Cooper was saddened by the significant change of the city since Sable had arrived, on the upside, there was less traffic, but the Sable presence was oppressively heavy as the P1 scythed its way through the city. The pair made small talk and bantered back and forth until they neared their destination, Matthew using the HUD on the car linked to BT to guide the car to an inconspicuous underground car park near to Tombstone's shop. "So how do you want to handle this?"
Cooper turned the car off and took a deep breath, "We only have one shot of that counter drug, right?" he asked. Grimacing at the nod he got back he quickly gave an answer. "Then we need to make it count. I'll engage, wear him down, you stay out of sight and out of the fight until you have your shot…and then don't fuck it up" he added dryly. The Marauder then pulled himself out of the car and closed the door before grabbing his guns from the trunk as Spider-Man got out and stuck to the ceiling.
"Real inspiring there…you know…you should give self-help talks" quipped the webslinger with his usual amount of snark. Ignoring him, the Texan grabbed a CAR SMG and a Mozambique that was holstered, crossdraw style, for his left hand. "Hey Matt, go careful, stay alive" said Spider-Man.
The Marauder smiled back at him through the helmet, "Thanks, you too Pete…and don't be too careful, it's my ass on the line" he joked dryly as he loaded the weapons and checked that all of his equipment was secure.
Peter chuckled, "don't worry pal, I know better than to incur Felicia's wrath." Matt stared up incredulously as Peter took the Marauder's action as a bad sign and began rambling in an attempt to explain himself. "Hell hath no fury like…you know…" he began before trailing off as the Texan was laughing heartily.
"Stay frosty Spidey" he said teasingly as he turned away and made his way towards the chop shop. The heavily armed Pilot arrived outside 'Pale Horse Ridez' and scanned the alley before trying the doorknob and finding it surprisingly unlocked. Activating his cloak, the SRS Pilot stalked inside, scanning the dim and filthy hallway with his weapon until he reached the end and rounded the corner to see a singular massive figure hunched over a table on the far side of the room.
The cloak faded as Cooper flicked the safety off, setting the gun to rock and roll as he watched the crime boss raise a cup of alcohol to his lips, only for a singular 6.19 mm round to smash into it, shattering the cup and spilling the contents all over the table. Surprisingly, the Biker Boss hardly reacted as the gunshot echoed in the shop, instead, the pale man stared down sadly. "What do you call that waste of good liquor?" he asked without looking up.
"A warning shot" answered Cooper darkly as he stepped into the room, making sure he would have full freedom of movement, unrestrained by the doorway. "The first and last one you're gonna get. Get on your knees and place your hands behind your head" he demanded calmly, muzzle of the orange and white subgun still trained on the man's back.
Tombstone snorted, "I never did understand 'warning shots', seemed like a waste of ammo" he replied in a voice that sounded like his words passed over a belt sander on their way out of his mouth. "Then again, I always played by my own rules" he mused as he turned around, hefting a nasty looking sledgehammer as he squared up to the SRS Pilot.
Without hesitating, the CAR spat out another round that smashed into Lincoln's forehead, causing him to snarl before charging across the garage at the Pilot. The speed at which he closed the gap took Matt by surprise as he activated his jump kit and leapt out of the way. "How'd you connect with Li? What did he want?" asked Cooper as he activated his Holo Pilot and cloak simultaneously. The Biker swung the hammer through the decoy before looking around, only for the Pilot's voice to sound at him from the darkness, "Tell me and I might go easy on you."
Instead of answering, Tombstone roared as he put his massive shoulder down and barreled towards the source of the voice, his weapon tearing through thin air until it tore a chunk out of the wall. The Marauder decloaked a few yards to the side and planted a few shots into the man that had little effect other than to annoy him. "I'm top of my game" bragged the drug maker as he turned back to the Marauder, who strafed back towards the center of the garage, "I don't go knocking; people find me."
"Including domestic terrorists" sneered the Texan as he rushed Tombstone, CAR held one handed at his right hip and an electric smoke grenade in his left. As the pale faced man wheeled the hammer around, Cooper grinned as he deftly tossed the grenade at his feet before diving away. Licks of flame shot out of his jump kit, propelling him out of the way of the powerful hammer before Matt tucked his shoulder and rolled into a crouch, spraying a long burst into the smoke as he got to his feet and continued to strafe around the tables.
With a click, the bolt locked open and the Pilot crouched down to swap magazines as Tombstone stumbled out of the smoke, bolts of lightning snapping at his skin. "I'm not picky" he replied, "you ever want to team up, we could do some real damage" he said as he caught his breath and placed the sledgehammer on his shoulder while Cooper vaulted over the workbench he was behind.
"Bulletproof thug on a bike…or Marine in a bulletproof van" growled out the Marauder as he dropped the bolt on his SMG, "I know which I'd prefer." Said Thug's face tightened as he charged the vigilante again as the muzzle of the advanced round SMG dropped and unleashed a burst that sent pain throughout the man's legs as he stumbled while bringing the hammer down into the table behind where the Marauder had been. At the same time, Cooper's world went black and white while he simultaneously fired his grapple to pull himself away before turning and being shoved back into reality.
He could see the enforcer slowly getting worn down as he fired the hook again and swung back just in time to plant his boots in his face before activating his phase shift again and vanishing into the shadows. "Boys!" bellowed Tombstone as he looked for the vigilante, only to come up empty, "Get in here!" he ordered as the other bikers in the building came in.
They all searched for their foe to no avail and soon congregated at the middle of the space, right where the Marauder wanted them. A gravity star buried itself in the floor between them, shaking them all from their nervous focus just before they were ripped off their feet, only Tombstone's immense bulk kept him planted on the shop floor. From the darkness, a flurry of blazing blue lasers slammed into the flailing forms of the other bikers, the overload their nervous systems suffered from the arc projectiles causing them to black out and go limp before being thrown across the shop by the gravity star's explosion.
Slamming a fresh cartridge into the Mozambique as he stepped out into the light, the glowing blue visor of the Marauder met the furious eyes of Tombstone. With a bloodthirsty growl, the crime boss charged at the Pilot with furious anger driving his actions as the sledgehammer swung back and forth. Matthew remained calm, smirk on his face as he bounced around the shop, fluently moving as only he could with Jump Kit and grapple, playing a dangerous game as he kept the distance close to encourage Tombstone to keep up his assault.
After barely dodging a blow, the Pilot looked up and saw a red and blue form clinging to the ceiling and smirked inside his helmet while Spider-Man worked his way over until he was just above the Renegade Commando. Like a champion bullfighter, the Titan Jockey timed it so he rolled away at the last possible second before reaching out and planting a Mozambique shot in the back of Tombstone's knee, causing him to grab it and crouch down, hissing in pain. "I'd also prefer a certain Spider themed hero over you, in case you were wondering" deadpanned Cooper as Tombstone furrowed his brow.
Before he could finish his contemplations, said hero seized the initiative as he dropped down and wrapped an arm around Tombstone's neck, super strength giving the wallcrawler an unshakable iron grip as the Biker roared and got to his feet. Lincoln did his best impression of a bucking bronco as he tried to throw the webhead off his back, spinning and grabbing frantically to no avail. More bikers rushed in from the garage doors as Cooper spun around and reacted, switching his Mozambique to his left hand as he brought the CAR to his hip and began spraying down the new arrivals.
Bursts peppered the walls and floor as he squeezed off aimed shots with the laser shotgun pistol. "Look out Marauder!" yelled Spider-Man suddenly, causing Cooper to spin just in time to catch a punch in the side of the head from Tombstone that sent him sprawling across the floor before he belly rolled out of the way, lest he get trampled by the 300 pound biker. The remaining bikers rushed the now unarmed Pilot as a group, at least until the lead thug watched the SRS Renegade jump up and plant a spin kick on his nose.
The others hesitated just long enough for the arc knuckles to spark to life and punch one thug in the face, causing his muscles to seize up as he fought to stay on his feet. His partner fared worse, the only uninjured biker threw a punch that Cooper blocked before kicking the thug in the knee as he gripped his wrist and twisted his arm before the padded knee slammed into his face, snapping the biker's head back and sending him sprawling onto the concrete. Only now did the shocked thug have control of his body again, just in time for the Marauder to come back for round two. Holding his hands up to protect his face, the stance did him little good as the Gunfighter planted three quick jabs in his stomach and chest. Stunned, Tombstone's man could do little as the Marauder lowered his shoulder and charged, picking him up off the ground and wrapping his arms around him as momentum carried him the four feet to his fallen comrade where he was summarily dumped before Cooper delivered one last knee to the face that put him down for the count.
Meanwhile, Spidey had pressed the inhaler to Lincoln's face despite the fact he had been bashed into some barrels and two walls filled with chemicals and tools as the contents of the inhaler were ingested by the crime boss. Despite the effects of the counter drug, Lincoln's massive hands managed to reach back and grab the webslinger, sending him across the garage and into the Marauder as both became a tangled mass of limbs. Lincoln didn't escape unscathed; the shelving that had helped dislodge the wallcrawler gave way, sending power tools raining down on the Crime Boss and the cement floor. One errant spark from these tools ignited the volatile chemicals spilled across the cement, the crackle of flames and resulting fumes adding to the chaos.
The Marauder grit his teeth as he looked to see Lincoln slumped against the wall as the fire spread across the shop. Reaching out to grab his CAR with his right hand while his left clasped a red clad foot. "Get your foot off my face" grunted Cooper.
"Get your face off my foot" retorted the wallcrawler as the two rolled over and got back to their feet while their opponent did the same. Throwing a fallen shelf off his back, the Biker paused as he looked down at the puddle on the floor, the crimson liquid an unexpected sight. Matthew couldn't keep a predatory grin off his face as he saw the bleeding gash on Lincoln's face as he looked up at them. Shaking out his left arm as he inserted a fresh mag of stun rounds into the sub gun, for now the trap had been sprung the battle had truly begun. Spreading out, the vigilantes stared down, masked faces showing no emotion as Tombstone picked up a chain, the kerosene covered hook burning like the wick of a candle. Still, Peter saw the upside, "The counter drug worked! Time to take him down."
Instead of answering verbally, the Renegade Gunfighter merely flexed his fingers around the grips of his weapon and cracking his neck as Tombstone looked tired and weary, eyes looking cagily at each of the vigilantes. "The hell was that you dosed me with?" he asked. Though he proved he wasn't as dumb as one might expect, using the lull created by the question to strike, lashing out and catching Cooper flatfooted, knocking his weapon from his hands once again. "Feel kinda…funky."
"Oh you know…particulated deblocking agent. The youzhe" answered Spider-Man as he dodged and weaved. It was clear to Cooper that his friend was still shaking off the effects of the initial clash with Tombstone and taking it slow.
Leaping up and away, the Pilot was desperately searching for his Mozambique in the remains of the chop shop between dodging the flaming hook. "What he said" deadpanned Cooper as he reversed directions and smoothly transitioned to the wall before activating his STIM, shooting along the surface in a blur before leaping off and landing a punch across the face of Lincoln.
"My tongue feels funny" replied the Biker as he shook his head to get rid of the haze that was settling over him. "Is my tongue supposed to feel funny?" he asked before recovering enough to whip around and swing the massive chain as the Pilot dove to the floor and rolled away. The fire continued to spread, bad memories of a Fisk distribution center returning to the Pilot.
At least they weren't underground.
"Oh yeah, totally" replied Spider-Man, though his tone was one coated in distilled bullshit. In an attempt to draw the heat off of the Texan, Parker fired a series of web bursts that temporarily bundled up Tombstone, allowing Cooper to get to his feet. "100% Normal…I think."
Cooper took a step forward to find his footing uneven, but he smiled as he recognized the familiar shape under his left boot. Tombstone wasn't done however, adrenaline at now finding himself in a serious life or death situation propelled him to spin again as Cooper kicked the pistol away and dove after it. Sliding on his side as he brought the gun up, he finally got a shot off, then another, and another, until the cartridge was expended, and he activated his phase shift and slammed a fresh one into the gun.
While the Marauder was dimension hopping, the old foes had a moment to themselves. "Someday Lonnie, I wanna find you doing good" said the webslinger genuinely before heaving an oil drum straight into the drug maker's chest. "Running a soup kitchen or something" suggested the webhead.
Cooper reappeared just in time to hear Tombstone's response. "Soon as soup pays…I'm in" returned the pale skinned Biker. The Marauder charged in, arc knuckles crackling in anger as he swung. But Tombstone held up his free hand and caught the punch, gritting his teeth as the energy discharged and the Biker clamped down harder.
To close the height difference, the Jump Kit fired with a whoosh as the Pilot went up and brought the pistol down to whip Tombstone across the face, knocking his nose crooked. Though Tombstone took the blow like a champ and raised his right hand, preparing to whip the chain around and ensnare the Pilot. But Cooper rammed the muzzle of the laser shotgun pistol into the thug's torso and fired twice, Tombstone grunting in pain with each trigger pull. Despite the pain he was in, his grip held fast until the Pilot jammed the gun into the crook of his elbow and fired his last shot before ripping his left hand free.
Firing his jump kit to get himself clear, all the combatants took a moment to clear their heads and compose themselves. "End of the day, this is what I love. Great fight. Great Challenge" declared Tombstone proudly, knowing he would be able to hold his head high after going toe to toe with the two men in his shop with him. Few could claim to have done better.
Cooper couldn't help but shake his head sadly. "Shame you're on the wrong side" said the Pilot lowly as he looked down at the empty Mozambique and holstered the weapon before drawing his data knife and combat axe. The Marauder attacked, leaping through the air and raising the axe as the flaming chain swung and it was clear that Cooper wouldn't make it, but he didn't have to.
With a snap-hiss he disappeared into the phase as Spider-Man leapt up and grabbed one of the hooks dangling from the ceiling and swung to build up momentum before planting a savage kick that knocked Tombstone's crooked nose to be off kilter in the other direction before backflipping and landing a haymaker on the way down that forced Lincoln into a crouch. Orange eyes blazing, Lincoln looked up to see the Marauder sliding on the ground before his right arm shot out and jammed a knife into the Biker's right shoulder.
Howling in agony, Tombstone dropped the chain and Cooper promptly kicked it away as he left the knife in the biker. Leaping up, he planted his feet into the wall and pushed himself back into the fight. Cooper threw his full weight into the much heavier Lincoln as he dragged the razor-sharp axe head across his chest, creating a massive hemorrhaging gash.
With one arm limp and the other trying to stifle the bleeding, Tombstone was unable to stop himself as he stumbled into a wall and slumped to the floor and leaned back. Looking up, he almost seemed thoughtful as both Spider-Man and the Marauder confronted him again. "Tapping out yet?" drawled the Gunfighter in a dark tone, spinning the still bloody axe for emphasis.
Tombstone relaxed his bald head, resting it against the wall as he brought up his good hand and wrapped around the grip of the Data Knife and ripped it out in a single move. "Sure" he said as he looked over the high-tech implement, "For now" he added before lazily tossing the blade back towards its owner. "Hell of a run though" he admitted with a deep, slow chuckle.
"Now how I'd describe it" returned the webslinger tiredly as Lonnie Lincoln smiled weakly and felt the wound in his shoulder, rubbing his fingers together to examine the coppery smelling substance that coated them.
"That's new" he commented dryly as Cooper picked up the data knife.
Matthew smirked faintly behind his helmet as he began to wipe the blood off the blade with the sleeve of his fatigues. "Think it's time to hang it up now that you're…" began Cooper before pausing and taking a deep breath. "What's the word I'm looking for Spidey?"
"Mortal?" provided the spandex clad super hero in an amused tone.
Tombstone seemed equally amused at the prospect, "Not a chance" he answered simply. "Threat of death…just ups the thrill."
Cooper just nodded in agreement. "That it does."
"Heh. I like you."
Cooper's Logbook – Pistol: SA-3 Mozambique
Ah, the 'Mozambazooka' is a bizarre weapon, but one that I love. A three-barrel laser shotgun pistol, no, I'm not kidding, the SA-3 definitely ticks a lot of boxes. While it is off the charts on the 'weird' scale, that doesn't mean it's a good weapon. All of those gimmicks result in weight and complexity, and while it has proven itself to be reliable in my experience, I am still weary of all the fancy tech and moving parts involved in the design. It is heavy and bulky, almost too big to reasonably wield one handed, and the thing kicks like a damn mule too. The projectiles it fires travel slowly, like a Mastiff shotgun, meaning that even at short range the gun requires careful aim. Stranger still is the method of reloading, the entire cartridge must be inserted in the top like some of the original semi-auto pistols. Guns like the German C96 'Broom handle' Mauser or the M1912 'Repetierpistole' used by the Austrians.
Despite all of that, there is one thing the SA-3 has in abundance, and that is raw stopping power. The spread pattern is much tighter than the Mastiff and landing all three bolts on a man-sized target is doable inside the weapons range envelope. As a close quarter backup, it is excellent, especially if I need to deal with more heavily armored or just naturally tougher enemies. It served me well against Stalkers on Typhon, and against some of the massive walking refrigerators I've run up against here it has proven just as effective.
One final quirk relating to both the projectile pattern and the name 'Mozambique.' The projectiles form the three corners of a triangle, with the point at the top and the other two corners about ten inches lower, eight inches between them. So, if you put the top projectile on your target's nose, the other two should hit just above his nipples. "Two shots in the chest, and one in the head" as the training mantra goes to ensure a kill. This goes all the way back to the 20th century and Rhodesian Mercenary Mike Rousseau, who developed the technique on the fly and while in combat. The 'Mozambique Drill' then went on be used by instructor Jeff Cooper who trained the LAPD SWAT teams in the 1980s. It has since gone on to be a pillar of close quarters combat shooting the world over. This gun was made to emulate that technique with a single pull of the trigger, hence the name 'Mozambique.'
Closing Notes: This one was fun to write, buddy cop action through and through. I even managed to slip in a reference to Hot Fuzz, which is a great parody of the buddy cop genre and I learned this week that my favorite series in the genre, Lethal Weapon, is slated to get another installment. Truth be told, I have no faith in Hollywood, but Bad Boys 3 was okay, so there's always a chance. We also got a rare Jameson podcast here, I am curious as to what you all think of their inclusion, leave a review and let me know if I should incorporate more.
One thing that there won't be many more of is side quests, trying to shove them into a linear story is really difficult and their quality, or lack thereof, doesn't justify it in most cases. Sorry to disappoint. Though I am curious, can anybody point me towards other fanfics centered on the PS4 game? I'm interested to see how others are handling or have handled some of the elements I find problematic.
Another weird fact about what goes on behind the scenes. When I started writing this story, Cooper wasn't even Cooper. Originally he was Thomas 'Tombstone' Mullins, he got his callsign from one of my favorite machines, the 250 pound Battlebot 'Tombstone' because to 'Tombstone' something meant to kill it in such a way it stays dead. That sounds badass and the original drafts of the first six or seven chapters were written like this until I remembered Lonnie Lincoln existed. If you're a nerd like me, go look up Tombstone, pure evil and devastation in a tidy 250 pound package, it also gets some great fight introductions.
Anyway, next chapter should be a good one as it has one of my favorite setups in the whole game. Whenever that comes out, know that...
Horror looks you right between the eyes, and then you're paralyzed, 'cause it'll be a Thriller.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.