Chapter 8: Hugging the Enemy
Neo's eyes shot open.
Scanning around quickly, she found that she wasn't in New York anymore. The Neapolitan vigilante was back in the ruined streets of Vale, fog accompanying the night. 'How is that possible?' She thought, walking through the streets as more of the fog receded. 'Dum-dum and I were just in New York fighting off the Demons…then Li-"
A sharp howl whistled through the darkness, the red eyes of the beowulves were no where to be seen. Neo panicked, quickly leaping behind rubble and hugging it as if her life depended on it. She patted herself down to get Hush but found herself without it. The Neapolitan vigilante peered above her cover but quickly shot down, a pack was patrolling the streets. A beowulf sniffed the air, standing on its hind legs. It started following its snout, approaching the rubble.
Neo couldn't breath, biting her lips and trying to suppress the fear within her but to no avail. Suddenly, another howl shot through the air and the snout removed itself. She heard the pack move on, disappearing through the fog. The Neapolitan vigilante started to tear up, collapsing against the wall of a ruined shop, gasping for air.
She returned to the streets, finding Hush no where to be seen.
KID!
'Roman Dum-dum?!' She thought, whipping her head around.
WAKE UP KID! YOU GOTTA HURRY AND GET OUTTA HERE!
Get out of here? What did Roman mean by that? Neo scaled the brick wall, reaching the rooftop. In the distance, past through the darkness and the fog, was a single obelisk of radiating white light. Even from her position, she felt…hope. Neo knew, she had to get out of here.
Suddenly, the screeching of ravens blasted the air. Neo took cover, breaking the glass of the second floor and hunkering down. A flock of Nevermores patrolled the skies. The city was mocking her. Roof tops or broken streets, not both. Seeing no other options, Neo dropped down, letting her heart guide the way. Unfortunately, things are never that simple.
Neo broke her run and dived through a bar window, scattering to hug the wall. She held her breath and closed her eyes. She could hear the beowulves snarling at one another, as if a fight threatened to break out. The Neapolitan vigilante dared not peak. Suddenly, a beowulf whimpered, its adult body crashing through the glass and rolling through the bar. Neo couldn't help herself but scream, as if any sound would come out of her.
The beowulf was wounded, rolling in place as it clutched its face. She heard a heavy stomp at the door, with the poor girl staring directly before her. It didn't seem to notice her. It didn't matter as the Alpha pounced upon the whelp, eviscerating it. Howls blasted the air, threatening to knock her unconscious from shock. Neo attempted to escape, to run out that door when she heard a fight break outside. The snarling, growling, yelping. All the negative emotions erupted around her.
The Alpha finished off its prey turning around. It sniffed the bar-room air. Its snout was now upon her. She closed her eyes, weeping. It's all over for her. Yet, it just sniffed her. Neo opened her eyes, startled to see no glowing red eyes on its face. Stunned and paralyzed, she stared at it as the Alpha stepped out the door to join the havoc. the Neapolitan vigilante sat up, disbelief striking her face.
The chaos was all encompassing and she just needed to rush past them. Neo stood up, her legs still teetering and lame. Nonetheless, the girl pushed herself, rushing out the window and rushing past the fight between patrols. She was fortunate that they were so distracted as she ran before jumping into an alleyway, rubble covering the entrance. The Neapolitan girl started crying, hands rubbing her exhausted face. She was lucky, extraordinarily lucky but she knew that this may be the end.
C'mon Neo! Don't Give up yet! You're so close to escaping!
'I can't. I just can't dum-dum.' She whimpered, resting her head against the rubble. 'I'm done. I can't do this, just let them get me.'
A shadowy figure was standing before her. It appeared to be wearing a bowler hat and long coat and leaning against a cane. It didn't reach out to her nor did it run from her when she reached out towards it.
Neo. No, Neopolitan Torchwick. The figure whispered, taking a knee. The atmosphere around her seemed to be raining heavy now. The shadow man appeared to be chomping on a cigarette and held what looked like an ice-cream cone with three scoops. Remember what I said to you when we first met?
Neo shook her head. She'd forgotten actually. Fortunately, the shadow man reminded her. Do you have any idea what you have to look forward to if you stay here? Nine times out of ten, you'd die and nobody would care. Same thing applies to me. If I just stayed here and took whatever life threw at me, I'd be gone already. If you don't pick yourself up today and take control of your life, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Neo bemoaned, 'But what about us?'
The figure chuckled. Well, you know where I'll always be kiddo.
'When I said…' She started, weeping, 'When I said I would never leave you.'
You never had kiddo but I've got a job to do and so do you. You can't follow me where I'm going and I can't follow you.
The shadow man lifted Neo's chin and wiped her tears. Here's looking at you, kid. Go get 'em.
The Neapolitan vigilante nodded in affirmation. She stood up beyond the rubble and ran with her heart once again. Nothing stopped her progress towards the light. Not Beowulves, nor terrain. Her destination—as it so happens—happened to be an airship shuttle. She was kneeling on a rooftop overlooking the ruined shuttle. Bizarrely, there were no beowulves around. Instead, waiting on the platform with his back turned, was Martin Li.
"I know you're there, Neo." His voice boomed, and time seemingly stopped around him. "I also know you are on that roof. Come down here."
She didn't. Martin sighed, flicking a wrist and the rooftop around her collapsed. Neo was forced to jump, landing on the ground in the classic 'superhero' pose. Martin finally turned to face her, hands still wrapped behind his back. He said, "Why do you insist in getting in my way? You have no loyalty to Osborn, let alone this world."
Neo sighed, letting her head turn to the side and eyes look longingly. It's as if she's saying, 'You wouldn't understand.'
"Oh Neo, I understand more than you know." He declared. Surprised, she kept her poker face and scoffed, whipping her hair back.
Martin smiled, extending a hand. "All you have to do is shake my hand and you'll see the truth."
The Neapolitan vigilante walked towards him and slapped his hand away, an offending glare on her face. Martin snarled, "So be it! Petulant girl, you're just as blind as Spider-Man!"
He backhanded Neo, only to find himself hitting one of her Overactive Imagination. He was knocked forward, rolling across the pavement. He whipped his head, seeing Neo playfully bounce on her feet. Martin whipped his arm, a wave of negative energy whipped through and torn up the street. He quickly whipped both arms at Neo, that same wave ripping towards her. Neo cartwheeled out of the way and immediately sprinting towards Martin. Martin unsheathed his Dao sword, swinging it at her. The Neapolitan vigilante dodged the swing, immediately ramming a right hook into his kidney. The leader of the Demon's howled in pain, dropping to a knee. He swung the sword, hitting another Overactive Imagination. He shouted, "Enough conjuring of cheap tricks! Are you too scared to face me properly?"
Neo would have scoffed at him. How stupid did he think she is? She looked behind her, seeing the white light start fading away.
"I FOUND YOU!"
A blast of negative energy demolished her cover, throwing her several feet. She landed with a thud and it felt as if she broke a few ribs. Neo coughed, struggling to even get up at all, let alone not let the ground touch her chest. "Fool." Martin said, a vicious slasher grin on his face, "You should have accepted the offer when you had the chance."
He clutched her neck and squeezed, taunting, "You're nothing without your weapons! You're just a street rat that some two-bit thug picked up on the street because he felt sorry for you!"
Neo defiantly glared at him, gesturing a middle finger. She enacted her plan, swinging her legs. It slammed home, sending Martin into the air head first. Neo performed multiple backwards cartwheels that would've made Lara Croft proud. She smirked at Martin's shocked face. As she entered the flickering light feet first, Neopolitan gave him a two-fingered salute before the bright light blinded her vision.
She woke up once again, this time in the wreckage of New York City. She saw Spider-Man get up two, shaking himself awake. First thing on her partner's mind was her. She gave him a thumb's up and he turned to the armoured truck. Neo shook her head. What on Earth happened? One minute she was taking down thugs on top of the vehicle; the next, Martin Li grabbed hold of her and threw her down with a parting gift.
This was getting way too weird, and she'd seen a lot on Remnant. Nonetheless, Neo scanned her surroundings, catching Doctor Michaels struggling to get up. She kneeled before him, helping him up. The Doctor coughed, immediately asking, "Did they take it?"
"They did." Her partner answered, approaching them from behind. He grimly asked, "How worried should I be?"
"Very."
Neo bit her lip, both at the answer and the white helicopter approaching them. Spidey sarcastically quipped, "You're a popular guy."
The helicopter hovered before them and Sable with two of her mercenaries rappelled down. The silver-haired CEO of Sable International was beyond livid and the only thing Neo had to show for was a simple middle finger up. Spidey on the other hand put himself in front of both Doctor Michaels and Neo, acting the part of the brave hero he is.
Sable demanded, no nonsense, "Where's the serum?"
Spidey blocked her while Neo prepared a little Hushed surprise. Doctor Michaels admitted, "Gone."
"Didiskoya." She snarled, pacing around. Sable pointed at Spider-Man and Neo, "So called 'super-hero'. You think you save people but you just make it worse."
Sable glared at Neo but said nothing, spying both the parasol and the camera on her phone. One can tell from their eyes that a wordless battle of wills unfolded between the two women, despite their difference in statures. Nonetheless, it didn't stop Sable from pushing Spidey, accusing, "This is your fault."
Spidey bit back, "My fault? He was under 'your' protection."
The sentence that broke the camels back and Sable aimed her weapons on Spidey first. Neo retaliated, revealing Hush's hidden blade. Pistols were aimed at the vigilantes and a blade rested on Sable's neck. A beautiful Mexican stand off. Doctor Michaels, having had enough, ordered, "STOP! We need to brief Mister Osborn now!"
He turned to Neo and Spidey, saying, "I'll go with her…thank you, both of you. I'll remember this."
The Sable team bugged out, leaving Neo to lightly elbow Peter's arm. He turned his attention to her, seeing the Neapolitan's vigilante's desire to leave as well.
"You know it partner, let's go."
Neo stopped and made two fingers. They went together before splitting off. Peter said, "Splitting off? Why?"
Neo pointed at her parasol and made another gripping motion with her hand. He guessed, "You…want to make another weapon?"
The Neapolitan vigilante rolled her eyes, typing on her scroll. He exclaimed, "OH! You want to get your cane back. Okay yeah, sure. Go on ahead. Meet up later at FEAST?"
Neo gave him a thumbs up and swung over to Octavius Industries. The good Doctor was not in but that's okay with her, she just wanted to pick up Melodic Cudgel. When she went to retrieve it, she found a sticky note on it. One read through it and a smile entrapped her face. 'Oh Doctor. You truly are the most wonder man.' She thought, twirling the weapon like a baton.
She opened Peter's drawer, finding a new set of clothing for her. Her chocolate brown jacket that starts below her shoulder has been upgraded with ballistics gel padding. Her white, three grey, button-up sleeveless shirt has been fitted with blast plates. Her boots was a curiosity for her. Apparently, they've been fitted with power cell dischargers. The strange quirk being that her quicks have a chance to unload a healthy dose of electricity into her enemy, stunning them. Nonetheless, it was a thoughtful gesture.
Neopolitan left Otto's lab, swinging into New York once again. She suddenly got a text. Neo swore, immediately making a beeline to Grand Central Station. The Neapolitan vigilante landed on the roof and her partner's no where to be seen. She peered through the skylight, finding plenty of hostages and Demons. They got drones too. Suddenly, she spotted a web slam into the Grand Central Station clock. The Demons rushed towards it, allowing a certain redhead go for some datapad.
Neo smirked, texting her partner. His reply back was simple: Get ready. She hung back, looking on until there's just this ONE FUCKING GUY who decided to try being a hero. A valiant effort, but terrible execution. Nonetheless, it compromised MJ and had the Neapolitan vigilante clutch her head. Especially when she realized that MJ didn't even bring Speakeasy! To her surprise, she found that MJ has quite the silver tongue, managing to rescue the hostage but get them into an isolated area for Spider-Man to zip in and take the thug down.
Thing is, she can't do anything until that damn drone is offline. What Neo did do is open the skylight and create a web line for her to rappel down. The vigilante waited patiently for the signal. It came through Peter's text and Neo gleefully rappelled down and landed on the second floor, finding MJ and Spidey. She approached them, taking a knee…and they were arguing again. Neo poked both of their heads and tapped her wrist.
MJ declared, "She's right. We can figure it out later."
Spidey went back up to the ceiling while MJ and Neo took cover behind the tables. The Neapolitan vigilante passed her parasol to MJ with a text along with it. The redhead reporter sighed. "Right, got it. For my self defence only. But what about you?"
Neo revealed Melodic Cudgel and rested a finger on her lips. She then put up two fingers and pointed in front of them. MJ did a quick glance and figured out what those gestures meant. Two guys ahead. She threw a lure, bringing a Demon over the other side of the newspaper stand. MJ said, "Take him."
Spidey took out a standing Demon and Neo chopped the lured Demon's neck, dropping him. She quickly took his appearance. The only indication that she's on their side was her cane. Together, Neo and MJ made their way down the stairs. Neo motioned three Demons. MJ nodded and threw the lure, directing Spider-Man to start webbing them up. This time, Neo allowed herself to stand and look on duty, disguising Melodic Cudgel as an Assault Rifle. MJ followed behind her. Taking the Demons down was quick, effective and none of the Demons were the wiser.
The elevator chimed and Neo quickly took cover, breaking her disguise. Good thing too, seeing as Li marched out to find out where a certain redhead Daily Bugle reporter went. No other choice, MJ ordered, "Do it."
Spidey webbed the large TV screen, causing it to toppled on top of two Demons. Martin Li growled, "Start the timer."
Neo adopted her disguise again and she 'escorted' MJ to the bomb. She covered for MJ, allowing her to play with the bomb. She felt her breathing hitch every time her friend pulled a wire. When the redhead pulled the last wire, she couldn't help but cheer. She broke the disguise and embraced MJ, who breathlessly did the same. Neo broke off first and adopted the disguise again, allowing the redhead to call, "Alright, I think I'm going to need Spider help on this."
Neo started walking towards the Northern exit. Three Demons were patrolling the area. She tailed one going towards the East. Neo took him down quickly, kicking out the Demon's legs and knocking him out. On the other side, Spidey strung up his foe into a cocoon. This left Neo to chop the guard guarding the actual entrance. She dragged the unconscious body into the dark corner and began hunting down Demons on the Eastern corridor. Sufficed to say, The Neapolitan vigilante was pleased to see the guards so sparsely spaced, it made her job of taking them out easier.
Peter then went loud, MJ calling for everyone to follow her. Neo followed alongside the rest of the Demons. Unknowingly, she was taking them down from behind one-by-one. They didn't know what hit them. When she arrived, she spotted several Demons on the balcony, taking potshots at her partner. Neo broke her disguise and fired a flare, blowing them out from their position. A Demon charged her from the side, swiping the sword down but breaking one of her Overactive Illusions.
She fired Melodic Cudgel's hook against the thug's collar, forcing him to her and delivering a perfect roundhouse kick. Neo sensed an opportunity and launched herself against a Demon using the web. Looking around, she found her partner nowhere to be found. She sighed and focused on cleaning up the chaff. Neo rolled her neck and readied herself for round two…until the skylight shattered and Sable International Mercenaries rappelled down. Some had charged through Grand Central Station's entrances and guns were all on them.
Neo closed her eyes and let out a soft huff and her breathing relaxed. She opened her eyes again and smiled at the crowd of Sable International Agents, taunting them by leaning against her Melodic Cudgel and giving them a smug grin. Laser sights were now aimed directly at her.
One agent entered the room but she was much different than your standard rank-and-file. This mercenary had long, blonde hair and wore dark aviators. On her wrist were some kind of gauntlet on her wrist and some kind of augmentation on her legs. She jumped into the air, performing a front flip, and landed on both her feet.
The agent barked, her English heavily accented, "Bug out! I'll handle this!"
Sable Mercenaries did as told, taking the Demons away, leaving only Neo and her female opponent. The Sable agent bounced on her heels and cracked her knuckles. "After I'm done with you, you'd wish you didn't bring dishonour to Sable International, Insurgent!" She snarled, slamming the gauntlet together, purple energy flaring from the hit and shooting her hair into the air.
Neo tilted her head in slight disbelief, unable to possibly conceive this girl believes what she's saying. Come to think of it, she seems young, perhaps several years younger than her. The Neapolitan vigilante shook her head, her face almost teasing as she calmly approached the Sable girl. To her expectations, the girl rushed her, going in to throw several well-aimed shots. They all missed, barely even touching Neo's face. Good head movement, great stamina and conditioning.
'A swarmer.' Neo deduced, backwards cartwheeling to create some distance. 'Now, how did Roman teach me to handle such opponents?'
The Sable girl rushed her and threw a right cross, hitting Neo's Overactive Imagination. She found herself gripped from behind and forced backwards and into Neo's fist. The Sable girl flipped head-over-heel-over-head, slamming into the ground. Neo answered, 'Now I remember, he didn't.'
The Sable girl got up, snarling, "That won't stop me!"
She came out fast, firing a fist into the air and purple energy shot out. Neo barely dodged it but the damage behind her was obvious. The vigilante turned to her, eyes wide. The Sable girl laughed, "Impressed? The Prowler Gauntlets were designed to capture scum like you."
The Agent shot more blasts, ending it by slamming the fist into the ground, firing vibrations into the ground. Neo shot a web at the chandelier, avoiding the majority of the blasts and landing on it. She playfully strutted around the base, wagging a finger.
"Why don't you come down here and face me or are you just another cowardly insurgent?" The agent taunted, which was actually grinding on Neo's nerves. Honestly, it's like she's a new arrival to New York. She also new she had to end this quick, the cost for repairs was skyrocketing.
Neo jumped down, laying Melodic Cudgel down and raised her fist, holding a breath. The Agent threw down her gauntlets, charging in. That brought a smug smile to the vigilante's face. Unfortunately, that smile ended quickly seeing as how this girl is leading with her left. 'Southpaw.' She swore, adopting a similar stance herself. They started switching stances, leading to Neo performing a semi-circular kick. The Agent blocked it, a smile on her face, and smashed her smaller opponent with an overhand punch.
Neo hit the ground on her back. To her surprise, the Agent stepped back, taunting, "Get the hell up! I am not done with you!"
The Neapolitan vigilante got up again, fist raised. Neo let the Agent come to her again, dodging her attempts and maintaining her distance. Her hits weren't strong and she won't win by points, but they do add up. No, it really didn't as the Agent grabbed the back of Neo's head and kneed her. She threw her down towards her weapon.
Neo grabbed it and aimed Melodic Cudgel. The Agent hesitated and Neo fired, sending the agent flying across the station. She cradled her gut, massaging the area before strutting out, using her cane to help her. The vigilante stopped once she heard coughing. She turned to see the agent, persistent, stand up and declared, "You can run but I'll catch up to you! I swear it!"
Neopolitan shook her head, incredulous as to the ridiculousness of the situation. What was this, an animfilm? She simply left and web-slung into the New York skyline. One thing was for certain, she needed to expand her playbook. Neo landed on a rooftop and sighed, staring out into the city.
"It is beautiful, is it not, Neapolitan?"
She whipped around, finding Blackie behind her. Neo reared herself for a fight but Blackie one his hand. "I am not here to fight bambina. Just to talk."
Neo rolled her hand. Blackie took off his green fedora and rests it on his chest. Neopolitan grimaced, wishing she could see his face. He chuckled, admitting, "I have been prohibited from gambling with the rest of my men. They claimed that my face alone is a form of cheating."
Neo snorted, to which he chuckled. "I agree. I never understood such sentiments myself. No matter, like I said, I am here to talk. That is all."
He paced in place, finally stating, "I propose an armistice."
Neo shrugged, eyes glaring. "Allow me to explain." He began, pointing towards the city, "You have seen the damages these…bastardi…are doing to our city. The Demons. Sable International. Osborn. These men…they have no concept of honour, of respect. Just as how the Omertà defines who I am, I believe you to be defined by you own code. No?"
She shrugged.
Blackie admitted, "My men, the Maggia as a whole, is woefully undermanned and outgunned by them and I figure that you have made many enemies these past few days. You cannot possibly believe you can take us all, no?"
Neo huffed, but didn't answer. She sighed and extended a hand and they shook on it. He swore, "I assure you, you will not hear from the Maggia during these times of crisis."
Neo rose her scroll, a single name on it. Blackie said, "I will also make sure Silvermane will control himself."
The Maggia enforcer opened the rooftop access and said, "Rimanga sicuro, Neapolitan."
The vigilante sighed, swinging into the New York skies.
Welcome to 'Just the Facts with J. Jonah Jameson', alerting you to the threats you don't even know about. Let's dive right into this. We have a special guest today. Allow me to introduce to you Sable International Spokesman, Jason Dragovich. Thank you for coming on my show.
Thank you for having me.
Now, this morning, we have seen your men set up checkpoints in one of the most busiest cities in THE WORLD AND…well…viewers, please note that viewer discretion is advised.
(smack smack smack)
"Fucking New Yorkers! Street rats like you should just die!"
(smack)
"What are you looking at?! Put those damn things away! No, better yet, everyone hands in their phones now or you will be detained!"
Now this is VERY disturbing sir so please, how can you explain this?
It is…unfortunate…that a few of our most dedicated officers show such prejudice but please understand that your New Yorkers were at fault too. If she didn't provoke our man, such events wouldn't have occurred.
Is that right? Tell me, Mister Dragovich, what is Sable International's business motto?
Professional, Supportive, and Dedicated.
Good mottos…EXCEPT WHEN YOU FAIL TO EVEN FOLLOW THEM! Your men shown such utter disregard for professionalism by their blatant attacks on New Yorkers; your men has shown how utterly opposition to the welfare and safety of New Yorkers by harassing innocents, and overstepping THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS; your men have, by a LONG SHOT, done little for New York and proves how UNDEDICATED YOU ARE TO THE PEOPLE! You are nothing more than an OVERPAID SYNDICATE!
How DARE you insinuate we are nothing but common thugs! We have done GOOD for many people!
Oh, well how about we bring up your history? Let's see here, from most recent. Your men is responsible for the destruction of Grand Central Station AFTER THE SITUATION WAS RESOLVED BY NEW YORK'S FINEST HERO. Your men failed to stop a Martin Li and his Demons from reining havoc throughout New York and FAILING TO STOP SPIDER-MAN! Your men have set up outposts throughout New York in PUBLIC AREAS for who knows what reason. AND, AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU ALL EXPECT TO GET PAID FOR NOT EVEN TO BOTHER STOPPING ANYTHING! IF THAT DOES NOT SOUND CRIMINAL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES?!
Now see here-
OH, I'm not done! Let's list all the countries you helped, 'save'. Gharma: one hundred fifty three CIVILIANS DEAD INCLUDING CHILDREN AND WOMEN AFTER A PEACEFUL PROTEST TO REFORM THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT! Angola: you helped Savimbi fight the MPLA AND PROTECT HIS BLOOD DIAMOND MINES! Somalia: YOU STOOD BY WHEN U.S. FORCES ARE CAUGHT IN THEIR BLACKHAWK DOWN! Libya: YOU BRUTALLY SUPPRESSED INNOCENT PROTESTORS FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST YOUR PRESENCE IN THEIR COUNTRY! AT THE END IF IT ALL, YOU SCORED AWAY UNTOLD MILLIONS INTO YOUR GREEDY POCKETS AFTER BULLYING THOSE THAT STAND AGAINST YOU! YOUR HISTORY ALONE PROVES JUST HOW CRIMINAL YOUR ORGANIZATION IS! HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN SABLE INTERNATIONAL, MISTER DRAGOVICH!
…ahem…Now, need I remind you Mister Jameson that your heroes are also responsible for such havoc in your city. We only wish to restore law and order to your city, and they are actively compromising it, especially this Soigné Fighter who has stirred up so much trouble. We have little choice but to resort to such drastic measures. It is in the best interest of your people to follow our direction or they may become faced with uncomfortable opposition.
HA! SO WE SHOULD JUST SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP LIKE CHILDREN? WELL HERE'S NEWS TO YOU PAL, WE ARE NEW YORKERS! OUR PEOPLE FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AGAINST TYRANNY BEFORE AND WE WILL DO SO AGAIN! IF YOU BELIEVE PACIFYING US WILL DO ANYTHING, YOU'RE SORELY MISTAKEN. JUST TODAY, OUR HERO, THE SOIGNÉ FIGHTER HAS EXPOSED SABLE INTERNATIONAL'S INCOMPETENT, CORRUPTED, TYRANNICAL, THUG-LIKE NATURE AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK! SHE HAS DONE THIS CITY A SERVICE FOR HER DEEDS AND WORD ON THE STREET SUGGESTS THAT YOU ATTEMPTED TO SUPPRESS WHAT SHE KNOWS.
WELL, HERE'S A MOTTO FOR YOU: ACTA NON VERBA!
We're done here!
There it is folks, a shocking revelation. Now it is our time to step up, it is now time to CALL upon Mayor Osborn to end his contract with these criminals!
Neo sighed, landing at MJ's place. She knocked on the door and the redhead answered it, exhausted. She smiled, attempting to be cheerful. "Hey. Neo. How are you doing?"
She shrugged, motioning to go in. The redhead nodded, allowing her in. Once she closed the door, Neo slapped her across the face. MJ cradled her cheek, demanding, "OW! What the hell's that for?!"
Neo put on her collar and said, "That's for making me worried!" The petite girl then embraced the redhead, whispering, "And that's for staying safe. How could you do this to me MJ?"
The redhead sighed, hugging Neo. "I'm sorry. I just thought I could do this, become a hero like you and Peter."
The petite girl growled, "I don't want another hero. I want you to be yourself."
"Be…myself."
Neo nodded, dragging her to the couch. She slapped her again, growling, "That's for not taking Speakeasy! I left it here for you for a reason!"
"Ow!" MJ said, "Hey, stop slapping me!"
Neo slapped her other cheek. "That's for scaring me."
MJ moaned, "Can you stop slapping me? I already said I'm sorry."
"No!" Neo replied, hugging MJ and pinning her. "Not until you learn to be you and bring weapons to each of your investigations."
The redhead suggested, "Then…how about you teach me?"
The Neapolitan girl smiled, cheerfully saying, "I thought you'd never ask."
Neo grabbed her parasols, throwing speakeasy at MJ. She began, "Now, the first step is to learn how to sneak around with the speakeasy. You're stealthy enough as it is but with something as big as a parasol, it may cause some unwanted noise. Now, let me start the scenario. I will play as a guard and you must sneak past me and reach the door undetected. Go stand near the hallway and go when you reach the end of it."
MJ did so, allowing Neo to turn on the TV to enhance the simulation. Nothing on today, which was a shame. When she changed to the news channel, it only got worse. "A spokesperson for the police has confirmed that this was the truck carrying the device used in the Grand Central Terminal attack…"
"Oh my God." MJ breathed out and Neo turned to her. The vigilante said, "We'll continue this later, I got to head over there."
The redhead pulled her phone, informing, "The crash is at Sutton place. I'm sure Peter will be there as well."
Neo nodded, taking the collar off and bursting out of MJ's home and swinging over. What's going on now?
She reached the crash site, multiple Sable dead. Spidey landed soon after, shaking his head. A helicopter flew over and Yuri alerted, "The Devil's Breath is gone but we got even bigger problems. Hop on!"
Spidey asked, "Ryker's? What happened?"
The two vigilantes zipped onto the helicopter, allowing the help to go over to the prison. She continued, "It was a coordinated attack. Must've been planned from the outside. Every cell block is breached. We're minutes away from every prisoner in Ryker's walking right up Fifth Avenue."
"What about The Raft?" He asked, a little fearful."
Yuri replied, "Should be okay. It's a superman facility. Better security and a separate power grid."
"Good." Spidey said, letting out a breath, "What about Devil's Breath?"
"Sable's handling it." The NYPD captain said, resigned.
Neo facepalmed, the Captain biting, "You think I got a choice?"
She grimaced, seeing the mass prison break at effect. Normally she'd be cheering them on, but now's not the time and she knows that these guys are just the worse. A truck was coming towards the gate, driven by prisoners. Spidey dropped down to deal with them. Predictably, the truck driver was ejected from his seat and the vehicle collided with a fuel tank, igniting an explosion.
Spidey worked quickly, the prisoners grouping up with a molotov. He sent electric webs, capturing the lot of them and forcing the molotov to break early. Neo dropped down from the helicopter, ignoring Yuri's warning. She hit the ground with a force that made the prisoners stumble. The vigilante gave them a smug grin, resting Hush behind her shoulders. Spidey quipped, "I feel sorry for you guys, this is hardly an even fight."
The duo made quick work with them. Unfortunately, Yuri informed them of the bad news, "Dammit! They got into the armoury!"
Neo shrugged, it didn't seem so bad. Yuri replied to Spider-Man's own question, "It means some of the inmates are armed with rocket launchers."
Neo facepalmed, spotting a rocket launching wielding maniac right now on the sky bridge. She zipped over to him and took him down. Noticing the crowd below her, she hoisted the rocket launcher and fired, blasting the crowd. Spider-Man took the opportunity to swoop in and engage in melee. Neo kept overwatch, raising Melodic Cudgel and firing red flares at incoming inmate reinforcements, blasting them back unconscious.
Spidey wondered, "Who thought it was a good idea to bring rockets into a prison?!"
The radio blared, "Come in?! This is Sergeant Hanson—Anyone on this channel?"
"This is Captain Watanabe." Yuri answered, "Where are you?"
Hanson answered, "Electrical access…rooftop near cellblock D…trying to restore power. That you in the chopper?"
Yuri acknowledged, "Affirmative. What happened here?"
"No idea. First the power went out—then all hell broke loose."
Neo frowned. It was an indeed an inside job, but who?
Yuri called out to her vigilantes, "Spider-Man. Neo. Can you get to that rooftop? there's an officer calling for help up there."
Spider-man answered, "We're on our way!"
The two reached the roof and started dealing with their opponents. Rather, Neo was dealing with the chaff and Spider-Man opened the door and Officer Hanson burst out. Another radio car blasted the waves, "WHERE IS EVERYBODY?! THEY'RE ATTACKING MY CAR!"
Neo's jaw dropped upon spotting the prisoners on top of the Warden's car as if they were zombies trying to get at brains in a tin can. Officer Hanson informed, "Help the Warden—I'll keep working on getting the power restored." The car crashed and Neo was already springing into action, her feet colliding with a heavy-set prisoner, electrical sparks discharging into his body. He started convulsing on the ground and making others start backing away.
The Neapolitan vigilante still had juice in those boots and she slammed it into the poor man's crotch and more sparks shot through him. The inmates backed away, hands raised. She added her threat by revealing Hush's blade and they started briskly walking away. One tried to deck her from behind, with predictable results for Neo. That man was on the ground as well and officers were rushing in to deal with them.
Reinforcements burst through the door. They made to rush her until Spider-Man jumped down. He shouted, "Get down!"
Neo took cover behind the police cruiser and Spidey jumped into the air and started blasting away. No time to rest however, a rocket pummelled the guard tower, silencing it. The vigilantes scurried over to the guard tower, dealing with the prisoners there. One glaring difference is Neo's sudden desire to use the blade. A prisoner tried showing off, raising his shield arm into the air as if he's some super soldier, shouting, "INMATES ASSEMBLE!"
Spidey quipped, "Does Captain America know you took his catch phrase?!"
The Neapolitan vigilante face off against the shield-wielding foe. To her misfortune, he seemed pretty proficient at it, blocking her strikes and thrusts. Captain Inmate taunted, "I can do this all night!"
Neo sighed, cartwheeling back and firing Melodic Cudgel. The blast ended up hitting his allies that were ahead of the shield but protected him. She wondered, 'What is that shield made of?'
Captain Inmate slapped his shield, "I'm invincible!"
Suddenly, a rocket blasted to the right of her, forcing her backwards. She turned and saw another inmate. He had a purple mohawk. He shouted, "You ready bitch, because you won't get away from the Missileteer!"
A familiar heavy-set inmate came from behind and smashed her Overactive Imaginations. He shouted, "Remember me? I'm the Dreadnought, bitch!"
Neo was in the courtyard, facepalming. What's going on anymore? She heard a soft electrical whine and jumped forward, rolling on the ground. The Neapolitan vigilante turned to the side to find an elderly inmate in a wheelchair roll up to her. He said, "You're m-m-mental c-c-capabilities are n-n-no match to my s-s-science!"
He pressed a button on the chair and makeshift rockets fired from them, forcing Captain Inmate, the Missileteer, and the Dreadnought to take cover. The mini-rockets missed their mark and the Dreadnought shouted, "HEY! Watch where you're shooting that thing nerd!"
Neo, however, found herself pushed back towards the streets and Spider-Man was nowhere to be found. Sufficed to say, she did see him on the helicopter. She texted the situation to him and sighed. Her eyes widened, narrowly dodging a boulder thrown by a stereotypical strong man, complete with moustache.
He shouted, "I am King Sisyphus! You shall bow before me!"
Her jaw dropped at the ridiculousness of the situation but, it happened. The inmates gathered together. Captain Inmate took point, flanking him was the Nerd, the Missileteer, the Dreadnought, and King Sisyphus. Neo felt a headache coming into her head when she heard Captain Inmate shout, "INMATES ASSEMBLE!"
Author's Notes: I apologize for the long wait and I hope it has been worth it. Things have been...let's just say exhausting at home and a little tense. Nonetheless, please know that I will see this through to completion, no matter how long it may take me. I thank all of you for reading along on this adventure and I appreciate your support. I wish you a safe time.
-Vumanchu