Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.

So Microsoft dropped 7.5 billion bucks on Bethesda. To put that in perspective, Disney paid a bit over 4 billion for Marvel Studios and a similar number for Lucasfilm and Star Wars. Obviously the economics are a bit different, since this includes not only IPs and studios, but also things like the ability to license out the ID Tech engine too. While people already want a Halo/Doom crossover, which would be great, I'm setting my sights a bit lower: I want Doom Guy/Doom Slayer to find a Master Chief toy in his next game, just to see what he'd make of it.

MarauderPrime12: Here it is, hopefully you enjoy.

Guest: If you've gotten here, then you probably can tell that such a thing won't be happening in this story. In general? That's a tough pairing to really comprehend. The Punisher, the far older and grizzled veteran who was already married and lost his true love the becoming romantically involved with a criminal is a bit too far out there for me...and this story assumes that Manhattan roads are smooth enough to be something you can drive on in a McLaren P1 in race mode. Simply put, there's a lot of issues there that I can't see working, though maybe a better writer than me could pull that off.

As for the title of this, it's a song by some band called the Sick Puppies, a group I know nothing about and can't be bothered to look up because this song only came to my attention when I forgot to loop my spotify playlist and it went from ZZ Top to this...somehow. It's got a memorable opening baseline and it's quite on the nose for a bossfight chapter, which is what I always pegged it to be used for. The usual good music I can wholeheartedly recommend will return next chapter.


Power Without Question – Chapter 66: You're Going Down

Let's take a trip down memory lane

The words circulate in my brain

You can treat this like another all I'm sayin'

But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain

It's been a long time comin'

And the table's turned around

Cause one of us is goin'

One of us is goin' down


Silver Sablinova scrutinized Norman Osborn's face as the Mayor fielded a phone call on his cell, the mood in the dining room of the billionaire's penthouse steadily chilling with each thing the CEO was told. Across from the Symkarian was one of her subordinates, in fact, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bliss was the number two Sable International field commander behind only Sablinova herself. For the duration of the meal, Sablinova had effectively been sidelined from the conversation that had occurred as Osborn was far more interested in what Bliss and the 4th was doing. For her part, the Symkarian was scrutinizing Bliss more than she had in the past, listening to the way he had evaded the Mayors questions. This would not have bothered her in the past, she was not unaware of the charges levied against the Lieutenant Colonel and his men, but he had never failed to get results and that was all that had mattered. Now that she was listening she found herself opposed to what he did report. Protesters having appeared outside some of the FOBs having been opposed with force and the ringleaders interned in direct violation of Sable International ROEs, even if Osborn seemed indifferent to that, Sable was not. Bliss made assurances that they would be soon turned over to the NYPD but hadn't given a concrete timeline through the entire meeting. A mental note had been made to coax a solid answer from the man as soon as this meeting was over.

But it was clear where Osborn's interests lay, and that was the two vigilantes who were making their presence felt all across the city. Spider-Man had been dealing with the supervillains, which Sable was secretly grateful for, but the Marauder had been seemingly been focused solely on the 4th security battalion. That alone had her suspicious raised, but she was about to be given a very rude awakening as Osborn's face contorted into a sneer, "I see Commissioner." With that, he promptly hung up and placed his phone down on the table. "That was DeWolff, there has been an interesting development regarding the Marauder."

Tensing minutely, Silver turned to the Mayor but didn't fail to notice Bliss sneer in the corner of her eye. "She call to tell you she did her job and apprehended him instead of sheltering him?" growled the Lieutenant Colonel harshly, usually such an accusation would draw some placation or dismissal. But it did not this time, Osborn fixed Bliss with a withering glare that reminded the veteran officer who was in charge.

Bliss held his ground however, right up until Osborn's cold tones cut through the tension. "She did not Lieutenant Colonel. Commissioner DeWolff just informed me that several citizens have filed affidavits that are serving as the basis for an investigation into the actions of Sable International's 4th security battalion for charges including false imprisonment, assault, and theft. These citizens all came forward once they were freed from your Queens Tunnel Camp by the Marauder." The room fell silent as the two mercenaries processed the update, both the charges being brought against her company and that the audacity of the Marauder to attack Sable International so brazenly were equally shocking to the Symkarian. But the Billionaire wasn't done yet, "I expect to field a call from the DA that if any of these alleged actions are traced back to me then additional criminal investigations will ensue. This…will not happen," informed Osborn curtly, glaring daggers into both before resuming, "because I am explicitly ordering you to release all civilians you are holding, effective immediately."

The tone of the order was firm and gave no way for Sable or Bliss to attempt to argue, and they didn't, because Osborn continued immediately, "and if you expect to be employed tomorrow Lieutenant Colonel Bliss, I expect the Marauder in custody, those people released, and you to turn those responsible over to the NYPD." Looking from the Lieutenant Colonel to the Symkarian, Osborn's expression was frosty cold as he folded his hands, "I advise you get to work Lieutenant Colonel, dismissed." The abrupt dismissal didn't seem to faze Bliss as he stood, snapped a salute, tucked his cover under his arm, and marched straight towards the exit. When he exited and left the Symkarian and CEO, Osborn spoke to the head of the PMC. "Let me be clear Miss Sablinova, as far as anyone else is concerned, this is solely a Sable International internal issue and will be handled accordingly. It will have no effect on your other duties." Sablinova nodded, understanding, if not particularly liking, her company being used as a political shield by Osborn, specifically one of her best battalion commanders. "All is well at this moment in time and there is no need to make any…rash decisions. Lieutenant Colonel Bliss has so far proven exemplary at providing security to the city and should continue to so. If, at some point in the future, the Lieutenant Colonel is…lacking the necessary judgment to conduct operations in Manhattan, then he must be relieved by you, and you alone, at that later date."

Internally, Silver rolled her eyes at the way he lorded over her, but her situation was not one that enabled her to disagree. With her banking the company's future on this long term partnership with Oscorp, maintaining a relationship with the man at the top was vital. Short term, he was the one in the best position to manage the company's image, and it was very clear that he could easily do away with more than just one officer should he so desire, and the long term plans Sablinova had would be the least of her concerns. "I understand," she replied coolly as she stood, "thank you for the meal."

Without waiting to be dismissed, she spun on her heel and strode to the door, eager to escape the political games that could quickly become her undoing.


"You're back with Uncle Rick and 'Wouldn't You Know It?' podcast and pirate radio," proclaimed Valassi in his Bronx accent as Peter Parker continued to unload the latest supply shipment while waiting for Miles to return. If nothing else, the Queens Native could at least say that this conspiracy theorist was a nice change of pace from the usual conspiracy theorist he listened to. "Now I know our current situation is, in a word, complicated, but a quick refresher for those of you who have better things to do than figure out the veritable clusterfuck that is the security situation. Most of you are aware of the NYPD and other brave men and women of the first responders, New York's Finest. They're out there doing what they do best, no, they're not 'oppressing the underprivileged' Karen, they're doing what they can to keep some semblance of civic order. To keep things from totally falling to shit, in other words. Nothing but respect for those folks, and, as the puppets say, those are the people in your neighborhood, they're us."

Peter's mind went to people like Captain Watanabe or Jefferson Davis, you could say a lot of things about New York Cops, but you couldn't say they didn't care. He restocked some of the barren cabinets, in addition to medical supplies, the shelter had been going through food too, feeding not only those looking for safety after being driven from their homes, but the many volunteers who had shown up to lend a hand where they could. "But, as you all know, they ain't the only ones out there. Sure there are the usual hero types, but I'm interested in the Sable mooks today. Any of you ever heard of a little something called Mayoral Executive Directive 51? No? Didn't think so. It's not the kind of thing they put on the front page of the Bugle."

"You see, Directive 51 is another one of Osborn's shady programs, just like those lovely all-seeing crime towers and that nebulous 'agreement' with the Marauder. This Directive 51 hefted a whole lot of legal power onto any 'private contractor' hired by the city and places them under the sole authority of the city's executive branch, the Mayor, in other words." Peter stopped stacking for a second and cocked an eyebrow as the man continued. "Now, for those of you who, like me, can't make heads or tails of that, let me save you a google. It means that if someone, like say, Sable International, is brought in by the city, then they report directly, and solely, to Mayor Osborn. But wait…there's more! That's right, not only is our beloved mayor able to bring in his own toy soldiers like the city is his fucking sandbox, but if they want to play games like 'ignoring your constitutional rights' and 'seizing your property' then all it would take is for them to go out and do it is for Osborn to give the go ahead. And knowing our beloved Mayor? He probably let them have free reign, so he has plausible deniability. Plausible fucking deniability."

The man chuckled grimly as Peter grimaced, it was another layer to unravel in this whole mess, what was Osborn doing? "I mean, martial law is undemocratic," continued Rick candidly, "but at least it's transparent. With this? Who knows who's actually running the show? Is Osborn in control or did he delegate everything to this Sablinova lady? Or is it some rogue mercenary who wanted to take a power trip? That's the thing…nobody knows."

"Home of the free? My ass." And with that final statement, the podcast ended, and Peter quickly resumed, moving slightly faster than a normal human should have been able to in order to make up for lost time. Finishing up with the last, he threw the empty cardboard box in the ever-growing stack in the corner before realizing he had managed to get through the whole shipment. Letting out a sigh, he still wasn't even breaking a sweat and checked his watch anxiously, wanting to suit back up.

The sound of a panting new arrival brought that desire closer to reality as Peter turned to see Miles Morales, still clutching an Oscorp branded hard case, bent over and breathing heavily. "Breathe Miles," encouraged Peter, "stand straight, hands behind your head, deep breaths." The teen heeded his advice and followed the instructions as Peter relieved him of the case and set it down before giving Miles an appreciative clap on the shoulder and told him sincerely "Incredible work, Miles."

With that, he turned to leave and head for the roof when Miles spoke up. "Thanks Pete, where you off to now?" he asked innocently, leaving the Webslinger reeling to come up with a response.

"Oh, uh…I'm just going to check in on MJ," he lied quickly, "she called while you were gone and said she needed help with something." The response got an odd expression from the teen as Peter instantly remembered that he only knew MJ as the reporter helping Spider-Man, which probably explained his widening eyes. Quickly moving on, Peter told him "You stick close to F.E.A.S.T. – if these convicts get desperate then they may try and raid the shelter."

"Way ahead of you," assured the Midtown High student with a nod, "anything else happens here, I'll let you know."

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, it was good having someone he trusted at least keeping an eye on Aunt May, especially after the scare she had given him earlier. "Great - thanks Miles," he finished honestly before making his way out. As he made his way to the roof, he had to go through almost the entire shelter and everything he saw made his pace pick up just a bit. The sick, the homeless, the volunteers, they all needed Spider-Man's help, and know he knew just how to help them. Taking the stairs in twos and threes with his superhuman agility, he didn't have to worry about hiding it with nobody in sight and his sixth sense silent. So when he emerged on the rooftop, he had already stripped off his shirt and pants to reveal the Advanced Suit that was underneath, his mask pulled on to cover his face as his clothes were stuffed in the bag and he quickly swung off. As he pulled himself into the skyline, he dialed Captain Watanabe, not surprised the always reliable cop answered on the second ring. "Yuri," he greeted, "figured out Rhino's deal: he's attacking Oscorp's relief centers."

The Captain was on the ball, as always, "Think I know which one he's hitting next:" she told him, "reports of a possible earthquake and/or demolition derby at the Harlem Center have been coming in."

Pulling out his phone mid swing, he pulled up the location of the Harlem Center and uploaded it to his mask HUD. "Sounds like our boy," he agreed as he launched himself off a chimney and shot forwards, simultaneously using the move to change directions to head north, "headed there now."

Though despite his best efforts to not show the effects of his earlier run in with Scorpion, Yuri sniffed him out anyways, "You holding up okay?" asked the veteran lawwoman seriously.

"Tired," admitted the web head as he scaled a high rise and flung himself over the top, waiting until he was in freefall before continuing, "but hanging in there."

"We'll get through this, keep the faith."


With preparations at the construction site complete, Cooper had three hours of free time that he was using to rest before he had to suit back up later that afternoon. It was his first time back at the warehouse he called home since the breakout, though it felt like it had been far longer than the three or four days it had actually been. Thankfully, everything looked to be intact, his locks had held and the interior was undisturbed, but he only had time to get a brief check done before Felicia had put a stop to that. which was why he was currently in bed, finger twirling in her platinum hair while his other hand was wrapped around her waist as he woke from his short but much needed sleep. "Sweetheart," began Matthew quietly, still gently tracing circles around her belly button through her thin white tank top, "you up?" While the heiress didn't answer verbally, Cooper could almost see the Cheshire grin she had on her face as she wiggled her hips, allowing him to feel her panty clad ass rub against him. He couldn't help but let out a low chuckle and give her a kiss on the cheek, "I just wanted to tell you something."

The sincerity in his tone elicited a response from Hardy as she rolled over until Matt was looking at her bright green eyes and the smile he expected to see before she propped herself up on an elbow. "What's on your mind?" she asked quietly, running a finger along his arm as he found it hard to continue, which caused her to give him a peck on the lips to knock him from his stupor, "Something wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

They both smiled at the joke, Matt appreciating the brief moment of levity as he sat up in bed and looked over at the clock. It was now well into the afternoon and he didn't want to waste anymore time, no matter how appealing of a prospect that was. When he looked back at his girlfriend, it became even more appealing, but he pushed that aside and swallowed hard before speaking his mind. "I just wanted to say…Thank you," he began, noting that it seemed like Felicia was about to say something but he silenced that by brushing her hair back and putting a finger over her lips, "let me finish. You didn't have to break me out, you didn't have to fight Silver Sable, you didn't have to help me plan all this. You could've sat up in your penthouse, drinking wine and eating cheese, but you aren't." He paused for a moment, moving his hand over to cup her face as he managed a weak smile, "instead you're here, putting up with all this shit…all my shit. I can't tell you just how much it means to me that you're doing that, that you are here with me, but…thank you."

There was a moment of silence that hung in the air as Matt turned away, Felicia examining him with a critical eye before he heard her shift and turned to see her settle down in his lap. She put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to square up to her as she struggled with her own words, "You do the same for me…" she finally managed before taking a deep breath, "and this…us," she corrected, "means a lot to me too." There was an unexpected rush of relief that worked its way through him as he reflexively pulled the woman to him and they shared a kiss that didn't progress as far as it usually would before both pulled back.

Even after more than a year together, Felicia could be hard to read when she wanted to be and becoming more than friends with benefits hadn't changed that either. They were partners both professionally and romantically, an arrangement that had served them well, but it was becoming clearer to the Pilot he wanted more than that and that was something Matthew was wholly unprepared for. While he was still processing that, the thief already had the corners of her mouth upturned, "So you go pull this off stud, come back to me, and then we can work out how you can thank me properly…" she purred in a way that made him need a cold shower before he went to the construction site. But when he tried to lift her off him, she was reluctant to move, "we still have some time, where you headed cowboy?" she asked wickedly.

"A cold shower before I go," he admitted, "you do tend to have that effect on me."

Knowing exactly what she was doing, she ran a finger up his chest, "Oh, did I make you tense?" she asked teasingly. "Tell you what," she breathed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself into him so he could feel her breasts press against him, "make it a warm shower and I'll help you loosen up." Not needing any further encouragement, Matthew wrapped an arm around her lithe form and pulled her tight as he swung his legs out of bed and got to his feet, her legs wrapping around him as he brought his other hand up to cup her bottom and squeeze affectionately as he carried her to the shower with him. For her part, Felicia merely hummed contently, "I do know how to pick 'em."


As Spider-Man approached Harlem, it became a trivial task to pick up Rhino's trail since Aleksei was not exactly the master of subtlety. The 700-pound supervillain left wrecked cars and crushed Sable fortifications in his path that led the Webslinger to a storage yard full of shipping containers and other equipment. But what stood out the most was the sound of a firefight as Spidey's eyes found the bright red streams of laser fire slammed into the charging form of the Rhino to no effect. Not slowing down, the Russian rushed the trio of troopers, knocking one aside with a casual backhand before wrapping a massive armored hand around each of the remaining troopers heads as Spider-Man swung closer as the two Troopers struggled in the villains grasp. Landing gracefully, the hero picked up a massive concrete pipe, hoisting it above his head and putting his super strength into heaving it forwards at Rhino, with even the massive enforcer staggering and releasing his victims due to the impact. While the white armored agents scrambled away, Rhino remained kneeling as the dust settled. "Pick on someone your own size, Rhino!" taunted the wallcrawler gamely.

Growling lowly, Rhino slowly stood to his full 7-foot 5-inch height as he turned around, "There is no one my size, pauk," spat Sytsevich. He glared down at the Webslinger, snarl fixed across his exposed mouth as Peter felt his sixth sense begin to buzz warningly.

Stepping back as the villain lowered his horn threateningly, Spider-Man tried to take a different tac, "Or maybe we could just…talk it out?" he suggested right as Rhino charged with a roar and Spider-Man flipped up and out of the way. "Rhino, what's with the team up?" asked the Webhead as the pair squared back up, "thought you were more of a loner."

While Aleksei paused to consider the question, Peter fired a web line to grab a plastic barrel before swinging it around and slamming it against the man's face, but all it did was elicit another growl from the villain. "Means and ends pauk," answered Rhino as he lowered his shoulder once again and Spidey looked up to see another of the large concrete pipes he had used to great effect earlier hanging from a crane over Rhino's path, "all of life is means and ends." When the man charged predictably, the colorful superhero didn't dodge, instead firing a pair of web lines at the pipe and yanking it down, dropping it on the back of the charging Rhino.

"So what's the end for these particular means?" he asked, leaping towards the staggered supervillain and slamming his fist down on the man's exposed jaw as he fell to the ground before jumping up, delivering a roundhouse kick with every bit of his super strength he could muster and snap the armored man's head back the other way.

Spider-Man jumped back as Rhino shook his bloodied jaw and spat out a glob of blood on the ground, "Freedom!" he declared, "True freedom. No more suit. No more 'Rhino.'" With that, he dug his fingers into the torn up asphalt and lifted a hunk of it, heaving it at Spider-Man like it was made of foam, it forced him to bounce out of the way.

"Awww. I always liked the suit," admitted the Wallcrawler morosely, "so distinctive." Goading the man further, he strafed to his right while triggering his web shooters, pelting the villain with sticky synthetic silk to try and lure him under another crane, a wooden crate suspended beneath it. Just like last time, Rhino fell for it, charging forward as Spidey jumped and backflipped, firing a pair of web lines at the crate and using his strength and gravity to pull it down into Rhino's path. With a colossal crash, the villain turned the plywood to splinters, sending the contents flying across the space as Spider-Man leapt in to take advantage of the opening, firing his webs at the crane overhead and using it to swing around the downed villain and using the momentum he had built to deliver a singular punishing swing kick to the side of the man's head, able to hear the armor crack. Before he could follow it up, Rhino roared in rage and backhanded the webslinger, sending him flying and slamming into a few stacked up wooden boxes.

Shaking the blow off, Peter forced himself to get back to his feet as both fighters recovered from the exchange. "Be thankful, pauk," managed Rhino through labored breaths, "without suit, I make less trouble for you."

Ignoring the burning in his chest as he took a deep breath and rolling his shoulder and getting an audible 'pop' in return, the Web head turned back to his old foe who seemed to be doing much the same thing. "But what about our stimulating battle-side chats?" he quipped lightly while his larger for staggered back up.

"You are funny, malen'kiy," admitted Rhino with a deep chuckle, "I am almost sorry to destroy your tiny face…almost." Before Peter could quip in response, the Russian charged forwards at full speed, footsteps so loud that they drowned out the unneeded warning from his Spider sense blaring at the base of his skull.

Jumping up, he fired his web shooters to pull himself out of the path of the stampeding Rhino and swung through the air, flipping off at the end of the line and soaring through the air, grabbing hold of one of the hooks for the heavy duty cranes and hoisting himself up, gripping the chain as he crouched down on the hook. "You wound me Aleksi, I thought we were closer than that!" he taunted boldly.

Just as he wanted, the supervillain crouched low and snarled "You would not like me so close!" before charging at him with thunderous steps. Each stride left a massive footprint in the asphalt as the distance closed and the Web head's muscles tensed as time seemed to slow while waiting for precisely the right moment. When it came, the Wallcrawler jumped, his superhuman strength overpowering the lock that held the hook up and dropped right onto Rhino's head. Not letting up, Peter pulled himself towards the villain, throwing a pair of punches before planting his foot on one of Sytsevich's massive arms, throwing himself back, he bounced off the ground to plant a full powered kick straight into the throat of Rhino, both men reeling from the blow as Aleksei fell flat on his back where as Spidey landed on his feet.

The heavy armor sparked, dented and bent, blood staining the front as the villain coughed up even more blood as the Web head looked on, "Let's wrap this…" he began to say when his Spider sense rang loudly at the base of his skull and his head snapped up, eye lenses wide to find the source of the threat. A familiar blob of green poison flew at him and he flipped away as the venom flew by, missing him by mere inches, Peter landed on the ground and looked up at the prowling form of Scorpion perched with his stinger tipped tail raised high as he sneered down at the pair.

"Never send an 8-ton infant to do a man's job…" growled Gargan lowly, seemingly looking down at both men literally and figuratively, "let's finish this."

Fists clenching, the Web head prepared for round two, ejecting the mostly spent cartridges as he squared up to the duo of armored supervillains. Rhino, for his part, was gamely getting back to his massive feet and standing to his full towering height. "Aw, Scorps, love ya, but you do know it's rude to cut in, right?" he asked as Rhino began to charge and Spider-Man was forced to leap clear as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but instead of stopping when he landed, the buzz at the base of his skull prompted him to handstand spring away from the blob of toxin that landed where he just was.

But Scorpion ignored the verbal jab as he jumped to get behind the Wallcrawler, instead calling out his supposed 'teammate.' "What were you gonna do if I didn't show up?" asked Mac in a sneer, "Beg him to give up?" Scorpion fired another shot of green poison that Spider-Man dodged by jumping back onto the container below the one Mac was perched on, bouncing off and pulling out a web grenade as he soared over Rhino, slinging the device at Scorpion and sticking it right to his chest.

Scorpion became ensnared by the webbing, which didn't go unnoticed by Rhino as he looked up at the mercenary. "Yes, Gargan. That is exactly what I would have done," snapped Aleksei as Spider-Man fired a webline at Scorpion and web zipped to him, leading with a kick that sent Scorpion back before Peter was forced to dodge the lethal mechanical tail and throw a powerful cross that sent the man spinning as the tail came back. But instead of dodging, Peter's hands shot up and grabbed it just below the poison tipped stinger, muscles straining against machine until Spider-Man wrangled the tail and used it to throw Mac from his perch just as he broke free of his silk prison.

Peter didn't miss the contempt the pair glared at each other with from his vantage point. "Aww. Like an old married couple, you two." Both men growled lowly as Rhino stomped on the ground and pried out the piece of jagged concrete his boot had dislodged and heaved it at the Web head. Jumping away, he soared through the air until he landed on an electromagnet. Predictably, Rhino charged, still not learning his lesson as he bore down on the Webslinger. Gargan, however, stuck with his ranged attack, flinging another blob of toxin forward. In one impossibly seamless motion, the superhero jumped off the magnet, slamming it down on Rhino as he flipped away from the poison and raised his web shooters and cut loose, unleashing a stream of webbing that trapped Scorpion. While Rhino was shaking off the magnet, Spider-Man pounced on Scorpion, plastering a powerful punch on the man's face. The tail tried to come down on him, but a pair of web lines snatched it out of the air and redirected it into the ground, the stinger burying itself deep in the asphalt. With that out of action, Spidey used the opening to pull himself up, swinging around the villain using his own tail to come in and deliver a powerful kick to the side of Gargan's head. Hitting the ground, he rolled and leapt away, "So you guys and Octavius?" he asked as he darted into cover for a brief reprieve, "You have a name yet? The Scary Six? The Dirty Half-Dozen?"

Gargan shook off the kick and called out in reply, "How about the 'We Murdered Spider-Man and Used His Corpse For a Blanket' Six?" The response left the web head taken aback as he blinked several times, shaking his head to try and get the mental image out.

Equally unamused was, oddly, Rhino. "Please…Gargan," said the Russian lowly, "you embarrass yourself." Slowly, Spider-Man crept past the containers to one of the large cranes and carefully stuck one of his hands to the cold steel, pulling himself up as he slowly ascended the structure.

To the two villains searching for him, the Web head had seemingly vanished into thin air, and Gargan began to get frustrated. "Get him, you idiot!" shouted Scorpion impatiently as Spider-Man worked his way around the leg of the crane.

Poking his head out to get a look at what the two armored villains were doing, Spider-Man saw Rhino turn towards the crane and trudge closer, "'Get him?' Come down and help, durak," barked the Russian angrily. But the mercenary did no such thing, instead sticking to prowling atop the containers.

Waiting for the right moment, the Wallcrawler let the pair separate themselves as he held down the button on his left web shooter to prepare an impact web as he jumped from his perch, firing a web line from his right wrist to swing from the arm of the crane before letting go of the button for his left shooter, blasting Scorpion as he flipped off the end of the line. "Guys, please," he faux pleaded as he fired his right web shooter again, the line grabbing the webbed up Scorpion and yanking him down to the ground, "there's plenty of me to go around." Firing a second web line on the ground next to the felled villain and pulling himself down as fast as he could, slamming his feet into Scorpion's chest full force, bending the armor from the force of the impact before throwing a punch right in Mac's bearded face.

But before he could continue his assault, a rumbling behind him and the buzz of his sixth sense caused him to dodge out of the way before Rhino stampeded past, trampling Scorpion underfoot just after he tore free of the webbing. "Watch where you're going jackass!" roared Gargan angrily as Spider-Man backed away and the two villains snarled and glared at each other, their alliance tittering on the brink.

Spider-Man, of course, didn't mind giving it a little push. Calling out again, he got the attention back on him, "Rhino's getting his suit removed, what did Octavius promise you, Scorpion?" he asked, even if he knew the answer.

Instead of charging right at Spidey, Rhino snorted and snarled down at Scorpion. "Money," spat Aleksei, "Gargan has no principals. He fights for profit." There was contempt that the Russian didn't even try to hide in the words.

"Untrue," sneered Gargan as he turned back to the Web head, "I'd rip Spider-Man's face off for free," he said with a sickening grin, "the money's a bonus." Eager to get that bonus, Mac leapt forwards with toxin dripping from the stinger on the tail and twisted smile on his face. Jumping up and backflipping away, he handsprung up and brought his pair of web shooters to bear, unloading them as Gargan landed.

With his superhuman reflexes, Spider-Man fired out shots of webbing as quickly as he could manage, quickly wrapping up Scorpion in a thick cocoon of synthetic silk. "Trapped again Gargan?" jeered Rhino from fifteen yards away as Spider-Man slid forwards, jumping up to plant an uppercut on Mac's chin, snapping his head back as his tail kept him upright, "pathetic."

"Keep talking dipshit!" yelled back Scorpion, Spidey beginning to very much feel like he was the third wheel here as that same tail shot back up and tried to spear through him as he dodged away. Before the tail could retract, the webslinger grabbed the tail of the villain and used it to swing the man around before throwing him into a building, the armored Scorpion cracking the concrete from the impact before falling to the ground. "I'll take care of you after I finish the bug!" vowed Gargan, but he was clearly shaking off the effects of the blow. Only then did Rhino seem to remember he was there to take on the Web head and charged forwards as Spider-Man was forced to turn and run, forming the impression he had seen this in an Indiana Jones movie before he hung a left back towards the cranes he had used earlier. Running through the first, he began to slow as the ground shook beneath his feet, waiting for the right moment before his sixth sense warbled in warning and he jumped up as Rhino charged past beneath his backflipping form right under a suspended container that he fired his webs at and yanked down. When the metal landed on Sytsevich there was a terrible sound of metal sheering as it broke on the back of the armored suit. As Rhino fell to one knee, Scorpion yelled out from the peanut gallery, "Can't believe I'm stuck with a moron like you!"

Spider-Man ignored the jab and jumped forwards, running up Rhino's back and kicking the side of the villains head before he dropped down, grabbing the Russian's signature horn to stop his fall and pull himself up, driving a knee into the man's nose before he flipped back and away. Rhino slammed an armored fist into the ground, "Come here and I'll fix that," he growled as a blob of green toxin flew by, barely missing Rhino as Spider-Man dodged away. "If we fail because of you, Gargan, you will know the pain this suit can cause."

"Try it red menace!" snapped the green armored mercenary, "Hell, maybe I'll just pull you out of the suit myself. Piece…by…piece." Rhino turned around, smoke and sparks pouring from his half wrecked armor as he turned to face Scorpion, who wasn't looking much better with the green plate cracked and tail bent and crinkled.

"Starting to feel like I don't even need to be here…" admitted the Webslinger as both heads whipped around to him, their facemasks deformed in different ways, "you guys want to sort this out yourselves?" he offered. There was a momentary pause before Rhino picked up the remains of the container and chunked them at the Web head at the same moment Scorpion unleashed another blast of poison, forcing him to flip away from both, "Guess not…" muttered the Queens native under his breath, "worth a shot."

Even still, the thin veneer of their partnership was weakening by the second and Spider-Man took a deep breath, ready to finish this. His foes, still not learning from the last few minutes of this same song and dance, came at him in the same predictable fashion. Rhino charged forwards, shoulder down and just like the last sixteen thousand times they had done this, Spider-Man jumped up, firing a web line to swing out of the way before his spider sense rang loudly and he extended his other arm, firing a second line to web zip clear of the blob of poison that was arcing through the air. Disconnecting that line, he charged up an impact web as he fell back to the ground that Scorpion tried to dodge, but the servos on his suit only sputtered and smoked instead of responding. When the web hit him, it wrapped him up as Spidey landed and he grabbed the ensnared mercenary with a pair of web lines, ripping him off his feet and whipping him across the space and into the legs of the larger member of the Sinister Six, tripping him up as they fell over each other. Crawling out from under the Russian, Gargan turned around to face Rhino as the Russian tried to push himself up. "Do you know what Octavius'll do if he finds out you failed?"

Spidey could only stand by and watch as Rhino slammed his chest and squared up, not to Peter, but to Mac, "I failed?" he barked out in challenge as the Wallcrawler jumped up and softly landed on a stack of shipping containers, looking over the pair of foes with a keen eye.

"Yes you, fucking freak show!" sneered Scorpion before he was picked up by Rhino and thrown across the area, coming to a stop below a skewed container that was half hanging off the one it was stacked on top of. But Rhino wasn't done yet, charging after Gargan and quickly picking up speed. Humorously, Peter could imagine Mac's eyes widening behind the crimson visor as he raised his web shooters and gave that suspect container a tug, toppling it over. When it crashed down just ahead of Scorpion, the doors swinging open and causing him to come to a sudden stop, and it was that hesitation that would be his undoing. Turning around, his mouth gaping open, Scorpion was able to catch a glimpse of his compatriot before 7 feet and 8 tons of armored Russian slammed into him at top speed, driving him into the container. Rhino's shoulders barely squeezed inside, the metal bent and flexed outward where he had impacted as Spidey fired another pair of web lines, one grabbing each door before he crossed his forearms and yanked, the doors slamming shut a moment later.

Jumping down, Peter could see the entire container bounce, slamming back down with a loud crash from the fracas taking place inside. Triggering his web shooters, Spider-Man unleashed two scattershot blasts of webbing that coated the damaged doors and pinned the container to the ground. "A little forced time together might help you boys learn to play nice!" he quipped before calling his favorite lawwoman. "Hey Yuri, I bagged Rhino and Scorpion," he said before turning back to the container as it bounced again, "or 'boxed' more accurately, that's four down. Just Octavius and Li left."

"Something tells me they won't be as easy," supposed the Captain, correctly, Peter assumed. "They're only half our problem though: Devil's Breath cases are getting worse, and Oscorp is being coy about an antiserum…" continued Watanabe before taking a deep breath, "I'm worried they're seeing dollar signs in a seller's market."

Spider-Man grimaced behind his mask, "I'd expect nothing less from our beloved Mayor," he deadpanned, "leave Devil's Breath to me; one of my best people is on it…"


Mary Jane scowled at her computer, the redhead's eyes nearly as red as her hair from the hours she had spent going through everything she could get her hands on in order to find Oscorp's lab where the Devil's Breath Antiserum was under development. Every building record she could pull, every tip she could beg, squeeze, and pry from her sources, and every farfetched rumor had been checked as she desperately tried to piece something together. So far however, she had precious little to show for her efforts with nothing coming up and most of one of the walls in Felicia's penthouse covered in notes and attempts to connect the pieces of the puzzle. It was clear to her that Norman Osborn had gone to absurd lengths to keep GR-27 a secret, there was nothing in any Oscorp files, publicly available or acquired by…other means. That meant Mary Jane had been reaching out to any corporate lawyers who would answer her to try and find any shell companies that might answer to Norman Osborn behind the scenes.

But at the end of the day, it all came back to Norman, and as the TV set up ran the latest statistics showing that deaths were increasing, and it was only going to get worse. She had a terrible idea, an awful longshot that was starting to form in her head. Sighing and rubbing her eyes tiredly, she pulled herself up from her spot and made her way to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and downing a third of it in an attempt to ignore the part of her brain that was tired of being stuck here. Half of her mind appreciating the small break she had allowed herself while her hard driving reporter side was quickly warming to the idea of going directly to the source to get the answers she needed, in this case: Norman Osborn.

She was suddenly knocked from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening and turned around to see Felicia strut through and into the penthouse with a content smile on her face as she looked around. "I like what you've done with the place Red," began the Thief as she walked around and took in her attempts to trace a source a Devil's Breath cure and ran her finger along one of the pieces of string connecting papers, "really gave a sense all the pieces are connected." Felicia then turned to look at her, smirking mischievously and without a hint of malice as she circled back to the kitchen an pulled a bottle of some high end vitamin water that Watson wouldn't even attempt to pronounce out of the fridge. "So what's on your mind Red? I know I'm pretty but you don't stare unless you have something to say."

Mary Jane blinked three times at that, wondering how Hardy knew that with her back to the Bugle reporter. Shaking it off, she cleared her throat and said what was on her mind, "how hard would it be to get into Norman Osborn's penthouse?" she asked seriously. For her part, the platinum blonde turned to look at Watson, raised a manicured eyebrow, shrugged, and took a sip of her overpriced drink. Mary Jane rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'm being serious."

The Black Cat looked at her again, eyes narrow as the redhead was scrutinized by the thief's piercing gaze but maintained her composure, nonetheless. "Not easy," she replied, taking another sip of her drink, "but doable. Any residential space is going to have holes in its security and even Sable can't patch them all. The ones they do are bolted on fixes and far from perfect." With that said, the burglar made her way to an armchair and sat down in it perpendicular to how one was supposed to, her back propped up by one armrest and her legs draped across the other.

MJ cut in, "But knowing Osborn, he'll have Sable International expecting Spider-Man, the Marauder, and Black Cat, we'll need another way inside." Immediately, the Thief turned to look at the reporter, mischievous grin elegantly manifesting on her face at what MJ had said.

"I like the way you think Red," purred Felicia as she sprung up from her seat with a feline grace and beckoned Mary Jane to follow her, "you're right, alone, none of us would probably be able to get in, but if you were to provide a little help…" The Bugle reporter had been led to the master bedroom and then to her closet as the heiress opened a locked wardrobe to reveal her gear and equipment inside, all carefully cleaned and maintained, though there were slight gaps from the gadgets she had used in recent days. "We might be able to get in together. Wait a few hours for Matt and then if we…"

Felicia was cut off by the loud sound of MJ's phone ringing as the reporter looked down and saw who it was before quickly answering. "Pete, hey. I've been through city, state, and federal databases – if this Devil's Breath lab does exist, it's off the books." She frowned a bit before taking a breath and telling him what she had in mind, "the only other place I can think to look is in Norman's personal files."

There was a pause and MJ braced herself for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised by Peter's response, "I've already been through his office computer…are you thinking his penthouse?" he asked, genuinely if she was to guess. Looking over at Felicia, she couldn't help but blush at the way the heiress was wiggling her eyebrow encouragingly before she regained her composure. "That building's full of Sable's men; if they spot me, other residents could get hurt in a firefight."

"I know," replied MJ as she looked back at Black Cat and the woman's gear, "but I might be able to get inside undetected…" she began, only to have Felicia clear her throat before MJ added, "with a little help."

At that, she put the phone on speaker and held the phone out, "Hey Spider," greeted Felicia as she began to pull out a few gadgets, "I'll help your girl out, make sure we get in and out no problem," assured the veteran infiltrator, "don't worry about us."

Mary Jane took the phone back and continued to make her case, "We can sneak in, find the lab's location, and get out." Felicia, meanwhile, was busy laying out equipment and humming happily to herself as MJ added, "If anything goes wrong, I'll call you for backup."

There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line before the reporter heard a resigned sigh from her partner, "OK. It's risky," admitted Spider-Man, his voice seemingly more strained by web swinging than what he was saying, which was reassuring, "but we need that location." Mary Jane was well aware of that too, and she knew what was at stake, both for her personally and the city at large. It was a risk she was willing to take.

"Alright, give us a few hours to make a plan and wait for Matt to finish whatever he's up to and then Felicia and I will make our move." Truthfully, she didn't know exactly what the Texan was planning, but he had said to deal with Bliss and part of Sable International and she was under no illusions, if they were going to potentially kick the hornet nest than she wanted every bit of backup she could get.

"Alright," he agreed, "I'll patrol until then, when you call, I'll wait nearby while you make your move." Mary Jane was gently pushed aside as the platinum blonde pulled a designer handbag down from the shelf and looking at it before quickly replacing it for another equally expensive one and moving back to her selected equipment. "I'll be ready, good luck MJ."

With that, the line clicked dead and the redhead pocketed her phone, taking a deep breath before she saw the platinum blonde smirking as she went about her preparations. "What's got you smiling?" asked MJ, partly curious and partly defensive at being the object of the heiress' bemusement.

"I can't be excited at the prospect of a heist?" asked Hardy innocently before adding, "especially one with my bestie?"

"Never say that again," groaned Mary Jane, drawing a lopsided grin from the Thief before the mood turned serious once more. "What do you need me to do?" asked the journalist.

"First things first, you need to pick out a bag that will match that outfit. We'll be traveling light, no Black Cat for this one since we won't have the cover of night to make it worthwhile. Our best bet is to come up with some way to get them out of the penthouse and then use either the central elevator to take us directly there or any of the others to get us to the 28th floor and then the staircases on the northwest and southeast corners," rattled off the burglar with surprising ease. Only then did it dawn on Mary Jane that this was the best thief in New York, maybe the country, and it should have been obvious that she had planned to steal from Osborn at some point. "While you do that, I'm going to go set the bait for Matt's trap and grab some old notes," explained Felicia simply as she pulled out her phone and pressed a key on it before turning to leave the walk in closest while enthusiastically exclaiming "this is going to be fun!"


Looking around the chaotic space that was the command and control center of the 4th Security Battalion, Silver Sablinova was mostly silent not out of respect for the man barking orders like a madman, but because she was so consumed with the internal conundrums she was faced with. The Symkarian found her own indecisiveness infuriating, Osborn's continued toying with her and her men was grating, and the continued resistance from the Marauder and Spider-Man aggravating. It was rapidly becoming apparent that for all of Osborn's cunning, he lacked any competence in the use of forces like that of Sable International and his continued directives had only weakened their position since the breakout less than a week ago.

Even passing by the smoldering ruins of what she now knew had been the Detention Center, and knowing from the police reports what had taken place there; she struggled to bring her rising anger against the Marauder. Perhaps the fact that she had to learn about the appalling treatment of civilians by those under explicit orders to not do such things from the police was so far beyond acceptable that under any other circumstance she would have relieved Bliss of command on the spot. But this wasn't any other circumstance, her hands had been effectively tied and her own agency effectively ripped from her control, she was a spectator in her own show.

All of that was pushed aside as a trooper yelled out from his station, "Sir! There's been a ping on the city crime system." That got the whole room's attention as it fell silent and the Agent continued, "Confirm hostile contact designation: Marauder. Location is Madison and 28th," rattled off the man professionally, "contact lost, system is now clean." Already, the location had been plotted on the central display table, still with some shrapnel in it from the firefight that had occurred earlier, and Sable raised an eyebrow at the location.

"That cannot be right…" murmured the Mercenary, the Pilot was close to the base, too close, he could have been anywhere in the city by now and he was only a few hundred meters from the base he had just attacked that was the headquarters of the man who had been assigned to hunt him down. Striding over to the agent that had called the alert out, her approach prompted the man to come to attention, "I want confirmation on that location," ordered Sablinova with all the weight of an order.

"Yes ma'am," he responded curtly, tapping on his console and stepping aside to give her a clear view, "single ping, Madison and 28th." Indeed, the man was right, causing a slight downturn at the corner of Silver's mouth as she spun on her heel and moved back to the central table, trying to make sense of this. From her research, she had gleaned that the Marauder was able to link into the crime system, both able to see its feed and ensure he didn't end up on, so why had he now?

"Finally pulled one on this sonofabitch," snarled Bliss, "are my strike teams ready?" he barked out as all became clear to the silver haired woman. The Major was no fool, he was trying to draw Bliss out to a place of his choosing, and the best way to do that was to offer himself up on a silver platter to the Lieutenant Colonel.

And from the look of things, Bliss was doing exactly what the Marauder wanted. "Yes sir," replied another trooper, "3rd Company is green, I have four APCs ready to move as soon as you give the word." Bliss was half listening to Sable's eye, already busy strapping on his holster and personal M9A1 sidearm while the junior officer continued, "the rest of the company can be moved in soft skins we have in this base. We can have 80 men at that location in twenty minutes sir."

Bliss nodded approvingly, "Very good. ExAACCT support?" he asked curtly.

The armored trooper produced a tablet and looked through it before giving an answer. "Three teams are available, all are at the heliport in MOB Yankee, they'll need half an hour to spin up their birds."

"Do it," ordered the Lieutenant Colonel as he pulled his soft cap down on his balding head, "we're going to hit this bastard with everything we got and show him what it means to fight to the last man!"

"Rah!" chanted back the rest of the room as Bliss strode for the exit and Sable moved to intercept him. Usually the display of morale would make Sablinova proud, but these were profoundly different circumstances. She was not going to let any of her subordinates, no matter what her employer said, simply throw away good men if she could help it.

It was clear that Bliss saw her coming, but Sable did finally arrive alongside the Lieutenant Colonel as he exited the 'War Room.' "Lieutenant Colonel Bliss, as your superior I want to make it clear I do not agree with this course of action," she began bluntly, though Bliss acted as if she had said nothing at all, chin up and eyes forward as they moved towards the exit, "you are sending your men into a trap, I trust you can see that." The man didn't respond immediately, instead continuing to defy her in an act that would be considered insubordination. "I am ordering you to answer me, Lieutenant Colonel."

They had almost reached the exit as Bliss came to a sudden stop at the Symkarian's order and rounded on her, "I trust you to see that the Marauder has deliberately attacked my battalion, killed my men, and must be taken down like I have been directed to do!" growled Bliss, his anger simmering just behind his craggy features. "I will not allow him to defy me any longer! He will face the full extent of the capabilities of this battalion and I expect us to emerge victorious or to fight to the last man!" Now the two were mere inches apart, Bliss looking down at her as she held her ground despite his outburst while he took a moment to compose himself. "Are you ordering me to stand down?" he asked lowly.

There was a tense moment where she was sorely tempted, but there was only one response she was able to give. "No," she admitted lowly, almost sadly, "I am not."

"Very well," replied Bliss as he turned back to the door and moved to push it open before coming to a sudden stop, "then I request that you stay the fuck out of my way, ma'am."

With that, Bliss strode out towards his waiting HMMWV while Silver took a second to come to terms with her situation. Shaking her head, Sable couldn't help but mutter "didiskoya…" under her breath before following Bliss outside. Already, the yard was buzzing with activity, troopers moving to their respective vehicles as they idled, engines rumbling menacingly as their imposing weapons sat at the ready. The Sable International war machine was spooling up once more, but the woman who led it could not feel pride at it this time as she moved with cold precision and colder fury to her personal vehicle before preparing herself for the worst.


Cooper's Logbook - Vehicle: 2016 Jaguar F-Type SVR Convertible

As anyone who knows Top Gear will tell you, it takes a certain kind of person to drive a Jaguar, or 'Jaaags' as they are also called. The kind of person who would go out on a romantic dinner date with their boyfriend and spend all night flirting outrageously with the attractive waitress. No Jag driver is entirely trustworthy but it's always in a really nice and likable way so that when you have them over to your place it's expected and understood that an oil painting will probably go missing at some point. If you were to go to a prison, it's likely you would find that the murderers would drive Camaros, drug dealers would all have Impreza WRXs, and the tax dodgers and cat burglars would drive Jags.

And of all the cars that this storied British carmaker offers, none is more perfectly suited to Felicia than this two-seat sports car. When it came out in 2016 it was billed as the spiritual successor to the legendary Jaguar E-Type, and like that classic, this car is absolutely gorgeous, there is nothing that looks quite as good, especially from the back. Like Felicia, this thing's ass is second to none, with the right mix of beauty and power packed in that beautiful rear. Though there is a hard-top coupe version, Felicia got the soft top convertible since she likes feeling the wind in her hair and going topless…in more ways than one. Though chances are that before you see this thing, you'll hear it coming since it has one of the best soundtracks in the car world. Snorting on the change ups, bellowing when you put the pedal to the metal, and the popping and banging when you let up. If you can believe it, you can enable the sports exhaust with the press of a button, and when you do the car's just as much of a screamer as Felicia is, with both producing a wide range of intoxicating noises.

And since this is the SVR, it's much more than just a pretty face. With the supercharged 5.0 liter V-8 putting out 567 horsepower under that long hood, the Jaguar has the grunt to get it's 4100 pounds to sixty in 3.4 seconds. The weak point of the car is with reliable but unremarkable ZF 8 speed automatic transmission, even with paddle shifters and a manual mode the widely used box lacks the raw speed of a true dual clutch automatic like the Porsche PDK or the visceral engagement of a true stick shift and clutch pedal manual. But if there is one thing that changed to overhaul the character of the car it was the change from rear wheel drive to four wheel drive. While this upped the weight over 4000 pounds, it helped control the car's insanely tail happy nature once it was implemented, and with a car that packs over 500 horsepower that is a critical improvement.

Despite the looks, noise, and performance, the interior is luxurious and well put together, by Jaguar standards anyway. And the typical Jag personality continues with the harsh ride, this isn't the most comfortable convertible cruiser out there, but the ride mellows out at high speed. Translation? If you want to be more comfortable then you have to open the taps and let this big cat run. What's more Jaaag than that?

It's no surprise that Felicia loves this thing, even going so far as breaking into a government building to fast track getting a custom license plate for it that reads 'BLAK CAT' in an incredible display of self-awareness with a side of ego. As much as the Viper matches my personality, the F-Type pairs perfectly with hers. When you're inside them you get the sense that both are X-Rated Hardcore Monsters.


Closing Notes: Sorry if I went a bit overboard on that logbook entry, but the F-Type is certainly a car that warrants a long one. There is no car that matches a personality like the F-Type matches Felicia. Even if I personally prefer similar cars, mainly the Mercedes AMG GTS, there was never any doubt in my mind what our favorite thief would drive. Much of the entry was inspired by Jeremy Clarkson's review of the 2014 F-Type on Top Gear, and that was just the V-6 version!

As for the chapter itself, the main thing was the second big boss fight which I had debated having Matt take on but went back with Spider-Man when the 4th SB was brought in. Hopefully I got it right in y'alls eyes while keeping the repetition to an acceptable level, and trust me when I say that balance was not as easy as I thought. Otherwise, the big focus was on Silver Sable and the inner workings of Sable International, hopefully you guys like it and find it interesting and entertaining, or at least follow it well enough because it's rapidly coming to its conclusion.

Next chapter: Listen, excuse for a king, trust me, this fight you can't win, at Poltava.

Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.