Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Proving that Sony is incapable of not fucking up when it comes to the Webslinger, they even managed to fuck up the remaster of the game this story is based on. This is a 3 year old game at the time of release and they're remastering it, which is already dubious, but completely redoing the model of the main character just to make him look like a generic Tom Holland clone? Seriously? Nothing against Ben Jordan, but in my mind, and in this story, Peter Parker is based on the original, John Bubniak. One of the things that inspired me to write this story was this portrayal of Peter Parker, one who seemed like he had seen some shit. This new one doesn't look old enough to buy a beer, much less be a hardened 8 year veteran of crimefighting. There's no way you can convince me that throwing away one of the most interesting and unique aspects of your interpretation of the game's title character is worth a, let's be real here, almost indistinguishable to 80% of your players improvement of facial animations...for a character who wears a goddamned mask like 70% of the time anyways. It's, and there's no nicer way to put this, fucking moronic.
If any of you Sony fanboys don't understand why this has gotten so far under my skin, take it from a disillusioned Halo fan, this is the kind of thing that has made me come to loathe 343 Industries, I've seen it before.
Rant over, sorry about that. In better news, AC/DC has a new album coming out and I am pumped. A single from the album, 'Shot in the Dark' is out today, go give a listen as we wait for the rest of the album PWRUP.
MarauderPrime: Wait's over man, thanks for the kind words.
Jamal rarick: So I'm assuming you have not played the PS4 game this story is based off of, which is perfectly fine and I believe you are referring to Mary Jane in the question. I can neither confirm nor deny what is about to happen. But at the same time, this particular development is lifted straight from the game, so that's your hint to not tell me how dumb the resolution is, fair enough? Okay, cool.
Blaze1992: I believe she was facing Cooper when he shot her. So, for all of the bullshit rules regarding the arc rounds I've made up that seem to change from encounter to encounter, I don't think they are quite capable of pulling a 'Wanted' and curving quite like that. Is it wrong? Eh, she has been a pain in the ass so I can see wanting to return the favor.
CHARQICharly: Hopefully you have the answer to your question by now. But we will probably see a bit more of the Avengers, at least in supporting roles from here on out.
I've been waiting a long time, but it's time to finally get a good Iron Maiden song as a chapter title. I'm not messing around with their more questionable later albums like Dance of Death or Book of Souls this time, I'm going straight to what I hold to be their very best work: Powerslave. This 1984 Album really is Iron Maiden at their best, weird and a bit pretentious, but not so much as to make it not feel like a kick ass metal album. You have more 'normal' songs like the epic 'Aces High' all the way to the 14 minute long 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' which was inspired by the 18th century English Poem of the same name. In between you have stuff like the album's title track and this particular song with it's awesome opening riff.
And it doesn't exactly get any worse after that fantastic guitar work courtesy of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. And, like he usually does, Bruce Dickinson, the Human Air Raid Siren himself, belts out the bleak lyrics with aplomb, taking over the track as he is prone to do. Topping it off is a weird music video, almost like a 1980's Heavy Metal version of the Clancy classic 'The Sum of All Fears'. A protest song about nuclear war, it refers to the 'Doomsday Clock' that is used to symbolize how close humanity is to annihilation. 'Midnight' signified the beginning of the end and the closest we had ever gotten was in 1953 with the first successful tests of Hydrogen Weapons and the clock was set to 11:58 pm, or 23:58, and it stayed there until 1960. But in case you needed proof that 2020 was the worst year, we are currently sitting at just 1 Minute and 40 Seconds to Midnight, the closest we ever have been. So since the end could come sooner than you think, put this song on, crank up the volume, and UP THE IRONS!
Power Without Question – Chapter 68: 2 Minutes to Midnight
The body bags and little rags of children torn in two
And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you
As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song
To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun
The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
don't you pray for my soul anymore
Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb
By the time Matthew's boots touched down on the roof of F.E.A.S.T. the city was cloaked in darkness, with even the full moon hanging above Manhattan unable to pierce the overcast sky, casting the entire scene in an ominous glow. Already on the rooftop were Peter and Mary Jane, and after what Felicia had relayed to him on the way here, Cooper couldn't fathom how his friend was feeling. Indeed, Spider-Man sat down tiredly, shaking his head in disbelief, "It's so much to take in. Harry sick…Norman and Li…and Dr. Octavius…" he managed shakily, clearly trying to get to grips with everything.
To Cooper, it almost made some sort of sick, twisted sense that they were all connected, but he remained silent. None if it changed what he felt they had to do, find Octavius, neutralize, with a bullet to the head if it came to that, and secure the antiserum. When the morgues stopped filling up was when they could turn their attention elsewhere, but a quick glance at Felicia told him that, while she felt the same way, the other couple did not. "I know…" said MJ gently, crossing her arms.
The Webslinger on the other hand, was still dejected, sighing deeply and shaking his head again, "This is all my fault…" he bemoaned quietly.
Cooper, finally, had heard enough. "Cut that shit out," he snapped harshly, Peter looking up at him, "Get your head out of your ass and take a look around. Whether you think you deserve to be or not, you're part of the city's best…and probably last…hope. It's time to do or die. So pull. It. Together."
The eye lenses of the mask blinked twice as the Marauder stepped back and Mary Jane took his place, crouching down on one knee to try a gentler approach. "Matt's right," began the redhead carefully as she grabbed one of his hands, the web head looking down at his hand before his chin lifted so his masked face was looking at the reporter, though it was impossible for Cooper to tell what he was thinking. "You're not alone anymore Pete. You don't need to do it all," she reminded gently, the blank stare of the mask the only reply she got. "Let Miles and I look after F.E.A.S.T. You find Norman. Find the cure."
There was a tense silence before the Wall crawler finally replied, "Thanks…" he said sincerely, "partner." Cooper could see MJ smile genuinely as the pair stood, awkwardly letting go of the others hand before the web head turned to the Pilot, "you got a plan?"
"We go there, secure the antiserum, and take down anyone who dares try and stop us." replied the Marauder darkly, "But first I need to grab a different gun. This thing won't be of much use inside a lab." explained the Texan, pointing to the DMR on his back.
One of the eye lenses widened in curiosity, "you expecting that much trouble?" asked Peter skeptically.
"Yeah," replied the SRS Commando with a nod, "I am." With nothing else to say, Spidey turned and raised his arm, firing a web line off into the distance and swinging from the rooftop, Mary Jane watching him until he swung out of sight before she made good on her promise and turned to head inside, leaving just Cooper and Hardy. Slowly, Matt pulled off his helmet and turned to his girlfriend, trying to find the right way to phrase what he was thinking. After a moment of trying and failing, he bluntly told her "Cat…Felicia, I want you to stay here."
Felicia was, predictably, less than agreeing. "No," she replied just as bluntly, shaking her head. "I know what you're trying to do, but you're my cowboy, not a knight in shining armor. They're completely different," she argued.
"Both ride horses," deadpanned Cooper automatically, unable to keep from cracking a small grin that the platinum blonde thankfully matched. "I…you mean too much to me for me to order you to do anything, but there isn't time to go get your gear. We have to end this now," he ground out before taking a deep breath. "Go over to the safehouse when you can and grab some stuff, use it to help the people here if you can while I go take care of business and then I can make it up to you" he promised, "Okay?"
Felicia was silent for a long moment before she swiftly closed the gap between them and pulled him down to her, pressing her lips to his for a soft kiss as Cooper reflexively wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, the kiss deepening as her hand ran through his short hair before they both slowly broke it off and came up for air. "I'll hold you to that" she purred as she caught her breath, "Now go give 'em hell cowboy."
Closing the window to the safe house he was staying at, Peter quickly scooped up some spare web cartridges and extra gadgets, his mind still spinning as his hands were on autopilot. So many things were coming to a head, Harry, Norman, Otto, Li, Devil's Breath, he couldn't keep track of it all. Maybe Cooper had a point, best to just keep things simple, "I need to get that antiserum, and start putting things right," he told himself as if it would be that easy. "There must be some way to reach Li and Otto. Convince them to give up this crusade for revenge. They've both done so much good for the world; they can't throw their legacies away just to spite Norman," he said hopefully, ignoring the part of his mind that said Matt was right and they already had.
As he grabbed the last gadgets, he saw a text notification pop up inside his mask from Cooper that read 'Locked, stocked, and ready to rock. I'll meet you there.' With everything tucked into the few hidey holes built into the advanced suit, he turned back and jumped out the window, firing off a web line to swing west.
Slowly losing himself to the relaxing rhythm of web swinging, Peter suddenly remembered to appraise Yuri of the current situation. Dialing the Captain, he hoped she had made it through all right, but he needn't have worried as the ever reliable policewoman answered after the second ring. "I hope this is good news…" she said tiredly in greeting.
"It is," assured the wall crawler, "Oscorp just created an antiserum."
"There's a cure?" asked Yuri in a state of shock before sighing in relief, "Thank god – how quickly can we get it to people?"
Hanging a left and catching a glimpse of a distinct blue contrail up ahead, Peter web zipped to a streetlamp and launched himself off it to close the distance, "Marauder and I are on our way to find out," he informed as he swung around the next corner, turning north once more. "The lab is at Tenth and Cathedral."
"Wait…" interjected the Captain quickly, "I just got a report of three helicopters going down in that area…"
"Oh no…that could be Norman's helicopter and its escorts…" It seemed that Matt's thoughts about expecting trouble were right on the money. These wouldn't be Rikers convicts or Sable Agents, with Li being the one in charge of retrieving the antiserum it would likely be the mask wearing Inner Demons lying in wait for him.
"I'd send officers your way" began Yuri as if sensing his thoughts, "But I don't have any…" she finished sadly.
"Don't worry, we're on it" assured the Queens Native, trying his best to sound reassuring, "This'll all be over soon" he added, "I promise." But even after the line had gone dead, Peter couldn't tell for who those last two words were for.
Inside F.E.A.S.T., MJ was sitting at one of the plastic folding tables with her phone out and taking the time to properly let everyone know what was happening, tell Robbie that she was working on some leads and intentionally leaving out her source for said leads. As she hit the 'Send' button, she felt an odd presence and slowly looked up to see Felicia sitting casually across from her, feet up on the table as she was inspecting her nails. "When the hell did you get here?" blurted out Mary Jane in shock, the heiress had practically vanished after they had arrived at the shelter, only to magically appear seemingly from thin air.
Hardy shrugged, unaffected by the redheads outburst, "Four minutes," she answered as she sighed and looked up at the reporter, "I was wondering when you'd notice." Mary Jane opened and closed her mouth, trying to form the right words but utterly failing to do so as the thief smiled at her victory and pulled her feet down, standing before reaching and lifting a black duffel bag that she promptly dropped on the table, shaking it. "As for where I was?" began the platinum blonde as she walked around to MJ's side of the table, dragging the bag with her, "I went to go grab some things, just in case."
"Just in case of what?" came a new voice as both women turned to the door and saw a beleaguered and bewildered Miles Morales standing there, looking them over with a world-weary gaze. "Is something wrong?" he asked as the two exchanged glances.
"Nothing's wrong Miles," assured the redhead quickly as she offered a placating smile, "She's just paranoid." As the teen quirked a questioning eyebrow, MJ realized that the teen had no idea who this was, so before Felicia could do it herself, the redhead introduced her. "Ah, Miles, this is Felicia. She's…"
"Matt's girlfriend?" guessed the Midtown student as MJ nodded and Miles gave Felicia another look, "I figured as much."
Felicia smirked, "Matt talk about me a lot?" she purred as she put a hand on her hip, thrusting it out into a pose she clearly practiced.
"Uh…yeah…" returned Miles dumbly before adding under his breath, "Now I can see why." Shaking his head and clearing his throat he finally managed to meet their eyes again, "Is Matt okay? I haven't seen him since this whole thing started."
"He's doing fine" returned the heiress calmly, "He's just out doing what he does best."
"Okay then…" replied the teen, not sure what she meant by that. "Well I'm happy to hear he's alright and it was nice to meet you Felicia," said Miles genuinely before awkwardly excusing himself from the room, leaving the two women.
"Hey red" began Felicia as MJ looked up at the thief, "You took care of yourself today. But I was serious about that taser being a piece of crap, so here," continued the Black Cat as she opened up the duffel bag, "I got you this, for the next time you do something like that."
Mary Jane looked down at the sleek lines of the futuristic handgun that the heiress had set down on the table, only ruined by the tubular suppressor attached to the end of the muzzle. Next to it, the platinum blonde set down a handful of magazines, the blue tipped bullets visible to the redhead, "Where'd you get that?" asked MJ as she picked up the pistol and then looked back to Felicia, seeing the woman's Cheshire grin, "Does Cooper even know?"
"He won't mind" assured Hardy dismissively, "It's not like he doesn't have enough."
In that, they were agreed.
Once the massive 'Oscorp' sign was visible, it was trivial for Matt to find his way to the 'Records' building, and a call from Yuri meant he wasn't surprised to see the trio of crashed helicopters that sat wrecked and smoldering in the courtyard in front of it. Sliding to a stop on a rooftop on the opposite side of the courtyard from the lab, he could see the bright white form of Mr. Negative stride through the door, two more suited goons dragging a knocked out Norman Osborn following suit before the door slammed shut behind him. Seeing that there were more Inner Demons in the area, Cooper, somewhat reluctantly, swapped out the red taped magazine in his R-201 for one loaded with less lethal arc rounds. No sooner than he had the magazine in the gun than his red and blue clad friend landed alongside him, blank white eye lenses scanning the area, "Take out the Inner Demons, then follow Li into the lab?"
Matt chambered the first blue tipped bullet with a solid metallic 'clang,' "Sounds like a plan," replied the Marauder before shouldering the Carbine, "Let's get to work." With that, he shouldered the weapon and settled the sights on the Demon sniper on a nearby rooftop, who rather kindly had fitted the brightest laser sight Matt had ever seen so the Marauder could easily pick him out of the darkness, before pulling the trigger, a four round burst slamming into the corrupted man and sending him crumpling to the ground, the sound of the shots echoing off the buildings. Immediately, the Demons responding, a flurry of white tracers coming back at the pair as Spider-Man stared incredulously at his friend. "Oh, did you want to do this quietly?" asked Cooper.
"Yeah" admitted the Web slinger, "Kinda"
"Well too bad," retorted Cooper as he leapt off the rooftop and fired his grapple, swinging through the air as he fired the -201 one handed at the group of Demons on the same rooftop as the sniper he had just dispatched. Spider-Man swung into action, clinging to a web line with his left hand as he brought his right up to unleash an impact web on the other sniper, blasting him back and pinning him to a wall. As Spider-Man back flipped away and descended on the pair of Demons below the Sniper, Matt ignited his jump it, running on the wall as he reloaded his weapon. On the ground, more masked men emerged wielding various weapons, seeing one take aim with a SMAW, the Marauder activated his holo pilot, sending out a replica of himself to continue wall running as he simultaneously engaged his cloak and dropped down to the courtyard. As he fell, the rocket was shot from its tube, streaking through the night and slamming into the building, showering the Marauder in glass shards and shrapnel as he hit the ground and rolled into cover as his cloak fell away.
His deception hadn't goon unnoticed as a trio of Demons charged him down armed with melee weapons, the lead swordsman charging around the planter where Cooper was crouching and raising his weapon only for the R-201 to roar to life, planting a four round burst into his chest as he seized up and fell to the concrete. The remaining pair stopped dead in their tracks, but Cooper didn't hesitate, the muzzle of the Carbine whipping around to the shield wielder and putting a round in his exposed leg, staggering him for a split second as the axe armed demon rushed in, but his weapon was down at his side. Cooper couldn't bring his gun to bear in time and instead seized the opening, lowering his shoulder and firing his jump kit to launch his entire bodyweight into the Demon, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground before Matt brought the -201 up and planted a three round burst in his gut as he tried to get up.
A shield slammed into his back, causing Cooper to stagger forward before turning around and firing his grappling hook, because these shield guys never learned to cover their legs, the hook grabbed the man's left leg, ripping it out from under him and throwing him into the planter. When he didn't stir, the Marauder reloaded the gun as he heard a ringing in his ear from what his HUD told him was an 'Unknown number.' Curious, he gave the mental 'Accept' command and was surprised to get a stern and pissed off Symkarian accented voice in his ear saying "Major: leave now. My men will handle this."
Looking around the corner at the rest of the Demons just as an explosion of white went off in the middle of them; Matt saw Spider-Man drop down, kicking one down before firing a web line at the farthest one and spinning him around. While the Web head was using the ensnared man to knock the other Demons to the ground, Cooper answered, "Sable? Your men are KIA. We are the right men in the right place at the right time," he answered while the last Demon was getting hurled into a trashcan, "and quite frankly, you're out of options."
But the woman was persistent and undaunted by the SRS Pilot, "You have been warned…Superhero," spat the Mercenary before the line was cut. Grimacing, the Texan moved to rejoin his friend in the midst of the webbed up and sprawled out Demons.
But a distinct hiss caused both to look to the sky as blue contrails came into view, the four white armored ExAACCT troopers spreading out. "Cover!" shouted Cooper as they opened fire, sending both vigilantes diving for cover as red lasers filled the air. Instead of reloading his Carbine with armor piercing rounds, Matt slung the weapon over his shoulder and drew the Smart Pistol.
Before Matt could simply gun the mercenaries down, the Wall crawler leapt into action, jumping up on an overturned APC and leaping at the nearest man, throwing a punch that sent him spinning before Spider-Man planted a foot on his back and kicked off, back flipping through the air and bringing that foot down on the top of the next closest trooper's head. "Guess Sable wasn't kidding…" muttered Matthew as he reluctantly holstered the sidearm and clenched his fists, licks of arc energy crackling off his knuckles. Activating his STIM, the Marauder shot out of cover, sliding forwards and jumping up onto a downed helicopter before jumping up behind one of the Jetpack equipped troopers and unleashed an arc powered punch that shorted out the pack, sending the man tumbling to the ground as Cooper dropped down after him. When he tried to get back up, the Marauder slammed his boot into the mercenary's helmet, kicking him back down to the ground as he landed.
While Spider-Man was doing his acrobatics up above, Cooper placed both hands on the white helmet and slammed it into the burned out body of the chopper even as the Mercenary's hands grasped his arms to try and stop him, but the Pilot didn't let up, only letting go when the hands fell from his forearms. Looking up, he saw Spidey bouncing between a pair of ExAACCT troopers but didn't see the third. Spinning, Matt's eyes widened as the third circled around to draw a bead on him and instinctively dove for cover in the burned-out bird as a hail of red laser fire peppered the scorched steel. Mind racing to try and make an opening happen, Matt was caught off guard as a loud explosion reverberated through the city streets, but it did the job as the ExAACCT man ceased firing. As soon as Cooper saw this, he activated his phase shift, getting ripped to another dimension as he leapt from his cover, charging down the man from the safety of his black and white realm before leaping up, jump kit firing just as he felt himself get yanked back to reality. When he did, he found himself just above his foe and not more than a yard away. The Agent flinched in shock at the Pilot's sudden appearance as Cooper bore in, ramming his knee into the chin of the soldier of fortune and knocking him out cold as his head snapped back. Without any input, the jetpack caused the man to pirouette before he spung out and tumbled to the ground.
He was joined by the other two, armor freshly dented from spider strength blows as the man who dealt them followed soon after, Cooper un slinging his R-201 as Spider-Man nodding towards the door, "time to get inside," he said with a nod, "find out what's waiting for us behind door number one," quipped the Webhead.
"My guess?" drawled the Marauder, "More bad guys."
Shaking her head as her ears rang, Silver tried to recall where she was as she took in her surroundings, immediately noticing that the vehicle she was in was burning fiercely. Fumbling to undo her seat belt, the ringing receded as the sound of a fierce firefight filled her ears instead, the deep staccato of AKMs clashing with the high-pitched synthesizer screech of Sable energy weapons. Free of her belt, the Symkarian tried the door, only to get it partially open due to the damage it had suffered when the Demon RPG hit the vehicle. Snarling through grit teeth, the silver haired mercenary drew her foot back and kicked with all the strength she could muster, then again as the heat continued to fill the cabin, this time it gave way and she slid out of the passenger seat. No sooner was she out than she saw the nearest of her men get cut down by a stream of white tracers, falling to the street in a bloody heap.
Without even realizing it, her pistols were in her hands as she spun to the source, the masked man standing behind a car alongside the road with rifle in hand. As he was busy reloading, Sable's face tightened at the same time her fingers tightened around the triggers of her pistols, sending red lasers into his chest, leaving a pair of smoldering holes in his suit as he fell forward, slumping over the car as his rifle clattered to the ground. A harsh cry from behind her as a man shouted in mandarin "the boss demands your head!" caused her to turn, snapping a shot off into the gut of the sword wielding Demon, staggering him as he stumbled towards her and she tucked her right gun into her breast, lashing out with her elbow to crush his windpipe in a single savage strike before mechanically stepping back and firing her pistols left-right-left, putting the first two shots in to the swordsman's chest and the third between the glowing eyes of his mask.
Looking around, she was struck by the number of dead sprawled around, both wearing suits and white armor. Whipping her head around for any signs of life, she realized that there were none of her men up and fighting. "All Sable agents; sound off!" she ordered over the smoldering APC, still burning brightly as she walked the perimeter, weapons still up and at the ready while looking for any signs of life. But all she got was stillness and silence.
Looking up, she saw her destination, less than a block away. Even if she was alone and backup was more than 10 minutes out, she still had a job to do and got moving, trading safety for speed to try and link up with the ExAACCT squad she had ordered to rush to the site. "Silver Bird to Goshawk lead, say status. Over." The order went unanswered as the Symkarian pushed herself to go faster, boots pounding the pavement to push her closer to her destination, "Goshawk lead, sound off!" she ordered once more, only to get static back as she came to a stop and poked her head around. She couldn't make out much, but the sight of one of the ExAACCT troopers slumped over against the wreck of the helicopter was all it took for her to ready her handguns. Rounding the corner cautiously, she saw the rest of the squad sprawled out, along with incapacitated Demons before she got in sight of the entrance to her target. The backs of the two men, adorned with a white spider emblem and massive kill tally respectively, gave away who was responsible.
The Symkarian raced through her options, she could not engage at range, not when the Marauder outgunned her, meaning she would have to close the distance and hit them with shock and awe. Steeling herself, she holstered her left sidearm to enable her to ready a grenade as she broke from cover, charging across the open ground before she hurled the energy grenade out and redrew her sidearm. The cylinder bounced and landed at their feet, flashing angrily as Spider-Man reacted first, his efforts to pry the doors open ceased as he shoved the Marauder away before flipping out of the radius of the explosive. With the Marauder out of the fight, the Symkarian pressed her attack, letting off a quick string of shots that forced the spandex clad superhuman to flip out of the way and allowing her to close the gap. As he got up from his evasive move, Sable planted her boot in his chest, knocking the man back into the doors he had been trying to open.
The distinct sound of the Marauder's jump kit caused Sablinova to turn to her right to see the man diving at her, unable to stand up to the larger Pilot, she ducked as the man aimed to tackle her and used his momentum against him. Wrapping her arms around his outstretched left, she spun as she stood, throwing her shoulder into his armored gut and redirecting his speed to force him to drive himself to the ground and be sprawled out on his back. Planting her boot on his chest, she wasn't able to do it fast enough to prevent him from drawing his pistol, and she found herself staring down the muzzle of the MK6 as she trained one of her guns on his visor, her other still leveled at Spider-Man. The standoff that ensued was tense, Sable breathing heavily as she looked from one masked man to the other as their x shaped visor and white eye lenses betraying no emotion. "You" she sneered as she looked down at the Marauder, "I help you, and then what? You kill my men! Cripple an entire battalion!" Her anger was driving her, a single-minded desire to complete her mission was all that mattered "Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now," she demanded.
"Because those men violated your rules of engagement" shot back the Marauder, "They were the ones interning, torturing, civilians and hunting us down!" Despite the anger, his weapon didn't waver, even as Sable felt her expression soften ever so slightly, "They hunted us down when were the only people doing your job. Because we had the guts to do what we knew was right…and you know it too."
Of their own accord, her fingers slipped off the triggers of her pistols when Spider-Man spoke, just as calm, but without the firmness that the Marauder's tone had. "Listen" implored the Wall crawler sincerely, "We may not be friends but that doesn't mean we have to be enemies." Turning her head to Spider-Man, she could sense the Marauder lower his weapon ever so slightly, "Right now, Li has your client inside this building right now, and he's going to kill him if we don't do something."
"Is this the fight really worth fighting Sable?" asked the Major, "Or would you rather save it for the sons of bitches who did that?" continued the pilot, nodding towards the wrecked helicopters.
Taking a deep breath, Silver finally relented, "You are right" admitted the mercenary as she holstered her pistols and removed her foot from the Marauder's chest, "My enemies are on the other side of this door." Extending her hand down, the mercenary helped pull the Pilot to his feet before he holstered his sidearm. Pulling a keycard from her belt, the Symkarian moved to the scanner beside the entrance, but stopped just short as she leveled a stern stare at the duo, "You two will help me secure Mayor Osborn" she informed curtly before adding, "That is all."
"Understood," answered the Marauder as he unslung his rifle and sending a glance to Spider-Man, stopping any protest from the red clad hero before the pair stacked up on the opposite side of the door, "Do it." Drawing her right sidearm, the Symkarian scanned the card, the door sliding open as the trio burst in, respective weapons up and at the ready. "Clear!" shouted the Marauder as Sable took in the devastation.
It faintly registered that the red smears on the otherwise black charred walls at the back had once been her men, but Sablinova tried to ignore that as her eyes wandered over the pillars, rebar centers exposed as the concrete had been shattered or turned to slag, fumes rising from them as well as the massive hole in the floor. "Li's out of control…" murmured Spider-Man quietly, almost sadly if the mercenary had to guess.
Before Sable could probe him, the sound of gunfire caused all three to whip around as bullets flew over their heads. Realizing that they couldn't leave this threat to their rear, Silver did what she did best, take command. "Spider-Man, you secure Osborn" she instructed curtly, "Marauder on me. We are the rearguard."
"Wilco," replied the Marauder, "Good hunting pal," he told his fellow vigilante as he shouldered his rifle and turned to the Symkarian, "Let's rock."
Nodding in agreement, the pair stepped through the doors to face the oncoming Demons with all guns blazing.
As Peter watch the doors close behind Matt and Silver, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief at how the encounter with the Mercenary had gone, "Nice to have friends…" he supposed as he turned back to the ruined lobby. "Ok Li, no more running…" he said aloud as he leapt over the residual negative energy and web zipped to the inside of the elevator shaft. Looking around, he couldn't help but shake his head. "This is insanity…" he muttered as he dropped down, "I have to find a way to reach the Martin Li I know…the man who built F.E.A.S.T….but how?" That was the million-dollar question he was left to ponder as he descended deeper underground, following the swath of destruction that Li had left in his wake. Exiting at what was the basement level, the Web head was met with more carnage, what looked like an actual records room lay in tatters, papers strewn about, bookshelves thrown about like toys with their contents spilt all over the floor. But all of that paled in comparison to the 10 foot diameter hole in the middle of the room, the edges fuming with negative energy residue. "Well…nowhere to go but down."
With that, Spider-Man jumped forwards and fell down the shaft, his sixth sense the only warning he got that the floor was coming up at him through the smoke and mist that clouded his vision. As soon as his feet met solid ground, the humming at the base of his skull kicked into overdrive as he dodged back as a sword encased in black and white fire sliced through the air and a hand grabbed him by the throat. His neck felt like it was on fire as a familiar face, glowing black with flaming white eyes, emerged from the fog and sneered at him, "Turn back, Spider-Man" demanded Li. "This is between me and Osborn!" he shouted as the mist swirled around them, bolts of black lightning ripping through them as Spider-Man struggled against Mr. Negative's iron grip. As the heat worked its way up his neck, the Web slinger grit his teeth at the pain, trying to hold on to no avail as he felt his eyes roll back into his head and he seemingly passed out.
But as soon as he did, the pain vanished and his eyes snapped back open, wide and alert as he took in his surroundings. His feet were against a twisted grate, the surroundings impossibly pitch black, and the only thing standing out was the black skinned man in a glowing white suit on another platform. "I know about the accident!" called out the Webhead as he took a few tentative steps forward, "I know what happened to your parents!"
"The 'accident'?" retorted Li with disgust, "You sound as clinical as Osborn." When Peter fired a web line to pull himself to Li, the man vanished into thin air before he landed. But the Wall crawler persisted, pushing forward nonetheless, through the wrecked space, over the seemingly bottomless pits that lay between mangled steel and concrete. Walking cautiously through a hallway and towards a room with a medical chair in the middle, a man and a woman on either side of it. "My parents died because of me" said Li as the child on the table began to glow before light burst from his chest, "Because of what Osborn did to me." The forms of the two adults standing over the chair faded away.
"You're more than your past" called out Spider-Man as he walked forwards, keeping an eye out for any danger as he neared the next gaping chasm, "Don't let it control you!" Silence was his only answer as an apparition of Li appeared on the opposite ledge and Spider-Man leapt to him as he vanished.
Dutifully walking forwards, he saw shadows take form as people and bunk beds filled the room in a familiar layout of the main floor of F.E.A.S.T. when Li finally broke the eerie silence. "I tried so hard to make my parents proud" declared the philanthropist passionately, "To honor their legacy…" continued Li as the far wall broke apart to reveal the same room, only it lay in ruins with the dominant feature, an Osborn campaign poster that covered the far wall, lay in tatters. "But to truly honor them, Osborn must see justice!" declared Li harshly as the wall exploded and the banner fell to the floor, revealing the glowing form of Mr. Negative.
He was gone by the time Peter could use his web lines to pull himself up there, but the Queens Native had come to expect that and wasn't fazed as he walked into an area done up to resemble the philanthropist's office. The cabinet that concealed the hidden back room faded away as Peter moved forward cautiously. Around the web head, papers, masks, weapons, and other trinkets floated around, all of them meaningful to Li in some way. "Li's pain…his anger…it's fueling his power…" realized Peter as a framed photo floated through the air. Slowly, almost reverently, Peter reached out with a gloved hand and tapped the picture of Li's parents, watching it spin harmlessly away before he was harshly ripped out of the vision and thrown across the ground. Picking himself up, the silence was shattered by an ear piercing scream of pain.
Osborn was forced to watch silently as Dr. Michaels worked the controls before a tone filled the lab and the sealed doors opened to reveal a small bottle of blue substance that he picked up with an almost reverent touch. Osborn knew what that was, it was the antiserum to GR-27, unfortunately the man standing behind Michaels knew what it was too. As the Doctor turned, the glowing man in the stark white suit stepped forwards, intimidating despite his slight stature as Michaels protectively clutched the vial, "This is the only sample…"
But Li merely reached out and plucked the bottle from the PHD's hands, examining it with his glowing white eyes that stood out from his blackened face. Then, without warning , Li lashed out, striking Michaels' face with a powerful backhanded strike that sent the man to the ground mere feet from Norman. "No!" cried out the bruised and battered CEO as he reached out to help the doctor only for a sickle to be pressed to his neck, causing him to straighten as the other masked man manhandled the Doctor back against the wall. Turning to the terrorist, the Mayor tried to negotiate, be reasonable despite the man's actions. "I told you, I'm sorry!" he pleaded as Li picked up his flaming sword and gave it a menacing twirl as he slowly approached the billionaire, "It was an accident! I was trying to help you!" reminded Osborn.
But Li was unfazed as he ran his hand along the edge of the blade and the Demon behind Norman grabbed the mayor's hair, yanking his head back and holding it firmly as Li looked down at him with a sneer on his face. "You don't help people" spoke Li, scorn filling his warbling tones as he brought the sword down towards Osborn's exposed neck, "You use them." With that declaration the edge was run along Norman's skin, burning it as the razor-sharp blade carved up Osborn's flesh.
Norman tried to grit his teeth and tough it out, but after barely a second of the torture, he couldn't hold back any longer and screamed out in pain before the blade was yanked back as Li prepared to administer a decapitating strike.
But before Mr. Negative could deliver the lethal blow, a line of white silk snagged his hand and stopped it cold. "Martin!" called out a voice as Norman looked to see the recognizable white eye lenses of Spider-Man as the Web slinger emerged from a ventilation shaft. Norman tried to get his breathing under control as the pain ate away at him but forced himself to watch Li pull on the web line. Spider-Man was yanked from his vent, flipping acrobatically through the air and landing on the ground before turning to face Mr. Negative, fists clenched, but down at his side, almost like the hero hoped he wouldn't have to use them. "This won't bring your parents back!" declared Spider-Man.
Mr. Negative hesitated; standing still with his back to Osborn, "Why…" snarled Li, "Do you insist on trying to save this piece of scum?" asked the terrorist as he stepped forwards towards the Web head.
"I'm trying to save you, Martin," replied the wall crawler, almost pleadingly in a way that Norman found odd, but he watched with rapt fascination. "Don't let revenge win" implored the superhero before urging him on, "Fight it!"
For a brief moment, it seemed like Martin Li was going to do just that as he paused, the room falling silent with tension so thick that Mr. Negative could cut it with his sword. But he did not do that, instead his offhand began to glow bright white that swirled with power. Before Osborn could shout a warning, the hand snapped up and unleashed the gathered energy right into the torso of the wall crawler.
Spider-Man, unable to dodge the attack from such short range, bore the brunt of it and was thrown back, smashing through the glass and out of the small room and into the central lab below. Li snarled and twirled his sword before charging out after the Wall crawler, leaping out the hole after him and leaving the CEO unable to even watch.
"2 o clock!" barked out Cooper as he slammed the bolt release his Carbine as he crouched down behind one of the Sable barricades. Along with Silver, he had been holding off seemingly unending waves of Demons that had been trying to break into the lab. This next wave included a pair of the 'Big Bastards' as he had been calling them and more Demons with various other melee weapons, covered by the ones with automatic weapons as they advanced on the duo. Popping his head up, Cooper cut loose with his own long burst of automatic fire, pouring armor piercing rounds into the leading big bastard, his chest exploding as the 8.19mm rounds hit home. Even the big hopped up Demon couldn't take that many bullets before he fell forwards and still, in and amongst his comrades that had tried to close the gap with the Marauder and the Mercenary only to be met by a mix of Arc rounds, laser bolts, and now armor piercing ammo. While the Pilot put the first big bastard down, Silver Sable was maneuvering around to get a better angle on this latest assault when the bolt locked back open on the R-201. "I'm out!" called out the Marauder as he ducked down and dropped the empty magazine, "Cover me!"
While Cooper pulled out one of his few remaining loaded magazines, the Demons took advantage of the lull in the fire to charge at him, trying to close the gap, but exposing themselves to do so. That was a mistake they would only make once with someone as formidable as Silver Sablinova on their flank as the Symkarian emerged with pistols in hand, blazing away with both weapons. Caught out in the opens, the group of Demons faltered as red laser bolts streaked through their number while, with cold efficiency, the Symkarian worked her way through the group starting with the nearest masked man. As Matt dropped the bolt on his rifle, the sole remaining big bastard rounded on the Symkarian and charged her, raising his fists above his head as they became surrounded with the black and white glow of negative energy.
Despite Sable planting two shots in his chest, the big bastard wasn't even slowed as he slammed his fists down on the concrete and sent out a shockwave that rolled forwards, ripping up the blacktop and toppling a Sable watchtower as the Symkarian was forced to dive away as the white structure twisted, metal shearing as it fell and crashed to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust. If there was any doubt that Silver was still up and fighting, they were shattered when red bolts shot out of the dust. But Cooper wasn't going to stay on the sidelines, vaulting over the barricade, he triggered his rifle as he slid forwards with the trigger held down, muzzle flash lighting up the night as the gun roared.
Three gunmen were cut down by the time the 3-second-long mag dump stopped shattering eardrums and the Pilot had closed the range. Leaping up with the aid of his jump kit as he slung his Carbine back, the Marauder lashed out and delivered a powerful kick to the back of a shield bearers head. As that man went skidding along the pavement, two more turned to the Major with a sword and whips respectively. The swordsman charged at the SRS Commando, lashing out with an overhead strike that Matt sidestepped before countering with a quick staggering jab before reaching out to grab the man's sword arm and holding hit steady as he brought his knee up and rammed it into the forearm, eliciting a sickening snap as the bone cracked. The Demon screamed as the blade clattered to the ground before an uppercut sent him sprawling out backwards and knocked him out.
But Matthew didn't get a second to breathe as the tip of a burning whip trailed down his back, scorching his armor and sending a spike up pain up his spine as he turned around to face the Demon, right hand instantly going for his Smart Pistol before his foe cracked the second whip and ensnared his right wrist. Gritting his teeth from the pain, the Texan jumped forwards with licks of blue flame coming from his jump kit as he brought his left and down and punched the Demon in the face to send him staggering back towards the rest of the dwindling number of Demons.
One of the masked men, in a misguided attempt to help the whip wielder, tossed a negatively imbued grenade towards the Pilot, but with the whip still around his wrist, Cooper couldn't dive away. Instead, Matt grabbed the flaming implement with his right hand while firing his grappling hook with his left to grab the Demon and yanked the masked man towards him with both implements before he grabbed the man by the tie and used him as a human shield when the grenade detonated. The blast riddled the man's back with shrapnel and sent both flying from the force of the explosion. As the Pilot rolled across the ground and came to a stop, he found himself shaking off the effects of the blast that still rung his ears, Silver Sable emerged from the clearing dust and gunned down the Inner Demon closest to Cooper before smoothly transitioning onto the next target and gunning him down with the same cold efficiency. Sablinova only paused firing just long enough for her weapons to sufficiently cool and to yell, "Get on your feet Major!" before opening fire once again.
Cooper only halfway complied, pushing himself into a crouch and tossing out the circular A-Wall generator as the orange wall of shielding light sprang to life. Sable, too her credit, hesitated for barely a fraction of a second before she stepped behind the A-Wall and resumed firing, cutting down two more before Matt could reload his rifle. "Are you alright Major?" she asked curtly.
"I'm fine," reported Cooper, "last mag though." Not that he hadn't made use of the expended ammo; there must have been a forty Demons around them as testament to the effectiveness of the pair. Li truly was throwing everything he had at them.
But he wasn't done just yet, "RPG!" called out the Symkarian as the rocket streaked through the black sky and slammed into the ground just ahead of the A-Wall, overloading and disabling it before throwing the pair off their feet. A string of angry mandarin shouting caused Matt to quickly turn to the source and see the last of the group of Demons charging at them as he reached for the closest weapons, that being Sable's twin white energy pistols. Rolling onto his side, he snapped of four rapid shots, three of which missed completely as he tried to get a feel for the weapons before his fourth round slammed right into the Chinese symbol in between the eyes of the mask, leaving a smoking hole as the man crumpled to the ground.
As more Demons bore down on them, Matt got into a crouch and poured red laser bolts to the group that was weaving their way through the helicopters in the courtyard just as a black SUV screeched to a halt and more masked men poured out. When they emerged, Matt registered the staccato crack of the R-201 firing and turned to see the rifle in the hands of the Mercenary as she calmly sent 8.19mm rounds rhythmically downrange. Even as they slowed the oncoming terrorists, both instinctively knew they couldn't stay here in the open and began backpedaling, each laying covering fire down on their respective areas while they retreated towards the building entrance.
The pair was in sync with both their shots and steps as more Demons came at them, and as Matt planted three laser bolts into an oncoming swordsman, he looked farther out to see another pop out from behind one of the downed helicopters. Without hesitation, Matt brought the Sable handguns to bear and pulled each trigger, sending out a pair of red lasers just as the Demon tossed an energized hand grenade that lazily arced through the air. "Grenade!" barked out the Pilot as he turned and dove at Sablinova, both of them going to the ground behind a pillar just as the grenade detonated and they came to a stop behind one of the pillars in front of the door to the lab.
"Get off of me," ordered Sablinova calmly as Matt complied, releasing the Symkarian and sliding her pistols back to her before drawing his own Smart Pistol, but was surprised to see a ghost of a smirk on the stoic woman's features, "Your girlfriend will be jealous."
Cooper couldn't stop a surprised bark of laughter from escaping his lips as he regarded the mercenary in total disbelief before answering. "Yeah…" he admitted with a grin forming behind his helmet, "Of me." Despite the Symkarian roll her eyes and pop off to loose a few dissuading shots, he could still see the slightest upturning of her lips as she ducked back down into cover. "How long till those reinforcements arrive?" asked Matt before popping out, letting the MK6 lock onto and dispatch a pair of oncoming shield wielding Demons. But before Silver could offer an answer, a salvo of missiles streaked in, exploding in distinct red bursts over the remaining Demons, "Well, guess that answers that."
"Indeed" replied Silver Sable, "My men and I will secure the area, you go assist Spider-Man," ordered the woman as she moved to the door and pulled out her keycard. Quickly opening the doors, Cooper prepared to plunge in when he heard her speak up again, "Major" she said before saying, "It was good working with you again."
Even if she couldn't see it, the SRS Pilot smiled behind his helmet, "Anytime." And with that, he entered the building to find his friend.
Spider sense warbling loudly, Peter fired a web line and swung out of the way of another of Li's energy attacks, swinging around the thoroughly trashed lab as Li unleashed another blast of black and white energy that forced the Web head to flip clear before firing another line to reverse his direction of travel while craning his neck around to see why his sixth sense was falling silent. In the center of the room was Martin, crouched down and mostly devoid of his monochrome makeover as he tried to recover the energy he had just expended trying to reduce the Wall crawler to a red smear on the walls. Seizing the opening, Spider-Man went on the attack, firing a web line to pull him to the philanthropist, leading with a kick that sent him sprawling out across the floor as he brought up his other web shooter to fire a line that stuck to Li's chest and wrench him back up to his feet and straight into a cross that had the man spinning and staggering drunkenly.
When Mr. Negative crumpled to a knee and brought a hand to his head, Peter felt a surge of hope, "Fight it Martin!" he urged hopefully, "You can walk away!" He could see that Li was struggling with his emotions, screaming out with the warbling undertones fading in and out as his grip trembled on his sword.
But his screaming ended as his head snapped up, eyes a blank white, "No!" he shouted as he got back to his feet and wisps of black and white began to swirl around him, "Osborn must SUFFER!" he declared. Spider sense humming, Peter took a reflexive step back as a massive demonic shadow monster took shape behind the white suited man, horns on its black and white mask nearly scraping the 30-foot-high ceiling in the lab as it brought up massive clawed hands and slammed the shadowy limbs down, forcing the Web slinger to leap clear just as massive claw marks were dug into the metal floor. When the arms had pulled back, Peter could see Li standing in the center of the room, grinning evilly, "And if others must suffer too" he began as shadowy human forms emerged from the floor with glowing white eyes, seemingly crawling up from the depths of hell to aid Mr. Negative before he heartlessly declared, "Then so be it."
The shadowy zombies staggered forwards as Spider-Man bounced on the balls of his feet, "I know you can beat the Demon, Martin!" called out the Web head pleadingly before he leapt at the closest shadow, hitting it with an uppercut that sent it skywards before firing a pair of web lines up to yank it down. Gritting his teeth and knowing he couldn't hold back when fighting these creatures, Peter rammed his knee into the shadow black head as he felt the skull shatter from the blow before the shadow faded.
But he wasn't given any time to dwell on that sensation as his sixth sense blared in warning and he dodged another energy blast from Li. "Beat the Demon?" roared Li as Spider-Man sprung skywards and came down full force on a second shadow, "I. AM. The. Demon!" With those words, the monstrosity that was looming over the proceedings lurched into action, sweeping one of its massive claws around the room.
But Peter was unfazed as he agilely leapt over it and dove at Li, catching the man off guard and clocking him with a roundhouse kick before he could bring his sword up. Shaking off the blow, Mr. Negative tried to retaliate with an upward strike that Spidey back flipped away from before seizing the opening to ram a jab into the man's gut and causing him to double over before bringing his foot up to plant a bicycle kick into his nose as he flipped away from Li.
When Mr. Negative lifted his head, Peter could see a drop of black blood fall from his nose as the man sneered and raised both hands, pushing them forward to unleash a wave of his negative power that even Spider-Man couldn't hope to avoid as the full force of the attack slammed into him. If he hadn't released his grip on the floor, the impact would have killed him, but as it was he was sent flying through the room, air forcibly ejected from his lungs as his eyes tried to fly out of their socket from the acceleration before he slammed his back into the wall and almost swallowed his tongue as he ground to a sudden halt.
Shaking off the effects of the blow, the Web head's eyes widened at the sight of the Demonic monster reaching out with one of its clawed hands to grab him and his body reacted. Pulling his knees to his chest, he planted his hands flat on the wall, fingers facing towards the floor, and lifted himself with his superhuman strength so his back was off the ground. As the claw drew closer, Peter took a breath and focused on his Spider sense, trusting it to tell him the right time to strike.
When it reduced its warning to a hum, Spider-Man used every ounce of his superhuman strength to springboard himself off the wall, corkscrewing elegantly through the air to slip through the outstretched shadow claws as his momentum finally ran out and he fired a web line off to his side. Yanking himself clear of the claw, he finished his roll so he was now lying on his back, feet outstretched and lined up with the demonic mask of the monster as he fired a web line to either side of it. Closing his eyes, Spider-Man pulled himself forwards, feet driving through the head of the creature, shattering the mask before Peter opened his eyes just in time to watch his foot slam into the side of Li's face, sending the man flying back, white suit and black skin flickering on and off. Turning, Spider-Man saw the monster bring its hands up to its face and cry out, in it's death throes as its form began to go up in smoke before it vanished completely.
Turning back to Li, Peter watched the man cough, blood trickling down the side of his mouth, "Osborn" rasped Li as he reached inside his scuffed and ruined jacket, "Needs to pay."
"I know…" admitted Spider-Man as he watched the hand come out with a blue vial that he promptly snatched away with a web line and looked down at the label that read 'GR-27C, counteragent. Oscorp Industries.' Shaking his head as he clutched the bottle tightly, knowing instinctively how valuable it was before he looked down at Li, "…But this is the wrong way, Martin."
Before the philanthropist could muster a response, the terrible sound of shearing metal echoed throughout the room as Spider-Man turned to look up towards the source. The roof panels were peeled back before a familiar shape emerged, the Marauder's limp body cart wheeling through the air, arms and legs flailing about lifelessly as the jump kit on his back automatically stabilized his descent before he slammed into the ground. "No…" breathed Peter as he rushed to his friend, looking at the gashes torn across his chest plate, blood staining the armor a red so dark it was nearly black around a puncture over his stomach that the Web slinger quickly webbed up to try and stem the bleeding. "Get up, come on, GET UP!" shouted Peter as he smacked the helmet, the visor dim and lifeless.
"I told you what would happen if you interfered," announced a cold voice that sent shivers down Spider-Man's spine as he looked up to see four mechanical arms holding the familiar form of Doctor Octavius over the gap he had just torn open in the ceiling. Instinctively, Peter placed himself between his mentor and friend, fists clenched as Octavius slowly descending, bloody claw digging into the wall before the next brought him down to the floor, though he still hung in the air above Spider-Man and Li as he turned to the latter. "Useless…" sneered the scientist as an arm casually batted the man aside before turning his attention to the Web head, another mechanical arm lashing out to grab Peter, yellow tipped claws open and poised for the kill.
Instinctively, Spider-Man brought his hands up to catch the incoming claw, letting the antiserum clatter across the floor that he found himself pinned to as he strained to hold back the claw as Octavius loomed over him. Gritting his teeth and summoning his strength, the Web head shoved the claw aside, throwing Otto's balance off as he got to his feet, sidestepping a second arm that tried to crush him from overhead before leaping over a third before diving through the air, scooping up the vial as he shot past and rolled, firing a blast of webs into Otto's face as his other hand fired a line to pull him out of reach of the arms.
For a fraction of a second, the gambit seemed to have worked, but a force slammed into his back and rammed the Web head into a concrete wall, his ribs flaring in pain as his head bashed into it and his world started to spin before he was ripped away from it and slammed into a nearby pipe with such force it deformed around him. An attempt to twist his body to try and fight back stopped when a second arm rammed his head back down, worsening his concussion as drowsiness began to set in an he was pulled off the pipe only to be slammed into the floor and pinned by the two arms.
Peter's aching arms and legs failed to respond, his chest burning chest felt like it was melting from the inside out as his eyes fluttered and he forced himself to stay conscious through the worsening pain of being lifted off the floor, claws digging into his bruised skin through his Advanced Suit. Peter couldn't even manage to lift his head to look his mentor in the eye as the world faded in and out, the last bits of tension leaving his body, causing the vial he still had in his right hand to slip from his grasp and be swiftly caught by one of Otto's arms before he took it in his human right hand.
"Otto?" said the stunned voice of Norman Osborn as the CEO looked down on the proceedings from the secure lab above the main one. Otto turned to look up at his former friend before carelessly tossing the limp from of the Web slinger alongside the similarly still form of the Renegade Gunfighter. Using his arms, Octavius quickly ascended up to Norman's level with a sinister grin on his face.
Even if Spider-Man couldn't move his head, he could still see one of Otto's mechanical arms snake out and around Osborn, "That look on your face…you can't imagine how satisfying it is." With that, Otto squeezed the arm around the Mayor, pinning his arms to his sides as the Executive was lifted, kicking his feet uselessly before Otto brought him up to look him in the eye. "Ready for your final act?" asked the deranged scientist before Peter slipped into unconsciousness.
"Damnit…" cursed Sablinova as the rest of the squad she had brought with her emerged from the elevator shaft they had just roped down. The Marauder wasn't responding, and she had no idea what she was leading her men into as she drew her pistols and looked around the dimly lit and clearly damaged space. "Get tactical," she ordered as the eight men split into two four-man teams, one along each wall of the corridor before she gave her next order, "Advance." Taking point, the Symkarian remained stoic despite her elevated heart rate, all senses on alert for anything amiss before she heard it again, that metallic banging noise. Holding up a hand as she crouched, the others came to a halt, scanning with their rifles for any sign of hostiles. But it sounded like in was on the other side of the thick walls, and it soon began to fade as Sable stood and they resumed their push forwards.
Not 10 meters further did the Symkarian notice something that caught her eye, a massive whole ripped open in the wall, leading to a large cargo elevator shaft, but more concerning was what was on this side of the wall. There was blood and brass, but the Mercenary's eyes widened at the sight of an oversized handgun with an odd muzzle and attached laser sight that lay there amidst the signs of fighting. In a trance, she picked the gun up and confirmed it was indeed the Marauder's famed Smart Pistol before grimacing and tucking it in one of her own holsters for safekeeping. "Move, double time!" she ordered as the group rushed ahead with renewed urgency, descending a flight of stairs before rushing through an automatic door that was labeled 'Primary Laboratory.'
Sable's eyes widened at the sight, not a single piece of equipment was intact, shattered glass and splinters of all types littered the floor, but what stood out the most were the two bodies that lay still. "O moy bog…" murmured Sable as she rushed forwards after only the briefest checking of corners for threats, solely focused on the pair that lay beaten and battered on the floor. "Medic!" she called out as she holstered her pistols and crouched down between the two, "Spider-Man? Major?" she tried, giving each a gentle prod.
Spider-Man, incredibly, lifted his head, blood flecked lenses blinking wearily, "Where's…Otto…?" rasped out the Web slinger weakly before whimpering and clutching his ribs gingerly.
"Gone," answered Sable as she carefully rolled him onto his back and looked over him and got the full picture of his current sorry state. "I would not worry about him right now…" she told him honestly before she moved to check on the Marauder.
A second figure appeared at Sable's side as her face tightened at the condition of his armor and the gruesome wound he had sustained; Dr. Morgan Michaels appraised the conditions of both men and gave Sable a frank assessment, "They need a hospital." The Symkarian agreed and turned to order her men to prepare two stretchers only to see that pair of collapsible stretchers were extended and ready to be used.
When she turned back, she was stunned to see the x shaped visor of the Marauder's striped helmet was now glowing a dull blue, "F…Fuck that…" managed the Marauder as he tried to get up, only to have Sable force him back down and give him a warning glare that dissuaded him from trying again.
"Yeah," managed Spider-Man as he was carefully lifted onto one of the stretchers, "F.E.A.S.T."
Michaels gave Silver a questioning look, like he couldn't believe they were going to comply with such an insane request. At first, Sable was going to dismiss Spider-Man's wishes, but as she opened her mouth to give the order to take them to a hospital, she looked down at the Marauder as his jump kit was removed and he was lifted onto the second stretcher, his words coming back to her that it was their choice to make, not hers. "Major, do you hear me? Do you want to go to F.E.A.S.T.?" she asked, getting a deliberate but strained nod in return. "Then that is where we go," she declared firmly as the two stretchers were lifted, "move out, double time!"
Cooper's Logbook – Strategic Titan Applications
The concept of an 'Airborne' tank has long been around. From the Soviet T-60 light tank that was fitted to a glider or the American M-22 'Locust' that could fit inside the massive Hamilcar gliders that saw use during the second world war. Later, the M551 Sheridan was able to be deployed by airdrop using drag chutes and a specially designed palette, but the crew had to parachute separately and then find their tank once they landed. None of these vehicles were truly successful at providing airborne troops with armored support, because not only were the logistics of these vehicles all flawed, they were all light tanks and stood no chance against any proper hostile armor.
As tanks got bigger and heavier, these problems were only exacerbated, and it wasn't until the introduction of the Atlas Class Titan that a type of 'Airborne' or even 'Spaceborne' armor was finally in frontline service. The original Atlas was capable of being deployed straight from air or space to the frontlines and go straight into action, even with a Pilot embarked. The ramifications were immediate, offensive operations now had overcome a massive disadvantage they were once faced with as the previously light forces now had the staying power and firepower to ward off all but the most well prepared and executed counterattacks.
Instead of protracted sieges of planets or decisive fleet battles, now ground pounders could have a serious impact since taking and holding objectives was now a viable strategy. 'Planet Hopping' was now the order of the day, combined with a bit of Raiding by Titan backed expeditionary groups like the IMC 'STC' (Spaceborne Titan Cavalry) companies and later the Militia's own SRS Marauder Corps.
Closing Notes: That was a fun one overall, and though I had to make a few tweaks to some events in the game to keep things more 'grounded' like having Sable stretcher Peter and Matt out, I think it turned out pretty good. Obviously, I cut down the boss fight, because the number of hit points these guys have is enough to make the Borderlands 1 'Destroyer' blush and it would have killed the pacing it what I wanted to keep an action filled penultimate chapter of the Sinister Six arc. So yes, next chapter will include the final boss fight from the game, which is another reason why I didn't focus a whole lot on this one here.
I also wanted to try something different with the Logbook, expanding less on 'hardware' and more on what I can best term as 'Lore' relating to certain elements. In the future I'll try to balance out these two types of entries, but I'm curious as to y'all's thoughts on this new approach, those that like the Logbooks anyways. If you don't, I still would like to hear feedback if you have it, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you're thinking.
Show no fear, the ending is near, as someone will fight to their Last Dying Breath.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.
