All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.

Sometimes, when I'm having a rough day, I try to keep things in perspective. At least I have my life together more than the New York Jets organization.

ScreamingStuka: Glad it lived up to expectations for you, as for BT? His return is imminent, though I will be taking my sweet time getting to the DLCs.

MarauderPrime12: Glad you enjoyed it, here's the one about the weight of living.

Hef808: That's an interesting question, I don't think I ever got that far in developing that idea to give you a concrete answer, so I'm kinda winging it here. What I would say is that it would breed some anger and resentment, because he would have ultimately failed both May and Otto and would probably take that out, somewhat rightly, on Cooper. It's definitely an interesting thought.

Blaze1992: I'll admit, I'm a bit biased and really like Silver Sable, which more or less explains her prominence, and I wasn't going for that, as much fun as it might be. I do have to keep character in mind and a three way relationship doesn't make much sense, neither does it makes sense for them to have a one night stand with the Otto still on the loose. This won't be the last we see of Silver Sablinova though, things could always change. As for your second complaint about Otto and Norman? I cannot say I didn't consider it, but Norman still has a lot of story left to play out and I need his chess piece to stay on the board. Otto was one I considered more, but ultimately I just kept it as the game did in case he makes another appearance further down the line just to make things easier on me. Short answer then is storytelling reasons, as unsatisfying as that is.

Now, this is a rare chapter because it isn't a rock or metal track, his is from a band my sisters listened to constantly called Bastille. They are, bizarrely, English for some reason I don't understand. Eventually I was dragged to two of their concerts and, while I have distinct memories of both, none of them relate to the band. The first time I recall liking the opening act, who really missed her calling as a stand up comedian. The second time my memory is finding my sister sick at the end of the show and myself not fairing much better.

As for this song in particular, it is part 2, though part 2 is totally different as you will see next week. Part I uses a reference to an old English poem when it talks about hanging an albatross around your neck. Though personally, if I was picking a song that referenced that in particular I would use Iron Maiden's 'Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner' but that doesn't really serve as a catchy title, does it?


Power Without Question – Chapter 70: Weight of Living Part 1

Your Albatross, let it go, let it go

Your Albatross, shoot it down, shoot it down

When you can't shake the heavy weight of living

Stepping forward out into the day

Shrugging off the dust and memory

Though it's soaring still above your head

It is out of sight and none shall see


Dr. Morgan Michaels descended the stairs to the floor of the shelter, making his way to get a drink while he left Spider-Man to make his decision. He felt confident enough in the hero to trust him to make the right decision, and while he didn't know his relation to the sick woman, it felt wrong to be there in what could be her final moments. Taking the cap off a bottle of water he pulled from a cooler, the scientist found a chair to enjoy his drink, only for heavy bootfalls to interrupt him before he actually could. "Doctor," said the Marauder's filtered voice, "how're we looking?"

Reluctantly, Michaels set his drink down and answered, "Good, the sample is viable. It's upstairs right now. I'll need it and the pharmaceutical production facility on the south side in order to manufacture the cure." explained the Oscorp doctor.

The Marauder nodded, "got it, sit tight doc. I'll take care of it." With that, the Pilot spun on his heel and departed, moving with a decisiveness and clarity that seemed to contradict with Spider-Man. Shaking that thought off, Michaels reached for his water once again, unscrewing the cap and bringing it up as another person entered, this time it was the enigmatic platinum blonde who had tended to the Marauder earlier, moving with a poise and confidence that hinted that there was more to her. Straightening, Morgan was surprised when she reached into her jacket and produced the sample of GR-27C before simply tossing it to him, seemingly without a care as he fumbled with it before securing the bottle and watched her strut off without a word. She was yet another mystery in this bizarre place that Michaels had yet to figure out, but before he could ponder it further, two sets of heavy boot falls caused his head to turn and see the Marauder return. "Doctor, your transport is here," announced the Pilot before turning back to the door, "Come in Frank."

Michael's eyes widened when the grizzled man wearing a black Kevlar vest adorned with a graphic and blood spattered white skull emerged, hair cut in a military style with a pistol in the holster on his hip. "That's…" began the doctor before he was cut off by the Marauder.

"Doctor Michaels, this is my associate, Mr. Castle. I'm sure you're aware of his reputation?" Michaels most certainly was aware of who the Punisher was and what he was reported to have done and nodded slowly. "Alright then, well know that I trust him to get you where you need to go. Go with him, tell him where you need to go, and he'll get you there."

"Are you ready to go Doctor?" asked the Punisher in a grizzled voice that fit the image of the man. Michaels gave a weary nod as he slowly got to his feet, making sure he had GR-27C in one hand and his still full bottle of water in the other. "Follow me, stay close," instructed Castle, clearly taking his job very seriously as Michaels was led back through the shelter, the Punisher head of him and the Marauder in tow as they reached a side door that led to an alleyway. Waiting there for them was a seemingly nondescript black van; even the windows were darkened to where the doctor couldn't see inside as he opened the passenger door and climbed inside. Castle climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the car as the Marauder came up to Michaels' window.

Rolling the window down, Michaels made to speak only for the grizzled man next to him to speak first, "You know kid…." began the Punisher in a far more friendly tone than Michaels thought him capable of, "I'm not liking how I just seem like a heavily armed taxi to you."

"I know," drawled the Marauder, seemingly unfazed by the man's general, that is to say threatening, demeanor. "I'd do it myself, but your car is much less conspicuous." The two men shared a brief chuckle before the mood turned serious once again. "Go like hell, Frank." suggested the Marauder before turning to the Michaels, "Godspeed doctor."

With that, the Pilot stepped away and the window rolled up before Michaels gave the Punisher directions before finally getting to enjoy the bottle of water.


Knocking softly on the apartment door, Mary Jane stepped back and waited impatiently, "C'mon Pete, don't do this to yourself." she whispered, almost like a prayer. Half an hour after Michaels had left, the reporter had gone to check up on Peter, only to find that he wasn't with May, indeed, he had vanished. When she had asked Matt, the Texan had given her this address, a small apartment not too far from F.E.A.S.T., before he too left to 'Tie up some loose ends.'

After a few quiet seconds, the redhead heard the sound of someone working the deadbolt before the door slowly opened to reveal Peter, still in his Spider-Man suit, sans mask, though he hardly looked like the Peter she knew. His hair was badly mussed up, caked in sweat, grime, and blood. Several cuts and bruises marred his usually handsome face, and his eyes were red, tear stains on his cheeks and a puffy nose told her how much he had been mourning his Aunt's passing. "Hey MJ…" he greeted weakly, though he trailed off when he had nothing else to say.

Mary Jane tried to force a smile, "hey Pete," she returned awkwardly. "We were worried about you." she continued as she searched for the right words, "can I come in?" He nodded and stepped back, opening the door as the reporter stepped into the small apartment and took a look around.

The hallmarks of Peter's life were scattered around, old Spider-Man suits in need of washing and repairing, a station set up to make webbing and tinker with his gadgets, half assembled tech and other nick knacks cluttered any and all available table space and was even starting to pile up on the floor alongside pizza boxes and Chinese takeout containers. It was every bit as hectic as his life was, but the lack of photos or other personal mementos was odd, especially for someone as sentimental as Peter was. "Sorry it's such a mess…" he mumbled in apology.

"It's fine, you've had more important things to do than…" she began as she turned and her eyes widened as she got a clear view of the wound he had received at the hands of Octavius, "Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed in shock. Peter looked down; absent mindedly turning away to try and cover the gruesome stab wound, but MJ wasn't going to be having any of that. "It's alright, I'll patch you up." she said as he looked up at her slowly, "Just like old times." she said with a smile as she began to go through the clearly undisturbed storage, "Me playing 'nurse MJ' again."

She turned to watch Peter gingerly sit down on the bed, still having trouble meeting her gaze as he reached for the zipper on his suit with a shaking hand while she went back to her search. "There's got to be something around here…" she muttered to herself as she pulled open a drawer only to find it neatly filled with stacks of bills in labeled bundles, she could see more than $10,000 sitting on top along with a note that said 'This is all for you Pete, food and web fluid and shit, just don't spend it all in one place.' Of course, it looked like it had barely been touched. The cabinet beneath it did, thankfully, have medical kits…which also looked like they hadn't been touched. Sighing sadly at the Wall crawler's stubbornness, she pulled out a couple of them and went back to the man, now seeing the extent of the task ahead of her. The stitches on the wound received earlier that night were ripped open and blood was dripping from it, turning his pants a dark crimson, but it was the newly received stab that looked far worse. It was ringed with dried blood and already scabbing over, but the skin was raw and pale as MJ began the arduous task of cleaning and disinfecting the shoulder wound. While she worked in silence, she couldn't ignore the way Pete hissed at her actions, "You okay Pete?"

"Yeah, I just…no." he said with a sigh as she could see tears well up in his eyes again, "I…I can't believe she's gone MJ. How…could I just let her die?" he asked as he began to break down again.

"You didn't let anything happen!" snapped MJ, "If you did, then you wouldn't be sitting here with a three-inch-deep hole in your shoulder!" Grabbing his hands, she kneeled in front of him, forcing him to look her in the eye as she continued calmly, "You can't let this eat you up. She would be so proud of you…"

"She was…" he said quietly as MJ stopped and waited for him to continue, "Just before…before she…" unable to finish that, he swallowed hard and pressed on. "She told me that she knew about…this." he said as he picked up his Spider-Man mask, squeezing the fabric in his trembling hand, "I never told her to try and keep her safe," he said morosely, "Shows what I know."

Mary Jane took a deep breath, "You know what I know Pete?" she asked as Spidey lifted his chin from his chest, eyes blinking away the tears and wide in question. "I know that you gave thousands, probably tens of thousands of people a cure. I know that the city will be standing tomorrow because you stopped Octavius," she continued, "and I know that you aren't alone." There was a somber silence as Peter sniffled, still breathing heavily before he finally got himself under control. "You going to be alright?"

"I…yeah." replied Peter, sounding a bit more sure of himself as MJ pulled out a needle to redo his stitches before he spoke up again, "Thanks MJ."

She offered a comforting smile, "Anytime Tiger."


Cautiously, Matthew opened the door into the lab of Octavius Industries, Smart Pistol drawn and ready even if he wasn't expecting any trouble to be waiting for him inside. While he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Felicia and sleep off the nightmare that had been the last 12 hours, he couldn't quite yet. Sadly, it was Felicia who had reminded him of a loose end, the fact that Octavius had used his tech to make his own and suggested it would be best if he made sure those things weren't there when the police came to investigate. Which explained why the Marauder was here and armed with a few bags to reclaim possession of the items he had let the doctor borrow almost a year ago, before he had become a domestic terrorist/supervillain.

Performing a quick sweep and satisfied that he was alone, Cooper secured Peter's access card and started searching for anything that could link him to Octavius, mainly his old helmet and the piece of the exoskeleton he gave the pair. Thankfully, the search didn't take long as he should found the items in a cardboard box on one of the workbenches. Quickly sealing it up, he stuffed it in the bag and prepared to leave before he had a second thought, "Better be thorough about this and check the offices." As much as his aching body wanted him to get some rest, his mind prevailed and he opened the larger office first. Careful to not disturb anything, he did a quick check and found nothing but the man's own tech and his insane planes drawn out. Leaving that, he went to the second, "Aw hell." he muttered as he saw his friends gear all around the office.

Quickly setting down the bags and opening them, the Pilot got to work, rolling up technical drawings, folding up the battle scarred suits that were in the process of being repaired or improved, and gathering up the various spider themed gadgets to clear out any trace that Spider-Man had worked here. As he worked, his mind drifted back to his girlfriend, he had known for a while that he had completely fallen for the Black Cat, admitting it to her was a more difficult proposition. Just moving past being 'friends with benefits' had taken two months, and even after ten months of going steady, he hadn't yet found the guts to say'I love you.' If there was anything he was afraid of, it was confessing to a feeling she didn't share and driving her away, "And gals like her don't come around that often." He couldn't help but shake his head at that, he had the courage to take on an entire Sable International company, but not tell the person that meant the most to him how he felt about her.

As he thought of how best to tackle the subject, he finished cleaning out the Spider-Man stuff, though now the office looked somewhat barren and unused, at least it wouldn't get his friend's secret identity found out. While he had been working, he had gotten a message from Castle that Michaels had been delivered safely to wherever he needed to go and was starting production. "It's over…" he realized, a load falling off his shoulders as realization set in only for his phone to ring in his hear. Expecting it to be Felicia to ask why he wasn't in bed with her yet, Matthew was surprised to see it was a blocked number calling and cautiously answered.

"Marauder," greeted the gruff, no nonsense tones of Director Fury, "What in the hell is going on over there? I swear to god I just put that city back together two weeks ago and it's already burning to the ground again! And what's this about Osborn's plague getting out?" rattled off the one eyed ex-Ranger. "You were supposed to keep me in the loop, damnit. Report!"

Rolling his eyes, Cooper answered, "You want a report? Fine, the latest is that it's over," deadpanned the Pilot as he zipped up the bags and began slinging them over his shoulders.

"Over?" barked Fury, "What do you mean, 'over'?"

"I mean it's through, finished. The guy who released the plague is in custody and a cure is being produced as we speak." Grunting, the Pilot stood, getting his balance with the extra baggage before making his way to the exit. "For the first two days I was knocked on my ass, and since then I've been fighting my ass off. Didn't have time to call you up for a chat." The truth was that the Marauder hadn't even thought to call Fury, though with how Osborn was ordering Sable enforce the lockdown that might have been for the best.

There was an irate, but incomprehensible, grumble on the other end of the line as Cooper fired his grapple and swung away from the building before Fury continued. "I see. Very well then Marauder. I have agents en route to assist with production and distribution, they should arrive at 0500." Cooper didn't really care; it was almost 3 am right now and with how tired he felt he didn't think even one of Felicia's blowjobs would be able to wake him. "One last thing." said Fury as Matt tensed at the spook's tone, "Good work Marauder, and thank you."

The Texan snorted, "You want to thank me?" he answered sarcastically, "Get me a reservation at that four star seafood restaurant in the upper east side. Hell, throw in a couple nights at that five star hotel on Lexington while you're at it."

"Done." answered Fury without missing a beat. "You want me get you two tickets to see 'Phantom of the Opera?' I believe they're showing it on Broadway next week."

Cooper blinked a few times, trying to find any kind of sarcasm in the man's tone, but he seemed to be completely serious. "I would, if you'd be so kind."

There was a grunt of approval from Fury before he added, "Is that all?"

"There is one more thing." said Cooper as he stopped and turned to look back at the lab of Octavius Industries, "The man responsible for this shitshow was one Otto Octavius. What'll happen to his company?" asked the Marauder curiously.

There was a slight pause as Fury processed the question before he answered, "Anyone else who was complicit in his actions will be arrested, but in the end the company will end up under the control of whatever highest ranking individual is left. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know if SHIELD could, ah…" he paused as he searched for the best word, "Adjust the records on who that would be."

"To whom?" asked Fury, "You?"

"Not me," assured Cooper quickly, "someone I trust to do the right thing. A buddy of mine by the name of Peter Parker."

A silence was his only answer for a few moments before Fury replied. "I'll see what I can do." With that, the line clicked dead.


"More coffee Captain?" asked DeWolff, with Yuri nodding eagerly as she took the offered cup and downed a third of the strong brew in one go. "Just wanted to let you know that your info was right. Suspect is one Otto Octavius, 63 year old with a doctorate of engineering from MIT." rattled off the Commissioner as she handed over a file on the man as Yuri flipped it open to see a sad looking man who looked truly broken after his climactic battle with Spider-Man, "That's all preliminary, but something interesting did come up."

"Yeah? What's that?" asked Watanabe as she took another sip of her coffee.

"He went to school with Norman Osborn, not only that, he was a founding member of Oscrop." revealed the blonde as Yuri nearly spit out her drink when she heard that.

Forcing the beverage down, Yuri ran her hand across her mouth to wipe away any coffee that did manage to get out before she looked up at the officer. "You're sure?" she asked, not able to put any other words together and getting a nod back, "Well…shit."

Jean nodded as she took a sip of her own coffee, "Yeah, you said it." There was a short silence before the Commissioner began again, "Listen, Yuri, I know it's been a helluva few days, but I need you for something else." Yuri instantly went on alert; drowsiness being forced out by downing the rest of the drink to give DeWolff her full attention. "Octavius is currently in a Sable high security holding cell, they won't tell me where of course." Yuri couldn't suppress a roll of her eyes; even with Sablinova gone some things remained the same with the PMC. "Still, that leaves us to do actual policework and build a case against him, I just got off a call with the DA. He wants to put Octavius away for life," said DeWolff flatly as Yuri raised an eyebrow at that, this DA had been generally more lenient than others in the past. The Commissioner, sensing the unasked question, answered, "He lost his daughter to Devil's Breath." The Captain nodded in grim understanding before DeWolff continued. "Feds'll be here in a couple hours, from both SHIELD and the Bureau, to put together the case against Octavius." Yuri could see where this was going and had to fight to suppress the groan that desperately wanted to come out, but even if it didn't, Jean could still see it on Yuri's face. "I know, we're not really in a position to help, but I want you to represent the NYPD and offer what assistance we can."

Yuri nodded; "Got it," she replied as she began to put away the paperwork she had been working on, pulling out her gun and badge, "Anything else?"

"One more thing." began Jean as she made sure the door was closed behind them, "You hear from your boys? How're they doing?" asked the Commissioner with genuine concern.

"They're still alive." answered Yuri as she pulled out her phone, "Marauder sent me a text half an hour ago. Said that if I want to thank him then to do it by not calling him before noon." The two women shared a chuckle, partly envious at the Pilot getting to catch up on sleep considering how hard that was to come by. Scrolling down to the next message, Yuri frowned sadly, "Though he didn't give a timeline for Spider-Man, apparently he lost someone close to him and is grieving. He didn't give a timeline for when he might be back."

There was a grim silence between them, it seemed that everyone had lost someone or knew someone who did. It was odd to think that even the Webslinger wasn't exempt from that, and Yuri couldn't even begin to guess how hard the hero was taking that with how much he seemed intent on helping everyone. "Alright, here's hoping we won't need him for a while. Give him all the time he needs; he deserves that much." Yuri nodded, not sure she wanted to fathom a scenario that would require yet more help from either of the two vigilantes. "Now go home and grab some sleep, but I want you at 1PP at 8 o clock sharp."

Yuri gave the blonde and incredulous look as she held up the empty cup, "Then why'd you bring me coffee if you're just going to order me to get some sleep?"

"Have you looked in a mirror recently Yuriko? You look like you're about to fall asleep in that chair. You needed something to get you home." explained DeWolff with a grin as she opened the door, "And trust me, you'll want the best sleep you can get if you have to deal with FBI guys."


Checking her watch, Agent Maria Hill of SHIELD looked around the lobby of NYPD headquarters. On direct order from Fury, Hill was here to assist in the investigation and offer any assistance SHIELD could while Agent Coulson supervised the relief efforts. While he had the lion's share of the agency's assets with him to distribute relief supplies and the first doses of antiserum to the most critically sick, Hill had gotten only a handful of vehicles packed with SHIELD investigators and their gear. As the big clock hanging on the wall ticked over to 8 o clock, the veteran agent looked to the entrance as a Asian American woman strode in, black jacket over a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, but with a weathered look on her face and a coffee in hand. Hill recognized her immediately as she scanned the lobby and her eyes settled on the SHIELD agent before she made her way over. Hill could tell she was being sized up in her SHIELD duty uniform, complete with the Glock on her hip and comm piece in her ear, but the other woman's face didn't give anything away as she extended a hand. "Captain Watanabe, NYPD." she introduced.

As Hill shook the Captain's hand, her mind went through the info in Watanabe's file. Yuriko Watanabe, 38 years old, 12 of those spent on the Force, extra martial arts and marksmanship training, known to be a bit of a Maverick with several unofficial reprimands from her superiors. But most critical were her relations with the Marauder and Spider-Man, Hill was going to have to keep an eye on her. "Agent Hill, Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division," rattled off the veteran brunette calmly. "Thank you for your help, Captain."

Watanabe had a grim expression, "I'm afraid I'll be it. Most of our forensics personnel are still sick, 10% of our beat cops are in hospitals or morgues, and all of our detectives are assigned to other cases." Hill nodded in understanding, SHIELD's assessment had been about the same, which was why they had sent so many to pick up the slack.

"That shouldn't be a problem." answered Hill as she gestured outside, "You might have noticed on your way in, but we came prepared. Follow me." instructed the Agent as she led the Captain outside to the waiting group of black vehicles. "You haven't heard anything about when the FBI is supposed to be here, have you?"

Right on cue, a black Crown Victoria pulled up, the car trying to be as subtle as possible in a way that screams out 'This car is being driven by a Federal Agent.' To complete the image, two suited men exited when it came to a stop, the driver was an older Caucasian and the passenger a younger African American, both have black suits, white shirts, black ties, and sunglasses covering their eyes as they approach. Both women squared up to them as the younger offered a forced smile. "Good morning," he greeted as he gestured towards his partner, "This is Agent Johnston and I'm Special Agent Johnston of the FBI," he introduced flatly before adding, "no relation."

Hill exhaled through her nose, wishing she had taken up Coulson's offer to switch assignments.


Walking out, Frank Castle sipped his drink as he quickly scanned the street, looking for anything amiss before venturing away from the McDonalds and back towards his parked van, coke in one hand and a burger and fries in the bag in the other. Walking down the street as a mixed convoy of SHIELD and Sable vehicles trundled past, Castle cast a brief glance, but kept moving to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself. But seeing the eagle emblem of the paramilitary agency brought back memories of a conversation with its director. The Punisher did not particularly like only being able to handle gangs and thugs when supervillains were tearing the city apart, slaughtering innocents as they went, while the Marine was unable to administer the punishment they deserved.

With those thoughts in the back of his mind, Castle got inside and started up his armored van, pulling his burger out as he settled into Manhattan traffic. Chewing thoroughly, he almost spit out his food when he heard a deep voice behind him, "You look like you have a lot on your mind Frank." Castle whipped his head around and saw Fury sitting in the back of his van, reaching forward and helping himself to some of the Marines' fries, "anything you might want to share?"

The Punisher grunted as he swallowed the food in his mouth, "might be," answered Castle noncommittally before the light turned green and he urged the van forward before looking back to see Fury waiting patiently, singular eye on Frank. Finally, the Marine ran out of patience, "That offer you made, it still good?" he asked lowly, looking back, he saw the Spook nod slowly, "And what exactly kinda equipment is included in that offer?" he asked. "If you want me to deal with freaks like Octavius it must be something pretty serious…" mused the Marine.

The Director grimaced before giving his answer, "I would have an old JRXL-1000 Variable Threat Response Battle Suit dusted off and assigned to you…"

Frank growled lowly, "Could you put that in 'Jarhead' Director?"

"A set of War Machine armor." supplied Fury evenly as he gauged Frank's reaction, but the Punisher remained stoic. "Understand, this is a black op. If you say yes, one of the older mothballed suits will be taken from storage, reported as 'stolen,' and send to a private contractor to give it an overhaul and bring it up to spec."

Castle cocked an eyebrow, "Who the hell would you have doing that?" asked the Marine as he turned to look at Fury.

Frank swore he could see a ghost of a smile on the Spook's lips, "Someone I can trust."


After Miles set the next box full of syringes down, he flexed his bandaged hand, surprised that the admittedly nasty looking spider bite wasn't really bothering him. The teen found this odd, he had some vivid dreams, or maybe nightmares the previous night and had woken up feeling lightheaded, a feeling which was still somewhat present. That didn't stop him from agreeing to help his mother with administering the cure at a medical station set up near F.E.A.S.T. for just that purpose.

While she was busy taking care of paperwork and prepping the next patient to receive their shot, a much healthier looking Doctor Michaels took a syringe from the box Miles had just set down and injected the contents into the arm of the next patient before the used syringe was dropped into another box of used needles. The Doctor turned to the teen and nodded towards the box, "Could you run those to the disposal unit?"

"Sure thing Doc," replied the teen as he took the box of used needles and went off, heading behind the tent to throw out the empty syringes, dumping the contents of the box into a plastic container. Checking to make sure he got them all, Morales dodged a few other volunteers on his way to toss the now empty cardboard box into the recycling bin, but when he got there and tried to toss the box, he found it stubbornly stuck to his right hand. "Get off you piece of crap," he growled angrily, shaking his hand more and more until he was almost flailing about as he tried to get the box free. After almost a minute of struggle, Miles finally stilled and took a deep breath before casting a glare at the box and waiting for it to do something when, seemingly of its own volition, it fell and landed next to all the others. Miles looked down at his hand in confusion before casting a similar expression towards the cardboard, but couldn't discern anything amiss, "Huh, weird." muttered the teen as he turned and went back to work.


While Miles was dealing with that box, Cooper had gotten his dose of the antiserum and was leaving, wearing the SRS Jacket that Briggs had given him to ward off the fall chill, the Pilot strolled casually down the sidewalk. Even with the heavy security presence around, the lack of weight on the Marauder's shoulder gave him a feeling of normality, but as he walked by F.E.A.S.T. he was reminded that the world wasn't quite the same as it had been a week ago. Shaking his head, the Texan moved with renewed purpose towards his destination as he tried to figure out what he would say when he got there.

He was still figuring it out when he knocked on the door, waiting a moment before his impatience got the better of him and he pulled the spare key to the apartment out of his pocket and opened the door. "Hey pal, you here?" called out Matt as he stepped inside, "Peter, you alright?" he asked as he looked around at the mess the place was in. The snarky part of Cooper wondered if the Queens native was naturally this disorganized or if he had to work at it.

Before Matt could ponder that further, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing as a disheveled Peter emerged in t shirt and sweatpants, hair still damp, and a towel slung over his shoulder. The Webhead's bleary eyes widened at the sight of the Texan, "What are you doing here Matt?" he asked tiredly.

"Checking on you." deadpanned the Marauder, "You look like hammered shit by the way." And Peter really did look like hammered shit, most of the bruising had faded but that did little to fix the tired expression His shirt was thin enough to see the still nasty wound in his shoulder, even if it was already healing due to the man's superpowers. Sighing as Spidey nodded slowly, Matt grimaced and finally bit the bullet, "How do you feel, honestly?"

"Like hammered shit." quipped Peter in response, almost by reflex, but the response lacked any of the upbeat nature Matt had come to expect from the Web head as he threw himself down in a chair and sighed deeply before looking back up at Matt with a curious eye, "How'd you do it Matt?" he asked. "How'd you just…move on after losing everything? I know you always used to say it was because you didn't have a choice, but in the time since then…" he said, voice trailing off as Cooper pulled up a chair and sat across from Peter, deep in thought as he pondered the question.

"Truthfully?" began the Texan slowly, "I probably never did move on from it. I…I'm not the same guy I was Pete. Growing up…I would never have thought of myself as violent. I was a captain on the football team because I was the 'moderator' when everyone else was arguing. People gave me shit because I was the quiet one, the introvert who just sort of did his own thing."

Peter looked at him, mouth hanging open a bit as he processed what Matt was telling him, "You?" asked the Wallcrawler blankly, "You were the introverted one?"

Matt merely nodded, "I was, truthfully, I ain't lying to you buddy. From the start, I've always told you that a part of me never made it out of Texas…and that's what I meant." There was a far off look in Cooper's blue eyes, "Do I regret it? No, I don't. But it's still what happened; it was my choices and my actions that led to that change. You get what I'm saying?" Matt asked, relieved to get a small nod in return. "Good, now get this." he urged, "Remember that you ain't in this alone, hell, you're in a much better spot than I was. All I had was BT and Felicia Hardy, neither of which is really good for serious emotional support." Both shared a small smirk at that. "You? Well, I'll help…for what it's worth. You got Miles, hell, even when I texted Yuri, the first thing she asked was how you were doing. When I told her, she agreed to give you all the time you need. And then you have Mary Jane, who I gave the address to mainly so she would prevent you from bleeding all over the place, but she wanted to come on her own."

Peter nodded as Matt scrutinized his expression before continuing, "We want to help you. But you have to let us help you. Promise me you'll let us…please."

Peter nodded, "I promise." he managed quietly.

"Thank you." said the Texan, "I know it's tough, but all you need to worry about is getting yourself sorted out. Feel free to stay here as long as you need, you need any more cash?" he asked. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Peter offered a sheepish shake of the head in return; he'd probably barely touched the cash Cooper had left for him initially, "Alright, let me know if that changes. Otherwise, Yuri assures me that with Sable and SHIELD here, they should be able to catch the last of the escaped inmates without much trouble. They're also investigating Otto, which is why I went and grabbed my stuff and Spider-Mans gear from the lab. I got it back at my place, let me know if you want to bring it over."

Peter nodded, "You keep it for now." he replied, "I'll come get it when I need it." Matt nodded in understanding that Peter wasn't intending to suit up again for a while, and the Pilot couldn't blame him for that. "Hey Matt? Thanks, I mean it. And could you let MJ know I'm doing alright?" he asked.

"Dude, trust me." said Matt with a small smile, "She'd much rather hear it from you, in person, preferably with flowers or something. Just a suggestion."

Peter bit his lip for a second before hmming, "Yeah, you're probably right." he admitted as Matt stood up. "I'm an idiot sometimes, aren't I?"

"Yeah," replied Cooper with a nod, "you are."


"Penny for your thoughts Captain…" prompted Agent Hill as Yuri drove the pair towards their next destination, with SHIELD forensics finishing up the last of the work at Oscorp Tower that they had been working on the last three days. The findings had been confusing to Watanabe, and she was still trying to process just why it seemed like Spider-Man's armor had been made of the same material as Octavius' arms. The pair of FBI agents were already jumping to conclusions that would make that old newspaper editor proud, suggestions that Spider-Man somehow was working with Octavius, much to the annoyance of the NYPD beat cops who heard them openly discuss their theories.

Hill, to the contrary, had been cold and mechanical, dismissive of anything outside the purview of Otto Octavius as the investigation continued. The SHIELD Agent seemed more spook than investigator, which only served to deepen Yuri's suspicious about why she specifically had been sent. Still, that didn't prevent the Captain from mustering an answer to the Agent's query, "I feel like we're missing something with this Spider-Man angle." she said carefully, looking out of the corner of her eye to gauge Hill's reaction, or even if there was one, "It doesn't sit right with me."

Bringing the patrol car to a stop outside their destination as Hill replied, "I'm sure it doesn't Captain." Yuri looked over to Hill, seeing a ghost of a knowing smile on the Agent's lips before quickly being brought under control. Quirking an eyebrow in question, Yuri felt a pang of worry at the implications, but before she could press the issue, the Agent threw the door open and stepped out of the car. Shaking her head, Watanabe followed, striding past the Sable Troopers standing guard outside the building as the Captain, SHIELD Agent, and two FBI Agents made their way into Octavius Industries.

Yuri wasn't sure what to expect, but the floor beneath the space Octavius had rented seemed normal enough, but the closer she got to the entrance on the third floor, the tighter she had her left arm over her revolver, wanting to feel reassured by the weapon's bulk in case there was something evil lying in wait for them. "Who's ready to see the belly of the beast?" asked Hill with a grin as she gave the door a push and the group moved into the lab. Stepping inside, Yuri was almost let down by what greeted them, a seemingly normal science lab, no lightning rods or Terminators, just various mechanical and electrical parts strewn about on the various workbenches and shelves, with a pair of offices off to the side. Behind the four was a team of SHIELD investigators to collect and archive any evidence, "Well, I'm underwhelmed." Yuri couldn't help but agree as Hill addressed the other SHIELD members, "Hard drives, physical evidence, anything of note, bag it and tag it," she ordered.

"And make a note of anything that suggests a possible accomplice." ordered Agent Johnston as the investigators got to work. The four who were nominally 'in charge' hung back, letting the investigators do their work in peace as the senior FBI man turned to his subordinate, "What do you think of this goat fuck Special Agent?"

"Well sir…" began the younger FBI man, "It seems to me like a standard A7 scenario." he replied as Yuri cast a glance at Hill, who seemed just as lost before Special Agent Johnston explained. "Octavius obviously had help, not only from his known associates of the RAFT escapees, but in planning. Spider-Man is the obvious one, he knew about GR-27, he knew about the other enhanced individuals inside the RAFT, he is one such accomplice."

Yuri tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't keep from blinking several times in rapid succession as she struggled to believe what she was hearing when Agent Johnston took over for his younger colleague. "But there will be others, domestic terrorists work in cells." explained Johnston with a wave of his hand, "And the people we're looking for fit a type, male, young, sees Octavius as a father figure. Think they're going to change the world; he would have known what Octavius was planning and willingly helped. Right now? He's probably in hiding, but we'll find him." assured the FBI Agent confidently.

Yuri was immediately disconcerted at the Bureau agents' assertions, crossing her arms defensively, but before she could retort, Hill beat her to the punch. "That doesn't fit the pattern of these 'enhanced' individuals. Every single one has been a lone wolf up until now." countered the SHIELD Agent, looking to Yuri, who nodded in agreement before the brunette continued. "Rhino, Electro, Scorpion, Vulture, and Mr. Negative each had superiority complexes to some degree. The first four especially were all compensating." argued Hill. "Octavius, by all accounts, is the same way. It makes no sense for him to work with anyone else unless he thinks they are on the same level as him." Bureau looked far from convinced, however, seemingly exchanging looks from behind their sunglasses as one of the SHIELD investigators approached the group. Immediately, Hill went back into her Ice Queen persona, "Find anything of interest Agent Robinson?"

"Just preliminary right now, but there are some things of note." explained the Agent as the rest of the group listened intently. "We checked the security system; two people regularly accessed the lab. One was Otto Octavius." explained the Agent, "The other was his lab assistant, one Peter Parker."

Agent Johnston cut in, "When was the last Mr. Parker accessed the lab?" asked the senior FBI agent.

The SHIELD investigator worked his tablet, "The last time the lab was accessed was the night Octavius was apprehended, the last time was at 3:17am, a few hours after Octavius had been apprehended."

"And what," questioned Special Agent Johnston, "Do you believe Mr. Parker was doing here at that particular time?"

Robinson shifted uncomfortably, "I can't give a concrete answer." he explained, but the two steely faced Bureau men weren't deterred, "If I were to hazard a guess…preliminary examination suggests that several items were removed from Mr. Parker's workspaces. This could be him tidying up after himself…"

"Or him removing evidence of his involvement." finished Agent Johnston before casting a poignant glare at the SHILED forensics man, "Thank you for the report." The suited man's tone was cold and dismissive as Robinson took the hint and left, getting back to work as Johnston turned his attention to the NYPD officer. "Captain, I need you to put a BOLO out on Mr. Parker, be useful and see if you can find a place of residence as well. I need to ask him a few questions."

"About what?" returned Watanabe bluntly.

"About the whereabouts of the rest of this cell Captain." returned Special Agent Johnston coolly, "It's simple really." he assured. "We bring this kid in, interrogate him, put him under pressure…" began the younger man.

"And see if he cracks." finished the older Agent with an unsettling smile.


The ringing of the telephone on the wall behind her knocked Silver Sablinova from the holographic table in front of her, looking at the notification on the holographic display showing that it was an unknown number, the Symkarian Mercenary dismissed the call before resuming the war game she had been running. Since she had returned to the Austrian Headquarters of Sable International, she had been testing different strategies for retaking her homeland and so far, had lost every time. Issues ranged from geography, logistics, opposing forces, and the politics regarding any potential foreign aid. The eastern half of the country was heavily mountainous, offering nothing but advantages to the defenders. Her only real option was the western half, but this was plagued with its own problems, mainly in getting there. Latveria was the most direct route but was a non-option. Serbia, on the western border, was no better, with heavy terrorist activity making any attempts to use the country as a staging ground a nonstarter. Even if she managed to overcome one of these issues, then she still had to fight Symkarian loyalist armor and airpower on open ground on a march to the capital city of Aniana.

Assuming she made it there, she would need logistical support to supply her forces over 200 kilometers from a hypothetical staging ground in Serbia she probably wouldn't have. Even then, the needs of her forces to lay siege to a city surrounded on three sides by rough terrain were beyond the capabilities of even the experience personnel of Sable International.

But the biggest immediate problem was that her phone was ringing again, with that same damn 'unknown number' being the reason for it. Making a mental note to get on her IT department about the security of her personal line as she reached back and grabbed the phone. "I'm sorry to interrupt you Ms. Sablinova." began a deep, commanding voice, "But I have a proposition you should hear."

"Who is this?" she snapped back.

But the mystery caller did not seem fazed by Sable's hostility. "That was poor form," admitted the man, "This is Executive Director Nicholas Fury at SHIELD. You see, I have a problem sitting here on my desk. It seems that there is room in the SHIELD budget for 150 Ukrainian T-84 main battle tanks, 40 SU-35S Flanker-E fighters, 80 Masta-S self-propelled artillery pieces, and a few other minor items. There also seems to be a government in a small Eastern European nation named Symkaria that is causing all sorts of problems for me. Harboring and sponsoring terrorist groups, destabilizing the region, and worst of all, being a pain in my ass." Sablinova listened intently, evaluating every word the SHIELD director said, and remained calm, not replying to his admittance. "The problem is that I can't merely waltz into a sovereign nation and take over. People frown upon that sort of thing. Lucky for me, it just so happens that there is someone with a claim to be the nation's monarch. Even better, I've heard from certain sources she might already be planning to do just that. You wouldn't to happen to know if there's some truth to that, would you?" asked the Director.

After dealing with Osborn, Sablinova had no desire to accept the man's offer, but looking back at the maps and results of her last dozen war games, there might not be much choice. "She might be," admitted Sablinova cautiously, "But might want to know what is in it for you, Director."

"For me?" asked Fury, almost surprised at the question, but Silver would not be so hasty to accept an offer like she had Osborn's, especially considering the Director's reputation, "I do not want or need a puppet state, but I do need the current administration removed." Sablinova pursed her lips, holding her tongue to see if Fury would tip his hand, and, surprisingly, he did. "But I have recently received intelligence relating to the activities of the Symkarian government and who they are associated with. This has caused me to accelerate the timetable on the issue." Processing this, Fury put it simply, "I need an instant army, that means mercenaries, and yours are the best."

Reflexively, Silver's eyes narrowed, "If I accept." she began coldly, "It will not be for the money."

There was a grunt of acknowledgement on the other end of the line, "I see." replied Fury, "I am not expecting an answer on if you accept or not at the moment, but this isn't an offer that will remain on the table forever. There is no more time to screw around, the situation needs to be dealt with."

"In that Director…" began Sable as she turned to a photo of a younger version of herself, smiling with her parents, "We are agreed. I accept."


Peter was happy that the day he laid Aunt May to rest was a beautiful one, the way the sun reflected off of the few low hanging clouds gave the cemetery an orange hue that made the woman's casket appear to glow as she was lowered to rest beside her late husband. The priest that presided over her funeral had given a heartfelt eulogy about her work as a surrogate mother and aid worker, her dedication to making the world a better place, not just with great deeds, but small ones as well. And while the Wallcrawler was still fighting a losing battle to keep from shedding a tear, he at least was happy that this was the woman's final sendoff. May's headstone, sitting beside Ben's, read 'When you help someone, you help everyone.' The words she always offered to someone who questioned the value of her work were now the ones she would continue to offer, even after her passing, which was fitting.

Feeling a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Peter straightened as Matt came alongside, stoic and grim as he regarded the graves, but the gesture was still genuine. Similarly, Mary Jane took Peter's right hand, giving it a comforting squeeze to offer her own show of support. Both had been there for the last few days, helping in their own ways as he grieved and mourned the loss of May while getting her affairs in order. But there were others, Miles and his mother, Rio, were helping keep F.E.A.S.T. functioning and had come as well, even if Miles had only met May a few short weeks ago. Felicia was there too, platinum hair concealed in a hat and face hidden behind a veil so she wouldn't be recognized by the other people who had seen her at F.E.A.S.T. that had come to pay their respects.

Reality had long since set in that she was really gone, but only now did Peter truly accept it.


Cooper's Logbook – Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

One of the many three letter alphabet agencies, the FBI is the primary federal law enforcement agency of the United States, reporting to the Department of Justice as well as the Director of National Intelligence when concerning terrorist threats on American soil. Coming from the Bureau of Investigation or BOI, the FBI name came about in 1935, continuing to go after various gangsters and organized crime until World War II where they investigated suspected espionage by the Axis powers. Outcomes of this included discovering of Soviet agents working in the United States which led to then Director J. Edger Hoover's continuing suspicion of unions, the Communist Party USA, and various other liberal groups.

And that is forgetting about all of the other, far more questionable, things that Hoover did over his 48 year long tenure as FBI Director. Including but not limited to illegal wiretapping and bugging, domestic surveillance of Civil Rights leaders in the 1960s, and sending at least one letter to MLK urging him to commit suicide. In fact, he did so many things that congress changed it so that no future FBI Director could serve for more than ten years.

The biggest thing that has limited the FBI has been SHIELD, despite ostensibly being cooperative, the reality is that neither of these two agencies really likes the other and cooperation, in the few instances where it does occur, is usually a tense affair.


Closing Notes: I've lost track of the number of Die Hard references I've made, but Agent Johnson and Special Agent Johnson are another, hopefully they came off as appropriately arrogant and irritating. They'll be involved in an original storyline that I think will be interesting, even if I haven't seen it appear in the game or it's associated comics, though if someone knows of it appearing in a different comic or something then let me know. Other than that, I'm focused on slowly working my way through the various post credit scenes from the game such as distributing the antiserum or Aunt May's funeral.

Of all of the things that I go through here, the parts I'm most excited about are the ones involving what Fury is working towards with Castle and Sable. (It is the reason I was having Sable interact with the Marauder and develop that working relation after all.) I've dropped a few hints, but it won't come to fruition for a while yet so y'all are just going to have to wait. I promise that the wait will be worth it.

Next chapter should be out next week and it will be the second and final part of Weight of Living.

Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.