Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Don't you just love it when billion dollar corporations get into pissing contests? By far the best one I've seen lately was the new Ram TRX pickup truck, meant to compete with the Ford Raptor. In the engine bay is a graphic depicting a T-Rex eating a Velociraptor, because this truck is supposed to eat Raptors.
Bladewolf101: I can't see myself doing an MCU story right now, it's too much of a timesink. But if I did, I wouldn't reuse Cooper, I'd do a new OC, probably a Guardian from Destiny. Even though I'm a Titan main, I don't think I could go Titan, since the subclasses are Void Captain America, Electric Hulk, and Fire Thor, plus shitty ice powers. I'd probably go Hunter and the pairing would be Scarlett Witch. Truthfully? I don't like superheroes, my heroes growing up were war heroes and the contrast between them was one of the ideas that led to this story.
MarauderPrime12: Glad you enjoyed it.
All those stereotypes about Texans being super prideful of their home state? Yeah, they're true. So with that in mind I had to find a way to get Matt to go home at least once and I'm doing it here. And since I'm going with this, I decided to go all the way and get an appropriate song for it, which was this 1993 country track from the band 'Little Texas.' It is a genuinely catchy tune with a music video featuring all of the stereotypical Texas iconography you can imagine. Oil Rigs, Rodeos, the Alamo, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in the finest quality that 90's technology had to offer.
Power Without Question – Chapter 75: God Blessed Texas
God blessed Texas
With His own hand
Brought down angels from the promised land
Gave 'em a place where they could dance
If you want to see heaven, brother, here's you chance
I've been sent to spread the message
God blessed Texas.
"You going to be okay while I'm gone buddy?" asked Cooper as he wiped the oil off his hands with a rag as the rest of the motor oil drained from the Viper that was up on the lift in his basement armory. With winter fast approaching he was reluctantly forced to put away the V-10 powered sports car for the next couple months unless he wanted to risk putting the thing into a streetlamp. That was why he would be taking the Mustang to pick up Felicia the following morning and driving to the airport where the couple wend spend the weekend in Texas followed by the rest of the week in the Bahamas. It was fair to say that Matt was looking forward to the next week, not only to get away from the cold for a bit, and get one last chance to see Felicia in a skimpy swimsuit one last time, but also to go back to the state which he had the flag of on the wall of his armory.
Next to that lone star flag was BT, who answered the question Matthew had posed. "I will maintain a ready operational status Major," assured the Titan. "Your performance during this most recent crisis was above 85% combat efficiency. Are you suffering any ill effects from the injures you sustained? Or signs of mental fatigue?" asked the machine with his typical monotone bluntness. Cooper shook his head seriously, he had recovered fully thanks to both Sable and Militia medical tech, and having people he could lean on like Felicia, Peter, and Yuri helped a lot too. "That is good to hear Pilot. Leave is recommended to follow extended periods of heavy action. Do not worry about me and enjoy your leave Major Cooper."
Matthew pulled the bucket of motor oil aside, replaced the oil cap, and lowered the car back down as he picked up the fresh bottle of fluids for the ever-hungry Mustang. Popping the hood, the Texan prepared to replace the motor oil as he continued the conversation with the Titan, "I'll be sure to buddy," promised Cooper as he tossed the empty bottle into the trashcan and shut the hood of the Shelby Pony Car. "But how about tonight? Ever hear from Pete?" asked the Marauder. Before he jetted off with Felicia he had agreed to suit up and join Spider-Man for a patrol, not because the Webslinger needed his help, but because he needed to stretch his legs.
That, and he wanted to scratch the itch on his trigger finger.
"Peter Parker has sent the following message by text, Pilot," informed the Vanguard Class Titan as Cooper grabbed the duffel bags filled with his gear and weapons off the table and tossed them in the trunk of the fast Ford. "I'm just working on something at the lab. Meet me there and then we'll head out."
Matt smirked as he settled into the driver's seat and turned the key, the Voodoo V8 screeching to life, "tell him I'm on my way," said the Texan as the opening notes of Highway to Hell played on the radio as the Mustang got moving.
The sound of the door opening got Peter's attention as he looked out from behind the mannequin he had set up to see Cooper stride through the door with his trademark swagger, a bag that carried his equipment in each hand. "What'ya workin' on dude?" drawled Matt, though his curiosity sneaked through as his blue eyes appraised the mannequin and the various drawings around the Webhead. "This a new suit?"
Smirking, Peter pushed some of the materials for his project aside to reveal the sketches he had drawn up of what he was hoping to make. "It will be, hopefully," explained Spidey as he let Cooper get a look at the designs, "what do you think Coop?" Peter actually wanted Matthew's opinion, because while Spider-Man had usually worn simple suits, the Marauder had known nothing but the more technically advanced and heavily armored gear, and as such would hopefully spot any shortfalls in his design.
And it was a design that Peter was quite proud of, he had started it after getting a look at the War Machine armor and kept his own experience with previous Spider Armor in mind. The MK III was a design he would return to, but his main takeaway from using it against the IMC invasion was that, while it was ideal for that, it wouldn't suit him in any of his usual Spidey work. It was too heavy, too bulky, and a pain to get on and off quickly. The suit had been incredibly durable and tough to be sure, but he now wanted something more like the spur of the moment creation he had used to fight Doctor Octavius, which had been dubbed the 'Anti-Ock' suit for simplicity's sake. The Anti-Ock gear was more like a normal suit, just with extra protection, and that was his guiding design principle as this suit took shape. Incorporating Micro Gyros lifted from the War Machine armor as well as the composite armor from the Anti-Ock suit into a new design made from the ground up with these improvements in mind, Peter had a sleek and sturdy suit design that, for the first time, he had the money to put towards making it a reality. "It's really slick," admitted Matt as he gave them a closer look, "that mask looks especially vicious man. You trying to scare off anyone who looks at MJ the wrong way or something?" asked the Texan dryly.
"No, nothing like that," assured Peter as he tried to suppress a laugh, "just trying to streamline the helmet along with everything else, I went through three design iterations to get the weight down as much as I could, the moving eye pieces got lost in one of those redesigns." He had also ditched the usual bright colors for more washed out shades of red and dark blue, though the simplified spider emblem would glow softly since it served to allow coolant to flow to all the gyros in his arms and legs.
Matt shook his head, "sure thing buddy, whatever you say." Peter shook his head at the grinning Texan as Matt picked up one of the parts of the suit that Peter had already worked on. While most of the other major elements were things he had developed with previous suits, there was one thing that was brand new, even for him, and that's why he started with that. "Armored gauntlets?" questioned Cooper as he picked up and examined one of the matching pair of cylindrical items before finding the latch that opened up the armor to reveal what was beneath, "armored web shooter housings," realized Matt as he corrected himself. "Learning from that fight with Doc Ock?"
The Webslinger internally winced at the name that had been given to his former mentor, but swallowed his distaste and nodded, "trying to," he admitted honestly, "kinda surprised nobody's gotten a lucky shot on them before. Still, with these it shouldn't ever happen again."
Matt tossed the housing into the air, getting a feel for its weight, "it's light," he commented matter of factly before setting the housing down next to its partner. "I really want to give you shit for it," admitted Matt, "but I can't, which is kinda pissing me off." The two shared a laugh at that before Cooper asked another question, "so have you thought of what you're going to call this thing?" as he tapped the designs.
Shrugging, the Queens native answered his friend, "I'm going to call it the 'Speed Suit' I think," replied Peter as his enhanced hearing picked up a light snicker coming from his friend. "What?" he asked indignantly, only for Cooper to bust out into unabashed laughter, "it's not that bad."
"It's not that good either," shot back Matthew dryly, and Peter had to concede the point. "It makes you go faster, right?" asked the Pilot, and Peter nodded, "cause what the superhuman needed the armored suit for was to make him faster." Shaking his head, Matt suddenly snapped his fingers, "I got it," announced the Texan, "call it the 'Velocity Suit,'" he suggested.
"Velocity Suit," parroted the Webhead, getting a feel for the name and nodding as he found himself warming to the suggestion, "I like it. Now you go suit up while I clean up here and we'll head out." Shaking his head, Matt went off to gear up while Peter went back to work soldering what would be one of the knee joints of the newly dubbed Velocity Suit, wanting to get that done before he changed. The reason he had initially called it the 'Speed Suit' because the gyros like this one were intended to not only help him keep balance, but also to make him even faster as he thew the momentum around.
Cleaning off the soldering tool and unplugging it, Peter began working off his lab coat, hanging it up and ducking into his office, pulling the blinds as he changed into his Spider Suit without fear of being discovered, one of the perks of being the boss. For the superhero, Parker Industries had been a massive help in more ways than one, not only giving him a place to develop new technology, but also give him a place to stage his superhero work in peace. Donning his Advanced Suit sans mask, Peter emerged from his office and grabbed his webshooters off the work bench just as the other office door opened and Cooper emerged, helmet in one hand and rifle in the other, "so you got anything in mind for tonight or just the usual patrol pattern?" asked the Texan as Peter picked strapped his webshooters on.
"I was going to check with Yuri first, see if anything needs our attention," explained Peter as he pulled his mask on and his HUD booted up to reveal that Matt donned his own helmet, the recognizable x shaped visor already glowing bright blue as Peter pressed a finger to his ear to call Yuri. While the earpiece rang, Peter turned to lead Matt outside into the darkened Manhattan when he heard Watanabe pick up. "Hey Captain," he greeted, "the Marauder and I are about to head out for a patrol. Is there anything you need us to help with?"
"Spider-Man, good timing," returned the Lawwoman, "I've gotten reports of some suspicious activity near 2nd avenue and 35th street. Normally I wouldn't think much of it but…"
"That's where one of the big Sable basses was," finished Peter grimly, "yeah, okay, we'll go check it out." Checking that he had Matt in tow, the Webhead fired a line and swung from the rooftop, hearing the distinct hiss of the Marauder's jump kit launching the Pilot after him.
There was a sigh of relief from the Captain on the other end of the line, "thanks for that," she replied as Peter flipped through the air, catching a glimpse of Matthew running along a wall as he plummeted back down to the street below. "Not anything you need to worry about, but I wanted to let you know that SHIELD sent a psychologist to the RAFT to check on Doctor Octavius. I don't know how it went but he's still incarcerated, which is all I care about, but I figured you should know."
"I…" began the Webslinger before his voice trailed off, "thanks for letting me know Yuri," he said sincerely, relieved that Fury had been telling the truth when he made the deal with the SHIELD Director. "Was that all?"
"Pretty much. The only superpowered escapee still at large is Tombstone. If you see him then I need you to bring him back in." Peter wasn't surprised that Lonnie seemed to be lying low, the neigh invincible man wasn't going to draw attention to himself now that the other high profile escapees had been recaptured, that didn't mean that Spider-Man wouldn't keep an eye out.
Squeezing the middle two fingers of his left hand to fire another line of webbing that stuck to the corner of the building and swung around it, flying over an intersection as the Marauder streaked overhead with a lick of blue flame coming from his lower back. "You got it Yuri," replied the Webhead, "we'll pay Lonnie a visit if we see him after we check out this Sable base. You'll be the first to know if we find anything."
Ending the call with a 'click,' the pair closed in on the remains of the Queens Tunnel Checkpoint that had served as the headquarters for Charles Bliss and the 4th Security Battalion. When Sable International's contract had ben prematurely terminated, they pulled out quickly, and so many of their MOBs and FOBs were left as mostly empty shells, stripped of their useful equipment, and left to rust. As the Webhead came to a stop on a rooftop overlooking the base, he saw that this base had been similarly left, still bearing the scars of Matt's attack on it, the charred metal and debris littering the courtyard. "So, what's the deal?" asked Matt as he landed alongside Peter, "why'd Yuri have us come here?"
"She got reports of suspicious activity," replied Spider-Man as he looked around, trying to scrutinize the darkened scene for any sign that something was amiss, "but I don't see anything."
Matt grunted as he pulled something from his belt and hurled it down into the base below. Before Peter could ask what Matt was doing, his visor picked up an orange pulse that slowly spread across the base only for the pulse blade to reveal nothing suspicious. "That makes two of us," drawled Cooper as he drew his rifle again, "c'mon, let's go take a closer look." With that, the Marauder jumped from the roof and fell towards the ground as the Wallcrawler fell after him, dragging his hand along the wall of the building to slow his descent. Grunting as he hit the ground, bending his knees to absorb the impact, he looked over to the Pilot, who had his rifle up, "look alive, there could be someone waiting for us inside," cautioned the SRS Commando before he led the way across the street before coming to a sudden halt at the main gate.
"What's up?" asked Pete as Matt showed him the padlock that had been on the gate, hanging limply by its chain. "It's been cut…" realized the Webslinger as the gears in his mind turned, "someone was here then." The blue visor bobbed up and down as Peter activated his own environmental scanning tool before crouching down at something that stood out to him, "tire tracks…big ones. Like they came in trucks or something."
"Scavengers maybe," supposed Matthew, "trying to scrounge up anything that Sable might have left behind?"
"That's not good, Sable tech in the wrong hands would spell trouble," replied the Webslinger as he set to work yanking the heavy gates open with his superhuman strength, "let's see if we can figure out what they were after. With any luck we'll find out who was here too." With the gate opened wide enough for the pair to slip through as Peter led the way, following the tire tracks past the small heliport, the duo came to a stop when the tracks did, just outside the warehouses that were the supply depot for the base. "Tracks end here," announced Spider-Man as he pointed towards an ajar door, "looks like this is what they were after."
"Right," grunted the Marauder as he turned a flashlight attached to his rifle on and led the way, "let's run a quick sweep, and let me know if your spider sense goes off…preferably before we get ambushed." With that, the Pilot kicked the ajar door wide open and burst in, muzzle and attached light sweeping from side to side before the Marauder pushed forwards, following the tracks that were clearly viable against the dusty floor, leading the pair further inside. The main floor of the warehouse was divided up by several chain link fences, with some still having pallets of supplies in them while others had obviously been forced open and picked clean. Peter followed Matt towards the first one before hearing the Pilot mutter a single word. "Shit."
Following the flashlight, Peter read the label on the door aloud. "Rifle, Direct Energy, SIR-13," as realization set in on what had been taken, the Webhead couldn't help but agree with his friend. "Shit."
"Alright everyone, listen up!" called Natasha Romanov as the rest of the room quieted down, the veteran Avenger gave everyone a few moments to get comfortable before resuming. "Welcome to the SHIELD Office of Strategic Services Detachment 101, everything we do here does not exist and our actions never happened." Appraising the room, the Black Widow saw nobody flinch at her words, of the six people in the small team, two were veteran SOE personnel, two were veteran SF Operators, one was her, and the last one was the Punisher, the fact that nobody seemed worried wasn't much of a surprise. "We are operating under the sole oversight of Director Fury. Our mission has been codenamed Operation Incisor, we are to conduct reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and espionage missions into the sovereign nation of Symkaria with the ultimate goal of supporting an invasion and takeover of the country by an outside faction."
"Make no mistake," continued the Avenger, "the current Symkarian regime is the enemy, they have actively harbored terrorists in an effort to destabilize the region. Our actions are in the interest not just of SHIELD, but of the United States, and the world as a whole. As for how exactly we're going to do that, that's why you all are here," she said with a smile before turning to the two least physical imposing people in the room. "Agents Anna Grimsdottir and Sergei Luchenko will be providing support through communications and logistics, respectively." 'Grim' as she preferred to be called, wore a formal suit, her SHIELD ID pinned on her chest, with glasses on her face and her strawberry blonde hair done up in a ponytail as she cradled a tablet in her arm and had her ever present headset on. Luchenko was a 'fixer' who was originally from the country of Georgia, his job was to get their gear where they needed to go and 'procure' anything the other members of Detachment 101 might need. Both were veterans of other OSS missions and were well aware of what lay ahead. "Sergeant Major William Masterson and Sergeant First Class Carlos Rodriguez, I know this your first time with SHIELD, but you are our Scout Sniper team. You'll be doing the same kind of work you did with the Green Berets." Both men nodded coolly, still wearing their US Army camouflage and their unit's famed headgear.
"For those of you who don't know me, I am Agent Natasha Romanov, better known as the Black Widow," she revealed calmly, "I'll be leading this team as well as taking part in physical operations to gather intelligence where needed." Physical Operations, a SHIELD euphemism for 'Direct Action' were her specialty after all. "If we need to leave a mark, that task will fall to Master Sergeant Frank Castle," continued the agent, nodding towards the Marine scowling in the corner, "he's the pilot of our JRXL-1000 Variable Threat Response Battle Suit. Any questions?"
When the Black Widow was met with nothing but silence, she smiled slightly, "very good. Now, Grim, you're up first. What's SHIELD's threat assessment of the local forces?"
In the back of Matthew Cooper's mind, a part of him was telling him to calm down, he wasn't really home after all. But as he grabbed Felicia and his bags from the carousel and loaded them onto the pushcart only to look up to see the mural of the Alamo painted on the wall, he couldn't help but feel like he truly was back in the greatest state in the union. Unzipping one of his bags, he pulled out a tan Stetson cowboy hat and happily placed it on his head, the familiar weight of the felt headgear completing the feeling of being back in Texas. Still, there were some things that even Matt could admit weren't quite perfect about his home state, even they hadn't cracked the boredom and tedium that came with air travel. Pulling the cart with their luggage through the crowds at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport towards where Felicia was picking up the car she had arranged, eyes scanning to pick out a distinct head of platinum blonde hair.
"Looking good cowboy," purred a familiar voice as Matt looked down at the woman's bright emerald eyes and brighter smile, "you ready to get to it? Car's this way," she said. Cooper nodded before the Black Cat turned and led him towards one of the exits, attracting a lot of attention as she strode with purpose and an alluring sway of her curvaceous hips. Reaching the doors, Matthew took a deep breath of that familiar air, which, despite it being November, was still 80 degrees. "Here we are," announced Felicia as she thumbed the key in her hand and unlocked one of the waiting cars.
The car was a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and Cooper couldn't help but grin as he began loading their luggage into the 707 horsepower supercharged muscle car, "hey sweetheart?" began Matt as Felicia turned to face him, "before we head to the hotel, do you mind if we do something first?"
Clearly surprised, Felicia raised a wondering eyebrow, "what're you scheming Matthew?" she asked curiously, her interest piqued.
"Don't worry, you'll like it, trust me darlin," he assured as he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, taking the key from Felicia and bringing the Challenger to life. "I just got to say what a dream it is to be back here," drawled Cooper as he fought his way through the traffic out of the airport, "this place feels just like I remember." That in and of itself was a relief, Matthew held fond memories of his home state, and so far, this version wasn't disappointing him at all. He had also been the one to plan what the couple was going to do during their weekend visit, since he was the one who wanted to come to the Lone Star State. What he picked were, unsurprisingly, things that simply weren't in New York, and for that one of them needed some things. "It's almost perfect really," admitted the Texan, "perfect place, a great car, and the woman I love. There is just one thing that we need to change for tonight. Simply put, if we're going to a country and western club, then you are going to need some country and western clothes. I know a couple of good stores for that sort of thing, so you and I are going shopping."
When he didn't get an immediate response, Matt turned to look at his stunned girlfriend staring back at him, "I know you said you changed by the time you got to New York, but I didn't expect to ever hear you say that."
Cooper chuckled as he brought the big Dodge to a stop at a red light, "I may not like shopping," drawled the Pilot easily, "but I do really like the thought of seeing you in a pair of boots and a cowboy hat," he admitted with a confident smirk.
For her part, Felicia answered with a seductive look, "and nothing else I'm guessing?" she asked, to which Matt gave a noncommittal shrug in response, though his facial expression didn't change. "I'll have to keep that in mind for when we get back to the hotel," mused the Platinum Blonde seductress.
With that image in mind, Matthew wasted no time putting all 707 horsepowers to use as soon as the light turned green.
The two armored troopers ahead of Silver Sablinova pushed the double doors open to allow the Symkarian to stride through them without stopping, her duster fluttering slightly behind her as she entered the auditorium. "Atten-shun!" bellowed one of the officers as the chatter fell silent and was replaced by the uniform sound of the men and women in the room snapping to their feet and to attention as Sablinova strode forwards with poise and self-assuredness. After months of working and planning, she was finally ready to reveal to the officers of Sable International the totality of her plan and what they would be asked to do.
Ascending the steps onto the raised stage, the silver haired Symkarian picked up the wooden pointer that was as long as she was tall before turning to address her subordinates. "Be seated," she announced calmly as everyone paid rapt attention, some with tablets or notepads out. "Ladies and gentlemen," began Sablinova, "this will be a story you will tell your grandchildren, and mightily bored they'll be," she added with only a hint of mirth in her otherwise stoic features. Still, the tension in the room ebbed as some of the mercenaries chuckled at the remark before the projector came to life and a map appeared on the wall behind Silver. "This is a new chapter for Sable International, one for which I am proud to call each and every one of you a part. We have no employer and I am in total overall command of the following operations, all with a simple goal in mind: to invade my homeland, Symkaria, depose and capture key members of the current regime, and establish a new government to usher in a new era of freedom and prosperity for my home and its people."
The room fell totally silent as Silver Sablinova paused, the weight of her words sinking into those gathered as she cast a scrutinizing glance across the men and women before her, but saw no hint that they were disturbed by what she had just said. For the consummate professionals of Sable International's officer corps, this was just another mission. "The first step towards achieving this goal will be called Operation: Primo Victoria. Primo is the airborne element, and Victoria will be the ground forces. On January 9th, 14 years to the day since I was exiled from Symkaria, I will lead the three ExAACCT companies to capture this airfield here, inserted via a high speed, low altitude pass from our transport aircraft." The target was a major Air Force base just under 35 kilometers inside the Symkarian border, which Sablinova tapped on with the pointer, "our fixed wing combat aircraft will suppress air defenses and provide close support for the Air Assault forces as we make a thruster pack assisted landing and take the airfield."
The projector changed the image, showing the planned landing zones outside the base, as well as projected opposition and possible positions highlighted on satellite photos that were inset on the map of the region. "General Horrocks, you will have command of the ground element. Your mission will be to punch through the border here," ordered the Symkarian, staring the man in question down as she tapped the desired location on the map, "and proceed with best possible speed along this road to link up with the airborne forces at the airfield." Sablinova traced the route before going back to a few spots in the mountainous region near the border, "in the days prior to the mission launch, platoons from the 3rd Reconnaissance Company will be inserted and forward observation positions will be established here and here to ensure safe passage for the armor." One again, the projection changed to show the armored thrust that would spearhead the main assault and their timetable as Silver lowered the pointer and turned around the face the room. "Speed is the vital factor," she emphasized before slowly working her jaw, "the plan calls for you to advance to the town of Beius in two to three hours and to the airfield within twelve hours. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the prize!" declared Sablinova boldly, circling the airfield, "a place for us to continue further into the country on multiple fronts, and with railway and road connections we will be able to establish a supply line to it, and then from it to whatever axis of attack we choose to take via this crossroad here and the rail junctions here. D-Day is set in six weeks time, accelerate your training and outfitting if you must, especially Lieutenant Colonel Vandeleur and his Fourteenth Armored Guards Battalion, as they will lead the way when Sable International tanks cross the border." Silver scanned the room and picked the man out of the crowd as he turned and whispered something to his XO who was sitting next to him. "What did you say to that J.O.E.?" she called out.
Sheepishly, the man stood up, "delighted ma'am, truly delighted." A chorus of laughs followed the Irishman as he sat back down, and even Sable couldn't help but crack a small smile.
"Now I have selected you to lead us, not only because of your extraordinary fighting ability. But also because, in the unlikely event that those bastards ever get you, they will assume from your attire that they've captured a wretched peasant and immediately send you on your way." Another refrain of laughter filled the auditorium, and Sablinova did nothing to quell it, letting it run its course before the room quieted and she resumed, "now, maintaining the speed of the advance will be difficult, as it is a single highway, but no matter what, you must reach that airfield within 24 hours." Pausing, she placed the pointer up against the wall and gestured for the projector to be turned off. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I am not saying this will be the easiest assignment we have ever undertaken, but there is nowhere I would rather be than with all of you. That is all, dismissed."
"Are you sure about this cowboy?" asked Felicia with a hint of trepidation as Matthew brought the Hellcat to life. After dinner the two had returned to the hotel to change quickly before heading back out, with Felicia wearing the clothes she had bought the day before, much to her boyfriend's delight.
Matthew gave her a reassuring smile, "sure am sweetheart," he drawled as he put the big Dodge into gear and guided it out of the hotel parking lot. "What's there to be worried about? I went to this place all the time back when…when I lived here way back. I checked to make sure the club's still there, and it looks just like I remember it." There was a slight pause as he turned onto the street with a hint of whine from the supercharger and a screech of protest from the tires as the big Challenger wheeled around. Straightening the wheel and changing gear, the big car leapt forwards as Matt grinned happily, "besides, are you seriously telling me that you of all people don't want to go to a club?"
"It's not that," she allayed quickly, "I'm just not as sure about going to a club dressed like this." Taking his eyes off the red light the Challenger had stopped it, Matt looked her over as Felicia followed his blue eyes. Unlike their usual ventures out clubbing, she wasn't in a short dress or mini skirt, instead she had on a simple pair of jeans, and while the light denim was form fitting, it was far more conservative than her usual fair. Her top was a button down shirt, tied up to reveal her midriff and the top few buttons undone with the long sleeves rolled up to just under her elbows. But the most unusual items were the black leather cowgirl boots where she would usually have high heels and the black cowgirl hat on her head.
"Don't be darlin, you look damn good in just about anything," assured Matt as the light turned green and the Hellcat roared off again. That, however, wasn't what was bothering the heiress, she knew that she looked good, but dressing like this was something she had always thought of as just a charming thing her cowboy did, and not a social norm. "And if you think that you'll stand out, trust me when I say that you won't. Not in this place. Well…not any more than usual." With a cocky grin, the Pilot drove the big Dodge through the darkening city.
Felicia looked at Cooper, relaxed at the wheel, even if this was going to be their last night in Texas, the few days spent had been eye opening for her. Matt had been bright eyed and wearing a genuine smile that looked really good on him almost the whole time. There seemed to be a weight missing from his shoulders as he had taken her through the city's shopping district or high-end restaurants, a cool familiarity with his surroundings that suited him as well as that stupid hat he wore everywhere.
It was a familiarity she did not have, her opinion of what she had seen of Texas was that it was, in a word, different. Right now they were flying down a massive highway at 80mph and barely be passing anybody in a scene that felt utterly alien to the lifelong New Yorker. Everything had been so spread out that even if she had her grapple she wouldn't want to use it to actually get anywhere, and there was no other option besides the car they had, compared to Manhattan where they were seen as an unneeded luxury. The abundance of Texas State Flags flying from seemingly every flag pole were a stark contrast to her home served as an omnipresent reminder that she was in fact in the Lone Star State. And the people who greeted her with a friendly disposition and unending hospitality was a stark contrast to her home's brash and bullish inhabitants.
But the biggest culture shock was about to occur as Matthew guided the Challenger SRT Hellcat off that insane highway and down into the city, towards the club he had wanted to go to. Her first inkling that this wasn't her normal type of club was the parking lot, seemingly filled with nothing but pickup trucks as Cooper parked the Dodge. "We're here," announced Cooper as the V-8 rumble was replaced by the commotion of a club as Felicia threw the door opened and stood, donning her hat as Matt did the same, "my old Honkey Tonk."
Before Felicia could comment on that, a trio of girls in similar outfits, but with shorter 'Daisy Duke' shorts passed by as the Thief turned to her boyfriend, " I can see why you like this place stud," remarked the platinum blonde as she turned to see Matt eyeing the same trio before giving an unapologetic shrug as he came up and wrapped his arm around her.
"What can I say? Cold beer, good live music, nice scenery, this place had it all," he answered easily as they went towards the entrance, "and now it's got you, so it's even better." Any unease Felicia still have had about dressing like a country girl was alleviated when she saw none of those milling about outside dressed any differently than Cooper or her, with nothing in sight but boots and hats. After Matt paid the cover charge, the couple headed inside, and the differences were clear. Instead of modern furniture and neon lights, the honky tonk was all woods and dim lighting, with music coming from a live band on stage as couples danced on the floor that was front and center. Off to the side, a massive bar was busy, worked by girls dressed similarly to how Felicia was, though their shirts all had the name of the establishment on them. "C'mon Felicia, let's hit the dance floor. I gotta pay you back for making me learn to Waltz."
"If you want me to make it up to you, I'm sure you could come up with something more fun," she teased.
But Matt's grin only widened, "oh, I'll think you'll enjoy this sweetheart. Trust me, by the end of the night you'll be the center of attention, as long as you keep up that is." Felicia fixed him with a look as she felt her competitive nature come to the forefront as Matt smirked down at her, "and I know that being the center of attention is one of your favorite things darlin."
"Oh it is," replied Felicia, "and if you're right, then we'll be doing one of my other favorite things afterwards," purred the seductress into his ear before planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Well then," said Cooper as the band started its next song and he offered her his hand, "shall we?"
A few hours later, and Matt still having a hell of a time as he twirled Felicia around on the dance floor as the fiddle player merrily played a solo while other couples danced along around them, boots tapping on the hardwood dance floor. As Felicia faced him once again, he grabbed her with his other hand to resume their dance for the final few seconds of the song before smoothly dipping her, one arm supporting her by her waist and the other her head just as the song ended, which was his que to pull her back up and plant a quick kiss on her lips, eliciting a round of cheers and whistles from the rest of the room. "What a way to end the night! That's it for us, y'all have been a great crowd, good night and god bless!" said the lead singer as a round of applause followed the band off the stage before those who had gathered on the dance floor began to meander off back towards a table or the bar.
"What now Felicia?" asked Matt as they sat back down at their table and finished off the beer that he had been nursing all night. It was fair to say that both of them had worked up a bit of a sweat after dancing, despite being the farthest thing from out of shape. Through it all, Felicia had proven more than up to learning on the fly, though Matt would argue part of that was having him be her teacher, and it had been a dream come true to do a bit of country and western dancing with the woman he loved.
Even Felicia's attitude towards it had softened from apprehension to acceptance to outright enjoyment, and even still she was smiling brightly, though with a familiar gleam in her eye. "I think I've had enough of having everyone's eyes on me for one night," she said before leaning over the table, "next I think I want to just have yours stud," she purred before sitting back down and giving a seductive look.
Cooper didn't need any more prompting, and luckily for him one of the waitresses came by to check on them, but before she could ask if they wanted anything, Matt beat her to it. "Close out my tab please," he instructed as he pulled out a few bills from his pocket and handed them to her, "take care now," he said as the girl took the money and moved on. "I know better than to keep you waiting," said Matthew as he got up, "let's get the hell outta dodge."
Taking his girlfriend by the hand and leading her out, he didn't mind at all as she pressed up close to him as the wove their way through the crowd and towards the door, navigating passed the more inebriated patrons, ignoring the catcalls directed at the platinum blonde that followed them out. They didn't make it far before Matt could feel Felicia's hand squeezing his arm as she guided his hand to the curve of her ass and he gave it a squeeze as he opened her door for her and she slipped into the Challenger. Matt slipped into the driver's seat, tossed his hat into the back, and fired the Hellcat up, but barely got it into gear before Felicia's hand was caressing his hand and arm. "Well thanks for agreeing to this sweetheart, hopefully you had half as much fun as I did." Before she could answer, Matt was at the entrance ramp to the freeway and mashed his foot down, the 2.4 liter supercharger whined as the couple was pressed back into their seats as the car accelerated forwards onto the empty highway. As he let off the throttle, he could feel Felicia's green eyes scrutinizing him and smiled sheepishly, "sorry sweetheart, couldn't help it."
Thankfully, his admission was met with a genuine laugh that caused him to let out a breath of relief before she spoke. "It's fine cowboy, I don't think I could either to be honest," she admitted, causing a smile to creep onto his face as she continued, "and I did have a great time tonight. It's been good seeing this side of you this weekend." Matt raised an eyebrow that she probably couldn't see, but she elaborated anyways, "I don't think I've ever seen you be so relaxed," observed the heiress keenly, "but I understand it. You definitely are a product of this place and for what it's worth, I'm glad that you can take a man from Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of a man," quipped the platinum blonde.
Cooper grinned, "got that right," he drawled, "and it's a good thing to. Otherwise I wouldn't get to do this," he said before dropping a gear and stabbing the throttle, prompting the big Dodge to lurch forwards. "But of all the things I'm happy I got to do, the one I enjoyed the most was tonight and dancing with you. I haven't gotten to do that in a year and doing that with the woman I love made it even better." Those words were the honest to god truth, he had savored this taste of normalcy, but being with Felicia truly had made it sweeter.
"I'm sure that wasn't all Matthew," purred the woman, "I think you enjoyed seeing me dressed like this too, looking like your country girl." The smile in her tone was evident, and Matt shrugged nonchalantly, "tell me I'm wrong," challenged the platinum blonde.
"I do like the hat," admitted the Pilot easily, only to hear nothing but the growl of the Hemi V8 up front. "The boots are nice too…" he continued before stealing a glance over at Felicia, seeing her face illuminated by the soft glow of the infotainment screen and her green eyes staring accusingly at him with her lips in a sexy pout, "and those jeans make your ass look so good."
"There it is," she teased, "that's what I like about you, you always do appreciate my best features. And just think, you'll get to appreciate them even more when we go to the Bahamas and I get to model my new bikinis for you."
Matt grinned at the thought, "can't wait Darlin," he drawled before shaking his head. "Still, I liked seeing you dance in those jeans 'cause it gave me something new to appreciate about you." Not that he didn't like seeing her in her skintight Black Cat gear or lacey lingerie or anything else, but seeing her in something new was more thrilling in it's own way. Add on top the fact that she did look damn good in those jeans and it wasn't difficult for him to say that, she moved and danced in them like she was as comfortable in them as any other girl there even though it was her first time. Usually he was the one flying by the seat of his pants and she was the one who planned with methodical attention to detail, but seeing her confidence shine through by putting her on the spot had been a joy to experience.
Looking over at her again, he saw a genuine smile that slowly turned into a seductive one, "then let's keep it going cowboy. When we get back to the hotel I'm going to see if I can't find something else new for you to appreciate," she offered huskily.
Without hesitation, Matt shifted down to fourth and sent the car flying down the highway to take her up on her offer as quickly as he could.
Cooper's Logbook – Vehicle: 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
It is an undisputed fact of life that horsepower solves many things.
This was clearly something acknowledged by Dodge back in 2015 when the executives at FCA had Tim Kuniskis pitch the idea of making the most powerful muscle car ever. Letting the mad sons of guns at SRT go to work to try and overcome the inherent size and weight disadvantages of the massive Challenger platform, the result was the Hellcat. Hellcat was initially the name of the motor, a 6.2 liter Hemi V8, with the cylinder bore of the bigger 392 cubic inch or 6.4 liter motor, but the shorter stroke of the smaller 5.7 liter motor. This is what I want in my muscle car motors, big bore and short stroke means reliable power without fear of catastrophic failure. And while I would usually say there is no replacement for displacement, I drive an 8.4 Liter Dodge Viper after all, I will admit that a 2.4 liter supercharger comes pretty damn close. For those of you who aren't very car literate, 2.4 liters is more than the displacement of most engines in 'normal' cars and that is the supercharger strapped to the engine of the Hellcat.
The result is a truly incredible machine, one that will run 11 second quarter miles with ease on street tires time and time again before cruising home on the highway and doing 20 miles per gallon. Now, that number isn't good, but when you consider that, flat out, the Hellcat will use a gallon and a half of fuel every minute, 20 miles per gallon is pretty damn impressive. A true street/strip muscle car.
This led to some hilarious changes to make the whole thing work, like punching out the innermost headlights so the left one can serve as an air intake and having 20 inch tires on all four corners, because any less rubber an this 4,400 pound car would end up in a ditch.
And because it's American, you can get this thing for less than $75,000, an absolute bargain, though you can get it for that price because the interior is kinda cheap and it doesn't have a bunch of safety features, but who gives a shit? You're in a 700 horsepower muscle car called 'Hellcat' and don't want any sort of nanny state 'safety feature' to prevent you from doing a burnout whenever the mood takes you.
While this whole thing may sound insane, it is telling that this venture has been incredibly successful for Dodge, as they sell more than 15,000 Hellcat powered vehicles each year. Not sure what that says about the country, but I like it.
Closing Notes: Obviously, I'm trying to do filler chapters to pace out all the stuff I want to set up. Be that Sable International going with Operation Market Garden as the basis for their invasion plan, which is why Silver's briefing is similar to the one from 'A Bridge Too Far,' the revelation that Frank Castle is going there as part of a clandestine SHIELD unit, Detachment 101, with the supporting cast of Splinter Cell in tow, or starting the development of Spider-Man's Velocity Suit.
While all that's going on, I will find a way to fit Texas into this story because the stereotypes are true, Texas is the best state, and I like the idea of Felicia in western wear.
Next time will see the leads see that their lady's have The Look.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.
