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

Any Battlefield 4 players remember the map 'Rogue Transmission'? The one with the big radio telescope dish? Well in an incredible display of life imitating fiction, the real life Arecibo Observatory, on which that map is based, went through it's own version of that maps 'Levolution' where the cables snapped and the metal antenna in the center collapsed. To cap it off, Battlefield 4 was set in 2020.

Bladewolf101: So there are two ways to think of Cowboys, there's the old school gunslingers in the post Civil War era that were in Texas as well as most of the west. Texas Cowboys specifically were most famously the ones who worked the cattle drives from the Ranches in Texas to the train yards in Kansas, these were common at around the same time, from the 1850s to 1910s or so. This is less shooting and dueling at high noon sort of thing so it's maybe not as analogous to what Cooper does. But really, go watch some John Wayne movies, True Grit, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, and The Alamo are where I would start, they'll give you a better idea of what I'm going for (as an aside, Magnificent Seven wouldn't be bad either, the Steve McQueen staring original, not the one with Chris Pratt). As for City That Never Sleeps plot details, I've got my plans, but if you do truly want to know beforehand then PM me, I consider them spoilers otherwise.

Marauder Prime 12: Thanks man, much appreciated.

This is far from the first time I've gone with a Sweedish band's work as the title, I think I've done like eight Sabaton songs at this point, but I didn't think I would ever include anything but that fantastic scandanavian heavy metal. Here we are anyways, with a pop duo called Roxette who a reader suggested I use, and then proceeded to 'suggest' I use it about a dozen more times until I quit counting and begrudgingly gave in and here we are. I may not care all that much for the song, but at least it fits what is meant to be a lighter chapter, doubly so considering the ending segments. There's nothing explicit though, so don't worry about that, I was just trying some different things, let me know what you think.


Power Without Question – Chapter 76: The Look

Fire in the ice

Naked to the t-bone

Is a lover's disguise

Banging on the head drum

Shaking like a mad bull

She's got the look


With his duffel slung over his shoulder, Frank Castle marched through the small SHIELD safehouse that was serving as the place where Detachment 101 was going to prep and get fully briefed before shipping out. For him, that meant getting more familiar with the War Machine armor that Fury had provided, while he had been trucked around, from New York to DC where he met the rest of the group, and then from DC to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. SHIELD had the group shacking up here for a few days before a USAF C-17 from the 436th Airlift Wing would take them to some other base abroad where SHIELD would take them to their final destination. Still, word that this barracks was temporarily occupied by an OSS team had caused everyone else on base to give them a wide berth and Frank hadn't been disturbed as he moved in, opening the door to his assigned room and the imposing form of the War Machine armor waiting for him inside.

Stepping inside and turning the lights on, the Punisher couldn't keep the corner of his mouth from creeping upwards at the sight of the formidable suit of armor. Setting his bags down, the Marine kicked a stool over towards the suit before sitting down on it to get a closer look at it, wanting to familiarize himself with the armor he was expected to wear since his only experience thus far had been theoretical, a few hours in the simulator and a course in basic operation and maintenance. Still, Castle's experience as a Marine told him that nothing beat going hands on with the real thing, so he cracked open the toolkit sitting next to the armor and set to work. Methodically, Frank would remove a piece of the armor's outer shell to reveal the inner workings underneath. Most of those were things he wasn't going to mess with, but he at least knew where to find various systems, where to do basic maintenance, and could keep it operating.

After a once over of the suit, Frank set to work on the weapons, most of which he was already familiar with, but he still removed each one from their mounts and disassembled them, making note of their modifications as he gave them a thorough cleaning. He had found some surprises, some of the weapons were new to him, that didn't stop the Punisher from recognizing them from seeing them in the hands of the Marauder. Grunting as he wondered what had convinced the Pilot to turn over the weapons, Castle wasn't going to turn down the firepower that the automatic rocket launcher, laser weapon, and grenade launcher offered. With all of that done and the weapons firmly back in place, Castle went back to his bags and pulled out a well-used stencil, a can of paint, some brushes, and a bit of tape before setting those down and sitting down on the stool once more. In a set of motions he was familiar with, the Punisher taped the outline of his skull emblem to the chest of the suit of armor before using his K-Bar to crack open the first can of paint.

Cracking his neck as he dipped the brush into the paint, Castle set to work in silence, applying his personal emblem to the armor with a steady hand and keen eye for detail. With the first coat applied, Castle went over it again to fill in the gaps when he heard a knock on the door, growling under his breath, he continued to work in the hopes that whoever was outside would leave him alone. Those thoughts went away when there was a louder and longer knock on the door behind him. Sighing deeply as he realized he wouldn't be left alone, Castle set his paints down as he got up and went to open the door, finding Agent Romanov on the other side holding two bags of Chinese takeout. "Can I help you Agent?" asked Castle gruffly, getting a disarming smile back from the Black Widow.

"Just bringing you dinner Castle," replied Romanov as she handed him one of the bags, "I had to guess what you wanted since you haven't left this room in six hours," deadpanned the Agent. Shrugging in reply, the Marine took the offered bag and made to shut the door, only for the Black Widow to block the door with her foot, eliciting a slight growl of annoyance from Frank. "Don't think you're shutting me out that easily Castle," said the Agent as she let herself into the room and took a seat before Castle could counter, "Fury wants me to keep an eye on you so I'm not leaving just because you ask."

Squinting and glaring at the redheaded Avenger as she calmly unpacked her bag and cracked open one of the takeout boxes, totally unperturbed Romanov dug in with a pair of chopsticks as Frank muttered under his breath "fuckin' spooks." Setting the food down to be ignored for now, he picked up the paint to finish his work, but before sitting down he eyed the bare faceplate and the dimmed eyes before getting an idea. Putting the paint down and grabbing the tape instead, the Marine set to work putting strips of tape onto the various levels of the plate to form the rough outline of a skull.

As he used his K-Bar to slice narrow strips of tape to create the elongated 'teeth' of the design he heard Romanov speak up from the side of the room. "Did Director Fury give you permission to modify SHIELD issue equipment?" asked the agent as Castle finished and put the tape and knife aside.

"Do you think I give a rats ass?" replied the Punisher in a sneer as he started applying the white paint, using the eyes of the armor as the eyes of the skull he was adding. Romanov didn't reply, and so Frank grunted again and refocused on his task, this second skull quickly taking shape. Adding in the finer details with a steady hand, Castle finally lowered the brush, satisfied with his work as he took in the drying paint on the War Machine armor. Not seeing anything that needed fixing, Castle gave an approving nod towards his work before setting the paint down and seeing that Romanov was still there, watching him intently as he reluctantly toweled any errant paint from his hands and opened the bag of food the agent had brought. "What'd you bring me spook?"

"General Tso's," replied Natasha coolly, despite the underlying hostility in the Marine's tone, "seemed appropriate." Grunting in response, Castle opened the bag and dug out one of the Styrofoam boxes and a plastic fork. "If we're going to work together in the field then you're going to have to trust me eventually Castle," said Romanov candidly, but Frank merely glanced at the Avenger before taking his first bite of chicken. Seeing that no response was forthcoming from the Punisher, the Black Widow continued, "say you were going to trust me, what would that take?"

Frank shrugged as he swallowed his food and looked the woman in the eye, "for you to be straight with me," he said simply. Taking another bite, he mulled the question over more deeply as he chewed, "what are we really after? Why would Fury put this little team together at all, much less bring me in?"

Natasha seemed to weigh her options as she slurped down a few of her own noodles before answering. "SHIELD has reason to suspect that the Symkarian government is involved with a larger, international, terrorist organization, and allows them to use Symkaria as a safe haven in the region. Evidence of this connection, as well as any other links, are what we are being sent to gather."

"A larger organization? You make this sound like we're dealing with Cobra from those old GI Joe cartoons," muttered Castle lowly before going back to his food.

"Close," replied Romanov, "Director Fury suspects Hydra," revealed the Black Widow.

Frank almost spit out his chicken at that, but got it done before scrutinizing the redheaded woman's inscrutable features, "Hydra?" he parroted, "the Nazi group from World War 2?" When the Avenger nodded in affirmation, the Marine responded with a simple "damn."

"Nothing else to say?" asked Romanov, but the veteran agent merely got a shrug in reply. "Well you might have something to say in response to this: the outside faction who's takeover we're supporting? It's Sable International. When the dust settles, Director Fury wants Silver Sablinova to be the one standing. And yes, it's the same outfit that was just occupying New York," she confirmed as Castle set the box down and leaned back to process that, "thoughts?"

The Punisher took a deep breath, "they're up to the task," he answered stiffly. Working his jaw, Natasha listened intently as the Marine continued, "I'm just not so sure that they're the type that you want running a country. I saw what that looked like firsthand…and it wasn't pretty. What makes you think that this Sablinova is going to be any kinder to Symkaria than she was to Manhattan?"

"Because Silver Sablinova is the heir to the Symkarian throne," answered the Black Widow bluntly. "And the Marauder sent us a report that tipped us off to her desire to reclaim that position. He seemed to be under the impression that that she was dissatisfied with how the Manhattan situation played out, especially following the release of Devil's Breath." Frank snorted derisively, but Romanov continued, "it seemed to the Marauder that Sablinova was looking to do some good in the world, to…repent for the past. Do you think he's wrong?" she asked seriously.

Sighing, Frank measured out his response carefully, "I trust the kid, but…aw hell, I don't know. People don't just change like that Romanov," he argued before crossing his arms. "When you're counting on a Mercenary to deal with terrorists…well I think you're screwed either way."


Striding with an air of confidence and his hands clasped behind his back, Norman Osborn kept a look of distant interest as he toured one of the Oscorp factories that was busy producing equipment for Sable International. While the former Mayor was rather toothless to change anything occurring, nothing in the many tersely worded communiques sent by Nick Fury precluded him from seeing exactly what his company was being used to make. And while he knew of some of the projects the SHIELD Director had ordered, others were being kept from him, with some of his top employees being moved to various 'classified projects' without specifying what they were. While Norman was here to try and discern what those projects might have been, his tour guide, the supervisor for this facility, was unaware of the purpose of Osborn's unannounced visit.

"This is the main production line for the first Mako combat vehicles," explained the balding middle aged man as he led the executive into a large and well lit room, the walls and ceilings taken up by supports for the large industrial cranes that moved the hulls and other components around. "We currently have a batch of six prototypes under construction, two with diesel electric drive, two with turbine power packs, and the last two with the experimental reactors reverse engineered from IMC technology. Now these don't have the composite armor packages that R&D are putting together. They've got homogeneous rolled steel plate on front and aluminum everywhere else to try to keep the weight about the same as the final versions."

All vehicles had the same basic hull forms, sleek lines and a low profile that would only be compromised by the massive wheels that would sit in the gigantic wheel arches on either side of the armored vehicle. At the front, the driver would lay almost flat in order to fit in the machine, sitting in an armored 'bathtub' to provide them with extra protection from splinters and spalling, above him would be a large hatch that enabled easy entry and exiting from the position. To the rear of the driver was a second hatch that led to the main fighting compartment that was situated beneath the unmanned turret. While none of the vehicles had their turrets, those were rapidly taking shape as well, sparks flying as more welds were applied to one of them. Each turret would house an autocannon, with 25mm, 35mm, and 40mm Bushmaster autocannons being tested in this first batch. To the rear of that was the powerpack, and at the very back of the vehicle was the troop compartment and the rear hatch. "Any problems so far?" asked the CEO as he nodded approvingly.

"A few," admitted the supervisor, "the jump jet system won't be installed in any of these vehicles, even if all of them are wired and piped for it. It's nothing to do with us, the main propulsion engineer, Doctor Baker, got put onto another project that was deemed a 'higher priority' or something like that," explained the African-American man with typical New York decorum. "But I'd assume it's all above my pay grade and not bother you about that Mr. Osborn."

But the executive shook his head, "you let me handle that Mr. Sanders, you have enough on your plate here." Looking relieved, Sanders made to continue when Osborn cut him off, "could you tell me where to find Doctor Baker? I'd like to have a few words with him and see if I can't sort out the issue."

Looking like a dear caught in headlights, Sanders faltered for a second, "he uh…should be in his lab, just over there across the floor Mr. Osborn, replied Sanders as he gestured with his clipboard.

Osborn nodded his thanks, "I'll go and talk to him," assured Osborn, "and stop taking up your valuable time." Adding in a disarming smile for good measure, the kind expression instantly faded as soon as Sanders turned away and the CEO made a beeline for his new destination. Ignoring the surprised looks of the workers as he made his way towards the laboratory, Osborn strode up to and opened the door without a hint of hesitation to find a studiously clean and well organized workspace, though whiteboards with various designs and notes on them were in each workspace for the various projects being worked on.

"Hey! Who's there?" shouted an excitable and somewhat high-pitched voice as Osborn turned towards the source and saw a thin, willowy man in a lab coat round the corner. "Just what do you think you're doing barging in here…oh, Mr. Osborn!" exclaimed the startled scientist as his eyes widened in recognition. "I didn't know you were coming…" he stammered before Osborn cut him off.

"No, you wouldn't," replied Osborn with a chill in his voice that silenced any further reply from Baker before taking another long look around the laboratory. "I was touring this facility and wanted to see what you were working on Doctor. I find that sometimes reports on paper are somewhat lacking, and no replacement for actually seeing the good work being done by people like you."

Norman could see the lab coat wearing man's face contort in indecision before seemingly gathering his wits and pointing towards a large unit that sat partially disassembled on a table, parts laid out around it. "This is the vertical thrust unit for those Mako's out there, the plan is to have four of them, one on each corner. Current models suggest that current fuel capacity will grant three jumps of about two meters. Not too bad for a 12,000-kilo armored vehicle." Norman agreed, nodding as he picked up one of the parts that sat aside the main unit, deformed from the heat of a presumed test firing, "still have a few kinks to iron out. I need to source a new material that will withstand the heat of sustained use. That one failed after just eight uses…"

"So why haven't you yet?" asked Osborn coldly, eyes narrowing.

Baker tugged his collar, "ah, yes. I got a new urgent request from Sablinova to work on something else. Would you like to get an update on that too?" he asked, getting nothing but a stern nod from the CEO before he scampered off and returned with a small nozzle equipped pack that Norman recognized almost instantaneously. "I'm not sure how she got them, but Silver Sablinova sent me detailed drawings and pictures of the Marauders jet pack thing and requested I make one as close as possible to his. This is the result," declared the man proudly as he set the device down on an empty table. "Admittedly, it is not as capable as the Marauder's equipment. I'm getting about half of the thrust I estimate his unit produces, but it is still enough to substitute for a parachute in a long fall for example. The biggest breakthrough has been in the construction of the nozzles, which offer much finer control, as well as the layout of the internals to enable them to keep balance and upright in line with the wearer's body."

"Could it be massed produced?" asked Osborn, already sensing the opportunities.

The scientist pondered the question, "at this point? Probably not. I had to use one of the power cores recovered from the IMC to power it, and while it could last forever with proper maintenance and recharging, we have a limited number of them and haven't yet perfected their recreation. On top of that, the internal computers had to be manually programmed to enable Sablinova to use this, any other unit would similarly have to be manually programmed to suit the individual user. And truthfully? Sablinova is nearing the upper limit of the weight I calculated the threshold of safety to be at. This unit would not work for a large man, and I suspect that will be the case for some time."

"I see," replied Norman with feigned solemnness as the CEO eyed the one-off creation. "Good work either way Doctor. I want you to see if you can upscale these nozzles and put them onto the units for the Makos." But in his mind, he was already trying to figure out the chain of events that led to this project coming to fruition, and the potential ways to leverage that. Still, that could be pondered later, he had what he came for. Mustering a kindly smile, Osborn addressed Baker one last time, "thank you for your time doctor. Good day."


With a Jack and Coke in one hand for him and a Mai Tai cocktail with umbrella in the other for Felicia, Matthew Cooper strode across the warm sands of the Bahamian beach resort that he and the heiress had been staying at for the last few days. While Texas was his kind of vacation, roaring around in a Dodge Hellcat, country and western dancing, and some great bar b que as well, this was somewhat different. The tropical island was almost empty with it being what counted as winter, but that didn't deter either of them from dressing like they at a beach resort. When they weren't dressed up at a classy restaurant or in their hotel room wearing usually nothing at all, they were on the beach in their swimsuits, which in the case of his platinum blonde girlfriend, seemed to be getting skimpier every day, not that Matthew minded that.

From behind his aviator shades, Matt gazed upon todays revealing two piece affair as he handed the woman her drink and looked her over. A tiny triangle top that didn't even attempt to contain her beautiful bust, instead satisfied to cover her nipples and not that much else. In the same bright green color, the bottom part of the suit was a single form fitting piece of spandex that barely covered the space between her legs in the front and left half of each ass check exposed in back before a strip of the form fitting fabric circled her waist, arcing beautifully to make her legs look even longer and emphasize her ass, giving it ample room to bounce as she walked. And as she looked at him from over her own Ray-Ban sunglasses, she knew exactly what he was doing. "I got this swimsuit just for you stud, I knew you'd love the look of my ass in it," she said before taking a sip of her drink and wiggling her hips, causing her bottom to shake beautifully.

Matt downed some of his own drink and gave a bit of a grin, "you say that like it would be difficult darlin. But it does look good, and I mean really good." Drinking more of his drink as he turned to look at the brilliant setting sun reflecting off the crystal clear water as the waves softly rolled against the beach. "Even better than that," said Matt as he nodded out towards the visage.

"Let's see if we can make it better," suggested Felicia as she strutted forwards onto the beach and struck a pose, bending one leg at the knee and sticking her ass out as she arched her back and caused her breasts to strain against her bikini top as the sun reflected off her hair and she sent a seductive look his way. "What about now?"

"Gorgeous," answered Matthew as he downed the rest of his drink, not able to muster anything else to say as he strode out to meet her, enjoying the feel of warm sand against his bare feet before pulling her in for a kiss. "You ready to head back up to the room sweetheart?" he asked as he reached down to cup her bottom, "or would you rather have fun out here?" he suggested, since they were practically alone on the waterfront.

Felicia purred enticingly as she ran her fingers down his back, "I'm up for staying down here for a little fun," replied the silver haired vixen, "just not that kind of fun…yet," she finished with a wicked grin. Finishing the last of her cocktail and putting her glass down on a table nearby, she turned back to Matt, "I want to have a different kind of fun cowboy, follow me," she beckoned before strutting off, with the Pilot only staring at her for two seconds before quickly jogging off to catch up, wondering what she had in mind. The couple walked hand in hand for about a hundred yards down the beach until Felicia suddenly darted away from him and bent over to pick something up before turning around to reveal that she had a volleyball in hand. "What do you say cowboy," began the heiress as she spun the ball around and Matt saw the net behind her, "up for a game?" she asked as she tossed the ball to him.

Catching the ball and giving it a spin, Matt considered it for a second, but he wasn't weighing weather or not to play, he had something else to ponder. "Yeah I am," he answered as a cocky smirk began to grow on his face, "but you want to spice things up? Make a wager?" he proposed.

Felicia raised an eyebrow, but when she removed her sunglasses, he could see a gleam in her eye. "I'm always willing to spice things up. What did you have in mind?" she asked gamely.

Tossing the ball up in the air to get a feel for it, an idea began to take shape, "you brought those handcuffs, right?" he asked, Felicia's smile only widening in response as she nodded her head slowly. "How about this, winner chooses the losers swimsuit tomorrow. Meaning that when I win, I'm going to find out what you look like in a g string," he declared cockily as he hit the ball back to his girlfriend.

"You're on, because when I win, you'll be showing what you got in a speedo tomorrow," asserted the woman confidently before licking her lips, "I can't wait." With that, she took up her position on the far side of the net and prepared to serve, "and don't you dare go easy on me, because I'm not going to!" she called out. Matt set his shades down next to hers and lined up opposite Felicia, bending his knees and ready to react to wherever the ball went, "first to three wins!"

"Alright, let's go!" called Matt as Felicia served the ball, the Pilot darting over to return it, popping it back over the net, the heiress moving her catlike grace to volley it back, sending the ball on a high, floating trajectory. Sensing the opportunity, Matt bent his knees and jumped up, stretching his right arm up and slammed it forwards, spiking the ball and watching it streak down and skid of the sand before even the agile Black Cat could react. "That's how it's done!" he called out as Felicia shook her head and lobbed the ball back over the net for Matt to serve.

Sending the ball arcing through the air, Matt tried to not get to distracted by his girlfriend as she slid down on one knee to get under the ball and volley it back, Matt leaping forwards to return it as she got on her feet and went flying sprinting back. Putting all her effort into it, Felicia sent a towering shot back at the Texan that caused him to turn and try and get to it, but lost his footing on the sand and had to dive for it, falling just short as he landed flat on the beach and was left spitting sand out of his mouth. "I'm not going to make things that easy!" taunted Felicia as Matt grumbled incoherently and tossed the ball back, the score tied 1-1. "Hit me with your best shot!" called the Thief as Matt served, only for the ball came sailing back at Cooper a second later. The Marauder grit his teeth in determination as he tracked the incoming ball and attacked it, giving it a serious hit that gave his return some serious pace that forced Felicia to rush up and pop it up in the air. Matt rushed forwards as he watched the ball barely clear the net, diving forwards to pop the ball up.

But even as he was about to declare victory as the ball edged over the net, his smile fell away as he saw the supermodel body of his girlfriend fly up into view, jumping up and nailing a spike that he had no prayer of stopping. Felicia was standing over him, looking down with a wicked grin, "I like this view of you stud, and I'll like it more tomorrow when I get to see more of you." Gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up, the Marauder jogged over to grab the ball and toss it back to the platinum blonde, determined to come back from down 2-1.

With a solid smack, the ball came at him and he replied with a firm hit of his own that Felicia crossed the beach in long strides to get to the ball, sending it back to him as Matt came forward to punch it towards the back of her side. Felicia reacted instantly, turning on the balls of her feet and rushing back, Matt only sparing a quick glance at her ass while he backpedaled to get in position in case of a return. Sure enough, with the thief's athleticism, she was able to run the shot down and return it. Matt turned and jumped over towards where the shot was going to land, sticking both hands out to smack the ball and send it back, watching as Felicia darted forwards and laid out, but she wasn't quite tall enough to hit the ball squarely, and her hit merely caused the ball to ricochet off her hands and roll under the net. "Well, I'm impressed…" drawled Matthew as he wiped some sweat from his brow, "that bikini top of yours is still on. I thought it have given up by now. Well the one you'll be wearing tomorrow certainly will."

With the game tied 2-2 and the next point deciding it, Felicia got up and rolled her shoulders as she turned away, shaking the sand out of her swimsuit as Matt picked up the ball and watched her go as he spun the ball on the tip of his finger and stepped back, ready to serve what would be the match point. With the sun quickly setting, the game had to end quick, and so Matt sent a heater towards the vixen as she pounced like a cat, equally determined to win. The response was swift as Matt lunged for it, getting a fist under it to send it back over the net, but it wouldn't land that far back, and Felicia rushed forward in anticipation.

As the ball arced and came down, Matt watched her line up for a shot to the far corner and he tore off an anticipation, keeping his head craned over his shoulder to keep an eye on the ball as he skidded to a stop on the soft sand and spun around, sending a solid return. But Felicia eyed the ball hungrily, her powerful legs bending as she prepared to jump up and spike it, only Matt wasn't going to let her win that easily and he charged forwards after the ball. At the same time, both jumped up on either side of the net, Felicia hit the ball first, but the ball barely crossed back onto Matt's side before his hand met it and sent it back, only to have the ball catch on Felicia's hand as she followed through her strike and hit the side post of the net and bounce out of bounds. As both landed and caught their breath, Matt looked over to his opponent and asked the obvious, "so what the hell do we do now? Not enough time for another round," he observed as the sun was rapidly setting over the water.

Felicia's face tightened in thought before brightening once again, "we'll call it a draw," she declared.

"Meaning?" asked the Texan.

"We both win," she explained simply, "I'll wear whatever you pick out for me as long as you wear what I get for you."

Matt thought it over before making his decision, "I can live with that. Come on babe, we got some shopping to do and then you can model yours for me when we get back to the room," he suggested.

Felicia bent over provocatively to pick up her sunglasses, "hold your horses cowboy, I wouldn't want you to ruin it before I get to wear out here."

Matt chuckled as he put his own aviator shades back on. "Don't worry about that babe, there won't be much to get out of the way."


Stepping inside the small diner and savoring the heat that met her, Yuri Watanabe, took a deep breath after braving the cold on the walk from the precinct to get some lunch. While she usually ate healthily, today the veteran Captain could not be bothered and was craving a proper New York hot dog, and this place had her favorite. Sitting down at the counter, the chef called over, "the usual for you Yuri?" he asked, and the Lawwoman nodded.

The man went to work, and while he was putting her lunch together, Watanabe spoke up, "hey Joe," she asked, the man turning to look at her, "is that tan Ford still parked in front of the bank?" she asked. This shop was located at the corner of an intersection, and easily visible down the road was one of the city's larger banks, complete with an old and recognizable storefront.

Looking past the Captain, Joe squinted and nodded, "yeah, tan Ford," he confirmed as he began to add her usual toppings to the hot dog.

Furrowing her brow, Yuri asked another question, "engine running?"

"I don't know," admitted the chef as he finished and handed Yuri her hot dog, "how can I tell?"

"Exhaust fumes coming out of the tailpipe, maybe the running lights are still on," she explained before picking up the hot dog and taking a bite.

Joe leaned forwards and looked intently, "oh that is awful. Look at that pollution!" he exclaimed with thinly veiled disgust.

Reluctantly setting her hot dog down, Yuri turned to look, sure enough, she could see the faintest hint of fumes through the throng of pedestrians outside, and the daytime running lights were on too. "Yeah," she replied absent mindedly, her mind focused elsewhere as she reached into her jacket and pulled out her phone. "So much for a quiet lunch…" she muttered as she dialed a number and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hiya Captain," greeted Spider-Man chipperly, "what can I do for you this fine day?" asked the Webhead.

"Spider-Man, I think there's a 2-11, a robbery," she clarified, "in progress at the bank on Park and 26th. If you're around could you swing by and check it out, if there is something up then take care of it and I'll send in back up."

"Sure thing Cap," replied the Webslinger, "how do you know something's up?" he asked, seeming to be genuinely curious. "I don't see anything on the crime system."

Yuri chuckled, "call it a gut feeling. I'm sitting in a diner down the road and something seems off. I don't want to call in units in case it's nothing."

"Uh huh," replied the Webslinger, Yuri able to hear the strain in his voice and a hint of wind noise, "well with how our luck has been I'm not going to rule anything out. I'll give the place a look and call you if something's going on. Enjoy your lunch Captain." With that, Spider-Man hung up the phone and Yuri pocketed her own cell and went back to her hot dog.

As the Captain chewed, she could feel herself relax as she enjoyed her lunch, confident that Spider-Man could handle anything that might have been amiss at the bank, and if it turned out to be nothing? Then he would go back to climbing the Chrysler building or whatever he did for fun. But Yuri was knocked from those thoughts by the distinct sound of an alarm emanating from the bank behind her, "aw shit," she muttered as she chewed a bit of food set down her half-finished hot dog.

Standing up and pushing her way past the civilians who had turned to the source of the noise, the Lawwoman reached into her shoulder holster and produced her Rhino Revolver as she strode out onto the street towards the bank. Steely eyes scanning the scene, Yuri saw a man back out of the front entrance of the bank, mask on his head, wearing a backpack, and holding what looked like a long gun in his hands. Immediately, Yuri raised her own weapon and yelled out "HALT!" to the suspect only for him to whip around and the thundering report of a shotgun echo through the streets. The Rhino cracked back in reply as the .357 Magnum slug found it's mark and the man spun to the ground, his weapon falling by his feet.

Chaos broke out, bystanders ducking to the ground and screaming as a second man rushed out of the bank, raising a handgun and snapping a shot off that whizzed past Yuri as she spread her legs to steady her aim as she fired back. But the man didn't stop, diving through the rear window of the suspicious tan Ford that had tipped Yuri off earlier. As soon as he was inside, the driver of the getaway car gunned the engine and wrenched the wheel over, pulling out of the parallel parking spot he had been in as Yuri tracked the now moving car and pulled the trigger again, the round going low and burying itself in the hood of the car.

But even the magnum round didn't stop the Ford sedan as it quickly accelerated with squealing tires as it lurched out into the road, unluckily for the robbers the car had been oriented so that they had to drive towards the Police Captain, who took aim and fired again. Pulling the trigger again, Yuri's revolver bucked as the woman held her ground despite the car rushing towards her and fired again, the two rounds impacting the windshield, causing the glass to spider web. That wasn't their only impact however, the car swerved suddenly to its left and then drifted straight through a street vendor, wrecking the cart before the sedan plowed into a fire hydrant.

Momentum knocked the hydrant from its mount and unleashed a geyser of high pressure water into the bottom of the car that tipped it up onto its side with an ear shattering screech of metal as Yuri relaxed her shoulders and tried to peer through the shower of water when she saw a flash of movement. A shape emerged from the top of the car and dropped down to the sidewalk before there was a thunderous roar as a muzzle flash erupted behind the water. Instantly, Yuri brought her weapon to bear, tracking the shape as it emerged from behind the geyser with a weapon clearly visible and the man turned to point the gun at her and the Captain pulled the trigger, the Rhino planting a .357 Magnum Jacketed Hollow Point center mass in the robber that painted the wall behind him red as he fell and lay still, sprawled out on the ground.

Eyes still narrowed, Yuri cautiously advanced across the street, seeing the man she had just shot laying still, the gun he had been holding well out of reach. Coming to the car, she saw the driver slumped over, only held in his seat by his safety belt, though the blood seeping from his chest told why he wasn't doing much else. Continuing forwards, unperturbed by the droplets of mist that came from the wrecked hydrant, Yuri made her way towards the entrance of the bank and that fist man who came out with a shotgun. The man, wearing a purple striped shirt with a massive hole in the shoulder, blood staining the shirt and dripping out over the sidewalk, but just next to his good arm was a shotgun that his eyes drifted towards as Yuri raised her gun and came to a stop, looming over the man, "I wouldn't," she advised lowly.

The suspect slowly lifted his eyes until he was staring down the barrel of the Rhino and in the eye the stern faced woman holding it. "I know what you're thinking," said Yuri confidently, "did she fire six shots or only five?" The corner of Yuri's mouth crept upwards before she spoke again, "because to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But seeing as this is a .357 Magnum," she said as she gestured with her Rhino, "and could blow your head clean off, you gotta ask yourself one question: 'do I feel lucky?'" Pulling the hammer back for emphasis, she saw the man's eyes widen, "well do you, punk?"

After a tense second, the man's eyes lowered as he pulled his hand back away from the gun and Yuri allowed herself to relax, looking up towards the door to see the colorful suited Spider-Man standing in it. "Alright Spidey, web him up, I'll call in the paramedics and backup," she said as the webhead nodded and fired a few bursts of webbing at the wounded man while Yuri kicked the shotgun away from him.

Reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone with her left hand while her pistol was still in her right, she heard a deeper voice speak up. "Hey! I need to know," said the webbed-up criminal.

Yuri smiled and raised her revolver, pointing it squarely at the man before squeezing the trigger, "Yuri, no!" cried Spider-Man as the hammer fell, landing with a click as it struck an empty cylinder while Spider-Man had wrapped a hand around the empty gun, staring down at it with wide eye lenses as what just happened fully registered. "Did you just…" he began to ask before Yuri laughed and holstered the gun before dialing the precinct, already heading back to the diner to finish her lunch.


After stopping the bank robbery and spending his afternoon patrolling, Peter was happy to be out of his suit. His suit which was in desperate need of a wash, with the perspiration from swinging around eventually permeating the layers of fabric he wore until the cold had his teeth chattering by the time he got back to his apartment. He didn't have time to rest though, instead opting for a quick shower and changing into jeans and a flannel shirt before pulling on a coat and heading back out, taking the subway over to MJs place so they could have another go at him cooking a meal for the two of them. She had the ingredients he had asked for, with her insisting on them eating at her place, and that her doing the shopping was a fair trade for him doing the cooking.

So Peter, while a bit weary, was looking forward to seeing MJ after a long day of work in the lab and on the streets as he ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath before knocking on Mary Jane's door. His feelings changed from looking forward to seeing her to excitement once he did see her as the door opened to reveal the redhead leaning against the door frame wearing what must have been the tightest pair of jeans she owned, with a few rips in them, the denim hugged her legs and hips perfectly, and one of those hips was cocked out with a hand on it. Eyes trailing further up, MJ wore a solid violet button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to just below her elbows and the top few buttons undone, giving Peter a peak at the white tank top underneath and the slight swell of her cleavage. When he finally saw her brilliant smile on her beautiful face, he couldn't help but have his mouth hang open just a bit as she gave him a saucy wink, "hey Tiger. Happy to see me?" as asked as she moved her hand up to twist her red har around a finger.

"I, uh, ye…yeah," he managed as he tried to regather his senses, "you uh, you look nice MJ." The Associate Editor smiled and looked him over, biting her lip briefly before stepping aside and letting him inside, and as he walked past, he got a whiff of her perfume, an alluring scent he had never noticed before. He couldn't help but feel a chill of nerves as he looked around and pointed anxiously towards the kitchen, "I'm uh, going to start cooking if you don't mind."

Her smile faltered for a small second before she nodded, "go ahead Pete, I'll set the table and be around to help in any way you need it," she said. Returning a smile, Peter set to work in the kitchen, heating the rice and water while melting the mutter in a second skillet. "What was it you said you were making again?" she asked as he cut up an onion.

Scraping the onion into the skillet with the butter with a sizzle he looked up to see her bent over the table as she set out plates and utensils, not only giving him a view of her bottom in profile that made the heat rise in his cheeks. Even worse, her shirt rode up to give him a tease of her teal panties that peeked out from above her waistline. He quickly cleared his throat and averted his eyes, missing the corner of her mouth quirking up in satisfaction before he collected himself again. "It's a Cajun dish, Crawfish Etouffee." With the rice still simmering, Peter added in garlic and pulled open the package of crawfish tails before putting some flour in with the sautéed onions.

"Well I'm looking forward to it," replied Mary Jane, "I need a break from everything going on at work. Thankfully, I have you." They both shared a laugh, though Peter's laugh was a bit nervous as he refocused on his cooking, adding in tomato sauce and some more water while keeping an eye on the rice to prevent it from burning. Adding in the seasoning and crawfish tails, he was focused on keeping everything cooking nicely. "I hope you're ready for some surprises tonight Tiger, because I can't wait to show them to you, so…how much longer?"

"Not much," replied Peter as he gave it a taste test and was satisfied, turning the stove off as the food continued to sizzle, "it's ready MJ. Could you bring the plates?" he asked.

"Sure thing Tiger," replied MJ as a fond smile began to grow as she set the plates down next to him and then turned away, throwing her hips around more than she usually did as she walked away while he plated the food, carrying them back to the set table and taking a seat.

Just as he was about to ask the redhead what she was doing, a glass was set down in front of him as Peter looked up to see Mary Jane holding a bottle of wine that she opened before filling his glass. "Where'd you get that?" he asked dubiously as she smiled while filling her own glass at her seat across from him.

Sitting down across from him, MJ sipped the wine before answering, "Felicia gave it to me. It's good, go on, try it," she encouraged. Peter looked down at the alcohol nervously, "pleeease, for me?" said Mary Jane, pleading as her eyelids fluttered a bit. With some reluctance, Peter did try it and, despite the initial bitterness, the sweet aftertaste more than made up for it. But just as he was about to tell her as much, he felt something running along his leg and instantly tensed as it began to trail back down. Raising an eyebrow, he looked across at MJ to see the redhead have a mischievous look on her face as she sipped her wine. "Do you like it?"

"Ye…yeah, I do," he admitted quietly, quickly going back to take another sip and look away and clearing his throat, picking up his fork and quickly taking a bite to give himself something else besides Mary Jane to think about. Chewing on the rice and seasoned crawfish tail, Peter was happy with how the dish turned out and looked over at MJ. "What about my cooking? Do you like that?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation comfortable.

Peter watched MJ take her first bite anxiously, but that anxiety was replaced with a different one when the redhead's auditory response was a sensuous moan as she slowly chewed her food, making the Webhead more uncomfortable by the second. He couldn't help but stare at her as she kept her eyes shut, her face only blemished by a bit of the sauce that dotted her lip that moved as she smiled upon opening her eyes and catching him staring. "Something wrong Tiger?" she asked as he tapped the spot on his own face where the sauce was on hers. MJ giggled, and, instead of using a napkin, wiped the sauce off with her pointer finger before inserting it in her mouth and sucking the sauce off before releasing it with a 'pop' and smiling at Peter, "delicious."

Peter gulped.


As Mary Jane swallowed the last of the seafood dish Peter had cooked, she was past the point of being frustrated and well into finding this whole situation ironically amusing. She had managed to get Peter to her place, surprise him with a sexy outfit, and even managed to get some wine into him, and nothing! No flirty remarks, no come ons, he didn't even meet her eyes when she caught him on one of the few occasions he would actually stare at her. Sure, she had gotten him to blush and stammer enough to know that he wasn't immune to her charms, but she couldn't actually get any advances out of him in return.

Yes, she liked that Peter was polite, and gentlemanly, and didn't pressure her into doing anything she didn't want to. But, my god, she at least thought he was capable of taking a hint, that thought however, was increasingly shown to be incorrect. Still, that didn't deter the Bugle Editor from having fun with her boyfriend for as long as he was here, and she hoped to keep him here for quite a while yet.

A Cheshire smirk appearing on her face as she sipped her wine and a new plan took shape in her head. Moving her hands back to her shirt as she used her foot to rub Peter's leg and get his attention, when he looked over at her, red rising up his neck as she subtly unbuttoned her shirt without shifting her gaze. "Dinner was really good Peter," she complimented before using her free hand to fan her face, "spicy, really hot though," she said as the hand unbuttoning her shirt worked its way up into view, and Peter's eyes drooped down to watch her hand undo the last few before she worked it off her shoulders to reveal the flimsy tank top underneath as she let her shirt fall to the floor. "There, much better," she said before casually sipping the last of the wine in her glass. Peter's mouth snapped shut and then began to open again. MJ felt a burst of hope swell in her chest, though maybe that was just her arching her back to try and draw Peter's eyes to her boobs, but that hope fell away when, once again, her boyfriend averted his eyes and cleared his throat, instead finding his last bits of food very interesting as he finished them off.

Suppressing a sigh and ignoring the desire to shake her head, Mary Jane decided to try something else. Pushing her chair back from the table, MJ placed her glass on her plate and stood, "I'll take your plate if you're done," she offered as she stood.

Peter looked visibly relieved, "uh yes, thanks," he said as she bent over a bit more than she had to and added his dishes to her own before heading back into the kitchen, making sure to put an extra sway in her hips as she did.

Setting the dishes in the sink to be done later, Mary Jane looked around and saw her freezer. Remembering what was inside, she got an idea and turned back to Peter, only to see him not so subtly look away. "Hey Pete, dinner was great, how about some desert? I have ice cream," she offered.

It was amusing to watch Peter struggle to look at her, but the Webslinger did manage it, "yeah sure, sounds great MJ," he replied as he got up. "I'll go find something to watch. Any preferences?" he managed, rather smoothly considering how anxious he had been all night.

"I've been meaning to watch that new superhero show. Should be good for a laugh if nothing else," she suggested as she pulled the tub of mint chocolate chip from her freezer and two spoons from a drawer.

"Ah, I found it!" called out Peter as MJ heard the recognizable opening credits sequence begin to play when she walked in. Upon seeing the brunette sitting on the sofa in front of her TV, the redhead had an idea as she walked in and made her way to the couch, turning around and sitting down right in Peter's lap before he had a chance to say anything. "Uh…MJ?" he said nervously.

"Mmmhmm?" she replied as she ate a spoonful of ice cream and pretended that nothing was amiss.

"Are you uh…okay sitting there?" he asked nervously.

She wiggled her hips a bit and leaned back to rest against his chest, "I'm plenty comfy Tiger. How about you?" she asked innocently as she turned to meet his eye as he fought his primal urges to look down her top.

Finally, he ripped his eyes away from her exposed skin and looked back at the screen, "I'm good." MJ giggled a bit as she reached down with one hand and grabbed his before putting it on her thigh and he finally did something, giving it a squeeze. She could feel the skin of his fingers through the tear of her jeans and her breath hitched at the contact. "Is that okay?" asked Peter softly.

"More than okay Tiger," replied MJ as she felt his other hand go to her hip and slip under the hem of her top as he caressed her gently, "that's good too," she murmured softly as she closed her eyes. "It took you long enough," she hummed with a hint of fading frustration, "but it looks like you finally took the hint. Although…those were more than hints."

Peter gave her a kiss on the cheek as he laughed softly, "if this was what you wanted then you could have just asked," he pointed out.

"Not as much fun," replied Mary Jane as she put the ice cream aside, "besides, I wanted to find out what it would take to get this."

"Oh," replied Peter with obvious disappointment, "was this all you wanted?"

Mary Jane bit her lip before saying "this…and so much more." MJ felt a pair of super strong hands stick to her jeans under her bottom before she was easily lifted up from Peter's lap and she yelped at the unexpected motion. With ease that could only come with his superhuman strength, Peter rolled MJ around so she was now facing him, his hands now under her hips as MJ pulled her legs forward while she was set down, now straddling her boyfriend as she placed her hands on his chest and leaned forwards to give him a kiss pressing her breasts against his hardened pecs as those hands squeezed her ass and she moaned into the kiss before pulling back before MJ seized the moment, giggling as she pressed her boyfriend down on the couch and looked into his deep brown eyes and smiled. "Much better."

Even if the TV was on all night, neither of them watched any of that show.


Cooper's Logbook – The Survivability Onion

The Survivability Onion was a concept developed in the closing years of the Cold War that came to describe, in relatively simple terms, how to survive when you're being shot at. And because nothing is ever simple, this isn't either, as the name would imply, the Survivability Onion is composed of many layers. First off, do not be there. If you do have to be there, do not be seen. If you do get seen then do not be engaged. If you are engaged, then do not get hit. If you are hit, then don't get penetrated. And then if you do get penetrated, do not be killed.

In most instances, this concept is applied to Main Battle Tanks, but the same principles are applicable to Titans. Not being there is a simple one to understand, find some other way to solve the problem without having to kick down the door, but since kicking down the door is kind of what I do, I'll leave this to people who think the pen is mightier than the sword. Not being seen is where I tend to start doing things, using terrain to avoid detection, camouflage measures, and encrypted communications so they don't know I'm coming. If they do, then I don't want to be engaged, at least not on terms they choose, maneuver and misdirection is how I turn the tables on anyone who wants to pick a fight.

After that is the part that separates the Pilots from the pretenders, when the bullets start flying and the fight is underway, it now falls upon the shoulders of the men and women to do what they've trained for and see the day through. The next layer is to not be hit, and different Titans do this differently. Stryder chassis do this through speed mixed with either the Ronin phase dash or Northstar VTOL thrusters to dodge incoming fire. Heavier Titans utilize various active defensive shields like the Scorch Flame Shield or Legion Gun Shield. The Vanguard gives me all of these options, but I prefer the Vortex Shield to prevent incoming ordnance from actually hitting my machine, paired with use of the lateral dashes to evade what I can't catch. Should that fail and I get hit, then it comes down to the shields and armor to take the punch, absorbing, shattering, and ricocheting incoming attacks be they kinetic, chemical, or energy in nature. If all of that fails and the armor is penetrated, then the Titan's internal systems come into play, redundant backups to keep the machine operating if certain systems are taken off line, internal fire extinguishing to douse fires, self-repair functions, and the armored cell that comprises the cockpit all try to keep Titan and Pilot alive after all else has failed.

Of course, what stands out to me is what's missing from that list, some people point out there should be what the logistics people call 'RAM.' No, that doesn't involve ramming things, it stands for Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability, and basically says that actually having a machine to bring to the fight is really helpful, and I can't disagree with that.

No, my main issue with the Survivability Onion is that it discounts something very important: I can just blow the crap out of the bad guys before they can shoot me.


Closing Notes: Can y'all guess what movies I had just seen when I wrote this chapter? If you guessed Top Gun and Dirty Harry, then you'd be correct. Anyways, things to note, Punisher War Machine is now fully ready to go, and if you need a visual for the Makos that Oscorp is making, look up the M35 from Mass Effect, but with a different gun. But that's there for a reason, I'm planning to make some changes to the City That Never Sleeps and so I felt like I needed some sort of APC and the Mako fit the bill, plus I think it looks cool. The volleyball game was something different, a bit of fun and allowing Matt and Felicia to be competitive, which I think is fun, and something different than what they were doing last chapter. But my favorite bit is the one that features the return of Dirty Yuri as she recreates a classic scene from the original Clint Eastwood cinematic siege that was Dirty Harry. After that I was just experimenting with Peter and MJ, I like them as a couple and wanted to do a bit with them, show the difference between them compared to the other pairing in this story. Really curious as to what everyone thinks of that, so if you have thoughts then leave a review and let me know.

I'll be taking a break next week, but after that will be when things start to pick back up. There will be one more chapter of lighter stuff, holiday themed, and then shit gets really real, cause god knows I took my sweet time getting to it. That being said, I do think the payoff is worth it, so expect that to drop just before the new year.

Before that will see our characters have some fun during The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.