They'd made a few more raids that very same night. They proved very effective. They'd also managed to avoid causing major collateral damage to any innocents in the area. Only baddies met their end; as it should be. The Wakandan stealth ship had the best sensors on earth and could easily pin down the jihadi baddies wherever they appeared.
They then nailed them with no regret. Peter couldn't deny the growing sense of satisfaction this gave him. It was similar to what he'd felt just being a superhero swinging through the big apple like the urban Tarzan; but that had all started to change too. The spy world was a dark world. It was brutal and nasty and not for everyone; but Tasha had been right from earlier.
The world needed people like them. That was the truth. And spies were ancient; and thrived long before the superhero arose mostly in the 20th century. The iconic ninja alone originated in antiquity.
And while it still hadn't hit him yet he was still trying to process what the true eternal dilemma of the spy was: trust. A lifelong James Bond fan Peter had learned from pop culture's greatest secret agent that trust was the problem that all spies encountered. And the longer they lasted the worse it got. He'd loved casino royale; where bond's sense of trust had perhaps faced its greatest challenge. And in the end m had said he'd learned his greatest lesson: trust no one.
He looked over at Tasha as this thought entered his mind. He trusted her fully; and she him he didn't doubt. But could even the spy world turn them against each other? Especially with Mephisto playing oz behind the curtain... it wasn't a question that Peter even wanted to think about. Anymore than his enthralled sister... but it could come up.
His gaze lingered; even though he hadn't meant it to. She looked over at him. She gave him a small smile then reached for his hand. He returned the smile. What they had seemed to be true, and special. It seemed to defy the the cosmic odds of how things should go or be.
God don't make me lose this too...
Barnes was there in the ship back with them too. He just stared ahead; deep in his own mind apparently. Hell I know what that's like!
"We're approaching the capital" Nakia said from the pilot seat. It was nearing dawn over Abuja. The raid series had been precisely timed by the stealth ship computer. The goal now was to go to a city safe house and begin an intel series to help liberate the city from the grip of Islam.
They still hadn't encountered kill monger just yet. Wakanda had replied to Nakia's report and stated that utmost caution needed to be used. Also, they were cleared to do whatever needed to stop him and whatever plans he might have.
Nakia angled the cloaked ship for the safe house where their first existing asset waited for them. "This asset's alias is Kanu. He's wealthy. He did bad things but the war dogs recruited him for Wakanda's benefit. He will be our primary go to here for the capital operation."
Nakia discreetly landed the ship in a large yard that was walled off all around as part of a larger residential compound. The arrival occurred without incident.
They walked down the shuttle's ramp and remained ready for anything. Peter's sense remained calm. They saw movement in the darkness. Still, Peter's sense remained calm but Barnes and Tasha's guns were up. Nakia kept a hand on a secured ring blade.
A man walked into the predawn light. Nakia immediately held up a hand. The agents lowered their weapons. "Kanu." "Agent Nakia." The confirmed asset looked at the superheroes with her. "They're part of my team." He nodded. "News has already traveled around the countryside of a series of raids from the overnight. I can only presume that was you and your companions."
Nakia "that's classified. We're here; you know what that means." "Indeed I do. I will of course cooperate." "I know you will." There was a certain chill in Nakia's tone that said clearly that duplicity would not be tolerated. For this situation was all about providing results. Kanu's cooperation had been effectively leveraged by Wakandan intel by using his past against him to provide those results when needed. Now he had to deliver if he wanted to keep the wealth he had; that they permitted him to have.
"Please come with me. Accommodations have been prepared in advance." The team shared a look. While Peter was sure Nakia would go forward with it and that there was no danger he nonetheless said "I don't sense any danger."
"Good" said Nakia. "Let's go." It was good though they were on heightened alert anyway. Now with this kill monger guy in the mix and with Mephisto backing it changed things considerably.
Kanu took the lead and took the enhanced team into the luxurious house in a place that was nonetheless struck by great poverty and corruption. He also had servants that attended to his every need. In this case they would also attend to the Wakandan led team.
They were shown to quarters. Peter and Tasha dropped their field gear on the bed. Peter removed his mask. Tasha walked up behind him wrapped her arms around him from behind hugged him to her and rested the side of her face against his back. Peter in turn rested a gloved hand on her arms that encircled his chest.
"How're you doing?" She asked. "Good." "Really?" He turned to face her. "Yeah." She searched his face with her eyes, as though looking for something. What it might be he couldn't say.
"It's okay if you're feeling mixed things about all of this. I'd be concerned if you didn't feel something." He nodded. "I've done a lot of killing of late. More than I ever did as the friendly neighborhood guy." Tasha nodded a little. "I know the feeling. I wasn't born black widow." He laughed a little. "What?" "Nothing. You're right."
"It's gonna get harder here" she said further. "Nigeria is a hot mess. But then a good portion of the continent is too. We have our work cut out for us." "But eventually America will still come for us." "It's possible yeah. But fury didn't throw us to the wolves either. He had to cover his bases to protect shield. That's just how the game's played. It's not personal." "I still need to thicken my skin I guess." She set a hand to to his face. "It'll get there Pete. Just let it come naturally."
"Okay." Pause. "What now?" "We just follow Nakia's lead. This is her op." "Okay." They got ready for bed. Soon they were beside each other under the covers and in each other's arms. It was definitely a nice bed in a nice house. Tasha "there's an old French saying: behind every fortune there's a crime..." "and that moral applies here?" "I'd say so. This Kanu character definitely has dirt on him. Nakia hinted as much. And she's gonna exploit it to get the job done."
"Do you think we can really make a difference here?" "Honestly, I don't know. We don't have any better options. We're still the type to wanna make a difference. That's just our nature." Peter couldn't argue with that. "Do you think we'll ever end up back at shield or the x school?" "You never know Pete. You just never know."
They drifted off not long later.
Xxx
Tasha awoke early and before Pete did. She was already nearly dressed for what the day's events would bring. Peter finally stirred with great bed head. Tasha saw his disheveled appearance. She laughed a little. "That bad huh?" "It's very you Peter Parker." I guess that's a compliment.
He groaned and sat up. "Welcome to my web babe..." he latched a web line to her side and slowly pulled her towards him. "I doubt the super spider had this kind of foreplay in mind when he bit you..." "actually... it was a female." A red brow of hers rose as he pulled her towards him. "A real black widow..."
She now stood before his seated form. He broke the line and her hugged her abdomen into his face. "Can we stay like this forever?" She ran her hand through his already messed up hair and smiled. "I wish Petey. But we do have a job to do." "Yeah. We do." He'd almost forgotten about Mephisto.
I wish I could forget about that asshole!
She helped Peter to stand and get ready. Soon enough they were ready. They left the room to get their first meal for the day in.
Kanu's servants indeed had a local cuisine prepared for them. Nakia and Bucky were already there when the "spiders" arrived. They took seats and joined them. Kanu was at the head of his table. Apparently needing to feel that he was in charge when it was very much the opposite.
"The capital situation here is... delicate at best" he said to begin things. "The secular government is corrupt; and Islam is gaining ground by the day. Without significant opposition they will win."
Peter shared a look with Nakia. She then posed "have you heard of anyone named Erik kill monger operating in the area?" Kanu frowned at that for a moment but then shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Who is this?" "The top threat to Nigeria and likely the entire region." Kanu's brows went up a little at that. "Surprising that I haven't heard of him. My eyes and ears are everywhere." Nakia "he is most skilled and powerful. He could avoid detection even by your resources."
He made a thoughtful sound to that and then nodded. "And Wakanda is more advanced than all of Africa put together. Even you can't find him then or you wouldn't need me." Pause. "Who is he really?" "A powerful agent. Superhuman even. He is Africa's greatest threat at present."
Peter didn't like saying these things in front of Kanu's servants. How did they know they could be trusted? Trust... Tasha saw his look. She leaned in close while Nakia and their asset host dialogued. "Letting some intel leak out could be beneficial." "So the enemy can be drawn to us?" Tasha nodded. "It's an old trick; but often useful. Kill monger is still unproven right now. Making him evident will change all that. It could even curry favor with shield again too." "To get us back in?" "Maybe." The skepticism in her tone was clear. But then Peter reminded himself it had to be about more than that. It had to be about doing what was right for all. The rest would come as it had to.
Bucky "what we need are details too about the leaders so we can plan a takedown." Kanu frowned at that. "What exactly are you intending to do?" "Whatever it takes to make certain the enemies of Africa don't multiply" said Nakia. "And from within her continental boundaries. We have too many recognized failed states. That must change or the enemies of the continent will take advantage of it for their own purposes." Kanu looked at the whites gathered in turn. "And what of the colonizers?" "They are not colonizers." "Really? Their skin says otherwise." Nakia leaned in. "I am operating under the direct authority of the black panther. Is that someone you really want to anger Kanu?" "No. Of course not."
Nakia nodded and leaned back. "Whites will not decide African affairs anymore. We will. But we still need allies. And many of Africa's enemies are enemies of the world too. You must have a broader sense of vision." "I do agent. But Nigeria is my first concern; as is Wakanda for you." Nakia nodded. "Yes. And on that we can agree. But there is much work that must be done; and that can be best done here within Nigerian borders." "Of course. I want Nigeria free. And if stopping this kill monger is the key to securing our continent from colonizers and all else then we must do it."
Kanu was just making himself sound good Peter believed. Nakia would clearly lay down the law if she had to. And she'd clearly hinted at it when needed. But the goal was voluntary cooperation. That would yield the best results for everyone.
Mephisto's the enemy of all. That's what they need to realize.
Nakia "We'll need lists of the corrupt and the jihadists at all levels of government. Especially the National." Kanu "I can provide that. I will." Then Bucky said what was on Peter's mind: "how trustworthy are the servants here?" Kanu "they'll say nothing." "You're sure of that?" Peter was glad he'd brought this up; despite what Tasha had said to the contrary about it being an advantage. Kanu "I would stake my life on it..."
That seemed like a helluva of a statement Pete thought. More like he wouldn't do anything to go against Wakanda or its directives for this matter. In any event he wouldn't trust anyone that hadn't been vetted. Trust but verify as the saying went.
Nakia "we'll need those lists as soon as possible." "I will make certain that you have them" said Kanu. "Good. Now please leave us so we can speak on matters more."
Kanu took some visible offense to this but it quickly dissipated when he realized who it was that was really ordering what. He left without saying another word. His servants then shut the doors after their departure.
Peter would sense if something was up. Nothing buzzed. They all looked at him knowing about this ability; he nodded the all clear. Bucky "we'll need to kill them all." Nakia nodded. "Yes. I've already spoken to the king on this and he agrees. Islam's influence and that of kill monger makes this a big matter. And there's no doubt the enemy will be making moves soon." She then looked at both ex shield agents. "The king remains very aware of what you have both sacrificed to this point. He vows to do everything in his power to restore your reputations. By helping Wakanda with this continental matter, which ultimately affects us all, the king hopes this will repair that damage between you both and your government." Tasha "thank you agent Nakia. We appreciate that. Ultimately we just wanna help wherever we can." Nakia nodded. "You'll have plenty of opportunity to do just that."
Tasha "how do we go about this?" Nakia "we'll perform discreet surveillance for now. Obviously you'd all stand out during the daytime. I'd suggest using the stealth ship." Tasha "will you operate on the ground?" "Yes." Bucky "I can operate on the ground. I already have some covers established." Tasha "with kill monger involved couldn't they already be exposed?" Bucky "it's possible. But I've been posing as as Muslim mercenary. And that's proven the most effective to date. I can use that here too to get added intel." Nakia "go ahead Barnes." Bucky stood then and there. "It'd be best if I go now." Nakia nodded. "Good luck" he told them and left.
Nakia "you may both use the stealth ship if you wish. It's been programmed to allow your usage." Peter "I uh don't know how to fly..." Tasha and Nakia smiled. Tasha "don't worry nerd. I got that handled."
Xxx
Peter and Tasha were aboard the stealth ship. Tasha was obviously flying the craft that was super state of the art and did what was needed well. Peter could technically fly and drive in a pinch. His powers compensated for his lack of practice. Just like his fighting and agility movements. His spider sense was typically in perfect synchronicity with his physicality. He'd performed countless experiments to this effect over the years and had seen it proven. In fact his sense was vital to all of his hybridized spider actions. This applied to any all physical actions he did while mutated; this included flying driving etc.
Still, he'd rather let Tasha do the driving. They currently hovered above the city with perfect stealth in broad daylight. The ship was a typical field vehicle used for war dogs. This made it ideal for Wakandan intel ops around the world. They'd use it now for everything they were doing.
The ship was highly intuitive and was already scanning over everything within city range. All keywords like kill monger Mephisto and Islam were constantly being cycled through for anything pivotal intel wise. So far nothing had come through but that could change fairly quickly.
Peter could work with the other ship consoles readily enough. And this work was more the technical scientific side that he definitely preferred. He was looking at a series of data patterns that Tasha would have found boring as hell but not Peter. He loved anything pure science or data gathering. He could sit in a radio telescope all night long and be happy like a sty pig.
Tasha looked over at him. "Having fun nerd?" "You have no idea gf! This cpu is incredible. The sheer amount of real time operations this little ship alone can do would put Stark tech to shame." "Don't let Stark ever hear that. It'll never be the end of it." Peter shrugged. "Truth is truth. Shuri is brilliant. This tech interaction is all her. It's a signature. What I've seen puts the west to shame." Tasha nodded slowly.
He looked over at her, seeming to sense her silence. "What is it?" She shrugged. "I have no issue with Wakanda or its tech heights. But it's like T'Challa said: everyone wants their stuff. Their tech and vibranium. That's always been true. If they ever get their hands on it..." "they can protect it Tasha. They know what the stakes are." "Yes; but that was before Mephisto. What about now? It only makes sense that kill monger under Mephisto's guidance is pushing this job here to ultimately get at Wakanda's stuff. Nigeria is a nothing burger compared to Wakanda."
Peter couldn't help but agree with his girl's read there. She was essentially outlining their role here. And how successful they were now depended on how things went.
"Barnes to spiders; do you copy." "We do soldier of winter. Status." "I'm on scene in the capital now. Posing as a jihadi. There are a number of baddies here that might be able to help us." "Do they have the connections we need to infiltrate them?" "Maybe. Time will tell." "Is Nakia with you?" "Negative. She's doing something else." Tasha paused. "I don't trust Kanu." "None of us should. But that's the lay for us. He is well connected." Peter "and if he betrays us?" "Nakia will no doubt kill him or turn him over to his enemies; whom are many."
That made sense; but with kill monger in the mix now Peter didn't want to deal with Kanu anyway. It was just more trouble than it was worth. Still it seemed for now they needed to.
Bucky signed off and the spiders continued their aerial surveillance. Tasha then said "it looks like Nakia has made it inside the National government. She must have used Kanu's assets or her own." Peter "what does that mean?" "Any number of things actually." He wanted something more definitive; like things were in science. The numbers either crunched or they didn't. But espionage was its own thing; and it rarely was ever a complete or exact science; and it could change often.
No wonder why spy stories are so popular the super nerd realized. They're full of endless plot twists. Always keeps you guessing! Almost feels like my own story... huh...
Peter focused on his work. But not all espionage was fun or exciting. It could be boring in a sense like it was now. But as he said to Tasha back at the x school he'd take boring any day. Not to give up Spidey by any means but to have that regular quality of life too. Like back in simpler urban superhero days compared to now. But now that he knew his notorious Parker luck wasn't a cosmic fluke it all made sense now.
Peter scanned over city comms looking for key chatter indicative of kill monger or other similar plotters. Nothing came up. It anything was happening it was quiet. But that meant little. It could also mean kill monger had just gone into hiding more. Or was being more discreet. It was hard to say.
The hours went by. Nakia called in. Tasha was getting bored when she did. Peter remained that sty pig looking over dry and dull stats...
"I'm getting the impression things are worse here than we feared" said Nakia. Tasha "how so?" "The corruption is higher than we thought back in Wakanda. Despite our advanced intel gathering capabilities. The enemy has slipped through the cracks. It now seems that kill monger's role here has been greatly intensified." Peter and Tasha shared a look. And here I was starting to like keeping this seat warm!
"I fear that your expressed concerns are truer than we thought as well agent Parker" said Nakia. I didn't wanna be right about any of that! Tasha "where does this leave us?" Nakia was quiet for a moment. "The king has already cleared me to do what is needed as a war dog to keep the region safe..." Peter could read between the lines well enough there. That means we can take down an entire government if needed to save lives. Jesus...
Tasha "And Barnes?" "He'll remain on the ground to provide support." Peter "if we do something big won't it draw international reprisal... like from shield above all?" Nakia "it could; but it may be needed. We must do whatever is required. Besides, if this threat can be linked to Mephisto and proven so it could help your cases with shield."
Good point Peter thought. Although saving lives was more important than rehabbing their reps if that was an indirect ancillary benefit he'd take it. Tasha was right. You're never "really" out of the spy world are you?
Nakia "we must be ready for all possibilities. War dogs always aim for surgical strikes; like the raids we performed the other night. But with a strong supernatural element affecting regional affairs a more forceful approach might be needed."
Peter could hear the big uh oh jumping out in his mind. "Are we talking wmds or something like that?" Nakia "we can't rule it out." Peter felt nauseous. Part of him wanted to reject it then and there. But then another part of him, even the logical part, could make sense of it. It might be needed Pete... this is a demon hell lord we're taking about using the dead cousin of Wakanda's king to cause trouble here. Name a conventional solution that will work; a scientific one... his mind raced to find solutions; but none came.
Nada; zero; zilch. And Peter had to remind himself that zero was still a number too. By now Tasha was looking over at him. He shook his head. Tasha "we don't have any better suggestions. We'll do our part." "Thank you both. I hope it doesn't come to that. But this affects everyone. And for those that judge us they don't live in the shadow world we do. They aren't spies as we are."
Peter leaned back in his seat. Tasha turned her chair towards him. "You okay?" "I think so. It's just a lot to take in. That's all." "Yeah. It is." She leaned forward and set her elbows on her knees. "It never gets easier; but experience always helps." He looked at her and nodded.
They'd been on a roll already; ever since he'd joined shield. There'd been no going back. Even superhero Spidey had had downtime. Normal life stuff; even though that was still a stretch. And with his new life now being a super spy instead and with a demon lord driving everything nothing would ever be the same again.
But he still wasn't alone. And that too meant something.
He looked over at her. "Whatever it takes." She nodded. "Right on."
Xxx
It was night again. It all blurred together for Peter now. He'd dozed off in his seat. He'd just gotten lazy.
"Peter. We may have something." Tasha's words pulled him awake. "What is it?" He stood and went over to her. She was busily working the console. Looking over her shoulder he could see the energy spikes that had gone up. They were in the high gamma band. Hulk territory kind of stuff. He didn't think hulk of course. Just similar power emanations.
And they were getting worse. "Have we heard from Nakia or Barnes?" "No; and I've been trying to call them. So far nothing."
He want back to his station and did some deeper looking himself. The energy spikes were increasing and seemed centered on Abuja itself. That wasn't good at all. And they knew the hell lord was both obsessed with Peter and kill monger seemed to be his puppet. All the pieces were falling into place for another crisis event. Whether or not it would become worse than that only time would tell. Others hadn't been permitted to go full scale for whatever reason. In this case it could be very different. But then it could be different every time as well.
He let the scientist in him become dominant. This was still rooted in science to some degree. He just needed to learn all that he could. And he had a Wakandan sensor suite... that didn't exactly happen everyday. Star Trek is now!
The energy patterns were indeed mostly gamma dominated. It was a bizarre combination to be sure. Peter had only seen combos like that from space readings. Not down on earth's surface.
What the hell is going on? This is getting intense...
"Pete; what is going on down there?" "I'm not rightly sure. It's definitely big." He stood and put on his mask. He wore plain clothes otherwise. She turned toward him. "You gonna check it out?" "Yeah. Fly to the center coordinates where the energy is the most concentrated. That'll be the best place to start." "What about Nakia? I still can't raise anyone." "There's too much electromagnetic interference. We'll have to do this on our own initiative." She nodded and piloted them in. He would rather have her with him. He didn't do things alone if he could have help. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't the most powerful superhuman out there. He knew his limits and used that to his advantage.
"Arriving now." She dropped the ramp. "Comms checks." "Good copy?" "Good copy. Be careful." "Always."
He leaped away and into the night. He dropped to the ground in a spider crouch. The streets were unusually quiet. His sense didn't go off though. He looked up saw the ship ramp go back up and then it disappeared as before. He was alone for now.
He'd seen where the energy convergence was and headed in that direction. Anything of a troubling nature would probably be around at that point and time.
Combine that with renowned Parker luck and the devil being obsessed with little old me and we have a winner...
As always Peter didn't feel like this would prove to be another anticlimax. Nope. His storm cloud would ever follow him to the ends of the earth. And the hell lord driving this rubbish would keep it sadistic forever. Using earth divisions and whatever else he could to make things that more enjoyable.
Peter had to remind himself they were just pawns on a chessboard. I'm still trying to figure out which piece I am. Rook knight bishop... maybe queen. Wrong gender though... Tasha could be the Queen. Yeah maybe.
The streets were strangely empty everywhere. It was as if the energy had reached the people around here and driven them away. It was eerie in that way; but still Peter's danger sense didn't go off. But that could change in an instant.
He took a few alleys to get there faster; he stayed on foot for now. He could feel something on some level intensifying as pushed into it. The supernatural was very much at work here. Is that you devil man? Or is that your resurrected puppet kill monger?
Only silence came to him as a form of reply. He couldn't help but feel the devil had heard him. Of course he had. He was the devil. There was no substitute for that.
And here my crazy ass is taking him on all by my lonesome. Smart move Pete. Smart move.
It suddenly grew chilly in the urban alley he was in. His Spidey sense still didn't go off... but his regular human instincts told him that something was definitely up. He stopped. He bent low. Nothing about this was good or normal; and it would only get worse.
Then he saw them. The forms. They were hard to make out at first; not really human in form; but with each passing moment that changed. Now his senses did start buzzing like hell. Oh shit here we go...
"We knew you would come here." Kill-monger appeared through the gloom. Hellish agents appeared around him; some appearing as jihadists and other insane things. Oh Jesus! "You think the great Mephistopheles hasn't planned for every countermove?"
How do I handle this? I'm already outnumbered and outgunned it's safe to say. There's no way I can take them on my own. I'm not Thor!
His comms were jammed too. He tensed. He would have to do a fighting retreat. That would buy him the time needed to act.
He went at them. It was the best he could do for now. He landed among the main group of them. It was bold and stupid put together. But for now it was all he had.
He bashed away. The jihadists and perhaps best termed minor demons fell at his aggressive spider blows. He managed to evade them and put them down hard. He webbed several and smashed them together. He then shot webbing into the eyes of another and jumping spin kicked his head to snap it.
His sense now felt like a hammer hitting his head. It was all from behind. Peter spun to face the threat. He was too late. Despite his superhuman senses and agility kill monger was faster still. He was already at the spider agent and struck him hard in the chest with a Wakandan war hammer. The blow sent incredible pain throughout Peter's body in addition to sending him crashing into a building wall. Inside the structure inhabitants grew terrified at what transpired. Peter landed hard among them and struggled to get up. The pain was too much. He couldn't.
Kill monger tore through the structure and was at Peter before he could do anything to defend himself. Kill monger kicked him into a wall. The pain was unbearable. He knew bones were broken and internal damage was mounting. If he didn't get moving soon nothing at all would happen.
He struggled to rise again. Kill monger neared him... an explosion went off between both men; Peter was mostly shielded from it. Kill monger wasn't so lucky. He was sent hurling through the other walls of the same structure; but away from Peter. He then heard auto fire.
It was Bucky. Winter soldier entered the fray from the darkness. He shot down a number of baddies of various kinds. He fell prone and fired another rifle grenade at a group of more clustered baddies that advanced. They were taken in earthly hellfire. It bought Peter time; but he was still down for the count.
Nakia next entered; her ring blades slashing through the air to cut the enemy down to size. The Wakandan ship appeared next from overhead; still piloted by Tasha; she opened fire with Wakandan laser weapons at the kill monger baddies that sought to overwhelm Peter's position. The laser hits were precise and ended them there.
Peter forced himself to sit up. Ow! It was his ribs. They were cracked at least. He shot webbing around his chest in a tight way to doubly serve as a temporary bandage.
Breathing and moving wasn't sheer agony right now. That was a start. And assuming he survived this his healing ability would kick in rather expediently. But he didn't heal like Wolverine. And a lot could happen in that timeframe. But his mates were helping him. They'd stopped the spider from getting stepped on. He now had to come through for them. Everything could be affected adversely if not.
The civilians had largely cleared the structure in light of this epic fight that spanned light and dark. But the other structures were equally at risk now; being filled with civilians. There would always be casualty potential in war. Truth. But Spidey was determined to limit that fallout potential. That remained his job despite all the negative energy and setbacks.
He forced himself to stand. His mates were now fighting enemy reinforcements all around. Peter focused and channeled out the pain. His comms were still jammed. Damn this!
He threw himself into some baddies that were moving fast to hit Bucky and Nakia on the ground. He hit them with his body. Not smart. It took them down; but it doubly hurt beyond belief. He yelled out at the pain caused by his own impulsivity and bad planning. More like what planning Parker?
Still he managed to get his nerdy ass back up and called on his spider strength. It was hardly the first time he'd been pushed to a limit. But he had to go all the way in this ongoing campaign without end. And he remained the apparent most critical component.
Spidey the mighty let his blows land. He wouldn't go down easily or at all. That was not his way. He hit baddies with a stunning reserve of strength. He would rather die than quit. Despite not being the most powerful superhero out there Peter had nonetheless proven to the entire world how powerful Spider-Man nonetheless really
was.
And if it was one thing above all that Spider-Man had proven beyond all else it was that he'd never quit. No matter how long it took or how many rules he had to break he'd do whatever it took to win. Especially now as agent Spider-Man.
Kill monger was still hidden for the moment but Spidey's sense kept tingling like hell. This was far from over. The real question was how many would die in this offensive before Mephisto might get bored and do something else.
He wasn't gonna wait to find out. He kept an eye out for kill monger while bashing away the minions. Still the confirmed hellish agent was in the mix now and was leading efforts for the Devil.
His mates hammered away and proved they were increasingly better. But civvies were still getting killed. Many had fled; many hadn't. As Peter stacked up their baddie bodies he saw them fall among the fallen civvies too. Damn it guys we gotta do better!
But this was hardly a time for idealism. They were fighting for their lives too in addition to all those they now fought to save. And while they were winning to keep themselves safe they weren't doing as well to help others.
And while Peter couldn't think on any of this at the moment there was now the ready possibility of true escalation potential. And not just from Mephisto's direct manipulation but also worldly response. In most cases all he'd need to do was tip the social balances a certain way here and there and then all hell would break loose. Literally.
A sudden sharp buzz came to Peter's mind. Kill monger. Had to be. Peter fancy spin kicked away a few more before leaping out of the immediate fight area. At the height of his leap he flipped over and shot out a web line to swing out just enough to land in the street. His sense remained sharp. He went low.
Kill monger appeared from the gloom. A sword was in one hand and a war hammer in the other. "You fools won't last against us. Not really." Spidey faced him staying low. "You're just a slave again; you know that right?" "We're all slaves. As are you." "Not that I can see." "Oh you are. Your inner struggles enslave you." Peter tensed even more at that. In different circumstances Peter would have called that mind game crap. But he knew better. This was Mephisto. He was sharing Peter's past with his enemies. To demoralize him. It was the only logical answer.
"You fight on here because you're banned from your failing nation state soon to be globalized. You try to legitimize your efforts here to remind you of your failure. To save your sister..."
Kill monger moved like a blur. Not like quicksilver but fast enough. Peter's spider agility and speed were renowned. But even combined with his danger senses that drove his enhanced reflexes he still felt like he was moving in slow motion.
Kill monger was there; Peter just barely got out of the way as kill monger struck away. The baddie's weapons only hit air but the mental impact had been made in some ways. Seeds of doubt were renewed in Peter's heart. He had failed Teresa hadn't he? Yes, Tasha was right but so was kill monger...
He landed and was about to leap again when kill monger was suddenly beside him. His sense had gone off but kill monger had moved like a blur again. But it wasn't that kill monger had really been faster. It was that even Peter's danger sense was also driven by his state of mind; like his powers were. And even those enhanced instincts could be affected and response times lessened depending on the situation.
Kill monger's hammer struck Spidey in the side and hurled him into another Abuja structure. This time he went down hard. His ribs hurt like hell. He tried to rise but went back down. It was too much too soon. Even Peter's great will wouldn't be enough here.
Kill monger was now beside him. He could kill him outright but didn't. The fight between kill monger's forces and Peter's mates continued.
"Mephisto could end the bargain with your long lost sibling at any time Parker" kill monger said. "Think about it. If that happens you become his. That was the deal. You're only 'free' because he permits it. Do you not understand? Thus you really are a slave. As for me? Maybe I am slave; but I'll be a powerful one at that."
Peter fought through his pain. "You failed to conquer Wakanda because you never had Bast's blessing." "Bast betrayed Wakanda and Africa. I will be what she was not. Mephisto will permit that." "And for how long? How long will you be played?" Kill monger knelt beside Peter. "Whatever it takes to make things right."
Then, strangely enough, and defying all rational explanation, kill monger just left him there. He definitely could have finished him but didn't. Again, Mephisto.
The pain for Peter was too much for even his enhanced body to handle. He lost consciousness.
Xxx
He groaned as he came to. His ribs still burned but less so. This immediately told him that hours had past. His enhanced healing was already coming through but wasn't done just yet. His many fights in ten years of being Spidey told him that.
He opened his eyes and turned his head over. There Tasha was seated at his bedside. She held his hand. She immediately smiled with relief and affection as her man came back to her. This made him feel better too. She's okay... "the others?" He managed to get out. "They're okay Pete." He nodded sighed and turned his head back on the pillow to look up at the ceiling. "He could have finished me. He didn't."
"That wasn't Mephisto's plan." He looked back over at her. "What do you mean?" Tasha sighed. "He used the fight as a diversion to plant a bomb in the city. This forced us off. He's using members of the forgotten Wakandan crocodile cult as agents to achieve these goals. Many are mutants and they hate the dominant panther cult." Peter focused through the pain and read between the lines on her words. "They're using Wakandan tech for the bomb." "Right. It could also be plural. In any event only Wakanda can truly disarm rivaling tech."
Peter sat up; but only with great effort and pain. Tasha initially wanted to stop him but Peter raised a quick hand to show his determination. Tasha instead helped him to sit up. It was only now that he realized that he was in a hospital. There were armed guards outside the room. Peter frowned at this. His sense didn't go off.
"I'll explain that too" she said. He looked back at her. "How long have I been out?" "About twelve hours." 12 hours?! No way. He'd taken many worse poundings than what he'd suffered against kill monger.
Then: Teresa... that hit him like a ton of bricks. That's why... it's all in my head. Jesus Pete; you gotta let "that" go for now...
Tasha held his hand in both of hers. "Don't be too hard on yourself Pete." He managed a smile and nodded. "Thanks." Pause "what do we do now?" "Well, for now we're in a holding pattern." Pause. "Fury called..." Peter frowned a little. "Back channels..." Peter's frown lessened. "To help?" Tasha nodded. "Us and Nigeria." Now things started to make more sense to Peter. Like Tasha had hinted earlier. Fury had to denounce them for going rogue. Not because he disapproved but because he had to protect shield and its agents from bureaucratic stupidity. People that sat behind a desk didn't risk life and limb like field agents did.
Fury had indeed never left their side.
"What can we do?" "Not much for now." That made sense too. Kill monger was holding everyone hostage now.
Tasha "as for the guards out there they're keeping us under guard for our illegal actions. Sort of like house arrest." "The government giving in to kill monger?" Tasha nodded. "Kill monger was ready for us. Barnes had been operating here for some time with the war dogs but we were already too late." Peter noticed that she was still armed. She took note. "They figure we won't cause any trouble with a hidden bomb in the city capable of destroying it." Good point. Mephisto was ahead of them again.
The chess game continued. Moves and countermoves.
Peter sighed. "We gotta make this right." Tasha looked down and exhaled. "We will Pete. With you in the lead we will." They shared a look. Tasha seemed to imply that Peter was keeping Mephisto at bay; even if that was just because he was the sadistic object of Mephisto's focus at the moment.
But she was also expressing trust in Peter's leadership ability again. He appreciated that. He really did.
There was a light knock at the door. Bucky entered with a covered item in his hands. Peter frowned a little at that. "Are you and Nakia okay?" "Yeah; we are. Thanks." He stopped at the bed foot. Tasha "what's that?" "Stark dropped a gift by way of Wakanda and they then sent it here."
Instead of saying anything more Bucky opened up the covered item...
It was a black shield... with a black spider symbol on the front of it. It looked to be of the same design of captain America's old shield. The one now retired.
"What's this?" "It's for you Peter. It's a forged vibranium adamantium combination. Called proto adamantium. I have no idea what the hell that is but Stark assured me a fellow egghead like you would." Peter smiled a little. "I do get it. Thanks." He then looked at the shield and sobered. Tasha "what is it Pete? It'd be a great gift in the field. It'd go well with your natural fighting style. And unlike Rogers you wouldn't lose it as often with your webs." All true. Still... "how many died in the attack?"
Tasha and Bucky shared looks at Peter's question. Tasha sighed. "Two hundred. Hundreds more injured."
Peter's head bowed at her words. Bucky "it's hard to hear Peter; but it could have been much worse. And besides..." "I know. Thanks though."
Bucky nodded a little left the shield on the bed at Peter's feet and left. Tasha picked it up and tested it a little. "Feels just like cap's old shield. This will be a big help in the field Pete. Trust me; it will come in handy."
Peter nodded slowly. He didn't doubt any of them. It still wouldn't stop Mephisto but it would still give him an edge in the field. It was just the entire situation in general.
The timing of it was interesting. Captain America's role was recently retired by its bearer. And now a spider shield molded on a similar design was just given to him. There was no way the timing was coincidental. They were saying that the world still needed a shield of some kind. A hope symbol of a different kind. Apolitical; firm; just; free; true; and righteous. That of a spider.
Agent Spider-Man; humanity's new shield.