Warrior by Moonlight, the tie-in to this story featuring Moon Knight is currently up, enjoy.
Chapter 25: Wreck the Set
Norman strode down a corridor of the shield helicarrier with his chin held high. The newly appointed Director of Shield walked amongst the agents and watched as they stopped what they were doing to salute him. He continued along his walk as though he didn't see them at all.
Natasha Romanoff came towards him from the opposite direction and walked beside her new boss.
"Director Osborn, you wanted to see me?" said Natasha
"Yes, agent Romanoff. I was wondering if you could help me get better acclimated to my new position."
The Black Widow seemed to be taken aback "Excuse me sir but what can I do?"
"Quite a bit actually. You see, I've been told by my predecessor that the list which holds all of the secret identities of the heroes in the government's employ was encrypted and the key was lost with prison 42."
"I wouldn't know how to decrypt a list without the key."
"Don't be so dense, agent. There is another reason I called for you. I'm no stranger to taking a leadership position. Everyone seems to expect me to 'dismantle' SHIELD in favor of my own organization. But that's not what the country needs right now.
"We're vulnerable and it's important that we keep a handle of the situation as we transition. A spy like you knows that better than most."
I understand some of your friends might feel that now is the time to quit being that a "villain" is in charge of the largest intelligence agency on the planet. What I need to know is... how do you feel about it?
"I signed on because I believed in the Registration act and Tony. Now that he is gone it doesn't change my stance."
Norman gave a cheery smile from Natasha's answer "I like that answer, then you're coming with me on the next quinjet."
"Where are we going sir?"
"Since Stark's list is on the fritz, you will help me identify every hero working for the government. I assume you know a great deal of them off the top of your head"
Black Widow was stunned to the point that she stopped dead in her tracks. This prompted Norman to stop and look back at her with an annoyed frown.
When they started down this road with the superhuman registration act many had decided to follow Iron man. He promised them stability and they believed in the cause but then he was gone. Moved out of his station like an old manager, the company was going in a new direction without him. Everyone had to make a new decision now that he was gone, they had to decide if they were going to stay on board or quit and risk the ire of a nation on high alert.
"It's all above board. Besides, as director of SHIELD I'm entitled to this information. You'll just be doing your job."
Norman pressed on as Natasha stood in the same spot he last saw her. When he spoke to her next he was sure to raise his voice.
"Let's go Agent, time is wasting and every moment is an opportunity."
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Peter sat at the round table of the new base alone in costume. He watched a news station on one of the televisions with a pirated signal. On the news was J. Jonah Jameson, his old boss of the Daily Bugle. Of course the news of prison 42 and Norman's address were the hot topic of the week, every station talked about one or the other in some capacity. On this particular day, Jonah recalled a visit he had received from a certain Arachnid themed vigilante in his office.
Peter came to him that day in the hopes of shedding light on the inhumane conditions of Prison 42. He hoped to return to Jonah with proof of what Stark and Shield were doing there in secret. It was a set up with little payoff as the editor in chief of his former employ gave his own account of that meeting.
Peter watched as Jonah with his trademark flat top buzz cut and Hitler-esqe mustache. He spun his own tale from fact as he often did in the past.
"I should have known then that Spider-Man, no, Peter Parker was up to no good. I kept quiet and now I see that my inaction was just as destructive, if not more, than what he and his terror cell have done. I had to come forward."
Peter turned off the television screen and stared at the ceiling and brooded in silence as the rest of his Avengers group filtered into the room. They took their seats in silence with low hanging heads. The weight of their failure was heavy indeed. A good indicator was that all of them were in civilian clothes except Peter. No masks, no Uniforms with their hero names or symbols on them, just civilian clothes.
Johnny and Jessica were pushed in, each by wheelchair since they both were unable to stand on their own. Jessica's black hair was recently combed and tied into a ponytail. This marked the first time in days since her waking that she joined the larger group. Her eyes darted left to right like ping pong balls as she caught looks from everyone.
She chose to place a blanket over her right side. One could still see that she wasn't quite used to being without her arm but she made an effort to appear with the group and that was something.
Johnny wasn't as down as everyone else though, at least not visibly. He kept his smile as he looked the unmasked Spider-Man square in the face.
"I guess you didn't get the memo Pete but it's casual Friday."
The people at the table couldn't help but chuckle as it was what they needed.
The last to get in was Nick Fury in a black tactical uniform complete with gun holsters. Compared to everyone else, he was unphased by the current events. He was, after all, the one who predicted the change.
Nick however stood from the table so to be seen. He took the time to get Jessica Drew up to speed on the current events. Everything from her rescue to the failed rescue at Prison 42.
More than anything, Nick hoped she could help fill in some blanks left by Doctor Fillmore, the psycho who took her arm.
At first Jessica said nothing. Recalling the event seemed to be too much but she brushed it aside, becoming visibly angry.
"He said that his two part MGH formula would evolve the human race. That his backer was too big to fail."
They knew the Shadow Man was Fillmore's backer and thanks to the last mission they knew it had to do with Weapon Plus but there were more questions, where were they based? Where did the funding come from? And how big was the organization? They had scans of Fillmore's pages but it was in code. And the book to decode was there when the ship went down.
Spider-Woman tried to remember what the name of it was. There were a lot of items on the table with that journal. Peter tried to think of it but had no luck. It was so long ago.
Jessica knew it had something to do with evolution but she would need to see the cover to confirm it. That was good enough for Nick and he was going to help her narrow down the search.
Moon Knight went down south toward Mexico on a hunch and they never heard from him since then. Luke had even sent one of his own people after the Lunar warrior but even he was unresponsive. For all they knew, the coordinates they had were no good.
As they moved on to other business Nick addressed Peter's request for information on Devin the mind controller. He was listed in their registry as a "low level telepath" used for interrogations and was missing since the prison's explosion. He would either report back or stay where he is.
Nick toyed with the theory that Devin could have been working with the Shadow Man, making him a double agent. And he seemed to have an upgrade to his power when he blew dust into Kaine's face when he originally needed to touch the person.
If Devin was able to downplay his powers from mind control and play it off as telepathy, he could very well have been a mole. It wasn't much but with all things considered these theories would have to be enough for one day. Peter took this news for what it was, even though it raised more questions than it solved.
Finally, the last order of business for the day came from the red-headed Mathew Murdock.
"The city isn't doing so great. There's been a number of shootouts involving members of the Maggia."
The Maggia, an old school organized crime family like the ones you've seen in the mob movies. They had a history which went back decades selling drugs, loan sharking and extortion that went back decades. For the most part, they believed in old fashioned guns and muscle to get a job done but they weren't above employing Supers either.
With Wilson Fisk dead, it left a power vacuum in the criminal underworld. The Maggia moved in to take over various territories to their narcotics and loan shark operations but another unnamed group had moved against them. Suspected Maggia locals were attacked one by one and it was assumed that it was an ordinary gangland dispute. Because the shooters were never found, it was possible that powered individuals may have been involved.
If it was powered people, the people behind the hits didn't want to rouse the attention of a newly appointed SHIELD director with everything to prove. They would have to cover their tracks well. But if the Maggia decided to fire back people on the streets could get hurt. More than ever, this seemed like the right time to go into action but the risk was high and the payoff was miniscule by comparison.
This took time from the greater goal of fighting the power to help the little people. It felt a little closer to what Peter used to do, how they used to be.
"Does anyone want to take this case?" asked Nick. "I know there is a lot of risk but this is the reality now. If you want to protect people, it has to be from the shadows to keep the peace."
The case presented a sort of return to form for a group but by the looks on everyone's faces, their spirits were already close to broken. They weren't in the right space to handle such a mission.
Peter however had spent days in this new base, toiling away at what his next move would be. He didn't know how recent events had changed life on the streets. If no one was going to follow up on this case, he certainly would.
He volunteered to go on his own and there was resistance to this decision from Everyone. He had been captured before by Iron Man and if he was captured, the base could be compromised.
As Peter left the table, Nick tossed him an ear piece, which Peter plugged into his right ear. The earpiece was connected to Nick's offgrid network so that he didn't have to worry about being tracked. No one stopped him but he could tell that they wanted to. Black Cat had gone mute since the Venom incident and didn't get in the way of his decision.
Luke offered a node to Peter, acknowledging the risk that he was willing to take in spite of the reality and the only words he offered were "please, Just don't go full Punisher."
One had to admit that the Punisher was a figure that gave any criminal pause. If he was in the city, the scum might have thought twice about making noise.
"Sure," Peter said simply "but I might rattle a few nests."
"Before we adjourn I want to say something." Said Nick in earnest. "I know you've all been through a lot and it might be eating you up inside. If anyone wants to call it quits, I can get you a new identity and you can start a new life somewhere. Think about it."
Everyone held their silence. Surely the temptation to walk away was great for most of them. With their battle being one of attrition. Still, the offer was on the table but Peter wouldn't stay to see if anyone would take it. He had a job to do and that was enough for him.
Peter left the war room while still in his full unlimited suit as he headed for the tunnels where a silver pod waited for him. Inside was a change of civilian clothes in his seat, Jeans Sneakers, a baseball cap and a plain black polo shirt .
He moved the clothes out of his seat and stuffed them to one side of the pod with no desire to don them.
"I would advise against going out like that" said Nick over the ear piece.
"My suit has a stealth option, I'll be fine.
"Even so, we don't want to chance it. I'm sure that suit is comfy in all the right places but it's best to be on the safe side."
The spider wanted to keep his suit on. With the Spider-Jammers in the city he was sure to get headaches but he might have to play this Nick's way for now.
The lid to the pod came down and it took off like a bullet train to Manhattan Island.
On the way Peter put on the clothes as the pod was in motion while the unlimited suit still covered his body. When he was done, he recalled the nanites back to their home. In that time, Nick passed communication to Matt so that he could aid Peter with details needed.
When the pod stopped the lid swung up and an opening appeared above Peter. He crawled out to find that he was surrounded by bushes and trees. The opening he emerged from closed up like it was never there.
The disguised Peter looked up to the sky "where am I?"
"Don't worry. You're in Central Park."
"How do you expect me to get back to the pod, Matt?"
There should be a digital map interface in one of your pockets. I can't use it but I'm sure you'll find it handy."
Peter searched his pictures and found a wallet with a fake ID and cash along with a pen. When he pressed the button at the top of it a holo-map projected from it to show Peter's current position in relation to the different pod locations across Manhattan.
"I have it, so what's next?"
"Next, since we don't know who the Maggia is warring with, it might be best to find out what they know. There's a pizzeria on west 75th and Broadway. It's one of their fronts for money laundering.
"Kind of stereotypical don't you think?"
"True, but I'm not the one who set it up"
With a look of the map Peter knew which way he needed to go and began his walk through the bushes.
"How do you know about the pizzaria?"
"I was the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen, remember?"
At a time before the Civil War, Matt had beaten Wilson Fist down in front of the criminals of New York and proclaimed himself Kingpin. It was a move that had seen Matt at his most aggressive phase of his career as Daredevil. Criminals were told to either go straight or get out of the kitchen. Those who didn't were part of a six week hunt by the Devil to make good on his threats. During after that, Matt had been so successful that crime practically disappeared from the kitchen and he was able to retire his costume. During that time he became aware of criminal operations but as long as they were away from the kitchen he didn't act against them, including the Maggia.
Back then it was Spider-Man and others who wanted the old Daredevil back. Eventually he had a moment one could only characterize as "born again." He returned to his old ways but the experience of his reign served as a reminder of how far he could go. Luckily, the devil's time on the throne had its advantages.
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The disguised Peter jogged down 75th street until he reached Broadway. He saw the pizzeria immediately across the intersection. The lights in the place were still on but the chairs were flipped and placed on takes. As he walked across the intersection he could see the floor shine from being recently mopped.
"Ok, I'm here. What do I do now?"
"There should be an entrance around the back. You can use that to get in."
As Peter walked past the front of the shop he was sure to take glances for a sign of any people but there were none. When he turned to go to the other side he noticed a back alley with dumpsters across from a metal door with minor graffiti on it in the shape of the number "6"
"What's next?"
"Unless you have lock picking skills, you can just pull the door off of the hinges."
The spider halted in movement "won't that be considered 'making noise?'"
"True but do you really expect the Maggia to go to the police?"
"But you're not the one out here, are you Matt?"
It was true that Daredevil wasn't the one in danger but how else would he continue? Peter knocked on the door and felt the familiar buzz of his spider sense kicked in. His instinct was to jump back as the door flew open. A large man in a suit came out with a half eaten pizza slice in one hand and a bag of trash in the other.
"Hey bum, get outta here" said the man with pizza in his mouth. "If I have to tell anotha one a you's again I'll treat you to my fist."
The disguised Peter gave a quick smirk before he threw a punch that knocked the apparent enforcer on the ground. The door remained open and with no one else in his way, the spider dragged the goon inside and closed the door behind him. The path led to a flight of stairs that went down to the basement but the steps themselves were made of wood, no doubt they would make noise if he used them.
Luckily he was gifted with the ability to crawl on walls and that is exactly what he did with a jump to the ceiling. Deeper into the depths he went and as he did, he could smell the stench of cigars. He heard the sound of cards being flipped and the jovial laughter of men.
The connection to Daredevil was breaking up with static, perhaps due to interference from concrete, metal and other materials. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs the floor was tile and aligned against the walls were metal refrigerators as the path continued to a light and continued laughter. Peter stayed on the ceiling as he continued on.
When he reached the light he saw 5 white men, all with some kind of cigar or cigarette at a hexagonal table and cards in their hands. They all seemed to be in a joking mood as they played and observed each other's poker faces.
"Hey, where the hell is Gio?" Said one of the men
"I don't know, he's probably stuffing his face again" said another
Each of the Maggia members had their hands and arms rested on the table. If he aimed correctly, he could bind them all at once so that they couldn't retaliate with guns if they had one.
He aimed toward their table and fired two web balls which exploded upon impact with the tabletop and bounded each pair of arms. Each mobster jumped from their seats and when they did so, the table went up with their arms and was brought back down by gravity. Each man was hunched over the table and unable to move.
"Madonna!" Shouted one as others screamed.
Peter made himself known by dropping from the ceiling. He landed on the floor in one of his spider poses and stood up.
The gangsters craned their heads to get a look at the intruder of their game and sanctuary.
"This guy is Spider-Man!"
"Ya think, Leo."
"He'll be dead once I get my hands free from this spider-snot!"
Daredevil attempted to speak from the earpiece but the audio came out full of static. The spider was on his own.
"I know you're all Maggia. Who are the people hitting your properties? Who are you at war with?"
The five men looked towards each other, perplexed by the question. In the next moment they all burst into laughter.
"You Mook, let me go and I won't turn you into swiss cheese.
"Right? Said another man. "The president'll be so happy he'll give us a nice get out of Jail free card."
This wasn't going anywhere fast and with the connection to Daredevil out he couldn't rely on him. At that moment the spider wished that DD had just tagged along but he would have to adapt.
Men like these didn't respond well to questions without some kind of incentive. His memories of the past began to flood back, years with lowlifes who had to make his job as a dogooder harder. Though he wouldn't go full Punisher, he didn't have the same temperament as back then, he would have to take a page out of the former Marine's book.
As the gangsters continued to laugh at the hero's expense he approached the table, still in his baseball cap, polo shirt, jeans and sneakers. He joined the men at the table and grabbed a man's full head of hair. It was slicked with gel, which made it neat. He then proceeded to force his head into the table below. This broke one of the legs on the table and as a result that man was then unconscious, his body weighed down the table as the remaining four were brought lower to the ground. They were not laughing after that.
Words like "Cazzo" and "testa di minchia" flew from the mouths of the remaining four as they looked at their fifth.
Spider-Man wasn't the Punisher but he certainly wasn't his old self. When dealing with a criminal element, he would need a more firm hand and they certainly responded to it.
"Look, I don't know nothin', an' even if I did I wouldn't tell no Supe."
Peter circled around the table like a shark does to its prey. He stopped at the one who spoke last and proceeded to collide that man's head with the table.
"You guys are going to need to give me something soon because these other two definitely have concussions.
The next man to speak was the skinniest of the quintet. The sweat from his body began to show from the armpits of his button up shirt. "Look we're just too low on the totem pole man. Jimmy hasn't told us anything."
The name Jimmy struck familiarity in his investigative mind. Clearly this Jimmy was a bigger fish. "Jimmy who?"
"Don't say anything Sly!" Barked another man at the table, a round man in a tan three piece suit. "You snivilin' weasel, you want to get us killed?"
Done with any further delays, the spider brutalized the other two and left only the apparent "Sly" standing or rather hunched over and awake.
"J-Jimmy-6!"
It was a name that he had heard before. A name which belonged to a man he had met in the past, a man who one would imagine, would have walked away from a life tied to the Maggia. Jimmy-6 once turned against his father, Don Fortunato and helped Ben Reilly in the past before Ben's Death at Norman Osborn's hands.
"Where can I find Jimmy-6, Sly?"
The sweat ran down Sly's face faster than rain drops at that point as he had lost all composure. "I-I don't know, I really don't, Spider-Man. Please don't hurt me, I have a heart condition."
If he really didn't know anything,then there was no point in talking to him any further but there might be another way for Peter to move forward with his investigation. He turned away and left for the exit where he came.
"Aren't you gonna cut me loose?"
"It'll dissolve eventually. When you get loose, tell Jimmy Spider-Man wants to talk."
Peter emerged from the basement of the restaurant and into the back alley. The static from the earpiece soon faded, which allowed Matt's voice to come in clear.
"Peter, can you hear me? What happened?"
Peter closed the door behind him and walked as far as he could from the pizzeria in a calm yet hurried pace.
"They didn't know anything. Probably because they weren't bosses" said Peter.
"Too bad, I don't know any of the bosses that you could get to."
Fortunately Peter did know Jimmy and put out the word that he was looking for him. If he was fortunate, Jimmy would find him but in case that didn't happen he would have to search the greater underworld to identify the Maggia's mysterious executioner. Maybe there was a free agent who could lead them in the right direction.
Once he was two blocks away from the shop it was clear that traversal was going to be a big factor in the time it would take overall. Though it was insisted that he be in civilian clothes, Peter was reminded that despite Tony's axing, the Spider-Jammers were still active and a mild headache was beginning to build.
He decided to scale a nearby building and change out of the pants, shoes, shirt and hat. This simple art reminded him of his earlier years, leaving clothes at random parts of the city before going into action and chasing some madman. This would be another field test for his newest suit.
While half naked, and stuck to a wall, Peter Parker webbed the clothes into a sack and released the nanties to form the Unlimited suit. They quickly covered him from head to toe in dark blue and red colors with a webbed cape. In truth, he was already beginning to prefer the suit to the confort any cloth could provide.
The adverse headaches caused by the Spider-Jammers were then shortly remedied. He was ready for some old fashioned web swinging.
"So where am I going now?"
"I know two guys, small fish but just big enough. Last I heard they were dealing in Battery Park, their names are Turk Barrett and Grotto."
The clothes were wrapped into a sling web-sack that Peter let rest on his shoulder. He might need to change clothes just in case but for now he was off.
From west 75th street he swung with great speed through the air. It had been a while since he was able to do this but his mind and body knew what to do. In the air he could move faster than any bus or train in the New York transit system. He zoomed past the streets and in minutes he was already at 54th street.
Around 27th street and 7th Ave the buildings began to get smaller, which brought him lower to the street levet. To remedy this, he swung to the greatest height he could into a glide. It seemed that the glide option from the Iron Spider was not beyond the unlimited's capabilities either.
This time spent in the air felt liberating. For that brief time there was no one trying to kill him, no greater mission, just him defying gravity.
Battery Park was on the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island, next to the Staten Island Ferry. The area has plenty of trees but is nowhere near as coveted as Central Park. The area was known by natives to be the stomping grounds for a few homeless men and women. They wandered around in a sort of daze.
The spider crawled upon the glass window of a building in the shape of a quarter circle. From that high vantage point he could see two men as they stood by an entrance to the park. One man was Caucasian while the other was African American. They were Grotto and Turk respectively. Even from that height it was easy to see that Turk was the brains between the two. He kept his eyes on the street while Grotto passed something along to some of the homeless people who passed by. Their customers didn't even wait before they ingested green pills.
Being that the two were out in plain sight selling MGH, it said a lot about how daring the criminals were and how lax the police could be. To rush in with a spider suit wouldn't be the right play. Police did keep this area on their patrol routes. As far as any passerby could tell, these people were homeless and as long as they didn't bother anyone it would be as if they weren't there.
Peter dug back into his webbed backpack for his civilian clothes.
Once he was back on ground level, Peter crossed the street toward the park at a consistent pace. He could already feel the spider jammer wreak havoc on his head. He adjusted his baseball cap to hide his face as he approached Turk and Grotto as if he was about to walk past them but stopped. He kept turning his head and looked around like a junky for his fix.
"Damn, he must need a fix real bad" said Grotto
"Well you know what they say" replied Turk while still on the lookout for the curious cop. "You ain't got the green, best split the scene."
"I want to know where the bar with no name is?" said the disguised Peter. "I can pay you."
Turk gave a chuckle "What? You must think I have a death wish! I ain't got nothing for ya, white boy."
The familiar tingling began as Turk reached for his belt, a gun no doubt. The incognito Spider-Man stepped toward Turk and grabbed Turk's hand as it latched onto a handgun. It must have hurt because the lowly hustler let out a little whimper. If he was planning to pull the trigger, the only thing he would hit was his own thigh. Grotto, who was simply stunned, had no idea of what to do.
"That's not nice Turk, I was willing to pay."
"What's happening Peter?" Questioned Daredevil over the com.
"You're guy Turk got a little trigger happy." Peter turned to look Turk square in the eye.
"Oh Damn, he's talking to himself. Get him Grotto!"
Grotto looked at the green pills in his hand. He hesitated before he took the Mutant Growth Hormone, probably because it was low grade MGH, more likely to make one's mind hazy than give them powers. That gave Peter time enough to web his face and pull it to meet his own knee. Grotto fell on his back, the pills scattered across the concrete and all of the homeless descended upon them.
"Oh shit! You're Spider-Man!?"
"Daredevil says hi. Seems Grotto wasn't a believer in your product, so we'll do this a different way. Tell me where the bar is or I'll rip your arm out of the socket."
Turk screamed at the homeless men and women who were helping themselves to his product. "I can't man, if somebody finds out that I snitched that's my ass."
Now that he had caused a ruckus, the best option was to get what he needed as soon as possible or risk being seen. "I heard you're a capable guy Turk, you'll figure it out. Now decide, your ass or your arm."
Turk's eyes wandered toward the street, perhaps for a patrol car to flag down. He and Peter saw it at the same time but before Turk could scream the spider's other hand covered his mouth, which resulted in a muffled scream.
"The arm it is then" said Spider-Man with a sinister grin.
Turk gave another muffled scream and attempted to slip out of Peter's hold, after knowing that he had doomed himself. The patrol car rolled right by without stopping.
"It's o-on 14th street" said a voice. It was Grotto. His nose bled through the web which covered his mouth and nose. "I-it's on the corner of 14th street and avenue A in alphabet city. A-and the password is 'J-j-jack o lantern is a cancer.' Without the stutter."
Peter removed his hand which covered Turk's mouth and made sure to take Turk's gun. It was a 22 caliber revolver that he tucked into his own waistline "That wasn't so hard was it Turk? I'll be taking this gun by the way, you don't need it right?"
Daredevil gave a sigh of relief after not having to bear witness to the dismemberment of a human being.
Turk cradled one hand with the other and fell to his knees. His eyes stared at the ground as he said "I thought you were supposed to be the funny guy"
Peter gave a dark Chuckle "You didn't think that was funny? Maybe I should come back with new material."
"Hell no, we're good"
"I'll tell DD you can't wait to see him" The spider walked away and disappeared between the buildings as Turk pulled Grotto onto his feet. The two just stood there, with no idea as to what their next move would be. One would assume they would close up shop for the night.
Above the city, Spider-Man made his way to his next destination.
"Were you really going to hurt him?" questioned Matt with concern.
"Maybe, but it didn't come to that"
"You don't want to push these guys too hard Peter. They might not react too well."
"If you don't like it, you should have come instead. I tried to do it in a nice way but he pushed back. I'm sure that whoever's at the bar will give me a hard time too."
The devil in his ear grew silent, he knew there was truth in those words.
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Given his current status as a terrorist, there probably wasn't a need to be light handed with hoods anymore. If his reputation as a criminal wasn't enough for them to work with him he would have to speak with violence. As far as he was concerned he'd shown restraint, the Punisher would have killed everyone.
For years, in the city of New York, there has existed a bar. A place where henchmen and bad guys congregate. They exchange information and kick their feet up without having to worry about the Police or heroes crashing the party. The reason this bar had been around for so long was because it had no fixed location, it tended to pop up in seemingly random locations for a fixed amount of time. The only way to know where it might be was solely by word of mouth.
Now that he knew where the bar was, Spider-Man could continue his investigation to find the enemy of the Maggia. Out of all the lowlifes in there, someone had to know something. He liked the direct approach, part of him had itched to brawl and they might react to him if he was in full costume. He had to remind himself that he had enemies on both sides of the law. If powerhouse villains happened to be at the bar he might as well dance in a hornet's nest. It was best to be tactful and calm, like Iron Fist advised.
As advertised, the bar had no sign on the outside, just a plain metal door like the one on the back of the Maggia Pizzeria. The walls of the exterior were brick, nothing special. The only part that made it stand out was the doorman as it was covered in graffiti featuring the Green Goblin and you garden variety thug manned it. Tall, bald and a gruff exterior, he leaned against the neighboring wall and watched for people as they passed.
"I would say you should modulate your voice" spoke Matt over the comm link.
"Why?" responded Peter with curiosity. "You have a problem with the way I talk?
"Well, yes and no. Well I just think that you sound a little bit wooden at times. If you go in there and just start asking questions they're going to get suspicious and someone might recognize your voice."
"They're bad guys, they're always suspicious. Peter gave a grunt but it was true that he had been more direct, he couldn't deny it. He could try it Matt's way, for now.
"Make sure that you pull your cap down hard by the lid."
Peter pulled his baseball cap down so that the lid better covered his face. The door man came from off of the wall and scowled at him.
"Can I help you?"
Peter looked the doorman in the eye but as he began to speak his voice squeaked and he stopped immediately to clear his throat. The guard looked back at him with a face full of suspicion. When the hero finally did speak, what came from his mouth was a generic Brooklyn accent. This was the kind of voice he came across a lot in his past but in the moment it was his voice.
"Jack o'lantern is a cancer" side with a low growl.
The doorman gave a hard look "show me your face"
What the doorman saw was not the face of Peter Parker but the mug of a man whose face appeared swollen with hints of black and blue for good measure. The doorman must have felt a bit of phantom pain because he winced in an instant. He then felt Peter up to check for weapons and took the Pistol that was tucked in Peter's waistline. He then looked at the device on the hero's wrist which looked like an ordinary watch to him.
"I'll hold onto this pistol, welcome to that party" the doorman opened the door for Peter and closed it behind him
"Sounds like it worked"
"What just happened?"
"The hat is fitted with Holo tech, provided by Fury. There are some presets, depending on how you put on the lid you become an instant master of disguise."
"And which one do I have on now?"
"If you pulled hard like I told you, you should be what is called the beaten mugger. Makes you look like you went ten rounds with Shang-Chi. Wish I could've seen the doorman's face" Daredevil snickered a bit to himself.
"Must have been good because he looked at me like I had cancer. Is there anything else in these clothes I need to know about?"
"You're good at the moment."
Peter hadn't had to worry about the tone of his voice since drama class in high school. He couldn't even see the face that he was saddled with. In his opinion his voice was a bit grungier compared to a year ago. As long as he was confident in the way he spoke, people wouldn't question it. Look at how many years he fooled People into believing he was just a scrawny kid from Queens.
He trudged down some stairs into what seemed to be a basement. As he took each step, Peter thought about the many voices of thugs he'd come across and what they sounded like. He could also hear the ramblings of people who sounded like they were having a good time. Men and women chatted and yelled without a care in the world. He came to a door and pushed it open.
It was a basement space completely renovated into a full bar space one would assume existed for years. The wooden tables were worn yet polished. Those walls were coated in new paint yet the space didn't have a hint of the new paint smell. And more than anything this place was packed. Groups of people had their own corner of the space. Some people were loud and obnoxious, screaming about how things were in the old days, others kept to themselves. You even had your young impressionable hoods talking about they're dreams of "making it big." In a world with Norman Osborn running the show that could either be more attainable or a bygone dream.
"Can you get a seat by the bar?" Asked DD
"I see one open"
"Ok good. Sit down and order a drink like it's been a really long day."
Peter let out a groan and slinked through the hoodlums. They didn't pay him any mind as he moved about in the drunken haze which hung in the air. A causation man, in what appeared to be a drunken stupor, knocked bummed into Peter's shoulder.
"Bro, I would say watch where you're going but Somebody beat me to it" He broke out in hysterical laughter to himself. Peter ignored the bar patrian who wasn't watching his surroundings and he bumped into another man who introduced him to the floor.
After he arrived at the bar, Peter plopped himself down on the stool. The bar was old and made of oak and fresh polish. There was history in that wood with little doodles and etchings of initials, assuming they belonged to a villain. The Bartender was middle aged and white with a round belly and receding hairline. He looked at the disguised Peter from the corner of his eye and said casually "One of those days huh? What'll it be pal?"
Peter didn't give it much thought since he wasn't much of a drinker and the bar scene was never his comfort zone. With no opinion of his own, it was a good thing Matt was in his "just leave it to the bartender to decide. You can just take little sips."
"Whadda ya recommend," asked Peter in an accent that was distinctly from Brooklyn as he put down forty dollars on the countertop. The voice happened to be the right fit, it just felt right.
"Get him some Bourbon on the rocks Carl. same for me" said a voice next to Peter. "Put your money away. This one's on me."
The Bartender nodded in agreement and pulled out a drinking glass, filled it with a ball of ice and proceeded to pour the Bourbon, it filled halfway and the ice ball floated like a glacier at sea.
The hero looked at the man in the neighboring stool. He didn't notice him at first glance but he was familiar "Thanks, what's your name pal"
"Herman Schultz but some call me, the Shocker"
Peter's mugger face looked at Herman with what one would assume was surprise and awe.
"You're not gonna ask me for an autograph, are you?" Herman went back to looking at his fresh drink.
"Nah, I was jus' surprised. That's all"
"Yeah well, don't expect me to take pictures."
"Not bad Pete" said Matt over the comms "now see if you can move the conversation to the Maggia but be subtle. You know this guy more than I do so it's your move."
Herman was one of Peter's rogues from the old days. With his "shock gloves" the guy never caught on like the Rhino or Scorpion or even Vulture. His suit was yellow with some parts brown. The pattern made his look like a walking pin cousin but his shock gloves were something special. He was just seen as a small-time bank robber by everyone else, somebody just looking for a payday. This trait of "getting by" was arguably what defined most of Peter's rogues, people just trying to get their just due even if they had to resort to crime to do it.
"What's your story pal?" Said Herman as he gazed at the ice in his glass. "I've never seen you in here before."
Peter froze after he was put on the spot but Daredevil had a story prepared. Peter would just have to recite it as if it was the truth.
"Names Chuck" said Peter with his Brooklyn accent. "Old guys used ta' call me 'Chucky tha fist' cause I could nevea' take a punch. Did some armed robbery some years back, thought I made a good score and went straight. After a while, the city starts hitting me with extra taxes, said it was supposed to cover damages from supes, ya know? I should've moved but my heart wasn't in it."
Chuck sipped his bourbon enough to only let an ounce touch his lips "I was thinking about doing some work for the Maggia but they gave a 'endureance test' obviously I failed. I'm hearing they got their own problems. Maybe I should just go to their competition.
Herman took a gulp of his bourbon, he felt the raspy sting in his throat before he spoke "well I wouldn't go floating your resume any time soon."
"Why is that-"
Just then Carl the bartender cut Peter off and called out to everyone in the bar to shut up and listen. The rowdy bar patrons stilled their mouths and drew their eyes to the bartender in unison.
"Alright you bums, raise your glasses and drink to everyone who died at prison 42 thanks to Spider-Man and his sadistic friends."
All of the men and women raised their glasses and downed the contents. While the media more or less mourned the loss of the guards and imprisoned heroes, the villains didn't get much focus. But there, in the Bar with no Name, those Villains were people too regardless of their history. Names like Will o the wisp, Boomerang, Styx and Stone, the Beetle, Chameleon and Alister Smythe to name a few
Chucky tha Fist' drank from his glass and thought about how normal the atmosphere appeared. He then membered why he was there in the first place. He remained quick for a bit longer and socked in the atmosphere and thought to himself. If he had the opportunity, could he really kill everyone in the bar?
"What did ya mean before?" asked Herman "About the Maggia?"
"Uh right, I said I was looking for some quick work but the Magg has their own problems. Maybe they had some competition I could work for?"
"Unless you're packing some of that new MGH or some kind of tech edge, the Maggia competition doesn't want you."
"So no schmoes huh? Just my luck"
"If you ask me, you're better off," lamented Herman. "Guys were offering $100,000 just for guys to sign up. Seemed too good to be true to me. I've seen guys chug MGH like vitamins to get that kind of money, only to get a hole in their stomach."
"Ah, I don't know. Maybe I can change their minds. I gotta know where dis place is Herm, I could really use the break man."
Herman gave an exhaustive sigh "what are you? A cop?
Chucky, a beaten man covered in bruises, looked Herman Schultz in the eyes with all of the serious conviction Peter Parker could muster "Just a guy tryin' ta get a fair shake. If the Green Goblin can get the top spot in SHIELD then I'm due for a break too right?
Herman went back to down his drink and signaled for a refill from Carl the Bartender. He gave an exhaustive sigh "The world's not fair Chuck. And Osborn in a position of power is just the example. Whatever man, do what you want. It's supposed to be a free country right? They were holding some tryouts on the west side, the Hudson train yards, 30th street."
"Thanks Herm, You're a decent guy." The beaten Chuck gave a half grin on the unswolled side of his face and jumped up from his seat. "He got up from his seat and made his way to the exit of the Bar with no Name and away from Herman Schultz.
"I hope you enjoyed your life Chuck. I tried to warn you."
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Still in his hologram disguise, Peter arrived in the Hudson train yard. An area devoid of civilians, this place was solely used to house Long Island railroad trains. There were no tourist attractions of any kind there, so the average Joe had no reason to go there, especially late at night.
Chuck stood on the sidewalk of 30th street. With no one around he hopped over a simple fence that led to the train yard. The area was as quiet as the street with train tracks which covered an area as wide as two football fields. A couple of trains were there but no people and his head was, of course, on the verge of feeling pain once more from the constant spider-jammer signal. He saw that the tracks led towards an overhead bridge in the middle of the train yard and once he got there he saw no one.
It was possible that no one was actually there but Peter stood there under the bridge and on the lookout. It must have been fifteen minutes before he walked from under the bridge and into the open. With his head in pain he decided to at least move around a bit and that's when his spider-sense brought a warning and with it sharp pain. The jammers might have deleted the warning because before he could react, Peter was pegged by some kind of a large ball. His body flung across the yard and into the tracks like a rag doll.
Now his head and body radiated with pain. His vision blurred as tried to get his bearings and that's when he heard the footsteps. There was more than one person there and each of them were heavy-set, made evident as the ground shook. For each foot.
"Stay down shrimp or get stomped by THE WRECKING CREW!