XXXxxx Republic City Outskirts xxxXXX
It was quiet in the outskirts of town. Even in the midst of the greatest match of the year, only the faintest hints of the urban hustle and bustle could be felt in the wooded district. Squirrels and deer stirred in the night. Chiko's Yuan background was on full display tonight. The captain and Hanzo weren't lacking in the stealth department but they were a far cry from Chiko's skill. His team didn't respond to his leadership too well. He was too slow for their taste. The police officers had to resist every urge to storm through the forest searching for the stronghold. Tarrlok's people weren't faring much better and their lack of training didn't help matters. The archer's improvised team wasn't perfect but their union held itself together. Everyone knew what was at stake and that proved to be their most motivating factor. No one wanted to take the rap for letting Amon get away.
Chiko's small squad still left much to be desired in his eyes. Their breathing wasn't steady and their steps were clumsy. They were indistinct sounds to an untrained ear but a loud racket to Chiko. His old Fire Nation unit would've been on them in nothing flat. His lackluster scouting team didn't hinder him. He practically floated through the woods, avoiding every branch and leaf effortlessly. His searching eyes were as sharp as his focus. He analyzed anything and everything within eye shot as he led his squad.
:/ Chi, how you holding up?:/ Hanzo sounded off on the radio.
Chiko sneered in quiet frustration. They agreed to limited radio contact for a reason. "We're fine Han. Now shut up and let me work."
:/ *Sigh* Roger.:/
He continued his search and came across tire tracks. He got on one knee and analyzed the evidence intently.
"Nice kid, you're already on track." A taskforce member whispered.
Chiko didn't recognize the praise, a rarity for him, and simply turned his head and followed the track marks. He placed two fingers into the soil and sniffed the sample. Despite himself, he didn't pay the praise any mind. He simply followed the track's path and tasted the soil. He shook his head in disgust when his mind reached a conclusion. "No, it's a faint. A truck going at this heading isn't going towards the arena." He stood up and motioned his team onward. "Keep moving, we're bound to find something."
"How do you know that?" A taskforce member protested in a harsh whisper. He wasn't the only one who wanted to wrap this up in a hurry.
"Didn't taste like street." Chiko stated flatly as his eyes continued to scan his surroundings.
The taskforce member had to resist the urge to shout at the young man leading them. "What?!" he whispered harshly.
"No asphalt, no motor oil deposits, and they don't smell like exhaust. Whatever truck rolled around out here wasn't making any drop offs in town." Again, Chiko stated his findings to the Neanderthal whispering in his ear. Tarrlok must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel finding these guys.
"Oh…alright then." The taskforce laky ceased all protests and fell back in formation.
Chiko ordered them to stop and reached for his radio. "Prowler. Hanzo. Adjust your heading thirty-five degrees south by south east."
Prowler grinned under his mask. The young archer was thriving under the pressure.
:/ Acknowledged./:
:/Copy/:
Chiko's team followed his lead but they had their misgivings. Even Beifong's men were losing confidence. The vocal taskforce member made his concerns known again. The kid was a part of the famed Yu-Yan Archers but he was still a kid. He was an asset but he felt that he wasn't the one to lead the show.
"Look, maybe we should circle back and give those tracks a second look." The Tarrlok enforcer suggested while maintaining some form of decorum. "We can nail these guys before they-"
"We'd be wasting our time if we did." He didn't hide his annoyance this time. "The broken branches mean there was regular movement through this path. There's a lack of rodent tracks so they know something we don't. Oh and genius, there's a chi-blocker at your eight o'clock."
Everyone was flummoxed by Chiko's words. They wondered why he would joke around at such a crucial moment. While his team questioned his poor sense of humor, Chicko sprang into action. He dropped and got into a firing position in one smooth motion. His arrows whistled through the air and, as usual, hit their mark.
The chi-blocker lurking in the shadows was more surprised than the others. She didn't have time to react and was instantly pinned to the tree behind her.
The rest of the chi-blockers realized that they lost the element of surprise and went on the attack. The archer knew what was going on but the others were still in the dark. It wasn't much but they still had a slight advantage. They bounced from atop trees and advanced from hidden positions onto the unsuspecting team. A few of them engaged their shock gloves, which gave an off putting glow against the snow.
The rest of the team caught on to the ambush and launched a counterattack. The two parties engaged in a bitter assault against each other. Both sides were off balance. With the confusion it was more of an open melee than a coordinated assault. The benders kept them at bay with their respective elements. The Equalists on the other hand bobbed and weaved through the ranged assault and closed into many openings at their disposal. The chi-blocker's semi successful ambush still left them at a disadvantage. They were well trained and had several anti-bender strategies at their disposal but they were close range fighters, while the benders were at their best in mid-range attacks. They had to get within arm's length to be affective. The bolos and shock gloves helped bridge the gap but not by much. Chiko made things even more difficult for them. The Yu-Yan archer's sharp eye caught all of the openings they were going for and covered them. He pinned and wounded every chi-blocker that got in his invisible crosshairs. He was good, but the chi-blockers already had them surrounded and he couldn't cover every angle. The best his small team could do was hold out until Hanzo and Quon to back them up but they didn't know their location. It didn't help matters that they were spread so thin. They knew this of course; they were recon teams and were too small for direct action.
"One of you get on the horn and call the others!" Chicko barked. He'd do it himself if he could but his sharp shooting took priority.
"I'M TRYING!" the metal bender barked back. "ARGH! SOMETHINGS WRONG WITH THIS STUPID THING!"
"Ah for crying out loud!" Chicko cursed his rotten luck. He would have to improvise to save the mission. He yanked his headband off and wrapped it around one of his arrow heads. He held the arrow close to a taskforce firebender and lit it. He hastily fired into the night sky. It was the only thing they could do to alert the others.
Chiko gritted his teeth. The chi-blockers were closing in and he was performing at half his capacity in the tight space. It wasn't ideal but he was far from helpless. He ditched his bow and pulled out a simple night stick. "FAN OUT AND GET ON THE OFFENSIVE!"
His squad followed his order and openly engaged the hostiles. They were outnumbered but that didn't slow them down. They charged the chi-blockers and held their own despite the circumstances. The metal bender's slayer armor kept them in the fight longer and, to their amazement, the taskforce members held their own. One could say a lot about Tarlokk but he recruited a solid group of warriors.
Chicko wasn't fairing as well as the others. He wasn't a close range fighter nor did he have special equipment to make up for this weakness. He swung a wide arc at an incoming equalist. Unfortunately for him, the chi-blocker was in his element and now had a problem avoiding the attack. Chicko felt a volley of sharp jabs along his outstretched arm. He dropped the night stick and as his arm went limp. This didn't dishearten the young squad leader though. The chi blocker may have taken his arm but he left himself wide open, or he thought Chicko would instinctively retreat. He took the initiative and landed a vicious haymaker with his remaining arm. He didn't relish in the small victory. In all the excitement he didn't see that most of his team was dispatched. Only two team mates stood at his flanks and they were visibly exhausted. If he had to wager his odds, they'd last anywhere from ten to fifteen seconds before going down. It couldn't be helped. One was partially paralyzed while another was hunched on one leg. Needless to say, their defensive capabilities were severely limited. The electro shock devices they wielded were devastating for the metalbenders; they might as well be wearing lightning rod armor.
"Ah cripes." Chicko wheezed out. He couldn't see a way out of this and wondered where his back up was. Did the Equalists have traps set up for them too?
"What now fearless leader?" The wounded taskforce member asked with pure scorn.
"Oh you know…go down fighting…that kind of thing." He made light of the dire situation.
"With all due respect team lead, that plan stinks." The police officer complained.
"I'm open to suggestions." He saw the chib-lockers tense up, they were about to end it. "Here they come, GET SET!"
Before the chi-blocker's could charge their position, the ground rumbled and chipped apart. The sharp tremor left them staggered and unbalanced. Hanzo rushed in first. He targeted the shock glove wielders and quickly disabled their weapons. He bobbed and weaved through the confused assault team. The only indication of his assault was the quick flash of his swords.
Quon went for the rest. His stone gloves were fully utilized along with the prowler armor The pellets blasted off his fingers acted like a riot shotgun against the Equalists. There were audible pings if the stone made contact with the chi-blocker's helmets.
Hanzo and Quaon did most of the leg work while their teams closed and secured the perimeter. They were shocked that the two UF commandos almost single handedly dispatched the sizable chi-blocker force. The two soldier's wouldn't brag about their success. They had far more experience and the element of surprise on their side. It would seem that the Equalists relied too much on their radio jamming technology. Perhaps they planned on ambushing each team one by one, counting on their loss of unit cohesion to win the night. They were well trained but inexperienced. Chiko's quiver saw more action than these guys.
"Oh thank goodness." Chiko sighed in relief and dropped out of this stance.
The now unified force restrained the chi-blockers and tended to their wounded.
"Sorry about the wait Chi'" Hanzo said while making a make shift sling. "I barely got your signal after the coms went dead."
"I would've missed interlay without this thing." Quon tapped his Prowler mask. "I owe the Tinkerer a drink."
"Right." Chicko got up and adjusted his sling. He hoped the damage wasn't lasting. The jerks got his shooting arm. "How'd you know to go for the electric gloves?" He asked Hanzo.
"I didn't…well…I was too busy huffing it over here with my squad. I saw glowy gloves so I just sort of went after them." Hanzo explained with a shrug. He had no shame admitting is ignorance.
"You did good son." Quon congratulated his subordinate.
"Really? Most of my guys were taken down. I wouldn't put that in the win category cap."
Hanzo cocked a brow at the now modest Chicko. 'I'll be dipped, our little archer's growing up.' He kept his words to himself. This wasn't the time to chide him.
"Any one of us could've been in your situation. There's no shame in that." Quon reassured. "Alright people we need to-"
"Captain!" Chicko stopped him. "I'm not trying to supersede your command sir, but you gave me a job to do and I'm not finished yet."
"Those chi-blockers knock a few screws loose kid? You don't order the capta-"
"It's alright Hanzo." Quon stopped him. "He does have a point. Can you still move?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Lead the way."
"You, taskforce girl!"
"I have a name you know." The woman sighed frustratingly. "What do you need?"
"Patch up the wounded. I'll leave a few guys with you to provide security while the rest of us finish the operation." Chicko stated.
The taskforce woman was too tired to argue with the young archer. "Understood."
They did as he said and moved towards the suspected stronghold location. They had to be close since the chi-blockers fought so hard to take down Chicko's team. His offensive capabilities were severely limited at the moment. He was more of a guide then a leader at this point.
"Yo 'Chi', you see enough action yet?"
Chicko chuckled. "I had my fill for one night."
The small team made it to a decent sized cabin in a deforested clearing. The lights were on but there was no sign of activity. There were no sentries or spotlights. Was it some kind of ops center? It was too small to be a forward operating base. There weren't going to be any major operations launching from this sight. It looked like the PI's intel was a dude. But then why was it guarded?
"Captain, I'll be honest with you. I don't think there's anything useful here." Chicko confessed and silently returned the rains to him. "What do we do?"
The team internally asked the same question. It was starting to look like their efforts were futile.
"We go in and gather anything valuable. The Equalists weren't sent here to sightsee you know." Quaon ordered and casually walked towards the cabin. There was no point in any further tactical movements. The reset followed his example and made their way to the cabin. He motioned for a few of the squad members keep watch while the rest searched for clues.
A couple of metalbenders stacked up on the door and breached the door off its hinges. They filed in, wires at the ready, just to be safe. It was clear and the others went inside.
The interior was as plain as the exterior. There was a fire place, a decent size common area, and limited furniture. One thing stood out though. One of the chairs had something on top of it. A tarp hid its true nature.
Hanzo stepped next to it and grabbed the tarp. He looked to Quon to give the order.
"Go ahead…"
He did as he was told and yanked the tarp away from the chair. To everyone's shock, there was a simple mannequin sitting in the chair holding a record player. One of Amon's damaged masks was attached to the face. A top third of the mask was broken off. Everyone jumped when the vinyl record started spinning.
:/ Good evening Captain Quon, or whomever Beifong sent to this cabin. I hope you enjoyed tonight's festivities. I hope you can forgive my deception but I couldn't risk you and your colleagues interfering in my plans-/:
Quon's stone face crumbled and contoured hearing his name escaping Amon's lips. His worst fears were coming to pass. He was the right man leading the right people and they were miles away from where he needed to be. He could live with this oversight, it was the nature of his profession. What really struck a nerve was how informed Amon was. There were only a handful of U.F personnel who knew they were in the city and even fewer local government officials. Not even the Council knew they were in the country, but the Equalist did. There was a major intelligence leak in the operation. He regained his military bearing and continued to listen.
:/-tonight. My chi-blockers may have been unsuccessful but they did their part so I shouldn't complain. It was so easy to feed those two mustachioed dolts that evidence, it was almost comical. If you're wondering, we've been aware of your little operation for some time now. We ignored you up to this point. I had hoped you would've taken care of our neutral arachnid friend but it would seem your team wasn't up to the task. That doesn't matter now. I just wanted to extend a final curtsy to you and your little team. Nothing can stop the revolution. Not you, the Avatar, the police, or Spider-Man. I'd pack my bags and call it a day if I were you:
Quaon had heard enough. He pointed his index finger at the recoded player and fired. He sighed and shook his head. This political unrest was quickly turning into a full governmental collapse and there wasn't much he could do about it.
"What are you doing?! We could've gotten valuable-" A police officer was cut short.
"There was nothing useful on that record officer." He motioned for Hanzo and Chicko to exit the house.
"You don't know that." The officer protested. "Where are you three going?!"
"We're heading to the arena to back up the Chief."
"So just call it…" The officer stopped himself. With all the excitement, he forgot about the radio jamming.
"Find the jammer and disable it." Before he could join his team he turned around. "Just so we're clear, I said 'disable' not destroy. That and the downed chi-blockers are the only concrete evidence we got out of this fiasco. We'll radio for some help when we can get a signal. Hold down the fort until then. Get the others up to speed when you can. Understood?"
The officer gritted his teeth. His anger was directed at the botched mission, not Quon. "Yes sir…"
"What now Cap?" Chicko asked.
"We hike into town, commandeer a vehicle, and high tail it to the arena." He stated his plans doing, his best to hold back the rage building in his gut. He made the right call assigning Lou and Yumi to Beifong's security detail. All he could do now was head their way and hope things would go pear shaped before he could get there. He turned to Chicko. "I need a no nonsense answer from you Chi'. Can you still keep up with us?"
Chicko locked eyes with his commanding officer. "My arms jacked, but my legs are fine. Heck I'd probably get to town before you old man."
"Good, let's go!"
The three UF soldiers double-timed it through the woods. The cold and fatigue didn't slow them down in the slightest. There was only one voice of descent amongst them. Hanzo was a dedicated soldier with eleven years under his belt but he was a cynic at heart. He was mindful of the situation and kept his doubt to himself.
'We're not going to make it…'
XXXxxx Pro-Bending Arena: West End Stands xxxXXX
The excitement, and anxiousness, in the crowd was palpable. They found their seats and talked amongst themselves waiting for the biggest match of the year to go down. It was surprisingly peaceful in the arena. There were no altercations outside of a few spirited conversation. Some patrons bargained for better seats while others shuffled through the aisle with arms full of concessions. Peter just sat with his adoring costumed fans with his arms folded like an impatient child. His eyes darted around looking for anything that was remotely affiliated with the Equalists. His arm chair search yielded no results. There wasn't even an Equalist sympathizer to be seen. He almost hoped the Equalists would show tonight. The thought of diving through all these flaming hoops for nothing didn't sit right with him.
"Spidey, relax bud." One of the cosplayer's advised. "You can't just sit there looking agitated. Loosen up."
Spider-Man just grumbled like a spoiled child. He'd been agonizing this confrontation for weeks now. This was his chance to end this revolution madness. He had trained his mind and body for this occasion. His foot tapped the floor boards like a jack rabbit. He was past fear now. He wished Amon would just light this candle so he could get it over with.
"I would if I could pal." He gripped. "Ugh! What's the hold up?!"
"It's the championship match Mr. Spider-Man sir." Another cosplayer informed. "Each team can set up a special wring entrance to mark the occasion."
"So how long does that usually take?" Spider-Man asked.
"It depends. The Wolfbats delayed the final bout for an hour last year."
"What happened? Did one of them break their leg or something?"
"No. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think it had something to do with that Tahno guy looking for the right hair mousse."
Peter buried his masked head in his palm. Of course the official's would tolerate such a blatant egotistical gratification. The Wolfbats were the golden boys after all.
"All Dembsey needed was a robe and a few trainers." The wall crawler mumbled.
"You feeling okay Spidey? You seem a bit off."
"Compared to the other times we've met?"
"Yeah, I heard you laughed at the face of danger." A cosplayer chimed in behind him.
"I don't laugh, I shoot dry quips at it." Spider-Man corrected. "Why would I laugh at danger? I ain't Robin Hood."
"Oh, is 'Robin Hood' your other code name?"
"No it's…ugh, you know what, nevermind."
"While we're on the subject, there's a rumor that you…umm…eat your victims."
"What?! No! I don't have victims and I DON'T eat people!" Spider-Man's tone betrayed what his fans thought of him.
"So you don't eat them whole but trap them in your web and suck their delicious-"
"NOO!" The web head shot up from his seat shouted. He caught a few stares for his troubles and returned to his seat with a huff.
"Yo guys, lay off will you? We had an agreement, remember?" The wiser cosplayer reminded the others.
"Ah man, sorry Spidey."
"Yeah, we're sorry."
"Forget about it." Peter brushes his tiff under the rug. "I didn't mean to shout. I'm just worried about tonight, and honestly I'm just not used to being out in the open like this. It's weird, you know?"
"So you go into a sort of hibernation between-"
Spider-Man shot an ugly look at the inquisitive cosplayer. At least he thought he did.
"Shutting up now."
He sighed and decided to elaborate. They were a tad annoying but they were doing him a huge favor. "I'm not used being out and about like this. I'm usually sneaking around, not hiding plain sight in costume. I handle my problems out of sight. That clear things up for you?"
"It does. Yep, sometimes you just have to fit a square peg in a circle, if you catch my drift."
"Been doing that a lot lately." He said with a sigh. The stress of it all would kill him before a bad guy could. His train of thought stopped cold when something caught his eye. He looked closer and confirmed his suspicions. "I don't believe it."
"What? You say something?"
Spider-Man didn't respond right away. The swell of raw emotion held his tongue. His mask hid most of it from his costumed compatriots. He wanted to do a dozen things all at once. Thankfully, he exhaled a deep breath and kept his cool. "No. Do me a favor and watch my seat for me."
"Sure, but what for?"
"Eh, nothing special. I'm just going to say 'hi' to an old friend of mine that's all." He told his fans as he got to his feet and started to walk.
"Spider-Man and his friends." A cosplayer asked amongst her peers.
He walked slowly towards his prey. His hands were tucked into his pockets trying to act as natural as humanly possible. He could never forget the firebender that tormented him during Beifong's farce. She had a stern look on her as she scanned the arena. She wore plane clothing and blended into the crowd well. It was simple happenstance that Peter even saw her. Or maybe a higher power was messing with him. He debated what to do next. Should he subdue her? Could he even pull it off in a crowded arena? His mind raced as he approached her.
Yumi sat in her seat, it felt like a cell at the moment, searching for anything out of place. She couldn't see the appeal of the sport. Six idiots go into a ring and beat the heck out of each other for the people's amusement. 'Pro-Bending' was a cheap imitation compared to actual combat. Even if she was a fan she couldn't enjoy it, considering the situation at hand.
:/ Catch anything on your end Yu'?/:
"Nope." Yumi reported through the radio receiver in her scarf. "Just the usual procession of mindless drones marching in to catch their publically mandated slugfest." She said with a board monotone.
:/ Heh. What's wrong? Always thought you'd like this sort of stuff. I mean, I'm not a fan or nothing but I can see the appeal of it./:
Yumi sighed and rested her head on her hand. "It's a soulless use of the bending arts. Bending is sacred. It's an art and a tool, not a lame sideshow."
:/ I believe the arts are subjective little lady./:
Yumi grimaced at Lou's smug sounding counterpoint. "Whatever. Clear coms for a bit, we're losing focus." She cut the brewing argument off before it could start. She had enough to worry about at the moment.
:/ Copy that. Just holler if you need me./:
"I had to get the one swamp-bender with the philosophy degree." She mumbled to herself. Her normal shenanigans wouldn't work on him and she knew it. She stuffed her mouth with flakes and fumed. "And of course the fire flakes are lousy. Hope Chi' and the others are alright."
"Hi there. Is this seat taken?" A voice next to her asked.
Yumi didn't even regard the patron standing next to her. "Depends? You got a ticket for that seat?"
The voice chuckled nervously. "'fraid not. I bought my ticket from a scalper last-minute and I'm all the way up in the nosebleeds, go figure."
"Look guy, I don't wa-" The sight shocked her at first. It looked like Spider-Man had just casually walked up to her. Her heart raced but evened out upon closer inspection of the man standing next to her. She remembered the psych profile the investigators had on him. He would never be out in the open like this. It was just a deluded fan boy. "Look just go to the crummy seat and leave me alone. Someone else paid good money for that spot and I don't think they'd be too happy seeing some cosplayer tying to swipe it from him."
Spider-Man held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, it's not like that. It's just, well, it's my first time seeing pro-bending match and I just wanted to get a good look at the ring that's all. I'll amscray as soon at the ticket holder rolls through. No harm no fuss. Is that okay?"
Yumi sighed. "Do whatever you want."
"Thanks."
Peter couldn't believe he was going through with this. He was never so brazen. Every bone in his body was screaming at him not to do this. He did nothing at first. He just sat in his seat and looked on, mentally wrestling with what he had to do. All he did was sit and waited for an opportunity to present itself. Thankfully, Yumi broke the ice.
"I don't mean to sound like a jerk but your costume is kind of lame." She couldn't help but tease the young fan sitting next to her. The sun warrior still had some hard feelings towards the web head and no qualms on taking it out on the fan boy.
"Little harsh, don't you think? I worked all day on this thing."
Yumi didn't care for hurt feelings at the moment and she couldn't resist the urge to twist the metaphysical knife. "Sorry fan boy, I can't help it. The costumes all wrong. You did a decent job with the mask but everything else is all wrong. Don't know why you thought a trench coat and spiders would work but it doesn't, ergo your costume is kind of lame." She finished and didn't even give him the courtesy of a glance.
Peter looked down and inspected his attire. "You got a point. To be honest with you it was the best I could do in such short notice." He gritted his teeth. It was time to get down to business. "My first costume got wrecked. I mean sword slashes, sewer vines, and all that ash, woof! I still can't get the smell out of my mask. I've been meaning to ask how you managed since you caught the brunt of that smoke stack."
His words froze Yumi in her tracks. This wasn't a cosplayer. Her head didn't move, but her eyes turned to the vigilante sitting next to her. Years of training and military bearing served her well. She didn't fly off the handle and make a scene. She held down the call button on her com device.
"By the way, you ever get that, what did you call it again, suu-chi?" He took a deep breath. "Look I-"
Yumi started laughing like she just heard the funniest joke in the world. She closed in quickly and wrapped her arm around his neck. "OH YOU'RE SO FUNNY!" Her embrace shifted into a one arm head lock with her fist pointed to his throat. She was smart, any onlooker would interpret this as a friendly gesture.
His spider-sense flared to alarming heights through the exchange. It took all of his will not to act and allow it to happen. The lock wasn't strong, she wasn't trying to strangle him. He wondered why his spider-sense tripped until he felt the heat radiate from her fist. She was holding a blow torch to his throat and could ignite it at any moment.
"You got a lot of nerve showing up here. But getting right next to me? That was just plain stupid." She said through a smile. Her commitment to the façade was impressive. "Now here's what's going to happen. We're going to mosey on to the nice policemen in the corner there, slap every restraint we have on you, and Beifong will throw you in the deepest darkest pit she can find." She turned up the heat to emphasize her will. "Got it?"
Peter took another deep breath. Kun Lei's breathing exercises were coming in handy. He let the fire out of his lungs before addressing Yumi's ultimatum. "That sounds fun and all, but it ain't happening." He didn't move despite every nerve in his body telling him to do otherwise.
The false smile was wiped off Yumi's face. Her heart raced now. She literally had the Spider-Man in her grasp and would fight like hell to keep it that way, but her options were limited. She had a plan but had no means of enforcing it. "You think I'm bluffing bug-boy?"
The web head's senses blared to uncomfortable levels. It was like a phone ringing off the hook and he couldn't answer. "No. I think you're letting the past cloud your better judgment. Just so were clear, if you cauterize my throat you'll cause a panic and throw your only shot at Amon in the trash. You'd do all that for little old me? Shucks, I'm flattered."
Yumi locked her eyes with Spider-Man before releasing him with a hard shove. "You're lucky there's bigger fish to fry punk!" She folded her arms and bottled her anger. "What do you want?"
Spider-Man rubbed his neck and went straight to the point. "I need your help."
Yumi turned her head. The incredulous look on her face projected her feelings on the subject. "…you really are crazy aren't you?"
"Jury still out on that. Believe me, I don't like it either, but I think we can help each other out."
Yumi let out a condescending laugh. "Sure Spidey. Assaulting police officers, burying my teammates in tons of rubble, just water under the bridge, right."
"I'm not going to apologize for what happened that night and I'm not asking for your forgiveness and I sure as hell don't care what you think. The only thing I'm worried about is the here and now, and right now we have a mutual problem. Now I'm willing to put our differences aside and focus on the Equalists for one night." Once again, Peter thanked the heavens he was wearing a mask. His face contorted through the whole spiel. It needed to be said but it wasn't easy. "I can leave and take my chances on my own or you can hear my proposal and we can see where things go from there. What do you say?"
Yumi internally weighed her options and considered his words. Her expression gave him no hints as to which option she leaned towards. "What did you have in mind?"
Peter didn't celebrate and simply answered the question. "All I'm asking for is a little cooperation. You're here with your team, right?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, who knows?" Yumi kept that knowledge to herself. "Keep going, I don't have all night."
Spider-Man sighed in frustration. "Regardless, when things go left we don't get in each other's way and support each other if it's applicable. Distract that guy so you can advance, that sort of thing."
"You want to team up?"
"Sort of, sure."
"I don't believe this."
"I don't like it either, but we both know what we're capable of. We could use each other to get what we want and we're not going to be too effective tripping over each other trying to stop the Equalists." Spider-Man explained and hoped she would agree to his terms. At best they could work off one another. It would at least be one less thing to worry about.
"So if the situation calls for it, I could use you as a meat shield if it means stopping the Equalists. Is that what you're trying to say Web Head?" An evil grin was etched on her face.
Spidey just sighed at the poor attempt at scare him. "In the fantastical unlikely event that is required of me? Then yes. I will block every chi-blocker, bolo, and electric baton in the joint."
"In that case I'm in. You're off limits tonight."
"Hey buddy, move it or lose it! You're in my seat!" A voice tore their attention from one another. They both turned towards the person shouting his demands. The voice belonged to a portly fellow with an arm full of snacks and his ticket in hand.
Spider-Man paused and savored the sight before him. "Ha!"
"Something funny jerk?! Huh?!" The fat man almost spilled his beverage.
Yumi looked on in abject horror looking at the man she had to sit with.
"You won't be laughing when I get the cops down here and throw your-"
"Woah woah, relax big guy, no need for all that." The wall crawler held his hands up in mock surrender. "I was just saying 'hi' to an old work buddy of mine, that's all."
Yumi was shocked at the breakneck tone change in the young man. He went from sounding like a cold calculating litigator to a carefree sport fan. How many hats did this guy own?
He rose up from the borrowed seat and bumped his shoulder before leaving. "Careful buddy, she's a real fire cracker." He didn't try very hard to mask his words.
Yumi grinded her teeth and threw what was left of her bag of fire flakes at the back of Spider-Man's head. He casually shifted his head to the right, dodged the bag, caught it, and tossed in in a trash bin.
The heavyset gentleman took his seat in a huff and unintentionally bumped into the sun warrior. The arena's seat could barely contain his girth and brushed up against Yumi's arm.
She ignored the disgusting softness she was feeling and released the call button on her radio. "You get all that?"
:/Yeah, and I don't like it. You should've nailed that little punk to the wall Yu'. What the heck were you thinking?:/ Lou's tone was even but Yumi could hear the fury being held back. Who could blame him? Whatever bad blood she had with the web head, he had more.
"I know how you fell big guy, believe me I know. I wanted to take him down but he had a point. My hands were tied." She whispered into her scarf. Thankfully her neighbor was too busy with his refreshments to notice. "This is one of those situations where cooler heads need to prevail, or whatever the captain keeps telling us. Besides, our deal is a two way streak. We can use him. Heck if all our turtle-ducks get in a row, we can capture Amon and Spider-Man all on the same night."
:/ I wish I was as confident in our odds as you are kid. *sigh* I still don't like it, too many variables to worry about./:
"I know, but that's the nature of the job am I right?"
:/Copy that. Just keep your head on a swivel and watch out for the bug. He's a slippery little jerk./:
Yumi ended the conversation appreciating Lou's warning. The lunatic could turn on them in a moment's notice. It couldn't be helped. "Nature of the job…right." Her somber moment was interrupted when once again her neighbor's mass bumped her aside. He had dropped one of his flakes and was reaching down, trying to pick it up.
"Oh sorry, 'bout that."
"The things I do for my country…"
Peter played it cool but his heart was racing. That may have been one of the most uncomfortable experiences he'd ever encounter. It was against his nature to call for help, let alone break bread, if one could call what just happened 'breaking bread', with a bitter enemy. The whole ordeal felt like pulling out teeth. He returned to his seat in a huff.
"Hey spidey…so how'd it go?" The female cosplayer asked.
Spider-Man groaned at the thought of it all. "It was rough, but I pulled through in the end."
"Pulled through? The match hasn't even started yet."
He buried his hands in his face and groaned again. "I know."
"I thought you were talking with a friend." Another cosplayer chimed in.
"I use that term in the loosest fashion imaginable. But I guess she's a friend tonight." The wall crawler admitted.
"Man, it's tough being a superhero."
"Tell me about it. If it ain't one thing it's another. And I prefer the term 'vigilante' or 'masked do gooder'. 'Superhero' sounds a bit goofy."
Spider-Man's timing was good. It was only a few moments before everyone got to their seats and the lights dimmed. The crowd resettled and cheered for their respective teams. The match was about to start. The circumstances may have muted Peter's interest at the moment, but he was still excited to see the match. Of course he had total faith in the Ferrets, but what he really wanted to see were the Wolf-Bats. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about. They had won three championships back-to-back. Tahno and his gang were jerks but he couldn't deny their record. They were reigning champions against a team that no one saw coming that climbed all the way to the final bout. No wonder everyone showed up despite the threat of a terrorist attack.
Spot lights danced across the ring and focused on the announcer rising through the lift. He went to introduce the two teams without skipping a beat.
"INTRODUCING THE CHALLENGER, THE FUTURE INDUSTRIES FIRE FERRETS!" He bellowed into his microphone.
The Fire Ferrets got a surprising amount of cheers considering they were the challengers. The more Peter thought about it, their rise to fame was a rousing story. Urich always went on about how people loved underdogs when they were chasing stories.
The three Ferrets stepped on the conveyer bridge waiving to their fans. Bolin embellished in the fan fair more than the others. Mako and Korra stayed firmly on the modest side of things. They were more focused on the task at hand but didn't want to give the crowd the cold shoulder.
Seeing Korra again stirred mixed emotions in Peter. He was happy to see that their falling out didn't affect her, at least from what he saw, but was also ashamed it happened at all.
"No." He audibly regained his focus. This wasn't the time to worry about personal issues. Thankfully, his entourage was too busy cheering to notice his inner turmoil.
The team arrived to the ring. Mako and Korra looked confident and were clearly ready for action. Bolin on the other hand was giddy. It was his time to shine. He and Pabu did the set they rehearsed dozens of times. To Bolin's amazement, the fire ferret did the routine flawlessly.
Spider-Man's escorts chuckled at the humble ring entrance. He could see how much it meant to his friend. He almost wished he did show up for his routine.
The spot light abrubtly shut off over the Fire Ferrets and the announcer continued. "AND THEIR OPPONENTS, THE THREE TIME DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, THE WHITE FALL'S WOLF BATS!"
Three figures emerge from the shadows of the other conveyer bridge. The spot light shone on them to reveal them wearing gothic cloaks and animalistic masks. Their cloaks shifted into bat like wings and the trio started to howl wildly to anyone in earshot. A pyrotechnic display followed. Geysers of fire erupted from all pillars in the building along with an impressive display of purple bottle rockets. The fireworks must've cost a small fortune compared to his income. Guess winning three championships got you that kind of pull.
The air was electric when the two teams stepped in their respective zones and dipped into their stances. The bout got the web slinger's undivided attention. In that brief moment, the only thing that mattered was the battle that was about to be waged. He doubted Amon would get his plans rolling right at the start of tonight's events. At least he hoped he wouldn't.
And just like that, the bell rung and the match was underway. The two teams launched salvoes of the three basic elements. The Ferrets were a cohesive machine in the ring. Bolin and Korra acted on the openings Mako created. They weren't just performing simple maneuvers. The underdog team didn't have a playbook. They simply played off each other's strengths and flowed through The Wolf-Bats opening assault. Unfortunately for them, their opponets weren't fazed at all by their performance. They matched the Ferrets blow for blow much to their annoyance. They were the champions while the ferrets were unknown trash who got here on dumb luck. In the Wolf-Bats mind, they had this coming.
Spider-Man attempted to bottle his excitement as the match of the year was going down before him. This wasn't the time or the place to enjoy himself. As the first round continued, he heard a few boos in the waves of cheering. He didn't understand. The effeminate guy, he couldn't recall his name, shot a stream of water that pushed Bolin back to zone three. Mako protested to the referee but was ultimately ignored. The tides were turning on the Ferrets now. Bolin was knocked out of the ring leaving Mako and Korra to fend for themselves. The Wolf-Bat's closed in and launched a simultaneous attack at the duo. Mako rushed in and put up a quick counter, only for both of them being thrown from the ring. The match was over. The Wolf-Bats turned to their adoring fans and celebrated their first round blowout. But as soon as the team captain raised his hands, Mako re-emerged on the ring and knocked him on his face. The crowd went wild. The energy was contagious and had Spider-Man on his feet cheering with them. He caught himself a moment after and returned to his seat.
"I thought you weren't a fan Spidey?" The fan girl tucked her mask back and smirked.
"I'm not, that was just a good play that's all." He lied.
"Sure…"
"Hey, I'm not too keen on the rules of the game. I didn't know you could hose down players and bend elements outside your zone." Spider-Man asked.
"You can't! The stink'en Wolf-Bats ain't playing fair."
"Oh…" Peter was upset but he wasn't a stranger to fixed sporting events back home. He understood a bad call here and there, but the referee seemed to let it happen without any protest. He made a mental note of this odd behavior from the reffs.
The second round went down with much more ferocity. The Ferrets knew they were being cheated and responded in kind. The reffs might've been in the Wolf-Bat's pocket but that was far from an assured victory. They had to deal with icing, illegal head shots, and a highly skilled pro bending team. Through sheer tenacity, they ended the round with nothing gained but nothing lost. The Ferrets were still in the fight and the round ended in a draw.
The wall crawler may have seen this song and dance a few times back home, the practice still didn't sit right with him. Every team in the championship pumped their hearts and souls into these bouts and the 'champions' couldn't show them the same respect. This was a shame anyway you cut it. He wondered if the Wolf-Bats would be so high and mighty if he paid them a visit. Spidey shook his head and sighed. He needed to focus on his mission, not a fixed championship. With the match going on this long, it was safe to say that Amon was waiting for it to end before making his move. He needed to prepare even though he wanted to see the match to completion.
"Well its' been swell guys, but I gotta get going." Spidey stood and announced.
"Wait what?!"
"But it's just getting good dude! You can't leave!"
"GUYS! Remember what we discusse? I'm on the clock." Spider-Man reiterated.
His fan club recoiled from the vigilante's harsh tone. He didn't have much time and had places to be.
Spidy saw this and cooled down. "I'm sorry about that. I couldn't get this far without you guys. I'm in your debt."
"Well this stinks, but we understand. I can't imagine how much pressure you're under and we got a little…"
"Fanatic."
"Ha, good one."
"Seriously, you guys have showed me more love then I deserve and I'm eternally grateful."
"Likewise. Good luck Spidey"
Spider-Man walked and waved goodbye to his costumed fan club. He walked past the police officer and told him he needed to go to the bathroom. When questioned further, he made up the excuse that his costume was cumbersome and asked the officer if he wanted to help. The cop let him pass without further protest. The city didn't pay him nearly enough for that kind of work.
He made it to a common area and searched for any vantage point he could find. If he remembered correctly, there was a service elevator close by. The police probably cut the power for security purposes. One less check point for the skeleton crew to look after. It only took him moments to find the elevator. He took another good look around, making sure no one was around. The coast was clear and with that he went to work. He tore the lock off and opened the cage when he heard foots steps coming down the corridor. He jumped into the elevator and quietly closed it behind him. The guards passed by without them noticing. He jumped, clung to the ceiling, and ripped through it like tin foil. His knowledge of the buildings lay out was sparse so he had to 'feel' his way to an advantegeous spot. It didn't take long to find one, the Parker luck must've be on vacation tonight. He found a good sized vent over the broadcasting booth. It was an excellent vantage point. The ring was in full view as was a large portion of the arena. The space was a little cramped but it would have to do. Plus, the hearing the announcer was a welcome bit of entertainment.
Korra and Tahno stepped into the central ring and faced one another. The middle ring lifted up and the two pro benders stared each other down. Spider-Man didn't know what he was going on.
'Guess this is the tie breaker?' He thought.
Tahno taunted the young Avatar, motioning for her to hit him. Korra obliged and jabbed the water at his smug face. Tahno easily dodged the telegraphed blow and moved to counter attack but then felt a sharp pressure against his chin. His legs went slack and his world faded away. The last thing he felt was the unforgiving metal of the floor.
"Yeah!" Peter cheered impulsively. He forgot his surroundings and banged his head against the air duct. "Ow…"
Despite himself, he smiled, looking down on the dazzed Wolf-Bat captain. May always told him to enjoy life's little victories whenever he could.
"The heck…" The announcer turned his receiver off and looked up. Shiro was annoyed by the disturbance, he was already under a lot of pressure thanks to Amon's threat, but he was a pro. "Freaking elephant-rats-" He switched his microphone back on and continued to broadcast tonight's match.
It was comical seeing Tahno's teammates pick him up only for him to shoo them away in a huff. The reffs had to fetch a spare headgear before continuing to the final round. Tahno had regained his cool despite the humiliation and the two teams locked horns for one last time. It looked like a clean match at first. The Wolf-Bats showed top tier performances against the Ferrets. They played off one another and launched coordinated assaults at the challengers. The Ferrets responded in kind. Their level of cohesion was frighteningly effective despite the team being less than a year old. Despite all the trash talk and bravado, the Wolf-Bats knew they were evenly matched with the fledging team. They ran the very real risk of losing their championship streak if they continued in this path. Tahno signaled for Ming to get behind him. The earthbender knew what Tahno had planned and grinned. It was time to end this. Tahno blocked one of Korra's attacks and created a perfect opportunity to execute shenanigans. Ming pulled a disk up from the ring and crushed it into Tahno's water. The team captain smiled while throwing three jets of water for each Fire Ferret. The added mass and speed caught the challengers completely off guard, easily throwing each of them over the edge of the ring.
A cold sweat rolled down Ken's neck. Years of experience overseeing these matches screamed at him to disqualify the Wolf-Bats for the blatant rule violations. It didn't take long for him to piece together what the strange man was planning and who he was working for. Betrayal could be found in every corner of the building. Seeing how the Wolf-Bats operated up close let him know that a lot of his collegues were on the take from god knows where. He always had his suspicions about them and frankly he didn't mind joining their ranks. Why not? It was easy money and the scraps Botaka gave them didn't help solidify their loyalties. His only hang up was who he was really working for. Even now, he didn't want to even think about their name and what they would do to him if he didn't keep up his end of the bargain.
"KNOCK OUT!" Ken announced to a divisive audience.
Peter seethed with anger watching what just happened. Illegal head shots all night long, icing, and stone mixed into the water and the refferee pretend everything was copacetic. Something stunk to high heaven and he made it a point to investigate it later. The icing on the cake was watching the Wolf-Bats bask in their 'victory'. The cheers overpowered the boos. Their popularity outweighed the blatant frauds that stood before them. Peter would have a long conversation with them about sportsmanship. He'd hoped they'd make something of it.
Everything looked normal at the moment. There were a few tussles in the crowd along with some cheering but nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, some blue flashes started to cascade in the stands. His head darted around trying to make sense of what was going on. Upon closer inspection, they were electrical discharges emitted from patrons wearing black and red half masks. They wielded odd gauntlets on their right arms.
The Wolf-Bats looked on in horror at what was going on in the stands. The famed metalbending police officers were dropping like flies before their very eyes. Some were dispatched with direct contact while others, to their greater shock, were taken out by affair with electrified tendrils shooting out of their gauntlets.
At first Lou and Yumi tried to assess the situation. They expected a drawn out brawl with chi-blockers, not Equalist agents peppered in with the audience.
Lou was quicker on the draw then Yumi. He reached into his coat and bent the water out of one of his holsters. These guys were better equipped than the chi-blockers but they were seriously inexperienced. They were meant to catch them off guard, not engage in open combat. An individual Equalist was shocked to see some opposition. They told him that there would be little to no chance of reprisal from the Police, but he still found himself in a fight.
In one smooth motion Lou trapped his electrified wrist with the water, making sure not to make direct contact, he delivered a quick palm strike against his chin. It was clear that his opponent had never been in a real fight since he was out cold instantly. His victory was short lived. Two sleeper agents wisely stayed out of the initial assault and now pounced on the broad swamp bender. The two attackers pressed their Mk1 shock gloves onto his shoulders and hit the juice. Lou recoiled but remained standing. The other sleeper agent looked on and panicked as Lou slowly turned to his cohort ,still trying to fight. She jumped and added the necessary voltage to finally bring the hulking waterbender down. Both sleeper agents let out a sigh of relief seeing the large man sprawled on the floor.
Yumi went to her feet and tried to back up any surviving policeman from the surprise attack. There were none. She could fight the good fight and join her comrades in unconsciousness or find another way to carry out her duty.
A shock glove wielding sleeper agent saw the flames erupting from her palms and moved quickly to restrain her.
"Sit down miss or your worlds going to get a lot brighter!" The masked man threatened.
Yumi weighed her options and wisely extinguished her flames. She held her hands and did as she was told. She was surrounded but the Equalists were ignorant to her true nature. They just thought she was an average bender and didn't know about her ace in the hole. Spider-Man wouldn't stand by and do nothing. Not in a million years. She would bide her time and wait for the costumed dork to provide a distraction and then get to work.
"Are you crazy woman?!" Yumi's seat mate asked. "You trying to get me killed?! I cant…I…I" The husky fellow tried to get the words out but his hyperventilating stopped him dead in his tracks.
It was clear to Yumi that he was on the verge of a panic attack. "Hey…HEY! Look at me! You looking at me?!" She was loud but didn't shout at him. She wasn't scolding but trying to get his undivided attention. "Just calm down, alright? Everything's going to be fine. Did you hear me? What did I just say?"
The portly fan's breathing leveled as he focused on the sun warrior in front of him. "Ev-everything's going to be fine." He repeated.
Yumi flashed a reassuring smile. "That's right, and this masked dork can't do a thing about it." She locked eyes with the Equalist holding them hostage for a moment. The evil look in her eye unnerved the sleeper agent.
"Eyes forward!" He commanded. "And don't try anything. I won't tell you again!"
Again Yumi did as she was told. She turned her head forward and folded her arms. 'Better not make me regret this bug boy.'
Tahno's world was spinning. This was supposed to be great night but it was one ugly surprise after another. The worst one yet approached from the lift behind him. He turned to see Amon himself. No words were exchanged. The revolutionary just stared at him with icy eyes and without emotion. He approached with six chi-blockers covering his flanks.
"What's going on ref?!" He turned to Ken hoping for an explanation. Maybe this was some kind of sick joke.
Ken's old heart raced. He knew what was going on but he dare not say. This wasn't about the money at this point. It was about keeping his butt out of a prison cell. The council would be out for blood after such a gaff. If anyone even got a whiff of his involvement they would convict him of a conspiracy charge. Heck he might catch a few lawsuits from Botaka just to cover his sizable rear end.
"I don't know!" He answered in a convincing manner.
Amon and his entourage slowly approached the four-time bending champions with bad intentions.
In the greatest upset of the night, Tahno found his spine and prepared to defend himself. He got into position. "You want a piece of the Wolf Bats? WELL HERE IT COMES!"
Tahno launched an impressive geyser of water at the head of the Equalist movement. Almost on cue, the other Wolf Bats started their own attacks with their respective elements at the Equalist before them.
Amon casually dodged Tahno's attack and his crew went to work. Dispatching the supposed championship level benders proved to be nothing more than child's play. The on lookers had hoped the Wolf Bats would make quick work of Amon and his team but to their shock the opposite transpired before them. Their downfall was systematic while their performance was laughable. Amon humiliated the so called "best" in an instant. Their formation fell to pieces as they were restrained and presented to Amon. Unbeknownst to the Wolf Bats, he smiled under his mask. He couldn't help himself. The biggest threat to his plan was busy on a wild goose chase. He outmaneuvered and made the council and Beifong look like incompetent Neanderthals to the entire city. They would talk about this moment for generations and he allowed himself to feel some gratification before his laser like-focus returned.
Tahno was then restrained and on his knees. The world slowed for the pro-bender as Amon approached him. How could this happen? This was supposed to be a sure thing. He was supposed to win the big match, party with his team, make out with some fan girls, and enjoy the fame and fortune that came with being the champion. It was his life for three years and he wouldn't give that up for anything. If he came across a formidable team, then he'd bend the rules to even things out. His team was against it at first but it didn't take him long to bend them to his way of thinking. By the third championship, cheating was as easy as breathing for them. He didn't give it much thought, but he guessed Botaka had a hand in the referee's leniency during the championships. He didn't ask and frankly he didn't care. Everyone got what they wanted and everyone left happy. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Amon got into position and reached for his Tahno's forehead.
"No please!" Tahno begged. "I'll give you the championship pot, the belt, please! Just don't take my bending!"
Amon ignored his pleas and placed his thumb on his head. The victims always thought his process was a violent act to take one's bending away. It was an eye opening experience but it was harmless for the most part. He twisted and morphed the benders before him until finally they could stand as equals. The WolfBats fell like useless husks of their former selves. Cleansing the impurity was harmless but exhausting. Subjects always lost a sizable amount of stamina after the process. He let chi-blockers deal with the so called champions and turned to the crowed.
Spider-Man watched the whole thing from his cramped vantage. There were a dozen ways he could deal with the assault. His first instinct was to jump into the fray and save as many officers as he could. He even wanted to intervene and protect the Wolf Bats from Amon despite his personal disgust of the team. They were unmitigated trash in his eyes, but he still found himself feeling sorry for them. He could hear Sifu Lei in his ear. Chaos couldn't be solved with more chaos, he needed to control the situation, not pour gas on the fire. So he clenched his fist and racked his brain to find a better way to attack this problem. Luckily for him, Amon liked the sound of his own voice and started addressing the audience. He tried to work out a solution but the damned broadcaster kept interrupting his train of thought.
'For crying out loud. Just shut your trap and get out of the damn booth you idiot.' He thought to himself. The man was a little too dedicated to his craft.
"…one of them is in the booth with me right now folks. He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now and I believe he is about to electrocute me…"
Peter's eyes shot open. A juicy idea just popped in his head and he had to act now if it was going to work.
"…I am currently wetting my pants."
He webbed the vent cover and pulled hard, ejecting himself from his confined box with a stiff arm through the ventilation shaft. . He grabbed the vent cover with one hand and the ledge with the other. In one fell swoop he turned his body into the booth and planted both feet into the Equalist shock trooper, just missing a panicking Shiro. Only the three parties in the room knew what just transpired while everyone else was none the wiser.
The Equalist's back was slammed against the door while poor Shiro almost had a heart attack. The Equalist had the wind knocked out of him but was still able to fight. Spider-Man cursed himself for dialing his strike down. He had hoped the guy was a total pushover, but unfortunately he still had some fire in his gut. It couldn't be helped. He couldn't risk making a scene. This little plan of his hinged on him not being noticed and had no choice but to dial down his strength.
Studying with Kung Lei had given him a different perception towards his opponents. A target was just a target back then, but now he could tell the difference from an experienced and inexperienced combatant. The way the Equalist crawled back to his feet to the way he carried himself told him all he needed to know. His skills were basic and he was wielding a weapon he barely understood. The Equalist wasn't a threat but his glove was a different story. The glove peaked his interest after he got a better look at it. In the breath of the moment he had to study it, he observed the circuitry and the cascading electricity dancing across the metallic frame. The Equalist cut his speculation as he deployed his electrified cables at the web-head.
His spider sense warned him well in advance as he ducked under the four wires. He could've taken him down in a dozen different ways but kept things simple for his and Shiro's case. He pointed and expertly shot his webs at base of the glove. To the Equalist's horror his cutting edge weapon started to pop and malfunction. Its insulators were overloading and were degrading quickly. The glove reacted so violently that the webs started to boil and burn away. The damage was done but the reaction was still raging. The Equalist started to panic and flail his arm trying to put the fire out. Spider-Man webbed his whole arm to protect him and placed him in a traditional sleeper hold. Thankfully the gloves battery burned itself out. He pulled the glove away from the Equalist just to be on the safe side of things.
"Wowzers folks! You won't believe it. The Spider jus—"
Spider-Man briskly stepped over to Shiro and yanked the receiver out of his hand. "Will you stop busting your gums for five seconds?! I don't want them sending anyone else up here. Sheesh."
"Sorry about that, force of habit." Shiro took a moment to calm his nerves and was back in step with the rest of the world. "Well I'll be dipped, saved by the Spider. Heh, I guess I can cross that off my bucket list."
Spider-Man looked over to the ring. Thankfully, Amon kept talking to the audience. He didn't notice a thing. "Everybody gets one I guess." He passively said as he scanned his surroundings.
"Well don't just stand there! Get down there and kick that masked goon's keister already!" Shiro, barked.
"Hold your horses, I'm working on it." His gaze stopped at the announcer's console. "Is the speaker system connected to the broadcasting equipment?"
"Yeah, Botaka set it up last season but we don't use it a whole lot."
"I think it is. Probably?"
"Good enough." He knelled, ripped a service panel off its hinges, and started twiddling with the wiring. "Come on come on, there!"
Spider-Man spliced wires and disconnected terminals as fast as his hands would allow. Thankfully the contractors took the lazy route and bundled all forms of telecommunications together. This Botaka guy was going to get one hell of a repair bill if his plan worked. Finally he grabbed the microphone and broke it apart leaving only the tethered receiver. He pulled the last ingredient from his trench coat and jerry rigged his spider tracer and receiver together. He stood and turned to Mr. Shinobi.
"Uh, announcer guy."
"Name's Shiro." He interjected. "Shiro Shinobi!"
"I need your help Shiro."
Shiro's face twisted at the prospect. "Hey woah, I'm a commentator Spidey not a combatant."
Spider-Man groaned. "I'm not talking about that. I just need you to do two things." He entered Shiro's personal space and presented his contraption. The commentator recoiled at the intimidating sight, but Spidey didn't care. "Count to twenty and flip this switch." He pointed at his tracer. If all goes according to plan, the tracer will create a huge feedback and the PA system will broadcast the screeching sound, distracting Amon and creating an opening. "Not fifteen. Not twenty-two. Twenty. You get all that?"
"Uh...Yeah, I got it." He answered nervously and grabbed the spider tracer.
"Good man." He walked to the back of the booth and got into position.
He took a deep breath and focused his mind. The fear of losing control, home, winning, losing, all of it evaporated from his mind. Then he sprinted at full speed. His lead foot left a hole in the floor boards. Before he knew it, he was airborne. A deafening screech rang through the arena's speakers. Everyone shielded their ears from the unbearably high pitched howl. A few of the spectators caught a black and grey smug streak past their view.
It didn't take long for the feedback to stop shortly after as the tracer burned itself out. His objective was complete though and he landed on the arena without a fuss, save for the ringing in his ear. He didn't waste a second and went to work. He webbed two of Amon's henchmen by their backs and pulled. They were swept off their feet and rocketed towards the wall crawler. He grabbed both of their napes and slammed their heads to the ground.
With that the crowd started to disperse and evacuate from the arena. Yumi capitalized on the confusion and dispatched the Equalists watching over her. They didn't have the constitution to put up much of a fight. One of them managed to fire her shock glove's cables and it almost hit its mark. Yumi must've been under a lucky star tonight as her portly neighbor rocketed past the Equalists and threw her aim off. She shot a focused blast of fire and slammed her against the stands. The Equalist was lucky. Only a trained sun warrior could firebend to such a degree that she only got a concussion and a charred coat. She turned to the arena and saw Spider-Man already engaging Amon and his crew. The crowd was in a panic and she quickly hit a fork in the road. Would she get down there and try to detain Amon or would she stop the crowd from trampling over each other? She grimaced and turned to the crowd. Her decision didn't bother her, but trusting Spider-Man to do it rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't know how bad it was outside and had no idea if there were any active metal benders outside. She would help evacuate the civilians and double back once they were out of the building, but something told her it would be over before it was all said and done. Her feelings didn't matter though, she had a job to do and she would see it done.
Amon got his bearings back and coldly stared at his personal menace. He simply smirked under his mask and decided to provoke the vigilante. "Spider-Man…It's been too long."
Peter resisted the urge to converse with him. He needed to stay focused. Normally, he would jab at his opponents but it wouldn't work on Amon. The man was unwavering in his beliefs and wasn't the type to get flustered by simple trash talk. He dipped back into his stance and prepared to execute. The shock and awe portion was over. Taking out Amon would deal a heavy blow to the Equalist, one they couldn't come back from.
Amon shot a glance at his subordinates and wordlessly ordered them to stand by amongst the chaos surrounding them. "I have to say, I didn't expect you to show. Especially after the Prowler situation." He folded his arms and chuckled to himself. It was as if he was talking to an old acquaintance and not a mortal enemy. "Who knew straight laced Beifong could come up with such a farce."
Amon's sly comment broke Spider-Man's concentration. "How did you…?"
Amon smiled under his mask and decided to twist the verbal knife. "Let's just say I have eyes and ears in unexpected places." He finished with a nod and his chi-blockers charged the flustered vigilante. His Lieutenant stayed by his side and watched.
His spider sense warned him well in advance of the charging chi-blockers. He resisted the urge to charge them head on and instead waited for them to close in. Despite his powers and new found skills, their numbers would make this a daunting task. These were trained martial artists with detailed knowledge of the human body's nerves and chi-pathways.
'No' He thought. 'Don't think about what they could do and focus what you will do.'
He let out a breath and jumped back as the chi-blockers got within striking range. The chi-blockers were frustrated by the wall crawler's act and chased him. They didn't know it, but their formation was tarnished and made Spidey's job easier. Two chi-blockers charged forward while the other two side-stepped and went for his flanks. The first two closed in with one attacking high and the other going low. He side- stepped the lead attacker, letting him overstep, and tripped him over the other chi-blocker trying to perform a sweep kick. He collapsed on his compatriots and rushed to get back on their feet, giving spidey more time to worry about the other two. They see what he did to the first two and pull more tricks out of the bag. The one coming from the left twisted her form and got into position into a broad ax kick. He turned his head to the right and caught the chi-blocker's leg and threw her aside.
Amon and his right hand man looked on in shock at Spider-Man. Both men had fought him. They knew what to expect. Spider-Man was superhuman in every sense of the word but his moves were simple, predictable even. He would power through opponents if he could and out maneuver them if he couldn't. The Lieutenant even went so far as to drill the chi-blockers on anti-Spider-Man strategies and it appeared that none of it was working. He didn't just get out of the way now. He countered and struck the chi-blockers now. They weren't dealing with a super powered brawler anymore. His new found skill was nowhere near masterful, but coupled with his unnatural powers, it made him even more dangerous and he still had plenty of room to grow.
"Lieutenant."
"The airship shouldn't be too far out. We'll depart when it arrives."
His brows furrowed at his commander's order. "What about the others?"
"We leave without them." Amon stated flatly.
The right hand man didn't like what he just heard, but he understood. Every revolution had its casualties and they knew what they were getting into well in advance. But that wasn't what bothered him the most at the moment. "What about Spider-Man?"
"Don't worry old friend, there'll be another time." Amon didn't mince his words. He knew his subordinate wanted another shot at the wall crawler, but they were on the clock.
The Lieutenant sneered. "Understood." Another chi-blocker fell to the wall crawler. The remaining two chi-blockers rushed him again. The chi-blocker planned to throw a barrage of jabs at Spider-Man while the other came in from another angle. He would launch a quick combination and bug out to let his partner deal the finishing blow. He had him, Spider-Man wasn't even looking at him as he closed in. To his astonishment, he not only blindly caught his fist with an open hand, but his fist wouldn't budge from his palm. He didn't understand. He followed his training to the letter and went for his blind spot. Before he could comprehend what had just transpired, he was thrown through the air like a rag doll. He easily cleared the moat and found himself crashing and breaking some of the arena seating.
This whole encounter was odd for Peter. He was clearly overwhelming the chi-blockers Amon sicked on him, but this felt different. He didn't just see his opponent and let his spider-sense warn him anymore. Did he? No, his sense wasn't different, but more. It wasn't a simple warning anymore. He could feel the chi-blockers attacking him from every angle. The experience was so surreal. It was like putting on his bifocals on for the first time. He turned to the final chi-blocker when the glass dome broke and repelling lines dropped from the new breach. Spider-Man cursed, he was running out of time.
The final chi-blocker knew he was the only one standing between Amon and Spider-Man. It was all on him now. He may not be able to beat Spider-Man, but he could hold him back enough so Amon could escape and complete the revolution. He was erractic now. He gave up on subduing the monster before him and focused on keeping him preoccupied. He reached for his equipment and pulled out a smoke bomb and a bolo. Spider-Man charged him and the chi-blocker hastily threw the smoke bomb. The bolo went next. He knew he could get out of it but it would hopefully hold him down until Amon was clear. He turned to make sure his boss was on his way out. A sigh of relief escaped his masked mouth as he saw Amon ascending to the airship. He turned back to the cloud and a silk line stuck to his chest and pulled him forward. Spider-Man emerged from the green cloud like a bottle rocket while pulling the chi-blocker towards him. The skirmish ended with Spider-Man landing a vicious knee strike to the chi-blocker's mask, bending the face guard beyond repair.
Spider-Man didn't bother relishing in his victory and looked up to see Amon was already through the glass and on his way to the airship.
"Ah! You stinkin…" His spider-sense flared and compelled him to run. He grabbed the downed chi-blockers and jumped. The charges set in the ring went off and launched the Wall crawler to the stands. The chi-blocker's landing was nowhere near as elegant as his, not that he cared. He looked up and saw that the airship was still overhead but his window was closing. He dove feet first, crossed his arms and webbed two points at the base of the glass ceiling. He didn't know what to expect but that didn't matter now. In his mind, there was nothing Amon could do to escape him. One way or another this nightmare would end tonight. He let himself descend to the lowest point possible without touching the water. Just then he saw the Fire Ferrets tied to a post and their mascot feverishly trying to free them. His gaze met Korra's for a split second and his concentration was broken for a moment. He put a reassuring feedback from his wrists and pulls hard. His strength propelled him like a bottle rocket through the broken glass.
"Spider-Man!" Bolin cried out as the ropes fell aside. "I knew he'd show!"
Mako got to his feet and rubbed his aching head. The electro shock treatment didn't agree with him. "That's nice." He looked over to Korra and caught her running towards the moat.
Korra looked up and caught the briefest glance the airborne web slinger. "I'm going after Amon!" She announced.
Mako knew he couldn't stop her. "Be careful!"
She jumped into the water and twisted it to her will, creating an impressive whirlpool with herself in the epicenter. She launched herself to an impressive height but fell short. The water dissipated and she started to fall. She was on the verge of panic, again her actions outpaced her mind. Luckily something caught her eye and she grabbed hold of it. She hung for a moment, trying to comprehend her incredible stroke of luck. She had managed to grab one of the wall crawler's web lines. It was a one in a million chance occurrence. She snapped out of it and focused on her mission. She got a better hold of the line and started climbing.
Peter landed on the fractured dome as gently as he could. He couldn't risk shattering the dome. He had planned on getting onto the airship but the Lieutenant and a small contingent of chi-blockers were there to meet him. Had they planned this too?
"I have to admit Leuy (Lt), I'm surprised you're staying behind." Peter played the gallivant hero and kept an eye on the airship overhead. "Let me guess, you're sticking around to buy your lunatic boss a little time to bug out?"
"Close. We're here to take care of you once and for all." The Lieutenant pointed one of his kali sticks at him. This was it, his golden opportunity to redeem himself to Amon and the movement at large.
He kept his eyes on the Lieutenant, but the devastation around him didn't go unnoticed. The destroyed police airships and sunken patrol boats were scattered around the bay. The fires left a haunting orange glow reflecting off the glass. It was like he was standing on a blast furnace in a steel mill. It was amazing he could muster some banter with the perpetrator. He was furious and wanted to charge through the clowns that stood in his way. But he remembered Lei's teachings and focused his fury at the matter at hand.
"And here I am thinking you wanted an autograph." He taunted.
Amon's right hand man rallied his people and charged the wall crawler at full speed.
Spider-Man did the same. This wouldn't take long. He knew from experience that the Lieutenant was just a paper tiger with some fancy gear. Nothing more nothing less. He'd smack him and his little posse and get to Amon. That's how it was supposed to go. As he mixed it up with the Lieutenant he noticed that he didn't go toe-to-toe with him like the first time they did battle. Instead he fought in concert with his chi-blockers. Their hit and run tactics made things surprisingly difficult for Spider-Man. As soon as he blocked one chi-blocker and countered another, Amon's right hand would close in and slam his Kali sticks against him.
Peter ignored the searing pain and threw one of the chi-blockers away and fell back. They fell back a short distance and cursed. It was a smart tactic on the Lieutenant's part. He knew he couldn't take him head on and instead opted to overwhelm him. His spider-sense was working overtime trying to keep up with all the unwanted attention. Did the Lieutenant now learn about his sixth sense? Before he could contemplate it further they launched another assault against the wall-crawler.
The Lieutenant didn't relish in his small victory over Spider-Man. A couple of love taps weren't anything to cry home about. He did appreciate the fact that the banter had ended though. His tactic was effective but far from foolproof. He devised it after Spider-Man effortlessly defeated him. All eyes were on him, but in truth his was the bait. While Spider-Man was focused on him, the chi-blockers would slowly immobilize him and he would deal the finishing blow. His hand-to-hand prowess was limited to say the least. His was fast and unnaturally strong but predictable. But it would seem that his data on him was outdated. Now the web-head was harder to read. His fears were realized when he fought on the arena. He needed to dig deeper if he was going to take down the Spider-Man.
"Keep it up." He ordered. "We have him on the defensive. If we keep this up he'll break before we do."
His chi-blockers nodded with confidence and steeled themselves for another round.
"Attack!"
Before the chi-blockers could follow the order, two of them were blown away from a huge fire blast from the rear. Their suits were well insulated, so none of them were burned. The Lieutenant turned to find the source and was enraged to see the Avatar's intervention. The downed chi-blockers got back to their feet and responded to the new threat on the dome.
Korra wasted no time getting into the fray. Her bending was limited to fire but she was plenty effective with it. She kept the chi-blockers at bay while Spider-Man took on the ones that were out of her range.
"What are you doing here?!" Spider-Man yelled and landed a right cross on a chi-blocker.
"Saving your ungrateful butt!" Korra retorted without looking. "You're welcome by the way."
"I didn't ask for any-" Spider-Man was cut short by an incoming fist he had to block. He trapped the chi-blocker's arm and landed a heavy straight punch to his jaw. He landed in a heap with blown out lenses and a shattered face mask.
The Lieutenant gritted his teeth. The tide was shifting against him. One by one the chi-blockers fell to the wayside despite their best efforts. He let out a defining war cry and went for broke. Surprisingly, he ignored Korra and focused his attention on the wall crawler.
Peter's senses warned him of the incoming threat, but nothing could prepare him for his opponent's raw ferocity. Rage didn't agree with the Lieutenant's usual stoic demeanor. What really threw Spidey for a loop was his lucid ferocity. He put everything he had into his strikes, but all of them had a specific target. It was an admirable attempt but be couldn't lay a paw on the wall crawler. On the other hand, he left no openings for Spider-Man to exploit. He had studied the vigilante ever since his miserable defeat. He utilized the Equalist intelligence network to the fullest to learn as much as humanly possible. He was a seasoned martial artist with years under his belt. He would be damned if he was going to let this upstart beat him twice. He had come too far to fail now.
Spider-Man was shocked at the Lieutenant's sudden burst of performance in their vicious duel. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a totally different person than the one he met at the Equalist rally. He silenced those thoughts and focused at the mad man swinging the portable lighting rods at him. But before he could act, Korra finished with the final chi-blocker and stepped in.
The Lieutenant rolled out of the way of an incoming fire blast and faced the new challenger. He snarled, his chances of winning were falling like a rock. It wasn't all bad however. His repertoire was far better suited for benders than unholy man of spiders. He dodged another fire blast and focused on the Avatar. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. It just dawned on him that that he was facing the Avatar and Spider-Man all by his lonesome. He pushed his anxiety down in the pit of his stomach and soldiered on. He's trained himself to his limit. He was older, wiser, and smarter. He could win. He couldn't hit Spider-Man, fine. The Avatar would help him with that.
Korra adjusted her firebending form to a close combat variant to address the incoming threat. She launched simple but fast jabs laced with flames. Amon's right hand man bobbed and weaved through her impressive assault much to her dismay. It was an aggravating arrangement to say the least. She couldn't call upon her water or earthbending, the latter would only make things worse. She learned from her first chi-blocker encounter in the alleyways. Nonstandard firebending forms would be the most effective in this situation. Unfortunately, the Lieutenant knew this as well and expertly avoided the brunt of her attacks. She twisted and executed an impressive roundhouse kick, only for him to duck under it. She then lit both of her forearms aflame and attempted dispatch the nimble Lieutenant. Her attack was broad and telegraphed to the world. The Lieutenant simply reversed the grip on his kali's and crossed his arms in an 'x' formation.
Spider-Man was at a loss. He didn't know how to deal with the Lieutenant while he was mixing it up with Korra. He didn't want to get in the crossfire or trip over her to get to him. The Lieutenant's gambit proved fruitful. If only she had just stayed away.
Korra didn't have time to change course and her arms intercepted the volatile rods. She recoiled and fell off her feet.
"No!" Spidey yelled and tried to web the Lieutenant. To his dismay, he leaped out of the way.
The Lieutenant grinned. He was angry, good. He could use that. "What's wrong Spider-Man. That's all you've got to say? Come on, crack a joke! I thought everything was a joke to you!"
Spider-Man held his tonnage and got into his stance. This was going to end now. He went into a full sprint and closed the distance in an absurdly short time. The smile on the Lieutenant's face was wiped clean as his nemesis got in his personal space. His haunting white 'eyes' locked with his. He swung his kali stick instinctually and hit thin air. Spider-Man could've ended things with a devastating uppercut but got creative. He webbed both of the Lieutenant's hands. He flipped over him with both web lines still in hand. The Lieutenant's arms moved on the web heads accords and his kali ticks were still active. His arms crossed and both kali sticks made contact with his shoulder blades. The Lieutenant screamed and convulsed as arcs of electricity flowed through his body. His uniform was insulated for his safety, but it wasn't designed for prolonged exposure. He tried to deactivate the battery on his back but his hands were pinned to the one switch. The insulation failed and burned away. His cries of pain reached a fever pitch as the electricity finally died down. He collapsed on the dome in a heap, convulsing the whole time.
"I'm not in a joking mood." Spiderman said to himself and went to go check on Korra. He knelt down to help her up. "You alright?"
"Yeah, never thought I could get zapped in one-" Her train of thought was cut short upon seeing an unconscious and charred Lieutenant lying behind Spidey. "Uh is he…okay?"
"He's alive, but definitely not okay."
Korra got a good look at all the chaos around her. There was a sizable contingent lying unconscious or trading water in the bay below. Then she looked at Peter. She could see why he fooled so many people, herself very much included, for so long. She just couldn't fathom poindexter doing all this.
"You're okay, great. Get to safety and get yourself checked out." Spider-Man awkwardly dismissed her and stepped towards the air ship. He figured the less words they had the better.
"No way, no freaking way!" She cuts Spider-Man off. "You are not going to sandbag me on this!"
Spider-Man shook his head in frustration. "I don't have time to babysit Korra."
"Babysit?!" Korra looked incredulous. "Is that what you were doing? I'm pretty sure I just help you out of a jam Poinde-"
"Amon can bug out at any minute and you're here…" He stopped as a thought crossed his mind. "Why is he still here?" With all the excitement, it didn't down on him until now.
Korra caught up with Spider-Man as she looked up to the hovering airship. Upon further inspection, its descent cables were still extended. "Maybe he was waiting for his buddies? A 'no man left behind' sort of thing?" She surmised.
It was a sound theory, but then why would he leave his underlings on a ring rigged to explode. He frowned when got his answer. "He's baiting me."
"Makes sense I guess." She turned and saw Spider-Man walking towards the airship. "Wait, your still going? You know it's a trap!"
"Wouldn't be the first one I stepped in." He said and started to sprint towards the airship.
Korra was speechless at the display of such raw speed. It was as if he was trying to hurry up and get it done before she could intervene. "I'm still getting on that airship!"
"Do whatever you want!" He called back as he got a hold of a cable and launched himself through the open bay.
He landed with a loud clang on the steel deck. He stood in the cabin and waited for Amon's trap to spring. He expected explosives or some ornament contraption that would surely put an end to his meddling ways. What he found shocked him more. Amon was there waiting for him alone. He had no backup or weapons. The revolutionary just leaned over some safety railing casually looking over Spider-Man.
"Welcome aboard Spider-Man. First time on an airship?" Amon spoke to him like he was a curious passenger.
"I'm through playing games with you Amon." Spider-Man wasn't in the mood for pointless banter at the moment. There was simply too much riding on this encounter to joke around. "So hurry it up, call your little goons in, and let's finish this." He ordered with venom dripping off every word. In his mind, come hell or high water, he would stop Amon and end this nightmare once and for all.
His dangerous tone didn't scathe Amon in the slightest. He simply shrugged and started to waltz over to his opponent. "Well I'm happy to inform you that there are no more distractions. Excluding the flight crew, it's just you and me up here."
"What, no catch?" Spider-Man stood up and waited for his opponent.
"No catch Spider-Man. Just a loose end that needs tying, that is all." He got close enough to strike Spider-Man but just stood there looking down on the young man. "Just so there's no hard feelings between us, I'll give you the first move."
Spidey had nothing to say. There was something off about Amon. Stranger still, his spider-sense didn't go off even once since entering the ship. It was obvious he had something in store for him, but there was no way of knowing what it was. He charged forward at Amon in a single, powerful leap. He then planted his hand on the deck and stopped short and propelled himself to the right. Hopefully, the feat was strong enough to throw the revolutionary off balance. He stuck to a support beam and launched himself off of it, rocketing behind Amon. He then proceeded to web Amon's torso. Amon didn't move a muscle through his impressive performance.
"Hmph, I had a feeling you'd do that." Amon said with bound arms.
"Huh…that was anticlimactic." He admitted and went to collect his prey. "Could've just saved me the trouble and surren-" His spider sense buzzed and he instinctually flipped away from Amon.
"Things aren't always as they appear boy." He informed him as arcs of electricity consumed his form. His bindings start to smoke and ultimately evaporated.
Sparks flew in all directions, granting Peter to a disturbing light show. It was like a scene with Frankenstein's monster was happening before his eyes. His mind raced to rationalize the sight before him to no avail. It was impossible, but Amon bathed in electricity like a Norse thunder god and it didn't appear to bother him. Upon further inspection he saw hints of insulation covering his extremities and under his hood. Even the holes on his mask were sporting protective lenses over its eye holes. He didn't know how, but Amon found a way to apply an electro shock over his body. Spider-Man gritted his teeth for being so naïve. Of course Amon would have an angle! The situation was less than ideal, but his gifted mind already weaved a solution for him. He had to either break the insulation and force him to deactivate the charge or disable the circuit himself. The question was, how he was going to do any of that when he couldn't get near him?
"You make that get up for me huh?" He tried to play the dire situation off and let out a small chuckle to accent the illusion. "You sure know how to make a guy feel special."
Amon got in a low crouch preparing to charge. "Only the best for you Spider-Man."
All pleasantries concluded as Amon closed in on the wall-crawler. Spider-Man dodged and jumped to the other end of the ship. Spider-Man gritted his teeth trying to figure out how to deal with his new predicament. Normally he would have the advantage in a close quarter's combat scenario, but Amon was able to turn that into a weakness. The enclosed cabin was spacious by airship standards but it barely left him enough breathing room to operate. He bounced around the cabin like a racket ball, trying to avoid Amon. He tried to slow him down with some web bullets but they burned away before they could make contact.
'Damn, he put a lot of thought into this.' He silently cursed at the man's foresight.
Spider-Man clung to the side of the ship and decided to bite the bullet and attack. He shot two lines next to Amon's feet. He pulled himself into a diagonal dive kick before the web lines burned away. Hopefully, the rubber soles would help nullify the electricity enough to keep going.
Amon didn't fall for his faint and side stepped the wall-crawler. And with shocking situational awareness he reached up, grabbed Spider-Man's 'face', and slammed his head into the hard floor. He yelled in pain but quickly returned to his feet. He closed in and expertly delivered precise jabs aimed at his core. His aim wasn't to paralyze, but cause as much pain as possible.
Spider-Man coughed profusely and stepped back. He somehow managed to stay in his stance, despite the searing pain at his core.
"Is something the matter Spider-Man?" Amon taunted. "What happened to that 'can do' spirit of yours."
Spidey gritted his teeth but focused on the electrified revolutionary. The current danced across his form like an old Tesla coil. He wrestled with it but ultimately concluded that he couldn't get close enough to execute any of his plans on Amon, but he could to the next best thing.
"Come a little closer and find out." Spider-Man goaded the cult leader.
Amon answered his challenge and ran towards him. Spider-Man waited for Amon to close in. Time slowed down as Amon got into position. He stuck his foot into the steel deck and kicked a peace of it towards Amon. He twisted his torso and barley managed to miss the metal slab. He looked forward and Spider-Man was gone. He tapped into his unique talents and felt the wall crawler was behind him.
Amon let out a sigh and didn't even bother to turn around. He was confident in his skills and trapped Spider-Man in an unwinnable situation. His unique use of his powers did catch him off guard but it wouldn't help. "I don't know what you were trying to accomplish with that little stunt of yours, and frankly I don't care. You're efforts are wasted."
"You sure about that buster?"
Amon turned around not expecting much. There was nothing Spider-Man could… Amon's eyes went wide when he saw Spider-Man's gambit. "What are you doing?!" He said hiding his shock completely.
Spider-Man was at the aft of the ship, specifically the engineering compartment. He connected multiple web lines to the engine housing's hard points with taut arms.
"I'll make this simple Amon. You surrender yourself to the authorities or I-"
"Crash the airship." Amon finished. "That is what your little ultimatum is, right?"
His mask covered his scowl. He didn't let Amon's mask of confidence get to him. "You think I won't do it?"
"No, I think you would." Amon stood up straight and deactivated his suit. "You're young, so your lack of foresight isn't uncommon. Tell me Spider-Man, when you pull those engines out, how will you escape?"
Spider-Man was silent. He wouldn't let him get to him.
Amon chuckled. "You have no idea, do you? Alright, you crash the ship and we all perish. But where will the ship crash? Does it hit the arena and kill any poor soul in its reach? Or maybe the bay on some poor stranding police officers swimming to shore?"
"You don't know that!" Spider-Man couldn't hold his tongue anymore.
"I don't, this is all just speculation on my part. But I've already given this more thought than you, didn't I?" He spoke clearly, dropping all the theatrics. "Just so you know, taking me out of the picture won't change anything. The revolution will continue with or without me." He stopped when he felt a presence climbing up to the cabin. It was his lucky night.
It took Korra a while to reach the airship but she managed to climb up. The wear and tear from the match and all the fighting was starting to catch up to her but she kept going. She didn't care what poindexter said. She had a duty as the Avatar and she wouldn't just stand by and let Spidey take him on alone. She swung herself up to the cabin and ignited two fire daggers at the ready.
Amon grinned under his mask. "Ah, Avatar Korra, you're just in time to participate in our mutually assured destruction at the hands of your costumed friend."
"What?" She looked up and it took her a moment to realize what was happening.
"Korra get out of here!" Spider-Man barked, never taking his eyes off Amon.
Korra extinguished her daggers and focused on Peter. "No Spider-Man. This isn't the way to beat him." She attempted to talk Spider-Man out of going down with the ship. "Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to take this jerk down, but you can't end it like this. There's people who care about you. I care about you."
"Touching…" Amon belittled the Avatar's pleas.
"SHUT UP!"
Amon chuckled to himself. "What's your plan now Spider-Man? Do you intend to crash the ship and somehow pull the Avatar out in one fell swoop? I gave you too much credit, you really are just a petulant child aren't you?"
Unbeknownst to everyone present, the stalemate ended with a deafening echo in Peter's mind. It was strong enough to put him on his knees and place one hand against his head, trying in vain to sooth his overwhelmed senses. Despite all of this, he still managed to hold on to one of his web lines. One word echoed through his head a thousand times over. 'ENOUGH!'
"Dammit!…not now!…" He whimpered.
Amon got his guard up and prepared his trump card. He didn't know how much power he had left but it would have to do. He made a mental note to thank Hiroshi the next time he saw him. His contraption worked without a hitch.
Korra looked on in horror, not knowing what to do. She turned to Amon "What did you do to him?!"
Amon didn't dignify the response. He simply stood by and awaited the outcome.
'You had your chance boy, now let me deal with this charlatan' The voice in his head declared.
Spider-Man's world lost color and his eyes started to shift to a crimson hue. "No, not again! I…won't let you!" His head rose on its own accord. He saw his target standing at the ready. His blood boiled seeing his target. Every cell in his body compelled him to pounce on the Equalist's leader. Then he saw a horrified Korra behind him. The fear on her face told him what he had to do. With all the strength he could muster, he dropped the webs and charged towards Amon. The revolutionary activated his suit and prepared for the oncoming onslaught from the wall-crawler. To his surprise, he ran right past him, grabbed Korra, and haphazardly jumped out of one of the open bays. He lost all the grace granted by his spider powers and ragdolled towards the glass dome. With what little control he had, he managed to twist and crash through the glass ceiling. He saved Korra's life, but he kept falling.
"Takuya?!" Korra called him without a response. He should've swung them to safety, but he just kept falling. She pulled an arm free from his arms and waterbent the pool below. A huge geyser discharged from the moat and engulfed them, effectively neutralizing the waters punishing surface tension. They got separated in the water but Korra managed to swim and climb up to the damaged underbelly of the ring. Her breathing was rapid and her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
Peter awoke in a daze. It was dark. He tried to remember what just happened, but the first thing that came to mind was the fact that he couldn't breathe. He waived his arms in blind panic but his lungs already took in too much water. He started to blackout again when a force pulled him out of the water before his world went dark.
Korra used her waterbending to pull the vigilante out of his would-be watery grave to the lower level and rushed to his side.
"Come on wake up!" She cried out to no avail.
She reached for his mask but hesitated for a split second. All feelings of privacy were ignored as she pulled his mask, off revealing what she already knew. She ignored his face and pulled out the water in his lungs.
"Please be okay, please be okay." She repeated over and over.
The water snaked out of Peter's mouth and he coughed violently. His breathing was unimpaired, but he didn't regain consciousness. He rambled incoherently. His eyes were open but blank.
Korra was taken aback by the crimson eyes but she still cradled his head up. "It's alright Takuya, it's over."
Peter wasn't responsive and he kept on rambling, showing no signs of getting better.
"Snap out if it Poindexter." She smiled, trying to reassure him. "It was a big fall but it wasn't that…" She pulled her hand away to discover fresh blood on her palm. "Oh no."
She snapped back into action and recalled her healer teachings. She laid his head back down and enveloped her hands with water. Katara taught her how to heal severe head injuries. She placed her hands on his head and went to work. Something strange happened when she made the connection however. Images flashed through her mind. She saw a world very similar yet different from her own. Strange Sato-mobiles crossed through a busy street. Police officers, at least they looked like police, canvased a grizzly crime scene. Another image flashed in her mind. It was a man on a strange contraption. He had an unusually large head with wrinkled lines running across his forehead. He turned to her, sporting an evil sneer.
"Hey Spider, want to go a few rounds!" The man said as he turned the awful looking contraption around and started firing six miniature cannons one after another.
She was on the ground now struggling. A monstrosity of a man held her wrists. His teeth were filed to points. He got closer and revealed his evocative glowing eyes.
"Chomp Chomp" The figure laughed manically before the image shifted again.
A towering figure stood over her. It was nothing like the last image. The monster's skin could barely contain his mass. His skin was green, brittle and dry. One of his eyes was normal while the other one looked like it belonged on a lizard. He leaned into Korra and spoke with surprising clarity.
"I'll give you something to be scared of." The words escaped out of what she could best describe as an incomplete mouth.
Korra snapped out of whatever trance she just experienced as the world as she knew it returned before her eyes. She was visibly disturbed at what she just saw. She focused on Peter and thankfully he seemed to be coming around. His eyes returned to its normal hue and she successfully stopped the bleeding. She smiled despite herself still feeling uneasy.
"You had me scared there Poindexter."
Peter looked up at the form above him. His mind was still foggy. He pulled himself up and placed a hand over his aching head. Tonight's events slowly returned to him and said nothing. His worst fears came to pass. He wasn't angry or sad. He just looked forward in a daze with only one thing on his mind. 'It happened again…'
Peter heard a faint voice calling to him but he didn't respond. He looked down on the floor and saw his soaking wet mask. That couldn't be right, he ALWAYS kept his mask on. He felt his face and felt the soaked gloves against his cheek.
"…Takuya, you okay…?"
The voice finally registered and he looked up to see Korra. Concern and worry were written on his face.
"…How you holding up…?"
Peter's eyes shot open as the fog cleared and his mind finally caught up with the world. He reached for his mask and hastily put it back on. The goggles only covered one eye but that didn't matter. He leapt and swung out of the arena.
Korra handled herself better than her last encounter with Spider-Man. It was funny really. She just unmasked the Spider-Man and she didn't really care. Maybe she just didn't have the energy to be upset with him. It was a crazy night after all.
"You're welcome."
XXXxxx Outside Arena: Dock entrance xxxXXX
The truck Quon had 'borrowed' didn't provide the best ride over to the aren,a but it was the best they could get in such short notice. The worst part was hearing all of the explosions echoing from the area and the radio broadcaster giving a play-by-play through it all. They arrived at the shipping dock and saw all the capsized patrol boats and a few airships floating in the bay.
"We're too late." Chiko stated the obvious.
"Looks that way." Hanzo agreed.
Quon got out of the truck and moved towards some of the civilian boats. "Let's move, there could still be some officers that need our help."
Hanzo and Chicko did as they were told and got behind their commanding officer.
Chiko heard a familiar 'thwip' noise above and saw the web-slinger making a haste escape. "Sir look! Spider-Man overhead!"
"Forget him!" Quon didn't even bother looking up as his laser-like focus was on the officers in the water. He then broke the chain of a civilian boat. "We've got officers to help."
"Got it." Hanzo said.
"Yeah yeah, no need to tell me twice." Chiko told him as he jumped on the boat. He turned up and sneered at the sky. He wanted the web-head almost as bad, if not more, then Amon. But he knew his duty and went out to the bay with his team.
XXXxxx Unknown Location xxxXXX
The city was in uproar later that night. Reserve police officers converged towards the arena to provide much needed relief for the traumatized fans and injured officers. They formed a perimeter around the region and tried to regain some semblance of order in Republic City. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. The Equalists achieved everything they wanted, giving their opposition some small tokens of victory. All in all, the police, and by extension Chief Beifong, came through the ordeal looking like hopeless idiots to the citizens they had sworn to protect. Sirens could be heard everywhere. The police force's airships feverishly searched for Amon's airship. Again, their efforts were in vain.
Peter landed harshly on a city rooftop. He tumbled and fell on his knees. The injuries he suffered at the hands of Amon started to hurt as his adrenaline subsided. He hugged his midsection, trying to sooth the searing pain in his core. In spite of all that, he didn't grind his teeth in pain, but in rage. He had victory in his grasp. He had trained his mind and body for this very encounter and his efforts amounted to nothing. It was all going according to plan, but something derailed him. Someone. He threw his mask away and got back to his feet. His rage proved to be the right anesthetic for the occasion.
"I've had enough…" He hissed.
"COME ON SHOW! YOURSELF!"
Peter shouted, venting all of his anger at his new weakness. He didn't care how but he would put a stop to this thing tonight. He was done researching it, done trying to understand it. The only viable option was a head on confrontation. He would snuff out this spirit and get his life back. For better or for worse, this was going to stop tonight. He scanned his surroundings searching for anything out of the ordinary.
"YOU'RE A COWARD, YOU HEAR ME?! AND THIS IS MY LIFE NOT YOURS!" He looked around and again nothing. "STOP HIDING AND SHOW YOURSELF!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and didn't care who heard.
"YoU doN'T gEt yOur waY sO yoU ThrOW a tAntrUm? Pathetic…" The voice spoke to Peter with a slow sullen tone.
"STOP TALKING AND SHOW YOUR UGLY MUGG ALREADY!"
"…Well, if you insist." The voice projected directly behind Peter. "Just remember, you asked for this."
Peter turned with a balled fist ready to pound his tormentor with every ounce of strength he had left. His world went black again. He didn't know what was happening and he didn't care. This was going to end with one of them dying. It didn't bother Peter. A life with this shadow looming over his every move was not a life worth living. Was he ready? Who knows? The only thing Peter was focused on was ending the spirit once and for all.
(*Alright finally editied. A few things. I'm alive and well, Basic sucked, and I'm still writing don't worry. Chapter 19 is done, just wainting for the edit.*)
A/N: Well it took a lot longer than I wanted (as usual) but I wanted to get this out before I leave for the Army. I'm still going to work on the story don't worry. I'll be MIA for a couple of months and I'll let you guys know when I get the ball rolling again. Hate to leave you guys on such a cliff hanger but that's just how the cookie crumbled on that one.
MajorBrony95: Yeah when Peter finds out what Hiroshi was planning there going to be hell to pay. It isn't going to be pretty.
cabrera1234: Heck if I know
Bucio: I like where your heads at with the two Spider-Men talking about things beyond team avatar's scope. I might just steal that one.
CRUDEN: You know my editor said the same thing about the Yue encounter. The whole thing felt a little too sweet when I was writing it. Oh well glad it turned out so well.
Honorthegam3r: Hate to break it to you but I wasn't a fan of the fedora.
Virginia Jose Domingo: That's a little too ambitious for my taste.
Partyman 108: I going to cover all of the books. I almost skipped book 2 but decided to include it anyway.
White Lantern Oath 009: There's some fun to be had with two Spider-Men in the same world.
The Lst Mamm0th: Yeah wanted to upload this before I left for basic. Hate to break it to you but there's going to be long stretches of time where I can't do anything. I did get a discord thanks to my editor and have been bouncing ideas with some readers. I'll have to set that up when I get the chance. Feel free to dm me if you want in.
Astrovert: My favorite is still Rami Spider-Man. I didn't like Garfield and the Holland Spider-Man rides Ironman's nades a little too hard for my liking.
*This is an Emergency Upload. This is the unedited version. And I didn't have time to upload the cleaner version. So please excuse weird out of place stuff you see. I'll make sure to upload the edited version when I get the chance.*