I wanted to say thank you to all of you for reading my story. I am aware that I don't update nearly as must as I should and that is truly a fault on my part. This story is my first real attempt at writing a story and the civil war arc always stuck with me for a long time as a spider fan. It merely started as a simple what if and is taking me places I never thought about. It is my hope that as I take you on a journey writing this fanfiction that you all will join me. Thank you for your support and your criticisms.
Chapter 7: Gathering
Peter sat still, a tear running down his face like a steady river, letting the story sink in for at least five minutes. He would wipe them away only to have them continue to flow. At a time like this he would have tried to tell a joke to lighten the mood but he wasn't that person anymore and this story explained exactly why. To joke meant to keep things light hearted when it got difficult and recent excursions proved he wasn't so friendly these days.
Marc Spector continued to sit in his chair draped in white opposite of the Iron Spider. His head arched down toward the tattered cape which swept the dirt that littered the floor. Before the story began, his mind was aloft like clouds exchanging jokes with his former associate, The Amazing Spider-Man, he felt an overwhelming need to know what happened to him. In the year that he disappeared, what was it that turned the wise cracking hero into a vengeful rebel? In the short time that followed, he had his question answered.
Though this time, his facial expression was not so uplifting for much longer. As he hung onto each detail, he seemed to sober up the longer it went on until he placed the alcohol on the floor and never touched it again. After the story had finished, the spider sat in silence and waited for the response. By now the lunar warriors face was stern and unchanging as he looked back into Peter's eyes and said simply "I understand".
Peter stared back at the man who sat opposite of him. Was that all he had to say? This man was always different from others in the way he gauged a situation so why would this be anything different? The wall-crawler broke eye contact for a moment, wondering how to handle this situation now that he felt a little transparent having explained himself.
"You were expecting more?" said Marc Specter as he reached for a fresh bottle of Jack Daniels. "After a story like that it stands to reason why you feel the way that you do and I might be able you put you on the right path. I have to report back to Cage tomorrow, you can come with me."
Peter was speechless as he sat stunned in his chair. He still wasn't sure that he was ready for that so soon, to see those familiar faces and all of them wondering what he had happened to the comedic web-head of last year. Peter took a slight sip of his beverage and decided not to say anything. He looked straight at Moon Knight square in the eye and nodded his head understandingly.
All was quiet in the dark room as both heroes had set up a row of chairs each, as a sort of makeshift bed. By the looks of it this wasn't a very relaxing way to rest and nor was it enticing. He shot several web-lines from his wrists, creating a hemic for Marc and himself to sleep on instead. The knight cloaked in dirt and white stood quietly looking and the hemic with a blank expression then turned to Peter and said "If you try to eat me in my sleep, I will kill you"
For Peter, sleep came quickly but this was no mystery since he had been up since the mid-day having fought Venom. He left the Iron Spider suit on as he slept, clenching the mask in his hands as he slept. Wearing the sophisticated technology like a common pair of pajamas while Moon Knight sleeping lightly with at least one eye open either for the possibility that Peter could attack him or fear of Stark finding him. He laid on the web with his arms folded and hands under his head and moon darts not too far away on his waist-belt.
When morning came Marc was well awake though Peter allowed his body more time to rest. Marc encouraged this by not disturbing him as he still hung in his web-style hammock. He knew it would be quiet a distance before they would reach Luke's location and public transportation was too risky with authorities on high alert from the recent Spider-Man activity. He cleaned himself off inside the makeshift shower in the corner of the room and proceeded to dress in his civil attire.
Many scarred cut marks littered his body as if he was a cats scratching post. A body who withstood much injury over the years of wearing tights. He put on a white T-shirt and a dark blue polyester jacket and wore cargo pants and packed all of his belongings into a duffle bag before he gave the Spider a nudge.
"Morning Peter. Get your things together, we're leaving to see Cage."
"Right Marc"
"Sorry that's the other guy, I'm Steven Grant"
Peter looked the man up and down with a bit of a puzzled look on his face. How many identities did the epigamic Moon Knight have under his mask and which was truly in control? He tossed Peter a bar of soap before enjoying the final use of his hammock. The ex-avenger didn't wash up, just simply tucked the soap into his bag next to the crimson orb.
Before leaving, Steven Grant placed his duffle bag over his shoulder and gave a final look of farewell to the dirt infested room and closed the entrance with a large wooden board. The duo traversed the dark subway network with a well hidden Iron Spider scaling the wall and a lowly hobo moving through the muck. There was little light that came from farther down the tunnel intruding from the sun high up in the sky. Any more light came from the light of trains as they zoomed through the passages.
"Why are you always wearing that suit?" said Steven in a questioning tone. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were making a statement."
"So what, now you're the fashion police?" Retorted the crawling spider
"No, but I do know about style and taking Iron Man's colors can't be too good for business on your end."
"I didn't choose this to look good but to take Stark down with the suit he made in his image"
Steven gave light chuckle a bit, letting the thought roll around in his head. "So that's it? A little poetic justice? I thought you were better than that."
"Regardless of what you think, this suit was more useful than any cloth and I can change the color if I want" said the spider
"Don't get offended, I was just making an observation" said Steven, holding up his hands in defense. "Listening to your story last night I could hear the rage the regret in your voice. All in all you look like you came out of it well all things considered. But what I saw the most was the look in your eyes."
Peter stayed quiet for the moment before answering "What look?"
"The look of a killer. You haven't performed the act yet but you're primed and ready to pull the trigger"
"What about it?" interjected Peter.
Steven stopped walking to turn around and look the spider in the golden eyes. "Do you think you could really kill? You came pretty close"
The Iron Spider continued to crawl ahead of Steven and dropped from the ceiling on two legs splashing him and his companion with sewage. Steven didn't seem to mind since he was accustomed to this lifestyle for over a year now anyway. He merely stood and waited for a reply to come.
"I don't know. Guess we'll just have to find out" said Peter walking past Steven without so much as look in his direction.
While traversing through the muck, Peter's body had the way to a location he was completely unaware of. His mind however was filled with images, thoughts of the New Avengers before Aunt May had passed and what happened to them after he left the group. This was like being the prodigal son he thought, a man who failed in his endeavors to improve his life and return to be forgiven. Could they possibly accept him as he was now? There was a bit of anticipation hidden with him but instead of entertaining the thought perhaps there were other things to consider.
Marc Spector, the Moon Knight was someone that no one had understood. A mystery in a hood that never did more, never got involved with others more than was needed. In the last twenty-four hours Peter had gotten a better look at the enigmatic man. He had different names, different personalities and diverse mannerisms to match. Marc seemed to be the calmest. Jake, was more streetwise and cool under pressure back at the club in Harlem. And now the Steven personality was analyzing his motives like Sherlock Holmes.
"I want to know something" said Peter as he stopped walking. "Every time you talk you're changing your name. Why is that?
Steven gave a little smirk from the corner of his mouth. He too had stopped walking as the Spider posed his question. He jested a bit and proceeded to lead the way, as though he was about to tell and epic tale
"Originally, Marc Spector was a mercenary whose line of work eventually got himself killed" Said Steven. "After coming back to life that's to the Moon Deity Khonshu He dedicated his life to dealing vengeance in the Egyptian God's name."
"Created me and Jake of a need to gather information of various crimes for Moon Knight. Eventually he came to realize that like Moon Knight we were a part of him, we help him shoulder the work so he didn't need anyone else. To put it simply, we come together to do what we must. There are people who don't like us but that is alright because we aren't afraid to dirty our hands."
Their journey to the hidden base was quiet after that and there seemed to be no sign of it ending. During the Civil War the anti-registration movement took advantage of hidden bases built by Nick Fury had built in case of sticky situations. After the loss in the Civil War, the resistance needed to relocate for fear of being discovered by traitors. The current base was located in an area far removed from where Peter could recall before the death of Aunt May.
The pair began to find themselves in the middle of a corridor. The ceiling was covered in pipes traveling down along the hall. Marc led Peter through the halls, looking for marks made on the walls to find the right room. On the right track, they finally led them to an ordinary looking door with a sign which read "Maintenance." He tapped on the door with a specific rhythm that resembled the star spangled banner. A moment later the door slid to the side and the two proceeded into an empty white room. Everything from the tiles on the floor to the walls were bare, no one occupied this room.
"So… Steven, looks like we missed them"
"No we didn't. I'm Marc by the way" responded the Marc as he donned his white suit once more. Peter looked around while Moon Knight made his appearance once again in the tattered and dirty cape and he knew the reason Marc didn't wear the suit was in case someone discovered and recognized them. Stealth was easy for Peter so the fact that Marc changed back was a sign they had neared the end of their journey.
Moon Knight made his way to the center of the room and reached out with his right hand and an open palm. It appeared that he had felt around in the air and spoke an incantation. In the center of his palm, a green circle had spawned with strange symbols all around it and glowed neon and rotated slowly around. The green light had finally given out a pulse that filled the room. In waves the light washed over every corner on the room until the two found themselves in the middle of a different room.
This room was larger and neither was it empty. Not only were there lounge chairs and tables but there were people. People draped in various colors and symbols were scattered about the surrounding area. Eyes were drawn on both of them as if they were seeing two ghosts who just wondered into their base. Murmurs had quickly filled the air, bouncing off of the walls from every direction that their seemed to be no escape from it. Peter felt a cold rush from all of the attention he was receiving.
As his golden eyes met theirs he instinctively looked in another direction only to meet eyes with another. He could see very few familiar faces among new ones.
Along one of the walls stood a man in jeans with wild noir colored hair and heavy sideburns. His brown leather jacket was worn and cracking in all of its creases. His boots looked similar to that of a cowboys and were also worn. Seldom did he move from his spot as overs shuffled around the area.
Moon Knight leered back at the crowd with indifference through his white pupils, adamant to their words.
"Where is Cage? Or should I look for him while you all gawk like children?"
"No need, MK." Bellowed a deep voice from somewhere in the room.
A cluster of people cleared the way as Luke Cage emerged from another room at a towering six feet at least. He was a bald black man with a goatee and large biceps. He wore a black T-shirt, blue jeans and black boots. His facial expression was not like that of seeing an old friend but rather one of anxiousness. He signaled for the White knight to approach but let Spider-Man stand in the center of the room.
"I'll won't be too long. Just stay out of trouble."
"No promises"
He watched as the white specter disappeared behind a sliding metal door with Luke. With both of them gone the attention in the room returned to the Iron Spider standing in place with his duffle bag hanging over his shoulder. If they were going to look at him he might as well not remain in the center of the room he thought. So without a word he walked toward a corner of the room, everyone who found themselves in his way quickly had moved out of the way. The four Waldoes extended from the dome on his back and some people flinched in fear but this proved to be a false alarm as the Waldoes planted their sharp golden tips into the ground. They lifted the Iron Spiders body from the ground as he retracted his legs, giving him the impression of a monk the way he sat quietly just above the floor.
The spider proceeded to watch everyone else as some had tried to look elsewhere. He could see a figure dressed in a red cape shift through the crowd. His hair was black with a strip of white and his goatee was thin. Strange symbols covered the golden parts of the cape. Peter began to feel a certain tense sensation as the Sorcerer Supreme made his way over.
It was he who Peter sought out while Aunt May laid in her hospital bed in critical condition. He pleaded with the mage to do something but the sorcerer could not. He said that there was nothing he could do for her, nothing. That word had no value to Peter because in his past adventures, nothing had never played a part in the solution. People like himself had been rescued from the brink of death so why was her gunshot wound any different? Was it simply her time? That appeared to be the case.
The Doctor had given Peter the power to ask many people at the same time. Doppelgangers of himself spread out, seeking friends and enemies alike who all gave the same answer. Even now he still could not let go of the bitter sting of a recurring answer.
"Peter I just wanted to say…"
"Too soon doc" said Peter without so much as look at the wizard.
The doctor stopped short in his tracks with a slight disappointment on his face. Perhaps he was half expecting that very answer? With someone like him holding untold power over the unknown it was not impossible. Everyone watched as he disappeared back into the crowd without saying another word.
The man with the brown leather jacket merely observed the Iron Spider through the white eyes of his mask. Leaning with his back against a wall and his arms folded in a calm manner, something he rarely does. Their eyes had met a few times. The spider would wait for another fifteen minutes before Moon Knight would come back.
Luke walked out of the room with the white specter behind him like his shadow
"Alright everybody, team meeting. Conference room now."
Everyone moved a wide room with a long table in the center. Luke stood at the head of the table hunched over with his knuckles pressed against the cool metal tabletop. Behind him was a large screen that was playing the local news showing the crime rate in Manhattan since Pro registration took effect one year ago. Everyone looked at the screen as the reporter began to Segway into the return of Spider-Man. There were murmurs as Spider-Man took his place with Moon Knight leaning on a wall under the flat screen.
The chairs surrounding the table were filled with familiar faces. One of them were a red suit which covered his entire body except for the lower half of his face. Two red horns protruded from his forehead and the initials "DD" enveloped his chest. This man was Daredevil, man without fear and guardian to Hell's Kitchen.
In another seat sat the sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange relinquished his cape, revealing his blue shirt. He kept his head in a slanted position and focused upon the table with his hands folded.
The next was occupied by another Caucasian man dressed in yellow and green. The top half of his face was covered in a yellow bandana and white lizard-shaped eyes. On his chest laid the symbol in the shape of a dragon. Iron Fist was his name and he was also the Luke's close friend from the days of Heroes for Hire. He was quiet in his chair, meditating in deep thought.
The man in the brown jacket and messy black hair came closer to view. This man was none other than Logan aka Wolverine.
There were a few people who took up space on the walls. The number of well-known people to Peter seemed to have dwindled significantly. Spider-Man took his place against a wall next to Moon Knight behind Luke Cage. Whispers still floated through the air of the enclosed room.
Luke addressed everyone in the room by holding his right hand in to the air before speaking. "Some of you are aware that the MGH has become a problem spreading in the streets like the plague. Well today we finally have confirmation on a man high up the latter. A hooded man with no name. He could be the head of the whole operation. He is producing the drug with plans to have it weaponized for warfare."
"New super soldiers? Just great" Growled Logan. "As if we didn't have enough problems. People are exploding in the streets Cage."
"Unfortunately the club they used to distribute this drug "mysteriously" burned down last night but don't forget this guy is on our radar now. Not to mention we know what he is capable of…"
As Luke explained Moon Knight and Spider-Man's encounter with the hooded mastermind the room fell silent. The details of his powers began to raise eyebrows and eyeballs began to gravitate in the direction of a hero colleague, Cloak. Cloak's skin was brown like that of a healthy tree trunk. A navy and noir hooded cowl which covered his head most of his body. He was a tall black man standing next to a Caucasian blond woman and life partner, Dagger wore a white skin tight spandex outfit in contrast to his cowl was somewhat revealing
Dagger leaped in front of Cloak, acting as an ocular shield between Cloak and the onlookers in the room.
"It wasn't him" said the Lunar Legionnaire casually. Everyone turned their heads to the other side of the room. "The guy we saw was different. The opposite of narcissism, cold and calculating. The most important detail is that he knew things about me and Spider-Man, the kind of things S.H.I.E.L.D. would keep in their dossiers. It's not Cloak."
"You might be right but that doesn't mean he doesn't have insight on what the hood guy can do with the darkforce dimension!" retorted a red headed man in a red leather trench coat. His eyes retained a certain anger within his amber eyes as his ginger hair rose up like a rising flame. "Maybe Cloak has the best chance at finding him."
Cloak stepped out from behind Dagger and pulled back his navy and noir hood revealing his bald head to everyone. His eyes had no visible pupils or iris to speak of. "If this man is like me then he suffers with a hunger for the light to sustain himself. If you fall victim to his darkness then he can feed on the light of your souls."
"That's enough" said Luke before he continued to talk. "Now that we know more about the man behind the drugs we can move to stop him before he makes waves. Which brings us to the next order of business."
The lights in the conference room dimmed as a life-sized female figure materialized in as a figure of light. She stood up tall as her figure rotated over the long table. She had long black hair and wore a costume of red on her body, yellow on her arms and legs with large white spider eyes. Peter moved from off the wall when he saw who it was and stepped forward a bit.
"Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman was last seen chasing another strain of MGH in Europe when communications went dark. It's been 72 hours since we last heard from her so we're putting together a tactical team to bring her back and Wolverine is in charge. I don't care if she is dead or alive, you find her, you bring her back and find out whatever we can about the MGH operation. That is the mission. Other than that its business as usual for the rest of us."
Peter could feel a cold sweat pulsing through the pours of his skin. If she was captured then the mission was pointless because if the hooded man would have killed her on the spot because of his methodical nature. He himself had only escaped by just the skin of his teeth with Moon knight thanks to the Venom symbiote.
The hologram projection of Spider-Woman faded and lights on the ceiling came back on at once, flaring the eyes with white light. Peter looked around as everyone slowly cleared out of the room
Wolverine continued to sit in his chair when a younger man approached him. He wore a black jacket and shades to cover his eyes. "When are you going to let me join the team Logan" he said in a high voice.
"When you get more base in your voice kid. Now get going, when it's your time I will get to you." The young man in the jacket was one of the last to exit the room, leaving Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Cloak and Dagger.
Moon Knight did not move from the wall. Peter stood up half expecting everyone to turn to him which they did. Drinking in the presence of their former friend and ally. It was at this point that Luke decided to take his seat at the head of the table.
"There are some things we need to talk about first, before we can go forward" said Luke as he took a step toward the Iron Spider.
Peter said nothing in response, after all, it wasn't him that needed to do the talking. He simply watched on as everyone would try to understand his motives, perhaps even attempting to sympathize with him.
"You have to understand, it's not like when cap ran the secret avengers" said Luke. "Information is the key that keeps this organization running. If we stay quiet and then S.H.I.E.L.D. can't find us but you've been making waves in just two days. You coming back is a huge wild card honestly. We need to know that your plans don't work against ours."
"What are your goals exactly?" Peter just looked at Cage through his golden arachnid eyes "looks like you don't have too much left to save around here. What's the matter? S.H.I.E.L.D. is picking you apart and you're scared of losing the rest. Where is your wife Luke."
Luke appeared to be stunned by the look on his face. "It's true, they've been nipping at us, taking people down left and right. We just lost Patriot last week not to mention Black Cat is off the grid at the moment."
Felicia was working with Luke the whole time. A little regret had flowed through Peter's mind which he then fought to bury deep in his mind. She was safe now that she was out of the way and he could think clearly without worrying about her. If she was smart she would have left the country but he knew her better than that. She would be fine because surviving was what she did best.
"I only came back for one reason, to put an end to the registration" Peter tried to watch the tone of his voice, the pace of his heart beat to show the least amount of emotion as possible. The thing about DD was that though blind, his senses were attuned to sound like a bat which sometimes caused him to think he knows people but he didn't know the Spider-Man now. "I will do what needs to be done however I can and that's all you need to know. I tried to put this all behind me but it's not an option now and if you don't want me here then just say so but make no mistake, I'm taking the fight to registration."
"That's not it p- Spider-Man" Interjected Daredevil with his chin leaning onto his folded hands suspended over the long table. "Moral is at an all-time low at this point. Some of the people here are just too scared of losing anything more than they already have"
"Then they should quit because it is going to get a hell of a lot worse than this." The spider was now stand upright and tensing his body to show that he had not merely return to talk but that action spoke volumes
"Alright, if you think you're ready" said Cage as he stood from his seat and the lights dimmed once more. A 3D model of Stark Tower had now appeared over the table along with a 3D Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit. "About a month ago we caught wind that Tony has a plan in place called 'Phase 2'"
"We don't know what it's about but around that time Stark Industries began buying up rival company stock as if they were ten cent comics" added Wolverine.
"As far as I see it our goals are along the same path. If you help us then we'll help you."
Peter began to chuckle out loud when he thought of easy the conversation was going. They must have really been in a bad way. It was at this point that Peter requested a pen and Paper and scribbled a list together and handed it to Cage. The paper was a list of instruments that he would need if he were to work with the New Avengers. Luke took the list, analyzed it and pasted it to Iron Fist as he nodded his head in approval.
"Now that we have the intros out of the way, you're coming with me to England" growled Wolverine as he pointed at the Iron Spider. "The team is you, me, Daredevil and Moon Knight"
The white specter Moon Knight looked up in either surprise or disgust but no one could tell as his face was covered in his black, featureless face.
"I don't take orders from you, Wolverine." Retorted Moon Knight while pointing his finger. Logan bared his teeth, grinding them as he gave a snarl. Three blades protruded from the back of his left hand, ripping through the surface of his skin. They were sharp and shined in the light from the adamantium metal.
Luke stepped in between the two, distancing them with his large arms fully extended. Moon Knight was forced back with relative ease while Logan did not budge from his position still baring his claws. Luke looked especially annoyed by the sight of this incident let alone having to be in the center of it. Having lost so much, why bicker amongst themselves like children.
"That is enough from both of you" said Luke as he turned his head to face both of them one at a time. "MK I appreciate what you did, going into Harlem. You did me a personal favor but at the risk of being selfish I need to ask that you go with Logan. You're conditioned to handle pressure like this from what I understand and anybody else here would leave traceable energy signatures."
Traceable energy? Peter straightened his back a bit at the sound of this news. If S.H.I.E.L.D. could now trace energy back to its user hand to hand combatants had just become invaluable not to mention why Cloak was not part of the mission. He truly had been out of the game for long enough and yet had gotten along quiet well so far.
Everyone looked at Moon Knight for some reaction but he did not give one. For an ordinary man among super beings, he was still unpredictable as his white pupils glared through his mask. "Whatever"
"I hope you've got something a little darker, buttercup. The mission starts at sun down."
The team needed to be small and should anything go wrong, each member needed to be capable of escaping in their own way. Wolverine would not have had much choice but to rely on the crescent vigilante in the first place. Iron Fist could focus chi energy,
More than ever, the possibility that Jessica could be dead was no longer the threat of some grandstanding villain. Her body could have been harvested of more potent MGH. Surely this would be a waste of time and yet there was a sense of solidarity in bringing her back no matter what. She was an old ally, surly that warranted at least attempt the find her.
Everyone began to break off from where they stood, exiting the conference room. Iron Fist approached in his yellow mask and green spandex suit. The symbol of a golden dragon covered his chest. He simply looked at the spider and simply said "good luck."
Peter took the time to understand what else had changed in the time of his absence. Kids with powers were still cropping up with their own origin stories. The fear of registration had scared them enough to go underground. It seemed identical to the story of every X-Man ever. Logan would train them in the ways of tactics and exercises to better the use their abilities but too many of them were sloppy to begin with. Recon missions were botched with missteps and careless mistakes.
While attempting to stop trouble in the streets, there was a high demand to constantly remain vigilant. Heroes appointed by the fifty state initiative could respond at any time, not to mention S.H.I.E.L.D. or some concerned citizen who would call the authorities anonymously. Regardless, everyone remained in New York while some had decided to travel abroad and it began a small information network across the world and Jessica Drew was a part of that network.
Aside from the ordinary hero patrols, Logan was the leader of a separate time that followed a different set of rules, the Secret Avengers. This handpicked team was tasked with recon and possibly assassination from time to time, though it was the Wolverine who had the stomach to deal the killing blow. Their goal was to go places the Initiative wouldn't and accomplish the mission without leaving any indication they were there in the first place.
It went without saying that many of the new kids were not fit for the team though many aspired to be. Though Luke didn't like the idea of killing, eventually it wasn't enough to play things straight. Wolverine did the killing cause that was what he was known for.
After the meeting Peter was free to wander the rest on the facility to his heart's content. For everywhere he turned where there was a conversation, the room grew quiet. Peter walked on without paying the new blood any attention but wasn't he a little of the same? He had been out of action but the job had stuck to him like glob of webbing.
He eventually stumbled into an intricate training room. Numerous contraptions folded out of and merged into the walls of their own accord. There was no talking in here. The training exercises were comparable to that of the X-Men's danger room, any misstep could turn out to be your last. Large portions of the area were sealed off for private training sessions but there weren't too many people around. S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken members and syphoned off much of the New Avengers strength.
In one of the rooms there was the man with the flaming red hair and trench coat. Large buzz saws extended outward toward him as he leaped around them with Olympic mastery. By placing his hands outward there was a current flowing through the air, causing the saws to burnout and stand still and lifeless. Peter could hear clapping from behind him echo through the hallow room. It was Logan coming down from the command center high in the center on the room. The youth stepped out of the training chamber with an indifferent look on his face as if he had done nothing special.
Logan walked past Peter and put his heavy adamantium hand on the kids shoulder, weighting it down like a sixty pound weight. "Good Job kid, you're getting better every day."
"Not good enough to go on the mission though right?" retorted the brash youth while turning the other way.
The air in the surrounding area began to feel sweltering and muggy. The flame headed teen's body was producing heat to match his flaring temper.
Peter could tell Logan was holding himself back from shooting off his mouth like a sailor. Instead he simply withdrew his hand. "It's nothing like that but your attitude is a problem. that much is clear."
The youth glared at the crimson arachnid and proceeded to turn his back on him, walking off in a hot fuss. Just from simply standing in the area, Peter's pores began to sweat which caused him to think about relocating when Logan began to talk.
"Don't worry about him. Kids improved since the day he got here."
"I wasn't worried. It's the mission I'm concerned with."
"I'll brief you on the way there. We have a hidden flight taking us overseas. Plenty of time to get you up to speed. Until then, just walk around, sure you have a lot of catching up to do. Unless you want to train?"
"Maybe later."
Moon Knight had found the armory Nick Fury had compiled over the years. He picked up twin pistols a firm grip and looked them over. The ex-mercenary placed the weapons to the side, reserving them for the upcoming mission. While further inspecting the weapons, blades, knifes and bullets were assorted bysize and places nearest their respective firearm along with silencers. A closet stood next to the compilation of weapons filled with black shirts, boots and pants and many diverse outfits for going undercover. While surveying its contents he located a black hoody toward the back of the rack.
Moon Knight marveled at the hood and put it in a pile with a set of clothes and boots. Peter could swear there was the slightest hint of a smile beneath that mask. The guns probably brought back Marc's of memories of being a soldier of fortune. In the past, this thought would have bothered him but there was no such feeling now. After all he had thoughts of murder, what right did he have judge without the moral high ground?
"What do you think so far?" said the Iron Spider.
"I don't like the idea of working in a group but MGH is a problem" Replied Moon Knight still sorting through his weapons. "And if Jessica was hurt in the process of finding Intel about it then I can't ignore it. What about you?"
"A bit anxious I guess but that's normal."
"You'll do fine. It's the waiting that gets on my nerves the most. We should spar later to pass the time."
"You sure you want to hurt yourself?"
"Hmm, that's the first joke you've made around me so far and you're still not funny. Don't assume that because I'm the only one without powers that I can't pull my weight."
The thought of the venom symbiote running through Marc's veins flashed in Peter's head. For a moment, he waited to see if Marc would mention it, if he was dependent on it. He was only attached to it for a few hours so the effects shouldn't have been too bad but he should still be monitored in the future.
Still, Peter stood around while the clock seemed to take its time to pass. Now would be a good time to find his room within this maze of a base. Suddenly a man draped in red with horns appeared next to him. The first thought to cross his mind was Mephisto had returned for another laugh but it turned out to be Daredevil.
With ruby red eyes the devil looks over Peter's shoulder. He wasn't so sure he wanted to hear about the red avenger's tale at the time but the details may have been worth it. The devil occupied a spot next to the Spider.
It had been some time before the two had seen each other because Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer of Hell's Kitchen had been in jail during the civil war. Serving time for being the acting kingpin of crime at the time.
Sometime before the war a certain group of people decided to blow the lid off of Matt's secret identity after it became apparent that many knew who DD was to begin with, including Wilson Fist. Newspapers had caught wind of the scandal, outing the Lawyer and his known associates. He couldn't do his job as effectively, considering that every prosecutor used the assumption that he was Daredevil to help close their cases. Eventually criminals would attack him in broad daylight, shooting at him while Mathew was walking outside with his wife Milla Donovan. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and seized control of organized crime from Wilson Fist and ordered criminal activity to cease.
Everyone knew that Murdock had seized control of crime from both sides but it couldn't last. Eventually he was arrested by the FBI and broke out of Ryker's island to discover that Danny Rand, Iron Fist had taken his place and filled in as DD to throw off the suspension of Matt's secret identity. Under registration, S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to out Daredevil and apprehend him. The killing stroke came when a villain long thought gone; Mr. Fear had poisoned Milla with a sort of fear toxin, causing her to become mentally imbalanced. He was forced to watch from a far as her parents came to collect their daughter and get her proper medical Treatment.
He had nothing of his past life left. He had been convinced that his wife and friends needed to live without him though surely someone would attack them too. Neighborhoods still needed a hero, though Daredevil had become a shade darker. Still calling New York his home and so the life of a fugitive had been embraced.
After hearing Daredevil's story, Peter was ready to find his own private room. The walls were a very bare and there was not too large and what space it did have was taken up by a small cot with white sheets and a personal desk with a single chair and no computer. The cot looked very stiff and uncomfortable for anyone's back to lay upon. He threw his duffle bag into the right corner of the room and took a seat on the chair.
The space in the room appeared to be like a prison, no sounds from outside could penetrate. The metal walls were a scratched up from them the removal of some kind of object. Perhaps the room was used as a storage closet he thought. The floor had been covered in old tiles and were chipped along the corners. He could almost see his own reflection in the wall and removed his mask. He looked at his own face as if he were meeting a stranger. He laid down to rest, falling asleep.
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The time for the mission was approaching soon as Peter combed the inside of his duffle bag until he found the crimson orb. He leered at it with glaring eyes. Leaving it here was not an option because of the chance that somebody might get too curious and look into his belongings. Having it around showed to have its advantages, a quick ally in the times of distress but it was not to be completely trusted. He reached for the orb to put it into the gold bulb located on his back.
A knock sounded at the door and shortly after slid to the side open. A commando style Wolverine Stood at the threshold of the Spider's small den.
"C'mon kid lets go"
The Iron Spider suit turned black and his golden eyes changed into small white ones.
"I'm ready."