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Maximum Vengeance - Chapter 1
The jet landed back in Chicago in the morning, and thirty minutes past nine, the Enforcers escorted their former employer Winson Brigham off of it and into police custody. The police were ready; they'd been called en route. As Jimmy-Six and Ben Reilly took a seat on a nearby bench in the terminal, an officer began reading Brigham his rights.
It was the oldest policeman who spoke with Jimmy and his tired partner. "We'll be contacting you later for your statements."
"Sure t'ing, Officer. Here's our card," Jimmy said.
The policeman frowned at it. "'The Enforcers'?"
Jimmy grinned. "You got it. Jimmy-Six and Benny the Taps, Offic'r. We're staying at the Excelsior Hotel. If we ain't there, you can just leave a message."
"Um, sure," the policeman said. Actually, he had been trying to figure out whether or not to also arrest Jimmy. New York had already sent the Chicago PD a wire mentioning that the son of one of their greatest gangsters might be in town. Now there Jimmy was, right in front of the officer, but he hadn't done anything illegal. On the contrary, he'd just performed a public service.
The Enforcers finally left the terminal at eleven.
"So," Ben muttered, "I guess it's back to the hotel-"
"Wouldn't get too cozy, Benny. We move out tomorrow," Jimmy replied. "I have a friend who's hookin' us on up with a nice pair o' apartments. Best complex in the city."
"Swell. Look, Jimmy- Are we even going to be able to afford it? Our second case has been almost as big a bust as our first one-"
"We'll take care o' it, Benny. We'll take care o' it. And if you ask me," Jimmy-Six said, "Hey, this was a success."
Not far away, however, another plane had recently landed. Peter Parker had arrived in Chicago, courtesy of the Manhattan Report, to follow a lead. His true lead was in another case, however: A case of his alter-ego, the Astonishing Spider-Man! He barely heard the captain and stewardess at the door wish him a good day as he disembarked. He was too busy thinking.
'Chicago. Wish I could stay and see the sights,' Peter thought. 'But this trip is going to have to be all-business if I'm going to get done what I have to do, both as Peter Parker and as Spider-Man. I guess first mark on the list is to find the address of Mendella's chemical company. I should be in luck. A well-known president and scientist like Mendella should have his works in nothing more than a plain ol' phone book. I'll just find the nearest one and look him up.'
He left the terminal (he'd brought no luggage) and moved for the line of phones, thinking: 'Come to think of it, maybe I should count my blessings. Finding my other enemies is usually a lot harder than this. Heck, Mendella might even be in the 'M's- Hey, waitasec. Who's that over there? His back's turned towards me, but- Is that-?!'
"I don't believe it," he whispered, and then to the blond-haired figure he shouted: "Ben!"
Across a crowd of people, the clone of Peter Parker heard his assumed name called out by a voice exactly like his own. He froze, looked at a puzzled Jimmy-Six, and then turned around. "Oh no."
Jimmy frowned. "Someone calling you-"
"It's Peter," Ben said, without explaining further to his confused partner. "He found me!"
Ben Reilly stood as his mind raced. His first impulse was to hide and run away, but somehow, he couldn't. Maybe it was his sense of responsibility that kept him from doing so. All he knew was that at that moment, he felt he had a need inside of him, an urge to clear his conscience and confront his brother. He owed Peter an explanation- Didn't he?
By the time Ben had emerged from thought, however, it was too late to choose. Peter had used the time to catch up to him. "Ben? Ben, how are you? You left and-!"
"I'm fine," Ben said quietly. He looked to the big man beside him. "Peter, this is- er, Jimmy, my business partner. Jimmy, this is Peter Parker, my- cousin."
"Nice to meet you," Jimmy said, extending a large hand.
Peter shook it and Jimmy turned around. He'd seen the look on Ben's face. Something was personal, so he'd keep out of it. He simply began to lead them silently toward the exit.
"Ben, listen-" Peter said. "We gotta talk. You left so suddenly-"
"I know," Ben interrupted. "And there's a reason for it. But I can't tell you right now. How long are you in town, Peter?"
"Just for the day," Peter replied. "I'm- er, working with Matt Murdock on a case."
"Matt Murdock? The lawyer?" Ben asked.
"He called in a favor, so to speak."
"Sure." Ben pulled a piece of paper out and wrote down the hotel address and room number. "Listen, we can talk tonight. This is my hotel room. We can meet anytime after seven."
"Fine, Ben. Deal," Peter replied. He accepted the paper, not too sure what to make of it, or really what to say. "See you then, I guess?"
But Ben Reilly was already walking away, his burly partner at his side. Peter shook his head and put the number away, feeling a dozen new questions in his head. But they'd be resolved later that night- Wouldn't they? He hoped so. He wanted to know what had made Ben leave so quickly. They'd finally been connecting, and Ben had been making a life for himself-
Peter Parker turned around and walked back to the line of phones. He'd find out that night. For the moment, he could concentrate on something else. Peter ran his finger through the White Pages in the phone book. He had been hoping for much greater luck than he'd dared, perhaps a personal address for the drug researcher, but there was no such luck.
He turned to the Yellow Pages and flipped through until he found Pharmaceuticals.
'Come on, come on,' he thought-
Bingo. His finger ran over, stopped on, and stabbed "Mendella Pharmaceuticals, Inc." He reached to tear the page of the phone book out, then stopped. He was, after all, a superhero, he thought with a smile, and a protector of Society and its property. He wrote the address and number down and closed the unspoiled phone book, then began to look for a place to change into his red and blue costume.
It was time for Spider-Man to pay a visit to Doctor Vincent Mendella, the man who had framed him for murder in New York City.
Maximum Vengeance - Chapter 1
The jet landed back in Chicago in the morning, and thirty minutes past nine, the Enforcers escorted their former employer Winson Brigham off of it and into police custody. The police were ready; they'd been called en route. As Jimmy-Six and Ben Reilly took a seat on a nearby bench in the terminal, an officer began reading Brigham his rights.
It was the oldest policeman who spoke with Jimmy and his tired partner. "We'll be contacting you later for your statements."
"Sure t'ing, Officer. Here's our card," Jimmy said.
The policeman frowned at it. "'The Enforcers'?"
Jimmy grinned. "You got it. Jimmy-Six and Benny the Taps, Offic'r. We're staying at the Excelsior Hotel. If we ain't there, you can just leave a message."
"Um, sure," the policeman said. Actually, he had been trying to figure out whether or not to also arrest Jimmy. New York had already sent the Chicago PD a wire mentioning that the son of one of their greatest gangsters might be in town. Now there Jimmy was, right in front of the officer, but he hadn't done anything illegal. On the contrary, he'd just performed a public service.
The Enforcers finally left the terminal at eleven.
"So," Ben muttered, "I guess it's back to the hotel-"
"Wouldn't get too cozy, Benny. We move out tomorrow," Jimmy replied. "I have a friend who's hookin' us on up with a nice pair o' apartments. Best complex in the city."
"Swell. Look, Jimmy- Are we even going to be able to afford it? Our second case has been almost as big a bust as our first one-"
"We'll take care o' it, Benny. We'll take care o' it. And if you ask me," Jimmy-Six said, "Hey, this was a success."
Not far away, however, another plane had recently landed. Peter Parker had arrived in Chicago, courtesy of the Manhattan Report, to follow a lead. His true lead was in another case, however: A case of his alter-ego, the Astonishing Spider-Man! He barely heard the captain and stewardess at the door wish him a good day as he disembarked. He was too busy thinking.
'Chicago. Wish I could stay and see the sights,' Peter thought. 'But this trip is going to have to be all-business if I'm going to get done what I have to do, both as Peter Parker and as Spider-Man. I guess first mark on the list is to find the address of Mendella's chemical company. I should be in luck. A well-known president and scientist like Mendella should have his works in nothing more than a plain ol' phone book. I'll just find the nearest one and look him up.'
He left the terminal (he'd brought no luggage) and moved for the line of phones, thinking: 'Come to think of it, maybe I should count my blessings. Finding my other enemies is usually a lot harder than this. Heck, Mendella might even be in the 'M's- Hey, waitasec. Who's that over there? His back's turned towards me, but- Is that-?!'
"I don't believe it," he whispered, and then to the blond-haired figure he shouted: "Ben!"
Across a crowd of people, the clone of Peter Parker heard his assumed name called out by a voice exactly like his own. He froze, looked at a puzzled Jimmy-Six, and then turned around. "Oh no."
Jimmy frowned. "Someone calling you-"
"It's Peter," Ben said, without explaining further to his confused partner. "He found me!"
Ben Reilly stood as his mind raced. His first impulse was to hide and run away, but somehow, he couldn't. Maybe it was his sense of responsibility that kept him from doing so. All he knew was that at that moment, he felt he had a need inside of him, an urge to clear his conscience and confront his brother. He owed Peter an explanation- Didn't he?
By the time Ben had emerged from thought, however, it was too late to choose. Peter had used the time to catch up to him. "Ben? Ben, how are you? You left and-!"
"I'm fine," Ben said quietly. He looked to the big man beside him. "Peter, this is- er, Jimmy, my business partner. Jimmy, this is Peter Parker, my- cousin."
"Nice to meet you," Jimmy said, extending a large hand.
Peter shook it and Jimmy turned around. He'd seen the look on Ben's face. Something was personal, so he'd keep out of it. He simply began to lead them silently toward the exit.
"Ben, listen-" Peter said. "We gotta talk. You left so suddenly-"
"I know," Ben interrupted. "And there's a reason for it. But I can't tell you right now. How long are you in town, Peter?"
"Just for the day," Peter replied. "I'm- er, working with Matt Murdock on a case."
"Matt Murdock? The lawyer?" Ben asked.
"He called in a favor, so to speak."
"Sure." Ben pulled a piece of paper out and wrote down the hotel address and room number. "Listen, we can talk tonight. This is my hotel room. We can meet anytime after seven."
"Fine, Ben. Deal," Peter replied. He accepted the paper, not too sure what to make of it, or really what to say. "See you then, I guess?"
But Ben Reilly was already walking away, his burly partner at his side. Peter shook his head and put the number away, feeling a dozen new questions in his head. But they'd be resolved later that night- Wouldn't they? He hoped so. He wanted to know what had made Ben leave so quickly. They'd finally been connecting, and Ben had been making a life for himself-
Peter Parker turned around and walked back to the line of phones. He'd find out that night. For the moment, he could concentrate on something else. Peter ran his finger through the White Pages in the phone book. He had been hoping for much greater luck than he'd dared, perhaps a personal address for the drug researcher, but there was no such luck.
He turned to the Yellow Pages and flipped through until he found Pharmaceuticals.
'Come on, come on,' he thought-
Bingo. His finger ran over, stopped on, and stabbed "Mendella Pharmaceuticals, Inc." He reached to tear the page of the phone book out, then stopped. He was, after all, a superhero, he thought with a smile, and a protector of Society and its property. He wrote the address and number down and closed the unspoiled phone book, then began to look for a place to change into his red and blue costume.
It was time for Spider-Man to pay a visit to Doctor Vincent Mendella, the man who had framed him for murder in New York City.