A/N: Sorry about the wait, my inspiration left me for a while. But I have returned with a new chapter that differs from what i promised, but still should be good read. Enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own any marvel characters featured in this story.
NEW YORK CITY. 2 YEARS LATER.
Bricks and mortar rained down on the streets as the building seemed to explode outwards. People ran screaming for cover, as a shadowy figure emerged from the rubble. He stood around 8ft and was built like the back end of a bus. His foot came down on the floor causing a small earthquake within the immediate area.
A police helicopter buzzed over head a sniper fastened on the side as the powerful spotlight came to life lighting the figure up.
He was dressed in hi-tech grey armour that covered his whole body. The only thing left uncovered was his face, the rest of his head covered by a helmet that opened forward slightly allowing his face to be seen. The helmet resembled a rhino with one giant horn
The Helicopter buzzed over the area, The Sniper staring down the Scope of the Powerful Barret 82. He ordered the helicopter to hover in position as they entered a perfect angle to hit the target. The Sniper calmed himself, slowing his breathing down so as not to shake the scope and brought his head forward slightly and stared down the scope, fixating on the heart area of the targets armoured chest. His finger gently stroked the trigger and squeezed. The shot echoed through the air, as the 50. Cal bullet left the chamber, the free' floating barrel vibrating slightly as the bullet spun through it and towards the target.
There was a sharp metallic ping that indicated the bullet hit and the armoured giant stumbled back slightly. He held his hand to his chest then held it out so the sniper could see the spent bullet; He let out a short sharp laugh
"Ain't nothing that can pierce 'da' Rhino's hide" and with a speed that seemed impossible due to his size he moved to one of the many wrecked cars around, this one with a scared family still trapped inside, hefted up above his shoulder and launched it at the helicopter. Only to watch the car stop in midair as though trapped.
"Bingo" The Rhino snorted
"Hey horn-head" A voice from behind him shouted
The Rhino stupidly turned round and met face to face, sorry make that face to foot with the size twelve feet of one spandex wearing super-hero. The Rhino stumbled backwards slightly allowing the arachnid hero to flip over and land on a nearby wall.
"Wait, wait, oh geez I'm sorry was that your face, you know I'm always told to watch where I stand." Spider-Man cracked before jumping out of the way of the Rhino's rather large fist
"Lets see you crack jokes when ya nothing but a stain on the floor bug" The Rhino roared spinning round his arms raised ready to axe handle the skinny man standing in the middle of the road. His fists impacted with the ground at around 50mph, the road crumbled and the Rhino just managed to back away before he fell into the sewer system.
"Damn I'd hate to be the one to pay for all this. Oh and the bugs jokes are getting a little repetitive with you super-villains, let me explain see a bug is much like an insect" The webbed wonder laughed as he hung upside down from one of the few remaining standing lampposts. Across the rather large hole the Rhino had created.
"You see a bug has six legs as well as a head, body and thorax, often wings too. Where as spiders have eight legs and only a head and thorax."
The Rhino grumbled slightly and looked around him for someway to take the annoying hero out of the picture. Then he spotted it wedged in the side of the hole leading to the sewers was a manhole cover. Never taking his eyes off the arachnid. He moved forward, grabbing the cover and using the same action one might throw a Frisbee flung the heavy metal disk towards our hero.
Spider-Man dropped to the floor, the disk barely missing his head, a stand of webbing caught the disk and using his strength and ability to anchor himself to the floor managed to spin the disk back round and come crashing into the Rhino's chest knocking him backwards onto the floor.
"Nothing may be able to pierce that shell you're wearing but THAT had to hurt"
He was right, the Rhino coughed spitting blood to the floor where he'd bit his tongue. As he raised himself back to his feet, Spider-Man flipped over the hole and landed on the Rhino's chest.
"Ready to give uuuuuuuuuuuuuppppppppppppppppp!" The web head flew through the air due to the rather powerful punch he was on the receiving end of and crashed into the building opposite.
"Ow" he mumbled slightly dazed "Spidey why are you fighting a guy who'd find more of a challenge with the Hulk or the ever loving Blue-eyed Thing"
In his daze he didn't notice that the Rhino had got to his feet and had backed up several feet.
"That's it ya stupid freak stand right there" The Rhino mumbled to himself as he prepared to reveal his namesakes ability. He lowered his head so the horn pointed straight at Spider-Man and charged forward reaching incredible speed in the short distance between him and Spider-Man
Spider-Man's spider sense blared like a fog horn going off in his head and on instinct he leaped upwards somersaulted in midair and watched as the Rhino smashed straight through the wall he was leaning on at around 200mph.
"Come on think Spidey think. Has a fair amount of strength and speed, surprisingly. Wants your guts as a necklace and is covered in a metal armour plus seems damn near invulnerable" Behind his mask Spider-Man smirked as he noticed, the power-cables dangling from the hole leading to the sewer.
The Rhino shook his head as he realised that Spider-Man had jumped at the last possible instant to avoid his charge. He hoisted himself out of the rubble and what remained of those people who had been in his path.
"Hey, Quick foot out here" Spider-Man's voice cried out from the street. The Rhino growled and turned making his way slowly out of the hole in the wall.
"Where are ya bug" His armour now coated in blood and entrails The Rhino look around and did a double take as he notice the long gash in the road and the coil of cable that led to behind him. His eyes went wide as he turned his head and saw Spider-Man holding the cable
"Shocking" Spider-Man plunged the cable forward with the briefest of touches against the Rhino's armour
The Rhino screamed out in pain as the electricity coursed through him and then he collapsed to the floor, alive but unconscious. Spider-Man sighed as the cops began to move in. He looked behind and saw the remains of the civilians. His eyes went wide as he realised that once again he had unintentionally caused more deaths.
"Freeze Freak" The cops had their guns pointed in his direction. Spider-Man looked at where his webbing had caught the car and was pleased to see the emergency services were getting the family down safely.
"Sorry boys but I have other stuff to do" He shot a strand of webbing into the air and was gone leaving the cops staring into empty space.
And from across the rooftops hidden in the shadows a lone figure stood.
"Impressive"
-GG-
With a little aerobatic flip Spider-Man landed on the wall of an alleyway, he adjusted his position so it looked like he was sitting and stared into to space.
"I can't do this day in, day out Uncle Ben" he spoke to no-one in particular "You saw what was all over the Rhino's chest. God I hope they didn't suffer"
He looked out to one of the billboards, charting the success of his on-off girlfriend's movie career, her first full Hollywood produced film, Lobster-man. She seemed to be going from strength to strength while he was down in the gutter.
"Hope you're enjoying California MJ cause New York is as bad as ever" He moved his head out of the way as a boot came flying at him.
"Get outta here ya tight wearing freak I don't pay for this apartment so I can see you on the opposite wall"
Good old New York Spidey thought dodging the first boot's twin, Know how to kick you when you're down
"Sorry sir, Your neighbourhood watchman will be leaving now" He sighed dodging another projectile, sending a webline out to snag on a near-by building and using the other hand to web up his assailants hands.
"You can use your hands in about an hour or so but until then no scratching" He said swinging off and around the corner, heading towards Times Square and perching on one of the billboards to see a news bulletin stretching across one of the giant screens.
"Attack on OsCorp facilities in progress police are suffering damage"
The image switched to what appeared to be a man in a quilted yellow suit with two armoured gloves that were blasting some sort of beams at the Cop cars
Great Spidey thought as he launched another webline into the air and swung off towards OsCorp unaware that he was being followed.
-GG-
OsCorp Industries had been suffering due to the bad press regarding Otto Octavius. There military contracts had been revoked after the attack by the Green Goblin. What was once a household company had been forced to cut its losses close factories, fire members of staff, and try to keep it's proverbial head down until the flack passed.
The company did still have one military contract left and it was because of this reason that Herman Schultz better known in the Underworld as The Shocker was here. He'd been hired through mysterious circles to get the new weapons Tech and if possible draw the Web-headed super-hero out.
Shocker's powers came through the armoured gloves he wore. These amplified sonic vibrations and amplified them into a beam weapon, that literally shocked the molecules into what ever it touch into exploding. While these weapons were effective they had one fatal drawback that had cost the lives of several test subjects. The gloves could fire a discharge into the body of their wearer, which could and had one test subjects interrupted the regular beat of the heart and sent them into instant anaphylactic shock normally there would be a chance to save someone who went into this but the vibrations from the gauntlets caused the process to increase quicker then usual and the victim died moments later.
The inclusion of the suit had been the idea of Schultz himself, and was a marvel of protective technology, as well as re-channelling the vibrations back into the gloves. The suit was shock and bullet proof which was a good thing considering the amount of firepower the cops were aiming at him.
He fired a short blast at several cops hiding behind one of the cars. As the beam struck the car shook violently before exploding.
"Ha-ha, I Love this" Shocker shouted as he fired at the ground causing it to rise into the air and form a shield of sorts.
Across the other side behind the police cars, Captain Jean DeWolff was not happy.
Captain Jean DeWolff was an example of physical perfection. She was muscled but not overtly so that she was mistaken for a man (like some female wrestler and bodybuilder can be) her strawberry blonde hair was tied back under, her helmet to keep out of her eyes. Her striking green eyes which stared down the barrel of her Kimber Custom II Semi-automatic which she still carried from her L.A.P.D, S.W.A.T days.
"Goddamnit where the Hells that backup S.W.A.T team I ordered." She shouted at her second in command
Her second in command was someone who definitely spent a lot of his time on the weights. He fired a three round burst from his Colt M4-A1 machine gun towards the shock. His Square Jaw tight in anger at the villain before him. His S.W.A.T helmet had been knocked off a while ago allowing his short cropped brown hair to wave in the wind. He stopped and looked towards his Captain but noticed something in the sky.
"Dunno Captain but I Wish they'd hurry looks like the Shocker has help." He pointed towards the sky and the red and blue hero swinging towards them.
"Brock your mistrust of him is almost refreshing" DeWolff sighed as the arachnid Hero landed by her. Ignoring the gun pointed at him by Brock, Spidey spoke quickly to Captain DeWolff.
"So what's going on here?" he asked the usual cheeriness missing from his voice and DeWolff knew immediately what the problem was.
"Those people the Rhino killed it wasn't your fault you couldn't have known, they were there"
Spider-Man's mask almost had a look of perplex on it.
"Guess news travels fast, The Bugles going to have a field-day." He sighed.
"Yeah well not every one believes that crap" She Turned to Brock "Eddie lower the weapon"
"But Captain"
"I said lower it" She said more sternly.
Brock reluctantly placed his weapon into the low-ready position, but continued to glower at Spidey. He didn't hate Spider-Man just mistrusted him, most officers in the force had already decided on how they felt about the web head, Brock who had been on the force near ten years, had read many strategy books, and so when thinking of Spidey brought a quote he had read to mind, "Keep an eye on those who maybe allies for they can turn"
"This guy calls himself The Shocker. He's a thief for the Kingpin we think, As far as we know he has no super-powers apart from those damn gauntlets. I lost two men because of them and how you go out ain't nice so don't get hit" she raised her eyebrow at him.
"Don't worry Captain I plan not to" He laughed firing a web shot and swinging away.
"You really trust him captain" Brock asked
"With my life"
-GG-
The Shocker had not noticed Spider-Mans arrival and continued to blast at the cop car laughing manically as he did so.
He was so content with what he was doing he didn't notice the shadow coming down at him from behind until it hit him.
"Your mum called, she wanted her best quilt back you should know not to going playing super-villain"
"Funny guy" Shocker grunted raising himself off the ground "Lets see you laugh this off" he raised his arm and a blue beam shot out of it just missing the web slinger, who struck out with his foot only to have it caught by the Shocker, followed by Slamming Spidey to the ground and punching him in the face twice.
"I'm gonna murder you bug and then I'm gonna go after every stinking last relative of yours" The Shocker screamed as he powered up his gauntlet. He was going to hit him with the full force of it at close range.
"Guess again" Spider-Man brought his head up connecting with the nose of Shocker shattering it in the process causing him to fall back and discharge the blast wide into the air.
"Damnit" The Shocker cried out as his mask started to turn red. "You was going to die quick, now I'll make it slow and painful" The gauntlets began to hum but did not give off the glow that indicated they were going to fire. Spidey's Spider-Sense blared at him. As the Shocker went to Punch him he grabbed the fist and only then realised his mistake as he felt his bones instantly break as the energy was discharged into it.
Spider-Man backed off grunting in pain only to be stopped a snap-kick to the stomach courtesy of the Shocker
"I'm gonna break every bone in your body and I'm gonna enjoy it" He raised his hand into the air ready to bring it down.
"Sorry I'm not ready for the full body cast" Spider-Man joked firing strands of webs that covered the gauntlets; these didn't last long but gave Spider-Man a chance to Haymaker the Shocker knocking him to the ground. The humming from the gauntlet stopped and Spidey Jumped in grabbing each gauntlet with his good hand and crushing it.
The Shocker didn't take this lying down and brought his knees up in the webbed one's head, knocking him back slightly.
"You might have broken the gauntlets. But I'll show you how things were done on Yancy Street"
"Yancy Street? You come from the same place as the Thing? Oh man is that gonna haunt him now" Spidey began to laugh ignoring the dulling numbness in his right hand
The Shock rushed forward with a blazing set of punches which Spidey easily dodged. He ducked under the next blow then used his webbing on his own hands to form his own set of gauntlets and smashed them into the Shockers chin snapping his neck back. He was hit again and again by the gauntleted fists till he fell back and hit the ground cold.
"Memo to Self Spidey" he grunted holding his right hand "Don't use that trick when your hand is a broken mess"
"What now?" he asked sarcastically as his Spider sense went off. He looked down to see a small orange ball at his feet
"NO" he cried in shock as it exploded in a ball of green gas. As he passed out he remembered a jet engine sound coming closer, followed by a maniacal laugh
-GG-
Spider-Man tried to open his eyes but they felt heavy as did his arms and legs. His vision was blurred but cleared slightly to his horror as he saw the Yellow eyed Green menace whose Shadow of Evil dominated his life.
"No It can't be your dead" Spider-Man managed to blurt out
"Oh but how can I be Peter when I'm right here" The Green Goblin laughed perched atop his Glider
-GG-