Another mainline chapter rather than part 2 of the Mayday omake. Apologies for those looking forward to it. I'll post it at a later date.
First things first. The poll (still open, so please vote if you haven't) is currently tied with 5 votes for webswinging/wallcrawling, 5 votes for magicial/scientific/demon gadgets, and 1 vote for more magical abilities. I'll keep the poll up for a one or two more chapters before closing it so look at my profile if you want a specific thing.
I'll also make a poll for MJ's love interest and post that when I finalize the power up choice. Should make things easier.
Anyway, according to the previews Spider-Gwen will relaunch as Ghost Spider #1 on August with Gwen attending college in 616 while still living in Earth-65. Guess we can kiss E-65 baddies and plots goodbye now that Gwen's in the 616 Spider pile. She's already fighting Arcade in September...
Truther: So Spinerette is the alternate counterpart of Cindy Moon, the terrorist behind S.I.L.K. Anyone else find this really trippy?
098012: It's the multiverse, dude. Remember that issue where Cap had to fight an evil version of Steve Rogers who worshiped HDYRA?
Truther: Still fucking weird. Comic books are one thing, real life's another.
EveningWood: Considering Spider-Man's a resurrected Peter Parker and he's dating the person who 'killed' him, I'm not surprised. Watch and wait, Spider-Woman's gonna be like Mary Jane Watson or Sally Avril or Gwen Stacy or something just to make it more ironic. They were all in Midtown and they all knew him.
simpleandclean: Nah. I just went to a small Mary Janes concert a couple days ago and Spider-Woman was across town saving people when it happened. Not sure about Sally, though. What do we know about her?
MJJackpot: Sally wouldn't donate a dollar if it could cure cancer. And hey, nice to know some people think I could be a superhero, cause I would totally stay with a band when I could be hanging out with the Avengers :/
EveningWood: Just a theory, Watson. Gotta admit, it's weird that all these heroes are familiar names. Does Gwen Stacy have an opinion on her ex-best friend being Spider-Man?
MJJackpot: She doesn't like to talk about it, obviously. Paps tried to hound her cause they thought she was an in with Spider-Man.
EveningWood: Right, sorry. Anyway, you watching the Spider-Woman movie? Our class is watching it as a group :)
MJJackpot: Hard pass. Too busy with my new job. Have fun with that totally true story, though.
Lana never liked going to Wasp's place.
Nothing against the senior hero, but she always found the idea of shrink tech to be pretty fucking creepy. Maybe it was cause Spider-Gwen nearly fell on her ass-first during her short Godzilla stint, or maybe she just found wasps and ants (and spiders, but she didn't tell Pete that) to be creepy little fucks. Either way she'd been kinda soured on her from the word go.
Being shrunk down didn't help that opinion. At all.
Lana leaned against the hardlight building and waited for Wasp to calibrate the 'city'. Apparently she did this a lot to help Spider-Gwen test the new powers she got from that blob snake thing. The brunette yawned and tried not to think about the fact that Wasp and her daughter could just step on her 2 inch tall ass right now and flush her remains down the toilet.
Fuck, she hated being small.
The road changed and Lana stepped off from the building. No cars, no fake people. Just a long strip of concrete, "Let's test your speed again." Lana nodded and took her position on the middle of the road. They'd been training with her powers for days now, just trying to find a way to make sure she didn't blow up her dorm room by mistake. That was the last thing she needed.
Lana took two steps before she was covered in a burst of light and she surged forward like Speed the Porcupine. She had to admit, despite her initial doubts these new powers were useful. She was way faster than before, and she could even run up buildings. No she didn't know why, and really she didn't care. She could run up fucking buildings! Eat it, Spider-Gwen!
She ran up the nearest building and made a three point landing on the center, "Ambush." Three hardlight gunmen with assault rifles appeared in front of her. Lana charged ahead and started punching and kicking. She was faster there too. Her fists glowed with yellow energy and the constructs stood no chance. Not that it mattered; Wasp made sure they fired blanks every time.
She dropkicked the last one over the edge of the roof just before another construct with a sniper rifle appeared on the opposite building, "Aim for the hands." She nodded and focused. Before her blasts were always explosive, always blowing things up. They still did, but now she could focus. She narrowed her eyes and aimed for the glowing blue hands.
The shot was fast and thin. The construct let go of the sniper rifle and she immediately blasted it in the face, "Well done." Lana shook her hands and and tapped the earpiece. This was her one lifeline back to normal sized land, "Is something the matter?"
"You thought about my last suggestion?" The suggestion being programming bullets into the constructs and letting them get a shot off. Not in her face or anything, she wasn't fucking crazy, but...in the arm or the leg or something. Just to see if that fast healing was still a thing.
She was quiet for a bit before she responded slowly, "I still have doubts. Asking to get shot is-"
"We need to be sure. I mean, I took a fucking shotgun to the face and I'm still alive." To emphasize her point she jumped off the building, which was a 40 feet drop from her perspective, and landed on the ground. It didn't hurt, "See? That should've broken both my legs and I'm still standing."
"I've told you before that part of your new abilities is kinetic dampening. It's the same reason why your new speed doesn't leave your skin raw."
"So that means bullets shouldn't be that much of a leap." Silence from the other end, "Look, I'm not asking to get shot with an anti-tank round or something. I just need to make sure that this healing thing is legit. You can make it a really weak bullet."
"Do I have to comment on how odd it is that a teenager is asking and listing the benefits of getting shot?" Wasp sighed, "Fine, but I'm making sure the hardlight ammunition only does minimal damage. I don't want to be responsible in telling Spider-Man why you're taking an extended stay at the hospital." She snorted. Yeah, he'd kill Lana if that happened.
"Pete's got no room to talk."
"Point. Now, don't move."Another construct, this one with a pistol. Lana resisted every instinct she had to fight or fly and just braced herself as the bullet shot and...grazed her shoulder.
...Whatever. It was good enough.
She looked down at the thin cut...and a rather disturbing lack of blood. It only took a few seconds before a white energy covered the wound and the skin was returned to normal, "Fascinating," Wasp chimed in her ear, "It appears that the energy is keeping your body in an optimal state."
"What's with the no blood thing?"
"I have my own theories on that. Let's grow you back so we can talk."
Oh thank fuck for that. Lana approached the designated platform and let Wasp grow her back to her normal height. She was tempted to as for an extra couple of inches, but she didn't want to risk anything. She fingered the T-shirt's torn right sleeve as she walked back to the table and sat on it. Probably a bad time to suggest getting shot when she was going to a basketball game later.
"So what's the verdict, doc? Am I gonna make it?"
"It was touch and go for a while there, but yes, you'll make a full recovery." Wasp smirked, "I did some more research from the DNA samples you gave me and compared it with a few others who showed a reaction to the Terrigen mist." She tapped her notepad and a bunch of holographic graphs appeared in front of them. Wonder how much those cost? "As you can see here, while we can't tell which individuals are susceptible to a reaction before exposure, those that do change have their genetics altered.
"Right...not even gonna pretend to figure out what those drawings mean." She never was good at science.
"It means that your physiology has been altered, hence the 'no blood thing'." She gestured to the freshly healed cut, "Sudden, ballistic impacts are dispersed by the energy before penetrating too deep. And those that do..." Wasp took a syringe and stepped closer to her, "May I?" Lana nodded and flinched slightly when the needle (must've been vibranium or something) broke skin.
And drew white-yellow blood.
"Huh...neat. That's not normal, is it?"
"Part of your new physiology." Wasp set the filled syringe down. Lana kept staring at it, "Your blood, along with the rest of your body, has been altered by the mist to a great extent." She showed off another screen, "Actually, while I can't confirm anything, we can assume that your previous powers also came from Terrigenesis."
"How? That thing didn't show up till half a year ago."
"Exactly, which draws even more suspicion." Wasp nodded, "I doubt your mother is aware of anything, but it's quite possible the both of you were possibly exposed when you were both younger and the amount was enough to activate your latent abilities."
"Or maybe it was the serial killer shooting my mom in the stomach with a shotgun." Wasp just blinked in surprise at the blunt admission, "Look, I know this is interesting and all, but I really just wanna know if this means I'm good and won't blow up my room. Anya and Aracely are staying there and I kinda like em." She didn't care about the whole 'are you human?' thing. She could point at things and they exploded, that dilemma passed a long time ago.
"Yes. Provided you remain calm and emotionally stable your powers should be no more dangerous than they were before."
"Great, that's all I wanted. Thanks."
"Not so fast." Wasp handed her a cellphone, "That's a phone that will get you a direct line to me. If you feel your powers acting up in any way then please don't hesitate to contact me."
"Huh...thanks." Lana smiled and put it in the pocket of her shorts. First Sue and now the Wasp. She really had hit the big time, "If there's nothing else I really gotta go. Promised Aracely I'd take her to a b-ball game."
"Go on. Have fun."
30 minutes later she, Gabe, Anya, Sue and Aracely (wearing a thick hood and a baseball cap to hide her face) were cheering on the bleachers as MVP and his team trashed their opponents. Aracely and Anya held up a sign while Lana clapped at another dunk. The game wasn't anything fancy - just a match on a public court. MVP didn't grow up poor, but he knew enough about working for what he had that he felt more comfortable here.
Sue wriggled awkwardly in her seat and kept throwing the occasional sideways glances at Gabriel. She looked so out of place here. Even with her shirt, skirt and sneakers it was clear that she didn't belong. Everything she owned was designer one way or another and it was clear at least a few people in the crowd recognized her if the pictures and whispers were anything to go by.
Gabriel split his attention between the game and his laptop. He really took to Nor and was there the second he was out of school. Nor seemed to like him too; apparently she felt guilty and even started paying him because of how much stuff he was doing for her. And of course Gabe felt guilty getting money for just doing what he thought was right, so it became doubly awkward.
Ah...she loved her friends.
MVP skidded close to them and almost tripped on the bleachers when the ball went out of court, "Sorry about that!" He smiled at them. Lana could practically Anya swooning already.
They all waved him off and continued watching the game. Lana leaned forward and gave Aracely a sideways glance. She'd been bunking with her and Anya for a few days now - much to Cindy's initial annoyance - and already she knew it wasn't feasible. They always had to keep their curtains closed, had to sneak her food from the cafeteria and Aracely couldn't make a single noise all day so people wouldn't realize something was up. They needed somewhere else for her to stay where she wasn't treated like an illegal housepet.
The game ended soon enough with MVP's team, unsurprisingly, scoring a final dunk. She stood and made to give her congratulations to the mvp (heh) when she saw a big dude in a tanktop steamroll up to him like a constipated rhino, "You fucking cheater!" If he was trying to be intimidating he failed hard. Kinda hard to outbulk a guy who grew up with Captain America training.
"Excuse me, what?" MVP asked back.
"You heard me, asshole." He shoved a finger to MVP's chest, "Only reason you won is cause you got some fucking injection. Cheating prick."
'Ah shit, here we go again.' Lana sighed. MVP dealt with this shit way too much. It didn't matter that the Super Soldier serum was a one and done thing and that anyone who picked up a single Captain America comic book knew that. As soon as people found out he was the great-grandkid of the guy who made it everyone immediately assumed great old granddaddy was psychic and stashed away some serum for him. He lost all his awards and scholarships cause those dumbasses thought he cheated even after testing proved he didn't have anything in his blood.
That was, of course, till he graduated with top marks at the Initiative and Captain America confirmed what anyone with half a brain already knew - that he was, in fact, just a guy who had a good diet and did his push ups and to imply otherwise was an insult to hard work. Then suddenly everyone was scrambling and trying to play off like they didn't just spit in the dude's face for his years of resisting the temptation to eat cake.
But of course there were still people who refused to admit they were wrong. Like the people who thought vaccinations made you retarded or that the world was flat or that hoodies weren't dumb.
"I'm...sorry you think that way, but I didn't get the super soldier serum-"
"Bullshit!" Alright, enough was enough. Lana shoved the guy away and he almost fell flat on his ass, "Hey, the fuck are you-"
"No one likes a sore loser, dude." Lana sneered up at him. Both he and MVP were heads and shoulders over her but she didn't feel intimidated in the least, "Why don'tcha piss off 'fore you make a bigger ass of yourself?" She gestured to his team behind him, all of whom looked embarrassed or desperately tried to ignore the scene. Poor guys. She knew that most of them were nice guys.
"Fuck are you, one of his fans or somethin'?"
"No, I'm his friend, and guess what? I don't like seeing my friends get shit talked." She grabbed his shirt and tugged him down to her level. It would've felt cooler if his tanktop wasn't wet and he didn't stink of sweat, "Now be a good boy and stop being a shithead."
She shoved him away again. He looked like he was gonna say something when his eyes suddenly widened in what looked liked recognition, "Shit..." He scowled and turned away, "Fucking freakshows..." She rolled her eyes and gave him the middle finger. People always thought the freak word hurt, and maybe it did for most people. Someone who grew up with a prostitute mom, though? Yeah, it didn't even make the top 50 list.
MVP released a breath and smiled sheepishly down at her when the guy was out of sight, "Thanks, but you didn't have to-"
"I know, but I wanted to. Most of us 'Gifted' just got the luck of the draw so it pisses me off that you get shit on when you work so hard for these." She lightly punched his toned abs and grinned up at him, "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
When they got back Sue was, of course, surrounded by people asking for autographs. The blonde looked at her desperately and she was almost tempted to feign walking away or shoving Gabriel into the crowd. Almost. She wasn't that much of a bitch. Instead she waved her over and, with an apologetic freaking bow, Sue practically scurried up to them and made sure everyone else was around her as they walked to the pizza place.
Lana mostly kept quiet and let the others talk when they got a private booth. She munched on the mushroom and jalapeno (hey, don't judge her) and thought about what Wasp told her. She looked at her hand under the table and let a burst of yellow energy run through her fingertips.
Why her, she wondered. She was never anything special; just another kid who grew up in a shitty neighborhood. She wondered how things would be like if that bastard Carter never came. She would've never had to deal with all this insanity. Her mom wouldn't have had those scars and lost months of her life in that hospital.
But then she wouldn't have met Pete, her new friends, wouldn't have been able to help save people like Aracely or Gabe. She wasn't conceited enough to claim she fought for justice and truth, but there was something nice that she couldn't deny about helping people. Sure, she wasn't saving the world like the Avengers, but she didn't have to. This was enough.
Her musings were cut off when Aracely suddenly spoke out.
"Sue likes Gabriel."
Any and all chatter in the table died at the announcement. Sue's eyes went wide and her face went red while everyone else just looked at the youngest girl on the table. Aracely continued to chew on her pizza without even bothering to look up, "Anya like Michael, but she's too shy to tell him because he likes Lana. Michael does like her, and so does Gabriel. Michael had a wet dream about her two nights ago-"
"H-Hey!" MVP screamed shouted in a panic. Everyone else on the table was either covering their face or groaning into the table.
"Lana still has a crush on Spider-Man and somewhat resents Spider-Woman for it, but she's moving on. The Spider-Man and Punisher books help-"
"Hey, hey, hey! What the fuck?! Why are you saying shit that's not true?!" Despite the situation Anya actually took the time to give Lana a raised brow. She flipped her off.
Aracely finally looked up from her pizza and stared at Lana with confused, puppy dog eyes, "Not true?" She tilted her head to the side and it took everything Lana had to keep being pissed off at there, "But...you're all saying it now. I heard you."
"What do you..." Wait...did she mean, "Shit, I think I can guess what you mean, but tell me anyway."
"I hear you talking. You say words, but on top of those words are other things. Sue talks to Gabriel about his hobbies but on top of that she's thinking on how to ask him out." She could've sworn Sue actually whimpered at that, hands still covering her face. Gabe looked at the blonde sympathetically and rubbed her back, "Others are the same. Words but then words on top of the words."
"...You're a mind reader." She'd heard claims from people online. Most of em were bullshit, but she figured there had to have been a legit one floating around somewhere, "Shit, and here I thought all you could do was float."
"Mind reader, huh? Guess that explains it." Anya put a hand on her chin and nodded. Lana immediately noticed she was doing her best to absolutely not look at MVP, "But that doesn't explain why you're blurting it out."
"I...just did. Why do you blink?"
"Because when we do so our eyelids spread a cocktail of mucous and oils to keep our eyeballs hydrated," Lana recited. Hey, just cause she was bad at science didn't mean she didn't study, "Fine, I get it. Just...don't do it again. Or if you have to cover your mouth or leave the room."
"Okay, but...all of you are being very loud right now." She looked between Gabriel, Sue and MVP, "...I won't say anything more. Please don't be mad."
"We're not mad, it's just...most people don't blurt shit out." Lana sighed, "Just say sorry and promise you won't do it again, okay?" And no, she wasn't going to say anything about the bombshell (fuck that name) she dropped about Gabriel and MVP. Hormones were a bitch and she knew it.
"Okay...sorry."
Everyone eventually returned to normal with none of them talking about what Aracely just blurted out. She was sure it'd be awkward for them and they'd be wary about Aracely for a while, but they'd forgive her eventually.
They went their separate ways after that (and she didn't miss that Sue and Gabe left together). Anya said she'd take Aracely to her dad's place for a bit, leaving Lana some free time to go patrolling. She jumped on top of a nearby building and changed her clothes, "Alright, new powers. Let's see what you can do." She put on the domino mask and surged forward before jumping through the air with enough force to land on the building across the street.
Oh, she could definitely get used to this.
It didn't take her long to find someone. Six guys in suits all beating on one dude who looked to be in his 40's, "Thought you could just go to the police, you rat bastard?!" The head kicked him in the ribs. Lana grit her teeth and jumped down. She hated bullies.
"Hey!"
They turned around just in time for the closest one to get dropkicked right into the wall, "Shit, it's one of them!" Another pulled out a gun from his coat pocket and she blasted his hand then legs. Guns and suits; probably Maggia.
Lana did a sweeping kick and knocked one of them to the ground before blasting another one's chest. He flew through the air and skidded along the end of the alley while she stomped on the prone one's face, "Fuck!" The second to the last started shooting. Lana rushed towards him in a burst of light and energy and tackled him hard. He flew through the air like his buddy and she rushed ahead again, grabbed his legs and slammed him to the ground.
Oh yeah, she could definitely get used to this.
The last one fell on his ass and scrambled back in a panic. Lana looked around the alley and found the guy they were beating on gone. Oh well, least she had that fancy go pro to prove they were assholes.
The panicking suit scrambed for something from his coat. Her first thought was 'gun' and she immediately blasted his hand. The guy guy screamed and when she looked at what he dropped she raised a brow. Not a gun, but an inhaler of some kind, "Shit, you got asthma or something?" She almost felt bad knocking him out. Lana knelt down and picked up the dropped inhaler then twisted it to and fro. Didn't look like any brand she remembered.
Shuffling movement from behind drew her attention. When she pocketed the inhaler and looked back she found the guy whose right hand and legs she blasted scrambling through his own pockets before quickly pulling out his own inhaler and taking a huge puff.
She didn't know what she expected, but it definitely wasn't the guy's skin scabbing over with rock like a wizard from D&D. The guy stood up on his now unbroken legs and looked at her with bloodshot eyes before roaring and charging at her.
Lana sidestepped the charge and kneed him in the gut only to almost fall from the sudden shock to her kneecaps. Felt like she was hitting a concrete wall, "Hell's in those things?" She rushed back and the guy tried for another punch. She caught his fist with both hands and grit her teeth. Fucker was strong, "You're goin' to the Raft when I'm done with you, fucker." She raised his fist then blasted him in the face.
Didn't work. The guy tackled her before she could dodge and they made it to the end of the alley before he tossed her into a parked taxi hard enough to dent the frame. Lana grunted as she impacted the yellow car and took a second to catch her breath, "My car!" Someone screamed to her left. She looked at the driver dryly and stood, the cuts from the broken glass and her shattered ribs already healing.
She gathered energy with both hands and glared at the guy with the suit. He looked back at her with his bloodshot eyes and lowered himself back down to charge.
And then he collapsed.
Lana almost thought she'd gone delirious. One second he was gonna charge her like a Rhino and the next he was flat on his face. She dispelled the energy from his hands and walked closer warily. Was it a trap? Having Pete or Spider-Gwen's sixth sense would've been real good right now.
He didn't so much as twitch when she knelt down and put two fingers to his neck, "No pulse..." Great, superpowers that killed you. She stood and pulled out the inhaler again. The sickly sweet smell was all too familiar: Terrigen Mist. The police were gonna want this.
She walked back to the almost crying driver and handed him a card, "Here. Initiative insurance." Every graduate got one. Helped cut down on the lawsuits when you had to wreck a car or a pipe to stop a villain.
She rubbed at the back of her torn coat and sighed as she heard sirens. This was gonna be a long day.
Fantastic4Four: -embedded image- Just saw Sue Storm at a local basketball game. Guess the rumors about her dating MVP are true.
GenericUsername: Doubt it. Haven't you heard? Bombshell and MVP are dating.
Fantastic4Four: That was disproved like a week ago dude.
BlondesHaveNoFun: Yeah. I mean, we all know Striker and Storm are the ones making out. They're WAY too close in those pics.
GenericUsername: Didn't she say she was straight when people asked?
BlondesHaveNoFun: They're obviously in the closet. Dunno why. It's 2018, chicas. No one cares if you're gay.
ProfessorOdd: Anyone recognize the other people around Storm and Bombshell?
TeenagerAt30: Probably just their groupies. Every hero has one.
ProfessorOdd: I dunno, the latina with the brown hair kinda looks familiar...
TeenagerAt30: You're thinking too much.
Harlem was a place Cindy never really found herself going to much. Back home her mom was insistent she go home if she wasn't going on hockey practice or on dates with Hector and after she got here she tended to stick around the other parts of Manhattan. There weren't much supervillains down here so most of the time she didn't have to worry about someone blowing up a gas station or something.
She could thank the protector of Harlem for that.
Cindy stepped out of Felicia's car and stretched her arms above her head. Another kidnapping, this time a child. Felicia shut the door behind her and followed Cindy up to the apartment of one Rio Morales. Her son Miles had been reported missing last night and after she mentioned that he was one of those who showed a reaction to the Terrigen Mist it'd been fast tracked to her.
She'd deal with Kurt's missing friends later. If she was right then this was all connected.
She was on the third floor when she looked back to Felicia. The silver haired popstar had been quiet ever since they met up again that morning. It didn't take much guessing to figure that it had something to do with Karen Page's deal with her. Cindy wanted to ask, but she didn't think it was her place. They weren't really that close.
Cindy stopped at the door and knocked, "Mrs. Morales? This is Cindy Moon from the NYPD. I'm here about your son." There was a rush of shuffling footsteps and a thin, older woman opened the door. Her hair was long and curly and it was clear from the state of her messy nurse's scrubs - still stained with flecks of blood and other fluids - and the bags under her eyes that she hadn't been sleeping.
"Y-You're here about Miles?"
"Yes. May we please come inside?"
The woman nodded gratefully and let them in. She was only mildly surprised to see Luke Cage sitting at the living room couch, "Hey, Luke." She gave him a strained smile, a gesture that he returned. He was probably here to do the same thing they were.
"You know each other?" Felicia asked, finally speaking up.
"We've had coffee." Felicia raised a brow and Cindy shook her head. Now wasn't the time. She turned her attention back to the grieving woman and and did her best to give a reassuring smile, "Mrs. Morales, could you tell us everything from the start?"
"Y-Yes." She sat at one of the chairs shakily and took a long, deep breath, "M-My son Miles didn't come home yesterday. He was spending time with his friend Ganke, they live across the street." She sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes, "I'm...Ganke said that he was fine when they said goodbye. It takes less than a minute to cross the street! I...I don't know how he could've been..."
"It's okay." Luke stood up and hugged her as she broke down.
Cindy smiled appreciatively and looked around the room. There were a lot of pictures, most of them with the two together. She picked up the framed photo and took in the kid's features. According to the report he was 9 years old. It only made her angrier. Who the hell kidnapped a child? "Is there anywhere else he could've gone, Mrs. Morales? Maybe a dad or relatives?" She took a picture on her phone and put the frame back down.
"N-No. His father...he's not in the picture, and I don't keep up with my relatives." She shut her eyes, "This is my fault. I should've-"
"Don't blame yourself." Surprisingly enough it was Felicia who said that, "I can tell by your state that you're overworked, especially since it's just you both. Don't worry, we'll find your son." Felicia's eyes softened and Cindy wondered just how much Mrs. Morales and her son reminder her of her own situation.
They said some final words to the distraught woman and left with Luke in tow. Luke waited till they were out on the street again before he growled in frustration, "We gotta find that kid."
"No arguments from me," Cindy said.
"Problem is where we should start." Felicia crossed her arms, "We need names and locations to begin our search."
"I know a guy," Luke grimaced, "Turk Barret, an opportunistic little rat. If anyone's kidnapping kids then he'll know where to start lookin'. Problem is he's gone underground and it'll take days to find him. We don't got that kinda time."
"Give me a couple of hours." Felicia smirked.
A couple of hours later and they were kicking down the door to his apartment, "What the fuck?!" The guy pulled up his boxers and while the woman who was between his legs scrambled away in fear. Prostitute by the looks of her, "Fuck, this is private property and I'm conductin' private business! Get the fuck outta here!"
Cindy looked at the woman on the floor and pulled out her prioricard, "Avengers business, Mr. Barret." Both his and the prostitute's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their skulls, "I suggest your 'girlfriend' take her leave."
She didn't need to be told twice. The woman grabbed her coat and ran out like Wile E. Coyote chasing the roadrunner while Turk started sweating bullets. Getting a visit from the Avengers was practically the same as being put on the terrorist watchlist. Or because they wanted to do a charity thing. Either or.
"Man, shit..." He wiped his sweaty face and was too nervous to even grab for his pants, "What the fuck you want from me? I ain't done shit!"
"That's not what my contacts said." Felicia smiled, sickly sweet, "Selling drugs, arms dealing, a few robberies..."
"Not to mention that prostitute who just walked outta here," Cindy added cheerily, "You've got a pretty big rapsheet, Mr. Barret."
"Man, fuck off with this! Just tell me what the fuck you want!"
"This kid." Cindy pulled out her phone and showed him the picture of Miles, "Recognize him?"
He looked down and, despite what must have been a herculean effort of epic proportions, his eyes widened in obvious recognition, "N-Nah, ain't never seen him before."
He didn't need Pete's busted spider-sense to tell the guy was lying, and evidently neither did Luke, "You're lying." He scowled down at the shivering man in his boxers. She didn't feel sorry for him, "Tell us where he is. Now."
"Hey, you ain't got nothin' on me! So just-"
Luke grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him to the window that led to the back alley. He shoved the window open then grabbed Turk's left leg and dangled him outside, "Last chance."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Shit!" He looked down(up?) at the unforgiving ground below. If he landed headfirst best case scenario was spending the rest of his life drooling, "Hey, hey! You just gonna let him do this?! Ain't you Avengers bitches supposed to be heroes?!"
Cindy narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Calling people bitches really isn't a good way to beg for help," she replied, faux casual, "Now tell us where Miles and any other victims are or I'm going to let my friend here drop you on your head."
"Alright, fine! Fuck! Just pull me in!" Luke and Cindy shared a look before he pulled Turk back in and let him collapse next to the wall. The guy shivered and looked a hair's breath from peeing himself, "Okay, okay, just...I'll tell ya everything, but ya gotta promise me you don't go squealin' to the cops." More deals? Like Scorpion again? Cindy scowled, "Cause me? I'm just the middleman. Ain't did none of the heavy stuff."
Another load of BS. She shared a second look with Luke and nodded. The three of them just listened as he told them everything he knew. Scorpion was involved, much to her non-surprise, and eventually he listed down three locations where people were stashed. Three locations and three of them. Perfect.
"Right, now I told ya everythin', so just-"
Cindy tapped De Wolfe's number and put the phone against her ear, "Hey, Jean? I need you to come to this apartment on Brownstone avenue. I'll send you the details later."
Turk looked like he'd been slapped with a fish when she cut the call, "What the fuck?! You said-"
"I said I wouldn't report you for your human trafficking. I didn't say anything about everything else you did, particularly that woman who just walked out. Prostitution is illegal, you know?" She webbed his hands and legs together then covered his mouth when he fell on his side, "And if the cops see about everything else you did? Well, that's not my fault."
He looked up at her screamed through the gag. Cindy just gave him another sickly sweet smile and walked out with with the others. They all quickly agreed to go to the separate areas alone to do it quicker. Cindy's ended up going to an off the way subway tunnel covered in graffiti, mold and cobwebs. Why did she always get the fun ones?
Spin-sense. She unholstered her pistol and jumped up to the roof just as two guards in suits carrying assault rifles rounded the corner. Yep, definitely the place, "Man, all this for just one kid?" The left one groused. Cindy furrowed her brows. One kid? Sounded like Miles, but what about any other victims? "Bossman's losin' it."
She grabbed the quiet one lagging behind by his head and arms and webbed him up to the roof with her. The chatty one finally noticed his buddy was missing just in time for Cindy to yank herself towards him and kick him the face. She webbed him to the wall and continued where they just came from. If there really was just Miles here then it made her job easier. She hoped Felicia and Luke found lead on their spots.
Four more goons. She took care of them easily enough. Cindy holstered her gun and placed a tracker on the wall. Police could arrest these guys cause she sure as hell wasn't hauling em out, "Miles?" She smashed the lock and pulled open the door roughly only to be met with a pipe that nearly clocked her in the face. She ducked under the makeshift weapon and grabbed her 'opponent'.
"Lemme go!" Miles kicked feebly and tried to loosen her grip. Cindy heaved a sigh of relief and set him down, "I'm not gonna-"
"It's okay. I'm here to take you back to your mom." She lowered her scarf so he could see her face in full. Cap said it helped calm them down, "She's been worried sick about you, so let's go back. Okay?"
He looked hesitant for a moment before eventually nodding. Cindy picked him up - the kid was tiny - with one hand and carried him out, "Don't look, okay?" At least one of the goons was bleeding out. Miles nodded and pressed his face to her shoulder with his eyes shut tight. She was almost to the end of the tunnel when her-spin sense blared. Someone was watching her.
She narrowed her eyes and put the scarf back up to her face. Couldn't fight, not like this. She had to get Miles out first.
A burst of purple came at the edge of her vision and she barely managed to step back to avoid the clawed swipe aimed at her face, "Shit!" She shot at the figure and started running down the tunnel a different way from where she came in. Cindy jumped over the chainlink gate and continued running as dull, metallic footsteps echoed behind her. Whoever it was they were fast.
"Wh-What's going on?!" Miles screamed.
"It'll be okay, just keep your eyes closed!" She made it to a far less run-down tunnel and swerved to the left as a large, looming shadow drew closer. If the tunnel was being used it meant a station had to be close by.
A bright light surged towards her and she barely had the time to mentally scream 'train!' before instinct took over and she jumped to the roof again. Cindy pressed herself tightly against the surface and kept Miles close till she was sure there was nothing below her anymore.
Cindy dropped down and when she looked back she finally got a good look at the one chasing them. The figure was tall and lanky with a black and purple suit that covered him from head to toe, masking all of his features. He looked back at her and brandished his clawed hands as he stepped off the wall.
She fired off two more shots - both of which he dodged - and kept running. Another train was coming, but she saw the light of the station ahead of them, "Almost there..." She pushed herself farther and jumped into the station floor just before the the train ran past to the tunnel. Everyone around her stared, "Run!" Cindy screamed. She set Miles down and looked back to the tunnel, "Get up to the streets! I'll keep him down here!"
"But-"
"Go!"
She practically shoved him to the stairs with the rest of the civilians smartly following. She didn't have to wait long before their stalker surged out of the tunnel like a ghost and came right for her.
Cindy dodged his slashes and was forced back by the quickness of the attacks. She waited for an opening before countering with her own kicks, which he also dodged or blocked. The guy was fast. Either he was another Gifted or that suit cost more than her entire Avengers salary.
She kicked him away, unholstered both guns and started firing rapidly as she slowly walked backwards. Stalker rolled back to avoid the hail of gunfire and she heard a low growl, "Not very chatty, are you? If you give up now I'll put in a good word for you." She reloaded both pistols quickly and he charged towards her. He swerved to the left as soon as she started firing and ran alongside the walls of the tunnel then the roof when she trained her guns on him again.
The guns were emptied again by the time he was on top of her. Stalker jumped down with both claws open and Cindy rolled back, both hands quickly returning the guns to their holsters and she took up a fighting position again. Stalker looked up and the eyes of his mask narrowed, "Fine, claws out." She smiled wryly and formed her webbing into sharpened tips.
He attacked first. Cindy dodged every strike and countered with her own. Her right hand slashed through his chest and he grabbed her outstretched arm, "Hands off." She headbutted him. It hurt more than she expected, but Stalker stumbling back was worth it. Cindy twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him on the ground before he quickly countered with a spin that sent her to the floor and him straddling her.
She moved her head to avoid the claws aimed at her eye and webbed him in the face. The purple stalker raised both hands to his head and she kicked his chest with both feet before scrambling back. He'd barely managed to pry the webbing off his face when Cindy webbed down his entire body in a thick blanket of webbing that left him wriggling on the floor.
Cindy put her hands on her knees and panted. The guy was tough. She walked towards him to pick him up when her spin-sense blared again, "What the-" Trails of smoke - acid - pushed through the webbing before Stalker ripped away the bindings like tissue paper and charged towards her. She didn't have enough time to dodge and they both flew through the air briefly before crashing back on the tracks.
The impact knocked the wind out of her briefly. Stalker was on top of her again and wrapped both hands around his neck to choke her, the claws digging into the flesh. Cindy grabbed both his hands and grit her teeth. No way was she going down like this.
The bright lights and the sounds of metal came from the right. Both their attentions snapped to the incoming train and she felt the purple bastard's grip loosen slightly, "Don't wanna miss your train." She webbed his face again and shoved him to the tracks before she shot multiple lines of webbing with both hands and pulled herself up back to the platform.
The sound of the passing train was practically deafening. Cindy kept lying on the ground and rubbed her bloody neck, her breaths coming out in strangled gasps. It'd heal soon enough, but she covered the finger sized holes anyway to stop the bleeding. She took a deep, painful breath, stood and looked back at the tracks.
The train was gone, and so was their stalker. No mashed remains, no wrecked tech...nothing. Cindy sighed and trudged up the stairs to the outside only to be met with a crowd of expectant civilians and, thankfully, Miles, "Show's over, folks." She grabbed Miles' shoulder, smiled and walked him back to the police station. Considering what just happened she'd need to put him and Mrs. Morales back to police custody. After that...
She'd call Luke because it's been a long day and she needed some damn coffee.
DisasterArtist: -embedded video- Managed to take a vid of Spinerette's fight with some purple villain!
1984: How the fuck did you get this?
DisasterArtist: Was hiding in the train platform across from where they were fighting and neither of them noticed me. Glad I stuck around!
GracefulYetStupid: Holy crap, look at how she fights! #myfriendshipwithspiderwomanisover #nowspineretteismyfriend
DisasterArtist: Oh yeah, love a woman who knows how to handle a pair of guns :3
NormalPersonOnHere: There's something weird to me about a Superhero using guns. Is that just me?
GracefulYetStupid: Makes sense to me. A guy who's a black belt in karate could still carry a gun, especially in a place like New York. Better to have it just in case. And she's clearly trained, mmph.
Spinerette: DisasterArtist, next time please evacuate. I don't need your head on my conscience.
Whew, this chapter was kinda hard due to the fight scenes. I originally planned to add a small segment with Peter and Gwen at the end but I decided to save it for the next chapter due to how long this was getting. That and one of the questions I'm asking at the end of this chapter can actually affect it so this is probably for the best.
Miles was also supposed to play a role by hitting Prowler with a Venom sting (his terrigenesis power). I cut it out cause I wanted Cindy to and Prowler to fight one-on-one and show her to be more adept rather than needing help from someone, especially a child.
And don't worry, just cause Miles is here doesn't mean this is now a Miles Morales fic. He does play a role in Cindy's scorpion plotline, but he's a side-character at best.
Questions:
1. Does the story feel too stretched thin? I already had complaints of this nature in V1 when the protagonists were just Noir and Gwen but now we have 5 different protagonists; MJ especially due to her originally being a supporting character for Gwen before her Carnage Scarlet Spider plotline resonated well with readers.
2. Should Gwen join Noir's group during their fights with the Hand, at least sometimes? In-universe I can see her doing it but meta-wise the extreme power disparity between her, Noir's group and the Hand themselves would render this comical since nothing the Hand can do can hurt her. The only thing holding her from roflstomping is her refusing to just kill them.
3. Should I tone down the Noir/Gwen mushy stuff? I can't help but feel like while everyone's out doing plot stuff these two are just making kissy faces at each other.
Review Answers:
Raw Prodigy - Basically like DMC 5 Neros' DT arms.
Noisy-Cricket - If you want ethereal arms then vote for it :P
SpiderGod76 - Kinda. It's basically as canon as them mentioning the Skrull invasion; it happened, but no exact details are given.
DunkDaddy77 - Sadly he can't buy bikes. No license and being legally dead tends to do that.
Brave2000 - Isn't Felicia being less of a nutcase a good thing? Also, no, I have enough characters that I don't need Morbius. Daimon fulfills his role well enough.
Roxasdualwielder - Not particularly.
Guest ch17 - Take note that Original Noir was also 18 when he was taken to Earth-65, so that's not really an excuse for 65-Noir's maturity.
JK41Kiwi - Except his motorcyle can't go in the air, so all Gwen has to do is stand on the side of a building and wait. Mobility wise she beats Noir hands down to her enhanced traversal.
Guest - No idea why people keep asking for Gwen vs Noir since they only ever physically fought once early on.
Cha0s4Ever - Postponed the Mayday omake for a bit.
Mack006 - Noir isn't much more 'normal' now. He still kills people and he still deals primarily with the supernatural while allied to morally ambiguous individuals. It's rather telling that Daimon Hellstrom is one of the least questionable allies he has.
