This chapter was a bit of a doozy. First half was done over days of me being lazy and then the next half was done super quick over the course of a few hours. I blame it on the first half containing a really annoying fight scene. I'm never good with those.
Anyway I'll cut back on fight scenes for the next few chapters and focus more on pair interactions. With any luck I might be able to do the pure film noir chapter along with aging Noir back to an adult for less silly looking segments.
Also, I put back the vote for the chose of Mary Jane's love interest now that she's had some more interactions with Felicia. Seems to have paid off given that Black Cat is slowly catching up to Daredevil as the preferred LI.
"You got this, Pete?"
"Yeah..." He cut communication and crouched along the length of the vent. Much as he didn't like the idea of some machine being under his skin he had to admit it was useful. Much easier than lugging a phone around everywhere and hoping it didn't fall out of his pocket or get stepped on by a bruno with more muscles than sense. No stupid codes either.
Cops (and Cindy) were outside while the 'audience' and that Boomerang chump were on the upper floors. And he wasn't alone. Even a quick scan of the footage showed at least a few masked bozos, each of them wearing stupid boomerang masks, holding the staff hostage while Boomerang continued to rant about 'facing each other like men'.
What a joke. What time did he ever show that he was willing to fight fair?
Footsteps below him. Peter lowered himself to a crawling position and looked through the grates. Five masked bozos, each of them carrying shotguns and rifles. Ahead of them was a babbling, sweating technician who spoke quickly and in a panic. He tampered with some of the wiring down here to mess with the electronics. Not enough to cut off the broadcast entirely, but enough that the clown upstairs'd send someone down to check on it.
"Ugh, this guy's giving me a headache..." Gwen said. He still wasn't completely used to hearing someone's voice directly in his skull. Reminded him of when the Lizard and his own guilt started talking a year ago, "Seriously, where do supervills keep getting henchmen? Is there a henchmart or something cause I swear they're buying these guys in bulk."
"Always easy to find idiots who'll give up their lives for some long green." Least those chumps were easy. True believers were where things became problematic.
"Or a chance for fame, in this case," Cindy cut in, "I just saw this guy's ad. Dude was hiring out and said he'd pay in 'henching experience' and some camera time."
"That can't be true," Gwen said.
"Nope, right here. Says and I quote 'any aspiring supervillains will gain valuable experience and some much needed exposure'. I mean he's paying them some of that bounty too but that's the main draw. Apparently these guys think killing Pete's just the thing they needed to launch their bad guy careers. Congratulations, Pete, you'e officially one of the big names."
"Thanks, I feel so honored." Peter rolled his eyes and stopped just above the movable grate. One of the bozos stopped to check his gun. Peter moved it to the side and webbed the masked clown's head with Gwen's webshooter. Before he could struggle Peter shot another web at his back and tugged him up to the vent. A quick back elbow and another carpet of webbing made short work of him. Good thing his strength didn't diminish along with his age.
He jumped down to the floor and snuck along the high shelves. Least his new size was good for something, "How's the blowhard up top?" he asked softly.
"Still ranting. This guy really thinks you're his big break," Cindy said.
"Of all people why would Hobgoblin break him out?" Gwen sighed.
"How do you even know he did? I think we've established well enough the prisons here couldn't hold a 5 year old..."
"Peter!"
"Complaining at me doesn't make it any less true- hold on." Another one stopped, this one to keep watch. Peter waited till the others closed door behind them before he jumped down on his back and grabbed his neck in a vice grip. Peter webbed his head with paralytic webbing and kicked the gun away as the paralysis kicked in after some struggling.
If there was one thing he hated about that little dip he took it was how much harder it was to fight. Punching and grabbing people was much harder when you were half their size and could barely wrap your arms around their neck.
He considered grabbing the gun before thinking better. He needed to do this quiet.
"Speaking of prisons, any idea where these guys are going?" Gwen asked, "I heard the city's really been cracking down on costumed crime ever since that new Lantern gang popped up."
"Yeah. Mayor says it's a deterrent to make sure we don't get a repeat of what happened the last time that pumpkin headed freak got a gang. Anyone wearing a mask goes to Rykers or The Raft," Cindy said, "Personally I think it's pretty to abuse. I'm not gonna cry for every mugger or purse snatcher but I don't think wearing a balaclava or halloween mask means they deserve supermax."
He lifted the grating on the floor and crawled through the lower vents to the next room. At least the vents in this dimension were convenient, "Makes no difference to me. They already want me shrunk and in a cage." Those Dyne particles being used on the inmates almost made him feel sorry for them. Almost.
"Speaking of, there's some Initiative guys out here. And I don't think they're here for just Boomerang's gang..." Cindy said.
"Yeah, I heard about that. They think because we're broken up that means suddenly you're open game." He practically saw Gwen shaking her head, "This is so fucking dumb. After all you did some people think you're just another supervillain..."
"You're surprised? People treated you like garbage for two years because of that blowhard Jameson. Pete's an easy target," Cindy said.
"The bounty probably doesn't hurt. Not dumb enough to think some people didn't sign up to beat up people in costumes and get paid for it." Another one. The last two bozos were looking at the whimpering electrician. Peter opened the grate and shot out a net of paralytic webbing then dragged him down below the floor. One punch to the head and he was out like a light.
"How's it going there, Pete?" Cindy asked.
"Two left. Should be able to get the bomb locations from them." That was the other thing. Somehow Boomerang managed to wire this place to blow. His spider-sense didn't ring when he heard it so it wasn't a lie, "You ready, Gwen?"
"Yep. You take the lower floors and I take the upper ones. We'll meet up when you get the detonator from Boomerang."
"And I'll get the boys in blue ready to evac the hostages. Won't be able to help you two so make sure you can handle it."
"I doubt Boomerang and his goomba squad are gonna be the ones to do me in."
Peter jumped up to the floor and webbed the fourth thug to the wall. The electrician screamed and the last palooka turned around just in time for Peter to yank his gun out of his hands, "Not this time." He dodged the clumsy attempt at a punch and kicked his legs, knocking him the floor. Peter clambered on top of him and pressed a gun under his jaw, "Scream and I pull the trigger."
"Wh-What the fuck-"
"Run." He growled up at the technician. At least Moon Knight's mask distorted his voice into something halfway respectable. The terrified employee decided against pushing his luck and scrambled into the nearest closest. Good, less people to watch out for. Peter grabbed the radio from the thug's pocket and webbed it to the floor. Just the two of them now.
"Who the fuck are-"
"I'm asking the questions here." He pressed the gun harder and the clown gulped, "I'll make this nice and slow. Where are the bombs?"
"I-I ain't tellin' you shit, kid! You ain't got the balls to-"
Peter shot right next to his head. Even with the silencer on the proximity would've made it deafening, "Next round goes in your skull! Where are the bombs?!"
"Fuck, okay, okay! The boss gave us directions on the phone cause he got tired of repeating!"
Peter took the phone and smiled wryly at the smudged fingerprint over 0, "And I thought my phone was bad." He tapped 0 four times and followed the directions till he got the 3D map and managed to transfer it, "Thanks. Now take a nap."
"Take a wha-"
He elbowed him right in the nose and webbed him down, "Alright, I've got the bomb locations on my phone. I'll send it to Gwen and deal with the bombs on my end."
"Mmm...alright, I've got it. Heading up to the roof."
"Make sure you don't get caught."
"Give me some credit, Pete. Your lessons actually stuck." He never recalled giving her much lessons but he trusted her to deal with it. She wouldn't have risked the hostages if she wasn't damn sure.
"You guys are sure you know how to disable them, right?"
"Wouldn't be the first time," Peter said. Japan was not a fun time for him. Even more of a pain considering he couldn't smuggle his guns in.
"I can use Webster to disable all the internals. Did it before."
"Right. Just...don't blow us all up. And make it quick; I think Boomerang's getting impatient."
The bombs (seven in total) were exactly where the map said they'd be, and they were a familiar model too. Peter cut the wires in order (red, blue, green, yellow, red) and listened along on Gwen's progress. Apparently she was doing well, "Good thing criminals never look up," she quipped over the comm line (which Cindy insisted on calling a Codec for some reason), "Or maybe it's those stupid boomerang masks. Dunno how they see out of those things."
"...Says the woman wearing a hood?" Cindy asked sarcastically.
"Better than half a scarf."
"I'm starting to regret giving you two this frequency." Next bomb down. Just one more to go, "These bombs aren't placed very well. Not on any load bearing beams and these kinds of explosives don't have much of a blast radius."
"You know you sound like a terrorist saying stuff like that?" Gwen asked.
"He's in the building too so my guess is the bombs are meant to spread fire rather than collapse the structure. Boomerang's an idiot but I doubt he's dumb enough to topple of a building on himself." Cindy sighed, "Of course that won't help the people he has tied up in the studio."
"I've got my last bomb. Spider-Woman?"
"Two more. You should go after Boomerang while I deal with these two. He won't detonate the bombs as long as you show up alone."
"Long as he recognizes me, you mean..."
"Ah, you were always pretty short. What's a couple more feet?" Cindy quipped.
"Says the 29 year old woman who still gets carded when she tries to buy beer." Peter webbed down the last bomb (just in case) and jumped up the nearby vent. According to the blueprints Cindy managed to scrounge up the studio floor was close by. All he'd have to do was grab that detonator from that clown's grubby mitts and they could start rescuing the hostages.
He was almost to the room when Cindy called again, "Uh...we've got a bit of a problem, Pete."
"What now?"
"Looks like Boomerang got worried his goons downstairs didn't check in. He knows you're in here and he wants you to walk down the front door in the next minute or he's blowing up the hostages."
"Damn it." So much for stealth.
He dropped from the vent and trudged to the double doors with his hands up. He'd hoped he could do this quick and quiet. The less fighting he had to do the less likely there'd be people who got caught in the crossfire. He really doubted Boomerang was alone in there. Even outside of his goons he always found other clowns stupid enough to follow him.
Peter pushed the doors open and grimaced at the blinding light that shone down on him, "Finally, the man of the hour arrives! You took your..." Boomerang stopped and just looked at him, "Uh...who the heck are you?"
"You called me here, remember?" He walked down the steps and subtly eyed the restrained hostages. Each of them were tied down with blinking bombs under their seats, "Wanted to fight mano-e-spider?"
"Listen, kid, I called Spider-Man over here, not Spider-Boy. If he's too much of a coward to come and fight me he shouldn't have made a kid do it instead. That's just not right."
"Says the guy trying to bomb a building full of people." He sneered under his mask and pointedly ignored the camera to his right. This clown wanted a show. Why were freaks in costumes so greedy for attention? "Listen, are we gonna do this or what? I have more important things to do than waste time with clowns who think boomerangs are a good theme."
"Wow. I almost felt sorry for you, kid."
He sighed and waved a hand through the air. Peter eyed the free one holding onto the detonator. Not a dead man's switch, thank God, but he'd still have to time it perfectly. One mistake and the people behind him would turn to red mist, "Look, how do you wanna do this? Cause if you really wanna fight one on one then I'd prefer we didn't do it in front of a crowd."
"What's wrong? Shy because of your new- okay, seriously what the hell happened to you? Did Spider-Woman shrink you down with wasp particles cause you guys broke up or what? Cause that's really messed up."
"What?! I'd never do that! Tell him to fuck off!" Gwen whispered hotly.
"It doesn't matter." Why the hell was this his life? He remembered a time when the guy threatening to blow people's heads off didn't act like a circus attraction, "You wanted me here and now I'm here. I came to fight, not paint each others nails."
"Yeah...about that." Oh, here came the trap. What a surprise... "I know I said we'd fight one-on-one but, well, I brought a little insurance just to make sure-"
He shot a line of webbing at the detonator and tugged hard, "Hey, that's mine!" Peter snapped it in half and disappeared into smoke, "Oh, real nice! Going invisible again! You really don't know how to fight fair!"
"Says the guy trying to spring a trap."
Cindy swung in through the window with a loud crash and beelined for the hostages, "Hey, I said one-on-one!" Boomerang screamed.
Peter reappeared behind him and kicked the back of his right leg, "Don't worry, she's not here for you." Boomerang swung back and Peter block the wrist before it could hit, "Just the two of-"
Spider-sense.
Peter flipped to the side to avoid the bolt of electricity. The shot of lightning singed his jacket and he cursed, "Always with the electros." Cindy stopped briefly to look at him and he waved her off, "Focus on the hostages," he said into the comm. He shot multiple nets of webbing as he dodged till the middle of the room was covered in a thick wall. That'd keep the hostages safe.
More electric bolts. Peter dodged them all till he was backed into a corner then shot a line of webbing that zipped him up to the ceiling, "Hey, I thought you couldn't do that!" Boomerang screamed. Peter ignored him and activated the adhesives on his boots before running and dodging the boomerangs and lightning bolts that came his way, "Just hold still, would ya? You don't gotta make this so hard!"
Now that he looked down he realized that the one throwing the lightning bolts was all too familiar.
"I'm gonna make fried spider!" Kaboom (stupid name in an ocean full of them) grinned up at him maniacally. Her face was still damaged from their last 'fight' a year ago and her neck was wrapped with a large, ugly brace.
"You gotta be kidding me..." He activated the adhesive on the gloves and twisted to avoid the next attack, "Didn't have enough of your face getting broken last time?" he called down.
"Grrr, shut up!" Another bolt. He jumped to the nearby wall and clung to it, "You have any idea how much hell the Raft was?! Getting your ass kicked by Peter Parker trashed whatever rep I had!"
"Like you had any to begin with. Funny that the only time you tried to attack someone was when they were in the hospital." He at least preferred her here compared to going after Lana again.
"Heh. When we kill you Baumgartner's nex-"
And that was as far as she got before he pulled out a pistol and shot her clean through her right palm, "Don't talk about her." She shrieked like a banshee. Peter let himself fall and aimed another shot till he heard it. Soft hissing and laughter right in his ear, "How many stooges you bring, ya limey?"
"Hey, that's offensive!"
"Cry me a river." He disappeared into smoke and covered his nose and mouth with his right arm. He recognized the smell of the fear toxin Dewolff used and, while he didn't have to worry about seeing things, it didn't mean it smelled any pleasant, "Who the hell's this one?"
The laughter went from soft to booming, "Foolish vigilante! You face your doom at the hands of Mysterio-"
His entrance was spoiled when Kaboom suddenly screamed and shot at him again. Peter flipped over the nearby chair and kicked it towards Boomerang, "Hey, I'm not finished!" Mysterio whined, "We agreed that I would-"
"Fuck this! We're killing that little turd now!" Electric head snarled.
Spider-sense again. Peter raised his head and sighed in annoyance when the double door to his right slammed open and Beetle flew through the air towards him. Peter rolled to the side to avoid her fly-by and shot a line of webbing to her wings to pull himself to her back, "How many times do you need to be beat before this lesson sticks?" She swirled through the air erratically and Peter almost pulled her helmet off till an ungodly screech reached his ears.
He was too distracted to dodge the next flyer that came after him. Peter barely had time to turn before the figure clad in red grabbed him off of Beetle's back and they flew through the air in a spinning frenzy.
The last guy was someone new. A freakshow clad head to toe in red with only the upper half of his deformed face and his fingers exposed. Under his arms were a mass of bladed wings that reminded him far too much of Toomes' old harness, "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" he grit out. The bastard actually squawked like a damn bird and when Peter saw his mouth he turned away in disgust. It was wide and misshapen with shark like teeth and mandibles on his lower jaw.
Peter webbed his mouth shut and jumped right before the freak crashed headfirst into a wall. He landed on the ground in a slight crouch and growled when the web melted off of the red freak's face. Skin must've been hardened if the paralytic didn't kick in.
"Takes five of you to fight a kid, huh?" He sneered at the gathered group and lowered himself into a crouch. Now that they outnumbered him he saw just how cocky they were. Thought because they'd survived against Gwen that he'd be easy pickings.
Boomerang smirked and opened his mouth to let out another taunt when the wall of webbing behind Peter was sliced open and Gwen swung through, "Hey, hope you guys didn't start the party without me!" She landed a fair distance away from him with a graceful flip and he saw the way most of them flinched. Not so brave when now that there was someone stronger than them. Typical opportunistic bullies.
Gwen was about to make another quip when Peter suddenly growled, "What the hell are you doing here?" She blinked and almost asked him what the hell his damage was before she quickly remembered that they were supposed to hate each other, "I had this covered."
"Really? Cause it looked to me like you were getting your butt handed to you," she shot back, putting just the right amount of dry judgement into her voice, "And for the record I didn't come here for you. I'm here for the Supervillains who tried to hold an entire building hostage."
"Can't help sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, can you?"
"Someone has to clean up your messes-"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Boomerang yelled, "This really ain't the time for your couple's argument! And this was supposed to be one-on-one!"
"...Do I even have to point out how wrong that is?" Gwen snarked.
Boomerang's response was cut off when Kaboom (couldn't have picked a better name) shot a line of electricity towards Peter. He dodged and disappeared into smoke while she jumped and shot two lines of web to Beetle, "Surprised you're over here, Beetle. What, not gonna try to defend your dad in court?" Still boggled her mind that she wasn't in prison yet. Then again neither was Murderdock.
"Shut up! You're going to pay for that!"
Gwen dodged the subsequent laser blasts and aimed a punch straight for her head. Beetle flew back and creepy Vulture guy flew towards her, clawed hands out and squawking something unintelligible, "Woah there! Down body!" Gwen grabbed him by his wrists and leaned back to avoid his slobber. Guy smelled like blood and rotten meat, "Ugh, good thing I had a light lunch..."
She flipped back and kicked him straight up his jaw. He stumbled back slightly then turned back to glare at her, the mandibles on his face extending grossly. She didn't get a chance to comment before Beetle shot more lasers at her that she was forced to dodge.
"Don't let her get too close! She might shrink you down too!" Boomerang shouted.
"I did not do that!" Gwen shouted back.
Not too far away, Peter re-appeared close to the now-vacant seats and Kaboom immediately started blasting, "Just hold still!" He ducked behind the seats and shot through the small gaps. Two bullets hit her in the stomach while the third shot through her foot, "Agh, you son of a-"
"Hold, vigilante!"
Mysterio covered the room in green gas with a sickly sweet smell and she immediately felt lightheaded, 'Hold your breath, Gwen. I'll block out the gas.' Gwen mentally replied in the affirmative and focused her attention back on Vulture after webbing Beetle's legs and wrist lasers. Should hold her for a couple of minutes, "The gas is supposed to make us see things. Hallucinations."
'Yeah, I dealt with this guy before.' Before she got Webster. Back then it was just her and Kate.
Red Vulture squawked and flew at her again. Gwen webbed his chest, spun him around and tossed him to the wall. He actually managed to land somewhat gracefully before she tugged herself towards him and punched him in the face, "I'll stop hitting you if you give up." He tried to claw her face off, "Guess not." She sighed and continued to wail on him. Why did they never give up?
Spider-sense. Gwen's eyes narrowed and she jumped, taking Vulture with her. Two beeping boomerangs flew below them and the wall exploded into large chunks, "Hey, you nearly killed your buddy!" She shouted down at Boomerang. He aimed at her again before Peter suddenly appeared at his back and slammed him to to the wall with a painful crack, "Don't kill him either, Spider-Man!"
"Worry about yourself!"
Beetle broke through her bindings and flew to her in a mad charge. Gwen was tackled clear through the hole and both she and Beetle flew through the open air outside, "Was kinda busy, Beetle!" Gwen tugged her wrist back just in time to avoid the laser aimed at her head. Just barely she saw Vulture flying out the hole after them, "Ugh, seriously? I'm not a flying Spider!"
She shoved Beetle off then flipped over Red Vulture's swipe. Gwen webbed his harness as he passed then pulled herself towards him. He turned just in time to eat four punches to the face, "Woah, hold on." She kicked him down to the nearby roof and webbed the grenade Beetle shot at her, "Hey, think you lost this!" She tossed the grenade back to the other flyer.
'We need to return and help Peter.'
'Yeah, just gimme a sec.' Vulture shot sharpened feathers aimed straight at her face. Gwen yanked herself to the side with some web then pulled herself towards him again. She dodged his clawed swipes and grabbed the harness, "I think you need a timeout." She tugged hard and, after some struggling and indignant squawking, ripped the flying gear clean off.
Gwen kicked him in the jaw and slammed him to the ground before webbing him down, "One down, one to..." Spider-sense. She flipped over Beetle and webbed her wings, "Your turn." She spun around quickly then slammed Beetle facefirst next to her buddy. Her suit could take it. Before she could turn around to fire again Gwen webbed her wrists to the ground followed by the rest of her body.
Back inside the room, Peter jumped and kneed Boomerang straight in the gut, "Ow, you son of a-" Spider-sense. Peter slid between Boomerang's legs and let him take the full blast of Kaboom's next attack. The poor bastard took the brunt of it but a few arcs still move past him and hit the mask straight on. The nightvision suddenly activated, almost blinding him, and Peter growled before tugging the mask off. Moon Knight put too much damn tech in his masks. Convenient, but too easy to break.
Boomerang convulsed briefly then fell to the ground, still twitching.
"Thanks," he said dryly.
Kaboom paid her fallen 'leader' no mind and just continued trying to attack him while Mysterio continued to (uselessly) pump more gas. Thank you, Spider-God, "Why isn't this working?! You should be seeing your worst fears right now!"
He didn't answer, focusing instead on weaving between Kaboom's blasts, "Come on..." Peter dodged and waited for her next attack then webbed her right hand and aimed it at her face just before the energy was released.
The sudden hit was enough to stun her. Peter webbed both her arms to her chest in a cross position and tackled her to the ground, "No, not aga-" He hit her in the face again and again till her struggling stopped. Peter elbowed her (broken) nose one last time for good measure and stood up shakily.
Mysterio was the last one left. He looked at his fallen comrades and Gwen swinging back to the open wall then put his hands up, "...I surrender?" Peter and Gwen looked at one another briefly before he tugged the helmet off, jumped and kicked him in the face. He fell to the ground with a moan of pain.
"Was that really necessary?"
"He held this building hostage. I'm not feeling too sorry." Gwen webbed him down with a sigh while he did the same for Boomerang and Kaboom. Now they just needed to-"
Spider-sense.
He and Gwen shared another look before they heard it: laughter. Soft at first, then louder and louder. Gwen opened her mouth to say something when Webster screamed, 'Gwen, something's-'
The laughter became deafening. Gwen fell to her knees, hands against her ears to futilely block out the ungodly screech. Next to her Peter did the same and she felt a pit in her stomach when she saw the sudden, heavy nosebleed he was sporting.
Through blurry, weakening vision she saw the figure fly in through the hole in the wall with a glider and land with a loud thump. Just when she felt like she was about to pass out the laughter stopped, "Well now, lookie what we have here." His voice was rough and raspy, like sandpaper against her skin, "When Boomerang told me about his little plan I didn't think it'd actually work."
"W-Who..." She was too weak. Could barely even look up.
"You can call me Hobgoblin. But that's not important now." He kicked Peter to his back and stomped on his neck. Gwen struggled to stand before he pointed a flaming sword at her neck, the tip just barely brushing skin, "Ah, ah, ah! Bossman didn't say anything about killing you. I'm just here for the bounty on this guy. Cool 30 million dollars for this guy's head. Who could resist?"
"You-"
And then she saw it: another figure clad in red. For a second she thought he had backup before she recognized the long, crimson hair, "Now be a good girl and-" The arm holding onto the sword was sliced clean through and fell to the ground with a dull smack. The grin on his goblin mask slackened and he turned to the new arrival only to get his face grabbed and he was thrown on the opposite side of the room.
Mary Jane looked down at her offered her a hand, "Get up."
"Scarlet...what are you doing here?" She accepted the offered hand and let her pull her up into a shaky stand.
"Evening the odds." She pulled Peter up too. He mumbled a soft thanks and wiped the blood from the lower half of his face. Gwen bit her tongue to keep from screaming - there was blood dripping down from his eyes, "We should finish him off."
"Seems like you already did that..." He eyed the severed arm lying on the ground. Somehow it was still holding onto the sword.
"I doubt it."
"She's right about that." Gwen's head snapped to the orange figure and she grimaced when he stood up, left arm bleeding enough to kill him a dozen times over, "Didn't think you'd bring backup twice in a row. Can't you do anything by yourself?"
"Says the guy who tried for six on one." Peter scoffed.
"Ha...point."
The glider sputtered to life and started spewing flames and bombs, "I'll deal with it." Mary Jane said. The two of them only managed a short nod before they separated, MJ dealing with the rampaging machine while they focused on the grinning psychopath.
Peter got there first. He ducked the swipe of the wrist blades and aimed a kick to the back of his right leg only for the blow to bounce off, "Reinforced, Spidey. Better luck next time." Peter moved back and Gwen took over, punching him twice in the head then slamming him up against the wall with a kick to the gut. She tried her best to ignore the blood that rained down on her costume.
He opened his mouth to laugh again. Peter webbed his jaw shut and hit him hard on the neck. Gwen followed up with three more hits and her spider-sense blared way too late to warn her of the wrist blade that cut through her stomach, 'Ow! Whatever that blade is it hurts!'
'Yeah, I got that.' She shared one last nod with Peter then charged ahead again. Gwen grabbed his remaining arm mid-swing and kneed his side, "Not so fast, one-arm willy!" She webbed said arm and his legs to the wall. Peter attacked him again, focusing on where the armor was weakest, and Gwen followed up whenever there was a gap.
Gwen heard a loud, metallic screech behind her and she looked back quickly. MJ flipped over the rampaging glider and shifted her right arm into a blade. She sliced down hard and cut the glider in two.
"Spider-Woman-"
Her spider-sense tingled way too late and when she looked back Peter was kicked away and a hand latched onto her throat, "Man, you guys are a pain in the ass!" It was his right hand gripping her. The hand that'd been cut off just a minute ago. Gwen looked down and let out a choked gasp when she saw the torn web, saw the claws and scales that ran down the length of the flesh.
Lizard serum. He had the Lizard serum.
"Spider-Woman!"
MJ swung towards her and Hobgoblin suddenly laughed in her face. The costumed redhead fell to the ground in a heap and he stomped on her back, "You two really don't like sound, huh?" He stomped her back hard and she heard a painful crack, "Those suits of yours are damn useful, but damn easy to-"
Peter disappeared into smoke and when she saw him next he was on top of Hobgoblin and stabbing a knife into his neck. He let go of Gwen and stumbled back from the frenzy of stabs. Gwen coughed and barely managed to pull MJ up into a stand when Hobgoblin pulled a pin one of the grenades strapped to his chest.
Peter just kept stabbing.
Gwen webbed his back and pulled seconds before the explosion blinded them. Gwen shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears as she stumbled back, struggling to keep her balance. The ringing in her ears last for over a minute and by the time she opened her eyes again Hobgoblin was gone.
"...It was a flashbang. You didn't have to pull me out." She didn't know whether the bitterness in Peter's tone was genuine or part of the act.
"Better safe than sorry, Spider-Man..."
"And to be fair I'm not sure if your stabs were even doing anything. Most people die when you stab them in the throat once, nevermind a dozen times," MJ said. She brought a hand through her masked face and looked around the destroyed room, "...Camera's still up." Gwen looked to where she was pointing and found that, yes, somehow the camera was still upright and recording. Someone was going to make a killing in bootlegs.
"...Show's over." Peter pulled out his gun and shot the lens.
"Was that really necessary?" Gwen asked.
"I hate being recorded." He shook his head, "That guy had the serum. How many clowns in this city are gonna dose themselves up?"
'I felt it when he was choking us, Gwen. The serum is different. More...refined, if that's the right word.'
"Knew it looked familiar." Mary Jane shook her head, "Look, could we get outta here? I kinda bungled this rescue considering Tiger had to be the one to finish the guy."
"I didn't finish anything. That bastard's still out there." He sighed, "...Let's just leave."
They were barely out of the front door before they got bombarded by a crowd. Police trying to secure the site, standby reporters asking questions. some of the hostages stopping by to thank them. It was enough to make her headache worse.
Of course that wasn't the worst part.
"Stop right there." Gwen looked to the source of the voice and grimaced when she saw a squad of Initiative Heroes stomping towards them. Normally she would've been happy to see them - more heroes were always good - but the girl at the head soured her mood. Alpha, real name Andrea Maguire. Capable of flying and shooting the odd energy beam. Nothing she hadn't seen before.
Of course, her real power was somehow managing to stay upright considering the size of her ego. Seemed like she did more advertising and posting on tweeter than actual patrols.
"What do you guys want? Kinda busy here..."
"We're not here for you, Spider-Woman. Good work up there." She smiled. Gwen didn't, "We're just here to arrest a criminal."
"If you're talking about the Sinister Six I think the cops got it covered." MJ crossed her arms.
"We're talking about him." She glared down at Peter. Peter, his face still bare and caked with dried blood, just stared back at her impassively, "Spider-Man is a dangerous vigilante and villain and we're here to take him into a custody." Oh, now she saw it. She was here to catch Spider-Man and then tweet about it after. The first and only person to capture the elusive Spider-Man.
Gwen was about to say something (and probably break her cover into itty bitty pieces) when MJ thankfully spoke up in her stead, "Are you kidding me?" she asked, practically growling, "You guys wait till after he just got done dealing with those clowns upstairs before you try something? What, worried you couldn't actually do anything unless the guy you're after is practically crippled?"
"This doesn't concern you."
"I think it does." She stepped in front of Peter, "You guys talk a big game about being here to arrest Supervills but I didn't see you guys up there helping either of them take down the Sinister Six and save the hostages." The paparazzi were turning their cameras to them now. Not good, "What's wrong? Scared actually putting your life at risk?"
Alpha's eyes narrowed and she barely held back a scowl, "You're a vigilante too, if you forget. We can haul you in."
"You wanna try it?" MJ asked, voice dipping to something low and dangerous. She stepped closer and Gwen didn't miss the way Alpha gulped and took a step back, "I'll let you have the first hit. Go ahead."
"Y-You-"
"That's enough." Gwen stepped between them, "You guys shouldn't fight. Alpha, even if you disagree with them they did help out up there. Maybe just let them go for now?"
"But-"
"Yeah...I don't feel good about this either." One of the Initiative Heroes behind her - Red 9 - said, "I mean, Spider-Man's like 6 years old right now. I really don't want to hurt a kid."
"What?! Guys, we agreed before. You know how good this'll be for us." And there it was.
Peter let out a long suffering sigh, "Better luck next time." He waved and disappeared into smoke. Gwen and Mary Jane shared a look before they both swung away too. The less people crowding around them the better.
Your Death9: Everyone saw that livestream, right?
Reply from Day Mun: Hell yeah! That shit was intense. Spider-Woman and Spider-Man vs the Sinister Six. And there were actually six of them this time!
Reply from Crania South: Should've known that Spider-Woman would jump in. Boomerang made a huge mistake broadcasting this stuff live. Shame her fight with Vulture guy and Beetle was outside.
Reply from Pawpricez: Yo but for real did anyone else see Scarlet Spider?! She came in with a giant assist at the end there!
Reply from JC: Course Spider-Man stole the show at the end there with those knife tricks.
Reply from Day Mun: So what do you guys think'll happen to the Sinister Six? Molecular shrinkage?
Reply from Pawpricez: Pretty sure that's still illegal. My guess is one inch.
Reply from pink stretchy: Yo, a friend just sent me a vid she took of some Initiative Heroes trying to arrest Spidey. -embedded link-
Reply from Truce Truce: Lol seriously? The guys really thought they could pull that shit?
Reply from YourMomIsEdgy: I mean Alpha's not wrong that Spider-Man's a vigilante, but it's pretty damn obvious she was doing it for views. Everyone knows she's an attention whore. You saw the way she was looking at the cameras?
Reply from pink stretchy: Yeah lol. Spider-Woman didn't help him, so I guess they're really over. Scarlet Spider really stepped up tho.
Reply from JC: I heard a rumor that one reason they broke up was cause he was cheating on her. You guys think he has something with Scarlet Spider?
Reply from Day Mun: Maybe? Would explain why she was so protective of him.
Reply from roman r: Speaking of Spider-Man, what the heck was up with him? Did Spider-Woman really shrink him?
Reply from fireender: Doubt it. Look at his face here when he took off his mask. He looks younger. -embedded image-
Reply from NumberOneSpiderManFan: OMFG he's so freaking cute! I wanna hug him! Ugghhhh!
Reply from fireender: Looks like he's into some fountain of youth stuff. Well, he came back from dying twice so I'm really not surprised.
Reply from NumberOneSpiderManFan: The picture's already making the rounds. Gonna make some nice comics from this!
Reply from roman r: ...I think we created a monster.
They went back to her apartment. There was no plan or verbal agreement, but MJ followed her back and it didn't take long for Peter to arrive after them. They shifted out of their costumes while Peter washed off the blood in the bathroom, "...Drink?" MJ looked up from her place on the couch and blinked owlishly, "Um...I've got soda or hot chocolate. Bought some rootbeer too."
"Ah...hot choco."
She offered her the steaming drink and sat across from her. They didn't say anything, just occasionally sipping at the sweet chocolate till the sounds of running water stopped and the bathroom door opened, "Head's ringing..." Peter sat on the only other spare seat and rubbed his forehead weakly.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Nothing a good sleep won't fix." He shook his head and looked between them, "...You two?"
"We're cool. MJ and I heal fast." Gwen shrugged.
"That's not what I meant."
Both she and MJ flinched. They both knew what he wanted to say, "So..." Gwen put the cup down on the table. The both of them coming back here, they both knew it meant they were going to talk. They just didn't know where to start.
Peter started for them.
"You been doing anything the past week, Mary?"
"Huh? Uh...no, not really. Just working and keeping a low profile." Meaning she hadn't gone on any vigilante sprees. Gwen released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Where've you been staying the past week?" she asked.
"With Felicia. She actually offered and I figured it'd be better than crashing at Norah's place again. She actually had to go underground a bit; apparently she's looking up a new lead for Cindy."
"Felicia? That's...interesting." They came to the hospital together too. Well, she wasn't gonna complain. She and Felicia didn't get along but she was way better than Murderdock, "Hey...listen. We really need to talk about what happened at the hospital."
"I don't know what I can really say, Gwencent." The nickname, as sad as she sounded when she said it, brought her no small amount of relief. It meant she wasn't pushing her away, "I think I already said all that I needed at that rooftop."
"That's not..."
Webster jutted out of her shoulder, "Gwen, I think it would be better if we spoke. All of us." She looked at Mary Jane with an unreadable expression.
Mary Jane looked down at her feet for a moment before Crimson followed Webster's example. As always its eyes were abuzz with activity and its mouth was split in a wide, demented grin, "Back to this, are we?" Gwen kept herself from shuddering at its voice. She'd never get used to how similar it sounded to her, "Are you going to try to convince her that she's 'better than this'?"
"We wish to understand."
"Right..." Gwen nodded resolutely, "Just...tell me straight out, MJ. Your vigilante killing sprees, did that...thing make you do it?"
"...At first," she said eventually, "I made a deal with Crimson a year ago when were fighting Moon. We had to live with each other so we had to find some kind of compromise. Crimson wasn't going to stop killing and I couldn't get rid of it so we came to an agreement: we only kill the people who really deserve it and it won't hurt anyone else. No innocent people...and not you."
"MJ..."
"Summers said you tried to keep it suppressed for months," Peter said.
"Yeah. Tried everything. Meditation, exercise, 'private time'...nothing really worked. Then I ran into these two...pieces of shit trying to have his way with a woman in an alley. It just...it reminded me of what happened to me, what..." She clenched her hands shakily and Gwen eyed the scar on her right arm. Despite her powers that was the only thing she could never heal. A permanent reminder of what she was.
"...Did you kill them?" Gwen asked softly.
"Mhm." She nodded, "Didn't even realize what I was doing. All that time keeping Crimson bottled down and then being reminded of what happened to me just...I blacked out. When I woke up the woman was gone and I was covered in blood."
"And that's when you started working with Summers," Peter said.
"I figured that trying to point us in a specific direction was better than risking episodes. I always targeted the same kind of people. Murderers, rapists, human traffickers...the monsters who went to prison but got away because they had enough money or knew enough people that the system just let them out again. Anyone who hadn't gone to prison yet I gave a chance. One chance to own up and accept their sentence. If - when - they didn't I visited them again."
"Of course, she's not above breaking her own rules..." The red symbiote sounded gleeful at that.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means that I've killed people even before they went to prison." She couldn't look her in the eye, "...You remember that girl from Arcade's 'game', right?"
"Hard to forget..." Peter scowled.
"Tracked her dad - if you could even call him that. He told me who he sold her to, some debt collectors my dad was into. Then I killed him." The way she said, so blank and void of emotion, scared Gwen more than any cry or scream, "I killed all of them. Murdock was there too, but I did most of it. Maybe I could've put them in jail but after what they did I didn't want them living it up like prison gangsters. They deserved to die."
"Probably would've done the same thing," Peter muttered.
"Peter-"
"No, Gwen, you don't get it. You're not...I'm not as strong as you. When the kid - I - died you swore that you'd never fail anyone again and you've kept to that. When I failed that girl, when my fingertips were just inches from that line and I realized I could've saved her if I'd just been faster, that feeling...there's a reason I didn't let that bastard Arcade live. I couldn't."
"Don't you think I know what failing to save someone feels like?" she shot back, "Peter, I held you in my arms when you died. Twice. I was there when Murdock made my mom stab my dad and he couldn't use his legs anymore. So don't you dare tell I wouldn't 'get it'." Neither of them said anything, "And you know what? Yeah. I get it. If I could've killed Murdock after what he did to you and mom and dad? I would've. I might've regretted it later but I would've done it in a heartbeat."
"But that's not why we're here." She closed her eyes briefly, "MJ...when you told me back at the hospital that you didn't regret a single thing, was that you or the symbiote talking?"
"I...I don't know." She shook her head, "At first I wanted to deny it, just say that every person I killed made me sick because it made it easier to look at myself in the mirror. But that wasn't true. Those bastards wouldn't be hurting anyone else and I even saved some of the people they were about to kill. No more little girls sold, no more baby boys murdered while their mom was raped. Not from them."
"We cannot truly say where Mary Jane ends and Crimson begins. Symbiotes affect their host but the hosts in turn affect us. You know this, Gwen."
"But...I don't feel any different from before," Gwen mumbled. She was still Gwen Stacy. Still Spider-Woman.
"Anyone can say the same. If you ask someone if they feel like a different person from who they were before many will say no even if they had changed, even to the point of being unrecognizable. Peter has all the memories of his old life and yet he is not the Peter you both once knew."
"In my case I no longer have the urge to kill you in your sleep. But I wouldn't complain if something bad happened to ruin your day."
"The point is I don't know if it's just Crimson fucking with my head, and I don't think I ever will. But how I feel right now? I wasn't lying when I said I didn't regret killing those people. There are some that I think I should've handled better, but the people we go after...they squandered their second chances long ago and they kept hurting - killing - people around them. I don't feel bad stopping them."
"...I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything." MJ smiled sadly, "Sorry. I know you really wanted me to be a hero just like you, but like Tiger said before: I just don't look good in the daylight."
"What happens now?" Peter asked.
"Well...I'm probably gonna keep doing this. But I'm following the rules I set before. If they didn't go to jail yet then I'm giving them that chance and I'm not breaking it again. And if I do have to kill someone then I'm going to do it quick. If I wanna be able to live with myself I need to stop blaming everything on Crimson."
"Honestly doesn't sound that much different from what I'm doing." He looked to Gwen, "Gwen, anything to say?"
"...Are you still going to be working with Murderdock?"
"Probably." Gwen took a deep breath and said nothing, "I know it hurts, especially after what he did to you both, but he can help me get through this...tangled web. The people who sold that girl? That's just the tip of the iceberg. I took a look at those files. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of innocent people - kids - treated less than human for some pocket change. If I can save them and put a stop to these bastards then I'll do anything. Even working with him."
"As far as reasons go I can't fault her." Peter crossed his arms and shrugged.
"I just...I need..." Gwen covered her face with both hands and bit back a scream, "I love you both. Peter, I can't think of anyone else I wanna spend the rest of my life with and MJ...you're my best friend. Knowing what you both do? It hurts. I wish I could change you, make it so you see the world the way I do, but I know that's wrong. The reason you both think like that is because of the things you've seen. Changing your mind's just as likely as changing the world. So that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"...I don't get it." MJ tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"You both do the things you do because of the way this place is. But what if you didn't have to? What if this place isn't so dark and twisted that you have to go so low? I don't care if I have to do it one day and one criminal at a time. I'll go out there and do whatever I can to make prove my way works. I can't change either of you, but I can make you want to stop."
"Gwen...you're strong, but you can't change human nature. You do realize that, right?" Peter asked softly.
"I can try. It's better than doing nothing."
"Well sure. If you can get this utopia up and running then feel free." MJ laughed, a mix of bitter and hopeful, and Gwen laughed in turn. It was so silly. Peter was right - did she honestly think she could just make evil go away enough that they'd change their minds? That if she put away enough criminals it would change things for the better permanently?
And yet the proof was right out there. The 50 States Inititiative. It had its flaws, but now people with gifts who would've been shunned and hated were using those gifts to help people. One step at a time.
"So...friends?" MJ held a hand out.
"Who said we ever stopped?" Gwen smiled brightly in turn and took her hand in a firm grip, "Just...be more honest with me next time. Okay?"
"Promise."
Crimson slunk back into MJ's shoulder with a disgusted noise while Webster retreated quietly. Just the three of them now, "Right, so...we should probably get dinner started. You're-"
"I'm not staying here," MJ said, cutting Gwen off. She just stared at the redhead blankly, "Look, I get it. We made our peace and I promise to be honest with you from now on, but...I still think I need some space. I mean Felicia offered to help me out for some reason and I'm going to be working with Murdock. It's gonna be kinda awkward coming back here everyday."
"I...see your point." Gwen bit down the argument at the tip of her tongue and nodded. If she wanted to to trust them she had to let them make their own decisions, I'll miss you."
"I'm not gonna be gone forever."
"Yeah, I know."
Peter's phone suddenly rang. He stared at the screen and raised a brow, "What's it say?" Gwen asked.
"It's Teresa...says she'll be here in a few days."
"Yes!" The words were out of Gwen's mouth before she realized it. MJ and Peter looked up, the former in amusement and the latter in confusion, when she suddenly stood up and pumped both fists in the air, "Yes! Finally something's going right!"
"...You're more excited than I am," Peter said with a slight smile.
"What'd you expect? She's been pent up ever since you got turned into Spider-Boy."
"Th-That's not the reason why!" Gwen shot back, a slight red tinge on her cheeks, "I'm just...glad Peter and Lana are gonna be okay. That's."
"Riiiggghhhttt." MJ grinned up at her teasingly, "So we should probably celebrate Tiger's imminent return to legalhood. Maybe watch a movie? My theatre's still showing the Spider-Woman film."
"That's still going on?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, they released a new extended cut that showed more of the Avengers. Come on, I kinda wanna see how fucked up they are writing Gwen."
Gwen was about to shoot something back before her phone rang, "Hey, Cindy. What's up?"
"Just checking in. You guys okay?"
Gwen put her on speaker, "Yeah, we're all here and we're fine, just took some hits. Where were you?"
"Had to get the hostages out and then I got called in at another incident. An attack on the Symarkian Embassy and Prince Silver Sablinova." A prince? Fancy, "More importantly it might be connected to Scorpion and the Maggia."
"Seems important," Peter said, "Guessing that's why you called."
"Yeah. I need a favor."
"Well you've helped us out a lot so hit me," Gwen said.
"According to an eyewitness account one of the attackers of the embassy matches the description of one specific Maggia goon. Tom Scaletta, better known as Big Tom. I could probably haul him in on suspicion but that's not gonna get me anything. According to Jean this guy never talks. Ever. So I'm gonna need you and Mary Jane to go undercover while me and Peter get some info."
"And I'm guessing you can't go undercover because right now everyone knows who you are," MJ said.
"Exactamundo."
"Starting to regret exposing your identity?" Gwen asked back somewhat smugly.
"It has its benefits. Back to the point, you and MJ have to go in disguise. Should be easy considering your suits, but...you might not like where you're going."
"...What do you mean?" She suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Uh...how do you feel about strip clubs? ...And dancing in said clubs?"
...
...Fuck.
Flame: Hey, I did some fanart for the New Defenders and the Avengers. Check them out :)
Reply from Luna Faye: Nice one :D I love how you drew Striker's costume in particular. The colors really pop out!
Reply from HomewardBone: Speaking of teams, are Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Striker, Spinerette and Scarlet Spider part of one? They worked together really well during the hospital attack and Scarlet Spider came to rescue them today.
Reply from Toxicxyz: I doubt Spider-Man and Spider-Woman are on any kind of team now. That and how the hell do Spider-Woman, Spinerette and Striker get away with working so openly with vigilantes? Like isn't that as bad as the police doing it?
Reply from okey: The Avengers worked with the old Defenders during Jack-o-Lantern's attack on the city last year. The Defenders were also crucial in saving people during last year's Carnage Killer attack. I guess they have some leeway considering how useful they are.
Reply from LemonCar: Yep. You hear about criminals and even mafia dons who turn informant, right? Guessing this is the Superhero equivalent to that.
Reply from Slepsy: Does make me wonder if Alpha really could haul Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider in.
Reply from Beyond Gaming: Lol I'd like to see her try. We've seen Spider-Man take out way worse than an instagram model with superpowers. And there's his pals the Defenders too. Moon Knight would rek those fools.
Sinister Six (sans Hobgoblin) taken down for the time being and we have our next plot hook. Noir and Cindy are going to be working together to investigate the Maggia while Gwen and Mary Jane...yeah. Depending on audience reaction I might have to skip a majority of their pair segment, if only to avoid just how cringy I might write it. Lord knows me and writing sexy/erotic scenes get along like oil and water.
Anyway with the end of the last segment all the characters (sans Lana, who's still in the hospital recovering) are in a far better place mentally than before. Granted Gwen's goal of somehow changing NYC enough to change Noir and MJ's mind is a pipe dream at best but at least she's now focusing her efforts on a more proactive change rather than just arguing with them about their viewpoints.
Next chapter will be Cindy focused (been a while since we've gotten her) along with possibly ending Noir's kidification. Depends if I can do something with it for one last time.
Questions:
1. Do you guys think Cindy and Lana should get love interests? If so, who? Note that it doesn't have to be a successful relationship. Failed ones could be just as good interaction fodder. And please remember that both of them are straight so pairing Cindy off with Gwen or Lana with Sue (both have been suggested before) won't work.
2. What do you guys think of Mary Jane's new personality? I'm writing her as more confident, confrontational and (later on) more open and comfortable with intimacy and sexuality whereas before she was cynical, cut off and celibate (weird moments with Peter aside) due to her angst. Maybe her new personality will make her more similar to her 616 version.
Review Answers:
Paul Garros - Frog-Man makes it clear that he does admire Spider-Man; he just wishes he'd break up with Gwen so he could 'get a chance'. He never wishes harm on him and even indicates he wants him to get together with Cindy.
Wait, Gwen is a vessel to show how cool Noir is? This is despite the fact that Noir needs far more rescuing than she does and Gwen's fight scenes tend to be more standard superhero flaire whereas Noir's tends to be short, brutal beatdowns. Unless by cool you mean violent, in which case yes Gwen does show how much more violent and murderous Noir is by comparison.
Esquire-Man - MJ's deal currently is trying to find her place as a hero and focusing on her goal of stopping monsters.
Dr. Sugarcakes - Yeah, the 'teen heroes illegal' thing is bullshit. One because they're all vigilantes and therefore illegal by default, and Two because for some inane reason they decided to include Gwen (at least 19 and from another fucking dimension) and Kate Bishop (a 21 year old legal adult).
Krolikson - Don't worry, I'll keep it rare.
henchman213 - Thing I already did that with Noir and the Defenders fighting Arcade. Don't wanna do a repeat.
VitoRiceBowl - Matt's trolling doesn't bother you?
