Somewhat shorter update than normal (though Nerdman's segments buff it up considerably) but similar to the last chapter this one is more on character analysis and one-on-one interactions. Also trying to lighten the tone a bit since the past few chapters have been pretty dark. The first part of the chapter is cribbed straight out of Defenders but I did my best to add a more personal Murderdock flair to it.
Also, I put the Mary Jane love interest vote on my profile up again and now Frog-Man's getting a bunch of votes :/ Guess it's my fault for putting him as a choice. Oddly enough Matt has none despite him surpassing Felicia in the previous poll version.
Once again all twitter/reddit segments in italics are made by Nerdman3000.
BBWayne: So, anyone in the scientific community have any thoughts on Professor Miles Warren's recent proposal?
Reply from VayWillum: I think it's incredibly risky and kind of insane. I get the idea behind it, and that Warren genuinely thinks it will be a good thing, but it's not going to fly well with most people.
Reply from BenjiWolf: Pardon me, as someone who's unfamiliar with science and stuff, but who's Miles Warren and what did he propose?
Reply from BBWayne: He's a world-famous scientist who works at ESU and is considered the world's foremost expert on cloning. He's famous for making the discovery a few years back, during attempts on cloning chimps, that clones are able to inherit the memories of their genetic hosts. It basically proved another previously controversial, but now widely accepted theory, that DNA contains basically backups of people's memories, which is how people can regain their memories if they get amnesia and is probably what allows for instinct in animals.
Reply from BenjiWolf: That kinda cool I guess. What did he propose though that VayWillum says is so risky?
Reply from VayWillum: Basically, for years he's been wanting to expand cloning to humans, and he's made dozens of proposals toward the idea of cloning humans. His most recent proposal is that he announced that he now wants to clone "victims" of vigilantes like Spider-Man who, in his words, were "robbed at a chance of being able to reform" like Maxine Dillon, in order to give them a second chance at life and reformation.
Reply from BenjiWolf: He wants to WHAT?! Is he insane? Bring back Electro? Doesn't he realize how incredibly dangerous that is?!
Reply from BBWayne: He says he thinks he can isolate their powers in their DNA and remove them at birth, effectively making them born as a normal human, but with their memories and a chance to really reform, instead of staying dead and unreformed at the hands of dangerous menaces.
Reply from VayWillum: Which is still incredibly foolish. Even if that would make Maxine Dillion no longer a threat and 'maybe' give her a chance to reform, most of the people Spider-Man and the Defenders have put away have been huge threats to society. Bringing them back is just asking for trouble.
Reply from BenjiWolf: Agreed. Maybe Warren is a good man with genuine good intentions, but he's being incredibly naïve if he thinks some of the criminals Spider-Man put down can be reformed.
Reply from Noobmaster69: 10 bucks says that if this Warren guy even tries to bring back one of those bad guys, Spider-Man will put a bullet between his eyes.
Reply from BBWayne: To be fair to Professor Warren, he explicitly stated he thinks we should only try to bring back people for whom reform is possible, most of whom he stated would likely be small time criminals who are young and may have found themselves with bad influences that led them to crime. Maxine Dillion was just the example he gave for whom of the more powerful victims of Spider-Man he believed would be open to reform when he was asked.
Reply from KoseiS4T0: How the f*ck does Electro deserve reform?! She was f*cking monster!
Reply from SavageKing: Well, no offense, but if I remember correctly, Spider-Woman has stated numerous times she regrets what happened to Maxine Dillon and that she thinks she could have been helped. I also know a lot of Anti-Spider-Man groups often tend to use Dillion as a prime example of what they think is wrong with Spider-Man and of someone whom they consider to have been a victim of his.
Reply from KoseiS4T0: F*ck Spider-Woman and those Anti-Spider-Man groups! That b*tch roasted my uncle during her rampage! The best thing Spider-Man ever did was put her down! The only reason to bring her back would be so that Spider-Man could kill her all over again!
Reply from BenjiWolf: Actually, that reminds me, but considering we know about the afterlife being, well, you know, a confirmed thing, and I believe also the soul, that begs the question of whether these clones would really even be the other people brought back to life or just copies with similar memories but different souls? If that the case, what would even be the point of bringing them back? They're still dead and unreformed. It's just a duplicate whose getting reformed.
Reply from VayWillum: And you've just hit one of the biggest arguments currently plaguing the scientific community, particularly the field of cloning. I'd rather not get into all that messy long argument about it, but I will say that I'm aware that Warren is among the group that still has his doubts onto there really being a soul.
Reply from BenjiWolf: How can he doubt the soul exists? A literal Demon attacked New York and dozens of other stuffs like that happened!
Reply from VayWillum: And there are people who still think the world is flat despite tons of evidence otherwise. They think all that was staged by Spider-Man and the Defenders or that it wasn't really a demon.
Reply from Noobmaster69: Did I say 10 bucks earlier? , make that 50!
Matt never thought that he would survive. Ever since he made his deal with the devil he understood that no matter what happened in the end he wasn't going to have a happy ending. Either someone achieved a miracle and managed to rid the world of the Beast or, as was more likely, he'd remain a prisoner in his own mind till his body eventually aged and withered and the Beast cast him off to the inferno in search of another host.
He welcomed death by the end. He'd struggled at first, tried to wrench back control like Faust and Mephistopheles. But despite the lighter interpretations he knew that Faust was damned to Hell for his hubris and he was the same. Whether out of desperation or pride he'd made a contract with his soul as payment and it was foolish to think that he could incite a rebellion and claw towards salvation.
And now he was still here. Karen had refused to let him perish and both Stick and the Chaste had considered him useful enough to spare him the fate the rest of the Fingers had due. Even in the eyes of the law he was innocent. Just a poor, blind man who was driven to evil by forces beyond his control. Amusing. All he'd done, all the atrocities he'd committed, and for the layman he was nothing more than another victim.
It was...dehumanizing.
"Mr. Berkins. In your professional opinion was it good for Aaron James?"
Now he was here, working as a lawyer once again. Karen had him taking up pro-bono work. Charity cases, something to cleanse his soul even if it was already slated for the eternal fire. It was a cruel mercy. Karen's - Ruth's - attempt to make him feel as if he had some sort of agency in his life even as she continued to tighten the leash around his neck hard enough to choke.
And yet despite it all it thrilled him. Despite the rush he felt when brushing against death the battles in the courtroom were equally tempting for him. The struggle, the research, the battle for superiority and pride. For many in the practice of Law it wasn't about innocent or guilty, right or wrong, it was about winning. A murderer escaped justice because you won the defense? Well the prosecution simply should've done better. An innocent person goes to jail for your clean record? If they were truly innocent then it was the Law that failed them. It wasn't your fault.
Even in cases like this it was the same. Another charity case. A CEO who used cheaper chemicals in his stations in order to save a couple of million being taken from the hundreds of millions they already owned. Even now the capacity for greed never ceased to amaze him. People could have more money than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes and yet they still craved more and more. It was the same for Mr. Fisk and even the Beast. Gluttonous animals that cared only for more.
His clients were the James family. Suing for the sake of their son, so that his treatments would be paid for by the people who crippled him and took away his legs. It was as black and white as could be and Karen knew it.
Richer Berkins was typical of his kind. An old, balding man who reeked of expensive perfume and wore nothing but perfectly tailored suits. His posture on the stand was calm and confident. He was certain that he would win, especially against a desperate family forced to resort to hiring a blind lawyer who likely never truly earned his degree.
"Our sympathies go out to the whole family. This entire incident is wholly unfortunate," Berkins said. His tone was flat and practiced, probably written up for him by his lawyer beforehand.
"Were you aware that the products used in your station were hazardous to children?" An exaggeration. Aaron James was 16, just a couple of years shy of full adulthood, but the reminder of his status was enough to elicit sympathy from the jury.
"Objection!" The opposing lawyer called. Carrie Black, a ten year veteran in her field with an impeccable record. She assumed he'd be a pushover if he was so desperate to take the case pro-bono.
"Let me rephrase." He held up a hand briefly, "What was attractive about dexoprine?"
"It's strong. Durable."
"And half the price."
"I do run a business." His facial muscles moved and for just a moment he smiled wryly. Confident, wasn't he?
"Is it worth endangering people in the interest of saving money?" He moved to the jurors table, tapping his cane along quickly. Playing the part was crucial here. The blind lawyer who was fighting for the sake of the family hit by tragedy. So cliché.
"All materials were tested. The moment those findings were made public our company replaced that mortar in all remaining stations."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Matt heard Berkins' heart rate spike. It took all he had not to, in Aleksei's words, smile like a shark, "Made public?" he said slowly, deliberately dragging it out. Black fidgeted in her seat knotted her hands into tight fists, "What do you mean?" He moved back to his desk, "Are you referring to a report sent on March the 3rd-"
"Your Honor he's asking my client to respond with unreasonable specificity-"
"Mr. Berkins if memory serves me right you received an urgent delivery from the safety commission on November 15 three months prior. I'm curious, did that have anything to do with dexoprine?"
"I-I don't know anything about that," Berkins said, confidence faltering. He had him.
"Your Honor unless Mr. Murdock can prove my client received these hypothetical documents-"
"It's not about whether he received them but rather if he willfully ignored them. Your Honor I ask that this record of delivery be admitted into evidence." Berkins was sweating now. He hadn't expected Matt to do little more than cursory research, especially considering he wasn't getting anything for this.
"I...get a lot of deliveries-"
"What would you say is worse? Ignoring the data in the interest of saving costs or neglecting to supply the court with records that indicate you purposely put people in danger. Including this young man-"
"Your Honor-"
"Including this young man Aaron James who might never walk again."
"Your Honor we would like a recess!"
"No need. I'm done." This time he did allow himself to smile. He bared his teeth down at Black for just a moment before taking his seat next to the young man he represented. Despite not saying a word the teen's heart was beating a mile a minute.
The case ended not long after. Berkins agreed to a settlement of 12 million dollars. A pretty penny under most views but the biggest cost was their pride. Berkins was reminded that he wasn't untouchable and Black had a mark on her record. All because of a blind victim and a family who couldn't even afford the lawyer that handed them the victory. It really was like a movie.
Not that it mattered in the end. Berkins was still a man with ill-gotten riches while Black would continue to represent anyone who paid, innocent or guilty. The sting of defeat would be brief.
"12 million dollars! Thank you, Mr Murdock." Mrs. James said happily as the walked out of the courtoom. Matt put a practiced smile on his face as the woman hugged him in gratitude and relief. When they first met she'd been afraid to even look him in the eyes. As much as people considered him a victim they also considered him cursed. As if simply being around him would attract demons like moths to a flame.
Money had a way of changing minds.
Both parents met with the press while their son chose to stay behind. Matt heard his heartbeat. Still quick but with none of the excitement his parents had, "...Are you alright?" It was a foolish question to ask. And a pointless. He'd won the case, it was up to the family now to take care of their child's needs. He half expected the boy to not answer or tell him to mind his own business. It would've given him the perfect excuse to take his leave.
Instead he answered, "...No." He shook his head, probably forgetting about the whole 'blind' caveat, "It's just...I know I'm supposed to be happy that you got us that money, but..." He gripped the sides of his wheelchair shakily and bit his bottom lip so hard Matt wondered if he'd draw blood.
"But it doesn't fix your problem." A nod. Again Matt didn't point out he technically couldn't see that, "Well...I could give you platitudes about how through love and support you'll find a way, if that's what you wish."
"I hear that from my parents already."
"Honesty then? Fine." Matt tapped his cane on the ground, "The money will soften the blow but it's no miracle. You might walk again, I hope you do, but it's no guarantee. People around you will pity you, look down on you, intentionally or not. For some you'll be an inspiration, for others a source of mockery." He tapped his glasses lightly, "And there will be times you feel cut off from everyone. It will hurt."
"No silver lining?" The muscles on his face moved to a strained smile.
"Only this: no one can tell you how to feel. Whether they pity or insult you, it doesn't matter. What I did back there? I didn't give you your life back. This is no happy ending, but you can see it as a beginning. Or you could give up." He laughed softly, "That's what life ultimately is. We fight and struggle and whether we continue or just lay down and accept what's given to us is our choice. And it's yours too."
"...I'm tired of smiling. Tired pretending that things'll be okay."
"Then don't. Cry and scream and rage all you want, it's your right. Besides, you've got 12 million dollars now. I'm sure no one will judge you for being emotional." Matt looked down and gave him an open toothed smile.
"Did you...ever feel like that? When you got your life back after..."
"Why won't you let me die...?"
"That depends on whether you believe I was just an innocent victim." Matt hummed. Ms. Stacy would likely spit on his grave once he finally passed, "It hasn't been easy being here again, but we make do with what we have. And besides, we all know now that Heaven and Hell exist. Knowing that something comes after helps at times. As long as you don't commit murder I'm certain it can't get any worse."
The first pinprick of tears escaped. He wiped them away with his sleeve quickly and nodded once more, "Thank you for doing this, Mr. Murdock."
"Good luck, Aaron." The young man wheeled himself forward to his parents. Matt breathed in deeply, trying to drown out the noises of the people around him. He had no interest in parading himself to the press. Already people were forgetting about him. Once the criminal Kingpin of the city, now he was just a passing amusement at best for those interested in demonic possession.
He preferred it this way. Better to be forgotten and passed by in anonymity.
An all too familiar heartbeat reached his ears, "I was wondering when you would approach." He smiled wryly as Ms. Watson walked behind him. She'd shifted the symbiote to an attire that didn't draw attention and pulled a hood over her head to mask her features. He could 'see' the subtle ways it moved and thrummed out of plain sight, "I 'saw' you in the seats back then. I must admit I'm surprised. You never told me you would attend."
"Wasn't planning on it." She put her hands into the pocket of her shapeshifted jacket and tilted her head up slightly. He still didn't turn to look at her, "Saw your argument back there. Pretty impressive."
"Was it? It's more a show and I dare say Aaron did most of the work. A crippled child makes for a powerful image." He finally looked at her. Even with his senses allowing him 360 degree vision facing someone allowed it to feel clearer somehow. Looking at her now he saw how impossibly still her facial muscles were even as the suit continued its unseen, chaotic thrums.
He was scared the first time he saw the world the way he did. And who could blame him? A child barely nine years of age awoken from an accident by the sounds of car engines screaming in his ear. Everything was amplified. The dripping of water, the footsteps of the doctors and nurses, even the hitched breaths of his prideful father when he realized his son had woken.
Even now the world was in perpetual fire. A prelude to what awaited him, at least.
"If you say so..."
"And what brought you here? We made no plans to continue your side excursions. Not that you need help there. It seems like you've been busy." He made a show of sniffing the air and grinned. Blood, it reeked all over her. Her hands, her chest, even her face. No matter how much she wiped it away the smell lingered.
The muscle's at the side of her mouth twitched and she huffed, "I didn't kill anyone," she said a tad too defensively.
"I didn't say you did. Regardless this isn't the proper place to discuss such matters." He gestured slightly to the press and other personnel around them, "What say we take this to a diner I know? It'll be my treat."
"...Sure. Thanks."
The diner wasn't too far. They situated themselves in a far off corner out of sight and made their orders. The waitress was kind, smiling pleasantly and pointing out where each condiment was once she saw his cane. Ms. Watson scoffed and rolled her eyes under her hood as he played the part of the blind man perfectly. Small mercies that the woman didn't recognize him.
"How the hell do you deal with that?" she asked as soon as the waitress gave them their food and left.
"Hm?"
"The helpless blind guy act."
"Lest you forget, Ms. Watson, I am blind."
"You're about as blind as I'm a pacifist." She snorted, "And I told you before, it's Mary Jane."
"Right. Sorry, memory has a way of escaping me at times." He ripped open a packet of sugar over his coffee. Sweets were one of the few luxuries he could enjoy in his gilded cage, "As to your previous question, the role comes naturally to me. Stick once told me that no one would pity me for my condition but, as always, he spoke of extremes. People do in fact pity the blind man, if only to make themselves feel better for expressing sympathy. Playing the role is advantageous and something I learned from a young age."
"Hmm..." She poked at her pancakes stiffly, the syrup oozing out slowly like a bleeding wound.
"Permit me a question of my own: why do you reek of blood?" She stiffened for just a moment before she looked up, lips pressed into a tight line. The suit's thrumming increased, "I presume that's the reason you came to me. I highly doubt you're here to hang out, as it were."
"Hm..." Again with the non-committal hums. She speared the sausage in her plate and bit into it ruefully, "Guess you're right."
"So...?"
"You know a group called Anvil security." It wasn't a question. Matt raised a brow and gestured for her to continue, "One of the models I worked with went missing not too long ago and when me and Lana busted up a Serpent Skulls they said someone hiring Anvil security was involved. I heard from Cindy that you hired them to protect you after your trial."
"That would be Karen's doing, not mine," Matt said, "But if you're hoping that she and I have some secret understanding or knowledge with said company I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. They were hired for no reason besides price and proximity."
"Damn it..." She looked down and her face knotted in a scowl.
"Why are you pursuing this? I thought you were already set on another goal."
"Someone got kidnapped and I can do something about it. I don't need any other reason than that."
"I suppose you can afford to be distracted." His tone held no judgement but given the slight growl she made it was clear she didn't see it that way. Matt held his hands up slightly, "Apologies, that was the wrong term. I was simply surprised. The basis of our agreement, tenuous as it was, fell more into the line of extrajudicial retribution. This seems to fall more into the realm of traditional heroics."
"Why can't it be both?"
"I suppose you're right. Forgive me, I've gotten so used to extremes in both my lines of work." He took a sip of his coffee, "But again I'll have to disappoint you. I can do some searching on my end, though I doubt I can come up with anything substantial. You'd have better luck imploring Ms. Winters for aid."
"I already did, but she's pretty swamped. You should know since you guys use her a lot." Her mouth puckered slightly in distaste, "I keep telling her to be careful. Wasn't that long ago that she had guys with guns going after her."
"Would not the same apply to you?"
"Shoot me in the head and I'll just spit the bullet out. She's not as 'lucky'."
"Nor am I and yet I still live." Despite his and others' best efforts to the contrary, "Regardless you did not come here to discuss Ms. Winters' dangerous habits. If you truly wish to dissuade her then I would suggest talking to Peter instead of me. Ms. Winters respects his opinion far more than mine." Which was not at all. She'd made it clear despite her light tones and cheery smiles that she no more capacity to forgive him for his sins than Ms. Stacy.
She clicked her tongue and looked down at her plate. Her heart rate sped up slightly, "Does it ever scare you?" He continued to eat without missing a beat. She knew he was listening, "Going to hell when you die, I mean. Does it scare you?"
"Did Peter tell you that?"
"Gwen, actually. Mostly complaining that she had to wait." Mary Jane made a strained smile while Matt laughed.
"Of course she would." He hummed, "A question of my own first: what brought this on?"
"Just curious." Not a whole lie but not the entire truth either. Matt didn't call her on it, "I mean knowing that you're going to Hell. That must..."
"Scare me? Fill me with terror?" He laughed again, though this one had a sharpness to it, "I'll tell you the same thing I told Peter: I don't fear the inferno. I've lived the past two decades of my life as a prisoner in my own body and now as Karen's pet. As painful as the torments that await may be it'll be my choice to face it, and more than anything that will make it worthwhile."
"How noble of you." She rolled her eyes. It was clear she didn't receive the answer she wanted.
"I could also choose to extend my lifespan with the chi training I received, but again there's little point in staving off the inevitable. But why the curiosity? Worried about your own afterlife?" She froze. Bingo, "I suppose it makes sense. Only can only have so much blood on their hands before it begins to weigh on them. Sometimes literally."
She growled and, from under her hood, her face morphed into something monstrous for a brief moment before shifting back. If he didn't see the world on fire he might have been scared, "You don't know anything about me!" She snarled. He halfway expected her to toss the table aside in a rage. Instead, after a few seconds of staring at one another, she exhaled deeply and leaned back in her seat.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, it's...it's not your fault." She sighed and crossed her arms tightly, "I'm just...I get like that sometimes. I have my good days and my bad days." She sighed once more and leaned on the table, right hand propping up her cheek while she drummed her fingers on the wooden surface with another, "And you're right. I've been thinking about the future the past couple of days and now I got mopey."
"If you were hoping I could assuage your fears then I'm sorry to disappoint you. While I won't shirk my responsibility for making a deal with The Beast I also won't pretend that it gave my some profound insight into the machinations of things we weren't meant to understand. All I know is that my soul has been tainted both by the acts I've commited and my former pact with The Beast."
"Of course..." She bit her lower lip.
"If I might give some advice?" She didn't say anything. He took it as a cue to continue, "I wouldn't worry too much about what could happen in the future. Even if you were to find out the truth would it stop you from doing what you do now?" Again no answer, "You must be convinced of the rightness of your cause if you've continued so far. If nothing else I do think you're helping people, directly or otherwise."
"Yeah, well, pretty sure thou shalt not kill is the top of the list."
"Says the God that supposedly drowned the world except for a man and his boat and sent a plague across an entire country." He finished his coffee, "I wouldn't put too much stock in scripture. If you believed everything on it then you're already condemned to hell for your attraction to Ms. Stacy and partaking in relations outside of marriage. Interpretation muddies the waters so much that it's impossible what the truth really is."
"Huh, guess so." Her heart calmed, "Thanks...I guess."
"For what? I was just rambling to myself." He laughed under his breath and placed a few scattered bills on the table. He wasn't sure of the price but it was more than enough for them to order one of everything on the menu, "I hope that you found what you were seeking, Mary Jane. Now if you'll excuse me I have another meeting to attend to."
"More lawsuits?"
"If only. Murakami has challenged Peter to an honor duel and it shall take place in a few hours time. While we won't involve ourselves in the fight prior it would be foolish to think that things would go according to plan." He stood and picked up his cane, "Though I expect that Peter will be the victor. He has a knack for surviving things that should have killed him multiple times over."
"Yeah..." She nodded, "...Any more progress on the list?"
"Yes. I should have something by the weekend. Unless of course you really have been turned away from your path."
"No. If going to heaven means letting some old bastard pimp out twelve year olds then it isn't worth it."
Murdock left with another chuckle. Mary Jane looked down at her half eaten and finished it lazily. Why the hell did she come here? She promised Gwen she'd only talk to the guy only when she needed to and now she was, what, asking for spiritual advice? "Damn it..." She waved the waitress over to pay for her food. Why was she so worried about this? Murdock was right. If she trusted her old bible studies teacher she was already going to Hell for walking both ways. What was a little vigilante killing on top?
'It's not like you to be so worried.' Crimson said as she left the diner.
'We can't be cool 24/7, you know. People have their ups and downs.'
'Why worry about some far off torment that may not even happen? That's something I'll never understand about you humans. Always so worried about things and second guessing yourselves. You could learn from us.'
Mary Jane snorted, 'Yeah, I don't think you get to say that.'
'There's no point in worrying about it now. If it comes then it comes and we'll both deal with it. We're stuck with each other till the end.'
Wow...that was almost sweet. Emphasis on almost. Shaking her head, Mary Jane ducked into an alley and quickly shifted to her costume. It was a couple of days till the weekend so Crimson couldn't moan that she was wasting her time. And surprisingly enough she was finished with everything she needed for uni. Which left her to have some actual time for patrolling. It'd help calm her down, at least.
She ran more or less on autopilot. It was a pretty slow day all around - just a couple of muggings and a woman who faked one just cause she wanted to take a quickstagram pic for a few clicks. At the back of her mind she knew it meant she was famous enough for people to try and get her attention but she couldn't really enjoy it. Sure she wanted to be famous but she still wanted it to be cause of her music. That was something she earned.
She was about to call it a day when she heard someone shout, "Stop right there!" She landed on a rooftop and raised a brow when she saw a guy in a frog suit standing in front of a couple of guys who looked like they were breaking into a car, "Put your hands up and back away from the car or you'll have to deal with the me!" Give the guy credit he sounded way more confident than a guy in a frog suit had any right to be.
'The stupidity of this city never stops.'
'Yeah...' She wasn't even surprised when one of the guys, a big dude in a tanktop with tattooed arms, laughed and punched him right in the face. Mary Jane was almost impressed when frog boy actually stood up and fought back. That lasted about as long as it took him to do the first punch where it was obvious that he'd watched way too much anime.
Mary Jane facepalmed as the frog boy was put in the ground again. She had to help. She'd feel like a jerk if she just ignored it, "Here goes..." She swung behind the two who were kicking the poor guy while he was down. Neither of them saw her. She almost felt bad for them.
She tapped the other guy, a bigger (in more ways than one) guy wearing a leather jacket, on the shoulder, "Yeah, what the hell do you-" He turned around and looked like he was gonna shit himself. Most people didn't know she was a killer since she shifted costumes whenever she had to some of her nastier work but Gwen was pretty open about Scarlet Spider being her partner/student/whatever her fans thought she was.
"Hey, whatcha doing there?" she asked with an obnoxious amount of cheer. Gwen told her being snarky really helped. So far it was a mixed bag.
"Hey yo we were just defending ourself!" Tank top said quickly.
"Uh-huh...so we're just gonna pretend I didn't see you try to jack that car and throw that first punch?" She crossed her arms, "So how about we make this easy and
The two looked at each other quickly before leather jacket tried to punch her. Even without a spider-sense the attack was obvious and she tilted her head to the side to avoid it.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way."
Less than a minute later and the two were on the ground covered in blood red webbing. She made sure not to work them too hard. Even with her screwed up moral compass she figured trying to jack a car and beating up someone wasn't worth getting gutted. Crimson didn't even whine about the lack of blood, which was nice.
"You alright?" She bent down and offered frog boy a hand.
He looked up at her and she frowned sympathetically when one of the mask's eyes popped out. He didn't seem to notice, "Holy crap! You're Scarlet Spider!" He took the offered hand shakily and she pulled him. The frog suit added a few pounds, "Wait, you are Scarlet Spider, right? Spider-Woman's apprentice?"
"Uh...yeah, you could say that. I'm not really her 'apprentice'. Just do the team-up thing on weekends."
"O-Oh yeah, totally! I get that!"
"You're frog boy, right?"
"It's Frog-Man, actually." He sounded actually offended that he had to correct her, "Uh...I teamed up with Spider-Woman a couple of times before. She talks about me, right?" She could practically see the puppy dog eyes under that mask.
"Um...sure." Just once and she used him as a unit of measurement about how thirsty Roxxon was for her. It didn't make a good picture. But hey she did talk about him, "You need to go to the hospital?"
"No, it's cool! Suit blunted most of it!" She guessed it made sense. Guy bounced around everywhere so the suit had to take a beating, "I heard that Spider-Woman went with the Avengers to San Fransokyo."
"Yeah...?" She tilted her head to the side. Where was he going with this? "So that means you're free, right? I mean you can't team-up with Spider-Woman if she's busy doing big time Avenger stuff?"
"I...guess?"
"So I was thinking why don't the two of us team up?" It took everything Mary Jane had not to facepalm again. Of course that's where he was headed, "It makes sense, doesn't it? We can get more done with the two of us and we can totally help each other out. It's a win-win."
'I'd rather have a baby like Stacy did. And I hate children.'
"Uh...as cool as that sounds, I'm gonna have to pass. I'm more of a lone wolf kind of gal." Nevermind that she was teaming up with Black Cat and Daredevil weekly. Totally a loner, "Actually I should really go. See y-"
"W-Wait!" She stepped back when the actually bowed, "L-Look, I really need help! This...the whole hero thing really isn't working out for me. No matter what I do I never get any better and...well, you saw what happened. It's like that all the time. I want...I need to get better but I can't do it on my own."
"And you think I can help you?"
"Definitely! You're Spider-Woman's student so you must've picked up some things, right?" Mary Jane didn't bother to correct him on the 'student' thing again. Didn't seem like he was gonna listen, "I just...I really wanna make this hero thing work and I'm at the end of my rope here. Please."
'Don't do it. Don't you do it. You will regret this.'
'The dude's desperate! It's like kicking a big green puppy!'
'Then kick the dog over a cliff if you have to! This isn't our problem!'
"...Fine." Frog-Man gasped while Crimson screamed in impotent frustration in her skull, "But I'm going to tell you again I'm not Spider-Woman's student. We team up sometimes but that's it. I don't have any kind of secret technique to show you and I'm going to be the Darth Wader to your Princess Leia. Whatever 'lesson' you're hoping for you have to figure out on your own."
"That's cool! Still works!" His excitement almost made her smile even though she knew she was gonna regret this, "So, uh...do we exchange numbers or..."
"Not a chance." He winced at the blunt refusal. She didn't feel too bad; she was already going out of her way to help him, "Let's just..." She looked around and pointed to a billboard advertising a Spider-Woman energy drink, "Over there. Be here tomorrow at noon and I guess we'll go on patrol. With any luck you'll go through your breakthrough by the time we're done."
"C-Cool, that works." He fidgeted slightly before offering up his hand to shake, "So...partners?"
"Wouldn't go that far. Let's say we're temporary teammates and leave it at that." She shook his hand quickly and swung away before he could say anything else. Crimson was already screaming at her about why the hell she did that but she'd already tuned it out. She just had to download that new Buzzsaw movie and it'd cheer right up.
Besides, even she had no idea why. Maybe she just felt bad for the guy? And maybe a little similarity. Just a year ago she was jealous of Gwen and wished she had something of her own too.
She just hoped she wouldn't regret it too much.
RewindMax: So, I was just walking past ESU and Scarlet Spider and Striker had to stop a massive brawl/riot that was happening in front of the campus?
Reply from PirateCaptainChloe: Wait, really? Shit Maxie, I'm stuck here back in Oregon and your visiting New York with Rachel and seeing supes in action.
Reply from FlamingRachelA: What caused it?
Reply from RewindMax: From what I could tell, I think one of the two groups that got into a fight was protesting some scientist who wants to bring back someone named Electro and the other was an Anti-Spider-Man group, and they got into an argument and starting fighting.
Reply from PirateCaptainChloe: Isn't Electro that Supervillian chick Spider-Man killed a long time ago? How can someone be trying to bring her back?
Reply from RewindMax: No clue.
Reply from FlamingRachelA: Maybe when you get back to the apartment soon. I'm not sure how safe it is out there with all this stuff happening.
Reply from RewindMax: Don't worry, I'll be there soon.
More Matt focus and then a small segment with Mary Jane near the end to have her team up with Frog-Man. Like I said before Mary Jane doesn't have a team or supporting cast of her own like the other four protagonists so her segments focus more on one-on-one interactions that allow me to develop and flesh out her character.
Frog-Man, as pathetic as he is, allows for some lighter/goofier segments that wouldn't work when Mary Jane's interacting with Matt, Felicia or Shadowcat. It also helps her transition from axe crazy serial killer vigilante to a more sane anti-hero.
Questions:
1. Do you guys think Matt could ever be redeemed or is he too far gone due to his actions in V1? I've tried to make him less of a prick in recent chapters but it doesn't erase the dozens of chapters where he acted pretty smarmy.
2. What do you guys want next chapter: Murakami vs Noir duel with possible Hand interference or Gwen attending Avengers con in San Fransokyo before it's inevitably interrupted? Latter's more typical superhero stuff while the former is basically a Yakuza boss fight.
Review Answers:
x1923 - Says something when two single parents (with one only being a mom for a few months) are the most stable.
Brave2000 - Daimon and Satanna already interacted with Gwen before. She freaked out kinda.
rc48177 - Danny argued that since they're going to continue being vigilantes a support network is a good idea. Pragmatically it works out.
Ch4aos4ever: Maybe? Like you said it's pretty cliche and it wouldn't really work given the kids' personalities.
Cyclopz and Dr. Sugarcakes - Yeah, no idea he'd blow up. Pretty sure people are just voting him in for laughs.
