-Chapter 8-
Double Trouble
A peaceful evening found Spider-Man swinging around Manhattan, unaware of a helicopter containing three men in black catsuits following him.
"Strangest damn gig the Big Man's ever slid our way," one of them mused, his voice thick with a Southern accent. "We're flyin' with the freaks now, boys."
Nonetheless, he got a target lock on Spider-Man, preparing to fire as the hero remained seemingly oblivious to the threat looming ahead.
"If I didn't have web-slinging to help me relax, I'd be wound up tighter than a-" Peter was cut off by the familiar tingle of his spider-sense. "Now what?!"
The helicopter opened fire on him, forcing Spider-Man to dodge and weave.
"Great," he sighed. "Who wants to kill me this time?!"
The chopper suddenly fired a net, snagging Peter and sending him plummeting. He narrowly managed to slow his fall with a webline, crashing down on a helicopter pad on the top of a skyscraper. The helicopter hovered above him, two men sliding down from a rope as Spider-Man tore the net apart.
"So what's your story, boys?" he greeted casually. "What, did J.J. not learn from his mistake with the Scorpion and put a hit out on me?"
One of the men ran forward and kicked Spider-Man into the bigger one, who wrapped his arms around him to crush him. He strained to slip free as the man grinned.
"Look, pal…" he managed, "there's a great new product called Tic-Tacs. You should try 'em sometime!"
He got an arm free, shooting a web and snagging his mustache before giving a good yank. This caused him to release Spider-Man, giving him a chance to backflip over the two of them and shoot webs at the smaller man. The man extended a staff and was able to slice through the webs before they could reach him. He then leapt forward and tried to bring the staff down on Spider-Man, forcing the hero to leap out of the way. Spider-Man ran in swinging, only for the staff-wielder to easily parry his attacks and force him back. He immediately spun around as the bigger man came running, webbing him up... only to be surprised when he, with a bit of effort, tore through the webbing.
"That's not good," he said simply.
Spider-Man tried leaping over him, but the big guy quickly grabbed him by the leg and tossed him aside. As he got up, he slowly backed away, thinking of how to lose them, only to recoil at a burst of gunfire from the chopper.
"Ah-ah-ah," the third one said over a loudspeaker. "Boys need a workout, so I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Seriously, who are you guys?!" Peter demanded.
"Name's Montana," the third one replied. "Those're my partners Fancy Dan and the 're the Enforcers. Maybe you've heard of us?"
Spider-Man shrugged. "What, were you a crappy boy band or something?"
"Not gonna matter in a minute. Boys, finish him?"
Fancy Dan came running at him, pulling off a jump kick. Spider-Man dodged to the side before grabbing him in a web, swinging him around before tossing him into the Ox.
"Now, let's just postpone this for another night. I've got places to go, people to see."
As he ran for the edge, the Ox jumped after him, grabbing him in a bear hug.
"You're strong, noted," Spidey wheezed. "But can you do... THIS!"
Spider-Man clung to the side of the building, skidding to a stop as Ox flew off. Before he could fall too far, he was caught in a web and left hanging from a flagpole.
"Now, I know you can tear right through that... but I wouldn't recommend it," he pointed to the ground forty stories below. "Long way down."
"Come on, son!" Montana objected. "You're making the Enforcers look bad! I can't have that!"
"Oh, sorry!" Spider-Man called back. "I didn't care!"
He went swinging, Montana pursuing in the chopper.
"Alright, think Spidey. How to take down a military grade chopper?"
He swung around for a bit before seemingly disappearing.
"Now where'd that varmint get to?" Montana snapped.
Unbeknownst to him, Spider-Man had landed on the belly of the helicopter. He took careful aim at the tail rotor before firing multiple shots of webbing into it.
"Hope your insurance is paid up!" he taunted before jumping off.
With the rotor gunked up, Montana was forced to bring in the chopper for a landing.
"Enjoy your little victory while it lasts, bug!" he shouted. "The Kingpin'll get his hands on you sooner or later, and when he does, you don't wanna be you!"
"Kingpin?" Peter blinked in confusion. "Who's the Kingpin?"
He swung after the chopper, but by the time he got to it, Montana was gone.
"Well... two out of three ain't bad. Now to make it home before I miss Aunt May's curfew."
The next day, after turning in his latest photos, Peter approached Whitney and Eddie.
"Does the name 'Kingpin' mean anything to you guys?" he asked.
Eddie stiffened at that, whereas Whitney straight up dropped her cup of coffee on the ground with a smash.
"...I'll take that as a yes," Peter concluded.
"Peter... where did you hear that name?" Eddie asked.
"From the guys Spider-Man was fighting last night," Peter explained. "I heard one of them mention they were sent by a guy calling himself the Kingpin."
"Kid, let me give you one piece of advice," Whitney began. "Drop it."
"Whitney's right," Eddie agreed. "right. All you need to know is that the Kingpin is a very powerful man. And dangerous. You're dipping into some deep shit, Peter. So quit while you're ahead... or risk losing it."
"Oookay," Peter said simply. "Forget I asked."
After work, Peter met up with Peni in his lab. As he explained what happened, she popped a can of soda and began to drink. The minute he mentioned the name Kingpin, Peni's eyes widened before she spat out her coke in shock. She wiped her mouth, coughing.
"Guess you've heard of them too," Peter remarked.
"Heard of him?" Peni demanded. "I'm surprised you haven't! Pete, the Kingpin is the criminal overlord of New York. The crime boss all crime bosses fear."
"Whoa…" Peter let out. "And he's put a hit out on me…"
Peni began pacing. "This is bad. Really bad."
"Just how dangerous is this guy?"
"Massively. Aunt Yuri's been trying to track him down on and off for years. Nobody's ever seen him in person, but like Whitney and Eddie told you, he's a very powerful man. And it means one thing if he has his eyes on you and thinks you're causing trouble for his operation: sooner or later... you're dead meat."
"That's… intimidating," Peter admitted. "But I'm not gonna stop doing what I'm doing just because it's bad for this guy's business. Hell, maybe I could make a name for myself by taking him down."
Peni shook her head.
"That may not be a good idea," she told him. "According to Aunt Yuri, the main reason the Kingpin's been in power for so long is because he keeps most of the lower-class crooks in check. If he was toppled from his throne, every punk with a gun would go to war to try to take his place. Without his empire, there's a power vacuum in the criminal universe. And nature abhors a vacuum."
"So what?" Peter questioned. "I'm just supposed to let him run wild and do what he wants?"
"I didn't say that, Pete," Peni insisted. "Don't put words in my mouth."
"Sorry, Pen," Peter began, "but if this guy's as bad as you say, I can't just let him stay in power. Besides, the whole 'evil power vacuum thing may ring true, but it's just as likely that it may not. After all, when Hitler died, the Third Reich went down with him (1)."
Peni sighed. "You're a stubborn piece of work, you know that?"
"Maybe," Peter grinned. "But that's part of my charm."
In his highrise, the Kingpin sat as Montana explained what happened last night.
"You disappoint me, Brice," he hissed, deadly calm. "I hired the Enforcers because you claimed to be the best at what you do... and yet Spider-Man made a complete and utter fool out of all three of you."
Montana jumped as Kingpin let out a furious roar, slamming his fists on his desk and cracking it.
"What do I PAY YOU PEOPLE FOR?!" he shouted.
"The bug's trickier than we gave him credit for," Montana defended nervously.
The Kingpin stood up, pacing and clenching his fists as he tried to rein in his temper.
"Spider-Man continues to be a thorn in my side. He must be eliminated!"
"So what now, boss?" Hammerhead asked.
After a few moments, Kingpin got an idea, smirking.
"I believe it's time I called in a favor from my old friend Norman Osborn."
At his office in Oscorp, Norman was going over some files when the phone rings. He picked up the phone, still looking at the files.
"Talk to me."
"Hello, Norman." came the Kingpin's voice.
Norman perked up at that. "What do you want?"
"A little help dealing with a... spider problem."
"So, Spider-Man's been causing trouble for you. What does that have to do with me?"
"If memory serves, you owe me considering what you asked for in regards to your... little 'project'," the Kingpin replied. "Remember, if it wasn't for my funding, your OZ experiments would have died with Martin Li's family."
Norman sighed in resignation.
"Alright, fine. What do you want me to do?"
"Create a device that will rid me of Spider-Man once and for all," Kingpin ordered. "You have the resources and technology, Norman. I'm sure this is well within your power."
"I'll… see what I can do."
"Excellent. Pleasure doing business with you."
With that, he hung up. Norman just rubbed his head in frustration.
"Damn you, Fisk... As if I didn't have enough on my plate already."
He got up and entered the robotics division, finding Spencer at work on his latest project.
"Smythe, please tell me this Spider-Slayer of yours is nearing completion." he pleaded.
"Almost, Mr. Osborn," Smythe assured. "The Black Widow will prove to be much more effective than the prototype."
"Good. The sooner it's ready, the better."
Spencer blinked. "Something wrong?"
"Need I remind you the deadline for Fury's contract is drawing near? If we don't capture Spider-Man soon, Oscorp is finished."
Spencer nodded. "It should be ready by tomorrow night."
"See that it is," Norman ordered.
The next evening, the Spider-Slayer stood ready to go, and was dispatched into the city to hunt for its prey.
"Are you absolutely certain this will work?" Norman asked.
"I've poured my blood, sweat, and tears into making the Black Widow just what we need to deal with Spider-Man," Spencer assured. "It can't be bargained with; it can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not rest or stop, ever... until Spider-Man is dead."
"Good. And if Manhattan happens to get demolished in the process…" Norman shrugged. "Oh well. We can always get good press by helping with reconstruction."
In Times Square, Peter was out with Peni, Gwen, and Harry, griping about recent events at home.
"Aunt May's really getting into it," he sighed. "She keeps trying to set me up on blind dates with Mrs. Watson's niece."
"Is that really such a bad thing, Pete?" Harry asked.
"Harry, blind dates are like the lottery," Peter said flatly. "The odds are so stacked against you, you're nuts if you ever expect to hit the jackpot."
"You could at least give it a try, Pete," Peni suggested. "Who knows? She could be cute."
Peter scoffed. "Yeah, and Jameson could be a closet Spider-Man fan, but it doesn't guarantee that'll happen."
They all shared a laugh at that.
"I seriously can't believe he'd go so far as to make that Scorpion guy just to…" Gwen shook her head. "Well, actually, I can believe it."
"Believe me, Gwen, Peni and I saw it coming as well," Peter replied. "Anybody who's been in a room with J. Jonah Jameson for more than two minutes knows how big an ass he is. I wouldn't bother selling photos to him if I didn't need the money."
He clapped his hands together. "Now, why don't we just forget about all that and try to enjoy the evening in peace?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Pete. Jinx us, why don't you? That's a cue for something bad to happen if I ever heard one."
The last few words were barely out of Gwen's mouth before they heard panicked screaming.
"Yeah, that figures…" Peter sighed.
They turned to see a crowd of people running from a robot resembling a giant black widow. A hatch opened in its back, which spat out multiple drones that began scanning around.
"I don't know what it's looking for, but I'm not waiting around to find out," Harry declared. "Let's get the hell outta here!"
The four of them ran down the street, with Peter discreetly falling behind. He headed down an alleyway, already in the process of removing his street clothes…
-X-
The Black Widow stomped around, about to trample over a man in its way before he was snagged by a webline and pulled back by Spider-Man, who sent him on his way before turning to face the robot.
"Another giant robot, huh?" he greeted. "Somebody really wants to kill me."
He webbed up the robot's legs, only for its fangs to start glowing red-hot before cutting through the webbing. Peter hopped onto a wall and began climbing, trying to get the high ground, but that was when an oil slick was spewed above him by the Black Widow, sending him falling. The bot maneuvered under him, preparing its laser fangs, only for Spider-Man to swing away.
"You're good," he mused. "Wonder who made you."
His eyes narrowed. "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this one way or another."
The Black Widow came after him, a missile protruding from his back and firing. Peter had just enough time to look before he was buried under the rubble. The Widow approached and scanned the area, seeing only Spider-Man's mask and no sign of movement. Feeling its mission was accomplished, the Spider-Slayer turned and began heading back to base.
Back at Oscorp, the Black Widow stood before Norman and Spencer, Norman grinning.
"Excellent work, Spencer. Your Spider-Slayer did the job. I'll send out search parties to retrieve Spider-Man's body within the hour."
"Well, don't I feel honored."
They both jumped before Spider-Man's head popped out from under the Black Widow.
"Norman Osborn," he greeted. "I've heard tales and rumors of you being crooked. Seems they were right on the money."
"You imbecile!" Norman shouted at Spencer. "You led him right to me!"
"Hey, don't be too mad at him, Norman," Spider-Man said casually, getting out from under the Widow. "I had a feeling you were dirty for a while now. After all, you did steal the Vulture's hard work. By the way, why are you so interested in me, anyway?"
"My reasons are my own!" Norman whirled on Smythe. "Don't just stand there, you idiot! Turn the Black Widow back on and KILL HIM!"
Spencer immediately pressed a button, siccing the Black Widow on him.
"You're out of your league, Spider-Man!" he declared. "The Black Widow is specifically designed to hunt down and kill you, and it will never stop until it does!"
"Well, somebody's proud of their work." Spider-Man deadpanned.
The Black Widow swung one of its legs at Spider-Man, forcing him to leap over it. A second leg quickly swatted him out of the air. Spider-Man landed hard as the Black Widow fired lasers from his fangs. Spider-Man quickly zipped out of the way before it hit. It launched grappling hooks from its head next, trying to ensnare Peter.
"C'mon, Parker, think!" he said to himself. "There's gotta be something in here I can use to stop it!"
He looked around, searching for anything that could help. He finally saw an electrical fuse box, giving him an idea.
"That'll work."
He jumped before it, positioning himself just right as the Black Widow advanced on him. Just as it fired its grappling hook, Spider-Man jumped out of the way. The grappling hook hit the fuse box, causing electricity to course through its systems. As it spasmed and sparked, the bot's head exploded, catching a chemical barrel and igniting it.
"Okay... that backfired a little." Peter said sheepishly.
"You fool!" Smythe shouted. "What have you done?!"
"Hey, you were the idiot who sicced the bot on me in the first place!" Spider-Man shot back.
The fire quickly began to spread. Peter immediately sprang into action, running for both men. He snatched up Osborn, swinging out and setting him on the pavement.
"Why did you save me?" Norman demanded, confused. "You just found out I've been trying to kill you! I commissioned the Spider-Slayer, for God's sake!"
"That's the bizarre thing about being a superhero — you've even got to save the bad guys," Spider-Man replied. "Gotta be greater than the haters. Now if you'll excuse me…"
He jumped back into the blaze, looking desperately for Spencer.
"Smythe?!" he called out. "Smythe!"
He heard coughing, seeing the older man leaning on a wall half-conscious from smoke inhalation.
"Hang on! I'm coming for you!"
Before he could reach him, his spider-sense went off, warning him of oncoming debris. He jumped out of the way, only to be horrified when Spencer was seemingly buried in said debris.
"No!" he screamed. "Damn it!"
The flames started getting worse, forcing Spider-Man to retreat. As the fire department arrived, Peter watched before closing his eyes, looking down in sorrow.
The next day, Peter was seated on a rooftop overlooking the city. He heard footsteps before Peni sat down next to him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Honestly… I'm not sure," Peter admitted. "I tried, Pen. I really did. But I wasn't quick enough to get Spencer out of there."
"You did the best you could," Peni assured. "Besides, you got Harry's dad out of there."
"If I'd just grabbed both of them from the start…"
"Pete, stop attacking yourself for things that happened in the past. That road leads to madness," Peni placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard for you to hear, but you can't save everyone. It's just not possible."
"Doesn't mean I don't want to…"
They said nothing from there. Peter watched the sunset solemnly, realizing that he could always try his best, but sometimes he just couldn't help.
At Oscorp, Norman was talking to a man in his mid-thirties, wearing what appeared to be bionic leg braces that allowed him to stand upright.
"Alistair, are you sure about this?" Norman asked. "Spencer left some big shoes to fill."
Alistair nodded.
"I'm sure, Mr. Osborn. I'll continue my father's work. And I swear on my father's grave... that Spider-Man will pay."
Author's Note:
(1): Taken from the Ultimate comics, where Daredevil said exactly that when Spider-Man objected to his plans to kill the Kingpin.
So, now Peter knows of the Kingpin, and Alistair Smythe has joined the show. Real quick, those bionic leg braces are my own twist, derived from similar gadgets used by Huey Emmerich in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Batman in The Dark Knight Rises.
Please R&R. Until next time!