The Devil You Don't Know
Chapter 4: In the Shadows
"It's nice to get out and about every once and a while." Peter remarked, as he walked the streets of New York with Mary Jane and Aunt May. He smiled at his companions fondly. "Especially in the company of two lovely ladies."
"You've got that right, Tiger," Mary Jane replied, squeezing Peter's hand affectionately.
May nodded in agreement, but disappointment tinged her voice. "I wish Edwin would've been able to come along with us."
Peter gave his aunt a slight embrace as they continued their stroll. "Aunt May, Jarvis has a lot of responsibilities and today just happened to be a busy day for him. Maybe next time he can join us." He had barely finished speaking when suddenly the world around him slowed to a snail's pace.
"What is it, Peter?" Mary Jane asked, knowing all too well that trouble was about to arrive.
"My spider-sense just started tingling… I wonder what set…" A loud rumble interrupted Peter's thought. As they looked in the direction that the noise came from, their eyes widened in horror as they watched part of a nearby building collapse.
Peter had already shifted into action mode. "MJ, you and Aunt May call the police right away," he ordered as he sprinted toward a nearby alley. He quickly changed into his new costume and hurried over to the scene of the disaster.
Spider-Man arrived just as a few people were slowly making there way out of the ruined structure. "Anybody still inside?" he frantically yelled at the first person he met. The man shrugged his shoulders as he coughed and gasped for air.
Just as he was giving the lucky escapee a nod, he heard a newly familiar voice call out from behind. "Hey! Need a hand?"
It was the Dark Crusader. What is he doing here? Spider-Man thought, wondering whether this guy was trying to horn in on his franchise. And where the heck is the Black Cat? "Sure – the more the merrier." The two heroes went inside.
It was pitch black inside. Luckily for Spider-Man, that was no longer a problem. One of his new abilities allowed him to see in the extreme dark "Let's split up," he told his new partner. "We'll cover more ground and do it a lot faster." Dark Crusader assented with a quick nod.
As he carefully made his way down the wall, Spider-Man heard a faint call for help.
"Don't panic!" he shouted. "We're almost there!"
Unfortunately, the corridor ahead of him was blocked. A beam had come crashing down, filling what used to be a doorway with debris. Using his hands and waldoes, the mechanical arms in the back of his new armored costume, Spider-Man dug out an opening and quickly reinforced it with his webbing. The makeshift rig held long enough for everyone to make it out of the rubble-filled corridor and onto the street, where emergency personnel waited with blankets and stretchers. Okay, he thought, time to get back in there and lend the newbie a hand.
Peter was searching through the destruction on the first floor, when he heard a voice coming from the stairwell. Ahead of him, he could see the Dark Crusader clearing debris to free a young man stuck there. Spider-Man began to go to help, when he heard something that stopped him cold.
"Hold on tight, ya punk, so I can get your sorry ass out of here," came the Crusader's voice.
"What did you say?" the man asked.
"Nothing, we'll be out of here in a second."
True to his word, the Dark Crusader got the victim out. He never noticed Spider-Man in the shadows as they passed. Did I really hear him talk that way to a victim? He wondered, shaking his head in disbelief as he continued his methodical search for any remaining survivors. He had managed to escort the last ones out, when suddenly, his spider-sense flared. "Get out of the way!" he shouted, pushing people out of the range of flying rubble as the rest of the building collapsed behind them. Was the Crusader caught in that? he wondered. The other hero was nowhere to be seen. His spider-sense was not warning him of any danger… so he decided that the other man must have already left the scene.
Having done everything he could possibly do, Spider-Man flew over the rooftops and disappeared from sight. Taking refuge in an alley, he quickly changed into his street clothes and looked for Mary Jane and May. He found them, standing across the street from what was, until an hour or so earlier, a gleaming modern office building.
"Hey guys," Peter said to the surprise of both MJ and May.
"You did good, Tiger," Mary Jane said, giving her husband a loving hug and kiss.
"We are very proud of you, Peter," May added, embracing Peter as well.
As much as he appreciated the warm welcome from his family, he still felt quite uneasy about what he had overheard. The way he talked to that young man, there was something so familiar about it… Mary Jane must have noticed the far away look on his face, because she asked, "What's the matter, Peter?"
He shook his head distractedly. "I dunno, but let's talk about it back home. Okay?"
All the way back to Stark Tower, Peter replayed the Dark Crusader's voice over and over in his mind.
"I see you made the news today," Felicia commented. Her legs swung lazily over the edge of the building.
Paul nodded, a small grin on his face.
"They didn't get your name right, though." Earlier in the afternoon, she had seen a television news report. Dark Champion saves ten in building collapse. The reporter went on to say that Spider-Man had also been involved in the rescue, and posed the question, "Is this the debut of yet another New Avenger?"
She continued jokingly, "Now all you need is some Daily Bugle coverage, and you'll be official."
The smile slowly disappeared. "That rag just trashes decent folk…" His face turned stormy. "And don't get me started on Jameson…"
"Whoa, hey. I couldn't agree more… sorry I brought it up." She patted his hand consolingly.
He seemed to purposefully change his attitude. "No, I'm sorry. I won't let that gas bag ruin our evening." He pointed at the skyline. "Shall we?"
"Just a minute." Felicia moved close to him. Before she could talk herself out of it, she moved her lips close to his, and tenderly kissed them.
For a moment, she thought he was too surprised to respond, but after his initial shock wore off, he deepened the kiss. After a time, they parted reluctantly. "What was that for?" he asked with a wondering look.
"Just my way of saying, 'Congratulations,'" she breathed huskily. She stood, and stepped to the edge of the roof, throwing a flirty glance over her shoulder. "Coming, gorgeous?" Without waiting for an answer, she swan-dived off of the edge.
Felicia felt positively giddy. It is so wonderful to have a partner again, she thought, not for the first time during this last week. She could feel him keeping up with her easily, letting her choose this time the direction they would take. Off to their left, she saw a plume of smoke rising into the air. As one, they headed toward the blaze.
The two of them stopped on the roof of the building across the street. She could hear shouts from the upper floors – People must be trapped up there. She readied her grappling hook to swing across, but noticed Paul's hesitation. "What's wrong?"
He tapped his fingers against his mouth, brow furrowed. An instant later, he shook his head. "Nothing. Maybe we should split up, cover more ground. I'll take the top floor, you can help the people on the floor below."
"Got it." She fired the hook, which anchored in the concrete across the way. "Let me know if you need a hand," she shot back at him, as she sailed across the chasm. She never heard his answer over the roar of the flames.
Crashing feet first through the windows of her floor, the Black Cat landed in a crouch. She peered through the smoke and flame, trying to find anyone trapped. The thick smoke got caught in her throat, and she coughed. Maybe I'm in over my head, here… She started to turn toward the window, when she heard a faint cry for help.
Turning back in the direction of the sound, she strained to see through the hazy smoke. With grim determination, Cat moved farther into the room. She made it as far as the hallway, when, with a crackling roar, the ceiling of the room behind her tumbled to the floor. Great, can't go out that way anymore, she thought, trying to remain calm. She could no longer hear the cry for help… if it had even been real to begin with.
Lifting her arm to protect her mouth against the smoke, she carefully stepped down the corridor, trying to find another exit. The flames colored the walls an eerie amber. She was beginning to lose all sense of direction. Her lungs were filling with smoke, her coughing becoming more and more erratic. Her head began to swim…
Somehow, she managed to stumble to the door to the fire escape, opening it with a forceful kick. As she hit the fresher air, she tried to inhale, but the smoke pouring out behind her filled her airways instead. In a violent coughing fit, she fell to the grating of the fire escape. It looks like I was the one who needed Crusader's help, not the other way around, she thought as darkness overtook her.
A figure watched from the shadows nearby. If anyone happened by, they would not have seen him there. Blending into the brickwork as if he were invisible, he waited for the Black Cat to exit the blazing building. He had been looking for a good opportunity for the past several days, trying to find just the right moment. She had been instrumental in sending him to prison the last time around, and now that he was free – he had a few scores to settle.
A few days ago, he thought he had the perfect opportunity, but then he showed up. There was no sense in making things more complicated at this point. So he left, deciding to wait for a more opportune moment.
Suddenly, a door burst open on an upper level, and his prey staggered out, coughing. It was obvious that she was weak and disoriented. The smoke swirled around her backlit form. The buxom crime fighter began coughing again, and passed out in the doorway.
He grinned inwardly. Now I have you…
The feeling of cold wind on her exposed skin jolted Felicia briefly from her stupor. For just a moment, she noted the feeling of swinging through the air, and thought, Thank God, Peter… before drifting into unconsciousness once more.
