SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SPIDER (CHAPTER 10)
Note: Sorry for taking long in uploading the next chapter. My daily life is really busy that I have little time to make the next chapter. Anyway, I'm glad to be back. It's been quite some time writing but hopefully I can keep up with where I left off.
8:24 am Texas Border, Queens…
Early on, Frederick parked his car at the parking spot of a local diner. Getting out of his car, he opened the door for Ned who looked at the diner named 'Texas Border' in fascination.
"Oh, cool but… I already had breakfast." Ned said, "This place looks neat. Might be cool to try Southern food or Mexican for that matter."
"I'm not treating you for food, kid. We're here to see people, remember?" Frederick reminded, "Though you're welcome to grab a coffee here."
"Makes sense…" Ned answered before following Frederick to the diner door.
Inside, the place felt like it had the size of a travel caravan with the food being served in trays behind the glass display. There was one chef; one cashier and one waitress doing the work around the place.
With regards to costumers, there were three men seated around a square table in the corner. One man with slicked up black hair looked up from his Daily Bugle newspaper and smiled.
"Well, lookie here. If it ain't Fredo himself…" The man said with a Brooklyn accent, "Brought his colleague over right on time."
"Good to see you, Dan." Frederick nodded, "Same goes to you, Jack… Ronald."
Jack was a brown moustached man wearing a cowboy hat and a black suit. Ronald on the other hand was a large man of African-American descent who wore a green shirt with a black coat. Along with Dan, they eyed Ned with interest.
"Hey kid, we heard about your work." Ronald said raising a Daily Bugle newspaper titled, 'SPIDER-MAN'S CRAZY KILLER ANTICS' with a picture of Spider-Man diving down from the Empire State Building.
"Yeah, that's my photo alright…Mostly." Ned said in response and admitted that Spider-Man took that photo for him.
"You must have quite a bit of inside work to have a picture like this." Jack spoke in a Southern accent.
"Oh yes… These guys are people from legitimate enforcer business." Frederick introduced to Ned, "They're people from FBI, CIA and other high organisations. You can trust them."
"Really? What's the big crisis?" Ned asked before the men motioned him to take a seat.
"We're tasked with tracking the web slinging vigilante around here." Dan replied twiddling his thumbs, "We have orders to take him down."
"Seriously, why?" Ned asked sitting down.
"Don't worry, we ain't harming him until we know what he is." Jack said.
"Alright… I'm taking my leave." Frederick said before heading out of the door, "Have fun, kid. And don't worry… I've told Jameson with what's going on with you…By email."
As Frederick walked out, Ned was left alone with the three men who were wondering with what to do with him.
"Catch…" Ronald said before throwing a smoking Cuban cigar in Ned's direction.
Ned caught the cigar before the hot tobacco butt burned his palm for a brief moment to which Ned immediately stopped by grabbing wrapper.
"Ever tried one of these before?" Ronald asked.
"No…" Ned said examining the cigar before declining it by throwing it back to Ronald. Ronald caught the cigar and put it into his mouth and smiled.
"Put that away, Ronald." Dan insisted shaking his head.
"So…Mr. Ned Leeds. Junior photographer at the Daily Bugle." Jack said diving into pork ribs, "You're on CIA watchlist, you know that?"
"Oh god… Please, I only took pictures with him." Ned said nervously.
"Oh, you're innocent… For now. We just need you for our investigation." Dan said, "Help us and we'd change your life around."
"Change my life?" Ned asked.
"Money, kid…" Ronald said, "A reward. Seeing as Fred told us how you're from a poor family."
"Uh…I'm not poor. We're just struggling with bills." Ned said as he continued conversing.
"You're gonna need the money… Trust me, it'd be good for all the family members. Especially your mother." Jack insisted.
"Hey, don't go too personal into my life." Ned said as he began to feel uncomfortable with the three men.
"Excuse me, young man?" The waitress asked behind Ned startling him, "Are you interested in having anything here today?"
The waitress handed Ned a menu which Ned looked through carefully before answering.
"Uh…I'll go with some black tea." Ned said before smiling while the waitress took the order.
Turning around to face his new accomplishes, Ned began questioning them again.
"So, what's the job, guys?" Ned asked.
The three men looked at each other. Before Dan gave out an answer.
"We're going places around here to dig up some things. You're gonna help with the evidence we give back at the law." Dan replied before smiling.
10:00 am Mason Consolidated Repairs…
Travelling with the three men, Ned arrived at a place that looked abandoned and taped up with yellow crime scene investigation tape. He was apprehensive on the location of the place and weary of the possible crime scene he was about to witness.
"How long has it been since a regular officer came here?" Ronald asked.
"Almost a week. Six days. Bet they've confiscated the place already." Jack replied.
"Go through the door then." Dan said.
Ronald walked up to the taped-up door and ripped the yellow tape off the garage door. With his immense body strength, he charged at the door causing a huge dent on it. The next charge then knocked the door down revealing what is inside.
"Are cops allowed to do that?" Ned questioned carrying his digital camera in both of his hands.
"We're on a higher level than cops." Jack assured Ned.
Together, the four of them walked into the place and examined what was left of it. The shelves were empty, and the boxes had been ransacked with items confiscated.
"Drat… Jackie, find where they took the items." Dan said dissatisfied with the lack of anything in sight.
As Jack began looking through his phone, Ronald began snooping around the place believing there is more than what can be seen so far.
"What are we looking for?" Ned said.
"Classified items. This place once belonged to a guy who worked with Hammerhead and gave him all sorts of arsenal." Dan replied.
"Hmm… If I had to guess, Shocker? He's the first guy that comes to mind." Ned answered.
"It's a guy named Phineas Mason. He made a lot of crazy things in this warehouse." Dan said.
"Ah, Spider-Man called that guy, 'The Tinkerer'." Ned said, "Because he tinkers things."
Dan looked at Ned with a funny face before commenting.
"Funny name… Don't even think the Daily Bugle has thought about it yet." Dan said.
"Yeah… Jameson only names the people with freaky abilities." Ned said back.
Ronald then punched down a wall layer cracking it to reveal a hidden room. At first, he was elated before being disappointed once again.
"Cops these day are more intelligent than you think." Jack commented noting Ronald's disappointment, "Anyway, I found the place."
"Good…Let's make a move then." Dan said as Jack showed the location on his phone.
10:54 am Astoria Police Precinct...
Yuriko Watanabe served the NYPD for three months already as lieutenant. Her service as a police officer was a deviation to what her grandparents and parents wished for her growing up. Yuri had always looked up to her uncle Kenneth's role as a sergeant.
Over the past months since Spider-Man's fight against Hammerhead and other villains, Yuri remained indifferent to the vigilante's actions. On one hand, she ponders on vigilante actions to bring down crime while also creating a boundary for herself to stay with the law.
Today, Yuri was conducting an ongoing investigation regarding a property dispute issued by Oscorp regarding the items taken from Mason Consolidated Repairs. The office work was driving her nuts as not even the coffee she is drinking can relieve the boredom. Yuri longed for action and was eager to go out there and take down criminals.
"Captain, I'm sure all these things belonged to Oscorp. They're the only ones making this claim." Yuri said rubbing her forehead, "If it's really their stuff, then it's back to normal."
"You can't cut corners like this, lieutenant." The captain said in front of her desk, "I don't believe they can take that much credit on things."
"In New York, Oscorp runs all pretty much." Yuri said, "And I need a break. Stretch my arms out or practice my shooting."
"Lieutenant, we've been slacking with this investigation for weeks now. We're getting it done or Oscorp will cut its valuable security fundings for our precinct." The captain ordered.
Meanwhile, Jack, Dan and Ronald walked into the precinct like cowboys entering a bar. Their presence evoked authority at the sight of many other police officers.
"Captain, the feds are here!" An officer yelled out.
Leaving Yuri's desk, the captain walked out to greet the trio.
"So, what are you guys here for?" The captain asked.
"Captain, we're here for the items in dispute." Dan answered.
"Eh, could you come back later? We need to resolve this case first." The captain said.
"We'll take care of it." Jack insisted.
"On who's authority?" The captain questioned.
The trio looked at each other before deciding what to do next.
"Listen, cap…We have our rights." Dan said holding up his identity, "We can override you cops any day."
"And we'll reward your service…" Ronald added, "After all, this case warrants federal attention."
"How about you show us now? You don't want any trouble from us?" Dan said while holding onto something beneath his pocket.
The captain nodded feeling threatened by their presence. As they walked around the precinct, Yuri saw the captain lead the trio down to where the evidence room is from her office. She thought it was strange to see federal agents walk into the precinct today.
The captain opened up the evidence room for the trio and lead them to a secure case that contained a whip-like device.
"Where are the other items?" Jack questioned.
"Some of them are back in Oscorp custody and others are stored at other companies." The captain informed.
Jack stared at the device and smiled.
"Always loved the tanning the hide of cattle back at home." Jack said, "Captain, unlock the doors for us."
"What?" The captain questioned.
"You heard me, unlock the door…" Jack demanded.
As the captain opened up the safe lock, the trio stared at the device with glee.
"Sweet mother of Alabama…" Jack said as he walked up to touch the device.
"It's better than nothing…" Dan added.
Without hesitation, Jack plucked the device out of the cabinet examining its fine details.
"There's no power in that thing by the way… Just for safety measures." The captain assured.
"Oh, I understand alright…" Jack replied.
"Alright, captain. You know where they keep the rest. Tell us where to find them." Ronald demanded.
"Uh…Sure. If you would follow me." The captain said before leading them away.
Once they left the weapons locker room, Yuri watched from her window as the trio walked out with the whip device.
"What the hell are they doing with that?" Yuri wondered.
"Thank you… Captain Bramstorm." Dan ordered, "Your contribution to our investigation is much appreciated."
As the trio walked out of the precinct, Yuri came rushing out to talk with the captain.
"Seriously? You let them take that away?" Yuri asked.
"They hold more authority on us, lieutenant." The captain said, "Maybe they'll finish the case for you."
"Uh-huh. Don't know what makes this case big to them." Yuri said.
Meanwhile outside the precinct, the trio discussed about their finding.
"Well, we got something alright…" Dan scoffed while looking at the device in Jack's hand.
"Thanks to the captain, we're on a roll for hi-tech now." Jack said.
"Speaking of which, you know we have to whack him after this." Ronald questioned.
"Shhh… Keep the w word out from public." Dan hushed, "Anyway, what's up with the kid?"
"We're keeping him locked in our place for entertainment. Unless we need him, of course." Jack informed regarding Ned.
"Think he'd snoop around too hard?" Ronald asked.
"The kid? Maybe. But as long as we keep our holsters ready…" Jack said.
"Big Man doesn't want us to whack the kid. It'll jeopardise his work." Dan warned.
"Big Man? What about Kingpin? Would he want us to keep the kid around?" Ronald asked.
"Hey, let's keep our heads focused. Then we check on him." Jack said reminding them of their mission.
5:49 pm ACME Garage…
Ned was fidgeting his fingers nervously in the hideout of the three men he had encountered today. Sitting in the longue room for the majority of his day, he had been told to stay here and have fun in the longue. The place had plenty of things fit for entertainment including arcade machines; gaming consoles and movies.
"Hello Ned… Had a fun day today?" Dan walked in with Jack and Ronald behind him.
"Oh, hey guys…Uh, I'm glad you're all back." Ned said getting up from the couch, "I was just about to fall asleep."
The trio eyed the mess Ned had made while they were gone.
"It's pretty late now. I probably should leave right?" Ned asked rubbing his eyes.
"Hold on there, Ned. We're not finished for the day." Jack said.
"Oh yeah… You might be right. I didn't take any pictures today." Ned said, "Mr. Jameson isn't going to like me for that."
"That's right. In fact, we need some special pictures from you." Ronald confirmed.
"So how did you get those photos with Spider-guy?" Jack asked.
"He casually went up to me." Ned said.
The trio looked at each before Dan took a handgun out of his holster and pointed it at Ned.
"Why don't you try calling for him?" Dan asked with the gun aimed at Ned, "You know I can shoot the ten pieces of silverware behind you."
"Ten pieces of silverware?" Ned questioned right before Dan starting shooting.
Ned ducked in fear after the shots were fired and looked behind to see all the silverware plates neatly stacked behind him drop to the floor with bullet holes in all of them.
"C'mon, Leeds. You call him and we may let you go. Otherwise there's bound to be some form of tragedy for your family." Dan threatened.
Ned then realised that the men in front of him were corrupt federal agents who seemed to have been paid by someone to do their dirty work. This revelation made Ned want to deny the idea Frederick sold him out, but the possibility was there.
"Great…Just as I was about to get comfy around here." Ned said.
As the trio threatened him, Ned did as they asked sending a message to Peter Parker who was in the middle of a dinner date with Gwen.
TO BE CONTINUED…
End note: Not a huge fan of the Enforcers in the comics to be honest but that didn't stop me from including them. So, I made them corrupt law enforcers instead. Think the 'Three Wise Men' from Training Day.