Black Widow rested her legs on top of the van's dashboard. She could tell Steve was slightly irritated as his jaw muscles clenched together.
She smirked and placed her feet back down. "Oh right, you don't like when I do this."
Steve concentrated on his binoculars as he watched a car pull up into a small port.
"He's not a very punctual person. He's the one that gave us the address but we're the ones that show up first." Widow looked at her watch. She huffed.
Steve ignored that comment, this was more of a chance to see the wall-crawler in action and to not scare off the Black Cat.
Several seconds of silence pass by, Natasha wanted to be quite for Steve's sake but couldn't keep her boredom subdued. "I got another question."
Cap sighed "Can we do this later."
"I am pretty sure you can multitask."
"What is it?"
"If you weren't so hellbent on joining the army. What would you have done instead?"
Steve paused for a little bit, not sure if he wanted to answer that question. He wanted to save himself the ridicule, but then realized either way she was going poke fun at him so why not tell the truth. "Comic book artist."
"I can see it."
Steve was confused. "What do you mean by that? You haven't been looking through my stuff now, have you?"
"I saw on your records that you went to Auburndale Art School… also you doodle on your paper every time Tony goes on a tangent."
He leaned back into the driver seat. "I know, not the most exciting thing in the world."
"Well, everyone has a dream. Right?" She shrugged.
"That's for sure... at my ten, 300 meters."
…
Spider-Man sticks to the side of a dock crane overseeing a small port in Hell's Kitchen. Dozens of shipping containers mounted on top of eachother blocking the view of the main building to the outside public and there were guards stationed evenly across the area. Hammerhead and his goons are definitely hiding something or someone here Spidey though as he scanned the parameters.
"MJ nailed it; they could keep someone here for weeks without anyone noticing."
He heard the sling of a grapple hook and felt a slight tingle to his right. A second later, Felicia lands behind him and settles on his back. "Talking about invading personal space, but I will let it slide this time."
"Easy Spider, maybe after we rescue my father." Felica held back a giggle as Spidey's rolled his eyes. "This is the place. I know it."
"If they spot us, it's over. We have to take them all out. Like we use to. Quiet as a cat—"
She got off his back and positioned herself. "-Sneaky as a spider."
…
Steve and Natasha watched carefully as the cat and spider duo worked their magic. Without effort, the two swept across the rails and cranes above. Spider-Man using his webbing to dispatch multiple threats with ease, sticking multiple men to walls and dangling them up high. Black Cat in her own elegant way swept across the area brutally knocking out men by dropping on top of them like a cat would attack its prey.
"This is not their first rodeo." Natasha watched with excitement, it was like watching professional dance duo but with kicking and punching.
Steve nodded in agreement. "We could use them; they would make great assets to the team."
"I'll let the Spider in but not the cat."
Cap chuckled.
"…I am still a little sore form her throwing me across the room."
The Avengers continued to view the spectacle from afar until all the henchmen were immobilized. Spider-Man and Black Cat met back up and decided to split their search.
"Do you think the Cat's father is being held here?" Natasha watched the burglar enter the center port building.
"Seems like a good place. The port looks like a real operational business on the edge of the boroughs, I wouldn't be surprised if more than just a kidnapped victim is being housed in here."
…
Black Cat broke through the back entrance of the large brick building.
"Where the hell are you?" She entered the room, checking the corners to make sure that no one was there to ambush her. "No camera's, no more guards. What are you up to metalhead?" Stealthily, she started making her way around the different rooms until she found the ledge overlooking the whole storage unit. There a giant vault was placed in the east side of the room.
Felicia mentally prepared herself as she placed her hand on the wheel lock and gave it a small yank. Surprisingly the mechanism gave no resistance as she continued to unwind the gears to open the door.
The dimly lit room let some light into the metal entrapment once the door swung apart. Felicia let out a gasp at the harrowing sight.
Balled up on the floor lied Walter Hardy, beaten, bloodied, and barely conscious. She knew it could be a trap, but her mind was not working properly at the sight of her father being tormented in such atrocious display. Felica went over to him and flipped him over, troubled to find a vest rigged with explosives.
"Dad!" She shook him by the shoulders.
Walter's bruised eyes flicker open slowly; he blinked a few times not sure if he was seeing thing correctly. He made out the shape of a face, but it was hard for him to concentrate.
"Dad! Wake up!"
Walter jolted. "Felicia!"
He tried to reach out, but his hands were still restraint. "No, you can't be here! They are waiting for you." His heart pounded in distress, every word that slipped out of his mouth caused his cheeks and jaw to cramp in pain. "Get out of here!" The man let out a tear. His daughter had no reason to come for him, he is a ghost to her, he is nothing but a useless old man that always put his family in danger and abandoned his daughter. Why did she come to save him? He would rather just die right there then to have any harm be done to his daughter.
"I am going to get you out of here." Felicia used her nail to cut his restraints and make a slit in the pouch, "just don't move."
She had defused hundred of bombs before, there was always some fail mechanism, a faulty wire, bad hardware, a removeable timer. However, this contraption was a beast of its own. She didn't know what would set it off or how much time was left if any. The wires were all colored red and sprang out of the pouch in no organized manner. Whoever set this up knew what they were doing.
"Felicia…?" She heard Peter call her through their com.
"Spider! Down on the bottom floor get here fast!"
Within seconds the wall-crawler made his way into the vault. "Now this looks messier than my aunt's spaghetti." He stared dumbfoundedly at the bomb strapped man.
"No time for jokes Spider. You have any ideas how to get this thing off him?"
"Spider-Man? What are you doing here?" Walter looked at the hero puzzlingly, he knew that his daughter and Spider-Man used to work together in some way thanks to the news but he though that affair ended a while ago.
"Sorry that we have to meet in such unfortunate circumstances, but I am gonna have to take a closer look at this bomb if you don't mind."
"Just get this thing off him." Felicia urged.
Spidey eyes the contraption meticulously, getting a feeling for the wirings and engineering.
Felicia instinctively tried to touch the bomb, but Spider-Man restrained her hand.
"No sudden movements, this bomb wasn't just made to kill him but you too. If we aren't careful, it will cause the other explosives around him to go off. It's a two-part contraption."
"There are more bombs?" Felicia scanned the empty vault.
"Yes, I could see a few sensors beneath the wires, I have a feeling this entire building is rigged with explosives."
"We have to do something! I can't let him die!" She pleaded.
Peter was surprised to say the least. This was the first time Felicia showed any real care or emotion for anybody other than herself and arguably him. Maybe there was more to Walter's and Felicia's complicated relationship than meets the eyes. He pulled her aside and walked her out of the vault, Peter needed room to think, and he felt more comfortable if she could make it out of the building if anything goes wrong.
"What are you doing?" She shrugged Spidey's hand off her.
"I need you to trust me. I can't concentrate with you yelling." He planted her still.
Falicia bit her tongue, she wanted to snap back at him, but this was no time to argue. "Just get it off of him Spider."
Peter went back to Walter and moved the tips of his fingers around the wires. He felt his spider sense poking at him, every little wire made the hairs on his back stick out and goosebumps prickle out of his forearms. He was counting on his ability to lead him to the right direction, he told himself that isn't just a game of "hot and cold." He finally felt one wire that didn't immediately stick out to him, in fact, it only caused him to feel a slight shiver. "This may be it."
"What?! How are you sure." Walter began to sweat again as Spider-Man traced the wire until he found its end.
"Trust me, I just have a feeling." Peter gritted his teeth, as he mentally prepared himself for the worst. He turned and looked at Falicia. There is fear in her eyes, her fists clenching tightly.
Peter gave the wire a strong tug and felt it rip out of the socket of a small motherboard. He paused and let out a deep breath.
Falicia didn't wait a second longer to cut the straps binding the bomb to her father. The pile of wires and explosives fell to the ground with a thud. She wrapped her arms around Walter and pulled him in for a tight embrace that only a worried daughter could give. "I knew you secretly watched over me all these years, don't leave again." Black Cat croaked, holding back her escaping emotions.
Walter shed a small tear, after faking his death to protect his child he tried his best to separate himself from her. However, he could never abandon her. Walter organized ways to keep Felica out of trouble, donating to her orphanage to make sure she was taken care of, keeping tabs on her. He patted his daughter back, "never, kid."
Spider-Man was happy to reunite the two, but something was not quite right. The bomb was disabled but the jitters he had been feeling did not go away. He noticed the feeling in his stomach the moment he set foot into the room and that same feeling of immediate danger continued to linger.
"Hey guys, I hate break up such a sweet family moment here, but we should get out of here."
…
Rollins tapped the side of his rifle as he watched the time on his watch. It was mere second before midnight and the dock was still not in a blaze of fire. He knew something didn't go according to plan. He heard a click from his radio. "Speak of the devil."
"Rollins, what the hell is going on! I've been pressing this button for a minute now! The place up in smoke yet or what?!"
"Nothing on my end… seems like they defused the vest." He eyed the warehouse.
"What the hell am I paying you for then?!"
"Don't worry, I have a backup." Rollins walked over to his bag of items and searched for another detonator. "This should do it."
He turned the key and without a second delay the night was lit up in a bright orange. A massive explosion now replaced the structure, a cloud of smoke and fire decorated the area inside the dock. "I'll stay and make sure there are no survivors."
…
Felicia coughed as the smoke filled her lungs and the chemicals in the air clogged her throat. All she can remember was getting near the exit and then black. The air smelled of burned paper and gasoline. The dust from the debris was thick and heavy. She could barely see in front of her. Someone grabs her hand and pull her up onto her feet. The person was screaming her name and shaking her. It took a second for her to snap out of her daze and realized who it was.
"What the hell… are you… doing here?" She coughed.
"Saving your ass." Natasha snapped.
"Where's my dad, where's Spider?"
Felicia's ears were still ringing. It gave her a headache to just be able to concentrate on Black Widow's voice. "Where?!"
Natasha threw one of Felicia's arms around her shoulder and guided her out of the rubble. They walked several yards; where the air was clearer and the smoke had dissipated. Natasha brought her over to a small administrative building and sat her down next to Walter. She held her dad and inspected him, "you alright?"
Walter nodded and squeezed her hand. "Not any more broken then when you found me."
Felica skimmed the area; she felt her heart sank when she saw Spider-Man laying on the ground. His suit was ripped all around and she could tell he was badly injured.
Cap was pressing on one of the wounds. "Contusions all over the body, he's in and out of consciousness, bleeding, we need medical here now." Steve requested.
"Medical staff on their way now. Cap, I am x-raying the area. Doesn't seem like there was anybody caught in the explosion." Sam said as he flew across the dock.
"Copy. Do a parameter check, keep me posted if you see anybody." Cap turned his attention to Spidey. "Hang in there! Help is coming."
Spidey shot some webs onto his injuries, "I'll be alright Cap-p" he lifted the lower part of his mask up and coughed some blood. "Is Walter, okay? Felicia?"
"Yeah, kid. There right there. Just save your strength."
Felicia couldn't bring herself to move. A wave of guilt washed over her knowing she put Peter in harms way again and got him injured.
"He blocked the explosion; we would be dead if it wasn't for him." Walter said sympathetically as he could tell his daughter was mentally in distressed. "He's a fighter, he'll make it." He tired his best to reassure his daughter.
Sam continued to survey the area, the fire and smoke made things difficult to see. He used his visor to x-ray though objects and find any heat signature that should match a human's. Nothing so far. He made a few more circles before moving onto another area. While approaching the west end of the doc, there was a shine in the middle of a construction building that seemed odd. He heard a crack break through the air.
"Oh shit!" he felt something barely miss his head but clipped the side of his wing. He quickly nosedived to find some cover. "SNIPER ON THE ROOF, WATCH OUT!"
Steven and Natasha eyes widened and spun around to where the shot was fired. Natasha jumped behind a brick wall and Steven pulled out his shield. "Get to cover!" He yelled at Black Cat.
"Move!" she pushed her father towards some cover before running to Spider-Man. She grabbed a hold of Peter and dragged him behind a freight carrier.
Steve could hear another crack break through the air. He picked a direction and moved as the bullet skimmed the top of his shield. "Sam! Where is the sniper located!?"
"He's facing the west, at the construction site."
Natasha took a quick peek, and found the building Sam was talking about. She quickly pulled her head back into cover just as another bullet made impact with the brick wall. "Steve, he's somewhere in the middle floor."
"Copy, can you provide suppressive fire. Sam, I need you to get behind him."
"On it!" Sam waited for Natasha to begin firing at the building. He sprinted to the corner of the street that would be out of view of the sniper. He activated his wings and shot up straight to the middle of the building.
Rollins knew he had limited time to work. His sniper skills may be a little rusty but he was still an excellent shot. Too bad his targets were no mere soldiers. He took another shot at Black Widow who was directing fire at him. He could hear her bullets hit the floor above him and below him. At 400 meters away, it was impressive her pistol shots were even getting close to him.
Rollins heard the thud of something behind him. He dropped his sniper rifle and grabbed and automatic one. "Who's there!" He paused, scanned the floor. The plastic drapes provided some decent concealment but he knew Falcon can be sneaky.
"You have shit for aim!" Sam taunted.
Rollins pointed his rifle to the left and fired a few rounds that direction.
Suddenly, Sam sprang out from the right and caught Rollins off guard. Sam kicked the rifle out of Rollins hand and threw a punch at Rollins face. The mercenary stumbled back and rubbed his jaw.
"Nice to meet you sidekick."
That hit a small nerve, Sam tried to brush it off but he felt like a few extra punches would make them even. "Oh, I am gonna beat your ass now."
Rollins pulled out a knife from his bulletproof vest and got into a fighting stance. He ran at Sam and slashed at him, but missed. Rollins began a flurry of punches and kicks that Sam used his wings to block. The mercenary used all his strength and brought the blade down on the wing, with a clack the blade snapped.
Sam ignited his jet to give him a little extra thrust and kicked Rollins. The impact caused Rollins to fly out the building.
Sam speedily followed after and caught Rollins by his vest strap. The two made their way to the doc where Falcon purposefully dropped him at a higher altitude. Not enough to break anything but it gave Sam to amusement of watching the mercenary spin uncontrollably on the ground.
"Thanks for the gift." Natasha joked.
"Only first-class delivery for you ma'am."
Natasha kept her gun pointed at Rollins who struggled to pull himself up and get on his knees. He lifted his hands up sarcastically. "Natasha, pleased to see you again… Rogers." He eyed Cap.
"Rollins. We're talking you into custody." Cap walked up closer to detain the man but hears a cry for help.
Natasha and Steve turned around to see Felicia giving CPR to Spider-Man who was now fully unconscious. "He's dying, help him!"
To be continued…
