Chapter 27: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Leaving Shocker behind in the poolroom, Izuku began running through the destroyed halls as the banging and muffled shouting grew louder. Was it just maintenance staff who overheard the battle or had Shocker been lying to him? Whatever the case, his spider-senses were telling him to be careful.
Under normal circumstances he would have just punched out a window and swung himself to freedom, but with his hands out of commission, his webslingers weren't an option. He would need to sneak out the old-fashioned way.
Coming into the main foyer, he paused before the front door just as the pounding and shouting abruptly ceased.
Uh oh.
Checking around for somewhere to hide, he spotted an angel statue against the wall. Springing behind it, he poked his head past the angel's wings just in time to see the door burst open. Striding boldly into the room came a tall figure wearing a full suit of metallic, white armour with a flanged helmet. Jutting out of his arms by the elbows was the piping of engine exhausts. Izuku recognized him immediately.
That's Ingenium! What's he doing in Musutafu? I thought he worked in Hosu City?
'Attention!' Ingenium shouted, 'We have reason to suspect that there has been a villain attack in this building! As a pro hero, I am authorized to perform a search of the premises!'
Ingenium stood still, listening for some response. As Ingenium waited, another costumed hero – who Izuku didn't recognize - came into the room after him.
'Maybe nobody's home?' the other hero suggested tentatively.
'Maybe.' Ingenium replied softly, 'But I doubt it. I know what I heard. You wait here and guard the door, I'm going to search the place.'
'You want to split up?' the other hero balked, 'Why? If you're right and there is a villain on the loose, we should stick together!'
'I'll just do a quick once over. Contact me if there's trouble.' Ingenium said over his shoulder.
Pumping his arms like pistons, Ingenium took off at an impressive speed. Before the other hero could even respond, he was gone, tearing down the hallways at a blistering pace. The hero stared after Ingenium for a moment before quickly taking up position by the door. Izuku studied him.
Like Ingenium he was wearing silver armour though he lacked the arm protruding engines that Ingenium had. Izuku couldn't tell what his quirk was, but based on his head and eye movements, it didn't look like he could see in the dark. With any luck he should be able to slip past him. Thankfully the ceilings were high enough that he wouldn't appear in the hero's field of vision unless he looked up.
Stepping up on the wall, Izuku crouch walked his way upwards. It was awkward climbing like this, but he didn't want to put any pressure on his hands. Stepping up on the ceiling he carefully shimmied his way towards the edge of the room before creeping along the margins towards the exit. Moving with great care, he at last got into position behind the man. However, he would still need to get through the doorway.
Moving an inch at a time, he began to slowly descend.
Don't turn around, don't look up. Don't turn around, don't look up. Don't turn around…
He could hear the man's excited breathing and thumping heart as he drew near. Under the man's breath, he could hear him mumbling.
'Invite a friend over for a quiet dinner…kick down some rich dude's door instead. We're gonna get sued…'
Finally he reached the floor. To his relief, the hero was too focused on keeping watch of the empty foyer in front of him to notice him. Backing away softly, he retreated through the busted front door never taking his eyes off of the back of the hero. Once he was safely past the doors, he allowed himself a breath of relief.
Just as he was about to turn however, he heard the hard, pinging footfalls of Ingenium. Darting forwards, he hid in the corner of the doorway behind the broken door. Pressing himself against the wall, he waited with baited breath while Ingenium ran up to his friend.
'There was an attack!' he heard Ingenium say quickly, 'There's a lightly injured man on the floor of the poolroom who claims that Spider-Man assaulted him. I didn't see anything did you?'
'N-No! Did you say Spider-Man? Isn't he supposed to be quite powerful? We should call for backup.' the other hero said nervously.
'Already done. There were several responses. I know a handful of other heroes live in the building. Hopefully they get here soon.'
Under his mask, Izuku paled.
More heroes?
'In the meantime, I'm going to go secure the injured. There's something I don't quite buy about his story. You wait here and guard the exit. We can't let Spider-Man escape.' Ingenium said evenly.
'Wait, what if-' The other hero started before suddenly stopping. They had all heard a noise.
At that moment Izuku heard the doorway to the emergency stairwell swing open and sharp footsteps began coming his way. As the footsteps drew closer a bright light suddenly came into view, glaring against the wall by the elevator. Any second now they would turn around the corner and spot him! Stuck against the wall, the only thing preventing Ingenium and the other hero from seeing him was the cover from the open doors. He couldn't retreat back into the penthouse with Ingenium and his friend in the way and he couldn't advance towards the elevator or the newcomer would catch him.
With nowhere to go, Izuku just braced himself against the wall and hoped against hope that he wouldn't be noticed.
Looks like I'm going to have to fight my way out of here!
Coming from around the corner, he saw a gorgeous young blonde woman in a purple and cream coloured costume that any warm-blooded man would recognize. It was Mt. Lady.
'Okay, okay.' she said in a flat voice as she walked towards them, flashlight in hand. 'What's going on? I was in the middle of decompressing. I've had a long day.'
As she got near, she looked directly at him and frowned slightly. Her eyes narrowing as she took him in. He could only stay put, frozen in place as he waited for her to make the first move.
Here we go.
However, to his utter amazement she kept walking.
'Well? Come on, what's the situation?' she said, stopping before the door so she could look at all three of them. Izuku's eyes bulged in incredulity.
Does she not recognize me?!
'There's been an attack. One person is injured but stable. We have reason to believe that a villain is on the loose.' said Ingenium from around the corner.
'Where is the wounded?' Mt. Lady said, looking around, 'Don't tell me you guys left him!'
'I only just discovered him.' Ingenium said defensively, 'Besides I can't move him. He's trapped in some…goo.'
'Well guard him then! Honestly you amateurs…' she tossed her hair contemptuously, 'Alright. Here's the plan, you-' she said looking at Izuku, 'watch the door. You-' she said looking at one of the other heroes from around the corner, 'secure the wounded. That leaves me and you to search the place. Let's go!'
At that Mt. Lady took off and disappeared into the penthouse accompanied by the other heroes. Izuku was flabbergasted.
At the sound of their steadily retreating footsteps, Izuku sprang off from against the wall and towards the elevator. He didn't know how Mt. Lady failed to recognize him, but he couldn't afford to waste this chance! The elevator had no power, but he figured that he could jump down the shaft and exit the building through the utility tunnels or something.
He noticed that the private elevator doors were constructed of ornate cast steel with a brass and black finish, but now was no time to appreciate the décor. The only thing that concerned him at the moment was that the door probably weighed a tonne. Placing his palms against the smooth, polished metal, he tried to coax it open. He managed to part the door a few millimetres, but then it promptly closed. Heart pounding, he swore under his breath.
'God dammit! Come on! Come-'
At that moment he heard a distant, confused voice coming from the penthouse.
'Hold up! Who's watching the exit?'
'Uh, the no-name in red and blue. Duh.'
'Wait…WHO?!'
He heard the heroes heels skid on the tile as they came to a screeching halt. Less than a half second later their pounding footsteps reversed and started getting louder. With a cry of frustration, he stepped back from the elevator doors. He could grip the doors, but they just weren't sliding open!
'HALT!'
The harsh tone made him jump involuntarily. Spinning around, he saw Ingenium pointing at him accusingly.
'SURRENDER OR-'
Izuku didn't let him finish. Twirling on his heel, he faced the elevator door and clenched his teeth.
Open…
He planted his left leg on the floor and drew back his right foot.
up!
He kicked the elevator door with all his strength. There was a near deafening crash as the force of the blow caused the thick steel to buckle inwards like it was nothing more than an aluminum can. Flying outward, the door went tumbling down with Izuku hopping in after it.
'OR YO-u…will…'
Diving headfirst down the shaft, he heard Ingenium's voice waver as he disappeared from view. The still air of the concrete and steel pit whistled past his ears as he plummeted. Barely ahead of him, the elevator door smashed its way downward, sparks flying as it gouged the sides of the shaft. Without warning it came to a slamming stop as it abruptly wedged itself against the wall.
Reflexively, he twisted his body and narrowly dodged the obstructing chunk of jagged metal. Slowly arching himself forward, he gracefully transitioned into a front flip before landing feet first against the wall. Gripping it with his soles, he killed his momentum. The maneuver caused his knees to pop and he grimaced.
Looks like I fell seven stories. He thought, looking back up the shaft, About twenty or so more jumps like that and I'll be at the bottom. If my legs survive that long.
As he was gauging the distance he had fallen, he saw Ingenium's helmeted head poke out from the hole where the elevator door used to be.
'HEY! STOP!' Ingenium shouted, his voice echoing down towards him.
Izuku ignored him. Pushing off from the wall, he prepared for another fall. Arching and falling, landing and jumping, he steadily made his way towards the bottom floor. On his fourth jump though he began to feel uneasy. What if there was a trap waiting for him at the bottom?
I'm moving too slow! Ingenium or one of the others have had plenty of time to put out an alert and there might be an unpleasant reception waiting for me down there. I should change my course.
Landing against the wall, he craned his head back and squinted. Ingenium had left the penthouse floor doorway, but now the other hero had taken Ingenium's place and was watching him. Izuku couldn't hear anything at this distance, but it sort of looked like the other hero had his hand pressed to the side of his head. Almost like he was talking on a cellphone. Could he be giving out directions?
'Hmph.' Izuku muttered, 'Okay then, I'll take a detour.'
Walking sideways along the shaft, he spotted a narrow access panel. Gripping it with his toes, he pried it off and tossed it aside. Twisting and spiralling in the currents, it started its long descent to the bottom floor. He watched it plummet wistfully for a moment before crouching down. Slinking down to his belly, he snake crawled his way into the tunnel.
'Vents.' he muttered as he pushed himself forward on his elbows and knees, 'They should have called me Vent-Man.'
Mt. Lady practically flew down the stairs as she raced after Ingenium.
'Stupid…heels!' she huffed.
Rebounding off the wall, she jumped down another flight of stairs. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to maintain her pace. She had never been so humiliated in all her life! The look that Ingenium had given her! Of course she knew who Spider-Man was! She had read the reports…sorta. It was dark! Besides she thought that Spider-Man was a slum gang boss. What was he doing in the Glass Way Tower of all places? No, it was Ingenium's fault! If he knew that Spider-Man was on the loose, why didn't he say so in his message!
In any case, she couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip her by. Spider-Man was an infamous mass murderer - Musutafu's most wanted - and she would be damned if she was going to let Ingenium steal all the credit for bringing him down.
'Mt. Lady, report. What's your situation?' barked a voice from her communicator.
She groaned. Flicking a tiny switch on her helmet's horns, she spoke.
'Kamui, I'm in pursuit of…an unknown perp at the Glass Way Tower. Low level riffraff, nothing I can't handle. There's really no need-'
'I have been in contact with Ingenium.' Kamui Woods interrupted and Mt. Lady scowled, 'He has told me that he has reason to believe the suspect is Spider-Man. Where are you? We should join forces.'
'Um. I'm uh…' Mt. Lady hesitated, her mind racing.
Think, think, think. Somewhere far, somewhere isolated.
'I'm heading to the basement!' Mt. Lady said eagerly, 'I think that's where he's headed. Probably trying to escape through the, uh, sewers!'
'Understood. I'll wait for him there. Woods out.'
Mt. Lady switched off her communicator and grinned to herself deviously.
That ought to take care of the competition. Now all I have to do is get ahead of Ingenium somehow and I can get that sneaky little bastard for myself! Top ten here I come!
After climbing through the maze of ventilation shafts for a few minutes, Izuku decided he had travelled far enough to confuse any potential followers. Spotting an exit panel, he opened it with a kick and dropped down from the vent to the floor below. To his surprise he landed with a splash. He lightly kicked at the water in confusion. The floors were covered in an inch-deep puddle and more water was running down the walls.
Did Shocker destroy a water main or something?
Equally confusing was the emptiness of the hallways. Surely if the building was flooding there should be a few people running around in panic. Curious, he inspected one of the loft doors. They were electronically controlled by a small card reader beside the door handle. Currently it had a tiny red light glowing on its chassis.
Izuku whistled in mock appreciation as he realized what had happened.
These doors must be reliant on the buildings central power. When I cut the electricity to the building, all the doors must have locked automatically. That's a lawsuit just waiting to happen.
As he examined the doors, he began to hear muffled voices coming from the other side. Curious, he pressed his ear to it and listened.
'Ooh, my books! All my books! Eek! My paintings! Quickly, grab it! Put it in plastic wrap or something…'
He stepped back, shaking his head.
Hey, the water isn't on me! Blame Shocker! He's the one who was blowing up floors.
Ignoring the other apartments, he ran off down the hall in search of a window. His hands still hurt like hell, but he figured he had descended enough levels that he might be able to run down the building and escape that way.
Coming to a dead end, he at last spotted a window. Running over to it, he looked outside.
I'm not so high up, I'm…
Lights. Streets filled with lights.
I'm…I'm…
Flashing, multicoloured lights.
…I could…
His mind went numb. The streets surrounding the building were packed to the brim with emergency services for as far as the eye could see. Police, ambulance, the fire department, news crews, support heroes, everyone. Everyone had come to the Glass Way Tower.
He was silent for a moment before bursting into a wild, uncontrollable laughter. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was no escaping this! Every pro hero in Musutafu was probably storming the building right now.
Every room, every floor. They would hunt him down until he was found and captured.
His laughter subsiding, he suddenly found that he couldn't breath. Gasping, he leaned over and tried to catch his breath. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to breathe.
Don't panic, Deku! Do not panic! Remember All Might's training. Remember your lessons! You're not caught yet. Just breath!
Slowly he felt himself return to his senses. He needed to think.
'I can't escape outside. There are too many eyes on the building now and I'd be spotted for sure. I would need to make a run for it and without my webs I don't think I can outrun so many heroes. Obviously, I can't go to the lobby. There is probably an army of police and heroes waiting for me down there.' he mumbled as he stared off into space.
What if I just find an empty apartment, steal some clothes and sneak out?
Izuku considered hiding for a moment before shaking his head.
'No. There are heroes out there with tracking quirks. They'll find me eventually and its not like I can blend in either. The whole city knows my face. Maybe I can leave through the basement? A building this large is bound to have its own direct access to the sewer line. If I can make it down there, I might have a shot of escape. Assuming I don't get detected that is.'
He lifted his hands and tried wiggling his fingers, but it was still no good. If he got in a fight, it was kicks only.
Taking a deep breath, he turned back down towards the hallway. He would need to find access to the building's maintenance systems. As he sloshed his way through the waterlogged hallways towards the staircases, he suddenly heard voices shouting for help from within one of the apartments.
He stopped and looked towards the door. In comparison to the other doors, this one was bulging outward oddly. From the other side, he could hear a frenzied beating.
'Can anyone hear us?! Please, anybody! Save us!' cried a frantic voice from within.
He rushed over to the door. He could hear churning water. Could they be drowning?
'Hello?!' he shouted, 'If you can hear me, stand back!'
Placing the sole of his foot on the door, he gripped it firmly and readied himself. He was going to rip the whole thing off. Just as he was about to tear open the door, he suddenly heard an angry shout.
'A-hah!'
He looked over in surprise. There, standing at the door to the stairs, was a frazzled and dishevelled looking Mt. Lady. Her cheeks were glowing red as she regarded him with grim satisfaction. Putting one hand on her hip, she tossed her hair and pointed at him dramatically.
'Stop criminal scum! Surrender now, or face the mighty Mt. Lady!'
Izuku paused. Normally he would have loved the chance to talk shop with her, but he couldn't afford to get distracted now. Peoples lives were at stake.
I'll save these people first then rush her.
Drawing back his leg, he tore the door open. To his amazement, a torrent of sewage blasted out of the apartment. With lightning speed, he jumped up and out of the way of the sudden tsunami of filth. Mt. Lady wasn't so fortunate. The vile wave hit her with full force, pushing her screaming into the stairwell.
As suddenly as it had occurred, the wave subsided and the flood trickled down to a mere pulse of putrescence. Covering his nose with the crook of his arm, he watched in mute horror as a group of people emerged from the apartment. Their eyes were vacant and hollow as they stumbled outside. No doubt they were in shock.
'Hey! Are you guys okay?' he asked what he guessed was a blonde woman. It was difficult to tell as she was covered from head to toe in foul brown sludge.
She turned to him, her eyes wide and unseeing. He would get no answers from her.
'It was…it was supposed to be my birthday today.' croaked a gaunt faced man as he lurched forward from the ruins of his apartment.
'Well…happy birthday!' Izuku said, before taking off.
They need a psychiatrist, not a webslinger. I just need to find an exit…
Running away from the shrieking stairwell that Mt. Lady had fallen down, he at last spotted a vent to escape into. Just as he was readying himself to jump. He heard another voice shout out.
'Spider-Man!'
Sighing, he turned. Ingenium stood at the other end of the hall, his fists raised challengingly. Izuku looked back at him warily. He had really hoped that he could escape without fighting any heroes, but he couldn't let anyone see him entering the vents. He would need to take him down.
'Speaking?' Izuku replied half-heartedly, raising his own quivering hands.
'Face justice, fiend!'
With a passionate battle cry, Ingenium charged.
Arm exhausts firing with full force, Ingenium aimed himself at Spider-Man. When firing his engines in his "recipro burst" configuration, his acceleration and power were greatly increased. He couldn't maintain this speed for long, but it was enough to overwhelm all but the fastest opponents.
'Yeargh!' Ingenium shouted as he charged, exhaust ports hissing as water droplets fell from the ceiling on the two fighters. Coming to within arms reach, he drew back his fist and launched a mighty, torque fueled punch.
But somehow the blow didn't connect. Fist flying through the air, it swished into nothing.
The next thing he knew he was flying sideways. Smashing into the wall, his armour's emergency airbag system deployed cushioning him from the impact, but it wasn't enough. Armour crumpling, he felt pain shoot through his body.
Fighting against the shock, he tried to stay consciousness, but it was a losing battle. As he started to fade, he heard Spider-Man mutter.
'Airbags in a suit? Weird.'
Then he blacked out.
Izuku watched as Ingenium, now half embedded in the wall, momentarily struggled to get up before ultimately lolling into a state of unconsciousness. Indented into the central chest plate of Ingenium's armour was a nearly perfect imprint of his foot.
I hope there's no such thing as a foot casting or something…
With Ingenium dealt with, he turned back to the task at hand. Scaling the wall, he palmed off the vent cover and paused.
'Alright, which way?' he muttered to himself.
He had a good feeling about left so he chose left. Sliding into the vent as elegantly as possible, he resealed the cover before continuing on. Shimmying his way along, he found that if anything the water was helping him be quieter.
I just hope there are no more trapped people. Though I guess the people I saved weren't in danger of drowning or anything.
Coming up on a forking passage, he immediately chose his left. It felt like the right decision. He may have been up against overwhelming odds, but at least he had his spider-sense to guide him.
After traversing the vents for a minute or two, he suddenly heard rushing footsteps coming from the hallway beneath him. He couldn't see who it was, but from the stomping feet it sounded like an entire hero squad had just ran past.
It won't be long before they start searching the vents and maintenance tunnels. I need to hurry.
With a rising sense of urgency, he increased his pace. Sliding more than crawling, he used his powerful legs to propel him through the ducts. Belly gliding like a penguin wasn't dignified, but he was moving much faster (plus it was kind of fun).
Finally, he came upon what looked like a central air duct. It was nine metres wide, but only half metre lengthwise. Definitely a tight squeeze. Also, the water flow was much stronger here. The ventilation system had become conduits for the water and the sheer drop had been transformed into a giant indoor waterfall. He didn't know how high up he still was, but based on the faint sounds of impacting water below, he figured he had to fall a few dozen stories yet before he reached the basement.
It's a good thing that I have such a svelte physique. Izuku thought humourlessly as he angled himself down, face first into the duct.
Releasing his grip on the vent sides, he began to navigate his way down. Initially he tried to keep himself at steady speed but he soon found his anxiety rising about how slow he was moving. After a minute of cautious, halting progress he finally gave in and let himself slide down with the water. Despite himself, he couldn't help but enjoy the ride. With the water flowing around him it felt exactly like a waterslide.
Before long he found himself laughing as he fell. Occasionally the waters flow would be broken by a series of beams or a grate. If he hit any of these obstacles, he would almost certainly be seriously injured, but he wasn't worried. By angling his body and moving his legs as he slid, he found that he could easily control himself and avoid the obstacles that appeared in his path.
The ride was exhilarating and after a glorious few seconds he was disappointed to see its end. A churning body of water was pooling at the bottom of the shaft and with some reluctance he slowed himself down.
Next chance I get, I'm going to a water park.
Stopping just inches from the waters surface, he gently submerged himself. Appearing in front of his eyes was a grid of thousands upon thousands of narrow plates of metal arranged like sheets of paper crisscrossed by wires. It was a giant filter.
This must be a furnace. If that's the case then I'm close to the basement. All I need to do is just force my way in.
For a second he stopped. Just moments ago in the maintenance room at the top of the tower he had been hesitant to crawl into pipes because he didn't know where they led. Wasn't this the same thing?
I'm sure I'll be fine. There are exceptions to every rule.
Diving back down he started to push against the furnace. This proved difficult however as he could only fumble at the metal fins ineffectually with his palms. He needed more leverage. Swimming over to the corner of the vent, he gripped the wall tightly with one foot and pushed down on the fins with the other. The thin metal sheets deformed easily under the pressure and slowly but surely, he bent whatever brace was keeping the metal fins in place.
Finally, with a great reverberating cracking sound some unseen bolt or hinge reached its limit and snapped. The filter slid downwards on one side, creating a narrow gap into a new space beyond. After swimming up for a breath, he dove down and entered this new area. Passing by a trio of stationary fans, the water turned cloudy, blocking his vision. Suspended in the water were fine particles of soot that quickly blinded him. After fumbling around for a few precious seconds, he at last found a grate set into the wall. Squinting at the grate through the murk, he concluded that it was a heating element. He was inside a giant boiler.
With a swift kick he destroyed the grate and swam forward. To his relief the water was less filthy, and he could see again. He was now inside a large oblong tank through which several pipes, too small to enter, connected to. Up on the roof of the tank, he saw a plunger connected to a valve. The valve was closed, but if he could get it open it would be just big enough for him to slip through.
Swimming over to it, he gave the valve a mighty two-legged kick, but all that served to accomplish was to send him rocketing down to the other end of the tank. Obviously the valve had been built to withstand enormous pressure. He would need to open it the civilized way. Pushing himself off the bottom of the tank and back to the valve, he hooked his elbow into the locking wheel and started to turn.
Izuku pushed open the hatch and immediately pulled himself up after it. Breaching the surface, he took a huge gasping breath. Slipping the bottom of his mask up so his mouth was free, he spat out some foul-tasting water. He could hear shouting voices but he didn't care. He didn't want to spend another moment inside that death trap. Coughing slightly, he pulled himself over the hatch and rolled over on to the top of the boiler.
'Never…again!' he wheezed.
After taking a few deep breaths, he sat up and he took in his surroundings.
He was in a large, high ceilinged room filled with giant, building sized pieces of silently leaking machinery. The colossal hulks of metal were being illuminated by wall mounted red emergency lights which gave everything a nightmarish appearance. Occasionally sparks would shoot and fall to the water below as some piece of equipment would short out and die. Wading through the breast deep waters around the machines were flashlight wielding technicians who, between shouts of dismay at the damage, called out some coded phrase that obviously held some grim significance.
'Three-Eight-Four is out! The plate is cracked!'
'Red-Two through Six has been fried! Red-One is taking in water!'
'We've got a new leak! P-C One is leaking!'
Izuku had no clue what they were talking about, but he could guess. The building's critical systems were probably damaged beyond repair. The Glass Way Tower was going to need some serious work before it could be inhabited again.
Looks like I'm in the right place. The sewer access has to be close, but where could it be?
As he looked around the room, he spotted a woman in a white hard hat standing on a catwalk above the water filled machinery. She appeared to be in the middle of an argument with someone who was being blocked from view by a cluster of pipes. Perking up his ears, Izuku heard:
'…drain into the municipality! We need to open the sewer valve…'
Fixing his mask, he eagerly leapt up to the shadowy ceiling and stealthily moved closer. Coming around the blocking cluster of pipes, he saw that the engineer was arguing with none other than the renowned tree-like hero Kamui Woods! Izuku kept still and listened.
'I'm telling you if we don't open the sewer valves now and drain this water, the foundation will become severely damaged! Do you have any idea how much repairing a super scraper foundation costs?!'
Kamui Woods appeared taken aback at the engineer's fervour, and he uneasily shifted his weight.
'W-Well if we open the sewer valves, it will be possible for the villain to escape.' Kamui Woods said uncertainly, 'He could-'
'We don't have time to argue!' howled the engineer with frustration, 'Every minute we waste is likely costing us billions!'
'But-' Kamui started but the engineer cut him off.
'Argh! Enough debate! I'm opening the valves…'
Kamui Woods stood there helplessly as the engineer grabbed a large central valve and with a rusty whine, it started to turn. From beneath the catwalk, Izuku saw the grated off floor under them begin to churn and gurgle and the room was filled with the sound of rushing water.
'There!' the engineer exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Walking over to the edge of the catwalk, she peered into the swirling whirlpool below.
'The villain will be headed here now.' Kamui said gravely, 'I hope this was worth it…'
The engineer looked back up and faced him.
'You can't know that for certain. And besides, you're a hero, aren't you? I'm sure that if he sees you here, he'll reconsider.'
Kamui Woods sighed. Walking past the engineer he began to survey the room. As Kamui's gaze drew near to the cluster of pipes, Izuku quickly shrunk himself back against the ceiling.
'You should leave.' Kamui said grimly, 'He'll likely be here soon.'
The engineers face paled and she nervously shuffled away from Kamui.
'Um, well. Right.'
Without a backward glance the engineer quickly trotted away. Kamui remained still and maintained his seemingly relaxed posture, eyes carefully scanning the room. Izuku held back and bite his lip.
As the number seven ranked hero, Kamui Woods had a reputation as a versatile and powerful combatant. What set him apart from many heroes was that he could fight equally well in both close quarters and at range with the root like protrusions he could shoot out from his body. Using these roots, he could swing around, pummel his enemies or swiftly end fights by immobilizing his opponents. In addition, his bark like skin was highly resistant to physical harm. All in all, a capable and balanced opponent.
Izuku immediately dismissed the notion of fighting him.
I would need to be at my best to even stand a chance against someone like Kamui. I should see if I can't sneak past him instead.
However, climbing along the ceilings was no longer an option. The piping he was using for cover abruptly ended just before the catwalk and he would be left hanging in the open at Kamui's eye level if he went any further. Backing up, he looked longingly at the water. With the opening of the sewer valve the room was slowly draining and in a few minutes the floors would be clear.
If I hide in the water, maybe I can slip past Kamui that way…
Izuku hesitated. Wouldn't that be the first thing Kamui would expect?
Suddenly he heard a chiming coming from Kamui. Looking back towards him, Izuku saw Kamui flick a switch on his belt and start to speak softly.
'Mt. Lady, now is not a very good time…'
Izuku remained still.
'What? How did that happen?' there was a pause, 'No, I didn't do anything to the sewage system.'
Izuku's heart leapt as Kamui looked away from the catwalk briefly and gazed down towards some distant machinery. Without missing a beat, Izuku scurried forward and over Kamui's head.
'Wait…Yu, calm down. Yu, I didn't…'
Now positioned over the grated floor, Izuku took a deep breath before dropping down from the ceiling. Falling into the churning waters, he kicked down on the grate with as much strength as he dared. A section of the metal gave way and Izuku allowed himself to be carried with the water. Behind him Kamui continued on with his conversation, completely oblivious to the escaping Spider-Man.
A few hours later, Izuku quietly crept up the stairs to his apartment. It was late - far later than he should be getting home considering how he had school tomorrow. His tardiness was the least of his worries though. He had managed to dry himself, but his hair was matted and filthy and he knew he reeked. What would his mother say at the sight of him?
Coming up to his door, he pressed his ear to the door and listened. His hopes sank when he heard breathing in the living room.
He sighed. Maybe I don't smell as bad as I think.
From the expressions of the few people he had encountered on the subway though that was a lie and he knew it.
Face drawn with apprehension, he clumsily worked the doorknob and stepped into his apartment. Poking his head around the corner by the coat rake, he peeked into the living room. His mother was there, sprawled out on the couch in front of the muted television.
'Mom?' he asked tentatively.
There was no response. She was sound asleep.
He could hardly believe his luck! Running on tiptoe, he quickly crossed the living room and hurried to the bathroom for a quick shower. As the warm water washed over him, he couldn't help but feel like a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. Not only had a defeated Shocker, but he had also managed to escape from the Glass Way Tower to boot. All he needed to do now was take down the League of Villains.
For the first time in over a year he felt like everything was going to be okay.