Chapter 8: No Escape
A/N: I've been waiting to write this arc for a while. It's after next chapter, King's Fall/Run Goblin Run, where things start to get crazy. Scarlet Spider, the return of the Jackal, and a new twist on a character a lot of people hate for some reason. This will combine Superior Spider-Man 11-13, so expect it to be long.
Empire State University
'Oh what I wouldn't give for a supervillain attack right now. Seriously, where's Galactus when you need him?' Peter thought, as Lamaze droned on and on.
"And thus, time flows differently about the Negative Zone." Lamaze said.
'I know this already. Hell, I hear it every time I go to the Baxter Building. That reminds me, Reed and Sue's anniversary is coming up. I should get them something nice, after everything they've done for me.' Peter thought. 'I should ask Johnny and Ben for-' Peter was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Lamaze's massive schnoze in his face.
"Am I boring you, Mr. Parker?" He asked.
"No sir. Not at all." Peter said, years of lying about his dual identity paying off.
"Good. Then please pay attention." Donald said. "Now, as I was saying-" Anna Maria turned towards Peter as Don continued.
"I know you know this stuff already, but can you please act like you're not getting ready to throw your head in an incinerator?" She asked in a whisper. "Why do you even come here anyway?"
"Well, I had perfect attendance through most of my high school days." Peter whispered back. "I have to keep my perfect record."
"So, mr. Parker only cares about his perfect attendance." Anna Maria said, when Peter's phone began to make a donkey noise.
"Is that a cell phone? Who dares prioritize their social lives over my class?" Lamaze said.
"Sorry doc, I REALLY got to take this. Anna Maria, can you take notes for me? Thanks." Peter said as he exited and answered the room and answered his phone. "Whoever you are, I could kiss you right now."
"Please don't." The voice of Glory Grant said. "I'm calling on behalf of Mayor Jameson. I'm putting him through right now."
"JJ! Good to hear from you again. How's the mustache?" Peter said.
"Spider-Man, I'm here to ask a favor of you." Jonah said, his voice sounding depressed. "Tomorrow's the day we've been waiting for: the execution of Alistair Smythe. That bastards going to pay for what he did to my wife."
"It's tomorrow already?" Peter asked. "Hard to believe it's already here."
"Spider-Man, I know I have no right to ask this of you after all the things I've said about you, and I know how you feel about the loss of life, but…can you be there?" Jonah asked, surprising Peter. "You know how people like him are. I know he's going to try something, and I want you to be there."
"I understand, Jonah." Peter said. "I promise: Smythe won't get off of that island."
One Day Later, The Raft
A helicopter landed, and out stepped J Jonah Jameson. He was greeted by a man with grey hair. "Mr. Mayor, I'm Ted Shipley, head of security at the Raft." The man said. "Did you get a chance to look over my resume?" Shipley asked.
"I shredded it as soon as I saw it." Jolly Jonah said. "In your time here, you've presided over a ridiculous number of escapes, even for this place! What ever happened to John Walker? That was a man who could keep Criminals like that in line!"
"I'm afraid he had to retire, sir. Too much suspicion on him due to Osborn's escape." Glory said as she stepped off the helicopter, followed shortly by Norah Winters.
"What are these civilians doing here?" Shipley asked.
"Relax. This is Glory Grant, my assistant, and Norah Winters with the Daily Bugle. They're here with my permission." JJ said.
"Alright, sir. If you'll come this way." Shipley said, and Glory noticed Screwball and Jester walking by them.
"Was that who I think it is?" She asked.
"You bet toots." A voice said, and everyone looked to see a man with a scarred face being escorted by guards. "Jester and Screwball, receivers of the Spider's own brand of TLC."
"Shut up Lantern." Shipley warned.
"Tell me JJ, how's Betty?" Jack O'Lantern asked as he was escorted past.
"So that's the bastard who terrorized Betty?" Norah asked. "He creeps me out."
"Ditto." Glory said.
"Jester and Screwball are some of our more healed inmates. The rest are either recovering from injuries or low priority." Shipley said as he lead them past the infirmary, where Scorpion lay on life support. "Scorpion's one of our more injured patients. It's hard to get an estimate as to when he'll be ready to move, seeing as your spider friend punched his jaw off."
"Spider-Man did what was necessary to protect people." JJ said.
"Hey, what goes on between these super freaks is between them." Shipley said, and at that moment, a humanoid reptile held in a cell came into view.
"The lizard? What's that monster still doing here? It killed a child!" JJ said.
"He's been one of our model prisoners. Quieter than the mice we feed him." Shipley said, and as they walked by it, Norah felt as of its eyes were following the group. Before long, they were in front of Smythe's cell. "As for Smythe? Well, that's obvious: he'll be leaving in a body bag."
Horizon Labs
"One sure to load that in with the arrow facing up." Peter said to officers in Mandroid suits, who were loading up equipment into vans.
"Peter, I just got your memo." Max said as he exited the building. "I know that this is last minute, but I would prefer to have a little more heads up next time you take this much equipment offsite."
"Sorry Max. Trust me, if I'd known my old boss was going to ask Spider-Man to be there in case Smythe tried something, I would have let you know." Peter said as he went down an alley. "Don't worry, I'll pay you back with something good." Before long, Peter was swinging towards the Raft as everyone's favorite wall crawler. 'To think that this is coming full circle.' He thought. 'It seems like it was only yesterday the first Spider Slayer came after me.' Spider-Man thought, remembering the various models over the years. 'There are very few things super humans do that Jonah takes personally. There's me, Gargan, that time John married She-Hulk, Norman Osborn buying out the Bugle…but this is different. Smythe took the life of the woman he loved because of his hatred of JJ. In a way, me and Jonah are a lot alike. We've both lost someone we cared for. And I guess I'm sort of to blame too. If it wasn't for me, Spencer Smythe would have never built the first Spider Slayer. So in a way, I owe this to JJ. He deserves justice.'
One Hour Later, the Raft
Shipley was at the docks smoking a cigarette, when a boat containing a Mandroid carrying a crate pulled up. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Shipley said as the armor stepped off the boat and walked towards a wall panel.
"Sorry sir. Orders." The pilot said.
"Orders? Who's-" Shipley was cut off when several Spider Bots crawled out of the water. "What in the name of Elvis Aaron Presley?!"
"They're with me." A voice said, and Shipley looked up to see a certain Web Head.
"S-Spider-Man! What a pleasure to see you. I'm Warden Shipley." Ted said.
"I know exactly who you are, Shipley." Spider-Man said, recalling an experience he had in Otto's body.
Months Ago, 'Otto Octavius's' cell
Peter, in Otto's body, watched as Shipley walked into the cell, a hose in his hand and a grin on his face. "Bath time Ock! Hope it's cold enough for ya!" Shipley said before blasting 'Otto' with ice cold water.
Now.
"You're a bully who abuses the power they have over the inmates. And I HATE bullies." Spider-Man said, and walked over to where the Mandroid was setting a device on the wall. "How's it going?"
"Good, I think. I don't really know how to do this." The pilot said.
"Sorry about that. I have to make sure no one bribes you to sabotage it, so the less you know the better. I'll look it over and make sure you did everything right." Spider-Man said. "A little to the right…perfect." He glanced to his left, and saw several spider bots carrying pieces of mechanical equipment.
15 minutes later, Superhuman Cell Block D
Shipley was leading Spider-Man through the hall of empty cells. "We've been shipping criminals all over the country. Thunderbolts Mountain, few prisons in Jersey, Singh Singh, Attica…if it's equipped to handle super criminals, then it's on the list." Shipley said, and they stopped in front of Smythe's cell.
"Spider-Man, there's something extremely ironic about this." Smythe said. "The Spider, at the Slaying of the Spider Slayer? Someone upstairs must be laughing their ass off."
"Y'know Smythe, I normally take no pleasure in the taking of human life, but with all the crap you and your father have thrown at me over the years, I'd be lying if there wasn't some part of me that wasn't going to…enjoy…" Spider-Man said, trailing off as he walked towards a certain cell that read 'Otto Octavius.'
'Dear god, it was here.' He thought, ignoring Smythe's yells of indignation at being ignored. 'This is where I woke up one day, finding that I was in the body of my worst enemy. Watching him remove his make to show my face, go on and on in my voice about how his legacy could go on…' his hand brushed the name, before he clenched his other fist. 'I'm glad they're shutting this place down.
10 Minutes Later, execution room
Spider-Man, Jonah, Glory, Norah, Smythe's attorney, a priest, Shipley, and the DA and ADA were seated in the execution viewing room. "What the hell do you think you're doing here, Jameson?" Smythe's lawyer. "First you use your connections to push this execution, now you sit here to enjoy your sick handiwork."
"I'm here as one of Smythe's victims. He terrorized me and my family for years, and that bastard killed my wife." JJ said.
"You lost the right to be here when you took a bite out of my client." The attorney said, referring to back when the Jackal released his spider virus, giving those infected powers similar to Spider-Man's, only to turn them into spider-monsters. Jameson had been infected, and had been in close proximity to Smythe when he turned, taking a bite out of the Spider Slayer.
"The mayor was hardly in his right mind." Glory said. "If you want to blame someone for that, blame Miles Warren."
"Neither was my client. A brain full of cybernetics, combined with severe depression and anger at you due to your role in his father's death, rendered my client unstable." The attorney said.
"That was proven to be bull. Tony Stark, one of the leading technology experts in the world, said that those implants did nothing to affect his mental stability." Jonah said. "You lost. Get over it, or you'll find out just how many legal ways I can make your life hell."
"Spider-Man, Norah Winters, Daily Bugle." Norah said to our favorite Arachnid Avenger. "Do you mind if I ask a few questions?"
"Not at all. Shoot away, Ms. Winters." Spider-Man said.
"Over the past few months since Dr. Jameson died, you've made 'no one dies' your slogan. So what are your feelings about this?" Norah asked.
"That's a good question, Norah." Spider-Man said. "This is different than people like the cops or the Punisher having to kill criminals before they can get a fair trial. Smythe has been tried, found guilty of guilty of nursed, and sentenced to death." He explained. "As an Avenger, it's my job to make sure justice is delivered to criminals. So even though I disagree with the death penalty, it's not like I'm going to go to the governor's office and tell him to revoke the sentence a judge handed down."
"So even though it disagrees with your personal philosophy, you're here to make sure justice is served?" Norah asked.
"Basically." Spider-Man said. "And off the record? I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some small part of me looking forward to this."
"Good to know." Smythe said as he was wheeled into the room. "I'm a changed man now, Spider-Man. I've found God, and I look forward to meeting him."
"Tell the devil I said hello, Smythe." Jameson said, when Spider-Man's spider sense went off.
"Uh oh…" he said.
"Why, I believe you can do that yourself, Jameson. There shall be a slaying today…" Smythe said, and several small metallic bugs fell from the ceiling, quickly covering Smythe in his armor. "…but it shall not be mine!" He yelled as he lashed out two metallic tendrils, killing the guards.
"I knew it! I knew Smythe would try something!" Jameson yelled.
"So did I, JJ." Spider-Man said, and tapped his spider emblem. "Plan Zeta One: activate!" Instantly, spider bots sprung out of the vents and engaged Smythe's mini-slayers. "Shipley, look over them." Spider-Man said as he crashed through the viewing room window. "I'll take care of Smythe!"
"Oh, how rich is this?" Spider Slayer said. "Not only does Jameson get to see the man he hates most escape, but you earn yet another failure!"" He shot on of his tendrils at Spider-Man, but the arachnid quickly ducked underneath it.
"Don't be so sure about that, Smythe. A lot bigger, stronger, and smarter have tried to kill me." Spider-Man said. "I have to admit, the mini-Slayers are clever. Let me guess, you smuggled them onto the island, and programmed them to convert pieces of the Raft's equipment as it was shut down."
"Very astute, wall crawler. Fortunately for you, I don't have time in my schedule for you." Smythe said. "Individual cells are laced with adamantium, but I'm afraid there isn't enough of that precious metal to reinforce every cell in here!" Smythe punched a wall with all his might, only for small cracks to form. "The hell?"
"Like that? Gravimetric shield. The harder you hit it in one spot, the harder it becomes." Spider-Man said. "And these are pretty durable. I tested it against Hyperion and the Hulk. One strike."
"Impressive. However, there is more than one way out of this godforsaken place!" Smythe said as he entered an air duct, only for lasers to cut off his path.
"Those are strong enough to cut steel in half." Spider-Man said. "Two strikes."
"Bah! No matter, I shall escape from here!" Smythe said as he ripped a floor grate off, only for flames to shoot out.
"Three strikes, you're out." Spider-Man said. "Give up now, Smythe. Any escape route you may have thought of, I thought of first."
"But how?!" Spider Slayer yelled. "I've been here months, thinking of every possible escape plan. How could you predict everyone?!"
"Because I know Tony Stark and Reed Richards, who designed the Raft's security measures." Spider-Man said. "They told me of every nook and crannie someone could use to escape. So, I acted accordingly."
"Damn you to hell Spider-Man!" Spider Slayer said. "The only way I can dismantle these traps is if I have time-"
"Which you currently don't have." Spider-Man said.
"Well then, I'll have to make some by killing you!" Spider Slayer said. "Don't worry, Spider-Man. I happen to have a plan for that as well." Smythe said as their clash flung them out into the hall.
Med-Bay
Boomerang and Vulture were getting their last check up before they were sent away to some prison, Scorpion resting in his special bed. "Alright, looks like you two are-what the hell?" The doctor said, when mini slayers dropped out of the ceiling, and one slayer sliced open the doctor's throat.
"What the f**k?" Boomerang exclaimed as the mini Slayers began swarming the three Supervillains.
"What are these things?! Get them off!" Vulture said, and Scorpion began to squirm as they penetrated the breathing mask covering his jaw.
"Hey, I feel good. Better than I've ever felt before!" Boomerang said. He was now clad in a silver and black suit that left his mouth exposed his mouth, had a boomerang on the chest, two on each shoulder blade, and a large boomerang on each forearm, with lenses similar to Smythe's on his head.
"I feel young again!" Vulture said. He was in black suit with red shoulder plates, and red gauntlets on his wrist, a pair of red wings attached to the red parts, with lenses similar to Boomerang's.
"I think you'll find you're better than ever." Smythe said. "These upgrades will provide you with better equipment than you'll ever have. All I ask is one thing in return: kill Spider-Man!"
"Smythe, you don't even have to ask. Killing the spider's always been my idea of fun, and when we're done…" Scorpion said. He was now clad in a suit similar to the one Smythe had given him before the launch of the Vertex shuttle, the only major difference being a face plate over his missing jaw and lenses like the other two. "We wot leave enough of him to bury!"
Execution Room
'I see I every day. The moment I should have died, but I didn't.' Jonah thought, the scene of Marla's death replaying before him. 'Because the woman I loved sacrificed herself for me.'
'Don't be mad, Jonah.' His memory of Marla said. 'Don't blame anyone for this…Spider Slayers…Spider-Man…not even Smythe. Don't waste any more of your life on hate…'
'And now I can't even fulfill my wife's dying wish.' Jonah thought. 'My name is J Jonah Jameson, mayor of New York City, and I swear on all that is holy…'
"Smythe is not getting off this island!" He yelled.
"This is your fault!" Smythe's lawyer said. "I warned you that your presence here would upset Smythe, and look at what just-" he was cut off by Jameson whacking him in the nose.
"Sue me." Jameson said. "IF we get out of here alive."
"Uh, that's looking less likely by the minute." Nora said pointing towards the sound of several 'tink' noises, only for Spider-Bots to descend.
"It's ok Norah, those are Spider-Man's robots." Glory said.
"I don't care if they were made by Santa Claus. Little robot bugs are always creepy." Norah said, and one Spider-Bot began displaying a hologram of the web slinger.
"Help me Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." The hologram said.
"Leave it to that web head to make a joke like that at this time." Glory said.
"If you're seeing this, then that means Smythe has attempted an escape." The hologram said. "I say 'attempt' because this is going to fail. Don't worry about your safety. I'm surrounding you in a field strong enough to hold back the Hulk." With that, a yellow dome began rising around them. "Remain calm. Everything's going to be alright."
"No…" Jonah said. "NO!" He ran out from behind the line of Spider-Bots just as the dome completed.
"Jonah! Where are you going?!" Glory said. "There's nothing to protect you from that monster!"
"More like him from me." Jonah said, and disappeared around the corner.
"Relax, Ms. Grant. Have faith that The Lord will deliver Mayor Jameson safely away from this disaster." The priest said.
"With all due respect, Father, I think God has very little to do with what's going on out there." Norah said.
Cell Block E
"What's wrong Alistaire?" Spider-Man taunted as he dodged a swipe from Spider Slayer. "You mad that I managed to outsmart you?"
"Silence you simpleton!" Spider Slayer yelled. "Do you I think having to kill you to go free bothers me? You're death is the reason I exist!"
"Wow Smythe, it's not like I haven't heard that line from Venom or Scorpion before. Way to keep it original." Spider-Man said. "You might as well give up. I sent word to the Avengers, and they'll be here any minute."
"Reinforcements eh? Now why didn't I think of that?" Smythe said, knowing that Boomerang, Vulture, and Scorpion were well on they're way.
"You're mini Slayers won't help you now, Smythe." Spider-Man said. "But I anticipated every move you've made. I've locked down the whole island, which is amazing considering the fact that the power grid is probably older than me."
"The power grid! Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier?" Smythe said.
"Ah rats. I ended up making the Human Torch look like a genius again!" Spider-Man said. "You'll never get the chance to-hurk!" He was hit in the stomach by Spider Slayer's fist.
"I will, if you keep yammering on like a Bond villain!" Smythe said as he reared his hand . "I disable the power to your little traps and I'm home free! Of course, that will all come after you-"
"Die!" A voice said, and a bullet whizzed by him. Smythe looked to see a guard. The guard opened fire, forcing Smythe to run.
"I don't have time for this!" Smythe said, and ran off.
"Get up!" The guard said. "He's gonna get away now that you shot off your jaw like some arrogant rookie!"
"Relax, it's all part of the plan. Besides, you should think twice about giving orders when you can't follow them yourself, Brushtop." Spider-Man said, and the guard removed his helmet to reveal Jameson. "I thought I told everyone to stay inside the field."
"I couldn't just stand here while that monster runs free." Jameson said. "Dont worry about me. I can more than handle anything he throws at me. As mayor of New York, I'm giving you one mission." Flat top said. "Find Smythe, and put an END to this, by whatever means you have available."
"Got it. Stay here. I mean it this time." Spider-Man said, before swinging off. "Alright now to find Smythe and shut down all this-"
"Insanity?" Smythe said in his ear.
"What the hell?" Spider-Man exclaimed.
"Having this many of your little robots follow me was a mistake." Smythe said. "It was child's play to hack into your communications." Spider-Man's spider sense went off, and he dodged as the wall behind him exploded. "And I'm not the only one." The dust cleared to reveal Vulture, Scorpion, and Boomerang.
"This…this is going to hurt." Spider-Man said, and dodged Scorpion's tail.
"I'm going to rip your jaw off bug, and see how you like it!" Scorpion yelled, and Vulture flung two flechete's at Spider-Man. One nailed him in the shoulder while he dodged the other. Boomerang threw an exploding boomerang, and Spider-Man wasn't fast enough to dodge it before it exploded, ripping off the left glove of his costume.
"Well this is fun and all, but I have places to be." Spider-Man said, when Vulture tackled him.
"You're right: hell!" Vulture said.
"Flock off feather head!" Spider-Man said as he shot a web at Vulture's chest, and flung the avian supervillain into Scorpion. "Don't you guys realize Smythe is just using you?"
"You'd be surprised how much that doesn't bother us." Scorpion said.
"Jeez, I don't know what I was expecting." Spider-Man said as he leapt over Scorpion's claws and punched Vulture in the face. "This is really prime Masters of Evil material."
"I'm gettin' tired of your jokes web head!" Boomerang said, firing two razor rangs. They slashed the spider on his chest and back, causing a small amount of blood to leak out of his chest. "Man, this suit is sick! I always used to run out of boomerangs, but this suit just grows whatever kind I need!"
"You do realize that Smythe is just going to take this stuff back when he gets what he wants, right?" Spider-Man said, when his Spider Bots showed him where Smythe was: the power room.
Power Room
"I hope you're watching, arachnid." Spider Slayer said, before driving his fist into the power grid. Instantly, lights all over the raft shut off.
Cell Block D
The cell of Curt Connors, better known as the lizard, opened, allowing him to slither into the darkness.
Cell Block F
"Oh, you turned off the power. It's almost as if there are no-" Spider-Man said as the lights turned back on. "Backup generators!"
"Blast! No matter. You see, my Mini Slayers route information to MY eyepieces the same as your Spider Bots. I know all about the civilians you have locked away in a force field. Of Jameson, wandering the halls alone." Smythe said. "Scorpion! Vulture! Boomerang! Leave the spider. There are a few guests that need attending to."
"Bite me Smythe!" Scorpion said. "The spider punched off my damn jaw! There's no one I hate more than-"
"Did I mention J Jonah Jameson is one of your targets?" Smythe said. "Now, need I sweeten the deal? Because I surely-"
"Nah, you had me at Jameson." Scorpion said, running through a few walls.
"Given his Smythe can take away as easily as he can give, it behooves me to comply." Vulture said as he flew off. "Boomerang, can you deal with the wall crawler?"
"With this armor? I can take on both Hulks at once!" Boomerang said. "This suit is pretty damn durable!"
"That so? Good." Spider-Man said as he ripped a piece if rebar out of the wall. He hit Boomerang across both sides of his head, shot two web lines at his chest and swung him around, before throwing him into the wall, webbing him to it. "That means I can take off the kid gloves. And if I know Smythe, he designed this so well that you'll probably have a light concussion." Spider-Man explained before swinging off.
"So you've managed to take down Boomerang. That only means you have a choice now, Spider-Man." Spider Slayer said in his ear. "Do you go and protect the civilians, who are being stalked by Vulture, or Jameson, who is being hunted by the Scorpion." This made Spider-Man stop swinging. "Hobson's Choice, web-slinger. The mayor, or the civilians. Which will you choose?"
'Dammit, what do I do?' Spider-Man thought. 'I can't do both. What should I-'
"Miss us web head?" A female voice said over Spider-Man's radio.
"I think that he wanted to hog all the Spider Slaying punching fun to himself." A male voice said.
"What the-? Carol?! Tony?!" Spider-Man asked.
Outside the Raft
Captain Marvel and Iron Man flew towards the facility. "What are you guys doing here?" Spider-Man asked.
"A silent alarm I built in case the power at the Raft went off, then I managed to patch into the cameras to see you get your webbed ass handed to you by those three." Iron Man said, and the two heroes touched down on the ground. "Of course, Carol was sitting around with nothing to do, so I brought her with me."
"Spider-Man, what's going on down there?" Captain Marvel asked.
"Smythe's seen too many episodes of Prison Break." Spider-Man said. "I'm trying to put a stop to it, but things have gotten a little out of hand."
"Would you like some help?" Captain Marvel asked.
"Pretty please." Spider-Man said. "Jameson's wondering the halls, and Scorpion's hot on his trail. There's also a group of civilians protected by a force field, but Vulture's going after them." Captain Marvel and Iron Man looked at one another.
"I don't hit old men, so I'll take Scorpion." Iron Man said.
"So the Mandarin doesn't count?" Captain Marvel said.
"He has alien death rings. It's totally different than a guy who flies around on an anti-gravity harness." Iron Man said, and the two split up.
Cell Block F
"I hope you're listening, Smythe. I've got back up from two heavy hitters, and that means there's only one thing left on my to do list." Spider-Man said as he resumed his swinging, Spider Bots close behind him. "I take you down, this all ends! There is no possibility, in any universe, where this ends well for you!"
"Very well then, Spider-Man." Spider Slayer said in his ear. "I had hoped to escape cleanly, but I am perfectly content with us having one final battle-" Spider-Man broke through the wall of the room Smythe was in. "-TO THE DEATH!"
Mess Hall
Jameson walked through the halls, completely ignoring what Spider-Man. "Who does that wall crawler think he is, ordering me around like that? I'm the damn mayor!" He said, when he heard a heavy footstep behind him. He took a breath, before firing his gun as he turned, only for the bullet to bounce off Iron Man's black and gold armor.
"Easy there, Quick Draw." Iron Man said.
"Iron Man?" How'd you find me?" JJ asked.
"My armor's sensors picked up your life signs, but the same can't be said for Scorpion." Iron Man said. "His mini-Slayer's might be crude, but Smythe's tech is keeping him cloaked from my sensors. PEPPER, can you patch me into the feed from the Spider Bots so I can get a visual?" The Armored Avenger said to his AI modeled after his longtime friend and assistant.
"Give me a minute, and I'll-hold on. The structural integrity just went down on that wall." The AI said, and Scorpion burst through the wall.
"You can't hide from me, Jameson!" Scorpion said. "Your tin can bodyguard can't protect you for long!"
"Don't be so sure, Gargan." Iron Man said. "I was fighting Galactus back when you were still stalking people for money." Iron Man fired two repulsor beams, both of which hit Gargan square in the face. Scorpion swung his tail at Iron Man, who caught it and swung Scorpion across the room.
"That tickled, tin man." Scorpion said.
"PEPPER, charge the unibeam." Tony said, and the large red repulsor in Iron Man's chest began to glow. The stinger on Scorpion's tail retracted, and out shot a green beam of energy that hit Iron Man, causing the red lights on his suit to go dark.
"Like that? Y'see rich boy, you're not the only one who has fancy toys." Scorpion said.
"Armor, Manual Release!" Stark said to his armor, but it didn't comply.
"That was an EMP blast. Locked your armor joints. So, you're going to be out for a few seconds. That gives me enough time to do my thing." Scorpion said, and raised his tail to impale the Avenger, brought it down…
…only for it to be blocked by a scaly green hand. Iron Man managed to tilt his head enough that he saw a sight he never expected to see. "Saved by The Lizard?!" He asked in disbelief. "Spidey's never going to let me hear the end of this."
"Get outta here ya stupid monster!" Scorpion yelled.
"Noooooooo…not the Lizzzzzzard. I'm Curtisssssss Connorsssss…" the Lizard said as Iron Man's armor rebooted. "…and I will never let the monsterssssss win again!"
Execution Room
"Mr. Shipley, no matter how hard you hit it, it's not going to break." Glory said as Shipley hit the force field for the umpteenth time. "You heard Spider-Man. He tested this against people like Hyperion and the Hulk."
"So what? The Wall Crawler's out there doing MY job." Shipley said.
"Better than you, I might add." The DA said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ted asked.
"Well, you've been under review by the DA's office for awhile. The amount of escapes since you took over, like Morbius, Octavius, and now Smythe? Not to mention all the reports of prisoner abuse we've gotten." The DA said. "That all amounts to keeping a close eye on you, Shipley."
"And you were right to do so." Vulture said as he descended from the ceiling. "Every morning, he would blast me and a few others with cold water. Not to mention his mocking of people like poor Jack O'Lantern."
"That psycho? He's anything BUT poor." Glory said, remembering when he kidnapped Betty Brant.
"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse Shipley here." Vulture said as he analyzed the field. "The shield is generated by the robots, but it manages to shield them at the same time. I have to admit, I'm impressed. The wall crawler has really been ramping up his game with all this new tech. However, I have new technology of mine, and it detects this shield's weak points!" Vulture said as he shit a flechete through a Spider-Bot.
"Please sir, only ask, and God shall absolve you of your sins, allowing you to live out your remaining days in peace." The priest said.
"There is no place for your god with me!" Vulture said.
"What about your grandson?" Norah asked, making Vulture notably falter. "It's not too late. I'm with the Daily. Bugle, and we can definitely find him if you want to make amends."
"It's…far too late for that." Vulture said, and Glory noticed there was a slight quiver in his voice.
"But it's not! I'm with the mayor's office, and we can definitely do something to make sure you get out of here." Glory said.
"And we're with the DA's office." The DA said. "We can definitely arrange leniency."
"Leniency? Hell, I can get you acquitted!" Smythe's lawyer said. "My whole defense for Smythe was built around his implants causing mental instability. I can see you don't suffer for any of this!"
"And I can out in a good word for you." Captain Marvel said as she descended towards the ground. "A good word from an Avenger can go a long way with the right judge."
"Be quiet, all of you!" Vulture said. "Just let me think." Shipley turned to the two guards that were in the dome.
"The minute this shields down, blast him." Shipley said.
"But sir, it sounds like he's actually considering taking the deal." One said.
"I don't care. He's a murderer, and murderer's have to pay." Shipley said.
"Don't even think about it, Shipley." Captain Marvel said, having picked up the conversation with her enhanced hearing. "Or else the Department of Corrections will hear about how you assaulted an unarmed old man."
"I'll take the deal." Vulture said. "Captain, can you emit an electromagnetic pulse?"
"I think I can." The half-Kree pilot said, and rubbed her hands together, before placing them on Vulture's shoulders. A yellow wave went over his body, and the mini-Slayers making up his new costume fell to the ground as the dome dissolved, having used up all it's energy. "Well, that's at least one down. I hope things are going better on Tony and Spidey's ends.
Solitary Confinement Wing
Spider-Man dodged a punched from Spider Slayer, before ripping off one of his mandibles. "It's pointless, Smythe!" He said. His costume was torn in several places, his left glove was gone, and his mask was missing an eyepiece. "Surely even you can see that!"
"I only see one thing: your death!" Smythe said as his mandible regrew. One of his blades darted out, and Spider-Man barely had time to dodge impalement. "You should be helping me! How many times has Jameson slandered you, accused you of crimes you didn't commit, or created Supervillains to try and kill you?"
"Too many to count." Spider-Man said as he punched Smythe in the face, breaking his nose. "But I'm not God. I don't decide who lives, or who dies. Yes, when I first became Spider-Man, I'd have pulverized Jameson the minute he accused me of murder. But there is something I learned the hard way, something that I live by: with-" he uppercutted Smythe's jaw. "-great-" he kneed Smythe in the gut. "-power-" he head butted Smythe, cracking his helmet. "-comes-" he slashed Smythe's horn off, but it quickly regrew. "-great-" he hit Smhthe in his ribs, feeling the bones give way. "-responsibility!" He finished with a punch to Smythe's face, destroying his lenses. "You have a great mind, Alistaire. Just think of all the good you could have done if you hadn't let rage consume you."
"You're right." Smythe said, and turned his head. "I could have done good, but I chose to devote myself to something greater: killing you!" Smythe's horns shot up and wrapped around Spider-Man's head. "This is my great victory. I put my mind in your powerful body, and your mind in my broken body, and- wait, why isn't it working?"
"Carbonadium head plating." Spider-Man said as the horns receded. "Does wonders to keep tricks like that from working."
"I see. Well, it looks like I've lost." Smythe said, when he wrapped Spider-Man in a bear hug. "I may die here tonight, but I won't be going to Hell alone!" The remnants of his visor began to glow red, and Spider-Man heard a ticking sound. "Everything that's gone wrong in my life is because of you! If you had never come along, then Jameson would have never hired my father, and he never would have died, and he'd still be here! Well, its time to rectify my bug problem!"
'Dammit all, he's activated a self destruct sequence! I couldn't defuse it even if I had time! I need to get free, but how?' Spider-Man said. 'He's locked his arms, and I can't-that's it!' He began moving his arms against Smythe's, and cracks appeared on Spider Slayer's arms. 'He replaced most of his limbs with cybernetics, so they're not flesh and blood. Which means that with a little force-'
"Nyarrrrgh!" Smythe yelled as Spider-Man broke free, sending his fake limbs to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Smythe. I really wish this had ended differently." Spider-Man said, before swinging away as Smythe let out one last cry of vengeance before exploding.
Mess Hall
Iron Man had thought that, since he'd fought big leaguers like Thanos and Dr. Doom for over a decade, he'd be able to handle Scorpion no problem. Boy was he wrong.
"Not so tough now, are ya tin man?" Scorpion asked. He had managed to put a few large dents in Iron Man's armor, and the Lizard was panting heavily.
"We need to disssssssrupt hissssss ccccccccyberneticsssss." Lizard said "Do you have an EMP?"
"Sorry big guy, but Scorpion's a bit stronger than I thought he would be." Iron Man said. "He's cracked my unibeam casing, and my weapons systems other than my repulsors are still down from that EMP."
"Well, think of something!" Jameson ordered, when the ground shook. Scorpion reared back his tail, only for the Mini-Slayers making up his new armor fell to the ground.
"No…Herekkkk…" were the noises that came out of Scorpion's jawless mouth.
"Whatever was keeping those Mini-Slayers running just went offline." Iron Man said. "There was a faint signal, but it's gone now. Without those little robots, he'll probably die."
"Yesssss." Lizard said, and they both picked up Scorpion, using their shoulders to support him.
15 minutes later.
Captain Marvel watched as they put cuffs on Vulture. "You look like you had the easy job." Iron Man's voice said as he and Lizard exited a hole in the wall.
"What are you doing with that thing?" Carol asked.
"Relax. Curt Connors is in control." Iron Man said. "I'd probably be canned soup if it wasn't for him."
"Don't worry, Captain. If would easssssse your mind, then I will willingly sssssssubmit myssssssself to cusssssstody." Lizard said.
"Where's Spider-Man?" Jameson asked.
"I thought he was with you guys." Captain Marvel said.
"No, he went after Smythe." Jameson said.
"PEPPER, scan for Spider-Man." Iron Man said, worry present in his voice.
"I'm not picking up his life signs." PEPPER said. "Either he's too far behind the walls, or…" the AI trailed off, letting that hang in the air.
"I'm going in." Captain Marvel said. "If he's still in there, then he's probably hurt, or worse, with Smythe."
"Glad to see you're so concerned about me." Spider-Man said as he limped out, Boomerang wrapped up in a web caccoon. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no to that."
"What happened? Where's Smythe? Did you-" Jonah started to ask.
"No, I didn't. Crazy bastard blew himself up." Spider-Man said. "Now if, you guys don't mind, wake me up next week." He collapsed, and Glory and Norah ran over to him."
"He's alright." Iron Man said, his helmet displaying Spider-Man's vitals. "Just needs a little sleep." As he looked back, he noticed Shipley putting restraints on the Lizard. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"This thing's a monster, Mr. Stark." Shipley said. "It's in the public's best interest to keep it contained."
"HE saved both mine and the mayor's lives, warden." Iron Man said.
"It'ssssss ok, Iron Man. I really don't mind." Lizard said.
"Alright, fine. But trust me, I'm going to make sure you get the help you need." Iron Man said, when a tail hit him in the back and sent him flying.
"What the-?"Captain Marvel said, when Scorpion's pincer grabbed her wrist and threw her to the other side of the docks.
"Jameson…" he attempted to say with his missing jaw. "…Ragh hurk kerl you!" Spurred by a sudden burst of adrenaline, he leapt at Jameson, and thrust his stinger towards the mayor…
When Shipley pushed him out of the way, the stinger protruding out of his other side. Scorpion yelled in pain as a taser struck him, and Glory and Norah looked to see the attorney holding a guards taser.
"Heavenly Father, please guide Mr. Shipley to the rest he so deserves." The Priest said.
"Poor Mr. Shipley. He died to save the mayor's life, and stopped the Raft's last breakout." Norah said as Iron Man and Captain Marvel, Spider-Man being supported on their shoulders.
"He might not have been a good warden, but he was a good man." Jameson said. "He left a legacy anyone could be proud of."
"And in the end, that's all we've got left: legacy." Captain Marvel said, knowing all too well about that. Even though he was unconscious, Spider-Man agreed with every word.
Half an hour later
"Wake up Web head." Nora said, lightly slapping him and waking him up.
"Ugh, I feel like the Hulks used me as a treadmill." Spider-Man said. "How long was I out?"
"About half an hour." Glory said, and filled him in on what happened after he lost consciousness.
"Damn." Spider-Man said. "I can't believe I just fell asleep like that. If I had stayed up a second longer, then-"
"It could very well be you in that bag." Captain Marvel said. "And I don't think I could tell you-know-who you survived what went down with Smythe only to throw yourself on Mac Gargan's tail." Spider-Man looked around, noticing that they were moving across water.
"Are we on a boat?" Spider-Man asked. "Great, now I have that Andy Samberg song stuck in my head."
"Jonah and Tony have been talking about something for the past 15 minutes." Carol said. "I hear a lot of yelling from JJ, so it must be something big."
"Here, let's get you cleaned up a bit." Glory said. "We're on our way to a press conference, so try to look like you're not about to pass out."
"I have a lot of practice pretending." Spider-Man said as the boat docked at Battery Park, and several reporters were already at the scene.
"Spider-Man! What do you have to say about rumors of two Spider Powered vigilantes in Philadelphia?"
"Iron Man! Care to comment on the nature of yours and Pepper Potts' relationship?"
"Captain Marvel! Is it true you and Spider-Man are dating?"
"Enough!" Jonah yelled as he and the three Avengers stood on a pedestal that had been prepared for them. "Earlier today, the state of New York attempted to deliver justice to Alistaire Smythe, a man who slaughtered countless innocents, including my beloved wife. That same man lead three villains in what can only be described as the Raft's last breakout, which ended in the death of both him and Theodore Shipley, who sacrificed his life to save mine. It was only thanks to the efforts of these three heroes that four Supervillains are not stalking the streets of New York." Jonah took a deep breath. "The city thanks all three of you for your service. Now, I give the stand to Iron Man." Cheers sounded and cameras flashed as the armored avenger took the stage, raising his faceplate.
"Thank you, JJ. In this city lives a great, yet misunderstood, hero." Tony said. "One who combines my brains, Captain America's bravery, Thor's nobility, the Hulk's strength…hell, I could be here all day and not even come close to listing all the qualities that make him so amazing. For over a decade, he's proven time and time again that when it comes down to it, he's the one you want watching your back in a fight."
"Flatterer." Spider-Man said.
"One of his most memorable accomplishments has to be his recent defeat of Otto Octavius, saving us all from a madman's ego trip. When the Avengers fell and the world turned against him, he didn't bat an eyelash, and stood up for what was right." Iron Man said. "Spider-Man has given to this city, this WORLD, countless times, and I think it's time we have back. It gives me great pleasure to present Spider-Man with the Raft to do with as he pleases." Spider-Man was stunned speechless. When he first put on this mask, he never imagined in his wildest dreams that one of the worlds mightiest heroes would give him a former super prison.
"Spider-Man?" Captain Marvel said, waving her hand in front of his face. He shook his shock off, and stepped towards Iron Man.
"Wow, Tony, I don't even…thank you." He said. "How'd you get Jonah to agree to this?"
"I had to cut a VERY big check towards his next reelection campaign." Iron Man said. "So, what are you going to call it?" Spider-Man thought for a moment, before coming up with a name.
"Spider Island…" he held up two fingers. "…two."
A/N: i apologize if anyone seemed OOC. I ended up putting this off too long, and ended up doing most of it Sunday, last night, and tonight.
Next Time: Run Goblin Run