Author's Notes: I love teams. Just sayin'.
Disclaimer: Ultimate Spider-Man is not mine. Nor are any of its characters. That's Marvel's job. Any Original Characters and art you note, however, are all me. No. I'm not making money. Don't rub it in.
Chapter 03 - Rematch
A mega meat lover's pizza had never looked so unappetizing to Luke Cage before. Well, maybe save the times he'd had the flu. But those were different cases, even if he felt just as sick by its smell. The greasy meat and cheese only left room for an uncomfortable feeling inside him, which had worsened ever since Fury's mission debriefing yesterday afternoon.
Those pictures. All those poor people. It was downright disgusting. And unnecessary. Violence for peace was one thing. Luke only supported heroes because they stood up to bullies and criminals. And he liked testing his strength. Violence in response to fear and anger—unjustified fear and anger—however? Now that frustrated him. What was so wrong in giving someone the benefit of the doubt? What was wrong with attempting to solve a problem by talking it out first? Those peoples' deaths were…meaningless.
Danny felt similarly; Luke could tell. To his left in Midtown High's cafeteria, the blonde also looked at his lunch with a stony expression not many others could read. Peter and Sam's argument across the table hadn't caught his attention once. Luke's, either. He didn't know what had started it, actually. At some point Ava had even joined in. The African-American didn't bother deciphering their overlaid voices, though, and nudged Danny's broad shoulder gently.
"You thinking about it, too?" he asked just low enough that only his best friend could hear.
Danny's green eyes met Luke's frown, distant. "How can I not? To think people would be that…irrational. They took it too far."
"Agreed." Luke nodded then sighed.
"What did it earn them? Surely neither side won. And now shunned kids have been forced to survive in the streets."
"It almost sounds surreal." A subtle shift in Danny's gaze prompted Luke to continue. "I mean, we've thought about situations like this before. Well, I have. Just in passing. It always seemed ludicrous by the end, though. I would tell myself 'No, regular people would never be senseless enough to attempt genocide. Mutants are a sub-species of them, after all'. Yet…here we are."
"Mutant hysteria has been on the rise," started Danny morosely. His expression darkened. "X-Men liaison Hank McCoy has been having a terrible time keeping government officials from passing new laws. He's right. Segregation never leads to a positive path."
"You think that one mutant—Trickster—had anything to do with the uprising? He does have that particular kind of…push."
The blonde blanched as Luke straightened in his seat. "Yes, he does."
"That's what happened to Peter on Monday. You were with him, too. Did you experience his powers for yourself?"
"I did," said Danny with great difficulty and a slight twitch across his pale face.
"What?" The dark-skinned teen blinked. "What'd he say to you?"
"He twists your mind to think the impossible."
"Like?"
Obviously, the blonde felt shame in having been effected by Trickster; he hesitated and his blanch didn't let up. "He—he had made me fear that my hand was on fire…"
"Because of your Iron Fist."
"Yes."
Luke stared. He had wanted to laugh, really, but wouldn't allow it because of the look Danny sent him. He bit back chuckles by clearing his throat, and somehow kept composed while momentarily distracted with the thought of a panicked Iron Fist attempting to douse his greatest weapon with a bucket of water.
"If he can reach a strong mind like yours, Danny, then we just may be in very hot water," he said lightly. His grim smile was rewarded by a simple frown.
"I never should have believed it. And I had retorted in anger and embarrassment." Danny sighed. "Even though I knew I shouldn't, I did. My actions should be guided by a want for peace, justice—not self-vengeance."
"We can't control ourselves all the time," Luke added easily.
"But we must try…"
"Ugh!" Ava—strong voice strained and clear—drew Luke's and Danny's attention to the trio ahead. "I swear, the both of you are giving me a headache. Can you just move on?"
"I'll 'move on' when Sam admits he's at fault!" Peter countered in a half-yell. He had stood from his seat at some point to stare down at Sam, who met the leader's gaze evenly from his plastic chair.
"I've told you"—Sam hissed through clenched teeth—"I can't be blamed!"
Peter's hands met with the cafeteria table rather harshly as he leaned down. "Part of being a hero is acknowledging weaknesses, Sam. And taking responsibility. You won't even take a fraction of it!"
"Will you keep it down? Harry and MJ could be here at any minute. Besides, what could I have done, huh?"
"For starters? You could have corralled Smokescreen—"
"You're naming her too?"
"I overheard it, actually. But that doesn't matter. You should have corralled her to a less populated spot."
"It's a city, Parker."
"And we're supposed to protect people, not put them in harm's way because you want to show off!"
The Hispanic's dark green eyes narrowed even further, his trembling hands curling into a fists atop the table. "I wasn't showing off."
"Call it whatever you want." The brunette's form straightened. "You still provoked her to harm civilians. And now one of them may never walk again."
"It. Wasn't. My. Fault."
"How about we just agree to be more careful next time?" Luke contributed after a brief, tense staring contest filled with the chatter of other cafeteria conversations. Peter sat back down, only a whole chair away from the Hispanic that faced another direction.
"Thank you, Luke," Ava grumbled. The tanned female lifted her head from the hands she had buried them in then sent pointed looks at the boys on her right. "We have enough to talk about. Like how we're going to find those Enderlin kids."
"And what we're going to do when we find them," added Peter. When the others faced him, he shrugged nonchalantly. "What? I know I can't be the only who thought it unfair."
"He's right," Danny said in a calming tone. "I thought the same. We're a part of SHIELD for our own reasons, but not one of them involved life or death."
"We joined because we thought it's what was best for us and our goals," Sam stated, callous. "Shouldn't it be in their best interest to, I don't know, be safe?"
"You think SHIELD will treat them like they should?" Peter snapped. And his glare landed on the Hispanic.
"Are you suggesting we purposely fail our mission?"
"If our alternative is forcing kids to make a choice at gun point, then yes."
"What bugs me"—Ava said while she rapped long fingernails against the plastic table—"is the extent Fury's going to for this group."
"He really wants to get them first, doesn't he?" asked Luke.
The Central American nodded. "While Fury…cares in his own way, I know there's something else. Someone in that group has to have something of interest to him. Even if he claims the group is unidentified."
"Exactly!" Peter threw an arm up strongly. "Otherwise, he would just assign us to take down The Trackers and let the kids know it's safe."
"When have we ever known Fury to just let someone be?" Sam snorted, drawing the leader's gaze.
"My point and case. Fury hides things. Especially from us. So I want to get to know this group before I, possibly, usher them into the lives we got. Or worse."
"What's wrong with our lives?" retorted Sam sharply.
The brunette shook his head. "It's not for everyone, no matter what kind of power one has…"
"So," Ava interjected with another rap of her nails, "it's agreed. We want to get the kids' side of the story first." The group nodded (save for Sam, who only shrugged). "Now Fury said The Trackers—"
Beep! Beep!
Peter glanced at his wrist. "Speak of the one-eyed troll," he muttered before accepting the call of his crying communicator. At Fury's face the first thing Peter did was flash a cheesy grin that easily masked all dubiousness. He sure had a knack for that. "Got news for us, Nickolas?"
"There's no time for your sass mouth, Parker." Clearly, the Director wasn't amused. "We've got problems in Chinatown."
"Of what nature?" asked Peter, his grin unwavering.
"Leaper."
"You want us to skip lunch for that?"
A soft humph over the communicator joined Peter's groan. "Yes. You need to help him."
"Wait…what?"
"He's made some new friends. And not in the good way."
"The Trackers already?" Ava added while leaning over in her seat.
"Get there. Now." And with the decorum that was Director Fury, the call ended without so much as a 'good luck' or 'Fury, out'.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Peter chimed as he rose to nod at the group.
Luke returned the action and wasted no time in following his team out of the noisy cafeteria. Mary-Jane and Harry—full trays in hand—stopped Peter near the entrance, with a matter the African-American couldn't quite catch. However, no member paused their dash for him. The leader would catch up soon, so Luke entered the nearest bathroom with Danny and Sam.
Once a clear coast was confirmed, they changed into costume with fluid efficiency and then opted to leave through a handy hidden passage SHIELD had installed in their infinite amount of spare time. Beyond the school walls, the warm sun rested high in the sky. It greeted Luke kindly as he rounded an alley corner. Yet he had no time for its comfort; he joined Iron Fist, Nova, and a recently-joined White Tiger in their rush to Chinatown.
As expected, Spider-Man graced the group just before they reached a narrow cluster of Chinese restaurants and stores. Batroc the Leaper was causing a ruckus amongst the outside seating, jumping from building face to building face while a six-armed mutant barreled after him like a more compact version of Juggernaut. Metal chairs were overturned and tossed through windows in his wake. Though the dark-haired man displayed a great amount of agility, he still couldn't lay one of his many hands on the Frenchmen.
And, boy, did that just piss him off.
"Oh, come here, you little toad!" Six Arms snarled dangerously in his Midwestern dialect. A building shuddered when he punched a section of it with two of his fists. He had missed. "And shut the hell up with that 'leap' shit you keep saying!"
"Leap!" Leaper yelped, his French accept thick with panic. He landed on a small table that Six Arm's immediately directed his rage towards. Another jump placed him on a bigger table, where he caught Luke's gaze by some slight chance. The utter relief that washed over the Frenchmen's expression caused Luke's eye to twitch. The sight felt uncomfortable, sure, but he didn't have the heart the kick the man away when he sought refuge beside his legs.
"What are you doing out before dark, Leaper?" Spider-Man teased while hanging upside-down from an awning.
But there was no chance for a reply; Six Arms was already charging forward with all his limbs poised for combat. Luke felt a rejuvenating surge of energy fill him at the determined glint in the mutant's eyes. He smirked, steadying his wide stance as the others in his team spread out to their own opponents.
"I've been itching for a rematch," the buff teen grumbled.
Leaper scrambled out of the way just before Six Arms clashed with Luke. The pure force of their impact sunk the hero's boots into the street as if it was sand. Kinetic energy pushed away lighter debris around them. Luke's muscles immediately began to scream in pain as they wrestled and he tensed his throat when the mutant's two middle arms wrapped their hands around it. Still, he stood his ground; he promised himself he would. He was strong, so handling two additional sets of arms, no matter their tactical advantage, was feasible.
"Your kind is so predictable," Six Arms said in a tone gruff with strain. "Like Weir. At least that means we can call you easy."
Luke's face scrunched up at the mutant's bitter, hot breath. "Dude, have you ever heard of a mint in Dakota?" he wheezed through the constriction on his throat.
Six Arms growled like an animal and with a step to the side, Luke managed to free one of his arms long enough to land a fierce blow on his opponent's gut. A yellow glow soon followed the mutant's brief recoil. Iron Fist. The blonde helped liberate Luke's remaining arm, though the aid stung a small part of his pride simply because he had wanted to prove that he could free himself.
"Thanks, Fist," the African-American said anyway.
"We fight as a team," Iron Fist replied. It was just one of the many times Luke felt like his best friend could read his mind.
"Yeah, you're right."
The duo charged in unison towards Six Arms, who kept one middle arm close to his body as it trembled. Iron Fist jumped into the air for a hammer fist attack while Luke took the low road. Together, the mutant was crushed into the street then pushed backwards several rolls. An indistinct angry chatter of—what Luke assumed to be—curses drifted on the wind like an ancient incantation. Yet it was Ava's voice that forced Luke to whirl.
"I don't even see Trickster!" she cried after Spider-Man's retreating form. Her vision remained set above while she stood in the open street that Luke just noticed had been cut several times from energy blasts.
Following her gaze, the dark-skinned teen spotted Nova bobbing in the air. He was acting strange, even for him. His lithe limbs would twitch at his sides and he would frequently jerk around as if expecting a monster to sneak up behind him. Then there was the muttering. And the increased intensity of his blue aura.
"So," said Iron Fist beside his friend, "that's where Trickster went."
"Damn, it's hard keeping track of them all," Luke added dryly.
And since Fate just loved reiterating such things, the Caulfield sister broadsided Ava from some place unknown. Iron Fist and Luke both took a step forward, but a death grip on their ankles landed them on their faces instead. It didn't sting, of course. Not Luke. When the African-American twisted to face Six Arms behind him, he noted that a gash ran across Danny's cheek and quickly countered with a right hook then an elbow into the one hand that held Iron Fist down. Once free, they gained a little distance that still kept them away from the energy beam meltdown of Nova.
Evidently, it wasn't far enough. The cries of Nova and some rambling from Spider-Man sounded far behind them. But despite that, the heated blasts still reached their feet. They dodged every one of them and as the blasts picked up concentration, a fit of panic eased into Luke's stomach.
He turned from Nova when Six Arms rose for another charge. Luke was able to redirect the mutant's massive force quite easily with a single move that collided Six Arm's body with Smokescreen. His small triumph held little potency, though; as the cries of Nova had grown more stressed and two additional screams entered the fray.
Luke spotted them all too late—a woman pinned in some concrete rubble, an attentive man by her side. They couldn't move from their spot beside a restaurant entrance, not with Nova's energy dancing around them dangerously and the amount of debris that covered the woman's lower half. Of course, Luke had to glance at the restaurant sign above them, too—the one Nova on multiple occasions missed with Spider-Man 'redirecting' his aim from the ground.
The hero could clearly see what would happen; he wouldn't allow that to play through. Not even Iron Fist's grunt from beside distracted him. The dark-skinned teen dashed forward with the intent of using his rock-solid body as a shield; they needed him more than Iron Fist did with Six Arms. When the expected sizzle of sliced metal reached his ears, his pace quickened like his heart rate. Already, he outstretched his toned arms, prepared to catch any heavy object that would descend on the couple.
Yet he had to come to a sudden stop, face-down into the wounded road. Leaper—the cowardly man—just had to cross now, didn't he? Luke cursed the Frenchman for having tripped him and again when he tried to recover and the nuisance only tripped him again. He growled deeply, lifting his upper body with his arms while more sizzling sunk his heart.
Creak. His head jerked up suddenly and his wide eyes witnessed the large, metal sign slip from its supports.
"Nova, stop!"
But it was too late.
Author's Notes: I don't think Luke approves of endangered citizens. Sorry, Luke. I leave you with a cliffie. Don't forget to review! :D