I decided that separating the Spider-sense prompts from Kumo's thought processes would make my writing more intelligible. Spider-sense prompts now read like this:
[A giant blade]
as opposed to this:
A giant blade
Anyway, Enjoy.
Chapter 9
With a final punch I burst though the last of the floor and landed in an empty warehouse. My fingers ached from all the scraping, pulling and bashing I'd had to do to get through the "floor". Even so I felt a certain satisfaction in being in a space that was not hostile anymore. It had taken me a while to break out but no one was sent after me. No one appeared to be in the warehouse either.
I quickly found one of the doors and kicked it down in an effort to give my hands a break. The feel of fresh air on my sweaty skin was simply amazing. I breathed in deep even as I moved toward the street. I needed to figure out where I was. It was night and all the buildings had their exterior lights on. I didn't recognize the street signs so I considered looking for the subway instead.
I took a moment to look at myself. My clothes were scanty. What had once been jeans and a shirt were now little more than rags that barely qualified as underwear. I'd torn off some of my shirt to protect my hands too. I was essentially half-naked and looking like I had just been run over by a truck. I was sure to draw attention.
Isn't that what I want?
I paused, considering the thought.
No, I decided.
The Kingpin had crooked cops working for him. Best not to involve the police blindly. Sure I could slap regular people around really easily, but I'd been through a lot. I was injured and tired. I didn't trust myself at the moment. I began to walk, grateful that no one seemed to be around this part of town, for whatever reason. It was probably why those bee people had picked this warehouse to be the exit for one of their lifts.
It didn't take long for me to realize that the warehouse was close to the water, across which I could see Manhattan.
Finally! A point of reference!
I looked left, then right before concluding, Ok, I'm in Brooklyn.
I'd never really been to Brooklyn. Didn't know the streets or the bus stops or the subway locations. But I did know what direction Queens was in from Brooklyn and I did know Queens. I oriented myself that way and began to run. Home was only a matter of time.
xXx
I wasn't sure what time it was when I finally got home but it was well into the morning by then. Both Candy and Amy were out. I climbed up the back and forced my way into my old apartment through the window. There I showered and used a hand towel to dry off, grateful that I didn't clean out absolutely everything when I'd had to go and share a room with Candy.
But I didn't have any clothes…
I glanced at the rags I had worn up till now and cringed in disgust at the thought of putting them on again. Instead I grabbed a bed sheet from one of my cupboards and wrapped that around me like a toga. Comfortably covered once more, my mind turned to the question of how to proceed. Did I just wait for Amy and Candy to come home?
I wasn't sure I could handle all the fuss that would make. I still wanted to check on Dad too, see if he was alright. I frowned as a thought occurred to me. If I stayed home, would I be able to continue… no that wasn't quite right. The real issue here was that nothing stopped the Kingpin and others like him from attacking us over and over again. In light of that, my coming home meant nothing.
Should I really be here right now?
Right now I had no obligations. No one knew where I was. This was a golden opportunity to do things I might not ordinarily be able to do. School work would still be suspended or otherwise adjusted for me because my absence was due to circumstances not under my control. I currently did not have to answer to anyone and there were so many things that needed doing… needed settling.
I made my decision and stood up.
xXx
Getting my suit on had been nerve-wracking. I had to be extremely careful not to leave any traces that Amy or Candy could detect. I'd liberated some underwear, worn the costume and taken some of my own pocket money to buy food with. I was very hungry. Some map reading and free-running later I was in Manhattan where I found a street vendor to buy a bunch of hotdogs from.
From there it was a straight shot to Fisk Tower. I didn't bother trying to infiltrate from within. I just ran up the walls from the outside until I was at the tippy top. There, completely unaware of me was a certain fat man. Well, until he noticed my shadow and turned around. I couldn't read his expression, if that was disdain, recognition or something else entirely.
I remembered that Fisk's windows were reinforced and wondered if I could smash my way in regardless. Fisk walked up to the window and stared at me.
This was a stupid idea.
Skyscraper windows didn't usually open. Sure this was faster, but now I couldn't talk to him. We were just staring at each other and the Kingpin did not look the slightest bit intimidated by me. This was getting me nowhere. I pointed at him, emphasizing that he was the one I was looking for. Then I climbed up the roof hoping there would be a point of entry from there. I caught his scoff all the same.
The roof of Fisk tower featured a helipad, which was good news. Meant that there was indeed a way down. I tried the doors of the various 'houses' noting one that indicated stairs. I opened it and walked my way down. In a short while I was in Fisk's lobby. The secretary was manning her desk and spoke up, "Mr. Fisk has no appointments at this time- hey!"
I shoved the doors open and walked into his office. Fisk had returned to his seat. He watched me stalk up to him, using one hand to dismiss his secretary behind me.
"Fisk," I said flatly.
He just stared at me. "Who are you?"
"Kumo."
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"
It was tempting to take him on, smack him around and give him a beating. He was just a fat man, there was no way he could stand up to me. But I needed information.
"The Utsugi," I said, watching how his gaze seemed to sharpen ever so slightly. "Who else is after it?"
Fisk seemed to mull over my statement for a moment. How much of that was an act I couldn't tell.
"Who else?" he said, as if tasting the question. "That would depend on who you think is already after this item you speak of."
So he was choosing to play games with me.
"You."
"Interesting. I don't remember sharing any information of this kind with you." He leaned forward in his seat, looming over me despite the fact that he was seated. "In fact, I don't think I know you at all."
I'm the girl whose father you tortured in front of her.
I held my tongue though. It wouldn't do to lose sight of things now. Crying and getting angry didn't fix things. People just looked down on you more. Started treating you like glass. In my case, a particularly unappealing type of glass. The only positive attention I got outside of my father and Uncle Jerry's family were horny boys and that hardly counted as positive attention.
"I'm around," I answered, grateful that he couldn't see my face through the mask. "I know you want it. I want to know who else does."
"How would that information benefit you?" Fisk asked.
"Why is that your business?"
Fisk snorted. "Perhaps not my business specifically, but I do know how business works."
I frowned. He was speaking so… roundabout. It was infuriating. But I got it. He wanted something for something.
"What do you want?" I asked, cursing at him silently in my head.
"Many things," Fisk answered. "Sometimes I have competition for certain things, but you're hardly in the position to deal with the kinds of problems I have."
"I think I am," I answered. "After all, I'm here."
"Perhaps. I still don't know your motives."
He wasn't going to let that drop. Alright.
"Let's just say Mr. Arthur has some friends of his own who don't like how your types have been playing with him," I said. "Friends similar to those you run with."
Fisk smirked. "Somehow I doubt that. Otherwise he would have called them in far earlier. I was certain he had only the one friend. If he had such friends I don't think he would've spent as much money on certain individuals as he did."
It sounded like he was referencing Uncle Jerry and the people Dad had hired.
"We may be small, but the one you speak of is far from the pinnacle of what we can do."
Fisk considered my words despite the unimpressed look on his face.
He sized me up for a while before saying, "I hope for your sake that you can live up to your own propaganda."
Propaganda? Oh, I'll show you propaganda you walking beach ball.
My fists curled in anticipation. Once I had the information there was nothing stopping me from decking the man right here.
"My associates will discuss the details with you. Prove you're as effective as you say you are and there'll be more for you."
I felt hot rage flare up but I held back. This is about protecting us, not hurting him.
I glared at the fat man, thankful that the mask hid my expression and livid that it hid my expression at the same time.
Hurting him can come later, I promised myself.
"I don't expect any hold outs," I told him. "You will give me all of them."
Fisk wasn't listening. He was writing something down. He looked back up, tore the paper free and flicked it at me. It didn't reach me and hit the floor. I had to walk closer and pick it up. I couldn't shake the feeling that he'd done that deliberately to make me bend my head to him.
"That contains the details of your meeting. You may leave."
I seethed and made to leave when I realized I had been so distracted that I hadn't actually done anything about Fisk himself.
"Fisk."
He'd already gone back to whatever he was doing and he looked up, irritated.
"You're to stop going after John's family too," I said flatly. "It is not negotiable."
He seemed to measure me up again before he sneered. "Your presumption is amusing enough that I'll humor you."
That couldn't be it. No. There was some other reason he was backing down, even if I couldn't see what it was. Nevertheless.
"Cross me and things will get less amusing really fast," I told him. "I promise you that."
I didn't wait to hear what else he had to say. I didn't care.
xXx
The meeting place was a short distance from Fisk Tower, on one of the rooftops of the shorter buildings on 38th street. I bustled around town, practicing my free-running and shadow boxing until the specified time. That was how I found myself hanging off a wall observing a rooftop for any signs of ambush around 8pm.
Instead, there was only Lady Bullshit in her weird bodysuit. I landed in front of her and resisted the urge to toss out insults. It was important that they didn't realize Kumo was Alex. I remembered her little barb when we first met, about me not understanding Japanese. A little voice alteration, the muffle effect of the mask and a language change had me sounding very different than when she first met me.
"Are you the one supposed to meet me?" I asked.
She blinked, taken aback. "Yes."
"Your name?"
"Bullseye." Answered in perfect Engrish.
I grinned and said, "Your Japanese is good, for a Halfling."
She frowned, sensing the disrespect but unable to pin it within the complement. So polite was the nature of the language.
"Let us proceed to business," she said.
Oh look who's unfamiliar with the language. Avoiding the statement entirely huh?
Outwardly, I smiled, though she could not see it. "Of course. Who are the targets?"
She handed me a folder. I took it, opened it and checked the contents. They were sheets of paper listing locations, times and factions.
"This is a comprehensive list of all those we know who are currently targeting Yukino Arthur's business assets," the woman said.
I glared up at her. "I only care about one asset."
"We are well aware," came the reply. "It is the only asset worth targeting. All other acquisitions are for the sake of acquiring that one asset, I assure you."
I glanced through the list again. "A lot of these are petty gangs…"
"Corporate warfare does not only take place in boardrooms," she said frowning ever so slightly. "The gangs and the mercenaries are the fingers by which a business may physically strong arm another."
That made sense actually… still.
"This strikes me as only a temporary solution," I said, looking up from the sheet. "I expected better."
Lady Bullseye smirked. "You must be new. Toppling organizations is hardly so straightforward. Someone else will take the reigns and keep working to further the organizations goals."
Crap, she's on to me. Back track.
"Hmmm," I sniffed. "I am unused to indirect confrontation. You're telling me there is no way to put a stop to the attacks?"
Lady Bullseye nodded. "Exactly. The operations you've been given as targets will destroy or cripple all active attempts at targeting the Arthur family."
"I need better."
"It doesn't get any better than this."
I stared at her. She stared back.
I didn't believe that. No way. In a world where nothing was free there was always a point where continuing an action was simply foolish, even if the intentions behind it were completely angelic. There was something that would make these people stop. Something so overwhelming for them, with odds so bad that they were far better off minding their business than going for Dad and me ever again.
But can I be that overwhelming? I'm pretty sure most of these are fronts for something more dangerous…
If I did this with a hidden identity, if I did this as Kumo, all I was doing was temporarily diverting their attention. On the other hand, if I made it clear that this was on Dad's behalf I may discourage the weaklings but I might end up painting a bigger target on his back. Some would want revenge, even though they were the aggressors in the first place.
Fisk had to have known this. That me choosing to step in would be a full time job. That I didn't have any way to really fix the issue. I stared at the list again. I was suddenly of the opinion that this list was largely composed of enemies the Kingpin wanted to cripple and distract moreso than it was those after whatever mum was doing.
Or it could be both.
I was being played from the very start.
No, wait.
Kidnapping Dad and me was only one way to try to get at whatever Mum had. The target was on Mum's back, Dad and I were just the means to get at Mum. So the trick then, was not to destroy all their operations, it wasn't announcing myself either. It was to make targeting Dad and me so expensive that it was better to try other things.
But how to do that with this information.
Hadn't Spider-woman tried that already? Was she even still doing it? Didn't super-heroes in general already contribute to that? And they still had gathered enough breathing room to come after Dad and me. Which meant…
I racked my brains.
Which meant… unless I was specifically thwarting every kidnap attempt I wouldn't really be doing anything to protect Dad and I that wasn't already being done. I would just be another hand, pitching in to fight New York's organized crime. If the Kingpin wasn't lying, this would neutralize all active attempts at getting to Dad and me. From there…
"Is our business concluded?" Lady Bullseye asked, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She knew. She knew from the beginning.
I wanted to snap and knock her senseless right there and then. Instead I said, "It is."
She nodded, turned and left. I wanted to scream. I held it in, to make sure she had nothing to report back to the Kingpin with.
I glanced through the list.
There were other people I could vent on right now.
xXx
Sometime after school, Miles sat at a small café with Gwen, watching her swipe through her phone. She'd been like that since Alexandra went missing. Miles tried not to think about how long it had been since that happened. He didn't want to lose hope. Gwen was bad enough. There were bags under her eyes suggesting that she hadn't been sleeping. Seeing this level of investment from the girl who had made it a point to keep people away from her was… good, but also bad. Good because Gwen was showing interest in people outside of just being a hero, bad because well…
"Gwen, you're not eating…"
She glanced up from the phone. Her hood flopped away from her head, revealing messy blonde hair.
Or trying to keep neat for that matter, Miles couldn't help noting.
"I remember you've got to eat a lot more than you used to," Miles said, "Come on." He nudged her.
She begrudgingly turned her attention to the croissants and coffee in front of her. She bit and chewed lethargically.
The two sat in silence for a while before Miles broke the silence. "I still haven't found any trace of her. No one seems to know anything."
Gwen sighed. "Me neither."
"Been asking my Dad if he knows anything," Miles continued, determined not to let her brood. "He doesn't have anything either."
"I think we need a new plan. Something more direct," Gwen said.
Miles blinked. "You mean bust in on Fisk?"
She nodded. "She was in his building last. He's back in town last I swung by the tower."
Miles hesitated. "Are you sure about this? Fisk is the last person we want to tip off."
"Tip off that what?"
"That we're still looking. If he does have her, he's bound to just lie and then upgrade his security or hide her somewhere."
"It's been weeks now Miles…"
She looked frustrated. Miles had the sneaking suspicion that this wasn't just about Alexandra. But Gwen had a point. They were getting nowhere. It was time to put up or shut up.
"I got one more lead," he offered. "If it doesn't follow through we can bust in Fisk's office and hang him out the window or something."
He was slightly concerned when Gwen did not acknowledge his exaggeration.
"What lead do you have?"
Miles breathed deep. "So Dad told me that the past few days there've been some new busts. Citizens call in about gunshots and screaming. The cops show up and bam, there's just a bunch of thugs lying senseless on the ground."
Gwen frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Three nights, multiple busts all across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Every survivor says it was a ninja spider that took them out. The only one currently using ninja in New York is Fisk."
Gwen looked skeptical. "That we know of."
Miles nodded. He wouldn't begrudge her that. "Yeah, except nearly every single gang taken out had connections to businesses Fisk was in competition with for something or other. Most were into drug and weapons trade besides that. When Pete was looking into it, he said that Germa was attracting an unusual amount of attention from criminals and corporations alike. I think whoever this is knows something."
Gwen seemed like she was about to argue and then stopped, muttering, "Ninja Spider…"
Miles raised his eyebrows. "That mean something to-"
Gwen shot to her feet. "It's Kumo!"
xXx
Peter landed on the roof of a nearby warehouse and observed the location quietly. It had taken a lot of digging to find these guys. So much so that he'd had to let Miles and Gwen handle their Kingpin investigation on their own, for the most part. Here, hopefully, he could find out just what the criminal world found so interesting about a recently expanding cleaning company.
It was night time now and, down below, the various thugs did not notice him. New York never slept but its streets weren't always bustling. Most people would be in clubs and bars by now, the homeless, already resting in the subways. Certain streets were thus, much less crowded, as a result. The docks in particular tended to be less active at night. And these guys were getting ready to move out. That was his cue.
Peter flipped into the air and landed among them. "Hiya, gents!"
"It's Spider-man!"
There was gunfire shortly afterward. He dodged them all easily, bouncing all around them and landing punches and kicks as he went.
"You mind sharing what all these guns are for?"
"Get him!"
A man tried to jump Peter. He simply leaped straight up and smacked his attacker into the ground with a slap to his back. Peter landed on him, then promptly flipped out of the way of another gunshot.
"And you've got a whole van ready?" Peter asked. "Whuss da cargo?"
The second half was a dull mockery of the way the thugs in question spoke and they responded by upping their offense. Shooting more bullets at him, until he decided enough was enough and wrenched the guns out of their hands with a few web lines. Peter couldn't help noting how many of them were armed to the teeth.
There was an operation going on for sure but no one was talking. Normally a thug or two would share a wisecrack of their own. They were never this quiet. Nerves?
Peter saved the last thug from unconsciousness, choosing to web him to the ground instead.
Peter crouched down next to him. "Alright chuckles, it's just you and me on this date. What were all the pea shooters for?"
The thug raised his chin, a mannerism Peter had come to associate with stubbornness.
"Ah there it is," Peter said.
"I won't talk and you can't make me."
"I won't talk and you can't make me."
The thug blinked in surprise that they had spoken at the same time.
Pete kept going. "See? See how regularly I deal with your type? Save us both some trouble. You can even lie that Spider-man forced you, even if I am strictly consensual. I can make an exception just for you."
The man continued to stare in confusion.
Peter paused. "Alright, that one kind of took a dark turn. Let's just keep it simple, yeah? What were all the guns for?"
"A raid," the thug answered. "We was doing a raid."
Pete cocked his head. "Oho, juicy. On who?"
"Big company."
"Is it Germa?"
The thug nodded.
"Bingo. What were you guys hoping to steal?"
"Dunno."
It was Pete's turn to be confused. "…What?"
"I dunno. We just supposed to provide back up to the main man."
"Main Man?"
"Some dude supposed to be good with locks. Any kind of lock."
"Where's he then?"
"We were supposed to join up a few streets away."
Pete swung away. "Sit tight, Pedro. The cops'll be by for you soon."
"…My name's not Pedro though…"
xXx
John Arthur lay back in his hospital bed, tired. He'd been in here for at least two weeks since the events of Fisk Tower and there was still something wrong with him. He'd woken up from what appeared to be a short coma, they'd done some tests only to find that his motor control was completely shot. He couldn't move right. His limbs would rather twitch uncontrollably than move the way he wanted them to and so he'd remained here since.
His little girl was out there somewhere and he was stuck in here. Jerry was still down and couldn't search for her. John wasn't sure he could even ask him to search for her after what the man likely had to do to keep her safe. He could tell what time of day it was because his hospital room had a nice window showing him the outside. It was evening.
He'd seen the news about the ninja spider. He knew what she was doing and he knew it would not end well. But he couldn't reach her from here and it ate at him, gnawing at his thoughts and preventing him from sleeping.
John shifted in his bed and suppressed a growl of frustration when his leg went the other way instead.
xXx
This is the last one.
I dove off the side of the building aiming for the white van full of armed men. I crashed into it feet first, knocking it off its wheels. It crashed onto its side and slid all the way up on the sidewalk as pedestrians ran screaming. I landed on my feet and walked up to the fallen vehicle doing my best to ignore them. Before I could get too close the exposed side of the van exploded and a man in yellow climbed out of it. He growled and looked around, his gaze eventually settling on me.
"And who are you?" he demanded.
"Kumo," I responded.
"You got guts attacking us like you just did," he said, banging his fists together.
There was a distinct sizzling noise that I didn't like when he did that. He was wearing strange metal gloves. His entire outfit looked like it was knitted on, a body suit of yellow and brown. Ew. His head was covered by a mask, a cowl? I had no idea what it was called.
As he spoke others crawled out of the car. The driver and two other men. They were shaken, but not visibly injured. Except for the driver. He had a broken nose.
I tensed. This man wasn't included in the info the Kingpin gave me. In all honesty, the list I'd been given was just a list of targets and times to expect them. Even so, I'd never encountered anyone quite like this. It was usually just grunts and other basic worker types.
"You ain't gonna say anything?" the man said. "You just messed up a big job for me."
"How unfortunate," I replied.
He seemed taken aback for a second but then his eyes narrowed. "I'm gonna take you down as a consolation prize."
He aimed a fist at me. My senses flared a warning. I flipped through the air just as the ground where I'd been standing exploded. I stayed moving, circling around as he fired more shockwaves at me. I passed by a manhole and stomped the cover into my hands, then hurled it at him one-handed. He blasted it to smithereens, but I was right behind it and punched him clean off the van he was standing on.
And that's game-
A sharp pain in my head signaled danger. [Shockwaves travelling through the air-]
I flipped upward just as he blew a hole in the building behind me. I landed on the wall of said building staring in shock.
The man stood up and snapped. "You're gonna regret that."
I punched him and he was still standing. How was he still standing?
"You," I said. "Are you human?"
"Oh that's rich coming from you!" He aimed at me again.
I flipped off the wall as he shot another wave. I landed behind him. He turned to aim again but I slapped his hand away, he brought his other hand around and I slapped that downward, driving two punches into his solar plexus and his jaw. He swung at me, I swatted his hand aside and swiped his lead foot off the ground with a low kick. He stumbled backward and I followed him, landing more blows, not giving him the opportunity to raise his hands again. I drove him through the hole he'd made, smacking him across what seemed to be a coffee shop.
I was mid-punch when his entire body exploded in some kind of shockwave and I was launched right back outside. I hit the van hard enough to cave it in. I arched my back as pain surged down my spine. I was still coherent enough to see him walk out of hole like he hadn't just taken a beating.
This guy… he's just eating everything I can dish out…
"You're annoying I'll give you that," the man said as he drew closer. "Who are you, huh? There a new spider I don't know about? Another goody two-shoes? Or did Germa hire you?"
He stopped and looked at me carefully. "You fit the description. You're the one who's been eliminating all the competition." He crouched down next to me. "Tell me, what's in it for you?"
"Peace of mind." I flipped upwards, smacking him in the jaw with one foot on my way up. He sprawled backwards while I landed on the van.
"Since you're feeling so chatty," I said. "You tell me. What's someone like you doing trying to target Germa?"
The man stood up and aimed at me. I flipped off the car to avoid his next shot.
"Oh you know. I do break-ins. Sometimes people hire me to do break-in's for them."
"Who?"
Another shot fired. "That's business."
I was reluctant to get close to him, lest I get launched into something again.
"What were you trying to steal?"
"That's business too- stay still!"
"No."
I noticed that even though he could take my punches, he couldn't actually keep up with me in terms of speed or agility. He couldn't land a single hit. No matter how cleverly he tried to place his shots, he could only aim so many directions. The main threats were those gauntlets he was wearing. I considered pushing him, to prod for weaknesses.
I kept darting all around him, bouncing off the walls, trying to stay out of his way.
"Tch! This is getting nowhere!" He ran and then dove into the open manhole.
I made my way to the edge of it and looked down. "Ew…"
I was not going to follow him down there. I looked around at the scene once more. In the distance I could hear sirens. It was time to leave. I jumped onto one of the taller buildings and ran up its length. I flipped over the side and onto the rooftop, leaving the wrecked van somewhere far beneath me.
Up here, I could be alone.
"Hey there!"
Or not.