Chapter 17: Preparing for War
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel Characters or logos.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Steve Rogers replied as he extended a hand.
Wolverine squared up to his old war buddy and they slapped their hands together, shaking with equally firm grips as they greeted each other for the first time in years. "Good to see you again, captain..."
The two war buddies parted ways as they stood across from each other, neither man saying anything for several seconds. In that moment, the mutant realized that his old friend hadn't changed in over fifty years of frozen preservation, looking just as he had remembered the day they had parted ways. Of course he had seen the American hero a year ago trapped in a type of preservation chamber, having been placed into suspended animation while the researchers at SHIELD had searched for a cure to his condition. When used on humans, the super soldier formula from Project Rebirth gave them physical abilities exceeding even those of Olympic-class athletes, but for all of the benefits the process was flawed.
Those who had undergone the process were rendered with a condition that slowly killed the subject, corroding their bodies like a virus from the inside, yet here he was standing up and appearing completely healthy. Logan quickly shook off the strange feeling of nostalgia as he wondered why the captain was still alive, silently turning to their host for the answer. The government director seemed to sense the tension in the room and quickly broke it by addressing the situation himself, although he did so hesitatingly at first.
"I assume you're wondering how exactly the captain was brought back?" Fury stepped between the two heroes with a lighter demeanor before turning to face their visitor with a shadow of a smile. "While the specific information surrounding how this happened is classified, our scientists finally managed to produce a cure for his condition."
Captain America nodded in agreement. "I was quite surprised when Fury told me what had happened in over sixty years, and even more surprised to learn that you were still an active hero in our society. Some of the stories he told me were quite entertaining, and at first I had trouble believing even half of them."
Wolverine faced his fellow veteran with a more serious expression, although he didn't seem angry. "You remember our time serving together in World War II? Both of use promised to fight for our own sense of justice, and ever since then I've been fighting the good fight just like we always said."
"To me it seems like just yesterday that I lost saw you, but knowing how long I was trapped in stasis it is still surprising to see that you haven't changed a bit after all this time…" the patriotic hero replied with an unusually cheerful expression.
"Well look who's talking." The Weapon X mutant replied with gruff sense of sarcasm. He released his claws with a small growl, eliciting a surprised gasp out of his old friend for a moment before retracting them into his fist. "I may not have aged that much, but you can see that I've undergone some major changes on the inside, if you know what I mean?"
"I was unaware..." the super soldier replied with a nervous expression, as if he were not entirely certain what to think of this development. He glanced over at their host before turning back to the mutant. "Fury never mentioned exactly what happened you when I asked him, although I would guess that it may not be the best time for me to bring this up."
"Wolverine wore a sharp expression as if he had just smelled something unpleasant, but he seemed to shrug the whole thing off. "I could always give you an explanation, but the incident after World War II that gave me those claws isn't exactly something I prefer to discuss on a regular basis. Some things are best left buried once you let them go."
Captain American seemed to understand and responded with a small frown. "Considering that you were always such a brave soldier on the battlefield, it must have been a terrible situation." He paused for a moment as if waiting for the moment to pass.
His old friend seemed to let the topic slide for now. "Anyway, I'm wondering what kind of stuff you've been going through since they brought you out of the deep freeze. Years ago I figured that you would head home after the war and try to live a normal life, but seeing you now I can only assume that your life as a hero has just begun."
The American hero placed his shield on the table and relaxed a little, taking a seat in a small wooden chair. "That's true…" he began with a less confident expression. "We saw countless atrocities on the battlefield, and afterwards I had always intended to make a new life for myself outside of the army."
"You chose to continue as a soldier." Nick Fury replied with a slightly defensive look.
"When I was told how much time had passed, I wasn't certain if I could live in this society. Even though it was the world we had fought so hard to preserve. Needless to say that my time in suspended animation made me feel like a relic of a past that most people had long forgotten." Steve Rogers added with a frown.
"I get it… It must really be tough to wake up in an era that you don't feel like you belong in." Wolverine sighed wearily as he considered the notion. "Still, I'm wondering what exactly does this mean for you now and how exactly you plan to do now."
This time it was Sergeant Nick Fury who answered, his gaze shifting to Logan instead. "Due to his unfortunate circumstances, the captain is now an active agent of my organization. He has agreed to continue as a hero and keep our world safe from criminals while serving under the banner of SHIELD."
Wolverine was unsurprised by this piece of news, although he didn't seem either pleased or bothered by this development. Of course he had expected this to be the case from the fact that the American super soldier was here to begin with, and Fury had practically confirmed it by saying that the latter was still a soldier. Over the years, the feral mutant had shown signs of dislike for any type of authority, including Fury's group, but he respected the fact that his old friend had agreed to serve them even if he himself had never officially joined SHIELD. Since he occasionally went on missions for them, he couldn't properly criticize their members even if he wanted to.
After a few moments of silence, Logan reacted with a sense of indifference. "Glad to see you found a way to continue serving." He replied with a rough but genuine smile. "You keep standing up for what you believe like I did all these years, and I'll consider that old promise of ours fulfilled."
Losing so much time had felt strange, but now seeing someone he remembered from his old days as an allied soldier, Steve Rogers felt a little more comfortable than before. Having known his new superior as Sergeant Nick Fury years ago, the heroic patriot had at least two people around from the old days. It was also interesting to note that his old war buddy hadn't changed much either, most likely due to his own superpowers. Thinking back, the captain remembered how many hits Logan took during the war on the battlefield, and how many times he had popped back up moments later and kept fighting. It was actually one of the reasons why they had been partners on the battlefield, because both men possessed abilities far beyond that of ordinary humans.
"Thank you, old friend…" Captain American stood up with a similar expression, a look of renewed confidence masking his previous confusion.
"Just call me Wolverine now…" the animalistic mutant replied with a casual hand gesture. Noticing his friend's expression, he quickly continued. "Those claws you saw shooting out of my hands inspired this new alias, although you probably would have guessed this yourself if I had given you the chance."
At this point, Nick Fury stepped between them in order to draw attention back onto himself, looking noticeably serious. "The two of you can catch up later, but the real reason we had you both come here tonight is because I have a mission that only Logan can do." His gaze wandered expectantly towards the feral man.
"If you need a favor, we're all busy back at the institute dealing with our own problems right now." the Weapon X mutant interjected bluntly, folding his arms with a stubborn sneer. "I don't have time to deal with your issues, especially since you've got the captain on your side now. Speaking from our experiences during World War II, I can safely say that he's more than capable of whatever you need me to do."
Captain America stepped forward, exchanging a glance with Logan facing his superior. "If Logan can't handle this situation due to his own obligations, then I will glad take on this mission in his stead." He volunteered with a salute.
"At ease…" Fury replied with a look of interest, raising his hand to silence them. He took a short pause to breathe before addressing them again, this time in a more serious tone. "I think you may have misunderstood me before, but Logan's talents are nearly essential to this mission."
"If there's one thing I hate, it's a man who can't just say what he needs to say without beating around the bush like some kind of coward… Why don't you try and explain this from the beginning, and this time you should try filling in the details." Wolverine added with a noticeable grimace.
The small gathering fell silent for a moment as Fury crossed the room, his footsteps echoing against the dark floor as he turned on one of the monitors in the back of the room. He retrieved a small remote from the nearby table and used it to increase the brightness of the might above their heads, making the room noticeably less depressing as the room came into full focus for the first time that meeting. Logan glanced around and noticed that the small room seemed to have been made for mission briefings, even noticing the sound absorbers on the wall which prevented those outside the room from hearing what was being discussed within.
A large monitor took up almost the entire back wall of the room, except for a small space where Fury was operating the computer terminal. Their host quickly brought up what appeared to be a series of virtual files, although he had to type in a few passwords to gain access to the actual information contained within. They were digitally locked to prevent outsiders or spies from gaining unauthorized access, an even if they stole the information, the encrypted format would probably cause them further trouble. Of course, people rarely managed to steal anything from SHIELD, with the possible exception of HYDRA and a few others, but such thefts of information were few and far between.
Wolverine seated himself at the table, and quickly grew impatient, his impassive expression deepening to form that trademark scowl that he usually wore. "What's taking so long?" he asked with the subtlety of a charging bull.
His old friend gave him a rather disapproving expression, but he knew it was just part of his behavior. Although he noticed that Wolverine's scowl had become even more common a sight than when they were soldiers, the patriotic hero guessed that whatever happened to him after the war ended might have had some bearing on this new trait. Of course the feral mutant had always been the aggressive type, but he seemed a little bit more on edge than the friend he remembered. The captain made a note in the back of his mind to ask him about this later, just as their host brought the missions information up on the screen.
"All right then, before I begin there is something important for you to remember" Nick Fury began, gesturing towards the monitor as a photo of a strange man appeared. "Burn this face into your memories, because he is the main objective of this mission."
Captain America looked at the picture as he tried to memorize details, but was pleasantly stumped as he realized that the man in question seemed to have very strange characteristics in addition to his overall bizarre physical appearance. The person in the photograph was a man with a slightly muscular build and a ghostly pale complexion, his face nearly expressionless and completely hairless as if someone had carved a vague sculpture of a human head without adding any major details. His eyes were a strange yellow color, and his nose flat almost of the point that it wasn't visible, while his mouth looked like a small line. Overall his facial features were odd and mask-like, but his style of dress included a blue jumpsuit and red belt.
"What the hell is he supposed to be?" the thorny mutant questioned, quietly resting his elbow against the table and leaning on his hand. "His face looks like something that a little kid would draw on top of a stick figure."
Once again, Steve Rogers seemed to agree with his war buddy. "He does have a rather strange appearance, although I still fail to say why both of us are needed to capture this man."
"I was getting to that…" Nick Fury replied with an apprehensive look, his eye patch slightly diminishing the affect.
He pressed the button on the remote in his hand, causing another file to open on the screen. This once showed a picture of the man from the previous page, only this time there was a profile on him displaying basic information and a short paragraph outlining a description of his past and recent actions. While Logan didn't outwardly recognize any of the information, he had a faint inkling that the man on the screen had been on television at some point for criminal activities. The two heroes took a moment to read a little bit but were quickly interrupted as Fury addressed them again.
"This is the Chameleon, an extremely deadly villain who specializes in the art of espionage and assassination." The SHIELD director began in a stiff no-nonsense tone. "Although his physical appearance may indicate that he would be easy to locate, his abilities make him a difficult to find and capture."
Wolverine snorted rather loudly in response to this assertion. "Which is no doubt the reason why you need me to find him for you?"
"What exactly does he do that makes him so dangerous?" the American super soldier questioned.
Nick Fury gave him a small nod before answering. "This man is a criminal mastermind with the ability to change his appearance so that he can appear to be someone else entirely." He pressed the button on his remote, bringing up a close-up photograph of the red belt, revealing a metallic belt buckle. "This device on his belt allows him to use holographic technology to simulate the appearance of people he has seen. He has also been known to create elaborate costumes to produce the same affect when not using the belt."
"So in short, this guy's an idiot who blends in with crowds, gets close to his targets, and then finishes them off when their guard is down." Logan summed it up quickly. "He sounds more like a coward to me, hiding behind other people's faces like that."
The SHIELD director shook his head and brought up another page, this one with mostly text and facts about the criminal. "The Chameleon is also a master martial artist, a skilled marksman, and has avoided capture by our best agents so far. I suggest you not underestimate what a tricky opponent he can be, especially since we want him captured alive."
"If this jerk is really as much of a pain in the ass as you keep implying, then why not just kill him and be done with him?" Logan replied with a pitiless expression.
"Because he has worked for several of our enemies and likewise he may have information about them that we can use in the future." Fury answered in a resolute manner. "I would send you alone, but capturing such an important target alive will take patience, and since your abilities are more specialized towards killing, I am sending Captain America with you to handle the capture."
Wolverine sat back in his seat with a grumpy expression as he mulled over the information. "Wait a minute!" be replied with a more aggressive expression, his tone becoming low and dangerous. "You mean you guys are just using me for my advanced senses as a tracking dog because you think I won't bring him in alive."
Nick Fury shot him a challenging look. "We can't take the risk that he might not be in one piece when you're though with him, and we also think it would be a good idea if the captain goes on this first mission with someone he knows who can act as a guide. He's been out of society for several decades, and I think it wise that you go with him."
"All right, fine!" Logan glanced over at his old friend. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice either way."
"I am sorry if you find this a burden, but I require your help to optimize our chances of success this time." Captain America added with a confident expression. "It'll be just like old times, fighting together to stop our enemies."
"Could be interesting…" the feral mutant answered as he folded his arms and gestured with a casual shrug.
Their host pressed the button on his remote, revealing an image of a United States map with a single glowing location. Pressing the button two more time, he caused the screen to zoom in like a camera, showing them a closer look at the map with each click. Judging by the position of the image on the map as well as an overhead of view of familiar landmarks, it was clear that the city in the picture was New York, more precisely the area comprising Manhattan. After waiting for the image to finishing loading, the government agent clicked his remote again, causing several locations to light up on the virtual map.
"These locations scattered around New York are places where our agents have seen the Chameleon, although they have all been warned not to approach him due to the fact that most of them would ever be able to capture him under normal circumstances." The agency director began tactfully. "This is where you both come in…"
Steve Rogers folded his hands over the top of his shield. "So, you want us to secretly enter the city and capture this man using Wolverine's abilities to find him."
"Precisely…" Fury replied with a curt nod. "I've already made the preparations for the two of you to head out immediately. All that you need to do is hand him over the local police department after you capture him. Once this happens, the local authorities will contact us, allowing my agents to move and take care of the rest."
"So, when do we leave?" Wolverine asked in a gruff tone.
The director crossed the room and headed for the exit, pushing it open with a small shove. Once he had stepped over the threshold, the agent of SHIELD faced them once more. "Follow me to the main deck… We have a small helicopter waiting for you there. Once we reach our station outside of New York, you will both travel by car to Manhattan and begin searching in the designated locations."
The two heroes stepped up and followed Fury for several minutes as they headed down the hallway, finding an unmarked helicopter stationed in the main room where Wolverine had entered in the taxi. After a few minutes of waiting, they were allowed to board the aircraft, and after several more moments, the platform rose through the hidden passage and took off into the skies above Bayville. Logan glanced through the window of the vehicle as he saw the institute in the distance and decided that he would call Charles once they reached New York.
He remembered that Scott and Jean were already there searching for clues on Magneto, and believed it might be a smart idea to let them know that he was also in the city. After all, it might not be such a bad idea to meet up with them once they had finished capturing the Chameleon who was obvious hiding out in the same general area. Since the team they had stationed there already had not found much, Logan planned to help them as soon as he was free to do so. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, but with recent events fresh in his mind, he was certain that HYDRA was up to something, and they had connections among the crime lords of New York.
In Manhattan
Magneto wandered the streets of Manhattan wearing his brown trench coat, attempting to appear as inconspicuous as possible as he slid through the crowds alongside Pyro. The sun was just about to set, and he had been walked for the last hour or so to find what he was searching for. As it turned out the object he had searched for had been purchased by a rich collector in New York, which ironically made things easier for him considering that he no longer had to leave the country in order to find it. The philanthropist who purchased the crystal from the German Museum was donating it along with an entire collection of rare artifacts to a private gallery belonging to someone else in town.
The magnetic mutant had spent the last hour or so checking out the gallery, silently plotting how he would enter come nightfall, and trying to pinpoint the artifact while dressed incognito so that the heist would go off without any problems. Last time they had been relatively careless, but after doing some research on the city's superheroes, he was trying to ensure that things wouldn't go sour on him again. The newspapers had even caught pictures of his flying orbs leaving the sight, and recent articles made him wonder if the X-Men were searching the city for signs of him. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, Magneto had his Acolytes branch off when they entered the city to avoid suspicion.
Shortly after the incident in his base, the master of magnetism ran another search on the internet and found out that the artifacts were going to be donated during a ceremony this afternoon and had quickly set off with his remaining Acolytes to maximize their success rate. While hiding out and waiting for the command, Mellancamp and Pyro were keeping a close eye on Senyaka for obvious reasons. Due to her non-offensive abilities, Scanner had remained in the base in case Sabertooth and Blink returned, while Mastermind had been forced to tag along in the case that he attempted to escape them. Magneto glanced at the smaller man, who was hurrying along behind him in an attempt to keep up with his master's longer strides.
As the two mutant moved to the front of the building, they quickly discovered that the crowd had already begun to form. Several news crews and reporters were waiting outside of the museum in mob form as bystanders also joined, mostly consisting of guests, seasonal tourists, and public officials who had felt obligated to be present for the dedication ceremony. Standing on the platform on the steps of the private gallery was a single man with short, slightly messy hair and a neatly trimmed facial hear. His hair was dark brown in color, and he wore an expensive-looking black suit with blue undershirt and red necktie.
Magneto eyed the mob carefully as he and Mastermind slipped into the crowd of people, silently blending in as they waited for the festivities to begin. The mutant terrorist surveyed the scene with a fixated glare, silently searching the area for familiar faces as they sat in wait. Standing in the front row was a brown-haired man in casual dress holding a camera, and standing beside him was an older gentleman wearing a blue suit and striped tie, with flat cut gray hair and a small mustache. The younger of the two was holding his camera in a professional manner, occasionally sparing a glance at his employer. Unbeknownst to the mutants, the younger of the two journalists was actually the same man who had taken the picture of his metallic orbs for the Daily Bugle, and the other man was his editor.
The newspaper photographer glanced over at the stage and took a few photos. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when you said I had a special assignment." He commented to his boss with a slightly bored expression.
"What's the matter Parker? Are you only good at taking pictures of freaks in costumes like that menace, Spider-Man?" J. Jonah Jameson answered nastily. "If you've got a problem with these assignments, then maybe I should start searching for another photographer who doesn't have these complaints."
Peter Parker rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward manner. "Sorry Mr. Jameson… I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that, I figured that with my credentials you would need me to cover more breaking stories."
"Shut up, they're about to start." The editor snapped loudly, causing a handful of people standing near them to move farther away.
The man standing on the platform raised a hand to silence the crowd as he stepped up to the podium, immediately forcing the group's attention onto himself. Once the noise had died down a little bit, he took the microphone and adjusted it with his hand, making sure that the device was positioned properly. He took a deep breath and smiled at the audience, waiting a moment for the media to flash some pictures before beginning his speech. The speaker hadn't written anything ahead of time, but this was a simple event that had been planned for months, and he was usually a decent public speaker. For some reason, his benefactor had called this morning, saying that he wanted to add one more artifact to the collection, while insisting that they make the opening event into a media affair.
"I hope you'll pardon me if I am not used to this type of assembly, although since my company produce mostly weapons I suppose this would only be natural. Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to announce the opening of a new history museum here in New York…" he began rather simply. "Formerly a private gallery belonging to my family, we have personally funded the construction of additional wings to transform this private collection into one of the biggest displays of ancient treasures available to public's eye. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to a man who personally donated a collection of his own artifacts to us, making the creation of this establishment possible. And now to help cut the ribbon, please welcome Wilson Fisk!"
The Kingpin stepped out of a limo parked to the left of the stage flanked by several men wearing dark suits and sunglasses, causing the crowd to part ways as the large man cut a path through the group and ascended the stairs leading onto the platform. He smiled benevolently at the public as he stepped onto the stage, giving them a casual wave as he shook the hand of the museum's founder. Once they had parted ways, the man stepped down and took a seat on one of the wooden chairs positioned further back on the stage, giving the spotlight to his supposed business partner as the much bigger gentleman stepped up to the center of the stage where the podium was stationed.
"Thank you very much for those warm words of welcome, Mr. Stark." the philanthropist replied with a bright smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes. "I am pleased to say that through our combined efforts, we are one the verge of opening one of the finest galleries in all of Manhattan, and in doing this perhaps we will also help to bring back a sense of class to our fair city. As stated by our illustrious founder, I have personally donated several items from my personal collections to this cause, including some various Far East artifacts from the dynasties of Asia, and a more recent purchase from a private gallery in Germany."
His business partner stood up and retrieved a comically giant pair of scissors, handing it to Wilson Fisk as they shook hands. The secret crime lord took the blade and positioned himself near the ribbon blocking the entrance to the gallery. From his place in the audience, Peter Parker flashed a few more pictures of the event, making certain to get some from different angles as he competed with several other photographers from different newspapers. Magneto watched with a look of interest as he slid through the crowd silently heading closer to the entry. While stealing anything now would probably cause a commotion, he planned to get a look at the building's layout and security system during the opening event, so that he would be able to move in and out at night without a hitch.
Tony Stark stepped back up to the podium and took the microphone. "Entry today will be free of admission for those of you who are attending this event. Without further delay, I hereby dedicate the Stark Foundation Museum of History to be officially open." The wealthy CEO glanced at his benefactor. "Mr. Fisk, if you would please do the honors…"
The Kingpin stepped up and snapped the ribbon with the scissors, allowing the small crowd to file into the museum. Most of the people present at the events were stockholders, paparazzi, and reporters, as well as museum critics and historians. They all seemed eager to see the collection of rare and exotic artifacts on display, although Magneto had other plans as he slipped through the crowd and entered the building. It was a spacious gallery with white walls and intricate carvings on several of the support pillars, with a sky light on the roof casting the sun's rays onto the ancient treasure trove below. Several of the items were protected by glass cases.
It only took him a moment to figure out how the security system worked, and even less time to locate the artifact he wanted. After observing the glass cases and noting the location of the security cameras, he searched for laser grid projectors, using his powers to sense the metallic systems inside the walls. As he returned to the case of ancient gemstone, Magneto quickly located the one he was searching for, as evidenced by the markings and the fact that it looked nearly identical to the one he already had in his possession.
Looking pleased with his discoveries, the master of magnetism reached into his pocket and compared the crystal he kept on his person with the one inside the glass to make certain that they were the same. He made certain to keep it clutched tightly in his hand so that others would not suspect him of being a thief, although ironically enough his future actions would soon be satisfying that particular notion quite well. The powerful mutant carefully placed the object back into his pocket before turning around, only to run into the person behind him and causing Mastermind to stumble backwards in alarm.
"Did you obtain the information you desired?" the shabby-looking man stood back up, casually dusting off his tattered coat.
Magneto had been so focused on his own endeavors that he had forgotten about the other mutant for the moment. He gave the ragged man a small nod before turning to leave, his eyes glittering maliciously behind the shadow of his hat. "I have the knowledge we came here for." He replied in a hushed whisper. "Come, we're leaving…"
The psychic mutant bowed his head respectfully as they headed out into the streets, looking much less tense then when they had entered. As the strange duo left the museum, they were noticed by another man who had been admiring the same artifact display mere moment before. The Daily Bugle's ace photographer had done his research on the first stolen artifact and found out that another was being donated to this museum and planned this trip accordingly. Having spent his free time as Spider-Man the past few years, he has developed a keen eye and worked to remember details, and as such he quickly found the case where the gemstone was being held.
Pressing down on his camera button, Peter Parker took a picture of the display case for himself to make sure that he had a reference for the future and took a minute to read the description of the artifact inscribed below. Relaxing his shoulders, the young photographer lowered his camera and considered the situation for himself. The two men that just left so sudden seemed interested in the artifacts, and both had given off a suspicious vibe that had been all the more noticeable thanks to his spider sense. As he made to follow them out of the museum, a hand reached from behind him and steered him in the opposite direction, the source being his boss.
"I'm not paying you just to stand around, boy! Go get some good shots of the two big dogs so we can blow this pop stand and get back to the Bugle!" J. Jonah Jameson scolded him in a loud angry manner, pointing towards their two hosts.
"You got it, Mr. Jameson…" the incognito superhero replied as he headed off to get a better angle for the photos.
As he approached them, not used to behind near the Kingpin without getting into a fight. Of course Wilson Fisk put on quite a convincing façade and was usually very polite and generous in public, although it rarely seemed genuine for those who actually knew what he really did behind the scenes. Of course the businessman was considered a hero to the public and likewise he was well-respected in the business world. To his surprise, the secret crime lord pulled Peter Parker out of the crowd and forcibly shook his hand, causing him to cringe slightly before telling himself that the villain had no idea that he was Spider-Man.
Wilson Fisk put on a false smile as he let go of the young man's hand. "Mr. Parker, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. You have my sincerest apologies for the time my rotten son framed you for his own crimes and almost got you arrested… I honestly had no idea he was such an awful criminal." He lied with a seemingly genuine expression.
Although the photographer knew that his host was lying, he could risk getting the Kingpin suspicious and played along. Since his spider sense wasn't acting up, it was obvious that the crime lord didn't suspect anything either. "Of course Mr. Fisk… I really can't blame you for something your son did." He replied through gritted teeth.
"This is after all the second time that I owe you a favor, the first time being that instance when the Green Goblin made an attempt on my life, and you pushed me out of the way." The famous philanthropist replied with a grateful expression. "If you ever need something in return, please feel free to call my office."
"I'll have to remember that…" Peter replied awkwardly as he raised his camera to take picture of one of his arch enemies. Before he could press the button, the man standing beside Fisk stepped forward.
"So you're the man that saved his life?" Tony Stark replied as he extended a hand in greeting.
The photographer took a photo quickly before accepting the handshake. "I just happened to be there taking pictures for the Bugle when the Green Goblin showed up. It wasn't anything special considering that I was just doing what any self-respecting human being would have done."
"It certainly sounds like Wilson Fisk was grateful, though." The man replied with a small nod. Turning on his head, he began walking in the opposite direction to talk to the reporters who were waiting for his input. "It was good to meet you, Mr. Parker." Stark called over his shoulder.
As the wealthy CEO left, Parker's boss came from behind and turned the young man around so that he could see him. "I just got a call from the office, and apparently there's some kinda hullabaloo going on in town again. It's a real freak show, and you're the only man for the job." When Peter only blinked, the Bugle's editor looked positively livid. "Well… Get moving!" he bellowed, causing a small vein to pulse on his head.
"I'm on it, Mr. Jameson!" the photographer replied as he ran for the exit.
As the photographer left, Kingpin turned to one of his bodyguards, glancing around to ensure that no one was looking his way. "Did you recall Kraven's team and round up the others?" he whispered to the smaller man. The guard chose not to answer verbally and simply nodded in agreement as discreetly as possible, eliciting an evil smirk from the large crime lord. "Good… Very good… …"
Later that Night
Deep in an underground facility below the streets of Manhattan, Silvio Manfretti sat at the end of his meeting table as he went over the plans to his fellow crime lords. His daughter was seated to his direct right, alongside Tombstone and across from Hammerhead. Beside the flat-topped enforcer was a man wearing a green suit and matching cape, his eyes evil and animalistic like a feral coyote, with messy auburn hair, a small goatee-like beard, a mustache, and teeth and fingernails that looked more like fangs and flaws. Although his real name was Leland Owlsky, he was known as the Owl in the criminal underworld. Further down the table were a few men wearing suits, all of whom appeared to be mob bosses from the city, albeit less prominent ones.
Silvermane laid down his walking stick and relaxed in his seat, taking a quick breath before beginning to meeting. "Fellow crime lords, I have called you here tonight in the hopes that you will collaborate with me in the greatest venture that I have ever envisioned."
The Owl shook his head disapprovingly as soon as he head this part. "Many of us had acted as enemies or have remained indifferent to each other's operations in the past… What makes you believe for a second that this foolish summit will possibly convince the rest of us to serve under you, when even the Kingpin has never managed to completely unify the gangs of New York? The very idea is ludicrous!"
"You got a lotta nerve talking to the old man like that… Show some respect or go die in a ditch, birdman." Hammerhead shouted, threatening the man sitting diagonally across from him.
"My father has been a member of the crime cartel for many more years than you could possibly imagine." Alisha replied with small nod of agreement. "You had best learn some respect, or we will personally ensure that you get nothing in the end."
One of the black-suited men looked confused. "What exactly are you talking about?"
The elderly man sitting at the head of the table slammed his walking stick down to get their attention. "I am very glad that so many of you have come, but you would all do well to listen, because what I am about to say will affect all of us."
A strange silence filled the room as the crime lords appeared confused by his statement, although they were less than responsive to him directly and began whispering among each other instead. After a minute of waiting, the old mobster called his meeting back to attention by wrapping his knuckles on the table, causing the others to look towards him expectantly. Even the Owl seemed to have developed some sort of interest in the proceedings, although all of the crime lords assembled seemed rather apprehensive due to the fact that their bodyguards were lining the rooms, and each of the men were armed with some type of weapon, from shotguns to simple knives, and in some cases even more deadly weapons like combat rifles, swords, and grenades.
The group waited quietly as Silvermane stood up from his seat, the dim light of the meeting room flickering on his face, and revealing several lines and wrinkles in the process. Being in his eighties, he had long lived past his prime and was growing weaker by the year, but still managed to act as the head of his family's criminal empire. He once ran the entire city in his youth, but when the feds put him away for a few decades, his family slowly lost their territory, and the centralized mob he had created split and was easily dismantled by the coming of Wilson Fisk and his superior gangland tactics. Ever since his release, the old gangster had been at war with the Kingpin's group… A war he had been losing for the past twenty years of so.
"Due to my acquisition of Alistair Smythe's technology and my recently established partnership with the HYDRA organization and Oscorp, I now have the muscle and resources necessary to directly oppose the Kingpin." Silvermane began with a resolute expression. "Utilizing these new alliances, I intend to dismantle his hold over the East Coast and rebuild my own criminal empire in its place..."
"If you really have established such strong partnerships, then why are you telling the rest of us?" the Owl replied in a scrutinizing tone. "Surely it would have been far easier just to catch us by surprise and forcibly remove us from power?"
"He's got a good point! Why exactly do you need us to be here?" one of the other gang leaders added quickly.
Silvermane let out a hoarse chuckle, only further angering his guests. "You misunderstand my purpose for gathering you here." He began with a wrinkled smirk. "As the Kingpin is an enemy to us all, I am asking that you help me in this operation, during which we will forcibly remove him from his seat of power. Once this is done, we will split his assets and take what remains, and as long as you remain allied with me, I promise you all seats of power under my new underworld criminal empire."
The group seemed to mull this over for several minutes as they whispered amongst each other, some of them looking as though they were willing to accept this deal, while others seemed more reluctant. As the fur additional crime lords continued their whispered debate, but the old man's patience appeared to be thinning as he watched in silence. His daughter and Tombstone appeared indifferent while Hammerhead looked as though he wanted to smash something with his head, but he held in his violent tendencies as the others continued. Although the Maggia bosses heard a few words here and there, they could not tell exactly what their guests were talking about, but after what seemed like forever, the group turned to face Silvermane.
"We believe that your offer sounds interesting, but I don't suppose you have any proof of your alliances that we may see." The Owl replied with a nasty expression. "Perhaps if we have solid evidence, the rest of us would be more confident in this plan. After all, not all of us have been blatant enemies of the Kingpin in the past, and even more of us have worked with him in some capacity. You probably understand the ramifications of defying this man…"
Before the elderly man could answer, a knock on the door caught their attention. "I see my next guest has arrived." He commented with an amused smirk.
A tall, slim figure, wearing a fancy red suit stepped through the door. A gaunt figure with ghostly pale skin, his complexion was complimented by a mane of long black hair which ran past his shoulders. He also wore a white shirt and blue tie, along with a pair of light brown gloves and dark sunglasses which completely concealed his eyes from view. Like Silvermane he also carried a walking stick, although his tall stature and air of mystique made him a much more intimidating figure to behold. The guards in the room seemed to reach for their weapons, but the elderly crime lord raised a hand to stop them. Following the man were six individuals wearing the green and yellow uniforms of the HYDRA organization.
"As you can see, the HYDRA network has agreed to aid us in this gang war so that we may remove the Kingpin once and for all." The old man replied with a triumphant expression.
"You are mistaken…" the red-suited man replied as he sat down at the other end of the table, eliciting a nervous reaction from the lesser crime lords. "The Supreme Hydra has agreed to give you control of our American Division if you this plan succeeds…My main purpose for coming here was to oversee this operation for myself to determine whether or not you are deserving of this honor. If you fail, I shall deem you too weak to take the position and personally eliminate every single one of these lowly criminals as punishment for your failure."
One of the lesser mobsters stood up with a slightly disbelieving expression. "I don't know who the hell you are, but no one just walks in here and speaks to us that way!" he screamed into the other man's face, causing bits of spit to fly in his direction.
Their supposed leader turned away as if expecting something, although the other people present seemed fascinated as their newest guest stood up from his seat. The red-suited man pushed aside a curtain of greasy black hair with his hand, a sense of annoyance radiating from him, even though his face displayed little sigh of emotion. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, causing the other man to sink back with a frightened expression. While the mobster's bodyguards stepped forward menacingly, they did not fire their weapons or attempt to strike out at the mysterious visitor.
"You shouldn't have done that…" the HYDRA director replied with a sinister note. Although he did not take out a weapon, the man removed his glasses, revealing a pair of glowing eyes with no pupils beneath.
The strange gaze bored into his victim as they established eye contact, and in a matter of seconds, the lowly mobster's body had turned to stone. A murmur of intense shock spread throughout the room as the others seemed outraged, but Silvermane had seen this coming and merely inclined his head in thought. Hammerhead stood up from his seat, but the old man raised a hand to stop him from doing anything foolish.
Unfortunately, the fallen mobster's bodyguards were not as fortunate as they prepared to fire their weapons but were instantly killed. In one swift movement, the HYDRA commander pulled his sword out of the interior of his walking stick and sliced through them with expert skill, hitting the vital points of his victims and killing them instantaneously. They seemed to freeze in mid-air as if they didn't realize they were dead, but seconds later their limp bodies toppled over onto the ground in a tangled heap, falling over each other like lifeless dummies.
Hammerhead stood up from his seat, looking as if he had just swallowed a living rat. "Who the hell is that guy?" he responded in shock.
The elderly criminal mastermind applauded with a sense of amusement before gesturing towards their guest. "He is the Gorgon, one of the ruling members of the criminal spy network under the Supreme Hydra."
"Indeed… Perhaps you should call someone to clean up this mess." the mysterious man replaced his sunglasses, and kicked the body of the petrified gangster with incredible force, shattering the brittle rock and breaking his frozen body into a pile of rubble on the floor. "All who establish direct eye contact with me turn to stone, hence my title within the organization."
The Owl stood up and snapped his fingers, motioning for his personnel to follow. "Unlike Silvermane, I have no intention of becoming involved with that blasted spy network and directly gaining the attention of the government." he replied, glancing between the old man and his guest from HYDRA. "Furthermore, I do not require help from either of your to secure my future in this city."
The faction lead by the bird-like man swept from the room without so much as a backwards glance, leaving behind the remaining crime lords. While many of had half a mind to follow after him, they were also too frightened by the Gorgon's display to find the nerve. Silvio Manfretti looked around the room and read the faces of his potential partners, although most of them seemed far too intimidated to raise any objections. Once the red-suited mutant had sat back down, the elderly mobster followed this example and folded his hands with a more pensive expression than before.
"To say the least, it is… … disappointing that some of you have not been so eager to join my cause." Silvermane began tactfully. "If you are foolish enough to believe that the Kingpin can stop us, then feel free to crawl back to your bases and hide like frightened children. However, if you follow me, I can guarantee that we will control far more than just New York by the time this gang war has ended."
Tombstone spoke up for the first time during the gathering. "If any of you consider yourselves men, than step forward and aid us in this operation." He replied in a low, gravely tone.
The elderly mobster stood up and held out his hand like a father beckoning to his kids. "The time has come for you to choose sides in this war, but by now I am certain that you all understand what I have to offer. Our esteemed guest has also made it clear that the outcome of this struggle will affect us all whether you agree to join me or not…" he gestured towards the Gorgon before resuming his speech. "What say you all?"
The group seemed to fall silent again, although this time the discussion was much shorter due to the absence of the Owl, and the death of their comrade. After a minute of deliberation, the remaining crime lords each took turns shaking the elderly man's hand and pledged their allegiance to help him in the upcoming gang war. Either way they were bound to be dragged into it, but siding with the old man seemed much more appealing than remaining oppressed by Wilson Fisk's monopolized criminal empire, and the super villains serving him. With Norman Osborn and HYDRA backing them, it sounded as though they had a chance to be free and increase their gang territory exponentially in one deal.
Raising their wine glasses into the air, Silvermane proposed a toast to the success of his summit, and happily drank his fill as he watched the others with scheming eyes. He needed their support right now seeing how they were about to go up against the most powerful criminal mastermind on the East Coast, but if they were victorious, everyone would benefit. As they began going over their plans, the HYDRA commander in attendance seemed to ignore them, instead going over his own thoughts in silence. Once their dealings in Manhattan were complete, the spy network wouldn't need any of these criminals anymore…
Meanwhile…
As the arrangements for the upcoming gang war were being made, Magneto had already begun his own operations downtown. It was past midnight and the streets were still rather busy due to the nightlife, although he was relatively careful not to attract any unwanted attention. Due to the stealth nature of this mission, Mellancamp has returned to the base with Senyaka and Mastermind, and much like the passing afternoon, only Pyro had been assigned to accompany him. Walking down the streets in his trench coat, the master of magnetism had hid his costume beneath the coat during this mission, including his helmet, which he reshaped in case they ran into a telepathic enemy.
Having heard that Charles Xavier's X-Men were in the city, he was certain they had begun to track his actions, and was expecting that they would be searching for signs of his presence. Although it was obvious that Wolverine had not come with them, due to the fact that they hadn't instantly picked up his scent. Had this happened, he probably would have run into trouble much sooner. Although they would have been of minimal annoyance, he was glad that no one had suspected him yet, but still remained ever vigilant for signs that someone was sneaking up on him.
Although the gallery building was build like an ancient stone monument, the doors were composed or metal, which ironically made it much easier to break into. Like the previous gallery, the entire security net was electronic, meaning that it would be easily de-magnetized and thus no one would know what they were up against. Having ordered Pyro to stand guard outside, he made sure that no one would barge in one them this time, and his crime would go off without a hitch. Even if someone showed up, he was confident that the red-haired fire bug would be able to distract them long enough to make a clean getaway.
As he entered the section of the museum where the item he wanted was supposedly kept, he was surprised to see that the gemstone was no longer in the case. Cursing angrily to himself, the magnetic mutant found himself sucker-punched by an armored fist. Careening into the back wall of the museum, he floated in the air to avoid a twister made of shifting sand, which came inches from enveloping him in its grasp. He pulled the metal heating ducts from the walls and sent them flying at his opponent, but the burly armored man seemed to shrug it off while his second turned into sand to avoid the impact.
"Who are you?" He questioned with a look of outrage, his eyes narrowing in annoyance as the two villains circled around him.
The first man screamed as he charged forward angrily, only for his opponent to dodge him effortlessly with flight. "They call me the Rhino!"
"I'm Sandman!" his partner added as he too lashed out at their mutual target as he sent a series of twisters at the mutant.
"I see…" Magneto replied with a look of annoyance. "What happened to the crystal that was trapped in this case? Surely neither of you came here to appreciate the exhibits after hours. Perhaps you stole it for yourselves?" he wondered more to himself.
The armored villain merely growled in annoyance. "Don't know what you're talking about, metal man! All I know is that there's a big bounty on your head for whoever brings you into the boss, and we intend to claim it!"
Magneto was uninterested in what they had to say, although he was beginning to wonder who would possibly want him captured. Perhaps his actions had attracted attention from the government more than once, but he wasn't aware of a bounty. Pushing this aside for a moment, he quickly realized that the events tonight at the museum had probably been a trap, even if the two fools he was fighting hadn't known all the details. Either way, now that this place was no longer of any interest to him, he thought up a plan to deal with his enemies and quickly thought f a way to do it. Watching their movements carefully, he waited for Flint Marco to reform his body before creating a metallic orb using the building's metal supports, instantly encasing the villain inside of it and increasing the pressure while rendering his target unable to escape.
Removing more supports from the building, he bound the Rhino to the ground by forming the remaining beams into chains. His opponent struggled to break free as Magneto smashed through the sky light of the gallery, ripping more crucial support beams out of the building, and shaping them into missile-sized metal spears. Letting the loose with great force, he shot them at the armored villain to pin him down. Looking down below, he watched as the museum began to crumble like cheap plaster, its regal appearance slowly beginning to cave in as the master of magnetism went to find Pyro. Looking down, he saw the red-haired mutant being pinned down by a familiar masked hero.
Spider-Man glanced up as the metal master landed several yards away and immediately braced himself. "Well if it isn't helmet head… What is it with you and museums lately?" He greeted mockingly, pausing to gesture towards the defeated mutant on the ground. "As you can see, I ate your pathetic lackey for breakfast just like last time."
The mutant spared a moment to glare at his subordinate, who stopped his struggling against the heat resistant webbing just long enough to look up shamefully. "Sorry boss! He got the drop on me again with this blasted web!"
"Pathetic!" Magneto commented as he ignored his defeated minion and faced the costumed hero instead. Raising his hand, he caused several road signs to spring to life, uprooting themselves from the ground concrete base and all. "This time, I will not be so forgiving towards your interference…"
The metal poles shot at the arachnid-themed hero, forcing him to dodge each consecutive attack and counter the best that he could. Aiming a web blast at his opponent, he tried to snare the master of magnetism like he did his servant, but the man shaped the street signs into a swarm of daggers, which sliced through the webbing and pursued the hero like an angry hive of bees. He leapt behind a tree as the daggers planted themselves into its trunk, but was quickly forced to move as they shot back up and splintered holes into the wood. He weaved and dodged, taking small opening to shoot back web blasts while trying to stay alive, but a wall of fire randomly popping in front of him told him that his sidekick was back in the fight.
Seizing hold of a stone statue in front of the building with his webbing, he uprooted it with his spider strength and spun it around over his head before tossing it at the magnetic mutant. Pyro flipped backwards to avoid being hit overt he head with it, but his master raised a hand, uprooting an iron fence to block the impact. Magneto floated into the air and raised his hand, causing another segment of the fence to fly towards Spider-Man, but the masked hero broke into and a run and shot his webbing at a nearby lamppost like grappling hook, flipping into the air and jumping on top of the flying bars.
He attempted to leap into the air, but a portion of the gate wrapped around his leg like a python, preventing him from escaping for the moment. He attempted to pry the metal from his leg, but seconds later he found himself pinned to the ground. The floating piece of metal landed on top of him as the iron gate seemed to lose it ability to move around. Trapped underneath, the arachnid-themed hero began to feel the full extent of the injuries he sustained and closed his eyes as if waiting for the blow to come, but when it did not, he opened his eyes to see the two mutants standing over him in a menacing fashion.
"So now that you caught me, what do you want?" Spider-Man answered stoically.
Magneto's eyes narrowed dangerous as a section of the fence split off and bound his victim like a prisoner, wrapping around the masked hero in a threatening manner. The captive seemed surprised that he had not been killed, but the magnetic mutant instead raised him so that they were at eye level. "Tell me… What did you do with that gemstone that was missing from the case?"
"Gemstone? I just happened to be on nightly patrol when I saw some familiarly suspicious men robbing yet another gallery." Peter Parker replied confusedly. "I heard some commotion inside, but by the time I took care of your henchman, the place was literally falling apart from the inside, and you were trying to make your escape."
The master of magnetism gazed at the young hero, his iron stare boring into his eyes for several seconds searching for signs that he was lying. After a few moments had passed, the mutant simply sighed with a note of intolerance. "I see… I thought you might have had something to do with those scientific mistakes I encountered inside the gallery." He mused out loud.
"So then you can stop trying to crush me?" Spider-Man questioned with a note of optimism.
His captor's puzzled expression changed into a merciless glare, causing the masked hero to sweat behind his mask. "There's no need for me to waste time on something so mindlessly violent…" The young man seemed to breathe a sign of relief, but tensed up as the magnetic mutant turned to face his subordinate. "Pyro, do as you wish with this meddlesome insect."
The fiery mutant let out an insane cackle as he cracked his knuckles together. "With pleasure…" he replied, happily moving his flamethrowers into position. "Don't worry mate, I'll leave enough of you unburned so that the authorities can identify the corpse."
Spider-Man closed his eyes again, but seconds later he head a small thud as his would-be killed landed beside him. He looked up to see who had saved him, only to see a familiar face standing across the museum's parking lot. The newcomer wore a green spandex suit with yellow lightning bolt-shaped markings running up his chest, legs, and arms, and a yellow mask over the top half of his face, with lightning bolt-shaped attachments branching off from the bottom and top with holes for his eyes. Known as a master criminal in this city, he had the ability to not only absorb and control, but also produce large blasts of electricity and store it inside of his body like a living power plant.
"Oh great… Just what I needed now." The superhero commented in a sarcastic manner as he reached up and tried to pry off the metal rods holding his body.
Magneto turned around abruptly with a look of surprise which quickly changed to anger as the electric-themed villain tried to zap him. Forming nearby metal into a wall he created an orb around his body to redirect the electricity before forming it into kunai knives and sending them flying at his new opponent. To his surprise, the electric villain shot them out of the air with his electric bursts, causing them to fall helplessly towards the ground. While the magnetic mutant was slightly confused by this at first glance, he quickly figured out what happened after considering metal's properties.
"So, you de-magnetized my weapons using electricity? Clever... but not clever enough!"" the master of magnetism replied with a note of grudging respect which evaporated very quickly.
"Don't think I'm as weak as those two idiots you fought in the museum!" the green and yellow-clad villain screamed wildly. "I am Electro, the master of energy and power!"
Sheets of metal went flying towards him, but Electro zapped them out of the air and attacked his target again, forcing the mutant master to block his electric blasts using more metal. As the two villains clashed, Spider-Man managed to pry his bind loose and get to safety, watching the battle from a safe distance. Looking out into the distance he could see police cars speeding towards the scene, but he doubted they could do much against two enemies who could use metal for their own purposes, thus rendering the use of firearms and police cars entirely useless. Waiting helplessly, he cursed himself for not being able to stop the magnetic mutant, and quickly began devising ways he could turn this around.
To everyone's surprise, Electro reached into his costume and pulled out a pair of spherical devices. "Time to end this, magnetic man!" he shouted, tossing them at his opponent.
Magneto raised his metallic shield, but his opponent demagnetized it, forcing him to repel the projectiles himself. He focused his own powers on the orbs as they came at him, but felt no magnetic field or potential around them and realized that he had been duped. "Plastic…" he seethed with anger.
The grenade-like objects cracked open as they struck him, releasing some type of green goop covering his form. While it seemed like nothing more than a childish ruse at first, the foreign substance seemed to burn at his skin as he felt it touch his hands and face. Immobilized by whatever poison he had been struck with, Magneto attempted to stand up and fight back, but his legs fell out from beneath him as if they were made of jelly. He tried to take flight using the Earth's magnetic field like he usually did, but his powers didn't seem to be responding, and a feeling of excruciating pain began to overtake his entire body once again. Cursing loudly, he reached out to use the surrounding metal in another attack, but was unable to so much as move a single shard.
Grabbing his head, the mutant screamed in agony, thrashing around for several seconds before collapsing helplessly onto the ground. For some reason, he seemed unable to use his powers, and could barely move. Judging by this strange substance and the plastic weapons, it was almost like someone had purposely set this whole thing up. These thoughts floated through his mind for a few moments, but his mind began to wander and seconds later he passed out on the ground with a loud smack.
Meanwhile Spider-Man was conflicted as to what he should do, but while contemplating the situation, he watched suspiciously as an unmarked helicopter came down and took both Electro and the injured mutant away. Reaching into his costume, he called up his spider strength to hurl a tracking device at the hovering aircraft to make sure he could find them if it was necessary, although judging from the outfits of the people driving the helicopter, he sense there was a connection with the Kingpin. Swinging down from his safe place, he moved Pyro's unconscious body from the streets and laid him against a tree before swinging off into the night. There was something strange going on here, and Peter Parker was beginning to wonder if those mutants in town knew anything else.
Note to Readers: All right, another chapter down and this time it seems like things are getting serious. You might have noticed that Iron Man made a small appearance. Please tell me if you want him to play a bigger role in the story due to the appearance of SHIELD, or are you fine with Tony Stark's involvement being limited to a guest appearance? Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors, but as usual I write late at night a lot of the time.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and please review. It motivates me to update by keeping me wanting to write more chapters, and gives me an idea of how I'm doing. If you have any ideas of your own or enjoyed a particular part of the story, please let me know.