Chapter Ten
June 12th, 2010
Washington, D.C.
The Crew's Hideout
"Last night served as another turning point in America's history when the criminals known as the Beast Pretenders, known not only as turning into monstrous forms of animals of different kinds, but also for their continued thefts of valuables across several countries which are reportedly sold in black markets to the highest bidder. Though their days may have finally been numbered when not only their recent heist was stopped, but they were caught in the fullest extent by — you guessed it — Spider-Man!
"As seen by this video footage taken from the security cameras of the Smithsonian Museum of National History, their clever escape was brought to a sudden and abrupt halt thanks to Spider-Man's intervention. Using his own equipment and inhuman abilities of the arachnid species, he had been able to tie them up — or should I say web them up — to the nearest building for the police and residential S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to apprehend.
"The names of the three con artists are not yet released to the public given due to the fact that the formula they use to mutate themselves have yet to wear off, so it is only a matter of time before their identities are known and then to be put away for good.
"If you want to see more exciting news on Spider-Man helping local police on catching guys like the Beast Pretenders, watch my column for more."
"God, can't he ever take a break?" Hilliard snarled as he crumbled the paper into a ball.
Mason looked up from his work. The technician that was working on Hilliard's suit just shrugged at him.
"Hey, boy. You've got to calm down," Schultz told the young man.
"Calm down?" Hilliard snapped as he glared at him. "Calm down?! How can I calm down when the Pretenders can't even impale that son of a bitch? I only signed up just to prove what's-his-face and all those people responsible for my dad's death that people like me are dangerous."
"Well, apparently this boy is only mucking it up," Schultz said as he polished his latest project.
Watching the news, Mason pointed out, "You know, his outfit isn't that half-bad. Not exactly the material I would use for it, but it says all you need to know about who he is."
A loud noise echoed through the dark room, causing everyone inside to cease their activities. They all looked up as a furious Toomes took off his gear and threw his helmet down. Even Hilliard was smart not to say something snidely now.
"Um, boss?" Mason said. "Your wife's been texting you. Something about a headlight."
"Why are you looking at my phone?"
"Sorry, you just left it out. You know that I am a curious person," Mason said. "You know, by nature."
Toomes barely said anything. He only swiped something from Mason's work table.
"I finished designing that high-altitude vacuum sealer," Mason continued. "In case you want to, you know, go for the big one."
Toomes looked at him. "What? You're still on that? I told you: the answer is no. Just forget about it."
Just then the door to their hideout opened up, and a dark van pulled inside. Before it came to a complete stop, the passenger door opened up.
"Out of the way!" Davis choked out, rushing up to the nearest sink. He gripped the sides to hold himself up and vomited inside of it.
"Oh, toughen up, buttercup," Brice laughed as he jumped from the back. "Gorgon pulled the distraction off perfectly!"
"Yeah, and he's headed off to inform Fisk of what went down," Vale replied. "Do you know what that man is capable of?"
"Hey, these babies worked perfectly against that bastard," Brice boasted. "That'll teach them no to mess with us again." That was when he noticed Toomes walking towards them. "Hey, boss."
"How many times have I told you not to fire them out in the open?" Toomes said.
"You said to move the merchandise," Brice shrugged.
"Under the radar. Under the radar!" Toomes reminded him. "If you bring Damage Control or the cops down here, we're through! You're out there, wearing that goofy thing like Mel Carbs, calling yourself the Shocker! I'm the Shocker! I shock people! What is this, Pro Wrestling?"
"No kidding."
At this sudden, unexpected voice, the entire team whirled as one towards the source.
"Can't we just, like, ground him from going out for the rest of his life?"
Davis pointed up towards the rafters. "Is that you, God?"
Something lightly skipped across the floor. All of the sudden, the whole room was covered in a smoky substance. The entire crew had to cover their mouths as they started to cough. A shadowy figure moved through towards the door. They spotted it and gave chase to it outside, searching for the intruder. Unaware that the real one was still inside, concealed by the shadows of the rafters, watching until the last one disappeared.
Jack had to be quiet for this one. He knew this was dangerous territory, so he had to be careful with what gadget he would use tonight. He leaned in closer, listening for any sign of any of the others still being inside. There was not a sound of a breath being taken or that of boots on the floor.
He landed silently on the ground, hoping none of them would come in by the time he was ready to go. He ventured over to Mason's work station. He ducked down low enough to not be seen by anyone. On the countertops were various bits of inventions that seemed beyond anything Jack could imagine. However, one of them was still slightly open, and he noticed something odd inside of it.
"What on earth…?"
A now curious Jack ripped open the casing and fished out the object. It was a small cylinder with red glass on the sides. Strange glyphs were etched all over it. From what he recalled from the drills, they looked like they were Cybertronian glyphs.
"Well, this looks like something Optimus would want to know about," Jack said.
"Hey, kid. You know that's not yours."
Jack turned around to find Toomes geared up. He had been caught, but Toomes did not intimidate him like the first time. "Really now? This item clearly also doesn't belong to you. Something like this belongs into the hands of someone with more sophistication."
Toomes lunged. Jack didn't have time to deploy his web-shooters, but he managed to dodge. However, Toomes whipped around and grabbed Jack from behind, forcing the young hero back. Jack promptly grabbed Toomes by the wrist and threw him over his shoulder before scrambling away.
Davis was closer to the door when he heard him shout. He looked back up as Jack ran out of the building and out into the open again.
"Get him!"
Jack waited until they were close before he reached his belt for a couple of the small spheres and throwing them down. With a loud beep and crack, they exploded in a dense cloud of dark, fuzzy fog that quickly spread over the area. The men erupted into confused shouting and cursing while Jack quickly made his escape.
He fled deep into the trees, looking behind him in case any one of the men had spotted him. He kept running for some time until he slowed to a much more relaxed jog. He wiped his forehead, despite it being covered by his mask.
"Phew! I almost thought I was going to get an actual fight."
The base between his head and neck started to pressure itself, causing the ringing in his ears to become shrill. Jack stopped, clutching the cylinder in his hand as his spider sense went off. Someone was coming for a fight.
His sense snapped and shut off. He spun around in time for Toomes to tackle him.
"Eight years of this operation, and never once until you came along had we have any trouble," Toomes growled.
"It's not my fault you hired a bunch of morons," Jack retorted.
"Just tell me one thing," Toomes requested. "Do your agent buddies know?"
Jack scoffed, "If I had, the place would've already been swarmed with cops by now."
"True," Toomes shrugged. "But since we're off that subject now…"
Toomes reached down and tried to wrench the cylinder out of Jack's hands. But the teenager wasn't having any of that. So he planted his feet against Toomes's sternum and, with all of his strength, he threw the older man off of him. Hearing the man yelp was extremely satisfying.
But he wasn't down as his wings spread out.
"What else did Silas tell you besides me?" Jack demanded. "I'm pretty sure he gave you more detail of my life besides who my parents were, like who my friends are and the identity of my mom's murderer."
"So, that's what he was talking about when he mentioned a colleague," Toomes said.
Jack's free fist tightened. He reached for his utility belt, but Toomes continued, "I wouldn't count on it if I were you. You can use as much of those flash bombs all you want, but I have heat sensors installed in my helmet."
Jack jolted, but he said, "Well, guess I'll have to take them out then."
"Kid, you don't have the guts to take this on." Toomes smacked at his armor.
"He's mine!" Jack was caught off guard as Hilliard tackled him. Both boys tumbled across the ground, throwing punches and kicks at the other one, each one making a bruising connection.
Hilliard let out a battle cry as he walloped Jack across the face, his gauntlet crackling with electricity. Without much hesitation, Jack grabbed him by the collar and slammed his forehead against his. Hilliard let out a surprised yelp before Jack threw him off.
"I'm going to kill you for that," Hilliard snarled as he recovered. "But not before I track down your loved ones and make them suffer. Starting with that brat that you saved."
Something in him snapped. He surged forward and tackled Hilliard to the ground. He slammed his head to the ground before using his fists. All became darkness until something grabbed him from behind and yanked him back.
"Jack! That's enough!" Toomes cried.
Jack blinked as if he had awakened from a trance. He could hear Hilliard groaning from the ground. Jack's hands were trembling, but he couldn't tell from what. Jack blinked again. It wasn't until Toomes let him go and went to check on Hilliard that he realized what he had done.
He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping to stop himself from shaking. It was no good. The very thought that he had nearly killed Hilliard threatened to consume him for the action, and he took off before he could get the chance to vomit.
The young man groaned as Toomes helped him into a sitting position. "What happened?"
"Don't move, kiddo. You've taken a really good beating. Just sit tight and I'll—"
They flinched when they heard shots go off. Not gunshots, but the shots from their weapons. Toomes groaned in annoyance and he picked up Hilliard, intending to carry him back. This night could not possibly get any worse — unless he went to the cops.
"Oh, crap. What happened to him?" Davis noticed the condition Hilliard was in.
"Oh, he tried to help an old lady cross the street, and he got hit by a car," Toomes spat out sarcastically. "What do you think happened?"
Hilliard stiffened as he was placed on a counter. He grunted in pain, his head and back pounding from Jack's punching. "I feel like I've been kicked by a horse."
"And survived," Davis said.
Hilliard winced. Fire erupted inside Toomes's chest. He had to give the other boy credit, but to beat a kid and run for it…
What else are you not telling me, Silas?
"Get Bishop on the phone. I want a word with him. And get a doctor down here. Make sure it's one we can easily tip off to so we can head out and clear the place." He swiped something from Mason's station before storming outside.
The crew was still searching for Jack, trying to see through the fading fog. But they barely said a word as Toomes approached.
"Who was the one that shot at him first?"
One by one, the returning crew looked at each other before looking at Brice. Toomes clenched his jaw tightly. That was the last straw.
"You know what? I can't afford your bullshit anymore."
"What?"
"Get out of here. You're done, off the crew." He turned around to check on Hilliard, but what Brice said stopped him.
"All right. All right. But, uh, I wonder if you can afford me out there, though? With everything that I know?"
"Excuse me?" Toomes turned around to face him.
Vale mouthed at him to shut up, but Brice continued, "I'm just saying that maybe your wife would like to know where you really get your money from."
Everyone else looked at Toomes, glancing between the pair.
"You know what? You're right."
Brice blinked. That was not what he was expecting.
Toomes turned to Mason, who was now in the doorway, and held the weapon up. "This work?"
"I don't know," Mason answered nervously.
Toomes turned back to Brice. He aimed and fired at him. Big mistake. Brice barely had time to scream as he was incinerated and reduced to a pile of ash.
"Damn," Schultz said.
Toomes looked down at the object he had before saying, "I thought this was the anti-gravity gun."
"What? No, it's this one." Mason waved the object in his own hands.
Toomes marched up to Brice's remains and picked up the gauntlets. He suddenly had an idea. "Davis, how ambitious do you feel?"
"Why?" Davis drawled out.
Toomes didn't answer straight away. He threw the gauntlets at Schultz. "Here, you're the Shocker now. Track down the kid and let me know if you find him or not."
Schultz grinned, "Alright."
The doors to the storage unit slid open. Stark giggled and rubbed his hands together at the things he saw before him.
"Tony, is the stupidest idea you've ever had," Rhodes hissed. "Do you have a plan for when we get caught?"
"Oh, lighten up, Sandy Cheeks," Stark said. "Hardly anyone comes down this road anyways."
Rhodes gawked at him. "Did you seriously just call me Sandy Cheeks? Do you really watch cartoons still?"
"So do you if you know what I'm talking about."
Rhodes glowered at him, but he wasn't going to push the subject any further. He just glared at his friend as he fished out a small drone from his pocket.
"JARVIS, see if there's anything good in here and file it at home," the billionaire said. He released the drone and allowed it to roam inside before shutting the unit tight. "And by the way," he added as he turned around, "I've done stupider things than this. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, like your birthday party blowout," Rhodes mentioned.
"Hey, it was fun and you know it."
"It was so not!"
"No, but I wish it was."
"Wishes it was," Rhodes grumbled underneath his breath. "He'll be wishing he wasn't born soon."
"Already one step ahead of you there."
Rhodes stiffened, schooling himself not to hit Stark alongside the head.
"Look, the law says that the moment he turns eighteen, he'll be able to have all of this stuff removed from here," Stark told him. He guided Rhodes back to the car they had rented. "If I can learn the secrets behind Jack before Nicky finds out, then there's nothing to worry about."
"That is not what you said when we were in Jasper."
"Give me credit. I got us out of there before they could call The Las Vegas Review-Journal."
"Yeah, and what if they've been notified about what we're doing?" Rhodes said as they got into the car.
"Hey, I've got everything covered. I didn't spend an entire week clearing out your schedule and then make plans to haul ass out here just to get arrested," Stark said.
"Good to know that," Rhodes said.
Meanwhile, across the ward, Jack made sure he hadn't been followed before coming to a stop at an intersection. He raised his hands up, still trembling from the beating, to cradle his head.
"I can't believe…I can't believe I just did that," he shuddered. He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths. He tried to calm himself down. Breathe in, breathe out. The same technique he had done dozens of times.
He sighed and readjusted his belt, making sure he had properly secured the small pouch containing the cylinder in place before taking off. At least he had it and it wasn't broken. He wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to the apartment. Coulson had brought home work, and that required some of the other agents. His only hope was that the agents were the ones who knew of his presence in the district.
He thought about swinging in front of the passengers over a street when the light turned red, forcing him to perch on top of a building. Cars came and went, but one of the cars waiting for the light to turn green made Jack do a double take.
The car looked like a rental, but it wasn't the design that got his attention. It was the two men inside. The passenger was sulking and spouting comments that made the other driver grin and nod his head, which only increased the passenger's annoyance.
Inside the car, Stark was glaring at Rhodes, but stopped after seeing the figure on the rooftop, in time for it to look away. Shit, someone had recognized them. But more than that, he recognized the outfits design from social media and the news channels. Rhodes noticed him sitting up straighter.
"What's wrong?"
"That guy up there!"
Rhodes looked over to where he was pointing. "What about it?"
"That's Jack!"
"What?" Rhodes leaned in for a better look. "Are you sure?"
The light turned green and Spider-Man swung in front of the stopped cars, getting a reaction out of them. Stark held back the urge to open the door and chase after him. He looked over to Rhodes pleadingly, who groaned.
"You so owe me big time after this."
From his corner of the room, Optimus watched as Bumblebee narrated the latest mission they had been on that afternoon to Miko and Raf. He was more relaxed to know that the excitement the children displayed as the last three days had not been so kind to him or the other Autobots. First, they had to reschedule their call with Jack since they'd received an old signal from a Decepticon ship, the Harbinger, which had been shot down eons ago. Jack told them that he understood and would try again later.
Unfortunately, Starscream and Airachnid had been at the one wrecked halves of the Harbinger as well. Due to the history both femmes shared, Optimus thought it was best for Arcee to stay behind and watch over Starscream. That hatred had only increased after events regarding the Darbys, and Optimus found he could not blame Arcee for her hostility towards June's killer.
What the Prime hadn't taken in consideration was what the relic could be: the Immobilizer. Airachnid had used it against him and Bulkhead easily. Fortunately, Bumblebee kept a level head and had outsmarted Airachnid. But in between those moments, Optimus was forced to listen to the Decepticon femme, her words still burning in his processor on how they would be presented to Megatron.
Had he not been incapacitated right there and then, he might have torn apart the Decepticon interrogator himself. It would not undo June Darby's death, but it might rid the galaxy of another cold and ruthless murderer.
Bumblebee had returned moments later after Airachnid had fled with a wounded Arcee, but no Starscream. It had not taken the Autobot leader long enough to figure out what had happened. Bumblebee had contacted Ratchet, who helped drag him and Bulkhead back to base through the ground bridge.
Arcee was shaken up, but she gave her report about what Starscream had revealed and the consequences that followed. Optimus's optics flickered in pain at the news. Cliffjumper's passing had been hard on them all and to discover it was Starscream that had put an end to him left a heavy ache in the Prime's spark. Once Ratchet had reversed the effects of the Immobilizer, Optimus found her in the med bay's corner.
He took great caution to approach, to check on her emotional state of mind. Arcee had spoken first, taking the guilt and blame for allowing her emotions to take over. Optimus was quick to correct her, but then commended her for finally realizing the dangers in letting revenge cloud her judgement. Hopefully, in the future, she would remember this day and think twice before charging into battle headfirst.
"He struck again!"
Miko's exclamation brought Optimus back to the present, in time to watch Thor yelp and throw his hands up into the air, paperwork scattering in the air.
Ratchet did all he could not to break into a cold sweat and yell at the Asgardian. Composing himself he turned to the source of the voice. "Who is it that struck again?"
"Spider-Man, duh!" Miko exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "He was seen over by Arlington when this black market operation was busted by him." She looked around the room. "Where's Arcee? She's missing out on all of this."
"She is resting," Ratchet said with a quiet groan, wishing that they had stopped coming to the silo when Jack left…even though now he hated the silence.
Raf peeked over Miko's shoulders to see what she was looking at. He frowned as he said, "Miko, that's when he took out Supercharger and the Vulture."
"Yeah, but it's the one that shows this is the best thing that's happened to him!" Miko told him. Then she added with a pout, "I just don't get why he went for a spider theme. I mean, why out of all the things in the animal kingdom did he have to choose a spider?"
"Because they're the only animals that can crawl up walls and spin webs," Raf said. He glanced over at the concealed shelves, knowing that any second she could sneak over to see what was under the tarp.
Optimus was frowning as he walked over. "Why does he sound like Jackson, though?"
"What?" Ratchet exclaimed. He failed to notice the teenagers cringing in their spots.
"Does his voice not sound identical to his?" Optimus pointed out.
Ratchet listened closely as the video feed replayed itself again. Come to think of it, now that he could hear the voice, it did sound a lot like Jack. He stopped and frowned, not noticing the frightened look from the kids.
"Miko!" Bruce called out suddenly. "I stole a look at your report card. Tell me: why does your geography have an INC?"
Miko's face paled. Raf glared at her with an arched brow. He watched as she scooted away Bulkhead.
"Again? Miko," Bulkhead said.
"Again?" Tiger squawked.
"INC?" Thor seemed thoughtful before he snapped his fingers. "Ooh! Maybe it's short for incredible."
"It's short for incomplete, Thor," Banner corrected.
"Well, that's stupid," Thor said.
Miko sprinted over to where the others were sitting. She tried to snatch it from the doctor, but Banner held it from her reach. Truth be told, she only got a B in the class, but if the kids were loyal to Jack and wanted to keep this a secret, then he had to distract them somehow. He knew all about keeping a low profile.
"Hey, I need to see it! Just tell me that I at least passed Algebra II."
"You took Algebra II?" Raf said. "That's the last thing I'd expect you to take."
"Miko, I thought we already talked about this," Bulkhead said.
"Why bother arguing with her?" Ratchet said. "Primus knows that it is pointless."
Momentarily, the monitors gave off a beep. Frowning, Ratchet turned back around and frowned. "Odd." He walked over to the console and pressed a button.
"Hey, Ratchet?" Jack's voice followed up. "Um, any chance you can—"
"Jack!" A chorus of voices echoed through the room, but Miko and Raf were the loudest. The report card forgotten, the pair scrambled for the railing, tripping over the other to get there first. Banner and Thor sank into the couch to avoid getting into the scuffle, but Raf managed to beat Miko there. Tiger only lowered the aviators she wore and peered over them.
"Will you two quiet down?" Ratchet almost shouted. Turning back, he said, "Could you repeat that again?"
"Yeah, I was wondering if you're able to use my phone to track me down and meet me at my location? I have something I think you guys might consider important."
Optimus looked up from his place at that. Ratchet had the same quizzical look as he tried to track down Jack's phone from where he called.
"If I can try to locate you without any interference, I'll…" He paused before asking, "What are you doing all the way out there?"
"Dude, just open a bridge for crying out loud!" Miko exclaimed, her shrill cry making the others cringe.
Normally, Ratchet would be at the urge of whacking someone with a wrench. But he only grumbled and set the coordinates in before operating the ground bridge.
On the other side, Jack had just stripped from his suit into his casual wear, waiting for a sign of Optimus or one of the Autobots. He had to use the S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouses on Little Island to arrange the secret meeting, hoping no one else had followed him there. But it never did hurt to double check.
The sudden sound of heavy footsteps caught his attention. He slowly submerged into the shadows, ready to fight in case Toomes and his crew had actually chased him down. Although his spider-sense had detected no danger, he wasn't going to take any chances. Assumptions had nearly killed him in the past. He relaxed as he saw a familiar figure emerge from the trees, prompting him to come out of his hiding spot.
"Jackson!" Optimus called when he had spotted the teenager, his voice colored with relief and concern. "Are you…?" He stopped in confusion as he took in Jack's relieved expression. "Jackson, is everything all right?"
"It is now," Jack managed with a nervous laugh, and Optimus frowned at that. His attention was drawn to the three bots the came from behind him.
"Jack?" Bulkhead said.
"Hi, guys," Jack greeted them shyly. "Um, here…" He reached into his bag before pulling out the items. Optimus took the items just as they readjusted their size to fit his hands. He examined them with a frown.
"This is strange. These are batteries used as energon substitutions," he said.
"How did a group of humans get their hands on them?" an incredulous Arcee wondered.
"I have an idea or two," Jack frowned.
Bulkhead glowered. "MECH."
"Then it would seem that not only they have a chance of learning our biology but our technology as well." Optimus turned to Jack. "Where have you managed to come across these?"
"Southwest Waterfront. There's an old garage there bordering the Washington Channel. It's not that far from here," Jack pointed at the direction. "But they've been using them to power up weapons they've been making on their own. They're unlike anything you've ever seen."
Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at each other before the former asked, "Is that even legal?"
"It's far from legal," Jack assured. "But despite efforts to make sure illegal dealerships are shut down, there have been many ways to shuffle around the law in the underworld."
"Then I'm afraid we have no choice but to confiscate the rest from them," Optimus declared.
"Optimus, it's enclosed, but what if—"
"I understand your concerns, Jackson, but we are dealing with Cybertronian technology. Not to mention what should happen if the Decepticons find out that humans have been possessing them. I'm sure even you already have a grasp at how much power they hold."
Jack winced. "Yeah. But I was more concerned about them relocating after I found out their hideout."
"Which is basically rule number one if someone catches you "
Everyone craned their necks to see who had spoken. Most of them tensed when they saw a man standing behind Jack, his sunglasses reflecting the moonlight up above. A groan came from behind the man as he flashed a smile.
"Hey there, Jack."