Chapter Seven
Aleksei Sytsevich was your average thug working for the Russian mob in New York. He was 6'6" and made of solid muscle. He kept his hair buzzed because it was less work. He was primarily used as an enforcer but never got the chance to move up the ranks. Aleksei's strength and size may have worked in his favor, but his intellect could have been much better. Any leadership opportunity was self-sabotaged by his ego and alcohol addiction. After the family wars broke out and King Pin was the victor, Aleksei was left on the streets. One night, he trespassed onto a new construction site hoping to find loose tools to pawn. What he found instead was Vulture and his crew burying their latest victim. Toomes ordered his men to take Aleksei down, but he proved too formidable for the assassins to handle. Before Aleksei could lessen Toomes' staff, Toomes made him a proposition. He offered Aleksei a chance to join his crew and make something out of himself. The choice between scrounging scraps to pawn and working for Toomes' crew was obvious. That day Aleksei became The Rhino.
Rhino stumbled away from the truck, slurring to himself. He had been getting drunk listening to police radio, waiting for any sign of Spider-Man.
"I will show big bird who is best! I am!" Rhino was clearly intoxicated.
"Put me on sideline? HA! I break sideline!" Rhino finally saw Peter up on the wall.
"YOU!" Rhino screamed. He reached down and grabbed two goons lying in front of his truck. He threw both of them at Spider-Man. Peter dodged, jumping onto the ceiling.
"Whoa, okay guy. Who the heck are you? I was in the middle of giving out Christmas presents." Peter quipped to the pale, hulking drunk.
"I am Rhino! I break all of your bones, Spider!" Rhino kept throwing debris at Spider-Man.
"Yeah, yeah. Break all of my bones. I've heard that before." Peter rolled his eyes under his mask.
Peter easily dodged Rhino's futile attacks. Rhino stumbled and fell face-first onto the concrete. Peter landed in front of him.
"Look, if you want an autograph, that's fine. But this is the wrong way to ask for one." Peter had his hands on his hips as he stood over Rhino. Peter's spider-sense rang like a bell. Rhino jumped up from the ground, lurching at Spider-Man. Peter tried jumping out of the way.
"Easy there, big guy. I'm gonna have to cut yo-"
Peter joked as he jumped, but Rhino snatched him by the leg. He slammed Spider-Man into the truck's grill and threw him back against the front wall. Although his spider-sense was working, Rhino was just too big. He covered more distance than Peter anticipated.
Peter leaned against the wall, groaning and rubbing his head.
"Once you are squashed, bug, bird will sing my name!" Rhino stomped closer to Spider-Man.
"Then there is no choice but make me leader! Rhino have last laugh!" Rhino threw his head back with a hearty chuckle.
Peter started to rouse to his feet. He was getting agitated. As Rhino drunkenly rambled to himself about his worth, Peter watched his movement. Rhino was drunk, and that gave Peter an advantage. It was like David and Goliath. Except, instead of a stone, Peter had the strength of twenty men. He hadn't grasped the full range of his abilities yet, but Peter knew he was stronger than ever. With Rhino being drunk, he might be able to end it quickly with force. It'd still give him enough time to return to FEAST before Gwen left. Peter pointed at Rhino and started shouting.
"That's it! I'm over this, Hippo!" Peter walked closer to Rhino.
"RHINO!! I AM THE RHINO!!" the veins in Rhino's neck and face were bulging.
"I don't care! You messed up my party with these goons, you're obviously drinking and driving, and you won't stop shouting about something I have nothing to do with!" Peter was in front of Rhino, poking him in the chest.
Peter got serious and lowered his voice, "This is your only chance. Beat it before I beat you."
Rhino was swaying and breathing heavily. He looked down at Spider-Man. A moment passed before Rhino let out a huge burp.
"Oh, that's so gross, dude. You definitely smell like a rhino." Peter waved his hand in front of his face, breaking his seriousness.
Rhino started to pull back for a punch, but Peter caught him with his own. Peter unloaded a flurry of punches, kicks, and forearm smashes. Peter jumped, drop-kicking Rhino in the stomach, and did a backflip. Rhino fell to his knees.
"Last chance. Be done, or I'll make you done." Peter cracked his knuckles. He tried to be intimidating.
Rhino started chuckling again. He slowly raised to his feet, towering over Spider-Man.
"Heh, heh. That tickled." Rhino said with a grin.
Peter tried backing away, but Rhino clapped his head with both giant hands. Peter instantly crumpled, holding his head. Rhino started dragging Spider-Man by his feet back to his truck.
"Come. I take you back alive, Rhino get bonus!" Rhino stomped through the debris.
As Peter was dragged across the ground, he started to rethink his approach. Clearly, brute force wouldn't get him out of this pickle. He'd have to use his brain again. Rhino was like a bull in a china shop. Peter had an idea. Head-to-head, he didn't stand a chance. But if he slowed, he might tire him out long enough to subdue him. Peter looked around him and plotted out his plan. Peter webbed his feet together before Rhino could throw him in the truck. Not expecting it, Rhino tripped and fell face-first into the back of the truck. Peter used the opportunity to put some distance between them.
"Come on, Unicorn is that the best you got??" Peter beckoned to Rhino with both hands.
Rhino pulled himself off the truck and straightened the helmet on his head. With a roar, he lunged at Spider-Man, attempting to gore him. But Peter was counting on this. Peter nimbly flipped over Rhino, causing the brute to crash into a stack of crates. Expectedly, he turned around and tried a second time. Again, Peter flipped over him.
"Ole, big boy! Can't catch a little spider like me??" Peter taunted Rhino.
Rhino was unrelenting. Peter flipped over Rhino 10 times like a leaping lord. Each attack ended with Rhino face-first into whatever he smashed into. The last attack was directed toward Rhino's truck. Rhino stepped back, dazed. Peter stood in front of the western wall.
"Okay, okay. Let's wrap this up. I got something important to take care of."
Peter decided he was going to end it. He started to reach into his belt line when Rhino ripped the damaged front end of his truck from the frame. He turned and threw it at Spider-Man. Peter's spider-sense allowed him to dodge the grill, but Rhino was too quick. He was right behind the truck piece. Peter missed the grill, but Rhino gored him through the wall. They crashed through the building, the alley outside, and the adjacent wall. Rhino tripped over the rubble, sending him and Spider-Man sliding along the ground. Peter rubbed his head and took in his surroundings. They were now on the first level of a five-story parking garage.
"Okay, that makes 0-2. Gonna have to think of something else." Peter was running out of ideas.
He checked his belt line one more time. "Still there. Good."
Rhino started to push himself off the ground. Peter had one last idea to take the behemoth down. He goaded Rhino one more time.
"You got me. I give up." Peter raised both hands in the air. "Just be gentle, okay?"
Rhino looked confused for a moment. The moment passed, and he smirked to himself.
"HA! Rhino knew he had you beat!" Rhino approached Spider-Man.
He was two steps away when Peter shot a web straight into his face. Rhino was blinded by web fluid.
"Ahh! What is trick?? You blind me!!" Rhino started screaming and thrashing.
Peter hesitated briefly, waiting for the right moment. Rhino swung his fists around, punching the air. When his back was turned, Peter jumped on him. Peter started riding him like a bull. Rhino attempted to grab Spider-Man, but Peter could avoid his swipes. Rhino was so big that Peter could effectively hide on his muscular back. His arms were too big to reach behind him. Peter attached a web-line from each wrist onto Rhino's shoulders, creating reins. Predictably, Rhino started running. Peter was counting on this. He used the makeshift reins to steer Rhino to the top of the parking garage. As they reached the upper level, Rhino tripped and fell forward. Peter did a double front flip, landing a few feet away. Rhino finally managed to rip the webbing from his face, freeing his vision.
"NO MORE TRICK!!! Forget bringing you alive. I kill you NOW!!" Rhino was red with rage.
Peter goaded him one more time. "Come on, Rhydon! This is the last stop. It's you and me; let's finish it!"
Rhino charged at Spider-Man, ripping concrete with every step. Peter waited for Rhino to be as close as possible. With inches to spare, Peter reached into his belt line, jumped at Rhino, and attached himself to him. Rhino wasn't expecting this. He tried to slow down but couldn't stop his momentum. Both of them careened off the top of the parking structure.
Captain Stacy, Detective Elise, and the other NYPD officers had been largely clueless about what was happening inside. They were ready to breach the first building when Detective Elise spotted the duo plummeting.
Peter had to act fast. He had two seconds to get this right before both became red paint on the pavement. Peter started shooting web-lines in every direction, attaching them to Rhino as they fell. Sticking to walls, street lamps, and anything else it could reach. With a half second to spare, Peter slapped the Web Wrap 2.0 to Rhino's back. Peter disengaged from Rhino as the device exploded. The multitude of web-lines stretched in every direction. Peter crashed on the ground. He looked up just in time to see Rhino's face bouncing above him.
Finally, Peter was successful. The combination of Web Wrap 2.0 and nearly exhausting his web shooters proved fruitful. He managed to slow Rhino's descent and engulf him in thick webbing. Rhino thrashed about but was unable to break free from his silky prison. Peter sighed with relief as Rhino shouted in Russian.
Peter didn't have time to rest. The NYPD officers, led by Detective Elise, were quickly approaching him, guns drawn.
"Freeze, Spider-Man! You're under arrest!" Detective Elise commanded.
"Me?!" Peter sounded hurt, pointing to himself.
"I drop Rhino-Man in your laps on a silver platter, and I'm the one you want to arrest??"
"IT IS JUST RHINO!!!" Aleksei screamed above Peter.
Peter turned to Aleksei, "Whatever!"
More officers joined Detective Elise, "You're under arrest for the murder of Franklin Giormanatto! Put your hands behind your back, now!"
Peter noticed the situation was tipping out of his favor. He hung his head and raised his hands. The officers started to approach, but Peter web-lined the building behind them and swung away. Captain Stacy told the officers to stand down and not pursue.
"That was close. Too close." Peter dropped on a rooftop a few blocks away and checked the time.
"Oh, crap. I gotta catch Gwen before she leaves."
Peter returned to FEAST, but May was packing the extra supplies. He had missed his opportunity to speak with Gwen. Peter slightly banged his head against the storage refrigerator. Gwen was still giving him the cold shoulder, but he was missing his best friend. Even so, Peter was determined to make things right.
May turned the corner, "Hey, Pete! Where's the crackers?"
Peter sighed and banged his head again.
· Later that night, Across Town –
A lot of buildings in New York offer multiple uses. Most had businesses on the bottom floors, with living spaces stacked on top. Like Fisk Tower. It housed Fisk Industries and the penthouse suite belonging to King Pin. Not every building was as tall and decadent as Fisk's, though. Toomes was fortunate enough to have his own building. It wasn't tacky, as Toomes would put it, like King Pin's. It also wasn't the tallest or in the best location. But for someone living a double life like Toomes, it was prime real estate. The lower levels of his building housed a bar called the Old Picker. Over the years, it transformed from a small dive bar to a full-on club with dancers and illegal gambling. A central location for Toomes' nefarious business practices.
The club floor was lined by 9 ladies dancing on stages. Guards flanked the dancers on opposite sides and stood watch by the entrance. 8 bartenders and waiters mingled through the crowd looking to shill whatever was on tap like maids milking their customers for all they were worth. The Old Picker stayed busy. The loud music and people dulled the further you went into the building. Toomes' office was on the very top floor.
The office was nothing special. Wooden floors from wall to wall. Outdated wood paneling lined the concrete walls. Two couches and chairs sat in one corner on a dirty, ragged rug. A heavily abused bar overflowing with liquor bottles greeted you in another corner by the entrance. In the center, a massive table drew your attention. It was covered in empty bottles, cigarette ash, and pictures of Spider-Man. Toomes' war table was surrounded by his crew.
Most of the men were low-level goons working for Toomes. Every chessboard needed its pawns, after all. But two of them were Toomes' lieutenants. Mac Gargan codenamed The Scorpion, was a poisons expert. Before Toomes, he was a private investigator. Once, a client offered him more money to kill a target. Gargan found this more exciting than tailing cheaters and deadbeat dads. He sold his services on the black market but eventually crossed paths with Toomes. Gargan impressed Toomes with his expertise in poison and offered him a spot on his crew. Of Toomes' men, Gargan was firmly in second, only behind The Beetle.
To Gargan's left was another of Toomes' recruits. Herman Schultz had only recently joined the crew. He was a high school dropout with brilliance rivaling Ivy League scholars. He spent most of his time tinkering and trying to invent tools of destruction. Explosions were his favorite. Toomes initially hired Schultz for his construction crew. But after catching him detonating a homemade explosive, Toomes envisioned more significant things for Schultz. Toomes was shocked by how intelligent and capable a dropout like Schultz could be, so he brought him aboard his death squad. Toomes named him The Shocker.
Toomes hobbled out of the elevator, leaning on his cane.
"Which of you brain-dead idiots blabbed to Aleksei after I SPECIFICALLY told you not to, huh?"
Toomes' bald head was turning bright red with anger.
"I told you I needed this job to go smoothly. Aleksei was screwing up too much. And one of you freakin' losers dropped the ball. So which one was it?"
Toomes stared at the men around the table. He may be old, but no one wanted to incur the wrath of The Vulture.
The goons looked at each other with concerned looks.
"Boss, I don't think any of us told him." Gargan leaned over the table; the overhead light illuminated his face.
"Yeah, I mean, Gargan called me, and that's the only person I talked to. Well, him and my girlfriend, Alexa." Schultz elbowed the goon next to him with a smile.
The other goons chuckled and started clapping Schultz on the back. "New guy bagged a dancer!" One goon said, grabbing Schultz by the shoulder.
Toomes stared at Schultz for a moment before speaking.
"Schultz. Pull ya phone out and show me that message." Toomes squinted at Schultz.
"Uhh…sure, boss. Here." Schultz opened his messages and passed his phone to Toomes.
Toomes took the phone and read the screen. He looked at Schultz, then back to the phone. Toomes hung his head, rubbed his eyes, and pinched the space between them.
"Schultz. You said you messaged your girlfriend?"
Schultz looked at the other goons and responded, "Yeah, boss. Just her. And she knows what's up. She ain't telling anybody nothing."
Toomes threw the phone across the table.
"Then why the hell does your phone say Aleksei!!"
Confused, Schultz picked his phone up. He looked at the screen and immediately went pale. In his absent-mindedness, Schultz accidentally texted Aleksei instead of Alexa. Their names were right next to each other in his contacts.
"Ah, boss, that's my bad." Schultz was now turning eight shades of red.
Gargan smacked Schultz on the back of the head. The other goons started murmuring. Toomes hit the desk with his cane.
"Alright, alright. That's enough, you morons. Aleksei may have mucked up the start, but it ain't gonna stop us." Toomes leaned over the war table, reviewing their gathered information.
"I need ideas. What do ya got?" Toomes looked to his crew.
Gargan was the first to speak. He proposed a bait-and-switch plan. It involved tricking Spider-Man with a fake hostage, and when he goes to save them, the phony hostage stabs Spider-Man with a poisoned knife. Toomes liked this idea but wanted to see what everyone else came up with.
Schultz started to speak up, but Toomes shut him down.
"Not you, Schultz. You're lucky I even let you stay in here!" Toomes stared Schultz down.
One of the other goons started to say something when the elevator dinged open. A voice rang out across the room.
"No need to burden yourself with inferior schemes, boss. I have arrived to deliver you from ineptitude."
Abner Jenkins sauntered into the room. Abner was just shy of 6' tall. He was slim, with not a lot of muscle mass. He didn't need big muscles or brawn. Abner used his intellect to get what he wanted. A former engineer with OSCORP, Abner was fired after a verbal outburst was directed toward the company's president. Osborn passed over Abner's idea for a new personal flight apparatus. This enraged Abner, who couldn't comprehend someone overlooking his genius work. So, he let Osborn know precisely how he felt about it. Unfortunately for Abner, that meant losing his job. To make matters worse, OSCORP effectively blacklisted him from working at any other tech firm in New York.
Abner wanted revenge and started planning. That's how he met Toomes. Abner had plans, schematics, notes, and ideas. He was fully prepared to take Osborn down. Abner tried to hire Toomes' services, but Toomes wouldn't go after someone like Osborn. It was too high a profile of a job. Not enough reward for the risk involved. But Toomes saw the genius within him. Instead of accepting the job, Toomes turned it around and offered Abner a spot on his crew. Abner accepted; he's become Toomes' right-hand man over fifteen years. That day Abner became The Beetle.
The 7 men turned to face Abner.
"How cute, like little swans swimming in their own ignorance."
Abner cut a toothy smile at the other men.
"Watch yourself, Beetle, or-" Gargan started barking at him, but Abner cut him off.
"Or what, you rube?" Abner approached the table and crossed his arms.
"No, wait, let me guess. You'll poison me?" Abner furrowed his brow, squinting at Gargan.
"You uninspired fools are all the same. You lack imagination. None of you could assassinate your way out of a wet paper bag!"
Gargan slammed his fist on the table and lunged at Abner. Schultz and the other goons grabbed Gargan and pulled him back. Abner never moved from his spot. Toomes spoke for the first time since Abner entered.
"Cut that crap out, Gargan! We got a lot of work to do. Abner, keep that big brain in check. Your ass is on the line too."
Abner nodded his head at Toomes, "Of course, boss. Now, if I may, I will share the solution to our arachnoid issue."
"Okay, egghead, what makes you think your plan is any better than ours?" Gargan stared daggers through Abner's skull.
"There's no thinking involved, Gargan. I know it is." Abner responded with a cheeky smirk.
"I'm already on step three!"
The men at the table looked at each other in shock. Even Toomes raised an eyebrow at this claim. Toomes leaned closer to Abner.
"Explain yourself." Toomes ordered Abner.
"With pleasure, boss. I'll talk slowly for you, Gargan." Abner began explaining.
"The first two steps of the plan, which I've already completed, involve finding Spider-Man and planting a Beetle Communicator on him. Knowing that big oaf Aleksei would inevitably screw things up, which he did, I had a Beetle Drone follow him. During their confrontation, the drone planted a two-way communicator on Spider-Man."
"That means we can track him, right?" Toomes questioned Abner's plan.
"Unfortunately, I can only access the communicator function at long ranges," Abner replied.
"Oh, so smart." Gargan taunted Abner.
Toomes started frowning. Abner shot a death glare at Gargan.
"However, all location data is stored locally on the device. I only need to retrieve it to access the data."
Abner knew Gargan would try poking holes in his plan. He continued on.
"That brings me to step three. Making contact with Spider-Man."
"What are you gonna do? Wish him a happy birthday?" Gargan continued to taunt Abner.
Abner replied with a toothy grin, "No. Step four is telling him the truth."
"The truth?" Toomes asked confusedly.
"That I will be killing him," Abner replied confidently.
"Now you've definitely lost your mind." Gargan laughed at Abner. "Are we really gonna listen to this idiot, boss?"
"Like you would know anything about intelligence, you greasy-" Abner slammed his hands on the table but was cut off by Toomes.
"Enough. Explain it to me, Abner." Toomes was willing to give Abner a chance.
"Yes, boss. Spider-Man's recent activity with King Pin more than likely has him better tuned to nefarious dealings. Couple that with Aleksei's reckless abandonment, and the Spider is on high alert. The goal is to destabilize his perception."
Abner continued.
"Revealing my intentions to him will put him on uneven footing. This will cause him to overcorrect, taking us to step five: luring him to me."
"Once he is within my grasp, I will complete the mission with step six: killing Spider-Man."
Abner smirked with pride. Gargan, Schultz, and the other goons looked at each other with presumption.
Gargan balked at Abner's plan.
"Boss, you can't seriously be buying this crap?"
Abner started to insult Gargan when Toomes raised his hand, commanding silence.
"This job is the biggest job I've had in decades. I need Spider-Man dead, but I need it done the right way. The smart way. Gargan, you're definitely capable, but I can't take any chances. I've trusted Abner's brain for fifteen years, and it hasn't let me down yet. We're doing Abner's plan. Give him whatever help he needs. And don't screw this up!"
Toomes adjourned their meeting and exited toward the elevator. Gargan snatched his drink from the table and stared at Abner as he left the room. Schultz was relegated to cleaning the trash in the building due to his screwup. As the men left the room, Abner approached the window looking out the city. He crossed his arms behind his back and smiled.
"Let the games begin."
End Chapter Seven