-A.I.M-
Monica sits still as best asshe can in her chair as the rest of her agents, with one missing, fill in their seats. As soon as everyone sat down and the doors swing shut, sealing the conference room from any unwanted intrusion, the lead scientist nods once. One of the AIM agents projects on screen a video recording of the agent who was tasked to set up the bomb. Monica folds her hands apart as she watches the video the beginning to end. She then stops the video as soon the agent injects himself with a neurotoxin, freezing it at the sight of Spider-Man and a man in a blue hood.
"So, this is what happened to our agent who volunteered to help the Cleaners to set up the bomb?" Monica asks.
"Yes, scientist supreme." The A.I.M. agent nods to Monica.
"He did what he could to not compromise us." Her voice changes with a bit of fear in her voice. "What's the damage?"
"According to the report, our agent told a story that he's just a Cleaner. However, it seems we have bigger problems…"
Monica looks closely at the screen, making sure she wasn't seeing an illusion. "It's bad enough that Spider-Man isn't dead. Any idea who his friend is?"
"We tried to run a facial recognition on him." A second A.I.M. agent says. "However, we didn't get anything. We are building a file on him if anything else should come up."
"Damn it." Monica slams her fist on the table gently, not trying to hurt herself. "People, what's the damage again?"
"Here's our damage assessment, Ma'am." The A.I.M. agent began. "Spider-Man is helping the JTF to retake control of the city we want to hold. The JTF have our bomb and will conclude the Cleaners didn't make this and suspect someone like us are helping them."
Monica stands up as her eyes flicker to the footage of Spider-Man talking with the mysterious man. She took a moment to breathe and think, using her superior intellect to come up with a plan. She glances at Spider-Man once again until a lightbulb lights up in her head. It changes her mood from desperation into a glimmer of hope. She sits back down with a grin on her face.
"People, the time of playing in the shadows is over and it's time we use the power of science." Monica announces to the group of agents. "We need to take that bomb back before the JTF bring it to their base and we are going to have to be quick and fast on this. Stevenson, can your people make that happen?"
"We could use the trans-portal technology to teleport the bomb back once we attack the convoy carrying the bomb. We should have no problem of recovering it."
She looks over to a monitor that displayed footage from hidden drones in the Garment district of the city. She watches Spider-Man swing around as the people of New York look up. Monica puts her hands together and beams a bright smile, something that made her feel better considering what AIM needs to do to continue its mission to re-emerge and take over New York.
"Excellent! Next, we need to take out Spider-Man in the meantime. Is there something that could make it look like the Cleaner's MO of using incendiary based methods?" Monica thinks for a moment. Then another idea hits her. "What about Molten Man?"
"Project Molten Man, Ma'am? We were planning to shut down because we had no use for him." The first A.I.M. agent replies. "Should we send him after Spider-Man?"
"I personally say yes." Says another AIM agent. "Spider-Man and the JTF won't know what to do when Molten Man can burn up to three hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Good enough to burn anything in its path."
"Let's take it to a vote." Monica says. "All in favor of deploying Project Molten Man, say aye."
The room nodded once and raised their hands. The vote was unanimous in their decision. Monica stands up and steps out of the room. She heads through the corridors to the R&D room. The scientists in the room stopped working and look up to Monica as she steps into the room.
"Get Mark Raxton in here, now!" Monica demands. "Prepare the serum and get the suit ready."
Monica looks to the cell containing a young man be released. He looks at the scientist supreme with a frown before he looks to the suit. The suit itself was close to a boilers suit, but it had armor padding, a face shield, and gauntlets on each arm. He shakes his head and laughs quietly to himself.
"What's with the goofy suit?" Mark asks with a hint of sarcasm.
Monica ignores his remark. "That suit will help contain your powers once you take the serum."
The scientist supreme curls her hand. A scientist walks up holding a bottle of a bright orange substance in his gloved hands. Mark takes a brief look at it. The sight of the chemical made him wither as he felt a certain amount of heat coming off from it. Then, he shakes his head as he nearly belches at the sight of the serum.
"I'm not drinking that."
Monica sighs quietly, feigning a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Then perhaps you can tell your step-sister that there won't be anymore medicine for the dollar flu."
"Don't you do that to me. She's the only one I have left." Mark clenches his fists. "That serum doesn't look safe to drink. Have you tested it?"
"That's why you joined AIM to test our products, remember?" The head chemist raises an eyebrow. "You help A.I.M. and A.I.M. will make sure your stepsister is amongst the living. If you play your cards right, your stepsister could be the first to try our vaccine."
"A… a vaccine?" Mark repeated. "You actually have one in the works?"
"Yep, we are currently working with the resources that we have here to make sure that those that are part of our march towards progress will be rewarded for their efforts. But I see you don't want to take the leap of faith."
Moments pass by as Monica waits for his decision. Mark suddenly walks over and slips into the suit. After slipping it on, he motions to the scientist holding the serum. The scientist looks at Monica before nodding. He walks over and hands the bottle of the serum to Mark. Mark twists the head of a devil to pop the top right off. Mark takes a whiff of the chemical, sensing the burning sensation flare his nostrils. Then, he tilts the bottle and lets it trickle down into his mouth.
Monica presses a button to seal the chamber as Mark swallows the concoction and flips the face shield on while he waits for the inevitable side effects of the serum. She steps back with the other scientists and watches as Mark starts withering. He looks at his hands which start to engulf himself in flames. The men in the beekeeper suits look to Monica who glances at Mark burning up in there. Then, Mark lets out a screeching roar as he lights up in a self-contained boom of fire and molten lava. The smoke clears as the flames return to normal.
Monica presses a button to open the chamber. At first, nothing came out. Then, Monica and the other scientists heard thumping coming from the chamber. A tall man in an iron armored suit on fire begins to emerge from the smoke. Monica's worry changes to a grin and puts her hands together.
"Seems it's a success." Monica says. "Our first super powered being created; Molten man."
The entire room slowly started to applaud. Monica couldn't feel more relieved that her weapon to dispose Spider-Man quietly is here. Then, she turns on a monitor for Molten Man to see. Spider-Man was leaping off of a building and starts swinging to his destination. Monica looks at Molten Man, hoping the message is clear to the super powered juggernaut. Eliminate Spider-Man and his stepsister will live.
Molten Man growls and steps through a door to lead him out of the bunker. The agents seal the doors and look to Monica who stands there amongst her people. Molten Man steps out of the bunker, appearing on a security monitor watching around his surroundings before he leaps for where Spider-Man swung off to.
"This is just a taste of our power." Monica thinks to herself. "Spider-Man won't know what he's up against."
-Spider-Man-
Spider-Man starts swinging his way backto the base. He can see Oliver and Freya go their separate ways while a JTF soldier drives a pickup truck with the bomb strapped onto the back of the truck before leaving the Hudson Railyards. Spider-Man leaps off and starts swinging over as Faye Lau starts speaking to him through the coms.
"Phenomenal work on the Hudson Railyards." Faye says with a glimmer of gratitude. "We'll start an investigation on the bomb you and the agents recovered. Doctor Kandel just got her results from the refugees you and the agents secured."
"Hopefully it will bring us a step closer to figure out the virus." Spider-Man says with a glimmer of hope. "Any idea how those Cleaners manage to build a sophisticated firebomb?"
"No idea. But we will get to the bottom of it as soon the JTF move it back to base." Faye replies on the coms. "I have a feeling something strange is going on here. For now, we could use your help at Abel's. The agents there are conducting an important mission over there."
"The department store?" Spider-Man wonders with confusion. "That's where the virus started from."
"Right, and the agents over there are collecting original samples of the virus." Faye replies over the coms. "If you could help out the agents on their mission, it would be tremendous help in figuring out the virus for Doctor Kandel."
"Roger that." Spider-Man says before Faye disconnects the call.
Spider-Man swings his way above the empty streets over to Abel's. As he arrived, he noticed a pair of garbage trucks parked at the front of the main entrance, a sign the Cleaners are probably inside dealing with the agents or have been taken out.
As Spider-Man runs into the store, he is hit with a sense of nostalgia. Peter would come by here for some Christmas shopping whenever he had free time during the holiday season to pick out something nice for Mary Jane, Aunt May, Miles, and others. Now, according to the Division, it's ground zero of where the biological attack began and claimed the lives of many Black Friday shoppers and the people of New York.
As he walks into the ground floor, he could see the giant Christmas tree placed between two escalators on fire. Spider-Man glances at the tree lit up until he heard gunfire popping. He leaps up to the second floor and sees John and Shane in a fire fight with the Cleaners. The Cleaners move in close to the agents' position and spray their flamethrowers at the jewelry display counter.
John puts down the support station and lets it heal up Shane as he shoots his G36-C assault rifle at the advancing Cleaners. A shield Cleaner emerges and charges for the two. Before he could get close, he is webbed up and yanked over to the wall. Spider-Man lands onto the ground. Shane lowers his weapon.
"I thought you would take a break after dismantling the bomb, but here you are." Shane laughs a little. "Did Commander Lau let you know we be here?"
"She did." Spider-Man nods. "And I thought it wouldn't hurt to help you with your mission."
"Well, you came at a good time." John says through his respirator. "We've been going through the entire store hoping to find the original virus strain in the dollar bills. We've got one more store to go through and we hope these Cleaners didn't burn the place down."
"Or the heat could have made the viral samples useless as the covalent bonds have fallen apart." Spider-Man adds
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Shane stretches his arms out. "Spare me the science mumbo jumbo. I got enough of that from Doctor Kandel."
"Fair point." Spider-Man nods before John walks ahead.
Then, ISAC lets out a warning of more hostiles coming. More Cleaners walk up the escalator and start firing. Shane jumps and rolls backwards as Spider-Man webs a Cleaner's assault rifle magazine and tosses it to the side. Shane switches his weapon to a bolt action sniper rifle and shoots at a Cleaner's head who tries to shoot Spider-Man from behind. Spider-Man launches a series of punches and delivers an uppercut, knocking the Cleaner out.
Spider-Man follows Shane and John to a clothing store and turns his head over to see a group of civilians hiding behind a display counter. Spider-Man walks over to the two and lets them know it's safe for them to get out of Abel's. The pair flee before Spider-Man walks with the doctor and the sharpshooter. As he enters the store, he freezes as an echo appeared in front of him. He uses ISAC in his mask to play the ECHO.
ISAC projects 3D holographic images of people entering in and out of the store, shopping for jewelry on Black Friday. There was a guy who was asking if the store was selling Tanzanite for his wife. There was a salesman egging a customer to try on this watch. Finally, Spider-Man spots a man in glasses talking with a cashier. He reaches into his wallet and pulls out a wad of cash in his hand. He speaks to the cashier nervously.
"I'm so sorry." The man apologizes nervously. "My credit card is on the fritz."
The cashier smiles and hands some cash back to him. "Not a problem. This is yours and nine twenty in change. Happy Holidays."
The man whose credit card on the fritz was no other than Doctor Gordon Amherst, the alleged author of the virus. To watch a man hand over money that was likely infected with bills made Peter feel sick inside. If only the cashier knew he was using her to spread his Black Friday surprise. He remembered where he was during Black Friday, fighting Doctor Octopus. He's safely secured in the Raft with the likes of Crossbones, Scorpion, Rhino, Sandman, and a few others.
Spider-Man tilts his head down as he is momentarily lost in thought. He walks over and checks over the railing, seeing the ground floor empty as he's realizing what kind of monster Amherst is. Before he could ponder on, he hears someone snap their fingers. He turns his head around to see Shane standing next to him.
"Hey, you still with us?" Shane asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Spider-Man sighs. "Did you see what Amherst did on Black Friday?"
"Yep. And I hope we can bring him in if we find him." John taps into his watch and conducts a test to a tip jar sitting on the counter. "ISAC has confirmed of viral contamination. Our job is done here."
"Awesome!" Spider-Man gives a thumbs up as he said that with a bit weak of enthusiasm. Then, he lets out a sigh. "There could have been a way to stop him."
John puts the contaminated cash into a yellow decontaminant bag before he walks over to Spider-Man. He puts his gloved hand on Spider-Man's back as Shane walks away to secure the area.
"I hate to break it to you, Peter." John says quietly. "You can't blame yourself for what's happening now. None of us expected a plague to happen. I didn't think I would be a Division agent so soon."
"Is that what you thought during Black Friday?"
"No, I was like everyone else when the outbreak began, another case of the flu." John shakes his head. "All I knew was that my time with F.E.A.S.T would be limited until I would have to join CERA to help with the outbreak. I wasn't going to leave FEAST defenseless, so I went to someone who wanted to learn how to become a certified first aid medic; Mary Jane. I heard she spent years patching you up."
"She's a great nurse." Spider-Man nodded. "You cared about FEAST. What about your role in the Division? Did you know you would have to leave FEAST behind?"
"Yes, I knew my duties with the Division would catch up to me one way or another. I figured FEAST needed someone who could take my place, so I asked if she wanted to work with me as an assistant. She said yes, so I mentored her before CERA came in asking for me. From there, it was a matter of time until my watch was activated. I just hope my teaching paid off for MJ."
"You did a bang-up job." Spider-Man notes with a nod. "I was watching her tackling veins of the refugees from the Hudson Railyard like a pro."
"That's good." John takes a moment to wipe the fog from his glasses. "It occurs to me you've been involved with the Division. Not that I don't appreciate the help, but you don't have to get yourself mixed up with our line of work. I know killing isn't your style, so you are sure that you want to continue working along with us."
"I hear that people like you have been trained into battle hardened agents, so I figured I make sure the agents of the Division make it through to the end. I'm not going to dictate how you guys do your job, especially when you are putting your lives on the line." Spider-Man says somberly before he notices Shane making his way to them.
"Man, Abel's has seen better days." Shane remarks before he glances to Spider-Man." I'm glad you tag along with us on our missions. Does it occur to you that the Avengers or SHIELD aren't helping us out with this fight."
"Yeah." Spider-Man notes. "It would be a lot easier if they were here."
"You've got your enemies lurking around in the city." Shane points out. "There's Hammerhead who still wants my head."
"And mine too." Spider-Man nods. "What's your point?"
"The point is that you aren't going for the lethal option if you find Electro or Hammerhead somewhere in the city, wherever they are now. Would you mind if one of us comes across one of your enemies and has to go in a fight and take them out?"
"No!" Spider-Man says immediately. "They're too powerful to take on. If you spot them, let me know."
Shane nods and falls silent. Then, John raises his hand as he gets off the coms with Faye Lau. "We need to move. JTF observers spotted a Cleaner moving down the street to Abel's."
"How many?" Shane asks.
"Just one." John replies.
Spider-Man leaps off the railing as John and Shane rappel down the elevator shaft before converging up with Spider-Man on the ground floor. There's a thumping sound shaking the floor as Shane and John train their guns at the door. Then, there was silence. The sniper takes a breath as his aim grows steady. Then, an explosion rips the doors open. Thick black smoke pours into the room, obscuring the hulking man.
"Just another gimp in a boiler suit. I got this." Shane says as he pulls the trigger.
His shot hits the man in the head, making his target stagger while the bullet bounces off to the side. However, he doesn't go down. Spider-Man backs up as he watches a man covered in an armored boiler suit. The facemask glares at Spider-Man before his hands ignite into flames.
"Something tells me this guy isn't a cleaner." Spider-Man thinks to himself.
A/N: Incoming Transmission!
It's a good thing I got this done as soon as I could because I've got a huge break ahead of me. The next chapter is going to be huge as this will be the first fight that a super powered being shows his face to fight. In the meantime, I may work on some other projects or perhaps Ill stick with this one since it's the most enjoyed story in my shelf. And that's all she wrote.
The following OCs belong to these people:
Spider-Man: Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, and Steve Dikto.
Freya Springfield:
John Oxton:
Oliver Borkovic:
Shane O'Connor:
The Division is owned by Ubisoft, Tom Clancy, and Massive Entertainment