Previously, on The Defenders of Remnant...
She was about to shake Peter awake when she saw a photo next to his hand on the desk. She hesitated again, but carefully pulled the photo away to look at it, worried she might wake him as she did so. When she saw he didn't stir, she looked at the small photo in her hand, seeing it was Peter with a redheaded girl clinging to him, both with great big smiles. Blake then flipped it over to see text that made her heart sink a little.
Rest in Peace, Mary Jane Watson. 2002 - 2021.
"I-I'm sorry, Peter…" She apologized. Peter didn't say anything else, just turned away with the photo, giving it one last look before putting it back into his pocket. It wasn't a look of anger, but one of pain, and sorrow. One Blake recognized all too well.
"We all have histories, things we wish we could change. Things that make us who we are, and not always for the better. Whatever happened to you, whatever happened to her… I know you'll tell me when you're ready, if you ever feel you should. I shouldn't have even seen the photo to start with." Blake hoped that she had eased Peter even a little.
"Like I said, I'm not angry with you, Blake. You couldn't have known. You have nothing to be sorry for. Believe me, I wish I could talk about it, but… I-I just can't. Maybe someday I'll tell you, just… not today," Peter replied with a solemn tone as he looked down below.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Winchester and his team. I am well aware of their infamous reputation among my pupils."
"Then why not do something about this kid?" Matt asked. "From a lawyer standpoint, he's a criminal in the making, no offense to you. He consistently assaults students, and he has on more than one occasion made life particularly difficult for our Faunus students."
Why allow him to stay on these grounds and learn the ways of a Huntsman? Because a grown man with that mentality and the ability to make the whole world know can be a very dangerous thing."
"Sometimes, Professor Murdock, the introduction of a necessary evil will make the shining lights of the forces of good shine even brighter. And I believe if given enough time, Mr. Winchester will find the light within himself."
"Enjoying the show, Cardin?" Peter remarked.
"Wait till Goodwitch hears about this! You, Jauney Boy, will be out of Beacon if I blow the whistle and show her that recording!" Cardin exclaims.
Peter picks up Cardin's scroll and crushes it in his hand with ease. "What recording?"
"I could drop you. Or, I could tell Ozpin that you tried to blackmail another student for personal gain. You would be on the first airship out of Beacon at best. And that's without mentioning anything about your several assaults and accounts of racism. So, do I make myself clear?"
Don't ever mess with my friends; got it?" Jaune said to him. Cardin only hung his head in defeat before silently nodding.
"Parker…" He deeply growled, clenching his fists and digging his fingernails into his skin.
The Defenders of Remnant
Chapter 9: The Heist
"Mr. Mason!" Kingpin called as he, Cinder and one other man entered the room. The Tinkerer turned around to the trio, tearing his attention away from a mass of computer screens before him. Taskmaster stood not so far away, with Bullseye next to him. "Perfect. Taskmaster, Bullseye, you are needed as well." The two villains traded glances before approaching their employer.
"I want you all to meet another associate of ours," Cinder said before making room for the other man, "Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang branch in Vale."
The man, Adam, revealed himself to the others. He was a lean, tall, young man with auburn hair with brown streaks spiked in a windswept way, and he had two small black horns protruding from his head in his hair. He wore a small Grimm mask that covered the top half of his face, an asymmetrical black long-sleeved blazer with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest on his left shoulder, long black dress pants, a black belt with domino marks, and a red undershirt under his half-buttoned blazer. On the back of the blazer was also a design of a red thorned rose. At his waist was a sheathed sword with a black handle.
"Wonderful. More humans," Adam said in disgust.
"I wouldn't badmouth the people who can kill you in a couple hundred different ways," Taskmaster threatened me.
"Is that a challenge?" Adam said as he slightly gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Enough, both of you," Cinder ordered. "Adam is here because he is leading an attack on a Schnee Dust Company shipment of refined Dust. It will be on a train going from Atlas to Vale. The job is to commandeer the train and steal the Dust before it reaches its destination."
"I offered both of your services to Mr. Taurus for this job, so I hope you will show him what you are capable of," Fisk added.
"Seems easy enough," Bullseye replied.
"Perhaps. But we cannot allow for any mistakes. Or witnesses. Atlas Security forces and train crew alike must be silenced if this will be successful," Adam said.
"Not an issue," Taskmaster assured the Faunus.
"Good. Then we leave now. Let's hope you're as good as Cinder says," Adam said before turning around and leaving the room, leading Taskmaster and Bullseye to a bullhead outside of the hideout. Cinder and Kingpin then turned to the Tinkerer.
"As for you, Mason," Cinder began, "You will also provide your talents to Adam Taurus. How experienced are you with genetic tinkering?"
"It is not my forte, but I am not unknowledgeable in the field. Why do you ask?" Tinkerer asked.
"Mr. Fisk has been kind enough to inform me of some results of such a study in your world, such as one Doctor Curtis Connors, who was capable of completely rewriting DNA and became an adversary of the very Spider we face today."
"Yes, Doctor Connors was a revolutionary in the field of genetics. And even if it turned him into a monster of uncontrollable nature, his research itself, given some alterations, was sound. Why is this important?" Tinkerer questioned.
"I wish to gift Adam a new way to fight his war, as thanks for his loyalty so far, and as an incentive for him to continue to do so. Faunus are half-animal, half-human beings. Could you possibly alter the genetic structure to lean more heavily on their primal halves? They would be more their animal parts, but retain enough humanity to remain in complete control, not unlike this Curt Connors did as the Lizard," Cinder requested.
"It's… possible. But I cannot guarantee anything. Like I said, I'm a mechanical genius. Most of my world's genetic geniuses either work for SHIELD, are incarcerated in many of our world's super prisons, or became the very heroes we try to destroy."
"Just do your best, Mr. Mason. We understand if it's not possible with your skill set. But any advantage is desirable," Fisk assured Tinkerer.
Tinkerer nods. "I would need a group of test subjects that could provide samples, so that I could start my analysis of Faunus DNA strands."
"You have plenty of White Fang under our employ to choose from, Mr. Mason. I look forward to your research." Cinder then took her leave as well, as did Kingpin. Tinkerer then turned to the closest White Fang goon. "Find me anyone on the grounds that's a reptilian Faunus. No better place to start than with Connors' research." The goon nodded and left to do as ordered.
Peter was slightly tossing and turning as he slept, a nightmare taking his mind. In his dream, he was in a black void, surrounded by the same repeating cycle of high-pitched evil cackling. Peter felt his heart beating in his chest, and his anger swell up from the depths of his soul. "Come out! Show yourself, dammit!" Then one pillar of light appeared, and under it was none other than the girl from the picture: Mary Jane Watson. Peter looked at her and started running. "MJ!" He tried to get closer, but it was as if he was running in place. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't get any closer. MJ then looked up and screamed as a mountain of rubble buried her in an instant, her voice cutting off immediately. "NO!" Peter cried. Only then did the world let him get near. Peter quickly got to work removing the rubble. "C'mon c'mon… MJ!" The rubble didn't end, but Peter didn't quit, no matter how tired he became. He was interrupted when he was yanked upwards and turned around to meet face to face with another young man his age, with brown hair and brown eyes.
"You did this? You're the reason Mary Jane is dead?!"
"H-Harry?!" Peter cried. "N-No! I didn't do this!"
"It might as well have been! You didn't stop him! You're the legendary Spider-Man! You're supposed to be a hero and you didn't save her?!" Harry Osborne exclaimed.
Peter broke from his grip. "You think I didn't try?! That I didn't try to save the girl I love?!"
"If you really loved her she wouldn't be dead!" Harry yelled back. Slowly, burns began to appear on his face.
"H-Harry?" Peter muttered in shock.
"I thought we were supposed to be best friends! Then you let me die too…"
"I-I didn't think he would, that he could!"
"You didn't think? Damn right you didn't!" Harry cursed. "And now we're both dead!" Then Harry disappeared, and before Peter was a row of tombstones, from left to right reading; Richard Parker, Mary Parker, Ben Parker, Gwen Stacy, May Parker, Harry Osborne, and finally, Mary Jane Watson.
"N-No… no no no no no…" Peter cried as he dropped to his knees, tears pouring down his cheeks. "No no no no no no…" He crawled over and laid himself over Mary Jane's tombstone. "No… MJ…" As he wept, the same evil cackling from before began to fill the void. But Peter just clung to the piece of stone, his strength taken from him. Then a figure knelt behind him and got close to his ear, and the shrill voice whispered:
"Can the Spider-Man come out to play…?"
Peter woke with a start and fell out of his bed, face planting on the wood floor. When he realized he was back in reality, he just laid there and closed his eyes, as the real tears began to flow. "God dammit…" He muttered.
"Well… it could have been worse." The two men looked onto the destroyed site of Kingpin's collider, the machine seemingly damaged beyond repair as a massive crew was still cleaning the area and repairing damage.
"It certainly could have, Tony," The second man said. "The Tinkerer is unknowledgeable in the field of multiversal theory. It's a miracle he didn't take all of New York with them."
"It's not the Tinkerer I'm worried about, Reed. It's about our friends and teammates out there with them," The first man, Tony, replied. Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man. He had short black hair and a full goatee with blue eyes. On his body was a red and yellow metal suit, with a glowing white circle centered at the torso, and two more on the armor's palms.
The second man was Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic, leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the smartest men on the planet, next to Tony. He had combed brown hair with a ring of silver hairs going around his head and a five o'clock shadow. He wore a blue jumpsuit with black gloves, boots and a black collar, and centered on his torso was a symbol with a black four against white background surrounded by a black circle. "Yes, I'm well aware of the danger they could be in, Tony. But four of them are Avengers, and the whole world knows what that says about their capabilities."
"Our world. God knows where they've ended up. Besides, Marc Spector isn't exactly batting a thousand as an Avenger," Tony replied.
"Tony, we will figure this out. But our goal should be to get all this machinery back to either Stark Tower or the Baxter Building for scrapping and storage, so no one else besides us can use it again."
"Yeah, you do that. I'm going to have JARVIS go through all the data that survived the implosion, see if I can't find out where they've ended up. Once we figure that out, we can build our own proper portal and get them home," Tony said.
"That'll take too long," Another voice said. Reed and Tony looked up to see another man float down to them; Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. He had black hair with silver streaks brushed into a widow's peak and a well kept goatee and deep set blue eyes. He wore a blue tunic with a lighter blue trident symbol, black tights, and a golden sash around his waist. Around him was a large red cloak with a high-backed collar and a yellow trim, and a small golden amulet of a closed eye.
"Strange? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, making balloon animals?" Tony quipped.
"Well, it's hard not to notice when someone punches a whole into the multiverse," Strange said as he landed next to them. "And we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Reed asked the Sorcerer.
"When that collider tore a hole in reality, it sent a multiversal wave through our world. It didn't just open one tear, it opened multiple," Strange answered.
"Wait, so you're saying more of our people got pulled through?" Tony asked.
"It's unlikely every tear found a target to pull in, and I'm still investigating the occurences."
"So who got pulled through?" Reed asked. Strange hesitated for a moment.
"I'm not sure yet. The important part is that we get them all back to our world as soon as possible. The longer Spider-Man and the others stay there, they can alter that reality in dangerous ways."
"Alter how?" Reed questioned.
"If they change the flow of a universe's timeline, that could lead to either complete destruction of that universe, or the creation of a whole new multiverse in of itself. Neither of which are desirable outcomes. Both negatively affect what little stability there is between worlds," Strange replied.
"So what's the plan then? Wish on a shooting star for things to get better? That's a magic thing, right?" Tony said sarcastically.
"While I focus on closing all of the tears caused by the multiversal wave, you finish cleaning up here, and if you can, get a lock on them. Because we'll need to put our heads together to get them back." Strange then flew off again, leaving Tony and Reed to deal with the mess they were still in the midst of.
"Y'know, he really could have helped us with the clean up," Tony remarked.
Adam Taurus entered the holding area of the airship, walking towards the supervillains. "We're coming up on the train. Ready yourselves." Taskmaster and Bullseye unbuckled from their seats and stood up as the back door of the airship opened, gusts of wind blowing into the hold. The trio looked below to see the train speeding on the track. The ship was slowly descending, but stopped about fifty feet above the train cars.
"This is as close as I can get," The pilot called over comms.
"You got parachutes for us?" Bullseye asked over the sound of the wind.
"No," Adam replied before leaping out of the ship. Taskmaster shrugged and pulled his shield off his back before doing the same.
"Oh, fuck me…" Bullseye stepped back before jumping out as well, plummeting towards the speeding train.
Adam landed on the train easily, one hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword while the other was used to brace for his landing. Taskmaster used his shield to take the brunt of the impact, curling up behind it as he landed on it. Bullseye rolled as he landed, recovering just before rolling off the car. "So what's the plan?" He asked.
"The Dust crates will be in the storage cars," said Adam. "We need to cut off the storage cars for our bullheads to pick up, that way they stay as far away from the kingdom as possible. Then we blow the train. It won't reach its destination, and we leave no survivors."
"Sounds fine to me," Taskmaster said. "So who's cutting the dust free and who's playing butcher?"
"Bullseye, when we get inside, you cut the dust cars free. We'll clear a way for you," Adam ordered. He then leapt down on the platform between two of the cars, while Bullseye and Taskmaster went to the opposite end and did the same thing.
"Looks like we're on one of the storage cars. The two in front of us looked the same. The rest are probably crew cars and armaments," Taskmaster noted.
"So we have two cars to clear out before we can cut loose. What do we do then?" Bullseye questioned.
"Guess we'll find out. First," Taskmaster drew his sword and readied his shield. "Let's kill everybody we see." He then opens the door to see Adam cutting the final soldier down, with a dozen other bodies lining the floor.
"You take too long," Adam sneered.
"Well, we kinda planned on 'box them in', but it looks like you cut them up just fine," Bullseye said.
"Doesn't matter. There are probably more Atlas punks in the next two Dust cars. We need to keep moving and work as a unit. Taurus, if you follow my lead, I'll take point and cover us from gunfire. Bullseye, if you can keep them on their toes as we rush in, we'll clean house," Taskmaster said.
"You dare order me, human?" Adam snapped at Taskmaster.
"Listen, I didn't ask to be put on this train with you, but I'm here, so we can either figure out how to work together for five minutes, or this entire job can be a bust. Your call, Taurus."
Adam bared his teeth, considering cutting Taskmaster in half right there, but restrained himself. "Fine. The sooner this operation is over, the sooner I no longer have to speak with you."
"Our sentiments exactly," Bullseye commented.
Taskmaster readied his shield and opened the door between their car and the next, blocking just in time as a storm of Dust rounds came upon him from the Atlas forces inside. "Shit! Okay, new plan. Bullseye, I'm your cover. Make your shots count." Bullseye drew two handguns from his sides, reading them. "Alright, moving!" Bullseye crouched behind Taskmaster as he gradually moved forward. Adam stayed further back, waiting to see if they would really clear the way, or die trying. As they entered, Bullseye saw one single weak point in every single soldier's uniform; the openings for their mouths. Bullseye peeked just barely around Taskmaster for every shot; just barely, but more than enough. One by one, bullets were fired into the exposed lower-faces of every Atlas soldier, whether it be through noses, cheeks, or into their mouths, and they began dropping like flies, with the criminal only using one bullet per target, never missing. Within moments, every Atlas soldier in the car was dead, and both super-criminals stood up straight in the middle of the massacre. Adam, admittedly, was impressed. He strolled into the car, one hand resting upon his sheathed weapon, a smirk on his face.
"Well, color me impressed, assassin. You clearly mean business," he complimented.
"Our business is almost finished. Once we clear the last Dust car, what happens next?" Taskmaster asked.
"I will leave the detonation of explosives to the two of you. You'll need to set them off in the frontmost car, then we'll make this all look like an accident."
Taskmaster nodded, then gestured to the exit to the next car. "After you."
It didn't take long at all for the three criminals to kill the final squad of Atlesian soldiers. They never stood a chance. Once Adam wiped his weapon clean of blood on his sleeve, he sheathed the blade and looked to Taskmaster. "Move on ahead. I'll cut the cars instead."
Taskmaster nodded, and both he and Bullseye met no resistance as they reached the front of the train, and both of them started setting explosives from their utility belts. "Alright, are all yours set?"
"Yeah, primed and ready. Let's get going," Bullseye replied. Taskmaster then roundhouse kicked Bullseye across the room, and within an instant, drew his bow and fired three arrows, two of which went through Bullseye's elbow's and the third going through his foot and pinning him to the floor. "Agh! What the fuck are you doing?"
"I appreciate a refresher course on all your skills, Bullseye. I'll need it for my time here," Taskmaster said as his bow collapsed back down and he attached back to his back. "Unlike Fisk, I don't plan on leaving this place. A world without the Avengers breathing down my neck on every job? That's a life I can get behind. But I wanna make sure I have as little competition as possible in this place. Besides, if the big man doesn't have his enforcers, him being caught by the big heroes is way more likely, isn't it?'
"You back-stabbing son of a bitch!" Bullseye exclaimed.
"If it makes you feel better, Bullseye, you were the only one I was worried about out of all his guys. Electro will take care of himself soon enough, and Prowler is a glorified jewel thief. After that, all I have to do is leave Kingpin out to dry, and I'm scot free to wreck this town. You were a good soldier and an even better mercenary. But this is the end of the line." Taskmaster then left the car.
"Taskmaster! Anthony! Come back here you son of a bitch! God dammit! I'll see you in hell for this!" Bullseye cursed. But Taskmaster ignored him, and made his way back to Adam at the first Dust storage car.
"Where's your friend?" Adam asked.
"He's not coming. Cut the cars." Taskmaster brushed past him to enter the car.
"Why betray him?" Adam asked.
"Because I hate people as much as you do. I don't plan on going home anytime soon. And overthrowing an entire race sounds like a good way to break the ice with Remnant. Wouldn't you say?" Taskmaster replied.
"Hm." Adam simply replied before drawing his sword and cutting the locks between the cars. Gradually, their cars started to slow down, while the ones ahead of them kept speeding ahead. As Adam once again sheathed his blade, Taskmaster held the detonator out to Adam.
"Want the honors? I'm sure killing another human will be therapeutic."
Adam looked at him, then the outstretched hand with the detonator, then back at him, before taking it from him with a small smirk on his face. "Yes, I suppose it will." Adam then activated the detonator, and the two watched as the now faraway front of the train went up in flames and smoke, taking all of the cars, and Bullseye, in a violent blaze.
"I know you aren't too fond of us humans, but if you're ever in need of a hired hand," Taskmaster offered, "Cinder's the one who writes the checks."
"I may consider that offer, Taskmaster. For now, let us finish this operation."
"Right," Taskmaster agreed.
Peter rubbed his eyes as he tried to stay awake and pay attention to Matt's class, but his eyelids felt heavier than a truck. He had Velvet on his left and Ruby on his right, and both noticed his struggle to remain conscious.
"Peter? Are you alright?" Velvet whispered.
"Hm? Yeah, yeah… I'm-I'm good…" Peter stumbled over his words. Velvet and Ruby shared a glance of unconvinced worry. "Really, I'm fine. Just… I didn't sleep very well, that's all."
"That's all the time we have for today," Matt said to his class. "Study well, because next class there will be a test on all of the local laws and regulations unique to Vale, and the sentences for breaking said laws. Class dismissed."
As the students started to file out, Peter made it out only to be stopped by Ruby and Yang.
"Hey, Peter-" Ruby started.
"Ruby, I said I'm fine," Peter interrupted without even turning around.
"Pete, somethings clearly wrong," Yang said. "You know you can talk to us, right? We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yeah, yeah we are, just… this isn't something I wanna talk about. I need some alone time, that's all. I'll talk to you guys later, though." Peter then left the two huntresses behind, not looking back at them.
"He's not okay, is he sis?" Ruby asked her older sister.
"Hard to tell when he won't even look us in the eyes," Yang answered.
"Don't take it personally, girls," Matt said from behind them. They both turned to see the blind professor standing behind them. "I've had the privilege to know Peter Parker for a good few years now. He's had some… rough times in his life, and sometimes he has days where that's what's at the forefront of his mind."
"Rough how?" Yang asked.
"I'm not really at liberty to say, but… Peter doesn't really have any family left. And there are days where he is painfully reminded of that. So he thinks he should be left alone, so he doesn't snap at those he has left to care about. So don't take his actions personally, Yang."
"Oh, he must be so sad…" Ruby said, feeling bad for him. "I know! We have to do something for him!"
"While the sentiment is pure, Ruby, perhaps he really should be left alone," Matt responded.
"But that's not what friends do! Friends help friends when they're sad!" Ruby said. "Right, Professor Murdock?"
"Yes, that is true, but-" Matt started to say.
"Then we gotta get to work now! C'mon, Yang!" Ruby grabbed her sister's arm, then the two sped away in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of rose petals behind them. Matt simply sighed before going back into his classroom.
The airship landed just outside Torchwick's secret hideout before lowering its ramp to let Adam and Taskmaster out. Waiting for them were Cinder, Kingpin and Torchwick himself, who all saw as other airships slowly set down, with White Fang wheeling out hundreds of Dust crystals. "Gotta say," Tochwick said, "Not bad boys. Not bad at all."
"We got the job done, and we got it done right. Something you can learn from, Torchwick," Adam sneered. Torchwick's charming smile changed to an angered and offended frown in an instant.
"Enough," Cinder ordered. "We have the Dust, that's all that matters."
"I disagree," Fisk cut in. "Where is Bullseye?"
"Didn't make it. He rushed into the front car, where a group of Atlas soldiers jumped him. I didn't want to endanger the mission, so I tossed my explosives into the car and separated us. If the soldiers didn't kill him, he died when my bombs went off," Taskmaster lied.
Cinder looked at Adam. "Is this true?" She asked.
Adam nodded. "It is. As much as I dislike humans, I must admit he did well in killing Ironwood's men. But he was overconfident in his ability, and when he was ambushed, at no point did we hesitate to finish the mission, even if that meant letting him die."
"But you didn't let him die, Mr. Taurus," Fisk cut in as he approached the two. "You both admitted to killing him, my most loyal assassin."
"The assassin took a risk, Kingpin, and it didn't pay off. If we wanted to get the Dust before it reached the Vale storehouse, we couldn't save him," Adam defended. Kingpin looked down to the faunus with anger. And Taskmaster has seen in person what Wilson Fisk does to a man when he's angry. Skulls become paste in his hands. The human body bends easier than paper. And Taskmaster was sure Fisk would teach Adam firsthand.
But, Fisk restrained himself, and backed away from the faunus. "This is… unfortunate. But we have a goal in mind. If Bullseye is dead, so be it." Fisk then left them all, walking on his own, contemplating things.
"He took that better than I thought he would," Taskmaster noted.
"What were you expecting?" Adam asked.
"For him to fold you easy as a bedsheet, and have me clean it up," Taskmaster replied nonchalantly before heading inside. The other two followed him inside to the Tinkerer's lab.
"Mr. Mason! How's it coming along?" Cinder asked.
"I'm still trying to isolate the divides in the two DNA strands. It will be a few days before I've even done that. Afterwards, I still need to concoct a serum to push the divide, which may be different for every faunus on the planet," the Tinkerer replied.
"No rush. Take the time you need."
"So what's next on the agenda list?" Taskmaster questioned.
"For now, the same as usual. The larger opportunities will come gradually. And I am grateful you are so eager, Taskmaster."
"Hey, it's my job. Gotta take it seriously."
"Is that why you lied?" Cinder asked, her smirk waning a bit. Clearly, Taskmaster thought, she wasn't entirely happy about Bullseye's death either. And Unlike Fisk, saw right through him and Adam. Taskmaster looked over to Tinkerer to see if he heard Cinder, which he did not. He had gone back to working on the faunus experiment. So Taskmaster ushered Cinder into the next room over before continuing the conversation.
"I lied because Fisk wouldn't like what I would say."
"The truth being you unnecessarily killed your partner?" Cinder questioned, hands on her hips.
"To shed some light on our situation, witch, Fisk doesn't want to play ball with you. He just wants to play along until he has Mason make us a way home so he can keep looking for a variant of his dead wife. That's all he cares about. He plans to leave you all hung out to dry."
"And you're telling me this, why?"
Cinder didn't seem at all surprised at Taskmaster's words. "You already knew."
"I'm not one to be played, Taskmaster. I only work with those I choose. To be frank with you, the only reason I didn't kill you all the moment we met was because you claimed to be from another world, which has only since been proven true to me. I never trusted Fisk, and I never will. But you didn't answer my question. Why are you turning on your employer?" Cinder asked.
"Because I don't care if we go back to Earth or not. Personally, I have more freedom here. No heroes, no Avengers to slow me down, besides who was dragged with us. But Kingpin only wants to go back. I don't care if his wife is dead or alive, it's not my issue. This kingdom? This world? I can take my chunk of it. No more assassinations, no more contracts, no more just being a hired gun. I'll be feared again." Taskmaster had ambition in his voice, along with anger and determination. Something Cinder could almost respect and relate to. Her smirk returned.
"I see. So even if they leave, you would wish to stay," She said.
"He hired me. I'm still under the job. If he leaves, I leave. Which is why they won't leave. I already killed Bullseye. And like I said to him, the rest will be simple enough."
"But you can't lay a finger on Fisk?"
"I have some integrity. I can't kill whoever hires me. But-" Taskmaster started.
"But you can set him up for failure," Cinder finished.
"All it would take is one 'botched' job, or to nudge him right into Frank Castle's crosshair. Or even something done on your part to put him into the heroes' view."
"What then? What of the others? You already killed one, plan to kill the rest?" Cinder asked.
"That's the idea."
"Why waste such good pawns when you can merely sacrifice them later?" Cinder questioned. "If you can convince them to stay here as well, they would still make valuable assets."
"I'll leave the convincing to you if that's how you want to do it. But if that fails, and it will fail, I put bullets between their eyes."
"Of course," Cinder agreed. There was then a moment of silence between the two before Cinder continued. "So, is that an official request for a partnership between us, Mr. Masters?"
"Request? You're all still common crooks in my eyes, and I just said I wanted something more. Why would I stay with all of you once Fisk is gone?"
"Oh, Anthony, we are so much more than common criminals. Well, besides Roman. There is a bigger picture, you just have to give it time to form," Cinder assured him.
"First of all, don't ever call me Anthony again. Second, what is the bigger picture? What are you planning?"
"You said you wanted your own piece of the world, correct?" Cinder asked. Taskmaster hesitantly nodded. "I can promise you that and more if you agree to work with me, with us. And in time, you will understand everything, and you will have everything you want. So, what will it be?" Cinder waited for his response. Taskmaster seemed to be thinking for a good few moments, before he looked Cinder in her bright amber eyes, and put his hand out.
"Deal," he said. Cinder's smirk only grew as she took his hand and shook it.
Peter sat alone in his dorm, trying his best to think of anything besides his past, his long gone friends and family. But he couldn't. He was in a rut he couldn't claw his way out of. He sighed as he buried his head in his hands. I'm hopeless…
Then a knock came at his door. He slowly looked up. "Uh… c-come in…" He called without much energy. The door opened to reveal team RWBY, with Weiss and Ruby being the first ones in, followed by Yang and Blake. "Oh, h-hey guys…" Peter gave an unenthusiastic wave.
"Peter, we wanted to make sure you're ok. You haven't been yourself all day," Ruby said.
"Like I said before, Ruby, I'm-" Peter started to say, but was interrupted by Yang.
"Dude, you are clearly not okay," She said. "Trust me, I would know." Peter sighed and looked down.
"Look," Weiss added, "We're not gonna force you to tell us what's wrong, but at least let us try and cheer you up a bit. We can't let you just wallow in here all night."
"Cheer me up how?" Peter asked, not even faking a smile anymore.
"We're gonna go out and have fun as a team!" Ruby exclaimed. "JNPR too!"
"They all saw you like this too, so they wanted to help lift your spirits up," Blake added. "We got tickets for a movie, and we'd grab dinner together after."
"Guys, really, I appreciate the thought, but I just want a night to myself," Peter replied. However, Yang pulled him up out of his bed. "Wha- Hey!"
"Sorry Pete, but we weren't asking. This is what teammates, what friends do," She said.
"You said Ozpin assigned you to look after us," Weiss continued, "So it stands to reason that, when you need it, we should look after you as well. It's our, well… responsibility, as you put it."
"Wow, that came back to bite me, didn't it?" Peter remarked.
"Peter, please. We want to help you, even if it's just like this," Ruby pleaded. Peter looked at her and saw the insistence and emotion behind her eyes. And unfortunately, he could see the thing that also eats him up everyday, the thing he saw in her from the moment they met: the relentless drive to help anybody and everybody. Which brought Peter's conversation with Blake back to mind; is this why he's here? To help them? Or are they here to ultimately help him? Whichever he didn't know, and he figured he was thinking too hard about it anyway. He ultimately resigned and sighed, a small smile finally growing across his face.
"Alright, fine, let me get changed."
"Yay!" Ruby squealed.
"Alright, Ruby, we won, now let's clear out so he can get clean clothes on," Yang rushed her younger sister out, followed by Weiss. Blake looked at Peter with a worried glance. Peter kept his smile and shrugged a bit. Blake slightly smiled as well and nodded before stepping out with her teammates, closing the door behind her. Peter took a deep breath and started to change his clothes.
Cardin was walking the sidewalk in Vale alone. He left his teammates at Beacon for the night, and just wanted some time to himself. He was embarrassed and made a fool of by Peter Parker. He had Jaune under his thumb, had influence over several students, and had a reputation. Not even Pyrrha Nikos or the heiress Weiss Schnee could do anything. The teachers even barely cared what he did, except for the blind one, whom he didn't care to remember his name. Then Parker had to intervene. Not only did he give Jaune the guts to stand up to Cardin, but the fact that he did so spread like wildfire around the school. All of a sudden, Cardin's reputation was torn to shreds. No one was scared of Team CRDL like they used to be. His social power had disappeared overnight. And it was all thanks to…
Then he looked up and saw him, with the punks of Teams RWBY and JNPR, including Jauney Boy himself. Right in the middle of them. Peter Parker. He watched, fuming, as the two teams entered a movie theater together. "Parker…!" He then punched the corner of a building out of rage, breaking apart the stone. He wanted badly to just go in there and beat him senseless. But then where would that leave him? Beating him in public for a reason like that would get him kicked out of Beacon. There was no provocation. Not in their eyes, anyway. Besides, he had two full teams of Hunstmen and Huntresses with him, not that Jaune counted as one. He clenched his fists tightly and shoved them in his jacket pockets before continuing. I should head back to Beacon… I can kick his ass in Goodwitch's combat class… Cardin turned to take a shortcut through an alley. But that's not enough… Beating him in a fight won't be enough. He broke my reputation, I need to break his… Cardin lashed out again and punched the wall to his left as hard as she could. He cracked the entire section wall. He left his fist there, using it as an anchor point as he tried to compose himself. Then he felt liquid run down his knuckles. Am I bleeding? I didn't feel my aura break. He pulled his hand away from the wall and inspected it. He thought he saw blood, but it was dark out in an alleyway, it could be anything.
Then the liquid began to move on its own. Once it came into the moonlight, Cardin could tell it wasn't blood. It was a black ooze-like substance, and it was moving rapidly up his arm. Cardin yelped and tried to pull the substance off, but it then began to spread up his other arm at an even faster rate. "Get off!" He kept trying to pull it off, but it soon enveloped both of his arms and began to spread across his entire body; down his legs, up his back, and creeping up his neck. Cardin soon lost his ability to move, and the black substance covered his eyes.
New Cast Members
Tony Stark/Iron Man: Billionaire playboy philanthropist who was a weapons manufacturer until he was given the irony of watching Americans killed by the very weapons he created. After creating the arc reactor to permanently keep the shrapnel from entering his heart, Tony built a suit of armor to protect the innocents of the world, a suit the public would dub Iron Man. One of the founding members of The Avengers and the Illuminati.
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Scientific genius that was changed due to unknown energies in space, Reed gained elastic powers. Founding member and leader of the Fantastic Four and the Illuminati.
Doctor Strange: Former neurosurgeon, Stephen Strange lost the ability to use his hands. Desperate, he learned the mystic arts to save people a different way, and became the Sorcerer Supreme. Founding member of Midnight Sons and the Illuminati.