Norman looked at a computer screen as he sat through a slideshow, nodding along as he shook his head with one particular slide. He smiled as he heard a vent being pushed open, he looked at the ceiling to see Bullet Spider sticking to it. "We should really modify our security systems."
"Alright, Osborn.", he quickly dropped down in front of his desk. "It's weird now so far, you're responsible for three of the five guys I had to beat the shit out of. One of them... not being my favorite."
"Oh you mean Mrs. Waters? What makes you think my company has anything to do with her?", Norman asked calmly as he searched his draws for something.
"Call it a hunch.", Bullet Spider says casually.
"Well, I'll have you know that it was merely an accident.", Norman says as he pulled out a brush. "I could have you arrested by the way, you breaking and entering and all."
"Please, I beat the Rhino and the Lizard I think I can handle your feeble little-", Bullet Spider stopped as Norman removed his durag, showing off his impeccable waves as he began brushing it. "Really? Right as I'm talking?"
"You know what that durag is made of? Pure silk.", Norman says as he throughly brushed his waves. "See it's of the utmost importance I maintain these."
"You couldn't do that beforehand?", Bullet Spider shook his head before sighing. "What the hell are you doing? Electro and the Lizard were accidents, but you had the requirements to make sure they didn't happen. The Sandstorm? That can't have been an accident."
"And what makes you so sure, Hmm? A mere little hunch isn't going to get you to win a legal battle against me, even though you'd so obviously lose.", Norman says confidently as he put his purple silk durag back on. "I have nothing to hide, but you should most likely leave before the security arrives."
Bullet Spider snarled as he sling shot his way back onto the ceiling vent. "Oh and you should probably fix those goggles, it's a safety hazard. Or you could just... work for me, we'll get you a nice looking suit- and he's gone.", Norman went on as with one look away from him, the spider had just completely left.
"Yeah I should really get new goggles."
Bullet Spider crawled out of the side vent he always enters through before jolting off with a powerful leap, swinging through the city as a few thoughts went through his head. "Oscorp. A business that rivals Alchemax consistently, or at least that's what news articles and Danika's podcasts says anyways. Oscorp is leading to a new futuristic age... but why are there so many problems with them? First Electro, then The Lizard and now The Sandstorm? Shouldn't there be safety regulations? Nah, it's likely that Osborn is just like his son, an egotistical asshole that doesn't care about anyone around him. Guess it runs in the family."
It was just then, Buller Spider pulled out his main phone as he felt it buzzing in his pocket and answered it. Landing ontop of a building and rolling up his mask. "Yuh huh?"
["Hey, J.", he let out a sigh of relief once he heard Maya's voice.
"Hey Maya.", Bullet Spider sat down as he adjusted his mask. "What's sup?"
["Can you stop by my place? I got something you'd might be interested in."]
"For the last time I will not watch Vampire Diaries and you can't make me."
["YES I CAN- anyways, it's not that... this time."]
Bullet Spider let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright then, what is it?"
Maya cackled maniacally like a witch once she heard this. ["Its a surprise.", and then promptly hung up on him.
"Great, eh, wouldn't hurt to see.", Bullet Spider shrugged as he pulled down his stitched up mask and leapt off the building and swung off into the distance. "Don't even get me started on the Prowler, dude is a Class A asshole for using a kid to his advantage. And it's suddenly my fault that she went off the rails? You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"It's not all bad though.", Jonah remembered when he was still hanging on that bridge, something had pulled him down and placed him down on the other side, away from the water... it felt course, almost like sand. "But thanks to both of us, a kid is gonna have to grow up without a mom... but, at least his mom is alive and well, made of sand but still alive."
He landed on the side of her apartment building down in Chinatown, he knocked on the glass window as he sat on the fire escape. "I'm not some magic wand... but at least she doesn't have to worry about working for some evil shit head."
It took a minute but Maya opened the window with a smile. "You know you could just go through the front door right?"
"I don't have a spare set of clothes.", Bullet Spider says as he climbed in, Maya closed the window and shut the blinds as he took off his goggles and then his poorly stitched together mask. "So what's up?"
Maya hopped in place excitedly as she went to her desk and picked up a mask the same shade of red as his own but with some... differences. "A mask?"
"Yeah!", Maya nodded with glee. "I uh... may or may not have started making my own costume for this years comic con in Los Angeles but whatever. I used a spandex material for the mask, since I imagine a dirty, cloth ski mask isn't comfortable anymore."
"... You're not wrong."
"Oh and I added these.", she says as she held it up clearly to show the lenses being accompanied by aviator glasses, appearing to be attached to the mask itself. "I couldn't get any darker lenses... sooooo."
"Wow... nice!", Jonah tossed his mask and broken goggles aside as he happily took the one she made. Slipping it on like a glove, it perfectly shaped to his head as the new goggles sat nicely in front of his eyes. "Yeah, much better. Wait... what do I owe you?"
"Oh nothing much.", Maya teased as she got VERY close to Jonah, poking the chest covered by his Kevlar vest. "Just take me swinging around the city."
"That's it?"
"And watch Vampire Diaries."
"FUCK!"
A tall man with a short haircut wearing what looks like a dark blue body suit with welding goggles was tinkering on something. A pair of large metallic gauntlets with glowing blue bulbs. He sat up once he heard someone entering the dark room and turning on a light. "So, how did the meeting go?"
"Eh, coulda gone bettah.", a younger man with short blond hair, sunglasses and what looked like biker attire says casually as he took off his jacket. "The Big Man freaks me the hell out though."
"Dunno why Tombstone wanted us there, guy could probably beat the Kingpin if he wanted to.", said a man that was much larger than both of them, he wore similar biker gear but it was much more torn.
"Can't underestimate the Kingpin, he'll have your head. So, what was that sit down all about?", Micheal Brooks asked as he took off his goggles to look at them.
"Boss wants us to deal with the Spider-Man and give him over to Tombstone.", James Sanders says with a yawn. "Dunno how we're gonna accomplish that, even with the.. incentive."
The larger man, Jackson Brice, nodded. "Yeah, the dude took down some Maggia guys holding up a jewelry store all by himself."
"Don't forget to mention he used a mailbox to beat a guy's head in."
Micheal looked back at them with a blank expression. "If he's such an issue, I guess I'll have to be there as well.", he said before standing up. "Suit up, we're leaving in a few minutes."
Maya looked at Jonah, still in his suit, just completely devouring the left over pot of pasta her family made the night before. "Dude... it's yours, chill out.", she says as he just looked at her then looked back at the pot.
"I haven't been eatin all too frequently, well besides the free food at those food trucks.", Jonah says with a shrug before just sighing. "Besides, I've been trying to save up so I can pay my not only the hospital bills but the rent."
"What- didn't you get fired from your job not too long ago? How do you plan on getting the money?", Maya asked with a look of genuine surprise.
"Sold some old stuff I had, and even though I hated it with every fiber of my being.", Jonah took a deep breath as he placed the pot down. "I sold some pictures to news publishing companies, it's easy to get some photos and send them anonymously."
Maya tilted her head in confusion. "You don't have to do all that, there's the F.E.A.S.T. Shelter down in Manhattan that's got some beds for you and your mom."
Jonah groaned. "I don't wanna do that, makes me feel like a helpless dickhead.", he says as he looked at the pot and frowned once he realized it was all finished.
"You could stay here."
Jonah stopped immediately, he scratched his cheek slightly as she just smiled. "I'll... think about it.", that's when he heard the annoying ringtone of his burner phone. "One second.", he pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"
["Bullet Spider, I need you to head down to Hells Kitchen. There's a fire consuming a building and I'm worried that people inside won't be able to escape in time.", Yuri's worried voice says.
"On it.", Jonah says ended the call and put on his new mask. "I hate to run but-"
"Don't explain, if people need you then go.", Maya says unbothered as he gave a thumbs up, running to the window and diving out of it. "Damn... now I gotta make a whole new mask."
It was a... bizarre feeling for Jonah as he swung through the city, his first act of vigilantism started with a fire. He didn't know whether to laugh at it or curse any gods for their sick sense of humor. Bullet Spider's eyes allowed him to see the smoke further away.
Slingshotting himself forward, he soared through the air like a missile as he quickly closed the distance. Landing his feet on the side of a building and running across it as he leapt again, finally closing the distance as he shot a web line and swung right in.
"Anybody in here?!", Bullet Spider shouted out as it took him a moment to register the sounds of movements, close movements. He looked around and could feel the sweat already building up... and that was when he heard it.
A clicking sound.
He instinctively dropped to the floor, dodging a dual stream of flames from behind as the arachnid shot a web that pulled him away. Turning around to see a tall and broad man wearing full body dark clothing, a welding mask and two metallic gauntlets with what looked like attachments from a flamethrower.
"Oh and who are you supposed to be?", Bullet Spider asked genuinely curious.
"Call me Butane, bug."
"Also uh... ain't it hot in there?"
The man wielding flamethrowers looked at him. "Absolutely, I think I'm gonna have a heatstroke in this."
"You didn't think this through did you?"
The flamethrower wielding wall of muscle just grunted before aiming his wrist mounted devices at him before Bullet Spider leapt up and drop kicked the man to the floor. Quickly picking him up and body slamming him through several floors before landing on the ground floor with a thud.
"You fucking moron.", was all Bullet Spider said as he picked up the larger man effortlessly before throwing him through the window and across the street. Startling the gathered crowd and firefighters, as he exited, he shook the burnt wood off his body. "Everyone's out."
Butane managed to get up only to be met with a flying drop kick that knocked him to the floor. "If you wanted to piss me off, you've done it."
"Tag in.", Butane says with an overjoyed tone.
"Huh?", before Bullet Spider could register it, he was suddenly sent skidding back by a blur, only to be caught by his hood and dragged along the asphalt, being knocked into fire hydrants, male boxes and light poles before being thrown into a parked car.
"Seriously? Your spider sense didn't pick that up?", the speedster with the most ridiculous looking outfit consisting of a brightly colored leather jacket, a strange neck brace and metallic leg attachments.
Bullet Spider snickered at the sight. "Dude, that's the gayest looking outfit.", he comments before shooting out an impact web at the man who quickly vanished into thin air.
"Names James Sanders, but you can call me Speed Demon.", Speed Demon says with a grin as he dodged another attack from the Bullet Spider. "Gotta say, wished you were fast-", he was suddenly knocked back by a punch to his nose which cause it to look inhumanly bent with blood pouring out.
"Shut up.", Bullet Spider says before pulling out his gun and aiming it at the mans legs.
Speed Demon noticed this and quickly rushed out the way as the bullet went straight into the asphalt. Bullet Spider immediately changed his direction and shot at him again, only to meet another empty space. "How the hell can you see me?!"
"I don't have spider sense, I do have some good eyes though.", Bullet Spider says as he shot at the Speed Demon again, the speedster rushed towards him only to be met with a lariat. "Took me off guard once, won't happen again."
He picked up Speed Demon by his throat and began to apply even the slightest pressure onto it. Bullet Spider quickly throws the man before being sent blasted back with incredible amount of force, knocking him through a building and onto a completely deferent street. "Yup, ain't New York without getting jumped."
A man landed in front of him with a powerful crash that nicked him and anything near further back. Two blue eyes stared at him as he stepped out. The man wore a dark brown leather jacket with a unique yellow and black padded torso piece that covered his neck with maroon colored pants. He wore a sort of protective gear around his stomach with a belt. The man wore black armor that led down to metallic boots, with bulky shoulder pads. He wore large metallic twin gauntlets with three blue tubes on both.
"Gotta say, I pictured you to be taller.", the man said with a casual tone.
"Seriously, where do you guys even come from?", Bullet Spider heard the sound of clicking before sling shooting his way onto a light pole, dodging a blast of some sort of transparent blue energy.
"Big bosses don't like you mucking up their operations, as they're all my clients, I gotta do sumthin about that.", the man says as he looked at Bullet Spider. "Since my compatriots took up a name, just call me Shocker!"
"Oh those are shockwaves! OHHHHHHH.", Bullet Spider slapped himself before pulling out the rope and wrapping one end around his hand.
Dodging another shockwave blast, he leapt in with a soaring drop kick that sent Shocker to the ground. Bullet Spider looked to his left before flipping into the air, using his rope to hook onto Speed Demon as he he planted his feet on the ground and began strangling him. Again, he heard the sounds of a trigger being pulled as he threw the Speed Demon and leapt into the air dodging a dual stream of flames.
"Butane has wrist mounted flame throwers that work faster than an actual flame thrower. Speed Demon is an issue since I can't touch him without paying attention. But the Shocker has shockwaves that can fuckin kill me if I don't try to avoid them.", Bullet Spider says as he dodged a punch from the speeding human while also using a manhole cover to block a shockwave blast. "I gotta bail for now."
Bullet Spider narrowed his eyes as he shot a impact web at the Shocker's face the moment he tried to shoot another shockwave blast, he then turned his attention to Speed Demon before dropping to the ground and kicking him to the air then using a web line to pull Butane off his feet.
"The hell is this shit?!", the Shocker ripped off the webbing, some of it still hanging off his visor as Speed Demon fell face first into the ground as Butane groaned. "Oh no... he got away."
"Seriously?! I thought you said this was gonna be easy!", Speed Demon said with short breathes as he held his nose.
"When did I ever say that?", Shocker shook his head.
"Definitely not my most sanitary option but I haven't washed these in days so I have no excuse.", Bullet Spider mutters to himself as he exited a sewer, sliding the manhole cover back on as he swung ontop of a building.
Bullet Spider just laid there looking up at the cloudy sky, he let out a sigh as he pulled up his new mask. "I can't help but wonder if dad ever faced a moment like this. To just... leave, you know you could beat them but... you just can't at that time. I wonder if it scared himself as much it did me...", he stood up and scratched his chin.
"It feels like I just... unlocked a new criminal underground just by putting on this goddamn get up.", Jonah looked at his hands and popping his talons, attempting to stab himself with his other hand only for it to automatically retract. "I wonder if that's how dad felt when he became a police officer..."
Jonah groaned as he bent backwards, pops were heard as he stood straight again. "Fuck, my back hurts.", the red eyed young man stretches as he got a call, he pulled out his burner phone and answered.
["Why are we getting reports of a blur in the streets and a guy dressed in a costume causing tremors?"]
"Yeah that's me."
["Figures. Pretty sure I know the guy behind all that."]
"Wow, really?", Jonah asked genuinely surprised.
["Yeah. His name is Micheal Brooks, goes by the Tinkerer usually. Smart guy, way smarter than we give him credit since we have nothing to go off of to arrest him. All crimes related to him are by people with gear he made."]
"Hmm.", Bullet Spider nodded. "Say... you wouldn't happen to know where his workshop would be right? Being a tinkerer would need a place to work."
["Wished I could, but the last time we got him and nothing came up he moved shop to who knows where. It's why we have our best detectives working on that."]
"Anything come up yet?", Bullet Spider stood there as Yuri said nothing. "Figures. I'll see what I can do."
["Alright. But don't go off on your own, you're already in enough trouble with the law."]
"Yeah yeah.", Jonah says before ending the call and pulling down his mask. "They can't find em because he knows they're coming for him. However... since I ran away, they won't think about it."
Bullet Spider sling shots himself once again as he zipped through the air at high speeds. His hood and rope flapping in the winds as he sped through the city with his webbing. "But how do I find them? Lure them out? But how?"
"Wait... maybe I don't need to lure them out, all I gotta do is focus on them specifically.", Bullet Spider swung around the Empire State Building before landing on the very top. "Just... tune them all out, just listen for only them."
Bullet Spider did just that, tune every single noise out. The sounds of chatter, the sounds of cars passing through the bustling streets, even the sounds of rats squeaking as they drag a pizza through the subway. Those weren't what he was looking for...
"You think we scared him off?"
"I hope so."
Bullet Spider grinned under his mask as he finally found their voices, next step, their position. His eyes widened as they zoomed into the surroundings. He ignored everything, kids walking with their parents, dogs wandering the street looking for their owners. They held nothing to him.
It was just then he saw the foot of the Shocker enter a car hidden within an alleyway. Then, he looked at the license plate, standard, completely unimportant to the eyes of an average person.
The black SUV drove through the streets of the Financial District through Midtown, through Greenwich and finally stopped at a location just at the upper east side. A facility known as Best Mans Salvage.
"How long do you think the bug is gonna take to find us?", Butane said, his protective helmet off. Pulling into the parking lot as he let out a yawn.
"Dunno, maybe he'd be too scared to try again.", James said with a laugh as he hopped out of the SUV, as did Butane.
Micheal took off his helmet as he exited the vehicle with a blank expression. "Considering the only advanced thing he has are those web shooters, I don't think we'll be worrying about him for a while.", he says as the two men entered the facility..
They were completely unaware of someone standing ontop of a roof and staring at them as they entered. Pulling out his burner phone, he dialed Yuri's number.
["This is Yuri Wantanabe."]
"Found em.", Bullet Spider said casually. "They're at Best Mans Salvage at the Upper East Side... bring a few ambulances by the way."
["Wait. Don't-!", before Yuri could protest, Bullet Spider ended the call abruptly.
"They're gonna need it."
The trio had went through the motions, going through the corridor and up through an elevator that descended down to their workshop. "Say, could you like... give me a whole costume?", James asked genuinely.
"What?"
"Yeah, I'm not sure this whole leg attachments and this stupid looking neck brace really makes me look... menacing.", James says as he unlocked the neck brace.
"That bracer is meant to protect your neck and head from the whiplash, I tailor made those pants and jacket just so you don't burn up while running.", Micheal Brooks says as he began to unlatch the mechanical shockwave generating gauntlets.
Butane raised his hand. "If you ask for a cooling system, you're gonna have to fork over the cash for that.", Micheal says with an angered expression. "I'm not doing this shit for free."
Butane... promptly lowered his hand in defeat.
Micheal sighed as the door opened, be the trio walked through the opened doors into the workshop. It as lit up around several desk with various equipment on them, ranging from helmets to guns. "Considering the shit they dealt with, those prototypes are gonna need some repairs. I-"
Micheal stopped talking... he heard the sounds of something light and metal being closed shut. "You sure we weren't followed?"
"Um...", Jackson looked away as he slowly readjusted his flamethrowers.
"You're a fucking moron, you know that?", Micheal shook his head as he put his helmet back on. "Change of plans. Go find out what broke in."
"Sir yes sir.", Speed Demon says with a fake salute before he rushed off, quickly coming back for his sunglasses as Butane slipped on his protective helmet and stomped off.
Micheal hissed as he just slipped on his helmet, the two black lenses turning a bright blue.
Speed Demon stopped once he approached the other side of the workshop, which was surprisingly large, there were large crates and palettes around, some empty with some being opened but noticeably tampered with.
"Wait...", Speed Demon approached one of the boxes that had been open by... something incredibly sharp judging by the markings on there. "Was this always opened?"
It was just then he heard the sound of a metallic object hitting the floor, he looked over only to see a strange glowing rope burst out and ensnare him. Red electricity surging as he grits his teeth, holding in the pain.
Bullet Spider suddenly dropped from the ceiling and pinned him down. Grabbing one of his legs he effortlessly snapped the ankle and crushed the bones inside of his legs. Causing him to let out a scream of agony. "HE'S-!", before James could shout for assistance, he was kicked in the back of the head and promptly knocked out.
His ears twitched under his mask, shooting a web line directly up, he hoisted himself onto the ceiling and narrowly avoided the Shocker. "Looks like we got a dumbass here instead.", his helmet switched to night vision, his blue eyes flashing to green as he looked up... nothing was there.
Butane on the other hand kept his finger at the trigger within his gauntlets. The man quickly whipped his arm up the moment he heard something topple over, a tool box specifically.
Butane let out a sigh. "Seriously, why did we split up again?", before he could place the tool box back up... there was a gunshot.
The gunshot echoed through the workshop as Shocker obviously heard it. He sprinted from his position only to quickly find Butane screaming as he was engulfed in flames. "Fuck fuck fuck!", the man dropped to the ground and began rolling as the Shocker looked around.
"So, you did find us huh?", Shocker says as he turned to Bullet Spider sitting on his chair. "How?"
"I just listened for you guys, the rest is just semantics so don't worry about it.", Bullet Spider said causally as he waved his arms.
Without so much as another word, Shocker unleashed a powerful blast of shockwaves at Bullet Spider who immediately used two web lines to yank himself up and dodged the blast that completely obliterated the chair. "I admire that persistence, not enough to let you leave alive of course."
Bullet Spider dodged another blast aimed at him which shook the workshop. "Would be bad for business. I'm sure you understand.", he fired two blasts at Bullet Spider as he swung through the workshop, carving through the concrete walls that lined the workshop.
"Oh really?", Bullet Spider said as he pulled out two of the disc he stole from before and tossed it at the Shocker. He blasted them apart only to still get that small trace of electricity. "Honestly? I don't fucking care."
"Y'know... it ain't wise to make a dangerous man look like a fool!", Shocker exclaimed annoyed as the gauntlets glowed brighter as he unleashed an even stronger blasts of shockwaves, small pieces of debris fell as Bullet Spider laughed.
"Yeah! There's the emotion!", Bullet Spider says in between his fit of laughter as he effortlessly weaved through the blasts. "I mean seriously, this is your line of work? You gotta be kidding me!"
"Oh shut up! What would you know!", Shocker's eye twitched underneath his helmet as he kept blasting wildly only to receive a glob of webbing to his visor. "You fucking little shit!", he looked around as he let out an angered scream when he couldn't spot the wall crawler.
"Come out. NOW!", Shocker was prepared to cave himself in it lured the spider out, he was suddenly met with a web to his ankle that yanked him off his feet and onto the ground. The tinkerer attempted to get up once again only to be swiftly knocked out by a foot stomping on the back of his head.
Bullet Spider stood over them with a smile. "Right here."
It didn't take long for Bullet Spider to drag out the three men wrapped up in a cocoon of webbing. Even less for him to notice the police officers standing a bit away with their guns drawn, and thankfully with ambulances nearby. "They're all yours."
Bullet Spider threw the three injured men without a care in the world before he slingshot himself out of the parking lot and into the streets of the Upper East Side. Ignoring the shouts of the police officers commanding him to come back.
"Man. I'm fuckin beat.", Bullet Spider yawned as he landed in front of the steps to the underground train station.
Being a vigilante on the train was... bizarre for him, people asked for his autograph, asked questions on if he's an alien, some just wanted to see him stick to the ceiling of the train. Bullet Spider didn't mind this but hated that it ended as he reached his stop in what seemed like seconds.
"Alright, my bag should beeeee...", Bullet Spider hoisted himself onto a building with a web line and crawled along the side of it as he looked at the roof to see a backpack with clothing inside. "There, I'm so smart."
Quickly changing into regular civilian clothing, he traversed down the steps and used the elevator to get to his exact floor. Yawning as he walked through the corridor, ignoring the muffled conversations as he pulled out his key and inserted it...
But nothing happened.
Jonah was confused as he tried this same action only to be met with the same response, a still locked door. He quickly glanced around before pushing the door off its hinges... only to be met with a relatively empty living room with the usual items just being... gone.
All Jonah could muster out was just;
"Huh?"
/End/