PART 1 - Chapter 15 - A Night in the Narrows - Speed and Performance
When there's a runaway bus, gunmen and hostages, and an improvised partnership; what do you do?
(WARNING - THIS CHAPTER WILL HAVE CHANGES OF POV, STARTING FROM SPIDER-MAN'S POV, THEN 3rd PERSON, THAN BACK TO HIM.
I hope this does not confuse you readers too much, the first drafts of this chapter didn't flow well enough, before I decided to make this version.
If it is STILL complicated, I will add some sort of tagging later, like, SPIDEY'S POV or 3RD PERSON'S POV)
Black Bat was nice. Great sense of humor and timing.
Red Hood was too, I guess. Cursed too much, to be honest, but knew how to play along. This caught me by surprise, not gonna lie.
They also helped by filling me in with all they had about this gang showing around, the AnarKings, way more info than the newspapers could provide me. They were a group that appeared almost a decade ago and tended to resurface every couple of years, preaching that the free-will and self-expression of a person is only proved with acts of random violence with no real purpose, the ultimate expression of freedom being freeing oneself of the chains of society.
Basically, they were a bunch of losers that just wanted an excuse to be a-holes to others.
And speaking of a-hole, Red Hood was also low-key trying to hack my systems, or something of the sort. Ever since I got near them, there was some attempt of digital infiltration of my mask systems, really clever stuff. Maybe he was doing it through automated systems or someone piggybacking his systems, I didn't know, but what I knew was, the attempt was solid.
Oh, if only G.O.O.B.E.R and my personal OS were not primarily coded in my own personal blend of StarkScript… which made even guys like Octavius sweat to try breaking into, back home.
On this Earth, well, I would wish them luck, but since that little hassle at Ted Kord's basement, I added a few new tricks to my repertoire...
Meanwhile, the world class detective, strategist, hacker and all around badass Barbara Gordon, who a few moments ago was sure she had finally broken into Spider-Man's software, was currently staring at her computer screens, where a poorly animated cartoonish spider sang a rendition of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', while her firewalls were purging the computer virus from the Bellfry's systems.
'A heavily protected fake point of entry after I evaded a trap in a fake exploit in his system.', she had to admire the creativity and the vindictiveness of Spider-Man. Her pride had left her secondary systems open to a counter-attack, which inserted a computer virus whose only purpose, as far as she could understand, was to recreate copies of said animation on every folder she had.
She pulled herself out of that station and wheeled herself into another one, much more well equipped than the one currently combating the digital infection. Barbara flexed fingers and cracked her knuckles, with a smile. "Challenge accepted, Spider-Man."
Why had I suddenly felt a shiver at that moment, I'd never know. Anyway!
Our attention shifted to reports coming from a nearby block, as a stolen public articulated bus was roaming the streets, the driver with absolutely no care for anyone on their path.
"Try to keep up", Red Hood's modulated voice came up, the vigilante hopping on his bike, a hybrid between Yamaha and an armored truck, which had driven all by itself to his location (suddenly I missed the Spider-Mobile), with Black Bat joining on his back as they sped off.
I had to give it to Red Hood, his bike was fast. I even had to web-zip myself forward to catch up to them.
"Just an idea…", I spoke up, landing near them and pushing myself onward with a hop. "How about…", upside down, hands pushing on the street, I vaulted ahead to their other side. "A sidecar?", a short line let me swing left to right in front of the bike.
I slowed enough to let them catch up, near enough to hear Hood's excited "Show-off!".
I was starting to think these Bats were not as awful as people made them sound to be.
The bus, a large red and blue sixty feet vehicle at ramming speed, crossed the traffic sign in front of us, a parked car being tossed into a building after a nearly front crash.
"We get the driver", Red Hood shouted, and I nodded. I'd be dealing with the collaterals, and thank goodness I could zip faster than the bus, as the driver turned the vehicle towards a bus stop on the other side of the street. I had two choices, diverting the vehicle or getting to the people out of the way.
I pulled myself towards the nearest building on the other side, using it as a launch point to swing kick the bus back to the right way.
I could spot the one driving, a black teen with something golden painted on his forehead. Maybe I could help out?
"Hey, you're not Sandra Bullock!", I quipped, but suddenly realized that he wasn't alone. A couple of extra goons, a man and a woman, were also inside the vehicle, armed, while there were also other occupants, a few men in overalls spread through the corridor, standing while handcuffed to the bus rails. I quickly disengaged and retook swinging, a bullet shooting through the front glass, cracking it but not enough to break it.
Red Hood was already nearing the vehicle, only all by himself, when the duo inside started firing, making him back away. He spotted me and quickly signaled to the top of the bus, where I could see the Black Bat getting in position.
I twisted on air and landed near her, trying my best not to alarm the armed duo inside. Turning to Black Bat, she gave a small push on my shoulder. "Wait, they have guns, and hostages!", I explained.
Even though masked, I could still feel her rolling her eyes towards me. "I know!", she simul-spoke and signed, then pointed at my chest. "Do *your* job!"
"Yes, Ma'am!", I saluted, using my webs to pull myself forward and away.
Well, our teamwork needed an upgrade, and I had the perfect idea.
As if things had not been complicated enough for Oracle, the sudden symbol popping up on her infected machines was a sign that her patience was ready to snap.
"Now what?", she asked out loud. As if tempting fate, it was Spider-Man's voice that came through the speakers.
"Red Hood, you hear me?"
Barbara Gordon blinked behind her glasses. Twice. "This is Oracle.", she replied, typing the command for the signal tracker to start running.
"Great, good to put a name to the one trying to break into my suit's systems! That was you, right?"
"Can't blame a girl for trying, can you?", she commented. She was getting close to the source.
"Nope! In fact, could you help me connect to my companion in scarlet helmet?"
"Well, I would suggest an interest in motorcycles and gun collecting."
"... I feel like I walked into that one face first."
"Serves you right for sending a virus to my home."
"Oh. Can't blame an arachnid for keeping his privacy, can you?"
She did not reply, a progression bar on her screen showing two thirds completion.
"Look, we need to stop a speeding bus with hostages and even Keanu had a guy in the chair helping things out."
She stared down at her wheelchair, frowning. "Dennis Hopper killed Jeff Daniels, though.", she noted.
Oracle could almost hear the glee in Spider-Man's voice, quipping another reference ("Oh, darn!") Barbara reached at a third keyboard and typed in a few keys.
"Red Hood, Black Bat. Spider-Man has joined the chat."
"Thank you, Oracle! Also, the virus will self-terminate if you just type 'johnnystorm' into your keyboard, single word, lower case." One of Oracle's eyebrows rose, in surprise. "I know when it's the right time to joke around, Oracle."
Now both rose up.
"Thanks, Spider-Man", Barbara replied, mouse still hovering the tracking program window, her counter-invasion of Spider-Man's systems ninety eight percent completed.
"Hey, guys!", Spider-Man's voice came on her comms, as Cass spotted him blurring forward, still pulling people and vehicles with the same relative ease out of the bus' path. "Not that this hasn't been fun and all, but maybe we could cut their fun ride short?"
Black Bat had dealt with metahumans of all sort before, but Spider-Man made his superhuman feats look easy.
"Ideas?", asked her brother.
"Three bad guys inside. Three of us outside." Black Bat had been in position, near the emergency roof hatch nearest the closest armed AnarKing inside the bus. "Agent A always asked us to share.", she commented, using the preferred codename for Alfred while on the field.
"Agent A was talking about his cookies", Red Hood shot back, but his tone showed his agreement. "But this plan sounds good as any. You know how to steer a bus, web-man?"
"Never got past my learner's permit for a motorcycle.", came the voice of the third vigilante, not showing a hint of straining.
"Then I'll take down the Driver.", her brother replied, as she expected.
"I'm on top of one of them.", she added, by giving a quick stealthy peek inside the vehicle. "The man."
Spider-Man audibly sighed, then mumbled. "I'm gonna take down the woman, right."
"Criminals have no gender, Spider-Man", Red Hood reminded him.
"Tell that to the social media.", Spider-Man complained, again.
"Three.", I called, barely having the time to see Red Hood maneuver to the bus driver's blind spot as I swung myself into position, above the bus.
"Two", I heard Hood say, and he quickly stood on his bike, drawing out one of his guns.
"One.", Black Bat called, as she just finished unlocking the hatch, some black gadget at the ready on her hand.
I let myself go from the web and, as I fell forward and parallel to the bus, I let time slow down.
The woman had purple lipstick, gold jacket and gold crown earrings. Inverted crown earrings. She was anxious and excited, waving around her gun while she looked outside, a small automatic firearm, spray painted gold, in contrast to her partner's purple ensemble.
I extended my hands forward… two lines sticking to the roof and side of the vehicle.
I knew the gunwoman would never react in time, as I zipped through the nearest window, drop kicking the glass.
An explosion of crystal clear pieces went harmlessly around the hostages, my feet aimed on her gun, splitting it into pieces, while I grabbed her by the collar and let the impulse carry us on.
As I smashed feet first on the window on the other side, golden shards of gun still traveling through the air, I took the moment to check back on the inside of the bus, the roof hatch already open, Black Bat's completely covered form sneaking a kick towards the back of the unaware gunman's head, while the driver just got flung from the seat, as the result of Red Hood pistol-whipping the criminal while crashing through the driver's window.
I dragged the woman out of the bus and tossed her aside, a small explosive device already attached to her chest. I flung myself back into the vehicle, as I heard the detonation of the web cushioning that would protect the criminal while sticking her to the nearest building.
Black Bat was pulling back her foot, the bat shaped grappling hook she had tossed during the attack already knocking the gun out of her target's hand.
Seeing the man falling towards me, I finished the job, barely moving my closed fist forward and letting the man knock himself out.
She stared at me, her narrow white lenses in the dark stitched up mask, almost as if evaluating me.
I shrugged, raising my arm enough to pull the little cord on the side, several small signs lighting up inside the bus with the words 'Stop Requested' shining orange.
Author's Notes:
Happy Halowween! Here, have an unscheduled chapter as a treat!
Next Chapter: The heat is on!