Chapter 5-3
Reality hit her like a car and she realized that she was laying on the edge of a roof in downtown New York City. Black Cat rolls away from the edge and looks up into the sky. She looked from left to right and counted innumerable buildings from left to right. Her hearing returned to her and she looked over the edge to see that she was on a building overlooking the festival she saw on TV. There were still crowds of people present meaning that she hadn't been out for long. If she knew the exact time she looked at the festival on the TV she would've figured out how long she went out.
Either way, she went back to moving her legs from left to right but felt something pulling them into her chest. She looks down and sees a rope wrapped around her tightly. There wasn't even a rope but a cable of some kind. Her feet were free from the cable so she walked away from the edge.
"IF this is Spider's idea of a sick joke then it's not funny." Then she considered what she said. "Then again, Spider would've used webs and not cables. This isn't Spider's work, this is somebody else." She wondered if she was wearing her domino mask. She figured that she was because when she passed out, she remembered that she was in her catsuit but didn't put on her domino mask. She didn't know if she was Black Cat or Felicia Hardy.
Why were her memories foggy?
"Could somebody have figured out who I am?" she asked herself, "Then again, they took the time to dress me back into my Black Cat uniform. Could it be one of Dad's enemies?"
She debunked all the theories going on in her head. "Either way, I'll just break out of these cables."
She tried using her flexibility skills to slide her hands out from under but it didn't work. "Whoever tied me up isn't an amateur," she said after realizing that every time she pulled, the cable tightened around her chest.
"I'm not going to be the damsel-in-distress; just doesn't fit my style." She sharpened her claws on her glove. "My claws can cut through most metal and these cables are no exception."
Black Cat looked to her right and saw a hoverboard flying across the city between buildings. She saw a green man standing and laughing. "Green Goblin," she recognized him from the papers. "Did he kidnap me?"
More and more of the foggy memories were returning.
When she looked past the Green Goblin, she saw a familiar red man swinging on webs. "Spider," her eyes lit up, "he looks even more handsome when he's chasing down a violent criminal."
Spidey had followed Green Goblin from Broadway. After David left the apartment, he donned his Spider-Man costume, swung out to the city, and kept on swinging until he could get his bearings. He perched on top of an antenna and he waited for Green Goblin. It was a gamble but Goblin told him he could be at one of three locations: The festival, Time Square, or the Empire State Building.
Spidey only made a guess and swung off to the festival and that's when he encountered Green Goblin and pursued him.
Can't let him get away.
Spidey swung high into the air after doing a loop-de-loop and landed on the edge of a building overlooking the festival. The crowd suddenly went silent as they saw their beloved hero standing in the building in front of the crowd.
"Spider-Man," Goblin shouted as he lowered him to the building, "I'm going to show New York the monster you really are."
"That's a big gamble, you really want to try it," Spidey mocked.
"I know about your girlfriend."
Just as I predicted. But wait, is he talking about Black Cat or Felicia Hardy?
"And I'm giving you an ultimatum."
Spidey tilted his head.
This should be interesting.
"I'm listening," Spidey said.
"Behind you, to my seven o'clock, is your girlfriend, Black Cat."
Spidey turned and saw Black Cat standing on the edge of a building. She waved her hand nonchalantly at him.
"And on the building opposite to her at my five o'clock, is a small family consisting of a husband, wife, and son around the age of five. They are the mother, father, and younger brother of Felicia Hardy."
Spidey looked to the other building. Like Black Cat, they also had cables wrapped tightly around them and standing on the edge of the building. Unlike Cat, however, they were calling out for help.
That's Felicia's family? I see her mother, father, and little brother... but where's Felicia, unless he purposely didn't target her? No, he DID target her because he was calling from her phone. But where is she? The only thing I can deduce is that she somehow got away or Goblin just snatched her phone from her and that's it.
Or maybe...
No, don't think about it. No, I refuse to investigate that thought right now.
"They don't seem to be in danger," Spidey said sarcastically to Green Goblin.
"Their lives are indeed in danger," Goblin said. He takes out a device from his pouch. "Once I press this detonator, the cables wrapped tightly around both groups will tighten. The cables will continue to tighten until their eyeballs are squeezed out of their head. The cables that bind them are made of the toughest steel that will cut through anything without skipping a beat. By the time the cables have enclosed around them, their bones will have crushed and turned to dust and the way I've got things set up, you've got time to save only one party. So, who's it going to be? Your girlfriend or the sweet and innocent civilians. You choose."
Spidey looked at both buildings and sighed, analyzing the situation.
I get what he is trying to do but why would he involve an innocent family? If he is trying to prove that I am a monster then why involve an innocent family?
Then a thought crossed his mind.
There's a trick, obviously. I used Black Cat to draw out Green Goblin but I never anticipated Goblin using civilians as hostages, at least not in this capacity. He knows I'll save people but without emotion so it can't be an emotional attack. But I think I know what he is planning: He is trying to prove to the world that I am a monster, which is why he brought me to a crowded place and gave me an ultimatum. He knows I like Black Cat but my code prevents me from saving her in favor of the innocent. Damn it, I underestimated him. If I save Black Cat, then the family will die and New York will call for my arrest for negligent homicide. On the other hand, if I let Black Cat die, then I'll be killing off the only person who makes me ecstatic when I'm around and I haven't even got the full chance to go all-out in BDSM with her. Given how he has a detonator with him, the cables around the hostages are either time-stamped or they go off instantly at the push of a button. If it is on a time schedule after the button is pushed then I won't have enough time to save both, only one. I'll bet the ropes around the family are less pressurized than the one around Cat, considering that I'll have to untangle multiple people at once.
"Don't," Spidey said without thinking, "At the very least, don't involve that child."
If I can save Felicia's little brother, Scott, then that could score me some points with Felicia.
"You have a soft spot for children?" Goblin asked with sarcasm hidden in his voice, "You can't negotiate your way out of this one, Spider-Man."
Spidey studied the detonator in Goblin's hand.
If my theory is correct, then Goblin is holding a spring-loaded dead man's switch. If he removes a finger, say the thumb, the detonator will go off and the cables will start strangling the victims.
He came up with a plan in his head.
Spidey fires off three webs without even looking and they all aim for Goblin. The first one went for the hand with the detonator and webbed his hand and detonator together so he couldn't remove his finger. The second web blinded him. The third web stuck his other hand to the glider. Not only was he trapped on the glider and blind, but he also could not release his thumb from the detonator.
Spidey swings off the roof, nosediving down into the crowd. He swung meters above the crowd and he aimed for Cat first.
Black Cat ran for the edge of the building and jumped off.
Spidey caught her with one hand before swinging over to the opposite building with the family of three.
"Thanks, Spider," Black Cat said. She looked at him, wondering if he had seen her real face. He said nothing so she assumed that she had her domino mask on. The real test was if her family recognized her. "Will you get these off of me and I'll help you with the civilians?"
"Use your bad luck powers, Cat," Spidey said, "It should affect the cables around you. If there is a possibility of them going out, even if it's only a one percent chance, you could affect them, right?"
"If I had control over the powers," Cat said.
Spidey grabbed the cables wrapped around the child and he used all of his might to yank the cables off. The more he yanked, however, the harder the cables wrapped around the poor boy and caused him to cry in pain. The parents were screaming at Spider-Man to save their child.
Goblin was using his super-strength to free his hand off the glider but the artificial webbing was stronger than he thought.
Spidey tugged one last time before the cables came apart and the boy freely stretched his arm without any worry.
"Did you do that?" Spidey asked Cat.
"Most likely," she answered, "I hate seeing a child in danger."
Cat quietly mumbled to herself: "Especially my little brother."
Spidey rushes to the other parents and he uses one hand on each parent to pull at the cables. Like before, the cable was tightening until it suddenly malfunctioned. No doubt that Black Cat's powers were the main cause.
"Stay here," Spidey said, "I'll get these three to safety."
"Thank you, Spider," Cat said with a smile. She whispered to herself: "My secret is safe; I'm wearing my domino mask"
He quickly swings the three to safety and lands them carefully near the crowd of people. They were cheering at Spider-Man for choosing to save the family before someone pointed out that Spidey's 'Girlfriend' was still in need of saving.
Spidey web-zips to the roof where he grabbed at Black Cat's cables.
"Use your bad luck powers," he snapped.
Goblin freed his left hand and yanked the webbing off his mask. He used his free hand to take out a razor blade and cut at the webbing.
The cables tightened harder than any of the three family members combined. Black Cat began yelling in pain.
The razor blade cut the webbing.
Spidey's spider-sense warned him that Green Goblin freed his hand and came up with a plan.
If these cables act like a ticking time bomb with a detonator, then all I have to do is get Cat out of range.
Spidey grabs Cat with one hand and he swings off as fast as he can. It was not romantic like when he went on a romantic swing with Cat from last night. It was rough and he wasn't trying to be cool in any way.
"What are you doing?" Cat asked.
"If these cables are activated by a detonator then there must be a range to the detonator. I'm just going to get you out of here as fast as I can," he answered.
"Why would you go through all this trouble just to save me?" she asked, "Not that I'm ungrateful but I've never heard of you saving criminals."
Spidey already had an answer for that. "Well, you are a criminal, without a doubt, but so am I, by definition of being a vigilante who kills violent criminals. But it's like I said, you are my kitten."
Goblin flew after them, deducing what Spidey had in mind. "This detonator has a range of one hundred yards; I have to catch up to him as quickly as possible."
He flies his glider forward at full speed.
Spidey senses Goblin coming after him and he uses his spider-sense to warn him when he's coming within one hundred feet.
My spider-sense is telling me that his thumb is off the button which means that if I can get Cat out of range and attack Goblin off guard then he won't be able to push the button down and release. I have to come up with a plan to lose him. If New York City is a chessboard then I would be a knight. But where exactly would this 'knight' swing off to?
A strategy comes to mind.
Of course!
Even when swinging, he was able to shout his plan to Cat and she agreed to it, hesitantly.
Spidey swings Cat around the city, retracing his steps from when he took Cat for a swing before they spent a night of bliss. They reached the crane and just like that, everything went according to plan.
Spidey senses that Goblin is behind him by ten meters which is more than enough distance.
Goblin presses onto the detonator and starts the timer.
5…
Spidey holds his hand tightly around Cat as he shoots a web at the crane and thrusts his feet out.
4…
He swings upwards from the crane.
3…
He swings over the crane. He drops Black Cat after timing it.
2…
Green Goblin didn't have any time to reach before Black Cat fell onto his glider.
1…
The blades on the front of the glider easily cut the cables around Black Cat in half faster than a blade through butter.
Timed AND executed perfectly.
Spidey was already swinging downward after dropping Black Cat and caught her just as she was about to fall on a moving taxi. He takes her up and into the air.
Goblin throws the detonator away in frustration and growls.
Spidey sets Black Cat down on the roof of a building. Ironically, the same building they kissed on earlier.
"That was one hell of a plan, Spider," Cat praised as she stretched out her arm, "Gotta hand it to you."
She complimented me.
His spider-sense went off.
"Anytime," Spidey said, "But I gotta finish this with Goblin. I'm sure you understand."
She remembered. "He abducted me, Spider. He saw me with my mask off, he knows who I am."
Spidey suddenly became angry. "Don't worry, tonight is his last night alive."
Spidey turned in the nick of time and he webbed onto Goblin's glider and was dragged in whichever direction Goblin flew. He pulled himself up on the web and towards the Goblin. Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb forward. It breaks off into razor blades and they fly towards Spidey.
"I love these things," Spidey said dryly.
The razorblades cut the web from Goblin's glider and caused Spidey to fall to the ground. Before he could shoot another web out to catch himself, Goblin threw a cable he prepared ahead of time and hooked Spidey by the foot.
He played dragging with Spidey throughout the city.
Spidey climbs up the cable and manages to reach Goblin's glider. Goblin presses a button on his wrist.
Spidey punches Goblin across the face before grabbing him by the leg and throwing him as far as he can.
As long as I'm standing on the glider, then the glider won't fly in to save Goblin.
Goblin was falling towards the ground but another glider from out of nowhere swooped in and caught Goblin in less than a second.
What, he called in another glider?
His spider-sense went off.
Oh shit, he intended for me to hijack his glider. He has pumpkin bombs planted on the bottom of the glider.
Spidey jumped off the glider but the glider blew up mid-air and sent Spidey flying outward.
Spidey's senses went off. He shot a web and tried to swing upward but he crashed into the window of a building.
He fell into a warehouse and crashed through a wall, head-first
Dizzy…
He landed on his back and felt his body scream out in pain. His senses went off again.
The glider, which had exploded mid-air, was still intact but on fire and coming at him from behind. He turns around and shoots a web for the glider to fly in. The glider was caught on the web but the web caught fire and blew up. The webs shot from his wrist caught fire and traveled down the webs until they reached his web shooters and set them on fire.
He pats his web shooters to put the fire out before the glider explodes again. The explosion sent Spidey back against another wall and left a large dent.
He falls on his stomach, injured.
That was utterly ridiculous.
He touches his face.
My mask, the front of my mask has been blown off, damn it. My face is showing; not like it matters anyway since Goblin already knows who I am.
The Goblin flies in through the window on his new glider. He jumps off and meets Spidey.
Spidey slowly moves his hands to a push-up position. Each muscle aches with every movement and he winced at the pain. He spotted the web shooters on both wrists.
My web-shooters are gone.
"You're really pissing me off, David," Goblin said. "I gave you a chance to back out of this life and you kicked me while I was down."
David lunges for Goblin.
Goblin kicks David in the groin.
David folds and it met with a knee to his face. He receives a right hook from Goblin and blood spewed from his mouth.
This is actually starting to hurt.
Goblin uppercuts Spidey and kicks him against the wall. Before Spidey could react and pull himself from the wall, Goblin charged and kicked Spidey with both feet and Spidey crashed through the wall.
He fell down three stories and hit the rails of a balcony on his back before he fell another two stories to the ground.
David looked up and his mouth and nose started bleeding. He wheezes for air.
Goblin drops down to the ground and does a sliding kick to David's face and sends him flying back.
After the last attack, David sits on his knees. He barely managed to dodge a punch but could not move out of the way when Goblin slashed him across the cheek with a razor blade in hand. David growls in anger and charges for Goblin but he receives a kick in the face which sends him staggering back. Goblin doesn't miss a beat and stabs David in the shoulder.
He picks David up over his head with both hands and throws him across the room. David hits a pole with his side and falls on his shoulder, pushing the razor blade deeper and into his collarbone.
The glider explosion injured me and I can't use my web-shooters. I still have my spider-sense but because I'm dizzy and suffering from a concussion, it seems to be malfunctioning. Goblin has the upper hand on this one.
David yanks the razor blade out of his collarbone and charges at Goblin with it.
Goblin backhands David and sends him into a state of disorientation.
Even though his spider-sense went off, he was helpless to Goblin's next attack. He suffered punches to his face, jaw, and chest. He got kicked to his temple and stomach and when he tried to retreat, Goblin would attack him with more force.
I can't do anything.
Goblin took out a pumpkin bomb from his pouch and threw it. David's spider-sense went off and he backhanded the pumpkin bomb away but he was still within its blast radius. The grenade sent him flying back into the same pole and hit his head.
David falls to his knees with blood dripping from his lips.
I'm going to throw up...
He breathes slowly and heavily as he climbs to his feet. When he looked up, Goblin threw himself forward and gave a powerful flying kick square in David's face. David flew back, hit the wall, and lay down flat on the ground.
Still alive, David looked at Goblin.
I'm going to kill him.
Goblin approached David and he stomped on his right elbow and snapped it. David yells in pain.
Psychopaths can't feel emotional pain, but how come they can feel physical pain?
"You won't be needing that arm anymore, Spider-Man," Goblin said, "You've brought this on yourself, I gave you the chance to walk away but you chose not to and now I'm going to make sure you pay with your life. And once you're dead, I'm going to make sure your criminal girlfriend joins you. And as for your mother, David, she deserves a life without you in it."
David's eyes went wide with rage. The urges deep down inside were bubbling to the surface. He licked his lips and glared at his prey.