"Argh, what's the time?" Peter finally opened his eyes, the kitchen floor beneath him sticky with dried blood that had oozed from his wounds. His suit was torn open around his abdomen and forearm, exposing the raw, red-stained skin beneath.
Groaning, Peter slowly dragged himself up from the floor, leaning heavily on the kitchen counter cluttered with utensils and bowls. His muscles ached from the previous night's brutal encounters. He reached for the kitchen sink but fell back onto the ground in pain, his wounds reopening with the movement.
"Shit, where are the bandages?" Peter crawled to a nearby cabinet where he stored his first aid kit and medicine. Opening the cabinet door, he grabbed the first aid kit and quickly pulled out his last roll of bandages. He traced the bloody wound from his rib down to his hip, the dried blood staining the area and stinging more with every second. Peter awkwardly wrapped the bandage around the wound, hissing through clenched teeth.
Pulling himself to his feet, Peter walked into his living room, which looked more battered each day. The paint on the walls was peeling, and the furniture was worn and tattered. Grabbing his mask, he pulled it down under his chin, concealing his identity. He didn't have time to brush his teeth or wash his face; his mind was focused on fighting crime.
"Pick something up already," Peter muttered, turning on the police scanner. Nothing came up. This was odd, especially after a small militia had bombed buildings in NYC the night before. Peter pressed the scanner to his ear, straining to hear something. Frustrated, he slammed the scanner onto the coffee table and sat down on his roughed-up couch.
"Wait, those files," Peter suddenly remembered. He got up and opened the second-to-last drawer of his desk, pulling out the file Felicia had given him before they were interrupted by the explosion. He opened the file, confirming that it contained nearly all the militia's outposts around the city. He could take out most of these in eight to nine days, maybe a week if he didn't sleep.
Closing the drawer, he put the files back, knowing the information was too valuable to carry around. Peter walked over to the window, opened it carefully, and leapt onto the fire escape, diving down into the city below.
The streets were messy, newspapers and cars scattered around, sidewalks littered with junk and overturned garbage cans. Most building lights were off or flickering.
"What the hell?" Peter was confused. The night before, the city was bustling, but now it was a desolate ghost town. Thwipping a web line to a lamppost, he observed the street: no people, no cars, no pigeons—nothing.
He leapt onto a building's wall and ran up to its rooftop for a better view. It was 10:00 AM, a time when the city should be thriving. But he couldn't hear any familiar sounds. Then he heard something very familiar but not good—a gunshot.
Peter instantly turned his head in the direction of the sound and dived off the building, shooting a web through the tight gap between two buildings to reach an open area where he could swing more freely and faster. He heard another gunshot, clearer this time. He was getting closer. Swerving around a building's corner, he shot a web line onto a nearby gargoyle, spotting two armed men in bulletproof vests and ballistic face masks, with utility belts likely containing grenades and holstered pistols.
Leaping down from the gargoyle, Peter landed in the narrow gap between the buildings. He latched onto a wall and watched the men from above.
"Where the hell did you learn to shoot, your granny's?" one of the men joked.
"Fuck you, man. We just woke up, and it's morning," the other man said, fitting his gun back into its holster.
"Damn, you really are upset. If you want tips, I'd be more than willing to help a brother out," the first man exclaimed, rummaging through a dumpster.
"Yeah, whatev—OOF!" The man was yanked up by a web and swung back into the air, dangling from a flagpole.
"Hey, asshole, you there?" The second man finished checking the dumpster but turned to see his partner hanging in the air.
"Come out, you freak! I'll rip that mask off your face along with your skin!" He lifted his assault rifle, rapidly scanning the walls.
Peter landed behind him with a silent thud and grabbed the man by the neck, putting him in a chokehold.
"Where the hell is everyone?" Peter aggressively shouted into the man's ear, tightening his grip.
"All right, all right, motherfucker! The city was evacuated overnight!" the man choked out, struggling to breathe.
"Why?" Peter kept his grip tight but cautious.
"Well—I, uh, I ain't fucking speak—ARRH!" Spider-Man instantly tightened his grip; that wasn't the right answer.
"I'm going to ask you one more time: what the hell did you idiots do?" He kept his grip firm.
"Okay, okay! Remember those building explosions last night? It was all a plan to distract you guys while we executed the real plan," the man let out, fear creeping into his voice.
"What the hell did you do?" Peter hissed into the man's ear with anger.
"We took control of the fucking city—Oscorp Tower, NYPD, hell, even some of Sable's on our payroll," he confessed, terrified.
"I thought you couldn't get any dumber," Peter said, choking the man out. He tried to resist, grabbing at Peter's forearms, but it was no use; he was soon unconscious.
"This is going to be one long fucking night," Peter sighed to himself, steeling himself for the challenges ahead.
With the man subdued, Peter webbed him to the side of the building, ensuring he wouldn't escape. He then leapt back onto the rooftop, his mind racing with the information he had just learned. The city was in more danger than he had realized, and it was up to him to stop it.
Peter knew that he needed to go for the weaker bases first, he could finish those easily by himself, the bigger strongholds like their main base at oscorp tower would be thought about later.
Diving off the rooftop and swinging over to one of the bases he had memorized the location off the map Felica had given him, Peters mind couldn't believe how a small militia like this could take over the entirety of New York city in 10 hours.
Peter crawled up a building, reaching a fire escape—a good spot to stake out and watch the militia base. They had automated turrets and soldier-controlled drones that acted as mobile CCTV cameras. Around 9-10 men were present, most armed with assault rifles and common military equipment.
"Jesus, these guys aren't messing around," Peter whispered to himself, trying to look for any flaws in their defense, something he could exploit.
"The rooftop, it's unprotected, and the drones—they have blind spots on the back, easily hackable," a very familiar voice purred beside him. It was Felicia Hardy.
"Felicia—what the hell are you doing here?" Peter instantly turned to face her. She was in her costume, her silver hair flowing in the morning sky, her black turtleneck latex catsuit shining under the fire escape.
"Did you really think you could do this all alone?" Felicia teased, batting her eyelashes dramatically and playfully tapping Peter on the shoulder.
"I don't need your help, Felicia," Peter replied curtly, quickly grabbing Felicia's wrist and pulling it away from him.
Felicia pouted, her lips curling into a playful smirk. "Aww, don't be such a grump, Spidey. You know you can't take down an entire militia by yourself. Besides, I have some unfinished business with these guys."
Peter sighed, knowing she had a point. "Fine, but we do this my way. No killing."
Felicia rolled her eyes. "You're no fun, but alright. What's the plan?"
Peter outlined his strategy, pointing out the weak points he had identified. They would take out the drones first, then disable the turrets. With the high ground and surprise on their side, they could neutralize the guards before they even knew what hit them.
Felicia listened intently, nodding at his suggestions. "Sounds good, but we need a distraction to draw their attention while we take out the drones."
"I can handle that," Peter said, pulling out a couple of his web grenades. "I'll create a ruckus on the south side while you sneak in from the north."
"Always the hero," Felicia teased, but her eyes held a glimmer of respect.
Peter ignored her comment, his focus laser-sharp. "Let's do this."
Peter swung around to the south side of the building, making sure he stayed out of sight. With precise aim, he threw the web grenades at the patrol near the entrance. The grenades exploded, creating a web cocoon around the guards and triggering the alarm. Instantly, the base went into high alert, guards rushing to the south side.
Meanwhile, Felicia used the chaos to her advantage, slipping through the shadows and approaching the first drone. With nimble fingers, she hacked into its system, causing it to shut down quietly. One by one, she disabled the drones, moving with the grace of a cat.
Peter watched from his vantage point, waiting for the right moment. When Felicia gave him the signal, he swung down, using his web shooters to disable the automated turrets. The guards, now confused and disoriented, became easy targets. Peter and Felicia moved in tandem, taking them down swiftly and silently.
Within minutes, the base was secured. Peter webbed the last of the guards to the ground, ensuring they wouldn't pose any further threat.
"You're getting slower, old man," Felicia exclaimed while rifling through the chief's gear, her voice laced with playful mockery.
Peter brushed her joke off, continuing to patrol the area for any important items or clues he might have missed. His focus was unyielding, his eyes scanning every corner.
"Hey, catch," Felicia called out, tossing something towards Peter. He caught it effortlessly, inspecting the item closely.
"What's this for?" Peter asked, looking at the walkie-talkie she had taken from one of the soldiers.
"It's a walkie-talkie, silly. Use it to tune into their comms," Felicia replied with a teasing tone before grappling over to Peter's side.
"India, you there? Keep an extra eye out. The freak webbed up two of our guys," a man's voice crackled through the device, abruptly cutting into Felicia and Peter's conversation.
"India? You there—fuck, I think the freak got him!" the man shouted, likely trying to inform his commander.
The transmission abruptly cut off before Peter could hear the commander's response. He stuffed the walkie-talkie into his jacket pocket, preparing to leap off the building when Felicia spoke up again.
"So, which outpost is next?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks.
"Why the hell are you still in this city?" Peter asked, deflecting the question.
"Because you need my help. You probably wouldn't have taken this outpost down without me," Felicia responded confidently, her tone almost childish in its certainty.
Peter grunted in annoyance. He knew she was right, even if he didn't want to admit it.
"Hell's Kitchen, 49th Street. Let's go," he replied, trying to mask his irritation. But Felicia could see through him, and she relished in it.
"Hmph—can't resist me, can you, Spider?" Felicia giggled before diving off the rooftop.
Peter watched her for a moment, his frustration mingling with a reluctant admiration. He couldn't deny that she was an asset, even if her playful demeanor grated on him. Shaking his head, he leapt off the building, following her lead.
As they swung through the city, Peter's mind raced with thoughts of the coming battle. The militia's grip on New York was tighter than he had anticipated, and each outpost represented a new challenge. He couldn't afford any mistakes, not with so much at stake.
They landed silently on a rooftop near the next target. Peter immediately began surveying the area, noting the positions of guards and defenses. Felicia sidled up beside him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You know, Spider, we make a pretty good team," she whispered, her tone light but her eyes serious.
"Just stay focused," Peter replied coldly, scanning the area for weak points.
"Always so serious," Felicia sighed dramatically, but she knew better than to push him further.
Peter spotted a good entrance that led into the warehouse, a ventilation duct entrance, easy way to get into the enemy's base.
"Hey, look over there, we can use those vents to get in" Peter pointed over to the ducts.
"It looks pretty tight, i don't know how the two of us would fit" Felica added.
"We'll fit" Peter responded before webbing into the duct, Felica shortly following.
Felica tried to push out further from Peter but there wasn't much space for them, the fans filling the sound empty ducts with an ambient noise.
"Great idea Spider, these ducts are perfectly tailored for us." Felica annoyingly groaned out while she squeezed through peter to go front.
"It's not my fault you wanted to join" Peter replied as he looked down, scanning for any enemies to take down.
"You wouldn't last a week in this city without me" Felica replied as she made her way around the corner of the ventilation duct.
Peter grunted in response as he followed Felica, his view being obstructed by Felica's backside.
"Let me take the front, I can't see anything" Peer said to Felica, flicking her head back to face Peter.
"Whys that" Felica flirty responded to Peter, knowing exactly why.
"You know why Felica" Peter responded to her, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Oh really?" Felica giggled out, moving back to pester Peter, his annoyance visible.
"Felica ju- move out of the way" Peter abruptly ended his former sentence.
"Move what out of the way" Felica flirty asked again.
"You know what i mean" Peter replied to Felica, moving past her to take the lead.
"You really are boring" Felica groaned out.
Peter slid down the ventilation duct and peeked over a grate, there were 3 guards, all equipped with assault rifles and armor, he needed to take them down with stealth.
"Felica, I'm gonna go for the guy on the right, once i do that you take the guy guarding the entrance, then the one on the left is last" Peter instructed Felica, pointing to the men.
"Whatever you say" Felica replied to him, she opened the grate and grappled up to cover, peter slid out of the grate and webbed right over the man on the right.
Felica dropped down with a silent thud and quickly choked the man out in a chokehold, peter pulled his target into the air with his web and quickly knocked him out with a headbutt, leaving him dangled in the air.
Felica pinned the last thug and punched him directly on the temple, rendering him unconscious.
"what's your unfinished business with this militia" Peter asked Felica while searching the room.
"It's a very long story, and an old one" Felica said to Peter while fixing her grappling gun.
Felica approached peter and traced her claws on his blood-stained jacket
"How did you get all their bases locations" Peter lowered his head to look into Felica's eyes, he was eager to find out her secrets
"I'll tell you after we get out of this maze of a warehouse, promise" Felica lifted her claws off his jacket and walked over to the door.
The room was empty, unguarded, this was concerning for Peter, as he didn't believe they would leave the most important room unguarded.
"Stay alert, this feels like a trap," Peter told Felicia, his eyes scanning for any sign of an ambush.
"You don't say, huh?" Felicia replied sarcastically, stretching her arms.
"Do you ever run out of jo—OOF!" Peter's retort was cut short by a shockwave that sent him crashing through multiple storage scaffolding units.
"Don't you dare try moving, Cat, or I'll hit you even harder than your boyfriend!" Shocker shouted, his weaponized gloves poised menacingly.
"Herman, what the hell are you doing with these guys?" Felicia asked, trying to distract him while Peter regained his footing.
"Same thing you were doing: a fuck ton of money," Shocker replied, his eyes never leaving Felicia.
"How did you find that out?" Felicia continued, inching closer.
"None of your fucking business," Shocker hissed, tightening his grip on his gloves.
"Herman, I know you're not gonna use them," Felicia said, moving forward confidently.
"You sure about that?" Shocker's fists clenched, ready to blast her through the concrete walls.
Peter landed silently behind Shocker, leaving only a soft thud in his wake.
"Once you and that freak are done, I'll take you to the boss. He'll make sure you don't mess with us again," Shocker snarled.
"How do you plan on doing that?" Felicia asked, buying Peter more time.
"First, I'll get your boyfriend, snap his arms and legs so he can't escape, then I'll go for s—HUFF!" Shocker's threat was cut short as Peter grabbed him by the neck, strangling him with a chokehold.
Felicia took the opportunity to roundhouse kick Shocker in the face, knocking him out cold.
"I told you to stay alert," Peter admonished Felicia as he webbed Shocker up for Sable to detain.
"Do you ever stop complaining? If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead by now," Felicia retorted, clearly annoyed.
Peter grunted in response before shooting a web line to an open window on the rooftop of the warehouse. Felicia followed him.
Peter stared into the foggy morning sky of NYC, the streets deserted, the sky covered with gloomy clouds and the occasional Militia drone hovering over the streets.
"What the hell happened to you, Spider? First you pin me to a wall, ready to knock me out, then you reject my help," Felicia exclaimed, her voice a mixture of anger and confusion.
"We should go look for more outposts," Peter replied, getting up from his perch and turning to face Felicia.
"Why won't you tell me?" Felicia grabbed Peter, placing her palms on his head. He didn't move.
Suddenly, a huge shockwave blew the roof they were standing on, throwing them into the air.
"You thought a few webs and a sissy kick would take me out?" Shocker shouted, jumping out of the warehouse and landing on the street.
"Hold on to me," Peter grunted, shooting a web line to the ground. Landing on the concrete, he quickly took cover behind a car, Felicia right next to him.
"That conversation isn't over," Felicia whispered to Peter, his lenses trained on Shocker.
"Grapple onto that lamppost behind him. Try to disable his gloves, and I'll jump in once you're done."
"I'm a thief, not a master pickpocket," Felicia whispered back.
"Make it work," Peter replied, shooting a web line to a nearby rooftop.
Felicia shot her grapple gun over to the lamppost, avoiding detection from Herman. She moved silently from lamppost to lamppost, trying to get as close as possible without being seen.
"Come out then, you freak! I'm gonna make this real slow for you," Shocker taunted, his gloves trained on the rooftops, unaware that Felicia was just a few meters away.
Felicia leapt down from the lamppost, moving like a shadow, and grabbed Shocker by the neck, pulling him into a standing north-south choke.
"I can hear you breathe even through that mask, Herman," Felicia grunted, trying to remove Shocker's gloves.
"I'm gonna tear you into real small pieces," he shouted before landing a right hook on Felicia's skull, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"You've done it now, Herman," Felicia hissed, getting up and attempting a kick to his temple. He blocked it with his left and used his gloves to blast her into a bodega, her body aching in pain.
"How the hell did you think that would work?" Shocker shouted as he marched through the broken entrance of the store.
"It kinda did," Felicia coughed as Peter jumped onto Shocker's back, landing a right hook on his helmet, causing sparks to fly out of the suit.
"You monkey, get off me!" Shocker groaned, running backward into a freezer to shake Peter off.
"Just a bit longer," Peter replied, successfully deactivating Shocker's right glove, rendering it useless.
Shocker grabbed one of Peter's arms and threw him over his shoulder, slamming Peter through a store shelf.
"Now for that—huh?" Felicia shot her grappling gun onto Shocker's glove, pulling the wire back and frying it instantly.
Peter got back up and punched Shocker right in the solar plexus, toppling him.
"Why can't I have an easy job for once?" Shocker groaned, struggling to get up. Felicia approached, kneeling down and removing his helmet.
"What the hell was that for?" Shocker reached for his helmet, but Peter knocked him out cold.
"Why do you need that?" Peter asked, examining Shocker's helmet. It had clearly been upgraded since their last encounter.
"We need it for this," Felicia said, pulling out a chip from his helmet and inserting it into her mask. "Now we have access to all their plans."
"How do we see them?" Peter asked, curiosity piqued.
"It's downloading. Once it's done, I'll check what's in it at one of my safehouses nearby," Felicia responded.
"When will it be done?" Peter pressed.
"Around 30 minutes. You could wait with me if you want," Felicia offered, surprisingly without her usual flirty twist.
"Fine, let's go," Peter agreed after webbing up Shocker.
"Remember, that conversation isn't over," Felicia reminded Peter as she shot her grappling gun onto a nearby rooftop, Peter following right behind.