Spider-Man: Destiny - Year 1
Chapter 8: Silver and Red
…
It was the day of Benjamin Parker's funeral, and a good amount of people had shown up. Peter and Aunt May sat together in a pew, with the former looking around to see the turnout. Uncle Ben's friends, coworkers, and boss had shown up. Some of Aunt May's friends and former coworkers had shown up as well. Eventually, the priest walked up to the podium.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to honor the memory of Benjamin Franklin Parker. To remember those happy times when we laughed and those times when our hearts broke as one. For who could put a price on memories? We gather to share the pain. To hurt when you hurt without presuming that our pain is the same. To cry when you cry and not try to hide or avoid our tears. For tears are memories in motion. We gather to give the gift of grief. To stand beside you in silence and not be uncomfortable with your tears. To allow you the gift of mourning this loss and not lose patience. For grief is nature's way of healing a broken heart. We have two of his loved ones that would like to give a eulogy. The first one is May Parker, his wife. After that will be Peter Parker, his nephew," the priest recited.
Aunt May got up and walked over to the podium.
"Thank you so much for coming, everyone. I know it would've meant the world to Ben. Today's obviously a tough day for all of us, but let's remember to celebrate and remember the memories with Ben and who he was as a person. In terms of how our story started, I met and started dating Ben in college. It's safe to say that was fate, because we started to truly connect after a while. Since then, we have always stuck together, side by side. There were rough patches at times, but we always knew how to healthily get through it. Our communication and empathy for each other was almost too perfect. The amount of love in my heart for him is infinite, and there's a permanent scar there that'll never heal from his passing. I'll never forget the best times we had together, whether it was karaoke night on one of our first dates, our tenth anniversary trip to London, or even the smallest moments. The nights he dealt with my crying and always told me it would all be okay. And he's right, because I know it will be. There was a lot to love about him, whether it was his genuine sense of humor, compassionate heart, and overall love for people and helping others. He was not only the love of my life. He was and still is my best friend. And I know he'd want me to keep my head up and continue moving forward. And I know that one day, I will be okay. Thank you."
Aunt May walked back to her pew, and Peter got up to head to the podium.
"Hi, everyone. Thank you for being here today. I could honestly go on for hours about my Uncle Ben and why I loved him so much. Believe me, there's no other man like Benjamin Parker. I'll never forget the first time he taught me how to ride a bike, when he took me to get Redbox every Friday night, or all the times we've stayed up just talking about life, movies, school, whatever. I have an endless amount of memories with him, and those are memories that are forever imprinted in my mind. Uncle Ben wasn't just the funniest and most compassionate man I ever knew. He always believed in doing the right thing and going out of your way for others, whether it was me or Aunt May, or even some random homeless guy on the street. He always believed that there was nothing better than spreading love to other people. To say that he was an inspiration is a massive understatement. Before he passed, Uncle Ben had encouraged me to try and meet new people and make new experiences once I started high school. It was tough for me to fully gauge at the time. I had been so used to rough experiences, but I see what he meant now."
Peter found his eyes welling up a little, and he intentionally didn't make eye contact with Aunt May.
"And I definitely plan on following and remembering everything he taught me."
…
Later that evening in his room, Peter continued to look up any updates on an arrest for Fisk on his computer.
Wilson Fisk Announces Maximizing of Security Efforts at Fisk Industries after Targeted Attacks
NYPD Captain George Stacy Speaks Out Against Month-Long Gang Wars and Shootouts
New York Split on Mysterious Spider-Like Vigilante: Friend or Foe?
There was a knock at Peter's door.
"Come in," Peter called.
Aunt May opened the door and walked in, visibly tired.
"Hey, sport. Just letting you know I'm going to bed early. Haven't been getting as much sleep as I should," Aunt May sighed.
"Yeah, definitely go take care of yourself," Peter encouraged. "I should probably get to bed soon too."
Aunt May nodded. "Sounds good. And look… I know today was really tough. But, it's just… well-"
"It's fine, May. Ben would want us to be okay. And especially after today, I think we deserve some peace. It's tough, but we just gotta do our best."
"You're right. Ben would want that. Anyway, I'm gonna head off. Good night, hon. Love you."
"Love you, May."
Aunt May walked away and closed the door. Sighing, Peter looked back on his computer.
Wilson Fisk Shares Excitement Over Upcoming Annual Christmas Eve Gala, and Raves over Importance of Family
Now further angered, Peter looked at a framed picture of himself, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben. Pulling out his phone, Peter looked at the photos he had taken of the contents of the flash drive. Simultaneously looking things up on his computer, Peter found that any names in the photos were either dead, presumed missing, or not found online.
"Christ," Peter muttered.
Most of the mentioned weapons and narcotics deals had passed, with only three upcoming ones in the next month. There wasn't any incriminating evidence of any of Fisk Industries' business affiliations. Peter then looked through a list of criminal fronts for Fisk's criminal activities. With there being seven locations, Peter suited up and swung out of his bedroom window.
…
At the same time, Adrian and Wesley were having a business deal with Herman Schultz at Donnie's, an Italian restaurant owned by Fisk. Several plates of pizza, pasta, and salad were on the table as the three men were fancily dressed up.
"So. Thoughts on everything you've heard?" Wesley asked.
"I mean. It goes without saying that this offer's a little too good to be true," Herman admitted.
"Believe it. From what we heard, you were impressive out there. That Foreigner guy's been a pain, and you landed more than a hit on him," Adrian praised.
Herman chuckled. "Thank you, thank you. Black belt in taekwondo and five years of boxing definitely come in handy. The crew is like family to me. I literally smoke joints with them, talk about the Knicks, I've had dinner with their families. The moment when they started to get taken out like that, I just couldn't contain myself."
"Well regardless, your intellect and fighting experience will make you a more than solid muscle for us. You could also make those gauntlets even better than they already are. And the pay is more glamorous than you've heard, so what are you really losing?" Wesley pointed out.
"Nothing, I'm in!" Herman exclaimed.
Adrian smiled. "Sick!"
The three clinged their drinks together.
"Thank you guys for the opportunity. Seriously, you guys won't regret it. Hell, I can tell you guys now what the best move is with Sable," Herman claimed.
Adrian grabbed a slice of pizza. "And what exactly would that be?"
Herman turned to Wesley. "Get the boss on the phone or something. He's gonna want to hear this."
"He's in a meeting. But I can deliver a message, and if your idea's realistic and effective enough, I can promise that the boss won't immediately shoot it down. Now what is it you're proposing?" Wesley asked.
"Okay. It's gonna take around a few weeks to a month, but it'll work," Herman insisted. "And we're definitely gonna have to go low low. Plus, we could all use a break from the constant shootouts.
…
After an hour of swinging, Peter made it to the seventh and final location. An abandoned factory, it was completely empty of any criminal activity, just like the previous six locations.
"Goddamn it!" Peter yelled.
Peter punched a pillar in the factory, cracking it. Shaking his hand in pain, Peter swung off in anger.
…
Over three weeks later, on a Friday in Spanish class, Peter kept looking up updates on Fisk on his phone. Barely paying attention to Señora Wood's lesson, Peter only got more visibly discouraged when he kept seeing nothing.
"And that's on the most famous and popular Mexican cuisines. Final reminder before you're dismissed, get with your partner and talk with them! Due date is only getting closer, and you'll need to make sure you're on the same page about everything," Señora Wood instructed.
Everyone in class got up to leave, and Peter left the classroom immediately.
"Hey, Pete!"
Peter turned around to see Liz approaching.
"Hey, Liz."
"You doin' alright? You were pretty quiet in class," Liz pointed out.
"I'm fine, thanks. Just… well, I mean. It's complicated," Peter sighed. "I'll see you next week."
"You can always let me know if you need anything, you know that, right?"
"Well, you've always been too busy to hang. Wait, are you doing anything this weekend? Maybe we could at least talk on the phone or something? About the project, I mean. Not that I wouldn't be opposed to talking about… well, other stuff."
Liz smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure I could spare some time for a FaceTime. Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure! What time?" Peter asked.
"Sometime between seven or eight. I'll give you a call. Have a good day, Pete!"
"You too, Liz!"
Liz went to go meet up with her friends, and Peter felt his heart rapidly pounding.
…
Saturday evening came, and Peter anxiously waited in his room with his laptop open. As the time got to 7:10, Peter pulled up his text messages with Liz. Nothing from her. A few more minutes passed, and finally, a FaceTime notification from Liz Allan popped up on Peter's laptop. Hyperventilating a little, Peter quickly calmed down and picked up the call. The laptop revealed Liz, sitting in her room and still looking naturally beautiful.
"Liz! How are you doing?" Peter asked.
"I'm good, thanks! You?" Liz responded, smiling.
"Doin' alright. I was just doing some homework before you called."
"Nice! Anyway, that boring project of ours is due in two weeks."
"Don't remind me. I've got around half of my part of it done by now. I'll crank it up though," Peter assured.
Liz chuckled. "You're totally fine, Pete. I've finished a decent amount of my own part. But getting all the pictures and different structures and designs can be a pain."
"Yeah, I mean, it's not the worst project ever. But it could be a lot better."
"Tell me about it. Was there like, anything specific you wanted to go over with what we should do?"
"Uhhh, honestly, I say we should both have our parts done by Thanksgiving break? That leaves us enough time to get it done without cutting it too close. And all I have to do is write out a few more pages, and you have to put together that whole big presentation, which is definitely gonna take time," Peter suggested.
Liz smiled. "You're really smart, anyone ever tell you that?"
"All the time. For better and for worse."
"Well, it's definitely come in a lot of handy with this project, and I appreciate that."
"Of course, no problem! I mean, you've helped a lot too. The whole artistic part of it, I'm nowhere as good at that as you."
"Thank you, Pete."
"So. Anything else going on in your life?" Peter asked.
Liz shrugged. "Nothing super new. Crazy we're pretty much halfway through the semester now."
"Seriously. Sophomore year been treating you well so far?"
"It's had its ups and downs. What about you? How's high school so far?"
"Different than middle school, that's for sure. And I mean, it's been… I guess, good? I've been hanging with Harry, I got you, and some of the teachers here are really great. And don't get me started on the school, all the programs, classes, food, everything!"
"That's great to hear! We're honestly super lucky to be going there."
Peter nodded. "Won't argue with you there. And Harry and I have still been hanging and talking. Last month, we snuck into Dark Descent. Not gonna lie, it didn't not scare the shit out of us a little."
Liz laughed. "Seriously? Nice, that's ballsy. I've had friends that have gotten kicked out for trying that, so good work."
"Thanks. That was honestly such a nice night. Great little distraction from everything."
"Distraction? From what?"
"Oh. I mean… it's kind of complicated."
"Try me! I don't judge."
Peter hesitated a little. "Well… okay. Remember when I said I had some family stuff going on?"
Liz nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, my uncle got shot and killed over a month ago. They still haven't caught the guy. We had the funeral recently, so it's been on my mind more than ever."
"My God. Peter, I'm so sorry to hear about that. Like, if there's ever anything I can do, you can let me know."
"Thanks, Liz. Really does mean a lot."
"Shit. Peter, I had no clue. Like, I really… well, I hope you're at least doing better."
"Some days are tougher than others. Just been doing a lot to keep my mind off of it," Peter stated.
"Like what?" Liz asked.
"Eh. Watching movies, listening to music, going on walks. A lot of different shit. Some of it can be helpful. But I mean… he's obviously still not here, you know?"
"Yeah, I understand. With it being so recent too, I can't imagine how tough it's been. Do you have a good support system?"
"Well, I got my aunt, but some days are more focused on supporting her. And I've still been hanging with Harry, which has been nice."
"Well, it's great that you got friends to hang with!"
"Yeah, pretty nice for once, not gonna lie," Peter admitted.
"What do you mean, for once?" Liz asked.
"I mean, to be blunt, I didn't really have anyone to hang with growing up. I'm pretty used to being the weird kid."
"Stop it, you're not weird, Pete."
"Try telling that to literally everyone else. Including Flash. I'm sure he hasn't told you, but the dude's been a massive douchebag to me since elementary school."
"Actually? Oh wow, I didn't know. Sorry to hear that."
Peter shrugged. "It's fine. Not like he's gonna change. But yeah, things have been tough. It's just been great finally having someone to hang with."
"That really is great, Peter. And I'm sorry things have been tough for you in general. If it means anything, I think you're really funny. And you've always been a nice guy," Liz assured.
"I really appreciate all that. Seriously. And you've always been really great to me in class. Believe me, it's a highlight of my day."
"That's really sweet. I'm glad we're good friends, Pete. There's actually a bit more to you than I thought."
"Actually?"
"Oh, not in a bad way! It's just…. you know, you're different! And different's a good thing! I just didn't know you had these experiences or views or…"
"It's fine, Liz. And thanks. Look, I'll be a bit more blunt. Sometimes, I can goof around in class or have a good time with Harry or May. Most of the time, I'm either angry or depressed. Sure, I can have my good days, but even when I've dealing with this all the best I can, it's tough," Peter vented.
"Yeah, I understand that feeling. I'll also be honest here, but a few years ago, my aunt was in LA visiting her boyfriend when the Chitauri attack happened. You can probably guess whether she made it or not," Liz confessed.
"Jesus, Liz. I'm so sorry to hear that. Like, God, I can't imagine how you felt."
"Wasn't too different from you. Everything you're saying I felt way too hard. It didn't help that you literally saw everyone in the news and social media talking about how the Avengers saved the world and so many people. But to know someone that died during that? Yeah, super cheerful feeling. The best way I learned to cope with everything was to really remember that they'd want us to be happy. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, but your uncle will always be there with you."
Peter sighed. "Thanks a lot, Liz. And you're right. As tough as it is, I gotta keep that all on my mind. And that really is terrible with your aunt and the Avengers and LA and… like, I'm really sorry. Wait, how old are you?"
"Sixteen," Liz answered.
"And I just turned fourteen a few months ago. It's messed up that we gotta deal with this shit at our age."
"That's a really good point. But the best thing for us is to just forget about the age and really focus on getting better. That's what my dad told me, at least. And I'm always here, Pete. You've already been great with this project, and you've honestly been the nicest guy."
"Of course. And thanks again for all that."
"No problem. Anyway, Pete, it's been a really good talk. But I actually have to go have dinner with my parents soon."
Peter nodded. "I gotcha. I should probably go too. Maybe watch a movie or something. But yeah, great talk! See you in class Monday!"
Liz waved. "See you!"
The FaceTime ended, and Peter jumped on his bed, laying down and feeling pure euphoria.
…
James Wesley was sitting in his office, typing notes on his computer. There was a knock at the door, and Herman came in.
"I got it," Herman stated, visibly excited.
Wesley's eyes widened. "You're serious?"
Herman gave Wesley a post-it note. "Located underground around some abandoned subway station near Northern Boulevard."
Wesley chuckled. "If you're right, I gotta give you immense credit."
Herman nodded. "Trust me."
Wesley dialed the Kingpin's number and put it on speaker.
"Boss. Schultz got the location," Wesley said.
"And he knows for sure it's reliable?" the voice on the phone asked.
"He's adamant it is. And to his credit, he has been doing a heavy amount of tracking the past few weeks," Wesley stated.
"Any lead is better than none with how things have been since this all started. In that case, prepare our soldiers. It's way past time we show our enemies the inevitable," the voice declared before hanging up.
"I hope you realize the boss's reaction will be more than unpleasant if the location turns out to be wrong," Wesley cautioned.
Herman smiled. "I'm aware. And I'm confident."
…
On Sunday evening, Sable sat in her office in the underground base. Frustrated, she looked through her computer for any potential leads.
"How long have you been sitting there?"
Sable looked up to see Kris at the door.
"Weeks and zero progress. We haven't been able to track anybody down for intel or locations. Everywhere we already could've looked has been emptied out. Nobody to follow, nowhere to look, no sources to even hack. That pig Fisk has been amplifying his cover-up efforts by a thousand," Sable ranted.
"Yeah, it's been frustrating, but nobody's died in the past few weeks. For once," Kris pointed out.
"You're absolutely right. But that's only one benefit against several setbacks in our fight," Sable argued.
Sable then picked a blaster up from her desk, getting up.
"Great. What are you doing now?" Kris asked.
"My best bet is to check out the areas they used to hang more frequently. See if anyone knows something. Anything is better than nothing at this point," Sable sighed.
"Sable, I'm not sure how much you're gonna get-"
"I have to do something. I'll be back in a few hours."
Sable left the office, leaving Kris alone.
…
Peter was walking home from the library, listening to music through his earbuds. At one point, he stopped at a convenience store. Going inside and grabbing a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, Peter got a text.
AUNT MAY: Hey kiddo! What time u think you're gonna be home?
PETER PARKER: Probs in like 20 min or so!
AUNT MAY: Sounds good! love you
PETER PARKER: love u too
Peter paid for his chips and started eating them as he left the store. As he continued walking, his enhanced senses started tingling. He started to hear faint yells and thuds.
"Great," Peter sighed,
Peter ran into an alley, throwing the bag over his mouth and finishing off the chips. Throwing the bag in a garbage bin, Peter quickly ran through the alley, taking off his backpack. Less than a minute later, Peter ran out, wearing his suit. Peter swung in tne direction of the yelling, and eventually made his way to another alleyway. There were three unconscious thugs on the ground, with Silver Sable punching a fourth one against the wall.
"Hey!" Peter yelled.
Sable dropped the thug and faced Peter. Scoffing, she shook her head.
"What are you doing here, kid?!" Sable asked.
"I could be asking you the same thing," Peter countered. "What's your whole thing against Fisk?"
"Like that's any of your concern."
"Seriously? Lady, your whole freakin' army has been shooting it out with Fisk so much around New York lately, and you guys have dragged my ass into it. So I'm pretty sure it is my concern."
Sable rolled her eyes. "You dragged your own ass into this. Forget about me, what could a child like you have against someone like the Kingpin?"
Peter gritted his teeth underneath his mask. "Quit calling me that. And you have no damn clue what he took from me, so I'd shut your mouth."
"Heh, you got an attitude. And whatever the Kingpin took from you, did he do that, or did you?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
"SABLE! SABLE! It's an emergency, the base is under attack!" Foreigner yelled over Sable's earpiece.
"WHAT? I'm on the way." Sable yelled.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Peter protested.
In the blink of an eye, Sable threw an electrified baton at Peter, barely giving him time to react. Peter tried to dodge the baton, only for it to hit him in the shoulder, stunning him. Sable quickly kicked Peter in the chest, knocking him down.
"I'm on the way! Hold them off! All of them!" Sable commanded through her earpiece, swinging away with her grapnel gun.
Groaning, Peter tried to force himself to get back up.
…
Meanwhile, Fisk's soldiers were opening fire in the Wild Pack's underground base. While Fisk's soldiers continued to tear the station apart with their modified weapons, the Foreigner climbed up to a balcony and started rapidly firing at Fisk's men with his rifle. More of Fisk's men were shot down before they could even pull out their weapons, giving Sable's soldiers an opening to rush in with.
"Wild Pack! Slaughter through 'em!" Foreigner commanded as he threw a knife at an incoming Fisk soldier, taking him out.
"We can't let them take this place out!" one of Sable's soldiers panicked. "Everything we have-"
"They won't!" Foreigner affirmed, shooting a Fisk soldier down. "Now, eyes locked in the battle!"
Foreigner ran across the balcony and continued shooting soldiers as he also evaded their shots. Throwing down a smoke bomb, Foreigner disappeared in the smoke and grappled down to the ground. Stealthily snapping the neck of one of Fisk's soldiers from behind, Foreigner took out two grenades and threw them at Fisk's other soldiers. The grenades exploded and sent some of Fisk's soldiers flying while others jumped out of the way. Sable's soldiers started beating down Fisk's men with their batons and tasers, while other soldiers from both sides continued to shoot at each other.
"Sable! We're still trying to hold them back!" Foreigner yelled in his earpiece. "You gotta-"
Foreigner ducked under a baseball bat swing by a Fisk soldier and punched him across the face before kicking him into a computer monitor, smashing it. Another Fisk soldier ran at Foreigner, who deflected the soldier's punches. Foreigner kicked the soldier in the knee and elbowed him in the face, before proceeding to grab another soldier attempting to attack from behind. Foreigner then threw the soldier at the wall, cracking his back as he fell down. Another soldier attempted to run away, only for Foreigner to fire his grapnel gun at him. Foreigner yanked the panicking soldier over and kicked him across the face, knocking him out.
"Shit!"
"Goddamn it, keep firing!"
"No, no!"
Hearing the cries of his army, Foreigner ran towards the crossfire, where Fisk's men were overpowering the Wild Pack. As Foreigner aimed his rifle, Silver Sable immediately jumped in and kicked one of Fisk's soldiers out of the way. Sable knocked another one out with a punch to the face, proceeding to grab a blaster in one hand and an electrified baton in the other. Sable shot down some of Fisk's soldiers before proceeding to beat some of them down with her batons. Three of them tried to overpower Sable at one point, and she grabbed and slammed two of them together before kicking the third one down. Another Fisk soldier aimed his gun at Sable from behind, only to be shot down by the Foreigner.
"Good thing you're here," Foreigner admitted.
"Our soldiers! Take the enemies out before there can be any more casualties!" Sable commanded.
Sable threw a grenade at more incoming Fisk soldiers, sending some of them flying as she ran over and engaged the other soldiers. Electrifying and slashing through the soldiers, Sable felt pure adrenaline as she yelled in rage.
"That all you can do?!" Sable yelled as she threw one of Fisk's soldiers across the room.
Foreigner shot two more Fisk soldiers next to Sable and ran over, taking another one down with a body slam. Sable started to fight off two more soldiers with her batons, deflecting their hits and beating them down. Foreigner covered Sable by shooting down different incoming or hiding Fisk soldiers. More Fisk soldiers ran towards Sable, who threw shurikens at them. Sable ran over to fight the soldiers, and Foreigner aimed his rifle at some other Fisk soldiers. Through the scope, Foreigner was too late to notice Adrian suddenly flying towards him at full speed. Foreigner tried to duck before Adrian grabbed him, flying and carrying him up mid-air.
"Shit! Kristopher!" Sable screamed as she kicked down a Fisk soldier.
Sable pulled out her blaster, only for it to be knocked away by one of Adrian's blades. Sable's soldiers shot at Adrian from down below, only for it to do nothing to Adrian's armor.
"What's wrong? Can't fight like a real man?" Foreigner mocked as Adrian held his neck.
"Nah. I just fight smart," Adrian responded.
Adrian grabbed Foreigner's right arm and smashed it with all his effort, breaking it.
"GAHHHHH! Bastard, I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna-" Foreigner raged.
Adrian laughed and let go of Foreigner, sending him falling as Sable swung by on a grapnel hook. She managed to grab Foreigner as the two sloppily descended to the ground. Sable's soldiers started firing on Fisk's men before they could attack Sable or Foreigner.
"Sable! Get out of here, we'll provide cover!" one of the soldiers yelled.
"Hold on! Try and make sure everyone gets out if they can!" Sable called back before turning to Foreigner. "Kristopher! My God, oh no. Sons of bitches."
"I'm fine," Foreigner groaned, getting up and holding his arm. "Fight isn't over, we just gotta-"
However, Adrian started to fly down towards Sable and Foreigner. Sable reached for a weapon, only for Peter to unexpectedly swing in and grab on to Adrian mid-air.
"Get off me, kid!" Adrian groaned as he flew around in the air, trying to shake Peter off.
"Nah, not until I get what I need!" Peter declared, trying to hold on to and punch Adrian.
"That's some distraction," Foreigner muttered as he pulled out a blade with his okay hand.
"You're telling me. Now move! Hurry!" Sable exclaimed.
In the air, Adrian threw Peter on to a balcony. Adrian flew over, and Peter jumped out of the way.
"Let's try this again. This time, with me kicking your ass," Peter suggested, shooting webs at Adrian.
Adrian easily deflected the wings with his webs and flew straight at Peter, who jumped over him. Peter shot webs at some debris, swinging it over to Adrian. Adrian smashed the debris aside with his winds, only for a second piece of debris to fly and smash into him, knocking him back. Peter then jumped in with a punch, only for Adrian to punch him down. Adrian then kicked Peter in the side, sending him further across the balcony. Peter groaned as he got back up, and Adrian flew right over. Adrian swung his wings around, with Peter sliding and jumping around to avoid them. Peter threw a few punches, which Adrian dodged before eventually grabbing his fist. Adrian squeezed Peter's hand, causing him to wince in pain before Adrian swung and threw him into the wall.
"I honestly feel sorry for ya, kid. The fact you think you're making any difference in this city," Adrian scoffed.
Yelling, Peter got up, only for Adrian to punch him right in the face. As Peter fell right back down, Adrian got a call from Wesley through his earpiece.
"Yo, boss is here," Wesley's voice said.
"Got it," Adrian replied before turning to the injured Peter. "I'll deal with you in a bit."
Adrian descended back down and effortlessly flew through the few remaining Sable soldiers in the room, sending them flying. The rest of Sable's soldiers were either injured or dead, while Fisk's side had some losses, though not as many. Sable and Foreigner were also a little bruised up, apart from the latter's broken arm.
"Men, hold your fire. Show's over," Adrian told Fisk's remaining soldiers.
Sable pulled out a blade and faced Adrian. "Forget about everything I'm going to do to just you. Tell Fisk to come out himself. FACE ME HIMSELF! All he has done is send cowards to play soldier for him. The difference between me and him? I am a soldier. I jump straight into the battlefield and he hides."
Adrian chuckled underneath his helmet. "If you say so."
Slow and loud footsteps started to be heard in the distance. As they got closer, Fisk's remaining soldiers got up and started to face the direction of the sound. A tall and domineering force of pure mass and authority, Wilson Fisk walked into the base, dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit. Adrian moved out of the way as the crime boss approached and faced Silver Sable.
"You," Sable said.
Fisk smugly smiled. "Miss me?"
Sable pulled out her blaster, only for Fisk's soldiers to aim their weapons at her and Foreigner.
"Weapons down, men. We're not uncivilized enough that we can't just have a conversation right now," Fisk stated. "Especially when said conversation is past overdue."
Fisk's men slowly lowered their weapons, but Sable still aimed her blaster at Fisk. "What's stopping me from shooting through your thick skull right now? If I die, it won't be without completing what I had to."
"For one, you're gonna want to hear what I have to say. And for another, we secretly planted some bombs down here while this whole shootout was going on. So unless you want the rest of your little army here blown inside out, stand down," Fisk threatened.
Seething, Sable placed her blaster to the ground.
"Anyway, as for business. This little campaign you and your cronies launched against us. Have to admit, it turned out a lot louder and even more vexing than I could've imagined. All the destruction. The publicity. The body count," Fisk growled.
"Don't pretend like you didn't start this war. All your crimes against Symkaria. My family. A human life is clearly the least fragile thing to you. And you will burn with everything you've built," Sable declared.
Fisk smirked. "Oh, someone's gonna do the burning, and it's not me. It's still funny that you thought you'd walk out of this with any semblance of a victory. The most powerful leaders. And everyone under them, they're all playing this city right under and for me. For every man of mine you take out, ten more will come in. When you lose one, someone just drops dead."
Sable gave Fisk a murderous glare. "The whole world is going to see you for who you are. Before your empire is destroyed, I've got a special blade reserved for you. After what you've done to my soldiers, I'll make sure you're choking on your blood for hours."
"We'll make sure your soldiers and that flying asshole die just as painfully," Foreigner added.
"I'm not the one with the broken arm, buddy," Adrian replied.
"There's the same naive ambition that got you guys in this position in the first place. Let's just wrap this up. Bottom line, don't mess with us without expecting retaliation. As for what that looks like, you're about to find out," Fisk stated before turning to Adrian. "Set the bombs off."
"I swear on my last breath you're going to-" Sable started.
"Going to what? You're cute. Makes me remember that underneath that cold brooding facade, you're still my pathetic little niece," Fisk remarked.
"Niece?" Peter muttered, with his eyes widening as he watched from way above.
Fisk started to walk away with some of his soldiers, with Adrian standing in between him and Sable.
"Make sure none of them get out. Do what you gotta," Fisk commanded as he left the scene.
At that point, Sable and Foreigner quickly pulled out their weapons. The bombs then detonated from the rest of the base, setting off a series of violent explosions. The ground beneath everyone rumbled violently, sending shockwaves throughout the underground complex. The walls and ceiling started to crack and crumble, debris raining down as flames and smoke billowed out. As Adrian flew away, several of Sable and Fisk's soldiers started to fall and get crushed, while Sable and Foreigner immediately ran for cover.
"Hurry! Follow me!" Sable yelled as she ran.
Foreigner caught up behind Sable. Meanwhile, the balcony from above crumbled, with Peter struggling to hold on. He jumped off and aimed his web shooter, only for Adrian to unexpectedly fly in and kick him in the abdomen, causing him to plummet towards the ground.
"Night, kid," Adrian muttered as he flew out of the collapsing base.
Before he hit the ground, Peter shot a last-minute web at the wall, clumsily landing on the ground as he barely broke his fall. However, a large piece of debris fell and separated Foreigner from Sable.
"No!" Sable screamed.
Sable jumped out of the way as another piece of debris fell, and Peter also lept out of the way to avoid getting hit. The two landed near each other.
"The hell do we do?!" Peter yelled at Sable.
"Hold on!" Sable yelled back.
The ground and debris from above continued to collapse, with Peter and Sable jumping through rubble and making their way down to the rumbling darkness.
…
Wow, I really did fucking lie when I said it wouldn't take over a month to update again. So sorry again, guys, seriously. For a life update, I recently graduated with my MSW and am still looking for a job. It's tough but hopefully I'll land something soon. Other than that, I've been having fun since I got home. Been spending a good amount of time with family and friends, watching new movies and TV, continuing to try and grow as a person, and I hate to admit it, but I've still been dwelling on the past more than I should at this point. Especially freshman year of high school, crazy to think it was so long ago and how much things have changed.
I mentioned the story does take some inspiration from my real life, though obviously not all. I could share in the future what parts of this year so far I've taken from my own life. Other than that, I'm continuing to embrace that this is my OWN take on the character and universe. There were definitely some shocks in this chapter. Don't expect them to be the last. Year 1 I REALLY will work on wrapping up faster and soon because I want to see the end of it through too. Though I'll never sacrifice quality. And I WILL try to have the next chapter out in the next few weeks. Expect it to be another heavy one. As always, I'm really exploring these characters and their dynamics and how their journeys can be built off of each other. Four chapters of the year left!
Thank you guys for your continued support and favs, follows, and reviews are always appreciated!
ShadowStrike234 - Haha thank you as always for the really nice comments! I'll always appreciate the support you've shown since my OG story, and I also appreciate the specific comments you've given on characters and certain plot elements. Thanks again for the graduation comments, it's definitely kinda crazy! And keep having fun at college!
-redbirds12
