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Disclaimer: I do not own Spawn or Spider-Man. I only own the OC Nathan Nolan/Spawn.
Returning to hist loft, Nathan was at work in decoding the data he had aquired but was having some trouble in doing so. While he was adequte at computers, he wasn't some tech-genius, not some IT geek that spent his life around computers nearly 24/7. He was a soldier, meant to be in the field, killing the enemy, but that didn't mean he hadn't sat at a computer before.
But there was things even he couldn't do.
"Shit..." Nathan muttered as he leaned back in his chair, unable to make heads or tails of the data. "All this over shipping manifests..."
That was the majority of the data that he had pulled from the distribution center. Items coming in and out, most of it old, and he was unable to make anything out of it.
'At this point, I'd need an expert...' Nathan thought as he got out of his chair and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the fridge and popping the lid open easily so he could take a healthy drink from the bottle.
He then paused, lowering the bottle as a thought came to mind. He needed an expert. An info broker. Analyst... an investigator. A smirk grew onto his face as one certain investigator came to mind.
"Looks like she'll be right about me having support."
Mary Jane Watson sat cross-legged on her sofa, buried deep in her work while a light snow fell outside, the small TV giving some idle background noise. She growled in frustration as she looked down at her laptop, her sources continued to stonewall her.
There had to be something going on with the Fisk Distribution Center that burned to the ground last night. She had gone there in the day to find the entire property covered in NYPD and fire department investigators and no amount of prodding or pleading got her anywhere. She had called her sources after that and the last of them had just come back with what had become a familiar canned response about how it was still under investigation and an official statement was forthcoming.
Spawn had not been sighted in several days, and something told her that this had been the vigilante's doing, he must have connected the Kingpin as Fisk and made a move.
The redhead picked up the remote and began flipping idly through channels when she heard a tapping on her apartment window. Smiling at the pleasant surprise, expecting an unannounced visit from her Boyfriend as she stood up and went to the window. Opening it, she expected to be greeted by the red spandex clad superhero, but instead was met with nothing.
"Peter?" She called out tentatively only to hear someone clear their throat off to the side.
Looking, she gasped and almost darted back inside when her eyes locked with the glowing green ones of Spawn, which was the only thing she could see to know he was there but she could hear the flow and flap of his cape in the cold breeze. He was standing on the fire escape landing.
"Good evening, Miss. Watson." He said, breaking MJ from her stupor. "May I come inside? I'd like to speak with you about a proposition that I think you may be interested in."
The reporter nodded dumbly, stepping aside as Spawn entered, climbing over the windowsill and pulling himself into her apartment. Now fully lit and standing in front of her she could see exactly who it was she had been tasked to expose. The black outfit, a white 'M' shaped emblem on his chest, the red cape that seemed to writhe and move on it's on even as it was currently hugging Spawn's body. His eyes, which were simply green. No sclera, no pupils, it was just fully green and glowing inhumanly.
He looked every bit as imposing and intimidating as he's described to be.
"You're... you're him." She said, earning only a stare from the man in the mask. "You're Spawn."
"Yes, I am." Spawn said, his tone firm and to the point. "I have a proposition for you, which is why I'm here tonight."
"Alright then." MJ said. The shock now wore off as she motioned for him to take a seat while returning to the couch. He didn't take the seat but did move a little but away from the window. As she watched her, her tone became cautious. "What kind of proposition exactly?"
"You heard of the fire that happened at the Fisk Distributions center, yes?" He inquired, earning a nod from the redhead who gestured to the TV where the news was now talking about said incident. Spawn glanced at it out the corner of his eye, then looked back at the redhead on the couch. "That was the result of a firefight I was engaged in with a few of Wilson Fisk's men, underneath the facility. And that's why I'm here... because I need your help."
Wordlessly, he reached his hand out and placed something on the coffee table before withdrawing his arm back into his cape. When Mary Jane looked, she saw that it was a data drive.
"I pulled everything from their system." Spawn said before she could ask. "However, I'm not that tech-savvy and cannot make sense of the data for effective analysis and interpretation. What I need is someone that can make heads or tails of this data and relay it to me."
MJ picked the drive up and looked it over, then turned her gaze back to the intimidating vigilante before her. "While I appreciate you coming here to give me this. " She said, "I'm not that naïve, what's in it for you?"
"You do your investigative work. Analyse the data and tell me what you find, and I'll handle the rest." Spawn said bluntly and simply, then turned to look out the window. "Leave flowers or something on your windowsill to let me know you have information. As for what you get in return, everything on that drive to put into your story."
As he stood there and waited, MJ looked at the drive in her hand, contemplating for a few seconds then she nodded. "Alright, let's see what we've got here." She plugged the drive into her laptop and started it up. "Looks like shipping manifests…a lot of shipping manifests. What exactly are you expecting to find?"
"Kingpin is bringing in a shipment of weapons and armor. Lots of it." Spawn said, turning to face her again. "And with the way the facility went up, it must've been part of the chain. Whatever his plan is, it won't be good for the people of this city. I'm hoping you can find other links."
MJ raised an eyebrow at him, her expression saying 'Is that all?', which made the Hellspawn sigh.
"I'll let you be my... info broker or something. I'll bring new information to you, and you decipher it. You get in on this and help me take down a powerful criminal." Spawn said.
"You mean kill him." MJ corrected, causing Spawn's eyes to narrow in response. She sighed and looked at the laptop, her finger tapping the side of it as her mind thought about her decision. "You think there really is something big going on?"
He simply nodded in response.
This caused the reporter to give a predatory grin. "Then at the end of it all I want an interview and your full story, deal?" She asked as she reached out while the grin turned into an innocent smile, going so far as to bat her eyelashes for added effect.
Spawn stared at her for a few seconds. "Only why I do what I do. No names. Nothing about anyone connected to me. i'm not revealing my identity or that of anyone close to me. You simply hear why I do this, and that's it. Got it?"
MJ nodded, well are she couldn't push for that much private information, especially from a man who has no qualms with killing even if he doesn't target innocents. But she didn't want to impedge his work as they were both wanting the same thing; the downfall of Wilson Fisk.
So, Spawn shook her hand, cementing their deal, before he turned and went halfway out the window only to pause and look back at her. "Best we keep this arrangement between us a secret."
MJ nodded vigorously, and Spawn took his leave, vanishing into the darkness of night.
A pair of brown eyes slowly and groggily opened as the pair of attached ears registered a slow steady beeping and Captain Yuri Watanabe's brain finally put two and two together while pushing the last vestiges of grogginess from her mind. She began going back through what she remembered before losing consciousness, confronting Spawn in the smoke-filled room before he vanished and left them to run for their lives as the cops realized they were standing on top of an inferno. The floor giving way and she fell to what she believed would be her death.
Despite her best efforts, the only other thing she could remember was looking up into the glowing green eyes and not being terrified. As for why she couldn't remember, a look in the mirror showed that her forehead had several stitches in it, and only now did she realize she was hooked up to a respiratory machine with a tube up her nose. She was knocked from her observations by the sound of the door opening and an older man walked into the room. Judging from what he was wearing, clipboard in hand, and stethoscope around his neck, she had a guess as to who he was.
"Good Morning, Captain." The doctor said as he looked at the IV that was hooked up to her, "I'm Doctor Richardson, I've been taking care of you for the last day and a half."
He then looked at the monitors as he adjusted his glasses, "I know you have questions, but tell me, what's the last thing you remember?" he asked.
"Falling into the basement of the Fisk Distribution Center." She answered as the doctor 'hmmed' and made another note as he pushed his glasses back up. "How did I get here, doc?" she asked.
The older man frowned, "I'm not sure, Detectives Johnson and Martinex said they found you outside of the building. Any idea how you end up there when you were unconscious inside the building?"
Yuri shook her head. Richardson gave a consolatory smile, "It's alright, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that everything looks good, I should be able to release you in a few hours. You'll be cleared to return to work tomorrow." He said. "In the meantime, you'll be kept under observation, would you like some TV?"
Yuri nodded as the doctor turned on the small screen on the opposite wall. "News please." She requested. The doctor nodded and turned over to a local channel before placing the remote within reach and leaving without another word.
"…other news, Mayor Osborn announced that a special NYPD task force is being created to counter the threat posed by the vigilante known as 'Spawn.' Who is the primary suspect in the fire that occurred at a Fisk Industries Distribution Center as well as several dozen other murders across the city.
The move has garnered support and criticism. Some even suggesting that Spider-Man should be asked for assistance…"
Yuri sighed, the NYPD Captain would be coming out of the frying pan and going into the fire.
"Hey Nate, its Peter Parker. MJ and I are going out with a few of her coworkers from the Bugle tonight. Just wanted to extend an invite, see if you'd like to come. We're meeting at that place we met, Club Solar, at 9. Please come if you can, otherwise I'll be the only guy there and it could get awkward."
That had been the message Nathan found on his voicemail from one Peter Parker, who he had kept in contact with since meeting the guy, as well as his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. They were good people. Honest. Which was almost a boon to see in a city like this. A part of him was guilty to be drawing Mary jane into the fray of his lifestyle as Spawn, but he was making sure that she would not get into the action and simply relay what she finds on her laptop.
The last thing he needed was for her to get herself in danger, especially when it was him that had gone to her for help.
Still, when Nathan did hang out with Peter and Mary Jane outside of his 'job', he got to know the couple a little more. He shared a few drinks with them, swapping stories of their time in high school, Mary Jane talking about how she always dreamed about being a reporter even in school though Peter once joked she wanted to be an actress before she decided that reporting was the better choice.
Peter spoke about his job as a scientist, working at a lab in the Greenwich district, and go on about whatever mad scientist tech he was working on while Nathan would pretend to understand.
But anyway, because of that voicemail, Nathan found himself arriving outside of Club Solar in his Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, dressed in a short-sleeved black top, with a black leather jacket over it, dark blue trousers and black steel-toed boots.
He turned his car engine off and removed the keys from the ignition before getting out of the vehicle, locking it after closing the door.
"Damn Nate." A familiar female voice said, causing him to look in the door mirror to see Peter and Mary Jane along with two other women. "Nice ride."
Nathan smirked. "She's a beauty." He patted the roof of his car. "Come on, let's get inside. With how my week's been, I need a drink."
This drew a laugh from the group as they went inside. On the way, Nathan saw the day's headline in a discarded newspaper. Spawn Strikes Again! Menace responsible for three alarm fire in Manhattan.
Once inside, the five managed to snag a booth and ordered their drinks over the pounding music. Nathan was able to get a good look at the two new Bugle employees. One was a dark skinned African-American woman named Glory Grant. The other was a more modestly dressed brunette, short haired, named Betty Brant.
"And this is Nathan Nolan, he's from Brooklyn and recently came back to the city after being away." MJ introduced, shaking Nathan from his thoughts and the Hellspawn gave the two women a casual wave.
Nathan shrugged. He had tried to say a lot without saying anything at all. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that Betty wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily. "What's your story? Where were you before this?"
Nathan glanced at her. "Los Angeles."
"La, huh?" Glory asked as she sipped her drink. "What brought you there?"
"The sights." Nathan answered, glancing around.
Betty smirked. "Not the women on beaches in bikinis?"
Nathan snorted, a little amused, but shook his head. "No."
"Well, what do you do?" Glory asked. "Gotta be something with a big payday to get a car like that beast you got outside."
"I, uh... I used to be a soldier." Nathan said, shifting a little. His reveal had gotten attention as the group were now looking at him.
"A soldier?" Mary Jane asked, surprised. "You served?"
Nathan looked off, his eyes going distant, his tone almost bitter and aimed with self-disgust at himself. "Yeah..." He shook his head, clearing away dark memories, and looked at the women. "So, what's it like working for a newspaper publishing company?"
The question had the desired effect, the two women quickly went on an extended rundown of everything he could want to know about the happening of the city. He took it all in as they cut each other off and had to yell over the music, but it was mostly good information.
Eventually that led into the three going on about their work and some office gossip, with both of the men giving each other knowing looks as the twiddled their thumbs and hoped to all that was holy that they would be ignored for the time being.
But Nathan's luck was bound to run out eventually. "So what's your take on this Marauder character?" asked the Queens Native casually as he sipped his own drink, a soft drink, Nathan noted.
"There's always people in the world that think they can do a better job than everybody else." Nathan said, sipping his glass of whiskey. "With Spawn, he can back it up."
Parker looked shocked at the indifferent answer. "He killed people." Peter responded, as if that fact should have been enough.
Nathan just looked at him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the ones he killed committed heinous crimes that would've granted them life in prison or even the death penalty. Only problem is, courts can take too long to give a verdict. Judges can be bribed, corrupt. The way I see it, Spawn's taking the verdict that would be given and dishing it out his own way."
"By just killing them?" Peter shook his head.
"Nobody's perfect in the world, Pete." Nathan said bitterly, once again feeling that self-disgust he always aimed at himself.
"But aren't you worried about him just roaming the streets?" Peter asked, the ire in his voice rising. "What if he decides to come after you?"
"I was in Special Forces and Black ops, Pete. I know how to take care of myself." Nathan said in an even tone of voice.
The look on Peter's face went flat and neutral in an instant before steadily relaxing. "And if it's not enough?"
"Then I guess I'll be seeing my family soon." Nathan said flatly, hiding the anger at the fact he would never see them again in the afterlife.
"Sorry." Peter mumbled as he sat back, the argument dead.
The two went back to watching the conversation going on between the three women before it too finally came to its conclusion. "How about we hit the dance floor?" suggested Glory as the other two women nodded immediately. "You boys coming?"
Nathan shook his head, "Nah, this ain't my usual two steps." He said, though he did notice a faint look of disappointment on Betty's face.
Peter then surprised him. "I'll join you in a minute okay, MJ?"
"Don't keep me waiting too long, tiger." The redhead advised with a mischievous smile before the three left the two men alone and soon disappeared onto the crowded dance floor.
Nathan simply waited for whatever Peter had in mind as he sipped his drink while Peter swirled his, evidently deep in thought. "Nate, I'm sorry about what I said." He began, but before Nathan could shrug it off and deflect, the Queens native held up a hand. "I lost my parents when I was little, then my uncle was killed eight years ago. I know what it's like."
"You lost your parents and your uncle, Pete... I lost my wife and kids." Nathan said quietly. Peter froze at that, before wincing as 'family' could've meant that, not just parents. The mood became more solemn as Peter was reminded of what the two had in common.
"What can you tell me about them?" Peter asked, wanting to know.
Nathan inhaled then exhaled. "My wife, Sarah... met her when I was sixteen and we got together a couple of months later. I joined the army and lied about my age because I wanted to serve my country. When I was seventeen, Sarah got pregnant with our son, David."
Peter's eyes widened. "Seriously?" Nathan nodded. "And you were both just seventeen?"
"Yeah. She didn't want to go for an abortion. She was keeping the kid and understood if I didn't want to stick around." Nathan looked Peter in the eye. "I asked her to marry me. Our friends thought we were crazy, so did our parents, but neither of us cared. We were in love and had a baby on the way. It was rough, but... we managed to make it work. At least I was able to be there for my son's birth. And then a year later, Sarah was pregnant with our baby girl, Rebecca. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy balancing the life of a father and the life of a soldier. I was just glad that I got signed up for Black ops mission, since that meant I wasn't needed all the time. Only for the missions the Governent though I was best suited to see through."
"What happened to them?" Peter asked quietly. "Your wife and kids?"
"They died." Nathan said coldly, shifting, his eyes shifting around, counting the number of people, all exits. "And believe me, that was the worst day of my life. Sarah... Sarah was pregnant with our unborn child at the time."
"Oh God..." Peter whispered in horror, looking away. "How... how long has it been?"
"Six years." Nathan swallowed. "Though it always feel like yesterday. Worst day of my life, and all I was left with was a dark hole that I couldn't get out of."
Peter knew what that was like. He had gone through the same phase when Uncle Ben had died. "You know you aren't alone, right?" He asked. After a few moments of silence between the two, Peter continued. "You don't have to be." He said as he pulled out his phone and texted Nathan a phone number and address. "There's a homeless shelter, FEAST, where I volunteer sometimes. My aunt does too, I just texted you her number. She could always use more help, if you want."
Nathan looked at his phone, then glanced at Peter before nodding as he pocketed his phone again. "I'll think about it." He said quietly.
Peter nodded in understanding before he saw something over Nathan's shoulder and grimaced. "Ah, hell." He sighed, getting Nathan;s attention.
"Is that all you have to say?" A familiar female voice purred seductively, and Nathan stiffened as he instantly recognised it as that of the Black Cat's. He turned his head, part of him surprised at the fact she'd show up here, maybe in costume. However, when he looked, he saw she was definitely not wearing her outfit but she was still looking like a bombshell that would draw the eyes of men and women to her. "Here I was thinking you'd be excited to see me."
Even if he tensed at her presence, he could not deny that, even without her provocative catsuit, the Black Cat was a strikingly gorgeous woman, and she had come dressed to kill. Her unzipped jacket revealed a partially unbuttoned blouse that barely concealed her impressive cleavage. Unlike the pony tail it was in the last time he had seen her, her exotically colored hair was down and free flowing in waves halfway down her back, contrasting with the black jacket that stopped above her waist. The similarly black mini skirt she wore clung tautly to her feminine curves, highlighted her ass, and stopped well north of the knees, leaving her toned legs on display, clearly sculpted by her activities as the Black Cat. Those were only further enhanced by the heels she wore, and part of Nathan's mind wanted to know what it felt like to have those legs wrapped around him.
"It's not that I'm not, Felicia" Peter stammered as his eyes immediately went past her and towards the dance floor. "It's just that I'm here with MJ."
Despite his dirty thoughts and the potential threat this woman was, Nathan wasn't going to let little things like that stop him from teasing Pete. "Friend of yours, Pete?" he interjected wryly, smiling faintly as he took another sip of his drink.
Peter squirmed in a way that the Hellspawn found quite amusing as 'Felicia's' smile became a pout, though it remained directed at Peter. "Yeah, we uh, dated for a bit. Broke up a month ago." Peter explained. Nathan took a glance back at Felicia, eyes quickly going down before coming to a not so subtle stop on her hips and ass before going back to Peter. Nathan's expression was the one universally recognized as 'dude, seriously?'. Peter's only response was to shrug haplessly.
"Well, you could at least introduce me to your friend." The woman said as she turned her gaze towards Nathan. The way she stared down at him as her striking green eyes scrutinized him, clearly appraising him, didn't deter him. She was as alluring as she was dangerous, and, Nathan decided, he was already a vigilante fighting a crime syndicate, a little danger wasn't something that scared him, or that he was opposed to. "He seems to be much more interested than you."
It was a true statement, even if it wasn't for typical reasons. "Felicia, this is Nathan Nolan. Nate, that's Felicia Hardy." Peter introduced as he saw the two lock eyes. He couldn't recall seeing Nathan as tense as he was now, coiled like a spring as he stared up at Felicia, no sign of any lust like any other guy who looked at Felicia.
Felicia seemed to be her normal self, staring down at the man in a predatory fashion that Peter was all too familiar with. Nathan, on the other hand, had seemingly flipped a switch. if Peter didn't know him any better, he would have been afraid the man would put a bullet between her eyes.
Instead of taking the hint, Felicia sat down in the booth next to Nathan and snuggled up against him. Nathan tensed even more for a second before relaxing as the platinum haired vixen pressed her curvaceous body into him. "Why so tense? Surely you aren't afraid of little ol' me?" She asked, only to get nothing from the Pilot. "Silence huh? Well come find me by the bar if you want to talk." She purred suggestively before reaching across his body and grabbing his whiskey, finishing it off before placing the glass back down and effortlessly slipping out of the booth.
Nathan and Peter watched her go, before Nathan picked up his empty glass of whiskey.
"She's a handful." Peter commented. Nathan glanced in the direction Felicia left before he sight and stood. "Going to take her up on her offer?"
"No. I need another drink." Nathan muttered and made his way to the bar, placing his glass down and ordering for a refill of whiskey. As his drink was filled, a soft body pressed in his, two soft mounds pressing into his side as an arm draped itself over his shoulders.
"You know~ I wasn't sure you'd come." Felicia's voice purred in his ear.
Nathan rolled his eyes in a mix of minor annoyance and amusement. "I'm here for a refill. Not you." He said bluntly.
Instead of looking hurt, Felicia simply smiled while silently hand gesturing for her own drink. Despite every bit of good sense trying to move away from the woman, Nathan's feet remained planted as she sipped her newly arrived cocktail.
"So Nathan, what brings a man like you to a place like this?" She asked.
Nathan raised a brow. "Is that your best pickup line? That got old ten years ago."
Felicia snorted, removing her glass from her mouth. "Most men use a line like that to chat with a girl. What kind we do the same with men?"
"I'm not like any other man." Nathan said simply and as a matter of fact.
At that, Felicia grinned. "I'll bet." She said in a tone that made Nathan's eyes narrow. The way she said that... like she knew him. He almost scoffed. She didn't know him at all. "So, what's your hobbies and likes?"
"And why would you want to know that?" Nathan asked, sounding more amused this time.
"Can't I get to know the man I'm having a conversation with?" Felicia batted her eyelashes at him 'innocently'.
Nathan sighed. "Not much to say on that matter. Just got back to New York after a while away, so I'm seeing what's new and what's still the same. Some things I've liked seeing. some things I don't."
She leaned over the bar to return her glass, giving him quite a view down her shirt, and then smirked knowingly as she noticed his eyes wander. "Well, I know what I like." She returned as she leaned on the bar and went back to looking him up and down as he took another drink on his drink. "I like something one of a kind. It should look good, but something I've never done before." She explained flirtatiously.
"And you're here because you fell head over heels for my rugged good looks?" He asked dryly, slightly encouraged by the small giggle the joke drew from her.
"That's not it, I could get any good-looking guy I wanted." She replied confidently, and he couldn't disagree. "Especially the ones with an ego."
Nathan chuckled, starting to get an idea of what Peter meant by 'handful' before replying. "That's not ego. It's a fact and you know it. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong." He challenged confidently, small grin on his face. He hasn't had some fun in a while, so why not?
Instead of looking put off, she merely matched his grin and placed her hand around his arm before he took the cue to flex before she leaned over and whispered into his ear "Not all ego." Fighting down the small blush on his face, he turned back to her as she continued. "But I want more, the special types who I can't find anywhere else, but I'm always surprised where I do find them. But I can't always tell what makes them special. Do you know what makes you special around here?"
Nathan tilted his head a little, keeping his expression blank and tone cool while being aware of her close she was to him, how their faces were apart by a few inches. "Intrigue me." He answered instead.
Felicia smirked and pressed herself closer, and he couldn't stop the grunt that escape him as she lifted a leg and wrapped it around his waist, pinning him against the bar while she took the time to get a feel of his body. "Oh, you aren't like any other man, handsome." She said softly, running a finger down his cheek. "There's a dark, mystery vibe about you. A darkness that I don't think any other man has. A darkness bred from pain, anger and rage. I've been around men with something... similar but not as much as you. Whatever happened to you... you sure came out of it a changed man."
Nathan stared at her, eyes blank. "You're closer than you think." He muttered under her breath.
This drew a grin from Felicia who lowered her leg from around his waist and allowed him to push himself off a little from the bar but she still kept herself close to him. "Now I'm interested. So allow me to earn yours."
With that said, she turned and sauntered off towards the dance floor, her hips swaying invitingly.
Nathan stared after her, feeling conflicted on his decision. She was a dangerous woman. He knew she was the type to play with men, whether for amusement or because she had something to gain or because the man could be useful to her. He didn't know if her interest in him was genuine, fake, or she was just looking for a good time and wanted to bring company back to her bed tonight. he wasn't so sure about that last one, as he hadn't been with a woman since his wife.
He sighed. "Oh what the hell?" He finished off his glass of whiskey by downing it in one, then paid for the drinks before following Felicia onto the dance floor.
I was going to show more, but I felt it was best if I ended it there. The chapter's near 6,000 words as it is, so why not split this into two parts? Next chapter will feature a dance with Nathan and Felicia, followed by a team up between them in their alter egos.
