Author's Note: All Properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Sorry about the delay in this chapter getting up, life's been busy, but the normal pace (should) resume. Hopefully all y'all are having a good start to your 2025 as we step into the future, at least the future of Black Ops 2. In some ways, it's a little disappointing, what, with the M8A1 not being adopted, but who knows, the year is still young.
Alright, enough dilly dallying, it's time to really get the plot going, and we're screaming into it with this high tempo rocker from the debut album of Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. from their 1984 self titled debut. Does it fit the chapter exactly? No, but it was this or Megadeth, and I have something special in mind for them. In any case, I think W.A.S.P. is severely underappreciated, a great 'hair metal' band with a great sound and some absolutely haunting lyrics, at least in their later albums. Not so much here though.
Authority Without Asking – Chapter 5: Hellion
Hell-hound, hot leather on your legs
That smokin powder keg you're riding on is hell-bound
And you're the one they claim
It's going down in flames
You're riding Hades' rails (Hellion)
Hellion, The devil's Hellion child
Hellion, will never have to die
"Dyakuyu," said Mary Jane, poorly, she thought, though the waitress smiled pleasantly as she passed their ordered food around the table. It was a small café sort of establishment, outdoor seating filled with those seeking a late lunch, or enjoying a longer one. A mixture of salads and sandwiches appeared before the gathered group, along with their preferred beverages, water, tea, or in the case of Matthew, Coca -Cola.
"You're welcome," replied the waitress in English, better English than MJs Symkarian, "Can I get you all anything else?" When the four Americans shook their heads, the woman gave them smile and went to check on another table.
"I forget that more people here speak English; with all the foreigners that come through here it must be a necessity," muttered Mary Jane. The Bugle Editor took another look at the other customers, noting that a majority were foreigners, either on business, or wearing Sable International uniforms. That morning had seen MJ and Peter shown around some of the new civil projects in the Symkarian capital, infrastructure, power, and an expansion for the main hospital. In the afternoon, MJ wanted to break away from the structured itinerary of her host, and instead wander the city freely, meeting natives of the country and, she hoped, getting some idea of their thoughts on the Sablinova government. "What's it been like for you two?"
Felicia answered her question with a smile, "It's common, but not universal. Now that we're spending more time here, even Matt's learned a bit of Symkarian."
"Really?" blurted Peter, clearly as surprised as Mary Jane about the revelation regarding the famously stubborn Texan. Caught in the middle of a bite, Matt put his sandwich down and, while still chewing, held up a hand, thumb and index finger an inch apart. The rest of the table chuckled at Cooper's expense, but the grin he had on said he didn't mind. "You really have changed Matt."
Cooper shrugged, "Now that I ain't Maraudin' as much, I had to find something else to do," he drawled.
"Besides me," interjected Felicia with a grin. "What about you, Pete, you do anything when there're no villains to punch… or cat burglars to chase?"
"Other than me?" returned MJ, leaning in close to Peter and giggling at the way his cheeks reddened. The redhead wasn't sure what the smirk Felicia had meant, but it was better than letting the Thief tease her boyfriend. "Though I am curious, what is it you and Tony are working on?"
Fidgeting in his seat, Peter answered, "Well… it's just a concept, an idea. We're not even sure it would work." His eyes panned the table and obviously saw that his answer wasn't satisfactory. "But it might, and it's for…."
Mary Jane saw Peter tense, his pupils dilating as he stared into nothing, but only for a split second. It didn't go unnoticed, Matthew had reached for the bulge in his jacket, and Felicia had similarly tensed as well, hand reaching for something in her purse. "Pete, what's wrong?" asked MJ, recognizing when her boyfriend could feel his danger sense was going off.
"Take it easy, folks," intoned Cooper, his eyes locked on something. MJ spun around to see a pair of black SUVs come around the corner and stop in front of the diner. The passenger door opened and a sharply dressed woman emerged, removing her sunglasses and striding right up to the table.
"Mr. Cooper, Ms. Hardy," began the woman in a slight German accent, fitting with her serious demeanor, "You have been summoned by Queen Sablinova. Come with me, please."
"She can just call us," snarked Felicia as the couple stood, Matt throwing a couple bills on the table to cover the meal.
"What're y'all still sittin' down for? Come on," Matt beckoned to Peter, turning to address the aide before could object, "Sable wouldn't do this if it wasn't urgent, and if it's that urgent, I want 'em with us." The woman's mouth thinned, but she didn't object as MJ elbowed Pete, getting him moving. "You got your kit?" asked Matt, looking at Pete. Her boyfriend nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "I hope you were serious about wanting to work together again, Sable wouldn't interrupt our lunch for a couple gangbangers."
Peter Parker was not unused to speed, not when he'd been in more than a few high speed chases over the years as Spider-Man, but there was a stark difference between 50 mph and 150 mph. He'd watched the Symkarian countryside pass beneath the speeding Sable International helicopter for the last hour, the snow-covered fields broken up by the odd town, more than a few of which still bore the scars of the past war, or had prefabricated buildings augmented the more permanent structures, all of which had started to blur together.
Nothing about this sudden excursion had been anything but shockingly swift. After being driven from lunch to the Sable base near the capital, the American quartet was ushered onto a waiting helicopter and taken southwest, but hadn't been told anything else about what awaited them. There was still some nerves Peter couldn't quell, his brow furrowing when he felt something on his hand and turned to see MJ was trying to calm him. He gave her a smile before he saw a plume of pitch black smoke in the distance right before the helicopter banked towards it. He couldn't help but tense at the slight buzz he felt at the back of his head even as he kept up the smile, more for MJs benefit than his own.
The chopper came in for a fast landing, and the group was out in a second. Peter took in the scene with a deepening frown as he saw the remains of a convoy strewn across the road. The charred, shattered, crushed remains of a convoy, burnt out tractor trailers lying in ditches alongside the road, a pair of Sable MRAPs left a ghastly black, embers still smoldering in the blasted apart armor. A perimeter comprised of Sable International troopers circled the destruction, along with some of their vehicles and a landed VTOL attack craft, the same type that Silver Sable had in Manhattan. Peter made to raise his camera, but a firm hand clamped on his shoulder, "None of that now, buddy, you're on the clock for your other job," warned Cooper as he led the group to the site. "Sable," he called, causing the Symkarian Regent to look up from the ground, and wave them over. "The hell is all this?" asked Cooper bluntly.
Peter felt Silver's eyes on him, but she didn't question either MJ's or his presence. "Come see for yourselves," she said before turning and leading them through the carnage.
"You notice what's missing?" whispered MJ as the group picked their way across the debris covered road.
Peter nodded, "The trailers, they're flatbeds, but with no cargo. Shipping containers, maybe?"
"Probably," conceded Mary Jane, "But what was inside them, you think?"
All the Queens Native could do was shrug as Sablinova led the group around a smoking semi-truck. Coming to a stop, mouth agape, Peter stared at the woman waiting for them on the other side. She was of Asian descent and stood at 5'9", dressed in blue jeans, plaid flannel shirt, and black leather jacket, she looked just like he remembered, "Yuri?" he blurted, startling the nearly unflappable woman as she turned to face them, "What're you doing here?"
For years, NYPD Captain Yuri Watanabe had been his main contact, only contact, on the police force. She alone had been willing to work with Spider-Man, and had his back through many crisis, the arrival of the Marauder, taking down Fisk, Devil's Breath, and more. But she had hit her breaking point earlier in the year when they'd tangled with the old Maggia Dons, Hammerhead making a point to target her personally. After being placed on a leave of absence in the spring and helping fight Hammerhead as a vigilante, Watanabe had gone quiet for a while, at least until a sudden rash of murders in the summer. Yuri, as her alter ego; Wraith had found who was responsible: a death squad operating within the NYPD under the direction of the man who'd sold Yuri out to the Maggia in the spring. Yuri had killed them all and then disappeared before Spider-Man could apprehend her.
Seeing her here, of all places, was quite a surprise.
"Captain Watanabe is special advisor to Symkarian National Police, her expertise and experience has been invaluable," supplied Sablinova, putting herself between Peter and Yuri.
Yuri's lip crooked up, "Meaning I go around yelling at people, just like my old job," added Watanabe dryly. Turning, she barked out in her best captain voice, "Lieutenant, start getting officers out to the nearby farms, check on the people, interview them, see if they saw anything." A cop nodded before jogging off, and Yuri spoke to them, "I'm glad you're here, all of you. Tell me what you think this is."
Leading them a few yards down the road, Yuri suddenly veered off and into the soft earth before coming to a stop and pointing at the ground. Peter came to a stop and peered down at the indentation, vaguely rectangular in shape, two and a half feet by four and a half feet, and then a matching one at an angle, maybe six feet away. "They might be… footprints?" ventured Peter, "Probably for whatever did all that," he added, gesturing to the wreckage behind them. "But I don't know anybody who wears shoes that big."
"Because a person didn't make them," asserted Cooper, any pretense of his laid back drawl gone, "Those are Titan prints, aren't they? Bet if you check, they measure up just like the ones I tangled with back when I ran the 7th."
"We will," assured Yuri, her face stoic, but Peter heard the underlying tension in her tone. "Which means this'll be our old friends. Payback for Austria?"
But Sable shook her head. "Unlikely, separate cells, and this was no impromptu strike." Looking back at the remains of the vehicles, the Queen swore loudly, "Didiskoya, they must have known what was on these trucks."
"And what was that?" pressed Felicia, "They had an escort, an armed one, and it was valuable enough that Titans were used against it, on your home turf. Big risk, must've been a big prize."
"This was convoy carrying Roxxon AMMUs, for civilian industry. It was not Sable International project," replied Sable through clenched teeth.
Mary Jane stepped up, "The same one you told us about the other day?" Sablinova gave a terse nod. "You said it was precise enough to have military applications."
Peter's head spun and he brought his hands into a T, "Timeout, I'm clearly missing something. Who do you think did this?"
There was a tense silence for a second before Cooper answered the question, "Hydra, they're the only other ones with Titans. Earlier this week, a small Sable International strike team hit one of their cells in the Austrian alps, they had stolen a cache of NATO data relating to the manufacture of weapons and… oh fuck."
"The data drive was secured, it was not compromised, my technicians and those of SHIELD both confirmed the encryption was intact. The files were not accessed," declared Sablinova confidently.
"Well, that's good," breathed Peter, the entire group letting out a collective sigh of relief. But the gears in Parker's mind continued to turn until they stumbled upon another possibility, "Sable," he said slowly, "You said Hydra didn't access the data on the drive, right?"
"That is correct," Affirmed Silver.
"You sure they didn't copy the data either?" he asked.
The group exchanged glances before Cooper broke the silence. "Oh fuck."
With a grunt, Miles rolled across the snow-covered rooftop, thankful his new suit had knee and elbow pads after more than a few scrapes in his time picking up webswinging. Smoothly coming up to his feet, he flung out a pair of weblines and pulled himself through the structure supporting a water tower, corkscrewing his way through the narrow gap before backflipping once on the opposite side, diving down to the street below. The exhilaration of the acceleration never got old, and Miles got a rush seeing just how long he could wait before he loosed another line of synthetic silk, swinging over the blacktop.
Still getting used to Harlem, Miles let his line carry him back up past rooftop level before letting go. The teen flipping again as he took in the dense urban scene below him, looking for any recognizable landmarks when there was a shrill ping in his ear. Whipping his head around, Miles saw a red triangle with exclamation mark pop up on the Heads Up Display, triggering a tutorial built into the suit. A picture of the OG Spider-Man appeared in the corner at the same time a recording of hero's voice came through the earpieces. "Back when I was your age, I had to use a police scanner I cobbled together with parts from the dumpster behind a RadioShack, but I won't make you go through that. Now, I'm tapped into the NYPD's crime monitoring system, and have the suit set to display reports of active crimes in your proximity."
"So that's how he does it," realized Morales, twisting and firing a webline to pull himself in the direction of the marker. He'd wondered how Spider-Man would always know when something was happening while they were out on patrol, and this was seemingly the answer. "At least he's not omniscient."
"Just know that the system isn't 100% accurate, sometimes it pings crimes that aren't happening, or the criminals might be gone by the time you get there. Just stay on your toes and remember everything you've learned, and you'll be fine. Now go get 'em Spider-Man," encouraged the recording before cutting out and leaving the teenager alone with his thoughts as he swung down towards what he could now see was a small bodega.
Crashing against the wall with a thud, Miles saw the sign for a local credit union as he crawled down to the ajar door and eased it open before creeping his way inside. A strange scene greeted him, a group of four men were attacking the pair of ATMs with a variety of tools, ranging from crowbars to grinders and plasma cutters. The strangest thing of all was that they were all wearing head encasing masks the same red as his own, and with the distinct black webbing pattern on it.
Silently dropping down from the ceiling and blocking the door, the teenager mentally chanted to himself, 'Be cool Miles, be cool Miles.' Leaning up against the wall, he wondered if he looked too casual and crossed his arms before realizing that might be a bad idea if he had to fight from that way, so he put one arm against the frame and put his other hand on his hip. Satisfied, Miles cleared his throat before speaking, trying to sound relaxed, but confident as he said, "Hey guys, forget your pin numbers?"
This effort was undercut by the way his voice cracked slightly, prompting him to cringe behind his mask.
The robbers stopped what they were doing and whirled around, staring at Spider-Man with their own bug-eyed masks. "Hey, would'ya look at that, we're matching," quipped Miles, feeling pleased that he sounded more like Spider-Man with that line, "Are you all Spider-Men too?"
"It's the other Spider-Man, waste him!" snapped one of the thieves; as Miles felt a pull and ducked down just as the robber brought a shotgun up and snapped a shot off, a barrage of buckshot peppering the wall beside the superhero.
"That your power? Let me show you mine!" shouted Miles as he leapt forwards, arm pulled back and glowing a bright orange, ramming his fist into the gun toting criminal, the venom powered strike sending him flying back into one of the others. A third wrapped Miles up in a bear hug, but the teenager responded by grabbing one of his arms and using his enhanced strength to rip his assailant off and spun on the spot, slinging the thief into the wall. Feeling a pull up, Miles jumped into the air, twisting to fire a webline at the man he'd just tossed and yanked him across the floor and straight into the legs of another assailant, a knife clattering to the floor as the two men tumbled into a heap.
A few quick blasts of webbing kept them in place as Miles heard something behind him and reacted by dropping down and planting his feet, springing back as his hand grabbed the robbers ankle. His momentum ripped the thief's leg out from under him, sending him tumbling to the floor as Miles twisted and brought his feet to the wall, taking a pair of strides up it before springing off, driving his fist into the jaw of the recovering criminal, knocking the faux Spider-Man out cold.
Springing up to his feet, Miles saw the flashing lights of approaching cop cars. "They can handle it from here, better dip," he decided, and leapt for the door. Flipping out onto the street, Miles launched himself off a parked cab and into the air, firing a webline and swinging back up, hoping he hadn't gotten too lost and could find his way home in time for lunch.
"Everything packed, Darlin?" asked Cooper as the platinum blonde strode into the conference room, rolling a pair of suitcases behind her, a duffel bag over her shoulder. In tow were Mary Jane and a pair of Sable International personnel, and between them had the totality of the luggage from the mountainside abode.
"Swimsuits to black tie, got a bit of everything for us," replied Hardy, setting all the bags down in a corner of the room. "Mary Jane did what they could, we stopped and did some shopping on the way back. We may have to get creative for them, depending on where we're going and what we're doing. Speaking of," she said, hand on her cocked hip, "Any news on that?"
"Sable just said, and I quote, 'Grab anything you think you might need. I will make calls,'" relayed Cooper in an exaggerated attempt at the Symkarian's accent.
"I see you think we'll need half the hardware on the base," drawled Felicia, smirk on her face as she gestured towards the table. Matt grinned sheepishly, but didn't deny it, not when Peter and he had helped themselves to every piece of equipment they thought might be handy. It was a lot of gear, and it didn't include the weapons Cooper wanted from his personal arsenal that Hardy had brought at his request. "Do you have enough?" Felicia asked with a cheeky grin.
Cooper chuckled, "No kill like overkill, Darlin, you know that."
The other doors into the room swung open, Silver Sablinova leading two other women into the room, one was Watanabe and the other was one Cooper didn't recognize. "I have news," declared the Symkarian, scooping the clicker up from the table and activating the projector. "Both American SHIELD and Russian SVR were unaware of Hydra activity in my country, or the whereabouts of their Titans," the monarch's voice dripping with contempt. "However, we may have lead. Yuri?"
Watanabe took the clicker, "The convoy was hit at the nearest point to the Transian border by three or four titans and about 40 additional troops in civilian transport. The tracks left behind suggested that's where the attackers went. A witness saw 'big metal men' moving south-southwest around dawn, meaning they have a nine-hour head start. At the border, we found the burnt out remains of the civilian vehicles, I have people analyzing them now, but I doubt they'll turn up anything." She hit the clicker, pulling up a different map of the region. "Once across, they would have had a few options, this road here, or rail line here. They all split up at various points, but all flow, generally, in one direction… towards the Aegean."
"You think they're already on a ship?" inquired Mary Jane.
"I can answer that," replied the unknown woman in a slavic accent as she stepped forward. Her straight brown hair, curled up just above her shoulders, keen eyes, and set jaw gave the impression of a sharp, alert woman. She wore a monaural headset and had a tablet tucked under her arm, which made sense considering the patch on the shoulder of her Sable International Combat Uniform depicted a Sphinx and hexagon circumscribed S. "I am Lieutenant Zofia Kaniak. Sable International Intelligence Directorate. Analysis suggests that the stolen AMMUs are aboard the CS Alkimos, currently in Kavala port, in Greece. It is scheduled to depart in… 42 minutes," she announced as she looked down at her tablet.
On the screen was a photo of a small container ship, thoroughly unremarkable, at least to the Pilot's eye. "Displaces 9600 tons, 140 meters in length, 20 meter beam, and 7 meter draught, can carry up to 850 twenty foot containers," rattled off Kaniak, reading from her tablet. "Intelligence agencies have tied her to Hydra activity in the past, and she's filed a route for Alexandira, but only with a partial load."
"That's suspicious," observed Felicia, "Must want to be out of there in a hurry."
"Mighty odd," drawled Matthew, rubbing his chin, "Guessing you want us to go out there and take a look see?"
"I wish for you to do more than that," announced Silver before nodding to Zofia. A map of the sea appeared on the screen with a bright line originating from Greece and going south. "This is the route of the freighter, as you can see, it is out of normal shipping lanes. This works to our advantage. I want a group to board the ship, search it, and recover the AMMUs. Lieutenant Kaniak will provide tactical and logistical support, whatever you might need, she will see that you have it." Sablinova's eyes turned towards Peter and Mary Jane, "I have no right to ask, but would you both…."
"We'll help," replied Peter without hesitation. His redheaded girlfriend was nodding in agreement, Matthew saw.
The Symkarian Queen relaxed ever so slightly, "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"Just us four then?" asked Cooper, "Not coming yourself?"
"No, I must remain here," answered Sablinova through a clenched jaw, "Politics," she ground out. "There is conference this week, with EU, about improving trade relations. My presence is required."
Cooper nodded, and looked towards Yuri, who shook her head, "Not this time, Cooper. Still need to run this investigation, and with all the VIPs coming here, I need to supervise the local police." She looked at Peter and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face, "No 'Spider-Cop and the Chief' this time, old friend."
Peter tensed, before finally answering, "Next time then," he said tersely before turning to Cooper, "Looks like it's left to us."
Matthew grinned, "Just like old times."
Careful not to move too quickly, Miles crossed the basketball to his left hand and made a dash forwards, needing only two quick steps to get around his opponent and force him to turn. Knowing he had him, the teenager sent the ball behind his back to his right hand and cut straight in for the hoop. Resisting the urge to go up and dunk, Miles took a stop and jumped up so that he merely had to lay the ball over the rim.
Scooping the ball up as it bounced off the court, Miles passed it to the tall, easy going middle aged man he'd been playing against. "Ready for another round, Unc?" asked the teenager as he shuffled towards a defensive position.
But the bald headed man shook his head, tucking the ball under his arms and making a 'T' gesture with his hands. "I ain't as young as I once was, how 'bout we go get some drinks, then I'll be good to go for a few more games?"
"Sure thing," replied Miles as he jogged over to scoop up his backpack and followed his father's brother into the apartment building. Ascending the stairs to the third floor, Aaron led them into his unit and went towards the small kitchen. "Wow Uncle Aaron, I like what you did with the place," complimented Miles. Though the walls were uncovered brick, and the only furniture was an old sofa and worn TV stand with a used flatscreen resting atop it, his uncle had a nice setup when it came to music, DJ Controller, a full suite of speakers, and a way to play every music format Miles knew of, and maybe a few he didn't.
"Heh, figured you would," replied Aaron Davis, coming out with a two bottles of Sprite, "Catch." Miles was surprised at the speed Davis threw the bottle with, but still caught it easily, twisting the cap off and downing the clear soft drink. "Here, check it," called Davis, flicking the switch on a vintage turntable and putting the needle down on a vinyl, the funky beat of a track laid donwn decades before Miles was born began to emanate from the setup. Aaron began bobbing his head with the beat, Miles doing the same as the older man came to sit down beside him. "S'up with school? Your mama got you in that new place yet?"
"Not yet, start next semester," replied Miles between gulps of Sprite. "Went there the other day, met some of the teachers, admin, a few students."
"Fun times, high school," recalled Davis, "And smart girls, that's where it's at. The place must be full of 'em." Miles blushed at his uncle's knowing grin, and tried to hide behind his beverage. "C'mon, I'm not going to have no nephew of mine not have any game. Hasn't your dad taught you whatta do?" Miles shook his head, and Aaron realized what he'd said, "Shit, sorry Miles, still raw for me, ya' know? I go in for two years, and when I come out, he's gone."
"Yeah," replied the teenager.
"You handling that okay?" asked Aaron.
Miles raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't I be askin' you that, Unc?"
"He was my brother, but he was your father," retorted Davis, "Nothing 'tween us, nephew, how you coping?"
"Fine, I guess. Doing better than I was," he said honestly. Carefully picking his next words, Miles continued, "Started volunteering, to stay busy… and get out of more therapy," he said honestly. "But it's been nice, helping people, being useful, met some good friends. Couple older guys," explained Miles, keeping things vague.
"They got game?"
Miles thought of Mary Jane and Felicia before nodding, "Yeah," he said with a growing smile, "They got game."
"Give you any tips?" Miles shook his head, neither had given him much advice on that front at least. "Well then let your Uncle Aaron help you. But, there's gotta be a girl you got your eye on."
"Well, you know, kinda," shrugged Morales, thinking of a particular painter, "I think she's… kinda into me, ya' know how it is."
"Yeah? What's her name?" pressed Davis.
"Uh, Hailey, Hailey Cooper," replied Miles, not really liking the chuckle that came from Davis as he scratched his goatee.
"You give her the shoulder touch?" asked Davis, eyebrow raised. Miles' brow did the same, prompting his uncle to elaborate. "It's like this, next time you see this girl, you walk up to her, and you be like… Hey," he said, giving Miles a half smile, his hand coming down on the teens shoulder.
An awkward moment passed before Miles began to break down into a chuckle, "You serious, Uncle Aaron?" he asked, pushing the man's arm away.
"I'm telling you man, it's science," insisted the older man, drinking his sprite as he laid back on the couch. Miles shook his head and took a draught when his uncle posed another question, "So, you gonna tell her?"
The teen choked on the lemon-lime drink as he sat up, "Wha… what you talkin' bout Unc? Like…tellin' her I like her, that whatchu mean?"
Aaron shook his head, "Nah man, I mean telling her you're," he began, waving his hand about, "Spider-Boy, Spiderling, whatever you call yourself."
Miles heart leapt up into his throat, eyes looking everywhere except at Davis, as if the brick walls of the apartment would contain a teleprompter telling him what to say. "Uh… what do you… hmmm, look at the time. It's getting late, ma's probably wondering where I…" he rambled as he stood up.
"Hold up, Miles," said Aaron, in the same calm voice Miles dad had used so many times. It was enough to stop the teen in his tracks, and he turned back towards Davis, "I suspected when I saw the news the other day. Watching your moves on those escaped cons, juking guys left and right, just like you were doing to me a minute ago. But you were holdin' back on me, weren't you?" Miles nodded, smiling sheepishly. Davis chuckled, "Your mom know?" Miles shook his head, "Does anyone?"
"The OG," replied Miles, "And my best friend, he helps."
"Well, I won't tell anyone, you have my word," he said, extending a closed fist. Miles brought his down on top, prompting a quick series of familiar bumps that ended with their hands clasped together and Miles pulling the larger man up from the couch. "Got stronger too," noted Davis as he smiled down at the teenager. "Look at you, if your dad could see you now…."
"He'd probably freak out," replied Morales.
A smile came across Aaron's face, "Oh, he'd definitely freak out," he agreed. "You gonna take over for Spider-Man?"
Miles shook his head emphatically, "Nah, he's on vacation, just keepin' an eye on things while he's gone."
"Lotta responsibility for a kid your age…."
"I'm ready for it," assured Miles.
Davis smiled, "I know. But if you find yourself in over your head, or just need to talk, gimme a call. I'm here for you. Got it?"
Hearing that brought an immense sense of relief to the young superhero, and he eagerly nodded, "Got it. Thanks, Unc."
"I gotta say, liking the new look Spider," complimented Felicia over the helicopter intercom, "Not sure it's any good for a stealth mission."
The Armored Advanced Suit Peter wore wasn't exactly subtle; like the Advanced Suit it was based on, this suit kept the bold white spider symbol on his chest against the red webbed backdrop. But where the standard suit featured a heavy dose of blues, the armored variant had a shell of NIJ Level IIIA rated carbon reinforced ceramics. A lightweight shell that was mostly white, but with a few areas, particularly his chest, back, calves, thighs, arms, and shoulders, that had the red webbed adornment. The mask was a similarly rigid affair, modified to fit the bug eyed lenses he had on his normal suits. Able to stop rounds from a .44 Magnum handgun and still light and flexible enough to swing and fight in, the parts of the shell were made in Peter's own lab, to his own design, but made on 3D printers from Stark Industries. It was the culmination of several models of armored Spider Suit, the crude Mk. I, the bulky Mk. III that had been a lifesaver against the IMC, the improvised Anti-Ock suit he'd used in the showdown with his mentor, and the high-tech Velocity Suit. Usable, effective, and not so costly it broke the bank, it was a creation Peter wore with pride.
"I think it works just fine," replied Mary Jane, "It's got something to stop bullets other than spandex, which I'm happy about."
"This should be quick and clean, won't even be shot at," assured Cooper, "It'll be just like old times."
"You and I remember the old times very differently," quipped Peter as he fidgeted in the uncomfortable fabric chair of the black painted, unmarked helicopter as it skimmed over the Mediterranean in the dead of night. This felt like something out of a spy thriller than his usual webswinging escapades.
Any further reminiscing was cut short by the radio coming to life, the Sable Lieutenant speaking into the ears of all four Americans. "We have received word from Colonel Fury. The American Arleigh Burke class destroyer U.S.S. Ross is in the area and standing by to detain the Alkimos once it has been secured. Be advised, observation of the port suggests the crew has been augmented by a security detail."
"Marauder copies all," replied Cooper, "Rules of engagement?"
"Marauder Actual, retrieval of the AMMUs is your priority. All other concerns are secondary," replied Zofia before tacking on, "Crew expendable."
The blue x shaped visor on the Pilots helmet swung towards Peter, who gave a terse shake of the head, and was relieved when Cooper's bobbed in a quick nod. "Understood, Marauder out."
"Central, this is Dagger Two Three. We have a visual on the target. E.T.A. sixty seconds," announced the helicopter pilot. Across from Peter, Cooper picked up his orange and white CAR submachine gun, giving the suppressor on the end a testing twist before pulling a mag from the pouches on his torso, blue tape on the bottom marking it as holding less lethal ARC rounds, and slamming it into the weapon before working the charging handle. Felicia similarly readied her own weapons before pulling her mask and hood into place, the green eye lenses on her mask flickering to life. Peter checked his webshooters, hearing the familiar click-hiss of web cartridges locking into place before pulling on his armored mask, tucking it beneath the suits armored collar, and giving a thumbs up to Cooper. "Stand by, thirty seconds."
Out the open door, Peter could see the small ship bobbing slightly in the waves, lights illuminating the containers amidships as well as the two distinct superstructures fore and aft. The helicopter swung around to come in on the forward superstructure as the HUD of his mask booted up, Spider-Man feeling the craft slow as it leveled out and tensed in anticipation. Right as he felt the helicopter come to a hover, Peter felt a tug on his shoulder as Mary Jane leaned over to plant a kiss on his mask, "Go get 'em Tiger," she said into his ear.
"Green light, go! Go! Go!" called the pilot as the trio leapt into action, Cooper the first out the door, his jump kit flaring in the night as he fell towards the ship below. Felicia was right behind him, firing her grapple into the floor of the helicopter before she jumped into the murk. Peter followed suit, flipping as he exited and twisting around to fire a webline at the bottom of the helicopter, slowing his fall as he flipped back over and landed on his feet.
"Dagger Two Three, we're clear, break off," called the Marauder, "Let's move, quick and quiet."
Spider-Man perched on the edge of the superstructure and saw a man below, out on the deck to investigate the noise. Taking aim, the webslinger loosed a pair of weblines, webshooters making their characteristic thwip-hiss as the synthetic silk strands latched onto the man's ankles before the hero yanked, ripping his legs out from under him and slamming his head down on the metal., webbing until the man was wrapped inside a cocoon of white silk and hanging from the edge of the superstructure.
A shout in a foreign language caused Spider-Man to turn and see a man round the corner of the superstructure, staggering forwards and calling out for the man who was suspended over his head, struggling against the webbing. Easing forward, the Wallcrawler crept his way down the vertical wall, sticking to it before he contorted around to silently land on the deck despite his additional armor. Firing a webline at the man's back, Spidey whipped him around, relinquishing the line before firing a pair of lines at crewman's neck and yanking him forward, slamming him into the deck and covering him in a blast of webbing.
Spider-Man's sixth sense started to ring violently and he looked up to see another crewman had come around the other corner. Before the crewman could call out a warning, a black shape dropped down from above and landed on the man, driving him into the deck and rolling off to come into a crouch. Felicia flashed him a smirk from under her mask and hood before Cooper dropped down and they collectively moved around from where the man had just emerged, Spidey moving to the door and flicking it open. The Marauder and Black Cat rushed inside, weapons raised, their distinct coughing reports signaling the shots coming out of them. By the time Spider-Man flipped in, the four crewman had collapsed at their posts, laying in heaps on the floor, but still breathing.
Webshooters at the ready, the Webhead jumped up to the ceiling of a stairwell to the deck below, coming out into a hallway where he heard a voice, and saw a swaying figure in the dimly lit hall ahead. The figure called out towards Spider-Man, voice slurred as he raised a bottle in his hand. "Last call," quipped the Webslinger before firing off a burst of webbing that sent the man stumbling back and into the bulkhead, where he remained stuck.
The Marauder swept through the hallway below Spider-Man and peered into an adjacent room, Spidey could his gun loose several shots in quick succession, even muffled by the affixed suppressor. "Sweet dreams," said the Pilot before he emerged, "Crew quarters clear."
Looking ahead of him and seeing a vent on the wall, Spider-Man crawled forwards, pushing the grill out of the way, the Webslinger slunk through, out onto the lightly illuminated main deck, a smattering of containers strewn about between the hero and the aft superstructure. "See anyone waiting for us, Spider?" asked Felicia over the radio.
"No, nobody," replied the Webhead, firing a pair of weblines and pulling himself to the nearest container stack, "It's a graveyard out here." Looking back, Spider-Man saw Marauder and Black Cat emerge, sprinting across the deck to where he was perched, the Marauder's jump kit spitting licks of blue flame as it propelled him up to where the Pilot could grab the lip of the container and pull himself up, while the Thief used her grapple to instantly ascend.
"Spread out, clear the deck, we need to get to the bridge," said Cooper, the green suited Pilot activated his cloak and jumped away, Peter just able to make out the blue contrails left by his Jump Kits exhaust.
"Keep up, Spider," teased Felicia before the Black Cat fired her custom hook and swung over to the right side. That left the Spider themed hero to go right up the middle, and he pulled himself to the next container, clinging to the cool steel as he crawled around the box when he saw a beam of light cut through the blackness below. Crawling faster, the Webslinger got around the corner and turned around, pressing his back to the container and waiting for the crewman to amble closer. When the crewman came into view, Spider-Man fired a webline at the back of his shoulders and slung him up until he was eye level with the Webhead. Lashing out with a kick that hit the man in the sternum, the Wallcrawler knocked the wind out of the crewman before letting him swing into the container beneath him to be encased in more synthetic silk.
Another pair beams swept overhead, causing Spider-Man to leap to the next container, poking his head around to see the source. "I see two more on the platform," called Spidey, firing a webline and swinging across to another stacked set of steel boxes. Looking up from his new hiding spot, he could see the Black Cat, barely visible in her black catsuit, pounce on one of the guards, her boot coming across the man's face as she drove him to the ground. The man tried to get up, but Felicia had already wrapped her grapple line around his throat, choking the breath out of him as she dragged him into a darkened corner.
The second one's flashlight swung around to rest on the black clad woman before falling to the deck as the Marauder decloaked behind the crewman, a boot slamming into the back of his knee, preceding a fist crashing into his chin before a double tap of arc rounds from the pilot's SMG hit his back, leaving him sprawled on the platform. "Two down," called Cooper before the couple vaulted over the railing and hit the deck.
With the way clear, the Webslinger fired a line at a mast and swung forwards, flipping off the end of the line and landing atop another cargo container when his sixth sense began violently buzzing in the back of his head. The bridge ahead of him lit up like a Christmas tree, high powered spotlights bathing the deck in harsh white light, blinding Spider-Man where he stood. Even with his eyes screwed shut, the superhero acted on instinct, backflipping away and falling to the deck as a barrage of bullets ripped through the air, zipping overhead and pinging off the stacked containers. "Uh guys… I think they know we're here."
"They know you're here, Spider," corrected Felicia, tone playful, "How about we introduce ourselves, Cowboy? I get on top, you handle underneath me?"
"Sounds like a plan, goin' loud!" answered Matthew, "Smoke out!" Peeking out from behind the container, Spider-Man saw a cylinder bounce along the deck before bursting open, a cloud of smoke obscuring his view of the bridge, but likewise hiding him from the firing squad set up in the windows and at the railing above. Whipping his head back, Peter saw the Marauder, jump kit spitting licks of blue flame, running across the side of a container before leaping off and launching himself towards the superstructure, landing on the exposed deck beside the enclosed bridge. Checking behind him, the Webhead saw the Black Cat fire off her grappling hook and swing out over the side of the ship, ascending quickly towards the group of shooters perched the highest up, firing blindly down at Spider-Man.
With his sixth sense quieting down, the Webslinger sprang into the fray, firing a pair of weblines at the edge of a stack of containers and zipping to it, landing hands first and springing off the corner, somersaulting through the smoke and ignoring the hissing of passing bullets before he fired another line of white silk and zipped to the bridge, clinging to the painted metal beneath the row of windows looked out on the deck. The cacophony of automatic gunfire was deafening, even through the armored mask he wore, a dozen different guns chattered away as they sprayed down the cargo containers in a futile effort to hit the superhero, even if their proximity had the Webhead's Spidey Sense buzzing furiously.
Crawling along the metal, Spider-Man noticed the fire abruptly let up before there was an audible but distorted zap-crackle noise and a blue flash lighting up the bridge. Seizing the opening, the Webslinger reached through an open window, grabbing the shooter within to haul back. The shooter fell, gun forgotten, webline tethering him to the wall at the last moment. Spider-Man then launched himself through the window, firing a webline at one of the shooters, ripping the gun from his hands and swinging it into one of the other men.
Spider-Man's sudden entrance brought all the attention on him as he hit the wall opposite the windows and sprang back off, straight at another man and slamming him into a console. Bouncing off, the Webslinger rolled away as the Marauder swept into the room, cutting loose with a long burst from his SMG that sent two men to the floor in heaps and the rest ducking down for cover. The Pilot reacted first, pulling an item that resembled a ninja star from a pouch and slinging it towards the last group of holdouts, the ordnance digging into a chart table and activating. Emitting a purple hue that darkened and grew, the Gravity Star sucked up the three remaining shooters until they were flailing against the artificial pull of the gadget.
After hanging there for a few seconds, the three were sent flying when the gravity well collapsed, and Spider-Man leapt at the man coming at him, throwing a punch to steer him as the webslinger flipped and brought his foot down on the back of his head. Coming back to the ground, Spidey saw the Marauder lower his shoulder and ram it into another flying crewman before slamming him into the deck, firing the last few rounds in his SMG into him. The last man tumbled over the helm, but Spider-Man reacted before he hit the ground, hitting him with a webline and whipping him around the bridge and right into the Marauder, the Pilot's jump kit launching him up as he spun and delivered a roundhouse kick that brought him to an immediate halt.
When the Marauder looked at Spider-Man, the Pilot gave Peter a nod, "Just like old times," he intoned through the speakers of his helmet, "Cat, we're clear down here, say status?"
"You boys have fun?" came a teasing lilt that had both men turning to the window, where Felicia was perched, legs crossed and a grin on her face. Spinning, she pushed herself out onto the bridge and slinked towards Matthew, idly stepping over one of the knocked out men, "I know you two want your male bonding time, but I much prefer it when you keep me company, Cowboy."
"Let's wrap this up and get back, Darlin,' then I'm yours for as long as you like," drawled Cooper, "And I'm sure MJ wouldn't complain either. There's gotta be something here, manifest, whatever, to tell us where they got those things. Spidey, if you feel anything wrong, call it." Peter and Felicia set to work scouring through any possible source of information while Cooper radioed the circling helicopter, "Central, Marauder Actual, bridge secure, break. Confirm hostile presence, fire exchanged, no casualties, multiple enemy prisoners, possible unaccounted for crew…."
"Check that, found a crew listing here, we got all of them," called Felicia, looking up from the binder she was rifling through.
"Belay my last. Ship secure, Central, no friendly casualties, break," transmitted the Marauder. "SSE underway. How copy?"
"Marauder Actual, Central copies all. Ross is en route, ETA is 30 minutes," returned Kaniak.
Peter was only half listening, engrossed by a terminal running an absolutely ancient OS, and what he thought was a listing of cargo on the ship. Scrolling through the listings, one stood out to the Webslinger, "Hey, check this out. Got a listing here, four containers marked 'precious cargo' that were picked up in Kavala. They're on the deck, marked 'Browers 310.'"
The Marauder came over, peering over Spider-Man's shoulder, "Let's go take a look. You coming, Cat?" he asked, and the Thief nodded before heading their way. Taking their time and able to relax as they retraced their steps back across the deck, Spidey's sixth sense remaining quiet even under the harsh lighting that signaled the ambush.
"Now, if I was reading things right, those containers should be right over… here," Spider-Man said, turning around the corner to find four containers with the label 'Browers' on the side, stacked neatly, 2 by 2. "This is it, moment of truth."
"Your find, buddy, you do the honors," quipped Cooper, flicking on the light affixed to his submachine gun.
Rubbing his hands together, the Wallcrawler fired a webline at each door on one of the containers and began to pull, taking up the slack in the silk lines and feeling the locks strain against his superhuman strength. "Open… urgh… sesame!" joked Spidey as he felt the locks give and the doors flung open. "Well, that's a disappointment," muttered the Webhead as the Marauder illuminated the cases and crates packed tightly in the steel box.
"Let's check it, make sure nothing's rigged before you open it," instructed Cooper as the trio eased in carefully, each taking a different corner to check.
Spider-Man held his closed fist over a wooden crate, waiting to see if his sixth sense so much as hummed before driving his armored hand through the wood, ripping the lid off and tossing it out the open container. He was met with yet more packaging, and he started to sift through the straw when Felicia called out, "I got guns here."
"Explosives too," added Matthew, "Spidey, what's in yours?"
"Neither," replied Peter, grabbing an envelope and, after waiting to see if it was any danger, tearing it open. Pulling out the index card inside, he read off the only two words written on it, "Capture Aurora." Looking at his friends, he asked, "Mean anything to you two?" Both shook their heads, "Me neither, MJ?" he asked, finger pressed to his ear.
"No idea, Pete, I'll do some checking when we get back," replied the reporter from her helicopter perch.
"Alright, let's see what else we have…" he said, setting the envelope aside and reaching back in, coming back up with a set of coveralls. Raising an eyebrow, he eyed the grey cotton garment, "Some sort of uniform maybe?" he mused aloud, pulling it out and holing it up for the benefit of Cooper and Hardy.
"That logo," said the Pilot, grabbing an arm and indicating the graphic on the sleeve, three long curved spokes with three more offset around the center axis, "Know what it is?"
Peter shook his head, but Felicia spoke up, "I do." Both men swung to look at her. "It's Colossus."
Mary Jane Watson Research Notes: The Titan Race
When BT-7274 first appeared, and doubly so after the IMC incursion into New York, there was a great shedding of money, sweat, and tears as programs started to replicate the bi-pedal walking war machines. Of all the names involved, Hammer Industries, Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall, and many more, the first to field Titans operationally were the Symkarian Ministers against Sable International during the country's civil war, by way of their Hydra backers.
Now, others continue to pursue the same goal except for, strangely, Silver Sablinova and Sable International. Despite being the organization with the most experience facing enemy Titans, they are the ones least enamored with them (I wonder if those two things are related?). Still, with Sablinova's personal vendetta against Hydra still as strong as ever, it's only a matter of time until they encounter more of the Hydra machines, and whatever other improvements they've made since they were last seen.
Closing Notes: No, this will not be the last time I take inspiration from a Call of Duty mission, and someone probably recognizes that hint I dropped at the end here.
Also, I'm still doing some Miles stuff, admittedly that will be less frequent as the 'A' plot gets underway. Still, couldn't resist putting in the meme from Into the Spider-Verse.
Anyways, I'll be back in two weeks' time with the next installment. Until then, Stay Frosty.
Misfit Delta out.