Previosuly, on Spider-Man: Born Again...
"Hey, MJ," Peter said to the stone. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Had to stop a carjacking on the way here, nearly lost the flowers." He chuckled to himself a bit. "I, uh, finally got out of the tiny apartment. Upgraded to a uh, y'know, slightly bigger place. A TA's salary isn't that much better than a photographers.
Got a new job at BV…" Peter checks the time on his phone quickly and his eyebrows shoot up. "... which I'm gonna be late to. Gotta meet my boss for the field trip to the new Alchemax facility in Manhattan in ten minutes.
"We have put on display just a taste of the work being done here at Alchemax.
One particular display caught his attention though: a series of glass boxes laid out on a table, each with a species label. Trapped within each case was a spider
Hey!" Wells exclaimed, rushing up to one of them. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Shut it!" Wells was struck to the ground harshly. "You're in the Underground's jurisdiction now!"
"Roughing up a student? You could get expelled for this kind of behavior, y'know." Peter landed atop the protective case of the Icarus Engine in his Spider-Man outfit. "Seems like you need to be sent to the principal's office!"
"I would recommend that everyone evacuate the premises immediately," Doctor Rao said
Your job is to help keep an eye on the students, and in the event of an emergency, protect them. And yet, when those crooks came in, not only did I not see you doing that, I didn't see you at all! As soon as an emergency actually happens, you're in the wind until it all blows over!" Wells exclaimed.
"Sir, I'm sure there's a good explanation-" Peter began.
"I don't want to hear it," Wells cut him off. "This is inexcusable, Parker. You're fired."
I heard that conversation you just had with your teacher. My condolences," She said.
"Yeah. I need to get another job, like yesterday before I get evicted. Again…" Peter rubbed his neck.
"My thoughts exactly," Rao agreed. "Which is why I have a proposition for you. You clearly have a scientist's mind and drive. I could see the passion in your eyes when we talked. So, given your current unemployment, I offer you a position here at Alchemax when we open, appointed directly under me."
"Well… y-yes! Of course! When would I start?" Peter asked.
"Well, after today's incident, our grand opening will have to be pushed back a few days, but I'll give you a call when we're ready," Rao said.
I think this is the Underground's biggest move yet," Peter replied before taking a slice of pizza from the box, the restaurant label reading Ray's Pizza.
"Well, they're not the only ones," Matt said. "Every criminal organization in the city is getting braver. Once word got around that Fisk was gone, everyone began to realize that meant no one was keeping the underworld in check."
"Which means we could potentially be looking at a full on gang war in New York.
As soon as Miles began to move, the spider had suddenly dug its fangs deep into his skin, biting him suddenly and harshly. It sent sharp spikes of pain up his entire arm. "Aagh!"
He looked from the bite, down at the spider's body, then back at his hand.
Spider-Man: Born Again
Chapter 2: Unceremonious
Peter lazily awoke, apparently having slept hard the previous night. His head ached somewhat, making even more dizzy. He forced himself to roll over and grab his cell phone to check the time, then sat up.
I've never been much of a morning person. I'm jealous of the kind people who can wake up at five in the morning and be wide awake. Here I am at almost nine o'clock, slow as a slug. Not that I have much to be up for today. Professor Wells fired me from BV the other day, and Alchemax's opening was pushed back because of the mess that the Underground made of the lobby trying to steal the Icarus Engine. So my new job has been postponed, at least by a little bit. I'm sure Doctor Rao will call me sooner than later.
Peter stood up and began to dress himself for the day when he saw a small slip of paper slid halfway under his door. He walked over and retrieved the slightly-crinkled sheet, reading it over. It was a notice warning Peter to pay his rent, else he'd be evicted. He let out a deep sigh.
Hopefully sooner is the outcome there. Here's hoping my last check from BV gets here in the week. I don't wanna have to crash at Nelson and Murdock again.
Peter crumpled up the paper and tossed it across his one-room apartment before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV, which automatically began playing a news broadcast, really the only channel Peter had, because it was free. He caught the anchor in the middle of a current story that reminded Peter of a similar story from months ago.
"-in which Senator Kelly, in further efforts to enforce the registration and containment of out-of-control mutants, has given insight into his new personal division for this very purpose: the newly founded Mutant Response Division, or MRD. This new division, in the senator's own words, is working to 'provide security and safety in mutant-filled communities', specifically calling out the Brotherhood's notoriety for violence and crimes against humanity."
Peter scoffed at this as he finished getting dressed for the day. He's trying to make himself look good. Kelly's been against all mutants since I was a kid. He's just using the Brotherhood as a scapegoat to get funding for his vendetta. Next.
Peter changed to the next news channel, which was a live coverage of a gathering outside of the police station not too far from Peter's own apartment. The headline read: "Captain George Stacy Retirement Ceremony: Passing of the Torch."
That's right. I forgot about Captain Stacy's retirement. I guess in all the fuss of coming back to New York and getting my life back on track, I forgot. Peter let out a deep sigh. I bet Gwen would be happy for him if she were still here. Best way to pay my respects, though, is to show up in person. Guess I know what I'm doing today after all.
George Stacy stood in the doorway to the police station, nerves crawling up his spine, getting the better of him. He saw the large crowd gathered outside, and didn't like it.
"You look like you're about to be sent into a shootout." George turned to his side as a woman in a black formal police uniform approached. She was of Japanese heritage, with straight shoulder-length black hair. Yuri Watanabe, one of the best officers in the precinct. It's part of the reason George was making her the new captain.
"Eh, I've never been good with crowds," George said. "They make me anxious."
"Hey, the faster it's over the better, right? Just hit the bullet points and get outta there," Yuri suggested.
"No, they deserve better than that after everything this city's been through the past few years," George said. "This'll be the last time they see me up on that podium. I've got to make it count."
"What are you gonna say?" Yuri asked.
"The only thing there is to say: the truth."
"Captain Stacy?" George glanced to the side as two more officers joined them. One was a burly black man, tall and built strong; Jefferson Davis. The other was a shorter, leaner woman with golden blonde locks, bright blue eyes and a beauty mark on her cheek; this was Jean Dewolff. Both of these officers had been just as devoted and loyal to him as Yuri had: the best three officers in the entire city, in George Stacy's own opinion. When he had decided he was finally going to retire, these three were all considered to be his replacement.
Jeff was steeled and tough, having grown up in one of the many rougher parts of New York City. He'd seen what the worst in this city were capable of, and wanted to do his part in keeping the worst from happening to others. However, his personal biases against the vigilantes in the city considered heroes by others meant George couldn't trust him to not act irrationally when the heroes inevitably become involved.
Jean wasn't as hardened from birth as Jeff was, but was still just as tough in her own right. She'd lost family to the crooks of the city, ensuring her dedication to the job on a personal level. Admirable, but also exactly the reason George wouldn't make her captain. She took her work to heart, which meant she could let too much emotion affect her, and make the hardest calls even harder to make.
Which left Yuri, who had the best of the both worlds without nearly as many glaring flaws. She was as tough as Jeff, dedicated as Jean, and most importantly, as open-minded as George himself. George was open to heroes like Spider-Man or Daredevil helping from the start. In a city always teetering on becoming a criminal haven and officer numbers dwindling, it was welcomed. Yuri shared the sentiment, believing that in a place like New York, real help should be accepted, even if it's from the most unlikely of places.
So Yuri would be the one to take his place.
"What is it, Jeff?" George asked.
"They're ready out front. It's time," Jeff said.
"Well, let's get this show on the road," George said. He stood straight and walked out the front doors of the station with his officers following behind him: first Yuri, then Dewolff, then Jefferson. George made his way up to the podium itself while the officers stood at attention next to the podium. The noise of the crowd was deafening at first, but as George raised his hand silently to gather attention, the chatter died down quickly. That's something that came with respect from the citizens of the city after years of service, the same respect he hoped Yuri would get after he was done. The only disturbances left in the crowd were the clicks and flashes of photographer's cameras, while everyone else awaited his first words.
George took a deep breath before beginning. "Before we start, I'd like to thank you all for coming today. I know things have been tense the past few months, but I promise you, they will get better. Starting today. Many of you know I've been devoted to protecting the innocents of this city for years, and I'm sure many of you know what that cost me. But I have never wavered in my commitment to this city, and to you the people, which is why it saddens me to say that I plan to retire from the police force. I've been asked why I came to this decision, and to be frank with you all, I don't really have an answer.
"This fight is all I have left. This fight was and is my life. However, I can't be the torch bearer any longer." George gestured to Yuri at his right side, guiding the crowd's attention towards her. "This is why I have chosen Detective Yuri Watanabe to be promoted to captain and take my place. Some of you may know Yuri most for her work in the case that ended up putting Wilson Fisk behind bars, before his death. She's been behind a detective's desk for several years, though, and has more than earned the mantle I'll be bestowing upon her today. I hope you will show her the same reverence and respect you've shown me."
George paused when he noticed a certain familiar face in the crowd. He spotted the young man towards the back, clearly having gotten here late. It didn't take long for Peter to notice Stacy's gaze. George somewhat frowned, but quickly tried to get things back on track after he was distracted. He cleared his throat and got things going again. "Yuri has a few words she would like to say to you all herself, so I'll let her take the stand from here." George quickly stepped away from the podium and nodded to Yuri, who quickly took his place behind the microphone.
"Thank you, Captain Stacy," Yuri said before turning to the crowd. "And thank you all for being here today. I'm honored by the opportunity I'm being given today. I have big shoes to fill, and while no one will ever quite reach the same level as George Stacy, I will do my best to serve this city and you. I hope you'll all give me the chance."
Amongst the crowd as well were Miles and Ganke, who were present only because it allowed Miles' father to be close by. After the incident at Alchemax, his father wanted him close by. A safe place would be at home, but for now, Miles had to be in sight, meaning he was stuck at a celebration he had no real interest in, even though he understood the importance of it very well. And it wasn't necessarily that he didn't want to be here, but he'd been feeling… off, since that Alchemax spider bit him. Mild nausea, headaches, sometimes dizziness, as if his entire balance had been uprooted. They weren't terrible symptoms, it just meant he was annoyed or unsteady.
Miles didn't hear anything else Yuri was saying, focusing more on combating his headache. He didn't even notice Ganke was talking until he shook Miles' shoulder. "Hey man, you alright?" Ganke asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, man. Just… didn't get enough sleep last night," Miles replied. Not untrue, but Miles hadn't told him about the spider, and for now, he intended to keep it that way. "What about you? Are you holding up alright?"
"Yeah. The other day was… definitely something, but I'm alright." Miles smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder, then his head throbbed with a harsh pulse, as if an alarm was blaring inside his skull.
Further into the crowd, Peter was having a similar sensation, but he knew right away what it was. Spider-Sense is tingling! He thought. He quickly began looking around, trying to figure out the cause of it. Before long, he had his answer. Atop one of the nearby buildings overlooking the ceremony, Peter saw a man crouched near the edge with a rocket launcher in hand, aimed right at the podium.
Peter wasn't the only one to notice either. As George Stacy had let Yuri take center stage, he himself had been scanning the audience and the surrounding area, cautious as he always was. And like always, it had paid off. He spotted Peter again, the thought crossing his mind to find and talk to the boy after the ceremony, only to notice Peter's sudden worried gaze. He quickly followed Peter's look to see the man with the rocket launcher as well, and recognized where the weapon was aimed. His eyes rounded and he quickly sprinted for Yuri.
"Everyone, get down!" He exclaimed before grabbing Yuri and bringing her to the ground with him just before the rocket fired, spiraling through the air and hitting the front entrance of the police precinct, creating an explosion that caved the entire entrance in and left a harsh ringing in George's ears. Jeff and Dewolff had ducked for cover as well, avoiding a fiery death.
That's when the crowd went into a panic. The citizens nearly trampled over each other fleeing from the scene. As they did, two black cars screeched onto the scene, pulling right up the curb and letting out eight different men in suits, all armed with automatic rifles. They quickly began to fire towards the stage, aiming for Stacy and the other officers in particular. The remaining attendees sprinted to get clear of the gunfire. Miles and Ganke were stuck in the middle ground, crouched behind a large chunk of rubble from the caved-in police station entrance.
"Why does this happen to us again?!" Ganke exclaimed over the gunfire.
"Miles!" Jeff exclaimed from his point of cover on the stage, handgun held tightly in both his palms and finger on the trigger.
"Dad!" Miles cried back. "We can't get clear!"
Jeff cursed under his breath and turned to look at George and Yuri behind their cover behind the podium, pressed back to back to fit behind it, their weapons also drawn. "Captain! My son's still stuck out there!"
"We'll need to all provide covering fire so they can get clear," George said. "On my mark… now!" The three of them, Dewolff, and two remaining other officers quickly snapped up from their cover and retaliated strongly against the attackers. Tee criminals clearly weren't expecting it, as they scramble for their own cover. Most hid behind the cars themselves. George frowned and aimed at one of the last ones moving. He took the shot, connecting with the criminal's head, sending him limply sprawling over the hood of the car.
Miles and Ganke took the chance and ran for it, getting clear of the main firing line quickly.
Dewolff tagged another in the torso, but aside from a flinch from the impact, was seemingly unharmed. "They're wearing body armor under their suits!" She deduced.
"Didn't save that one," Yuri remarked. "But I still count seven." They all ducked back down into cover, but the enemy had already begun to return fire. One of the other officers was too slow, and was gunned down quickly. "I know those suits. They're Maggia."
"So Hammerhead's making his play," George said. "He'll pay for this!"
Miles and Ganke were running for the building corner out of sight when Miles' head pulsed again. He let out a grunt of pain and slowed. Ganke quickly noticed and returned to his side. "Miles, what are you doing?! We gotta go, man!" Ganke exclaimed. Miles frantically looked around again, getting the feeling the pulse was some sort of danger alarm, but danger from where? That's when he spotted the rooftop Maggia with the rocket launcher taking aim again. He fired, sending a rocket into the side of the building two floors above ground level. Stone and glass blasted from the wall and came falling down at the two of them, too close and too fast to escape now.
At least, it should have been. But without even thinking, Miles just moved, and moved fast, faster than he ever thought he was able to. In the mere split-seconds between the rocks falling, Miles grabbed Ganke by the arms and launched himself forward, moving with the speed and power he didn't think possible for him. The rocks crashed down behind the two of them. They were completely in the clear, not even a scrape on them. Miles was left in both confusion and amazement at what he'd just done.
"How… how did you do that?" Ganke asked.
"I-I'm not sure. But we can figure that out later. Let's get outta this crossfire," Miles said, urging Ganke forward and bringing the two of them out of the hot zone.
Meanwhile, the officers were in an even worse situation than before. Their retaliation to get Miles and Ganke out lost them a man, and the Maggia bounced back hard, pushing the ground and keeping the officer behind cover. They couldn't even peak out of cover to take their own shots. Four frontrunner criminals were closing in, keeping up the gunfire, while the three remaining others stayed behind the cars as a second line.
"Where is our backup?!" George exclaimed.
"Our radio signals are being jammed! We can't reach anyone!" Dewolff replied.
"Then we'll have to hold out until they get here. There's no way this is going unnoticed!" Yuri said. Jeff snapped out from his cover to take a shot, but ended up with a bullet tearing through his arm. He let out a pained cry and dropped back down behind cover.
"Davis!" George exclaimed.
"I'm fine!" Jeff groaned. "I think it's just a flesh wound!"
"We won't be so lucky twice!" Yuri remarked.
The Maggia had begun to approach the stage, moments away from boxing in the officers and killing them. However, an unconscious body was thrown through the air and collided with one of the leading Maggia, flattening them both out onto the ground. The gunfire ceased, and the Maggia recognized the first unconscious body as their comrade who had been stationed atop with the rocket launcher. Then two of their guns were ripped from their hands by sudden strands of webbing, which were swung around the plaza and used as clubs to floor two of the three crooks by the cars. Then, Spider-Man landed on the ground between the three standing lead Maggia.
"Boys, boys, this counts as a neighborhood disturbance. I'm gonna have to call the authorities on you," He quipped. The remaining one of the three Maggia with a gun quickly took aim, but Peter dropped flat onto the ground and webbed his torso, then yanked him downward, then launched the criminal up into the air with both feet. Peter quickly rolled backwards into a crouch before yanking the crook back down, slamming him into the ground and knocking him unconscious. The remaining two quickly rushed in close and swung their fists towards Peter's head, but Peter leaned all the way back, and their attempted punches whiffed through the air over him, their own force sending them stumbling.
"Swing and a miss!" Peter popped back up and took advantage of the two's stumbling to take a second to focus on the remaining goon by the car, who was already taking aim with his rifle. Peter webbed his weapon to the windshield of the car, then shot webbing onto the goons face before yanking downwards, smashing his head against the hood of the car. The goon fell over on the side of the road, and by then the two in front of Peter finally recovered from their failed attack and were already moving for a second attempt. One of them lunged for Peter, attempting to grab him in movement, but Peter acrobatically flipped over him and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling onto the ground. While still in the air, Peter kicked both feet out into the second goon's torso, pushing him back, but he actually managed to stay on his feet. Peter landed, and the first good had already returned to his full height.
The two rushed Peter from both sides, priming attacks at him, but Peter just smirked under the mask. Just as the two were about to strike, he leapt straight upwards, letting them attack each other. They ended up punching each other in the face simultaneously, stunning one another instead of their intended arachnid target. Peter chuckled and grabbed both of their heads midair before smacking them together, and landed in a crouch on the ground.
"Now that's what I call a criminal cleanup," Peter quipped while wiping his hands. Behind him, he heard the slam of a car door and turned around to see one of the Maggia's cars starting. The third crook he had hit against the vehicle had recovered and quickly gotten himself into the driver's seat. "Oh no you don't!" Peter fired both web shooters at once, creating two lines of webbing that he held onto tightly just as the mobster hit the gas. Peter dug his feet into the pavement, but it wasn't enough to fully stop the vehicle, merely slowing it, with Peter's legs combined with the force of the car carving through the pavement. Peter struggled with the vehicle's power at first. However, he quickly let go of one strand of webbing to fire another backwards, sticking to one of the undamaged walls of the police station, fully anchoring the car and stopping it in its tracks. Peter held onto his webbing as tight as he could. "Sorry! You gotta… pull… over!" Peter joked through a strained voice.
George wasn't wasting any more time, though. He rushed down the stage and aimed his gun for the car's back left tire, then fired, hitting the rubber in one shot. A loud POP with the harsh sound of a gunshot itself sounded, and the car spun out, hitting the curb before toppling over. Peter took a short breath before leaping over the overturned car, landing next to George. "Captain Stacy. Long time no see," He greeted.
"Spider-Man," George nodded. "You mind helping our new guest out of the car?"
Peter nodded and crushed down before shattering the window and grabbing the Maggia crook by his suit and dragging him out of the wreckage. Dewolff came up and cuffed him quickly before escorting him away, while police cars finally joined the scene, pulling up next to the demolished station and began rounding up the unconscious Maggia.
"About time," George remarked, looking as his reinforcements finally arrived.
"Hey, better late than never," Peter said.
"It would've been never if you hadn't come along. Thanks," George said.
"Hey, it's what I do," Peter shrugged.
"It's what we all do," Yuri said as she joined them. She then put her hand out to Peter. "We haven't met-"
"But our reputation precedes both of us," Peter greeted kindly while shaking her hand. "Congratulations, Captain Watanabe."
"Just call me Yuri. I'm never gonna get used to 'Captain'," Yuri said. Their conversation was interrupted as two ambulances rolled onto the scene as well. An entire squad of paramedics came front he vehicles and rushed to tend to the most gravely injured, which thankfully aside from the single police officer fatality, amounted to nothing more serious than some scrapes and Jeff's flesh wound in his arm. After they spread out, one of them pulled the dead police officer from among the extra building rubble.
Peter frowned upon seeing him, not that anyone else could tell. "I'm sorry I couldn't save everyone…" he said regretfully.
"This isn't on you. It's on Hammerhead and the Maggia," George said. "All I wanted was a single peaceful day to retire. But now that crook has made his move. I'm not quitting until he's behind bars. He'll pay for this."
"So Yuri's not gonna be captain yet?" Peter asked.
"The desk is yours so long as you're here, boss," Yuri said.
George shook his head, however. "No. We're not letting the bastard have that victory. Consider this the start of your trial by fire, Captain Watanabe. I may stay around until Hammerhead's done, but you're taking your seat behind that desk."
"Why would they attack the ceremony anyway?" Peter asked.
"They knew whoever I would choose to replace me would be a good, clean cop, which meant bribes and threats wouldn't work to make us step down. They must've figured killing us all would be a good enough solution to their problem," George answered.
"And in turn, putting a dirty cop in your guys' place," Peter finished. "Scary thought."
"This took guts, and the Maggia aren't the only ones making plays for power now that Fisk is out of the picture," Yuri said.
"Yeah, I had a tangle with the Underground the other day at the new Alchemax facility," Peter said. "Before long, the entire city will be caught up in a gang war for control of the entire criminal underworld."
"Stunts like this will be just the beginning. If we're not careful, New York will become a warzone. Which is why we need to keep in contact," George said, turning to Peter. "If you'd be willing to work closely with us."
"I'm game, but I don't exactly give out my phone number willy nilly. Kinda beats the whole 'secret identity' thing, y'know?" Peter said.
"Figured you'd say something like that. I've been wanting to talk for a while now, so I had some of the gearheads cook these up-" George reached into his pocket and retrieved a small device the same size and shape as a dime. Peter plucked it from George's palm and inspected it closely. "It's a receiver with connections to private transmission lines directly to both Yuri and myself. State of the art, made from Oscorp scraps we managed to get our hands on."
"Been hearing a lot of that stuff going around lately," Peter remarked unenthusiastically.
"It should be adaptable to whatever technology you have in your suit, but feel free to tamper with it as you see fit to make it work."
"Why only a line to you two?" Peter asked.
"Because we can't trust anyone else," Yuri answered. "Plus, we can fill you in on the details of every action we take in stopping this gang war before it can really kick off."
"This seems like a big deal," Peter said.
"We're gonna need all hands on deck, badges and masks. Feel free to pass the news along to your friends," George said.
"I'll let 'em know. Need any more help here?"
"No, emergency services will cover the rest. Knowing this town, I'm sure there's someone else who needs your help more right now." Peter nodded and saluted the two of them.
"Captains." He turned to swing away, but George grabbed him by his shoulder.
"Sorry, but could I talk to you for just a minute?" George asked. Peter was confused at first, but nodded.
"I'll start helping clean this mess up," Yuri said before leaving both of them.
"What is it, Captain Stacy?" Peter asked.
"How are you holding up? Since coming back to the city, I mean," George asked. "You were gone for almost two years. That's a long time to be off the beat."
"Oh. Well, I'm uh… I'm doing fine, I guess. I just have a lot of work to do; not just to make up for what I did, but for the time I missed, and what's going to happen next. I owe this city everything and more," Peter said.
"I don't blame you for Osborne, and I sure as hell don't mourn him. But I watched you work for three years before you dropped off the face of the earth, so I know taking a life, even one as evil as his, was an unforgivable act for you. You're a better man than all of us, but you're still human, and humans make mistakes," George said.
"Well, I've made my fair share," Peter said glumly. "Including not being able to save your daughter."
"That was Osborne's fault, not yours. Take it from someone who knows: you can't save everyone in the world. And if you focus on those you didn't save, you'll lose time for those you can."
"It never gets easier, though," Peter replied.
George dryly chuckled. "No. It doesn't." He placed his hand firmly on Peter's shoulder. Peter was surprised, but it was hidden by his mask. "But you're not alone against the world, son."
"U-Um… th-thank you, sir."
George seemed satisfied and smiled, patting Peter's shoulder and pulling his hand away. "You should be going, I've probably kept you too long."
"Right. See you around, Cap'n!" Peter saluted.
"I'll be in contact, Spider-Man," George said. Peter then leapt up into the air and began to web swing away from the precinct. George watched him go, and let one more sentence go in his head, keeping it to his thoughts. And good luck… Peter.
"What?!" Miles exclaimed.
"You heard me, you stay here!" Jeff said sternly. "You've been in the crossfire twice this week! I've got a lot to worry about right now, and so does your mother."
"You made me go to the ceremony!" Miles deflected. Jess raised a finger to respond, but paused.
"Y'know what… fair enough, but you were still almost hurt. I'm glad you're fine, but you're staying here at home for the rest of the day. It'll give us time to clean this mess up. And I mean it, stay here. No going over to Ganke's. Got that?"
Miles wanted to protest, but his father gave him a sharp, stern look before he could even get a word out, so the teenager just let out a sigh. "Yeah. Alright," Miles relented.
"Good. Your mother and I will see you in a couple hours. Just have the leftover chinese food in the fridge," Jeff said before quickly leaving the apartment, locking the door behind him before rushing down the stairwell. Miles peeked out of one of the apartment's windows to see his father enter his police cruiser and take off down the road back towards the precinct.
Once he knew his father was gone, he grabbed his jacket, jet black with red trim and highlights and a red hood with white drawstrings at the collar, and slung it around himself, slipping his arms through its sleeves. He then took a glance at the spider-bite on his hand, which had gone from a swollen lump on its first day to two tiny circular scars in his skin from where the arachnid had pierced his skin.
What he had done to save both himself and Ganke today was far beyond his usual ability. They should've been crushed, and while he's glad they weren't, he questioned why. Where had that strength and speed come from? And what was with those pulses in his head he had gotten before the attack on the precinct? It had been like a biological alarm for danger. What did that spider do to him? What was he capable of?
That's what he intended to find out. Without giving it any longer, Miles grabbed his spare key and bolted out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him before running up the stairwell all the way up to the apartment complex's roof. He took a few deep breaths before taking a glance over the edge.
Okay, looking down is a bad idea… He thought to himself. He backed away from the ledge and looked forward, to the roof of the next building over across a fairly wide alleyway, a couple yards across at least. He took another deep breath to prepare himself. If the spider had changed him, enhanced him and his abilities at the very least, then this should be nothing, right? He had to know for sure. He braced himself, then broke out into a sprint, covering the roof's width faster than he expected, and leapt upwards into the air right as he hit the edge. He flailed wildly as he launched himself upwards and came hurtling back down. He let out a yell as the next roof came closer quickly, but Miles managed to land on his hands and feet in a crouched position. He let out surprised laughs and looked behind him, seeing the roof of his own apartment building back across the gap. His fear quickly evaporated, and in an instant he had launched himself forward, sprinting and jumping between rooftops one by one with no hesitation.
"Woo-hooh!" He whooped as he kept leaping from roof to roof. "This! Is! Awesome!"
Miles became so caught up in his newfound strength and agility, he failed to notice that he was running out of level buildings left, and within his next few jumps a much taller building stood in his way. When he finally did realize, he had already taken the final leap. He let out a panicked scream as he once again flailed through the air on a collision course with the side of the skyscraper. He closed his eyes and put his hands out, bracing for what he thought was going to be a harsh impact that would send him careening down for his body to paint the sidewalk.
Instead, he felt himself hit the building, and then stop. He slowly opened his eyes, scared to move even an inch now as his fear came crawling back up his spine. He saw his hands were against the side of the building, and were sticking to it, anchoring him in place on the wall. "H-Huh…? Am I… sticking to the wall?" Miles was confused at first, then glanced down to see the definitely lethal fall below. He yelped and scrambled closer to the wall. "Keep sticking, Miles!" He took a few breaths to try and calm down, and did his best to not look down at all.
"I… am sticking… to the wall… I… I have powers like Spider-Man…" he spoke his thoughts aloud, then let out almost a giddy laugh as that thought sank in. He had superpowers, and not just any powers, but the ones of his all time favorite superhero. Which means he could do things he'd seen Spider-Man do before.
Miles looked at his hands stuck to the wall, and slowly pulled his left hand free, then raised it higher and stuck it again, then repeated it with his right hand, then again. Left, right, left, right, left, right; until he was scaling the wall of the towering building, crawling vertically the entire way. He felt a new rush of excitement. He spent a few minutes just learning his balance as he wall crawled the length of the building. He stopped hsi traversal about two-thirds of the way up the building, then turned to look out at the rest of the city. The streets were far below him, but he was looking at the skyline, taking in the wonder of his city from a height he had never been at before. It was exhilarating. Despite nearly losing his life twice in the past week, right now he never felt more alive.
"Now how do I get down…?" He wondered aloud.
All of the Maggia crew sent to the police precinct that morning had either been arrested or killed. But that didn't bother Hammerhead at all. In fact, everything had happened exactly as it was meant to. It was just the first step in the plan.
"Uh, boss?" Hammerhead looked up from his desk to see one of his henchmen at the door of his office. "They're here."
Hammerhead smirked. "About time. Send 'em in, then get lost." The henchman nodded and disappeared from sight. After a few moments, a new trio of three men entered his office.
The first was a tall man with hazel brown hair and a bushy mustache dressed in an off-white cowboy hat, a trenchcoat, leather gloves and brown tasseled boots. Hammerhead knew him as Joe Montana.
The second was a shorter man with slicked-back black hair and a thinner mustache wearing a dark purple suit with a blue-ish purple tie and shades. Fancy Dan is his name, silly as it seemed to Hammerhead.
The final man was built like a brick wall, towering over even Montana's height and wider than he, Dan and even Hammerhead combined, a hulking mass of pure muscle. He had dark brown hair cut fairly short up top, and buzzed down on the sides. He wore a yellow turtleneck sweater under a black vest, and wide-cut khakis to fit his build. This tank of a man was named "the Ox."
Together, these three men were known as "The Enforcers", and had a reputation as some of the best crooks for hire. Hammerhead smirked deviously as they entered.
"Montana. Long time no see," He said.
"I thought I'd never see your ugly mug again, Hammerhead. But when I heard the price you're willing to pay for us, who could say no?" Montana replied, his deep southern accent rooted in every syllable he spoke.
"The money will be worth the trouble. That much I can promise. But I gotta know if you're in all the way before getting the details," Hammerhead said. "If you are, we'll triple your fee."
The Enforcers' eyebrows all shot up, and they traded glances with one another. After some sort of silent conversation Hammerhead assumed came with working as a unit for as long as they have, Montana replied, "Now that's convincin'. We're in all the way, partner."
"Good. Because now you're the Maggia's big guns. A war's coming to New York, and you three are gonna ensure this syndicate makes it to the other side to see what's next."
"You mean since you lost a bunch of guys at the precinct this morning?" Dan raised an eyebrow.
"All part of the plan, Fancy Dan," Hammerhead assured him.
"How is losing all your guys 'part of the plan'?" Ox questioned.
"There's a bigger picture you ain't seeing yet," Hammerhead said. "The gang war that's about to kick off is just the beginning. There's more coming, and The Master Planner is paving the road for us."
"'Master Planner'?" Montana repeated. "Who's the Master Planner?"
"The one signing your checks. But you don't get to know his name, not until you've shown him what you can do. So, you ready for the job?"
The Enforcers traded glances once again, then looked back Hammerhead's way. "When do we start?"