Chapter 8: Taken!
New York City…
Curt Conners Home…
Wednesday, May 18, 5:12 pm…
"So these are the gadgets you designed?" Jay questioned as he looked at the prototypes Jett laid out in front of him.
"Yeah. First thing first is the web bomb! With this, you can encase an entire room and those inside with webs!" Jett exclaimed.
"Uh, how would I carry these around? They're the size of a baseball?" Jay pointed out as he inspected the bomb.
"Huh…you know I didn't really think about it until you said that I was just too invested in trying to make it," Jett replied.
"For now, we'll put that on hold," Jett stated as he put the web bomb away.
"Next up, we have a prototype Spiderbot! This little guy is going to help you get a closer look at hard-to-reach places, and it can light the way with its hybrid UV flashlight." Jett began.
"Its camera can hold fifteen hours of footage while also uploading it to a cloud before sending it to my PC. Additionally, it has a GPS tracker so that it can always be found." Jett continued.
"This little guy can also send a controlled shock that can stun any normal man or shut off most electronics. Meaning it makes getting through security far easier." Jett went on.
"I'm most proud of this, though, as it can attach itself to your belt and act as a flashlight until you need it. If you lose control of it, then it will automatically come back to you." Jett smirked.
He picked up the Spiderbot, which was red and black in color. After pressing a button on its head, it shone a light on the wall before he tossed it on the wall where it crawled up. Soon Jett retrieved it as he shut it off where it closed up to a flat circle.
"Not bad," Jay noted.
"Yeah, but sadly it's not fully operational yet. Maybe in a month. I've still got to figure out the software stuff." Jett sighed.
"At the moment, all it can do is crawl around before returning to the controller," Jett stated as he waved a small controller.
"But nonetheless, finally, I have the Spider Tracer!" Jett announced, holding up a small white spider-shaped object.
"Uh…what is it?" Jay inquired.
"It's a tracking device with a five-mile radius. I'd make the range bigger, but I can't without breaking any major laws." Jett added.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Jay replied.
"So, how many did you make?" Jay asked.
"About thirty. You can track them with this." Jett answered as he handed Jay the transceiver.
"Nice," Jay smirked.
"Now that we're done with that, I also took the liberty of adding new web functions to your web-shooters." Jett began.
"I've added new taser webs which will send a controlled shock through your webs which can incapacitate most you use it on. Then we have impact webbing!" Jett continued.
"This creates a dense ball of web that can hurt most especially those with superpowers." Jett went on.
"How do you know that?" Jay asked.
"That's because it can break through three doors. It's not much, but it should hurt them." Jett answered.
"Not bad." Jay nodded.
"And finally, we have the instant freeze webs! This will coat your webbing in the instant freeze fluid you made a few years back and freeze anything it touches!" Jett boasted.
"I never thought of that," Jay replied.
"It's been a while since I made it though, so It'll take me a while to make. Especially getting the supplies." Jay sighed.
"Getting supplies requires money. Money we don't have." Jett replied.
"I guess that means getting a job," Jay murmured.
"I don't even know where to start with that," Jay muttered.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Jett agreed.
"Well, let's not think about that because I finally got into Norman Osborn's hard drive!" Jett smirked as he held up a laptop with the hard drive connected.
"You did?!" Jay gasped.
"Yeah, and it's got a lot of weird stuff on it. I didn't go too far in as I don't know if it has tracking software." Jett began.
"So after wiping out and programs for tracking and internet access, we should be good to do a deep dive." Jett finished as he placed his laptop down on Jay's desk.
"Good. Because I'm really eager to find out more about this Oz Formula and who is in charge of all of this." Jay replied.
"Most of the data on this drive is just business stuff, which I ignored for the most part, but it seems we still have some…interesting details." Jett began.
"Like here where it talks about projects Norman Osborn was in charge of. Among these confirms that Oscorp was the one who provided aid to Hobgoblin." Jett continued.
Jett tapped on a file that displayed schematics for the same glider Hobgoblin had used as well as the bombs the maniac had used. It stated that it was originally meant for the military, but it was rejected in favor of Lexcorp.
"Norman sold his soul to the bad guys just to make ends meet!" Jay growled as he clenched his hands into fists.
"That's what it looks like. With Lexcorp's monopoly on military contracts, Oscorps would have gone under without it. Yet it's still standing." Jett stated.
"Which means he must have been doing it for a while." Jay determined.
"Yeah." Jett nodded as he looked into more files.
"Try the search function to find the Oz Formula." Jay insisted.
"That was the first thing I tried when I gained access, but it's not labeled as that," Jett replied.
"Damn." Jay sighed until a thought came to mind.
"Try searching for anything about spiders," Jay suggested.
"Right." Jett nodded, seeing where Jay was going with this.
Jett typed away and searched for any files with the name spider. After a few minutes of loading, they were given a large selection of files and folders to look through. Both looked through many until they found one inside a folder labeled test subjects.
"There's a lot in here," Jett murmured as he looked at each folder. Many were labeled with numbers from 01 to 12, of which Jett selected 08.
"I think we've got something here," Jett stated as he looked at the files.
"These spiders must be the same as the one that bit you." Jett determined.
"It says they were injected with a prototype super-soldier serum. It was meant to see if it was safe enough for human testing." Jett revealed.
"Super-soldier serum? That must be the Oz Formula." Jay theorized.
"Yeah. It makes some more sense now. It must have been made as some way to combat metahumans." Jett agreed.
"In the end, it gave me meta powers," Jay murmured.
"Does it give any name for the serum we can use to search it up?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, it calls it officially Serum 1610," Jett answered.
"I'll look for it now," Jett stated as he searched for the name.
"Here we go!" Jett smirked as he entered the files.
"Wow, looks like there are several types of this formula. The first two were severe failures with few 'successes.' But apparently, those successes didn't survive for long." Jett explained.
"I think we can include Hobgoblin in that category." Jett determined as Jay looked down.
Hobgoblin had died in Belle Reve due to severe organ failure from unknown causes. Jay had felt a little guilt but felt it was only a matter of time. With this new information, it was confirmed that Hobgoblin was going to die eventually.
"What about the other types?" Jay inquired.
"There only has one more here, which is what was given to the spiders. Meaning this third version is the one running through your veins." Jett responded.
"And possibly Green Goblin as well," Jay replied.
"Good thing you got it second hand, or else you might have looked those goblins." Jett chuckled.
"Yeah, thank god." Jay sighed.
"But now that we know that let's see if there is anything on Shocker or who Norman could be doing business." Jay insisted.
"On it." Jett agreed as he typed away.
"I'll start with looking for Hobgoblin first and foremost as Norman disappeared before Shocker appeared," Jett stated as he started with the schematics of Hobgoblin's glider.
"It doesn't say anything here about who the glider was given too nor does the Oz Formula files say Hobgoblin's identity." Jett began.
"It does say it was stored in an Oscorp storehouse where it later picked up by….nothing…it doesn't say anything." Jett finished.
"Meaning Norman covered up whoever took it and gave it to Hobgoblin." Jay determined.
"Yeah, but who that could be is still a mystery," Jett murmured.
"Do we have access to any contact information?" Jay asked.
"Only emails. Unfortunately, they don't show anything suspicious." Jett responded.
"There has to be something." Jay sighed as he looked at the screen.
"What was the glider contained in?" Jay inquired.
"What do you mean?" Jett asked.
"I want to know if there was anything identifying the box or container it was in. Something we can use to figure out where it went." Jay explained.
"It doesn't say," Jett replied.
"You know I've never thought about this but are there any crime rings in the city? Because it's starting to look like it, but there's nothing on the news about it?" Jay questioned.
"They're only rumors, nothing concrete," Jett answered.
"However, there is one that comes up a lot. It's said that there is someone going by the name of Kingpin who controls all crime in the city." Jett added.
"Honestly, I never believed it, but…with how organized many recent crimes seem to be, who knows," Jett said.
"Kingpin…" Jay murmured.
"Search it on the hard drive." Jay insisted.
"Are you sure?" Jett asked.
"Might as well," Jay responded as Jett nodded.
Jett turned back towards his laptop and typed the word kingpin into the search bar before hitting enter. Minutes passed before it finally sifted through each file and folder in the hard drive and gave several results.
"This is…" Jay gasped.
"This is everything we looked at and then some!" Jett muttered as files for the Oz Formula, Hobgoblin's glider, and much more appeared.
"What is this?" Jay questioned as Jett inspected the file properties.
"They're all marked with Kingpin. Which means not only is this Kingpin real, everything here is also going to him." Jett determined.
"Even Oz Formula," Jay muttered.
"Though it doesn't seem like they've implemented that," Jay stated.
"Didn't Norman disappear just after you took down Hobgoblin? It could be that it cut off the supply chain before it began." Jett suggested.
"Which meant this Kingpin could have hired Tinkerer to make him Shocker and Scorpion's suits." Jay determined.
"The pieces are starting to fit in place. But there are still plenty missing." Jett replied.
"Yeah, and we're just going to have to figure it out," Jay stated.
Oscorp Tower…
"Security is extremely tight. But with two recent break-ins, that's understandable." Nightwing observed as he stood atop an adjacent building.
"Any ideas?" Nightwing asked as his eyes glowed.
Found this…
It's a new development underneath the tower.
You should be able to sneak in unseen.
"Sounds good to me," Nightwing smirked as he fired a grapple to get to the ground.
Nightwing kept to the shadows as he avoided all the security and incapacitated those he couldn't avoid. Eventually, he made his way to a small entrance for construction workers and jumped down.
When he landed, he noticed that Oscorp seemed to be expanding their basement far more than what should be normally allowed. It reminded him about what Robin had told him about finding at Lexcorp a secret basement.
Unfortunately, Shocker had destroyed it all before any of The Team could even see what was down there. This was similar, and no doubt something suspicious was happening, but he shouldn't assume anything just yet.
Moving slowly, he entered the construction site and made his way inside the tower. Once more, he avoided any guards in his way before making it to an elevator. Knowing it was too risky to use the elevator itself, he pulled the doors open to look into the shaft.
"Do the elevator shafts have security features?" Nightwing inquired.
Doesn't seem so.
Most security is outside.
However, it seems new security features are being added.
Best to do it now, so stay whelmed.
"Right, thanks." Nightwing thanked as he hopped into the shaft where he fired his grapple and pulled himself upward.
"Do you know where I should start?" Nightwing asked.
I'll send you some locations I've found…
"Good. Let's see what Oscorp's hiding." Nightwing smirked as he began his search.
After getting notification that the cameras were disabled, he moved through the eightieth floor, avoiding the eyes of employees. Eventually, he made his way into one of the labs on the list given to him by Oracle.
Unfortunately, it seemed like the room was cleared out and was in the middle of being reworked into something else. Nightwing continued on his way, looking through more laboratories, but each one was a bust.
"Are these really all that's here?" Nightwing wondered.
The last one is Norman Osborn's private lab.
It's had lots of security installed. Be careful.
"Right, don't want to get moded," Nightwing replied as he crawled into a vent.
Making his way through the ventilation, he made it to the door just outside of Norman's lab as the ventilation stopped there. He dropped down when Oracle disabled the cameras before going to work on opening the door.
"Who uses just a key to lock a lab?" Nightwing chuckled as he opened the doors and closed them behind him.
It was just as empty as most labs he visited though things may not be as they seemed. Releasing a small robotic bug, Oracle flew it around to scan the room. While she scanned, Nightwing roamed the room slowing so as to not set off any security, looking for any clue he could find.
Eventually, Nightwing found a computer and hacked into it to see what information it contained, only to find nothing. That in of itself was highly suspicious as it meant it was wiped clean and may be hiding something.
Found something.
"What is it?" Nightwing inquired.
Looks like a secret door.
"Really? I love secret doors." Nightwing smirked as he followed the small bot.
Give me a minute, and I'll see if I can open it.
Oh, and don't touch anything else because I need to reenable some of the security in this room to open the door.
"Got it," Nightwing replied as suddenly the false wall moved back and began to open.
I didn't do that!
Nightwing hid behind one of the tables as the false wall opened up, and Norman Osborn exited the hidden room. Norman held vials of green liquid, which he placed on one of the tables and grabbed some tools from the inner lab.
I'm going into the room.
"Be careful," Nightwing replied via message so as to not alert Norman of his presence.
The robotic bug moved towards the open door, but before it could enter, an invisible field destroyed the bot. Norman heard its destruction and quickly walked over to investigate, seeing the broken drone on the ground.
"Whoever you are, you have some guts breaking into my company," Norman stated as he slowly walked towards the door to the lab and locked it before placing an odd device on it.
Whatever that is, it's creating a field around the door.
"Now, how about you come out, and we have a little chat." Norman insisted as his skin turned slightly green.
Nightwing wasn't going to reveal himself because if he was caught, it would not end well. The league would most definitely take the blame due to his connection to Batman. Opening one of the many pouches on his belt, he pulled out a smoke pellet, getting ready to use it.
"Not coming out? Well, that's fine." Norman muttered as he walked towards the table Nightwing hid behind.
"I have ways of making you come out." Norman declared as a ball of flame ignited on his left hand.
Nightwing noticed the flame through a reflection of the many bottles and vials in the room and knew he had to leave. He tossed the smoke pellet onto the ground filling the small room with smoke. Acting quickly, he then threw a birdarang at the box Norman placed on the door.
It broke easily, but Norman hurled a ball of fire, causing a small explosion at the door knocking Nightwing to the ground. The explosion cleared a good amount of the smoke as the sprinklers and alarm came on, dousing the flames.
"Don't leave just yet. I can't have an intruder like you leave easily. I've had too many come in lately." Norman stated.
"So if you come out now, I'll make your death as painless as possible," Norman added.
To Norman's annoyance, Nightwing threw down a flashbang, blinding Norman as Nightwing ran out of the lab. Looking out of the lab, Nightwing had disappeared, leaving Norman alone in his lab as he shut off the sprinklers.
"Mr. Osborn, we have been notified of the alarm going off in your lab. Are you alright?" A Security Guard asked via radio.
"Everything is fine. I just had a little…accident." Norman lied.
"Turn off the alarm and send up a cleanup crew to repair my lab," Norman ordered as he turned to look at the Oz Formula he had laid out, seeing one missing.
"Little shit." Norman cursed as he picked it up and brought it into the secret room.
The room was protected by a field invented by Smythe that prevents anyone or anything without a pass enter. Inside was several more vials of Oz Formula ready for use. Norman was planning something as he turned to look at the glider he was making.
"The world will be mine to conquer. I shall turn it upside down, and no one shall stand in my way ever again." Norman smirked as he grabbed onto a purple cowl.
Outside…
"Phew, that was close." Nightwing sighed as he sat on a rooftop.
"Did you get all that on camera?" Nightwing inquired.
Oh yeah…
Guess Norman Osborn really is able to make metahumans.
"Or grant meta-like powers," Nightwing replied as he held up a vial of Oz Formula.
"My guess is this is what has given them the powers. Though I never saw him throwing a fireball." Nightwing theorized.
I didn't get to see much of the secret room before the bug was destroyed.
But there was more of this stuff.
"He might be planning to make more of these metas." Nightwing determined.
"We're sure he has no connections to the Light, right?" Nightwing questioned.
Positive.
If he's making more metas, it could be for Kingpin.
"You're probably right." Nightwing agreed.
"Either way, this is a problem," Nightwing stated.
"I think I'll stay in New York for a few more days and see what happens," Nightwing said.
The Next Day…
Midtown High…
Jay closed his locker as he made his way to his next class. His mind was still on his and Jett's discovery the previous night of the existence of the Kingpin. He kept running through things in his head, trying to figure out what his next move would be.
There was no easy way of finding out who Kingpin was and how to topple his empire. But his first move could and should be taking down this Tinkerer. Clearly, Tinkerer was the one giving Kingpin his weapons, meaning if he took down Tinkerer, it would cripple his empire.
Plus, it would also give him some clues on who Kingpin is and how to find him. Then again, there was still the problem of him finding Tinkerer. With a sigh, he entered his class and sat next to Jett, who was doodling in his notebook.
"What are you drawing?" Jay inquired.
"Just thinking of a few designs and stuff," Jett responded.
"You've been nonstop with that stuff," Jay commented.
"What can I say? When I'm inspired, I can't stop." Jett replied.
"Plus, I'm still thinking about how to improve the Spiderbot," Jett added.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you that I added little rubber armor parts to your gloves. They'll protect your knuckles from damage while you punch and still allow you to deal some damage." Jett explained.
"Awesome," Jay smirked as more of their classmates entered, forcing them to end their conversation.
"Alright class, let's get started." Their Teacher insisted as he cleared up the whiteboard.
As the teacher began the lesson, Jay began to write down notes on it just in case. He couldn't wait for the school year to be over though it surprised him that it wasn't pushed back a week or two. Then again, when you live in a world of heroes, a solid school schedule may not be possible.
"Jett Reilly, please report to the principal's office." A Voice ordered over the intercom.
"What did you do this time?" Jay questioned as he looked at Jett.
"No idea," Jett responded as he stood up and left.
This wasn't the first time Jett had been called to the office, as his destructive tendencies when building things often got him in trouble. Much like the time he borrowed some of the school's tools and caused a small fire.
"He nearly got expelled for that one." Jay thought as he put his focus back on the lesson.
Several minutes passed as the lesson continued, and the class drew to a close. Jay was confused as Jett had not yet returned from the principal's office. Grabbing onto Jett's things, he left the room before heading towards the principal's office to check on Jett.
When he arrived, he was perplexed when he saw the secretary was absent from the room even though she had called for Jett. Peeking inside, he didn't see anyone within. Opening the door, he entered the empty office, looking where anyone could have been.
"Jett?" Jay called as he looked out the window.
He still saw nothing and began to grow concerned as he looked around the room for any indication of what had happened. That was when he remembered the spider tracers Jett had made. Jett had said he'd hold onto one before he left to go home the night before.
"Let's hope he didn't leave it in his bag," Jay muttered as he pulled out the transceiver.
"What the hell?" Jay gasped as he saw the location of the tracer. It was nowhere near the school. In fact, it was two blocks away.
Jett's Home…
Same Time…
Sara came out of the basement where she had slept the night working on several items for Kingpin. After Scorpion was captured, she was given massive overtime to make up for Scorpion's failure.
"As long as Kingpin doesn't come for us," Sara sighed as she looked at a photo of her and Jett. Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone went off.
"You've reached Sara Reilly." Sara greeted.
"Hi Ms. Reilly, this is Ruby Silva from New York General Hospital. I've called you today to notify you of a security break we had a few days ago." Ruby replied.
"Okay. Am I supposed to be concerned?" Sara inquired.
"Well, the thing is, unfortunately, it seems your younger brother Jett's medical records have been stolen." Ruby began as Sara went wide-eyed.
"Meaning his…status may be known." Ruby finished.
"I'll have to call you back," Sara replied as she hung up and dialed Jett only to get his voicemail.
"Dammit, pick up." Sara cursed as she tried again, only to get voicemail once more.
"Oh god, no…." Sara murmured as she rushed out of the house.
Midtown High…
Spider-Man swung off from his school, going to where the signal of the spider tracer was. He had a very bad feeling about this, and he needed to be sure. Eventually, he made it to where the signal was coming from.
"What the hell?" Spider-Man muttered as he watched from above what seemed to be his principal tossing a tied-up teen into a box truck.
"I don't recall Mr. Mayson being the kind of guy to kidnap people," Spider-Man commented as his principal closed the gate and began to morph into someone else entirely.
"The hell is he a martian?" Spider-Man questioned as Chameleon took his normal form.
"That's the last of them, Taskmaster." Chameleon stated.
"Good. Then let's get out of here." Taskmaster replied as he came from the front of the truck.
"You're driving." Taskmaster insisted as he shoved the keys into Chameleon's hands.
"Jett must be in there. But why?" Spider-Man wondered as the truck started and began to pull out.
"Can't let them get away!" Spider-Man determined as he swung after them. Before long, he landed on the roof of the truck.
"Did you hear that?" Chameleon questioned.
"Stay here. We may have an unwanted guest." Taskmaster ordered as he opened his door.
"I'll give you a signal to gun it." Taskmaster stated as he left.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man crawled on the back of the truck and forced the gate open, where he saw not only an unconscious Jett but several other students. Spidey attempted to wake his friend, but unfortunately, it seemed he wasn't going to wake any time soon.
"At least he's not dead." Spider-Man sighed as his Spider-Sense went off. Jumping to the left wall of the truck, he avoided Taskmaster's attack.
"You're quick on your feet." Taskmaster commented as he knocked on the front of the truck signaling Chameleon.
"But that will only get you so far." Taskmaster stated as he attacked Spider-Man.
Spidey jumped over Taskmaster and attempted to sweep his feet, but the skull masked man spun around and kicked Spider-Man in the face. The arachnid hero flipped over and landed on all fours before jumping to the ceiling to avoid Taskmaster's next attack.
"What are you doing with them?" Spider-Man questioned.
"It's none of your business and nor mine. I'm just here to do a job." Taskmaster responded as he attacked.
Spider-Man jumped back down before charging Taskmaster, but he was stopped when Taskmaster pulled out and extended a staff. He used it to knock Spider-Man across the face Taskmaster then spun it around and slammed it into Spidey's chin.
Finishing the job, Taskmaster kicked Spider-Man out of the back of the truck as he put away the staff. Spidey fired a web and pulled himself back towards the truck as Taskmaster shut the gate. Spinning around, Taskmaster was met by Spider-Man's foot which kicked him into the gate.
Pushing off Taskmaster, Spider-Man jumped onto the truck's roof as Taskmaster grabbed onto a rail to prevent him from falling off. Taskmaster quickly followed, climbing onto the roof joining Spider-Man as the truck sped through the street and intersections.
"Talk about Déjà vu," Spider-Man muttered as he went to fire a web net to stop the truck.
But he was stopped at the last second when Taskmaster fired a grappled wrapping around Spidey's arm and pulled it back. Upon seeing this, Spider-Man grabbed onto the grapple and pulled Taskmaster into a punch knocking the man off the truck.
However, Taskmaster extended claws from his glaves and latched onto the truck's side, allowing him to climb back up. When Taskmaster got to his feet, he noticed a crack in one of his mask's lenses.
"So you have super strength. Good to know." Taskmaster commented.
"It'll be much easier on you if you and your partner give up and let go of the kids inside," Spider-Man stated.
"Do you really think I'd surrender?" Taskmaster questioned.
"No, but I still wanted it out there," Spider-Man answered as he fired a web at Taskmaster, who cut it away.
As the truck continued to barrel through the streets, Dick Grayson drove nearby in his car, currently unaware of the event. He was still in the city, wanting to inspect more of the situation currently in the city and, more specifically, Norman Osborn.
"So, how long will you be staying?" Barbara inquired.
"Just a few days, Barb. Like I said, I need to see what happens." Dick answered.
"Things have definitely gotten complicated here, and I think it's best we get a better look," Dick added.
"Very well. Just be careful, though. We don't want people finding out Nightwing is operating here." Barbara reminded.
"Of course." Dick chuckled as he began driving through an intersection.
Just as he did, he was slammed by the box truck sending the small car flying. It was sent crashing towards a building corner until Spider-Man jumped down and stopped it. Climbing up and ripping the door off, Spidey pulled Dick out of the car and laid him on the ground.
"Sorry about that, pal, but wait here for the paramedics." Spider-Man insisted as he flagged someone down to help Dick as he swung off.
"So that was Spider-Man," Dick murmured as people helped him up and called the paramedics.
"Barbara's going to kill me for this," Dick whispered.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man swung back towards the truck where Taskmaster shot at him with a pistol until it ran out of ammo. Spidey fired two webs at the truck and zipped back onto the roof to reengage Taskmaster.
"You just won't stay down." Taskmaster spat.
"I wouldn't be doing my job well if I did," Spider-Man replied as he jumped at Taskmaster.
Taskmaster easily dodged him as he knocked Spidey down onto the roof. Quickly recovering, Spider-Man rolled out of the way as Taskmaster swung a hammer ball at him. Surprised at the weaponized sports equipment Spider-Man sprung to his feet.
"What's with the arrange of weapons? Can't figure out a gimmick?" Spider-Man snipped as Taskmaster put the hammer away.
(Quick AN: A hammer is a sports equipment used in Olympics, so not the tool hammer)
"I have a photographic memory. So any move I see, I can copy instantly." Taskmaster stated.
"I picked up that little trick from Sportsmaster. And this. Is from Deathstroke." Taskmaster added as he pulled out an extendable sword.
Spidey ducked down, avoiding the sharp blade though he was certain it wouldn't break his skin without a good amount of force. Eventually, he grabbed onto the sword and punched Taskmaster in the face, to which the merc spun around and kicked the arachnid.
But Spider-Man wasn't going to let himself fall off so easily as he clung to the truck's roof and grabbed onto Taskmaster's leg. In response, Taskmaster pulled out a batarang like weapon with a skull emblem which he threw at Spidey.
Quickly letting go of Taskmaster's leg due to having been warned by his spider-sense, Spider-Man ducked under the skullrang, which hit a nearby building and exploded. While Spider-Man was distracted, Taskmaster ran up, and ax kicked the hero.
Spider-Man attempted to catch the attack but was taken by shock when an electric shock filled his body. Recoiling in pain, he fell to the truck's roof as Taskmaster kicked him off. As he fell to the street, Spidey fired a quick web so as to not be separated from the truck.
"At this point, you're more like a tick than a spider," Taskmaster muttered as he pulled out a knife.
"But it's time to remove you." Taskmaster stated as he cut Spidey's web before throwing a skullrang.
When it hit Spider-Man, he was covered with foam that hardened, instantly trapping him as he watched the truck drive away. He struggled in the foam until he finally broke free, but when he did, the truck was long gone.
"Son of a…." Spider-Man muttered as he jumped onto a building.
"I can still track them," Spider-Man remembered as he pulled out the transceiver.
Swinging off as fast as he could, he managed to get sight of the truck once more as it turned onto the George Washington Bridge. Quickly following, he swung down towards the truck where Taskmaster was standing, expecting the arachnid hero.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Taskmaster questioned as Spider-Man landed back onto the Truck's roof.
"I'm not giving up until I free those kids in the truck!" Spider-Man stated.
"We'll see how far your resolve takes you." Taskmaster replied as he pulled out his staff.
Taskmaster swung at Spider-Man, who jumped over the weapon and behind Taskmaster, where he quickly elbowed the merc in the back. Spinning the staff around, Taskmaster swung the staff as Spidey, who caught the weapon.
But before Spidey could attack, the staff became electrified, forcing Spider-Man to let go of the staff. Moving his grip to the bottom of the staff, Taskmaster swung down at Spidey, who pushed upward with his arms getting over Taskmaster.
Firing a web at the truck's roof, he pulled himself in and punched Taskmaster in the head, knocking the merc down. Pulling out a knife, Taskmaster attempted to stab Spidey only for the knife to bounce off the skin though still hurting Spider-Man.
In an attempt to blind Taskmaster, Spider-Man fired a web at his eyes, but Taskmaster blocked it with his arm. Seeing an opportunity to test one of his new web features, he clicked a new button sending a shock of electricity through Taskmaster.
This gave him a perfect opportunity as he knocked Taskmaster off the front of the truck, causing his body to hit the windshield, cracking it. The sudden event shocked Chameleon, who swerved the truck in panic.
Taskmaster managed to hold on as Chameleon crashed the truck through barriers leaving the truck hanging off the edge. In order to prevent the truck from falling off and the people inside drowning, Spider-Man held it up with several webs attached to the bridge.
"You've caused far too much trouble, kid." Taskmaster spat.
"Well, I do think Godfrey has taken to calling me a menace," Spider-Man replied as Chameleon got out of the truck.
"Truck's done for!" Chameleon stated as he joined Taskmaster.
"No shit." Taskmaster replied.
"What now?" Chameleon questioned.
"We have no choice but to deliver the packages the other way." Taskmaster answered as he pressed a button on his belt.
"Okay. Feel like surrendering now?" Spider-Man snipped.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you." Taskmaster declared as he pulled out his sword and charged at Spidey while Chameleon pulled out a gun.
Spider-Man avoided Taskmaster's blade as Chameleon fired his gun, which managed to hit Spidey every now again. Without his tough skin, he wouldn't be able to continue fighting as he was. But he'd keep fighting regardless.
Eventually, Taskmaster electrified his gloves as he put his sword away and unleashed his claws. Engaging Spider-Man in hand-to-hand combat, Taskmaster held the upper hand not just with his greater skill but because each shock stunned the hero.
While Taskmaster held Spider-Man off, Chameleon worked on the truck seeing his gun was useless. Soon he detached the truck from the box, having modified the truck beforehand and now having prepared it for their backup plan.
Spider-Man flipped over Taskmaster, avoiding his claws as he took notice of several police cars converged on the scene. Surrounding the box, they held guns up, aiming at Spider-Man and the two kidnappers.
"Great. The cops." Spider-Man sighed.
"They're so not going to let me go easily," Spider-Man murmured.
"But it'll make sending you both to jail much easier," Spider-Man smirked.
"I wouldn't be too sure." Taskmaster replied as the sound of helicopter blades filled the air.
Spidey turned around and saw a helicopter fly into view, blowing a strong gust of wind down that made the officers duck down. Several wires shot out from the helicopter, attaching to the box as Chameleon grabbed onto one.
"This is where we part ways for good Spider-Man." Taskmaster declared.
"As if!" Spider-Man shouted as he jumped at Taskmaster only to be fired at by a turret on the helicopter.
The bullets knocked off his skin but knowing that it would eventually break, Spider-Man was forced to move out of the way. Clinging to one of the box's sides, he avoided the turret as Taskmaster sent an electric shock through the box, knocking him off.
"Are you an idiot! You could have woken up one of the kids?!" Chameleon questioned.
"It's fine," Taskmaster responded as the helicopter went up and lifted the box with it.
"No!" Spider-Man cried as he fired a web, hitting the box.
Unprepared to grip the ground, he was lifted off the ground with the box. Seeing that he wasn't going to stop the helicopter, he scaled his web to reach the box. Chameleon had climbed into the helicopter as Taskmaster waited in case Spider-Man managed to follow.
"You don't know when you're beat, do you?" Taskmaster questioned as Spider-Man made it to the top of the box.
"Guess not," Spider-Man answered.
"Then I'll just kill you." Taskmaster stated until a light blinked on his mask.
"Well, that is a generous bonus." Taskmaster thought as he listened to his employer's offer.
"I've got him locked with the turret. Just give me the word." Chameleon stated.
"Don't our employer wants us to bring him in now alive." Taskmaster replied.
"What for?!" Chameleon questioned.
"Same as what he wants them for." Taskmaster answered as he pulled out a small bead.
Spider-Man ran towards Taskmaster, who held the bead and attempted to tackle him but was stopped when Taskmaster spun around and swept Spidey from his legs. Pinning him on his back, Taskmaster slammed the bead in Spidey's face covering them both in a cloud of smoke.
"A smoke bomb! Really?" Spider-Man coughed as he kicked Taskmaster off of him.
"It wasn't a smoke bomb." Taskmaster stated.
"It was anesthetic gas." Taskmaster revealed.
"And unfortunately for you, Spider-Man. You don't have a gas mask." Taskmaster added as Spidey's vision began to blur.
"Son of a…." Spider-Man began before he collapsed unconscious.
"About time." Chameleon scoffed as he flew the helicopter away.
"Take us to meet the employer," Taskmaster ordered as he knelt down and looked at Spider-Man.
Reaching out, he grabbed at his mask but stopped himself just short. While he could learn the identity of Spider-Man with where they were going, it wouldn't matter who he was. At the shore, Dick Grayson watched the helicopter fly off through the scope of a sniper.
"That's not good," Dick commented as he fired a GPS tracker at the box.
"Let's see where you're going," Dick murmured as he went to grab a boat.
Meanwhile, Tinkerer flew out in a cloaked single-maned plane following close behind the helicopter. While she would just shoot it down, she had no way of catching the box, meaning the kids inside would drown along with Spider-Man.
"Then I'll follow, and when I get my hands on who's responsible, I'll make them pay for this." Tinkerer thought.
Hours Later…
Unknown Location…
"Ow…" Jett murmured as he sat up in the middle of a forest.
"Where the hell am I?" Jett questioned.
The last thing he remembered was going into the principles office before someone put a rag over his mouth. Most likely, it was chloroform, and he had been out for a while as he looked up at the night sky above.
"Sara's so going to panic." Jett sighed as he looked for someplace high to get a good look at where he was.
Checking his pockets, he remembered that his phone was still with his other stuff at school, and the only thing he had on him was his wallet and the spider tracer. Thankfully the moon was full and lit up most of his surroundings, but the thick forest made looking any farther impossible.
"Okay. I'm…somewhere and have no way of contacting anyone for help. But I have a spider tracer which Jay might be able to use to find me." Jett murmured.
"Unless I'm far away from New York," Jett muttered as he began moving.
"But what the hell is going on?" Jett questioned.
Clearly, he had been kidnapped, but for what reason, he couldn't tell. He wasn't rich, nor was he related to anyone important. Jett doubted someone would kidnap him just because his sister worked for Star Labs.
Plus, even if it was because of that, why put him in the middle of nowhere unattended. Nothing made sense to him as he pushed past bushes and trees. Suddenly he spotted someone running towards him, looking distressed.
"RUN!" He screamed as he ran past Jett.
"Run? From what?" Jett asked as he turned around and noticed a large panther running towards them.
"Oh shit!" Jett cried as he ran off.
"Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Jett cursed as he sprinted away from the panther.
Looking around, Jett tried to think of a plan of action. There was no way he could outrun this panther, nor could the other guy who was just ahead of him. Climbing a tree would also do him no good as the panther would climb after him.
Which only left the option of trying to get out of the panther's sight and hide, which was easier said than done. Plus, Jett wasn't very athletic, meaning there was no way he could run long-term. That meant he'd have to get out of sight fast.
"This is not how I want to die," Jett muttered as he ran full speed. Eventually, he noticed a lake coming up, seeing no other option, he was going to dive.
"HEY!" Jett called to get the other guy's attention.
"Jump in the water!" Jett insisted as he ran towards the lake, hoping to hide from the panther under the water.
Unfortunately, all Jett got in response was a furious shaking of a head, indicating that he wasn't going to do it. He couldn't blame him as it wasn't the greatest idea, but Jett had no other option. While he would want to convince the guy, there was no time, and the panther was getting close.
"Damn." Jett moaned as he sprinted towards the lake before jumping in.
But it seemed he jumped the gun a little as the water wasn't very deep, and he was trudging through mud. That, combined with the cold water, was going to make it hard getting deeper and farther from the panther, which seemed to be heading his way.
"Shit, this was so stupid!" Jett cursed as he moved as fast as he could to the deep as the panther jumped in.
Thankfully for him, the panther was also slowed down, giving him some edge, and when he made it to the deep, he could easily swim away. Soon he was knee-deep, but as he was, the panther was getting closer.
"What the hell is this thing's deal?" Jett wondered as he didn't think panthers would go this far.
But then again, he doesn't know much about panthers, and with the craziness of his situation and adrenaline running through his veins, he couldn't think straight. Eventually, he had to take a dive into the cold water, where he was able to swim away from the panther that splashed in the water.
Jett kept under the water for the moment as he swam away so as to keep out of the panther's sight. But he could only go so far until he had to go up for air. When he did, he was a distance from the panther, which to his relief, began to leave.
"Thank god." Jett sighed.
"How the hell does Jay do it." Jett wondered as he swam to the shore.
"If only I had a towel." Jett groaned as he took off and wrung out his shirt.
Now that he was safe again, he needed to find that other guy he saw and find a way back to civilization. Then again, he didn't know where to go, and if he was near anywhere, he knew as he didn't think there were panthers in New York.
"Oh man, don't tell me I'm in a different country! How long was I asleep?!" Jett questioned as he walked back into the woods, being careful to watch his surroundings.
He walked for several minutes to where he saw the other guy run off to with no sign of him. Eventually, he got tired and sat down for a breather. Jett took out the spider tracer and inspected it to make sure it was alright, which it thankfully was.
It was waterproof, but he didn't want to take the chance that he lost it, so he placed it back into his pocket. That little tracer was his only hope at the moment of being found wherever he was by Jay, and hopefully, he could get him and whoever else was there out.
Just then, he heard a loud snapping noise as the trees behind him which caused him to jump up in fear. Slowly he made his way towards where he had heard the noise, and eventually, he had found what had made it. It was another person hanging upside down by a rope.
"Hello? Is anyone there?!" The Boy called as he failed around with his back turned towards Jett.
"Hey, stop struggling. It's just going to make things worse." Jett insisted.
"Oh, thank god. Please get me down!" The Boy begged.
"Uh yeah…I'll try," Jett replied as he looked for where the rope was tied to.
Seeing it was tied high up in a tree. Climbing up the tree, he slowly made it to the small branch that the rope was tied to. At first, he attempted to untie it, but to no avail, so he attempted to break the branch so that the boy could fall down.
But that too was a fruitless endeavor as he couldn't do any damage until he remembered his multitool. He had a very small one in his wallet that until now wouldn't have been very helpful, but even then, the knife on it was very small.
He pulled out the multitool, which was the size of his thumb, and the knife was even smaller, but it was his best bet of cutting the boy down. Slowly but surely, he worked on the rope, and after several minutes he broke a part of it which caused the rest to break under the weight.
"Oh god!" The Boy gasped as he fell to the ground.
"Ow…." The Boy groaned.
"Sorry." Jett apologized as he climbed down.
"Are you okay?" Jett inquired as he got to the ground.
"Yeah, thanks." The Boy thanked.
"Do you mind helping me get this off?" The Boy requested as he pulled at the rope on his legs.
"Yeah." Jett agreed as he slowly worked on the rope before finally breaking it.
"Thank you. I thought I was alone here." The Boy thanked.
"No problem. You were the second person I've seen." Jett replied as he helped him up.
"Wait. Don't you go to Midtown High?" Jett asked, having recognized the boy.
"Yeah. My name is Mark Allan." Mark introduced.
"Jett Reilly," Jett replied as they shook hands.
"You wouldn't happen to have any idea where we are, would you?" Mark inquired.
"Not a clue. I just woke up here after being called into the principal's office." Jett responded.
"Same here," Mark revealed.
"And this doesn't look like New York," Mark stated.
"Tell me about it. I just got chased by a freaking panther." Jett sighed.
"A panther?! What's going on in this forest!?" Mark questioned.
"I have no idea," Jett murmured.
"Do you have your phone?" Jett asked.
"Yeah, but I've got no signal, and it's got a low battery," Mark answered.
"Great. Just great." Jett sighed as he looked around, not noticing a camera high up in one of the trees.
Nearby…
"So you've acquired ten subjects?" A Gruff Voice with a heavy accent inquired.
"Yes. All have tested positive on their medical records." Taskmaster answered.
"Plus, with the addition of Spider-Man, that makes eleven captives," Chameleon added.
"Good. Very good. They may prove to be a great challenge!" The Man smirked as he grabbed onto a briefcase.
"Here is your pay. Twenty-four million dollars in cash." The Man stated.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Taskmaster replied as he took the briefcase.
"I still don't get what this is all about." Chameleon said.
"It's not our job to know." Taskmaster pointed out.
"True, but if you want to know, the answer is simple. It is because I've reached the peak of my abilities and skill." The Man began.
"I've conquered many beasts with ease, and I've never been able to find a proper challenge. Even man who is stated to be the world's most dangerous game was child's play." The Man continued.
"But then, as if my prayers and hopes were heard by the gods themselves, an opportunity came! The Reach came to Earth and revealed to us the metagene!" The Man smirked.
"Something that could finally give me the challenge I need! To finally push my limits! To be able to hunt and kill a metahuman shall be my greatest feat." The Man declared.
"These children are still young and have yet to gain their powers. But by surviving my little hunting preserve, they'll become excellent prey." The Man stated.
"However, for now, you have given me my newest prey." The Man snickered as he pressed a button, and an image of Spider-Man came into view.
"He shall be the first to be killed by Kraven the Hunter." Kraven finished.
Elsewhere…
"So, have you found out anything about this place?" Nightwing asked as he stood on his boat in his incognito suit, looking at an island he tailed the helicopter to.
Not much save its name and the owner…
Currently, it is called Hunters Island, and it is owned by a man named Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff.
He bought it years back and blocked it off to the rest of the world.
"Being fifteen miles away from New York and closing it off, it must be for a reason," Nightwing replied.
It may be for good reason as it technically is not part of the United States.
And the fact that Sergei is a well-known hunter famous for catching very difficult prey.
"A hunter…" Nightwing murmured.
"This may be a hunting preserve." Nightwing theorized.
And the kidnapped teens, along with Spider-Man, are the prey.
"Precisely. A sick little practice." Nightwing stated as he gripped one of the railings tight.
"He got sick of hunting animals, so he must want to hunt metas." Nightwing determined.
Guess it was a good thing you stayed in New York…
Though you shouldn't be out after that crash, you could have a concussion…
"I'll be fine, Oracle," Nightwing assured.
"Besides, I think it's time for Sergei to feel the aster," Nightwing smirked.
Nearby…
Tinkerer sliced through bushes and vines with a blade that extended from her arm. She was on a mission to find Jett then take out those who took him. Having tailed the helicopter to this island, she had been walking for hours but saw no sign of her brother.
She lost sight of the helicopter when she got there, and she didn't know where it landed. But one thing she did know was that there was a large private network that surrounded the island. That was something she could use as she worked on hacking it.
As she worked, she remembered the time she learned of the terrible secret she held from Jett. It had happened a year ago when she had her and Jett tested for the metagene. Thankfully she was negative, but Jett…he was a different story.
Jett had tested positive for the metagene, and the realization scared her deeply as she feared what would happen if people found out about him. But that day had come, and now he was taken for just that, and she didn't know what was happening to him.
"I'll save him even if I have to kill anyone who gets in my way." Tinkerer thought as she cut down a tree with her sword.
Author's Note:
Yes! I finally got this chapter done! I won't lie; I had some trouble transitioning from the fight between Jay and Taskmaster on the Truck to the island, but I finally got to what we have here.
A lot of things happened this chapter, such as Jay and Jett finding out Kingpin is not only real but is behind Hobgoblin, Shocker, and Scorpion. Additionally, Nightwing manages to break into Oscorp and encounter Norman Osborn.
He didn't get to fight him, but he managed to slip away and take a vial of Oz Formula while Norman continues with his little plan. Also, I hoped you liked the little nod to his costume this chapter as well.
We also got new gadgets for Jay this chapter, most notably the spider tracer, which made lots of uses this chapter. The Spiderbot is also going to be something big for Jay in the future as it will have plenty of uses.
As for Taskmaster's fighting style, I hope I made it good as I wanted to put as many fighting styles as I could with him. Mostly I put in Sportsmaster, Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke for the moment, as well as his own moves.
I think I did good, but sometimes it may be too much to remember sometimes or even describe. I literally I to make up skullrangs for him since I had no idea what else to call his knock-off batarangs.
Either way, I think I did good, and the fight ended up pretty well, especially with how I managed to make the fight both long and entertaining. Honestly, it was going to be a little shorter, but then I realized the ending to the fight didn't work, so I made it better.
But yes, we have a surprise appearance and reveal by Kraven the Hunter! It was he who hired Taskmaster and Chameleon to kidnap teens with the metagene so he can activate their powers and later hunt them.
Honestly, I felt it appropriate as there is no way Kraven would let something like this pass him. I really liked the idea of him doing that, as it just fits his character so well. Now to the second big reveal that being that Jett is, in fact, metagene positive!
That's going to play a huge role in the future, not just this chapter, and I think you guys can figure out why. It's going to be explained why Sara never told him about it too more next chapter.
Speaking of Sara, she is on the move as Tinkerer on the island along with Nightwing, who will be helping a lot next chapter. Either way, shit is going to go down next chapter! So, for now, let's get to the reviews:
Star Vader Chaos Breaker – Wow no idea how you left two reviews, but oh well, lol. But to answer them in order (even the one from chapter 6), I do have plans for Jay and the outsiders though unfortunately, that will be a while.
There will be other spider people in the future, but I won't be revealing who or what. As for who the love Madam Web predicted Jay would have, I won't be revealing much as I don't want to spoil things.
Raidentensho – You know, I never really thought of adding Ava/White Tiger because I didn't want to take too much from the Ultimate Spider-Man TV show. A little nod here or there would be okay but not like entire ideas or plotlines.
As for the vibrainium, unfortunately, that will not be happening as I do not intend to implement Marvel metals to this universe. Also, what do you mean by Weak Force? I actually don't know what that is.
I felt like it was one of the Forces like the Speed Force, but I didn't find anything when I looked it up. The idea of Jett taking the Tinkerer mantle is interesting, but I'll just say it now he will not be doing that.
Since he does have the metagene, I have…other plans for him. Well glad you enjoy the story so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Kevin06x – Glad you liked the fights and hope you like the new gadgets Jay is getting. Yeah, I didn't want to give Jay or Jett a bully character because that would be too similar to the Spider-Man trope.
I wanted to give them a different experience from most Spider-Men and not make Jay too much like Peter Parker. Keeping them as normal students was definitely the best choice in my mind, yeah.
Incorporating other students won't happen too much as I want the whole Jay being Spider-Man leading him to meet new people, but as you've seen this chapter, some will come up. Jay won't be getting any kind of sidekick character, but teammates, he'll have plenty of those.
As for Nightwing, well, he'll be playing a role, but you'll have to wait and see. Yeah, it isn't a surprise that Batman figured him out though it is not Jay's fault as those who really look can figure it out like Batman did.
To normal people, it isn't as obvious to figure out. I didn't want him to be really bad at hiding his identity like Peter Parker from the Ultimate comics universe. He literally got unmasked by Kingpin on their first encounter, lol.
But yeah, the new trailer for The Batman was awesome. I watched that stream live, and it was dope. Also was awesome to finally have the new season of Young Justice! Definitely going to be seeing what I can incorporate into this story.
Madame Web was definitely something I liked putting in, but you don't have to worry as her fortune as it will take a while to play out. As for who Jay falls in love with, well, again, like I've said before in other responses, I'm keeping that a secret.
Hope you enjoyed Taskmaster here. I don't actually know what the MCU did to him since I have actually not seen the Black Widow movie, so if you don't mind not spoiling anything, I am going to watch it as soon as possible, lol.
The car scene was a little nod to ASM2 though I made it a little different, obviously. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Martin (Guest) – Yeah, I definitely used the element of Taskmaster faking being a teacher from that episode in that chapter. I had the idea of him doing that to find good physical candidates for metas for a long time.
Like I said before, I don't plan on ripping entire storylines from other Spider-Man media, which is why Taskmaster wasn't there to find out who Spider-Man is.
Kival737101 – Okay, dude, you're focused a little too much on the love interest. It won't be that big of a deal who he ends up with. Even if it is Maya who's father, if you recall, is Vandal Savage (though again, I will not say she is or isn't as I don't want to spoil the story).
While the love interest will play the role, it won't be something that you're probably thinking of. I don't want people reading this story just for a pairing, as that isn't the focus. Don't want to sound rude here just wanted to say that. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
That's all for today. See you guys next time!