Chapter 9: The Hunt Begins
Hunter's Island…
Friday, May 20, 12:15 am…
"Ow…" Spider-Man moaned as he got to his feet.
When his vision cleared, he found himself in a plain white room with no windows, no doors, or any discernable exit. Upon checking himself, he found that he was still in his costume and everything was in the same spot as before.
"Okay, Spidey, you get knocked out and wake up in a white room," Spider-Man murmured.
"So either they killed you in your sleep, and this is the afterlife, or…this is a cell," Spider-Man noted as he jumped to the ceiling.
"There's got to be something that's pumping air in here. Otherwise, I would have suffocated," Spider-Man said as he inspected the ceiling.
Unfortunately, no matter where he looked, he couldn't find anything meaning whatever was giving him air was hidden very well. Getting out of here was going to be a problem as, by the looks of things, he would have to punch his way out.
He didn't even know if he was strong enough to break through whatever the wall was made of, and if he was, it would no doubt hurt his hands. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack of an intercom system that grabbed his attention.
"Greetings, Spider-Man I hope you slept well." A Gruff Voice began.
"Who are you? Are you working with Taskmaster?" Spider-Man questioned as he landed on the floor.
"No I hired Taskmaster." The Voice stated.
"If that's the case, what are you doing to those kids?!" Spider-Man questioned.
"The same as I will do to you, Spider-Man." The Voice responded.
"Oh. Where are my manners? I am Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff. But you can call me Kraven." Kraven introduced himself.
"Forgive me if I don't care. Now answer my question!" Spider-Man replied.
"Or better yet. How about you make this easy and let me and those kids go!" Spider-Man insisted.
"I think not. Besides, if I just let you go so easily, then I would have wasted so many resources spent bringing you all here in the first place." Kraven stated.
"It can never be easy." Spider-Man thought.
"Just what is this all for?" Spider-Man inquired.
"For the greatest hunt, little arachnid. And you will be my prey." Kraven answered.
"You're going to hunt me? Wait, you brought those kids to hunt!?" Spider-Man gasped.
"Indeed. You are a very interesting meta Spider-Man. While it wasn't my original intention, hunting you will be my first leap into fighting metahumans." Kraven explained.
"This is sick," Spider-Man shouted.
"To those who have not risen to the physical peak of humanity, it may, but to us who have risen above, we are a different breed." Kraven began.
"A hunt must have challenge, and I have yet to find a creature I couldn't hunt. Only when I find this creature and kill it will I be able to call myself the world's greatest hunter." Kraven finished.
"Have you been skipping your therapy sessions?!" Spidey snipped.
"Because this still sounds sick," Spider-Man stated.
"It seems you cannot see it from my point of view, Spider-Man. But you would understand if you were great at something but couldn't find any challenge." Kraven replied.
"It makes everything I do ultimately meaningless. I cannot be proud of any of my accomplishments until I finally find the prey that will give me a challenge." Kraven announced.
"Well, I don't plan on dying, so how about you show yourself, and I'll kick your ass and call it a day," Spider-Man suggested.
"I think not. It wouldn't be a hunt if I just kept you in here. I'll be hunting you somewhere else." Kraven stated.
"But I am not a man who cheats, so I'll be giving you a head start. But be warned, there are other predators in the forest." Kraven added as the comms shut off.
"Forest? What forest?" Spider-Man questioned as the wall behind him slowly opened, revealing a vast forest with a full moon.
"Oh, that forest," Spider-Man murmured as he looked around for anything else of importance.
"We're just jumping right into this, aren't we?" Spider-Man sighed.
Firing two webs at the entrance, and launched himself out of the room and onto a large tree. Scaling up the tree, Spider-Man looked around to get a good view of his surroundings. From what he could see, there were miles of foliage until it ended at a beach.
"So I'm on an island, and I'm about to be hunted by what I can only assume is a crazed lunatic," Spider-Man murmured.
"Though there is a fifty-fifty shot, this guy isn't that good of a fighter and is just some poacher," Spider-Man noted.
"This is not how I imagined being a superhero would be like." Spider-Man sighed as he jumped off the tree and maneuvered his way through the forest.
If he really was being hunted, he needed to be prepared, and if he wanted to win, he needed to be the one to strike first. That being said, he did have a head start. How long that head start was, he didn't know, but he needed to make sure he took down Kraven.
But then he recalled that the Jett and the other kidnappees were there and with predators apparently roaming about. Meaning they, too, were in trouble putting another timetable on his full plate.
"Ah crap, how am I going to find them all?" Spider-Man wondered as he pulled out his transceiver.
"I'll get to Jett and set up a place to meet." Spider-Man determined as he swung off.
Kraven's Den…
"And so the hunt begins," Kraven smirked as he watched Spidey leave the cell he had been placed in before turning off the feed.
"Not going to watch where he goes?" Taskmaster asked as he and Chameleon got ready to leave.
"That would ruin the hunt. I can track him without it." Kraven stated.
"Very well. We'll be taking our leave then." Taskmaster replied as he and Chameleon went to leave.
That is until the room went dark and all systems shut down, much to Kraven's surprise. When the emergency lights came on, Kraven pressed some buttons that turned the lights back on, and the monitors came to life.
"It seems someone has hacked my systems. But I have a second one on a separate network." Kraven explained as he looked for the intruder.
"It seems I've garnered some attention," Kraven commented as an image of Nightwing came onto the monitor until the video cut off again.
"Oh well. The hunt becomes more interesting." Kraven snickered as Taskmaster stared at the blank monitor, having watched Nightwing move, recognizing the movements.
"Nightwing," Taskmaster muttered as he shoved the case of money into Chameleon's hands.
"I'll be taking care of the intruder. I've wanted to fight him for a while." Taskmaster stated.
"If you insist," Kraven replied as he left.
"What the hell is this about Taskmaster?" Chameleon questioned.
"I'm testing my skills. Go and get the helicopter ready. I won't take long, so save my half." Taskmaster explained as he left Chameleon.
"I can never understand such a need to test strength." Chameleon muttered as he made his way to the helicopter.
With Jett…
Jett and Mark were hiding behind a rock as a pack of wolves slowly patrolled behind them. They had been looking for any place that seemed safe, but every turn in this forest was a death trap. From wild animals to traps, there was no one safe place they could hide.
The two teens had also looked for others from their school, but that seemed to be easier said than done. They haven't seen a trace of another person since they met up, and without proper knowledge of how many there were, it made things concerning.
Though that didn't even begin to start the issue, that was how they would get back to New York. They had no idea where they were nor what they could use to get back home. At the moment, the two decided to focus on the main task at hand, being surviving and finding others.
"Are they gone?" Mark whispered.
"I don't know," Jett responded as the sounds of the footsteps from the wolves stopped. Taking a quick peek, Jett let out a sigh of relief after seeing they were gone.
"They're gone," Jett revealed.
"Thank god," Mark replied as they moved out from behind the rock.
"Just what is this place?! Panthers, wolves, traps! Where does it end?" Mark questioned.
"I don't know, but there has to be a building or some path around here. We've had to have been brought here somehow." Jett pointed out.
"You're right. I don't remember much after blacking out except maybe some loud noise." Mark replied.
"Not too helpful, but it's something. Maybe we can find out some more when we find some others." Jett said.
"Couldn't hurt, but we have to find them first." Mark agreed.
"That being said. I've never heard of a forest like this in New York. Meaning we can't know for sure how big it is." Jett murmured.
"We should find somewhere high to get a lay of the land," Jett suggested.
"Sure, but with all these trees, we won't get to see much." Mark pointed out.
Before they could even do anything, they heard loud rustling from the trees, and on instinct, the two ran back to the rock. The rustling grew louder as whatever was causing it got closer before it suddenly stopped.
"What the hell?" Jett questioned as he peeked from behind the rock.
"Please let it be a squirrel," Mark begged.
"I doubt a squirrel could make such noise," Jett replied.
"Let me hope, man. I haven't been this scared since all the adults disappeared all those years back," Mark commented.
"Same here. Though this is even worse. No adults and a forest filled with deadly traps and animals." Jett agreed as the rustling grew louder.
"This is just insane," Jett murmured as Nightwing landed in front of them.
"Right where you said," Nightwing whispered as Oracle gave him a thumbs up.
"Stay back. We're armed!" Mark demanded as he nudged Jett.
"The knife on my multitool won't be that helpful." Jett pointed out.
"It's better than nothing," Mark replied.
"Don't be afraid I don't mean either of you any harm," Nightwing informed as he held his hands up.
"How can you take you at your word? For all, we know you're the one that took us here!" Jett questioned.
"I understand your suspicion. But I did not bring you to this island." Nightwing assured.
"Island? We're on an island!?" Mark gasped.
"That's right, and I have a boat able to get you all out of here," Nightwing replied. Jett and Mark looked at one another, then at Nightwing, then back at one another.
"How can we trust you?" Jett asked.
"Do you have any better options?" Nightwing countered.
"No," Mark murmured.
"Then I can help you," Nightwing replied as more rustling was heard, and a tiger came out charging at Nightwing.
Nightwing jumped out of the way and pulled out his eskrima sticks, and batted the Tiger away before delivering a strong kick to the animal's jaw. While he didn't want to hurt the animal, he couldn't let it attack him or the teens, and thankfully his actions caused it to run away.
"Whoa." Jett gasped.
"Badass," Mark commented.
"Who are you?" Jett inquired.
"I'm Nightwing," Nightwing answered.
Kraven's Den…
Tinkerer cut through the roof of Kraven's building and landed on the ground silently. Thankfully the security systems were down due to her interference and someone else's. Tinkerer wasn't going to worry about others but was worried about where Jett was.
She had no access to the island's systems anymore, and her only hope of finding him and why he was taken was here. Walking through the dark building, she scanned the area to find the main servers and anyone else within the building.
It seemed she was alone, and by what she saw, the place wasn't built to house many people. Eventually, she found where the servers were held and entered the room slowly. Once inside, her sensors immediately picked up a small drone that flew above.
Tinkerer quickly hid from the drone, not knowing what it was or who it belonged to. Slowly she maneuvered through the room to find the main console. Staying out of the drone's sights, she made it to the main console and inserted a small USB giving her access to the system.
Moving quickly, she got out of the room before the drone could spot her and accessed the system to see where the kidnapped teens were. Thankfully it seemed that all the teens had tracers planted within them, but not one explained who was who.
"Damn." Tinkerer cursed before silencing herself when she heard the faint sound of helicopter blades overhead.
"What could that be?" Tinkerer wondered as she ran back towards where she entered and hopped out.
Now outside, she noticed a helicopter decloak itself higher above her, meaning someone was getting ready to leave. If she was lucky, it could also be someone who knew about what was going on around here.
With the help of her exoskeleton, Tinkerer easily made her way up to where the helicopter stood and landed with a large shockwave rocking the helicopter. Chameleon jumped out, pulling out his gun only to be disarmed by Tinkerer, who then held her blade at his throat.
"If you don't want to die, you'll tell me everything I want to know." Tinkerer stated as she grabbed onto Chameleon's head and pulled it up to look at her.
"You're not supposed to be here, Tinkerer." Chameleon spat, surprising Tinkerer.
"If you know who I am, then you know who I work for. So answer the question." Tinkerer demanded as she pressed her blade closer to Chameleon's neck.
"Did Kingpin not tell you? I guess he doesn't fully trust you yet." Chameleon commented.
"What are you talking about?!" Tinkerer questioned.
"This is a meta smuggling ring, and Kingpin doesn't allow that in New York!" Tinkerer shouted.
"True, but this isn't a smuggling ring, and Kingpin has already given his consent. Evidently, he wants to know what Kraven can find out." Chameleon explained.
"Of course, that requires a big payment to Kingpin, which unfortunately comes out of my pay," Chameleon added.
"You're lying!" Tinkerer insisted.
"Don't believe me? Fine, ask him yourself." Chameleon replied as he held up his phone on speed dial to Kingpin. Tinkerer looked wary, but she had to be sure, so she took the phone.
With Nightwing…
"You're Nightwing? Like. The Nightwing?" Mark asked.
"That's right," Nightwing responded as he put his eskrima sticks away.
"But aren't you supposed to be in Gotham?" Jett questioned.
"I go anywhere people need help," Nightwing answered.
"I'm going to bring you to my boat, then I'm going to need you to hide there. I still have ten other kids to find." Nightwing instructed.
"There's that many of us here?" Jett murmured.
"What is all this for?" Mark wondered.
"Do you not know? You're here most likely to be hunted." Nightwing informed.
"Hunted! Why would people want to hunt high schoolers?!" Jett questioned.
"I believe it's because everyone brought here is metagene positive," Nightwing revealed.
"Metagene positive? But I can't be metagene positive! I tested negative!" Jett denied.
"Then you may want to be tested again. Either way, both of you are here now and are in danger." Nightwing replied as Jett thought over what Nightwing said.
"So follow me, and I'll get you both home safe." Nightwing insisted as the two teens nodded.
But before they could go anywhere, Nightwing noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Pulling out a birdarang, he threw it at where he saw movement, only for his birdarang to be met by a skullrang.
Taskmaster dropped from the trees pulling out his sword and charging at Nightwing, who pulled out his eskrima sticks to protect himself. Nightwing met Taskmaster's sword with his sticks before spinning around to knock Taskmaster against the head.
But the skull-masked mercenary ducked under the attack and rammed his elbow into Nightwing's chin. This knocked Nightwing back, allowing Taskmaster to slice at his chest, but Nightwing jumped back just in time, only receiving a small cut.
"To think I'd be able to get the opportunity to fight Nightwing on this job. It must be my lucky day." Taskmaster stated.
"Wasn't expecting to be recognized like this," Nightwing replied.
"It doesn't matter what you wear. I can recognize anyone by just looking at their movements." Taskmaster stated.
"I've studied your moves for a while, second to the Bat himself. Now I want to see them up close." Taskmaster added.
"I'm almost flattered." Nightwing snipped as he ran towards Taskmaster, swinging at him with one of his sticks.
Taskmaster easily blocked the first attack but failed to block the next to his stomach. Nightwing landed more attacks before Taskmaster brought his knee to Nightwing's stomach. Realizing that his sword was slowing his movements, Taskmaster put it away before bringing out his staff.
This allowed him to match Nightwing's next attack before spinning it around to knock Nightwing across the head. The crusader was knocked down but quickly managed to get back onto his feet.
The attack made his vision blurry as he shook it off, regaining his bearings. It seems the car crash earlier that day may have given him a mild concussion leaving him below his peak performance. But Nightwing wasn't going to let that slip him up.
Ducking back, Nightwing avoided another attack from Taskmaster before getting back up and landed two hits on Taskmaster before spinning around to land a kick into the man's chest. Upon seeing that Nightwing still had an advantage in speed, Taskmaster snapped his staff in two.
"Let's test this out," Taskmaster muttered as he spun the two pieces in his hands.
Both Taskmaster and Nightwing charged at one another, matching with one another's attacks, with Taskmaster precisely mirroring Nightwing's moves. This shocked Nightwing as he was not expecting Taskmaster to be able to copy his moves exactly.
Then Taskmaster threw one of his broken staff pieces at Nightwing, which the crusader knocked away, but it gave Taskmaster the opportunity to throw several skullrangs at Nightwing. The crusader was unable to dodge in time as two of the skullrangs dug into his left shoulder.
The rest of the skullrangs flew overhead, embedding themselves into the trees by Jett and Mark, who watched the fight in awe. Both wanted to help, but neither knew how until Mark looked at one of the skullrangs that was next to him.
Mark ran to it and grabbed onto the center to avoid cutting himself as he pulled it out of the ground. Unfortunately for him, it caused him to press a button on the center, which triggered the explosives within.
However, Mark didn't even notice as he took aim at Taskmaster, who was still fighting Nightwing and threw the skullrang. Just as he threw the skullrang, the explosives inside went off, sending Mark flying back and setting the trees on fire.
"Dumb kid that was never going to work." Taskmaster commented, having known of Mark's efforts.
"Hang on!" Nightwing called as he ran to help but was stopped by Taskmaster, who fired a grapple around Nightwing's leg.
"I'm not letting you get away that easily." Taskmaster stated.
As Taskmaster pulled Nightwing back into the fight, Jett went to investigate Mark's condition, but due to the flames, it was hard to get to him. Eventually, he found a break in the fire, allowing him into the area, and through the smoke, he spotted Mark.
To his surprise, Mark wasn't too hurt and only had some cuts and bleeding while his skin seemed to glow slightly. But Jett couldn't get a good look as a burning branch fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
Jett tried to push the branch off, but it was too big as the fire began to spread closer towards him, and the fire on the branch also drew closer. This caused Jett to panic as his pants caught fire, and he could not put them out.
Meanwhile, Nightwing was on the defensive against Taskmaster. Due to his concussion, he was losing speed and ground to the skull masked mercenary. Upon seeing his advantage, Taskmaster threw away the two pieces of his staff in favor of knives.
He ran in towards Nightwing, ready to kill the crusader but was stopped in his tracks when both of his hands were bound by webs. This took him by surprise as Spider-Man came from the trees pulling Taskmaster up.
"Miss me skull face!" Spider-Man shouted as he clocked Taskmaster in the face knocking him to the ground.
"Because I sure didn't miss you," Spider-Man added as he webbed the mercenary to the ground.
Looking around, he took notice of Nightwing, who stood back straight, rubbing his head. Before Spidey could question about him, he noticed the fire raging nearby and, after checking the transceiver, realized Jett was in it.
"Oh no." Spider-Man gasped as he ran off towards the fire and jumped in.
Making use of his instant freeze webbing, Spider-Man snuffed out the fires. When he found Jett, he noticed several parts of his friend were on fire under the branch. Spidey covered him in freezing webs, putting out the fire and throwing the branch off of him.
"Jett. Talk to me, bud. Are you okay?" Spider-Man questioned as he picked up his friend.
To his surprise, Jett was okay. In fact, it seemed that he was completely unharmed, save his skin seeming a little pink. Either way, Spider-Man was relieved that his friend was still okay as he picked him up and set him against a tree before taking out the last of the fires.
It wasn't long before he found Mark and used webbing to stop his bleeding and tend his wounds before placing him next to Jett. That was when he heard a twig snap behind him as he spun around and got ready for a fight, only to see Nightwing.
"My spider-sense isn't going off, which means he may not be a threat." Spider-Man thought.
"He was fighting Taskmaster, but just in case, I should be careful." Spider-Man determined.
"Who are you?" Spider-Man questioned.
"I'm Nightwing," Nightwing answered, shocking Spidey.
"Nightwing?" Spider-Man repeated.
"Yes," Nightwing replied.
"THE Nightwing?" Spider-Man questioned.
"That's me," Nightwing responded as he stopped in front of Spider-Man unfazed by the rookie hero's fighting stance.
"How am I'm supposed to believe that?" Spider-Man asked.
"How am I supposed to believe you're the real Spider-Man?" Nightwing teased.
"But if you want proof, I have something that can convince you," Nightwing stated as he leaned closer to Spidey.
"Your real name is Jay Shepard," Nightwing revealed, shocking Spider-Man.
"Wha-HOW?!" Spider-Man questioned as he stepped back a few steps in disbelief.
"I was trained under the world's greatest detective. It wasn't hard for him to find out who you are." Nightwing answered.
"Don't worry, though. Your secret is safe, and the trail has been covered. But do try to keep it a secret." Nightwing added.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Spider-Man sighed as he lowered his hands.
"So I guess you are who you say you are or at least aren't an enemy," Spider-Man murmured as he rubbed the back of his head.
"That's right, and I have to say I'm surprised that you took down Taskmaster so fast and prioritized rescue." Nightwing complimented as he checked over Jett and Mark.
"Taskmaster was mostly luck. If it wasn't for the fact that I caught him by surprise, it would have ended differently." Spider-Man replied.
"He mopped the floor with me in our first bout," Spider-Man added.
"I saw. Your fighting style is sloppy, but you have potential." Nightwing said as he received a message from Oracle.
I just ran a scan on your vitals. You definitely have a concussion…
Please avoid any more fighting, or else you'll get even worse…
"Understood." Nightwing sighed as he turned to look at Spider-Man.
"There are still several other kidnapped teens on the island. I have a boat, but I'm going to need your help to round them up." Nightwing stated.
"About that…I'm uh…being hunted currently." Spider-Man revealed.
"I came over to this area because uh…." Spider-Man continued as he looked to make sure the other teen was still unconscious.
"Because of my friend there. I was going to tell him to head to the beaches and find as many others as he could, but…it doesn't look like he's waking up anytime soon." Spider-Man finished.
"Hunted? Is it Kravinoff?" Nightwing inquired.
"That's the guy. He gave me a head start, but I don't know how much time is left in that. Either way, I'm going to be taking him down." Spider-Man explained.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. You don't know what this guy is capable of. Stay whelmed and think of an actual plan." Nightwing advised.
"If you don't, things may end badly," Nightwing added as Spider-Man thought on his words while confused at the word whelmed.
"I…never really thought about that. After all, Taskmaster kicked my butt even without super strength." Spider-Man agreed.
"Oracle, can you tell where Kravinoff is?" Nightwing inquired.
Let me look…
I found footage of him leaving his compound, but it seems he's avoiding cameras…
He left about five minutes ago, so he can be anywhere in this region…
Nightwing's eyes lit up as his contacts showed him a projected area of where Kraven could be, which was good for them as it wasn't close. This would give Nightwing time to plan with Spider-Man and defeat Kraven.
"Alright, here's what we're going to do." Nightwing began until he was interrupted by a dart hitting him in the neck.
"What the…?" Nightwing questioned as he pulled the dart out.
"S-Shit…" Nightwing cursed as he fell to the ground, fighting to stay conscious.
"Nightwing?!" Spider-Man gasped as his spider-sense went off.
Jumping back into the clearing, Spider-Man avoided a spear that had been thrown at him from the trees. Looking around, he couldn't see who threw the spear, but he had a guess. Before he could look too far, his spider-sense went off again, allowing him to avoid a bladed boomerang.
"Very good little spider. You're the first one to avoid my attacks as such." Kraven complimented.
"How did you catch up so fast?!" Spider-Man questioned.
"Never underestimate the skills of a hunter. It was easy to track you by following those webs you use, and I've traversed this island for years. I know how to traverse it better than anyone." Kraven stated.
"Good for you. How about you come out, and we can talk about it some more!" Spider-Man insisted.
"Nice try, arachnid. But I'm not so foolish." Kraven replied as several darts fired from the trees.
Spider-Man was able to dodge it again and noticed where Kraven was just before the hunter ran out of view. Kraven was far faster than Spider-Man thought as he was nowhere in sight, just seconds after he spotted him.
"Crap, what should I do? This guy is serious about hunting me, and he's an expert." Spider-Man wondered.
"I'm in his hunting grounds giving him a huge advantage. This entire time he's basically been in control. I never stood a chance of losing him." Spider-Man thought.
"After all the work I did sparingly using my webs," Spider-Man noted as he then saw that Taskmaster had broken free.
"Oh shit." Spider-Man gasped as he ducked under a skullrang.
"You're going to regret interrupting my match, Spider-Man." Taskmaster hissed as he came out of the tree line with his sword drawn.
"DON'T INTERFERE, TASKMASTER! THE SPIDER IS MY PREY!" Kraven shouted.
"If you interfere with my hunt, I will cut you down." Kraven threatened.
"Fine. I have a ride to catch anyway." Taskmaster muttered as he put his sword away and left while looking at Nightwing.
"You're not as good as the Bat anyway." Taskmaster spat.
"Throwing away such an advantage? Are you sure that was wise?" Spider-Man questioned.
"If I let Taskmaster interfere, it would spoil the hunt. There is no honor in allowing an outsider in the hunt without them being involved in the beginning." Kraven explained.
"How noble," Spider-Man replied as he rolled his eyes.
"Is all you think about really hunting? You need to get some hobbies, man, because once your old, you're probably going to die of boredom watching wheel of fortune." Spider-Man snipped.
"I'll be satisfied with my life by then, Spider-Man. Especially once I've hunted you and several other metas!" Kraven stated.
"You seriously need a therapist," Spider-Man commented.
"A therapist? Why would a hunter like me need a therapist? I've simply realized the path I needed to take to become the greatest hunter!" Kraven replied as he jumped out of the trees.
With machete raised, he swung at Spidey, who moved out of the way as Kraven dug into the ground. Kraven wore pelts of several animals and clothing that didn't restrict his movements as he charged at Spider-Man.
Spidey was astonished at how fast Kraven was and even more so at the hunter's strength as he caught the blade but nearly let it slip due to the strength of Kraven's attack. He kicked Kraven in the stomach sending him back but failed to follow it up as Kraven jumped back into the forest.
"I've never seen a non-meta do something like that before," Spider-Man commented.
"A mixture of serums and drugs along with a strict exercise can make even the weakest man strong. Now Spider-Man, show me your strength." Kraven explained.
"I'll do that when you come out and stay out," Spider-Man stated.
As Spider-Man continued to avoid Kraven's attacks, Oracle continued to attempt to contact Nightwing only to get no response from the paralyzed crusader on the brink of unconsciousness. In the end, Oracle was forced to fly her drone out of the server room over to the scene.
When she arrived, she was finally able to see Nightwing's condition, and it wasn't great. He was struggling to stay conscious, and if he fell asleep, it wouldn't be good for his concussion. Nightwing needed an antidote for the poison, and there was only one place to get it.
That was on Kraven, and since she couldn't do it herself or get anyone there fast enough, the only person who could help her was Spider-Man. Currently, the arachnid hero was still engaging Kraven but unable to catch him or land a good blow to the hunter.
It was only thanks to his spider-sense that he was able to stay in the fight for so long, dodging every one of Kraven's attacks. Suddenly he was taken off guard as the radio in his mask screeched to life.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Spider-Man cried as he held his ears.
"Don't panic, Mr. Shepard. I'm going to need you at your best." Oracle insisted.
"What the…? Who's this?!" Spider-Man questioned.
"I'm Oracle, Nightwing's partner. I need your help to save him before he passes out from the poison." Oracle explained.
"I hate to say it, but I'm a little busy at the moment," Spider-Man replied as he avoided several darts shot by Kraven.
"You'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. Kraven must have some sort of antidote on him to prevent himself from being poisoned." Oracle began.
"So I need you to beat Kraven as fast as possible and give Nightwing the antidote before it's too late." Oracle finished.
"Well, uh…Ms. Oracle ma'am, I would love to do that, but I don't know how fast I'll be able to beat Kraven. Or if I can beat him at all." Spider-Man replied.
"Don't worry, I'll be able to help you," Oracle stated.
"If you say so." Spider-Man sighed as Kraven rushed out of the bush and cut at Spider-Man's back.
Spidey flipped backward, avoiding the attack before firing a web at Kraven, who cut the web up before it could hit him. As Spider-Man landed, Kraven retreated once more into the forest to keep out of Spider-Man's sight.
"There isn't any chance you can tell me where he is, is there?" Spider-Man inquired.
"Eight o clock!" Oracle informed as Spidey spun around.
Firing a web, Spider-Man cut Kraven's path off, forcing the man to cut through the web. But it gave Spidey enough time to fire another and catch the hunter. Pulling hard, he yanked Kraven out of the forest and into the clearing, and he wasn't going to let him run off that easily.
"You wanted to see my strength! Well, here it is!" Spider-Man shouted as he ran in and planted his fist against Kraven's face knocking him to the ground.
Kraven easily got back to his feet and wiped blood off of his mouth, smiling at the sight of his injury. This had been the first hunt he had ever been injured on, and it was making him excited to continue.
"Very good Spider-Man. Your strength is impressive. But I know when someone is holding back their strength." Kraven stated as he stood up straight.
"That just makes the hunt more interesting," Kraven smirked as he swung at Spidey with his machete.
Spider-Man ducked back to avoid the attack before kicking the blade out of Kraven's hand and punching Kraven in the gut. But Kraven grabbed onto Spider-Man's arm before pulling out a dagger and cutting Spider-Man in the chest.
If it wasn't for his tough skin, the blade would have cut him deep, and to make sure that Kraven couldn't attempt to cut him again, he jumped back. Kraven pulled out another dagger and charged at Spidey, who avoided Kraven's attacks as best he could.
However, up close, Spider-Man found it harder to react to Kraven's more refined movements. While the blades couldn't pierce his skin, the impact still hurt Spider-Man greatly. All of that made it easy for Kraven to get Spidey to the ground.
"Your fighting skills are lacking arachnid," Kraven commented.
"This hunt has been interesting, but it's time to claim my prize," Kraven smirked as he raised a pitch-black knife that set off Spider-Man's spider-sense.
Before Kraven could attack, he was shocked by the drone controlled by Oracle preventing the hunter from attacking. It also gave Spider-Man the opportunity to kick Kraven away before firing a web on the hunter's chest, allowing him to swing Kraven into the ground.
"Thanks for the assist." Spider-Man thanked as the drone hovered next to him.
"No problem. Now kick his ass." Oracle replied.
"With pleasure," Spider-Man smirked as he ran towards Kraven.
As the hunter got up, Spider-Man landed a swift blow to the man's face before dropping down and sweeping his legs. Grabbing onto Kraven's coat, Spider-Man threw him into a nearby tree, cracking the trunk.
"How's that, Kraven?" Spider-Man questioned as he held Kraven up by the collar.
"It'd be more impressive if you didn't have help," Kraven stated as he eyed the little drone above Spider-Man.
"And I despise cheaters." Kraven hissed as he took off a small pellet from his belt and threw it on the ground.
The small pellet created a large burst of light that blinded Spider-Man, who covered his eyes in pain, releasing Kraven, who threw a knife at the drone, destroying it. While Spidey was blinded, Kraven retreated back into the forest out of sight.
"Ow. When were flashbangs built that small?" Spider-Man questioned.
"That's not important! Kraven just destroyed my drone. I've lost all visual contact!" Oracle reported.
"This means you're essentially on your own. But don't worry, I'll be able to give you advice. Stay calm and whelmed." Oracle advised.
"Seriously, what is whelmed?!" Spider-Man questioned as his spider-sense went off.
Jumping up, he avoided one of Kraven's daggers that hit the ground below him, but it seemed that the attack was a feint. His spider-sense went off again as a large net shot out from the trees toward Spidey.
Acting quickly, Spider-Man fired a web at the ground and pulled down to avoid the net as it fell into the trees. Spider-Man wasn't safe yet, though, as his spider-sense warned him of another attack giving him the insight to drop down and avoid a large bola that flew over his head.
"Did you really set traps all across this stupid island!?" Spider-Man questioned as he stood up.
"Of course. A hunter must make the perfect environment to hunt his prey." Kraven stated.
"Why couldn't you be obsessed with something harmless like knitting?" Spider-Man muttered.
"Now that the little drone is gone, you and I are alone to fight," Kraven announced as his voice echoed through the forest.
"No one else will interrupt the hunt, not the one behind the drone. Nor the unconscious ones over yonder." Kraven continued as his voice came from somewhere else.
"You have been fairly impressive, Spider-Man, and I hope to use what I've learned here on my next hunt." Kraven chuckled as his voice again came from somewhere else.
"What the hell is going on?" Spider-Man wondered.
"Don't let him scare you. He is simply throwing his voice to prevent you from finding him." Oracle consoled.
"Right. Right." Spider-Man replied as he came up with an idea.
"Can you record or play my audio?" Spider-Man inquired.
"Yeah. Why?" Oracle asked as Spider-Man ran off, zipping into the forest.
"Running away? How disappointing." Kraven commented as he gave chase and grabbed onto his fallen machete.
"I am the world's greatest hunter. There is nowhere you can run! So fight or accept your fate!" Kraven demanded as he followed Spidey's trail.
"Yeah, because I would definitely volunteer to die," Spider-Man replied, giving Kraven a better heading on Spider-Man's position.
Kraven jumped into the trees as he eyed a tree he knew Spider-Man was in. Holding his machete backward, he leaped toward the tree before stabbing it through to hit Spider-Man. But to his surprise, Spider-Man wasn't there at all.
"What?" Kraven gasped as he had never been wrong about this before.
"Don't tell me the world's greatest hunter made a mistake?" Spider-Man mocked as his voice came from below Kraven.
The hunter looked down to see a phone lying on the branch below him. Picking it up, he noticed it was playing a recording boosted for it to sound much louder. In anger, Kraven crushed the phone before turning around and seeing Spider-Man flying towards him.
Spidey had launched himself with two webs to get Kraven with a surprise attack. He had Oracle record some audio and play it through his phone to trick the hunter into turning his back to him. With that, Spider-Man was able to catch Kraven off guard as he kicked the hunter in the back.
Kraven was sent flying into an adjacent tree which snapped in two as Kraven was pushed through the tree. The hunter fell from the trees, hitting several branches before he hit the ground with a thud as Spider-Man landed in front of him.
Not to be beaten as such, Kraven picked himself up despite his broken bones and attacked Spidey. Thanks to the damage Kraven had taken, his movements were much slower, allowing Spider-Man to counter Kraven.
"You will not beat me as such, Spider!" Kraven shouted.
"Oh yeah, I will!" Spider-Man replied as he landed a swift and strong blow on Kraven's face.
The arachnid hero then jumped over Kraven as he fired a web on the ground behind to pull him into another punch to the back of Kraven's head. When he landed, Kraven sliced at Spidey, who managed to move out of the way though it split apart his hood.
Dropping down, Spider-Man kicked up and into Kraven's chin, launching the hunter up before Spidey fired a web and pulled Kraven down. Kraven readied his machete and sliced at Spider-Man's neck, only to be stopped when Spidey grabbed onto his arm.
Thinking quickly, Spider-Man grabbed onto one of the vials on his belt that contained his web fluid and cracked it. Once he did, he tossed it at Kraven, where the crack grew, and the vial broke open, covering the hunter in web fluid.
"What the?!" Kraven questioned as he became immobile.
"I guess the hunter became the hunted." Spider-Man quipped as he punched Kraven in the face knocking him out.
"That was a terrible line," Oracle commented.
"Really? I thought it was clever." Spider-Man replied.
"It was cliché," Oracle said.
"I guess I still need to work on my quips," Spider-Man sighed.
"While it may have cost me my phone, my plan worked," Spider-Man smirked as he approached Kraven.
"Don't be so sure he may be faking. So be on your guard." Oracle advised.
"Trust me, I'll know if he's going to attack. Plus, it'll take a lot more strength than he's shown to break free of my webbing." Spider-Man replied.
"All right now to find the antidote," Spider-Man murmured as he dug his hand into the webs and pulled out Kraven's belt, which held several vials.
"He has several vials of liquid on his belt. I don't know which one is the antidote." Spider-Man informed.
"How many are there?" Oracle inquired.
"Five. But some may be more poison. If I had some tools or a microscope, I'd be able to tell which is which but as it is now." Spider-Man began.
"It'll be a kind of guessing game." Spider-Man sighed.
"Unless…" Spider-Man whispered as he grabbed onto the poison darts.
"Listen, if you can't figure it out, I can have a team there to help in a few hours. I just need you to help keep Nightwing awake." Oracle said in a panic though she knew it may not be soon enough.
"If he falls asleep, the concussion will only get worse." Oracle thought.
"Don't worry, I have a way to figure out which is the antidote," Spider-Man replied as he took out an empty vial from Kraven's belt and got to work.
Taking each vial, he began slowly as he poured a little of the contents of each vial one by one, testing them against the dart. When he poured one liquid inside, he dipped the dart in to see if it had any reaction to the poison.
When one didn't react, he poured it out and tried again with another. Eventually, he found one that reacted to the poison before neutralizing it, indicating that it was the antidote. Acting quickly, he picked up a webbed-up Kraven and rushed to give the antidote to Nightwing.
Spider-Man arrived and tossed Kraven onto the ground before running to Nightwing's side. The crusader was barely clinging to consciousness as Spidey held him up and poured the antidote into his mouth.
As Spidey placed Nightwing against a tree, Mark began to stir and winced in pain as he finally felt the aftermath of his actions. Looking around, he noticed Nightwing against a tree while Spider-Man stood in front of him talking to himself.
"Yes, he's awake. No, he's not foaming at the mouth. I'm very certain that I gave him the antidote." Spider-Man muttered.
"Look, what reason would I have to lie?" Spider-Man inquired as Nightwing slowly picked himself up.
"Give the kid a break Oracle. I'm fine." Nightwing chuckled.
"Don't worry about her. She was just worried," Nightwing smirked.
"What's going on?" Mark questioned as he sat up.
"Oh, he's awake," Nightwing commented as Spider-Man turned around.
"That's good. One less person who needs to be carried." Spider-Man murmured.
"W-W-Wha…you…Spider-Man?! First Nightwing and now Spider-Man!" Mark gasped.
"Yeah, tonight's been pretty crazy." Spider-Man laughed.
"Are you feeling okay?" Nightwing inquired.
"I. Well…" Mark stuttered as his brain processed the situation, and he remembered what had happened before he passed out.
"Didn't I explode?" Mark questioned.
"Yes, but you're lucky you threw it when you did. You were only sent flying by the shockwave with a few burns." Nightwing explained.
"I wouldn't call that lucky, but it's better than being dead or losing a limb," Spider-Man commented.
"Either way, there's still the problem of gathering the rest of the kidnaped kids and bring them back." Spider-Man reminded.
"Oracle can lead us to the others, and I have a boat to bring everyone back to New York," Nightwing revealed.
"Are you good to go on?" Spider-Man questioned.
"Good enough to move. Let's just hope that other guy doesn't come back." Nightwing answered.
"Yeah, Taskmaster would be a pain in the ass. Speaking of pain in the ass, what should we do with him?" Spider-Man asked as he pointed to Kraven.
"Oracle, is there anyone free we can bring over here?" Nightwing inquired.
"Sorry, no," Oracle answered.
"We'll just have to bring him along then." Nightwing sighed.
"I'll carry him then," Spider-Man replied as he picked up Kraven.
"That still leaves Taskmaster and his partner," Spider-Man stated as a helicopter flew overhead and off into the distance.
"Unless that was him," Spider-Man muttered.
"He could be escaping with others!" Mark gasped.
"Unlikely, the helicopter only seats two," Nightwing stated.
"How'd you know that?" Spider-Man inquired.
"Oracle took a look at the helicopter through the cameras earlier," Nighting informed.
"Speaking of, was it Taskmaster that left?" Nightwing asked.
"I don't know. Unfortunately, because Kraven destroyed the drone, I lost a majority of my control over the island's systems." Oracle responded.
"Thankfully, I can still see the tracers on all the teens," Oracle revealed.
"We'll take what we can get. Though we still need to know what the tracers are." Nightwing replied as he approached Mark and scanned him with his lenses.
Soon he found what he needed as he reached behind Mark's left ear and pulled out a small trace that had been attached. Mark rubbed his ear as Nightwing inspected the device, sending the information to Oracle.
"I see. Pretty advanced." Oracle commented.
"Thankfully, they're easy to remove," Oracle stated.
"Shouldn't we get started? I doubt the others are just going to sit around, and with all the crap on this island, they aren't exactly safe." Spider-Man reminded.
"Right, so I'll be getting the others you take them and Kravinoff to my boat," Nightwing replied as he took off Jett's tracker and handed Spidey a GPS.
"You're going alone! Are you sure you're okay enough for that?" Spider-Man questioned.
"If it's just collecting kids, I should be fine," Nightwing answered.
"Make sure that he doesn't escape." Nightwing insisted as he motioned towards Kraven before running off.
"Uh. So uh…Spider-Man, sir…is uh there…anything specific I should do?" Mark inquired as Spider-Man picked up Kraven.
"Take the GPS and lead the way. I need to carry these two." Spider-Man responded as he picked up Jett.
"Hang in there, buddy," Spider-Man whispered.
Mark led the way through the forest while Spidey followed close behind, making sure Jett was okay and that Kraven was still unconscious. It didn't take them long to get to Nightwing's boat, which wasn't much to look at.
"Can all of us really fit on this?" Mark questioned as he looked at the small boat.
"It should be just big enough," Spider-Man answered as he tossed Kraven onto the beach and placed Jett down.
"Plus, worse comes to worst. I just web this guy to the back of the boat and drag him," Spider-Man replied as he kicked Kraven.
"Wouldn't that uh…kill him?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, it was a joke. If things really do get bad, then I'll wait here with this guy for a second trip." Spider-Man stated as he looked at Mark.
"You still doing okay? Being that close to an explosion must have rattled you up a little?" Spider-Man inquired.
"I'm okay. I actually feel pretty good." Mark answered.
"But…" Mark murmured before trailing off.
"What is it like being a meta?" Mark asked, surprising Spidey.
"What do you mean?" Spider-Man questioned.
"I mean, how do you live with it? With the knowledge that you're different and that people might try and take you away like this?" Mark questioned.
"Just the thought of gaining powers from the metagene scares me, and the thing is, I am positive for the gene." Mark continued.
"If this can happen, what will happen if I do get powers?" Mark went on.
"Look, I don't know if I have the best advice for you, and it may not be what you want to hear." Spider-Man interrupted.
"For me, when I got my powers, I can say I was pretty scared. All I could think of was the bad things that could happen and any way to get rid of my powers." Spider-Man began.
"But I never thought about how to live with these powers. As much as I didn't want to accept it, I had to come to terms that my powers weren't going away." Spider-Man continued.
"I had to learn to live with my powers and accept my new reality. Thankfully for you, no one else knows about you being metagene positive, nor do you have powers." Spider-Man went on.
"You still have the chance to live a normal life. Just don't let the worries of what if get to you." Spider-Man finished.
"I see. Thank you." Mark nodded as Jett began to wake.
"Owwww….am I dead?" Jett questioned as he sat up.
"Not quite," Spider-Man answered.
"Ja…Spider-Man!" Jett gasped as he quickly corrected himself before saying Spidey's real name.
"Oh, thank god you're awake. I thought I killed you." Mark sighed.
"Glad to know I'm not dead. But how bad are the burns?" Jett inquired.
"You don't have any burns. I managed to put out the fire before it could do much damage." Spider-Man informed.
"Thank god." Jett sighed as he sat up, and Spider-Man caught him up on current events.
Meanwhile, close by, Tinkerer watched the scene, glad to see Jett was alright. But she was unable to stay happy. Tinkerer was unable to help them at all, and she was unable to keep the secret of Jett's metagene status.
She was losing control of her entire life, and she could do nothing about it when it came to Kingpin. Before Jett was born, her life was hell as her family moved from place to place, not staying anywhere for longer than a month.
All of it was to avoid Kingpin, to whom her father owed a significant amount of money. Her father's greed had gotten her in this position, and though he changed when Jett came around, he still had to work off his debt to Kingpin.
All because he couldn't give away the assets he gained from the money he was given. Now she was forced to work off his debt now that he was gone and to make sure Jett didn't suffer the same fate, she would do it. But things were getting more complicated than she hoped.
Earlier…
"Tell me, Tinkerer, why did you leave New York without my permission?" Kingpin questioned.
"Sir!" Tinkerer gasped as she was surprised to truly hear Kingpin at the other end of the line.
"I had noticed individuals kidnapping teens possibly for meta trafficking, so I followed them to make sure they didn't impede on your business." Tinkerer lied.
"I'm sure you did. But there was never a need for that. Kravinoff paid handsomely to gain access to teens with the metagene." Kingpin stated.
"While normally that alone wouldn't be enough, he also gave me another generous offer. He will give me the data he received on fighting metas and give it to me." Kingpin explained.
"With it dealing with metas such as Spider-Man will not be a problem in the future." Kingpin added.
"But that means him hunting and killing teens." Tinkerer argued.
"It will spare them a fate most children with the metagene will experience and give them a fighting chance." Kingpin replied.
"Now, you will stop interfering immediately and hand the phone to Chameleon." Kingpin ordered as Tinkerer hesitated on what to do.
She didn't know what to say or if there was something she could say to change Kingpin's mind. But her word most likely doesn't hold much weight on the crimelord. She could only do as he asked though she had one last question.
"Sir, I have to ask. Why was I not informed of this?" Tinkerer questioned.
"It was none of your business, Tinkerer. Your job is to build me an army, and I don't want you doing anything else without my permission." Kingpin answered.
"So the next time you go against my wishes, think of what you still have left to lose." Kingpin threatened as Tinkerer gripped the phone tight, cracking the screen.
"Yes, Sir." Tinkerer replied as she handed the phone to Chameleon after letting him go.
"I'm here. Understood, I'll be leaving soon with Taskmaster after giving him his cut." Chameleon said.
"Though I'm afraid there are other complications tonight, most notably being that both Spider-Man and Nightwing are on the island." Chameleon revealed.
"Yes sir, THE Nightwing." Chameleon answered.
"I don't know, but Taskmaster was very sure." Chameleon stated.
"No, Spider-Man is set to be Kravinoff's first hunt, so with any luck, he'll die tonight." Chameleon explained shocking Tinkerer.
"Jay's being hunted!" Tinkerer gasped internally.
"Understood. I'll see you soon then, boss." Chameleon said as he hung up.
"I suggest you get going because this helicopter only seats two." Chameleon stated as he climbed back into the helicopter.
Tinkerer just stood there as she was unable to do anything. If she saved Jett or Jay, then she would incur Kingpin's wrath. She was stuck in a rock and a hard place, and she could only place her faith in Jay or Nightwing to stop it all.
Present Time…
Her faith was well placed as Jay had defeated Kraven and saved Jett, but it ate her inside that she did nothing at all. She didn't know what she was turning into, but Tinkerer was slowly losing herself to this dark life.
It scared her of what could happen next. What would be the next time she was unable to care for her brother when he really needed it. She had made a promise to herself to always be there for him, and she was unable to keep it today.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tinkerer apologized as she left the scene.
Later…
New York City Harbor…
Spider-Man breathed a sigh of relief as he watched as the kidnapped teens were being processed by the police. The police were helping them calm down and recover while also working on taking down Kraven, who was in a large web of his making.
He crouched on the edge of a building watching Jett and the others be taken back to their homes. Somehow someway he managed to stop them from suffering being hunted for sport. Though he was greatly helped getting everyone together and back by Nightwing.
"So you're sure that you don't want people to know about your involvement?" Spider-Man inquired as Nightwing stood behind him.
"Can't have them finding out and blaming the justice league. Things will get worse for them if the UN finds out." Nightwing explained.
"Besides, it was you who defeated Kraven in the end," Nightwing added.
"Still, though. I've didn't really have a plan of getting them off the island. If it wasn't for you, though, they would have still been stuck on the island." Spider-Man pointed out.
"You did well, though, and I can see you only have the best of intentions." Nightwing smiled.
"That being said, you're sloppy and untrained. With a little training, you can become a better hero." Nightwing stated.
"Really? Well, thank you. That means a lot from a well-known hero." Spider-Man thanked.
"Well, if you want, I have an offer for you to join a team of young heroes much like yourself. This will allow you to train and better your skills." Nightwing offered.
"A team of young superheroes? This sounds new to me." Spider-Man replied.
"It's a covert team. They're not publically known. However, they work hand in hand with the Justice League." Nightwing explained.
"Hand in hand with the Justice League?!" Spider-Man gasped.
"I know it may sound like a lot, but it can be greatly beneficial," Nightwing replied as Spider-Man thought the offer over.
"If I were to join this team. Would I still be able to work around in New York?" Spider-Man inquired.
"I suppose though they may want you to hold off on dangerous encounters like Kraven," Nightwing responded.
"To be honest, I left the team a while back. Needed a break after…well that's not important." Nightwing added.
"I think…I think I'm going to stay solo for a while." Spider-Man declined, surprising Nightwing.
"Are you sure?" Nightwing asked.
"Yeah. I think I'm not ready for that yet. I'm going to stick with being New York's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." Spider-Man answered.
"Well, I can respect that," Nightwing replied.
"That being said, I'm not opposed to helping out if there is ever a need. So if you or this team are in the neighborhood, you know where to find me." Spider-Man said as he jumped off the roof and swung away.
"Did he really just decline?" Oracle questioned.
"He sure did. While I can't say, I fully approve, we can't force him to join." Nightwing responded.
"Still though, it'll be interesting to see his development," Nightwing commented.
"Shouldn't we have asked him about Oscorp? He might have known something?" Oracle inquired.
"Whatever's going on at Oscorp is big, so we need to tread carefully. He's still a kid, so we don't want him getting hurt." Nightwing stated.
"That may not stop him." Oracle pointed out.
"True, which means we'll have to keep an eye on him," Nightwing replied.
"Besides, if we do need his help, he did say he'll be around," Nightwing smirked.
"Now, I'm going to need a ride back home." Nightwing sighed.
Curtis Conners Home…
"How're you feeling?" Jay inquired as Jett sat on the couch.
"Physically, I feel pretty good. But I'm…concerned." Jett responded.
"About whether or not you really have the metagene?" Jay asked.
"Yeah. If what Nightwing said was true, then I may actually be metagene positive." Jett answered.
"Sara said I tested negative, but the test may have failed," Jett added.
"Metagene tests have a point one percent chance of failing. It's improbable but not impossible." Curt explained.
"I can give you another test and get you your results in about two days," Curt stated.
"Thank you. I think that would be best. After talking with Sara, she assured me it was going to be okay and that she's going to double-check my medical records." Jett replied.
"But I want, no HAVE to be sure," Jett said.
"Then we'll do it." Jay declared.
"We need to be sure, too, in case someone tries something again." Jay pointed out.
"I'll get started right away then," Curt replied as he left while scratching at the back of his neck, where a green rash laid just under his hair.
"So are we going to talk about how you refused a chance to basically join part of the Justice League?" Jett inquired.
"Look, the offer sounded good, and maybe one day I may take him up on it, but you already know the stuff the Justice League has to go to with the UN." Jay began.
"If I join and it's found out that I'm working with the League, I won't be able to do the hero work I want to." Jay finished.
"I guess I understand, but still, with such a big offer, it's hard seeing anyone actually turn such an offer down." Jett sighed.
"I'm sure I'm not the first to do so," Jay replied.
"Well, I should head back home before Sara realizes I'm gone. I'll see you later if Sara doesn't keep me home." Jett said as he got up.
"Let's hope you don't have to stay home indefinably because of this whole thing." Jay pointed out as Jett nodded and left.
Jay then went into his room and took stock of his supplies, seeing he was getting low on web fluid. Without a source of income, he wouldn't be able to get more nor help supply, Jett. Additionally, his costume was damaged, and he would need money to repair it.
Which meant he would need to find a job, and he had no idea where to start. He'll just have to ask Curt for advice on finding a job. Jay just hoped that he could balance a job with being Spider-Man.
New York Penitentiary…
"This guy gives me the creeps. Why couldn't he have been sent to Belle Reve?" A Guard questioned.
"Belle Reve is for supervillains, and all he did was kidnap some kids. True he wanted to hunt them. He doesn't fit the requirements of a prison like that." Another answered.
"Still though, the freak's been smiling ever since he woke up." The Guard pointed out as the two looked into Kraven's cell.
The hunter had a wide grin as if he was a kid on Christmas getting exactly what he had asked for from Santa. Looking out the window, Kraven caught a spider that crawled through the bars and crushed it in his hand.
"You are the hunt I've been waiting for, Spider-Man. So don't get too comfortable. The hunt has only just begun." Kraven snickered as he dropped the crushed spider.
Otto Octavius Home…
Otto tossed and turned in his sleep as he had a horrible nightmare. He was reliving that horrible day. The day he lost all that mattered to him. His family. They had been driving to Rhode Island for a short vacation, but that would never come to pass.
That day before they could leave the city, the Injustice League held the world ransom, and one of the many plants knocked over and crushed their car. Otto managed to survive, but his wife and son were killed as rescue teams, and the Justice League could not arrive in time.
It is what drove him to create his arms, a tool to help people to save those precious to them. But now, because of Norman, his hopes were dashed. No matter what Otto tried, he was unable to find funding or a new job.
He even tried Lexcorp, and they turned him down! Otto was running out of options, and he knew his genius needed to be shared with the world. Once he does, people will finally recognize him for his genius.
Getting up, Otto looked outside his window at the bright lights of New York City. He couldn't wait any longer. If he was going to bring his technology to the world, he must get the funds himself. Whatever. It. Took.
"I have everything I need to do it." Otto began as he looked at his mechanical arms.
"I just need to prepare." Otto finished.
Author's Note:
Hey guys, sorry for the wait, but the chapter is finally here! Jay beat Kraven with some little help, but next time they encounter he may not be so lucky. About Jay turning down Nightwing's offer to join the Team, I had him do that because one, I feel it is still too early, and two, because I wanted Jay to remain solo for a little longer.
As for why Nightwing didn't say anything about Oscorp to Jay, it's basically as he said. He didn't want to tell Jay because Jay is too new for this, and he believes it would be too dangerous. If Jay was on the Team, Nightwing would have definitely told Jay about it as Jay wouldn't go in alone.
So to make sure Jay didn't try anything alone which could get him killed, Nightwing refrained the information. Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, as I had to make a few revisions so that the fights were more satisfying, at least for me.
We also got a little deeper glimpse at Sara's situation with being Tinkerer as she was literally unable to help. All due to Kingpin's threat to basically kill Jett though he didn't know he was there. Yet.
So basically, it was save Jett, and Kingpin will have him killed or do nothing and have a slight chance of him coming out alive. Which made things pretty hard for her, to say the least.
I don't have much else to say about this chapter so let's get to the reviews:
King0985 (Guest) – No, it is not programable matter. I didn't want to make her too similar to Phin, so I made her little trinkets exoskeletons with built-in weapons. Thankfully next chapter, I'm definitely going to be showing them off.
Magnouce elie (Guest) – Yes, I'm going to continue this story, so please do not spam that again. I deleted your other reviews because I don't allow that, so please refrain from doing that in the future thanks. But I do plan on seeing this story to the end.
TitansForever (Guest) – Sorry to dash your hopes, but I'm just going to say it here that it won't be a Ghost Spider or Spider-Gwen (Who I assume is the same person as I see. That's what they call her nowadays). Though it will be a long while before the next Spider to show up.
Dark Goblin (Guest) – Don't worry, Rhino will be Aleksei, not Alex. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before he shows up.
Star Vader Chaos Breaker – I do not have any plans on adding Hammerhead as the only knowledge I have of him is his appearances in shows and the game, so I wouldn't know how to implement him well. But who knows, maybe he can fit in one day.
Yes, a lot of the Spider-Man villains will be adapted as Metas because it only makes sense to do so in my mind.
Martin (Guest) – Well, if you were serious, why did you say it in the one fic of mine with literally no cursing (Crap does not count). Either way, I'll try to tone down how much I curse but no promises because I use curse words when I feel they are appropriate, so if that's a problem, I apologize, but I'm going to continue using them.
Taskmaster (Guest) – Yeah, it will take Jay a while before he can beat most goons and villains easily on his own, but he'll get there eventually. As for Taskmaster, don't worry. He's not going to be able to copy powers or enhancements. He'll only copy people's fighting style.