Chapter 16:
F.E.A.S.T DOWN PART 1
Rhode Island…
Happy Harbor…
Thursday, June 22, 8:29 pm…
"Sorry I haven't been able to call recently, Gar. But I've been pretty busy with the Team and work." Megan apologized as she sat down on her couch.
"It's no problem, Sis. Things have been pretty chill for me lately after that whole fiasco in New York." Garfield replied, causing Megan's expression to harden.
"About that. Did you talk to him much?" Megan inquired, curious about Gar's interaction with the arachnid hero.
"We didn't talk much. I simply complimented him on his work and thanked him for the save before he left." Garfield explained, making Megan sigh with a small smile.
"That sounds like you," Megan noted with a small chuckle.
"Well, I'm glad you're safe," Megan said as Garfield spoke up.
"So, are you guys thinking of recruiting him?" Garfield asked, causing Megan to fall silent.
"I want to, but when Dick offered the opportunity, he declined. But I hope to convince him with some of the members of the Team." Megan explained as her phone buzzed.
Moving her phone away from her ear, she saw that she had received a text from Dick that simply read, "Check the news in New York NOW." Confused, Megan turned on her TV and switched it over to the nearest news station, which was GBC.
"Oh, my god." Megan gasped, dropping her remote.
"What? What is it? Megan?" Garfield questioned as Megan composed herself.
"It's nothing, Gar. But I'm going to need to call you back." Megan responded before hanging up and changing into her Martian form.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today marks another day of scrutiny for the great city of New York." Godfrey declared as he sat at his desk.
"The charity organization F.E.A.S.T created by Mayor Martin Li has been exposed as a vast drug trafficking center!" Godrey announced as he slammed his fist down.
"That's right, the little center to help the homeless of New York has been secretly bringing in drugs right under our noses!" Godfrey spat before getting up from his desk.
"And our esteemed Mayor has yet to make any comment. Ever since the whole Spider-Slayer fiasco Mayor Li has been radio silent!" Godfrey pointed out as he threw his hands into the air.
"But even with his silence, our men and women in blue are working to take down this drug ring, and currently, all employees, big and small, are under arrest!" Godfrey continued as several pictures appeared next to him.
Including one for Jay Shepard.
New York…
Thursday, June 22, 2:29 pm…
Curtis Conner's Home…
Six Hours Earlier…
Jay copied the last of the files from Norman's hard drive before disconnecting it from his computer. Upon Nightwing's request, he was going to hand the hard drive over to him at their next meeting. But just to be safe, he wanted a copy of the files.
"Man, I need more storage," Jay murmured, looking at the red marker on his full storage.
"But at least I got it done. Now I can hand this over to Nightwing on our next training session." Jay smirked, placing the hard drive down on his desk.
From the small training he already got, Jay managed to deal with Kraven once again, so he was excited to see what else he'll learn. That being said, he was still a little nervous about their next session, as Nightwing wanted to introduce him to someone.
It could only be someone big. Maybe Batman. Or Superman! Well, whoever he was going to be introduced to, regardless, would be interesting to see. But it was equally nerve-wracking because the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself in front of other heroes.
"I need a shower." Jay sighed, having stayed up all night as Spider-Man and all day transferring data.
"What time is it?" Jay wondered through a yawn as he glanced at his clock before going wide-eyed.
"I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" Jay gasped, leaping out of his chair.
"I knew I should've done this after my volunteer hours," Jay muttered as he put on his suit while stuffing his clothes and the hard drive into his backpack.
"Better get going now. I don't want to make Mr. Thomspon mad." Jay noted, pulling down his mask before grabbing onto his bag and jumping out of his window.
Shooting a web, Spidey swung as fast as he could through the streets of New York toward F.E.A.S.T. The last thing he needed was to be late, as it would look poorly on him. So he used every shortcut he knew and every trick he could use.
Thankfully he was making good time as he ran across a rooftop and leaped off. Falling down Spider-Man waited before shooting out his web to build up as much momentum as he could to create a faster swing.
Once he was ready, he fired his web, allowing him to zoom over the streets and cars below. Though he was running late, Spidey couldn't help but take this all in. Swinging around was probably the best part of being Spider-Man.
The thrill of maneuvering through buildings and the wind beating against him, there was nothing else like it. It was times like these he felt he could forget his problems. However, it couldn't last forever as he continued on his way. If things went well, he should make it to F.E.A.S.T on time. But things could never be easy.
Nearby several kids were playing on their rooftop balcony with the new Goode Goggles, a virtual reality headset. They were happily running around playing a game to collect the most coins without a care in the world. To the point that one didn't see the roof's edge.
"Oh shit!" Spidey cried as he saw the child walk off the roof, screaming.
Moving fast Spider-Man slung himself toward the child catching him just before he hit the ground and swinging him back to the roof. Upon landing, he made sure the kid had no injuries on him before letting him go.
"You okay, kid?" Spider-Man asked as the child nodded while taking off his goggles.
"That's good." Spider-Man sighed before glancing at the goggles.
"I get these are fun, kid. But maybe don't play with them on the roof. Not everyone can swing around like I can." Spider-Man suggested as he tapped on the child's goggles.
"Okay. Thank you Spider-Man." The Child nodded as Spidey patted his head.
"Play safe!" Spider-Man insisted before jumping off the roof and going back on his way, leaving the kids to watch in awe before leaving the roof themselves.
"They really should put a warning on those things." Spider-Man sighed as he continued to swing through the city.
"Okay, I should still have time, but I could save some by…taking a train," Spider-Man smirked, spotting a nearby train heading just in the right direction.
"Good, I can ride this for a few stops before…." Spider-Man began before the train slowly stopped at a station.
"Please be advised the train will be shutting down for maintenance. This is the final stop."
"Perfect," Spider-Man muttered before leaping off and returning to swinging.
"Okay, that didn't work, but I can still make it in time." Spidey insisted as he ran across a building.
Leaping off, he dove back down before shooting off another web to slow his momentum, allowing him to land on a truck. He rode the truck before jumping off to another street and creating a small slingshot to shoot him down the block.
Moving as fast as he could Spider-Man managed to arrive just in time as he landed on the roof of F.E.A.S.T. Once he landed, he quickly took off his costume, changing into his normal clothes before hiding his bag and web shooters in a vent before jumping down to street level.
"Just made it." Jay sighed, taking a breather before moving toward the front of the building before pausing.
"What's up with all the cars?" Jay wondered, looking at several cars surrounding the front of the building.
Ignoring the odd amount of cars, Jay went to head inside, only for his spider-sense to go off when he grabbed onto the door. Jay recoiled the second it went off, causing it to stop just as suddenly as it began.
Cautiously Jay moved his hand back toward the door, causing his spider-sense to go off once again, making him pull back. Confused, Jay looked around him, trying to understand what was setting off his spider-sense as not even he knew. It was as if it was just telling him not to go inside.
"What's going on?" Jay questioned as the door suddenly shot open.
"Oh, Jay. Right on time." Richard exclaimed, ushering a confused Jay in.
"Is uh…everything okay, Mr. Thompson?" Jay inquired as Richard looked at him perplexed.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Richard asked as Jay looked around the building.
"No reason, it's just…." Jay began waiting for his spider-sense to go off, only for it to remain silent.
"Lot of cars outside." Jay finished as Richard nodded.
"Yes, I think some event is going on or something," Richard noted before closing the door behind them.
"Anyway, I need some help in the back. Would you mind giving me a hand?" Richard requested as Jay nodded.
"Yeah, sure," Jay replied, following Richard toward the back.
But as he moved, he couldn't help but still be on edge. His spider-sense was trying to warn him of something, only to be immediately silenced once he entered. Was it a fluke? Did the danger already disappear?
"Just what is going on?" Jay wondered as he greeted many of the residents.
Taking deep breaths, Jay tried to calm himself down as his heart beat a mile a minute, and his thoughts ran wild. Something had to be wrong, and he needed to find out the only problem being how he would go about doing that.
Eventually, the two make it to the back, where many of the other volunteers and employees were running around doing their own tasks. It was no wonder Richard needed help as everyone had something else to do, leaving no one free to help save Jay.
"So. Mr. Thompson, what do you need help with back here?" Jay inquired as they entered the loading dock.
"We just received a large donation of clothes from an anonymous donator. So I need help bringing them inside." Richard answered, gesturing toward the large pile of boxes.
"Talk about generosity. The person who gave all of this must have been loaded." Jay commented as he picked up a box from the pile.
"Huh…?"
"This is pretty heavy for some clothes," Jay noted as Richard nodded.
"That's why I could use the help. Since you seem to be able to lift a lot, you'll save me a lot of time." Richard explained, grabbing onto another box.
Hesitantly Jay grabbed onto another box, stacking it on his own and bringing it into the main building. As he did so, he kept his eyes on his surroundings, still on edge and waiting for his spider-sense to go off once more.
"What's going on? Why is nothing happening?" Jay questioned as he placed his boxes down.
"God, am I really complaining about nothing happening?" Jay wondered as Richard placed his box next to Jay's.
"Is everything all right, Jay? You look stressed?" Richard inquired, taking Jay out of his thoughts.
"Uh…yeah, I'm fine, Mr. Thompson just…." Jay began before stopping short as his spider-sense finally went off once more.
Spinning around, Jay watched as both the front and back doors were slammed open, and several armed police officers rushed in with guns in hand. More breached through the other entrances surrounding everyone.
"GET DOWN! EVERYONE ON YOUR KNEES!" They Ordered as they surrounded Jay and Richard.
Jay was too shocked to respond as he watched the officers move in before they eventually shoved him against the table, knocking down one of his boxes before placing cuffs on him. They did the same with Richard and every other employee they found.
"What's going on?" Richard questioned in a panic.
"You're under arrest for drug trafficking." An Officer stated before picking him up.
"Drug trafficking, don't be absurd!" Richard shouted as one of the officers inspected the fallen box.
"Then how do you explain this?" The Officer questioned as he pulled out a jacket before unfolding it, revealing a block of cocaine.
"No way," Jay muttered under his breath as he was pulled up.
He was given a second to process what he saw when he was taken out of the back and pushed toward the front. Looking around, Jay noticed that the rest of the staff were being treated the same as the residents were being guided out.
"Listen, this has to be a mistake. Someone donated those!" Richard insisted, but the cops didn't listen as they continued to push him forward.
Jay didn't resist as he knew it would help nothing. Sure, he could easily break out of these cuffs and throw the cop off him, but that would do him any good. The best he could do was go with the flow and figure out how he could get out of this.
When he was eventually led outside, he saw all the cars that had been outside lit up with red and blue lights, along with several DEA trucks surrounding the building. Further back, he saw news vans pulling up, no doubt to report on the current event.
"So this is what my spider-sense was warning me about," Jay noted as he was pushed toward one of the DEA trucks while one of the officers read him his Miranda Rights.
"This has to be a mistake. Please just listen," Richard begged, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears.
"Mr. Thompson. I don't think they care." Jay noted as they were placed down on seats.
"So we should probably keep quiet until we have a lawyer," Jay advised as several others were placed in the truck before the door shut.
As the DEA vans began to roll out, the residents staying at F.E.A.S.T watched from afar. While they watched, officers began to interview and interrogate many of them there while also attempting to keep them calm.
But one officer split off from the others and moved down into a nearby alley. Once out of view, the officer began to morph and change before taking the form of Chameleon. Cracking his neck, Chameleon readjusted to his own body.
"This is Chameleon. Stage one is set." Chameleon reported via Comlink.
NYPD Lockup…
9:06 pm…
"So you have no knowledge of the drugs that were going through F.E.A.S.T?" Inquired Jay's Court Appointed Attorney as Jay sat across from him, chained to the table.
"Like I keep saying, I was told that an anonymous donator donated the boxes. Whatever this is to me looks like a setup." Jay stated, making the attorney chuckle.
"Right. Well, Mr. Shephard, things simply don't look that good for you. Especially since you were caught handling some of the drugs." The Attorney causing Jay to scowl.
Several hours had passed since Jay and the other employees/volunteers of F.E.A.S.T were detained. After being thoroughly interrogated by the cops and sitting in a cell with many of the others, Jay was finally able to talk with a court-appointed attorney once it was his turn.
"This isn't going well." Jay thought as his attorney stood up.
"So here are your options. One, you claim ignorance and place the blame on the higher-ups, and I may be able to get you parole. Two, you plead guilty but say that you were forced to comply, and perhaps we can get you a few months in juvie." The Attorney explained as Jay clenched his fist.
"I'm not a liar, sir. So I won't be taking either option." Jay stated unwilling to throw innocent people under the bus.
He couldn't do it. Jay knew that these people were good, and allowing them to be thrown in jail while he walked free, well, the thought was just disgusting. So Jay wouldn't take either option. He'll fight to prove his innocence. Somehow.
"Son, nothing good will come from trying to fight this. If you don't do either, you will be facing some serious prison time after you turn eighteen." The Attorney advised as Jay took a deep breath.
"That's only if I'm found guilty," Jay replied as the attorney shook his head.
"Well, good luck with that." The Attorney muttered before leaving the room.
"Yeah, it's not like I haven't been here for hours already." Jay snipped as the officer shut the door behind him.
"Just great. They got me the worst attorney to defend me." Jay thought, rubbing his brow.
"Doesn't even want to attempt to prove my innocence. Hopefully, Uncle Curt can get me a better one." Jay sighed as he leaned back into his chair.
Now alone once more, Jay stamped his foot on the ground in frustration. He didn't have a clue what was going on even hours after being detained. It was clear to him that F.E.A.S.T was being set up for something, but Jay couldn't think of a reason for why.
After all, F.E.A.S.T was non-profit, so robbing it made no sense. So unless this was all to make Mayor Li look bad, he couldn't see a single reason why this was happening. For the past few hours, Jay had been mulling this over and becoming increasingly frustrated over being able to do nothing.
He just wanted to shatter these cuffs and bust down the door so he could go out and find some answers. But that would make him look worse. It also wouldn't help Richard and the employees who worked at F.E.A.S.T, who were in deeper trouble than he was.
"Just what the hell am I supposed to do?" Jay questioned as the door to the interrogation room suddenly opened.
"Well, Shepard, it's your lucky day. Your guardian got you a new lawyer." The Officer stated, confusing Jay.
"A new lawyer?" Jay questioned, confused, as just minutes before, he was talking to his appointed attorney.
"Yes." The Officer answered before moving outside and letting in a man with black hair who looked like he was in his twenties inside.
"Thank you. I'd like to speak to my client alone, please." The Man requested, his voice sounding very familiar to Jay.
"You have ten minutes." The Officer informed before leaving the room.
"So, Mr. Shepard. How are you feeling?" The Man inquired as Jay looked at him suspiciously.
"Not great. The last lawyer I talked to wasn't exactly helpful." Jay answered as the man fished something out of his pocket, which flew out of his hand and latched onto the camera.
"And you…look like you're fresh out of law school," Jay commented, curious at what kind of lawyer he was given.
"Technically…" The Man began before glancing back at the camera with a smile.
"I haven't been to law school." He stated as he sat in front of a shocked Jay.
"Excuse me?! Look, I need a real lawyer right now, not some…fake!" Jay shouted as the man smirked.
"If you want out of this situation, then it depends on your cooperation. Spider-Man." The Man replied, causing Jay to freeze.
"H-How…wait…" Jay murmured as he looked at the man closer.
"Nightwing?" Jay whispered, making Dick smirk.
"Good to see that you catch on quick," Dick replied as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Now I'm going to explain this quickly, so just listen, and don't worry, I hacked the cameras." Dick insisted as Jay nodded.
"Right now, F.E.A.S.T is being framed, of which I'm sure you're already aware. For what reason they're being framed, I haven't found out yet." Dick began, his voice getting serious.
"But I know that if nothing is done, you and the rest of the employees will be going to prison. That is unless you want to help clear your names." Dick stated, confusing Jay.
"I'd love to help clear my name, but there isn't much I can do in here." Jay pointed out, shaking his cuffs.
"That's true. But if someone were to take your place while you suit up, then it won't be a problem." Dick explained as Jay raised a brow.
"What do you…" Jay began before stopping as his spider-sense went off, warning him of something before dying down.
"Can you hear me?" Dick inquired, causing Jay to nearly jump out of his chair.
"That was…in my head," Jay muttered, looking shocked at Dick.
"That's right. I've connected us with a mental link, so please don't react too much." A New Voice reported confusing Jay.
"Oh. Okay…I guess that's what set off my spider-sense. So uh, may I ask who you are? And follow up, where are you?" Jay inquired, scanning the room for the source of the new voice.
"My name is M'gann M'orzz. But you can call me Miss Martian. Currently, I'm cloaked in the corner of the room." Miss Martian answered, introducing herself.
"Miss Martian? Like a real Martian? Whoa, I'm talking to an alien," Jay commented as Dick cleared his throat.
"We can still hear you." Dick pointed out, causing Jay to go wide-eyed.
"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude! I was just a little excited to talk to a real alien because it's like every nerd's dream, and I really should stop talking or thinking, shouldn't I?" Jay replied, unable to control his thoughts.
"Is there a mute function? Like if I want to have a private thought?" Jay inquired, not wanting to embarrass himself.
"Don't worry about it. Just focus." Dick insisted bringing the conversation back on topic.
"M'gann here is the leader of the covert team I told you about. She will take your place here while you, I, and a few others on the Team will find the true culprit." Dick explained as Jay nodded.
"Okay. But how do I get out of here?" Jay inquired, feeling a tug on his cuffs.
"We're going to shut off the lights. When that happens, put your hands under the table and wait for your cuffs to be unlocked. Then crawl into the vent above you." Miss Martian answered as Jay glanced up.
"From there, Oracle will guide you outside with a small drone, where I will meet you," Dick added, eyeing the drone attached to the camera.
"I can do that. But my suit and equipment are back at F.E.A.S.T, which might be hard to get." Jay informed, knowing that it was probably being searched by now.
"It won't be a problem," Dick replied as he pulled out a switch from his pocket.
"If you say so, and thanks for helping. I was having trouble figuring out how to solve this situation." Jay thanked, bowing his head.
"Don't mention it," Dick smirked while he hovered his thumb over the switch.
"All right then, I'll shut off the lights in 3…."
"2."
"1."
Just as Dick finished his countdown, the lights shut off. Jay tucked his hands under the table, allowing Miss Martian to remove the cuffs while taking Jay's form. Moving quickly, Jay leaped to the ceiling and removed the vent cover allowing him to duck in and replace it just as the lights came back on.
Peaking through the vent, Jay was in awe, seeing an exact replica of himself sitting where he just was. He had heard about Martians being able to shapeshift into anyone they wanted, but actually seeing it was impressive, like looking at a live video of himself in person.
"Whoa. It's weird seeing myself down there." Jay noted as he began to crawl through the vents as quietly as he could.
"I'll have to thank her later." Jay thought as he rounded a corner.
"I can still hear you." Miss Martian stated, causing Jay to freeze.
"Oh…I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Jay sighed, getting a laugh from Dick.
"Don't worry about it. We'll be ending the link in a minute." Dick assured as he stood up.
"I'll meet with you outside. M'gann, thanks for this." Dick thanked as officers entered the room confused.
"Don't mention it. But Mr. Shepard, I would like to have a word with you once this is done." Miss Martian insisted as Jay nodded.
"Sure." Jay agreed before his mind felt quiet.
"I really hope that means that link is gone. Having people in my head was weird." Jay whispered as a small bug-like drone appeared before him.
"Guess this is my guide?" Jay asked, getting some blinking lights from the drone before it flew down the ventilation.
After several minutes following the drone, Jay found himself on the building's roof. Thankfully no one was currently up there, but it didn't put Jay at ease. No doubt his face was everywhere on the news. Probably not as much as the higher-ups, but even so, at the moment, he was marked as a criminal.
"Good, you made it out," Nightwing smirked, causing Jay to jump.
"I thought no one was up here," Jay murmured, disappointed at how he missed Nightwing.
"Well, I'm an expert at not being seen." Nightwing began as Jay looked at the towering buildings.
"So, do you have a mode of transportation? Because I'm going to feel weird jumping around without my webs." Jay inquired, scratching the back of his head.
"Don't worry about that," Nightwing replied, confusing Jay.
"Where exactly did you put your suit?" Nightwing asked as Jay raised a brow.
"Uh, in my backpack. I put it on the roof in one of the exterior vents." Jay answered as Nightwing nodded.
"You get that, KF?" Nightwing inquired via coms.
F.E.A.S.T…
"You betcha be there soon!" Kid Flash responded as he dashed toward the F.E.A.S.T building, easily getting past the police barricade and onto the roof.
Using his super-speed, Kid Flash scoured the entire ventilation system before finally coming across Jay's backpack. Picking it up, he quickly left the roof and ran past the guards, with none being the wiser of his presence.
"Got the goods. Be there in two minutes." Kid Flash reported speeding off toward Nightwing and Jay's location.
NYPD Lockup…
"All right, KF has your bag. He'll be here momentarily." Nightwing stated, shocking Jay.
"That fast? Wait, who's KF?" Jay questioned, confused about what was happening.
"Kid Flash," Nightwing answered, not elaborating any further.
"Ah, gotcha," Jay replied, knowing about the young speedster or at least the original.
"Does that mean he knows my…identity?" Jay inquired, gesturing to his face.
"No, I requested that your identity be kept quiet. But they're pretty smart, so don't be surprised if they figure it out on their own." Nightwing assured as Jay sighed.
"Is it normally this hard to keep your secret identity a secret?" Jay questioned, wondering if he had done something wrong.
"No. But I'd say you're doing a good job. Just not good enough for the world's greatest detective." Nightwing answered as Jay rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind should I ever try this again," Jay murmured as Nightwing tossed him a small mask.
"Put this on before Kid Flash arrives and practice keeping that identity a secret." Nightwing teased as Jay complied before an odd noise caught his ears, and a blur shot past him before suddenly stopping.
"Super speed delivery at your service." Kid Flash announced, giving a small salute as he held up Jay's backpack.
"Uh, thanks." Jay thanked taking his backpack.
"So you're Spider-Man? You're not like how I imagined. Especially the hair." Kid Flash commented, speeding around Jay before stopping to look at his hair.
"Uhhh…what?" Jay questioned, confused at what was happening.
"Calm down, KF, before you confuse him more." Nightwing insisted as Kid Flash backed up.
"Sorry about that. Names Kid Flash, grandson of the Flash and one of the fastest in the world! Pleasure to meet you." Kid Flash exclaimed, holding out his hand.
"Yeah, same," Jay replied, shaking Kid Flash's hand.
"Wait, you're Flash's grandson? How old is the Flash?" Jay wondered before Nightwing interrupted him.
"Focus." Nightwing insisted, gaining Kid Flash and Jay's attention.
"We've got a job to do, so Spider-Man, suit up." Nightwing pointed out as Jay nodded.
"Right. Be right back." Jay replied as he turned away.
Hopping off the roof into a nearby alley, Jay took out his costume and web shooters and, as quick as he could, changed into them. Once done, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and returned to the roof where Nightwing and Kid Flash were waiting.
"All right. I'm ready." Spider-Man stated as Kid Flash inspected his costume.
"Not bad. Looks better in person." Kid Flash commented before moving back next to Nightwing.
"Meet you there!" Kid Flash exclaimed before running off until he was out of sight.
"Where is he going?" Spider-Man inquired, looking off to where Kid Flash ran.
"The same place we're going. So try to keep up." Nightwing smirked as he jumped off the roof, firing his grapple gun to swing off.
"Oh, please. Swinging is my thing." Spider-Man chuckled before jumping off after Nightwing.
Unknown Location…
Max's eyes fluttered open to unfamiliar surroundings. He attempted to move, but his body was too numb to move. Looking around the best he could, he found himself locked inside a confined space with a small glass window like some coffin.
Beyond the said window, his field of view was even more restricted as all he could see were similar coffin-like pods. As the confusion set in, Max attempted to remember what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered was Jay and the other members of F.E.A.S.T being arrested.
Then there were…there were…buses? Yes, buses! They were taking them somewhere else to stay temporarily. After that, he couldn't remember a thing. What happened that brought him here? Was he going to die?
Suddenly muffled voices crept into his ears as someone peered into his pod. He saw a woman standing before his pod, the lower part of her face covered by a mask while goggles covered her eyes.
"Subject number nine has wakened. Preparing for metagene activation." Tinkerer reported as she tapped something against Max's pod.
"M-Metagene?" Max questioned as gas began to fill the pod.
"I'm sorry." Tinkerer apologized before leaving Max's view.
Max tried to struggle but was unable to do a thing as the gas filled his lungs. His heart began to beat fast as his skin began to crawl. The world around him began to distort and contort as voices filled Max's head.
"Useless!"
"You damned buffoon."
"You ruined everything!"
"What good are you?!"
"Stop. STOP!" Max begged as he was faced with his nightmares.
Suddenly several spikes came out around him, stabbing into his flesh before violently shocking him with electricity. Max howled in pain and fear as his fellow captives slowly joined his screams, filling the area with a cacophony of agony.
The shocks became worse with each second, and each spike poked and prodded his body. Max could feel the voltage going up as his screams became louder and louder. At first, all he could think of was why but now all he could do was beg for it to end.
"Someone…help me…" Max begged as another shock rang through his body.
Elsewhere…
Spidey continued to follow Nightwing as the two swung through the city. He was still confused about where they were going until the sight of the Central Community Center came into view. Surrounding the building was a garrison of police vehicles that stood on guard.
But along an adjacent building was what caught Spider-Man's attention. On the building, he could see several costumed people, including Kid Flash, who were looking down at the community center below. No doubt they were who he and Nightwing were meeting.
"Good to see everyone here," Nightwing commented as he landed on the roof.
"All four of us," Robin replied, gesturing to the others behind him.
"Where's Spider-Man?" Robin inquired as the arachnid hero landed behind Nightwing.
"Sorry to lag behind, but I wanted to ensure I left no webs behind. Cops have gotten good at spotting them, so I didn't want them noticing them around here." Spider-Man apologized as he noticed the other heroes in front of him.
Next to Nightwing was the boy wonder himself, Robin, and behind him, three others stood at the ready. The first was someone he had already met, Kid Flash. Next to him were two girls he couldn't recognize, one in an outfit resembling Green Arrow and the other with Wonder Woman's emblem on her chest.
"Guess the covert team has members the public don't know about," Spider-Man noted as Nightwing stepped forward.
"Everyone meet Spider-Man," Nightwing announced, introducing the arachnid hero who gave a small wave.
"Uh, nice to meet you all." Spider-Man greeted as he took off his backpack and webbed it to a nearby wall.
"I'm Spider-Man…but you already knew that because Nightwing just said it," Spider-Man muttered, rubbing the back of his head and looking down.
"I'm Robin. The ones behind me are Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Arrowette." Robin replied as the rest of the team walked up.
"Good to see you again, Mr. Spider." Kid Flash snipped, running next to Spider-Man before a lasso yanked him back.
"Calm down, KF. You'll make him uncomfortable. Nice to meet you." Wonder Girl smiled as she released Kid Flash.
"Yeah, hi," Arrowette muttered with some disdain in her voice.
"Arrowette." Nightwing protested, giving the girl a stern look.
"S-Sorry. I just…have a bad experience with spiders, so to speak." Arrowette apologized, confusing Spidey.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Spider-Man assured though he was curious about what she meant.
"So uh…what are we doing here?" Spider-Man inquired, glancing at the community center below.
"That is where we're going to look for our first clue," Nightwing reported walking up to the ledge.
"So Robin, what have you found?" Nightwing asked as Robin nodded.
"Well, firstly, this is where the displaced residents of F.E.A.S.T have been brought." Robin began while walking toward the edge of the roof.
"But the thing is, some of the residents are missing," Robin stated, piquing Spider-Man's interest.
"How many?" Spider-Man questioned, his voice turning serious.
"There were fourteen buses that departed from F.E.A.S.T. But only ten arrived here." Robin explained, causing Spidey to scowl.
"Currently, I've found these residents to be missing." Robin continued as a holographic display projected several names and photos from his arm, one being of Max.
"This is beginning to feel awfully familiar." Spider-Man thought as Robin continued.
"I've looked up the buses used, and these four are the ones missing." Robin went on as the display changed to show the buses.
"The buses numbered 4531, 6398, 2375, and 7573." Robin finished before turning off the display.
"This…This has something to do with meta-trafficking, doesn't it?" Spider-Man guessed as Robin nodded.
"Everything so far seems to be pointing toward it, but it's best not to make assumptions." Robin pointed out as Nightwing stepped up.
"Then this situation just became worse. Split up to find those missing buses. Hopefully, with them, we can find the missing people." Nightwing ordered as Robin raised a brow.
"What about you?" Robin inquired while Nightwing stepped on the roof's edge.
"I'm going to find the source of the drugs and find out who's behind this," Nightwing answered before jumping off.
"Just like that?! Great, now it's going to feel weird being alone here with them." Spider-Man thought as Robin turned to face him.
"Alright, there's no time to lose. So we'll be splitting up to look for the buses." Robin stated, pulling up a hologram map of Manhattan.
"Kid Flash, you get Sector A, Wonder Girl Sector B, Arrowette Sector C. Spider-Man and I will take Sector D," Robin ordered, marking out each sector on the map.
"Sounds like a plan!" Kid Flash exclaimed before running off and out of sight.
"I'll keep high enough so that I'm not spotted." Wonder Girl informed as she flew off.
"And I'll make sure to keep to the shadows," Arrowette reported pulling a grapple arrow from her quiver.
"Wow, you guys are really fast and coordinated," Spider-Man commented, impressed with how the Team worked.
"We wouldn't be a team if we weren't," Arrowette noted as Spidey tilted his head.
"I just noticed. Does your team even have a name?" Spider-Man inquired as Robin and Arrowette shared a look.
"Huh." Robin gasped as Arrowette scratched her head.
"I don't think anyone has thought about that before." Arrowette realized as she pulled the string of her bow and fired.
"I'll leave him to you," Arrowette stated before leaping off.
"Man, I really look like an amateur compared to you guys. Though I guess I technically am." Spider-Man commented, feeling out of place.
"Don't worry about it. We all felt that way when we first started." Robin assured as he took something out of his utility belt.
"Here, take this." Robin insisted, handing Spidey a small earpiece.
"We'll use this to communicate during the mission," Robin explained as Spider-Man inspected it.
"I actually have one built in my mask if that helps," Spider-Man informed, pointing to his ear.
"This will be more secure," Robin replied as Spider-Man shrugged.
"Fair enough." Spider-Man nodded, slipping under his mask to place the earpiece in his ear.
"Good. Now Spider-Man, since you're familiar with the city, I'd like you to keep up high and look for the buses from above." Robin requested as he pulled out his grapple gun.
"Uh, sure. But can I ask…why are we the only pair?" Spidey inquired, noticing he and Robin were the only ones paired up.
"Because you're new, and I know you're used to working alone. So I'll be working with you on this mission so you can adjust." Robin explained as Spidey nodded.
"I understand," Spider-Man replied as Robin fired his grapple.
"Good, let's go," Robin smirked as Spider-Man moved to the roof's edge.
"Well, try to keep up because I'm not going to take this slow," Spider-Man replied before hopping off the roof and diving down.
After picking up enough speed, Spider-Man shot off a web and swung through the streets at top speed, wanting to find these buses as fast as possible. He had to find the missing residents of F.E.A.S.T not just to clear his own name but to save them.
"If only I trusted my spider-sense, then maybe…no, that wouldn't have changed much, would it?" Spidey sighed as he rounded a corner.
"Hang in there. I'm coming." Spider-Man murmured as he continued to swing off.
F.E.A.S.T…
Is this even necessary?
"Of course it is," Nightwing replied as he stood on a building across from F.E.A.S.T.
But we both know who's most likely behind this.
"True. But I need to be sure. This is the first time he's ever bothered with meta-trafficking. So why start now?" Nightwing wondered while he snuck past the police barricade.
Perhaps because of a certain arachnid we know.
"You're probably right. He's been doing pretty well for himself around the city. But that's leading to escalation." Nightwing commented after slipping into the building through a window.
Moving fast and silently, Nightwing avoided the eyes of the officers inside. As he progressed toward the loading dock, he released Oracle's drone to scout around. Once he reached the loading dock, Nightwing waited for the last cop to leave before dropping down to investigate.
Expectedly the drugs and other evidence were gone, but that's not what Nightwing was here for. He would use other methods to find out where they came from. Most notably, the manifest, which would tell him who delivered the drugs.
"Got anything on the cameras?" Nightwing inquired as he snuck into the loading dock office.
Running through them now…
I've got part of a license plate.
"Good, give it to me, and I'll look for a matching one." Nightwing requested as he turned on the computer.
E2T5…
"All right…got a match," Nightwing smirked as he pulled up the truck's information.
"It says that the truck delivered the goods from Philidelphia," Nightwing reported rubbing his chin.
Doubtful.
"Yeah, I don't believe it either. The company that owns the truck is…Vancorp." Nightwing stated before a noise caught his attention.
You've got company.
"Yep," Nightwing replied as he quickly hid before the door opened, and two officers entered the room.
"Is this computer next?" One inquired, moving past Nightwing, who hid behind the door.
"Yeah, the techs will get everything off it at the sta…did someone leave this on?" The Second wondered as Nightwing slowly slipped out of the office.
That was close…
"I had it under control. Got anything about Vancorp?" Nightwing asked as he grappled to the ceiling.
Yeah, on the surface, it looks legit…
"And under the surface?" Nightwing inquired, his intrigue piqued.
It's a shell company owned by Wilson Fisk.
"Figured. He's probably paid the right people to ensure he won't be connected." Nightwing commented as he exited through a window.
"Think we can find where they took the residents through Vancorp or Fisk Industries?" Nightwing suggested as Oracle's drone returned to him.
It may take time. The others might have more success finding it faster than I can.
"Doesn't mean I can't try to finish things now," Nightwing replied before shooting his grapple and swinging off.
That doesn't mean you can't work with the Team.
"I know…" Nightwing murmured, his expression turning sad.
Lower Manhattan…
"Still no sign of the missing buses," Spider-Man reported landing on the side of a building.
"Same goes for me," Robin replied, landing on the building adjacent to Spidey's.
"I'm not finding anything either. Want me to sweep more of the city?" Kid Flash inquired as Spidey crawled to the building's roof.
"Negative stick to your sector in case anything changes," Robin replied as Arrowette sighed.
"Even with the new camera footage we've obtained, we're still in the dark," Arrowette commented, sounding annoyed.
"Nothing is ever easy." Wonder Girl muttered, sharing Arrowette's annoyance.
They had been searching for nearly an hour with no sign of the missing buses or people. With each passing minute, Spider-Man became increasingly worried about the missing residents. He didn't even want to think about what could be happening right now. If only he could find the buses faster.
"There's got to be a better way to do this." Spider-Man thought while he rubbed his head before getting a sudden idea.
"Hey, are you guys able to track phones?" Spidey inquired, moving his hands away from his head.
"Y-Yeah, but we don't have any phones to track. None of the missing residents have cell carriers," Robin responded, having already looked into the possibility.
"I know, but what about a burner phone?" Spider-Man questioned, hoping for a good answer.
"A burner phone…that might work," Robin replied, making Spidey smile.
"As long as I have the name and number, I should be able to trace the card inside," Robin explained as Spider-Man nodded.
"Try Max Dillion. His number is 332-537-9278." Spider-Man requested reciting Max's phone number.
"All right, give me a moment," Robin noted as he typed away.
"Are we sure this is even worth it? I doubt the guy even has the phone on him?" Arrowette questioned, finding this course of action to be futile.
"Maybe not, but we might find some clue wherever it is," Robin explained as he pinpointed the phone's location.
"All right, I've got the phone's location," Robin reported as he sent the information.
"I'll head there immediately," Spider-Man stated, leaping off the roof and swinging off at top speed.
"I'll meet you there. Don't do anything until I arrive." Robin insisted as Spidey nodded.
"See you there," Spider-Man replied as he continued to swing away.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Spider-Man swung off toward the location provided to him. He knew this was far from over, but having any new lead was a step in the right direction. Still, it was best that he didn't give his hopes up.
It didn't take him long to reach the destination, and to his surprise, he was the first to arrive. Spider-Man wasn't overly surprised as he moved as fast as possible to get there. What awaited him at that destination was a construction site for a small building with several people within.
"They're definitely not dressed to be in a construction site," Spider-Man commented, looking at the people he could see.
Anyone who looked at them could tell they weren't construction workers, but not many would be looking at a construction site at night. Looking closer, he could see that many of the people below were operating the construction equipment and carrying several bags full of something unknown.
"Normally, I'd go and have a closer look, but…I was told to wait." Spider-Man thought, remembering Robin's request.
"I hate waiting,"Spider-Man muttered as he watched the people below.
He inspected their actions looking to find anything suspicious about what they were doing, but he couldn't figure it out. Robin did say that Max's phone was there, but the area was too big for him to find it from afar.
"Why here?" Spider-Man wondered as his eyes fell on the people carrying bags across the site.
Each one was dumping the bags within holes which were slowly filled with cement. Though he didn't know a thing about architecture, Spidey could tell that it wasn't safe or right to be putting them there.
"What the hell are they doing that for…could it be…" Spider-Man thought, turning his gaze to the truck the workers were taking the bags out of.
Though Robin had requested he wait, Spider-Man couldn't sit and do nothing as he quietly swung over to the truck. Landing behind the truck, he made sure to wait until no one was around before moving to the rear of the truck and grabbing one of the few bags left.
Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Spider-Man placed a Spider Tracer just in case on the truck before swinging back up to a nearby roof. Once there, he placed the bag down before ripping it open to reveal its contents. Inside were clothes of various sizes and several other miscellaneous items that had no place on a construction site.
"This is…the belongings of all the missing residents," Spider-Man muttered as he balled his fists.
"They're getting rid of the evidence." Spider-Man realized as he spun around to face the construction site.
"I've got to stop them before all the evidence is buried under concrete!" Spider-Man determined, rushing back toward the roof's edge until Robin landed before him.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself." Robin insisted, causing Spidey to stop.
"Dah! A little warning next time." Spider-Man muttered, not expecting Robin to show up out of nowhere.
"There was no time between me getting here and stopping you from moving in," Robin stated, walking up to Spidey.
"I know you're eager to stop this, but we still don't know where the missing residents are. So I ask that you be patient." Robin requested as Spider-Man took in a deep breath.
"Y-Yeah, sorry, it's just that…I can't let them get rid of all this evidence." Spider-Man replied, gesturing to the construction site.
"I see," Robin murmured as he looked at the construction site.
"We can tip off the police about this drop-off later. For now, we wait and see where they go." Robin stated as Spider-Man walked to his side.
"I've already put a tracker on the truck that's here. It's not great, but it's something. But what about those who're left here?" Spider-Man questioned, still concerned about what was happening here.
"They'll be handled by the local authorities as well. We can't do everything without revealing ourselves." Robin responded, causing Spider-Man to give him a disappointing look.
"Team meet up with Spider-Man and I. We've found a lead," Robin ordered via comms.
"Now, about that tracker you mentioned." Robin began as he turned to face Spider-Man, only to see Spider-Man glaring at the construction site.
"Give it to me. Then do your thing." Robin insisted, shocking Spider-Man.
"Wha…but I thought you said…" Spider-Man muttered before Robin interrupted him.
"I did. But you don't have those restrictions." Robin pointed out as Spider-Man nodded.
"Good point, but…" Spider-Man sighed, glancing at the truck.
"The Team has taken down plenty of meta-human trafficking rings. This will be no different. We'll get those missing residents back." Robin assured as Spider-Man looked down.
He just didn't know if he could do it. Max and the others were still out there. Could he really just hand over the investigation to stop the evidence from being destroyed? Then again, at the same time, he could just leave these people here to finish getting rid of the evidence.
"Alright." Spider-Man sighed, pulling out his GPS.
"Here's the GPS for my Spider Tracer. It doesn't have a long-range, so stick close." Spider-Man explained, handing over his GPS to Robin.
"That's fine. We can work with it." Robin replied, moving out of Spider-Man's way.
"I'll see you once I'm done here," Spider-Man said as he leaped off the roof and zipped over to the construction site.
Just as Spidey landed on the site, the truck began to start up and drive off along with Spider-Man's tracker. Moving fast, Robin ran off after the truck to follow it to where it came from, where he'd hopefully find the missing residents.
"Change of plans. I'm following a truck in hopes of finding the headquarters. KF, Wonder Girl, meet up with me to tail it. Arrowette, I need you on this spot to help Spider-Man and lead him to us." Robin informed, swinging after the truck.
"Wha…what's going on? Wasn't he with you?" Arrowette questioned, confused at the current situation.
"He's taking care of the traffickers left here. I'm following the truck he tagged." Robin explained, keeping to the shadows.
"Alright. Fine, I'll go meet up with him." Arrowette sighed, clearly not happy.
Construction Site…
Spidey watched Robin chase after the truck, still wondering if he had made the right choice. Part of him still wanted to join him and help find the others. But he couldn't leave what was happening here alone.
It was hard diverting his attention to this, but Spider-Man knew that the Team wouldn't take care of it and the police might have a hard time dealing with it. So he couldn't just leave this situation without taking care of it.
Inspecting the site, Spidey noted that the building was currently just built of support beams and pillars with an open center with nothing inside just yet. Though floors had been made on several levels of the building, each filled with goons, but nothing Spider-Man hadn't seen before.
"At least these guys don't seem to have those strength suits." Spider-Man sighed, glad he didn't need to deal with that annoyance.
Once he got a feel for the area, Spider-Man got to work as he crawled around the construction site, taking down anyone he found alone. He managed to take down five of the traffickers before an arrow landed in front of him.
"You were about to be spotted," Arrowette stated as she landed behind Spider-Man.
"I was? That's odd, my…" Spider-Man began before his spider-sense went off, letting him know of the trafficker who would have spotted him if Arrowette didn't stop him.
"Huh. Guess that's why Nightwing said not to fight reactively. I should mind my surroundings more." Spider-Man murmured, thinking back to his training with the former boy wonder.
"Uh…thanks for the save. But I thought you guys were going to follow the truck Robin and I found." Spider-Man thanked while still confused about what Arrowette was here.
"The others are. But Robin ordered me to assist you and lead you to the others when we're done here." Arrowette explained as she pulled out an arrow and fired at the trafficker below them, knocking him out.
"Well, thanks for the assist." Spider-Man thanked as Arrowette grabbed onto another arrow.
"Don't thank me yet," Arrowette replied as Spidey's spider-sense suddenly went off.
"Now let's get this over with and catch up with…" Arrowette began before she was interrupted by Spider-Man grabbing onto her and pulling her behind a pillar.
"Don't move! Something's happening." Spider-Man insisted, glancing behind the pillar to see three men standing at the center of the construction site.
The first was a huge man who looked nearly seven feet tall with muscles that put bodybuilders to shame, while the second was a neatly dressed man who looked more like a high-class CEO than a criminal. As for the third, he wore a cowboy hat with a gun and whip to complete the cowboy look.
Spider-Man took the most interest in him as the man was looking right where he and Arrowette had been standing. Thankfully the guy didn't see either him or Arrowette, but it unnerved Spider-Man that he nearly caught him.
"Nearly got spotted." Spider-Man sighed, letting go of Arrowette.
"Did you need to grab hold of me like that?" Arrowette questioned, not happy with how Spider-Man grabbed her with no warning.
"Sorry about that. I just reacted to my spider-sense going off." Spider-Man apologized, scratching his head.
"What's a spider-sense?" Arrowette inquired before shaking her head.
"Never mind," Arrowette murmured as she pushed past Spidey and looked at the three men who seemed to be taking over.
"They look in charge," Arrowette determined as Spider-Man jumped onto the pillar.
"Or at least higher up," Spider-Man noted as Arrowette looked up at him.
When she did, she did not see Spider-Man there but Black Spider instead, causing her to grip onto her bow tightly. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the three men at the center of the site who were now on the move.
The cowboy getup leader seemed annoyed at something and barked orders to everyone around. Unfortunately, Spidey and Arrowette were too far away to hear what was being said clearly and could only make out the yelling.
"They don't look happy," Spider-Man commented, his curiosity piquing.
"Yeah. They don't." Arrowette murmured, pulling out an arrow and nocking it on her bow.
"Uh…what are you doing?" Spider-Man questioned, confused about what Arrowette was doing.
"Can you just stay quiet? All your jabbering is going to mess up my aim." Arrowette requested while she adjusted her aim.
"Wha-jabbering? Have I really been…." Spidey began, only for Arrowette to shush him.
Taking a deep breath, Arrowette fired her arrow, which dismantled midair after firing something that attached to the back of the big man who didn't seem to notice. Soon after, Arrowette tapped onto her wrist, bringing up a small hologram.
"So, care to explain what's been taking you so long with dumping the evidence?" A Voice questioned, clearly irritated.
From the tone of voice and from the movements down below Spider-Man determined that the voice belonged to the cowboy. For whatever reason, the dumping of the evidence had taken longer than expected.
"I'm sorry, sir, but moving concrete takes time, and we were told not to clump the items together." The Subordinate replied, gesturing toward the holes.
"Well, Tinkerer is getting impatient. Doing all that work alone ain't making the young lady particularly happy." The Cowboy stated, catching Spidey's attention.
"Tinkerer. I've heard that name before from Scorpion. That means Kingpin is behind this…Fisk." Spider-Man commented, balling his fists.
"You figured that out all on your own?" Arrowette questioned, surprised at how much Spider-Man knew.
"For the most part, yeah," Spider-Man answered before returning his attention to the conversation.
"We already sent a truck over to help." The Subordinate reported as the Cowboy shook him.
"Then what about the Spider? The boss doesn't want any interference from Spider-Man again. That little bug's been making too much noise recently." The Cowboy added as Spider-Man chuckled.
"Going to make even more soon," Spider-Man commented, only for Arrowette to punch him in the arm.
"Sorry." Spidey apologized as the conversation continued.
"We're finishing up now, sir. As it stands, all it looks like now is just late-night construction. Spider-Man won't bother us." The Subordinate reported as the Cowboy began moving.
"Is that so?" The Cowboy inquired before pulling out his gun and firing upward, causing one of the webbed crooks to fall down, though thankfully, the webbing broke their fall.
"Oh no," Spider-Man murmured as the cowboy holstered his gun.
"Because it seems to me like Spider-Man is already here." The Cowboy stated quickly turned to face his two compatriots.
"Ox, Dan. It's time to exterminate a bug." The Cowboy smirked as he took out his whip.
"ALRIGHT, SPIDER-MAN, WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE! COME OUT, OR ELSE WE'RE GOING TO COME AND FIND YOU!" The Cowboy shouted loud enough that Spidey and Arrowette could hear from afar.
"Okay, I didn't see this coming," Spider-Man commented as Arrowette grabbed onto another arrow.
"Why didn't you hide them?" Arrowette questioned, nocking the arrow.
"I did! That guy just has a good eye." Spider-Man responded as the voices came through Arrowette's bug.
"Dan, start heading up and find the bug on that side. Ox, I want you waiting down here to crush him if he falls." The Cowboy ordered as he and Dan began scaling the site on opposite sides.
"Well, things have certainly gotten interesting," Spider-Man commented, jumping down from the pillar.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Arrowette sighed, nocking another arrow.
"They shouldn't be too hard, though. The only difference between these guys and the others is their getups." Spider-Man pointed out before the cowboy spoke up.
"Ox, throw that beam up down the center! I saw movement up there earlier!"The Cowboy ordered, confusing Spider-Man and Arrowette.
"On it, Montana," Ox replied as he picked up a large beam and threw it upward, slamming it below Spidey and Arrowette.
"I may have spoken too soon," Spider-Man commented as Arrowette turned toward him.
"You think?" Arrowette snapped as Spidey shrugged.
"At least we know all their names." Spider-Man pointed out, earning a disappointing look from Arrowette.
"What? We do." Spider-Man reiterated as Arrowette drew her bowstring.
"Let's just beat these guys." Arrowette insisted before firing an arrow at Montana, only for the man to use his whip to knock it out of the air.
"That's not good," Spider-Man noted as another beam was thrown, hitting closer to them.
"Is he just going to guess where we are? Screw this." Spider-Man muttered, turning toward Arrowette.
"Stay hidden. I'll take their attention." Spider-Man insisted as he ran off and jumped down the open center.
"Is he crazy?" Arrowette wondered, watching Spider-Man dive down.
"Sorry for the wait, but when the cowboy arrived, I thought I intruded on a time travel western movie set." Spider-Man quipped as Montana and several of the goons opened fire.
"Yeah, I figured I was wrong," Spider-Man noted, shooting off a web to avoid the bullets.
As he swung around, he shot several web bullets and nets to incapacitate any he could hit. Above, Arrowette assisted by firing several arrows down, trapping several goons in nets and foam. But Montana, Dan, and Ox managed to avoid their attacks waiting for the time to strike.
"I hate bugs." Montana spat, firing his gun to cut Spider-Man's web.
"Oh shit." Spider-Man cursed as he began to fall.
He fired another web to catch himself, but with another shot from Montana's gun, his web was severed before it could catch anything. Spinning around, Spidey fired a web net to catch himself just before he could hit the ground.
"That was close." Spider-Man sighed, hopping off to the ground as loud footsteps caught his attention.
"Well, well. I didn't think the Spider-Man was just a puny punk." Ox commented while he cracked his knuckles.
"And here I thought a guy named Ox would…I don't know, have anything resembling an Ox on him." Spider-Man snipped as Ox threw down his fist at Spider-Man.
But Spidey was too fast as he quickly dodged the oncoming attack that cracked the ground beneath them. Ox grunted in annoyance as he went to attack again, only for Spider-Man to deliver a swift punch to the man's jaw knocking him back a few steps before Ox recovered and spat on the ground.
"Huh…that's a first," Spider-Man noted, surprised anyone without armor or some kind of augmentation could take his punch with little to no reaction.
"Well, maybe he does have powers. I mean, he does have super strength by the looks of it." Spider-Man thought as Ox ran toward him.
"Whoa, boy." Spider-Man gasped as he jumped over Ox.
"If only you were called Bull, then I could have a bullfight." Spider-Man laughed before his spider-sense made him jump back, avoiding a shot from Montana.
"You ain't got a red cloth for bullfighting bug, and Ox is far more dangerous than any bull you might find," Montana stated, using his whip to safely drop down to the ground from above.
"Well, I'm far more dangerous than any spider you'll find in the wild. And for the record, spiders are arachnids!" Spider-Man replied as he jumped to his right to avoid another bullet.
"And I don't care!" Montana snapped as Ox rushed toward Spider-Man.
However, the arachnid hero ducked under Ox's large arm, allowing Spidey to quickly drop down and swipe Ox's feet, causing him to fall on his back. He then jumped up to avoid being hit by Montana's whip, only to give Montana a clean shot.
"Got you this time, BUG," Montana smirked, putting extra emphasis on the bug.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, an arrow knocked the gun out of his hand before exploding in a blinding light. Above, Arrowette nocked another arrow to incapacitate Montana, but she was interrupted by a knife that cut her bow's string.
"Now, I can't have you interfering anymore, young lady. I suggest you stand down." Dan insisted, pulling out another knife from his jacket.
"Oh, please. I deal with guys like you daily." Arrowette scoffed as she put her bow away and raised her fists.
"Little lady, I guarantee you've never dealt with a man like me," Dan replied as he threw the knife at Arrowette, who swiftly caught it and threw it back.
In response, Dan pulled out another knife to knock the other away as he closed the distance between himself and Arrowette. The archer met his move by grabbing onto his arm to push it out as she spun around and slammed her elbow into Dan's gut. But when it hit, she felt a sharp pain as her elbow hit metal, causing her to rear back in pain.
"Sorry, but I wear a metal plate underneath my suit. It never hurts to be safe." Dan revealed before spinning around and kicking Arrowette in the face.
He then hit her twice in the stomach before delivering a palm under her chin, knocking her to the ground. Spinning his knife around, he brought it down on Arrowette, only for her to kick it out of his hand as she spun onto her hands and feet, allowing her to push up and headbutt Dan.
"Is that all you've got?" Arrowette questioned, getting back up to her feet.
"Of course not," Dan muttered as he snapped his fingers.
Arrowette was confused at first until she heard the cocking of guns behind her. Jumping away, she just managed to avoid being shot from behind as several goons fired at her. Once she recovered, she found herself stuck between Dan and the goons.
"Great," Arrowette muttered as she turned around to find herself at the edge of the floor.
Below Spider-Man was still occupied in his fight between Ox and Montana. Though he was faster than Ox, Montana made up for that by pushing Spidey back toward the brute. Eventually, Spider-Man was too slow to react, as Ox managed to trap him in a bear hug.
"Got you this time Spider-Man," Ox smirked as he began to crush Spidey.
"Yeah, that's….not good," Spider-Man commented, pushing back against Ox's grip.
"Hold him still, Ox. I need a clear shot." Montana ordered as he picked up his gun before walking up toward Spider-Man and pointing it at his head.
"Time to die, bug," Montana stated as Spider-Man lifted his legs and kicked Montana in the gut knocking him to the ground.
"Don't get cocky." Spider-Man spat as he lifted his arms, shooting webs into Ox's eyes.
Ox screamed as he released Spider-Man while he attempted to rip the webs out of his eyes. Before he could, Spider-Man kicked him in the gut, causing Ox to keel over, allowing him to punch Ox in the cheek.
In retaliation, Ox lashed out, managing to knock Spidey back as he finally tore the webs off his face. The two stared at one another before going for an attack, but just as Spider-Man went to move, his spider-sense went off, causing him to look up as liquid cement landed on top of him.
"What the…?!" Spider-Man gasped as more landed on top of him.
Looking up, he found several goons pushing cement mixers out to pour more and more on Spidey. He attempted to move away, but he was pushed back by an enraged Ox, allowing more cement to fall on him.
"Haha, you're not going anywhere Spider-Man." Ox laughed as Spider-Man felt the weight of the cement.
Ox used this to land several blows on the arachnid hero before picking him up and tossing him down one of the empty holes. The brute then grabbed several cement mixers and began to pour more and more into the hole, covering Spider-Man in the cement, which quickly began to harden and slow him down.
"Not so fast now, are you?" Ox questioned as Montana joined him.
"Want to shoot him now, boss?" Ox inquired, only for Montana to shake his head.
"Burry the bug alive," Montana ordered, gaining a grin from Ox as he pushed a nearby cement truck to pour more cement on Spidey.
"I'm not taking this sitting down," Spider-Man grunted as he went to fire a web, only for nothing to happen.
"What?" Spidey gasped before inspecting his web-shooters to find them both blocked by the cement.
"No, no, no," Spider-Man shouted as he attempted to scrape it off, only for Ox to return with more cement, negating his efforts.
"It's been nice knowing you Spider-Man!" Ox laughed as he watched Spidey struggle below.
"Shit, this isn't good! I need to…get to the wall!" Spider-Man thought, struggling to move through the hardening cement.
"Can't…reach…"Spider-Man groaned as he reached for the wall while more and more cement poured on him.
"Spider-Man!" Arrowette cried from above.
"I'd be more concerned about yourself, little girl." Dan pointed out as the goons fired upon her.
With no other choice, Arrowette was forced to jump off the floor, breaking into a freefall with no bow to fire any arrows. Below Spider-Man could only watch as he struggled to make it to the wall. When he eventually did, he found it hard to pull himself out of the cement as more began to pour on his head.
"N-No…I can't…not like this." Spider-Man sputtered as he fell back into the cement.
[To Be Continued…]
Author's Note:
And that's it for part 1! Took me a while to get things to feel right in this chapter, as a lot of things kinda happen at once. I wanted to do a lot but not too much, and I had to make sure that it all fit well together. Not going to lie; I had to rewrite many scenes several times just so it read right and worked better with the characters.
I wanted the interactions between Jay and the few members of the Team he met to feel more natural and balanced with the situation he was in. Though it would have been nice to have him talk and interact with them to get to know them but with the situation as it was, I felt it wouldn't be right.
Next chapter thought we might see some of that. The real trouble I had was figuring out when I should end this chapter. Because I did want Jay and Arrowette to fight against the Enforcers, but I didn't know if I wanted them to beat them in this chapter or in the next one. In the end, I decided to leave it on a cliffhanger because it's more fun, lol.
Speaking of, we'll also see what's happening with Robin and the others next chapter, as well as I'll finally get to write Tinkerer fighting for once. The closest I had was in chapter 9, where she threatened Chameleon. To finally show off her arsenal, which I'm trying to make as different from the one in the Miles Morales game, so It'll be fun.
Anyways a lot of cool Spider-Man stuff happened during the gap between this chapter and the last (Not the comics, obviously). That being Across the Spider-Verse (Amazing movie I preordered a blu ray as soon as I got home, lol) and the gameplay reveal of Spider-Man 2. God, I can't wait for that game especially seeing how the symbiote will work.
I've heard on how Yuri Lowenthal is basing the portrayal on addiction which I'm not going to lie was something I was planning on doing, lol. I just wanted to get that out there, as the game will most definitely be out before I ever get to the Symbiote part of my story. So just know that I thought about doing that before it was revealed XD.
Got it planned out anyway, so I'm not going to let it affect my original plan. Still, the game looks fun as hell, and I can't wait to see the story. Speaking of story Across the Spider-Verse, bringing that back was such a fucking treat. Can't wait for Beyond the Spider-Verse after it inevitably gets delayed.
Just go see it if you haven't already. Anyways I'm done gushing about that, so let's get to the reviews:
Hope Crushing Star – I've been thinking about having the Spot in my story long before I actually saw the Spider-Verse movie. But I'm still on the fence about it. The only real knowledge I have of him was obviously the Across the Spider-Verse movie and the 90's cartoon. So I may or may not include him, but he'll probably not be a large villain.
Biospark – Okay, by Firestorm, are you actually referring to Jett being the Human Torch? Because I haven't thought about using Firestorm at all, but with Iceman, maybe. You'll see what Spider-Man says about joining the Team next time :). As for a police chief, Jay won't be befriending one.
(Spoilers for Across the Spider-Verse!) The whole thing about canon events from Across the Spdier-Verse is an intentionally flawed idea. Not only does it not make sense, Miles is showing that it technically doesn't work. Hell, even Miguel himself doesn't have a Captain Cop who dies on him or a Gwen Stacy or an Uncle Ben.
So Jay won't have one, either. If he did have canon events, they'd be ones based on his experiences (I.E. his father dying). My theory on the reason Miguel's adopted dimension/family was destroyed was because he used a bad for of crossing dimensions (different than his current way), and that fucked things up and destroyed it.
The evidence is actually in the first movie, where when the reactor activates, the way it distorts New York is the same as when Miguel's adopted universe is destroyed. But that's my theory (Tangent done), lol.
DannyPhantom619 – Yeah, I'm going to try to make Jay's fighting more fun and interesting as I continue to write this story. Yes, hopefully, Jay will save Sara soon, maybe with help from Jett :). Jay does suit himself better as a solo hero, but having the occasional team-up is fun.
However, his decision will have to wait until next chapter. Even if the rights to Spider-Man are taken away from Norman, I doubt Jay will see a dime from that money. After all, he'd need to actually own that right, but who knows?
Fanfic230 – I'm not really interested in making any new fanfics until I finish one of the ones I'm currently working on or go on hiatus on one. And while your idea is nice, I'm not really interested in doing that as I can't think of one that would work. But maybe one day.
Junior Elie – I'm not going to do an adaption for my Spider-Verse event. It'll be completely original for the scenario. Well, I guess technically, it is a little inspired by Shattered Dimensions, so it'll have some similarities to that. But you'll have to wait and see what those similarities are :).
DarthCaedusKun7 – Thanks hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Alton – If Superior Spider-Man were to happen, you're 100% right that both Batman and M'gann would figure it out almost immediately. In fact, M'gann would do so faster as she wouldn't recognize Otto's mind as Jay's. The same can be said for the Venom symbiote, that is unless they knew how to hide it ;).
The version of Venom in my story will be an alien, not man-made, like in 1610. I was thinking about Jonny Storm's uncanny inhuman suit for Jett's, but I might do something a little different. Only time will tell. I will not be adding the train scene from Spider-Man 2 as I don't want to just give events that happened to Peter to Jay.
Sure, he can have similar experiences but not one-to-one events. I just feel it will diminish the effect the scene has. So something original would fit far better.
501 – No, I don't plan on making a Mary Jane esque OC for Jay. I have other plans for him in the future when it comes to women that and the hero civilian lifestyle balance. As for those plans, you'll just have to wait and see.
Vfc15650 – Well, you're seeing more of the YJ members in this chapter and even more in the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed.
DevilGoblin99 – God, I love the 90's cartoon (That's what your review reminded me of; I don't know if he ever said that in the comics, lol).
BurnedByDaylight – Yep, Electro is definitely on his way.
tumbullps – You'll have to wait and see what happens when the Outsiders eventually show up. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
That's all I have for today, so I'll see you guys next time!