All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.

I am sad to report that Destiny is good again. It's sad because I will be playing it too much, though, maybe my buddy will finally get his Vex Mythoclast.

Lawgringer43: Glad you enjoyed that sequence, I certainly did have fun putting it together. It won't be the last reference to that film series, but it will probably be the most direct. (Even when Cooper used the gun from the end of the fourth film on Colossus)

It's about time I got to this song, a downright classic by Sweet, a high speed bop of a track that was going to serve as the title of a chapter sooner or later, and it finally gets the call here. If by some terrible miracle you have not heard this song, go ahead and throw it on because that girl in the corner, you know you can't ignore her, because she thinks she's the passionate one.

Authority Without Asking

Chapter 8: Ballroom Blitz

Oh yeah! It was like lightning
Everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing
And they all started grooving
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah

And the man in the back said, "Everyone attack"
And it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said, "Boy I want to warn you"
It'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz

Easing the McLaren to a graceful halt, Matthew put the 710 horsepower supercar in park and turned to the platinum blonde in the passenger seat. "Well darlin," he drawled before taking a deep breath, "Showtime."

Throwing up the dihedral doors of the 720S, Matt was hit with the muted music, a powerful operatic voice accompanying it, while the Texan climbed out of the car. A smartly dressed valet appeared promptly, and Cooper stepped aside after only a moment's hesitation before buttoning his suit jacket, flexing his shoulders against the reinforced fabric while he circled the car to where the passenger door had opened.

Extending his hand, Cooper felt a satin glove come to rest in it as he looked down to smile at Hardy, a gesture she returned as she gracefully swung her long legs over the sill and allowed Matthew to ease her up out of the low slung bucket seat. Wearing a slinky, black, backless, halter-top dress, a long slit cut to expose her shapely legs, accentuated by the heels she wore with aplomb, Felicia was a stunning sight even though he'd spent most of the drive staring at her. Her hair rolled down in waves over her shoulders, framing her face, made up with a touch of color on her cheeks and lips. A diamond necklace wrapped around her neck, resting on a modest, for Felicia, amount of exposed cleavage, though the way her dress clung to her ample curves like a second skin left little to the imagination.

"Looking good, Cowboy," purred Felicia as she took up his offered arm, "You keep dressing like that and you'll have to catch me when I swoon."

The couple strode towards the entrance as the McLaren pulled away behind them, "I might do more than catch you," replied Matt as the passed through the well hidden full body scanners, and two large men in matching green jackets, complete with telltale bulges. "That dress of yours looks awfully tight…."

"And if you think this dress looks good, wait till you see what I have on under it." She gave him her most salacious smirk, eyes glittering, "But don't get too eager Matthew, business first, pleasure after."

Swaggering into the main courtyard inside the towering walls of the old fortress, the couple was met with the party well under way, a stage with live singer and small band gave a touch of ambience. There were some parties on the dance floor, but most were milling about, gathered around standing tables or in booths, with some displays of the museum's pieces interspersed among them. Barely getting a few steps in, a sharply dressed server appeared, offering them refreshments on a tray, Matt smiling as he and Felicia both took tall, narrow glasses of champagne. Clinking the flutes together, Cooper took a small sip of the bubbly before grinning, "When have you ever been opposed to mixing the two, darlin'?"

Felicia laughed airily, tugging slightly on Matthew's arm to steer him where she wanted to go. "There are different ways to have fun Cowboy. This place has a lot of interesting things to look at besides my tits," she teased, shimmying her chest. "Take this for instance," she said as they stopped beside one of the display cases, "18th century dagger, the engraving is gorgeous." Matt could see the way her eyes roamed over the elegant curves of the blade, adorned with beautiful artwork that the Pilot actively had to suppress the reflex to scoff at. It wasn't the sort of weapon that would be used in its intended purpose, it was always meant to be what it was now, a showpiece, and that saddened Cooper. "And the sheath, the inlaid jewels themselves must be worth, oh, ten thousand, easy."

Matt let out a low whistle, "And what about the whole thing?"

The Black Cat bobbed her head, mulling it over, "I'd be disappointed if I came away with less than a mil for it. Assuming I didn't want to keep it."
Taking another sip of his champagne, Cooper said, "It's not really your style, babe, and it certainly ain't mine."

"No, it's not," she agreed before they moved on. "Not many guards down here, that I can see, a few up on the walls," she observed, and Cooper nodded in agreement. "Let's get a look at the building, Matthew, I'm curious about the architecture." Taking the hint, Matthew steered Felicia to the open doors that led into the citadel proper. It was a towering space, with massive ceilings and a second floor balcony, a few hallways that spoked off from the atrium were blocked with velvet ropes, with only one or two obvious guards circling the perimeter.

"What about their security system?" wondered Matthew idly, but he needn't have worried.

"I snuck something into the circuits the other day, in about, oh, twenty minutes, the power to that will go out, and nothing, short of going to where I physically put the trick out in the junction box off site, will fix it," she replied quietly, "We'll probably have an hour, maybe two, where they're deaf, dumb, and blind."

"Short party then," observed Matthew, a touch of worry about the tight time window.

"Means we get to take care of business sooner and get to pleasure faster, which is fine by me," countered Felicia.

A buzz in Matthew's pocket had him pull out his phone and read the text alert. "Well, Peter's late, as usual, but they should be here in a few minutes," he announced before they went back to the courtyard, milling through the crowd and making sure to not get bogged down by anyone curious. The couple did little more than merely replacing their empty flutes with fresh ones and finding a table to stand around with a view of the entrance. "There they are."

Peter looked uncomfortable in his suit, despite Matthew having made him wear it for the entirety of the previous day, but Mary Jane had no such issues. Her dress was form hugging, a deep, vibrant green, with elbow length gloves of the same color, more conservatively cut than Felicia's, with less cleavage and no leg slit, frilled straps going up over her shoulders. Red hair was looped around to come over her left shoulder, and she had a look of confidence and awe as she glided across the courtyard on Peter's almost embarrassed arm.

"Gangs all here," observed Matthew as he signaled a waiter and called for two more drinks. "Lookin' good you two, lean and mean," complimented Cooper when the pair arrived at their table, followed by their drinks, "Might as well enjoy the free drinks, and it's not like Pete'll feel it." That remark got the Queens native to loosen up and take a sip, "Y'all ready?"

Both nodded, "Where's our friend?" asked Peter, after pursing his lips from the champagne.

"Corner booth, your five," replied Felicia, "Don't look," she hissed, freezing Peter where he stood. "Lean in, kiss MJ, that will let you see him." Peter did, giving MJ a quick peck on the cheek while Matt's eyes flickered to the corner booth. Stanley Winston was a thoroughly unimpressive fellow, mid fifties, thinning hair, bit of a punch that his well tailored suit couldn't hide as he spoke with a blond man the Pilot didn't recognize. "Not sure who that is he's talking with," added Felicia.

"I do," said Peter, "I met him in New York, after dealing with the Rhino. Krieger? Something like that, worked for Roxxon."

"Oh, Krieger, Simon Krieger," realized Mary Jane, "Head of their R&D division. Say, they look pretty chummy, there something going on between them, you think?"

Matthew cast another quick glance their way to try and discern if they knew each other on something more than a casual basis when Peter weighed in. "I don't think so, when I ran into Simon, he was a pretty friendly sort of guy, I guess that's just the way he is." Matt didn't argue, instead shifting his eyes towards the other person in the booth, a strikingly beautiful woman, raven black hair and a strappy cream colored dress, a slit revealing a pair of long, powerful legs adorned with a striking snake tattoo. "Who's that woman? You think she's the one our contact mentioned?" asked Peter.

Matt could feel Felicia tense beside him, "I recognize her, her name's Tanya, Tanya Sealy," revealed the Thief, downing the rest of her champagne, "Better known as the Black Mamba. Good in a fight, has some weird energy powers, always creeped me out." Taking a breath, she added, "This just got a little more complicated."

Matt's eyes narrowed, "Can we take her?"

He watched his girlfriend's lips press together, "Probably, but I can't say for sure."

It was an added complication, not something he wanted now that they were this close. But he didn't want his hesitation to show, "If it were easy, they would have sent someone else. Our window's opening soon, what do we want to do?"

Felicia smirked, "How about a dance?"

Mary Jane was confident to have Peter on her arm, a sense of security as the pair left the dance floor, having had their last bit of fun before it was time to work. The journalist noted that the security people that had been pointed out to her were more active then they had been earlier, and she guessed that whatever Felicia had done was working. Winston, she also saw, was up and about, with Sealy standing respectfully behind him as the Hydra operative mingled with the guests. "You ready, Tiger?" whispered Mary Jane.

The way he shifted in his suit was cute, but not helping her nerves, "This is your show, MJ, turn on that charm of yours."

She grinned, "It is my superpower." The couple ambled towards Winston, watching as the man shook hands with a suited older man MJ recognized as an executive for a European tech company before moving on. The New Yorkers put themselves in his path and had to feign mild surprise when he approached them. "Ah, Mr. Winston, this is a tremendous party you've put on," she complimented before extending her hand, "Mary Jane Watson, Daily Bugle, New York," she introduced.
"Charmed," replied Winston, taking the redheads hand to plant a kiss on her gloved knuckles, and MJ had to fight not to squirm, "And who are you, young man?"

"Peter Parker," was the terse reply as the two men gently shook hands, "Sorry, this isn't my usual scene."

The candid remark got a chuckle from Winston, "That's quite fine, my boy, I'm glad to have one of Stark's people at my little event."

"Oh, I'm not…" Peter began to say, only for MJ to gently jab her elbow below his ribs, but he recovered quickly. "I'm not going to be working for Mr. Stark forever. It seemed like a good idea to meet some other people, test the waters."

"You got a smart one here, Ms. Watson, have you two been enjoying yourselves?" he asked politely while the woman behind him had daggers coming out of her eyes.

"We have, you have quite the taste in champagne," replied Mary Jane, not really having any taste for champagne herself. But the attempt at flattering his ego seemed to work as his polite smile grew, "But I'm amazed by this venue. I understand it was an Ottoman fortress built on the site of the ancient Lighthouse?" Winston nodded, "That's incredible, I just wish we could see more of it, but all the hallways out of the main atrium are cordoned off."

Her performance was rewarded with a sympathetic gaze, "Then allow me to rectify that, please." Mary Jane had to fight to keep her excitement restrained, "What sort of host would I be if I didn't?" he asked with a politician's smile, "Come, come, I must admit, I do enjoy the history of this city, I enjoy being able to show it off."

The way he spoke of the city like he owned it didn't escape the Editor's notice, but she followed him back to the atrium, keenly aware of the woman shadowing them. But she held her tongue on her unease, and MJ asked, "Is that what drew you to Alexandria? The history?"

"No, I came here for business, I came to enjoy it all on my own," he replied.

Peter then followed up with a question of his own. "And what do you do?"

"I head up Echinda Capital Management's branch here, in charge of all middle eastern investment," he replied proudly. "We do venture capital, invest in all manner of promising start ups, usually in various science and technology fields. In these parts, that means oil, but we have looked at other energy sources as well of course. We have offices elsewhere, and I hope, should you look for opportunities outside of Stark Industries, Mr. Parker, you'll reach out to my counterpart in the United States, I'm sure he'd be happy to take your call."

"I'll do that," returned Peter, his tone fully noncommittal. But it was enough to placate Winston as the group made their way inside the atrium and towards one of the roped off hallways. MJ cast a discreet look around, making sure not to let her eyes linger on Matthew and Felicia, who were standing by a display case, facing the entrance.

"Mr. Winston," interjected Sealy, speaking for the first time, her voice coming out in a slight hiss. Looking back at the woman, MJ could see her finger pressed to her ear as she spoke again, "I need to see to some matters, by your leave." Winston acknowledged with a dismissive hand gesture, the woman turning on her heel and striding off with a purpose.

Making sure to put the right amount of innocent curiosity in her words, Mary Jane said, "If this is a bad time then…."

"Just a… a glitch," assured Winston with a forced smile that turned to Peter, "These things happen, you youths probably understand that more than someone like me." Neither New Yorker elected to comment, content to follow him down the hallway, though MJ couldn't resist the temptation to look back and make sure that they weren't alone. Mindful of her hands, Mary Jane kept her eyes ahead while Winston prattled on. "Up here is one of my favorite places in the Citadel, one of the few areas untouched by renovations, it was restored to as it was originally built," he explained as he led them deeper, down pristine hallways, and MJ realized where they were being led even before he stopped outside the towering doors. "This is the mosque, part of the original construction in the fifteenth century, that's interesting, I think. Are either of you two religious?" They booth shook their heads politely, "Then perhaps you find it as curious as I do the grip that religion can hold on a person."

"Well…" began Peter, MJ's grip on his arm tightening, "People need a greater purpose, something bigger than themselves."

"How insightful," replied Winston as he opened the door, "Ah, here we are, go on inside, take a look around."

"Thank you so much," said Mary Jane with her most charming smile while reaching back to mess with her hair, hoping that the signal didn't go unnoticed.

It hadn't, as Cooper, standing about 20 yards back, sprang into action. The Pilot charged forward in an instant, discarding any pretense of stealth in favor of closing the gap as quickly as possible. Winston turned towards him, and Matthew saw his mouth come open, either to shout or in shock, but never found out which as Cooper's hands grabbed hold of his head and slammed it into the doorframe. The blow was enough to give him a concussion, and the man began to slump to the floor, only saved by Peter grabbing the man under the arms. Peter dragged the man inside with superhuman ease while Felicia shut the door behind them.

Peter unceremoniously dumped the man down against the wall in the small, but ornate chamber, "Now what?" he asked, looking back at the others.

"Now," began Cooper as he fixed his jacket, "You two go outside and keep a lookout, best he not associate you with us."

The Webslinger tensed, "But…."

"Go Spider," snapped Felicia before she looked down at the slumped Winston, "We're going to get acquainted with Mr. Winston."

Peter looked like he was about to argue, but Mary Jane took him by the arm and tugged him towards the door, "We'll knock if something goes wrong," she said before stepping out.

"You want me to do the honors?" asked Cooper, as he unbuttoned his jacket and pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket.

"No need Cowboy, I've always wanted to do this," was the somewhat lighthearted reply from the Black Cat. Before Matthew could ask what that was, Felicia bent over and slapped the man across the face with the back of her hand, causing Cooper to wince as his eyes snapped open.

The man opened his mouth, but Cooper was faster, covering it with his gloved hand, pressing his weight down on Winston to keep him pinned. "No screaming, don't want to draw any attention, after all, we're all on the same team."

"Same… team?" questioned Winston, eyes flicking back and forth.

Cooper gave his best disarming smile and leaned in close, "Hail Hydra," he whispered, resisting the instinct to grin as Winston's expression changed in a second. "We're here for an update, figured a surprise inspection yields more… honest answers. You're going to be honest with us, right? Tell us what we want to know?" There was a quick nod, "Good man. Now, what's the status of the project?"

"On schedule, production has begun," he rattled off, Cooper couldn't help but think he had memorized a script for this exact scenario.

Felicia stepped in, keeping Winston off balance, "And the girl? Has she been disposed of?"

The man's balding head shook, "No, after some persuasion, she was compliant and may yet prove useful in future endeavors. I'm going to recommend we continue to hold her in captivity and she be re-tasked, I am sure there are other cells that could make use of her skill."

Cooper fought to keep a straight face, which was easier than if he'd said Cassel was already dead. The Pilot asked the next question in the prepared list he had with Hardy, "There are, that was good foresight on your part. Now that production has begun, there will be a great need for supplies, yes? I presume there is a new shipment set to go soon?"

"Tomorrow," confirmed Winston.

"We'll want to ensure that your routes are secure," returned Felicia, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at him, "We will go with them. Where do they set off from?"

"An old bus depot in the southeastern part of the city and… and…" he rambled as he looked at Cooper and Hardy before his lips parted into a wry grin, "Who are you two, really? CIA? Interpol? SHIELD?" Matthew tensed, a spike of anger coming through that made it up to his face, his fists clenching while the Hydra operative shook his head, his hands rubbing together, "No, no, I'd have heard if it were. You're with Sable, aren't you? Have to be," he rambled with a chuckle before he rubbed his chin. "Well… you won't get any more out of me."

"The hell we will, what are you making?" snarled Cooper, grabbing the man by his collar and shaking him up against the wall. "Where are the AMMUs?" The only thing that came back from Winston was a gurgling sputter and a bit of white foam that trickled out of the corner of his mouth. "Fuck, cyanide!" cursed the Pilot.

But Winston's mouth only formed into a twisted smile as the life was chocked out of him by whatever poison he had ingested. "Hail… Hydra," he croaked before expiring, drooling onto his jacket.

Felicia reacted quicker, kneeling down and running her hands along the expired man's legs and then across his torso until they came to a stop and reached in a pocket, pulling out the cellphone and wallet she had found in her pat-down. "We got something, and these will help," she said, holding up her loot. "Time to make a fashionable exit so I can slip out of this dress and peel you out of that suit."

Standing and casting one last scornful glance at the Hydra operative, Cooper turned to his girlfriend and put on an easygoing look, despite the nagging unease of having just watched a man die. "Sounds like a plan, Darlin," he said as he made for the door.

"And?" asked an expectant Peter.

"We got some from him, but he's gone," returned Matthew, "We need to go before they find the body."

"Body?" hissed Peter, "Did you two…."

"No, we didn't," snapped Matthew, "He did himself in instead of talking, but we have his phone and gotta…." He was in the middle of explaining when he saw Peter tense, the pupils in his eyes dilating. Both men reacted at the same time, even if the Webhead was faster as he wrapped himself around Mary Jane while Matthew spun around and held up his jacket by the collar to shield his face as gunfire ripped through the air. Wincing, Cooper felt the bullets slam into his back, stopped by the advanced body armor woven under the lining, but the kinetic energy of the pistol fire was enough to bruise.

The group moved together, ducking around the corner and out of the line of fire as the pistol fire died down. "Looks like it's going to be interesting," grunted Matthew as he looked at Felicia, "You good?" She nodded in reply, which was a relief, and he poked his head out around the corner before a volley of suppressed gunfire forced him back. "Six men, handguns, that's it," reported Cooper.

"Mary Jane and I will go for my car, through the back route and tunnel," said Felicia before giving Matthew a quick kiss, "Don't tire yourself out too much." With that farewell, the platinum blonde grabbed the Editor's hand and pulled her off down the hall and deeper into the Citadel.

"I take it back, this is a nice suit," quipped Peter, as the two men got to their feet and the Webhead asked, "Got a plan?"

"You go up high, I stay down low," replied Cooper, pointing up at the high ceiling, "We deal with this bunch, then we get out up onto the wall, draw the heat off the gals and get to my car."

"You got it," replied Peter, placing a hand to the wall and beginning to pull himself up, crawling along the sheer vertical surface while Cooper got right up on the corner, adrenaline pumping through his veins. When he saw the first muzzle come into view, the Pilot leapt out, hands gripping tight on the weapon and wrenching it away as he swung his leg through the Hydra goon's knee, knocking him to the floor as Peter made his dramatic entrance. Dropping down, he kicked one man across the face before handspringing into a second, driving him to the wall and bouncing off it into a third.

Cooper wasn't idle either, when the man he had gone at came to get back up, the Pilot pistol whipped him across the face, sending him back to the ground as Cooper went to the next man, who was trying to draw a bead on his friend. Leveling the stolen Glock, Matthew put a shot in the man's leg, staggering him as he clutched the bleeding wound and let Cooper get close. Knocking away the goons gun as he tried to take aim at Matthew, the Pilot swung his own, clobbering the man in the side of the head while ensnaring his foe's arm with his own as Cooper fell down, rolling onto his back and planting his boot in the goon's gut, grunting as he threw his foe up.

Peter saw this and reacted quickly, reaching out to grab the man by his good leg and spin him around before hurling him into the last goon standing, causing both to crash into the unforgiving stone wall. A quick look around confirmed all six were down, and after taking a moment to eject his stolen pistol's magazine and get a quick count of his remaining shots, Matthew gave a nod to his friend, "Let's roll."

Their way out was back the way they came, to the main atrium and a staircase coming off of it that led to the upper floors, and then to the perimeter wall. Retracing their steps through the halls of the Citadel, the two men moved swiftly, at least until Peter came to an abrupt halt and looked around, his feet firmly planted. Cooper brought his Glock up, "Pete," he whispered, "What's got you spooked?"

"Trouble," he replied before pointing to the doorway up ahead, "In the next room."

"The atrium," realized Cooper, knowing they would have to go through it to get out of the party. Looking around, the Pilot spotted something, "That vent, can you get to it?" he asked, tapping his friend on the shoulder. Peter nodded, and Cooper continued, "Go up there, start us off this time. I'll join in, we blow through here and keep running."

Just like before, the Wallcrawler ascended the stone until he reached the grating, pulling it up and disappearing inside. Taking a breath and steeling himself, Cooper held his nerve and crept forwards, hearing voices wafting through the open door ahead, crouching down and daring to peek around the corner. He saw more men in green suits grouped around, covering the main entry points and, unfortunately, between him and the closed door Cooper knew hid the stairwell they needed to reach.

A flicker of movement caused Cooper to turn his eyes upwards to see Peter crawling around on the ceiling, coming to a stop above a big group towards the center of the room. When Matthew saw his friend drop from the ceiling, he made his own move, slipping out and raising his pistol, squeezing off rounds at the nearest group while shuffling towards them, favoring speed more than accuracy. Despite that, he still saw a few of his shots strike home, men falling while others ducked or dove away, scampering for cover against his attack, at least until the slide locked back on an empty magazine and Cooper was forced to discard the weapon and slide behind one of the displays.

Looking out one side, he saw Peter effortlessly dodging between three men before lashing out with a kick that sent one man flying off his feet and into another. Hearing oncoming footfalls behind him, Cooper spun around and dove at the first man he saw, using his full weight to drive the man back before forcing him to the floor, smacking the man's gun away from him and driving his other fist into his face before he was forced to roll away, behind another cabinet as a bullet smashed through the display case it supported while more buried themselves in the thick wood until the gunfire abruptly ceased

Siezing the opportunity, Cooper snatched up the circular bronze shield inside and charged at the gunman, swinging the artifact wildly to knock the gun away and then bring the heavy metal implement back across the guard's head, sending him falling aside. A quick check revealed that Peter was more than handling himself, but that wasn't the problem. The door to the stairs they needed burst open and more guards came through, causing Matthew to scoop up the guards gun and fire wildly at the door, causing the Hydra men to disperse while Cooper wove through the displays, checking only that Peter was similarly moving towards the door. Looking out, the Texan saw one Hydra goon draw down on his friend and leapt to take advantage of the man's distraction.

Charging forwards, Cooper held the shield up and slammed into him full force, driving him back and through another glass display case, which shattered as they both crashed to the floor. Matthew's stolen shield tumbled away while he grabbed the mans gun hand and slammed it against the floor until the gun fell free and quickly shoved it away. The Hydra goon managed to react, Cooper grunting as a fist caught his chin and dazed him before he retaliated, bringing the shield down on the man's chest and knocking the wind out of him and probably cracking a rib. But Cooper couldn't keep wailing on him, leaving the shield where it was and scrambling to his feet before giving the man's head a kick as he dove for the next piece of cover, snatching up the man's gun on the way. Checking that there was a round in the chamber, Cooper fired a few wild rounds at the last group of Hydra guards before spying a fire hydrant on the wall and taking aim, putting a 9mm slug through the cannister and causing CO2 to leak out and instantly condense, forming thick white clouds that enveloped the gunmen. "Go! Now!" hollered the Pilot before sprinting for the stairway, turning to see Peter move with superhuman speed and beat him there.

Together, they pulled the heavy wooden doors shut and threw the bolt before ascending the stairs two at a time. "I hope MJ and Felicia are having an easier time than we are," commented Peter, "That must've been every guard in this place."

Matthew grimaced, by his count was very nearly every guard at the party that he'd seen on the grounds, with one notable exception.

"This way!" announced Felicia, turning a corner with Mary Jane hot on her heels. The thick walls and heavy doors they'd passed through meant that the gunfire had long since faded as they wove their way through the maze-like corridors of the Citadel on a path that the Thief had memorized before coming in. Taking a shortcut through an electrical room, the entrance to the subterranean tunnels that would see them to the parking lot outside the high walls was just on the other side, "Almost there, you okay Red?"

The Associate Editor was rubbing her calves, "Not used to carrying my shoes when I run," she admitted before straightening, "But I'll make it. Don't worry about me."

"You're doing just fine, I've had lots of practice. We get outta here and I'm sure you can convince Spier to give you a foot rub… among other things," grinned Felicia before putting her hand on the doorknob, "Stay put, I'll make sure it's clear, then we go, got it?"

Before the redhead could answer, the door swung open, much to Felicia's surprise, revealing the raven haired Sealy standing on the other side, predatory gleam in her glassy eyes. "Leaving so soon?" she asked, the Black Mamba raising her hands in challenge.

Pushing the shock from her mind, Felicia reached back to tie her hair into a messy bun, feeling a slight rush of adrenaline as she smile back at Tanya. "Yeah, being shot at tends to spoil my mood," quipped Felicia as she raised her own hands, "Other than that, pretty good party. What did you think?"

The way Black Mamba's grin curled up was as unsettling to Felicia as the pair of inky black pair of serpents that seemed to sprout from her back and poke out over her shoulders, the energy constructs flickering in time with their tongues coming out of their mouths. "I think it's time I have some fun," replied the mercenary before charging at Felicia, one arm cocked back.

Reacting, the Thief ducked down and lashed out with a kick that found its mark, taking a leg out from under Sealy midstride and causing her to crash to the floor. Felicia sprang up and leapt over to press her advantage, but was forced to dodge away when she saw one of those snakes strike towards her. Both women recovered at the same time and clashed again, the Mamba coming at the Cat in almost the same way, prompting the same reaction. As Felicia's leg came out to jab the heel of her shoe into Tanya's knee, one of the serpents shot down and wrapped around Felicia's leg, forcing the platinum blonde off balance and causing her to fall onto her back. Grunting as the wind was knocked out of her, Hardy rolled, twisting up the serpent around itself before kicking Sealy with her other foot, the toe of Felicia's shoe digging into her midsection and eliciting a scream of fury from the raven haired woman as her hand slashed down to no avail.

Sitting up, Felicia wrapped both hands around the serpent projection and pulled with all her strength, toppling Sealy and slamming the Black Mamba on the floor. The mercenary rolled onto her back just as Felicia was upon her, hand coming down to chop at a sensitive nerve and stun the woman further, only for a snake to come up and ensnare Felicia's wrist in its fangless maw. The Thief tried to knee Black Mamba, but found herself ensnared in the tattoed legs of her opponent and flipped down onto her back, Sealy straddling her midsection. "At least take a girl to dinner first," Felicia teased between ragged breaths.

"Maybe that's what I'll do with your friend," sneered Sealy, the other snake wrapping up Felicia's other hand while one of the mercenary's own hands wrapped around Felicia's throat. Even as she started to go lightheaded, Hardy saw something that caused her to smile, "You getting off on this, bitch?"

Felicia shook her head minutely, but before the Black Mamba could speak again, the pipe segment Mary Jane was holding came down on Sealy, causing her to scream and pain as she staggered off Felicia. Gasping for breath, Hardy reacted quickly, kicking her feet up and bringing one foot down on Sealy's shoulder. With a twist and a bend, the Black Cat had the Black Mamba's neck pressed to the inside of her knee, her other leg hooking around her ankle to lock the woman in place. Sealy thrashed as she tried in vain to get free until she finally lost consciousness and Felicia felt her foe go limp, the serpents pinning her arms flickering away and freeing her.

"Thanks for the help," said Felicia as she accepted Mary Janes offered hand and got to her feet, "Still got it?" There was a nod back as the pair made for the door, Felicia keeping one eye on Black Mamba. Pulling it open to reveal a set of dimly lit stairs, "Time to go, I've had enough of the local riff raff for one night."

Coming out the door, Matt came into the open night, finding the top of the wall deserted, the party still on in full swing below. Turning away from it, the Pilot looked out towards the parking lot, scanning it when he heard a familiar, sonorous howl from down below and looked down to see a pair of headlights come from a familiar red Ferrari that pulled out of the parking lot and made for the exit. "Looks like the gals made it out," observed Cooper before he found what he was looking for. "There she is," he said, pointing at his bright blue McLaren, "Let's get down there."

"Hang on," said Peter as he wrapped an arm around the Texan and the pair clambered over the battlements. Matthew had to grit his teeth as he was held solely by the superstrength of his friend while they ran lockstep down the sheer vertical surface. They could see guards rushing out into the lot, running for their blacked out Mercedes sedans without looking back at the descending men until they were low enough that they jumped down.

Feet hitting the asphalt, the pair rushed towards Cooper's McLaren, Matt looking over his shoulder to see silhouettes up on the wall the pair had come from. Weaving through the parked cars, the pair arrived at the Texan's McLaren and threw up the trick doors, settling down inside as he saw headlights start to come through the parking lot. With the press of a button, the twin turbocharged V8 snarled behind them, Matthew putting the car into its most aggressive mode, queuing up every one of the 720S's 710 horses and leaving them all chomping at the bit. "Your turn buddy, hang on!" said Cooper, clicking the left shift paddle right before one of the blacked-out Mercs came to a stop in front of them.

"Wait, where are you…" began Peter before Matt slammed on the accelerator, the engine howling and the McLaren rocketing back while Cooper worked the wheel, whipping the front end around and clicking the right paddle. With wheels spinning and a lick of flame coming from the tailpipes, the 720S lurched into drive and shot forwards with enough acceleration to pin the two men into their bucket seats. Almost as quickly, Cooper's foot came down hard on the brakes, throwing them against their seatbelts while he snaked through the tight corners of the parking lot until he found the exit.

The tires screeched when Matthew cranked the wheel over, hammering the gas to bring the car sliding out onto the road and pointed in the direction he wanted to go. Straightening the wheel, Cooper clicked the paddle to upshift the car, the dual-clutch transmission having the next gear in place faster than he could blink, the car settling down before tearing down the boulevard. "Look out!" warned Peter as more black sedans turned out of the same parking lot ahead of them, Cooper throwing the wheel over to slalom the supercar between them.

As much as Cooper wanted to be able to upshift and use his cars superior speed and power to leave his pursuers in the dust, the upcoming tight turn meant he had to pump the brakes and turn the car in before jamming down on the throttle to kick the tail out. Whipping the McLaren around the corner, Cooper saw some Mercs coming after him while others tore down a different street. "Shit," he grunted, twisting the wheel back over, "They're going after the girls."

There was a grunt from both men as the back tires gained traction and the 720S surged forwards, the roar of the motor echoing off the buildings on either side of the narrow road. Despite the mighty acceleration, Cooper could see his pursuers doggedly keep up in his rearview mirror, the gap only closing as he had to steer the McLaren around the chicane, wary of the curbs that the trailing sedans barreled right over. "Uh Coop, they're gaining on us," warned Peter, the New Yorker twisted around in his seat to peer through the diminutive rear window. "You going to do something about it?"

"I'm… argh, working on it," answered Matthew as he slammed on the brakes and turned in hard, clicking down to put the car in first gear, the tachometer running up past 4,500 rpm as Matt kept the accelerator down. Still feeling his friend's gaze on him as he kept his eyes on the road and foot to the floor, even as the tachometer needle edged towards the redline he couldn't put much distance between him and his pursuers as he had to throw the wheel over and skid around a corner before he could put his car's power to task.

Matt saw his friend look back in his peripheral vision before the Queens Native's expression changed, "Let me help," he said.

Grunting as he shifted up, Cooper couldn't suppress a small smirk, "Leather bag behind your seat, it's got Cat's gear in it." Going as much by memory as the seat of his pants, Matthew wove the McLaren through the narrow streets on his way to a certain landmark as a plan formed in his mind.

"Alright," intoned Peter, "Get me close."

Matt couldn't help but steal a glance at his friend, "You're not going out like that," grunted Cooper, suppressing laugh as he reached down and picked up the balaclava that was covering his holstered Pit Viper and threw it at Peter. "Put that on instead," he ordered, causing Peter to pull off Felicia's domino mask and tug on the full head covering in it's place. "Hang on, I'll get you close."

Bursting out into a roundabout, Cooper threw the wheel left before wrenching it back to the right as he added more throttle, kicking the backend of the McLaren out and inciting a drift around the fountain at the circle's center. Amidst the snarl of the motor and shriek of the tires, Peter rolled down the window and watched as the pursuing sedans draw closer before he acted.

With superhuman power and dexterity, Parker launched himself out of the 720S and onto the hood of the leading Mercedes. Crawling up the windshield, the Webslinger pried open the sunroof and reached down to grab hold of the driver and toss him into the backseat, prompting the car to veer out of control. Cooper slammed on the gas and whipped the car around, dodging the careening C class just as the second one bored in. With a twist of the wheel and a heavy dab of brake, Matt managed to shimmy the McLaren around his assailant before he ran up the curb and started to flip over, but was prevented from doing so by the superhero that jumped over and caught the car, holding it aloft before setting it down on its side.

The third and final pursuing Hydra vehicle veered around the corner and passed straight by Cooper and sped towards Peter instead. Cooper could only watch as his friend dove away, rolling across the pavement onto his feet, hand extended to take aim with the Black cat's Grapple Gun. Peter loosed the hook, which Matt saw lodge itself in the crook of the speeding car's C pillar as it turned around the traffic circle. Peter reeled himself in, kicking off the fountain in the center and front flipping end over end until he reached the vehicle, clinging onto the roof. Acrobatically spinning around, Peter slid down the drivers side and held firm on the A pillar before he planted his feet on the road. Feeling the strain on his arms and legs, Peter dug in his heels and squeezed the Mercedes hard enough to crimp the pillar right before he got the wheels out of alignment and the furiously spinning back wheels whipped the tail end of the car around the front.

Cooper saw the last pursuing car spin out of control and into a light pole, leaving the car a smoking wreck while he raced the wrong way around the roundabout until he came to screeching halt beside Peter, "Helluva afterparty, eh?"

Stuck in the passenger seat and hanging on for dear life, Mary Jane was happy that they hadn't eaten at the party because Felicia's driving would have resulted in the very expensive dress she was wearing being ruined. Flung forward against her seatbelt, the Associate Editor felt her stomach lurch before she twisted around to see the headlights of the pursuing Hydra cars behind them. The cars vanished from sight as the Ferrari was steered around a hairpin turn before the viscous acceleration of the 488 pinned MJ to the leather seat. "They really want a piece of our asses, don't they, Red?" quipped Felicia, "Not that I can blame them really."

The Black Cat's tone was flippant, but Watson could see the determination on her features as she clicked the shift paddles to coax more speed from the supercar but was unable to decisively shake their pursuers. Mary Jane heard the usually sonorous V8 of the Ferrari run up against its rev limiter as Felicia downshifted to wheel the car around a bend, but it allowed the Hydra cars to catch back up. "Woah!" exclaimed Felicia before she suddenly jerked the wheel left, sending MJ slamming against the door.

Looking out the window, Mary Jane saw the car that had almost rammed into them before Felicia accelerated. While pushing herself back into her seat, the journalist saw that Peter had left his webshooters in the door pocket and quickly snatched them up, strapping them onto her wrists while Felicia kept driving. "Let them get closer," shouted MJ as she held up her arm to show Felicia her plan, "I'm going to slow them down."

The Thief's features gleamed with mischief, "Hit the windshield, that'll slow them down." Giving the platinum blonde a nod, MJ rolled the window down and twisted around in her seat, bracing herself against the leather clad door panel, "Wait for it," cautioned Hardy as she dabbed the brakes and twisted the wheel, take the next corner wide, "Now!"

Coaxing her head and shoulder out of the tiny opening, Mary Jane extended her arm and held down the button on the base of her palm until a powerful glob of webbing shot out and slammed into the windshield of the nearest trailing car, covering it in white silk and causing it to slow. The second car swerved around and tried to makeup the distance, but MJ kept the webshooters working, splashing webs across the front grill and hood until she finally found her aim and clicked the button as fast as she could, all the way up until the gadget made an empty hiss and refused to fire any more.

Her efforts were enough, and Felicia punched the gas pedal to get the Ferrari around the next corner and swerved up onto the sidewalk, hiding the supercar behind a boxtruck as the two women watched the Hydra cars fly by without slowing. Once they were well out of sight, Felicia put the car in reverse and doubled back, "No hotel after all that, huh?" supposed the redhead, getting a sad shake of the head from Felicia, "Damn, figures."

"We'll have to make do with our alternate," consoled the Thief, "Doesn't mean we can't have any fun. Speaking of," she continued, and MJ could see the cheshire grin on her face, "You seemed pretty handy with those webshooters. Ever use them on Spider?"

"No, what do you… oh… oh. No," answered Mary Jane as she took them off before eyeing them, "But that's not the worst idea you've had."

"And if you don't, let me know if I can borrow them," continued Felicia, "I want Matt to use them on me."

Cooper's Logbook: Operations - Identification

For all of the resources Silver Sable has at the end of a phone, there are some things even a queen and owner of one of the world's largest private military contractors doesn't have. One of those is much of an intelligence service, for those who are capable in that field are highly prized by whatever government they serve, and the ones who would turn mercenary aren't ones that Sable is likely to trust. Where that leaves her is the rather unenviable position of having to rely on foreign intelligence agencies for many of her own intelligence needs.

Each nation seems to have some area of expertise in which they are quite proud of their capabilities. Never disparage American satellites or signals intelligence, the British have some top field agents, and the Israelis, in general, have the most intestinal fortitude, they are all, in a way, crazy. As good as they all are, don't knock the Russians, who's general predisposition to paranoia serves them well in the spy game. Most of their expertise is in the subtler means of spycraft, specializing in long term deep cover agents that are adept at operating in foreign lands under different identities.

So it is no surprise that the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS RF) make the best fake documents in the world, so good that they'll get you into Russia without so much as a raised eyebrow. As far as Sable is concerned, one of the best things she gets out of a continued friendship with the Russian Federation is the use of their paper makers, and it seems to be a relation that both sides want to maintain, as long as they share common foes.

Closing Notes: Hope y'all enjoyed that, definitely leaned into the John Wick sort of action sequence here, with a little bit of Mission Impossible for the car chase at the end, which was probably the hardest part. Yes, I took some liberties with the Black Mamba and how her powers are portrayed, but I figured leaning into her snake motif and riffing on the Darkness would be a fun enough way to adapt the character.

Obviously, I've been deviating pretty far from standard Super Hero fare to this point in the story, putting Peter in particular in situations that don't typically suit him. What do y'all think of that? I'm afraid the rest of this story arc is fairly set, but I'm curious as to how this experiment has gone. Please leave a review and give me some thoughts. Yes, I am shamelessly trying to get some engagement, sue me.

Until next time, Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.