Hey guys...I know I said that I was taking a break - and I did manage about 4.7k words into my other fic - but then I saw the Spider-Man PS4 gameplay demo and lets just say I was inspired. I mean I already had plans for a Mr. Negative arc after these two, but now I'm much more hyped to write it...though Peter causes a lot of collateral damage stopping the chopper :/ Is it too much to hope for a Spider-Gwen appearance in the game? Probably, but they showed off Miles so I'm holding onto hope 
Anyway, I also checked out Injustice 2's Red Hood and while the PS4 Spidey game gave me ideas for Gwen, Red Hood's giving me ideas for Noir Especially since his characterization is remarkably stable: He doesn't believe in Batman's no killing rule, but he also opposes the regime for killing far too many in pursuit of 'justice'. His intro and clash quotes with Supergirl (Ideal Hero vs Anti-Hero) and his arcade ending where he gives the finger to both factions in favor of fighting 'for the people' are also pretty good things I can crib some stuff off.
Another friend also suggested taking some things from John Wick - especially since it seems to be becoming more widespread, if Leon from Resident Evil Vendetta is any indication - though that I have far more doubts on. While the movie's gun kata is more realistic than the likes of Equilibrium and Matrix, a lot of it also relies on the bad guys running up to Wick with their guns rather than shooting him from a controlled distance.
On a more downbeat note, I also read up on 'Death of a Salesman' since I wanted to see about writing characters who are flawed and stay flawed because of their own choices. It'll help me with writing Frog-Man: Gwen and Noir sometimes don't feel human because their problems and traumas are larger than life and unbelievable, but with Eugene he shows contradictions in a more focused light: He's somewhat big-headed and craves fame 65-Peter, Vulture etc etc and acts like a hormonal teen, but he's also shown to be capable of being brave and does his best despite his failings.
It'll be a treat to see if I can write him well given that he's working together with Gwen and Kate, both of whom have been in the Superhero business for far longer and are far more charismatic personality-wise compared to some kid in a frog suit from the suburbs.
Chapter 55: Cold War
Back to being the stalker.
Peter sighed and adjusted his place on the Watson roof. The sun still hadn't risen and most of the street was covered in a blanket of darkness. Just the way he liked it, really; made him hard to see even if he stuck out on the red roof like a sore thumb in his getup.
His mouth curled into a light frown. He didn't know what he was doing here, though the same could have been said about everything he'd been doing ever since he got to this place. Still, he couldn't deny that seeing the Parkers go about their daily routine was oddly calming; even if he felt like a damn voyeur stalking them from across the street. At least they were happy...and their home was remarkably unvandalized, all things considered.
He tapped his fingers along the edge of the roof tiles. How long was he going to stay here acting like a damn peeping tom? It wasn't like anything would change: Both of them always woke up early, Ben always leaving for one errand or another while May prepared a hearty breakfast for her hard-working husband. Same routine, day in and day out. If they didn't stop when their son turned himself into a monster they sure as hell weren't gonna be changing now.
A part of him was tempted to go to them, but the rational part of his mind (which was fighting an increasingly uphill battle...) reminded him to back off. What was he going to say? He hadn't seen them since he was kidnapped by one of Moon's cabal, and the things he found out...it was too much. Bad enough that they thought he was their son risen from the grave; what were they going to do now that they found out he'd stolen someone's corpse and was parading around it like it was a damn puppet on a string? He'd been called a freak enough times that he didn't need to to hear it from them, too.
Of course, a part of him also knew this was nothing more than a distraction.
Peter grit his teeth and clenched his hands tightly. Martha Connors died. It wasn't a surprise; with how grievous her wounds were and how long it took for the spooks to get there she was already on death's door before he could even blink. Back when he didn't know he couldn't help but hope for a miracle, hope that maybe it'll end up like Lori with a convenient coma that could be recovered from given enough time.
And now Osborn was still out there. Letting out a sigh, he looked to the Stacy house and suppressed his frown. He understood why Gwen wanted to let Osborn go, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Still, he couldn't help the resentment that bubbled up whenever he thought about it, though he did his best to ignore it. It probably wasn't a picnic for her knowing Castle was still out there and he was surprised she hadn't added that little tidbit as fuel to the fire the last time they'd met.
He heard footsteps drawing closer. He was tempted to jump off the roof (or at least turn invisible) to try and retain some anonymity, but the head of red hair that peered out of the attic's window calmed him down quickly, "...Watson." He gave her a wry smile, though it was hidden underneath his new mask; the third one from Cindy he'd gotten at this point. At this point she was going start charging him for the nigh-constant repairs.
The redhead raised an eyebrow at the subdued greeting before replying, "Uh...morning, Tiger." She looked around the roof for a quick second before focusing back on him, "Any reason you're at my roof right now?"
"Just needed a place to sit." He shrugged. Better she didn't know he was here stalking his (not) aunt and uncle, "Didn't think anyone would notice. I always leave before any of you wake up."
"So...what I'm hearing is this isn't the first time you've done this." She shook her head and let out a soft breath. Less annoyed and more exasperated, at least from what he could see, "Well, move over then."
Peter raised an eyebrow of his own when she pushed the window open wider and stepped onto the roof, her balance shaky, "...You're going to fall off." He offered her a hand which she took gratefully. Her grip on him was tight, and she didn't let go till they were sitting side by side, both of their knees tucked to their chests. He couldn't deny that it looked juvenile, but at this point he didn't care. It was silly enough that a wanted vigilante and a band singer were sitting side by side like nothing was wrong.
A comfortable silence settled over the unlikely pair. Peter felt Watson staring at him, but he continued to look forward and focus on the Parkers. Ben was leaving - earlier than his usual time - so this little voyeuristic show of his was coming to an end. He'd tell himself it was the last time he'd do it, but then he'd come back; 1 day, 2 days...he always ended up back on the roof for this little spectacle.
"You know...you can talk to them, if you want." Peter blinked and looked at Watson. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression; was it pity or something else? He didn't know, "They've been so happy ever since you and Gwencent got caught sucking face on the jumbotron. I mean those two have been rooting for you two to get together ever since you met...actually, in your case I think they just wanted you to have a girlfriend at all. No offense."
"None taken." He rolled his eyes. His aunt May was the same; always encouraging him to step out with either Mary Jane or Stacy...which was something he'd rather not think about considering who he was sitting next to, "'Sides, I'm pretty sure if I tell them what happened between me and Gwen they're just gonna be disappointed." He frowned. He had more things to worry about than who he'd swapped cash with.
"...Alright, before we continue with this I gotta ask: What the fuck is up with your voice?" Peter gave her a questioning look, but she held her ground, "Look, it's not a weird thing to ask. Your voice, it's..."
"A voice modulator put into the mask. It helps disguise me better." Spector had the same thing; Marc had been the one to suggest it after he saw his dyed hair, though Lockley apparently found some amusement in the idea of a dead man feeling the need to disguise himself. He didn't think it was funny, but he also didn't see the point with arguing with someone who had 3 personalities banging around in his head.
"Right, well...could you take your mask off then?" They stared at one another for a few seconds before she sighed, "Look, I get it, secret identity or whatever, but I wanna talk to Peter; not 'Spider-Man'."
"...Fine." He sighed and pulled his mask off. His spider-sense would warn him if something was wrong and worst came to worst maybe the dyed hair would be enough to dissuade people from seeing the resemblance, "That better, Watson?"
"Watson? Dude, the last name basis thing might've been a thing in the 30's, but here it just makes you look like a pretentious hipster. Trust me, you already ditched the trenchcoat; don't fall back in that hole."
"Fine then, Mary." He rolled his eyes again.
"Last person who called me that was my dad, but whatever. I guess I'm lucky you didn't tack a 'Ms.' on top of it." She leaned back, hands pressed against the cold roof, "Anyway, like I said you should talk to them. Even if it's not about you and Gwencent they'll be happy to talk to their nephew...or whoever you're supposed to be."
"What, you don't think I'm Parker?" That would've been a breath of fresh air.
"Gwen thinks you are, but I'm not really sure." She shook her head, "I mean all this superhero stuff's over my head. Either you came back from the dead or you're from another dimension; both of them sound fucking weird to me." She gave him a wry smile, "Then again, I don't really have a horse in this race. I didn't know Peter very well, so whether you're him or not doesn't really change how I see it. Gwen's got more reason to care than I do."
"...How is she? Gwen, I mean." He did his best to make his voice neutral, though he doubted Watson bought it.
"How she always is half the time; blaming herself for letting things go too far." She let out a tired breath and brought a hand through her hair, "She'll bounce back, but I'll tell you it's a pain in the ass dealing with her when she gets like this. It's pretty lucky that Betty's her roommate. I would've gone insane if I had to deal with her mood swings all the time."
"She's better than the one I remember..." Whatever else she definitely wasn't a snob, which was a step up as far as he was concerned. Captain Stacy still being upright probably had something to do with it as well; if nothing else she could take down Brock on her own if the bastard ever showed up ranting about Venom and whatever garbage he spouted.
"You never did tell us about what 'your' Gwen is like," MJ said lightly, "Either way I'm worried about her. We had practice yesterday and she suddenly stopped and screamed at us about how loud we were being and that she needed to be alone." She winced, "It was bizzarre, I'll tell you that much. One minute everything was as usual and suddenly she was having a bitch fit."
"Maybe she should get herself checked." Why did he get the feeling it had something to do with that thing bolted onto her?
"Or maybe she's just acting up cause both her best friends apparently tried to kill one another." Mary clicked her tongue, " You really need to make up with her, Tiger."
"Why are you calling me that?" He didn't really mind - it was probably one of the least offensive thing he'd been called ever since he got pulled here - but it was odd all the same.
"What, 'Tiger'?" She gave a subtle shrug at his nod, "I dunno, I always called people by nickname. Same reason I call Gwen 'Gwencent', I guess. Besides, it was either that or 'Spider', and I thought calling you that would've been a bit too on the nose."
"Hardy doesn't seem to think so..."
"You know Felicia? You know what, dumb question; her concert got attacked by ninjas once. Should've figured something was up with her." She waved a hand through the air, "And hey, nice try weaseling out of it, but I'm serious: You and Gwencent really need to make up. This tiptoe bullshit you're both doing is really damn annoying and it'd be better for all of us if you cut that shit out."
"It's not that simple..." Peter bit back. It wasn't her fault that Martha Connors died or dozens of others got turned into fodder because of Ogre's greed, but the way he'd left things with her left a lot to be desired.
"Yeah, it really is. Look, I don't what the deal is between you two, but I can tell this little trouble in paradise is a pain in the ass for both of you." Mary sighed, "Hey, how about this: Me and a few others are going to my Aunt's cabin soon. It's just a few of us and it'll be pretty isolated for the most part. Why not come along? You and Gwen can deal with this relationship BS without the Superhero thing getting in the way."
"A getaway to the woods...tempting, but the company's kind of questionable. I get the feeling Grant doesn't like me." More than a feeling really, but what else was new? Grant didn't like Spider-Man back home either.
"Oh, she doesn't, but she'll just have to deal." She gave him a lopsided grin, "Hey, it's my aunt's cabin, so I'm the closest thing our little group has to an owner; if I wanna invite the Dark Spider over then it's my choice. Just think about it, would you? This tiptoe bullshit you and Gwen are doing is just going to make things worse, trust me. I think we both know Gwen doesn't do the loner thing as well as you do."
"Maybe..." He watched Ben's car run past the end of the street and turn the corner out of sight before he continued, "...Why are you up so early, anyway? Most of the time you don't wake up till long after I'm gone."
"Right...well, ignoring how creepy that makes you sound." She adjusted her place on the roof, "We got a gig in a few days, and I was raiding the attic trying to see if I could find some decent costumes. The guy who hired us said he'd pay extra if we came up with a theme and for some reason Gwencent got real pissed when I suggested we all dress up like Spider-Woman." She laughed under her breath, "Someone's a bit territorial, I guess."
"Costumes...maybe Lana could help with that; I'll ask her when I can. She's always patching up new clothes to keep herself busy." It'd be a better use of her time than getting brained with pipes by gangbangers, at least, "...I still don't get why you're doing this, though. What's the point of getting up on stage and screaming?"
"I could say the same about you and Gwencent doing the Superhero thing," she countered, "I mean Gwen's New York's idol
now, but it wasn't too long ago that people spat when she passed. And you...well, half the city hates your guts. Again, no offense." He waved a hand through the air in lieu of answering back, "It's only gotten worse now that you and her got caught sucking face. I mean I'm seeing death threats on forums."
"I'd like to see them try." He scoffed. People hiding behind mirrors; it was easy to be brave when you didn't have to actually own up, "You'd know why Gwen's doing it more than I would, but for me...helps keep me sane, I think." Then again considering he was hearing voices and seeing hallucinations any sane person would've told him that horse already left the barn, "Better than sitting on my backside brooding."
"No offense, but you still seem to be doing that." She gave him a teasing smile in response to the light glare he was now sporting, "But hell, why do I do it? Simple, I like the attention. Gwen gets a rush doing the spider in skintight spandex thing, I get it when people cheer after a good song."
"Fame...there's a reason people say it's fleeting, you know." Today's superstar could turn to yesterday's news in the blink of an eye. He'd seen it enough times back home and here to know that 82 years didn't change that.
"Considering you've been making headlines every since you showed up, that seems pretty hollow coming from you." She punched him in the shoulder lightly, "Hey, I'm not saying I can do this forever. I mean me and the rest of the band are going to ESU when the tests hit. Not sure about Gwencent, but I figure she'll be doing it too. Still, I'm going to ride it while I can."
"Why do people want attention so much, anyway? All it does it make people look and judge you." Parker, Toomes and countless others in this madhouse. All of seemed obsessed with making their mark, being 'remembered' no matter what it was people thought of them. One thing he'd never understood about his counterpart; being 'special' for its own sake seemed good enough for him, damn everyone else.
"Woah there, Tiger, what'd I say about that Hipster talk?" He rolled his eyes at the poor attempt at a joke, "But hey, there's nothing philosophical about it; some people like attention, some people like to beat up thugs in alleys. Guess which one either of us is."
"Yeah, I get your point." He didn't
understand it, but far be it for him to judge how people lived their lives. As long she wasn't hurting anyone it was none of his business how Mary got her kicks.
"You could attend one of our concerts sometime," she said, "Can't be any worse than the music back where you're from, right? And be honest, when was the last time you've had fun? You and Gwen are making news all the time, but at least she paces herself. You seem like you don't get any sleep."
"Mostly because I don't." He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. Dreams came and went as always, but he'd gotten used to ignoring sleep that his body refused to shut down unless he lost at least 2 pints of blood.
"Wow...well, that explains why you're so cranky all the time at least." She clicked her tongue, "What do you do for fun, anyway? Or do you just brood all the time?"
"Fun? Haven't had much of that since I got to this place." Peter scoffed. Day in and day out it was just one thing after another; hard to have 'fun' considering the people after his head, "If you're asking what I do on my free time then I guess I read."
"Some things never change." She let out a single, soft laugh, "The Peter here always had his nose buried in a book. Let me guess, science textbooks?"
"Sometimes. Mostly I read history books," he said, "Some things in this place change, others remain the same. I read up on the end of the second world war. The one you call 'Captain America' was pivotal to ending it and Hitler ended up getting arrested before he could commit suicide in his bunker. Not sure if that's the same everywhere else, but it is here." He pursed his lips, "Nobel still created dynamite, but no peace prizes. Roosevelt was still the president after Hoover, but some of his policies are different. Constants and variables...which is which and the reason why isn't really apparent."
"Wow..." She let out whistle and gave him a pitying look, "Uh...anything else you do? Besides the reading, I mean?"
"...Trying to learn languages." He shrugged, "Spector thought it'd be a good idea for me to learn things like German or Farsi, though I don't see the point. I learned some French from Hardy; mostly cursing given how she uses it." He picked up on it faster than he expected, but he still didn't see the point. He doubted the spooks would let him leave New York at the rate he was going.
"Alright, enough about learning." She shook her head and let out an incredulous breath, "Look, you have friends here, right? Besides Gwencent, I mean. What about a guys night out or something?"
"Closest thing I had to that is the last time I worked with Castle, Spector and Bullseye to try and shut down a sex slavery ring Leland Owlsley was running. It ended with us losing most of our clothes and drugged out of our minds." Mary gave him a worried look and he waved her off, "Long story. Spector thought using ourselves as bait was the best bet to find the ring before the girls shipped out. It worked, but I'd rather not remember what happened." Hard to explain the stains to Lana when he got back. It was a good thing drugs didn't work on him for long...
At least they left him with his pants on. Bullseye wasn't so lucky, though he didn't seem to mind; Peter had a feeling it had little to do with him being drugged out of his mind.
"Right...well, you
really need to come with us to our trip then. Trust me, it'll probably be good for you if that's your idea of a guys night..."
"Maybe." He gave her a soft smile and squeezed her shoulder briefly, "...I should probably go. My friend Howard called me about a case, and he seemed...panicked." Then again he always sounded like that. Probably figured that a 'free' assistant like him was better taken advantage of while it lasted. He probably should have felt offended that someone was taking advantage of him, but the duck at least seemed far more honest about it than the rest of his 'team'.
"First things first, you might wanna make sure those wheatcakes don't go to waste." She pointed to the fresh plate standing on the windowsill, "Something tells me that May knows you're watching her."
"...It's a coincidence." And so were the last 4 times she'd done it. He never took the bait; for all he knew it was for another neighbor and he didn't want to presume, "Hey...thanks for talking. It's a relief to talk to someone who knew that kid but doesn't expect me to act like a moron."
"If you wanna make it up to me, my sister's birthday is coming up and she'll owe me for life if I get you and Gwencent to show up in costume." She gave him a coy smile and squeezed his shoulder in turn, "Ever since I told her it was the 'Dark Spider' that saved her ass in that alley she's been a fan. I mean, not as big a a fan as she is of 'Spider-Woman', but hey. Gwencent doesn't wanna, but would you do it?"
"Something tells me a wanted vigilante's just gonna cause more trouble if he shows up at a party." He put on his mask and shrugged, "...I'll think about it. See you around, Mary."
"Later, Tiger."
Another day, another...something.
Gwen swung through the air absentmindedly, her body moving on autopilot as she made her way through the city. It was barely noon but already she'd stopped two muggings, a couple of assaults and at least one count of grand theft auto...and it didn't do much to keep her mind off of things. At this point she had it down to a science: Punch, kick, web and quip. Sometimes the order changed, but it hardly changed from those 4.
Sighing, she propelled herself higher and let the morning winds try to relax her. Harry was gone again, though he'd promised to keep contact. He even gave her a number to call him with in case of an emergency, though he also made it clear that it wasn't meant to for small talk. 'Only call me if there's something critical happening' were his exact words. If S.H.I.E.L.D found out they'd been in contact...well, she could expect more than a lecture from Cap, that was for sure.
"I guess this is goodbye again, huh?"
"I prefer 'see you later', Harry."
She allowed herself a bitter smile. Their parting was definitely better than their last one, but 'better than the last time' wasn't exactly a high mark considering he attempted to kill her the last time they met.
"Gwen...I still have feelings for you-"
"I know."
She nearly missed the next swing, "Shit." She ran along the wall of a building and propelled herself forward her, trying to ignoring the way her hands shook. She didn't know what Harry was planning when he'd said it, but she cut him off before he could finish. She...well, she really didn't need to deal with that on top of everything that happened that night. Maybe Harry was just desperate for whatever scrap of normalcy he could get from what happened, but she wouldn't...
couldn't deal with that right now. Not after what happened between the three of them.
That wasn't even getting to the rest of the things she had to worry about. Ms. Van Dyne had opened up some time for them to meet that afternoon, and she couldn't stop the sinking feeling at the pit her stomach. Webster had been oddly quiet ever since yesterday when she'd lashed out at the others. She had no idea what happened; one second she was beating her drums like always and the next she was ranting about everything being too loud and that she needed quiet.
Gwen shook her head and let out a tired breath. She'd been putting off the testing for as long as she could; she could only hope this wasn't life biting her in the ass for her requisite dose of Stacy luck.
"Get her, my menagerie!"
She was jolted out of her thoughts by the unmistakable voice of White Rabbit reaching her ears,
'Really?' She clicked her tongue and adjusted her swing, making her way to the source of the screaming and explosions. She didn't agree with Peter on a lot of things, but Dodson's constant bail outs were getting on her nerves as much as it did on his. Even for a millionaire she would have thought someone would have rejected her bail at some point.
Gwen landed on the edge of a nearby rooftop and blinked at the scene before her. White Rabbit's 'gang' was there, albeit they were missing tentacle girl and walrus dude...and had a new addition,
'Really, Vince?' She frowned at the guy in a frog costume standing among the costumed criminals. The last time she'd checked in on him he was trying to make up for what he'd done. She would've been lying if she said she wasn't disappointed seeing him there.
What really caught her attention, however, was the sight of Kate standing on top of a car with an arrow nocked and an audacious grin on her face.
"Who are you!? You're not my arch-enemy!" White Rabbit shrieked, glaring daggers at the archer in purple. Gwen resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the thought that Dodson was still convinced the two were destined rivals or some other bullshit. Even Bodega Bandit had seniority over her, even if she didn't like thinking about how much BB seemed to be invested in their little 'relationship'.
"Well, someone's got an ego!" Kate taunted. Before WR could screech back another reply she released the arrow and hit the one in the porcupine suit square in the chest, a torrent of electricity rushing through him before he fell flat on his face. Tazer arrows; nasty shock, but non-lethal all the same. She'd seen Kate make use of it a lot when they were hunting down Mysterio.
"Get her!"
That was her cue. Without missing a beat she swung down and kicked grizzly straight in the face, knocking the larger man flat on his back before he knew what hit him, "Hey, hope you don't mind me cutting in!" She landed next to Kate with a small flip, the archer giving her a brief look of surprise before she gave her that same confident grin and a thumbs up, "Didn't know you were back in town, Hawkeye."
"Yeah, family business finished up." She looked her up and down and whistled appreciatively, "Nice costume, by the way. You pull of the black and blue pretty well."
"Thanks-"
"Stop ignoring me!" White Rabbit screeched. The pair looked back at her and Gwen raised an eyebrow. Apart from Dodson only Frog-Man and another villain dressed in a moth costume remained. She was torn between feeling pity or just snickering at her, especially with the way most of the people didn't even bother to run in favor of watching the 'crime' in progress.
They didn't even bother recording it. You saw one White Rabbit crime and you saw them all.
"...I'll take Frog-Man, you take the moth chick?" Gwen asked, giving Kate a knowing look.
"You know it." The other girl gave her a wink and notched another arrow, jumping towards the designated Supervillain with an almost exaggerated flourish. Gwen watched her go with a slight smile before focusing back on Vincent. She knew the suit allowed some enhanced durability - probably how he didn't break his ass every time he made a mis-jump - but she still had to be careful. The last thing she needed was Eugene seeing his dad crippled.
She swung closer to the bulbous toad, Frog-Man backing away slightly when she landed in front of him, "Gotta say I'm disappointed, Vinnie. I really thought you were trying to do better, but I guess you just couldn't help putting on the costume again, huh?" She clicked her tongue, "Look, just give up. We both know how it ended last time and I don't want to embarrass you twice in a row."
"I-I'm not gonna lose!" Gwen raised an eyebrow. That...didn't sound like Vincent; matter of fact it didn't sound like a guy period. Her thoughts were cut off when he(?) jumped into the air, no doubt intent to land on her judging by the jutting elbow.
She waited till she was closer to the ground before she (it was definitely a girl) released two lines of webbing, tangling the supervillain (and she used that term loosely) in mid-air for a split second before she dragged her down, covering the suit in a thick cocoon of webbing that left it restrained from the neck down.
"Well, that was easy." Not that she was surprised. Maybe it was arrogant of her, but she liked to think that she could afford it considering the win-count was, what, 12-0 at this point whenever she had to deal with 'the Menagerie'? Once she got bailed out of jail next week she could go for unlucky number 13. She only hoped she had a couple of days; Dodson was bad enough in moderation, but dealing with her constantly was giving Gwen a headache.
She looked back at Kate and found moth girl pinned under a thick net of webbing, the archer twirling an arrow between her fingers before putting it back into its quiver. No surprise there, either. Now all that was left was the 'ringleader' herself.
"S-Stay back!" White Rabbit pointed her carrot gun at them both, but the way her hands shook made it clear that the attempt at resistance was futile at best, "St-Stay back, I mean it! You may have beaten my henchmen, but I won't fall so easily!"
Gwen sighed. It was a song and dance they'd done many times by now: WB would sic her 'loral minions' on her, she'd kick their ass and then the rabbit themed villain would make some bold declaration that she wouldn't 'fall so easily' right before she webbed her to the ground for the police to pick her up...well, that was when she was alone. If Peter was there half her 'minions' would bolt and WB broke the second he cracked his knuckles.
Neither of the two happened now. Gwen looked up and saw a green blur falling towards the crazed woman. Before she could give out a warning the large figure landed on top of Dodson with a panicked scream, WB dropping her 'gun' and falling on her face at the impact.
"...Well, that wasn't how I thought that would go." She looked at Kate, the other Superhero only giving her a helpless shrug in return before Gwen looked back at the scene in front of her. She could definitely cross out 'Seeing Frog-Man land on White Rabbit ass first' off her bucket list...just as soon as she made one, of course, "I'm not the only one seeing double here, right?"
"Nope, I'm definitely seeing two giant frogs too." Kate gestured to the bound Frog-Woman restrained on the sidewalk, "Still, I'm more surprised 2 people are willing to dress up in frog costumes to begin with."
"Get off me!" White Rabbit shrieked, trying and failing to push off the costumed hero(?) that was sitting on top of her. Gwen had to admit she felt a twinge of pity at the sight of it, especially now that people were actually recording it. Something new from one of her 'rampages', but it probably wasn't the fame she was looking for.
"I-I'm trying!" Frog-Man II said, "The springs malfunctioned, I can't get up!" He tried to stand and ended up falling back down, "H-Hey wait a minute, you're a criminal, aren't you!? You're under arrest!"
"Get off me, you overgrown toad!"
...This was just sad. Sharing another look with Kate, the masked Superhero trudged forward and pulled the second Frog-Man to his feet, webbing Dodson to the ground before she could get back up. Just because she pitied her didn't mean she didn't have to take her punishment, "...You alright?" She really hoped he wasn't another Supervillain (again, using the term very loosely). She had enough of a headache already.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" He held onto her hand for an uncomfortably long time before she coughed and he stepped back, nearly tripping again before she reached out to steady him," Th-Thanks." He took a deep, shaky breath, "The springs malfunctioned and I kinda missed my target. Sorry."
"Seems like you hit her right on the mark, actually." Kate quipped. The archer slung her bow back over her shoulder and gave them both her patented grin, "So...any relation to the other frog Spider-Woman restrained?"
"I-It's a bit of a long story..." He sighed. Gwen figured it had something to do with the fact that the first Frog-'Man' clearly didn't have Vincent Patillio under the mask.
"Whatever it is we should probably talk about it elsewhere. People are staring." Gwen gestured to the crowd and pointed to a nearby rooftop, "Come on, let's talk over there."
Making their way to the roof was simple enough...if one ignored how Eugene (it was pretty obvious) stumbled and tripped the entire way or how he barely landed on the roof and would've fallen of entirely if Gwen hadn't pulled him back. Evidently the expertise with using the suit hadn't been passed down from father to son.
"Alright, Frog-Boy, spill," Kate said, leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed, "Any reason you and Frog-Girl down there are sharing a costume?"
"That's actually what I came here to find out." He coughed and did his best to stand tall, "I saw the news a few days ago, rumors about someone in a frog suit committing crimes with that White Rabbit woman. My d- I mean, Vincent Pattilio's innocent, but everyone else thinks its him. I came here to try and stop White Rabbit; maybe when the police caught the impostor d- Vincent could-"
"Eugene, I know it's you." Gwen interrupted. Usually she was cool with secret identities, but this was just sad, "Look, no offense, but you can't really hide when there's really only 2 people who've put on the frog suit before today, and if it's not your dad then..."
"I...yeah, I guess so." Eugene let out a forced laugh and rubbed the back of his head, "I was hoping to keep it a secret, but I'm pretty my dad's gonna figure it out the second he sees the video people post, so..." He sighed, "Look, I just wanna help him. He's been trying to turn his life around, but he lost his job cause people got paranoid that he was going back to his old ways."
"Well, mission accomplished, right?" Gwen asked, "I mean Frog-Woman's gonna be behind bars so I think your dad's clear."
"N-Not yet!" He shook his head frantically, "S-Someone had to have given her the costume, right? I asked my dad and he actually said that he sold most of the spring boots he made to try and make a fresh start. He-He made like half a dozen of those things, and I think the guy who bought them might be using them to outfit these impostors. W-We gotta stop whoever they are or it'll happen again!"
"I think Frog-Boy has a point," Kate chimed in, "Look, I've actually been hearing rumors that the 'Masks' in the city are becoming organized. Doing crimes at the same time at opposite ends of the city, that kind of thing. That way the Supers and police are going to have a hard time catching them." She tapped something on her phone and showed it to them both, "I just checked and apparently the Sinister 6 - there's only 5 of them, weirdly enough - just robbed a jewelry store while we were dealing with Rabbit and her Alice in Wonderland troupe."
"Great, just what we needed; the Supervillains making a union." Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose. So much for getting to visit Ms. Van Dyne today, "Alright, let's check it out."
"R-Really? Oh, thanks!" Eugene shook her hand enthusiastically and she smiled even after he held on far longer than what was deemed appropriate...again. She found it hard to be mad considering some of the things she'd been through the past few days.
"My first day back in the city and I'm going to help bust a crime union. And I thought L.A was crazy," Kate laughed and stepped off the wall, "Well, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Why don't you call your boyfriend and we meet up with Ms. Jones? Not that I'm bad at the P.I shtick or anything, but those two would be a great help. We can turn this into a team up."
Gwen's mood soured slightly at Kate's words, but she reined it in."He's not...Spider-Man's busy with other things." He hadn't picked up her calls. She didn't know how long this little cold war between them was going to last, but she did know that she wanted it to be over as soon as possible. Especially since she had no idea where both of them stood after the clusterfuck a few days ago.
She also did her best to ignore Eugene almost deflating when Kate said 'boyfriend'; another thing she didn't need to deal with.
"Huh, I thought you two would've been bolted at the hip considering what happened." Kate shrugged, "Alright, just Ms. Jones then. Come on, her office isn't too far from here."
This was the place.
Peter stepped off the motorcycle and looked up at the fancy apartment building with a frown. He didn't like going to the ritzy parts of town, and 82 years didn't change that either,
'Why this place?' He turned the bike off and walked to the alleyway, pulling out his mask and putting it over his head as soon as he was deep enough inside. Operating during the day usually wasn't his M.O - at least when Gwen wasn't dragging him around by the neck - but beggars couldn't be choosers. Howard seemed desperate to get this off his desk.
He looked around the alley way before jumping up the closest wall, jumping on both sides till he made it to the emergency escape. He was already starting to miss Gwen's loaned webshooter, though he quickly clamped that thought down. Better not to rely on things (or people...) he couldn't keep,
'Would've been better if this Walker dame didn't stay on the 11th floor...' He sighed. Private access, and he didn't fancy going through the front door even with his invisibility.
What greeted him when he finally made it to the balcony caused him to a scowl: A glass doorway leading to the inside that'd been smashed open, numerous shards scattered across the floor in droves, "Looks like Howard was right..." He stepped over the doorway and pushed past the thick curtains inside. Fancy digs; even with the mess and tatters he could see that every bit of furniture and decoration was on the steep side. He doubted it was standard for every room; whoever lived here could shell out more than everyone else.
Peter walked deeper inside. Despite the sun outside the place was almost oppressively dark, the thick curtains pushing back any sunlight that might have seeped through, "Blood..." His eyes trailed after the trail of crimson that led to the kitchen. Drops at first, almost subtle in the brown carpet, but the closer he got the more it began to resemble a deliberate path, "Signs of a struggle...a fight of some kind."
He knelt down and focused on the kitchen knife lying on the floor. It'd definitely been used, but whether it was from the attacker or the one defending themselves he didn't know. Better he leave it for the police; maybe they'd be able to find something from it.
"Better call the cops." He was about to open his phone before he heard it: A pair of feet landing on the balcony with rapid footsteps that followed. Before he could so much as turn around and determine whether the new intruder was friendly or not he heard the sound of a chair being scraped against the floor before his spider-sense blared.
Peter flipped to the side and watched as a fancy stool flew there where he was kneeling, the wood splintering into multiple pieces when it crashed against the floor with a loud thud,
'Definitely not friendly.' He turned back and saw a hooded figure charging towards him, his spider-sense giving its telltale blare again before he jumped over her,
'She's fast.'
She collided with the wall, but she didn't let it deter her. Peter winced when she saw the concrete crack and the hooded dame shrug off the hit like it was no big deal,
'Great, another freak.' He pulled out both of his guns and activated the tazers at the grip. He could only for both his and Castle's sake that the damn thing worked as advertised cause he didn't fancy bloodying his knuckles on another dame that could shrug off being shot at.
Her next attack was as sluggish as her last one. Peter just barely saw his attacker's face half-covered with a gray scarf before he ducked under the sweeping blow and smacked both of the tazers against her back, the woman stumbling forward for a brief moment before he shot two rubber bullets the back of her knees. He could only hope it worked; he didn't want to have to kill anyone if he didn't have to.
"Ahh!" She paused, long enough for him to eject a burst of webbing at her back to try and restrain her. A voice at the back of his head whispered that she sounded familiar, but he didn't have long to think about it before she grabbed the dark silk and threw it forward, Peter being dragged along painfully by his wrists for a split second before he collided against the wall with a painful thud.
The paralytic in the silk should've entered her system already, though given that she was another freak he doubted it would've helped much. Through shaky eyes he saw her push through the webbing, her scarf getting dislodged in the struggle-
...
God damn it.
"...Jones?" He stood up shakily, one hand pressed against the wall to help keep him steady while another pointed a gun at her head. The two of them weren't exactly friends, but last he checked he hadn't done anything to warrant her trying to cave his head in.
The private investigator paused when she heard her name, looking at him through narrowed eyes, "Who the hell are you? Where's Trish?"
"Don't recognize me, detective? It's Spider-Man." He lowered the gun and took a shaky breath. He'd definitely feel that tomorrow morning; he really needed to get in contact with that Melvin guy Bullseye suggested, "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to find my sister..." She slowly unclenched her hands and let her glare soften, "This place looks like a bull ran through it...what did you do?"
"What did
I do?" He scoffed, "Howard told me to come here, said something about a friend of his that needed help. Said she wanted to follow up on something. I was checking the place out when you decided to attack me." He put a hand to the back of his neck and winced. They'd given each other some licks, but it was probably better all around that they hadn't gotten too far. He'd already been tempted to go for real bullets.
"Howard? I told Trish to stop talking to that little...nevermind, doesn't matter now." She let out a frustrated breath and rubbed her temples, "I thought you were the one who did this...didn't even recognize you in that new costume."
"I'll take that as a compliment." He clicked the tazers off and put the guns back in their holsters, "You said you were looking for your sister...last I heard the one who owned this place was Patricia Walker. Don't see the resemblance."
"We're not related by blood- Now's not the time for a story. I need to find her."
She pulled out her phone and tapped the first number that showed up. It didn't take long before both of them heard ringing coming from...behind the bookcase? "...Looks like there's more to this place than meets the eye." Peter pulled the ajar bookcase back and raised an eyebrow at the sight of a keypad barely hidden in the wall. It looked like someone had their secrets.
"Trish's panic room." Jones pushed past him and inputted the 8 digit code on the bloody keypad, "She must've ran there when she got attacked."
The inside of the place didn't look any better than the apartment. As soon as the door opened Peter was hit with the potent stench of blood,
'Looks like it wasn't so safe after all...' He followed Jones inside and frowned at the puddles of crimson that stained the floor. He wasn't much of for forensics, but he doubted all that blood came from just one person. Whoever this Walker dame was she put up a fight.
"Trish?" Jones looked around the room, her slightly hopeful expression failing when she saw that the room was barren, "No, no, no; this isn't right. She would've gone in here, the door was closed. She should be-"
"She was dragged out." He knelt down and pointed to the thin lines leading to the door, "She got in, then whoever it was followed her in. They fought and then they took her by force." He frowned and gestured to the bloody phone on the floor, "She must've dropped her phone in the struggle. My guess is the panic room closed on its own after they both left...sound about right?"
She didn't answer. The private investigator stayed quiet for a few seconds before she smashed her hand against the wall, the metal bending in response to the sudden impact, "Damn it...god damn it!" She punched the wall again and shut her eyes tightly, covering her face with her free hand. Whether she wanted to cry or scream out in fury he didn't know, but it didn't change anything either way. Her sister was gone.
"We can still find her." Peter picked up the bloody phone and looked through the recent contacts. He wasn't good at comforting someone, but stating facts was easy enough, "She must've left a clue somewhere. A journal, some notes...you know her better than I do." He handed her the phone, "Any clues here?"
"...Yeah." She sucked in a deep breath and took the phone, her face morphing back into the half-scowl she always wore. He'd take it over her losing her head, "She left me a message to come over not too long ago...she must've dropped this on purpose." She took another deep breath and pocked the mobile device, "...Let's get out of here. I'll call Howard, tell him to meet me back at my place."
"If you say so." Peter waited for her to leave before he scanned the room one last time. There was something off about the finger trails Walker left...and he just found it, "Damn it." He knelt down and grimaced. A severed finger...hardly the worst thing he'd seen since he got to this place, but it was still nasty nonetheless.
He looked back at the entrance and shook his head. Probably better if Jones didn't know her sister lost her ring finger.
"Hurry up."
"I'm coming."
Neither of them said a word to one another on the way back, though she was at least willing to share the bike with him in lieu of walking. Peter did his best to ignore the lingering stench of blood that covered them both or the odd glances some of the tenants gave them as they trudged up the stairs of her apartment building. Even without his mask apparently association with Jones was worthy of a few second glances in this place.
He didn't know what to expect when he got to her 'office'. Seeing the former police chief or Bishop hanging around seemed obvious enough, but the sight of Gwen in full costume and what he was pretty sure was Patillio dressed up in that frog getup of his was definitely on the low end of the list of expectations. Now all they needed was Lana and they could've completed the circus.
An awkward silence settled over the makeshift group. Bishop looked like she wanted to say something as did 'Captain' Stacy, but whatever they were hoping to say apparently died in their throats when they saw the scowl Jones was sporting or how bloody her hands were.
Gwen was (as expected) the first one to speak, "...Something tells me we're not the only one dealing with bullshit."
"...You have no idea." Peter let out a tired breath. Just another day in this circus.
It was only by about 2 votes or so, but Mad Artistry still won out over The Franchise arc meaning we're going to be going for the M rating next chapter Still, I wanted to show a bit of Gwen's side so we have some context if/when we do her arc...and because it has the glorious re-appearance of the hero this story both needs and deserves, Frog-Man! We already saw his first match and the birth of the everlasting rivalry between him and his dreaded arch-nemesis White Rabbit, and he's going to keep moving from here on, folks!
Anyway, Muse for next chapter so look forward to it Oh, and here's some questions:
1. Does anyone mind that Noir feels less like...well, Noir? By that I mean he feels far less like a film noir hero and more like a modern day anti-hero in the vein of Red Hood or Agent Venom. While this is justified story-wise with him acclimating to Earth-65 an gearing up, I'm not sure if you guys are cool with it. I mean he still has some tendencies - dated narration, lots of PI work etc etc - but he feels different from the one I started out with.
2. I've gotten at least a few suggestions that Noir and Gwen end up sleeping together, if only for the story/drama it could sprout. Alright, I'm just gonna ask this outright so skip if you don't wanna think about it: How would this even be possible? I mean I'm not talking emotionally or anything, people have done worse in the heat of the moment, I mean physically.
This is the same problem Superman fans ask: Man of Steel, Women of Kleenex...or the opposite in this case. How does Superman have sex with Lois Lane when he'd probably snap her in two if he did? Same applies here; we know from the Wolverine crossover that when Laura got mind-transferred to Gwen she constantly broke stuff without meaning to, which heavily implies that Gwen is constantly restraining herself to avoid just smacking people's heads off with every punch.
Thing is (and this applies for 616 as well), sex really isn't something that people are restrained when doing it. Even ignoring the radioactive blood - cause I really don't wanna do Spider-Gwen: Reign - sex would be...difficult. I mean Noir might be able to handle it, but I can't see that being pleasurable in any way. This goes double now that she's attached to Venom and she goes from 10 ton to 25 ton strength literally overnight. Kissing and holding hands are easy enough to control, but she'd literally turn any partner she has to mashed potatoes if she plans to run the full baseball field :/
That's not even getting to the fact that she might have issues having sex while Venom is bolted onto her and she knows its sentient. Kissing might be fine, but anything beyond that might turn her off if she stops to think about it.
