Yup this feeling right here catharsis, I knew it would feel good after all the Villains victories.
1 - Yup I am liking him lighter, it definitely feels good after all the angsty previous, his character feels like it has finally moved on from the emotional slump and the waiting was worth.
2 - Hmm, he is a different character, Peter has changed through the fic, with the recent changes coming from looking at the experience of his life in this new universe and the other from a outside perspective, he could be considered a different flavor of Noir Spider-Man same with the Original one.
Both are different from the Original in the comics after their experiences in this new universe(Peter!Lizard even more so as he was lightly influenced by the serum), but they retain the core aspects of the character of being pragmatic, they love taking advantage of a villain while they are not expecting, very introspective people.
Writing this chapter (all in one day...) has made me all the more relieved that Volume 2 is going to be much less...stupid in scale, especially Noir's segments. And by that I mean we're actually going to stick to street level stuff for the most part and all the demons, world ending threats and etc etc are gonna be left out of focus.
This chapter is mostly talking, but we do get some action near the end. I thought the tone was pretty appropriate so hopefully no one finds it dragging.
Side Note - Check out the fic Real Folk Blues: A Spider Man Noir/Peni Parker Story, which author made. It's a crossover between Peni Parker and Spider-Man Noir that has the former trapped in in the 30's. So far it's pretty good
Chapter 135: Group Date
The church was an all too relieving sight. Peter let out a soft breath as soon as they were inside, "Home sweet home..." The others were walking around the practically barren building with varying degrees of familiarity, some of them already making their own corners to get some rest. They would be safe here for the time being - for one night, at least. They needed it.
He took off the armor as soon as he was in the back room and frowned at the slash across the shoulder. Teresa told him it would only blunt Matt's blows, keep him from losing chunks of his body altogether. Beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed, but he couldn't help but be disappointed, "So much for a Melvin Potter guarantee..." He put it on top of the table and tapped two fingers on the already-healing cut. Stick's training was the only reason the Hellfire hadn't ravaged him through.
He was exhausted. Peter took a deep breath and brought a hand through his face, thankful that he couldn't see his reflection even if he wanted to. That fight had gone better than their last attempts, at least.
Peter trudged back to the main room. Everyone had already settled into their own groups: Cindy, Gwen, Bishop and van Dyne sat in a small circle at the center while his brother and Pryde were huddled together on the leftmost side. Their little hellion and Waspling were chatting and running around, probably surprised that there was another kid considering where they were. Something told him van Dyne wasn't happy about her kid sneaking back into town to try and 'help' her mom.
The rest of them were scattered around in their own little pockets. Mary and Summers were talking animatedly about the journalist's disappearing act with the latter trying to calm the irate redhead down. The rest of his team were scattered around ignoring everyone else. Castle was at the upper right corner checking his guns while Moon Knight and Hardy were checking over their own injuries. Lana looked around awkwardly till she finally spotted him and immediately came over.
"Fucking finally." She looked up at him and nudged her head to an empty space, "Come on, I don't wanna hang around these pricks on my own."
"Always the charmer, Lana."
Contrary to what she expected, Peter did end up gathering the other members of their makeshift team. Some of them (Castle) were hesitant at the idea of actually being within touching distance of one another, but they all agreed to the justification of a planning meeting. He made sure to place their group a fair distance away from the others; the last thing he needed was another argument like the time they went after Jack.
None of them said a word at first. Castle opened one of his MRE packs and everyone decided it was good enough as any as an ice breaker, "Here." Moon Knight tossed him and Lana a cold sandwich each while Felicia made do with what looked like a bar of chocolate.
The next couple of minutes were spent in awkward silence, the only sound being their chewing and the occasional drifting chats from the other groups. He didn't know how to feel seeing (almost) all of them again. He gauged enough from his memories to know that, apart from Lana and Bullseye, he hadn't exactly been friends with any of them, but they'd also helped him even when they had nothing to gain. Kasady and Jack came to mind immediately.
It was Hardy who broke the silence, "Alright, I'll bite. Coming back from the dead: an explanation, Spider?"
"You think I'd know the intricacies after what happened last time?" He took a small bite of the cold ham, "My boss decided to give me another chance; tortured me and Bullseye for a while before he did. Didn't even remember my own name for a while. Took me a while to start moving again, even longer to learn how to fight better."
"How long have you been breathing?" Castle asked.
"About a month."
"A month? And you decided to wait that long to tell us you had a plan because?" Hardy asked flatly.
"Because I didn't have a plan." He scoffed, "Like I said, I couldn't even remember my name, let alone any of yours. And even if I did, there wouldn't have been a point. The last time we went after Matt he sent us packing with our tails between our legs. I wasn't looking for a repeat."
"Yeah, well, this time we kicked his ass. Him and the rest of his fucking ninjas," Lana said, mouth still full of food, "I mean fuck's sake, how many ninjas can he have left at this point? There aren't that many suicidal retards in New York, are there?"
"You would be surprised, Ms. Baumgartner," Moon Knight muttered, "The Beast preys on desperation, especially in New York. His presence has...tainted this city, Hell's Kitchen most of all. Remember the destitute you ignore, the powerless who wish to lash out against the world. The Beast tempts them with a taste of comfort and an outlet for their vices and uses it drag them under his shadow."
"...Meaning he's like every two bit crime lord who takes desperate assholes for the meat grinder. He's nothing new." Lana rolled her eyes, "Whatever this guy is, he ran from us. He's not as invincible as you're hyping him up."
"No one's invincible, but you're being overconfident." Castle grunted, "You got careless earlier. You're lucky you didn't take a knife to the neck."
"I didn't." Lana's voice had taken on a harsher edge.
"...Castle's got a point, Lana. You should be careful," Peter said.
"I'm fine," she grit out, "Look, you don't have to look out for me, okay?" She looked away and (presumably) scowled. Her heartbeat was intense. Not shy or nervous. Angry.
"What's wrong?"
She didn't answer for close to half a minute before she eventually sighed, "I don't want you to keep me out for 'my own good'. I've fought with you guys over and over and I'm sick and fucking tired of you assholes looking down on me just cause I can't buy booze yet. Pete's not much older than I am and you pricks don't have any problem following him around, so why am I treated like the runt?"
None of them said a word. He got why Castle had his doubts - he'd been a father, despite abandoning his kids - but the others didn't have much in the way of excuses, himself least of all. How many times had Ben and May begged him to stay away from danger because he was 'too young'? Keeping Lana away hadn't saved her; especially not from Jack, as much as it frustrated him to admit.
"I suppose she has a point," Hardy said eventually, "We can't exactly afford to turn away help, especially not after our most recent loss. It wasn't even us who hit that diable the hardest. That honor goes to Winters."
"Someone talking about me?"
All of them turned their head to the new arrival. Summers looked down at them, hands on her hips and her head titled teasingly. Smiling? "I thought you'd be with Mary," Peter said.
"Eh, I already got the third degree from her. She's talking with the Avengers now." She sat down next to Castle (and across from Peter) and crossed one leg over the other. Without saying a word Castle tossed her one of his MRE's, which she caught easily, "Hope you guys don't mind me cutting in."
"I'm surprised you'd prefer to be here with us lowlives," Grant said.
"Didn't feel right bunking with the good girls," she said, only half sarcastically, "'Sides, I wanted to do this." She reached towards Peter and, without missing a beat, slapped him on his right cheek. Hard.
Peter rubbed his cheek and glared at her, "The hell was that for?"
"That was for me crying my eyes out when you died." She slapped him again.
"Aright, what was that for?"
"That was just me letting off steam." He pressed his lips together and waited to see if she'd slap him again. She didn't, "Woah, what's up with you? You look like someone shit in your cornflakes."
"...I hate you."
"I love you too." Now he knew she was smiling. Summers took a generous spoonful of pork sausage with gravy(?) from the pack while Lana cringed next to him, "What?"
"Ugh, how can you eat that shit? I can smell it from here..."
"Well I couldn't exactly go on my caviar and foie gras diet when I was hiding out. It was either get used to MRE's or starve." She took another large bite. Peter wrinkled his nose and frowned; the greasy smell was pretty damn foul, "Sides, could be worse. Tried the Asian stuff, and that crap made nearly made me throw up. Least I can swallow this with only minor gagging."
"You did throw up. I had to clean it up afterwards," Castle muttered.
"Wow, thanks for letting that all out there, Frank." Peter's eyes narrowed. 'Frank'? They seemed to be getting friendly, "Besides, you stopped complaining when I actually made a proper sandwich the day after. Consider it payment for services rendered."
He grunted and continued eating his meal.
"...Alright, since when did you two get so close?" Lana asked, "That's probably the most words I've heard Castle say that wasn't some kind of threat."
"Who'd you think I was hiding out with for the past month?" Summers asked back, "Couldn't hide from the Kingpin on my own and I figured Frank was a better option than Black Cat or Moon Knight. Felicia Hardy the mega popstar isn't exactly a private figure and Moon Knight...no offense, but you kinda freak me out."
"No offense. We tend to have that effect on people," Grant replied jovially.
"I wasn't looking for roommates anyway." Hardy shrugged, "Alright, now that the ice has been broken, lets get down to brass tacks: what's our plan now?"
"Killing Murdock." Peter finished off his sandwich and leaned forward, "We made him run scared, but that won't last forever. He'll be trying to gather strength and men, make some kind of counterattack. We need to use the breathing room wisely." He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and set it at the center, "This."
"What is that?" Lana asked.
"Silver from Judas Iscariot. We're going to find it."
"...You know, you'd think after a while I'd stop being surprised, but somehow I continue to be," Felicia said flatly, "Are you honestly telling us to go on a treasure hunt for the thirty pieces of silver?"
"I'm sorry, did you want to raid the base of the devil again?"
"...Point." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "Alright, fine, you want us to go on a treasure hunt. I don't even care anymore."
"I've heard of this," Spector said, "Silver infused by the taint of Judas himself. Thirty pieces of silver to betray all of Humanity. After payment the rage, confusion and guilt bubbled and Judas took his own life, but something remained. Judas' malevolence, perhaps his soul, had bonded to the silver and they retain a power that very little could match."
"No offense, but this kinda sounds like the bible horror stories gran used to tell me," Summers said, "What exactly do these 'almighty' pieces of silver have besides this guy's soul?"
"Judas' desire for revenge which surpassed those even of Angels and Demons. Judas had willingly betrayed mankind and yet he considered himself the bereaved party. Such anger and selfishness tainted the coins in a way that cannot be replicated. According to certain circles they can be used as a weapon. Being such as Angels and Demons will return to the wheel of reincarnation if slain. The silver would purge them from it."
"Shit, this is fucking insane." Lana covered her face with both hands, "I think I missed it when Murdock was just a blind prick with a bunch of ninjas."
"I think we all do," Peter said, "Teresa's trying to look for some leads, but she could use your help, Summers."
"On it." She gave him a thumbs up. Least she was confident.
"Meantime we gotta hit Matt where it hurts." He pulled out a second, larger piece of paper and set it down on the ground, "The Chaste drew up this map. Can't really see it, but they told me there were some places we can hit. Rackets hiding something Matt would prefer to keep hidden."
"Is this gonna be like that storage building?" Castle asked skeptically.
"Nothing so severe. Mostly places where he gets most of his funding or where he trains some of those braindead morons for his Pajama Brigade. The Chaste...haven't been able to find the women." Maybe they really should've just killed them. Was it better to die quick or suffer and hope for the miracle of a rescue? "Now that Matt's in a panic they'll be vulnerable to attack. This is the only chance we'll get."
"If you're hoping to do it stealthily then you're out of luck." Summers tapped something on her phone and showed him the screen.
"...I can't see."
"Huh? Oh, shit! Didn't even see that!" He rolled his eyes at the terrible pun, "Well, you and Spider-Woman's fight with the Kingpin and the very charming Ms. Negative are all over the news. Good news is Murdock's officially on the run since it's pretty hard to explain away being caught fighting with a terrorist leader. Bad news is everyone and their grandma knows that Spider-Man's back from the dead. Again."
"I figured people would think someone else just took up the mask."
"Well, they would, except for Spider-Woman hugging you and going 'you're alive, you're alive'. People just kinda added up from there."
"Yes, Stacy tends to wear her heart on her sleeve," Felicia said. He was quickly reminded of the rather awkward fact that everyone in the building, many of whom Gwen could hardly call friends, already knew who she was under the mask, "I have to say, Spider, I still don't understand your choices."
"Jealous?"
"Hardly. You're not that great a catch, in all honesty." He'd pretend that didn't hurt. Always with the Felicias... "I just thought you'd pick someone else. The 'kind and gentle' Spider-Woman to soothe the savage beast within? It sounds like something Watson's sister would come up."
Lana snorted loudly to try and change the subject, "What are those shitheads saying?" she asked Summers.
"Oh you know, the youzhe: people claiming they always knew you were faking being death, some jerks saying no one asked for you back, others celebrating the return the return of 'the hero this city needs and deserves', a few wondering if this means you're immortal and, of course, a handful of tasteful comments about your new choice in costume and how it accentuates your butt. The response has been pretty positive on the last one."
"Good to know." Peter smiled wryly.
She tapped the screen again, "Jameson's throwing a bitch fit. Old Hitler stache looks like he's having a heart attack."
"I don't care."
"Yeah, me either." She turned the phone off and pocketed it, "So, why don't you tell us what being dead was like?"
It was...odd talking to them all like this. He'd gotten used to Lana, even if he still didn't fully remember her, but the others (except Summers) were acquaintances at best. They spent the better part of the hour exchanging stories (or briefing each other, as Castle called it) on their activites for the past month. Castle, Moon Knight and Hardy had kept active, at least, disrupting Murdock wherever they could and, in the case of the first two, bagging any other criminal in reach. Summers helped wherever she could, though she didn't divulge much more details than that.
It was by the time that Norah was talking about gun practice that Peter noticed Spector's attention diverted elsewhere. The unmasked vigilante stared at the Waspling as she played tag with his brother's hellion. He couldn't see his expression, but he was obviously troubled.
"You know you can talk to her," he whispered. Thankfully they were next to each other (and they were too busy listening to Summers), so none of the others heard.
"What would I say?"
"'I didn't want to leave you' seems like a start." The older vigilante's hands clenched into tight fists, "I heard what happened from Stick. I doubt she or van Dyne blame you considering what you did for them."
"I dragged them into my conflict. I was the reason they were at risk."
"Pretty sure Wasp was old enough to choose if she wanted to put her neck out. You didn't drag her anywhere." He shrugged, "If you don't want to talk to her then at least stop staring. Don't want anyone to think that there's another reason for your staring."
"You've become...different after your rebirth."
"Really? I didn't notice." His mouth curled, halfway between a smirk and a sneer, "Hey, Lockley in there?"
"What do you want, kid?" Lockley asked. Loudly. The others stopped talking and turned to look at them, "Never heard you ask for me specifically."
"Consider it a special occasion. Got a question for you." Lockley crossed his arms and waited for him to continue, "When you sent me back to Bullseye's place...did you know it'd kill me?"
A heavy silence settled over the group. Lockley just laughed under his breath, "Sure." Lana's breath hitched and she immediately tried to reach for him, but Summers thankfully held her back, "You were useless the way you were. And hell, look at you now! You wouldn't have been able to send Murdock packing a month ago, so don't tell me I was wrong. A boy died and a man returned."
"But you didn't know I'd come back."
"Calculated risk." He waved a hand through the air without a single care, "If you came back you'd be stronger, and if you didn't...well, nothing of value would've been lost." He could practically see the bastard's shit eating grin, "What, don't tell me you're mad."
"Just curious. In any part of this plan where I die, did you even think about what would happen to Spider-Woman or Lana or the Parkers or anyone else who wasn't in on your little gamble?"
"Didn't come up." He shrugged, "But hey, you're back and revved up. No harm no foul, right? Water under the bridge." He offered him a hand. Peter looked down at the would be peace offering and, before Lana threw Summers off completely, laughed.
And then he punched Moon Knight in the face. Hard.
Gwen was in the middle of talking with Kate about needing more arrows when she heard the loud impact. She turned to the source and gaped when she saw Moon Knight flat on his back on the floor with blood on his lip,"...Sure, water under the bridge." Peter shook his hand, walked towards their table and said to Janet, "He's been staring at your kid. Might wanna talk to him about it." He jerked his thumb back.
"Right..." Janet looked torn between being confused and amused. She shook her head and called Hope (who was going to be so grounded when they got her out tomorrow) to help Moon Knight up.
"Uh...what the futz was that about?" Kate asked, watching as Janet helped him to the back room.
"Family dispute. Better leave em to it."
"Family? What do you-" Kate's eyes widened, "Wait, are you telling me he's...no!"
"Ask em yourself. Doubt they'll lie about it." Peter shrugged.
"It's...nice to see you again, Tiger," MJ said, awkwardness practically dripping from every word. Her face was knotted in uncertainty, like she wasn't sure if this wasn't just some messed up dream. Gwen knew the feeling all too well.
"You too, Mary." Peter smiled back slightly. Gwen was suddenly (and annoyingly) reminded of the redhead's confession about liking them both just weeks ago, "You look like you're doing better."
"Think so?" She let out a somewhat forced laugh and raised her right hand, letting red flesh cover it briefly before shifting back to normal, "Monster hasn't talked since I got out of the containment unit. Getting kinda paranoid, actually..."
"You'll be fine..." He squeezed her shoulder.
"The new suppressant should give us fair warning, at least." Cindy crossed her arms, "Just don't hesitate to speak up if you need anything."
"Peter, could we talk?" Gwen asked suddenly.
"Huh? Oh, sure..." She gave her goodbyes to the others and walked with Peter to the makeshift backyard, passing by Moon Knight, Janet and Hope along the way. She only caught the tail end of their conversation, but it was clear Hope was being eased in to who exactly daddy dearest was. Gwen wished her luck. Something told her she wouldn't take it as well as Princess Leia did.
They'd barely gotten outside before Peter pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one, "...Don't mind, do you?"
"Not really." That was the truth. The fact that he was alive meant she wouldn't said shit about him snorting a pack of coke...okay, she would, but she wouldn't have been as hysterical about it, "Speaking of vices...do you know anything about the serum right now?"
"Haven't had any episodes so far." He pulled back the sleeves of his right arm. No scales, just pale flesh, "Teresa thinks it's cured, especially after my talk with the kid and the boss giving me an actual second chance, but...I dunno. Better to be safe than sorry."
"Yeah..."
"Why'd you call me out here?"
"Do you...remember me now?" She licked her lips nervously. She hated even asking the question.
"No..." She winced. Blunt, but honest. Better than the alternative, "Sorry."
"It's not your fault..." She stuffed her hands into her jackets. Right now she would've loved to have Webster chip in, but it was off having another reunion with Pugface, "So...are you okay? We took some hits back there."
"You took more than me..." He took a slow inhale of the cancer stick.
"Yeah..." She looked down at the ground.
"...That's not all, is it?"
"Nope." She pulled out her phone and tapped the contacts, "Pretty much everyone knows Spider-Man's back from the dead now, so...I thought that maybe now would be a good time to talk to Ben and May."
He took another long inhale of the cigarette and blew the smoke upwards, "Sure that's a good idea? We aren't exactly out of the woods yet."
"I know, but...I think they'd wanna talk to you." He didn't say anything, but he nodded all the same. Gwen took a deep breath and tapped the number for a video call. The phone rang twice before May and Ben's face popped up on the other side of the screen, "Hey, you two...someone wants to talk to you."
She handed the phone to Peter. She heard a gasp from the speakers and Peter smiled softly, "Hey..."
"Peter..." Uncle Ben whispered, "Is that...is it really you? We saw the news, but-"
"It's me...well, as much as I can be. More than before, at least." He'd probably meant it as a bit of a joke. It didn't work.
"Your eyes-"
"I can't see you on the screen, but I can hear just fine," Peter interrupted, "Look, I'm fine; as much as I can be considering everything. Me and Gwen and the rest...we're alive. Still living." Surviving, the cynical part of her mind whispered, "I'm...sorry for everything. It took me a long time to recover."
She turned away and gave them some privacy. Gwen crossed her arms and looked up at the church lit up by what little of the moon peeked through. The night clouds were getting darker, which meant rain. Her mother was elsewhere preparing rooms for them all, which left her with nothing to do but stand here awkwardly. She tucked her arms deeper into the sleeves of the loaned jacket and tried not to listen in too much on their conversation.
Minutes passed until Peter eventually handed her the phone back, "I hope you two are alright," Gwen said.
"Better than before." May's smile held more strength than before, "What about you, Gwen? George has been worried."
"I know, I talked to him earlier." She tried not to think about the fact that he was still confined to bed and, soon enough, a wheelchair. He'd put on a strong front about it, at least, and Jessica was clear that she 'didn't give a fuck that he'd start shitting himself'. Crude, and thankfully they weren't that desperate, as Dr. Strange was quick to tell them, but reassuring all the same, "Just worry about yourselves. We'll be fine."
"I hope so. Love you, Gwennie," Uncle Ben said.
"Love you too." She shut the phone off and took a deep breath. Maybe she was being too optimistic, but she actually felt somewhat good. Better than before, at least, "...Let's head back inside."
By the time they got inside Hope was alone and sitting with her knees tucked to her chest on Peter's bed. The oversized shirt and the mismatched socks she wore only added to the awkward atmosphere. Gwen and Peter shared an uncomfortable look before Gwen sat next to the younger girl, "...Hey, what's wrong?"
"I found out who daddy is."
"Oh..." They shared another uncomfortable look, though Peter looked marginally less put off. Must've been because of whatever they were arguing about before, "So...do you wanna talk about it?"
"I guess." Peter made a gesture and tried to leave the room. She threw a glare at his retreating back and pulled Hope into a one-armed hug with one hand while the other shot a web at his back to keep him from running, "Where are Janet and...you know?" She glared up at Peter and mouthed 'Don't you dare leave me!'. He sighed and took a seat on a nearby chair.
"They said they wanted to give me space. Mommy always does that whenever I get mad."
"Are you mad or is it something else?"
"Dunno..." She puffed up her cheeks, "Mommy lied."
"How?"
"He said daddy was a superhero." Gwen winced. The words cut deep, and they weren't even about her.
"I mean...he's kind of a Superhero-"
"No! He just...wears a weird sock on his face! He doesn't have a shield or powers or anything!" Gwen almost laughed at the childish complaints, "And he looks tired! He's just...he doesn't look like a Superhero!"
"You know, you and your mom don't have powers either. You use science."
"Yeah, but we shrink and get bigger. He just...shoots stuff or blows it up or cuts people. It's...creepy." She puffed up her cheeks again, "Mommy told me the reason daddy never talked to us was because he was out saving people and doing heroic stuff. She lied."
"...He did have a good reason for leaving," Peter (finally) said, "A bad man came after your mom and dad when you were just a baby. If your dad didn't leave he never would've stopped coming after you." He was holding something back, Gwen realized, but she didn't say anything and let him continue, "Can't say how much of a good dad he'd be, but...he didn't want to leave you, and maybe once we stop the bad man you can talk again."
"I dunno what to say."
"That's alright, I don't think he does either." Peter gave her a lopsided smile, "No rush, kid. I'm sure they'll both be happy once you decide it's okay to start talking again."
"Yeah..." She nodded, "I wanna play with Laura. I don't wanna talk to mommy and...daddy yet."
"Sure. I doubt my brother will mind."
Spider-Man helped Shadowcat down the steps to the basement room, "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine..." She waved off his hand and trudged to the farthest bed. The others were still moving around upstairs; still planning, still patching their wounds and figuring out what they wanted to do next. He didn't know if he felt the same. Only reason he'd helped fight the Slant for the past month was because he wanted to get Kat back...
...And he'd given up Octavius to do it.
He suppressed a scowl and took a seat next to Kat without a word. He didn't know what to do now. Octavius' information checked out, so now he got a fancy new cage he could stretch his useless legs in. No need for him to go back home and take a bullet to the back of the head like he deserved. A part of him wanted to rage at the unfairness of it, but an even bigger part knew that he'd made his choice and that it was worth it.
"Penny for your thoughts?" She nudged his thigh with her foot, "You're scowling again."
"Always look like this."
"Not always. Sometimes you look constipated." She grinned back at the halfhearted glare he threw her. Despite the month of torture she seemed to have held up pretty well, all things considered. The fast healing helped, "Now seriously, what's the deal?"
"Nothing, just..." He sighed, "You sure you're alright?"
"This again? I'm fine." She rolled her eyes, "I'll admit, it wasn't a five star hotel, but I've had worse. You've met Kimura, right?" Still had nightmares about her sometimes, though he didn't tell her that. What was with Slants and wanting to gouge his eyes out? "I dealt with it. Kimura had years to work me over, that bitch just had weeks. Not even a competition."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Me? Well, I plan to make sure that cocky bitch gets just a little taste of what she put me through." She willed the claws on her right hand and smiled manically, "Means I have to work with Spider-Girlie to do it, but I can deal. I know you're going home, so...good luck with that, I guess."
"Yeah..." He looked down at the mattress. This wasn't the end, he reminded himself. Octavius couldn't have gotten him back home without the Slant's notes anyway. He still had something to work towards.
"...Alright, what's wrong?"
"Nothing-"
"Bullshit, you can't lie to me. Literally, I can smell liars. Comes in real useful." She leaned in closer and he suddenly felt the urge to pull back. She was always like that; unconsciously moving so that she had the upper hand or the high ground all the time, "Now spill, what's got you by the balls?"
"I...it's Octavius." He let out a tired breath. She wasn't going to let up, "He's...he can't take me back."
"What, you lose your cool and crack his head open?" She tilted her head to the side.
"I had to make a deal." She blinked once, twice and said nothing, so he took it as a cue continue, "Deal was he'd give us an in to find the Slant's hideouts. Information checked out and he'd get a plea bargain." She still said nothing, "Well...it was useful, so he's out of my hands now."
"...You gave him up to find me."
"Yeah..." He didn't see the point of lying. He doubted he would've taken the deal if she wasn't in danger. Spooks could've harped on about the greater good all they wanted, but Octavius had already escaped the noose once because some paper pusher in some cushy office balanced the scales and decided it was worth it.
He tried to get up, but Kat reached an arm out and blocked his chest. He gave her a questioning glance and, without any warning, she suddenly shoved him down on the bed, "Agh, lighten up." That actually hurt somewhat. He coughed and looked up only to find Kat straddled over him with an unreadable expression. He blinked, "Uh...if this is the point where you make fun of me, could we-"
"Shut up."
They looked into each other's eyes for another few seconds before she leaned down and caught his lips in a kiss. The kiss was rough and desperate. Kat's hands held his shoulders to keep him from moving and her nails dug into the skin. He grunted in slight pain and she used it as a chance to deepen the gesture, prying open his mouth and practically shoving her tongue inside.
"Mmmgh, Kat-"
"Shut up."
"No, wait, the others-"
"Don't care."
Her hands drifted down and he knew from experience his clothes weren't going to last much longer. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away, "Not now." He shook his head, "Others are coming."
He barely managed to push her off by the time Laura and her new playmate stamped down the stairs. Laura stopped and gave them a glare, all too aware of what nearly happened, while her playmate was thankfully clueless, "...Others are coming. We're going to play upstairs a bit longer."
"Don't need to ask us for permission, munchkin," Kat said, more than a little put off.
The two of them shared a silent, awkward glance before Spider-Man stood and made his way for the closest bed as the others began trickling down. Something told him Kat would make him pay for that later.
Peter was into his sixth cigarette by the time Helen came out of the back room, "Out late." She jumped up in shock and dropped her bag. Not a good sign, "Going for a walk?" She hadn't come down or met anyone since they arrived; even Maggie had said a few words. So he'd waited till everyone else was asleep and camped up topside. He had a bad feeling.
He was right, sadly.
"P-Peter..." She put a hand on her chest and tried to calm her breaths, "Wh-What are you doing up?"
"Don't need to sleep much." He shrugged, "Better question, what are you doing up?"
"I...I was..." She looked down at the bag, "I was just going to to-"
"Leaving?"
She stuttered the first few words out till she finally managed a reply, "Y...Yeah..."
"Not even going to say goodbye?"
"...Bye-"
"I'm not talking about me."
Neither of them said a word for the next minute. Peter finished off the sixth coffin nail and was into his seventh when she spoke up again, "I can't face her." She held onto the fabric of her jeans tightly and Peter tapped his phone, "I heard about George. He's in a wheelchair because of me. How could I..." She took a deep, shaky breath, "How can I face them again, after what I did? Murdock made me do it, I know that, but it was still my hand on the knife, me that stabbed George over and over again when he didn't even fight back..."
"Did you even talk to Gwen?"
"I know what she's gonna say." She shook her head, "She'll say it wasn't my fault, that-that..." She clenched her hands tightly, "I don't belong here, not anymore. I died ten years ago, Peter. I never got to see Gwen grow up, George moved on, Ben and May helped them bury me...I don't have a place here. I can't be a mother, a wife...and if I keep clinging to the hope that I can be I'm never going to get anywhere."
"So your plan is to just leave and start over somewhere else." Another drag, "I don't disagree, but don't you think Gwen deserves a goodbye? She lost you a month ago, that much is clear."
"...You must think I'm a coward." She took a slow breath. Holding back tears? "And I am. I just...I don't know what to do anymore. You're going off to kill Murdock, and after that I'll either be free or..." Neither of them said anything again, the only sound being the patters of the sudden rainstorm on the chapel roof. Maggie assured them she'd be safe, but the doubts still remained, "Either way I'd rather be alone."
"Hmm..." Soft footsteps came from behind her, though they were masked by the rain, "Maybe try telling her that?"
"What-" Helen turned around and found herself face to face with Gwen with Cindy not far behind her. The blonde's eyes were wide with shock and denial and Helen stepped back, "Gwen, how did you-"
"Called her. She heard everything." Peter stood and walked pst them, "Looks like you two need to talk."
"You-"
Helen's complaint was cut off by Gwen suddenly slapping her. It wasn't strong enough to severely hurt, but the echoing sound still echoed across the confines. Helen rubbed her cheek and froze, "Were you seriously going to leave us again?" Gwen whispered. Helen didn't answer, "What do we have to say to convince you that we still love you, mom? That neither dad or I blame you? Do we have to get on our fucking knees or something?"
"Gwen..."
"If you wanna leave then you can leave! But...not like this...not like..."
A sudden headache nearly made him trip. Peter gripped a neaby chair to keep from falling and Cindy immediately tugged him towards the backroom. Apart from Gwen and, to an extent, Teresa, she was one of the few people who didn't look like some kind of mannequin, "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"I..." He remembered her. Gwen and Lana, the last of his memories. Peter raised his free hand to wipe away the tears. It wasn't as bad as Bullseye, but... "I'm back..." He smiled at Cindy, who only gave him a look of utter confusion, "...Nevermind, I'm fine." He took a deep breath and stood up straigther, wiping away the last of the tears. The memories were bittersweet - lies, arguments and fights - but beyond that they were something he was all too glad to have back.
"Right...good thing you being a weirdo didn't change at all." Cindy's lips curled in a somewhat forced smile.
"Yeah..." He laughed softly, "...Why are you awake? I only called Gwen."
"Who do you think was on the bed closest to her? Heard her phone and went up cause I was worried. I've been doing that way too much these past weeks..." There was obvious fatigue in her words.
"...We didn't get a chance to talk earlier. How've you been?"
"Honestly? Not so good." She pressed her back against the wall and crossed her arms, "Things didn't go so well after you...died." She coughed, "Half the Avengers got lured into a trap, Shadowcat got caught, my evil twin told on her family about my fib...it's been pretty shit. I've been trying to keep us all from collapsing, but it was an uphill battle for a while there. This is the first real win we've gotten in weeks."
"You seemed to have handled it just fine."
"Trust me, you didn't see the shouting matches." She smiled wryly, "I wasn't built for this kind of thing, Pete. I spent ten years of my life with only VHS tapes for company and now I'm wrangling a bunch of vigilantes and Superheroes to make sure we don't get killed. I'm just glad Wasp is back; let her deal with this shit."
"Hmm, wish I could pawn it off too."
She laughed under her breath and punched his shoulder with her right hand. He would've brushed it off as a friendly gesture if not for the soft, almost imperceptible beep, "Wait." He grabbed her wrist and tilted it up.
"What are you-"
"Quiet." He pressed it closer to his ear. Even with the proximity and its closeness he barely heard it, "Something's attached to you." He traced his hand across her wrist till felt the bump. Anyone else might've considered it just a bit of swollen skin. Peter scowled and pulled it from her flesh.
A small circle maybe a quarter the size of her fingernail. He couldn't see it well, but considering its camoflauge capabilities it was a heavy piece of tech.
"...A tracker," Cindy whispered, "Scorpion must've planted it on me."
"Who's- damn it." He crushed it between his fingers and scowled, "Is he a threat?"
"Not by himself, but..."
"We gotta go." He gestured to Gwen and Helen, "Wake the others up, tell them to get ready and take only what they need. Might be nothing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry." Cindy nodded and went down into the basement. Peter made his way to the backroom and put on the armor quickly, ignoring the still damaged shoulder. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Peter, what's going-"
"Someone put a tracker Cin. We might not be safe here." He turned to Helen, "Where Maggie?"
"She left to visit the homeless encampment with your dog. She does it every-"
"Means we don't gotta worry about them." He looked back and found everyone already gathering, some of them more groggy and fatigued than others. Least they were fast, "Alright, we gotta go. Everyone-"
Spider-sense, and he wasn't the only one. Gwen, Cindy and Spider-man immediately turned their attention to the front entrance of the chapel.
"Masks on!"
Everyone with a mask barely managed to put it on before the double doors were suddenly flung back by a powerful blow. Peter stepped to the side while others ducked or jumped over the makeshift projectiles, "Heh, nice place." Moon stepped over the entrance flanked by a group of her agents. It was obvious by their coloration that at least some of them were the hard to kill bastards from before.
"That's not her. A robot of some kind," Peter muttered.
"LMD." Cindy crouched, her expression morphed into a glare, "How the hell did you find us?"
"Caught Scorpy when he tried to leave. Thought I'd make him pay for his old debt, but then he offered you up and, hey, I hate you guys more than I hate him, so..." She shrugged casually, "Easy choice."
"Non-combatans and kids out the back," Peter whispered.
Gwen dragged her mom to the backroom entrance only to be blocked by more figures. Murdock's last lapdog Ikari and more of Murdock's pajama brigade. They were surrounded, "Master Murdock has ordered your demise." He stepped forward, both hands holding onto a single, large katana, "There will be no second chances."
"Uh...this doesn't look good," Kate said, bow already drawn.
"Yeah..." Front or back, neither were very good option.
Moon attacked first. She charged towards them without a single hint of hesitation and Cindy moved, blocking her from landing a hit. After that it was utter chaos, each member of the group either charging for the S.I.L.K agents or to Murdock's ninjas while the opposing groups did the same.
Peter ducked under Castle's sweeping fire and slid under the legs of a nearby ninja. Peter grabbed him by the neck and dragged him to the left just in time for Bishop's arrow to skewer through his forehead. He threw the rapidly bleeding body to a cluster of SILK agents and ducked laser fire, "Don't bunch up!" He grabbed one of the dropped lasers and fired till the magazine was empty.
Through the side of his vision he saw Waspling flying through the air in a panic. For a second he thought that she would make it outside but, whether through sheer panic or a lucky hit, one of her wings clipped off and she crashed to the ground, back at full size with a ninja towering over her.
He almost ran towards them before Moon Knight suddenly landed in front of her and deflected the katana aimed at her neck with his wrist gauntlet. Wasp quickly followed by shocking the ninja hard enough to leave him convulsing the floor.
"Non combatants and kids, outside!" Peter screamed. Moon Knight grabbed Waspling and rushed outside with her in his arms, Wasp right behind them. Not too far away Mary used herself as a barrier to protect Summers as they ran for the back too. Summers occasionally shot behind them with her handgun, but he couldn't see if she actually hit anyone.
"Outside, munchkin!" Shadowcat screamed. She was in the middle of fighting Ikari while Spider-Man attempted to suffocate another S.I.L.K agent close by.
"No!" Laura charged towards a group of three ninjas surrounding Feliciaand cut through them . Felicia looked briefly surprised at the sudden save before shifting her attention to a nearby S.I.L.K agent.
Gwen was still trapped protecting Helen in the corner while Cindy was being lifted neck first by Moon's robot. They needed to get out of here, "Castle, grenade ahead! Hawkeye, flashbang up top! Everyone cover your eyes!" It was a longshot, but he figured they'd been through enough of this to figure out what to do.
His hunch was proven correct when Bishop shot a flashbang arrow straight through the air just when Castle tossed the explosive. The others blocked their eyes. Peter didn't, "Come on..." He waited for the grenade to arc close to the entrance. At the rate it was going it would shoot through the entrance to the street.
Peter shot it.
The explosion was enough to perforate the remaining of the S.I.L.K agents and knock Moon's robot off balance. It screamed out something unintelligible and Cindy used it as a chance to kick her away. Before she could recover Gwen swung over and kicked it hard across the face. The artificial skin peeled off from the force of the blow shortly before another hit decapitated it altogether.
"Run!" Gwen screamed.
Helen was already gone when Peter looked into the corner, which he could only hope meant she got out alright. The others rushed to the back entrance with Peter at the back, taking out some of the still vulnerable agents and ninjas as they went.
Peter was nearly to the exit before his spider-sense rang, "You will not escape!" Ikari slashed the rooftop and collapsed the wall on top of the entrance, cutting him off from everyone else. He just barely heard Gwen's scream before more shouts followed. Peter turned back, his face murderous, "Did you think we came with such a paltry force? All they've done is run to the bulk of our fighters. None of you will survive this night."
Ikari charged towards him, blade drawn. Peter ducked under the blow and put some distance between them. It wasn't hellfire, but the blade was enhanted by something nasty. "I don't have time to deal with you." Peter heard the sounds of more struggles from outside. He needed to get out there, "Did Matt really think you could kill me?"
"I have done so before."
"Except this time I'm fighting back."
He didn't duck the blow this time. Taking a risk, he raised his right arm and deflected the blade like Moon Knight did earlier. The katana briefly scratched the surface of the armor before Ikari shifted targets. Peter blocked it with his left arm and pushed him back, remembering Stick's training.
"Mattie's lapdogs are predictable. Ikari and Otomo are tied to their blades. They always look ahead, never thinking about anything besides running targets through. They can't change. You can."
He side-stepped the upwards slash and ran up the wall. He couldn't crawl on walls like Gwen or Cindy, but he could still move fast. Peter webbed the bookcase behind the ninja and pulled it as he fell down. Ikari twisted around and slashed it, momentarily taking his eyes off him. Peter unsheathed his gun and fired three times.
The masked bastard actually deflected two of the bullets, but the third hit its mark. The yellow cloth on his left shoulder rapidly stained with blood and he stepped back, his grip on the katana weakening slightly.
Peter turned invisible.
"I do not need my sight to defeat you!"
Two more bullets deflected and a third dodged. The spent magazine fell to the ground and Ikari charged towards him, forgoing finesse entirely. Peter side stepped the blow and waited till he impaled the blade on the wall before he webbed the bastard's hands stuck.
"What-"
Peter reappeared and smashed his fist over the tangled arms. A sickening crack echoed across the small room and Ikari fell briefly before his still tangled hands kept him on his knees, "You-"
"Shut up." He reached both hands out, grabbed the sides of his face and twisted. Another crack, softer this time. Peter looked down at the limply hanging corpse. The neck was snapped, so Matt couldn't bring him back. And at least he got some payback.
Time to find the others.
Peter looked to where the wall was the weakest and tapped his finger against it, "Here..." Taking a deep breath, he braced himself and tackled the wall.
He'd stumbled right into another chaotic fight. He barely had time to pull himself up and feel the rain against his clothes before a ninja charged towards him, katana raised. Peter grabbed the ninja's arm and snapped his wrist, making him drop the blade before he headbutted him, "Shit..." Everyone else was fighting an agent or a ninja. Ikari wasn't lying.
He'd taken down his sixth ninja by the time his spider-sense blared. Not danger, something else, "What the?..." His head snapped to the nearby wall.
Was that...a motorcycle?
His question was answered when a flaming bike crashed through the brick. Peter throat suddenly went try and the rain around them turned to vapor, "Ketch!" The Rider in all his glory. The flaming blue skull and looked over the area and all the agents and ninjas froze.
"Burn!"
Torrents of fire and molten metal engulfed the area. Peter covered his face and stepped back, but he felt no danger. The fire and chains cut through every single enemy without so much as scratching any of them.
It ended just as quickly as it began. Peter lowered his arms and gulped in the unnaturally warm air and rainwater as Ketch stepped off his bike. Every single agent and ninja was dead, "...He's new." Kate put her hands on her knees and panted. She was injured - all of them were - but by some miracle they were all still breathing. He'd consider this a victory.
"Apologies for taking so long." Teresa stepped past the broken wall.
"Didn't think to warn us about the attack?"
"I wasn't aware it would happen. That's the downside of being so proactive; things come before I can see them." She crossed her arms, "Regardless, you're all alive and can continue fighting."
"Yeah, uh...just what are we supposed to do now?" MJ asked uncertainly. Peter immediately pitied her. She looked just as shellshocked as expected and Norah, who was sporting a nasty cut on the right side of her stomach, was squeezing her shoulder to try and calm her down.
"Now we split up and fight our own wars. You all know which is your fight." Teresa regarded them all, "Say your goodbyes. This...might be the last chance for all of you."
Goodbyes were short. Peter said his farewells to Cindy, Helen, Mary and his brother and stopped at Gwen. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but this wasn't the time or the place. Not now.
So he said the only thing he could.
"I remember you."
The eyes of her mask widened and she pulled it off her face, "...Your sense of timing is shit, Peter."
She kissed him. Peter immediately reciprocated the gesture, uncaring of the rain or the fact that everyone else could see them. Teresa's warning rang in his head again, 'This might be goodbye...' As if reading his mind, Gwen tightened her grip on his face and deepened the kiss one last time before both of them reluctantly separated.
"Gwen-"
"I better see you after this."
"...Yeah, count on it." She nodded and pulled down her mask before swinging away with the others. Peter watched her go briefly and let out a soft breath, "...See ya." He turned to everyone that remained and they all nodded.
Time to end this.
Whoo, jeez that was a nightmare to write! Still, we're at endgame folks! You know I actually did plan for some arcs like half the Defenders being put in prison due to Murdock's machinations, but I cut it out for the sake of pacing. I also wanted to have a Punisher and Lana interactions segment so we can FINALLY get some focus on Castle again, but I might also have to cut it out. Depends on how in-depth you guys want the search for the Judas bullets to be.
We also see a bit more of Noir's new personality, most notably him helping Moon Knight and Helen reconcile with their kids when before he probably would've just left them alone. Good change or bad? You decide.
Regardless, the end is finally in sight and...wow, I almost can't believe this fic has gotten this far. Hard to believe it's already been two years since I wrote this For anyone who's stuck around so far, hopefully your patience will finally pay off! And an early Happy New Years!
Not much I like the scene of the defenders reuniting and like you said Frank needed some screentime, Gwen scene with her mother was very emotional, much not overtly, which is good, Original!Noir and Kat reunition was good as well, making me lean toward him staying
The fight scene, as usual, was pretty good, like I have said before you translated well the feeling of comics when it comes to fighting, the prefight-banter is balanced with the action.
Been a while. Apologies for that, but I've received a sudden spike in anxiety and I've had my ups and downs. If I'm lucky it'll pass, if not I'm going to go to a therapist. Hopefully it passes :/ Anyway, this is the first of the last 5 chapters for Volume 1 - two for Gwen, two for Noir and then a single epilogue. Next chapter will be Noir and we'll be alternating till we reach the epilogue.
Also, latest Ghost Spider issue confirms it: Noir's still fucking dead. My salt about this cannot be counted. Oh well, at least the new direction the new Spider-Gwen author is taking the series is enjoyable, so I still have something to look forward to.
Chapter 136: Loose Ends
Mary Jane clenched her hands over and over as a wave of anxiety rushed through her. Even now, after everything she'd been through, she still couldn't stop the nervousness at the pit of her stomach, "You ready, Red?" Shadowcat looked back at her, obviously doubtful. Mary Jane couldn't blame her. They had to watch each other's backs, after all.
"As much as I'll ever be..." Mary Jane muttered. In front of them was an abandoned factory in the outskirts of the city that, according to the blueprints they managed to dig up, was the LMD (weirdo robot clone thing) facility that Cindy's evil twin used. Wasp was adamant that they get rid of it first: it was the only way they could be certain that they caught the real (evil) Cindy Moon.
Well, either that or they killed her, which Spider-Man and Shadowcat seemed all for.
The plan itself was simple - Cindy and Gwen attacked one side while she and Shadowcat attacked the other. The four of them would draw enough attention to themselves that Spider-Man and Wasp could sneak in (Kate was off scouting at another location with some S.H.I.E.L.D agents). The entire neighborhood was abandoned - something about a long overdue gentrification plot - so no civilians to get caught in the crossfire. Easy.
Except for the whole 'could possibly die part'. That was less easy.
"Hey, cheer up. It ain't work if you're having fun." Shadowcat winked at her and grinned. Mary Jane hadn't known her for long, but it was clear why she and Gwen didn't like each other. She reminded her of that Bullseye guy Peter was friends with, "Sides, what are you worrying about? I heart about that suit ya got. Just let that thing pop off and it'll be easy street."
"I really don't want this thing to 'pop off', thanks." She looked back down at the factory. Days later and the monster still hadn't talked to her and it went from relieving to nerve wracking. At first she thought that she'd won or that maybe the medication finally made it shut up, but now all she could think about was the possibility that it was just biding its time to strike when she least expected.
"Suit yourself." Shadowcat shrugged and finished off the last of her donut. For someone who spent the past month under extreme torture she sure as hell didn't act like it.
Another minute of silence passed and Mary Jane couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting. It'd been days since she'd seen the so-called Defenders apart from the occasional unconfirmed sightings in the news.
An uncomfortable feeling settled at the pit of her stomach again. She'd spent most of their time at the church railing against Norah for her disappearing act, mostly under the assumption that they'd still have time to talk by the next day. And Peter...seeing him again relieved her in a way she couldn't explain, but letting all that out when Gwen and that Lana girl and the rest of his friends were there was...it felt like anything she could've said and done wouldn't have been appropriate.
Eventually the silence became too much and and she spoke, "How do you do it?" Shadowcat turned to Mary Jane and raised a brow, "How do you just...sit there, so calm? We're going to go in there and we're going to be..."
"Killed? Worse case scenario, of course. Best case we might get maimed." Shadowcat shrugged, "Not really a big deal."
"...Are you serious?"
Shadowcat sighed, "Look here." She released a single claw with her left hand and cut through her right wrist. The cut bled for a few seconds before quickly healing itself, "I'll let you in on a secret: just cause it heals fast doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
"That...doesn't explain anything," Mary Jane mumbled.
"I mean that if we die then at least it'll be quick." She phased the claw away, "We stay alive and we keep getting more and more chances to get fucked up one way or another. When we die it's lights out, like...going to sleep. You ain't scared of falling asleep, are ya?"
"There's a difference between hitting the sack and dying. You don't wake up once it's 'lights out'..."
"Yeah, but you'll be too dead to care. Non-existence is convenient like that." Shadowcat's grin was a mix of jovial and grim, "Then again, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. Most kids don't get it beaten into their skulls - literally - that they're expendable and that if if you fuck up there's nothing waiting for you but getting your body tossed in a ditch."
"That really doesn't help." Mary Jane tucked her knees into her chest.
"Sorry." The apology actually sounded halfway sincere, "Alright, here's something: you got any family? Friends? Except Spider-Girly, I mean."
"Huh? Uh...yeah, of course." Norah, Gwen, Gayle, her mom, Peter, Betty, Glory...
"Then think about em. Just...think about everything ya got to lose and what'll happen if you don't win. Just keep thinking about that, over and over and over till you get sick of it."
"Did you do that before?"
"Yeah- well, kinda. Usually I thought about how much more badly Kimura'd beat me if I didn't make it to the extraction point. Didn't help; she beat me when I got there anyway. Apparently she was betting on me dying."
"Jesus..."
"Eh, she's dead now so I still win. Nowadays I'm thinking about better things to come back to."
Mary Jane didn't get a chance to ask for clarification before an explosion came from the other end of the large building, "That's our cue." Shadowcat stood, twisted and let herself fall with her arms spread out. Mary Jane's eyes widened and she jumped after her, catching the younger girl with one hand while the other pressed twice on Gwen's loaned webshooter.
"Are you crazy?!"
"You know I can heal, right? And do this?" She phased herself out of MJ's arm and walked to the ground like Jesus coming from on high. Shadowcat grinned up at her, "Good thing about phasing - apparently molecules on air count as stepping stones. Who knew, huh?"
"...Let's just get inside," Mary Jane muttered.
The good news was there wasn't too many of the S.I.L.K goons and she didn't have to kill anyone and hate herself.
The bad news was apparently all the LMDs could be activated and sicced en masse.
It was subtle at first - just one or two robots every couple of goons - but soon enough the two of them found themselves surrounded by bots with no humans in sight. Mary Jane put her hands up and stepped back, heartbeat racing. The robots looked like clear white mannequins and some of them were already halfway through the process of being fitted with Moon's likeness by the time they got out of the assembly line. This left the occasional one looking a discount Eradictor with bits of artificial flesh and faces attached to a milky white exoskeleton.
"Fuck..." Shadowcat moved and soon they were back to back, "Didn't think there'd be this many."
"Kinda stating the obvious there. Guys, you there?" She tapped the comms and was met with the sounds of screaming, cursing and at least a couple of explosions, "I don't think we're gonna get any help here."
"Wouldn't want Spider-Girly's help anyway."
And with that Shadowcat unsheathed both claws and charged right into the biggest cluster of bots. Mary Jane gaped at her for a moment before following her lead, albeit not as suicidal. She focused her attention on the more solitary bots and punched through them, recalling every single self-defense lesson she was taught...before quickly disregarding them. Something told her punching guts and kicking nuts wouldn't help here.
The bots were twitchy and it felt like the time she played that VR arcade zombie game with her sister. They swarmed her all at once, punching, kicking, grabbing (though thankfully not biting) at anything they could reach, "Off of me!" She smacked another bot hard enough to bisect it and tossed another at a nearby wall. Shadowcat was still fighting up ahead, though she was slowly but steadily getting overwhelmed.
She ducked under a charging bot and backed away in a panic, "Spider-Woman!? Spinerrete!? You there!?" Nothing but the sounds of fighting. Mary Jane screamed and pulled her head back just in time to avoid a punch aimed at her jaw, "Back off!" She kicked it away in a panic and used another as a makeshift club to try and give herself some breathing room.
She hadn't told the others, but the medication was a double edged sword. No more nightmares - well, not any more than the usual - and she didn't hear any more voices in her head besides her own. But that also meant she wasn't as strong as she could have been. She still had some control, she wouldn't have survived for so long if she didn't, but it paled in comparison to what she had a few scant weeks ago.
Two bots managed to pin her to the wall. Mary Jane punched and kicked at anything within reach, screaming all the while. You shouldn't be here, a part of her said, You were an idiot thinking you could keep up with Gwen. Mary Jane didn't have her bravery, her experience. She wasn't a hero. She was going to die here because she thought she could help.
They were all over her now. An electrified hand slowly reached for her face and she looked away with her eyes shut. She was torn between praying, screaming for help or putting up one last futile resistance.
A searing heat in her chest made her yell. Looking down, she found at least three robots impaled by a large, red spike before another tentacle sprouted from her back and pushed her away from the wall, "What the-" She stopped. Now wasn't the time to look a gift horse in the mouth. She grabbed another bot and crushed its head in her hands, ignoring the fake skin that clung to her hands.
Her hand shifted to a blade and she cleaved through four more of the LMD's, enough to finally give herself some breathing room.
'You're going to die if you don't move.'
'Not you again!' She didn't get much of a chance to argue before another strike made her scramble back, "Shit!" Who needed so many fucking robots? She ran up the wall and shot a line of web to the ceiling. Across the factory floor, Shadowcat phased through two more bots and bisected the third as she made herself solid again. She couldn't even count how many bots were around her.
Shadowcat needed help, but she couldn't make herself go down. Mary Jane attached another web to the roof with one hand and clung to the surface with another, claws breaking through the metal, "Damn it..." Her heart beat against her chest and her breaths came out in quick bursts. 'Help her! Help her, damn it!' she screamed internally. Shadowcat was relying on her.
'You can't save her on your own.'
"Fuck off!" she screamed. It came out weaker than she would've liked, "You're not taking over again!"
'Take over? You begged me for help last time! The only reason you've lasted so long is because I gave you so much!' She didn't know if it was her anger or the monster's, but her mouth split open in a snarl and a long tongue slithered out between the row of now-sharpened teeth, 'You need me!'
"I don't-"
"And I need you." The monster's words, but it came out of her mouth. Mary Jane didn't reply, "That murderer's Other was right. If you die, then I will die. I cannot leave another host, not like with my Cletus. I would not survive."
"So what, now I'm supposed to just believe you wanna play nice and won't go after Gwen again?" She felt like an asshole. Here she was having a conversation while Shadowcat was fighting for her life down there, "Just fuck off!"
"I do not wish to die." The words were blunt and, somehow, Mary Jane believed it, "The murderer's Other was right. You can't survive without my help, and I can't leave your body - cage - anymore. The medicines you've taken have made me too weak. Reliant."
"So what? After everything you've done, you just want a pass?"
"Are you willing to die to make sure I do?" Mary Jane didn't answer, "You are not willing to sacrifice yourself, and I do not wish to be shackled to a decaying corpse. You hate me and I hate you, but we both wish to survive."
"Fuck..." Mary Jane closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. They were running out of time, "Fine, what do you want?"
"To work together."
Mary Jane fell. This time there was no uncertainty, no fear. She landed in the middle of a clustered group and impaled near a dozen bots through their heads, necks and chests with a sudden burst of tentacles from her back. Shadowcat kicked away the closest LMD and raised a brow, "That's new."
"Yeah." Her hand shifted into a blade and she impaled two bots standing in line, "What happened to the others?"
Shadowcat kicked and stabbed a claw right through a bot's jaw with the tip of her foot, "Wasp and Petey are just about done. At least that's what they said." She bisected another and tossed the flailing upper half to a small group of three, "Just gotta hold on a bit longer."
Easier said than done. Even with her new 'partner' the sheer amount of LMDs being produced still kept them on the defensive. Mary Jane growled as one of the bisected bots grabbed at her knees and tried to pull her down. On its own it would've just been annoying, but with dozens of LMD's around them even a brief pause was life or death. She kicked it away and blocked the two LMDs that tried to tackle her to the ground.
She didn't even notice the one with the mechanized sword coming for her back till it was on top of her.
Mary Jane tried to twist but the bots kept her facing forward. Shadowcat phased through the bots and tried to reach for her.
A sudden burst of warmth overcame her followed by a sudden pressure at her back. Red flesh jumped out to block the blood. Not a tentacle; a humanoid figure covered in pulsating red skin, its fingers sharpened into claws which it used to block the sword.
Mary Jane let out a growl and the figure knocked away the blade then impaled the attacking bot through its skull. She focused her attention to the bots holding her and destroyed the closest one's face with a headbutt just as the figure retreated back into her body. Shadowcat stopped her abrupt charge and, before Mary Jane could scream out a warning, an LMD exploded right next to her hard enough to make her crash headfirst into a nearby machine.
"Shadowcat!" She charged to the bots swarming over and knocked them away. Unconscious, but her wounds were already healing. Her phone suddenly rang, "Kinda busy here!"
"You gotta get out! Wasp stopped the LMD production, but something tripped! Whole place is gonna blow!" Cindy screamed.
"Shit!" She looked to Shadowcat and screamed, "Wake up! Place isgonna blow!"
Nothing but a few weak groans. Mary Jane slung the younger girl's arm over her shoulders and transformed her right arm into a blade. There were less bots now that production had stopped, but the invisible countdown made that a cold comfort.
She ran towards the exit, slashing and charging through the bots as they tried to stop her. She was halfway there when the first tremor hit, "Damn it!" She almost tripped from the force of the blast, "Come on..." She pushed towards the door as quick as she could.
They were just a few feet away when another explosion came from above and huge chunks of the roof came down, blocking most of the wall.
...And the exit.
"No! God damn it!" She was strong enough to lift or cut through it, but they didn't have enough time. The bots were coming up behind them and it wouldn't be long before another explosive hit, "Shadowcat, I need you to phase us through! Shadowcat!"
Her eyes opened halfway and she muttered, "Sure..."
She suddenly shook off Mary Jane's hand and, without any other warning, pushed her through the rubble. Mary Jane fell through the air and landed on her back just inches from the wall of rubble outside, "Shadowcat...?" She expected her to follow immediately, but no one came. She didn't get a chance to do anything else before she was suddenly grabbed and hoisted up to the air.
"We gotta go! The blast is gonna hit in a few seconds!" Cindy screamed. Mary Jane was in Gwen's arm, she noted numbly, "You two especially!"
"W-Wait, Shadowcat's-"
Mary Jane's protest was cut off by the last, deafening explosion. The heat of it was strong enough to make Gwen's grip falter and they both fell onto the closest roof, screaming all the while. Even for a normal person being on the edge of the blast radius would've been enough to leave some nasty scars, but for the two of them it felt like they were being cooked alive from the heat alone.
Their screams eventually faded into slow, desperate gasps for air. She was vaguely aware of Cindy sitting them up against the wall and trying to calm them down, but she paid her no mind, "...We left her," she said eventually, "Shadowcat was there...she's..."
She doubted either of the two heard them. Mary Jane pushed herself onto her feet and, ignoring the calls of the two Spiders, swung herself shakily to the rubble that was once the facility, "Shadowcat?" her voice was weak, lacking the reverb she had previously. She barely even noticed, "Shadowcat, are you there? Just say something if-"
"Over here..."
A singed, burnt hand raised from behind a large piece of rubble. Mary Jane's face split open in a relieved grin and she limped her way to the waving limb, "Shadowcat, you're alive...uh." Yes, she was most definitely alive, and the burns were already healing well.
She was also naked.
"You're, um...you're not-"
"Yeah, funny thing about clothes - they tend to burn off when you get caught in ground zero of an explosion." Shadowcat grinned weakly. Gwen and Cindy landed behind her. The former looked away slightly when she caught Shadowcat's state of undress while the latter just raised an eyebrow, "Anyway, wanna help me up? You do kinda owe me for gettin' you out of there."
"Oh, sure." Mary Jane tried to ignore how warm the teenage girl's hand was and pulled her up, "Thanks, I mean it, but...why didn't you-"
"Phase us both out? Had a concussion. Still kinda have it, but it'll pass. Phasing more than one thing takes some focus. Didn't want to risk either of us getting stuck halfway. Trust me, happened before and it was not pretty."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Good thing the healing doesn't care about how concussed I am." She shrugged. Her body only had a few light burns left.
Cindy webbed a quick, makeshift costume for Shadowcat. It kept her bits covered, at least, "Come on, let's go to the rendezvous point. I'll give you some real clothes when we're safe."
True to her word, Cindy fashioned a close enough replica of the mercenary's previous outfit by the time Spider-Man and Wasp finally manged to join up with them, "You guys took a while," Gwen said, "How'd we end up?"
"Well, the facility's down, and I've confirmed that she doesn't have any more. Not in this city, at least," Wasp replied. Spider-Man was talking to Shadowcat about something; probably about the soot that covered her from head to toe, "S.H.I.E.L.D should be finishing up their own missions soon and Kate just messaged me about her own. Gwen, Cindy, could you go with her?"
"What am I, chopped liver? I can still fight," Shadowcat said.
"Yes, which is why you and Spider-Man will do something else." She tapped something on her phone and map of New York with some spots marked came up, "Moon released a few of her victims to try and divert S.H.I.E.L.D's attention and we can't afford to lose any more manpower than we already have. Coordinate with Agent Johnson and Hill. I heard you both were the ones who captured Ms. Piper Dali months prior, so this should be right up your alley."
"Beats babysitting the munchkin." Shadowcat shrugged.
"What about me?" Mary Jane asked meekly.
"You'll come with me. We need to talk about something."
"You ready, Spider-Woman?"
Gwen looked to her right towards Kate and Cindy and nodded. This mission was simple, at least compared to the last one - break into the S.I.L.K base Kate had scouted out, get the 'prize', and then get the hell out of dodge. Thankfully this wasn't one of the labs with live victims, but it was cold comfort after their last brush with death. At this point she expected something to nuke them from orbit.
"Place is pretty heavily guarded." She looked through Kate's binoculars and frowned. This place wasn't even in New York proper and instead on a forest a few hours' car ride away, so the S.I.L.K agents were openly patrolling the outskirts of what looked like a high tech army base.
"Yep. Good thing you two are here." Kate raised the right side of her mouth in a quirky grin and took the binoculars back, "You guys know what we're supposed to do right."
"Yeah..." Gwen muttered.
'We need it, Gwen. Without it we cannot become whole again.'
'I know, Webs.'
The body of Martin Li. She didn't know the man well (or at all, if she was being honest), but the thought of running to steal his body made her feel sick. At least they weren't doing it to gain powers like Evil Cindy did. Wasp needed his body to see if she could devise a countermeasure against the Darkforce (really?) tricks Evil Cindy had up her sleeve. After that they could finally finish this.
Sighing, Gwen stood up to her full height and swung in, Cindy and Kate following after her. It didn't take long for one of the sentries on the guard tower to spot her, "Special delivery!" Gwen kicked him off his post and webbed him to the legs of the small tower. Kate immediately started peppering the area with smoke and flashbang arrows to give them some breathing room.
"Focus on the ones who are alone!"
Cindy knocked out a nearby sentry with a quick punch and grabbed his gun. Gwen looked away and focused on her own goons, ignoring the sounds of gunshots that rang out. At least some of those were Cindy's, and she didn't want to think about that. She'd accepted that not everyone held the same views as she did, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
Gwen webbed down the last of the goons (and the reinforcements, which didn't like her jokes either) and cringed when the smoke eventually cleared and the pools of blood - both from bullets and arrows - showed themselves, 'Get a grip, Gwen.' These weren't purse snatchers and burglars. She didn't fault her dad for killing in the line of duty, so why Cindy or Kate?
"Alright, that should be the last of them." Kate lowered her bow and wiped the sweat from her forehead, "I'll call S.H.I.E.L.D for cleanup. You guys go get our...package."
Cindy and Gwen nodded at one another and followed the building Kate pointed out. Gwen braced herself for what would be inside, but Martin Li's bare corpse floating in some kind of tank was still enough to make her cringe, "Preservation tank. Evil me used em to keep the corpses fresh when she wanted to ...you know." All too well. The thought of Peter being inside one of those things for months made her want to vomit.
"So...how are we getting it out?"
"Should be able to move it. Normally you'd need machinery, but super strength does come in handy." Cindy went to the capsules side and began pulling apart some of the machinery, "Help me with this. Don't wanna drop him."
"Sure..."
Cindy and her loaded the capsule into a nearby truck, which Kate and another agent took with a guarantee that Wasp would get it ASAP. Cindy and her trudged back to their loaned care, "Damn it, I'm tired..." Cindy sat on the driver's side and slammed the door shut with Gwen following her lead, "Been days since I slept more than a couple of hours..." she grumbled.
"We're all tired, Cindy..."
"Yeah, but you can get a sugar boost from your little pal there. My bite ain't as good at keeping me awake for more than a day."
Gwen shrugged and settled into her seat, her eyes drooping, 'You can sleep, Gwen. I will keep watch.' Gwen smiled at the declaration. It was hardly needed - she was pretty sure her spider-sense would warn her, even if it could be slippery sometimes - but having Webster back and knowing she had someone always watching her back was a load of her shoulders.
She fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep, and by the time Cindy woke her up the sun was long down, "Mmmgh..." She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window, "Cindy...where the hell are we?" This wasn't the safehouse. Matter of fact it looked like they were still at the edge of the city. No people around, but she shifted back to civilian clothes regardless.
"Out. I'll explain on the way." Gwen sighed. Great, Cindy was using her 'I'm being professional' voice. That usually wasn't a good sign.
Gwen opened the door and moved to intercept Cindy before she could walk away, "No, you're explaining now." She crossed her arms and looked up at the slightly taller woman, "Look, Cindy, I know you're tired and pissed off, but guess what? So are the rest of us. Going Maria Hill on us isn't helping."
"...Going Hill? Geez, you're really hitting below the belt." Cindy let out a tired breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Alright, fine. But you gotta promise not to start throwing a fit when I talk. You do that and I'm telling Wasp she can do this instead. Fine?"
"Fine." Gwen nodded.
"Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. How strong are you now that you've got the suit back?"
"If you're asking if I'm as strong as before, then no. I mean I can lift a car, but I'm not even as strong as I was even before I got Webster." Bright side was she didn't have to hold back as much to avoid splattering someone's organs all over the pavement.
"Thought so." She gestured to a small house not too far away, "Which is why we're gonna visit a friend. Maybe we can fix your problem."
"Fix how?"
"You know what your little pal's made of, right?"
"Yeah. The radioactive stuff that gave me my powers and..." The Lizard serum. Even now, years later, even saying the name made her feel ill. Just one injection ruined so many lives. Webster warmed her stomach again to try and relieve her, "I know what Webster's made of. What does that have to do with anything?"
"You need to be stronger if we're going to be fighting Evil Me. With any luck Wasp'll be able to make a counter using Martin Li's body, but if not..." Another tired breath, "Well, better safe than sorry."
"That still doesn't explain the question."
"Simple: you're not as strong because Evil Me took most of the suit away, so you're making do with the leftovers. But what if we could make new parts of the suit? Give you more to draw from?"
'It would make us stronger, Gwen. Better chance of being whole again.'
"I think I'm getting it." Gwen nodded slowly, "But, how are we getting more of the radioactive stuff that made me Spider-Woman? I thought Moon had the recipe."
"She does. That's why we're not going for the radioactive isotopes."
It didn't take her long to figure out what the other Spider meant. Gwen immediately felt sick and even Webster's attempts to calm her down did little to help, "You want me to...inject myself with the serum?" she asked softly.
"No, that's what they want me to do, but Wasp is still testing if my radioactive crap is the same as yours. For you...they wanna do something a little different."
"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"
"That depends. How much do you want to cure the people Gobby fucked over?"
Cindy started walking to the house before Gwen could even reply. They were halfway to the place by the time she managed to speak up, "What do you mean by that?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D's been trying to look for a cure for the serum for months. For a while Peter was their first lead, but they could never properly extract the antibodies cause, you know, magic bullshit like that Iron Face guy's fist. So we have something else."
Cindy knocked on the door and Harry greeted them. His left arm was raised in a sling and various bandages dotted his arms and neck, but apart from that he looked just fine. Gwen couldn't stop herself from embracing him in relief, "Hey, Gwen- ow! Good to see you- ah!"
"Oh, sorry!" She let go of him and stepped back, a smile on her face. Cindy told me he'd gotten laid up after the attack on her family, but she didn't know where he was recovering. Seeing him again was a relief, "What are you doing here?"
"He's part of you getting a boost. Let's get inside first."
Cindy waited till they were seated in the (sparse) living room before she spoke, "Alright, so Gobby here's one of the people infected with the serum. Only one who did it to himself, but infected all the same." Harry winced at the blunt reminder. Gwen wanted to tell Cindy to lay off a bit but she continued on before she could, "Point is, he's infected just like Curt Connors and the other agents."
"I got that. But why is he here? I doubt it's for a friendly reunion."
"Your symbiote. Wasp thinks that...it might be able to pull the serum out," Harry said slowly.
Gwen blinked twice, "What?"
"We've been looking at it wrong. Agent Hill focused so much on Peter being the cure that she didn't think to check on your new tagalong, and after the Carnage Incident...well, let's just say S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't want to touch anything about symbiotes with a ten foot pole. Thing is, Wasp's been doing some thinking and she's banking that your little buddy there can eat the serum like it does chocolate."
"So I get a power up..."
"And people are cured," Harry said, "It's a win-win."
"Yeah, a win-win. I wanna believe that, but you guys are acting way to jittery. Why?"
Harry and Cindy exchanged a look and Cindy said, "Alright, well, it's just theoretical. Wasp tested it by using a small piece of your suit with small traces of the serum. It was so tiny I doubt you'd even notice it, but here..."
"You'll be taking a full dose, Gwen. Big enough to turn an adult into a Lizard monster. You might go apeshit for a while," Cindy continued. Gwen's hands clenched. She distinctly remembered her...episodes back before she had Webster checked, "That's the good news, by the way."
"Oh great, what's the bad news?"
"A cure like this...it's probably not gonna be pleasant for anyone infected," Harry muttered, "You'll be pulling the serum out like a drink through a straw. All of us, we've lived with the serum in our bodies for months. Those who got infected with a newer strand by that Ogre bastard should be fine, but for me or the agents...well, we're not sure if we're going to be breathing by the time it's done."
"What?!" Gwen's eyes widened and she stood up from the chair, "Then there's no fucking way I'm doing it!"
"We're not sure, Gwen! It's just a possibility!" Harry shouted back, "That's why I'm here. I'm one of the longest infected, so if something does go wrong then it'll be just me."
"And I'm here to make sure you don't lose control," Cindy added.
"That's not much better!" Gwen looked Harry in the eyes, "What if this kills you, Harry? I can't-"
"It's a risk I'm willing to take!" Harry stood up as well, easily towering over her, "Gwen...it's my fault S.I.L.K got access to the serum, my fault Curt Connors lost his family and those agents are locked up in cells. Dad made sure I wasn't held responsible, and I...I just ran away." He put a hand on her shoulder, "Let me do this. Please."
"Harry..."
"It's his choice, Gwen, and we need this" Cindy said, "Besides, it's not just about him. If it turns out well then we can save everyone whose ever been infected."
"I..." She took a deep breath, "Alright, fine, let's do this. But how do we...?"
"Might wanna ask your tag-along."
'Webster? Got any ideas?'
'Yes. It is...familiar.' Gwen raised her hand and put it on Harry's chest. A dark substance seeped from her palms and expanded across the surface. Harry pursed his lips and squirmed slightly, "Is it painful?" Gwen asked.
"No, it just...feels weird."
The dark coating covered the entirety of his chest before it stopped, 'I can remove the serum from his body, but Cindy is right. It will cause us to lash out in a rage.'
'How long?'
'I do not know, but I will try to control it as best I can.'
'What about Harry? Will he be alright?'
'The serum has embedded itself in his body. It will be like when the Crea- when that criminal took the suit from you and when we were first separated by the other symbiote.'
She took a deep, shaky breath. Both times Webster had been ripped away from her...the pain was indescribable. She'd survived, but it was the same as having to saw off your leg. She could live with it, but it wasn't something she ever wanted to deal with.
Gwen looked up at Harry and he nodded. Gwen nodded in turn.
"We're ready."
The sudden burst of searing heat across her palm almost made her fall back. Harry grabbed onto her shoulders and kept her steady, teeth grit and muffled groans escaping despite his best efforts, "Harry..." Her voice was weak. She gripped his shoulders in turn and tried to keep herself balanced. Slowly but surely she felt an all too familiar rage, the same one she felt when Shocker rendered her helpless all those months.
She shoved Harry away to the couch just before her fingertips morphed into claws again. Cindy was on her immediately, grabbing both wrists in a vice grip and pinning her to the ground, "Cool it, Gwen!" Gwen growled up at her and tried to break her grip, but she wasn't strong enough. Instead she opened her mouth, now filled with rows of sharpened teeth and bit down.
Cindy raised her head and avoided the bite, but her red scarf was still caught, "Damn it, I liked that scarf!" Cindy flipped, tossed Gwen to the wall and webbed her down, "You're gonna stay there until you calm down."
The blinding rage lasted for another 30 seconds before it eventually drained away. Gwen's breaths came out in slow, ragged gasps and she would've collapsed if the web hadn't kept her pinned, "...Cindy?" The other Spider looked up from comforting Harry and gave her a wary look, "I'm fine now...could you let me down?"
"Sure."
They worked together to pull off the webbing and Gwen stumbled into a shaky stand. Cindy helped keep her level, "How are you?"
"Tired, but...actually better than I've had in days." She twisted her right hand and clenched it into a fist. Even through the fatigue she felt stronger than she had in weeks, "How...How's Harry."
Harry raised his right hand before quickly letting it fall, "Sore, but...I'll live. Probably need some painkillers, though."
"Got ya covered, Gobby." Cindy smirked and dropped a bottle full of painkillers next to Harry. He nodded gratefully and swallowed a couple.
"So...is it over? Am I cured?"
'Yes. I took all of the serum and repurposed it for us. He is cured.'
"Webster says so, and I'm inclined to believe it."
"So...we really have found a cure." Harry laughed, the relief clear as day.
"Agent Hill will be happy, at least." Cindy said, "Alright, I'm gonna call Wasp and Hill, see if we can get you to fix up the rest of the infected. With any luck we can get through this before the night's done."
Cindy left the living room and Harry quickly fell asleep, leaving her and Webster alone in the sparsely furnished room. Gwen all but collapsed onto a nearby chair and closed her eyes. Despite her exhaustion she couldn't fall asleep, so she was forced to just sit and listen to the sound of Harry's breathing or the sounds of creaking wood from the old ass floorboards.
She was just about to stand and take a walk when her phone started buzzing. She opened it up and frowned at the unknown number on the screen. If this was Murderdock or Moon, "Who is it?"
"Gwen."
Her breath caught in her throat at the all too familiar voice, "Peter...?" Harry stirred slightly but kept sleeping. She lowered her voice, "Peter, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me..." His voice sounded weak. It caused another spike of worry, "How...How are you?"
"I'm...I'm fine." Not true, but she wasn't dying horribly so it wasn't a lie either, "Wh-What about you?"
"Could be better, but...we'll live." He laughed softly and she heard him shuffle around, "I...sorry for calling-"
"Don't apologize," she said harshly, "Just...where are you? After we said our goodbyes at the church..."
"Yeah, Moon Knight gave each of us a burner. We're going to end this soon, so he said that...maybe we should make another round of goodbyes."
"This isn't goodbye. We're seeing each other again after this." She wasn't going to lose him again, "Where are you?"
"I...it's probably better if I don't say. We're out of the city, but we should be back in a day or two." A pause, "We managed to get it, Gwen. The silver. Moon Knight and Ketch are molding them now. We finally have a chance to win this."
"Yeah...we got a trump card too." She eyed Harry's sleeping form and thought about Jan's experiments, "Are you hurt? You sound..."
"Took some hits in, but I'll live. Stick's lessons helped. Guess that's what you get for going up against demons." Demons plural? Her grip on the phone tightened. He really was going to give her a heart attack one of these days, "What about you?"
"Fine. Talked to dad a day ago. He, Jess and Uncle Ben and Aunt May are fine. Still out of the city, but safe." One of the few reliefs she had, "It feels like everything's ending. It's...I'm scared, Peter."
"Me too, Gwen..." Neither of them said anything. After a minute of quiet he finally spoke again, "I should go. Gotta get some rest if I want a chance."
"Yeah, me too..." The next words came out automatically, "I love you."
"I love you too."
The call cut off. Gwen looked down at the blank screen and cried, but her lips curled up in a smile despite it all. She was reminded of when she was 10 years old. Her mom always told her that she loved her every time Gwen left the hospital. It was only later that she found out it was because her mom wanted the last words she heard to be those simple three. Even if they weren't there when she passed, at least she could cling to that.
This was different. This time they were going to see each other again.
This chapter turned pretty sappy/cringy at the end. Anyway, for those worried that I skipped the Judas bullets chapter - no, it hasn't been skipped. The chapters take place more or less concurrently with one another so the other side of the adventure will be there next chapter. Fight scenes will be just as underwhelming as this chapter, but that's not what we're here for anyway
Question:
1. When I make V2, should I make a whole new story for it or just continue this one? If the former, should it have a new title or just be 'Through the Looking Glass V2'?
2. Probably really egotistical of me, but anyone interested in doing a tvtropes page for this? A reviewer on the last chapter said they were but I'm wondering if anyone else is willing to give it a shot. Can't really promise payment, but I can try to for something writing based for someone who does it
Nice chapter as usual, about your questions just saying v2 is enough IMO and the 2nd question, I am not familiar with making TV Tropes pages, so I can't help in this case.
Second of the five final chapters. This one went through some pretty big changes from my original plan. Originally I was going to have a segment of Noir taking down one of Murdock's brainwashing facilities, but after the LMD factory fight it just felt redundant and I assume people can imagine he did that off-screen. So instead now we have a character interaction focused Judas bullet hunt from Lana's POV. I promise Noir and Gwen will have POV's for the climax, so worry not.
This was also a slight consequence of Noir being nicer. In the darker plotline when Noir went full Red Hood there would've been a scene of Noir going full John Wick on a nightclub and killing a score of henchmen in order to kidnap the (unwillingly) corrupt Foggy Nelson. Due to his new personality it didn't make much sense that he'd massacre a mafia nightclub so that was cut out as well.
Oh well, hopefully this is just as good
Side Note - When I said 'all new story' last chapter, I didn't mean I'd reset or anything. I meant that I would literally make a new tread titled 'Through the Looking Glass V2' or something while the 100 plus chapters I posted here remain as V1. Basically making the beginning of V2 chapter 1 of a new thread rather than chapter 150 of this one.
Chapter 137: Road Trip
Out of New York finally.
Lana leaned back on her seat and looked out to the dark road outside. It'd been hours since they left New York, crammed into Moon Knight's taxi and bundled up in hoods, dyes and various other disguises to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Something told her the Black Cat, Moon Knight, the Punisher, Striker and a freshly back from the dead Spider-Man could just pass the toll booth.
All she knew was that she couldn't pull the blonde hair the same way Lily did. She looked like such an asshole.
"The search continues for the fugitives Frank Castle, Felicia Hardy, Marc Spector Lana Baumgartner and the Spider-Man. It's still uncertain whether the leader of the criminal group is Peter Benjamin Parker or another individual wearing the mask. The planned re-investigation of the Parker grave has been delayed, though Mayor Jameson has assured that-"
"Can someone turn that shit off?" Lana growled.
Moon Knight hummed and switched it to a station playing Voltaire. Not much better, but she'd take it. Lana sighed. That was another thing they had to deal with - getting their identities outed. Granted by this point most of them already lost them, but now the police were actively hunting them down cause of Jameson's stupid as fuck hate boner and both Black Cat and Moon Knight had to ditch their jobs.
At least her being tied to these guys meant her dad's election campaign was fucked. Small victories.
Lana sighed again and tried not to go insane from staring at the same stretch of road for what felt like days. To the left of the car opposite her was Ghost Rider. No flaming skull, but the bike was still there. He kept pace with the car easily and glared at the road ahead like he was expecting demons to pour out any second now. Probably would have knowing their luck.
"...How much longer?"
"You know asking that doesn't actually make us get there faster." Moon Knight turned back and grinned, taking his eyes off the (completely barren) road. She pursed her lips and flipped him off. He - or one of the voices in his head, she wasn't sure which - was responsible for Pete dying. If they weren't crammed together so close she would've blown that smug fucking smile right off his face.
Next to Moon Knight on the shotgun (lucky...) seat, Castle grunted and checked his gun for the hundredth time that hour. Felicia moved slightly on the other side of the backseats and continued sleeping while Pete listened to to music on his phone. Music from Spider-Gwen's band, cause apparently he remembered his girlfriend on top of herself.
No, she wasn't bitter.
Her thoughts drifted again. Here they were about to fight fucking demons cause Pete's psyching fucking sister said so. Whatever happened to the days when learning she could blow shit up by pointing at it was the weirdest thing she had to deal with?
Still, she knew she didn't have he worst run of it; that shitty award went to their resident kleptomaniac. Moon Knight was ready when his identity got exposed - new name, new papers, new face. Marc Spector was just one of many, he said. He could afford to leave it behind.
Klepto Hannah wasn't the same. She said she knew it would always be temporary, that she'd actually lasted way longer considering the way she attacked that bastard Murdock all those months ago, but now this was all she had left. Either she finally got her revenge on Murdock or she'd given up everything she had for nothing. Lana actually felt sorry for her despite how much she really shouldn't have given a shit.
"...How much longer?"
Castle grunted in annoyance and lowered his gun, "Can't you keep quiet?"
"Wasn't asking you, Punisher."
"You've been asking that for hours. You're not getting an answer."
"Better than checking my gun over and over. What, planning to shoot us when we're not looking?"
"No, but we can't all be freaks who don't need to prepare."
"Asshole!" She reached out and would've strangled him if Pete suddenly didn't reach an arm to to block her, "Back off, Pete! He's-"
"He doesn't like you, you don't like him, most of us here don't like each other," he said flatly. Black Cat stirred in her seat and opened one eye to give them a sideways glance, "We're all getting stir crazy staying cramped in here. Maybe we should stop for a bit."
"I don't mind. I brought camping supplies," Moon Knight said.
Moon Knight stopped the car and they all piled out. Lana took a deep breath and stretched, groaning. She had no idea where they were, and the abandoned road and forest didn't do much more to make it clearer. Ketch hopped off his bike and, after a brief handsign from Peter, started helping unload the tents and sleeping bags from the trunk.
They trudged through the forest for near on half an hour till they finally found a decent clearing, and another half hour later they finally managed to get set up. Only two tents, and they'd be fucked if any of them were willing to share, so they (read: not Lana) mutually agreed to give it to the only two females in the group.
She wasn't stupid enough to think that chivalry was the reason. Castle was a paranoid asshole who probably didn't trust an enclosed space he didn't bring himself and Moon Knight...well, she didn't know but she really didn't care either. Pete and Ghost Rider didn't sleep, so that left it to just the two of them. She was sure Black Cat appreciated having a roof over her head, at least.
Ghost Rider set up blocks of wood and made a (blue!) campfire, "The fire should keep us safe for the night." His voice was softer than she thought. Then again the first time she heard him was when he had a flaming blue skull for a head, so maybe she was just biased.
They all gathered around the campfire in complete silence, passing around MRE's, canned stuff and whatever food they managed to pack. The fire felt odd. Warm, but not in the way she expected. She reached a free hand out and and let out a cold breath. She was almost tempted to reach out and grab the flames...
She almost jumped when Pete suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Not a good idea."
"Y-Yeah..." She (reluctantly) put her hand down and focused on the tin of pork and beans she'd been handed (hopefully it didn't give her the shits). She was tired, hungry and pissed off. She didn't want to think about what would happen once this was over. Assuming they didn't get their asses arrested for trying to fight the fucking devil, that is. Black Cat had to deal with losing her popstar career, but what about her? Could she really just go back to school after this was all over?
"Fuck," she said, apropos of nothing. None of the others reacted to the abrupt curse and she swore to God Black Cat actually laughed under her breath at that. Peter took another small bite of the MRE and gave her a sideways glance, mouth quirked up in a smile. Her heart beat faster and she looked away, cheeks red, "Wh-What?" she asked defensively.
"Nothing. Just glad you're here." Her expression was a cross between a scowl and smile. Why the fuck was he so...open now?
"Be honest, did you all think we'd end up this way?" Moon Knight asked with a lazy smirk. Again she was tempted to pop his head like a grape, "Escaping New York as fugitives, fighting the Beast and his band of cocksuckers." She almost choked on the abrupt curse, "If you had any idea life would lead you this way, any of you would've turned around?"
"Not a chance." Black Cat scoffed, "Ever since that bastard...well, I'm ready to give everything if it means he goes to the Hell he belongs to."
"I'm assuming that question wasn't meant to be for me?" Ghost Rider practically mumbled.
"You're experienced, sure, but you ain't used to fighting something as big as this guy, right?" Moon Knight asked.
"Right. My...older brother tried and all he got for his trouble was being dragged into Mephisto's playground." The right side of his mouth twitched, "This is a suicide run for all of us. Even if we get the silver, you all realize that we're still up against something that's been here since humans were on their hands and knees screaming gibberish at the sky."
"If you think so poorly of our chances, why join up?" Peter asked.
Ghost Rider gave him a small smirk, "Cause the Beast took my brother from me and I want payback. Same as most of you, really." His eyes lingered on Lana and she tucked her knees into her chest. He was right about that - Murdock kidnapped Punisher's family, killed Black Cat's dad, destroyed (and took) Peter's life, and Moon Knight was being compelled by that god in his head. She and Bullseye got dragged in because they couldn't leave Peter.
And considering what happened to Bullseye, she didn't want to think about any more similarities they shared.
Thankfully Peter broke the silence, "Spector fought this guy before. Wanna tell us about that?" he asked Moon Knight.
"I suppose I should. I doubt Marc and Steven will be much forthcoming." Did he change personalities? Ugh, another reason she couldn't just explode the guy - she had no fucking clue who she'd be blowing up if she ever did it, "Well...I suppose you could say that Marc - all of us, really - are veterans in this conflict. We've fought with the Beast and his pawns multiple times ten years ago."
"Ten years..." Peter muttered. Lana thought about it. Ten years ago she was still a six year old girl, though she could hardly recall a time when she could be considered innocent. Her mom did try, she really did, but Hell's Kitchen wasn't any kind of place for a girl to grow up. She wasn't the only one - back then Black Dad would've still been thieving with her daddy, Bullseye wasn't a nutjob yet, Castle would've been with the army and Pete...well, he wasn't really 'Pete' back then; at least not as she knew him now.
And now here they were, all vigilantes on the run with one of them buried in the ass end of nowhere.
"Yes. Time flies, doesn't it?" Moon Knight chuckled softly, "You aren't the first group I worked together with. All of us back then, same as we are now, were united by a common hatred or a bizarre sense of loyalty." He smiled wistfully, "I only found out later that I wasn't the first. Chosens of Khosnu, Iron Fists, Ghost Riders...decades and centuries we've tried to fight the Beast. None of us succeeded."
"You're still alive. It means you gave up," Punisher said.
"Perhaps, but what would you do if the Beast held a knife to your baby's throat?" Punisher didn't answer, "He made me put the knife to my own neck and slice. I came back, of course, but afterwards it was difficult to continue. Marlene hated me by that point, Frenchie decided he wanted a life instead of being a pilot for a madman, Orson - the previous Iron Fist - decided it wasn't worth fighting for, my friend Jack died, and Janet...well, seeing either your baby or your lover die does take the glamour out of the heroics. We ended in a whimper, not a bang."
"So you're saying we're just the latest in a long line of fuck ups?" Black Cat sneered.
"Perhaps. It's the first time a Child of Anansi took the role as the spearhead, so maybe this time it'll be different." He traced a hand through the fire without changing expression, "I worked with Teresa's predecessor, and various others. Even Captain Stacy for a spell, though I doubt he remembers. I was wearing a different mask at the time and I did my best to keep him in the dark. For a while there it seemed as if it would've been his daughter the Beast would've focused on, not you."
"Yeah. Teresa seems to think me coming back from the dead the first time changed things around. Still not sure how much I believe her."
"Toss the coin enough times and eventually it'll land on the edge. Maybe it'll be us, or maybe it'll be the hundredth group after we all die horribly. Maybe one of you will be in my place, helping the next group of bright eyed youths to their doom." He chuckled while Lana snorted. Bright eyed youth wasn't what she would call any of them, "Who can say?"
"Well, if all survive this then I'm expecting the favor to paid," Ghost Rider said.
"Talking to me, Ketch?" Peter asked.
"You or Moon Knight, but I'd prefer someone who only has one voice in his head."
"Then I'm not much good for any favor you need." Peter smiled wryly. Lana looked down at the red beans and frowned. She knew about Peter's fucked up memories for a while now, though she didn't like to think about it. She only ever knew him when he was Spider-Man and she couldn't give a fuck about the stupid prick who turned himself into a giant Lizard. Hopefully he didn't either.
Eventually they all finished eating and Lana crawled into her tent. She took off her shoes and rubbed her bare feet, trying to ignore the soreness and blisters. It'd been a while since she'd actually gotten a chance to stop and take a breath. The past few days were non-stop raids on Murdock's shitholes and running from safehouse to safehouse to avoid being tracked. She couldn't tell which was worse - Castle's places that had enough weapons to start wars or Moon Knight's places that were about as pleasant as porta potties.
Try as she might, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned on the blanket and kept scratching at imaginary itches on her skin. Her thoughts drifted back to the people she left behind. Her mom, Lily, Gayle, Kamala, Chat, Sue, Gabriel, even Danika. She never got to call anyone or explain. As far as everyone else knew she just decided to drop out of school and start blowing up buildings like some kind of fucking terrorist.
An hour later she crawled out of the tent, forgetting to put her shoes back on. Punisher and Moon Knight were sleeping, the former having a pistol within reach, while Black Cat's tent was zipped shut. The campfire was already doused, though she still managed to catch Ghost Rider and Pete keeping watch at the edge of the clearing. She rubbed her arms and walked over to them.
"Lana, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Pete didn't turn to face her. Another thing she found creepy about his new 'blind but not blind' thing.
"Couldn't sleep." She sat down next to him and leaned back on the tree. Her clothes were fucked up, covered in dirt, tears and haphazard patch jobs. Then again all of them were flagging, so she doubted anyone noticed.
"Hmm." Ketch looked between the two of them.
"What's up, Ketch?" Peter asked.
"Just still surprised. I've seen some young people forced to kill, but teenagers still shock me sometimes."
"Really? You ever seen the Kitchen?" Lana snorted.
"Not what I meant." He smiled wryly and took a drink of water from a nearby bottle. Lana wondered what it would've looked like if he had his flaming skull out, "Kids forced to steal, to kill, just to survive? That's nothing new. Did it myself when I was your age." The stealing or the killing? She didn't ask, "This fight...you could've just ran. Parker got a second chance at life and you...you're just a kid."
"Yeah, so people love to tell me." Lana rolled her eyes, "Didn't stop a serial killer from going after me and my mom and it sure as shit didn't stop me from paying him back when I got my hands on him. Could everyone just knock it off with the 'you're just a kid' bullcrap? I pull my weight."She turned to Peter, "You guys would've been screwed during the Incident if me and Green Goblin didn't swoop in and Ben and May would've-"
"I get it," Peter said, "Lesson learned. Besides, you're here now and you got lumped in with the rest of us degenerates. Too late for regrets."
"Yeah..." She didn't know what possessed her to say her next words, "I'm not letting you die. Not again."
This time he actually did turn to face her, blank eyes staring dead on into her own, "You didn't 'let' anything happen to me. That was-"
"Your fault, Murdock's fault, Moon Knight's fault- who fucking cares?" She sighed in frustration, "Point is I wasn't there before. I am now, and I'm making damn sure you don't end up down there again."
"Hmm...same."
He suddenly held her hand. Neither of them said anything about it and, after after an hour of mindless chatting, she finally managed to fall asleep. By the time she woke up again she was back in her tent and there was movement outside. She poked her head out and found the others already packing up, "Morning, sleepyhead!" Moon Knight called. She groaned. Great, the asshole personality was back in, "Good sleep?"
"Fuck off." She flipped him off and began packing up the tent. Judging by the sun she figured it must've been either noon or a few hours after that. She wasn't surprised they were out for so long - it was the first night of actual sleep they'd had for days.
"How many hours till we get to our destination?" Black Cat asked.
"About 3 or 4. Traveling this route means we won't get interrupted, but it's pretty roundabout." Yeah, hours of being crammed into a car just so they could make it to a farmhouse on the ass-end of Maine. The first time she left New York and it was going to fucking Maine. They better get some good fucking lobster from the whole thing or she was gonna freak.
The trip was thankfully uneventful this time - meaning Castle and her only got into a single pissing match. The sun was setting by they got there, "This is it?" Teresa told them it would've been abandoned, but the entire plot looked like no one lived there before cars were made, "This is where the all-destroying silver's hidden?"
"What better place to hide it?" Ghost Rider asked, "A bank vault just screams that something is in there worth taking. Johnny managed to keep the Darkhold hidden for decades by keeping it under a floorboard in his basement." What the fuck was the Darkh- you know what, nevermind, she really didn't wanna fucking know. Sounded like an even more fucked up kama sutra.
"Are we supposed to just go in and grab it? I doubt it would be that easy," Black Cat said. How she wasn't dying of heatstroke in that leather outfit of hers was beyond Lana. She herself had doffed her trenchcoat and unzipped the sleeves of her bodysuit.
"We can't even be sure if this really is the place," Moon Knight said, "These pieces have been hidden around since Matthias found them in front of Judas' swinging body."
"It's definitely here. Mephisto's a lot of things, but he's not a liar," Ghost Rider said, "But he also doesn't give anything out for free. Everybody be ready for a fight."
"I'll take point." Castle opened the door a crack and checked both sides before slowly creeping in. The others followed after him, hands/wristblades/chains/guns/whips drawn. The farmhouse was a decent size, all things considered, though age clearly wore it down. It was a pretty miraculous that all the walls were still intact despite the rotting and moldy wood.
"Something's off about this place," Pete muttered.
"You feel it as well? The malevolence of the coins can be felt to those in-tuned," Moon Knight said. Lana didn't feel anything;she'd take that as a good sign. "The Rider's presence will be weakened here as careful, Daniel."
"I'll be fine. That's why you guys are here."
Once they determined that the house wasn't, in fact, filled with bloodthirsty maniacs trying to kill them, they all split up (though they made sure there was always someone else in the next room over). Lana drifted to the dining room and coughed when a plume of dust hit her face, "Shit..." She waved a hand through the air and tried to ignore the tears in her eyes.
"You alright, Lana?" Peter called from the other room.
"Yea, just making myself at home," Lana snarked back. She coughed again and looked at some of the black and white pictures on the walls. A husband, a wife and two daughters dressed in old timey clothes. She thought back to mom and Lily again. Were they worrying about her right now? She'd ditched her phone - all of them did - to help avoid being tracked, though she did keep her SD card.
Moon Knight told them it'd make it easier if things went bad and they had to run on a more permanent basis. She didn't want to think about that.
Maybe she should've called them, at least said goodbye...
She focused back on the colored picture. William stood at front with her mom at his side, her face bruised and beaten and covered in dried blood and wearing clothes that made it clear she'd just come from a day of 'walking'. In front of them were herself and Lily. The latter wore a fancy, fashionable dress as always while half of Lana's body was torn out...
Wait.
The picture fell from her hands and landed on the ground with a loud crash, the glass cracking heavily on impact, "Pete?" she called out softly. No response, "Hey, Pete! You there?!" Still nothing. She ran to the other room only to be met with no one. She was alone, "What the fu- hey, where the fuck are you assholes?! Weren't you the ones who said to stay close?!"
Nothing but the sounds of creaking wood greeted her, "Are you fucking serious right now?! You assholes better not have left me!" she screamed, more out of a rising sense of fear than any actual frustration. She waited a quarter of a minute for any kind of response before scowling, "Alright, fuck this. You guys wanna look around the haunted house be my fucking guest, I'm staying outside!" She stomped towards the door and-
It didn't open.
"What the-" She rammed her shoulder into it but it refused to budge, "God damn fucking...fine, let's do this the hard way." She stepped back and flung a blast at the door.
Nothing. Not even a scratch.
Breath quickening, she aimed a stronger blast that was met with the same result, "Oh f-fuck..." She bit her tongue to keep herself from stuttering. So the door didn't open, so what? It wasn't like it was attacking her or anything, "Window...can get out from there." She made her way to the living room and grasped the windowsill only to scramble back with a scream when she saw what was outside.
Peter's severed and bloody head impaled on a spike.
Lana fell on her back and scrambled away in a panic. No way. This wasn't happening. It was just a fucked up dream because of those shitty beans she ate last night. He couldn't be-
"Dead?"
She looked up and the color drained from her face when she saw Peter kneeling in front of her. He was alive, if you could call him that. The skin on his face was rotting and what little she saw of the rest of his body fared no better, "This..This isn't real..." She shut her eyes tightly and looked away as she curled in on herself. He was fine just a few minutes ago, he couldn't have died again.
"Couldn't I?" She felt the breath close to her ear and shivered. He smelled like a rotting corpse, "You weren't even there when I died because of Murdock. Too busy playing your dad's pet freak to come help?"
"No..." She shook her head frantically, "It's...It's not my fault! I would've saved you if I knew-"
"Could you?" That was her mom's voice. Against her better judgement she turned to the source and immediately regretted it. There was her mom, covered in blood with a gaping hole at the right side of her stomach from where that son of a bitch shot her, "You couldn't save me from that bastard. No, you waited till he had my guts hanging out before you did anything, and after I woke up your 'gifts' forced me to leave. Ungrateful little bitch."
She kicked Lana in the face. Lana fell on her side and tasted blood, "Stop..." This wasn't real, the rational part of her mind kept screaming, but she couldn't stop the tears that spilled out, "I...I did my best..." She was just a kid. She should've been at school and hanging out with friends. not running from the cops with a fucking price on her head because of the God damn devil.
"Why are you doing this, huh?" Her 'mom' grabbed the ends of her hair and tugged up painfully, forcing their eyes to meet, "You think you'll be anything more than gutter trash? Is that it? Or is it because of him?" She slammed Lana's head down and she swallowed dust, "Are you really so pathetic that you're gonna keep pining after a guy who I already fucked?"
"Shut up!" Lana snarled. It came out far weaker than she wanted.
"God, William was right. I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance."
And then, with an ugly sneer down at her, she turned to Peter and kissed him. Lana was equally enraged and disgusted. This was just a dream - she knew that - but the sights and sounds in front of her were all too real right now, "Stop it..." She had to get out of here. Her hands burned again, just as bad as when that crazy fucker with the shotgun shot her mom in front of her, "Stop..."
This had to end.
"I said stop!"
The explosion nearly deafened her. Lana shut her eyes to block out the light and, when she opened them again, she wasn't sure if what replaced the earlier nightmare was any better. She was on the ground outside, cheek pressed against the grass, and she wasn't alone. The rest of their motley little crew were scattered all around her and...
And they were fighting demons.
Or at least she assumed they were demons. The bastards had charcoal black skin, wide, empty eyes and teeth that would make a shark blush. Her heart beat rapidly in fear and she forced herself up, "Come on, get up...!" She looked around frantically to see who needed help the most. Ghost Rider and Moon Knight were holding their own (just barely for the latter) while Castle was lying on the ground close to her with a small pool of blood at his left side. At least the demons were ignoring him.
She didn't see Peter anywhere.
A scream drew her attention. Black Cat was being held up by a big bastard at least twice her size, "Shit..." She closed one eye and took aim. Her vision was shaky and she was close to throwing up "Come on..." She willed her hand to stop shaking. One mistake and she'd hit Black Cat instead of the big bastard.
The blast hit the goliath in his spare arm. His arm snapped back from the force of the explosion and Black Cat used it as a chance to toss a flash grenade at his feet. The bright flash was enough to make her let go, "Thanks!" Felicia nodded at her before running to put some distance between the two, "Rider, this one's yours!"
He growled and split off from Moon Knight. Ghost Rider jumped on the damn thing's back and wrapped the chain around its neck, "Burn." Blue flames ran down the length of the chain and eventually engulfed the big bastard entirely. Even from where she lay Lana felt the heat from the flames and turned away to cover her eyes. This was fucking insane.
The victory was short lived. Moon Knight was the next to fall just as she managed to stand, taking a slash across the back from a clawed demon, "Fuck!" Lana aimed again and managed to catch the thing's head. The oddly shaped skull exploded, showering the still-bleeding Moon Knight in black blood. Despite her hating the cocky son of a bitch she couldn't help the sudden spike of worry when he didn't move.
She didn't hear the footsteps behind her till it was too late. Lana turned around and saw the next demon's grotesquely smiling face right before it drove the knife it held into her gut.
Or at least it would have if the blade didn't stop mid-lunge. There wasn't any chance for her to wonder what the hell happened before Peter suddenly appeared in a wisp of smoke and she saw why exactly the blade stopped - he'd grabbed the blade and stopped it an inch before it made contact.
"Pete!"
He headbutted the demon, grabbed the knife and stabbed it into the bastard's forehead with his non-injured hand, "More coming..." He nudged his head to Ghost Rider. The guy was already dealing with three more demons, "We can talk later."
It was easier now that she could focus. She found out later that the group had already dealt with the bulk of the horde by the time she woke up, which only made her feel worse. They'd fought and kept her from being mauled while she was out of it and the best she could do was help with the cleanup. She made sure there was nothing left of the fuckers attacking them by the time they were finished.
"...I think that's all of them." Black Cat put her hands on her knees and panted. Lana had to admit she was impressed; she outlasted both Punisher and Moon Knight, "Took your sweet time, didn't you, Spider?"
"We had to hide the silver." Despite his rebuttal he actually did look apologetic, "...How are Castle and Spector?"
"Wounded, but they'll live." Ghost Rider said from where he knelt near them, "They need medical attention, or at least a safe place to rest."
"Can't go to a hospital, and something tells me going to a hotel will draw attention," Pete said, "...Let's just get them to the car. I'll get the silver."
She and Black Cat carried Moon Knight while Ghost Rider did the same for Punisher. They managed to put him in the back while Ghost Rider put Castle on the front seat, "Better than putting two injured people next to each other." Lana didn't bother questioning him and turned her attention to Peter. He was carrying an old wooden box that looked remarkably preserved for its age.
"That's the scavenger hunt thing we've been looking for?"
"Yeah, Judas' blood money." Pete pulled out a single coin from the box and Lana suddenly recoiled like she'd been struck, "Sorry." He shut it in the box again and covered it in a blanket of webbing, "Guess the Spider-God's giving some protection for this one."
"Good for you." She could still remember his face rotting and kissing her mo- "What the fuck happened back there? We split up and then suddenly I'm on the ground and..." She didn't - couldn't - finish.
Pete's brows furrowed, "Split up? We didn't split up. We all went to the basement together to look for the coins. You found the box and then you just...passed out."
"The coins have adverse effects, especially on the innocent. The bindings on the container should've kept them contained, but I guess age has finally caught up with them," Ghost Rider said.
"Yeah, 'adverse effects'..." Lana pursed her lips. Understatement of the fucking century right there.
"After you passed out the demons came," Black Cat said, "Those diable's came in force. We had to drag you out of the house and then Spider had to go and hide the coins because he was the only one who could turn invisible. Castle protected you, if you can believe it. It's why he's in the state he's in."
Black Cat was right about one thing - she didn't believe it. Still, she wasn't going to say anything now when the guy was only half conscious.
Ghost Rider let the flames die down to expose his frown, "I recognize those types. Mephisto's rivals, and 'friends' with the Beast. He probably told them about what we were doing so that we could help thin the herd. That's why he gave us this information."
"I'm getting really tired of being used to fight proxy wars," Pete muttered, "Look, we can talk later. Right now we need out of this place before any more of Murdock's 'buddies' show up staking a claim."
"And just who do you expect to drive, Spider?" Black Cat asked, "I can barely stay awake right now and you're still blind. Even if you can somehow see with that sixth sense of yours I don't exactly feel comfortable riding a car with a blind man on the wheel."
"What about GR?" Lana asked.
"That car seats five. Unless one of you wants to try the trunk, I'm better off on my bike."
"Fuck, then I guess I'll do it." All of them gave her flat looks, "What? Mom got a friend of a friend to teach me. You think a year headstart's the worse thing I did?" Still with the doubting looks, "Look, either I drive or we let Pete do it. You wanna try, especially with that fucked up hand of yours?" The injury he got because he saved her slow ass. She tried not to feel too guilty.
"...Fine. Just take it slow, alright?"
By the time she managed to start up the engine Punisher had actually managed to open one eye. The guy didn't look so good - his skin was pale and clammy and the spare shirt they'd used as a bandage was already soaked crimson. Did he really get that saving her? The freak he could barely stand? Seemed far more likely he got stabbed near her and Black Cat thought he saved her.
"You're awake." She pulled the handle and tried to recall all the lessons old Bob taught her, "How was your nap?" Speaking of naps, Black Cat was already out in the backseat while Pete looked like he was close to following. Looking closer, she actually made out more injuries like a few burns on his arms and bloody cuts on his legs.
"You're driving?" He grunted and tried to sit up straighter - emphasis on tried. He ended up practically making out with the dashboard.
"Yeah, yeah, freak behind the wheel. Get it out of your system." She rolled her eyes and looked to the GPS. There was a town about an hour away, but going there in the state they were in... "Shit."
"What's wrong?"
"I dunno where to go." She looked to Ghost Rider. The guy just faced ahead and continued to follow the car's speed, "Hospital's a no-go and the town's not much better. I can go to the drugstore, but I ain't a fucking doctor and I doubt skullboy over there is either. We need someone who can patch us up and not ask questions." Yeah, and maybe for next trick she could make the cops stop chasing them.
Punisher took a deep breath and eyed the GPS, "I know a place."
"What?"
"I said I know a place." He leaned forward and, after a little effort, managed to input the directions (and left a bloody fingerprint on the screen). She looked over it with narrowed eyes; it was a little over an hour away, "There. She'll help us."
"How are you so sure?"
"Because that's just how she is."
She was about to tell him off for being so fucking obtuse before she saw his state again. Lana bit her tongue. Whether he saved her or not arguing with someone who had a hole in their side brought back too many unpleasant memories, "Fine, to your mystery doctor we go."
The trip was spent mostly in silence. A quarter of an hour in Pete finally asleep, leaving just her and Punisher, who stubbornly refused to pass out again, awake. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and looked on ahead at the dark road. In here with the silence over them her thoughts kept drifting back to that fucked up dream from before. Pete and her mom, and the reason she put her neck out like this...
"Focus on the road," Punisher said, jolting her out of her haze.
"I am focusing." She grit her teeth.
"You're drifting off. If you can't focus then I'll drive."
"Oh yeah, the guy who has to use at least one hand to keep his guts from spilling out. I really want you behind the wheel." She scoffed, "Listen, I'm good. You don't survive in the Kitchen without learning to pick up some shit."
"You're 15-"
"16," she corrected, like that whole extra year somehow made it better, "Birthday was a few days ago." Considering they spent that time raiding one of Murdock's bases to keep him from indoctrinating a bunch of desperate teenagers, she didn't think it was the time to mention it, "Look, would you stop giving me shit about how I'm too young? I'm in it as much as the rest of you assholes are."
"You passed out earlier." Her hold on the wheel shook and she had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting something. Punisher looked at her with that unreadable expression of his and asked, "...Why are you doing this?"
"Need something else to use against me?" She threw him a sideways glare.
"There's a reason each of us do this. Revenge, some deluded sense of responsibility, looking for a cheap thrill. Few months ago I'd have thought you were just looking for a high, but you're still here. Why?"
"Why the fuck do you care?" He didn't answer. It just pissed her off more, "Let's turn this around. Why are you running around fighting fucking devils? And don't gimme that bullshit about avenging your family - I know you left them, so you don't get to hide behind them."
"I'm not hiding behind them." Punisher grunted, "We...even before I became obsessed with Spider-Woman, there was always a distance between us. When she took the kids and left I thought I'd be angry; and I was, but a part of me was glad. I met Maria in a warzone and I never wanted to leave it. She did."
"So what I'm getting from this is you're an asshole." She tried not to think about why he was telling her this. Was this a confession? Or was he just loopy from the blood loss?
"None of us are innocent," he said, like it was some fucking nugget of truth, "So why are you doing this?" he asked again.
"What, because you told me yours I'm supposed to tell you mine?" She let out a long, frustrated breath. Who the fuck cared if he knew? "...It's cause I love Pete, alright? I can make up some bullshit about how it's because of justice or because Murdock needs to be put down, but that ain't it. I do think he needs his head popped, but so do a million other assholes. Murdock never did anything to me. I coulda just walked away, but..."
But she couldn't bear to see Pete die again.
"You know he won't feel the same."
"I know. I know he's in love with Spider-Woman and I'm just the lovesick fucking schoolgirl nipping at his heels. I'm not an idiot. But you know what? Fuck it, I'm an idiot cause I can't let it go. Judge me all you want, I don't give a shit."
"...Bullseye had the same reason. Just make sure you don't end up like him." Was it just her imagination or did he actually seem worried? She shook her head. Nah, couldn't be.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence, though less heavier than before. She stopped the car in front of the cliffside house and stepped out of the car while Ghost Rider hung back to survey the area. The place was picturesque - a two story house close to a cliff surrounded by forests with the closest town being at least half an hour away by car. Past the house was an oceanside view that probably led to some really great looking sunsets.
Who the hell could Castle have known who'd live in a place like this?
Her question was answered when the door opened and an older blonde woman in a yellow sundress came out with a fucking shotgun. Lana's first instinct was to start blasting, but she got the feeling they wouldn't get the help they needed if she started throwing grenades around, "Hey, woah, woah!" She held up her hands when the woman took aim, "I come in peace!"
"Who the hell are you? How do you know about this place?"
"I-"
"I told her."
Both their attentions were drawn to Castle, who'd somehow managed to limp his way close enough for his voice to be audible. The woman's fierce expression broke and her next words came out in a whisper, "...Frank?"
"Maria...we need your help."
Whispered (and harsh, judging by the tone) words were exchanged and eventually the woman - Castle's ex-wife, she remind herself - allowed them inside, "You can put them on the couch. There's a spare first aid kit in the bathroom if you need anything." The blonde said. She'd already put on some gloves and was poring over Moon Knight's wounds, "God damn it, Frank. Why would you bring this here?"
"No other choice, Maria..."
The rest of the Defenders were sprawled in various states of fucked up all over the various furnitures while Ketch stayed outside. Making sure they wouldn't get ambushed again, or so he said.
Her wounds were superficial enough, so Lana didn't bother getting checked over. She left the living room and looked around the entrance area. At first glance this definitely didn't look like a place where the Punisher's wife lived...then again, when you thought of the fucking Punisher you really didn't think he was a guy who still had a breathing wife and kids.
The soft patter of footsteps drew her attention to the stairway. Lana looked up and locked eyes with a blonde girl who looked maybe a year or two younger than her, if that, wearing a pair of striped pajamas. Her eyes widened and she rushed up the stairs out of sight, "Must be his kid..." She couldn't stop herself from walking up the stairs after her. Later on she'd blame it on being high from the painkillers she took.
Castlette Jr. wasn't there by the time she got up, but the slightly ajar window at the end of the hallway made it obvious where she went. Lana pushed open the window and smiled wryly when she saw the younger girl sitting on the roof like every cliche angsty teenager from the 90's.
"Help me up?" Lana reached out her hand. The blonde looked down at offered limb before she nodded mutely and helped her outside. Thankfully she had enough experience to keep her balance, "Nice spot you got here." Lana sat down next to her and breathed in the air. It tasted different than the city.
"Is Frank down there?"
Lana raised an eyebrow. 'Frank'? "If you mean the Punisher, then yeah, he's down there." The girl pursed her lips and tucked her knees into her chest. It was obviously a sensitive subject, "Ah...shit, sorry-"
"Don't be. That's who he is." She gave Lana a curious look, "And who are you supposed to be? I didn't know d- Frank hung out with kids."
"We don't really hang out." She laughed under her breath, more to break the tension than anything else, "He's...well, we're going after the same guy, so we're working together."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Trust me, I am not in checking out for another father figure. One shitty dad's enough, thanks." She sneered, "Sides, he doesn't think very well of me cause I have these."
She raised her hand and let the glowing ring cover her fist. Castelette Jr's eyes widened, "Y-You're Bombshell-"
"Striker," she said irritatedly, "But most people call me Lana. What about you?"
"...Lisa, but nowadays people call me Madison. Witness protection and all that." Yeah, there were probably a lot of people who'd want payback considering what Castle got up to on the daily. She was surprised the family hadn't left the country yet, "Why is Frank here?"
"Cause we got fucked up fighting a bunch of demons and there was no one else we could go to besides your ex-army medic mom. Honestly, I didn't even know where we were going till your mom came out pointing a shotgun at my face.
"Yeah, mom's...protective. Frank doesn't help, doing what he does." She didn't even ask about the demons. Lana didn't know whether to be impressed or creeped out.
"Yeah..." Lana looked ahead to the waves, "...Stupid question, I know, but how are you guys holding up?"
"Terribly." Lisa sighed and looked down at her knees, "Mom's paranoid about visitors, but she doesn't want to leave the country because S.H.I.E.L.D's strongest here and we need their help. My little brother keeps watching the news, keeps wanting to see if Frank will show up and cause of that mom yells at him. He still thinks dad's a hero and that he'll come back."
"And what about you? I'm guessing you don't have very fond feelings on the guy."
"...I hate him." She didn't need Pete's spider-sense to tell her that wasn't the whole truth, "It was one thing when he was just at work a lot. At least he was still there, even if he barely paid attention. Now he left us and..and he chose killing people over his own family. I can't forgive him for that."
"Yeah, I know the feeling. Well, kinda." William never even pretended to care about her- hell, if he had his way she would've been taken out with a coat hangar and thrown in a dumpster, "Well, don't worry, I doubt we're staying here for long. Soon as we can start moving we'll be back in New York to kill that fucker Murdock."
"Murdock...that was the guy who threatened us and made us go to that mobster. He's part of the reason we can't leave."
"Yeah, apparently he's a devil. Surprise." Lana waved a hand flippantly, "You guys weren't the only people he fucked over. According to Moon Knight he or the devil or who the fuck ever's been doing it before our great great infinity grandpas were anything but twinkles in their dad's eyes."
"And...you're fighting him?"
"Apparently." Lana smiled wryly and shrugged, "Pete's - that's Spider-Man - sister thinks we can put this bastard down for good, so I guess we'll see. Sorry for crashing in on you like this. Didn't think we'd...well, you know."
"I don't blame you." Lisa sighed and looked ahead, "I'm just regretting the morning. Jr's sleeping now, but when he wakes up and sees dad he's gonna think he was right and that we can go back to the way things were. I...I don't want to be the one to tell him he's wrong."
"Yeah..."
They stayed there just watching the lazy ocean waves till Lana heard movement downstairs, "Guess your mom finished patching everyone up." She went first and helped Lisa inside. They both went down and found the Defenders all awake now. Pretty impressive considering they sprung in on her without warning.
"You're all leaving tomorrow," Maria Castle said as soon they were in the living room, "And Lisa, you're supposed to be asleep."
Lisa didn't answer and just stared at Castle with an unreadable expression. Castle expression twitched before going back to stony face stoicism, "Thank you for helping us, Ms. Castle," Peter said. His hand was bandaged up and there were creams and cotton squares on the rest of his injuries, "We...We owe you-"
"You don't owe me anything. You helped saved us before so we'll consider this even, but I don't want you or anyone else in your group to ever come back here again. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Peter gave her a weak thumbs up.
"I shall talk with Daniel outside. We need to forge the silver." Moon Knight stood and rummaged through a nearby travel bag, "Oh, and before I forget, you might want these." He handed each of them sans Castle an old ass flip phone, "Burners. I understand we all said our goodbyes at the church a few days prior, but the scope of the conflict we've embroiled ourselves in...well, perhaps another farewell is in order."
"You shouldn't have." Black Cat said. It wasn't a backwards thank you - she let the phone drop and walked out to the back to get some fresh air. No one to call, after all. Peter stood and walked out of the room, probably to call Spider-Gwen.
"Maria-"
"No, Frank, just...don't talk or I might change my mind about letting you and your friends stay the night."
Lana almost protested the idea of them being friends. Instead she bit her tongue and walked out the front door to the porch outside. She wanted some privacy for this. Lana typed in the all too familiar number and waited till the ringing stopped.
"Hey, mom...we need to talk."
It's chapters like these that make me somewhat nostalgic. Remember when Lana was just a bit character who cussed out Noir in alleyways? Now she's arguably the third most important character with only Cindy matching her in POV and plot presence. Still somewhat surprised that Lana resonated so well with the audience given her first introduction and general behavior, but I guess I can't complain.
Speaking of, the latter half with Punisher and Lana got massively shortened to fit the word count. While we did get to the meat of it - seeing the Punisher family - things cut were Frank getting the POV and a more extended conversation between him and Maria Castle. I'll see if I can put it in the next chapter or, failing that, a flashback during V2.
Questions:
1. While I already have a general flow, which conclusion would you guys prefer come out first between Pax in Bello (Gwen vs Moon) or Man without Fear (Noir vs Matt)? If I get enough suggestions I might shift update priority.
2. Pretty stupid question, I know, but I wonder how you guys would've taken it if I used Noir's amnesia as a reset button and he ended up in a relationship with Lana or someone else? This was even hinted at when Noir asked Lana about their relationship, though she refuses the bait and tells him the truth.
1 - Gwen vs Moon! The reason is that I want to see Gwen being badass.
2 - Hmm, you know me I am biased about this(Gwen x Noir <3), but I could see you pulling this out well enough, but would require some buildup as suddenly changing and then going for the last arc of the fic would be...well upsetting.
Also nice to see Lana POV, man her crush is really powerful, good thing we have that what-if for those who want to see her in a happy ending with Noir makes the bittersweet taste less bitter.
And heh, the fic is almost ending...when you end it point me toward your next project! I am looking forward to what you are going to do next.
1 - Gwen vs Moon! The reason is that I want to see Gwen being badass.
2 - Hmm, you know me I am biased about this(Gwen x Noir <3), but I could see you pulling this out well enough, but would require some buildup as suddenly changing and then going for the last arc of the fic would be...well upsetting.
Also nice to see Lana POV, man her crush is really powerful, good thing we have that what-if for those who want to see her in a happy ending with Noir makes the bittersweet taste less bitter.
And heh, the fic is almost ending...when you end it point me toward your next project! I am looking forward to what you are going to do next.
2. Amnesia as a plot device does allow for this kind of shit, however. As for Lana's crush, it really is unhealthy and something she needs to get over. When you're fighting devils for your unrequited crush maybe you should stop.
If those are burners, then you wouldn't want to call a known and likely monitored number from one of them, especially not if you planned to spend more than a few minutes there before ditching the phone.
But Lana probably doesn't know how burners are actually used outside of the Hollywood version.
If those are burners, then you wouldn't want to call a known and likely monitored number from one of them, especially not if you planned to spend more than a few minutes there before ditching the phone.
But Lana probably doesn't know how burners are actually used outside of the Hollywood version.
I don't know how to use burners outside of the Hollywood version. Also, how would they track Lori when she left town months ago and likely changed numbers on top of that?
I don't know how to use burners outside of the Hollywood version. Also, how would they track Lori when she left town months ago and likely changed numbers on top of that?
If Lori had her own burner number that would be one thing. Is she in witness protection or on the run? That kind of changes the rest of it.
If the number on the other end was being monitored, by say government agents involved in witness protection, then it would be fairly simple for them to pull cell tower information for the calling number and determine Lana's location. There was a big scandal recently when the major cell carriers were caught selling that location data about their subscribers to bounty hunters, and the only saving grace of a prepaid phone is anonymity, which gets busted as soon as you call a monitored number.
If Lori had her own burner number that would be one thing. Is she in witness protection or on the run? That kind of changes the rest of it.
If the number on the other end was being monitored, by say government agents involved in witness protection, then it would be fairly simple for them to pull cell tower information for the calling number and determine Lana's location. There was a big scandal recently when the major cell carriers were caught selling that location data about their subscribers to bounty hunters, and the only saving grace of a prepaid phone is anonymity, which gets busted as soon as you call a monitored number.
Lori left town for Wisconsin to avoid being hit with backlash from Lana's hero activities, so on the run. So no witness protection like the Castles and the Parkers with SHIELD, and even they aren't at risk since it's very unlikely SHIELD would want to antagonize either vigilante groups by putting out their numbers for Supervillains and because they know the police manhunt for the Defenders is BS to make them stopping Matt harder.
Now if Lana called any of her friends back home like Lily or Sue, then yeah, she'd be painting a big target on her back. The Defenders really only call people who can't be easily tracked - Noir calls Gwen, Lana calls her mom, Moon Knight calls Wasp and Felicia calls no one.
First climax chapter Sorry if this took a while to write. I've still been struggling with anxiety and I just recently got prescripted medication for it. Still no effect, but hopefully when it does I can start writing better.
Anyway, this chapter signals the end of the 65-Cindy Moon arc, and between her and Murdock she's definitely the more anti-climactic of the two due to lack of appearances, development and basically being a one-note 'muahahahaha!' Villain. Fixing this would've required going back dozens of chapters, though, so let's just push through this and move forward.
Side Note - Read the latest Ghost Spider. Won't spoil, but it's giving me some ideas for V2.
Chapter 138: Pax in Bello
Gwen swung back into the safehouse feeling better than she had in weeks. She still wasn't as strong as she was back when she had Webster in full, and she definitely wasn't as strong as Evil Cindy was, but she was at least as good as when she first got bitten. Curing all of the infected helped in more ways than one. Seeing the agents' faces when they were told they were finally free from all the serums and suppressants was just the win she needed.
She only wished she could've done more for Dr. Connors. He was cured now and he didn't have to stay in a cell anymore, but after what happened between him and his family...a cure wasn't the only thing he needed. Harry assured her that he'd spend however long it took to at least try and pay the older man back, but something told her that path was going to be a slow one.
'We still need to be careful, Gwen,' Webster said, 'Our enemy's knowledge of using our abilities is rudimentary, but she's still stronger than us.'
'I saw her turn her hand into a blade. Anything else she can do?'
'I'm unsure. Forming the flesh into weapons isn't difficult, but anything more than that...' The suit on her arms shifted, 'We saw what Mary Jane's symbiote was capable of doing before. She might be able to do the same."
'You don't know for sure?'
'No. I was not made for anything more than symbiosis.'
Gwen hummed and landed on a alley before shifting out of her outfit, 'Then I guess we'll just have to be careful. We'll be fine.'
'Yes, so long as we work together.'
"Exactly." She said aloud. Gwen looked around the alley on instict and tapped the brick to expose the scanner, "Wonder how many of these SHIELD has all over the city..." The door opened without a sound and Gwen slipped inside before the door closed behind her. Sure they all felt packed like sardines, but she'd take that over getting the door kicked in while she was sleeping.
Almost everyone was there by the time she got back. Her mom sat in the corner with a Upad while Kate tried to sleep on the couch, her bow lying across her chest. Spider-Man and Laura were talking nearby while Cindy paced across the breadth of the room.
"Honeys, I'm home."
Most of them didn't pay her any attention. Her mom looked up and smiled while Kate waved her right hand lazily, "Wow, don't all get up at once or anything." She smiled slightly and took the spare seat. Cindy continued to pace, "Okay, Cin, what's the big deal? Why are you burning holes?"
"Just...I don't like the look of this place," she whispered.
"We in danger?"
"No, that's not it." She sighed and took the seat next to Gwen, "You already know about the bunker thing, right?"
"Oh...so, this place..." She didn't finish.
"Yeah. I'm fine for the most part, but these walls and the fucking size of this place it...ugh, it's hard to explain." She shook her head, "The sooner we can get out and kick evil me's teeth in the better."
"Speaking of which, where are Shadowcat, MJ and Jan?"
"Kat's working with some of the agents to round off one of Moon's escapees," Spider-Man said. It was clear that he wasn't a fan of the idea, and she couldn't blame him. Even now she still had her doubts on leaving Peter alone and out of her sight after what happened to him, "Van Dyne went back to her tower and took Mary Jane with her. Apparently she's got an ace up her sleeve to take that Slant bitch down and the gizmos she needs are over there."
"Could we cool it with the racist insults? I'm right here." Cindy huffed.
"Jan and MJ went to Dyne Tower? Is that a good idea?" Gwen asked.
"They didn't go alone. There are some SHIELD agents with them." Kate said, arm still stubbornly covering her eyes, "And before you ask, we were busy doing our own stuff and they were gone by the time we left. Still haven't gotten any sleep..."
"Maybe I should-"
"Nope." Cindy webbed her back and tugged back down to the chair, "Wasp made it clear that she wanted us to stay put."
"But-"
"If Moon gets there then they've got a better chance of escaping on their own than without us draggin' our heels behind her," Spider-Man said, "Sides, it's the smart play. We bunch up all at once and she'll just mow us all down in one go."
"So what, we fight her one-on-one in a row?" Gwen asked sarcastically.
"No, but you're definitely the best fit for it," Cindy said, "That symbiote of yours should give you a leg up when it comes to fighting her, MJ too. Rest of us might as well be throwing spitballs for all the good we're doing."
"Yeah, whatever she's doing when she makes herself looked like a futzed up photograph really makes it hard to get a hit in," Kate mumbled, "Now, could we please keep quiet? I need sleep."
The safehouse was small and there weren't enough beds for everyone. Her mom and Laura took - or were forced to take, in the latter's case - the beds while the rest of them parked themselves in different parts of the small rooms. Gwen took up the right wall and slept right side up. That was definitely a benefit to always being balanced.
Her sleep lasted for at least a few hours - just a little before 9 pm - before she heard soft, padding footstops. She looked up from her knees and blinked away the fuzziness in her vision, "...Mom?" She detached herself from the wall as the older Stacy nodded and put a finger against her lips. Stay Quiet. She gestured to the other sleeping denizens of the safehouse and Gwen smiled when she saw Laura had snuck away from the bed and to sleep next to Spider-Man, his arms wrapped around her protectively.
They walked silently to the kitchen and her mom steamed a pot full of hot chocolate, "We don't have any of the good stuff, sorry," she said as she poured them down the cups.
Gwen shrugged and sat across from her, "Hey, I spent the past day guzzling down lizard serum. Even convenience store hot choco tastes like heaven right now." She took a sip of the warm drink and thought back to what happened. It took her all day to get the original six infected under S.H.I.E.L.D care. There were a few more from that bastard Ogre, but they decided to postpone that till Jan could do more research on the differences.
She thought back to Peter and their call last night. She called Norah and she told her that they already left the city for the 'Judas Silver' or something. All she could hope for now was that this would end soon, "So..." Gwen said, tapping the side of the cup slowly, "Why were you awake? Not sleepy."
"Not particularly." Her mom took a sip of her own drink and and let out a soft breath, "Been trying to see what's going on. Can't do much since I'm trapped here, but this Upad thing's useful...and gives me anxiety."
"What, why?"
Her mom tapped the screen and showed it to her. Gwen took a glance at the news article her eyes widened, "Hell's Kitchen under siege?" She took the Upad and read through the article quickly. There were a few scattered pictures, most of them blurry and of poor quality, but she knew well enough what it was - Murdock's ninjas out in force and leaving people hanging from streetlights and rafters with handprints on their faces.
"Yeah..." Her mom took the Upad back from her numb hands, "Just saw it. I don't know if people were keeping it hidden or it just slipped through the cracks after everything, but things are reaching the boiling point."
"...I hate that I can't do anything about it." She'd had that drilled into her head by this point. You can't solve every problem, Gwendolyne. You can't stop Matthew any more than you can punch away poverty or beat up cancer, or at least that was what Teresa had said. Gwen hated the implication - that Muerdock was less someone to stop and more a force of nature that someone just stood against.
She hated Evil Cindy too, especially after everything she did, but she at the end of the day she could move past her. She was a psychopath who thought the world owed her; she'd fought and beaten dozens of her like before and she was sure she'd go through another dozen before the next year was done. She wouldn't be Spider-Woman otherwise.
The comfortable silence lasted for a minute before her mom suddenly spoke, "I'm leaving."
"What?" Gwen looked up and furrowed her brows, "It's not safe to-"
"That's not what I mean." She reached out and took hold of Gwen's wrist, "I mean after this. When you and Peter beat Cindy and that demon, and assuming I don't just drop over dead, then...I'm leaving New York."
"But..." Gwen her lower lip and reciprocated the hold tightly, "We don't blame you, mom. Dad and me and Jessica, we know you were forced."
"I know, and I love you both so much because of it." Her mom's smile was pained, "But...that's just it. I can't stay here. Ever since I woke up in that grave I spent so long just trying to pick up where we left off, but we can't. George mourned me for nearly a decade and moved on and you...oh, my little girl grew up to be so strong and selfless. I hate that I couldn't be there for you, but I couldn't be more proud."
"Mom..." Gwen closed her eyes and did her utter best to not cry, "What are you...where are you going to go?"
"I don't know. When I was younger I always wanted to travel, see the world, settle down far away. Meeting your dad changed my plans and I have absolutely no regrets about that, but maybe this is a sign for a new beginning? I always wanted to see France." She laughed softly.
"...I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the younger Stacy's forehead. Gwen suddenly felt like a kid again, being kissed by her mom every time they said goodbye. It was the last thing she did when she saw her last, the day before the cancer took her, "But I'm not leaving yet, and you still have a job to do."
Her phone suddenly buzzed, and so did everybody else's judging by how suddenly they leapt from their makeshift beds, "It's a group call from Kat," Spider-Man said.
They all answered their phones and Gwen immediately cringed at the explosion that sounded off, "Fucking prick!" Shadowcat screamed. She saw her arm move and when her face finally popped up it was covered in bloodstains, which Gwen immediately figured wasn't hers, "Hey, can you lazy bastards hear me?!"
"Shit hit the fan, that's what!" She stopped and kicked away what looked like a giant man-rat thing and growled, "Moon set all her projects and henchmen loose. Guess she figured that she was gonna lose either way so she's taking us down with her, the bitch."
"Where are you? We'll be there as soon as we can." Cindy was already weaving her costume on again.
"Nice of you to offer, Spinny, but that ain't why I called." She looked around briefly, her eyes narrowed. Expecting an attack? "Moon had places all over town and things are going tits up. You guys gotta go over and back up the S.H.I.E.L.D boys. With any luck you'll run into Spinny's evil bitch of a sister."
Their phones pinged and a map came up. Gwen's eyes widened at the marked spots, "What the fu- there's way too many of them!" She counted over a dozen marked places easy. At the back of her mind she took note that all of Hell's Kitchen was 'conveniently' untouched, "There's four of us here!"
"Five. I can fight," Laura said.
Spider-Man scowled, "Laura, you're not-"
"I can't just stay here. I can fight, you know that." She looked up at Spider-Man with an unreadable expression and held his hand, "Let me help you."
He muttered a curse under his breath, "Fine, but stay close. Don't go to any spots too far from me."
"We should divide the spots," Kate said, "You and Cin can move faster than any of us, so you two take the areas that have wider clusters. Me, Spider-Man and Laura'll go to the other areas."
"Should we call MJ and Jan?" Gwen asked.
"Already messaged em. Wasp said they can't leave; they're nearly done with their countermeasure." Cindy let out a frustrated breath and pulled up her (partially shredded because of her) scarf up to her nose, "We have no choice. This is obviously a ploy to separate all of us, but we can't let innocent people or those SHIELD agents get massacred. We have to go."
"And what happens if we run into that bitch? Do we just run?" Spider-Man snarled.
"Run or fight, it's up to you. Just know that fighting alone's probably gonna be suicide." Cindy turned the tips of her fingers to claws and nodded, "Let's go."
They all left until only Gwen and her mom remained. There was more she wanted to say, but her mom just smiled and hugged her, "We'll talk after. Now, go be a hero."
Gwen smiled and ran up the stairs. Time to end this.
"Are you sure we shouldn't be out there?"
Mary Jane looked down at the Upad with a frown. It'd been a couple of hours since they got the message about the chaos in the city, and so far it didn't show much signs of letting up. Apparently Cindy's evil twin had years of experiments and goons to use.
"I need you here, Mary Jane." Wasp said, not even looking up from her work.
"But why?"
"I've told you why."
"Yeah, and I already gave it to you." Supposedly her symbiote - and God if it still didn't feel bizarre to refer that thing as her's - was the only thing that could make the need sharp enough to cut through Evil Cindy's thick skin. Either that or some adamantium, and apparently it took at least a few months to get those special ordered, "You don't need me here anymore, so why am I still here?'
"You tell me." Wasp looked up from the microscope and MJ saw the dark rings under her eyes. She was exhausted, "Mary Jane, ever since you joined this 'excursion' of ours I never understood why. For the few weeks I've known you all you ever wanted was to destroy the symbiosis, and yet you continue to use your new abilities despite the risk to yourself and others. Why?"
"Because I want to help Gwen." No, that was wrong. Sure, she did want to help Gwen and the others, but even now she couldn't deny some small part of her liked the powers despite the danger. Even through the anxiety and fear the powers gave her a rush that she could only get from some of the best concerns they'd been in, "...And because I can be useful. Way better than just sitting on my ass doing nothing."
'I was right.'
"...Tell me honestly, do you hear the symbiote's voice in your head? Did you accept anything from it?"
She nodded. Wasp already knew it meant yes to both, "God damn it..." She let out a frustrated breath and stood, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion, "I can't judge you too harshly since the situation in the factory was dire, but do you have any idea what you're doing? You're already reliant on the medication, so much so that even if the symbiote is ever safely removed from you the drugs you've already taken would have serious side-effects."
"I know that." Mary Jane grit her teeth. That was what she was now - a practically immortal junkie with a voice in her head that told her to kill people, "But what the hell am I supposed to do? I've tried to get rid of this thing for weeks, but no matter how many drugs we pump into me or how many times I meditate this thing's here to stay. As long as I'm breathing it's gonna be here; I have to learn to live with it."
'That goes both ways.'
"Do you think you can control it?"
'Unlikely.'
"I don't think anyone can..." she muttered, ignoring the creeping chill that ran up her spine, "But, it needs me to stay alive, so it's not going to kill me any time soon. Which brings me back to the question of why am I still here?"
Wasp sighed and pulled out a syringe from a container, "This is why." She stood and raised the syringe, the needle pointed up, "I had hoped that the previous medication would prevent any more outbreaks, but it's clear that that's not the case."
"What is that thing?"
"An experimental variation of the already risky drugs. Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D used my research to create that...monstrosity, I worked day and night to ensure that we won't be caught fully off-guard."
"So...that thing will cure me?"
"...I don't know." Wasp frowned, "When I made the counter-serum I didn't do so with the host's well-being in mind. I made some adjustments, but I doubt it'd be pleasant." She pressed the syringe into MJ's hands, "Still, I wanted you here so you know that you have options."
"Why didn't you tell Gwen?"
"Because she wouldn't accept it. Any risk at all to you is unacceptable in her eyes; and I can't blame her. If it was Hope in your place I would feel the same. S.H.I.E.L.D is the opposite - they would use it the first chance they got." She scowled, "However, if you feel that you can't stand the symbiosis any longer or you fear yourself losing control then you can make the choice."
"Huh..." MJ rolled the syringe between her fingers and swore she heard the thing growl with fear at the back of her mind, "So...you got one of these things for Cindy's Evil Twin?"
"No." Wasp sighed, "Your symbiote and Gwen's share similarities, but the Hyde Formula and her radioactive isotopes are different beasts entirely even if they share the Lizard serum. I'd planned for it, of course, but finding a countermeasure for her Darkforce abilities takes priority. If we have enough time maybe I can make it."
MJ nodded and kept her gaze focused on the syringe. A way out of the nightmare her life had become, but was she willing to risk it? 'You can hear me, can't you?' It didn't say anything. Didn't matter; she knew it was listening, 'You asked me before if I was willing to die to make sure you went with me. The answer's no, but I am willing to take the risk if I have nothing left to lose.'
'...What are you saying?'
'You said you wanted to work together. Fine, let's work together. We're stuck with each other, and we can't just pretend anymore. We're in this for the long haul.' Even longer assuming Wasp was right about her going full on lowfarer, 'I won't kill Gwen, and I won't kill anyone innocent. I'd stab myself in a heartbeat if you tried.'
'I know; you spoil all the fun.'She imagined it's wide, grinning teeth, 'But you said anyone innocent. What about the guilty?'
'If we have to.' She wasn't naive. Killing her dad for being an abusive prick would've felt good, but he was just a useless waste of skin now and they survived his abuse. But what about those bastards who bahsed her face in and tried to rape her in that alley? Or that psychotic bitch who tried to burn Gwen to a crisp for her suit? There were dozens, hundreds of people like that in New York, 'I can't believe I'm considering this, but...'
'A symbiosis. Proper, the way the murderer's partner said.'
'Yeah...so, do we have a deal?'
She felt an oddly comforting warmth in her stomach, 'We have a deal.'
Mary Jane put the syringe in a nearby container for safekeeping. An hour of quiet passed, and for once Mary Jane didn't feel on edge. There was no sinking feeling in her gut or chill in her bones. Was that a good or bad thing, she wondered.
"...I think I've got it." Wasp smiled in relief and quickly transferred the clear liquid to another syringe before attaching the cut off piece of symbiote to the needle, coating the needle blood red.
"You sure that'll work?"
"It did on the samples we took from Martin Li's corpse." She frowned, "Poor man; I'll make sure he gets a proper funeral after this."
"Yeah..." Mary Jane looked down at the syringe's crimson blade, "So, what, we just run up and stab her with it and she drops dead?"
"Doubtful. It'll take some time before her abilities will even start waning, but it should still weaken her enough that we can-
An explosion came from below. The alarm suddenly rang and Wasp looked up with wide eyes just as the lights went out, "Oh no..." She picked up her phone while Mary Jane grabbed the syringe and shifted into her suit, putting the countermeasure safely into one of her pockets, "Captain Williams and his team aren't responding. We should go."
"Go where?"
"Anywhere but here."
Wasp put on her harness and they were halfway to the door when it slammed down with a crash and-
Oh crap.
"Huh, nice place you got here." Evil Cindy stepped past the broken door with a bunch of goons behind her. At least a couple of them were the same photonegative color from back during that damn raid.
"What are you doing here?" Wasp narrowed her eyes and stepped back. The goons closed in on them while Evil Cindy stayed far back at the entrance.
"So apparently Octavius squealed. So hard to find good help these days, huh?" She sighed theatrically, "I gotta start over now. See, all my tech, all my experiments and hard work? All gone or about to be. Had to let go of most of em just to distract your buddies."
"...You're planning to steal all my work and research."
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" She clapped her hands mockingly, "Today's actually a lucky day for you two. I'm kinda in a rush so how about this - Wasp, you leave Ms. Bladed Monstrosity over here and you can get back to your daughter."
"Wh-What the hell do you want with me?"
"Apart from the fact that you've been a gigantic pain in the ass? Well, I'm really curious how S.H.I.E.L.D managed to replicate my little success story. Don't worry, it only hurts for a bit. Pinky swear."
'She'll treat us like the ones who made me did. Death would be better.'
For once, MJ found herself agreeing with it. She and Wasp exchanged a silent look and they both knew what would happen next.
Mary Jane moved first, rushing to the closest photonegative goon and slicing his neck halfway with her blade, 'We need to decapitate him.' It was right, but she didn't miss the obvious glee in its voice.
She finished severing the bastard's head when the humanoid figure jumped from her back again and jumped on a nearby goon that tried to shoot her, "Huh...that's new." Evil Cindy raised a brow and leaned back casually, just watching as Wasp shrunk and started blasting at anyone within reach. MJ grit her teeth in frustration; she didn't even think they were threats.
Mary Jane grabbed another agent and threw him right at her. She side-stepped the flung body and shrugged in amusement, "3/10." She called out.
She smashed another thug against the wall (wasn't sure if he was dead) and quickly tapped the emergency signal on her phone. The others would come now.
The final thug was left a convulsing mess by Wasp and she returned to full size. It was just the three of them now, "You 'heroes' are always so violent! Whatever happened to peace and love?" Evil Cindy rolled her eyes and stepped away from the wall, "Well, if you guys wanna a fight, then sure. I could use some last minute exercise."
And then she was on them in a flash. Wasp barely had time to shrink back down before she was already in front of them. Mary Jane's eyes widened and she raised both arms to block the punched aimed at her gut.
It felt like she got hit by a car. Mary Jane stumbled back and her arms pulsed,
"Lazy form, Red." Evil Cindy clicked her tongue and threw another punch. Mary Jane blocked it again but couldn't stop herself from being flung to the wall and smashing hard against it, "Son of a bitch..." It was worse than the time her sister accidentally dived on top of her. Mary Jane took deep, strangling breaths and looked up through blurry eyes ahead of her.
Wasp was fighting her, but it was clear none of the laser blasts were doing anything. Evil Cindy's expression was more annoyance than anything else, "Didn't we already do this song and dance?" She sighed and, without any warning, suddenly grabbed Wasp and crushed her in her hand.
"No!" Her mask shifted and Mary Jane charged towards her. Evil Cindy's eyes actually widened for a brief moment right before the she tackled her. Wasp fell from the psychotic terrorist's grip and landed on the floor. Mary Jane wanted nothing more than to grab her and run away, but she knew they couldn't escape her so easily, "God damn you!" She slammed her to the ground and wailed on her. Half a dozen punches hit until both her wrists were caught in a vice grip.
Evil Cindy was still grinning, but there was definitely blood on her lip, "Huh, nice one." Moon grabbed her mask and pulled. Mary Jane screamed; it felt like her flesh was being torn away, "A redhead, huh? Can't say I'm surprised."
And then Moon hit her in the guts hard enough to make her puke.
Mary Jane held herself up on her hands and knees and glared up at the older woman, "You know, we really could've done this the easy way." She kicked Mary Jane's side and stomped on her neck to keep her pinned, "But you know what? I can play hardball. Don't need you to keep be breathing for this."
The pressure increased. Trying to suffocate her or just snap her neck outright? She didn't know. Mary Jane pulled and clawed at the limb as her vision faded. Was she going to die here, or was she going to wake up in a cell spending the rest of her life being experimented on?
...Not yet, not like this. Using the last of her strength, she pulled the syringe from the makeshift pocket and stabbed it right into Moon's leg.
Moon screamed. The colors of her skin immediately started pulsing and shifting between normal and photonegative, "You...fucking bitch!" Moon kicked her. Hard. Once again Mary Jane was flung through the air and impacted against the wall hard enough to crack it. Her vision swam and she found it difficult to breath. The last thing she saw before she passed out was Moon staggering out followed by the sounds of rushing footsteps.
"MJ?!"
Gwen knelt down next to her fallen friend and sat her up. She looked terrible - her costume had tears and what little remained of her mask barely clung to the upper right half of her face. There were dribbles of blood around her mouth.
"Wasp's in pretty bad condition here, too." Kate called out. She picked up the shrunken Superhero and gently carried her to a nearby table. Even from her position Gwen could tell the woman's harness was broken and she was sporting numerous broken bones, "Still breathing, but...
"Shadowcat sniffed the air and glared at the elevator, "Moon went up to the roof. We gotta go get her."
"What about MJ and Jan?" Gwen's hold on the redhead tightened.
"Someone's gotta take them to the hospital," Cindy said, "Kate, you go. We'll stay here and make sure my Evil Twin doesn't get away again."
"Sure. Make sure to hit her in the face for me."
They helped Kate load the two to the spare elevator. Gwen set the redhead down as gently as she could when MJ suddenly reached out and took her hand in a vice-grip, "MJ, it's alright! We're-"
"She's weaker now..." she rasped out, "Wasp made a counter and I stabbed her with it...now she's...she's...it'll take a while, but she'll be..."
She passed out. Gwen clenched her hands and steeled herself, "Thanks, you two..." She waited for the elevator to close before she faced the others. Cindy, Spider-Man, Shadowcat, Laura and herself. Would they be enough to finish this? She saw the bodies Moon and her goons left downstairs. Over a dozen dead, and a lot more across the city from what she unleashed.
"Let's finish this."
They swung, phased and climbed their way to the roof. Gwen landed first, a puddle of water from the ongoing rain splashing in response. Even through the rain and bleary lights she saw Moon clear as day. The terrorist's back was turned to them and she leaned against the communications tower. What little visible skinshe had continued to pulse erratically with both Darkforce energy and symbiote flesh.
They all stepped closer till she suddenly laughed, "You clowns really wanna try this again?" She turned to face them and Gwen's eyes widened. Her face was a disgusting mix of symbiote mass, teeth and photonegative colors. She could barely see the face underneath, "What, you think cause I got a little injection that's gonna be it? Game over for me?
Spider-Man pulled out a gun and pointed it right at her head. She just laughed again, "Don't you get it? You can't beat me! All of you 'Gifted' who thought your powers could carry you through, well guess what? Now the score's even and none of you have a chance!"
"...You talk too much."
The gunshot was the start of it. Moon blocked the bullet with her arm and they all charged at her from different directions. Gwen jumped up in a high arc and released two lines of webbing. Moon grabbed them before they hit, but a punch from Spider-Man kept her from capitalizing. Gwen used the momentum to pull herself down and kick her right in the chest.
'Be careful, Gwen. We still can't get the rest of us back.'
'I figured that. How much longer?'
'I can feel the confines weakening.'
That didn't help. Laura unsheathed her claws and sliced Moon's legs and forced her down on her knees. Cindy followed up immediately with a knee to the face while Shadowcat cut through her back, spilling photonegative blood in a pool around her.
Spider-Man shot three more times, each one hitting Moon on her right shoulder, and Gwen swung in to help. Cindy side-stepped just before Gwen slammed her foot down on top of Moon's head and finally made her crumple to the ground.
"Persistent bastards!" Moon grabbed Shadowcat's leg and tossed her to the the tower. A tentacle sprouted from her other hand and she grabbed Spider-Man by the neck and mouth, "Fine, I'm done playing nice!" Laura cut through the tentacle choking him only to get hit with a blast of Darkforce energy that almost made her skid off the roof entirely while Spider-Man fell, holding onto his throat desperately.
"Come on!" Gwen charged first and aimed for Moon's neck. She barely managed to dodge the blow and grab Gwen's arm, "Stacy out of this, Stacy!" She threw her clear off the building. She spun around untrolllably for a brief moment before righting herself up and swinging back just in time to see Moon grab Cindy by the neck and raise her up.
Cindy suddenly grabbed her evil twin's thumb and pulled. The stubby finger was bent at a painful angle and Cindy used the sudden drop as a chance to headbutt her.
It hurt Cindy more than her twin, but it was enough to make her stumble into Shadowcat's waiting arms, "Missed me?" Shadowcat's grin was practically manic as she wrapped one arm around her neck and another stabbed the claws to the side of her skull.
Moon was her on her knees again. Spider-Man spat up the symbiote flesh and Laura was immediately at his side trying to pull him up, "Hey, you guys wanna hurry up?! This is harder than last time!"
Gwen was the first to get there. She landed in front of Moon and punched her in the face as hard as she could. Her head snapped back from the force of the impact while Shadowcat grimaced, "Coming through!" Cindy kneed her in the face again and Spider-Man followed up with another punch. Finally, both of them got out of the way just as Laura rushed and stabbed her through the gut.
Even now, after everything she did, Gwen felt sickened watching the blood pour out of her mouth. Moon's body went limp and Shadowcat let her fall face first into the floor, the rain washing away the blood on her hands.
"Well...I guess that's that." Shadowcat sneered and spat on Moon's corpse, "Shoulda done that the first time."
"Yeah..." Gwen knelt down and faced her up. It was morbid, but she had to do it, 'Webster, can we do it now?'
'Yes, we should be able to...' The hair on her arms suddenly stood on end, 'Something is- Gwen, run!'
Too late. His, Cindy's and Spider-Man's spider-senses rang out in unison right before the explosion it. It wasn't as strong as it was all those weeks ago in Hell's Kitchen, but it was enough to knock them all away. Gwen tried to stand her ground, but pieces of her suit fell from the force of the blast and soon she fell along with the others.
She could barely see, but she definitely saw Laura falling below her, "No!" Gwen released a line of webbing to catch her and clung to the wall with her remaining limbs. She couldn't see Shadowcat, Spider-Man or Cindy, "Come on, just hold on..."
Laura grabbed the web attached to her mid-section and looked up, "Look out!"
Her spider-sense rang. Gwen moved to the left and barely avoided the blast of Darkforce energy, "Laura, you alright?!" Spider-sense again. She tugged Laura up and ran to avoid the next few blasts that came from above, "God damn it!" She glared up at Moon, her exposed mouth curled up in a snarl. She couldn't fight like this, not with Laura here and Moon taking potshots at her.
Time to fix that.
"Hold on!" She ran to the right and avoided the blasts before jumping up close enough for her to be in web range, "Let's settle this mano-e-mano!" She threw Laura up with one hand and webbed Moon in the chest with the other. Her disfigured eyes widened right before Gwen pulled.
Moon fell past her, and a part of her just wanted the psychopath to fall to the ground and just die already. Instead she landed on the the side of the building and pulled herself up into a shaky stand.
'She's losing control, Gwen. We can end this.'
"Yeah, I got it." She set her feet on the wall and adjusted her stance. Even now, with parts of her suit missing chunks of her face exposed, she felt stronger than ever. Moon did her utter damnedest to hide it, but she was flagging. Even outside of losing her powers, it was damn obvious that wallcrawling wasn't something she had any practice in, "You with me, Webs?"
Gwen dodged out of the way of the next blast and rushed towards her. She easily slipped past her defenders and hit her three times. "Something wrong, Moon?" She rolled back to avoid the clumsy swipe, "What, nothing to say anymore?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" The next blast broke a chunk of wall behind her, "I gave you everything, Gwendolyne! Your powers, your gifts; all of them because of me! Without me you're nothing!"
"That's where you're wrong." She jumped from the wall and swung. Gwen did a quick swing around and kicked Moon in the back. Gwen grabbed her head and smashed her against the wall, "You gave me these powers, so what? You think that makes you special to me?" She swung away again to avoid the next blast and kicked Moon's side, nearly knocking her off the wall entirely, "I'll say this straight out: you're no one. Just another Supervillain I'm going to stop."
"Shut up!"
Gwen jumped back in 'front' of her, "What makes you think you're any different, huh?" Gwen kicked her down the building. Moon barely skidded to a stop, "You think you're the only one who hurt me? Hurt the people I care about?" She punched her in the face, "They're still alive, Moon! The people I love; they're still alive, and the only way this ends is with you losing!"
'Gwen, now!'
The photonegative color faded. Mustering all her strength, Gwen grabbed Moon and smashed her through the already cracked wall. The two of them crashed through to the empty laboratory and Gwen pulled off her tattered mask so she could breath easier.
Moon lay still on the ground. Gwen trudged towards her and knelt down by her side, "...Damn you." Moon gave her a look of utter hate and Gwen smiled back, "So...this is how it ends, huh?"
"Guess so." Gwen put a hand to her chest and let Webster take over. Without Martin's powers the suit returned to her easily. Being reunited with the rest of the suit felt like getting all of her limbs back. Gwen looked down at her covered hands and watched as the missing pieces repaired themselves, 'We are whole again, Gwen. Finally.'
'Yeah.' She looked down at Evil Cindy again, "What, nothing to say?"
"What, so you can gloat? I lost, what else is there to say?" Moon sneered, "Go ahead. Finish it, Hero."
'Her body is broken, Gwen; taking the rest of us damaged her. Paralyzed. She can't fight back.'
It would've been so tempting to end it now. She'd made that mistake before - they stopped her before and Murdock just busted her out, and because of it her mom and dad and the others... "You deserve this." Was she talking to Moon or herself? Gwen grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and raised her off the ground slightly. One punch and it'd all be over. No more uncertainty.
Moon just smiled.
Gwen screamed and brought her first down.
Moon blinked as Gwen's fist impacted next to her head. Gwen glared down hatefully at her and let her go, "...Why?" Her smile cracked and she glared up at Gwen again, "Are you really that fucking stupid, Gwendolyne? After everything I did, you'd just let me live? Why?"
"Because you deserve worse." Gwen stood up, "You're not a threat anymore. You've lost it all: your men, your bases, your stolen powers. What's left? Just an entitled psychopath in a broken body." Moon's face twitched, "That's why you want me to kill you, right? You're so obsessed with being on top that you can't face the idea of living out the rest of your days as any kind of prisoner."
"Just finish it!" A hint of desperation seeped into her voice.
"No."
Moon growled, and if she could have Gwen was sure she would've reached out to strangle her, "I know who you are, Gwendolyne! You think I won't tell anyone? You leave me alive and the whole city will know!"
Gwen laughed wryly, "Who would you tell? After everything that's happened do you think S.H.I.E.L.D will let you go off into the sunset? No, they're going to put you into the deepest, darkest hole they can find and throw away the key. You're gonna spend the rest of your life alone knowing that at the end of the day you're just another Supervillain, and that I beat you."
Gwen webbed her down - not that she needed to - and let her scream into the web as she picked up her mask and swung out into the rainy night air. Already she saw S.H.I.E.L.D agents down below ushering out the civilians and securing the tower. She climbed up to the roof and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the others alive and (mostly) well.
"Where were you guys?" She grinned weakly.
"Fell off the tower to the street." Shadowcat cricked her neck, "Took a while to fix myself up from that. Petey and Spinny got knocked out."
"Landed on the roof practically headfirst." Cindy groaned, "So...how'd we do?"
"It's over."
"Is she..." Spider-Man said.
"Still alive. S.H.I.E.L.D will take care of her."
"Oh yeah, cause they did so well last time." Shadowcat rolled her eyes, "What makes you think this is gonna be any better, Spider-Gwen?"
"Because Peter and his group are gonna make sure Murderdock doesn't do a repeat." She needed to call him soon, "Besides, she's paralyzed now; a prisoner in her own body. And without her men and her resources, she's nothing."
"Don't be so sure. Cripples can be as big a bastard as anyone," Spider-Man muttered, "You gotta make sure she doesn't come after anyone again, Stacy."
"I'll make sure that she'll never see sunlight again," Cindy said firmly, "Look, we should probably get out of here and patch ourselves up. It's been...a long few weeks. Kate said she got Wasp and MJ to the hospital, so now we just have to wait."
"Yeah, you guys go ahead." They all left the rooftop and soon enough she found herself alone with just Webster for company. Gwen walked to the edge of the roof and watched as S.H.I.E.L.D agents transported Moon to the containment cell, "It's over..." Saying it out loud added a sense of finality to it. All those weeks running from safehouse to safehouse wondering if anyone else she cared about would be targeted next.
'...Why are you crying, Gwen?'
'Nothing, Webs...I'm fine.' It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Her dad was still crippled, her mom was still leaving and the others would take weeks, if not months to heal from everything that happened.
But at least they were alive and they could keep going.
Her phone rang. Gwen looked at the unknown number and smiled, "Peter?"
"Yeah..." He sounded exhausted, but there was unmistakable relief in his voice, "It's over. What about you?'
"Same." She took a deep breath, "So...where are you?"
"I'll text you the address. Meet me there."
A message came soon after. Gwen read the directions, smiled and jumped off the building. It was finally over.
So that's Moon down; only Murdock left. Apologies for the lacking fight scene and me blatantly ripping off the PS4 game. I did try my best to change it up, such as with Gwen trouncing Moon and just tearing into her about how much of a poor antagonist she is. She also sticks to her morals, though she also has a more vindictive edge since it's at least half motivated by her desire to make Moon suffer as much as face justice.
Some people might not like this motivation, but I figured after all of Gwen's subtle shift to anti-hero acceptance and everything Moon did to her she's fine dishing out a little kicking when they're down.
This chapter went through some slight changes. Mary Jane wasn't supposed to get POV, for one, but I wanted to finish up the Carnage plotline so it could tie in to V2. This in turn led to MJ playing a crucial role in stopping Evil Cindy - Originally Gwen was supposed to be the one to stab her via letting herself get impaled like PS4 Spidey did.
This also led to Kate getting cut out of the final boss. Originally she was supposed to be the one who fell off next to Gwen and during the wall dodging scene she would've been firing arrows at Moon. Ah well, she can shine more in V2.
Anyway, next chapter will the climactic showdown between Noir and Matt. See you then
Question:
1. Most reviewers argued against the idea of splitting Noir and Gwen up since their drama is focal to the story. So...does that mean if and when they become a stable and happy couple people would get bored of them?
Oh yeah, this was a hype chapter, not much to say besides it was so much satisfying to see Evil Cindy beaten up by everyone.
And Gwen showing her morals made the victory much significant for me.
1 - I would not there are ways to make a happy couple work in a story, god help me I know lots of fans hate Marvel for always breaking up couples for the sake of the plot.
Finale chapter for Noir. As expected there's a lot of magical bullshittery due to the fact that we're dealing with demons being killed by Judas silver, but after this I'll tone it down massively and go back to a more street level setting.
Anyway, just about every review in the last chapter was about the romance. I'll respond to it, but hopefully the reviews for this chapter aren't all about the romance.
Besides the constant arguments the leads had, one reason I was reluctant to put in a romance between the two is that it would seem token. When you look at a romance in a non-romance focused work the question many ask is 'does the romance advance the plot?'. In the case of Noir and Gwen I'd say no since a lot of their issues would still crop up organically and wouldn't change if we remove them making kissy faces at each other.
That and I worried it would diminish their characters i.e Gwen would just be 'Noir's love interest' or vice versa with Noir being 'Gwen's love interest'. I wanted them defined individually, not just by their relationship with the other. Gwen definitely went through a bout of this during the Jack arc since her entire role was worrying over Peter, though it's more equal now and in V2 it leans more towards Noir worrying over Gwen.
Anyway, that's it for now. Hope I made my thoughts clear.
Chapter 139: Man Without Fear
"I love you too."
Peter cut the call with a sigh and trudged back inside. He thought calling Gwen would relieve him, that somehow he would get some kind of epiphany when he heard her voice. Instead all it did was remind him of what he had to lose.
Sighing again, Peter opened the door to the Castle household and tried not to feel too guilty. He hadn't checked up on what happened to them after they got them away from the Maggia - he always just assumed they left the country to get away from Castle and his troubles. Everyone was already in the living room by the time he got back and neither Maria or Lisa Castle were anywhere in sight.
"Done talking to your girlfriend?" Lana asked, slightly bitter. Peter did his best to ignore it.
"Sure." He already tossed the phone off the cliff. No sense in leaving a trail, "Thought you'd all be sleeping by now."
"What, and save this for tomorrow?" Lockley laughed and opened the sack, but instead of coins there were now bullets, "Nobody but me, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider should touch these. Not unless you want bad dreams like Striker got." Lana turned her head and gave him the middle finger, "30 shots, and I'm pretty sure most of em's gonna be wasted on the way in there."
"And why would that be?" Felicia asked.
"The demons that came after us haven't reported back; the Beast will know we got the silver," Ketch said, "So, he's gonna bring everything down on us to make sure we don't get far."
"Which leads to another thing," Lockley continued, "He opened his pack and set down five compact single shot pistols, "These are for everyone." He pulled out five bullets that looked different from the rest and loaded each one to a different gun, "Each of you get one of these."
"What the fuck for?" Lana scoffed, "I can blow shit up with my hands, Punisher's got an anti-tank rifle and Black Cat has her BDSM whip. Are were really supposed to shoot Murdock with these?"
"No, these are for yourselves," Spector said.
A sudden silence settled over the group. Peter heard their heartbeats. Felicia and Lana's pulses quickened while Castle's raised briefly, more in surprise than anything else. Moon Knight and Ketch were still calm.
"...That's a really poor joke, Moon Knight," Felicia said eventually.
"It's not a jest, Ms. Hardy." He split the guns between them all. Castle and him took it; Felicia and Lana didn't, "We're fighting an entity that deals with more than just your physical body. If he kills you, then it's not just your life he takes, but your very soul. An eternity under the Beast's domain is a fate worse than death."
"And how is this any better?" Lana asked, voice wavering.
"The bullet will destroy your soul if it kills you. Nothing awaits: Heaven, Hell...all that'll be there is oblivion. Still, it will be painless, at least. Like going to sleep. Besides." He could practically see the grin on Lockley's face when he turned to Punisher, "Some of us here are goin' to Hell even if they survive. Figured some of ya want a way out. A 'get out of hell and all of existence' free card."
Castle grunted and paid Moon Knight no mind, "Why isn't he getting one?" He gestured to Ketch.
"Mephisto's already laid claim to my soul. Moon Knight and Spider-Man are lucky; they're only bound as long as they keep to their roles." Peter's eyes narrowed. The Spider-God seemed to have pretty good claim to his soul a month ago.
"The rest of the bullets go to Spider-Man. Castle's a better marksman, but he can't shoot the Beast," Spector said, "Our main objective will be to get Spider-Man inside. Ketch and I have a resistance to the Beast's gaze, but only the blind and the fanatic are completely impervious." He looked to him, "Our hopes ride on you. If you fail, then all of this will have been for nothing."
"No pressure," Peter said wryly.
Ketch nodded, "Anyway, that's all. You all should get some sleep; even you, Spider-Man. Tomorrow's going to be the end of this."
They all stood and made their way to their own corners of the living room - or, in Castle and Ghost Rider's case, the garage. Lana lingered on the couch and continued to stare at the remaining pistol, "...You don't have to take it if you don't want to." Lana didn't look away, "It's not easy to turn the gun on yourself. If it was a lot more would've done it."
"Yeah, I'm...not much a fan of guns after that asshole Carter." She laughed wryly, "Fucking stupid, right? I can explode people into chunky salsa with my mind but pick up a gun? Fuck you very much, good sir."
"...Are you sure it's the gun?" He sat down next to her. He didn't touch her; somehow she figured that would've made things worse.
"Yes...no...I dunno." She breathed out in frustration, "It's just...every since I was born I had to fight tooth and nail for everything. If 'dad' had his way I would've been cut out of mom's stomach and left in some dumpster. I...I guess I'm not like you guys. Maybe you all think it's so simple to blow your brains out to avoid getting dragged down, but I just...I can't..."
"You're a fighter, Lana. The idea of giving up..." He didn't finish. He had to admit, after everything he lived (and died) through the thought of turning the gun on himself wasn't something he looked forward to. Still, Moon Knight was right about one thing - oblivion sounded a lot better than Hell, especially a Hell under that bastard's strings.
Lana scooted closer and put her head on his right shoulder, "...I'm scared, Pete," she muttered, "I know I try not to show it, but everything that's happened - dropping out of school, going on the run, that shit at the farmhouse - it's getting...it's hard to keep going. I'm afraid that if I close my eyes I'm gonna see that fucking nightmare again and I won't be able to wake up."
"What...What did you see?"
"I...I can't tell you. I can't."
He knew her enough to know not to pry. Instead he just sat there till her breaths eventually calmed and she fell asleep. Proper thing to do would've been to lay her on the couch with a blanket over her head, but for once he felt exhausted. All the running, all the fighting and thinking about what would happen the next day or if they made a single mistake and Murdock finally found them.
He woke up hours later with the sun still down - still no warmth covering the room. Lana was still leaning against him, both arms wrapped against his right, and he smiled, "Hm..." He untangled his arm from hers gently and headed towards the dining room.
Maria Castle was there sans shotgun. She didn't look up from her cup of coffee, "What time are you all leaving?"
"Soon as everyone's fit to walk." They weren't all 100 percent. Moon Knight and him healed fast, but Lana, Felicia and Castle took longer. That was how it was supposed to go for people, "...I'm sorry again for barging in like this. We couldn't go to a hospital."
"Right..." She sneered down into her cup and finally looked up at him, "Tell me something: what exactly are you fighting for?"
"Murdock needs to be-"
"That's not what I meant." He knew that; he just didn't want to say anything, "Frank left us because he couldn't stand to live in a world where there was no war to fight. To him we were just the things he went back to after the fight, the worried family who he'd think about and come home to for a few days before he found another war to trap himself in. That's all we were to him."
"I'm not gonna defend him." Peter crossed his arms
"I've seen you all on the news. Frank and you and everyone else I get, but that girl...why is she with you? She's practically the same age as Lisa. She's a child."
"I tried to keep her out, but...it didn't work. This is her life now, and she chose it."
"Chose...huh, maybe she did." Her sneer turned into a bitter smile, "...I want you all out of here before my son wakes up. He catches a glimpse of Frank and it's over; any chance of us leaving all this behind...we'll be back to the beginning with him holding onto that hope that Frank is some kind of hero and that he wouldn't just save us to abandon us. I'm tired of fighting with him."
"...You hate Castle." He didn't know why he said it; it as obvious from everything he'd seen. Barely any words exchanged, wedding ring gone, even forced to sleep on the garage floor.
"I do." Not even a tingle from his spider-sense, "Or maybe I just never really knew him. We met on tour, in a warzone with wounded allies all around us. I should've known by then that it was never going to last outside of that desert." She paused, "Could I give you some advice?"
"Sure. Can't promise I'll listen to it, but hit me."
"Don't be like Frank; don't just...live for the next war. This kind of life will kill you, and that girl." Lana. She deserved this the least out of them all, "I know better than to ask you to stop, and honestly I don't care enough to, but don't...break. Think of the people you care about and come back to them. Don't just look at them like they're some motivation for you to keep going. Your family and your friends aren't some vague ideal."
Immediately he thought of Gwen again. He had no idea what would happen once this was all over. They weren't built for normal, for staying at home to watch Webflicks and going on dates to the carnival. Hell, he wasn't even sure about staying in New York; at least not for the time being. Too many memories, and he needed to search for himself, as cliche as that sounded.
"Hm..." Peter uncrossed his arms and looked at the ticking clock, "...What time is it?"
"Can't you-" She looked closer and paused, "...Oh, didn't realize. Thought your eyes being that way was just part of your powers." She didn't apologize, which he found refreshing, "It's close to 5. Jr. usually wakes up at about 7 to 8, and remember I want you all gone before he does."
"No problem. You need help cleaning up the mess? Least we can do." It'd be hard to explain away all the bandages and medicine strewn around.
"Sure, I know you're not helpless."
With the two of them it just took 30 minutes to clean everything up and leave no trace of their unplanned visit. By the time they were finished most of everyone had already gotten up sans Lana still sleeping on the couch, "Let her rest. It'll take at least a day to return to New York with the route we're going," Grant said, "Thanks again for the hospitality you gave us."
"Yeah, yeah..." Maria waved him off.
Peter picked Lana up along with the gun at the table. Better safe than sorry, "I'll drive." Felicia said. She'd changed from her leather outfit to a jacket, a pair of jeans and boots. It would draw less attention, at least.
He was close to the car when he stopped and looked to the porch. Castle was there, lingering and staring at his former wife. For a second he thought that they'd exchange final words, or at least say goodbye, but in the end he turned and walked back to the car without another word. He knew better than to expect any kind of reconciliation. Whatever love or fondness his family had for him had long since withered away.
Peter didn't pity him overmuch. He made his choice months ago.
He set Lana down on the front seat and opened the trunk "Ha..." He picked up Bullseye's bloodstained and torn jacket and set it over himself. Felicia gave him a look and said nothing.
Time to go home.
Things were not going well.
Norah's grip tightened on the Smith and Wesson Bodyguard and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "Come on..." She looked to both sides of the road before running across it to the opposite alley. She didn't have much left in the way of ammo, though that was to be expected. She barely managed to grab her bag when those fucking ninjas burst in through their safehouse window practically shouting 'oh yeah!'.
If she had any sort of doubt that the Kingpin had pull, they were long gone.
It was subtle at first. The cop car that usually patrolled past their temporary lodgings disappeared, less people on the street, and so on and so forth. It was easy enough ignore, even as paranoid as they all were, until Stick suddenly told them all to run.
"Shit..." Norah leaned against the wall and panted. She got separated from the others by a group of ninjas with red freaking eyes and now she was just stumbling around blindly like a woman caught in a zombie apocalypse, "Where's Ben when you need him?" She looked down at her revolver and frowned. Three bullets in the chamber, and she had half a dozen left in her bag. Normally that would've been enough, but normally you didn't get chased by freaking death ninjas.
It was nighttime now, and the dull light of the streetlamps only worsened the sinking feeling in her gut. Norah reloaded the gun as quickly as she could and gripped it with both hands. It would've been one thing if she at least had someone watching her back, but Teresa, Stick, Danny and even Maggie were cut off by the ninjas. Stick told her the rest of those Chaste guys were around the area, but so far she hadn't had any luck. She was alone now.
Well, mostly alone.
Ben's pup paced around her heels and whined, "It'll be alright, boy." She gave him a strained smile and petted his head. It helped calm her nerves however slightly, "Come on, let's go find the others."
She recognized this place, vaguely. It was the path to the homeless encampment. She went there from time to time even after she got her scoop, but after Martin... 'Don't think about him now.' She took a deep breath and walked slowly, making sure to pay attention for any footsteps around her. She didn't have Ben and Gwen's spider-senses, so if one guy snuck up behind her that was it.
She found herself walking the familiar path to the encampment with Dog (Ben really needed to name the little guy) at her heels. It was a dumb idea - Stick specifically told her to stay away from crowds - but the absolute silence was killing her.
She saw the fires of the encampment and ducked behind a nearby shanty house, more out of instinct than anything else. Norah looked around the corner and her blood froze, "Oh God..." She ducked down again and tried to ignore the rapid beating of her heart. Two ninjas on their own would've been scary enough, but the fact that they hung up three people upside down in a reverse cross would give her nightmares for years to come.
Taking a deep breath, she looked around the corner again to assess the situation. Two ninjas with their backs to her and three homeless - two men and one woman - pinned to the wall by their arms and legs. They were still breathing, even with the blood on their wounds and the white handprints on their faces. Norah took a quick picture and posted it online with a quick title. They needed proof that this was happening.
"Come on, you can do this..." Those people were still breathing, and that means they could be saved. She wasn't a sueprhero or vigilante or anything like that, but she could still do this.
Norah closed her eyes briefly and remembered what Frank taught her. Hold your breath, keeps your hands steady and only put your finger on the trigger if you're sure of the consequences. Norah took a deep breath, held the gun with both hands again and fired.
The first bullet went through the right ninjas chest and then through his neck. The left ninja turned around and charged towards her, blade drawn. Norah screamed and fired the remaining four bullets. One in the shoulder, but three of them missed. Forgoing reloading entirely, the journalist jumped to the right to avoid being impaled and crashed painfully on her side.
For a brief, panic-stricken moment she thought it would be the end. The ninja raised his blade up up to stab her in the gut and she flinched, raising both hands like it would somehow protect her.
Dog suddenly jumped onto his right hand and bit down. She didn't know if it even hurt the guy, but the surprise was enough to make him drop the blade and focus on the little pug. Norah grabbed two of the fallen bullets and loaded them just as he punched Dog off, "Hey!" He turned around only to get a face full of .357 straight through the dome.
The guy fell on top of her. Norah grunted (she did not scream) and pushed him off, ignoring the warm blood that dripped down her face and chest. It wasn't hers, she reminded herself, "Little buddy? You alright?" The pup whined in response, "Yeah, you took a hit for me. Thanks..." She rubbed his head gently and forced herself up. Those people were still alive.
"It's okay, I'm here to help," she said softly. She must've been quite a sight, running in shooting and covered with blood, "Just hold still. I'll get you all down."
She checked their hands first. Stabbed clean through to the wall by barbed nails, "This is going to hurt..." The man muttered something incomprehensible then screamed when she slowly pulled the dark metal out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Just a little more!" She grabbed the second one and ignored the blood that dripped down to her fingertips. How were these things even holding them up?
As soon as the last nail was removed the man fell. Norah grabbed his waist to keep him from falling on his head and set him down.
Just two more.
Five minutes later and she had them all lying back upright. Ben's pup whined against and nuzzled her foot, "We can't just leave them." But she couldn't drag them to the hospital one by one. Hell, it was a miracle that she hadn't gotten caught setting them free.
Footsteps from behind caused her to freeze momentarily. Norah loaded the last bullet and turned around, "...Shit." She lowered the revolver and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Teresa and Maggie, "Where the fuck were you two?"
"Escaping Matt's puppets," Teresa said. There was a deep gash on her right shoulder, though Maggie was miraculously untouched, "It seems like you two have been busy." She looked down at the freshly freed threesome.
"You don't know the half of it." Norah put her hands on her knees, "Come on, we gotta get them to a hospital."
"Unlikely. We're all targets; if we take them with us we might as well be killing them ourselves."
"So what, you just wanna leave em here?" She did not go through all that just so they could die facing the right way.
"I can stay and take care of them," Maggie said, "Matthew's minions won't harm me so long as I don't attack first, and you already took care of that." She gestured to the dead ninjas, "Go, before you draw any more attention to yourself."
"You sure you can help em?"
"It's not the first time I've helped patch someone up from something that should kill them." She knelt down in front of them, "You worry about yourself. Now go."
Norah nodded and followed Teresa out of the encampment. She had no idea where they were going, but having someone with actual powers and a sixth sense of danger watching out for her calmed a lot of her frayed nerves, "You took care of yourself pretty well," Teresa said suddenly.
"Eh, it was mostly the little guy." She gestured to Dog and he barked happily in response, "Well, that and a few lessons from Frank."
"At least you'll get an exciting scoop at the end of this...assuming we survive."
"We will. Be a waste to just lay down now."
"That's one way of looking at it." She raised her head to the right and smiled, "Cavalry's coming. Time to meet up."
One minute into Hell's Kitchen and Lockley already ran over two ninjas.
"Ha, like fish in a barrel!" He whooped. Peter held onto the side of the car with one hand while his other held a pistol. Two magazines with Judas bullets in his jacket and the emergency gun for himself. 25 rounds assuming he wasn't planning to off himself, "Hey, you guys ready for this?"
"Ugh, bring the other guy back! Least he wasn't a pain in the ass!" Lana screamed from the front seat. She leaned out of the window and blasted an ninja that tried to attack their taxi. He wanted to enter silently, maybe find a back route into Murdock's base, but Lockley decided plowing through the makeshift quarantine was the best way to go about it.
If he didn't know any better he would've thought he was trying to kill them all.
"The entire city's gone mad," Felicia said. She wasn't exaggerating - on the way there they passed by more than a few S.H.I.E.L.D agents fighting with Moon's goon squad and some of her escaped victims. Lana asked if they should stop to help, but Spector was adamant that they keep to their own tasks. Something about them all having roles to play in the grand scheme of things.
"Not much different than the usual, Cat." Peter shot the ninja who who landed on the trunk, "Do you know where Teresa and the others are?" He heard they got attacked. He could only hope they all made it out.
"They're scattered around. I wouldn't worry too much; they're all survivors," Grant said. Peter always wondered how he never crashed the damn car considering how much he changed around, "Right now we should be worry more about ourselves. Now that old Mattie boy's at his most desperate he's going to bring out the big guns."
"What do you mean by that?" Punisher asked.
His question was answered when a huge behemoth of pulsating flesh landed practically on top of them," Scatter!" Peter screamed. He jumped out after Castle just before it brought its fist down and smashed the car with one crunch. He couldn't see the thing's features, but what he made out was enough - it was big, it stank to high hell and it didn't like any of them.
"That car wasn't insured!" Grant screamed.
"Cry me a river!" Lana blasted its face and it just growled, "Holy crap, what is this thing?!"
"A greater demon," Ketch said. So far he seemed to be handling this the best out of all of them, though that was hardly surprising, "He's throwing them at us so we waste the silver."
Castle fired his anti-tank rifle and again it just growled, "It's healing too fast." He growled.
"No other choice then. Peter, shoot it with the silver. That should leave it vulnerable," Spector said.
"What is this, a fucking videogame?" Lana dodged its next strike and blasted its arm.
He was about to take aim when his spider-sense blared, "Watch out, Cat!" She dodged the downward slash from the ninja that appeared through thin air. Peter's eyes narrowed. Something was off about them, "What the hell...?" He couldn't hear any heartbeats, and their movements were too stiff even for Murdock's puppets. What was wrong with them?
They charged. Peter ducked under the slash and stabbed the first one through the throat. The body convulsed briefly and turned to dust, leaving nothing but the cloak behind, "They're already dead," Ketch called out, "Fighting them is useless. They'll just return. I'll deal with them; you all focus on the Demon." Probably what Matt wanted. Ketch was the only one here he could fight these monsters without the silver, so of course the pajama brigade would focus on him.
Felicia kicked away a ninja and snapped its neck with her whip, "Easier said than done, Rider!" She electrocuted another and it crumbled to dust.
Caste tossed a grenade into a cluster of them and switched to his assault rifle, "Can we go past them?"
"We'll just be stabbed in the back if we do." Peter inserted the magazine and grimaced. He had to make every shot count, "Lana, cover me!"
"Got it!"
Lana blasted apart the group of ninjas in front of them and Peter charged through. The Demon roared and raised both hands to crush him, "Too slow." He turned invisible and slid under its legs. He fired three times at its back and clambered up to its head, "Not very smart, are you?" It roared and reached up to grab him. Peter disappeared again and jumped on its shoulder.
The next bullet went through its misshapen skull. The twenty foot tall behemoth fell and crushed a group of Murdock's ninja when it landed, "...Something tells me that's not the only one we're gonna run into." Peter jumped off its shoulder and cursed. Four bullets wasted on that big bastard.
"I doubt it. The Beast has a lot of pull." Ketch sighed, "No wonder Johnny couldn't handle it alone."
He was about to reply when he heard a voice, "Hey, Ben!" Norah. He turned and smiled when she and Teresa ran up to them with Dog in tow, "Finally here. Kept us waiting, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm glad you're both alright." Norah gave him a thumbs up and he practically saw her grin. Lana knelt and petted the pug, "Where are the others?"
"We got separated. Safehouse got attacked and ninjas are fucking everywhere crucifying people." Norah turned to Castle, "By the way, you got any .357's? I've got like one bullet left."
Castle grunted and tossed her one of his waist packs, "Here, make them count." Huh, he could've sworn Castle didn't have any revolvers on him. Did he keep those around just for her? "Where's Murdock hiding?" He asked Teresa.
"Where else? The most conspicuous place in all of Hell's Kitchen - the Shadowland."
Peter knew the place. Hell's Kitchen was a mass of contradictions: one foot towards progress and the other towards the crime-ridden past, and Shadowland was its biggest reminder. It wasn't the official name, but it was what the locals called it. A mass of dilapidated and condemned buildings with a temple at the center that a few brave tourists and thrill seekers thought was a good place to take pictures.
Even he kept away from it for the most part. Most criminals did too, now that he thought about. It was like something in that place scared them.
"Why's he over in that shithole?" Lana snorted.
"Because he feeds on people's fear and misery, and even for the Kitchen that place is above and beyond," Teresa replied, "He'll be at the temple. If you're hoping to catch him then I suggest you cut a path straight through."
"And what will you two be doing?" Felicia asked
"I'll deliver Ms. Winters to a safe place and then see if I can rally the remaining Chaste warriors. With any luck they haven't all scattered to the winds." She meant died. Peter never understood why she made it sound so flowery, "Oh, and here. A present from Melvin, Peter. He told me you'd know what it was." Teresa tossed him two gauntlets and he put them on, "Good luck everyone."
They said their goodbyes to the pair and Grant looked to the flattened car, "...Guess we're walking."
Ketch led the way on his bike. All throughout the entire thing they were assaulted by ninjas and half a dozen more of this big bastards that smelled like sulfur, "God damn it..." He ejected the spent magazine and put in the next one. Twelve bullets spent and now he had thirteen...fourteen left. He wasn't going to kill himself, "These bullets better work."
"If we don't then we're all dead," Lockley shrugged, "Hey, it's been a good run."
"You dying is something to look forward to, at least..." Lana muttered. She was nursing a slash at her left stomach, though thankfully it wasn't deep enough for anything vital to spill out.
They stopped in front of the palace. Even without sight he felt a sense of dread when he looked at the dilapidated building, "Holy shit, this really is a fucking videogame..." Lana muttered, "...This feels familiar, doesn't it, Pete?"
"Yeah, except this time it's more than just a guy with a shotgun."
"The minute we step foot in there the Beast will throw everything he has at us," Spector said.
"What, that gauntlet we went through didn't count?" Felica put her hands on her knees and panted. Next to Lana was the least fit for this among all of them. She was a thief who tried her hand at being a killer. She didn't have Lana's powers, Moon Knight's gadgets and insanity or Castle's weapons and murderous rage. She was just someone who wanted revenge for her dad. If he had any other choice he would've made her escape long ago.
"That was controllable. This will be far less so," Spector said, "Our objective is to ensure that Spider-Man makes it inside. Even if we all fall, so long as he makes it to the Beast's throne it will not have been for nothing."
"Heh, guess you're the princess this time, Pete." Lana bumped her right shoulder against his, though he could still tell she was nervous.
"Your objective is the Beast, Spider-Man. If you must leave us to our fates then do so without any hesitation." Peter's eyes narrowed and he said nothing. Pointless to argue with any of Moon Knight's masks, "Everyone has their own bullet, correct?"
They all gave affirmations of varying enthusiasm. Lana looked down at the revolver in her waist holster and rubbed the handle nervously. If she had her way they she would've tossed the thing off the cliff, "I'll lead the way," Ketch said, "Everyone stay behind me and pay attention. If you can't fight your way out and no one else can help...then you know what to do."
Ketch kicked down the door and they were immediately swarmed by an assorted mix of ninjas (both alive and dead) and (smaller) demons, "Don't separate!" Ketch screamed, face morphing back into the skull. He swung the chain in a wide arc and the interlocking metal separated and floated through the air briefly before heating up with fire and shooting forward like a hail of bullets.
The superheated metal cut through the sea of bodies. Peter unholstered two pistols and took aim, "Make sure not to waste the silver!" Moon Knight called out. Peter rolled his eyes and started firing at the ninjas charging towards them like feral madmen. The silvers were still safely in his pocket.
"Worry about yourself, Spector." It was harder to see them without their heartbeats, but they were bunched up enough that it didn't matter. Peter let the spent magazines drop and new ones from the gauntlet immediately replaced them. He'd have to remember to thank Potter when this was over.
A large cluster was blown apart with a large explosion, "Ugh, these fuckers won't quit!" Lana aimed her next blast up and collapsed the roof on top of another group, "There's gonna be a lot of cleanup when this is over!"
Castle shot a ninja point blank and grimaced when the blood splattered against his face, "Reloading, cover me!" He ducked to avoid Lana's overhead blast and tilted the assault rifle sideways to provide sweeping fire as soon as the magazine was in.
A demon barreled its way through the dead bodies and grabbed Felicia by the head, "Cat!" She tossed a flashbang by its foot and the explosion made it stumble back. Peter fired thrice at its head and Moon Knight finished it off with a slash of his wrist blade, "You alright?" He pulled her up to her feet.
"Yeah, just fine." She shook her head and accepted the pistol Castle offered her, "Not my strong suit, but beggars can't be choosers."
Ketch pulled the chain back and nudged his head, "Move."
They followed Ketch's lead. Peter stayed at the back and picked off any ninja or demon that tried to charge them from the rear, "Didn't think he had this many." Peter kicked a ninja that got close and shot him through the head. He turned to dust as soon as he hit the ground.
"The Beast is expending his power. It is a sign of desperation," Spector said, "I have seen it firsthand before."
"Let's hope this time we get a happier ending."
They were getting close to the door now. The ninjas and monster's attacks became more frenzied, throwing themselves at them before their companions even hit the ground. Ketch cut a swathe through the swarm in front of them and pointed to the door ahead, "Spider-Man, go!" Peter gave one last glance to each of his teammates before he nodded and charged towards the large double doors.
This was what it came down to - either he won or they all died.
He crashed through the slightly ajar doors and they immediately shut behind him. All at once he felt distinctly alone - the sounds of fighting behind him disappeared and the area around him was black and featureless even to his enhanced senses, "No use hiding, Matt!" He put the silver into one of his guns and strode forward, "No more running, no more games. Let's end this."
Echoing laughter came from all around him. Peter scowled; he couldn't place an origin, "Someone's gotten cocky. Did you forget what happened last time we tried this song and dance?"
"Yeah, you and your girlfriend ran."
"Yes, because you and Ms. Stacy brought the cavalry. But now here you are. Alone." Behind him. Peter turned around and shot only to hit a ninja with his blade raised. He cursed; one bullet wasted, "What did you think was going to happen? You come here, shoot me with those cursed silver and then suddenly you get your happy ending? I didn't think you were that naive, Peter."
Two more on each side. Peter ducked the slashes and snapped one's neck with his free hand while kicking away the other. Peter stomped on the prone ninja's neck till another snap echoed through the dark chamber.
"You're just delaying the inevitable. This ends here."
Suddenly the darkness receded. Peter followed the steps up and sneered when he saw Matthew in all his 'glory' sitting on top of that misplaced throne. He saw him clearly now - eyes red, skin oozing with that demon's festering rot. He'd exchanged his suit for something similar to his ninjas and a crude oni mask. There was nothing left of the law abiding lawyer he pretended to be.
Peter raised the gun and fired. Matt's grin widened and, just before the bullet hit, he disappeared, "Come now, you didn't think it'd be that simple, did you?" Matt whispered right next to him. Peter turned around and lashed out with the butt of the pistol only to hit air.
Matt appeared in front of him and punched his chest. Peter flew through the air and impacted against the wall, "This was what you wanted, wasn't it? A duel to the death like an old comic book hero?" He couldn't breath. Peter looked up and coughed out blood, "In here is where I'm strongest. When I was out there with Ms. Moon I was detached, but here? Oh, there are no strings on me."
He stabbed down with the katana. Peter disappeared and shot twice at his back. Matt blocked both bullets with the blade, "Hiding now, hm? What happened to 'this ends now'?" Peter kept camoflauged. Stick taught him a bit about how to ignore the biting cold, but he knew it'd only be a matter of time, "You know the longer this goes on the more you put those friends of yours at risk."
Damn it.
Peter came up behind him and shot point blank. Matt ducked the bullet and turned around just as the camoflauge disappeared, "Too slow." Peter craned his head back to dodge the next slash and shot at his chest. Again the blade blocked it, "Was this it? Your grand plan was just to hope that I'd let you shoot me? I expected better after you clawed your way out of that spider pit."
He brought out a knife and slashed at his face. Matt grinned and grabbed it blade first when it was inches from his face, "Knives, hm? Trying to take some cues from your old friend?"
"Shut up." Peter let the knife go and disappeared again. This wasn't working. He needed to pin him down somehow. Peter re-appeared a short distance behind him and shot a burst of webbing.
Matt cut it before it could even reach, "Skulking and hiding. Is that all you're good for? I thought you hated me more than that." Three more shots, each one dodged or blocked, "Well, I don't really mind. Go ahead, waste your trump card. I have all the time in the world."
"...Fine." Peter re-appeared and picked up one of the discarded katanas. Despite everything Stick still taught him some things, "Rematch then. I gotta pay you back for Bullseye anyway."
Matt grinned as Peter charged towards him. He slashed to his chest and Matt dodged without any effort, "How much did Stick teach you, hm?" Peter deflected Matt's blade and shot his chest again. Matt re-appeared behind him and Peter blocked his next hit, "Oh, he used to beat me till I was black and blue sometimes." He strengthened the pressure and the blade glanced against Peter's skin, "Would you believe I actually thought of the man as a father once upon a time?"
Peter said nothing. With some effort, he deflected the blade again and shot again. This time he dodged it, though Peter noticed it was slower than before, "How many do you have left, Peter? How long before the game ends?"
Five left, but it might as well have been zero at the rate he was going. Shooting him like this wouldn't work. At the back of his mind a plan came to fruition, though he was already going to regret it. Matt couldn't read his next moves thanks to the Spider-God, but he'd still have to play the part.
Peter charged again and stabbed the katana towards his midsection. Matt sidestepped the blow and slashed at his back, the blade only hitting cloth when Peter surged forward, "Slowing down, Peter. Feeling tired?" he asked with mock concern.
Two shots was his response. Matt dodged them both and laughed, loud and cocky, "Do you know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting things to change?" Peter growled and threw the katana blade first into his face. Murdock ducked with a flourish and Peter fired four times. The fourth pull of the trigger led to a click that echoed throughout the entire chamber.
Matt's grin gave Peter mixed feelings. The gambit worked, but what came next had a decent chance of killing him anyway.
"Looks like the game's over."
Peter stepped back and made a show of ejecting the magazine and fumbling for his pockets. Matt rushed towards him without any hesitation and slashed twice, both of which Peter dodged, before he suddenly drew forward and stabbed Peter in the stomach.
The pain was all too familiar. He remembered when that lapdog Ikari raised him by the neck and put that blade through his gut. All he wanted to do then was apologize to Gwen, to tell her that it wasn't her fault before he left her behind with another cross on her shoulders.
Now all he felt was mix of desperation and anger.
Matt's grin was open now and his body relaxed. He thought he'd won, "Looking forward to seeing Bullseye again?" Peter looked up and glared at him, blood dribbling from his mouth, "It was lonely with just the two of us, you see. I'm sure he'll appreciate the company-"
The gunshot between them was practically deafening. Matt's eyes widened from behind his back and he looked down at the gun pressed against his own stomach, "...You had one another one." He laughed, low and unhurried, "Clever..."
He stumbled back and fell. Peter pulled the katana from his midsection and fell on his knees, "Come on..." He webbed the bleeding gash shut and took a deep breath. Stick taught him a little about healing wounds. Not enough to come back from the brink of death like he and the rest of his Chaste buddies could, but enough to survive, "Gotta go back...people are waiting for you..." he said faintly.
The bleeding stopped after a minute. Peter pulled himself into a shaky stand and walked back to the entrance. He had to make sure the others were-
"Going somewhere?"
His spider-sense screamed. Peter turned around only for a hand to grab his face in a vice grip. Through his fingers he saw Matt- no, the Beast. His flesh was misshapen, like his body couldn't form proper shape, and the bullet hole in his gut was covered in thrumming veins, "Lucky shot." His voice was like nails on a chalkboard, "Fine, let's take this outside."
The next few seconds were more confusing than anything else he'd experienced. Sights, sounds and smells tangled together in some ungodly cacophany until it it all suddenly came back at once.
He heard...footsteps, and car horns and the sounds of people screaming. He opened his eyes and saw a crowd of featureless people staring at him from far away, "Familiar, isn't it?" The beast slammed him against the ground and ripped off his mask, "Times Square, the place where you failed, where these people labeled you a monster; and it's where you're going to fall again."
It wasn't Murdock anymore; he couldn't even see any trace of the blind bastard. The figure in front of him was big and bulbous with elongated limbs and a face like a demented gorilla. 10 feet tall easily, and it wasn't even standing up in full. All it had for clothes was a tattered cloak wrapped around its head and shoulders, "You cost me my vessel, and now I'm going to take everything from you."
"Pete!"
His head snapped to the side and his blood ran cold. Lana and the rest, they were there too, all of them with their masks ripped off and their faces exposed. Scores of ninjas and demons pinned them down to the unforgiving ground. Blades and claws were pressed against their necks and they struggled futilely. Off to the side was Ketch's prone body. He wasn't breathing, "Lana..." He reached a hand out desperately but The Beast's grip remained firm.
The Beast wanted an audience, he realized numbly. It was going to kill them one by one in a way that all of New York would remember, and then it'd feed on the fear and desperation that came after, "After this is done, I'm going to take my time with all of you; particularly her." He grinned towards Lana, "You're going to spend the rest of eternity watching as I put her through every violation and sin, and there's nothing you can do about it."
A small, naive part of him wondered if the crowd would help, that one of them would take the chance to be a hero; or at least run to avoid the coming sight. Instead they all remained frozen, and a few even began to record even as their mouths hung open in awe, "Expecting help? Don't bother. I'm keeping them from running. I want them to see this. See their city's heroes fall, see that behind the mask they're nothing."
The Beast raised him up and Peter struggled weakly against his grip. Everything faded again - sights, sounds, smell, and even touch. It was quickly replaced by screaming, "Where...?" He tried to move his hands and legs and found them bound. Peter opened his eyes and saw fire all around him. He felt the heat of it against his skin, "Hell..." He was in the inferno. He was sure of it.
Something stabbed his side. Peter grit his teeth and glared at the misshapen...thing that suddenly appeared in front of him, its hands holding onto a scalpel, "Wakey, wakey, Peter." The Beast said. It didn't even sound remotely human anymore, "Comfy?" It dragged the scalpel up to his chest. Peter refused to scream, "Still trying to play the tough guy. Don't worry, I'll break that out of you."
He didn't know how much time passed, how many times the Beast stabbed and slashed till he could taste nothing but the blood on this tongue. He'd once heard a story about how there was no time in Heaven or Hell. Was this what the rest of his existence would be like now? Being tortured until he couldn't take anymore before the entire thing repeated.
The Beast was gone, or he couldn't see him anymore. He didn't know how long ago; didn't matter. Peter struggled against the chains keeping him bound to the wall and let out a weak cry. His only consolation now was that he was alone. Seeing the others - Lana - in here with him would've hurt more than any stab.
"Wake up, Peter."
Everything was blurry. Peter opened his eyes again and caught two hazy figures, "Seriously, kid, wake up! You don't wanna stick around here!" ...He knew that voice. Blinking away the haziness, he was torn between anger and relief when he saw Matt and Bullseye standing side-by-side, "Oh, there's that glare! Looks like you're still kicking!" Bullseye grabbed the chains and started fiddling with them, "Come on, we gotta get you outta here."
The chains gave way and Peter fell to the ground on his hands and knees, "...Why's he here?" He glared up at Matt.
"He's gonna help you," Bullseye said.
"No way in Hell."
"Then I suppose it's a good thing we're already here." Matt offered him a hand up. Peter looked at the offered limb and took it after a moment's reluctance, "Come, we must leave. The Beast is manifesting outside and this is our chance to stop him."
"'Our'? You're helping us now?"
"Yes. Your plan with the Judas bullets expelled the Beast from me. Why do you think he took you to Times Square? He needs to feed on their fear or he won't survive. Now come on, we don't have time."
"Wait, what about Bullseye."
"Can't come with you, pal. Still stuck here." He shrugged, a wry smile on his face, "This is much as I can do; and you can think your buddy Page for even letting me do this." He put a hand on Peter's shoulder, "Now, make sure I don't see you down here again, alright?"
"Yeah..."
Once again (and hopefully for the last time), his surroundings faded away. Peter woke up with a jerk and glared down at the Beast. Its eyes were wide, "How did you-" His question was replaced by a scream when a blade cut through his wrist.
Peter fell and landed on a crouch as figures came from the crowd Chaste Warriors with Stick, Teresa and Rand in tow. They focused on the ninjas holding the rest of the group hostage, "No time to stare." Matt grabbed his wrist and pulled him up. He was the one who saved him, he noted bitterly. Peter bit back the curse he had prepared and regrouped with the others as the Beast stumbled back and nursed its bleeding stump.
"What is he doing here?" Castle growled.
"He's fighting with us now." He could barely believe he'd said it.
"With him?! You must be joking!" Felicia snarled.
"Kill him when the demon's dead!"
It was pandemonium. With the Beast's spell broken the crowd finally came to their senses and they ran, screams pitching through the air. A few brave (stupid) ones stayed to watch. He paid them no mind; if they wanted to commit suicide then let them, "Focus on the Beast! Let Teresa and the others deal with the rest!" He didn't stick around to hear Castle and Felicia's disapproval. One thing at a time.
The Beast swiped its remaining hand at him. Peter dodged the blow and emptied both magazines into the damn things face. Murdock was behind him immediately, slashing at the thing's and making it kneel. The rest of them followed suit with bullets, blades and grenades. He waited till Castle shot the thing in its face before he grabbed one of Felicia's grenades, jumped and shoved it into its gaping maw.
He kicked it back and landed a short distance away, "Lana!"
"Got it!"
A bright explosion engulfed its entire figure. Peter ignored the heat and held up both hands to block its hand when it reached out for him despite the blast. Peter screamed and held the blackened limb away from his face.
"This is the end for you." Matt cut its other hand clean off stabbed the blade through its right eye.
The scream that came afterwards almost made him faint. The rest of his team stopped and knelt, covering their ears to block the monstrous cacophany. Peter grit his teeth and grabbed the pistol from Lana's belt.
The bullet went through its other eye. For a second there was nothing but silence, and then the Beast stumbled back and fell, "...Cover your noses." He didn't know if the others heard him. Peter covered his mouth and nose and shut his eyes as smoke expelled from the demon's body and covered the area, blocking everything from view. The smell of sulfur burned his nose and eyes.
It took almost a minute before he could breath again. Peter opened his eyes reluctantly and ignored the lingering scent in the air. He walked towards the demon's prone body, his expression unreadable. This thing, it was what hounded him - all of them - for so long. The one that killed Felicia's dad, kidnapped Castle's family, made Moon Knight slit his own throat to protect his child, took Bullseye, and made his life utter hell for the past year.
And now it was dead.
"Is...Is it over?" Lana asked behind him.
"I believe so." Teresa said." The rest of the ninjas and demons had dropped dead along with their master, "The Beast has been removed from the wheel of life and death...it is over."
"...Matt." Peter said. He looked around the area and found no trace of him, "Where is he?"
"The Chaste took him. As hard as it is to believe, the Hand will continue even after their benefactor's demise. Matthew may no longer be possessed, but he was still privy to a lot of sensitive information. They'll want to interrogate him."
"That-"
"Not good enough!" Felicia walked up to Teresa and poked her hard in the chest, "That bastard deserves to die!"
"The one who took your father is dead at our feet, Ms. Hardy." Felicia growled, obviously unconvinced, "And if it's any consolation, the Chaste won't be gentle with him. They didn't survive centuries of war against the Hand by being soft." She nudged her head, "Now, we should leave this place. Too many prying eyes and ears in this place." She gestured to the few people that remained.
"We're just gonna leave this here?" Peter gestured to the Beast's corpse, "And what about Ketch-" He stopped. Ketch's body was gone, "Where did-"
"Don't worry about Daniel. Mephisto will bring him back; he still has a task he has to fulfill," Teresa replied, "As for the Beast's body, S.H.I.E.L.D will take care of it."
As if on cue, he heard the telltale sounds of their vehicles. Peter shared one last look with the others and nodded. Their role was done here.
It took 10 minutes to find a decent abandoned rooftop. Peter landed on top of the roof and joined the gathered group, "...You okay, Cat?"
"What do you think?" She growled, "The only reason I joined this suicide mission was to take revenge for my father and your sister took even that. What was even the point?"
"She wasn't wrong. The Beast would've been the one responsible for your father's demise," Spector said, "In any case, we should go our separate ways. The Hand has been severely weakened by the loss of their source of power, but they are still formidable. More than that we are still Wanted men and women here. Ms. Baumgartner can likely secure a pardon due to her age, but the rest of us will have a harder time."
"You're saying we should leave New York," Peter said.
"It would be best," Spector nodded, "The Hand will not surface for some time yet. Use this chance for respite for the future conflicts."
"Tch, leave me out of it. I'm done with this insanity." Felicia scoffed, "You can take your wars and ninjas and go to hell. I'm done with this."
"So am I." Castle said.
They both left first with Moon Knight following not long after, leaving just him, Teresa and Lana on the rooftop, "...Planning to leave too?" he asked his sister.
"Mmm, it'd probably for the best." She smiled, "I might visit Latveria. I've been meaning to go there and fix Lester's mistake. Now's a good chance." She drew closer and touched the right side of his face, "But I'll give you a gift first. Close your eyes."
He did, and when he opened them again he was met with Teresa's smile and Lana's look of utter shock. He could see again, "Don't waste it now. It's not easy to bring something like that back." Teresa's smile faltered, "I know we've had our conflicts, but...I am glad we met each other. Take care of yourself, Petey."
She kissed his cheek and jumped off the edge. Peter rubbed his cheek and and let out a soft breath, "Huh..." He turned to Lana and smiled, which she reluctantly returned, "...Guess we survived."
"Yeah, guess we did."
She hugged him. Peter reciprocated the gesture and let her cry, "Fuck, that was some scary shit..." She sniffed and grasped his back tightly, "Back there in the Square, I thought that we were...I was reaching for the gun to..."
"It's alright.." He took a deep breath, "We're still here.."
"Yeah..." She sniffed again and stepped back, "I'm gonna...go call my mom and meet my friends. "
"Sure. Stay safe."
And suddenly he was alone. Peter sat against the wall and took out a cigarette from the crumpled carton on his pocket. A part of him still couldn't believe that it was over. All those months with Matt hounding him, the paranoia that any day now he'd get tired of playing the game and he'd slit his throat in his sleep. Worrying about Lana, losing Bullseye because of his mistakes.
And now it was over.
He took a deep breath of the cigarette and pulled out the spare burner Moon Knight gave him on the way back. The screen was cracked, but it was still working. He dialed Gwen's number and pressed it against his ear.
"Peter?"
"Yeah..." Hearing her voice again made him smile, "It's over. What about you?"
"Same." He closed his eyes in relief, "So...where are you?"
"I'll text you the address. Meet me there."
He got there first, which came as somewhat of a surprise. Peter stepped into the empty lot and stopped in front of the grave, "Looks like I owe you again, Bullseye." He took off the jacket and laid it on top of the grave, "...You drove me insane sometimes, but without you I wouldn't be here. I wish...I wish I could do more, get you out that place. But I know you. You'd just tell me you liked it down there and you already got new friends. You always were a crazy bastard."
Peter laughed, the gesture turning into a cry halfway, "Got your favorite." He took out the bottle of Deathwish whiskey and popped open the bottle. He took a generous swig of the alcohol and set it down next to the jacket, "...See ya, Bullseye."
It was a terrible goodbye, but it was how he would've wanted it. Peter heard footsteps and smiled, "What took you so long?" He turned around and was met with Gwen's apologetic smile.
"Sorry, ran into a couple of crimes on the way here. Assholes decided to take advantage." She sighed, half in amusement and half in frustration, and looked him in the eyes, "Your eyes...are you better now."
"Yeah, Teresa...fixed me."
"So...Murdock?"
"Dealt with. Moon?"
"Paralyzed and going to solitary for the rest of her life."
"Huh...that's that then."
"Guess so."
They didn't say anything else. Gwen stepped forward first and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hands gently fondling his hair. Peter closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace. He was exhausted, and the wound at his midsection hurt every time he move, but the relief trumped it all. He wasn't naive - the way their lives were, there'd be some other bastard who'd start gunning for them soon enough.
But for now there was nothing, and that was enough for him.
Their eyes met again and Peter kissed her. He relished the feeling, the taste of her on his tongue and the warmth of her body against his. Peter placed both hands against her waist and pulled back for air, "I love you." Their foreheads were pressed together. He wanted to do more, but at the state he was in this was as far as he could go, "I..."
"Yeah, me too..." She laughed under her breath and smiled, "Come on...let's go home."
That's the end for Noir. Beast is dead, Matt's under the Chaste's 'care' and the Defenders have officially split up. I know it was anti-climactic, but it's not like this hasn't happened before. Ah well, at least now we have rooms for new villains that aren't hilariously broken.
Next chapter is the end for V1. This has been a long time coming, so hopefully I can end this on a good note.
Side Note - I was originally going to have the Castle family talk with the Defenders in the first segment, but I cut it out cause I think it fits more that there isn't some grand reunion or reconciliation. Frank made the choice to abandon his family so he doesn't get any emotional catharis.
Well, this is it: the end of Volume 1. It's been a long time coming - years at this point - but we've finally gotten to a point where the leads aren't up shit's creek without a paddle and we've solved most of the lingering plot threads. Any that remain will be for V2.
Also, a small confession: I was going to ask at the end whether I should've kept Noir and Gwen together during the V2 transition or split them up mutually so they could get different love interests for V2 like Norah/Lana for Noir or Kate/MJ for Gwen. Of course, actually asking that would likely lead to my fic getting hit with a lot of flaming bullets, so I'm avoiding that.
Lastly, for anyone not aware - V2 is not a reboot or a reset or anything. It takes place a year after V1 with a new status quo, but the events that happened still happened and they play into the events of V2.
Final question will be in the bottom AN. Please answer if you can
Side Note - Not much reviews last chapter. Either the climax chapter really sucked or people just generally don't like the actiony parts of the story over the slower talking bits; especially since action chapters in the past tend to get less reviews in general compared to the aftermaths and angsty bits.
Chapter 140: Through the Looking Glass
Well...this was it.
Spider-Man a put a hand on his neck and cracked it. The machine in front of him was an all too familiar sight. Half a decade he lost because he hesitated, and now here he was again, leaving without Octavius being punished.
It was part of his deal. With the information they got from the Slant's bases the Spooks managed to build another 'interdimensional portal', but of course the only reason they even got that information was cause the Nazi shitheel squealed like a stuck pig. So, that meant he got to sit pretty under indefinite house arrest instead of being dragged through that portal and getting a shot to the back of the head like he deserved.
Spider-Man sighed. At least he was going home.
"Something wrong, brother?" He looked to the side and found his younger counterpart giving him a worried look. It was unneeded; not like he hadn't dealt with worse. That and it was odd getting sympathy from someone who somehow managed to die more than him, "Thought you'd be thrilled to be getting back and out of this Madhouse." He still called it that even if he was staying. Spider-Man didn't comment.
"Yeah, just...tired." He cracked his neck again, "Shadowcat didn't let me get any sleep last night. Wanted to...talk." Said that if he was really going off then he could sleep as much as he wanted when he was out of here. He couldn't disagree, especially not when she straddled him against the bathroom sink. He distinctly felt like a sponge that had been wrung dry.
"Talking...that's what you call it?"
"Talk to me when you're not pitching woo with Stacy in front of the cameras." He turned back to look at their 'audience'. Stacy, Kat and Laura were the other only people in the wide interior. In the next room over were the Spook scientists monitoring the machines. According to them they'd only be able to keep the portal open for a few seconds and then they wouldn't be able to open another one for at least two days. Something about dimensional stability.
That last bit shouldn't have mattered if not for his brother. He insisted on coming along. Just to check it out and scratch that last nagging itch, he said. Stacy seemed worried. Probably thought he'd be tempted to stay as soon as she was out of sight or something.
"1 minute, you two. Get ready." Johnson's voice said over the intercom.
Well...time to say goodbye. He walked to Laura and Kat and knelt in front of the former. He'd already said his goodbyes to his partner last night, "Hey, Laura..." She wasn't looking at him, and hadn't since last night. Maybe she thought that he'd changed his mind about going back. She'd been quiet ever since he told her that he was still going, "Come on, kid. Look at me."
She did. Her eyes were devoid of tears, but the quivering lips and balled fists made it clear it was an effort to keep them that way. Peter didn't get a chance to say anything before she suddenly said, "Don't go." She practically tackled him off his feet (she packed a punch for such a small thing) in a tight embrace, "I don't want you to go. Please stay. I'll do anything, I'll be-"
"Hey, that's enough." Kat put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. Laura was crying now, "I'll miss him too, munchkin, but we can't make him stay."
"But-"
"But nothing. That's just the way the dice rolls most of the time." Kat's smile was somber. It didn't fit her, "Hey, make sure that you give Hitler a good skewering. I'll take care of Octavius." She said that last part loudly and with a grin to the intercom above. Despite Octavius' bargain Kat assured him she'd 'take care of him' as soon as she could. He had his doubts, but he knew Kat well enough to know it wouldn't stop her from trying.
"...Hey, promise me you're not gonna tempted to stay there, alright?" Stacy said to his brother.
"I already told you I'm not. Besides, I wanna see what Hell's Kitchen is like without the Devil hanging over it." Probably wouldn't change that much. Just replace satanic rituals with murders and rapes. That was was one thing Spider-Man was sure hadn't changed in eight decades.
He patted Laura's head one last time and made his way to the portal. He threw a thumbs up to the intercom and the portal immediately opened. The familiar blue swirl brought an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. The last time he went through this he ended up with five years of his life lost and a trip to the afterlife that he, thankfully, couldn't remember.
"Ready?" Parker asked.
"Sure. Long time coming."
He'd barely put one foot into the swirling blue gate when it happened. Kat screamed something behind him and when he looked back he found Laura charging towards him with Kat and Stacy at her heels. He didn't get a chance to say anything before the small girl tackled him again and the sudden stop caused the two behind her to crash right on top of all of them.
Straight through the portal.
They ended up a tangled mess of limbs on some rooftop. Spider-Man groaned and tried to get up, but Laura's hold on him was like a vice and she continued to press her face against his chest. A short distance away Kat was flat on her front while Stacy had landed rear end first on his brother's back. If the situation were different he might have made a smart comment about it.
"Should've seen that coming," Parker said, voice slightly muffled, "Why the hell did you trip, Gwen? You can stick to walls!"
"Well sorry for not expecting Laura would just football tackle the guy!" She huffed and got up from Parker's back. The full body costume and mask made her look far out of place among them. He and Parker wisely decided that costumes weren't a good idea and got the closest approximation of home fashions they could get from that Madhouse.
"Shoulda held on tighter..." Kat sat up and wiped the soot from her face just as the portal fizzled out with a small pop, "...Aaaand we're stuck. Great."
"The Spooks said they'd open it in a couple days. Guess we'll just have to wait," Parker said, "We gotta worry more about what we do with them. You three don't exactly blend in around here."
Speaking of 'here'...
Spider-Man finally managed to pry Lana off and stood to look over the edge of the rooftop. Home, it looked the same as when he last left it. There were new buildings, sure, but besides that it was the same one from his memories. He even remembered this street - it was close to where Fat Larry's club was all those years ago. He wondered if the old bastard opened up again when he disappeared.
He gripped the edge of the low wall and took in a deep breath, ignoring the smoke in the air and the midday sun bearing down on them. He was home. After five years of torture and months of putting his neck out for the chance to go back, he was finally here. He didn't cry - he was never one for it even back then - but the sudden realization was enough to make his legs shaky and his breath faint.
Stacy continued behind him, "I can use Webster to shift my clothes around, but Shadowcat and Laura are shit out luck." That wouldn't be the only issue. American hadn't joined the war yet - they wouldn't till Pearl Harbor - but even without that a German girl and a Japanese woman would attract the wrong kinds of looks, especially if they dressed funny. Might as well have put a siren on them.
"Then I guess we'll just have to walk fast," Spider-Man said, still not looking at them, "Come on, I know the way."
With every step they took both his anxiety and relief worsened. What if Aunt May and the rest were gone? What if they were still there? What if she died of old age? What if she was still there? What if Mary Jane forgot about him? What if she still remembered? Thoughts of what could and couldn't be swirled around in his head and before he knew it they were there.
He didn't know how to feel when he saw the lunchtime line again. Back then it always meant a bunch of work; even more if Mary Jane wasn't around to pitch in. After he got the Bugle job and with being Spider-Man on top of that he rarely had time to pitch in, or if he did it was halfhearted and distracted. He hadn't even said goodbye to Mary Jane or Aunt May before he went to that asylum.
"This your place?" Kat asked loudly, jolting him out of his reverie, "Christ, I thought you were fucking exaggerating about your aunt being Mother Teresa." She always used that name. It didn't mean anything to him - it'd still be years before Mother Teresa had her epiphany here, "Geez, I actually feel kinda bad now. Maybe I should pitch in to some charities like Spider-Girly."
"Wouldn't hurt." Stacy said. She'd changed her clothes to a white blouse, a long green skirt, stockings and leather shoes. She'd even curled the ends of her hair and removed the blue dye from the tips. If he didn't know any better he would've thought she was just another well-to-do New Yorker.
"...You ready?" Parker asked next to him.
"Yeah...let's just wait for the line to thin out. I don't want a crowd for this."
It took about half an hour, and the ticking of the minutes did little to sooth his nerves. Laura stood next to him and held his right hand, face passive. It was clear that she didn't feel any shred of guilt about trapping the other two in this place, however temporarily, "Gonna be a hard time explaining you to Aunt May," he said, more to herself than to him.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, "You are the dad and I'm the daughter. Simple."
"...You know that was supposed to be a lie."
"I don't want it to be." She squeezed his hand.
"Huh...what does that make Kat?"
"Your sugar mommy."
Spider-Man laughed, not even bothering to ask where she learned that word. He didn't let go of Laura's hand even as they got closer to the entrance.
Seeing the inside felt like a punch in the face and a reassuring hand on his shoulder at the same time. The place hadn't changed at all, and neither did the people behind the counter, "Aunt May..." She was older now - hair tighter on her head and with more wrinkles - but she was still the same Aunt he remembered. Not far behind her was Mary Jane, her red hair reaching up to her waist and with no trace of the lingering features of childhood she kept even into her adolescence.
"Mary Jane, please remind me about Mr. Peterson later," May called out. She was looking down and writing at a sheet of paper and hadn't noticed their arrival at all.
Spider-Man...Peter walked forward slowly and reached a hand out hesitantly. There was still time, the cynical part of him said, still time for him to leave and leave that grave undisturbed. Parker and the others hadn't talked at all and just waited for him to finish.
Aunt May heard their footsteps and looked up, "Hello, can I help you?" She gave him a smile; the same smile she gave to all the bums who came in looking for a handout or a shoulder to cry on.
She didn't recognize him. He couldn't blame her; he barely recognized himself sometimes.
"I..." Laura squeezed his hand and gave him a pleading look, "I...It's..." Aunt May's brows furrowed in worry. He said the only thing he could, "I'm...I'm home, Aunt May."
His surrogate mother blinked in confusion and then her eyes eyes suddenly widened, "What are you..." And then she took a closer look at him. Five years, and despite everything there still must've been some resemblance. Or at least he could only hope, "It can't be..." She reached a shaking hand out and touched the side of his face, "...Peter?"
"Hey, Aunt May..."
She took him in a bonecrushing embrace. Peter let go of Laura's hand and reciprocated the gesture with tears in his his eyes. His aunt was here, still alive. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if she knew and was just waiting for him to come back.
Mary Jane looked to the source of the confusion and followed the same steps: confusion, a closer look then a realization. Her breath caught in her throat and she dropped the plate she was washing to the floor.
The loud crash jolted them all out of their reverie. Parker walked forward first, "We should probably explain before she gets a heart attack." May's attention snapped to him and for a brief second she honestly thought that she would get a heart attack. He looked more like the son she remembered than he did at this point, "Is the couch still at the same place?"
"How...yes, it is."
"Something to look forward to, at least," Peter muttered, "Come on...this is a long story."
It was. It took him hours to explain everything, and that was with the others pitching in to clarify things he didn't know himself. He could tell they didn't believe him at first - coming back after five years missing was something you'd only see on one of those penny dreadfuls - but after he told them things no one but him (and his new brother...) knew, the suspcision abated.
One thing stuck to mind, though: they weren't surprised to find out he was the Spider-Man.
"This is so far above my head..." Mary Jane set down her cup of tea, her hands shaky, "Other worlds, other dimensions and times...it all sounds so..."
"Insane?" Peter smiled wryly.
"I was going to say fantastical, but from what you've told me that's also an apt word." There was something...different about her. Less energetic and cheery than the Mary Jane he remembered, "A part of me still can't believe it..."
"Well believe it, sister. We're livin' proof of that insanity." Shadowcat grinned. She was leaning back on the chair and had her feet propped up on the table. Aunt May was still in too much shock to reprimand her, "And hey, even if you don't believe us about that bullshit the claws are still proof that something's up." She waved said claws cheerily.
"Right..." Aunt May looked to Parker, "And you're...a clone?"
"Easier to use the word copy. Clones aren't a thing here yet," Parker muttered. He was hiding it well, but seeing the woman who was and wasn't his aunt for so many months hit him hard, "Don't worry, I ain't plannin' on staying and making this awkward. Soon as my ticket back comes I'm going home." Stacy smiled and held his hand at the word. Home. He really did consider that Madhouse his home now, didn't he?
"...You look just like Gwendolyne," Mary Jane said, "Um, give or take a few years, of course, but still..."
"Yeah, now that I'm here I'm actually hoping to meet her. Pete always clams up when I ask." Both him and Parker cringed. Gwendolyne Stacy was not a pleasant topic of conversation for either of them.
"She said she'd come by later. It'd take a while to explain, but she can keep a secret. She..."
"She knows I'm Spider-Man," Peter said. Mary Jane nodded, "...Means you two know. How'd that happen?"
"That's...something we'll have to talk about. You're not the only one whose had...'interesting' things happen," Aunt May said carefully. Her gaze settled on Laura. She'd sat by his side and hadn't said a word since the entire conversation started, but Aunt May always had an eye for details. She knew the little girl was attached to him, "We need to see an old friend of yours."
"Robbie?" He was the only old friend they knew about.
"No, he's...still not well." Never would be. Lobotomy had no cure, "I meant the other one. Felicia Hardy."
Peter's eyes widened, "How do you-"
"I think it's better if we show you."
The Black Cat was empty when they got there. Aunt May knocked on the door to the upper rooms and Felicia opened it, "May, always a pleasure." She was smiling, he could tell that even through her mask. He knew she'd still be wearing it, but it still pained him to see. That was his fault for running to her for help, for leaving behind a trace that she did.
Her eyes shifted from May to him and the rest of the assorted group (sans Mary Jane, who'd stayed behind), "...Guessing this isn't a social call." She opened the door wider and stepped inside, "Come in. I'll get some wine.
Felicia took his return from death remarkably well, "We never found your body, and I knew that you'd be too stubborn to let some gang boss dump you into river." She crossed one leg over another, "Not that I hadn't looked, of course. Some boss kills the Spider-Man and they'd coast on that for a year, at least. The fact that you just disappeared made me suspicious."
"Still doesn't explain why you told May and Mary Jane." And Stacy, though he was trying not to think about that. Apparently she'd just happened to be there when Felicia spilled the beans, "I was missing. Would telling them that have changed anything?"
"It was hard to explain why you knew the owner of a speakeasy, Spider." Kat's eyes narrowed at the nickname, though thankfully she didn't interrupt, "Besides, I needed to be honest. Especially after...well, I'll show you."
She led them to the room next to hers. As soon as they got close enough his spider-sense thrummed dully and, judging by his slight misstep, so did his brother's. Not danger, more like...familiarity.
Felicia opened the door and all breath left his body.
Two kids, a boy and a girl, who looked no older than four. They both looked up and and smiled when they saw them, "Mama!" Both of them ran towards Felicia and hugged her legs, silver-blonde hair gleaming in the afternoon sun. They were twins, or at least that was what he assumed.
"...Who's the lucky guy?" Peter asked, though he already knew the answer. His spider-sense was louder now.
"Take a guess, Spider."
Again he couldn't breath. Laura's grip on his hand loosened while Kat was completely stunned, mouth hanging open to try (and fail) to make a smarmy remark. Parker muttered something under his breath while Stacy smiled and knelt in front of the kids to talk to them. He was glad someone was having fun with this, at least, cause he sure as Hell wasn't.
"How...How are you so sure?"
"I wasn't, at first, but then..." Felicia looked down at the kids, "Felicity, do you remember that trick you showed me?"
"Yep! Look!"
And then she shot web from her wrist.
It was thin and long, more like Stacy's webs than his, but the color of it was black, just like his, "It happened when they were two." Felicia said. He barely heard her, "I had my doubts at first too, but after that...well, I had to tell May and your friend."
"Those first couple of years when you disappeared were the hardest, Peter," Aunt May said, "Mary Jane tried her hardest to help, but it was...harder to keep going." She picked up the little boy and he giggled, grabbing at her hair and tugging gently, "Felicia telling me about these Felicity and Gene...it saved me. It almost seemed like you were still here."
Kids - his kids, biologically if nothing else. He didn't know how to feel. One part of him was still in denial and, failing that, dumbfounded. Him, a father? Hell, he hadn't even planned for it. It was just an accident. He'd slept with Felicia once, and even then only because she'd instigated and he was dumb enough to think it meant she wanted something more than a quick fuck.
Another feeling rose up: guilt. It wasn't his fault he'd been trapped in another damn dimension, but still. Intentional or not those were his kids, and he couldn't just pretend that just because it was an accident meant he wasn't responsible for them.
Laura's hand slipped from his and she ran. Peter was torn between chasing after her or not when Parker spoke up, "I'll take care of her. You stay with your...kids."
Finding Laura was easy. A time like this a crying little German girl got people's attention, especially if she was alone.
Good thing considering he didn't have his powers.
He hadn't told Gwen - no reason for her to spend the next two days fretting over him - but he'd been...normal ever since they went (crashed) through that portal. He figured it was the Spider-God's 'little' reminder that this wasn't where he belonged. It wanted Spiders on both sides of the pond.
Peter stopped at the end of the alley and considered his words. It wasn't hard to see why she was upset - for whatever reason she clung to his brother like he was her actual dad, so finding out about those twins would've hurt anyone in her place. It was just like how Helen felt all those months ago- how she felt now when all this was said and done and Murdock wasn't hovering over her shoulder anymore.
He took another step and she growled, "Go away!" She looked up at him with red, tearstained eyes. The effect wasn't as intimidating as she might have liked considering the snot running down her nose.
"Not planning to drag you out of here." He raised both hands and stepped closer. She growled, "Trust me, couldn't even if I tried. Just here to make sure you don't skewer someone." He knew enough about her to know that any racist prick would end up with their guts on the pavement if they tried anything. Not that he'd feel too bad, but the last thing they needed was attention.
Laura continued to glare at him as he sat down across from her a fair distance away. He knew this alley. It was where his brother got the hell beaten out of him by Davis Thompson and his cronies before he ran into Mary Jane and Stacy and threw up blood on their ballet shoes. He almost expected for them to come down that alley and pick a fight. It'd fit with his luck so far.
But there was nothing; just him and Laura sitting alone while she cried.
Peter felt distinctly awkward sitting here. He had no idea why he volunteered. It wasn't like he was good with kids - that was more Gwen's purview than his. 'You know exactly why', he thought bitterly. He wasn't supposed to to be here. He thought that coming here would give some sort of resolution, but all he got was the distinct feeling that he didn't belong. His brother belonged here, with the family and friends who wanted him back and the kids he never knew he had.
This wasn't his home.
Laura sniffed one last time and rubbed her still-red eyes, "...Done?" She took a few seconds before nodding, "Good. Come on, let's get out of here."
"I don't want to go back there." Translation: she didn't want to see those kids.
"Fine, let's go back to Au- May Parker's place. It'll just be Mary Jane over there anyway." Yeah, the Mary Jane he remembered as being his first love and back home was attached to a psychotic murdering biomass. Wasn't life grand?
Mary Jane wasn't alone when they got there. Peter stopped at the doorway and just stared as Gwen and Stacy sat across one another with unreadable expression. Gwen - his Gwen - looked towards them, "Oh, Pete, you're back." There was obvious relief in her voice. She stood up and hugged him, "Went back here cause other Peter was talking with his, uh, kids and I ran into-"
"Gwendolyne Stacy," Stacy interrupted. Well, she still had that snooty tone, at least, "And judging by how young you look I'm going to assume you're the...what was the word for it, clone?"
"Sure." It was an odd thing, feeling an equal amount of relief and annoyance talking to two of the same person.
"I'll admit this sounds crazy, but this girl-"
"Hey, I ain't that much younger than me- uh, you!" Gwen said hotly, "And I get now why Peter never talked about you a lot." Huh...something told him that the two weren't exactly buddies, "Can't believe there's a world where I end up like this."
"I could say the same." Stacy scoffed, "Do you have any idea how much danger you're placing yourself and the people you care about, gallivanting around like 'the Spider-Man' did years ago? Mary Jane and May were devastated when they lost Peter, and the thought that a version of me is willing to put father through that is more than a little disturbing."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Gwen grit her teeth.
"Yes, I'm sure that's what Peter thought before he left his friends and family for half a decade."
"You fucking-"
"Enough." Peter got between them before Gwen could throw a punch. He doubted she would, but it was better safe than sorry, "Arguing is pointless, especially since we're not staying long."
The reminder that this was a temporary visit seemed to snap Gwen out of her rage, "...Fine. Guess we can just ignore each other." She huffed and went up the stairs, leaving the four of them to stand awkwardly in the living room.
"...Please tell me I never acted like that," Stacy said to Mary Jane.
"Gwen, that's enough..." Mary Jane mumbled.
"I'm just telling her the truth. You've lived it yourself."
As much as he wanted to, Peter couldn't hate her. Captain Stacy was still a vegetable and it was all because he helped the Spider-Man out. Right this moment he wished he could heal people the same way Teresa, Stick and Rand could. Then he could help Stacy's dad, give back what that bastard Octavius took from Robbie and fix Captain Stacy's spine. Instead all he could do was put people in the ground.
He went up the stairs after Gwen with Laura following close behind. Peter stopped when he saw it - his...brother's room, "Huh..." He put a hand on the surface and frowned, heart beating loudly against his chest. It wasn't his place, he shouldn't have felt anything, but...
"You are anxious," Laura said behind him.
"Yeah..." He pushed the door open.
It practically was empty; nothing but a single bed and a desk. He didn't know what else he expected. When the Ben Parker of this world died they put his stuff up in the attic - all his medals, the revolver, every keepsake apart from some pictures they kept around for memories. Why wouldn't they do the same for the son who disappeared without a trace?
"...There's nothing for me here." He closed to the door to the barren room and made his way to the guest room May pointed out earlier. There were two of them, so he and Gwen had to share one while Shadowcat and Laura did the other. Laura trudged to her room and closed it without a word while he did the same. Months he waited for this and now all he wanted was to leave.
Gwen was lying down on the bed and facing away from the door. He walked forward and sat down at the bedside, "...Someone's pissed." He rubbed her left shoulder and squeezed it gently. She made a muffled sound and smiled, "Come on, don't let her get to you."
"I know I shouldn't, but..." She sighed, "She's saying all that with my face, and she was talking about dad and I..."
"It's fine. She doesn't know you, no matter how much you two look like." Her smile returned. She sat up and kissed him gently, "...We should probably hold off for now. Don't exactly feel comfortable doing anything here." That and without his powers he really didn't want to see how far he could go. He liked his pelvis intact.
"Yeah, guess so." She huffed good naturedly and stood up, "It's too early to go to sleep. Wanna patrol?"
"...I'll hold off for now."
She narrowed her eyes, "Something's wrong."
He sighed, "I lost my powers," Her eyes widened and he said the next words quickly, "Only while I'm here. Guessing the Spider-God wants to make damn sure I'm not staying." Or at least if he did then he wasn't gonna be Spider-Man anymore.
"Oh..." She looked down at her lap, "Well...guessing that's also why you said we should hold off." He didn't comment on that, "Great, now I made it awkward."
"Just a bit." He smiled, "Come on, let's just talk. We still got some catching up to do."
Peter looked up at the ceiling from his place lying down on the bed. The kids still didn't know. What could they say? 'There's your daddy. He's supposed to be dead but I guess he's not'? That and he couldn't help but feel that Felicia didn't want the kids to know about him. She always was fiercely independent - her own business, her own crimes, and now even her own kids. Hers and no one else's.
The door creaked open, "Couldn't sleep, Kat?" He turned to the door and paused when he saw Felicia - mask and robe and all - standing in the doorway instead.
"I have a feeling that nickname's not for me." She chuckled softly.
"No, not particularly." He sat up and felt distinctly aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt, "Thought you'd be at the Black Cat."
"I never go down anymore. Not since this." She took off her mask. Peter didn't look away even as the numerous scars came to the light. Even at nearing 40 years of age she looked more beautiful than women who lived half as long as she did. Or at least she had been. Now the scars dominated nearly every inch of skin and what little remained of her beauty was faded and hard to see.
He didn't care.
"You came here for a reason, I'm guessing."
"Perceptive as always." Felicia chuckled again. She sat next to him, their skin almost touching. Back then his heart would've been racing and he would've focused on the smell of her perfume, but now all he thought about was something - someone - else, "I didn't want May to hear about this."
"About what?"
"Are you sure you wanna stay here?" Peter looked down and didn't say anything. The silence was damning, "I'm not an idiot, Spider. I saw the way that Japanese dish of yours looked at you, and that little girl...I've never seen someone so heartbroken. There's something there between you three."
"...What about Gene and Felicity?"
"What about them? They're my children, not yours. I birthed them and I raised them. You don't get to come in five years too late and tell me you want to be a father." Her words were callous, but he saw the meaning. She was absolving him of taking responsibility, "We did just fine without the Spider-Man watching over us and we'll be fine after."
"I still think that-"
She put a finger on his lips and smiled, "That's the problem with you, Spider: you think too much. Always too busy being the hero and taking the world on your shoulders. Why not just take a second and ask yourself what you want."
"What I want..." He loved Kat and Laura - or at least he didn't want to leave them - but... "I want them to stay, but I know what happens. Thousands, millions of lives lost because of one bastard's mad delusions about purity. I won't be able to live with myself if I just let that go. I don't want to live in a world where good people like Robbie get everything taken from them because others think they don't deserve it."
"Then I guess you have your answer." She let out a soft breath and crossed her right leg over her left, "But you want my advice? Don't stay locked up in your room. You've only got another day with them, so make them count."
"Right..." Peter made his way to the door and stopped when his hand was on the doorknob, "Hey...I know you said they're your kids, but-"
"You can still talk to them. If I know you, and I do, you're going to try your hand at the mentor shtick."
He shrugged, "Someone's gotta teach them more than just hiding from the cops. Know anyone else who can do it?"
"I suppose not." She hummed, "We'll talk about it later."
"Definitely."
He walked to Kat and Laura's room and opened without knocking; they knew he was coming, "Knew you were coming," Kat said, staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head and a grin on her face. He didn't get a chance to say anything before Laura hit him with another tackling hug, "Had to stop Munchkin from breaking down the door to your room."
"Peter..." Laura stood on her tiptoes and pressed her head against his chest, "Are you staying here?"
"I...yeah."
"...With them?"
"If you mean the kids, then no. Felicia doesn't want me muscling in on her kids." He could practically feel Laura's smile at that.
"She's a strong, independent woman and she doesn't need a man." Shadowcat smirked, "Well, I ain't complainin'. Didn't want you going gaga for another Cat just cause I ain't here."
"That ain't happening anytime soon." Especially since he was leaving soon. He hadn't told May and Mary Jane yet, but they'd understand. They were there when the Robertsons lost everything.
"Can't blame me for being worried, especially since Cat lady over there was your first fuck." He glared halfheartedly at Kat and covered Laura's ears. Too late at this point, but it wouldn't stop him from trying, "Hey, I ain't got nothing to hide. You're such a dad."
"Felicia got...injured. Don't make fun."
"Guess not everyone can bounce back like me and the munchkin, huh?" She stood up, "Anyway, let's go."
"Go where?"
"You mentioned you were going after that Ansell guy and he's living in New York." Yeah, Octavius' boss. Another piece of fruit he dangled up to make his continued survival enticing, "Well, let's go get him. It'll be the last thing we do as partners."
"You wanna just leave Laura here?"
"Who said we were? She's coming with." She rolled her eyes at his look, "Oh come on, Petey, I think we both know that pretending she can't eviscerate three grown men in five seconds isn't gonna work. I ain't sayin' she can't go to school and make friends and all that bullshit, but forcin' her to be normal ain't the way to do the dad thing. Trust me, I tried."
"...Fine."
Getting to Ansell was almost disappointingly easy. He was making a deal with Shultz in some out of the way rooftop to supply the Germans with his patented new 'Shock tech' and to turn the tide on some of the battlefronts. Kat cut Shultz's throat before he could get a shot off, Laura and him dealt with the bodyguards and then he shot Ansell through the kneecap when he tried to run.
There was no pleading or deals like with Octavius. Before the red haired bastard could say anything Peter shot him through the eye and emptied the magazine of his (new) revolver till there was nothing left of his head but blasted, bloody meat.
So much for setting an example for Laura.
"Aww, over already? I was hoping it'd last longer." Kat pouted, which looked more than a little off considering her face was spattered with blood, "Moon's barely out. What do you two wanna do?"
"Well...I should really check over Ansell's office and see if he has any info..." Kat snatched the gun from his hand and glared at him, "...After that we can go an ice cream place I know. Assuming it didn't close while I was under, at least."
"Better." Kat grinned and tossed him his gun back. Thank God it wasn't loaded, "Me and Munchkin'll clean up."
"Stop calling me that," Laura muttered.
"Not a chance, shorty."
He didn't get any sleep that night or the day after. Laura dragged him around, curious about just how different his home was compared to that Madhouse.
They got more than a few stares. An American man, a Japanese teenager and a German kid was an odd combination, especially in times like this. He ignored them, and most people knew enough not to mess with them when they saw him. Those that didn't...well, Kat didn't kill them, but they'd have more than enough reminders to know that judging by appearances wasn't wrong.
"The ice cream tastes different," Laura said as they sat on the park bench.
"Not as much preservatives and toppings compared at your place," Peter said, "Least it's cheap here."
"You're tellin' me. I stay over here and I'd be richer than Tony Stark...well, assumin' they don't try to lynch me." Kat gestured to a couple of well-to-do New Yorkers who turned their nose up as they passed by them, "Really don't know why you wanna stay here, Petey."
"Someone's gotta help clean up this mess..."
"Doesn't sound like a job for one person."
"We could help," Laura said just a little too eagerly, "You saw us last night. We can help you."
"Killing's not the problem, Laura, it's getting to the bastards who need a shot between the eyes. Adolt Hitler, Josef Mengele, Wilhelm Strasse...they ain't gonna be sitting on park benches waiting for the reaper like Ansell was. A kid and a Japanese teenager's gonna draw a lot of stares, even if you can speak the 'master tongue' or whatever horsefeathers they call it."
"Still..."
"We already talked about this, Munchkin," Kat said with a frown, "We roll the dice and take what we get."
Laura didn't say anything. He got the feeling that wasn't the end of it.
The day of the return came and...
"I don't want to go."
Peter looked back at his brother's kid and found her stubbornly holding onto Spider-Man's hand. He sighed and looked at the stopwatch. Three minutes till the portal opened again, "You probably should've had this talk before we got up here." Not that it would've helped. He got the feeling that if that kid took anything from her new dad it was his stubbornness.
"I told ya we ain't stayin' here, munchkin." Shadowcat scratched at her hair in frustration. "You already got us stuck here when you ran off and we're not getting a repeat of that."
"Then leave. I can stay."
"You know I'm leaving for Germany soon, Laura..." Spider-Man put a hand on top of her head, "Soon as I finish preparing I'm gone."
"Then I can stay with you until then." She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. He couldn't believe this was the same girl who he'd seen tear apart grown men at Martin's church, "Please, just a little longer."
Two minutes left, "Well you ain't stayin' here alone, and I'm sure as hell not gonna be stuck here permanently. I know about the internment camps." Shadowcat pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Then we can stay here temporarily," Laura shot back, "There is a portal. They can tell S.H.I.E.L.D we're staying and to pick us up later." She tightened her grip on his hand, "Just a few months..."
"A few months? Unless Petey's walking to Germany I doubt it'll take him that long," Shadowcat said.
One minute , "I can probably get everything I need in a month; two weeks if I pull some favors from Felicia..." Spider-Man mumbled.
"Then we stay two weeks," Laura said stubbornly.
"Ugh, since when did you get so stubborn?" Shadowcat groaned.
"I learned that from you." Laura beamed up at Shadowcat. Apparently he was wrong on which side of the family it came from, "I know you want to stay, too."
"That's not the point-"
"Uh, hate to interrupt, but portal's here," Gwen said, pointing to the swirling blue gate near the edge of the roof. He hoped no one saw this and put it on the Bugle, "So...are we going or not?"
"...Ugh, I'm so going to regret this." Shadowcat took the stopwatch from Peter's hand and set it for two weeks, "Tell em we'll be back later. If they start whining about cost and risk tell em they fucking owe me so they can shove it up their asses."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to say that." Peter smiled slightly and offered a hand to his brother, "Well...this is it. Good luck over here."
He accepted the gesture, "Me? I think you're the one who's gonna need that. You're the one going back to the Madhouse."
"Good point." Peter laughed under his breath, "Take care of yourself."
Time to go home.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Contrary to the priest's declaration, Jess grabbed her dad by the collar, pulled him from the wheelchair and practically frenched him right then and there. Gwen clapped her hands and looked away at the same time. Hey, just cause she was happy that her dad and Jess were finally tying the knot didn't mean she had to look at them 'canoodling'.
The wedding was a small affair taking place at the Penthouse Danny Rand lent them a few weeks prior. After everything that happened they didn't want anything big: just a small place (well...kinda) with their friends and family around.
She did still make sure that Jess wore that wedding dress, though. If she had to put on that pink bridesmaid dress Jess' sister got her then Jess was gonna share in the pain.
Gwen's gaze drifted to her mom. She'd had her doubts about her mom attending this, but she'd insisted on it and so far she seemed as happy as could be. Her mom told her it was part of the fresh start she needed; putting that final nail in the coffin, so to speak. She didn't like the idiom, but she got what the other Stacy - Carmichael now, technically - was going for.
Hell, she was just glad she was still alive. The rest of Murdock's goon squad wasn't so lucky.
Jess tossed the bouquet while her dad tossed the garter. Normally this would've led to a bunch of scrambling hands and excited squeals, but considering about half the visitors were vigilantes it was a lot more hectic. Gwen wasn't ashamed to admit she'd snagged the bouquet with some web and yanked it towards her just when Cindy was about to get it. All was fair in love and war and petty competition.
Moon Knight got the garter, and the way Wasp raised a brow at him made it obvious she was really curious about that. Gwen hummed and took some wine from the table. The celebration might have been low key, but the wine was something they didn't skimp on. Too bad Jess couldn't have any.
'Gwen, more chocolate.'
'Don't be greedy, Webster.'
The next few hours were some of the most fun she'd had in a while. Talking, playing with the band, dancing with Peter and Harry and everyone else within in hand's reach...it almost made her forget everything terrible that had happened. Even her dad was getting better. Dr. Strange said the prognosis was good, though it'd take a while for him to be able to walk again. That was okay - she and Jess were willing to wait.
She found Peter on the balcony outside leaning across the railing, "Hey there, stranger." She smiled and offered him a glass of champagne, which he accepted with a smile of his own, "Brooding again?"
"Nah, just needed some air. I'm...not good with these kinds of things." He took a small sip of the alcohol and looked ahead. A comfortable silence was on them briefly when he said, "I'm leaving tomorrow."
"So soon?" She leaned her head against his shoulder and just looked at the buildings ahead. He'd already said goodbye to everyone else. She was the last one.
"Yeah. Castle and Hardy already left, Lana made a deal with the Spooks and Moon Knight's leaving tomorrow." He was? Huh, he was gonna have a hard time explaining the garter then, "I actually should've left earlier. The Hand are probably already scrambling and if I want any shot of hitting them when they're down then I need to go."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Not really." He exhaled deeply, "Being back in Spider-Man's place...I didn't feel at home. This place is home now, but...I still want to see more of it than just the same dirty alleys and slums. Matt was a bastard and I'm glad he's gone now, but he was right about one thing: I spent way too much time in Hell's Kitchen. Didn't you ever think about leaving for a bit?"
"Not really. New York's crazy, but it's home. It's where the people I love are." She frowned, "Ben and May are still leaving, Mom's going to France, and now you...it feels like I'm losing everyone I care about."
"I'm not leaving permanently, you know."
"I know that, but I just got you back and now you're leaving again." She took a deep breath looked him in the eye, "You better keep your phone on and make sure you call. I don't wanna find out you burned down a cartel from the Bugle."
"That's more Castle's thing than mine."
She pulled a dull chain from her pocket and pressed it against his free hand. He looked down at the metal and looked torn between laughing and groaning when he saw the dark spider hanging at the end, "Hey, figured I owed you for this." She wiggled her hands, drawing attention to the Spider-Woman ring on her ring finger, "If you don't like it then just make sure you come back and bring it to me."
"Heh...count on it."
She looked back at the people partying inside and said her next words without thinking, "You ever think about that?"
"Hmm?"
"Marriage." She gestured with her free hand.
"Not...particularly. You?"
"Same." She laughed softly, "I dunno, seeing dad and Jess and Spider-Man's kinds back in the noir dimension...I don't think I'm ready to get married and settle down, at least not for a while, but...I do want it at some point."
"Me too."
"...Hey, what time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"About noon. Why?"
"That gives us some time." She shifted back into her costume, "Come on, let's go."
"What about the party?"
"Eh, they can go on without us."
They spent the next hours with no one but each other for company - even Webster left them alone. They didn't turn on the news or check to see if there was any danger; Cindy and the others could cover for them if needed. For the first time in months she felt...normal. In there, alone in her apartment, they weren't Spider-Woman and Spider-Man. They were just Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker.
Noon came eventually. When they got down to the ground floor there was a bike waiting for them, "Present from Moon Knight, I'm guessing." He picked up the knife with a holster on the seat. There was a note attached, "Picked this up from Matthew's collection. It's got Hellfire, so only pull it out if you need it - Teresa."
"Nice going away present," Gwen said sarcastically.
"That's how she is." He clipped it to his belt and swung his leg over the bike's seat.
"...Where are you going first?"
"I dunno. Maybe Wisconsin? Summers complains about it so much I'm curious on how bad it is." He put on the helmet. It'd help him get out of the city, "So...I'll see ya around."
"Yeah, I'll see ya."
She followed him to the city limits. Gwen landed on a nearby rooftop and watched as he came to the bridge leading out of New York. Just before he went out of sight he turned around and waved at her. She waved back, "Come back soon..." She sat at the edge of the building and for a few minutes just watched the bridge and the cars leaving through it. He really left...
'Gwen?'
'Yeah, I'm good.' She took a deep breath and stood up. There were still things she needed to do. In all the chaos she'd forgotten about the Supervill union. Cap and She-Hulk were getting better and MJ said she had to talk to her about that symbiote of hers soon. That and a billion other things to do on top of it.
Gwen jumped and fell headfirst to the ground below. She closed her eyes and breathed, letting the rushing air calm her. It was only when she was close to the ground that she shot out a line of webbing and pulled herself up.
But for now? She had a city to patrol.
He was only a couple of hours from the city when he got stopped.
Peter pulled on the brakes to avoid the wall of blue fire at the center of the road, "...Ketch, didn't think you'd be back so soon." The man with the flaming skull and equally flaming bike looked even more surreal in the sunlight, "Guessing you want that favor."
"Yes."
"Fine, explain on the way." He sighed. This place really was a Madhouse.
And...done! Whew, can't believe how much time passed on this thing, but we're finally there. This chapter was a bit easier to write due to not having fight scenes, though I had my doubts on the reunion scene with Original Noir. I wanted to delve into a bit more detail like Mary Jane having gotten married in that verse, but there really wasn't any way I could insert it. That and I doubt the audience cares about these versions of the characters.
Also, in a real asshole move, I once considered ending Original Noir's segment with Gwen and 65-Noir leaving...and then Morlun arrives in the noir world like he did during Spider-Verse. Thankfully I remembered that I hate the Inheritors so I changed my mind. That and it would've felt like such a slap to the face for fans of Original Noir's segments.
Anyway, V2 will be coming...relatively soon. Depends on what I update first.
Oh, and to clarify on it - V2 will be a lighter affair compared to V1. While there will still be drama, struggles and angst, it'll no longer feel like the leads are consistently struggling to put their heads above water while someone stamps their face with a boot. Events like the Initiative Program also help with this and add a general Age of Heroes feel to the entire thing.
That and, while the antagonists will be varied in villain type and genre, they're generally more connected together due to mutual goals so it (hopefully) won't feel as disjointed.
With this in mind there are now four protagonists:
- Spider-Man Noir/Peter Parker whose side will deal with both street crime with a dash of mysticism on top. His main allies for this will be Moon Knight, Iron Fist and two new V2 characters. Main antagonist group will be the Hand remnants, particularly Murakami of the Five Fingers.
- Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy whose side will deal with Supervillains and general superheroics. Her main allies will be Kate Bishop, Mary Jane Watson, Wasp and (a non-pregnant) Jessica Jones. Main antagonist will be the Supervillain union headed by Hobgoblin.
- Silk/Cindy Moon whose side will deal with the more police procedural and legal side of hero work since she's been embedded into law enforcement. Her main allies will be Jean De Wolfe, Daisy Johnson, Ben Grimm and Felicia Hardy. Main antagonist will be the upcoming Kingpin, the Scorpion.
- Bombshell/Lana Baumgartner who'll deal with low level street crime and the struggles about being a young Superhero. Her main allies will be Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon), Maria Aracely Penalba (Hummingbird), Michael Van Patrick (MVP) and Gabriel Reyes. Main antagonist will be Diamondback and her Serpent Skulls gang.
Question:
1. So...do I make V2 it's own story/thread over here - Chapter 1 and all - or do I just add V2 as Chapter 141 for this story? I'm leaning towards the former due to the word count and it's differing tone and story, but I'm curious what you guys think.
Good ending for volume 1, man the Spider-Man ending is so much bittersweet, he got back to his home, but he needs to let go of what he gained in the other dimension AND deal with the aftermath of 5 years absence I can see Kat and Laura trying to help him kill the bad guys in his dimension despite his wish for them to go back, which for me is my best ending.
Just the usual Spider-Luck.
Peter and Gwen are great together, really feels comfortable their relationship now, and I am happy for Gwen seeing her life being healed slowly.
I feel there is no need to make another thread IMO.
