Swinging on webs was becoming easier, Scott had figured out when to let go of the web he was holding onto so that it launched him in the right direction. He was no acrobat yet, but he was gaining confidence in his abilities. Belle Sinclair was the wildcard in this whole equation for Scott, they had met on a rooftop when she stole the particle ray - and once again at her apartment where he took it back. If she was working with Tombstone, that was a potential lead that could help take him down.
As Black Tarantula, Scott swooped onto the side of the apartment building Belle lived in, and crawled down to her window. The living room lights were out, “Perhaps she’s asleep?” He wondered. Feeling like a creep, he peeked into her bedroom window only to see the lights off as well. The bed was empty, with the blankets strewn about. “Not home? Well I minus well take a look, since I’m here.”
Scott finessed the window open and climbed inside, taking each step delicately. He checked around her bedroom for anything of interest, but she hid her valuables masterfully. Scott was starting to think he wasn’t going to find anything here, but he needed to check the living room before leaving.
On the couch was an unexpected spectator, a fluffy black cat. It meowed furiously at the intruder.
“Shh, it’s okay kitty.” Scott whispered.
He got on his hands and knees and checked all the hidden nooks of her apartment for something of use. While searching under the couch Scott felt something taped to the metal frame, and pulled it out. It was a stack of fifties and hundreds, and a newspaper clipping that said ‘Cat Burglar Walter Hardy arrested’ dated June 5th, 2005. Suddenly Scott heard someone fumbling with the front door. He quickly returned the stash to its hiding place, jumped onto the ceiling and stuck to it. The door opened and to Scott’s surprise it was two men who entered instead of Belle. They wore the gray suit and ties that were affiliated with Tombstone.
“Move quickly, before she gets back.” One of them spoke.
The men began doing the same thing Scott had done, though with far less subtlety. They threw furniture around recklessly causing the cat to run to a corner and hide. Scott’s plan was to wait until they left and get out through the window, so he held his breath and remained quiet.
“It’s not here Don.”
“She probably hid it somewhere else. We’ll wait for her to show up, question her and dump her body in the river.”
“F**k.” Scott couldn’t let that happen.
He knew that it was a bad idea, but instead of thinking about the potential consequences Scott dropped down from the ceiling and sucker punched the goon named Don across the face. Don fell on his backside, but before Scott could make his next move the other henchman tackled him. Scott’s newfound strength kept him from falling over, the two wrestled around the room for control until he reared his head back and slammed it into the mobster’s nose.
“Agh!” The man let go of Scott and held his bloody nose in pain.
When Scott freed himself from the mobster’s grasp, Don was back on his feet and struck him with a powerful punch to the chin. Don didn’t relent when Scott was rattled by the power of his strike, he grabbed the Tarantula mask to keep him in place and drove two more punches to Scott’s ribs and stomach. Then he kicked Scott, knocking him backwards into the apartment complex hallway. Scott slammed into the door across the hall from Belle’s place, he tried to catch his breath but his spider senses alerted him to Don’s next attack; a kick to the head.
Scott rolled out of the way of Don’s boot, which went through the neighbor’s door. He then fired a web to keep Don in place and stumbled down the hallway to center himself. The other henchman followed after him with a knife, but this time Scott was ready. He nimbly dodged the wild swings of the knife, one of the slashes got close enough to tear his suit but narrowly missed cutting his skin. Thankfully Phineas made it out of a thick, durable material. Scott slipped in punches to the mobster’s upper body in between his knife swings, but his damage was being blocked. Their suit jackets were reinforced with some type of Kevlar to protect them.
“New plan, aim for the head.” Scott paced backwards to avoid getting cut or stabbed, but he eventually ran out of space in the hallway to walk down as he bumped into a wall. The mobster raised his hand to swing down on Scott, but he grabbed the man’s wrist and hit him with an uppercut that took his feet off the ground. Scott then shoved the mobster onto the floor and webbed him in place. His spider senses tingled again, but this time his wounds slowed him down. Don shoved him out of the window and sent him plummeting three stories to his death.
Falling in mid air, Scott reacted quickly, he webbed the walls of the apartment and used the gravity of him falling as a slingshot to launch himself back through the window. As he soared up and into the apartment Scott hit Don with a kick, the momentum gathered from the slingshot maneuver was strong enough to knock Don up and into a fluorescent light on the ceiling shattering it. Don tumbled to the ground unconscious, the lights flickered, and Scott leaned against the wall so he could rest his beaten body.
Police sirens roared as cop cars sped to the apartment, Scott felt a rush of adrenaline from hearing them coming and jumped out of the window. By the time the police reached the second floor, Scott had swung away from the crime scene. Once he felt as if he was at a safe distance from the police, Scott landed on a rooftop and laid down. The adrenaline was wearing off and even swinging around New York was too much for him. “I’ll just close my eyes… Just for a moment…”
----
Scott woke up sometime later that night, but he wished he hadn’t. His head was spinning from the clobbering Don did to him, and his chest hurt whenever he moved around. He considered just sleeping some more, but then he realized that he was tied to a chimney by a metal coil. “What the f**k?!” He wrestled in the coil to try and slip out when a voice spoke to him from behind.
“I don’t appreciate you sneaking into my apartment and trashing it…” the voice of Belle spoke from somewhere Scott couldn’t see her.
“Yeah well, I took care of Tombstone’s men for you. Can you let it slide?”
“Why are Tombstone’s men after me?”
“They think you have the particle ray. That’s why they came to the apartment. I was there because I thought you were working for Tombstone.”
“I’m not!” She protested.
“Yeah, I know that now!”
“So what am I supposed to do? Let you go? You know where I live.”
“You could work with us to stop him. The offer still stands.”
“Oh please.” Belle groaned dismissively.
“We have a common enemy. Besides, I know why you wanted the particle ray.”
“Oh you do now?”
“Walter Hardy. He’s your father right?”
Belle was leaning on the opposite side of the chimney Scott was tied to, she had her arms crossed and was looking out at the city skyline. The mention of Walter caused her to look down, she didn’t say anything.
“I figured ‘Belle Sinclair’ wasn’t your real name, you were careful enough to wear a wig when you steal someone’s shit. Besides, that name sounds like the main character of a romance novel.”
“Shut up.” She uncomfortably chuckled. “It was for the scheme.”
“To take the particle ray?”
“I didn’t even know about your invention until Vincent blabbed about it on our date. I made Belle Sinclair was just a persona to catch his attention and rob his family’s warehouse.”
“Yeah well, Vincent’s dead now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Tombstone must’ve heard about it too, cause apparently he killed him over it.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, and he put my friend in the ER.” Scott let out a tired sigh. “I know we just met, but you seem like the kind of person who really needs someone on your side. Tombstone isn’t gonna stop hunting you, especially now that his men got their asses kicked in your apartment. We have a place, a headquarters, that you could stay and lay low.”
“Okay, fine. Since you’re so insistent.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“What do I call you?”
“Black Cat.”
“You can call me Tarantula.”
“I’ll just call you spider.”
——
In the morning hours when most people slept, the cat and the spider traversed the rooftops of New York clad in black. The cat was a master acrobat, she used a grappling hook to zip around and moved through the air with a grace and fluidity Scott couldn’t capture. His web shooters and strong arms helped him keep pace with her, but he didn’t try any fancy flips just yet.
“We’re here!” She called out.
The two landed at the edge of a roof looking down a quiet intersection.
“What’s this place?” Scott asked.
“A bar, I know someone we can get answers from.”
“Okay. Little undercover rendezvous.”
“Follow me.” Black Cat said before rappelling down with her grappling hook. Scott followed after her.
“Wait. Shouldn’t we switch into civilian clothes?”
“You sure are new to this whole thief gig huh spider?”
“Uh, I guess?”
“This place is The Bar with No Name, and only criminals, drug lords and supervillains go here. It’s neutral ground in the underworld, Fisk, Hammerhead and even Tombstone agree to not fight each other here.”
“Woah.”
“Yeah, so keep your suit on.”
The two walked down a set of stairs, where a burly man in a tank top stood guarding a metal door.
“Mitch.” The cat greeted the bouncer.
“Cat. Good to see you. Who’s this?”
“Spider.”
“Oh?”
“It’s not like that. Can you let him in?”
“That depends.” Mitch turned to look at Scott. “Can you follow the code?”
“You only come in if you’re invited. You only get to invite others once you’re trusted by upper management. Once you’re inside, any beef is left at the door. This is a bar for lawbreakers, but we have our own rules to follow.”
“I can do that.”
“Good. Come on in.” Mitch stepped out of the way and opened the door.
“It’s Black Tarantula by the way.” Scott remarked as the two entered the bar.
“Hm, I like Spider more.”
The Bar With No Name was bigger, cleaner and more lavish than Scott was expecting from Cat’s description. The place resembled a sports bar, with dim lighting, TVs broadcasting news and sports, and two bartenders serving thirsty patrons. Cat and Tarantula sat at the bar and ordered drinks. Next to Scott was a woman with curly red hair, she wore a leather jacket and wore white face paint on the right side of her face.
“I haven’t seen you around here before.” She spoke in a timid voice.
“First time. Name’s Tarantula.”
“Mary.”
Scott shook her hand. “What is a girl like her doing in a place like this? She seems so gentle and harmless. Strange.”
Mary got up and walked away to use the bathroom. When Scott looked over at Cat she had a glare on her face.
“Don’t talk to her.”
“Why? Jealous?” Scott teased.
“That’s not-” she stuttered. “She’s a lunatic. Her name is Typhoid Mary, she’s got multiple personalities and one of them is a serial killer.”
“Huh. Wow.”
“Just shut up and let me do the talking.”
“Fine, damn.”
Cat called over the bartender again. “Question.”
“Answer.”
“Is Chameleon here tonight?”
“I believe so. He’s at the corner table.” The bartender pointed to the edge of the establishment.
“Thank you Charlie.”
“Of course.”
Cat downed the rest of her drink and left a tip for the bartender. “Let’s go.”
The two walked to the corner table where a man sat at his lonesome, he wore a blue business suit and a white cloth mask over his face. He sat with one leg over the other and had a smug look about him.
“It is always a pleasure to see the one and only Black Cat.” Chameleon spoke in a posh, aristocratic tone of voice. “But you I do not recognize. New faces are always a treat.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Scott greeted sarcastically.
“We need information.” Cat interjected.
“Oh? You’ve come to the right place then.”
“We’re being hunted by Tombstone.” Scott explained. “We need anything that can give us the edge against him.”
“Revealing information about the head of a mob? That’s quite a dangerous ask.”
“Are you willing to help us or not?” Scott raised his voice.
Cat put her hand on his, as if to calm him down. “How much do you want?” She asked.
“Two thousand.”
“Are you serious?” Scott asked flabbergasted.
“If word gets out that I gave you information on the albino, I could be killed.”
“Shit. I only have like, four hundred at most.”
Cat looked down at the floor, her mind was contemplating a difficult decision and no matter how painful it’d be, she knew it was the right one to make. “I don’t have a lot, but I can pay for it.”
Scott turned to look at her, “Cat are you serious?”
“It needs to be done.”
“Wait.” Scott looked back at Chameleon. “What if I promised to pay you the amount later, with interest?”
“Maybe. How about this, a different proposal?”
“What is it?”
“I have a job that could use capable hands, I’ll tell you what I know, and when this nonsense of yours is finished you will do a job for me. And then we can call it even.” Chameleon extended a hand “Deal?”
Scott grabbed his hand and shook it. “Deal.”
“Very good. Now onto what I know. Tombstone has people asking about you Mr. Tarantula.”
“What? Why?”
“Seems you’ve gotten yourself on his radar. Well you and your gang. Today a group of four men came in here, they weren’t regulars. Tombstone met with them in a private room, but I managed to hear their conversation.”
“What’d they say?”
“They apparently flew into New York per Tombstone’s request, he’s hiring them to help steal a device from your gang. The men go by The Wrecking Crew.”
“He called for backup. Okay.”
“Their first plan was to kidnap a member of your gang, and make him give up the location that you’re hiding this device he wants so badly.”
“Do you know who they said?”
“No, Tombstone showed them a photo captured from CCTV footage. I couldn’t see what the photo looked like.”
“Who is he trying to kidnap?” Scott pondered, then a disturbing thought came to him. “Jamie is in the hospital and he was at Vincent’s warehouse, if they go after him he’s unguarded.”
Scott stood up from his chair. “I need to go. Thank you for the info, we will talk soon.”
“Good meeting you.”
“Scott…” Cat was taken aback by his sudden reaction, but he ignored her and made his way after the building.
Scott navigated his way out of The Bar With No Name, his mind was flooded with dread and guilt. “You stupid, stupid idiot. Adrian was right! That’s why he’s the boss, because he knows what’s best, and you disobeyed him. God I hope Jamie’s okay.” Before he could swing to the hospital a voice called out to him from the entrance of the bar.
“Spider!” It was Cat, who chased after him. “Where are you going?”
“The hospital. My friend is there, and I think The Wrecking Crew is going after him.”
“And you’re gonna stop them?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know who The Wrecking Crew are?”
“I’ll find out.”
“They’re supervillains, like battling The Avengers kind of supervillains. They take contracts to hunt superhumans. You can’t go.”
“I have to.”
“You’re hurt, you won’t survive if you go there. Why risk your life like that?”
Scott sighed. “I’ve only had powers for about a week, but so much has changed. The guys aren’t just a gang, they’re my friends. They’re the closest thing I have to a family. I want to matter, to mean something, and I’m so close.”
Cat looked at the masked burglar in front of her, and she questioned what kind of person was under that mask. She wanted to know who it was that could read her so quickly after a few short encounters, and who it was that would jump into guaranteed death for a friend. She might not know what his name was or what he looked like, but she knew he was in the wrong business. He wasn’t like her, like the rest of them.
“I can’t go with you Spider, I won’t.”
“I understand, just lay low. I’ll find you later.”
“Good luck.”
The spider took to the sky with a web, and the cat slinked into the shadows to hide. Both of them went separate ways knowing they might never see each other again. The only thing they knew for sure was that it would be a bloody night in New York.