Bab 19: Chapter 14: Shepherd of Fire 1/2
Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Thanks to ravens18 for betaing this chapter.
iKoma: Thanks for the kind words, hopefully you'll continue to enjoy.
Howdy folks, it's time for everyone's favorite angry journalist to make an appearance, no, it's not Bill O'Reilly. Though I think JJJ expierences something that he usually doesn't in most Spider-Man media outside of the cartoons I remember watching as a kid. Hopefully it turns out well enough, I don't even remember how many iterations that single exchange went through.
There's also an odd time bit, make sure you're paying attention for that, I don't think it's too confusing but if you skim through it you will get caught out.
Our title today is provided by Avenged Sevenfold, and I will fully admit to only knowing two of their songs. This one because of its use in the trailer for a Zombies map in CoD: Black Ops II, 'Origins' if memory serves, and Carry On, because it was in the trailer for 'Tranzit' from the same game. If you are like most people and don't have a clue why that is amusing it is because Origins is one of the most beloved Zombie maps ever while Tranzit it one of the most abhorred.
I'm not sure why I felt the need to include that, but hey, I bet you learned something today.
Power Without Question – Chapter 14: Shepherd of Fire
Don't you see I am your pride
Agent of wealth. Bearer of needs
And you know it's right
I am your war
Arming the strong. Aiding the weak
Know me by name
Shepherd of fire
Matthew Cooper carefully guided his Viper into the parking garage beneath the building where Hardy lived, the woman sitting regally in the passenger seat. The couple was returning from the tailor, where thankfully Cooper didn't have to do much other than ask that a separate jacket be made to accommodate a shoulder holster. This request had been met with a simple "of course sir" as if that was an expectation. But considering that the Black Cat knew this tailor, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise.
His girlfriend had taken care of the specifics of the suit, style, cut, that sort of thing. The Pilot was not ashamed to admit that Felicia was more 'fashion proficient' than he was, and she never let him forget it. That wasn't what was bothering him though.
In Texas, he had a sister, a little sister, and for a brief second when he looked down into that car, he saw her tied up and staring up at him. It took all of his self control to prevent himself from pulling out his Smart Pistol and executing every single man there, and if Yuri hadn't show up, he probably would have. Part of him was still telling him he should have, damn the reaction Peter would have. He just hoped…
"You in there, cowboy?" said an amused voice, knocking him from his thoughts as he looked around, seeing a smirking Felecia. "You going to ignore that call? Not that I would mind if I got some more attention…"
Cooper looked at the infotainment and saw BT was calling him and accepted the call as he parked the Dodge. "BT, what's happening buddy?" asked the Pilot as Hardy huffed good naturedly.
"Captain Watanabe is attempting to reach you Pilot, I have her on the line" reported the Militia machine flatly.
Matt couldn't suppress a frown, if Yuri was calling him then it was either with really good news or really bad news. "Patch her in BT" he ordered after taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, though he wasn't sure if he did it for Felicia or himself. There was a crackle on the line, after a moment of silence, the Pilot spoke. "Captain, you there?"
"Yeah I'm here" she said, "That the real you Marauder?" asked a clearly irate Cop. "And not…whoever the hell I just talked to."
Matt and Felicia shared a knowing look before Cooper laughed, "It's me Cap. I see you've met my ah…secretary" said the Marauder as Hardy failed to suppress a slight giggle. "What can I do for you?"
There was an exasperated sigh from a woman who clearly did not get paid enough to put up with this shit. "I need to meet with you, usual spot. I got developments from last night, come as quick as you can."
Matthews face tightened at the mention of what he saw the previous evening. The part of him that regretted not pulling the trigger came back and caused him to hope he would get a chance to correct that mistake. "Usual place, 30 or 40 minutes" he read back. "I'll be there" he assured before hanging up and turning the car off.
"What's that all about?" asked Hardy, her tone serious as she scrutinized his features. "I'm not sure how I feel about that look" she said as she cupped his cheek and made him look at her. There was silence inside the car as the two locked eyes, the tension different than the usual kind. "Well whatever it is, go take care of it. Don't forget about me if you have any fun though, I'd love to get a piece of the action, especially if you're involved" said the seductress with her most alluring smirk.
Matt grinned as he leaned in for a quick kiss, "Of course darlin" he assured after the two separated. "You mind if I change in your place and head out from there?"
"Only if I can watch" she purred in reply.
Cooper couldn't help but grin as he gave a bemused shake of the head as he thew the door open and got out of the Viper, this woman truly was something else, but he wouldn't have her any other way.
Thirty seven minutes later, Cooper leapt over to the top of the Chinatown police precinct, sliding to a halt just behind the singular person on the roof. The Pilot stood and pulled out the SRS lighter out as he went up behind Yuri. "Need a light?" he asked dryly, causing her to turn around.
"That girl last night, what do you know about her?" she asked without preamble, the woman's expression serious.
Cooper shook his head, "nothing" he replied quickly. "Just came across the sale, thought it was a drug sale at first and got stuck in…when the dust settled, I wanted to see what they were selling…" he explained, his voice trailed off and he clenched his fists. "Just, tell me you have something."
Yuri shook her head, "No, just wanted to know if you knew anything else" she said quickly, unable to look at him. "If you don't know anything then you can go, the Police can handle this" she assured as the woman turned and tried to walk away.
Before he could register what, he was doing, his hand had reached out of its own volition and clamped down on the cop's shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Captain, what the fuck is going on here? I am not sitting this one out, whether you want it or not" he said firmly. "Is the girl okay? You get anything out of those assholes we knocked out?" he pressed.
There was a moment of hesitation before she looked around quickly before getting closer and spoke in a whisper. "I sent a few cars out to get them…none of them came back. We found them this morning; every single person was shot dead, cops and suspects. Whoever these guys were, they were professionals, clean kills, every last one."
Matthew frowned, of course this wasn't simple. "And the girl?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.
Yuri shook her head again. "We got nothing out of her before she…before she escaped" admitted Watanabe, clearly pissed by this development. Their last lead was in the wind, worse, it was someone they were trying to protect. "She didn't say a damn thing all the way back and went to sleep as soon as we got to the station. I left on a coffee run this morning and when I came back…" she threw her hands up in the air, "nothing."
The Marauder bit back a curse, "I'll look for her, got anything on her? An ID? Family?" he asked.
"Nothing, we took her prints and fed them through the system" she explained, "no hits."
Matthew furrowed his brow, "no hits?" he parroted, getting a nod in return. "Meaning she wasn't reported missing…."
"No, like she didn't exist at all" replied Yuri through grit teeth, the woman was clearly frustrated by her apparent failure. A hand came up and she rubbed her forehead before she ran it through her hair. "I tried everything, prints, description, I spent three hours going through a missing persons database and have nothing to show for it. The only thing I do know for sure is that the buyers worked for the Maggia here in New York. But I can't even tell you which family, they were hired guns."
"And the sellers?"
"Even less, no ID on them, and whoever they were, they had the same trick done to them as that girl" revealed the Cop. "Ran their prints through all the databases, IAFIS, Interpol, Eurodac, didn't get jack shit back. Same story with DNA." Yuri's expression became serious, "these aren't just kidnappers we're dealing with here; they make people disappear. My guys are already working on this, you don't have to…"
"You can't stop me" growled Cooper. "I'm getting involved, the only way I won't be is if you cuff me and throw my ass in jail right now."
"I should" remarked Watanabe instantly. "You're still wanted for…well suffice it to say, 'a lot'. But something tells me even that wouldn't do much to stop you" she said, smirking at the shake of the head she got in reply before sighing in resignation. "Alright then, we already have a BOLO out on the girl, but if could help search I'd appreciate it. I'll try to dig into the Maggia connection, see who exactly the buyer was and why. Could be personal, for extortion, or…." Neither of them could bring themselves to say what the other option was.
After a moment, Cooper nodded, "Alright, let me know if you need help. I'll check with a friend about the Maggia, they may be able to give me some insight" he said as he unslung his CAR and got ready to get moving.
"Keep me posted" ordered the Captain sternly. "And Marauder…" she called out, causing him to turn around, "Good hunting." Cooper gave a nod and quick salute before vaulting over the railing and setting off.
Two hours later, and his search for the girl had seen no progress, learning about the Maggia from Hardy on the other hand… "That about covers the basics, was there something more specific you wanted to know?" asked the burglar. Cooper really didn't want to know how she knew some of what she had told him, but he wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"Is there any one of the families that likes to use hired guns more?" asked Cooper as he activated his STIM and shot forwards as bystanders below turned their eyes skyward to catch a glimpse of the Marauder.
He heard Hardy click her tongue on the other end. "Most don't use any Handsome. They prefer to 'keep it in the family'" she said with clear dismissal before pausing. "Though if there is one who would, it's Hammerhead. He's always been the wildcard of the Dons." Cooper continued along the route BT had given him. The machine had accessed police data and figured out a most probable path of travel using traffic volume, the girl's lack of money, and other factors the Pilot didn't understand. "What are you scheming?"
Cooper wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but he knew what he wanted the outcome to be. "Hypothetical question, if you were going to tear the Maggia down, not just kill them, but eradicate all traces of their existence, how would you do it?" he asked. Sure, he could try to kill the dons, but chances were that he could get one, maybe two, before the others went to ground. Even if he forced them into hiding, their organizations would still chug right along.
That wasn't acceptable, not now.
"Woah there, hold up Cowboy" she said. "I'll say many things about the Maggia, but they didn't stay around this long by being stupid. Hurting them is easy, what you're proposing in on a whole other level" she explained.
"Are you telling me you can't do it?" he challenged, knowing full well there was little Felicia liked more than a challenge.
Sure enough, the Cat took the bait. "I didn't say that" she said sternly, bristling at the insinuation. "Just that it won't be a one and done thing. Rushing in guns blazing won't work, it's going to take time to plan this out. That could take months" she cautioned.
The Marauder continued his search, a new waypoint flashing up on his HUD indicating he should search this area, given by distance from precinct and time since she was last seen. "You know I can be patient" he reminded. "Something to work on between teaching me how to dance" he suggested as he scanned the dark alleys below for any sign of his mark.
Cooper pursed his lips, there was no sign of the girl. "What's taking you so long Cowboy? Spend a little extra time with your Policewoman friend?" asked Hardy suggestively. "Not like I can blame you; you seem to have a thing for leather clad women."
The Marauder managed to keep himself from shaking his head, though he did roll his eyes inside his helmet as a fresh waypoint appeared with another possible spot. "She just wanted a statement and now I'm doing some recon. Should be back in an hour or so and we can have a little fun" he reported casually, though he was becoming increasingly worried where this girl might be.
"I can't wait" replied Felecia in a seductive tone before ending the call, leaving the Marauder to continue his search. Though the missing girl wouldn't appear until the following day.
"Peter dear, could you check on Mrs. Gonzalez's computer, it's been acting up" asked Aunt May. The superhero looked up form the chess game he was spectating as the woman approached. "You know how we are when it comes to technology" said the woman with an apologetic smile.
The younger Parker understood, being the unofficial IT support for FEAST was something he was very much used to. "Sure thing Aunt May" said Peter as he tore himself from the game and went for the front desk. "Alright Rita let's see what's wrong here" said the Webhead as he set to work.
Thirty minutes of messing around with the OS with a little percussive maintenance for good measure, and Peter was confident that the problem had been licked. "Oh my god, what happened to you?" exclaimed the woman working the front desk suddenly, Gonzalez flying from her position out to whoever had just come into the homeless shelter.
Peter stood up and looked at who had warranted such a reaction, his mouth dropping as recognition slammed into him like a freight train. It was the same blond girl that he and Cooper had rescued two nights prior, she didn't look that much better than when the duo found her either. Filthy, ratty hair, tattered clothes covered by an ill-fitting police jacket and sweatpants, she didn't look like she was any less terrified than when the Marauder had pulled her out of that car.
"You poor thing, are you alright?" asked the older Hispanic woman, getting only a slight shake of the head in return. "Let's get you cleaned up, come with me" she said, ushering her back before the girl's stomach growled audibly. "And some food in you too."
There was an unpleasant buzz at the base of his skull, causing the webslinger to look out the window to see a bald man in trench coat and sunglasses staring at the shelter. The man frowned slightly before turning on his heel and continuing to walk down the street, the simple action sent a chill down his spine. "You alright dear?" asked May, startling him. "You look like you've seen a ghost" she said with a chuckle.
"Huh" replied Peter dumbly, "Yeah, yeah Aunt May, I'm fine" he answered dismissively as he tried to shake off the feeling but couldn't quite manage it. The buzz had settled to a slight hum, but still persisted, "Actually, is it okay if I go grab some food? I'm starving."
The kindly older woman smiled, "of course, I think we can manage for little while" she said before turning away. As soon as his aunt was out of sight, Peter made for the staircase that led to the roof and his stashed backpack, pulling out his phone as he took the stairs two at a time.
The phone rung a few times before the call was finally accepted. Parker spoke without preamble, "I'll explain when you get here, but I need you at FEAST now. You understand me Marauder?"
Two Hours Prior…
"Fuck" cursed Cooper irately as he over stepped and only barely avoided stepping on his partner's toes again. He could run along the sides of buildings at 50 kph, why was a three-step waltz so much damn harder? "Let's run it again darling, I'll get it" he assured as he shook off his most recent failure and took her hand in his while placing the other on her hip.
The pair had been at this for a few hours, and he was thanking every god he could think of for Felicia's patience with him. "You're definitely getting better, and we can practice more later, the gala isn't for another month" she reminded before her lips curled in that oh so familiar and even more enticing way. "And there are things I would much rather be doing."
Before Matthew could answer, his phone rang, his own rendition of the opening lick of 'For Those About to Rock' filling the living area of Hardy's penthouse. Sighing, the Pilot went to check it and picked up the cell after frowning at the caller ID. "Watson, didn't expect to hear from you, everything alright?"
"Yeah, whatever, listen" she said quickly. Cooper couldn't recall ever hearing the redhead be this flustered before and stiffened. "I need you down at the Bugle, now" she said in a tone that left no room for argument.
The Texan didn't, and began moving to collect his car keys, much to Hardy's dismay, "I'm coming, what's going on?" he asked.
"Reporter voodoo magic" snapped Watson, "Like you said Marauder, you do the shooting, I do the reporting. You need to come down here and help me help you. No weapons" she finished.
That wasn't an option, even as Cooper adjusted his course to gear up he gave his own interpretation of the answer. "Safety's on, got it. I'll be there shortly" he acknowledged curtly before hanging up. When he saw Hardy's questioning look, he gave a bemused grin. "You wouldn't happen to know a good publicist, would you?" The cat burglar shook her head, much to the Marauder's disappointment. "Damn."
Mary Jane Watson wondered who the hell was tapping their heel on the tile of the lobby of the Bugle building before taking note of all the people staring at her, annoyed. Heat filled her cheeks as she stopped tapping, instead trying to shrink into the background as she began to chew her lip. How long did it take for him to jet pack his way from Hardy's place? She knew he spent as much of his time there as at his refurbished warehouse, hideout, armory thing, probably even more.
The answer to her question was answered when she noticed a commotion at the front door. Judging by the screams and more than a few people who were running in panic, it wasn't hard to guess the source. She looked to see the Marauder stride confidently into the building, blue visor scanning the lobby before fixing on her.
She straightened and held her ground, the Titan Jockey crossed the lobby like he owned the place, politely nodding to those who watched him with wide eyes. "You're late" she scolded as she turned and led him towards the elevator. "And was the dramatic entrance strictly necessary?" she asked with a slight smile.
"Wouldn't be fun otherwise" replied the Pilot dryly as he followed the reporter into the elevator. "Mind telling me what's going on? Cops are probably already on their way." MJ pressed the button for the floor where the Bugle was located and let out a sigh. "That bad huh?"
The redhead sighed again and nodded before reconsidering. "Depends on where you rank the wrath of J. Jonah Jameson compared to what you usually deal with" she responded, getting a slight chuckle from the vigilante. "He doesn't believe that you actually gave me an interview, so he won't print it, and probably fire me unless the two of us can convince him otherwise" she said.
The Marauder nodded slowly, "is that all?" he asked dryly, shifting uncomfortably. It was weird to see him unsettled, almost like Matt Cooper was in the elevator with her instead of the Marauder. The helmet turned slightly, and he saw the look she was giving him in his peripheral vision. "Yes, I'm nervous" he admitted testily, "my usual course of action won't work here. Can't exactly shoot my way out of this one."
MJ allowed herself a small laugh at the dry humor before it fell off, the sight of the massive gun slung over his back and usual array of ordinance on his person was still unsettling. "I'd rather you not, even if it looks like you came prepared to" she answered with a forced smirk.
Before he could answer, the elevator lurched to a stop and the doors slid open, revealing a man wearing business casual and pair of glasses holding a cup of coffee. "Not now Robbie" said MJ as she bull rushed passed him, only catching a glimpse of his shocked expression as the Marauder fell in behind her. Doing her best to keep a straight face, she made a beeline for Jameson's corner office, ignoring the shocked expressions and gasps of her coworkers until the two reached their destination and she knocked on the door. "Mr. Jameson? I have that proof you asked for" she called, ignoring the snicker from the Pilot. "I need to show it to you right now."
There was a loud 'bang' from inside, JJJ likely banged on his desk again, the ensuing sound of a coffee mug hitting the floor confirmed this. "It'll have to wait Watson, I'm not having any more discussion about printing anything you claim that menace said. Now go away, I'm on a very important call" he barked before they heard him pick up an old-fashioned telephone handset. "Get me somebody, anybody" he ordered angrily before adding "and get me somebody while I'm waiting."
Suppressing a desire to launch into a swear filled tirade to rival her boss, MJ sighed before she heard the Marauder clear his throat. Turning to him, she saw him holding a satchel that read 'knock knock' in one hand while holding a detonator in the other. The reporter shook her head, waving her hands frantically. With a hint of reluctance, the Marauder replaced the two devices, his shoulders slumping in an amusing way. "It really is important that I speak to you right now" she said, trying to contain herself to keep Matthew from getting any ideas.
Sadly though, that didn't seem to matter. "Fuck this" muttered the Marauder before he unceremoniously kicked the door open and marched into the office. "Sorry about the door" he remarked wryly as he unslung his machine gun and leaned it against Jameson's desk.
"Yo…you?!" stammered Jameson, MJ fighting to keep a straight face upon seeing his stunned look. "What are you doing here you menace? You going to try to silence me from spreading the truth? I don't know why you're in this city, but I'm going to find out, and when I do…"
"By accident" said the Marauder quietly, cutting off the rant before it could get underway. "I'm in this city by accident, if you watched the interview then you would know that" he said, not irritated, not raising his voice, merely stating a fact. "I understand your concern, which is why I agreed to the interview" he continued calmly.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone