Capítulo 15: Chapter 12: Cat Scratch Fever 1/2
Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Darlok: Thanks for the kind words. Your predictions are mostly accurate for what's in store but only mostly, though it may take some time to get there. I will say that Cooper's interactions with Sable are interesting because while they are both, more or less, professional soldiers, there is one issue: Cooper hates mercenaries. His experiences with the Apex Predators on Typhon were not pleasant, they were the ones who killed Lastimosa and captured him. There will also be other happenings and reasons for his animosity towards her, but that one is the most obvious. For her part, Silver, who's defining trait is stoic discipline, doesn't appreciate the Pilot's maverick attitude.
Also, the story has passed 1,100 views. Two responses: 1. Wow, thanks for the interest. 2. Wow, do none of us really have anything better to do with our time?
Don't take that second one seriously, I'm being sarcastic.
You may have noticed the story description has been updated, I was never happy with the original and I've been meaning to get around to it for some time.
This is a mostly fluff chapter that I'm honestly still not happy with, as for why I'll explain at the bottom. The song is one of the best by the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent. Obvious meaning is obvious, there is approximately zero subtlety or surprises or any tricky business going on. And that is not sarcasm. That also means that there will be strong sexual content present. The section with it has been marked at the beginning and end with ten asterisks if you wish to skip over it, or skip directly to it, I don't care.
Power Without Question – Chapter 12: Cat Scratch Fever
Well I don't know where they come from but they sure do come
I hope they comin' for me
And I don't know how they do it but they sure do it good
I hope they doin' it for free
They give me cat scratch fever
Three days after Cinderblock, things were finally starting to begin the arduous process of returning to normal. FEAST had seen an influx of people coming in, many people were looking to get off the streets after the multiple gun battles that took place. Peter Parker found himself spending more time at the homeless shelter, trying to help his Aunt May with the extra work.
He was busy at the front desk, giving the people in the reception area a fresh cup of coffee when the door opened, and Parker was surprised at who walked in. The Texan definitely looked better, the bags that were around his eyes were gone, bruises healed, and any hint of the limp from his injuries nonexistent. The faint buzz in the back of his head meant that Cooper had a weapon concealed beneath his SRT branded jacket or the bag slung over his shoulder. "Matt?" asked Peter as he approached the vigilante. "What are you doing here?"
"Have a little free time, figured I'd take you up on your offer and help out a bit" drawled Cooper casually before he had finally stopped scanning the lobby. It was a habit Peter had seen, 'checking all of the angles and exits', though his spider sense meant he hadn't developed it. "Though I need to change and be out of here by seven o clock sharp" he said as he checked his watch. "I don't mind doing whatever needs doing till then" he drawled, trying to be casual.
"Yeah, yeah sure man" replied Peter as he led him back out of the front office and away from any potential eavesdroppers. "Why the rush, hot date?" he joked as the pair went upstairs.
Matthew chuckled and gave a knowing smile. "Actually, yeah. I'm taking Felecia to dinner" he said as they reached the second floor and Peter led him to May's office, she would know what needs doing. "After that she has something planned, something we'd prefer to do alone" said Cooper.
At first, Peter thought he had simply been around Hardy too much, but the comment came too far out of left field, and the delivery was unexaggerated, cool and calm. Parker looked at the blank expression on Cooper's face, though there was a harshness in his eyes that made Peter realize the man's words had been a command to his alter ego. "Don't do anything I wouldn't" advised Parker, getting a grunt of acknowledgement in return.
The webhead wasn't sure what to make of that relationship. The Black Cat was manipulative and intelligent, and he hoped she wouldn't take advantage of the Marauder. Cooper's heart was in the right place, the Pilot did want to do good, even if was willing to do things Peter wasn't. He could help keep Hardy out of too much trouble and at least straight morally if not legally.
Those hopes wouldn't stop him from keeping an eye on the Militia Pilot.
Cooper finished rewiring one of the ceiling fans that had broken at some point, a pair of pliers held between his teeth as he retightened a screw while laying on top of the ladder some fifteen feet up. One thing about being a pilot, if he had any fear of heights, that had been beaten out of him. Satisfied with his work, he pocketed the tools he had and shimmied to the steps of the ladder as he spotted Parker down below, talking with two older folks hunched over a chess board. "Hey Parker, give it a shot" he called down.
The Wallcrawler had been coming in and out of whatever room Matt had been in constantly. The Marauder knew the other vigilante was keeping tabs on him, which Cooper understood and did nothing about. Peter flicked a switch on the wall, and after a moment of inaction, the ceiling fan began to turn. "Coop!" yelled Peter suddenly, catching Matt off guard with the old nickname's sudden use. "Check the time." The Pilot looked down at his watch, eyes widening in realization. Sliding down the ladder with a Pilot's speed, Cooper grabbed his pack and tossed the borrowed tools to Peter. "Office next to May's is empty, you can change there" provided Peter as Matt gave a thankful nod before rushing upstairs and changing into slacks and button down shirt, his blazer and overcoat were in the Viper parked up the street.
The 8.4 liter V10 came to life with its reassuring rumble, the feeling of the car waking back up and eager to strike never failing to put a smile on Coopers face. Even if the car had winter tires on it, the Viper was always known to bite those who drove it if they weren't good. Lightning fast reflexes and nerves of steel were perquisites to handle the super sports car. Fortunately, a pilot needed the same, and the Marauder felt at home behind the wheel.
With a little bit of speeding and creative routing, he was able to arrive at Hardy's building right on time. The thief soon appeared, wearing a black dress, coat, and a rather unhappy expression. She dismissed the doorman with a huff and made a beeline for the Viper and slammed the door. "Drive" she commanded simply.
Matt didn't argue, his foot mashing the throttle and the rear tires spinning before the car got moving. The Pilot stole glances at her profile, it was obvious that Black Cat was going through a range of emotions. Her cold anger gave way to annoyance before she finally relaxed with a sigh Cooper heard over the exhaust. "Is my driving that bad?" he asked with a half grin.
Before Hardy could answer, Cooper dropped a gear and stabbed the throttle, kicking the tail of the car out before spinning the wheel and straightening. The rear tires dug in and the Viper shot forwards causing both occupants to be pressed into their seats. Cooper gave a grin to Felecia, who glared in return. "I was going to say 'no', it's the car I don't like" she began, "but actually, it is your driving" she deadpanned.
Cooper calmed down a little after that, shifting up and keeping the revs low as the sleek machine stalked through the streets. "I don't care for your art and you don't care for my cars, this date is off to a great start" said Matt sarcastically, drawing a small laugh from the platinum blonde.
"It's not that" she admitted. Whatever it was, it had caused her to not be her usual confident, flirtatious self, so to say it had the Marauder worried was an understatement. Despite the silence, Matt could hear the cogs of her mind turning, unless that was the engine. "I got a call from my mother. She's going to…" she began before taking a breath, "never mind, it's nothing" she said firmly.
Cooper gingerly guided the car into a parking garage adjacent to the restaurant, turning to see Hardy making it a point to look out the window and not at him. "Felecia" said Cooper, not worrying that she didn't turn to look at him. "Just say the word, and I'll help. I need you at your best if we're going to gun for Osborn."
"Trust me handsome" she replied, her usual confidence back in full force, "You'll get everything you need."
A blue blur streaked over Felecia Hardy's head as she swung by her grapple through the city. The Marauder running alongside the walls of a building, licks of flame coming from his pack as Hardy landed on the rooftop of the same building. This was the part of the evening the Black Cat had been looking forward to. Dinner had been fine, surprisingly pleasant even. Cooper listened to her explain why she liked certain art pieces, occasionally offering a question or dry remark.
"Need me to wait up for you Cat?" asked the Marauder in her earpiece, "It's getting lonely up here at the front."
"Miss me already?" she replied as she pushed herself harder to catch up to the Pilot. It was nice to have a partner again, the fact that he was good looking even without his armor was a definite bonus. The fact that he didn't mind her sticky fingers or feel the need to convert her to be some hero only made their arrangement even better. This was what she had really been looking forward to when she accepted his offer.
She could see the signature of his jump kit toss himself across the street as she fired her grapple to close the gap. "Just don't want to hog all the fun is all" drawled the Marauder as he fired his own grapple.
The SRS Pilot swung towards the line of rooftops Hardy was on, firing his kit to sling himself up onto the rooftop. It didn't take long for Felecia to realize why, they were rapidly nearing their destination, if she was going to catch up then she had to do it now. However, there was nothing she could grapple to that would work, leaving only one option. With careful aim, she fired her signature gadget, the hook slamming into the back of her companion, bringing him to a halt as she got closer, half running, half flying towards him.
Her Hail Mary move came to an end as he turned around just in time for her to slam into him at nearly full speed, knocking him off his feet and causing the two to roll across the roof until they come to a stop. Straddling the Marauder, Hardy looked down at the glowing visor and smirked victoriously. The helmet looked up at her, a gloved hand rested on her hip as the other pressed to the side of his helmet. Hardy had to conceal her surprise as the front of the helmet opened to reveal the Pilot, looking up at the thief with a bewildered look. "If you wanted me to wait" he began between deep breaths, "you could have just asked."
He tried to use his elbow to prop himself up, but Hardy wasn't had her fill of fun just yet. She pressed a hand firmly against his armor, pressing his back down against the rooftop as she leaned down towards him. "And miss out on this?" she purred as her hand roamed over to and down his arm.
Coopers hand trailed down from her hip over her rear and to her thigh. "Point" conceded the Marauder, clearly occupied with other thoughts. Hardy smirked victoriously before she placed her hands on either side of the man's torso before she went into a handstand and finished the flip right over the head of Cooper, making sure he got a show in the process.
"Time for some fun" said Hardy as she looked across the street at the illuminated top floor of the club. A contact of hers passed along that she was providing a few girls for the entertainment of maggia boss Tony Costa, as well as the time and place. "Ready to crash a party?"
The Marauder crouched next to her, helmet reassembled, and orange and white submachine gun slung over his shoulder. "Your show Cat. How are we doing this?" he asked, back to business.
This was, in all likelihood, going to be a cakewalk. "I'm going through the vents, I like to be on top" she said.
"Which means I'm going through the front door" finished Cooper with a nod of his helmet. "All we're doing is neutralizing everyone inside, or is there something else I should know?"
Even if she couldn't tell through the voice filter, the question made Hardy feel guilty. The last time she had asked for his help it had been deliberately leading him into a trap that nearly got him killed. She wouldn't hide anything from him, not again. "The one having the party, Costa, I need to have a chat with him, find out what he has on Kingpin for when we visit his place. The other maggia men are fair game." He hmmed in acknowledgement, listening as she continued. "This is a party, there are some…entertainers there, not associated with the crime family."
"Simple enough" responded the Marauder as he cracked his knuckles, lightning flickering as he did so. "United we stand, divided we ambush" he quoted off handedly before turning to look at the thief. "Ready when you are."
Felecia smirked as she readied her grapple, "I need a five minute head start" she said, not waiting for his response before she pulled herself to the rooftop of the club. In short order, she had slinked her way into the unguarded ventilation shaft and found herself peering into the main room, her black outfit making her invisible to the others.
There were ten suited men around the room, playing cards, drinking, or watching the dancers. A sound from the door that led to the patio caused all of them to focus on the door. The second bang drew a few concerned glances as some of the men got up and turned to the double doors just as they flew open. "The fuck?" asked one, "what the hell did that?"
In answer to the question, the Marauders cloak fell away to reveal the vigilante, blue visor scanning slowly, menace emanating off of him in waves. The Maggia enforcers stopped whatever they were doing as they regarded the Pilot, the standing ones stepping back slowly. "Bitches leave" ordered Cooper in his electronically filtered voice.
The girls didn't need any more prompting, immediately grabbing their belongings and running for the door, leaving the men to fend for themselves. "The hell are you doing here?" barked Costa.
The visor turned to the man of the hour and Felecia could hear Matt's faint chuckle in her earpiece. "I have come here…to chew bubblegum and kick ass" he said as he raised his fists and settled into a boxer's stance, "and I'm all out of bubblegum."
It took all of Black Cats willpower to not faceplant into the vent and give herself away at hearing the line, it sounded like something Spider-Man would say. Only the Marauder had a deadpan delivery that made it clear what was going to happen in contrast to Spiders chipper tone. It had the desired effect, one of the bigger maggia men shoved his way to the front of the group and readied a punch.
Setting the tempo, Cooper fired his jump kit and kicked, the heel of his boot connecting with the suited man's chin. The Maggia staggered back, reeling from the blow, he could do nothing when the Pilot landed two quick jabs before an uppercut knocked him onto his back. A smaller one was feeling brave as he swung a makeshift weapon, the pool cue snapping on the striped helmet. The suited man tried to swing the broken cue, but Cooper ignored it as he grabbed the man by the collar and heaved him into a third. With barely a second to breathe, a fourth came at the Marauder from behind only to receive an elbow to the stomach before the Pilot phased out of existence.
When he reappeared, the fight began again, but Hardy's eyes were fixed on Costa, who was fumbling around behind the bar before he produced a sawed-off shotgun. Taking that as her cue, the Black Cat emerged from her perch, claws out as she dropped down on the mob man. The big bores of the twin twelve gauge swung around to meet her only for the Cat to strike, knocking the weapon away and slicing up the wielder's hands in the process.
Before she could follow up, another Maggia enforcer slammed into the bar, reeling from a blow that Cooper had dealt. The suited man shook his head as his hand fumbled for a beer bottle, smashing it and clambering over the bar so he was behind Hardy. Throwing a grin over her shoulder, Felecia watched the man charge at her, waving the shattered bottle. Jumping up on the bar, she backflipped over the attacker, claws ripping into the back of his suit and pants, one slicing a tendon in his leg and causing him to crumple to the floor. "That all you got?" snarled Cooper from across the room as he threw himself into the next suited enforcer, fist crackling with arc energy.
He didn't see the man coming up behind him however, and the Black Cat jumped up and bounced off of all the wall and then the Bar as she leapt at the thug, grabbing him around the neck and using her momentum to spin him around and throw him to the floor. She looked up to see another rushing her, only for a grappling hook to bury itself into his shoulder and yank him away and into the waiting fist of the Marauder.
The Cat and Marauder took in their surroundings, six of the Maggia were down for the count, but the remaining four had them surrounded. Hardy then became aware that she was back to back with the Texan, both settled in their fighting stances as they rotated about each other. It was then that Hardy realized something was poking her ass through her outfit. "Bet you can't stick it" whispered Cooper over the radio.
Felecia reached back and took the gravity star, smirking under her mask. "You're on" she answered before hurling the weapon. The man who she hit with it screamed and tried to remove the star as it activated, pulling balls from the pool table and glasses at him as he flailed against the gravity well.
Tony Coasta's eyes widened at the sight, and things did not get any better when he saw the thief bearing down on him. A heeled boot kicked both of his legs out from under him before it was pressed into his back. "Admit it Tony, you look best beneath me" she purred as the man craned his neck to see if he would get any help.
He was instead greeted by the sight of the Marauder kicking the last of his men into the bar and then bashing him over the head with a barstool before discarding the chair. "That our man?" he asked as he surveyed the ruined establishment.
Cat merely hummed as she got the suited Costa to his feet, any thoughts the man had about fighting died when the Marauder glared at him with his visor. Cooper opened the door to the man's office, gun drawn and swept the room before he moved in. "Sit" ordered Hardy as the man instinctively made for his desk chair, only for the Cat to redirect him to the chairs opposite his usual one.
Hardy sat in the plush high backed leather chair as Cooper took position behind her and off to the side. She couldn't help but think that it looked like he was her bodyguard and would listen to her every command, which was a pleasant thought.
The mob man tried not to look intimidated, though he was shaking like a leaf. "Do you freaks know who you're fucking with?" he stammered as he looked mainly at the masked Marauder, whose arms crossed but otherwise still. "If you think the Costa family will let you get away with this…"
"Shhh" whispered Hardy as she pressed a finger to his lips, leaning across the desk to do so. "Big talk considering your position" she purred as she sat back down and folded her hands on the desk. "Now, as to why we're here, your sources inside the Kingpins syndicate" she said calmly.
The Maggia man sneered in response, "I'm not telling you shit, bitch. You can flash your tits and waggle your ass, but I won't grovel at your feet like him" he said, looking to the fully armored Pilot, who offered no response.
Hardy's lips formed into a thin line, any shreds of pleasantness vanishing in a heartbeat. It was odd feeling that she should stand up for him, even if the man was more than capable of handling himself. "Mr. Marauder" she said, surprising herself with how cold the delivery was. "It seems Tony is not being as helpful as I thought. Care to help fix that?"
The renegade vigilante strode forwards, drawing his knife and giving it a twirl as he approached the man and circling him before he sat on the desk next to the computer monitor. Hardy eyed him, trying to keep a straight face. She had expected him to start roughing up the man, threaten him at least.
Status de energia semanal
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Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder