Capítulo 20: 2/2
"The one I'm not going to print. I won't allow my paper to glorify criminal activity" he said gruffly. Doing his best to not seem intimidated by the armored vigilante, he put out his cigar and glared at Watson before turning back to his computer, seemingly ignoring them.
Watson stepped forward, leaning over his desk in desperation. "But Mr. Jameson, you have to respect the value of this. How can you not believe in this opportunity?" she asked, almost begging at this point.
"I don't Watson, because he" he said, an incriminating finger singling out the Marauder, "is a masked menace that is amongst the shallowest form of people. He doesn't believe in anything, he wants to use my paper for his own selfish ends, and I will not allow it. Do I make myself clear?"
There were a few tense moments before MJ felt a hand lightly clasp her shoulder and puller her back, the Marauder stepping forwards and standing at his full height. "I think you've misjudged me, and I will prove it to you" he said calmly, hoping to find some reason in the Senior Editor.
Sadly, he found none, JJJ regarded him for a moment before standing, throwing his chair back. "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO!" he howled triumphantly before leaning towards the vigilante and staring into the glowing visor. "I, J. Jonah Jameson, WON'T BE STRONGARMED BY YOU!" He then sat back down and smiled up at the Pilot. "You vigilantes are all the same, doing it for fame and fortune, but as soon as someone challenges your fragile ego, the façade of righteousness crumbles to reveal the greed that lies beneath."
Without a word in reply, the Pilot drew his pistol and held it up for the two Bugle employees to see before dropping the magazine and opening the slide to deposit the bullet onto the desk and setting the gun beside it. "This…" he said, picking up the round, "is the 9X89M SGSR Mark III." He held the bronze and grey bullet up, letting the light reflect off it as he spun it, "and it costs about the same as what you pay Ms. Watson each month" he revealed before placing it back in the magazine. "12 of those in here, meaning I'm holding a year's salary for one of your reporters in my hand" he explained before tossing the magazine to the Editor.
MJ couldn't totally suppress a snicker at the sight of him fumbling and then dropping the loaded magazine, earning her a glare from her boss. "I can't tell you how many of those rounds I've shot, how many tens of thousands of dollars I've destroyed just by pulling the trigger, never mind the cost of what they hit. You know why? It doesn't matter" he said, getting the attention of both Jameson and Watson. "I've fought for a number of reasons, and looking back, I can say that they weren't all worth fighting for. I've fought out of anger, out of a desire to do my job, even just to survive. None of those are good reasons, and they aren't why I do what I do now, none of that keeps you going. Right now, I fight because I believe. In a better tomorrow, in there being fewer who suffer at the hands of evil, in doing what I can to make it happen, that action is what makes a difference."
"That's all well and good son" said the editor dismissively as he tossed the magazine back on the desk, "but none of that explains why you decided to play by your own rules. You run around and use the city as your playground at the expense of good law-abiding citizens. Get it through that helmet of yours that WE. DON'T. NEED. YOU!"
Silence reigned for a few seconds before the shoulder pads moved up and down in shrug. "Maybe, maybe not" said the Marauder quietly. "But I'm not here to play by your rules…I'm here to play by mine" growled Cooper darkly as he chambered and round in the Smart Pistol and grabbed Jameson's hand. "Have you ever seen something, and couldn't help but wonder if you could have made a difference? You think print makes a difference, but talk is cheap" said the Marauder with terrifying calm as he turned off the safety on the gun and slapped it into the Editors hand. "Action is where it counts, so…" he continued as Cooper forced Jameson to close his hand around the weapon's grip before grabbing the muzzle and pressing the gun to the crown of his helmet, "Take action, if you really believe that you don't need me then pull that trigger and be rid of me."
MJ subconsciously held her breath, a spectator as she watched a myriad of emotions cycle through J Jonah's visage. Shock, ponderance, anger, determination, questioning, and doubt before his expression softened and he slowly relinquished his grip on the weapon and stepped back. "Not so easy is it?" asked the vigilante as he placed the weapon back in its holster. "Hopefully that helps you understand how much I believe in what I do, even if you don't agree."
MJ watched the older man remain still for a second, staring at the table in utter disbelief before he began to slowly nod. "Fine, Watson, I'll run your damn story. Have it…" he began, only to be cut off by a knock on the kicked in door. "What the hell do you want Brant?"
The secretary frowned, "The police have arrived sir, they'll be coming up here any minute" reported the woman, her eyes darting to the reason they were here.
MJ frowned as well; in her panic she had forgotten that her friend was still a wanted man. "I won't impose any longer" said the Marauder before picking up his gun and slinging it back over his shoulder. "Mr. Jameson, Ms. Watson, Ms. Brant" he said politely before heading for the door. "Ms. Brant, would you happen to know if that elevator leads to the roof?" he asked, glove pointing at the shaft that brought the two up earlier. The woman nodded dumbly, trying to slowly back away from the heavily armed man. "Much appreciated" he drawled before heading back the way he came.
Cooper moved briskly through the office, ignoring the blatant stares at him as he arrived at the elevator and slipped his gloved fingers between the seam in the elevator doors. "I don't get paid enough for this crap" he grumbled good naturedly as he opened the doors, pressing his back into one while he used his exo enhanced strength to open the doors to reveal the dimly lit shaft.
The Pilot then turned around to the stares of the bugle employees bombarding him like bullets usually did and couldn't help but chuckle. "Going up, roof level, looking for toys, guns, and keys to superweapons" he quipped before leaping into the shaft, jump kit firing as it flung him to the far side, and he began his rapid ascent.
Beneath him, the elevators worked furiously, likely ferrying police up to the floor he had just vacated. Just because he had a Spitfire and a load of ammo didn't mean he wanted to use it, he had it more for the intimidation factor the gun possessed then its actual effectiveness. Like its namesake, the LMG was temperamental thing.
An alert flashed on his HUD, Parker was calling. Without a second thought, he gave the mental command to accept the call, but before he could speak, the native New Yorker cut him off. "I'll explain when you get here, but I need you at FEAST now. You understand me Marauder?"
"Yeah, but…Spidey? Spidey, you there?" he asked after hearing a recognizable click in the helmet. "BT, let's see what's up, waypoint at FEAST" he ordered as he pulled out his axe and used it to lever the top doors before stepping out onto the roof and seeing the waypoint appear on his HUD. "What's the situation at FEAST?"
"Situation normal Pilot" reported the Titan as the Marauder activated his STIM and slide hopped off the edge of the building and over the police cars that had gathered below. "NYPD network as no reports of active crimes in the vicinity of FEAST. It is unknown why your assistance has been requested."
Coopers mood soured; he didn't like being on the back foot like this. The Militia Pilot had become accustomed to knowing what he was getting into and being able to prepare beforehand. Despite that, he had his armor and equipment, his weapon, and backup he could rely on, the Marauder felt confident he could overcome whatever was waiting for him.
He soon arrived at his destination and posted up on overwatch, LMG out and scanning the area, but saw nothing of note. "Get Spider-Man on the horn BT" he ordered calmly before the Webhead picked up. "I'm here Spidey, what's going on?"
"I don't see you" said Parker in a hushed whisper. "Meet me at the terrace on the south side of the building and I'll explain" said the other hero before hanging up. Matt chewed his lip worriedly before complying, if something had the veteran vigilante worried then it wasn't to be taken lightly.
Leaping from the building, he fired his jump kit and rolled as he hit the roof before coming to a crouch and heading for the south side of the building. The Pilot jumped down to the terrace, looking up to see the red and blue clad Webhead sticking to the overhang. "What's going on Spidey?" he asked simply.
"That girl we found on patrol, what do you know about her?" he asked as the wallcrawler dropped down from his vantage and stood between the Marauder and door into the building.
The Marauder cocked his head, "You too?" he asked before his eyes widened with a thought. "Why? Is she here?" he asked, only to get nothing in reply. The Pilot placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and shook him more violently than he intended. "Answer me damnit" he growled.
The bug eyed mask nodded before Cooper shoved him aside and ripped the door open before rushing inside. "Marauder, what's going on? Nothing's happened yet, it's just a feeling I had. That's why I called you" explained the hero, only for his pleas to fall on deaf ears.
"We need to get her out of here NOW" said the SRS Pilot in a commanding tone. He had unslung the Spitfire and chambered the first tungsten cored .300 Blackout armor piercing round before he explained. "The guys we took down when we found her? After the cops picked them up, they were ambushed, no survivors" reported the Marauder as he continued down the stairs and into plain view. "That girl has a target on her back, and while she's here everyone else in the building does too, we need to move her now."
Thankfully, Spider-Man seemed to get the gravity of the situation and pointed towards an office on the first floor that was often used for counselling, "She's in there, getting checked out last I knew" explained Spider-Man as he took the lead.
The two vigilantes made for the door but were intercepted just short of the goal by the one person who gave both of them pause. "What is the meaning of this?" asked May Parker firmly, the steel spined older woman had no reservations about putting herself between the two formidable vigilantes and their goal. "Why do you think you have the right to barge into here and do as you please? Now leave before I call the police."
Spider-Man shrunk at the chastising by his aunt, Cooper however, did not. "No need ma'am, I'll do it for you" he said as he pressed his hand to the side of his helmet. "BT, get Captain Watanabe on the horn and have her get her ass down here ASAP" he ordered, much to May's shock. "Now ma'am, please excuse us, we have an HVI to secure." With that, he brusquely pushed past the woman and made for the door, able to hear the wince emanating from his friend.
"WAIT!" yelled May as the woman chased after them, causing the two to pause and turn. "Wait, you can't go in there, the girl's father just arrived. He's already speaking with her and about to take her home."
"What did this man look like?" Parker asked, the Pilot able to sense the worry coming off of the Wallcrawler in waves in his hurried, clipped sentences. "Yay tall, bald, with scarf and sunglasses, wearing a trench coat?" asked Spider-Man, getting slow nods at each point of the description. "Oh no."
The Webhead tore off towards their destination, firing a web at the ceiling to bypass the walk around the various beds and living spaces arrayed on the main floor. Matthew took the hint and fired his grapple before using his jump kit to catapult himself up and over the clutter. "That's not her father, is it?" asked the Marauder, Spitfire out as he returned to ground and slid across the floor.
"What do you think?" snapped the Wallcrawler in reply before calming himself. The two approached the door, "how do you want to handle this?"
Cooper pressed himself into the wall next to the door. "I'll get the door, you take him down" commanded Cooper, "We need him alive." The two exchanged nods before Cooper raised his boot and slammed it into the door before ducking to the side to give Spidey a clear shot.
Instead, the Pilot saw the spandex clad hero flip out of the way as he saw more than heard the result of several suppressed pistol shots that destroyed a coffeepot and slammed into a mattress. Screams of terror filled the building as Cooper pulled out the a-wall generator and tossed it down in front of the door. The curved orange wall of light sprung to life, the bullet impacts sending ripples across the wall as Spidey recovered quickly.
The hero got behind the cover and fired a webline, ripping the gun away and giving the Marauder an opening. Activating his STIM, the Militia Pilot charged in and cocked a fist, slamming it into the side of the man's face as hard as he could, throwing him against the far wall. The man looked up at him through broken sunglasses, a milky blank left eye glared up at the Marauder with unfiltered hatred.
Cooper glared back through his x shaped visor as the man reached for something, getting to stare down the muzzle of the Spitfire for his efforts. "Don't" said Cooper with calm clarity as the hand fell away. "Spider-Man, get in here" he barked.
The webhead came inside and scanned the room, lenses settling on the sight of the two females on the other side of the room. Out of the corner of his visor, he could see an older Hispanic woman, blood flowing from a bullet wound in her head as she lay dead on the floor. Curled into a ball next to the body was they crying form of the girl they were looking for, the webhead moving and trying to shake her out of her daze.
After a few tense minutes, the girl finally controlled her crying and stood, averting her eyes from the murderer Cooper was holding at gunpoint as she left the room. "Hold up" ordered Cooper before looking back at the man. "Hands out, keep them together…Spidey, web 'em up." The hero didn't argue as the man's hands were soon encased in an inch thick layer of sticky silk. "You wanna walk out or be carried out?"
The man is still glaring, only now Matt has the feeling that he's being studied as opposed to having the force of the glare drill a hole through his head. "I'll walk" said the man in far too calm a voice. The muzzle of the Spitfire hiked up, motioning for him to get to his feet before he made his way out into the central area of the shelter.
As they got closer to the entrance, Cooper noticed the Webslinger scanning, as if he was looking for something. "We alright Spider?" he asked, adjusting his grip on the weapon. They continued into the front lobby before he came to a complete stop. "Talk to me."
Before he could, a volley of grenades broke through the windows and rolled to a top on the floor, Cooper barely able to register them as he activated his phase shift and dove away. The world went to black and white as he ran into cover in the corner and shouldered the Spitfire when he shifted back. The whole lobby was filled with smoke, the vision obscurant did nothing to impede the pulse blade the pilot threw towards where he thought the door was. The sonar ping revealed the situation, Spider-Man and the girl were huddled in the opposite corner, holding their hands to their ears, while two armed men carried the trench coat wearing man out and two more gunmen were in the doorway.
"Let's rock" snarled the Marauder as he set about his gruesome task. His trigger finger squeezed, the LMG fighting him as the tungsten cored rounds it dispensed shredded the armor of two men in the doorway, pounding their bodies until they were bloody pulps. Finger still holding down the trigger, the gun swung towards the escaping trio, cutting down one of the gunmen just as the others made their escape outside. "Spidey? You with me?" barked the Pilot as he poked his head out to try and get a glimpse of what was going on outside, trying to peer through the smoke.
There was a somewhat encouraging groan the Pilot made out between frantic screaming of pedestrians outside. "One sec. Can't tell if my ears or ringing or my phone is" replied the webslinger blearily.
"You're with me" grumbled Cooper as he took another peak outside and managed to catch a glimpse of more gunmen wearing balaclavas, sunglasses, and body armor under trench coats in cover behind the abandoned cars. "We gotta move, they're surrounding…" he started before a shot barely missed him, forcing the pilot to cower behind the wall as a thunderous crack echoed up and down the street. "Sniper too" ground out the Marauder as he reloaded the Spitfire, realizing he would need every round he could get.
Spider-Man was back on his feet, keeping himself between the doorway and the girl, the Marauder able to make out his narrowed eye lenses through the dissipating smoke. "We can't let those guys in here, the building is still full of civilians" argued the hero, causing Cooper to mentally curse.
"We do both, get out of here, take the girl to my place" he ordered as he poked his head back out only to have the street erupt as a dozen weapons set to semi auto peppered the building in response. "I'll hold these guys off and meet you there when I'm done. Now GO!" he shouted as he stuck the LMG out and fired a burst blind, just trying to stall the enemy's advance.
The Webhead didn't argue thankfully, instead pulling the dazed and crying girl at the center of this shitstorm onto his back and looking at the Pilot, who fired another burst to cover him as he retreated further into the shelter. Activating his Cloak, Matt changed positions, moving behind the desk to try and get better cover. While he was moving, the attackers opened fire again, and the Pilot saw why, four gunmen had moved out of cover and were advancing to the door.
Once he was behind the desk, Matthew pulled out and primed an arc grenade. With a deft toss, the device landed just in front of the lead man, shocking two and scattering the others. The two that were affected writhed in pain as their bodies failed to respond before the Spitfire was turned on them and made that condition permanent.
Still, there were more out there, and Pilots were not good on the defensive. Cooper needed to break out of the claustrophobic lobby and use his mobility and gadgets to their fullest. "Come on Yuri, anytime now, gimme an opening" he muttered to himself as he vaulted over the desk and barrel rolled to the side to take up a different angle.
Coming to a stop on his belly, he sighted up another gunman and fired, cutting him down. The Marauder dragged the muzzle towards a car two more were in cover behind, forcing them down before the mag ran dry, and he jumped to cover. Inserting his second to last magazine into the ever-hungry gun, Cooper needed an opening, and needed one now.
A few blocks away, Yuri was trying, and failing, to give him one. The radio was buzzing with reports of shots fired at her intended destination and traffic had ground to a halt as the sound of gunfire echoed off of the buildings lining the packed street. "Why can't things ever be simple with this guy?" muttered the Captain as she pulled out her service pistol and chambered a round before getting out of the unmarked squad car.
The cop moved towards the source of the commotion, against the waves of humanity opposing her and whatever type of creature thought the obvious thing to do when a shootout was happening was to film it with their phone. As she got closer, the veteran could make out the situation. About a dozen men surrounded the homeless shelter, while the bodies of three others lay in the no man's land between the doors and cars parked on the side of the road.
The gunmen hadn't spotted her yet, so she rested her weapon on the trunk of a cab and took careful aim at the nearest man to her as he crouched to reload his gun. Steadying her breath, the cop fired two rounds that hit him square in the chest before she moved onto the next man, giving him three, the third went high and entered through his nose, blowing his brains out the back of his skull.
Yuri was then forced to duck back behind the car as some of the fire being directed at the shelter came her way. Most rounds pinged off of the car, though some punched through the thin metal and could be heard rattling around inside as the woman pressed herself to the back tire. A thundering 'crack' of a high-powered rifle sent a round straight through the trunk and slammed into the street mere inches from the Captain.
Going prone and peeking under the car, she could see the first man she shot get to his feet, the Kevlar vest he wore stopping her 9mm rounds cold as he shouldered his SMG and began firing single shots to keep her pinned as he closed the gap. Yuri took aim under the car, firing at the man's feet until one of her rounds found its mark, staggering but not stopping the attacker.
There was a strange blue light near the doors of FEAST before she heard an explosion, though the car obstructed her view, she saw a blur streak in, shoulder checking the gunman. Before Watanabe could process the event, her savior began firing his weapon, the chunky sound indicating it was bigger than what the criminals were packing as he backed up. She stood and added her own sidearm to the fire as she saw the Marauder retreat towards her position, bursts coming from the gun at his hip.
He was almost there when there was another 'crack' from the unseen rooftop sniper. The vigilante spun and fell to the ground before rolling onto his back and spraying his machine gun to suppress the enemy. Yuri ran from her cover, holstering her pistol as she grabbed the Marauders armored vest and began dragging him out of the open. "You're late" deadpanned the vigilante, his helmet tipping up to get a glance at his help before he resumed firing.
"Leave the jokes to Spider-Man" she shot back as she continued to pull on the pilot. "Christ, why are you so fucking heavy?" she ground out as she finally pulled him all the way back and got him around the car. Sitting him up against the vehicle she saw what had happened, the sniper shot had gone through his armored vest and sliced through his side. Blood seeped through the entrance and exit holes in the armor and the green fatigues beneath had already darkened.
The vigilante rummaged around in his belt and pulled out a tube with a blue gel and squeezed it into the hole. Yuri was able to hear a wince as she saw the blue gel come out the other side before beginning to harden. "Now it's a party" he muttered, laughing under his breath. "Time to dance" he said as he pulled out his pistol, getting to his feet and poking his head out to see the situation.
As soon as his head poked up, the Sniper fired again, only instead of killing the Marauder, the round landing nowhere near the vigilante or cop. Instead it entered a gunman through the top of his shoulder and exited through his hip on the other side. "What the hell just happened?" asked Yuri as she picked up the machine gun and the Marauder ducked back down.
"Looks like we got some help" replied the Marauder with a grunt, "bad guys are disengaging, time to stretch my legs" said the man before he stood and the pack on his lower back propelled him up over the car and he fired his grappling hook.
Yuri followed as he ran along a building, the pack spitting licks of blue flame to keep him pressed to the vertical surface before he jumped off, pistol firing. At the same time, the unseen and now friendly sniper fired again, though Yuri couldn't make out the results through the packed traffic.
She pushed forwards, lugging the big gun as she waded through the shot up cars and gunpowder smell that lingered in the air when the sound of car engines began to get louder. Up the street, three nondescript mid 2000s SUVs began moving, driving onto the sidewalks to escape the heavy traffic. Stepping in front of one, Watanabe triggered the LMG, fighting against the weapon to keep it on target as she poured rounds into the engine block and front seats before she was forced to dive away.
The Sniper fired again, the round entering the head of and killing the driver of the SUV as it sped past the policewoman and veered off, crashing into a storefront, smoke coming from the battered engine. After a moment to make sure everything was still working, Yuri rushed over towards the vehicle, the Marauder landing and sliding to cover pistol drawn. "NYPD! Exit the vehicle with your hands above your head!" she ordered.
There was an eerie silence as Yuri gritted her teeth, able to see some movement through the back window of the crashed suburban. "I'd do what the lady says" called the Marauder, "against the heat she's packing, a lawyer is better protection than that body armor." After a few more moments, the door popped open, Yuri training the weapon on it as two hands came out, empty.
"Nice and easy, keep your hands where I can see them" she commanded as one man in body armor and balaclava came out from the wrecked car, followed by a second in the same getup. "Good, on your knees, hands on your head" she ordered as she moved forwards slowly, the acquired weapon still trained on them. "Marauder, secure them" she ordered curtly, and tracked the vigilante out of the corner of her eye as he vaulted over a taxi and pulled out a set of his futuristic solid cuffs.
Wordlessly, the vigilante snapped the restraints to the first one, pistol trained on the other as he did so before he repeated the process. "I'll help you get them to your car, but don't expect me to stick around for the paperwork" remarked the vigilante dryly as Yuri came up. The woman's response was something between a grunt and a laugh. "Make sure you tell your sniper friend I said thanks for the help."
Yuri furrowed her brow as she looked up at the glowing visor. "My sniper? I thought he was with you" replied the Captain. The Marauder shook his head before craning it up to try and find the mystery shooter. After a moment, the still silent vigilante raised his hand and pointed down the road.
The Captain squinted and saw a nondescript black van with tinted windows leaving the area.
Cooper's Logbook – Light Machine Gun: Spitfire Mk. 2
Affectionately called the 'Pig' or 'Hungry Hog' by grunts and pilots alike, the Spitfire is a box fed light machine gun based on the action of the Hemlock BF-R. Like its more accurate brother, the Spitfire has impressive durability and reliability, and the rate of fire can be custom tuned by adjusting the computer controlled gas system. But with the gun's heavy kick and tendency to quickly chew through both ammunition and barrels means that most prefer to have the gun set to its most modest setting of 600 rpm.
The weapon's bulk, weight, and ability to function when covered in mud, water, sand, and other substances of nebulous origin is what prompted the nicknames. While the X-55 Devotion may have the edge in my eyes, the Spitfire is never bad option when you need to keep the enemies' heads down. And the amount of carnage an experienced gunner can inflict from a good position with the older and more reliable design is a testament to the weapon's excellence.
It's also proof that there are few issues that can't be put right with the liberal application of ridiculous amounts of firepower.
Closing Notes: There isn't a whole lot to say really, simply because all of this was set up. Bit of teasing, a hint of what's to come, especially regarding Cooper's Guardian Angel: The Angel of Death. But we now also have our antagonist as well, no super villains this time, for now it's all about the human evil.
Things are only going to get more interesting from here. Next chapter will see a bit more setup before the Marauder gets roped into another of Black Cat's heists, so expect that next Wednesday.
Though a storm is brewing on the horizon, so you'd better Gimme Shelter.
Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.
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