Arachnid: New Spiderman

[3rd POV]

An hour earlier, the docks district.

Hammerhead really didn't like what had been happening lately.

First, the complete failure with the Enforcer tha he had specifically recommended to the boss.

Now, a strange assignment with no explanation, and Big Man had always trusted him ever since the downfall of Silvermane.

"Picture and money, leave on the container."

He quoted the boss's instructions.

Climbing up to the top surface, Hammerhead followed the instructions and began descending.

A sudden buzzing noise made him turn.

The only thing he saw was the silhouette of a person in gray-purple armor, resembling a beetle's suit…

"Fucking freaks!"

...

[Spider-Man's POV]

What could be better than flying over New York?

I stopped three crimes today with a bank robbery, the guys were heavily armed, and the fact that there were twelve of them didn't help them.

The criminals suddenly became more active, it's strange.

"Zzz"

The thread I was swinging on was cut by a blade.

As I fell, I grabbed the side of the building and looked around. A guy in a gray-purple suit was in front of me, hovering in the air with the jet thrusters on his backpack.

Could it be...

"Beetle?"

Beetle aimed his hands at me, and from his wrists, he began shooting.

I dodged and thought.

So, a mercenary whose services are sought after even by dictators. What does he want from my humble self?

I'm not sure I'm ready to face him.

The charges from his weapon are already a strange something between plasma-laser and classic bullets.

That's a fascinating technology.

I should study it.

Alright, stop being a nerd, I've got a professional mercenary here, eager for my blood!

"Nice suit, are the wings on your jetpack for aerodynamics or just for looks?"

He, of course, didn't answer. He silently started pressing buttons on his wrist.

"Zzz!"

The rockets began to emerge from the shoulder-mounted devices of the Beetle.

I sprinted across the roof, using all my spider agility to dodge the rockets, and took cover behind an air conditioner.

"Hey, little bug, come get me!"

I latched onto the nearest building and flew off.

Beetle didn't make me wait, throwing himself after me. If I'm not mistaken, the intersection of the two towers… is here.

I landed with a roll and took my stance.

Surprisingly, He landed as well. Before I could say anything, Beetle extended his arm, and a half-meter blade burst out of his wrist.

"So you've suddenly realized that switching your gloves' charges and firing rockets is a dumb move?"

In response, Beetle just gave a casual wave of his hand.

I raised my fists and began circling him, scanning the area.

The three water dams were perfectly placed.

He had had enough waiting and charged at me with his blade. Dodging sharply, I grabbed his wrist and, adding kinetic energy, threw him into the nearest tower.

The force wasn't enough to make him break through it, but just enough to send him splashing into the water inside.

Whether from surprise or shock, Beetle got stuck in the tower for a good twenty seconds, but I didn't expect the fight to end that quickly.

"I can't tell because of your mask and silence, but I'm sure you're furious!"

I commented as the soaking Beetle jumped out of the damaged tower.

He silently moved toward me, but before closing the distance, he activated his jetpack.

Instead of flying away, he decided to gain the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat.

After releasing a second blade, he attacked me with all his might.

Dodging those attacks was nothing like dealing with Enforcer. I took a hit to the stomach and ended up near the edge of the roof.

However, Beetle didn't give me a second to recover.

He was truly a world-class mercenary, organized, calm, and merciless, but he was only human.

I quickly dodged another swing, grabbed his arms, twisted them, and struck his elbow joint with my palm.

For the first time in the whole fight, Beetle let out a faint sound that could be mistaken for a groan.

After all, his suit was primarily armor. I probably didn't manage to dislocate his arm, but I certainly twisted it.

After realizing that fighting me on the ground wasn't wise, Beetle tried to fly away.

"Not so fast."

I shot two web lines at his jetpack, twisted them with all my strength, and launched him into the second water barrel.

I leaped to the third barrel and quickly began my preparations.

Looking up, I noticed him charging at me aggressively, clearly intent on finishing this.

"The hunter's trap is set, and here comes the Beetle."

I jumped off the beam and hooked onto him, who flew past me.

By pressing on his backpack, I changed the direction of his movement and sent him flying into the third barrel.

I bounced off, hanging upside down on the inner roof of the tower.

"I hope your suit is damaged enough."

I commented as Beetle surfaced from the water.

I shot a web and activated Electroweb, and he began to convulse from the electrical shocks. I leaped out of the tower and found myself on the rooftop, watching the tower.

After minute later, Beetle flew out after me with a bit of struggle.

"How much more do you need?!"

He seemed spooked when I yelled at him, or it could have been the goodbye throw of a broken metal brace.

Anyway, Beetle decided it was time to leave the battlefield.

"Not so fast."

I shot a web and caught the Beetle's boot.

Surprisingly, the boot detached while the Beetle burned through all of his fuel, desperately trying to escape faster.

I didn't expect him to leave with his equipment so easily. However, I doubt there's anything useful left after the shocking bath.

I remember the Beetle doesn't like leaving a job unfinished.

In any case, I'll be ready, just like he will.

..

[3rd POV]

It is late at night in an office in the middle of New York City.

Big Man sat in his office, deep in thought.

The situation in the city had reached a boiling point. It's been almost five years of peaceful rule in New York with other crime masterminds.

The power was distributed, and everything was going as planned.

However, disturbances had begun to emerge.

A vigilante had emerged in the hellish kitchen on Ambal's territory, and locals had called him Daredevil.

Spider-Man had become a pain in the from the very day he appeared. The original idea of eliminating the upstart by deploying his main forces failed completely.

Not only did more than twenty of his men get sidelined for months, but Spider-Man had also managed to escape.

He had hoped that the Enforcer would do everything they could to redeem their failure, but in the end, they were arrested by the police.

Even Lincoln's best lawyers wouldn't be able to defend them with illegal weapons, property damage, flight on an unregistered aircraft, or robbery.

That was just the tip of the iceberg.

Now, Big Man's hopes rested on a world-class mercenary and the price for such talent was a lot.

Tombstone pockets weren't even close to being empty yet, but the fact that he had to think about money was a bad sign.

After all, Spider-Man had interrupted far too many operations, including a major robbery.

Suddenly, the door to Tombstone's office balcony swung open.

The figure of the mercenary, of whom Lincoln had only a vague idea, stood in the doorway. He wasn't pleased to see the Beetle battered.

"Was the job done?"

A case flew to Tombstone's feet.

"Personal."

Beetle said and left.

After opening the case, Tombstone let out a heavy sigh. He had only returned five of the ten million he had paid for the contract.

Unsurprisingly, a mercenary of his level could afford it, but this failure would damage his reputation in the right circles.

Once again, the Spider-Man survived.

"Maybe it's time to change the plan?"

Big Man asked into the emptiness.

To be continued...