SPIDER GWEN: EXPOSED CH6: HIDDEN AGENDA

ACT 2:

 “Doc, are all these tests really needed? I’m fine since yesterday, it has already been too long since I have been here.” Gwen complained, as Janet was checking her with a stethoscope. She has been in Dr Van Dyne’s makeshift medical ward for a week since the City Hall bombing and it was already making her frustrated. One week has passed since Mister Negative committed the worst terrorist attack in NYC since 9/11. The number of deaths increased, as some people succumbed to their injuries later in hospital and others were left with crippling or permanent wounds. Further news updates on the magnitude of the attack and video reports that she saw on TV made her more determined to stop Li once and for all, no matter what it will take. 

“I need to make sure, Gwen. How do you feel?”

“I feel like I messed up.” replied Gwen, looking at the TV “I was there and failed to see it… to stop it. And now, all those people lost their lives.”

“You are lucky to have escaped those explosions, be grateful you get to fight another day. Some weren’t that lucky…” said Janet, lowering her head. She was one of the first that arrived on scene and witnessed all the carnage. Even to this day, she couldn’t believe that Negative was able to possess police officers, paramedics and turn them into suicide bombers. Later reports showed all the bombers had no connection to criminal elements and were all regular people, something that was even more tragic. In the eyes of those who knew Li’s ability, they were victims too. “I still cannot get it out of my mind. I knew some of the cops that blew themselves up. Honest family people. And now all of them are dead because of Mister Negative. We will get that monster, Gwen. And we will avenge all those who got killed because of him.”

“You can bet your life on that…” replied Gwen, gripping the chair hard enough to bend its armrest. 

An hour later, the time for her to be discharged from the medical ward has finally come. Suiting up, she was ready to get out of bed and straight into her hero work. Looking around after putting her mask on, she saw the various ‘Get well’ cards she got from her dad, Marc and Harry as well. All of them visited her almost daily at various times, with her dad and Marc encouraging her not to be demoralized by this incident. Harry came to her aid daily, bringing her either something to eat or something to read. She found this incredibly heartwarming, especially since he was her last surviving close friend. Janet’s explanation on why she needed to be treated by her and not in the hospital was an excellent cover story to hide her secret from him. She took no pleasure from lying to him that she was Spider Woman, in fact, deep inside she felt quite a lot of shame that she had to lie to her friend, but was afraid that if this will get out, he will hate her for the rest of his life and deep inside, she knew he would be in the right. 

Taking one deep breath, she got up and walked towards the window of the medical ward where she was recovering “We will be in touch, Janet” and with that, Gwen went back to the streets. 

“That girl sure is stubborn…” After a moment, the doctor pulled a small vial that was filled with Gwen's blood “I have to make sure that whatever is inside you, don´t cause any issues…” something small squirmed inside the red substance before Janet put it back in her pocket before leaving the lab herself…

Meanwhile at the FBI headquarters, Agent Marc Specter was already deep into business, looking at all the clues and samples recovered from the scene of the attack, trying to find anything to tie the bombing to Martin Li. It was starting to get frustrating, as it looked as Negative covered his tracks well, making the investigation incredibly hard. 

As he was silently grunting out of frustration, the door behind him opened. Entering the room, Agent Luke Cage was more than willing to join the investigation. Back in tactical gear, he still had some lacerations and bruises on his face that still had to fully heal. He saved some officials from the bomb by shielding them with his tough body, but it still gave him some injuries. 

“I was wondering when you will join. Good to see you back in action, partner.” said Marc, turning around and giving him a firm handshake.

“You know I can't sit on the side, not after what that asshole Li did.” replied Cage, looking at the window overlooking the interrogation room, where one of the Demon bank robbers was sitting in a chair “Guess you brought him already.”

“I managed to get you 5 minutes with this guy.”

“I only need two…” said Luke, getting in the room and facing the robber, who gave him a cold look. Meanwhile, Marc and a rookie agent were already taking their place in front of the one way mirror window, ready to see the interrogation “I want your boss. What is Li up to?”

The Demon robber looked with a smug face at him, then slowly got up, facing Agent Cage. He was well built and thought he would be able to stand up to his interrogator. 

“I am not telling you shit, gwailo.”

“I was hoping you would say that, buddy…” whispered Cage, before suddenly grabbing the guy and throwing him against the wall, cracking the plaster and some tiles. Getting up, the robber tried to hit him, but Luke immediately blocked his punch and responded by punching him several times in the face, along with several more blows. Meanwhile on the other side of the glass, Agent Specter and a shocked rookie agent were watching as the iInterrogation’ was unfolding.

“Sir…? Is that legal?” asked the rookie, as he saw Cage judo flipping the guy on the wooden table, shattering it to pieces, inflicting more pain on the Demon.

“No.” replied Marc, unfazed on how his partner was ‘blowing off some steam’, throwing the criminal like a ragdoll against the bulletproof glass, cracking it. This startled the rookie, who backed off in shock, but Marc remained still, watching how Luke was doing his job “If you want to go in there and tell him, be my guest.”

At this point, the rookie agent didn’t say anything anymore, not wanting to get in between Cage and the Demon criminal, especially after seeing Agent Cage lifting the criminal and throwing him against the ceiling, making the lights fall and spark.

“I got my rights! I will make sure you end in jail, you monkey pok gai!” barely managed to say the criminal, as he was struggling to get up but felt the strain of the beating. Luke however, was unfazed.

“Not today, not with me, f*cker. This will go on until you talk” Then, Cage grabbed the crook by the hand and with ease, broke his index finger making the man scream in tears as it squirmed on the ground “The human body has 206 bones, let’s see how many of them I have to break before you start talking…” 

Two minutes later, Cage exited the interrogation room leaving quite a scene behind: inside of it was the criminal lying on his back and screaming in utter pain. The room itself wasn’t in a better shape either, as it was completely demolished.

“Got anything?” asked the lizard agent, looking over Luke’s shoulder at the destruction in his wake “Guess cleanup crew will involve a constructor as well.”

“Got a location. You better call our Spider and let her know.” replied Cage, writing an address on a piece of paper.

“Good call. Whatever you beat out of him won’t matter in court, but if she breaks in and we are called, we can take in consideration any evidence she finds.” replied Marc, pulling out his phone, ready to make the call.

Meanwhile, Gwen was back on patrol in her Spider Woman suit, trying to clear her head and resume her work. The attack still had its aftermath visible, as she passed City Hall, as the entire area was now closed off, with authorities still patrolling and investigating the damaged buildings. Most of the rubble was cleared, but the smell of death and devastation was still present. Seeing all of this knocked Spider Woman’s morale down even further. 

“Can’t believe it happened… and on my watch… I messed up, big time.” said Spider Woman to herself as she was sticking to the side of a building nearby, reflecting on what happened. Feeling the need to talk, she pulled out her phone and called her father. 

“Gwen. Thought you will call. How are you?”

“Not good, dad. Not good at all.” replied Spider Woman with a sad tone in her voice.

“What happened? Your condition worsened?” asked George, as he started to get worried.

“No, it's not like that. I am back on the streets. All is ok, medically. Well, as ok as it can be in my case… is just… I feel like I failed big time.”

“Gwen, I know how it feels. Trust me, I know how it is to have civilian casualties despite doing my best to stop a criminal, but-”

“You were able to see it coming and you did your best. I didn’t even see this one coming even when it was right under my damn nose! The explosives were stolen… the date for the inauguration, everything was so damn obvious and I failed to see it coming! And when the explosions started, I wasn’t fast enough to at least save a few…all the things I am capable of, all my powers, and I still failed.” replied Spider Woman, interrupting George, as her sadness and self-blame was hitting new lows.

“Gwennie,you may have all those powers, but you are not a god. Heck, the Avengers seem to have a couple of those and they still had failed on some instances. Despite all of that, you are still human, you cannot beat yourself for something that you couldn’t stop, even if you had the hindsight for it. As someone that had to deal with what you felt many times before… you have to go on with the punches and be better prepared for next time.” 

“I…I'll try.” said Spider Woman, clenching the phone and trying to pull herself together “Have you started arresting Martin Li yet?”

“No, I cannot start a manhunt based on some accusations. The media reports this as a terrorist attack with no group claiming responsibility, but that is all we have now. The entire force and the Justice Department can´t do anything until we have at least some strong evidence that he is the one behind all this.”

“But he did it! He’s the leader of the Demon Gang!”

“I believe you, but I need proof that cannot be contested by anyone, especially his attorneys. He keeps his public image clean, so any accusation without anything to back up will immediately slide off him. Get me some evidence and I will personally start the manhunt.”

“Ok, fine. But where do I start? I have not one lead…” just then, a sound came from her phone, a sign someone else was calling “I have to go, talk later, dad.” She then hung up and answered the other incoming call “Hi Marc. Anything new? Because I have nothing to start.”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Luke went to have a little ‘therapy session’ with one of the Demon robbers we busted when you took down Shocker. Gave us a tip about Li’s businesses.” replied Marc via phone, with sounds of someone in pain in the background. Hearing the grunts of anguish and calling for a medic or a lawyer, Spider Woman immediately knew Luke broke quite a lot of bones to that gangster.

“O-kay… leaving the broken bones aside for now, what did he give up?”

“It was quite the fruitful session. Looks like Li owns several other businesses, not just his import/ export company that brings goods to and from China. His F.E.A.S.T. shelter is just a place to write off some tax money, but here is the interesting part: he bought a recycling center months ago, but no activity has been recorded. No expense, no revenue, it is like he bought the place and simply left the business inactive.”

“Sounds like either he is preparing it for a money laundry scheme, or a place where we might find some… interesting evidence regarding his activity.” replied Spider Woman, as her brain was starting to compile all this information. 

“Exactly. Now, I cannot bust in without a warrant, BUT… if an intruder alarm might be tripped by a wanted felon, then my duty as a law enforcement agent that apparently might be in the area will be to get there and investigate, as i will have probable cause to search the premises for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Smart move, Marc. Quite a way to stretch the rules to the limits.”

“Hey, I know how to navigate even on the extreme boundaries of the law and not set one millimeter out of line. Why do you think I finished top of my class? Anyway, I’ll be near that center, waiting for the alarm to go off. See you there.” said Specter, hanging up. Before putting her phone away, Spider Woman noticed a message she received and forgot to check. Opening it, she saw it was from Harry and it was a surprise: he was asking her to hang out together in a few days' time. It involved a little show at the Manhattan Theater on Broadway, a nice dinner in town and also a walk around the Coney Island boardwalk. 

“Oh, I…I… dunno what to say to him…” she mumbled, trying not to drop the phone out of nervousness, not sure what to respond. Her shyness initially made her hesitant at first, but a small black tendril emerged from her hand and ‘took the initiative’ by pushing her hand to accept his invitation. The symbiote inside seemed to encourage her to say “Yes”.

“That's… weird.” she thought for a moment as she examined her arm as the symbiote quickly retrieved inside her body. She was puzzled at first, since this is the first time that she recalled the symbiote acting like this… not the weirdest thing that she has seen at least. However, such concern soon faded off from her mind as she texted him her response and then put her phone back in the pocket. “O-ok... I’ll go with him on a date then...” After this problem was dealt with, she then swung away towards north Manhattan, ready to start gathering evidence to nail Mister Negative to the wall.

Minutes later, the heroine was on a rooftop, overlooking a supposedly decrepit recycling facility in the northern part of Manhattan. The place was smelly, dirty, but wasn’t abandoned at all, as she could see several Demons guarding it, something she found intriguing.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as the old saying goes…” whispered Spider Woman, trying to spot each guard in order to avoid being taken by surprise. Just then, a loud thumping noise could be heard behind her. Without turning around, she knew it was She Hulk, as she called her in order to provide assistance in this mission. 

“Found anything?” asked She Hulk, as she got close to Spider Woman, observing the premises.

“Too much security here for a dump site…” The webslinger stated as both now stood at the rooftop, looking down the area. Spider Woman explained the game plan here and how they would play this out by making a giant ruckus so the authorities could roll in and search the area.

“We better get going then, don’t want Mister Reptile to neglect that body of his by overeating” replied She Hulk in a joking manner before cracking her neck and knuckles. Both heroines were ready.

Meanwhile, on ground level, the Demons were unaware about what would happen in a few minutes. All they knew was the order from Mister Negative is to guard the place, as the heat is still high from the aftermath of the City Hall bombings, so law enforcement will be on high alert. The guard's duty was not as a deterrent from the police, but from local thugs or the local population getting a bit too curious wanting to check out the place. There was something inside that Negative didn’t want to be exposed to police or federal authorities…especially not at this moment. 

“Nothing here. Moving on.” said a guard, after searching a part of the yard, ready to patrol another area, only to end up webbed and then slammed to the ground. A nearby guard heard the commotion and went to investigate, but as he went around the corner, he hit his head on something quite hard, like a wall. That something turned out to be She Hulk’s abdomen. Before he could react, the tall gamma heroine got him in a bearhug, smothering his face between her large breasts, muffling his screams and also knocking him out due to the lack of air.

“Look at the bright side, little guy: the last thing you experienced before waking up in custody is having your face between my large and firm papayas.” She smirked as she dropped the guard who had lost consciousness after not being able to breath for a while, only to be whistled by Spider Woman.

“... You had to knock him down like that…?”

“Hey! I don’t have the same strength control as you do, I don’t want to accidentally crack his skull open because I gave him a soft punch in the face.” 

“Ok, ok… but, try to be serious here. We need to take them down fast.”

“Got it.” said She Hulk, giving a wink and a thumbs up. Immediately, both heroines spotted some more guards in sight. This time, they had to work in unison, as some were patrolling in pairs or were too unpredictable in their patrol paths in order to land stealthy takedowns.

For the next 15 minutes, both Spider Woman and She Hulk worked as a team, coordinating their takedowns, managing to deal with all guards without alerting anyone, exactly what they wanted. This eliminated the potential problem of incoming backup or stray bullets that could have been deadly to civilians, as the recycling center was in a populated area. The last thing remained, was to set off the alarm, something that Spider Woman did, in a ‘do the honors’ type, by smashing the main panel, sending the distress signal.

Meanwhile, at a diner nearby, Agent Specter was enjoying a quick snack and coffee, waiting for the call. He was aware people were looking at him with clear fear in their eyes, something that he didn’t like at all. A long time passed since he got out of Janet’s lab and seeing people see him as nothing more than a monster was something that still demoralized him. However, the painful wait while being looked at by frightened New Yorkers was interrupted when his radio broadcasted the incoming alarm. 

“Alarm tripped at a recycling center in North Manhattan. Please respond.”

“Special Agent Specter here, FBI. I’m around the corner, taking the call.” quickly replied Marc, assuming control of the operation. He then quickly left some money on the table to pay for whatever he had and rushed out the door, climbing on a building and jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the recycling plant. 

“This alarm is giving me a headache…” said Spider Woman, as she could feel each sound of that horn making her head vibrate. It took only a minute or two for a familiar face to arrive at the front gate, climbing it with extreme speed and darting in the open warehouse.

“Normally I would say ‘FBI! Stop right there!’, but I guess this is enough of the charade…” said Marc, as he deactivated the alarm and then reached for the radio strapped to his suit “...central, no sign of any break-in, but found Demons gang members all webbed up, alongside a lot of weapons too. This is now officially a federal investigation. Agent Cage, get over here with the team I will proceed to search the area, make sure no threats are active. Over and out.”

“Formal and professional as always… I like this guy…” said She Hulk, cracking her neck a bit. 

“... and what are you doing here?”

“Me? Well, providing some back up to our little spider friend!”

“... the plan was for Spider Woman to go here and do the ruckus because she is a wanted felon! You, a SHIELD agent, shouldn't be breaking in places like this!” The Lizard said, his left eye twitching from the nerves, as both Gwen and Jennifer stood side by side looking at each other for a moment… making a collective “Oh…” 

“Listen, alligator. A lot of people died due to this monochromatic bastard, some were people that I knew personally, so if you expect me to stand aside and do nothing, then you have another thing coming. Be damned if the One Eye Menace agrees or not.” She Hulk crossed her arms explaining her motives. Marc on the other hand, made a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. 

“Look, I understand, but things can get VERY complicated if one of the guards manages to identify you here, you could jeopardize the entire operation! SHIELD cannot be involved in this!”

“Ummm… in her defense, we took down every single guard without them being aware of our presence, so… at best they could have seen some green blur before getting the stars knocked out of them! Hehehe…” 

“Let’s just pray that you hit them hard enough to forget what knocks them out. …Ok then, let’s start the search from the beginning.” replied Marc, entering the warehouse, followed by the two heroines.

The walk around the disused recycling plant was uneventful, apart from the fact that none of the equipment used to process waste was either working or showed any signs that it was used in the last decade. Everything looked either broken or antique. The only thing that gave a resemblance of a recycling plant was the smell. It was stomach turning to say it mildly.

“God, this place f*cking stinks. Even with my hood over my face, I can still smell this shit. After this, I will need to wash this suit at least three times.”

“At least you don’t “taste” the stench…” said Marc, as every time he instinctively sticks his lizard tongue out, he could literally taste the air, an instinctual habit he tried his best to suppress in this case “Disgusting beyond belief. If this lead turns out to be a dead end, to be irate will be a grave understatement.” Just then, he started to tap the wall at the end of the warehouse, listening very closely to the sound.

“Weird… on the outside, the warehouse looks bigger…” said She Hulk, before being told to keep quiet, as the lizard agent tapped more and more into an area at the middle of the wall.

“There… here sounds more hollow than everywhere else.” said Marc before checking his claws for a second, then sticking them in the wall and pulling them out. He then looked into the holes and then back at the heroines “Green, here’s the plan: I’ll slice this wall, then we’ll pry it open. Are you up for this?”

“Always, especially for you.” replied She Hulk, cracking his fingers and adjusting her gloves while winking at Specter, a gesture that was responded only with a low growl from him as the lizard agent sliced the wall in two pieces. Afterwards, the gamma heroine got in position and after a while and some effort from both of them, they were able to pry the wall open, revealing the rest of the warehouse’s interior. It was clear it was sealed off for a reason, one that was exposed once Marc turned on his flashlight.

“My God…” as Spider Woman followed behind and saw the lit up parts of the room, she saw the motherload: various explosives devices in different states of completion, unused police and EMT gear along with other items that could be used as evidence to link this place to the CIty Hall Bombing. 

“Jackpot…” said Lizard Marc when he saw the wall covered with various plans, indicating further attacks, most of them on Oscorp owned or funded locations. “Jesus Christ, Demons really hate Norman…” 

“Ahm, Marc… you might want to see this…” said Spider Woman, pointing to the back of several garbage trucks that were parked aside in the darker areas of the room. Without the need of a flashlight, it was enough for her enhanced eyesight and also the night vision lenses in her mask to see the vehicles were empty of any garbage collecting machinery and instead hollowed out and filled with explosives, the only thing missing being the electronics and the detonator “This is enough to decimate half of Manhattan if they go off.”

“We got him! This is more than enough to send him to the chair!” exclaimed She Hulk, almost celebrating, but Marc brought her to reality, after looking around and then checking something on his tablet.

“Not so fast, Jen. This is evidence of a major bomb plot, but is not strong enough to tie it directly to Mister Negative/ Martin Li. He is just a shareholder of this place, he can deny any knowledge of what happened here, especially if he can prove he never visited this facility.”

“Awwwww f*ck. The “plausible deniability” defense. Had such cases and was defeated…Why can't it be simple for once?” groaned She Hulk in disappointment, stomping out of frustration and cracking the floor. Just then, the trio heard the familiar sirens of his team, a sign that investigators will join the search soon. 

“I’ll continue the search around here. Anything new appears, I'll keep you two posted. In the meantime, we should split up and search his other places. Kiddo, take the F.E.A.S.T. shelter. That place is a charity for those in need, but I can bet my tail there are hidden secrets there, is the least place someone from the public would suspect evil things are there.”

“Got it. Guess I'll go there incognito.” said Spider Woman, before swinging away towards Brooklyn. 

“So…” She Hulk stood for a moment near Marc, catching his attention for a bit “Wanna ‘make it out’ while your friends arrive? Kinda wanna see what that tongue of yours can do~”

“. . .”

“Or… wanna wrestle for a bit?”

“Just get the hell out of here, please…” replied Specter in a cold tone, giving her a look that would freeze Hell itself.

She Hulk stuck out her tongue before punching a giant hole on a nearby wall, making her exit out of the area, leaving a very frustrated Marc behind. 

“This woman…Jesus Christ…” 

Act 2 started. The story continues, the conspiracy goes deeper.

previous chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/spider-gwen-5-11-146315194