Arachnid: A New Turn

[Peter's POV]

"Exactly. As you can see, my subordinate, Joseph..." 

Tombstone gestured to Hammerhead, standing to his right, "... was recently released from custody, and I had to pay a lot to get him out. However, he brought some intriguing information about our mutual concern."

"Then why, Mr. Talkative here, is still standing to your right and not on the ground at the bottom of the Hudson River?" 

Fisk asked casually.

Hammerhead shuddered slightly.

"To be frank." 

Tombstone replied evenly, "I considered about it. However, two factors stopped me from making this decision. First, Hammerhead has been loyal to me for many years. Let's be fair, who wouldn't surrender when they're dangled twenty stories building above the ground by someone who can punch through concrete?"

"And the second?" 

Fisk leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

"The second is the opportunity such situations provide. While we're having this conversation, our 'vigilante' is currently walking into a trap set by a team of exceptionally dangerous mercenaries at the supposed location. So, we could say the problem is already being handled."

"You're quite cunning, Mr. Lincoln. I'm impressed." 

Fisk said, his massive body tilting slightly.

"Thank you. Now, shall we discuss business?" 

Tombstone replied, his sharp grin suggesting the matter of the vigilante was already in the past.

...

[Peter's POV]

The docks district. 

Oh, now this is getting interesting.

"Uh, excuse me, guys, I've got the wrong warehouse. Is this where the big, bad New York crime bosses are having their secret meeting? No offense, but you don't exactly like one."

The cowboy, standing on top of a box, narrowed his eyes and casually hopped down, his boots landing with a thud.

A shorter but fast-looking guy on his right did the same thing. A big three-meter-high man jumped down on the left, kicking up dust. 

"You're in the right place, kid. But bad news for you—we're the only ones here."

The cowboy walked, spitting out a toothpick with nonchalant.

"So, who are you and your charming partners? By the way, nice mustache."

I said, turning his attention to the big guy after addressing the man in the hat. 

"We're the Enforcers to most. I'm Montana, the charmer here is Fancy Dan, and the big guy over there is Ox. Sorry, kid, but you mess with some very powerful people, and they sent us to deal with it."

"And this army surrounding me?" 

"It's just a small investment from our employer. It's for... added assurance."

Wow

"Alright, I don't really have much of a choice." 

I shrug, then quickly jump up and shoot a web at the nearest thug.

Spinning the unlucky guy, I throw him into the closest group of henchmen.

"Shoot the jerk!" 

One of the thugs yells, and I swiftly send him to sleep with a punch of my hand.

Immediately, a heavy gunfire started, and I could only dodge it thanks to my superhuman reflexes. 

Suddenly, I was hit to my side, sending me crashing into some boxes.

The bullet that interrupted my turning was "Fancy Dan."

Someone tried to grab my leg, but I managed to jump off, finding myself on the wall. 

Montana, on the other hand, stepped into the center of the room, like the star of this warehouse.

"Kid, you've only got two options: surrender or run. The goons always do their job."

"Sorry, cowboy, but it looks like this is the first time you'll have to return the money back."

I crack a signature joke while dodging a barrage of bullets.

Then I was interrupted again by an explosion and the alarming spider-sense.

It seems they are seriously planning to leave me in this warehouse.

Grabbing a lot of grenades in my web, I launch them at the wall behind a small group of mercenaries. 

They scatter and duck, and I manage to pin some to the floor while engaging in a fight with others.

I knocked out the guy who managed to stab a knife into my leg, and I quickly pulled out the knife and made an elastic bandage out of the web.

I shoot out chunks of webs, blinding some by covering their eyes while others get their whole faces covered. 

I knock weapons out of some hands and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

After twenty minutes of fighting, I stop holding back the force of my blows in a fight with living enemies.

I could hear a fracture for any enemy with just one punch, but they just kept coming, and the determination of some of them was beginning to scare me genuinely.

I was also becoming more vulnerable. After the first knife wound to my leg, I received a punch to the face or a kick to the stomach.

Suddenly, it felt like a shockwave hit me.

"AAAH. Damn, that hurts!"

"You're just prolonging the agony, kid. But I have to admit, taking out half the force we came with, that's worthy of respect."

I jumped back, trying to snatch the electric whip, but Montana cut through my web in midair. 

I barely manage to adjust my trajectory to avoid colliding with Fancy Dan.

Unfortunately, Ox is already waiting in another spot.

I twist at an impossible angle and land a kick to the Ox's jaw.

After landing, I feel a sharp pain in my ankle.

They are well-coordinated and understand each other without words, fast and experienced.

"Spider, take a look at yourself. You're covered in bruises, your costume is torn, and you look like you're about to drop. Meanwhile, we haven't even broken a sweat."

"Then let's fix that."

I quickly approach Montana and attempt to land a blow to the jaw, holding nothing back. 

However, Montana managed to catch me, and I ended up tangled in the whip, snapping it.

"Ah, shame, it was a good toy. But, as my old man used to say before he left the family—'always have a backup plan, son'" 

Montana said, pulling a regular lasso out of his bag.

It's getting easier.

Suddenly, Fancy Dan attacked. 

He is very agile, probably a former gymnast. He can only catch me off guard and attack when I get distracted.

The dance with Fancy Dan was interrupted by a heavy crate hurled by Ox.

Once again, the rope swished past me.

This is no longer an interesting battle against superior forces. I am really starting to worry, and my heroic courage is turning into a basic survival instinct.

I grabbed Montana's lasso and pulled it toward me with all my strength. With a scream, he landed near me. 

Without giving him a chance to recover, I grab his arm and kick him in the elbow joint.

"AAAAAAAHHHH" 

With their comrade lost, Fancy Dan and Ox started acting more coordinated. 

Fancy Dan's occasional attacks were now interrupted by serious attempts to deal damage from Ox.

As Fancy Dan jumped to attack, I shot a web, wrapping him.

After I stopped holding back, I landed blow after Ox. I'm shocked that a regular person could still be alive after all these hits. 

In the end, Ox got knocked out, his body turned into a mess, and there was no clean spot left, but he was still breathing. 

I look at the torn gloves covered in blood.

I turn toward Fancy Dan, who's just started cutting through my webbing with his knife.

"Let me help," 

I said, stepping forward and ripping apart the webbing.

Fancy Dan immediately lunged at me with his knife, but I swiftly grabbed his arm and twisted it. With a painful grunt, his weapon dropped to the ground.

"You know, your spinning moves gave me some trouble, so you'll be spending some time in the hospital."

I grab both of his arms and crush them, making at least a dozen cracks in his bones.

He started screaming loudly.

"I'm not done with you yet."

After releasing his arms, Fancy Dan's body falls to the ground and attempts to crawl away. I calmly approach him, lifting him by the leg with one hand.

He tried to kick with his other leg, but I blocked and twisted his shin. Pulling back my fist, I strike hard, crushing his knee. 

The screams of pain aren't even worth describing.

After finishing this brutal beating, I pull back his second leg with the injured shin and bend it.

"Zzz"

"Kill this sick son of a bitch!" 

Montana seemed to have come to his senses.

Armed mercenaries appeared from all sides at once. 

They must have been waiting for Enforcers to do all the work, or maybe they were waiting for me to run out of steam.

Before the firing began, I gathered the last of my strength and charged toward the nearest group of enemies. 

I sent one into a knockout, shattering his jaw. The second and third got tangled in my web, slamming their heads together. 

Then, I broke the fourth's knee, and immediately I heard:

"Fire!"

Damn! 

There are too many of them. I won't be able to dodge, my ankle is injured, I can't...

Before the gunfire erupted, my body moved faster than my mind. 

Grabbing the nearest fallen mercenary, I used him as a shield against the incoming bullets. 

After jumping behind a container to get out of the way of the crowd, a few shots hit me at the last second.

The bullet went through my left shin at an angle and my right shoulder straight through, probably damaging my artery. 

However, the only thing I could think about was the man who died completely because of my choice.

The mercenaries were closing in.

"Go after him!" 

Montana shouted at the top of his lungs.

Using the last of my strength, I clung to the ceiling and pulled myself up to the roof. 

The last thing I remember before the world began to fade was instinctively grabbing the camera I had captured during the fight.

To be continued