Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 11– The Enforcers.
"I'll handle the guy with the 'lariat', and you go deal with those guys up there. We can't get away with that guy aiming that RPG at us, and he will draw attention to us if he keeps firing it. You are faster than me and stronger, so you handle those two, and I will take care of Montanna." Felicia says, stepping in front of me to face Montanna, the cowboy hat-wearing leader of The Enforcers, one of Wilson Fisk's various hired lackeys.
"Now, hold on there, little lady. I think you are underestimating me a little and very much overestimating yourself. A pretty little thing such as yourself isn't going to be able to handle me, and that fella over there ain't going nowhere." Montanna steps forward to meet Felicia, swinging his lasso round and round by his side, ready to throw it out to capture something.
"Right, well, you handle the dude with the lasso who still thinks it's the 60s, and I will go take care of Fancy Dan and Ox. Also, dude, learn to speak. You ain't going nowhere means I am going somewhere, which is over there to smack the idiot who thinks it is okay to fire missiles above a busy city." And saying so, I about-face and run off in the direction of the big lummox that is currently trying to reload his RPG so that he can shoot a missile at us again, but that isn't going to happen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Montanna fling his lariat towards me, and to my surprise, that thing is actually quite fast, zipping through the air towards me so quickly that I nearly don't have time to react. Except I do have time to respond, but I don't since Felicia has already sprung into action and grabs the rope along its length and yanks on it, pulling Montanna forward, who wasn't prepared for her intervention.
However, I no longer pay attention to the going on behind me and focus on my task. Just like Felicia is focusing on her job, I need to focus on stomping both of the fools across the way. So I hop, jump and leap across the New York buildings, not bothering to limit my speed or ability since I don't want this guy to let off another explosion. One is going to bring down some heat, but it could be explained away, but another is going to bring down the big boys.
The big oaf finally seems to have managed to load his bazooka again just as I leapt off the top of the last building, and I soar through the air towards him just as he points the RPG directly at me and prepares to fire. Unfortunately for him, I am just too fast, and I manage to land on the very curb of the building. And I reach out and push the bazooka straight up into the sky just as he pulls the trigger.
*BOOSH*
And the missile explodes very high up in the sky directly above us, shadowing us from the sun in its smoke. But just for a second before it disperses, replaced by the New York smog, which is honestly not any better, and I am left staring up at Ox with my right hand tightly grasping the RPG.
"Now, that wasn't very nice, was it? If you don't know how to use this RPG responsibly, then I don't think you should have it anymore." I tighten my hold on the bazooka and pull my arm back, ripping the weapon from Ox's grasp, which I then tossed behind me onto another building entirely, ensuring that nobody was going to go get it and use it during the rest of this encounter.
"It's not an RPG. It is a rocket launcher, stupid." Ox says, punctuating his point with a right fist which I slip under and jump past into a roll to get a firm footing on this building. I don't want to be thrown off and forced to stick to a wall, thereby showing casing my powers. And sure, there are a lot of people that can stick to walls. Of course, you can do it with tech as well, but I am sure there are some super geniuses out there that will make the link and super-geniuses in the Marvel universe are a dime a dozen.
I don't have time to relax, however, as a dandy little man named Dancy Dan immediately shoots over and tries to attack me with a flying kick to the face, which I easily duck under. But my evasion doesn't deter Dan as he simply lands on the floor next to me and tries a spin quick, which I move back a little to avoid.
What follows is Dan making a series of quick, skilful moves in which he tries to damage me. Moving quick and powerfully, he snipes in with fists and strikes, all of which I avoid by the narrowest of margins. All in all, this man is skilled, not to the point of someone like the Black Widow or Daredevil, but when he works in tandem with his compatriots, I am sure he can prove a hassle.
Unfortunately for Dan, he is alone right now, and his comrades are busy. Montanna having his hands complete with Black Cat and Ox- Oh, would you look at that. He overextended on his punch which I dodged and ended up falling forward, which could have been genuinely disastrous as he was right on the edge of a building.
Still, it looks like he managed to hold on by the tips of his fingers and is now hanging precariously over the edge. I should probably end this fight right now, so I can go stop him from plummeting to his death. Dan seems to have also realised the situation as he suddenly stops his barrage and hops back, continuing to jump from side to side on his tippy toes so that he can act quickly, and he opens his mouth to talk.
"Listen, we are only here for the dame. So how about you clear off out of here so I can go help my buddy? You can g- KAAGGHH!" I throat-punched him. I mean, what the hell else was I supposed to do? He let down his guard and gave me a perfect target. I literally just rushed forward and punched him in the throat, and he fell down onto his knees, clutching at his throat. Given how he is turning red in the face, I don't think he will be getting back up after that. Man, fights are easy, especially when you don't have to worry about crushing a guy's larynx.
I leave him there, sure that he won't be getting back up for at least a few minutes, and I walk over to the edge of the building where Ox is struggling for his life. I walk over to the edge and look down at him as he struggles to lift himself back up. It seems in this situation, all of that bulk is working against him, and it is all he can do to hang onto the building. Finally, he looks up to see me looking down at him, he doesn't say anything to me, but his struggles to get back onto the building increase.
"Hey there, bud. Looks like you could use a hand. Why don't you let me help you up before you lose your grip and become street pizza? Better decide quickly since your fingers look like they are slipping." I say to Ox before kneeling down and offering him my left hand, he regards it for a moment, but he really doesn't have any choice. He is hanging on only by the tips of his right hands' fingers, and his left hand is free, but he can't manage to reach up to grab the building.
Ox swings his left hand up and grasps my left hand in a tight grip, and I promptly slog him one right in the face with my right hand, and I can feel him slacken in my grasp. I knocked him out in one punch. I mean, why am I going to pull him up just so he can continue attacking me when I can just take him out when he is in a vulnerable position? Ox is now dead to the world, and I pull his unconscious body up by his left hand, and I chuck him onto the building, upholding what I told him I would do, but I never said he would be awake for it.
"Wow, that was ruthless. Good job, I like it. Things are so much easier when you get straight to the point instead of faffing around just like you used to." Felicia says from behind me, clearly referring to Spider-Man taking so much longer with his battles and how my new methods are much better.
And when I turn around to see her, she is standing next to the unconscious form of Fancy Dan, clearly having knocked him out while I took care of Ox, though I am the one that disarmed the man by throat punching him, and she just came along and knocked him out.
"You took care of Montanna? That was quick. I'm impressed." I say, walking back over to her because I got over here very quickly and took out both Ox and Dan very quickly, but I am obviously not as good or skilled as some of the guys out there, even with my powers.
Black Widow or Wolverine would have taken care of these guys instantly, with their skills for the former and their powers for the latter. Still, in contrast, I took around a minute to put these two down for the count, but Felicia took out Montanna, a skilled fighter, at the same time with no powers, which is very impressive.
"Yeah, yeah, I am impressed with your performance as well. Now let's get out of here quick before anybody can come to investigate." She says, turning around and walking to the edge of the building, sidestepping the unconscious bodies on the roof.
"Yeah, you go ahead, Cat. I have something to do. I'll catch up with you later." I say, watching her go, she turns around and gives me a look, but then she shrugs.
"Whatever, see ya later then." She says, no longer paying me any attention, before leaping off the roof and away from the scene, leaving me to my own devices. It has been quite a while since I first met Felicia on that roof, and we have both become accustomed to each other.
We both go out and do our own thing, and we don't question the other, though I am sure she goes out and does various illegal things. But my only agreement with her was that we wouldn't rob from people who couldn't afford it or deserved it. I never said she couldn't go out and do that on her own, and I am sure she wouldn't listen even if I tried.
I quickly walk over to Fancy Dan and check over his unconscious form to make sure he is breathing all right. I did punch him straight in the throat after all, and I might have crushed his windpipe. I am not being so frugal with my strength lately, and I might have caused him serious harm.
Becoming a murderer right now will bring me a lot of attention, both from the law as well as the criminals with whom Fancy Dan associates. Thankfully his throat is fine, if a little bruised. He probably won't be talking for a while though.
With that done, I then turn one hundred and eighty degrees and sidestep the body of Ox and jump off of the building and onto another, where I walk over to get my objective. I can't just leave this lying around after all.
"BEN, WHY IN THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE A FUCKING RPG, AND WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT IT INTO MY HOME!!" Felicia screams at me when I walk through the balcony window carrying the bazooka in both hands. It is what I went and got off the roof. I couldn't just leave it there, could I?
"Come on, Felicia. What was I supposed to do? Also, it isn't an RPG, it is a rocket launcher, and I couldn't very well leave it on that rooftop for those guys to pick back up and use again later, or god forbid, some other idiot to get their hands on it and blow up a lot of shit." So I say, placing the rocket launcher down on the coffee table. It was pretty cumbersome to drag it all the way here, especially without being seen.
"Alright, fine, I get that. But why the hell is it in my apartment and on my coffee table?" She asks as I walk by her to take a seat on the couch, and I kick my legs up onto the table, tired after a long day dealing with a bunch of bullshit.
"Uh, first of all, it is our apartment. I pay half, after all. And where was I supposed to take the thing? I don't have anywhere to store this thing." I tell her as she takes a seat next to me and also kicks her legs up.
We had moved out of the penthouse suite we were first in a while ago and had since gone through two different places before we winded up in this one, and I had started to pay half on account of my living with her. So, to be honest, I would be fine going out and getting my own place, but I don't have any ID, and I have no idea where to get it, and I really don't want to stay at any places that don't require ID since they are all shitholes.
"Uh, whose name is registered to this suite? Because I know for a fact that it isn't yours." She says, giving me a look since, as I said before, I don't have any ID, so she has been booking into the rooms while I continually sneak in through the windows.
If I am truly honest with myself, I could probably go out there and find some fake ID, enough to suffice for most things. But I am worried that there may be people looking for me, such as Shield or even Miles Warren if he is still alive or if he may be cloned himself. So I would rather stay anonymous and stay with Felicia, at least for now, and she hasn't yet complained.
"I believe this suit is registered to one Candice Rosemary, which is not your name. Plus, who is the one buying the groceries and cooking dinner for us every night? If it wasn't for me, you would still just be eating junk food and the food given by the hotel, which the staff probably spit in, given you are such a bitch to them. Not to mention the fact that I am always cleaning up after you. I think I have done enough to deserve a rocket launcher or two." Actually, the food given by the hotels is perfectly fine, but I get bored having nothing to do all day, so I like to go grocery shopping and cook food. I am getting quite good at it as well.
"Candice Rosemary is just one of my many aliases, and cooking is the only job you have to do all day. The rest of the time, you are playing on those stupid consoles you bought. I would think you could have spent all the hard stolen cash on better things than games, but now you bring those stupid things along every time we move, you dumb boys with your dumb toys." So she says, but before I get a chance to respond, she continues her tirade.
"And I didn't ask you to start cleaning up after me. I was perfectly content living like that and not cleaning up after myself. I am not going to live here longer than a couple weeks after all. And if you really wanted this place to be clean, then you can let some of the maids in to do it. you don't have to clean it all up." She finishes before giving a sigh and letting her head drop back to rest on the top of the couch, a little out of breath from her little rant. I give her a second to calm down before I respond.
"First of all, the nerve of you to belittle my games, you use them as well, and you love to play Smash Bros and Mario Kart with me. And excuse me for not wanting to live in filth and squalor. I really thought you were supposed to be some high-class lady who lived a life of luxury, but I was clearly wrong. And how in the hell would the maids clean the place up? In case you didn't notice, we have tons of stolen goods all over the place. I can't exactly let them in and see all the duffel bags of cash or the countertop filled with jewels and necklaces." I don't just play games all day, either. I go out and do various different things.
She lifts her head back up and stares at me, and I stare straight back, and we stare like that for a moment. But then she relents and lets her head flop back onto the couch, allowing me to win our little battle.
"Fine, you win. You can keep the rocket launcher. But in return, you can't be Donkey Kong on Smash Bros from now on. I am tired of being Princess Peach and all those other suckers that get smacked down by that big monkey. I just can't win against you when you are him. Now, get up, and let's go." Felicia stands up and starts to move, but I am still basking in my win. I am okay not being Donkey Kong. For some reason, I am just really good with him, and I was getting tired of just winning anyway. It will be fun to use some other characters.
"Oh, uh, where are we going?" I finally catch on to the last thing she said and quickly get up to follow her. She has now walked to the balcony window and opened it fully before she turns around to look at me with her hand still on the glass door.
"We are going somewhere that you can store that rocket launcher. We can't just keep it here, after all. If a maid does happen to walk in for some reason, we could maybe explain away all the cash and jewels, rich people are weird and eccentric, after all, but a rocket launcher is not so easily explained. Now let's go, and don't forget the stupid thing. I suppose I could find a use for it someday." Ignoring the last thing she said since it brings some worrying things to mind, I quickly turn around and go back to the coffee table to pick up the rocket launcher before following her out onto the balcony and towards wherever the hell it is we are going.
I am carrying the rocket launcher with both of my hands, afraid that I will just end up accidentally crushing it if I only use one hand and hold it too tightly. Walking out onto the balcony, I stick my foot out behind me onto the glass door and activate my sticking powers. I then slide the door closed since we don't want flies or too much of that New York air getting in. Then I walk over to Felicia, who is leaning against the railing waiting for me, and for some reason, she is giving me an odd look.
"Are you going to be carrying it around like that? Because we are going to be moving around very slowly with you lumbering around like that, and we have got quite the distance to go, so please tell me you aren't taking it around like that." She tells me, and while I know it will be pretty challenging, what else can I do? I am going to have to leap and run without using my hands, and while that doesn't seem too different, the hands usually play a big part in doing swift manoeuvres and switching directions on a dime, and they add a lot of power to springs.
"Well, it isn't like I have a pocket dimension with me, Cat. This is the only way to take it, and I can only carry it." So I tell her, to which she looks at me like I am stupid. Does she expect me to just cook something up to help me hold items? Well, I suppose I could theoretically make an item in which the inside is bigger than the outside, like in Doctor Who. Still, the materials would have to be very strong, durable and malleable to withstand the dimensional flux, which I can't afford at the moment, but I am sure some bad people have this stuff, and we can steal it from them.
"Ben, did you or did you not just close that glass door with just your foot?" Hmm, why is she on about that? I did close it with my foot and- I sigh and look down at the ground for a moment in awe of my own stupidity.
"Alright, just ignore me. I am just being stupid." I lift my head back up and then move my hands to position the rocket launcher behind my back, after which I press it in, and then I remove my hands, and it stays there.
I really forget about my power's capabilities and just use it to stick to stuff, and I forget that I can also stick things to me as well. My sticky powers are holding the rocket launcher to my back, leaving my hands free. I feel like an RPG character that can just place multiple weapons on their backs and run around without being affected by them. I can definitely use this in the future.
"Yeah, you are stupid. Now let's actually go. just follow me." Felicia says before promptly jumping off the balcony and zipping away into the night sky, and I quickly jump off as well to follow her to this mystery location.
I have been following her for a while at this point, and finally, we have come to a stop on top of a Brooklyn roof. But we don't stay there for longer than a second before Felicia leaps across to the top of a lovely brownstone house before scaling down one of the pipes and sliding open a window which she then climbs inside of, so of course, I follow her path and also climb inside.
"Uh, what the hell is this place? And why are there no doors or anything, just a window?" I ask as I enter and look around this new location, just to see that it is a plain room that is very dusty and filled with boxes and bags littered all over the place, and one big draw at the very back of the room. Still, by far, the strangest thing is that there are no doors, wardrobes or anything in the room, just four walls, and only one of them has a window which I just climbed through.
"This, Ben, is the secret hidey-hole that I told you about. It is where I store everything I really care about and want to keep, as well as all my tools and equipment. As for why this room is so weird, well, that is because I am the owner and landlord of this building, and I rent it out, but before that, I did some reconstruction to alter this room so it would not be accessible and I snuck in and changed any records of the plans for the building. I chose this room because you can't see it from the outside, and you wouldn't notice anything amiss, so feel assured when I say your rocket launcher will be safe here." Felicia says, stunning me into silence.
This was supposed to be the secret place that Felicia wouldn't share with anyone since it holds all the treasures she cares about and wants to keep along with all her gear, yet she so easily just showed it to me. Does that mean she trusts me? We have been getting along great lately, and instead of being enemies or possible paramours, we have just been roommates that live together and hang out. Our relationship is quite good, actually.
And I don't doubt that this is just one of the many hideouts she has tucked around the city, and she isn't about to show me those. But still, this is a big step, and I am surprised she has taken it. Maybe this dynamic duo we currently have going on won't have to end after I have gotten what I want. Perhaps we could go on to form a very lucrative partnership.
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