Chapter 29: Black Cat Part One

Chapter Twenty Nine: The Black Cat Part One:

The cat burglar carefully slipped inside of the museum. She took extra care not to trip any hidden alarms, not that she would have that problem. Over the past few weeks, she had studied the museum carefully, paying several visits under her civilian identity under the guise of charity work. It was quite the racket, but one that had paid off well and no one suspected a thing. She made her way through the alarm system.

“Pathetic, this museum’s alarm system is about as tacky as its exhibits,” she muttered shaking her head with a mixture of amusement and disgust, as she pried it open. It was a matter of pressing the right buttons and the entire museum’s security system was shut down. There was no guard, on the inside at least, which proved how much the museum relied on their security system, as flawed as it was.

Dropping down, she could freely make her way towards her prize. She moved discreetly and carefully, not to warrant any attention. While the security system was disabled, she would be a fool to take any chances.

-

“I don’t get it sometimes, I mean, it’s not like I was severely injured, just banged up a bit,” thought Spider-Man as he swung across the city. “Okay, maybe more than a bit, but Gwen overreacted. I mean, she saw I was okay, I’m still walking. Besides, I’ve had worse. I don’t see why she has to worry so much. Yeah, she’s concerned, but it’s not her burden to worry about. This entire Spider-Man thing’s made a mess out of my life, everything used to be so simple.”

Spider-Man paused, as the city appeared to be rather quiet, much to his disappointment. Still he would give one more swing through, mostly because of lack of anything else to do, before calling it a night. His eyes flickered, before he paused. He could have sworn he saw a movement through the museum .

“Odd, maybe I was imagining things, but still can’t hurt to take a quick peak,” thought Spider-Man as he swung in. The window had been recently shut. “Obviously if someone broke in, they were planning to shut it when they left, oh well, much easier for me. And I thought this night was a total loss.”

-

The cat burglar came across a secondary security system that she easily navigated with great agility and she switched it off. Carefully, she spied the case with a smirk on her face as she removed a hair pin from her glove and pried open the glass case, to reveal a jeweled plate. If she had paid attention in school a bit more, she would have been able to pinpoint exactly what time period it came from but she had better things to do.

Taking care not to bust the plate, she removed it from the case, but she heard someone drop behind her, as she stood slightly in the shadows.

“You know, visiting hours are long over and besides, the signs clearly state not to touch the exhibits,” said Spider-Man as he lowered himself down. “You know, break it, buy it, that sort of thing.”

“Spider-Man,” said the cat burglar as she stepped out of the shadows and Spider-Man stepped back in shock. “What, surprised I’m a woman?”

“No, of course not, I’m an equally opportunity web slinger,” said Spider-Man as he struggled to maintain his composure. He would be blind if he did not notice that she was wearing a skin tight black suit and it was throwing his focus off just a bit. He was only a teenage boy after all. Spider-Man rushed forward, in an attempt to apprehend the burglar while he could think somewhat but she dodged the attack, with expert agility. She did a somersault and landed on her feet right behind Spider-Man and he turned around. “Now, I’m going to have to ask you to be a nice felon and put the fancy artifact back.”

“Or what, are you going to punish me?” taunted the cat burglar, with a saucy smile, as she dodged another attempt for Spider-Man to capture her. Those gymnastics when she was younger came in handy. “Maybe spank me and put me to bed?”

“Yes, er no, I mean I’m going to have bring you in,” said Spider-Man flustered, as he attempted to capture her but she leapt and dodged his attacks, swaying her hips and moving very suggestively. “Will you stop doing that?”

“Why, am I going to make you shoot your webbing too soon?” she asked with a wink and Spider-Man aimed his web shooters, but she dodged the attack. “Awful intent in tying me up, aren’t we?”

Spider-Man leapt forward but she avoided the attack. It was a very deliberate game of cat and mouse between the two.

“Female or not, I’m going to end this right now,” said Spider-Man in frustration, as his opponent continued to avoid being webbed up. “I have had it up to here…”

Spider-Man paused, when he realized that he had not been formally introduced to his newest enemy.

“Name’s Black Cat, handsome,” she offered, as Spider-Man shot his webbing at her but it was bit too soon and she had easily evaded the attack. She put the plate down, so it did not break and she gracefully moved around, but Spider-Man grabbed her arm and had taken her down to the ground.

The Black Cat landed on the ground with a thud and she gave a pained groan, which caused Spider-Man to pause. He leaned down but was kicked right in the face by the Black Cat. He gave a pained wince, as her high heeled boot had struck him right in the side of the face.

“Great, another injury,” thought Spider-Man regretting his moment of indecisive immediately but the Black Cat moved towards the nearest exit.

“Well it’s been fun Spider, but I always like to leave a man wanting more and I’ve got an very important meeting to get to, so ta-ta,” said the Black Cat as she shot a grappling hook up and she scaled up the wall, making her way towards the window.

“Oh no, you don’t,” muttered Spider-Man as he shot a line of webbing up and began to scale up the wall as quickly as he could manage. He was not letting her get away, not this easily. Spider-Man made his way out of the window and looked from side to side.

“She can’t have gone far,” thought Spider-Man as he carefully moved around on the ledge outside and he spotted the figure of the Black Cat.

“Not so fast, Cat,” said Spider-Man as he moved around but the Black Cat managed to climb up the side of the building, with the web head gaining pursuit. She prepared to make an escape before Spider-Man swung out in front of her. “Going somewhere?”

“Some men can’t take a hint,” muttered the Black Cat, as she swung a fist right towards the web slinger but Spider-Man avoided the attack and grabbed her by the wrist. She very nearly dropped the antique, as Spider-Man held onto her. Her eyes averted down the side of the building and her knees shook fearfully “Okay, you’ve caught me, congratulations, please get me down from here now…I shouldn’t have come up here.”

Spider-Man paused at the look of fear, but the Black Cat reached into her glove and quickly pushed a dart into the neck of Spider-Man. The web head staggered.

“I can’t believe, she tricked me again,” thought Spider-Man hazily, his thoughts slightly clouded, as his knees buckled, before he fell forward, as the Black Cat caught him with a smirk on her face.

Spider-Man tried moving but he was unable to, as the Black Cat slowly pulled up his mask. He set into pull panic mode, as he was about to be unmasked and there was no way to escape.

But in a moment, she paused, with a coy smile on her face.

“No, if the mask is removed, I want you to remove it and more,” said the Black Cat as she leaned forward and kissed Spider-Man on the lips for a brief moment, pushing him against the wall. She broke free, as he was slumped against the wall, still barely able to move and in complete shock.“Hope it was as good for you, as it was for me, web slinger.”

The Black Cat leapt down, with her stolen goods, as Spider-Man was unable to move for several minutes. He could say one thing about this battle, he had never fought a villain that got inside his head this way.

And not to mention it was always depressing when the villain got away. Talk about adding insult to injury!

-

A figure moved from the shadows, watching the Black Cat leave. Eddie Brock stepped out of the shadows, with his camera and a triumphant smirk. Jameson would be pleased with these pictures for sure. Seeing the web head in such an act with a villain would make Jameson’s day and the rest of his week, come to think about it.

-

The next morning, after having a night to cool off, Gwen had realized that she might have been a bit unfair in the way she snapped at Peter. Sure, he could have had the decency to tell her he was okay but she was really making a big deal out of a minor thing. She walked down the stairs, resolved to talk to Peter.

“Dad must have went in early, oh well, I’ll just catch a bite to eat on the way to school and hopefully talk to Peter…then,” said Gwen as she paused, to catch the Daily Bugle on the table out of the corner of her eye and she turned, morbid curiosity getting the better of her.

Curiosity had the unfortunate ability to kill the cat or crush one’s heart into dust whatever the case may be.

Gwen picked up the Daily Bugle, hardly able to believe it. She saw Peter and some villainess who apparently called herself the Black Cat, at least according to the caption. She stared at the paper, first in numb shock, as if able to scarcely believe what she was seeing, dropping the paper. Then sadness and then a queasy feeling, as she wondered if their little argument last night had pushed Peter into this direction, to make such a questionable decision. Then she realized that Peter had been odd and rather prone to avoiding her for short periods of time and she wondered if this was just an isolated incident. Her mind was clouded by the rage, incapable of logical thought, as she turned, shaking madly.

Gwen could hardly believe that Peter would do something like this but the proof was staring right at her face, taunting her, tormenting her. She felt ill and the urge to throw up, as her life was twisted into something quite unfamiliar. Peter getting super powers was something she could cope with to an extent, but this was an entirely different mess.

-

“You’re late,” said Richard Fisk coldly as the Black Cat walked into the study of his mansion at the outskirts of the city.

“Well, did you want the job done right or not?” asked the Black Cat as she held the golden plate out to him. “Still don’t know why you want this thing, it’s tacky.”

“Well I can’t consider you to have much taste, considering the type of men you seem to be involved with,” said Richard Fisk and the Black Cat looked at him with a questioning look, as Fisk slid her the latest copy of the Daily Bugle.

The Black Cat looked at the paper, with a half raised eyebrow, amused vaguely about what the paper had said about Spider-Man and her, even though she was slightly disheartened about the fact that none of what the paper had said had actually happened. How she dreamed it may have happened after hearing of Spider-Man but it was completely false.

Then again the web head seemed a bit stiffer than she would have imagined but she could have remedied that easily.

“You should really think about considering a man with more class and sophisticating than a super powered freak,” said Fisk with a leering look which caused the Black Cat to shudder. She felt like she would need a shower after this meeting and not in the good sense either.

“My payment, if you please, I have more important things to do,” said the Black Cat calmly.

“Very well then,” said Fisk as he shoved an envelope in the Cat’s hand. She opened the enveloped and began to count the money but then frowned.

“This is only half of what we agreed to Fisk,” said the Black Cat in accusing voice.

“Well if you had been just a bit more prompt and not wasted time, you would have gotten your payment in full,” said Fisk silkily and the Black Cat took a step forward, but two burly bodyguards stepped in front of her. “Now, I wouldn’t advise violence, unless you want to get declawed.”

“Yep, haven’t heard that one before,” remarked Black Cat sarcastically as she rolled her eyes but the two bodyguards cracked their knuckles. “No need to show me to the door, I’ll find my own way out.”

“Good kitty,” said Richard Fisk with another leering smile as the Black Cat turned, clenching her fists, very much wanting to strangle Fisk with them but she vowed to hit him where it hurts the most for any man, right in the pocket book.

-

Peter had went to school mostly in a haze. Once again, he had not known how he had made it home, it was just that he made it home. Everything was starting to come back to him, the battle with the Black Cat, who had made off with one artifact. He could hardly believe that someone would go to the trouble for such a tacky item but it had happened. The bruise he sported on the face for where the Black Cat kicked him stung, he hoped no one would notice or make a big deal out of it. He was chastising himself over and over again before letting her get inside his head and trick him not once but twice.

Peter spotted Gwen as she walked towards the school, in a distracted state. This was another bridge that he had to cross and it was better sooner than later.

“Gwen, Gwen!” called Peter but she had moved away from him, turning her back on him, with a cold, distant expression on her face. “Look, I’m sorry…”

“You should be sorry, Peter!” snapped Gwen angrily. “I don’t even know if I can ever trust you again.”

“Gwen, you’re making a big deal out of nothing,” argued Peter but the look she gave him had sent shivers down his spine.

“Oh, it’s nothing, huh, Peter,” said Gwen. “Maybe you think I’m nothing. Shows how much you value our relationship Peter. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about me anymore!”

Gwen walked off, coldly, eyes narrowed in anger, as she felt her stomach turn. She could not believe that Peter could be so dismissive about this thing with the Black Cat.

“Man, Pete, what did you do?” asked Harry as he walked up, watching the fight between his two best friends and Peter just shrugged. He had no idea how Gwen could be making such a big deal about not checking in with her after his battle with the Shocker.“Well whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll get over it and if not…well I guess life goes on, eh, Pete?.”

“Thanks for the sympathy, Harry,” thought Peter. “Still can’t believe she’d be pissed off about one isolated incident like this. Still...I’d rather fight about a half dozen of my greatest enemies than having to deal with Gwen when she’s mad.”

Peter walked off, miserable and quite disheartened. Until his ordeal with Sinister, everything had gone great between him and Gwen. Now, everything was crumbling to dust. Then again, this entire Spider-Man thing was giving him nothing but trouble to begin with. Sure he saved many lives, but did the positives really outweigh the negatives?

Peter Parker was beginning to doubt that more than ever.

-

“Father, I have it, but what’s the significance?” asked Richard Fisk, talking to his father on the secure connection in his mansion. “I mean, there are far more valuable pieces at the museum.”

“Value is in the eye of the beholder, this piece holds a great deal of value, as it once belonged to Silvio Manfredi, but was confiscated when he was brought down,” said the Kingpin smoothly. “It is sentimental to the Manfredi family and the fact remains that it is rumored to offer a clue of where some of Manfredi’s unclaimed wealth is hidden.”

“Why bother with an old man who is wasting away in prison?” asked Richard.

“My boy, Manfredi is due for parole within the next year and he may attempt to reclaim what he lost,” said the Kingpin as if this answered everything. “His body may wither but the mind is the most important aspect of this game and it still remains strong within him.”

“Of course, sir,” said Richard. There were times where the younger Fisk wondered why his father did not just knock off anyone who rivaled him. He was the Kingpin after all and could order the death of anyone he chose. Yet, he decided not to, more so recently.

-

The day had gone on rather slowly, with Peter wanting to talk to Gwen, but she seemed bound and determined to go out of her way to avoid him. Once again, he found it rather hard to believe that she would just not talk to him over something that was not just a big deal.

“Not here,” thought Peter in despair, as he sat down at a table, more than anything to collect his thoughts.

“Peter?” prompted Kitty Pryde as she sat down next to him which caused him to bounce up with a start and it took a few seconds to regain his composure.

“Oh hi, Kitty, what’s up?” said Peter with a forced smile and Kitty just raised an eyebrow at him.

“I think I should be asking you that question,” said Kitty. “I mean, it’s all over the school, I mean I can’t believe you haven’t heard it….”

“Gwen and I are fighting, that’s about the only thing that could have spread this quickly,” said Peter with a frown. “And besides, it’s not like we’re that important in the social order at this school, to merit any conversation.”

“You might not be important, but a certain web head is more than important enough to get the entire school in a buzz,” said Kitty and Peter looked at her in confusion. “The Daily Bugle today has an article about the Spider-Man and the villainess known as the Black Cat, detailing their torrid affair.”

“That’s absurd,” managed Peter after a moment’s thought.

“It also has a picture, that looks bad, really bad, especially from the angle its shot at,” said Kitty. “I’m no expert on photography, but whoever took it was obviously trying to make Spider-Man look bad. Some guy named Brock or something or other.

“Eddie Brock,” said Peter in frustration. Brock was always out for a quick couple of bucks and something like this seemed to be right up his ally.

"So what happened?" asked Kitty nervously, breaking the tension.

"Well she faked being scared, I fell for it, and then when my guard was down, she drugged me," said Peter. "Then she pulled down my mask and...well you know.”

"Kissed you," offered Kitty.

"I couldn't have resisted it," said Peter but something had struck him.

"So Gwen thinks that...oh my...then...." thought Peter, it slowly coming to him, as he suddenly felt queasy at the thought. "When she thought I was talking about...she was really talking...oh my...good one Parker...you really messed up this time. You blew things with Gwen, worse than when you snapped at her for something that's not her fault after that night."

"Peter, are you okay?" asked Kitty as she looked at her friend. "Maybe you should go to the nurse's office?"

"No, I just suddenly lost the urge to eat," said Peter.

"Not to mention the will to breathe," thought Peter to himself dismally before he gave his head a small shake. "No Peter, not healthy to think those thoughts, just got to...yeah give up being Spider-Man because it's what caused this entire mess in the first place."

"Maybe you should swing by the mansion after school, if you want to talk, away from prying ears," muttered Kitty.

"No, thanks, but I'm heading straight home," said Peter dismally as he looked up. Gwen seemed to be avoiding the lunch room at all costs or more likely avoiding him.

-

"Peter?" asked Aunt May in concern at dinner, as she looked at her nephew. "You barely touched a thing, you're looking rather sickly today. You aren't coming down with anything, are you?"

"Of course not, Aunt May," said Peter in the most unconvincing voice possible, so unconvincing that even Aunt May was not fooled.

"Peter, something's wrong or something's bothering you," said May as she looked at him but she had seen something immediately. "You and Gwen had a fight."

This was not a question, rather a statement.

"Yes, Aunt May, but it was nothing, just a misunderstanding," said Peter but once again Aunt May was not convinced.

"Peter, whatever it was, it must have been an awful lot of nothing to have you worked up in such a state young man," said Aunt May. "I worry that you stress yourself out too hard..."

"You won't have to worry Aunt May, really, I'm cutting back on my work," said Peter, who had made a mental note to resign from the Daily Bugle. After all what was the point if he did not have any photos of Spider-Man to take considering he vowed to give that up after all the trouble it caused.

"That's nice dear, but we're getting off the subject of you and Gwen," said Aunt May and Peter looked on with dread. "Fights happen, Uncle Ben and I didn't have the perfect relationship, we had our share of disagreements but it made us stronger. Sometimes these things happen."

"Then you should think I should talk to Gwen," said Peter.

"Give it a few days to cool off, Peter, so you can both think rationally," said May. "And you should really eat something in the meantime so you can think straight. You wouldn't want to worry me, would you?

-

"Where is Parker?" demanded Jameson angrily a couple of days later. "He normally shows up with photos by about now. Granted they're not good but at least he shows me with something. We can't keep running with this Spider-Man/Black Cat angle forever, no matter how enticing it might be to show that the web head's not only involved with the criminal element, but involved if you know what I mean."

The office in the Bugle was so quiet that if there were crickets, they could be heard chirping. Jameson just shook his head in disgust that no one got his joke.

"Ah it will come to you in a couple of hours," said Jameson before he got back to the matter at hand. "Parker..."

"I told you, Mr. Jameson, he resigned," said Betty Brant in an exasperated voice and this little news brought a smile to the face of one Eddie Brock. With the web head's reputation tarnished and his competition apparently out of the picture, Brock was on the top of the world. Sure, the pay was scarcely better.

“I know what he said, Miss Brant,” said Jameson. “He’s a teenager, they get in an uproar if their shoes are ten seconds out of date and pout. Parker will come crawling back sooner or later, and I’ll have more photos of that web head. Maybe his new partner in crime will be it.”

“There’s been nothing about Spider-Man, since the incident,” said Robbie as he looked towards Jonah. “It’s almost like he’s vanished from the city.”

“Or maybe he’s plotting,” said Jameson in a stubborn tone of voice before he scanned the latest headlines. “And what’s this tripe about a mysterious figure attacking petty criminals, and the criminals claiming the very devil came down on them? LEEDS! I pay you for news, not fairy tales.”

“It’s just that, Mr. Jameson, there’s a new vigilante in town apparently,” said Ned but Jonah just waved it off.

“What’s good is this news if we don’t have pictures?” asked Jonah, nearly grumbling before he turned Brock. “BROCK! I want you to take a closer look. Don’t leave any stone under turned. Whoever this devil is, I want photos of him, if he does in fact exist. Give me proof whether it’s real or an elaborate hoax. We need a new angle to work with until the web head crawls out of his hole.”

“Right away, boss,” said Brock with a smirk. This “devil” as he was called would be the biggest break in his career, if he got some good shots and there was no Spider-Man or Parker to muck it up this time.

-

“Gwen was all up for joining us until she found up you were coming along, Pete,” said Harry, as Peter walked with Harry.

“You two still aren’t talking to each other,” said Liz in surprise and Peter nodded his head. “You two have never fought and almost overnight…I don’t understand it. I don’t see how you could have done anything that could have gotten Gwen so mad at you.”

“Yeah, but I guess some things weren’t meant to be, Pete,” said Harry but Peter just stood there. “I’m just glad that I was able to have some free time.”

“Yeah sitting in a board room surrounded by people telling you that you’re doing a good job and your father would be proud, must be hard work,” said Peter, a bit more harshly then he normally would in most cases. Liz frowned, but Harry looked like it did not bother him.

“Hey, its work, I’m just holding down the fort until Dad’s done being a guest of the tax payers of New York,” said Harry with a shrug, as he walked with Liz. Peter looked at them, they looked so happy, without a care in the world.

“Like how Gwen and I should be, like we were, and how we would have been had it not been for that stupid bite,” thought Peter bitterly.

“Gwen still mad at you I take it,” said Kitty, as she phased out from behind the wall behind Peter, when she was certain no one was looking and Peter gave her a look. “Did you try to talk to her?”

“Yes and I got quite acquainted with the sound of a phone being abruptly hung up in my ear,” said Peter with a tone of bitterness in his voice.

“She still hasn’t cooled down after a week, I would think she would be like smarter than this,” said Kitty.

“She might have been, it’s all on the account of that thing with the Shocker, where I didn’t tell her that I had escaped the battle mostly in one piece,” muttered Peter in a dismal voice but a sound of an alarm across the street and several people screamed, as a medium built man in a silver bodysuit rushed into the streets, having committed a robbery of sorts.

Kitty looked at Peter, who did not make a movement to leave or give the pretext of giving a flimsy excuse to exchange. The sirens indicated the arrival of the police who all moved in to apprehend this colorful fugitive.

“Hands up and there will be no need for a struggle,” said Captain Stacy but the super villain just laughed in amusement.

“I prefer legs up, Captain,” said the villain, activating a mechanism that caused his legs to rise up and run over the police force easily, before he bounced up, scaling up the building. “You fools just better give up, because none of you can hope to take down Stilt-Man.”

“Stilt-Man?” muttered Kitty in disbelief before she turned to Peter, who just stand there, calmly watching the spectacle as a bystander, without making the attempt to save. “That guy doesn’t seem too tough, Spider-Man can take that clown easily!”

Peter just remained immobile and Kitty cleared her throat, as the Stilt-Man was making a clean getaway.

“I said Spider-Man could take this clown down easily,” said Kitty stubbornly, giving Peter a nudge.

“I heard you the first time, but Spider-Man’s no more,” muttered Peter so no one else could hear as he watched the Stilt-Man gain further strides with his telescopic legs.

“And he got away,” said Kitty with a sigh as she looked at Peter with disappointment.

“The police can handle it, they’re being paid for it,” said Peter dismissively waving his hand.

“You know, this flies in the face of everything that Spider-Man stands for,” said Kitty. “I mean, there are people counting on him.”

“There are other heroes on this city, I’m sure they can manage,” replied Peter as he looked away. He had made up his mind. “Look, I’m not in the mood for this, Kitty.”

“What ever happened to great power coming with great responsibility?” asked Kitty quietly and Peter looked at her, wincing slightly, showing a sign of regret at the last words his Uncle Ben told him before he was murdered and how he was not in fact living up to him.

-

The Black Cat slipped onto the grounds of Richard Fisk’s estate rather easily, as she spotted the younger Fisk leaving. She easily made her way down an inattentive and quite dimwitted security guard, someone that she could get around easily.

The security was not that difficult to get around either. Fisk seemed arrogant enough to believe that no one would dare break into his cushy little mansion and now the Black Cat made her way into the room.

“Jackpot,” muttered the Black Cat gleefully as she saw what must have been billions of dollars worth of diamonds and other jewelry. Fisk had just a small fortune in this room and it would leave her mark. She would be compensated for the money she was jilted out of, with substantial interest.

He was about to have a string of financial hardship for crossing the Black Cat.

-

“Robbed, you say?” inquired Wilson Fisk in a calm voice, as if this was not a concern.

“And those priceless diamonds stolen, it’s a travesty and I know who did it as well,” said Richard. “It was the Black Cat.”

“Well, my boy, you should have had spent more on tighter security and not on the luxuries of life,” said Wilson briskly. “You’ll find it’s a necessity to protect what few luxuries you do have.”

“She stole over thirty billion dollars worth from me,” argued Richard. “I say we make her pay for crossing us…”

“My boy, its mere pocket change, nothing to get worried about,” interrupted Wilson, who had far more pressing matters to deal with, given the vigilante that was now haunting his men, this so called“devil”.

“Nothing to get worried about?” challenged Richard. “She needs to be taught respect.”

“I insist you let this matter go and build on it as a learning experience,” said Wilson over the phone. “Now, as much as I’d like to continue taking, I’ve got important business to attend to. Good bye, Richard.”

“Good bye, father,” said Richard but he was not about to let this go. He knew his father or anyone in his employ would not help him but there were others that he could enlist. There was more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. He picked up the phone and dialed up. “Montana, I have a job for you and the rest of your Enforcers. I want this done discreetly and you will be paid handsomely.”


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