POV JEFFERSON DAVIS: RYKER ISLAND PRISON — SHOWER
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter! Thhhhhnn!
His second day out of rehab. It helped a little. His head never stopped hurting. His stomach never seemed at peace. That was the consequence of what SHIELD had done to Jefferson Davis. He required a daily visit to the nurse, upon which he was administered a pill.
Jefferson smiled anyhow. His shoulders carried strength. Nude and walking through the hallway of the prison showers, Jefferson Davis psyched himself as the same ball of charisma he once thought himself to be. His head hurt. Sounds made him jumpy, even the running showers. At the same time, as the psychologist told him, some things never changed after all. Like his intelligence, his muscles, and his dick. The last especially. He was well-endowed. He was a former police officer and stronger than two men. He was proud of everything that made Jefferson Davis who he was.
'And I'll be damned if I let myself live pathetically.'
Was he in his prime? No. Never again. For the foreseeable years, he would remain as this slimmer, weaker, and physically unworthy man. Put his old suits and sunglasses on and he couldn't fill them out.
His footsteps got wetter. The tiles were white-squared and grimy with cheap water. Shower areas were in spaces of three men. Sometimes four if there was a clique. Jefferson counted: tattooed man, bald man, fat man, strong men, and a black-haired accountant. To the accountant, he paused. He showered alone.
Good. Jefferson originally came to the showers for the accountant.
"Ah, Scorpion. Or should I say Jefferson? Or officer? Or traitor?"
Except it was a trap. From the neighbouring shower section, the Kingpin and his two lackeys emerged. His weight could only be matched by his intelligence. His width could only be surpassed by an ice cream truck.
The Kingpin once ruled the underworld. Then, due to the actions of one Jefferson Davis and Spider-Gwen, he was locked up for good.
"Kingpin."
The bald lackeys were behind the Kingpin as though unneeded. The correct call, as this close, Jefferson tilted his head up to address him. His smile was lost. In a battle, he could not see his fist sinking into dealing pain. That fat stomach was bigger than an exercise ball and far stronger too.
"Look at you, my old friend." The Kingpin looked him up and down. He smirked. "So puny."
"Hmph."
Many, many, many people wanted to know how the fuck the Kingpin fucked his wife. Well, here was the answer: with a big dick. Yeah, no shit. The Kingpin's penis was flabbier than his own with a nonsensically wide scrotum. It wasn't that long a penis. But Jefferson himself was packing so if the Kingpin had that on top of way more girth, it answered questions of how he rocked the bed.
Jefferson's left eyebrow twitched. If there ever was a man he did not want to lose to in any aspect, it was this bastard. He couldn't keep his old cool even if he wanted to. Fuck, Jefferson fucking hated himself for caring. He couldn't pretend this was a frivolous thing. Penis size mattered to his ego. He despised being smaller. In the auction of me, he relished being the strongest, the smartest, and the most hung.
"Puny man with a puny ego and a puny job." The Kingpin relished this with a smirk. His guards behind him chuckled. The showers all around them continued running. "Seems you've ended up like me anyway. I can't tell you how glad that makes me."
"..."
Say nothing, Jefferson advised himself. He put on a smile instead. "Are we kindred spirits then?"
Allies? Friends? He would need them, he thought. But…he already knew he was not going to get any points with the Kingpin.
"That's what happens when you meddle with powers outside your understanding. Thrown into a prison like a dog, begging and going to, ah, what was it? A mental health check?"
"It was a psyche analysis, that was all."
"Ah, I'm surprised they didn't throw you in with the crazies."
Jefferson bit his tongue. The Kingpin hadn't lost any of his fat or sharpness. He looked the same as he always did, if not with less wrinkles on that shiny bald head. Prison was serving him well. Like vacation.
"And now brought here. How the mighty fall."
Both were bald men with flashing egos. Every mockery was intentional by the Kingpin. He continued anyway. He was bigger, stronger, had back-up, and confidence.
Jefferson no longer did.
"I can also see that glean. You want to leave. To escape. You're scared. You don't learn, do you?"
"Just what do you want?" Jefferson snapped with his smile twitching.
"To give some advice, old detective. This prison," the blob put his hands behind him, "is your place now."
"Alright, sure. Let's say that's true. My time is over. That means yours is too." At that, somehow, both smiles grew. Jefferson hated that and continued, "We peaked and we will never reach those heights again."
"Obviously."
"Obviously?"
"You really don't see it?" The Kingpin looked behind to his lackeys. "Was he not an officer?"
He earned laughs in turn. Like they were so much wider than him. It pissed the Scorpion off. 'Former, you bastard.'
"The system has changed. All you and I can do is pray and hope for parole."
"Parole? You're funny," Jefferson said. "If I was a cop, I would never let either of us go, no matter the psych evaluations and the good behaviour."
The Kingpin and Scorpion understood that if they were to lose their power and be tossed into jail, it was a permanent affair. There were no second chances. That was the consequence of being a crime lord.
"Then…go the hard way. See for yourself. The web of the spider is waiting."
Jefferson paled. Darkness and memories flash him. His head throbbed and he took a step back. "You're kidding."
"I'm not. He patrols. He prowls. If one of us escapes he will know and put us back. The longest any escapee has been out is, from what I hear, three days." The Kingpin chuckled. "And I am not just talking here. It is the need across all prisons in our great city. And, unfortunately for you, your own presence has become your undoing. You coming here has caused Ryker Prison to be further fortified."
The Kingpin arrogantly laughed.
"Escape the walls, the waters, or the last. The spider awaits."
He pushed Jefferson into the side wall and laughed his way out. The guards spat on Jefferson's foot on the way. As Jefferson heard the last of his footsteps, like a zombie, he entered a shower. It had enough space for three but he stood alone.
An arm hit the wall, covering his face. "Spider-Man…dammit…damn you…! If only you didn't exist! If only I stopped you! None of this would be happening…!"
His head hurt from the swirling emotions and he started calming himself. Breathing in and out and focusing on the good things in his life…like his dick.
That was where Felix found him. Dark-eyed and alone, letting the water comfort him. He hung outside the section and glanced around to make sure no one would interrupt.
Yep, Felix had infiltrated Ryker Prison. Probably the easiest thing to do considering his resources and his abilities.
Felix was relieved to see Jefferson in a manner of speaking. He was in far better condition. He wasn't being needlessly tortured. Felix slipped next to him nonchalantly. Felix looked him up and down from the corner of his eye.
"Jefferson Davis?"
"What do you want?" Jefferson said without glancing. "If you're here to try to kick me ass, I'm giving you one warning."
"No, just here to talk."
"Then talk."
Felix was here to ask him about Kingpin. However, his eyes drifted and he remembered this was Rio's ex-husband. The male ego made him look.
Scumbah as he was, Jefferson was undoubtedly hung. All of a sudden, it made sense why Rio was a goddess in bed. That woman had been trained. Rio admitted that early in his career, her ex-husband famously busted a prostitution ring. After that, he suddenly started popping pills that let him fuck for ten hours straight. During vacations, he popped three or four of them. His libido went off the roof and until his promotion to captain, Rio and Jefferson fucked four times a day. Morning sex, lunch sex, dinner sex, and night sex.
After Miles' birth, things dwindled to twice a day. And after Kingpin's arrest, to nothing.
Felix without his powers, without his upgrades, at a full erection would have been as big as Jefferson soft. Dude was a bonafide porn star talent. It pissed Felix off a little. His nightmare wasn't wrong about him, it seemed.
'You were born with that thing? Why are some scumbags lucky?' But Jefferson also used pills. And Felix, more importantly, was now Spider-Man.
"You're Rio Morales' ex right?"
"...!"
Jefferson noticed Felix's echoing and he did not enjoy seeing someone bigger for a second. It was like a T-Rex roared at him.
"Jealous? I'm fucking Rio Morales," Felix said. Fuck being modest. Today he wanted to put his balls in the table and humble the Scorpion.
A glance again from Jefferson. Envy flared up. Bigger penis and bigger balls. A veritable upgrade.
"Softies doesn't mean shit."
"Maybe, but I bet I'm bigger though."
"Hah, but did you knock her up?"
"..."
Jefferson smirked. "Looks like one of us has got balls and it ain't the white boy."
"Shut up."
"Still use my condoms, bitchboy?"
"Sorry, they're too small."
They faced each other, glaring. Okay, this was not the plan but whatever. Muscles wise, Felix had more. He was stronger. His penis hung lower. He was bigger. A crushing masculine victory. It was great. Felix planned to knock him down and slap the questions out of him.
Unfortunately, they weren't alone. Footsteps pounded and soon flooded the area. Five men surrounded them.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Felix questioned. This very much wasn't apart of the plan.
"Stay out," said the front man. He looked quite normal, save for the heart tattoo on his breast. "My business is with the Scorpion."
The former supervillain sneered. "I have no idea who you are." His sneer continued at the other men. "Nor any of you."
The front man was blunt with it: "You fucked my wife and posted your sex tape on the internet, bastard."
"Right, I do that with a lot of women. And if I posted it online, it meant it didn't sell at the auction."
The front man flared with rage. "Piece of shit, I'll kill you!"
"Walk away with your dignity man," Jefferson advised. He put his fists up. "Or else."
"Fuck off! Die!"
Bam! Except before either could throw a fist, Felix did. He knocked the front man, then twirled and kicked his closest man. They were knock-out blows and they immediately scared off the remaining three.
"W-we didn't sign up for this!"
"Y-yeah!"
So, they ran. Felix chuckled. "All's well that ends well." He glanced at Jefferson, the two bodies on the floor. The blood rolling down their chins got soaked up by the water underneath and swirled into the drain.
Jefferson was happily impressed. "You're strong. Who trained you?"
"On my own."
Jefferson squinted. "Latin Warriors?"
"What?"
"Latin gang that do martial arts. I hear the cops cracked down on them recently. You one of them?"
"I'm not."
"I swear," Jefferson pointed a finger at him, "I know. I do." He wagged it. "We fought…didn't we? But when? Where?"
He had good instincts. No wonder he was Scorpion. Perhaps he might have recognized Felix if his voice and face were the same. However, it wasn't. See, now that he was one with the Symbiote, he could do mild changes in his facial structure and voice box. He looked and sounded different: thicker eyebrows, longer hair tipped red at the ends, and a little more jacked. It was still Felix, but since he and Jefferson had only fought one another, not to mention Jefferson's mental state was mildly unstable from the experiments, he suspected the Scorpion would not put the pieces together.
"Whether I am or not doesn't matter. I have my own questions for you."
"About…?"
"The Big Man."
He scoffed. "Hung bastard. You think you can come here, say you fucked my ex-wife and just spill all the beans?" Jefferson, however, had no bite in him. He smirked. "Haha, fine. I'll tell you. But don't say I'm crazy when I tell you the truth."
Felix wasn't going to wait. He asked his first question straight away. "What is he like?"
"Cautious and methodical. He thought of me as useful trash, I suspect. Gave him what he said were hands-me-downs. Fortunately, his hand-me-downs were worth fortunes here."
"Where did you two meet? How did you receive your multiversal items?"
Jefferson smirked. "That's the part where you'll walk. It was…in another world." Felix stared him down and the lack of reaction caused him to frown. "You…know?"
"I do. Where? What was it like?"
"Who the hell are you?" Jefferson asked, eyes narrowed. He did not get an answer. "Are you here to kill me on his behalf?"
"As if. I saved your ass, remember?"
Jefferson's guard was up. Not good. But not bad either. He prepared for this.
'The truth serum I once used on Felicia has been refined. If I use it on Jefferson, I can get what I want.' It was a last resort, however. 'His body is still slightly weak from the experiments down to him. He might pass out at the end.'
So…he preferred not to use it.
"...huge city. It was a huge, crazy city with flying cars everywhere. I remember it like it was yesterday." Jefferson breathed in, eyes resolute. "I was given this multiversal travel wristband and went to that city anytime I needed stuff."
"What happened to it?"
Felix presumed it was similar to what Hobie invented for Gwen. However, the portable multiversal device wasn't amongst the items the authorities catalogued in Jefferson's arrest. Well, the authorities wouldn't have known but Felix and Herbie would.
"It broke during my fight with Spider-Man. Crushed into a million pieces."
Ah. Shit.
"It got glitchy toward the last couple years," Jefferson admitted. "Not that I used it often anyway. The Big Man is a big man and I could only afford to visit him once a year. Twice if he was generous. Every time I did, it was the same. A robot would bring me to one of the top floors of the skyscraper. Couldn't tell you which though, think it changed sometimes. Anyway, elevator ride was always long and I always spoke to the Big Man and his girlfriend in his office. They had everything I needed waiting for him."
"Girlfriend…was she a blonde woman named Sue?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, she reminded me of the Sue babe here. You know the one, the dead hero?" Not dead, just retired, Felix wanted to correct. "Think it's multiversal shit. Different alternate versions."
"And the Big Man himself?"
"A young man in his teens or early twenties, but I doubt that's his real age. On that Earth, people live for pretty long. They're not immortal, the opposite, they're desperately searching for immorality."
"Desperately? You think so?"
"Know so. I read this article while in a waitroom that the wealthy in China were famous for being genetically enhanced. They used their wealth to design children and establish long-lived dynasties. There's even a company in South Africa called 'the Grand Mission.'" Jefferson cackled. "It was pretty fun to see. It's one of the few things they haven't conquered and they enlisted my help in fighting it."
"They wanted the Sheath, right?"
"Can I ask how the FUCK you know that?" Jefferson wanted to put his hands up in a fight. "You CIA? You SHIELD? No, wait, you apart of the, uhh, what was it? The TVA?"
"The TVA?"
Okay, that was new.
"Hm, okay, not TVA. Dunno what it stands for but I was cautioned by the Big Man that because of the amount of multiversal items I have, I could be targeted. And that if I did…good luck."
"Good luck? He wouldn't help you?"
"Nope. It was the risk I had to take. Luckily, no TVA guy came, so…how good are they really?" Jefferson laughed like a worthy supervillain. "It took Spider-Man to beat me!"
"How did he first approach you?"
"My auction was rising and he came up to me like any investor. He looked like a slimy, small bastard with big pockets. That's all."
Hrm. Smart. "He introduced himself as the Big Man?"
"Yes. No other aliases or names, if that's what you're asking. Even on that other Earth. Or any other Earths. I did dip my toes here and there. Did some research but come up with nothing," Jefferson admitted.
Felix cupped his face. "I see…" His eyes flicked up to meet Jefferson. He was a smart, cool man. In another world, he could have done real good as a cop. He could have been a good husband and father. Instead, he wound up here, as he deserved to be.
"I have a question for you. It's not about the Big Man. You have a kid, don't you?"
"Pfft, first my ex-wife, now him? What is it with you?"
"Do you ever think of him?"
"After I got tortured and nearly died, quite honestly…not even for a second. I did think about my younger brother though, Aaron. If I died and he didn't know…" Glossy emotion entered his eyes. Jefferson shook his head and snickered. "Why the fuck am I telling you about all this? It's none of your business. Anyway, my kid, I don't really give a fuck about him."
"..."
"Don't like it?" Jefferson marched up to him and smacked him on the shoulder. "Get used to it! We're prison buddies from now!"
At that, Felix smirked. He didn't budge from the smack. "Who said that?"
"Me. I did. You and me, we're in this prison shit forever. Or what, you think that defeating those guys for me will mean you can live out your life here easy?" Jefferson smirked. "Trust me, brother. It'll be best for us to be besties."
"Who said that I'm in prison?"
"Huh?"
Felix's smirk widened. "Sorry to say, but I'm just a figment of your imagination and guilt, Jefferson Davis. All of this…it never happened."
Jefferson blinked and Felix Faeth was gone. His colours and his flesh, it all disappeared. He threw a hand forward and found nobody.
"What the—what the fuck!? Where did you—!?" Jefferson did a double-take and reeled back till he hit the wall. "No fucking way. Am I going crazy? I-I saw…I saw…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. No, Jefferson. This wasn't…"
He didn't realize it or realize it but Felix turned invisible.
He looked and saw no one. No one but two knocked out bodies and himself. The Scorpion's expressions contorted at the lie that suggested to him: that perhaps he did belong with the crazies.