Chapter 44: The Captured Little Black Spider
When the police cruisers arrived at Kane Manor, they found a shaken Wick John Cain nursing a glass of amber whiskey, his hands trembling slightly.
"Oh, thank God you're here," Bruce said, his voice carrying a tremor as he set the glass down. He gestured weakly toward the unconscious woman on the floor. "It's her... a secretary I recently interviewed at the group. I never imagined she'd... do something like this."
"I'm sorry," he added, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "It's the first time I've dealt with anything like this. I'm afraid I'm not handling it well."
The lead officer offered a reassuring nod. "You're in your own home, Mr. Kane. You have every right to defend it." He signaled to his partner to check on the woman.
The partner knelt, noting the Taser electrodes still attached to her chest. He looked up at his colleague, a silent understanding passing between them.
"Quite a looker," the officer taking photos muttered with a low whistle. He was hushed by a sharper look.
"Alive. Just stunned. Good voltage," the examining officer said, carefully removing the scanner rod from her slack grip. He waved over the EMTs who had arrived with them. "Bag the gear as evidence."
As the medical team lifted the woman onto a gurney, the lead officer surveyed the scene: the torn tactical suit, the scattered high-tech equipment, the expensive rug now rumpled and stained. He turned back to Bruce, who still looked pale.
"Being that rich and that handsome... it's not always a blessing, is it?" the officer said sympathetically.
"Batman, my ass," another cop grumbled under his breath as he tagged evidence. "Guy can't even handle one stalker."
"Focus on the job," the lead officer chided before turning his attention back to Bruce. He'd noticed something interesting. "Mr. Kane, if you don't mind me asking... given the severity of the intrusion, why did you use a Taser? Most citizens in your... tax bracket... would have reached for something more... definitive."
He watched Bruce closely for a reaction.
Bruce looked up, his eyes wide with a residual, genuine-seeming fear. "Officer, I... I have a severe hemophobia. A fear of blood. The sight of it makes me ill. The only defensive weapon I keep is the Taser." He paused, his voice strengthening with a hint of principled conviction. "And besides... it's not my place to decide if someone should die. That's for the law, isn't it?"
The officer who had been checking the house returned, giving a slight nod. The gun cabinet was, indeed, conspicuously empty except for the single Taser unit and its charger.
"Understood, sir. We'll process this and get a restraining order filed. She won't be coming near Kane Manor again." The officer's tone softened. "But for your own safety, Mr. Cain, you should seriously consider hiring professional security. A place like this..."
Bruce nodded earnestly. "I will. Thank you, Officer."
As the last cruiser pulled away, its flashing lights dissolving into the distance, the last vestiges of panic drained from Bruce's face. His posture straightened, his eyes sharpened.
"That should buy some time," he murmured to the empty hall.
"Time you're wasting," the Red Death's layered voice slithered from its cell. "What you need is power. My power. Not toys and theatrics. In a world of gods and monsters, you are a mouse pretending to be a cat."
Bruce ignored him. Delaying S.H.I.E.L.D. was one thing. Preparing for what came next was another. He needed assets, and he needed them now.
Meanwhile, across the city, Miles Morales was having a much worse night.
"Look, can't we just... go our separate ways? Pretend we never saw each other?" Miles pleaded, backing towards the edge of a rooftop. He was facing a different Spider-Woman—this one with long, flowing black hair that streamed from openings in her sleek, white-and-red suit.
"I think you need to explain who you are," she said, her voice firm, her stance defensive. The death of Peter Parker had left a wound on the superhero community. A new, unknown spider-themed hero appearing so soon was deeply suspicious.
"Okay, okay! Look, we're the same!" Miles said, gesturing wildly as he inched closer to the roof's edge. "Radioactive spider bite, check. Superpowers, check. Fighting crime while being slandered by the Daily Bugle, probably check? So, you know, we're basically cousins! ¡Adiós!"
He threw himself backward off the building.
Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) didn't move. She simply watched him fall.
She didn't have to chase him. A familiar, repulsor-whine filled the air. A red-and-gold streak shot past the rooftop's edge. A moment later, Iron Man landed gracefully beside her, holding an unconscious Miles Morales by the scruff of his suit.
"Tranq micro-darts," Tony Stark's voice echoed from the suit's speakers, sounding smug. "Works on big green guys, works on little black spiders. Much neater than web-tangles. I'll take him to the nice folks with the questions."
Spider-Woman said nothing. Arguing with Stark was an exercise in frustration. She simply turned and shot a web-line, swinging away into the night.
Her comms crackled. "Spider-Woman, divert to the 12th Precinct. We have an agent in custody. Extraction required." It was Nick Fury.
"I was on a different assignment, Director," she replied coolly. "Agent retrieval isn't in my brief." She severed the connection before he could respond.
On the other end, aboard the Helicarrier, Nick Fury pinched the bridge of his nose. One agent captured by local PD after a botched black-bag job on a billionaire, and now a new, potentially unstable Spider-person in custody. And the one person who could smooth over the police issue with charm and legal threats was currently playing taxi for a sedated teenager.
"Hawkeye," he growled into the comms.
A bored voice answered instantly. "Yeah, boss?"
"Get to the 12th Precinct. We have a package to pick up before the NYPD decides to ask too many questions."
"Copy that. On my way."
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
💕Patreon members get early access to chapters, bonus content, and voting power on future ideas.💕
Every bit of support helps me write more and faster. Thank you so much for reading! 🥰
✨✨ I'll release an extra chapter for every 5 reviews! ✨✨🥳🥳 For every 50 power stones! 🥳🥳
Lets hit the goal of 100 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
We are at 60 members right now.