Saturday - April 2, 2016

Parker Residence - Sub-Level Labs

06:32 p.m.

Richard watched with a scowl as Peter turned and quickly dashed out of the subway car, disappearing from his sight with crumpled bills clenched in his tight fists. The man rolled his eyes with a slight huff as he slouched back down in his chair, glaring at the papers before him.

"He's such a little spaz." Sandra muttered from the side as she made her way over towards the bar and pulled out a few glasses, reaching down to take out a bottle of scotch as well.

Curt let out a snort. "I think the word you're looking for is 'idiot'."

"He can be both." She called, pouring the amber liquid into the glasses.

"Knock it off, you two." Max called with a stern look, Richard grateful he didn't have to say it himself. Then again, there was a reason Max was his right-hand man and not any of the others. He always seemed to know what Richard wanted before even he did.

"He usually doesn't do that anymore."

The others - sans Flint who was still passed out drunk on the couch - turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" Max called.

Richard narrowed his eyes. "He's gotten better at keeping his mouth shut. He usually doesn't ask questions anymore." He muttered just loud enough for the others to hear. "I thought he'd gotten smarter than to blatantly ask me something as stupid as where we're going." He growled.

Max rolled his eyes. "Ch'yeah. But you seeing the kind of people he's been in the presence of recently?"

Richard lifted his head at that.

"Stark may be rubbing off on him in all the wrong ways." Sandra noted, reaching the same conclusion as her colleague.

Curt narrowed his eyes. "Plus, we have no idea the kinda things they talk about in there. Maybe...we should be cautious about this."

Richard hummed in thought, only for Max to huff off to the side. "We should never have agreed to let him intern for him, Richard." He muttered. "I knew this was a bad idea from the start, letting him go off, learning who-knows-what from that asshole. I mean, come on! The longer he's there, the more he'll start to think and-"

Richard held up a hand, the dark-skinned man instantly falling silent at the gesture. When the subway car was quiet once more, he spoke. "I know what I'm doing, Maxwell." He said in a cool voice, the warning tone to back off evidenced more in the use of the man's full name. "I have Peter in there for a reason. And when the time calls for it, we'll exploit it for what we need." He stood up and pushed away from the desk, grabbing the extra glass that Sandra had pulled out.

Quickly filling the glass for her boss, the man swiveled the glass in his hand, the drink sloshing about gently "Now, I'll admit. I don't like the idea of him going around with as much free reign as he's recently been doing." He murmured. "A boy like Peter needs to understand that he has a place and that it's set in stone. I take up the mantel of reminding him of that, of showing him the good that can come by following the rules and staying in line." He explained while grabbing the other glasses, the others nodding as if it were as simple to understand as two plus two.

"However, I have taken my hands off the wheel for a change to let him...explore. Let him get a feel for the waters." He murmured, passing Curt a glass.

"And Stark was the right choice to start out with?" The man called with a cocked brow.

"Stark is the perfect choice for this." Richard countered. "That bumbling oaf doesn't care for anything other than himself. But Peter's so starved for attention that he'll glom onto whoever's nearby." He scoffed with a roll of his eyes, the others snickering at that. "Of course, once Stark shows the true asshole that he is, Peter will understand just who he can rely on around here. He'll learn that you really can't trust anyone. All he can do...is what he's told." He grinned with a devilish glint in his eyes. "He'll learn just who he belongs to.

Max stared down at the ground, arms folded over his chest. "I don't know, man. Peter's so...weak." He sneered with a disgusted look. "You're honestly telling me there's any hope of salvaging him? Of, of...making him...one of us? Besides, we still have the issue of being in the dark about what he's doing over there at Stark's."

Richard stared hard at the man for a moment. "A plan is underway, Max." He swished the drink and passed Max a glass. "A plan is underway. As for what he's been doing, we have a solution to that too."

He glanced down at the glass. "Our...little bird will be here in a couple of months and-" It was hard to miss the groans of annoyance that drifted from the others at the comment. He ignored them and continued on. "-and Peter will tell her a lot more than he'll tell us. Whatever secrets he has to tell about Stark, she will be the first to know. And that's our ticket in."

Curt grunted from his place. "That girl is so...just...ugg." He muttered, unsure on how to describe the girl, just knowing he disliked her in about the same fashion as the others. "She's a little bitch, is what she is." Sandra snapped, tapping her long fingernails against the sides of the glass. "Even so I can't understand why that little shitface would talk to her."

"He has to talk to somebody." Max muttered. "So it's either her or some imaginary friend."

Richard narrowed his eyes at that, but continued on as if they hadn't spoken. "We must be patient. Peter is...strange. But he's held out for this long." He stared down into the amber liquids before him, catching the dark color of his irises in the reflection. "That boy has secrets. And I don't like that. But we must be patient. Keep all our cards hidden. And when the time is right..." He lifted a glass.

"We crush him. Snap and shatter and destroy him...and take those pieces and mold our perfect little soldier out of the dust."

The others smirked and raised their glasses before joining the man in a drink.

 

---

 

Saturday - April 2, 2016

Somewhere in East Harlem

12:21 a.m.

The distant shriek of police sirens mingled with the dull muffled murmur of TVs from the nearby apartment complexes that were still a comfortable distance away that anybody peeking from their windows would have a hard time making them out. The underpass they were currently situated near shrouded them in shadow and the entrance to the alleyway let in no aiding light considering the large van they'd parked was situated in such a way that it blocked the alleyway from the view of the sidewalk, meaning anybody passing by would see nothing but a van parked in a random alleyway and nothing else.

Which was exactly what they wanted. The less people who saw them the better.

Mark anxiously shifted from one foot to the other as he clenched and unchecked his sweaty palms against his sides. Nicky stood up against the back wall smoking a cigarette. Though it was obvious from the slight shake in his hand as he grabbed it that he was nervous as well. The two armed men who stood next to them did little to aid in their reassurances.

He glared over at Mark, throwing the cigarette down on the ground. "Would you stop moving around so much?" He snapped before crushing the bud underneath his shoe. "You're making me nervous."

"You should be nervous." Mark growled back, lifting his gaze to meet his bosses. "From what you told me about these guys, they mean serious business. So how the fuck are we supposed to tell them we don't have their shipment of supplies, which by the way they already fucking paid for?!"

Nicky glowered at that, attempting to hide the slight grimace that involuntarily sparked at the man's words. "Look, it ain't like it's our fault alright? Those damn Avengers messed with our main point of production so...you know...of course we're a little behind. I'm sure they'll understand that."

Mark shook his head. "I don't know, man. The kind of people we got around us...they aren't known to be so understanding."

"And just what is it that we'll supposedly be needing to understand?"

Both men jumped at the new voice that echoed down the alleyway. All four people already situated turned their heads at the voice, Mark grimacing while Nicky attempted to hold his ground as they approached.

There were five of them this time instead of the usual three from before which made the man a little nervous. Now they were outnumbered, a fact he wasn't all too pleased about.

From the builds he could make out, they were all men except for a woman that was now sauntering next to them. She was a slim figure with short black hair cut into a bob with just enough length to kiss the sides of her neck as she walked past. The mask covering her face shielded her features from their view but it did little to hide the dull purple glow emanating from where her eyes should have been.

In fact, all five figures had the same piercing glow emanating from their masks, all with different hues and undertones.

All four gang men quickly righted themselves, the guards off to the side straightening up as they tried their best to look as intimidating as possible. Though considering the newcomers also had two men that were much taller and buffer than the guards themselves, the futility of it was quickly recognized. Nicky cleared his throat before leveling the man in front a cool stare.

"Mr. Monarch, sir."

The man, apparently dubbed Monarch said nothing. In fact, his eyes weren't glowing at all, revealing the dark black color of his irises against the stark white of his eyes. However, such a fact didn't stop him from nodding. "Nick." He said, his voice a steely steady thrum as he echoed back the only name the man had given him.

He gestured over towards his associates. "You already met Lizard and Sandman." He announced, gesturing towards two of the masked figures, one with glowing yellow eyes and the other dull green. "I'd like you to meet Shriek and my right-hand man, Electro."

The woman - Shriek - cocked her head to the side, a gesture made even creepier at the fact that they couldn't see her face, only the expressionless black of the mask, illuminated slightly by the pale purple glow of her irises, matched by the whitish-blue of Electro's, his dark-skinned hands curling slightly as he folded his arms over his chest, remaining silent.

"Now-" Mr. Monarch turned back to face them. "Just what is it that we'll be needing to understand?"

Nicky's face twitched but he remained silent as Mark took the lead. He cleared his throat once more, confused at the slight lump in it before speaking. "We've...had a bit of a complication."

He could see Monarch's eyes narrow behind the mask.

"Our main point of production was...attacked on Thursday and we've recently discovered that nothing was salvageable from the sight cause there were already cops swarming the place when we got wind of it."

"Do we know who the attackers were?" Electro murmured from the side, his voice thick and deep.

Mark hesitated at that before glancing over at Nicky. His employee licked his lips before stepping forward. "We have reason to believe it was the Avengers."

The mood instantly darkened in the cramped alleyway, the guards shifting at the sudden change. Monarch stared at them, dark eyes boring into their faces so intensely, Mark almost wished his eyes were glowing if only to block the stares of his black eyes. "What?" He seethed, voice shooting out like a poisonous dart with enough force to have them take a small step back.

"But-" Mark quickly jumped in, hoping to alleviate some of the tense mood. "-but...we're already ramping up production in our other major areas so while we may not have your ordered supply tonight like we originally planned, we-"

"That doesn't change the fact that the Avengers somehow found out about you." Mr. Monarch cut in, voice terse and cold, his accomplices moving in another inch. "Do you even understand the repercussions this could reap? The consequences? Not just for you, but for anyone and everyone who's had a dealing with you?"

Nicky couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance and indignation at the tone the man was using with him, as if he were speaking to a child. "Yeah, we get that. It's just-"

"Just that you were too incompetent to go about this intelligently? Yes, I think I have to agree with you there." The man muttered.

Nick narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists as his teeth ground together.

"Look, man." The thug growled out, patience having worn thin. "Why don't you just calm the heck down and get off your high fucking horse. I don't see you risking your neck out here every night by supplying these weapons. I don't see you having to fend off the cops, detectives and Avengers to top everything off! We're putting out necks on the line to help psychopaths like you! So why don't you just keep your goddamn mouth shut and we'll get you your weapons when we get to it!"

Mark's face twisted into a look of unsure anxiety at what his boss was snarling. But the man didn't seem to be ready to stop anytime soon.

"Besides, none of my other customers are snapping at my neck for their orders. What makes it your business to interfere with our processes, anyway?"

Monarch's voice remained as neutral and cold as it had been before, despite the words now being flung towards him. "You make it my business when your actions threaten our very livelihoods."

"Yeah well...there's a lot more than just the Avengers that could threaten your livelihoods, you know." Nicky muttered more under his breath than out loud. Nevertheless, the closed-in walls of the alleyway caught every syllable.

Behind him, Monarch could feel his companions tense behind him, their postures stiffening. His eyes bore into the thug's, black and menacing. "I'd be careful of what you say." He murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Mark obviously picked up on the underlying threats laced in the man's words, but Nicky didn't seem quite so keen as he rolled his eyes. "Why's that? From where I'm standing, I have enough information on you and your little posse to have you locked up for good." He sneered. "Cops are always looking for an inside-eye, and since they're so desperate to get these weapons off the street, they'll be more than happy to allow me the position." He smirked, deeming the silence of the group as signs of victory.

"Really?" Was all Monarch replied.

"Yep. So I'd watch your step there, man." He grinned, stalking forward just a slight, sensing his power increasing over the situation. "Cause I got plenty of other customers I can rely on here. Besides, it's so easy to scrounge up a little dirt on someone when you look hard enough." He winked at the man before him. "Best not do anything to get my eyes wandering if you know what I mean."

Monarch tilted his head to the side, posture remaining calm and passive. "Is that so?" He asked, voice reflecting the relaxed nature of his body. "You know, I believe you should treat your customers with a little more respect." His voice slowly began to take on a deeper tone.

Mark took a small step back as he seemed to become aware of this. Nicky, however, remained completely oblivious.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" He scoffed with a wave of his hand. "I got the weapons here, and without me you got nothing but empty pockets and-"

His thoughts were stopped short as Monarch lifted his hand and gave a small snap of his fingers. Before anybody could so much as turn their heads towards the small noise, Lizard was charging forward almost on some silent command. Nicky didn't even have time to scream as claws were digging into his neck, ripping away the skin and muscle to reveal the bones and throbbing arteries now spraying blood all over the walls and floors of the deserted alleyway.

The two armed guards off to the side jolted to alert at the attack, but were still much too late. Shriek's hands lifted and lavender tendrils of light shot towards one of the men, wrapping around his limbs before ripping them from his torso like pulling toothpicks out of a Styrofoam cup. Meanwhile, the other guard couldn't so much as run as Electro charged up his hands and wrapped them around the man's face, his skin screeching and bubbling as the heat literally seemed to melt the flesh from the bone.

Mark screamed and backed away towards the side walls of the alleyway as Nicky fell to his knees, a choked gurgling sound emanating from him as he tried and failed to speak.

Monarch stepped closer, eyes gleaming in the dim lights of the alleyway. He said nothing as the man gave one last blood-filled gasp before collapsing to the ground, a pool of crimson liquid spreading across the alleyway from not just one, but three freshly-killed bodies.

Mark stared in horror at the sight of his boss' mangled body, only to yelp as Monarch turned towards him. "Congratulations, Mark." He murmured with a small kick at the limp body lying next to him. "Looks like you just got a promotion." The man stalked forward and gripped the man's collar with his fist, dragging him closer. "And I suggest you take this job very seriously." He whispered as his eyes seemed to flash in the orange lights.

Mark couldn't even stutter out a response, not even when Monarch tossed him to the ground, the man sliding in the freshly-pooled blood. He gasped, his body shaking as he quickly rose to his feet, completely ignoring the blood now staining his clothes as he turned on his heel and bolted down the alleyway, disappearing from sight after another second.

Monarch watched him go, body tense and rigid as the others milled about behind him, inspecting the bodies they'd left.

"Well that was fun." Shriek called as she licked a drop of blood off of her finger, hair swishing around her neck as she moved from body to body, inspecting their handiwork with a gleam in her eyes.

"What'd you want us to do with these?" Sandman called with a wave towards the victims.

The man didn't turn around, instead keeping his gaze locked on the end of the alleyway. For a moment, the others wondered if he would respond at all, only to jerk as he finally spoke. "Leave them." He muttered. "Keep the cops around here as busy as they can be. Besides, nobody'll really care about a couple of common street thus getting involved in things they shouldn't have."

Electro reached towards his mask and yanked it off, face revealing his frustrations. "And what about the Avengers? You can't put it off any longer. We have to deal with them now."

The other shook his head. "No. Not yet at least. For now we stick with the plan. Keep everything running smoothly." He turned to face the others.

Shriek was off to the side, dancing around each of the bodies without a care in the world. Lizard was now tearing into one of the discarded limbs that his female counterpart had left for him, flesh catching in his teeth as he ate. Sandman generated enough pillars of sand to reach the nearby lampposts, destroying the lights inside to mask the alleyway in darkness as Electro raised a hand of his own, lighting their path in bluish-white light.

Monarch tapped his fingers against the side of his legs, his palms igniting slightly in orange light as his eyes did the same.

"We'll get to them soon enough."