A team plan. Felix never thought the day would come when he would be chasing after criminals not as Spider-Man but as Felix Faeth. Jefferson Davis, owner of Club Scorpion and Rio's ex-husband. That was their current target.
As to how exactly he would extract the information from Kate Bishop's mother…well, that would become apparent later. Honestly, Felix was hoping it wouldn't come to that point. He hoped something, anything would happen that wouldn't led to Maria's plan.
Today, Felix was supposed to go to work—and he did albeit much earlier than he was supposed to. He greeted Czarina at the secretary desk and then went up the elevator, clicking B3. The elevator doors opened and there she was.
Olivia Octavius was seated behind her desk, her piercing eyes peering over a pair of glasses as she reviewed a document. She looked up as Felix entered and smiled.
"Felix, you're an hour early. What's up?"
Felix offered a polite smile, taking a seat across from her. "Well…I need a favour. Sort-of."
"A favour?" A brow was raised. "Depending on what it is, I can help."
"I know this might seem a bit out of the blue, Liv, but, uh, I'm one of the new primary investors of FEAST."
"FEAST?" she repeated. "What is that?"
She didn't know? Then again, much of it operated in Harlem. Here in the city, it wasn't as prominent.
"It's a charity," he explained. "We've been struggling with money lately though. I was hoping you could help me with that."
Olivia leaned back in her chair, tapping a pen against her lips thoughtfully. "I see. And how exactly can I assist you with FEAST? Are you looking for additional funding, perhaps? Or maybe some new tech to help the people there? That's going to be tough. Mr. Osborn is very possessive. You'll get sued to oblivion if he even catches one of his inventions used by someone else."
Felix shook his head. "Not exactly. I've been looking into potential partnerships. Are there any upcoming events or meetings where Oscorp is involved? Not as big as at the party at Empire State Building but something that brings together at least some of the big players in the city."
Olivia hummed. "Charity money from rich people, huh…"
Felix chuckled lightly, trying to deflect her suspicion. "I promise there's no hidden agenda. I just want to make sure FEAST has the support it needs."
Olivia seemed to accept his explanation, though her curiosity didn't entirely dissipate. She turned to her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she accessed Oscorp's internal database. "Alright, let's see… Ah, here we go. There's actually an event tonight."
Felix leaned forward, his interest piqued. "What kind of event?"
"It's a factory tour," Olivia explained, turning the monitor slightly so Felix could see. "Oscorp has developed a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It's a prototype, but the plan is to expand this type of facility across the country. We're inviting several CEOs to come and see it for themselves. Harry Osborn will be leading the tour."
The Advanced Glasses soaked up all the information and stored it into the database that was the Fantastic Computer.
"And who's on the guest list?"
Olivia scrolled through the list, her eyes scanning the names. "Let's see… We've got Eleanor Bishop, Warren Worthington III, Roberto Da Costa, and Emma Frost. Quite the lineup."
'Emma is going to be there? Well, whatever. Eleanor Bishop is who matters.'
See, Felix had considered asking Emma Frost about the location of Club Scorpion. However, if descriptions of Club Scorpion were accurate, then she was likely one of its biggest sponsors and visitors. The chances of the Chairwoman of Frost International joining him in destroying Club Scorpion was low.
In general, he just didn't trust her all that much. Until his suit was fixed and he stole the schematics for JARVIS, their relationship was stagnant; on pause. Not to mention there was the issue of Aaron Davis, Kate Bishop, and Yelena Belova. Randomly getting information from Emma Frost would raise too many brows.
For now, he had to pursue what they agreed upon: Eleanor Bishop. "Sounds like a big night."
"It is," Olivia confirmed. "Oscorp is betting big on this factory. If it's successful, it could change the way we approach manufacturing in this country. Want to go?"
"If it's not a bother."
"You helped me with Project New Element. I owe you a million for that." Olivia took out her phone. "I will message Mr. Osborn about it. He's much more lax than his father so I'm sure it will be fine."
"Thanks, Liv. I appreciate it."
***
After a long day at work, Felix Faeth stepped out of the Oscorp Tower. The evening air was crisp as he pulled out his phone and called for a taxi. 'A factory tour…'
It was an event that would bring him face-to-face with Eleanor Bishop, and he knew what he had to do. Maria had trained him for it, after all.
A yellow taxi pulled up to the curb, and Felix quickly opened the door to get in. To his surprise, he found Yelena Belova sitting as the driver, her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips.
"How did it go?" Yelena asked, her Russian accent giving her words a sharp edge.
Felix slid into the backseat, closing the door behind him. He gave the female driver his address.
"It went…as expected," Felix replied, leaning back in the seat. He glanced out the window as the taxi pulled away from the curb. "I'm going to an event tonight. A factory tour, to be exact. I'll be mingling with some powerful people—CEOs, investors, you name it."
"And Kate Bishop's mother?"
"Confirmed to be there."
"That was fast. You do good work." Yelena applauded briefly before her hands returned to the steering wheel. It became a little quiet after that.
"But I'm curious, Yelena—why are you and Kate so interested in Club Scorpion and Jefferson Davis? What's your endgame?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Very."
A sigh left the driver. "If you say so. This isn't for the faint of heart."
"Are you being dramatic or…?"
"Couple months back, Kate's mentor, Clint Barton, was arrested," she began. "He was accused of assaulting his wife, Barbara Morse, and murdering his unborn child."
'Wait…what!?'
Suddenly, flashes of Herbie's profile on Bobbi appeared at the front of his mind. Her unborn child was deceased, he recalled that much. But…a murder?
His own coworkers were in this criminal web. Either the world was just a small place or fate really did exist.
"I'm…sorry to hear that. But what does that have to do with Club Scorpion?"
"Kate doesn't believe Clint is guilty," Yelena continued. "She thinks the real murderer is out there somewhere, and she's determined to find them. There's a rumour that Club Scorpion is selling something called the Little Thief—a simulation device that allows you to recreate an environment, even if you don't have access to the real thing. By inputting data like blueprints, police reports, testimonies, and other conditions related to the crime, you can produce projections of the scene. The police were supposed to have taken it from Clint Barton's possession and yet…"
"It wound up in Club Scorpion somehow." Felix's curiosity was piqued. "Can this device really help Kate find the real murderer?"
Yelena nodded. "Clint used the Little Thief when he worked for SHIELD. It's how he planned his missions—he'd recreate the environment and work out the details before going in. Kate wants to get her hands on it, to see if it can help her find the truth."
Felix's brow furrowed at the mention of SHIELD. He knew better than to let on that he was familiar with it. Maintaining his cover as an ordinary civilian was crucial. "SHIELD? What's that?"
Yelena shot him a glance through the rear mirror, her lips curling into a faint smile. "Don't worry about it. Just know that it's not something you need to be concerned with."
Felix decided not to press the issue further. Instead, he shifted the conversation to Yelena herself. "What about you? Why are you so interested in finding Club Scorpion? What's in it for you?"
Yelena's expression grew distant, as if she were recalling something painful from her past. "I'm here to kill someone," she said bluntly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Or at least, I'm here to confirm whether or not I need to kill someone."
Felix's eyes widened slightly, but he kept his composure. "Who are you looking for?"
Yelena didn't answer immediately, her gaze fixed on some distant point. She still drove perfectly like it was a sixth sense. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "The killer of that child and the injuries that Barbara Morse sustained…it requires a specific kind of martial arts. One that I'm intimately familiar with."
"So…the killer…"
"Is someone I know, yes. Someone that I once considered a sister."
Felix felt a pang of sympathy for Yelena. The conflict in her eyes, the struggle between loyalty to a friend and the need for justice. "How do you know she'll be at Club Scorpion?"
Yelena's lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. "I don't know for sure. But if she's involved in this mess, if she had anything to do with what happened to Clint, then Club Scorpion is the most likely place she'll show up. It's where people like her—people like us—go when they need something done."
"Like us? You're not a billionaire, are you?"
"Ha. No, not quite."
"So…?"
"There's some things you're better off not knowing, Mr. Faeth."
'A sister…being able to get into secret locations…she must be a highly-trained spy. Maybe apart of some secret organization like SHIELD? Or at least used to be?' '
Theories aside, it was quite clear that whatever had happened, whatever was going to happen, it all came back to that attack on Oscorp Tower. To the traitor. To the Big Man. To everything that had happened since he became Spider-Man.
"Alright, alright. I get it. Just be careful."
Yelena's expression softened slightly, and she gave Felix a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Felix. I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse."
The taxi pulled up to Felix's address and he stepped out onto the sidewalk. Yelena did not.
"Oh, um, not going to come inside?"
"I was assigned to be your escort. Can't let our special guy get mugged right before the big night."
"So…you'll be dropping me off too?"
"Yep." Yelena pointed at the driver. "For the foreseeable future, I am your personal driver."