Kingpin's massive hand clenched the phone as a desperate, wheezing voice crackled through the receiver.
"This is.... H-Harlan Stillwell. M-Mr. Fisk, please! It's the Human Fly! I c-can't... he's out of control!"
A loud crash. Panicked gasps. Then SHLCK!
Wet sound of meat being stabbed. A sound Fisk was very familiar with. Then a grotesque voice was heard through the speaker.
"Ah… y'know… my wings are full of death poison! My belly's full of- GLORFF! You listening, Kingpin? I'm eatin' your scientist. You hear me chewin'? Hahaha!"
The line went dead.
CRACK!
Kingpin crushed the phone in his fist, the plastic and metal crumbling like paper. His nostrils flared as he turned, driving a massive fist through his oak desk. The wood split in half like it was nothing.
"Pathetic," he muttered, brushing splinters from his suit.
James Wesley entered, unshaken by the destruction. His tone, as always, was calm. "Something wrong, sir?"
"The plan has changed." Kingpin straightened his cuffs. "Send more subjects to Sinister. Tell him… we might need an army."
Wesley gave a small nod. "Understood. Sir, on that matter, there's a Mr. Damien Heller here to see you. He says he can offer a deal to help with your spider problem."
Kingpin's eyes narrowed. "Send him in."
A moment later, Damien Heller entered. He moved with eerie confidence, his presence sharp and calculated. His gaunt face was framed by a pointed goatee, sunken eyes gleaming with something between charm and malice. His black suit was crisp, flawless. But his aura was… darker.
He stopped before Kingpin's desk, or what was left of it and smiled. Dangerously.
"I appreciate you seeing me, Mr. Fisk," he said smoothly. His voice was like a dagger, wrapped in silk. "I imagine your patience is wearing thin with these… costumed pests infesting your city."
Kingpin folded his arms, his massive frame casting a shadow over Heller. "Get to the point."
Heller chuckled, unfazed. "Of course. I have resources and methods that ordinary men cannot provide. I've had my eyes on Spider-Man for a long time and I've noticed that he always seems to bounce back from obstacles quickly, way too quickly. It's like he's got some kind of supernatural edge.You need a solution beyond brute force, beyond hired guns who cower at the first sign of spandex. I can give you that."
Kingpin raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, do you want in return?"
Heller's smile widened just a fraction. "Nothing you can't afford. But to begin…" His fingers drummed against the broken desk. "I require something. Or rather… someone."
Kingpin's expression darkened. "Name it."
Heller leaned in slightly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"The Black Cat. Bring her here."
A heavy silence settled in the room. Kingpin turned, staring out the window, watching his city burn with chaos. For a long moment, he said nothing.
"Very well."
"Matt, I get it. You're already on the way to a bad guy, but listen, man, I can't hack your Braille phone and steal all your contacts!"
["Transferring contact list now."]
Peter grinned. "There we go. Thanks, buddy."
His Spider-Sense tingled. Movement!
A figure in purple and black dashed across a rooftop.
Peter yelled. "Hey, Prowler!"
Aaron Davis pivoted, claws unsheathing as he hurled a shock grenade. "Fuck off, don't make me-"
WHAM!
One hit and that was na instant knockout. Prowler went down.
"...Wow," Peter blinked. "I was actually expecting a fight. You okay? No? Cool, I'll just... yeah, I'll web you up real quick."
["Opponent incapacitated. Notifying authorities"]
"Ask them not to wake him up. He had a rough day."
Time for a team call. Peter linked everyone in. "Alright guys. Hi, I'm Spider-Man."
A chorus of replies were heard:
"Iron Fist."
"Jessica Jones."
"Colleen Wing."
"Luke Cage."
"Misty Knight."
"Moon Knight."
"White Tiger."
Peter let out a slow whistle. "Alright, cool, cool, cool. We've got sixteen villains and a new mystery guy. Only eight of us. Cops are stretched too thin, so we gotta be fast. I'd have suggested voting for a team leader, but right now, that feels like a waste of time. So, here's the game plan.."
["Electro spotted two blocks east. Sandman, one block to his south".]
"Electro and Sandman are close to me, I'll handle them. Let's divide the rest and conquer based on efficiency."
Peter took a quick breath. Gotta play to everyone's strengths.
"Daredevil, take Mysterio at Hell's Kitchen. You're immune to his illusions, which, honestly, is kinda cheating, but whatever. Have fun."
Daredevil gave a rare smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Sounds like my kind of fight."
"Luke Cage, you get Rhino at Harlem. Indestructible vs. unstoppable. Battle of the century. Try not to turn Harlem into a parking lot, please."
Luke cracked his neck. "No promises."
"Colleen Wing & Misty Knight, you two handle Scorpia & Lady Beetle. Should be easy. Think of it as girl's night at Chinatown, except with more violence."
Colleen twirled her katana. Misty loaded her gauntlet. "Now that sounds like a good time."
"Moon Knight, you're up against Hobgoblin at Midtown. Because I feel like you'd enjoy the drama. And he definitely needs therapy."
Moon Knight adjusted his hood, his voice deadpan. "So do I."
"Jessica Jones, take Shocker. Just punch him into a wall somewhere in Brooklyn. That should work."
Jessica sighed. "This better not take all night."
"White Tiger, you're on Vulture. Get aerial, at Upper West Side. Try not to puke."
White Tiger flexed her claws. "No promises."
"Iron Fist, you're taking Blockbuster. Big, tough, but you hit harder. A face off at Bronx."
Iron Fist cracked his knuckles, his fist glowing faintly. "Let's see if he can take a punch."
The police can handle Arclight, Scalphunter, Riptide, Harpoon, Scrambler, and Prism for now. No offense to them, but they're like the D-list supervillains of the week.
["Final villain remains unidentified. Dubbed 'The Fly' by authorities."]
"...Alright, well, that sounds disgusting, but we'll deal with that later."
Peter spotted a bright flash ahead. Electro.
"Alright, team. Cringe in three, two... Defenders, stand tall!"
The moment Spider-Man gave the call, the team sprang into action.
Daredevil bolted across the rooftops, his billy clubs twirling in his hands as he closed in on Mysterio's last known position.
Luke Cage cracked his knuckles, grinning as he as charged at Rhino, the pavement cracking beneath him.
Colleen Wing and Misty Knight exchanged a nod before darting down the streets, blades and fists ready for Scorpia and Lady Beetle.
Moon Knight vaulted off a fire escape, cape fluttering as he lunged at Hobgoblin, already preparing to throw his crescent darts.
Jessica Jones took a deep breath, muttering, "Just another Tuesday," before launching herself toward Shocker.
White Tiger sprinted toward a nearby building, scaling the walls with agility rivaling a.... tiger, ready to take on Vulture mid-air.
Iron Fist clenched his glowing fist, eyes locked on Blockbuster. "Let's see which one of us breaks first," he muttered before charging forward.
"That was spider sense tingling" Peter wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes.
With that, the Defenders spread out, diving into the chaos.
Kraven the Hunter stepped off the plane,with his lion-head vest draped over his broad shoulders. His heavy boots met American soil. He was not here for leisure.
He was here to hunt.
The city reeked of pollution and fast food. The smell of modern civilization. He inhaled deeply, the air which he felt was foul, but mixed with the smell of fear.
As he walked through the terminal, a television screen caught his eye, the latest news footage.
New York was in flames. Masked criminals rampaged through the streets, police barricades were little more than an inconvenience. The so-called "heroes" fought to contain the chaos, but even from the grainy footage, Kraven could see the hesitation and weakness.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
"Sergei," a rough voice greeted him. "You're finally here. You picked a bad time. New York's a war zone. Might be smart to turn around before it gets worse."
Kraven smirked, his fingers tightening around the phone. "No, my friend. This city was already lost."
A pause. Then the voice asked, "Then why are you here? For a servant?"
He didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained locked on the television screen. The sight of destruction did not impress him. There was no art in this kind of violence, no discipline.
A true hunt required respect. Honor.
And this? This was just slaughter.
"The weak tear each other apart," Kraven muttered, mostly to himself. His grip on the phone relaxed. "It is a disgrace."
His contact sighed. "I figured you wouldn't listen. Just watch your back, Sergei. Some of these guys aren't playing games."
A low chuckle rumbled from Kraven's chest. "Neither am I."
He ended the call and stepped outside.
A black SUV idled at the curb, waiting. No words were exchanged as he slid into the back seat, the door shutting with a soft THUNK.
Peter twisted midair, narrowly dodging a gigantic lightning bolt as Electro laughed like an over-caffeinated hyena.
"You're quick, Spider! But let's see how you handle it when I-"
"Crank it up to eleven? Blah, blah, blah," Peter interrupted, flipping over another blast. "Max, buddy, I get it. You have electricity. But have you considered stand-up comedy instead of domestic terrorism?"
Electro growled. "You think you're funny?"
"I know I am."
Before Electro could zap him again, Peter shot a web to his wrist, yanking his arm downward. The next lightning blast accidentally hit Sandman instead.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave rippled through the area. The intense heat crystallized chunks of Sandman's body, making him look like a bad art project.
"HEY!" Sandman roared, his body twitching as half of him turned into crunchy glass. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SHOOTING!"
Peter smirked under his mask. "Wow, Sandman, you look… shocking. Get it? No? Alright."
He swung toward the park, subtly luring them away from civilians, except… uh-oh.
["Warning: Unknown civilian detected in combat zone."]
Peter's head snapped toward a nearby tree. A small figure was crouched behind it, watching the battle like it was a live-action Marvel movie.
A kid? Oh, come on! Peter groaned mentally. Where is his parents?! Don't they see the news?!
He adjusted his trajectory, making sure the next electric 'Genki-dama' blast Electro had been charging for the last few seconds once again fried Sandman instead of him.
Sandman screamed, his crystallized body cracking with each hit. He was barely holding together now. Literally.
Peter seized the moment. With a quick THWIP! He stuck Electro's feet to the ground and slingshotted himself forward. His suit hardened just before WHAM!!
One solid punch to the jaw, and Electro dropped like a bad Wi-Fi connection.
One hit K.Os are boring and really not my thing!
Sandman, now looking like a half-melted sandcastle, tried to crawl away. Peter ripped off his suit's upper half, except the mask and gloves. Threw it over him like a makeshift supervillain burrito wrap. The suit shifted into a complete wrap trap with tiny holes, small enough to prevent sand leakage, but enough to let air pass.
["Threats neutralized."]
Peter dusted off his hands. "Man, I am on fire today."
The kid, still trembling behind the tree, stared at him with wide, star filled eyes.
"You okay, buddy?" Peter asked, crouching down.
"I… I lost my mom," the boy sniffled, rubbing his nose.
Peter smiled behind his mask, "Strong men like us never cry. No matter where, your mom will come find you. Don't you think? Now let's get you to some place safer." He scooped the kid up and swung toward a group of pinned-down cops.
As he landed, an officer gasped and ran toward them. "Miles?! Where were you? Your mom called, we were so worried!"
Peter froze.
Miles?
"Hey Spider!" Peter turned to look at the dad. "I don't know what your story is. But this boy here, means so much to me. Thanks a lot, man."
Wait a second. Coincidence? I think not.
No time for that now, because above them, a tornado was spiraling down from the sky.
Riptide.
Peter webbed up, slingshotting himself straight at the incoming mutant, fist cocked back. "Today's forecast? Pain with a chance of unconsciousness!"
Just then, Celeste chimed in, ["Sir, there is a black jet heading straight for the Marauders' location."]
To be continued...