A Spider Meets A Cat and Also Deals With Some Prey

Walking up the stairwell, I came to a dead end quite quickly and just flipped up a hidden panel to the right of me. Tapping in the password, the dead end silently opened to reveal a hallway. Walking through it, the panel behind me slowly closed again, becoming just another dead end.

What was this place? Well, my Bat Cave. The Spider Cave, if you will.

...What? There's no Batman in this world. The Spider Cave might be derivative but it's different enough to not get any trans-dimensional copyright strikes from Bruce Wayne. That is if DC exists. Which I assume it does. If Marvel exists, then so does DC. So does so many other worlds of fiction. Not that I'm ever gonna travel to them - why would I? I've got everything I need here in Marvel.

Though I might make the trip to some of the other Marvel worlds. Like Earth-616. That place would be fun to visit. Though, I would need a massive overhaul of strength to survive that place. Anyway, I don't have even the inkling of technology or know-how on how to travel to different Universes.

"Karen, make a note and remind me that I should start a product on Dimension Hopping soon," I mused with a smile before walking up another flight of stairs.

I got a beep of affirmative from Karen and I finally arrived in the disguise for my base:

An abandoned Warehouse!

Coming out from behind the pile of I-Beams and debris, I sighed as I saw that it was who I thought it was, "What are you doing here, Cat?" I asked with a slight frown, my eyes roaming across her person.

Not in a pervy way, either.

She was breathing heavily. Slight perspiration...She's been running. Cat only ever runs enough to build up a sweat when she's actually in trouble. Otherwise she's too busy trying to look good when she's not in life-threatening danger.

What did this mean? She'd brought the trouble to me. To my doorstep.

I let out an annoyed grunt as I turned my eyes back up to meet hers, her blue eyes - she's still wearing those eye color contacts, it seems - before she pouted and spoke in a sweet and lovable voice, "What's with the mood, Pete? Not happy to see me?"

Hearing her, I laughed before walking toward where she was - on top of some I-Beams, sitting like some sort of queen.

Smiling, I looked up at her, "I'm always happy to see you, Cat," I said sincerely and she perked up slightly, her chest puffing out in pride and something else before I continued and it all deflated, "But I'm not happy to see you when you drag trouble to my place of work. You know better, Cat," I gave a stern tone as my smile disappeared.

She jumped down from her 'throne' and stood in front of me with a grumpy pout, looking down slightly as she was an inch taller than my current height of 5'9".

"Didn't you say I should get in contact with you if I'm in trouble? Well, I'm in trouble, Pete," she said with a helpless smile, still trying to look casual. But I could tell there was some serious worry about what was happening, deep in her voice.

Sighing, I took off my glasses before pinching the bridge of my nose, "Yes, I did say that. Contact me. Not turn up out of the blue at a place I showed you in confidence, Cat!" my voice turned to a sort of shout as I glared at her.

How long had it been since I'd first got to know her? It'd be around the time I started working for Fisk. I would've been 12 and she would've been 16, so I'd known her for two years, nearly three.

...And she was always the same. Reckless. Carefree. Even when it got her in deep shit.

Yet here I am to bail her out. Again. Fucking hell. If she wasn't so hot and also a friend, I'd have beat her to death by now.

What? You think I wouldn't beat a girl to death? I'll have you know I believe in gender equality like the true Saint of our time, Satou Kazuma!

Coughing to clear my thoughts, I put my glasses back on before and turned to the entrance of the warehouse, "Just stick behind me and don't do anything stupid, Cat. I'll deal with it, okay?" she went to refute me but I sent her a deadly serious stare and she simply grumbled about me being 'boring' and then walked behind me a little just in time for about two dozen men to rush into the warehouse.

Looking back, I gave a confused glare to Cat who just shrugged back at me with a 'I don't know' expression clearly spread across her face.

Turning back to the group of well-armed men, I held my hands up in a placating manner and a polite smile on my face, "Gentlemen, how are you all on this fine night?" I asked but only got multiple guns pointed at me instead.

Well. That's quite rude of them.

"Who do you all work for?" I asked, "I'm sure I know them, so please, let me sort out this misunderstanding before it escalates beyond consequences you can handle," my tone slowly took on a steely quality and some of the men flinched as their hands briefly shook. But one of the more cocksure men sneered as he stepped forward.

"And what's it mean to you, pretty boy?" his New York accent was thick and he breath stank of cigarettes and cheese - something I could smell from even where I was standing two or three meters away. "You her little boy toy or something?" he asked, gesturing between me and Cat with his pistol before it firmly stopped in line with me.

My smile disappeared and I felt my temples pulse as a bit of anger leaked it's way onto my face, "Who do you work for? Last chance," I asked--no, demanded the man in front of me. Why was I so mad? I was giving him a chance and he was shitting on it. I hate it when bastards like this do that.

He sneered and I just closed my eyes before speaking, "Karen, take out everyone of these guys who isn't the schmuck in front of me," I said with a cold tone and multiple turrets popped up from debris and rubble around us before firing on the group. Half of them died before even a second had passed and the rest the following second.

Not even a single chance to fire off a bullet.

And the last guy alive? I'd already closed the distance as he looked around like a lost lamb at his friends and comrades as they were gunned down.

I disarmed him and swung the pistol against his head before planting a bullet in his gut. The bang echoed around the warehouse and it was followed by the man's scream of pain.

Turning back to Cat, I spoke up, "Who did you piss off this time, Cat?" I asked and her face went awkward before she averted her eyes. Seeing her look so vulnerable, I walked over to her and moved her head back to facing me, gently, with a hand, "Who's after you, Cat? Tell me," I asked with as gentle a voice as I could manage right now.

She tried to avert her gaze but something seemed to be stopping her as she just gazed into my eyes with those high-quality contacts of hers - I'd never seen her real irises before. I wonder what kind of green they are--Concentrate, you old bastard.

In the end she bit her lip and gave a murmured reply, "...Wilson Fisk," she said and I nodded before turning back to the remaining man who was bleeding out.

Kneeling down, I put the gun against his head and pulled the trigger. Putting the gun back down on his body, I sighed before standing up and reaching into my pocket and bringing out my phone.

Unlocking it, I went through my contacts list before settling on one that read 'Wilson Fisk'.

Tapping on it, I brought the phone up to my ear and let it ring for a few seconds before the line connected, "Hello?" a deep voice came through the speaker.

"Hello, Wilson, it's me," I said enough for him to identify myself to him as I got a grunt to continue, "Some of your men came onto my property, uninvited. You know how I am about my privacy, Wilson. I had to take care of them because they'd seen my face. I apologize," I kept my tone polite but concise. I didn't show him the fawning and respect most of his underlings would show but for now, when I haven't undergone the serum procedure, I can't afford to piss off a guy who could throw waves and waves of guys at me.

After the serum? I could do whatever I wanted and he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing. So, I just have to be patient for now.

"Hmm," he hummed on the other line, "No, Mask. I apologize. My men shouldn't have tried anything against you nor should they have breached your privacy. Do you wish for me to send a clean-up team?" he asked with a somewhat apologetic tone.

Shaking my head, I replied, "No, I'll handle it. But thank you for the offer, Wilson. It's appreciated," I said before looking back to Cat, "...Say, Wilson, do you perhaps have any leverage over Black Cat? She's trying to steal something of mine...and I don't quite want her to," I put on a facade of annoyance and frustration and Wilson ate it all up.

"Yes, I do. I have enough leverage to keep her away from me and my goods. Do you wish for me to apply pressure to her and have her leave you alone?" he asked with a sinister voice.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm sure I can catch the Cat myself. She just better hope she pisses you off first and gets captured before I find her," I spoke with a vicious tone, gnashing my teeth for effect.

Wilson laughed quietly, "That she should, Mask," he continued chuckling before he continued, "If that is all, Mask, then I bid you goodnight."

"Goodnight, Wilson," I replied and hung up the phone before gripping the phone so tight the screen cracked fully and the shape of it began to bend ever so slightly*.

(*A/N - He isn't superhuman but he is at the upper limit of what a human his height and build can achieve. Meaning he could crack and crush a phone if he really went for it with his grip strength.)

...Threatening a friend of mine, Wilson? Hahaha! Good, good! I've been looking for a reason to take you down you pudgy bastard!

Gritting my teeth, I put the cracked and most likely broken phone back in my back before turning to Cat and putting on a smile, "It's all sorted. Fisk thinks I want to take you down as well, so you can lay low here for a few days if you want, Cat."

She looked up at me from her sitting position and gave a lazy smile, "And what would I do here for a few days? I'd rather be out stealing~!"

"Then you'd rather be dead?" I asked while rolling my eyes, "Get up, we're gonna go have something to eat and while we do that I can ask you what Fisk is using as leverage to get you to stay away from him and why despite having that leverage, he still sent a group of his people after you," I said with a tone that left no room for arguments. But as I went to walk passed her, Cat grabbed my wrist.

Looking to her, I saw her eyes looking up at me and her small yet sincere smile as she spoke, "Thank you, Petey. I really truly mean it," she said, to which I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. How about showing it with your actions instead of your words, huh?" I quipped and she mischievously smiled and walked her two of her fingers up my arm.

"Well, I would show you how thankful I am with my actions..." she trailed off before smiling wide, "But I don't date people younger than me. Especially if they're not even 15 yet! What do you think I am? I'm a thief, not a sexual predator~" she purred and got up before putting her arm around my shoulder and giving me a side-hug as she leaned against me as we walked.

...I will not complain about the feelings my right shoulder is getting from those two heavenly pillows on her chest. Wonderful.

As if she could read my mind, Cat just leaned on me even harder, fully enveloping my shoulder and leaning her head against me, "Be my leaning post for the rest of the walk, will you, Pete? I feel awfully tired at that fiasco~" she put on a tired voice and I just shook my head.

"If you weren't so hot or one of my only friends, I would've beaten you to death by now. You know that, right, Cat?" I joked and she scoffed before chuckling and nuzzling her head against mine before speaking with a purr to her voice.

"Yep~" she admitted, "And I'll keep taking advantage of it for as long as I can~"

Shaking my head at this, I just leaned back against Cat's head and put my arm around her waist. Ah~ What a nice feeling. But noticing something, I saw the turrets slowly following us as we walked...no, they aren't following me, they're following..."Karen, stop trailing the turrets on Cat, please."

Cat didn't move or even react apart from chuckling a little and the turrets went between following Cat and stopping, likely from my order/request. Indecision...Well, that's new.

In the end, the turrets disappeared back into their stealth modes and Cat puffed out her chest in some kind of weird pride. Shaking my head, I issued another command, "Oh, yeah, and close the warehouse gates fully this time. Last time I leave them partially open again..." I grumbled and Cat giggled as we walked down the hidden stairs.