Chapter 388: Conversation
Thud!
Peter flipped through the skylight and landed successfully inside the warehouse.
"Whoa... I remember this place looking a lot different," Peter muttered, gazing around the strange yet familiar space.
The warehouse had been completely remodeled. When Peter was last here, it had been a dilapidated wreck. Now, it looked like a high-tech research facility. High white alloy walls surrounded him, and surveillance cameras were mounted in the four corners of the ceiling.
"Listen, I know you can see me! You have a chance to surrender right now. Don't keep doing this illegal stuff," Peter said, staring directly into a camera. He hoped he could talk them down and avoid an unnecessary fight.
"Hello, Spider-Man. Don't you think all of this was caused by you? We just wanted to make a trade," Mason's voice boomed through the speakers, filled with anger. "But you keep interfering! We're human, we need money! We could have stayed out of each other's way, so why do you have to provoke us?"
"If it were a legal trade, I wouldn't stop you. But you're dealing in dangerous weapons," Peter countered. "Do you have any idea how much danger those weapons pose to society?"
"Danger?! Society is already a hell where the strong eat the weak! We're just releasing the dormant demons within. And you think you're an angel coming to save them? They don't need saving. For money, even they would become demons~"
With that, Mason cut the audio. He was going to show Spider-Man what he was truly capable of.
"Hey!" Peter called out a few times. Realizing there was no response, he turned to leave.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Alloy?" Peter realized the walls were now reinforced metal.
Click!
A sound came from above. Peter looked up to see that even the skylight had been sealed shut with an alloy plate.
"So it's a trap," Peter realized immediately. He scanned the room for an exit, but there were none.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
Four machine guns extended from the walls, all pivoting to lock onto Peter.
"Uh-oh..." Peter hadn't expected such a massive welcoming party.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Muzzle flashes flared as a storm of bullets poured toward Peter. His Spider-Sense screamed in his mind like an explosion. This is not good~
"Luring the tiger from the mountain, Commissioner Stacy?" Toomes chuckled.
George's face, which had briefly softened, tightened again. "What did you do to them!"
"Mice that sneak into other people's homes usually end up dead," Toomes said arrogantly, reaching out to pat the hat on George's head.
"You!" George wanted to draw his gun and blast the Vulture then and there, but he knew the armor was bulletproof.
"Don't worry too much, Commissioner. Your daughter is fine, and she definitely won't be harmed." Toomes leaned into George's ear and whispered, "As long as you don't do anything reckless."
"What are you really after?" George sensed there was more to this. The Vulture didn't seem to be here just for his daughter.
"Sir! Commissioner! The prison is under attack!" an officer shouted from behind, panic-stricken.
"The prison?!" George's pupils dilated. Was the prison the real target all along?
"What are you doing!" George roared. These criminals were all lunatics.
"Spider-Man is too much of a nuisance. I need to find a partner to deal with him," Toomes said, picking up the ransom suitcase and slowly taking flight.
"I don't care about your grudge with Spider-Man—give me Gwen!" George shouted. Hearing Spider-Man's name only made him angrier. Spider-Man again! What did any of this have to do with Gwen?
"Commissioner Stacy..." Toomes started, but Mason's voice crackled through his helmet.
"Toomes! Trouble! Spider-Man broke through! I need help here!"
"Goodbye!" Toomes didn't linger. He grabbed the money and flew back into the warehouse.
"Sir, what do we do?!" the officer asked.
"Storm the building!" George could no longer tolerate the Vulture's provocations. Following his order, the officers armed themselves and advanced on the warehouse in full tactical gear.
Inside the Warehouse
Boom!
"Where did they go?" Peter arrived at the control room.
Using his Spider-Sense and some agile maneuvers, he had successfully destroyed the four machine guns and kicked a hole through a weak point in the wall. Now, he was in the control room, but Mason was long gone.
"Gwen!" While checking the monitors, he spotted Gwen in one of the rooms. However, she looked lethargic and unresponsive. Then, Toomes appeared beside her.
The Holding Room
Toomes returned to the room and noticed Gwen's state. "What's the situation? Mason, what did you do to her?" Toomes hurried to her side and retracted his gauntlet. He placed a finger under her nose and sighed in relief when he felt she was still breathing steadily.
"I didn't do anything. I was in the control room. Spider-Man is there now." Mason was currently hiding in the underground base, a fallback point built specifically for being surrounded.
"Forget it." Toomes pressed a switch on his suit, and a hidden hatch opened in the wall. He tossed the suitcase inside before grabbing Gwen and flying back out, the hatch sealing behind him.
The suitcase successfully reached Mason in the underground base. Opening it to see stacks of cash, Mason grinned. "Good work, Toomes."
Control Room
"Gwen!" Finding she was being moved, Peter didn't care about the hidden hatch. He just wanted to bring her back.
Outside
George watched as the Vulture flew out of the warehouse, clutching Gwen. "Gwen!" He wished he had wings of his own. Moments later, Spider-Man leaped out from the warehouse as well.
"Him again!" George knew Spider-Man would follow.
Peter watched Toomes soaring through the air and began sprinting across the rooftops. Without skyscrapers to swing from, his speed was significantly hampered. Come on, Peter! You're Spider-Man! He pushed himself to the limit, terrified that Toomes might drop Gwen.
"Quite persistent, aren't you?" Toomes looked down at Peter. He was surprised the boy could keep up on foot. However, Toomes wasn't flying at full speed. He wanted to give them the feeling that they might catch up, while keeping them just out of reach. If he lost Spider-Man too quickly, the fun would be over.
"Good news, Toomes. Schultz's prison break was a success. Our reinforcements are coming," Mason laughed over the comms.
"Give me their coordinates. I'll meet them," Toomes said, his face lighting up. He opened a virtual screen in his helmet; two red dots were approaching.
Toomes slowed down slightly and turned back to Peter. "Little bug, I've prepared a surprise for you. I wonder if you'll like it."
"Stop this! Vulture, think about Liz!" Peter roared.
"Shut up!" Toomes pulled his weapon, and a crimson laser beam blasted out.
Peter rolled forward, narrowly dodging it. Now! He fired his web-shooters. Two strands of webbing shot toward Toomes. The villain tilted his body in mid-air to dodge the first, but the second stuck firmly to his leg.
"Get down here!" Peter planted his feet on the ground and pulled with all his might, trying to yank Toomes out of the sky.
"You think I'll fall for that trick again?!"
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