Chapter 14
[27]
It was an early morning at the bank, but that didn’t stop the lines from being as long as ever, Sadayo Kawakami was incredibly annoyed. She tapped her foot anxiously glanced at her watch as she stood at the back of the line waiting to deposit her check from her other job. She only had 30 minutes before school started and she couldn’t be late again unless she wanted to get chewed out by Ms. Chouno again. ‘What right does that woman have to tell me how to do my job? I’ve been teaching for 3 more years than her.’ Kawakami shuddered at remembering how old she was getting.
Just when the line finally started to move, the loud sound of boots slamming against the marble floor echoed throughout the bank. 3 men in ski masks with guns strode into the center of the floor and one fired his shotgun into the air.
“Everybody down on the ground with your hands in front of you!”
Kawakami complied immediately, laying on the ground. Her heart was racing as the robbers stepped near her and grabbed her bag off of the ground. She was tempted to reach for it, to just try to keep something, but she thought better of it. It seemed like she couldn’t hold onto anything these days, not even the little amount of cash she didn’t have to give to Takase’s guardians. Maybe the universe just wants her to suffer, that’s what it seemed like to her at least.
“Hey where the fuck did Kazuya go?” Asked the voice of one of the masked men.
Kawakami looked up at that. One of the robbers was missing?
“Y’know guys, this kind of crime seems a little outdated. I’d be shocked if you guys actually came out of this with more than a couple thousand. Have you tried online banking?” A figure lowered himself from the ceiling. Gazing a little bit higher, Kawakami noticed one of the robbers tied up in webs with his mouth gagged hanging from the ceiling.
The figure landed on the ground and Kawakami took in his appearance. Dressed like a hoodlum in a damaged black sweatshirt and green sweatpants as well as dirty red shoes, the only thing that was noteworthy of his appearance were the red mask and gloves he wore. Clearly whoever this person was, they were trying to be Spider-Man on a budget.
“The fuck are you supposed to be? Spider-Man’s dead kid.” One of the robbers taunted, this one had Kawakami’s bag in one hand.
“The rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated.” The vigilante replied.
“Not for long!”
The two remaining robbers opened fire on him and Kawakami gasped. This vigilante, however, managed to avoid the gunshots by twisting through the air and kicking one of the armed assailants across the floor before webbing the other’s weapon to the floor and his hands to his chest. The one kicked earlier stood up and took aim once again before his forearm was hit by a web.
“Aww man, I was aiming for your gun!” Called the new Spider-Man. He pulled on the web and the robber was thrown toward the young man before being clocked in the face and knocked unconscious.
With all of the robbers restrained now, no one on the ground moved, only the hum of the lights and the muffled screams of the restrained robbers sounded through the room.
“Uhh, you guys are good to stand up now. I should uh, probably get going before the police arrive.” The masked vigilante awkwardly began to walk towards the door.
The tension in the air faded somewhat as the civilians began to rise and murmur to one another. The hero came to and turned around, running back over to the corner where the last robber had been standing. He picked up Kawakami’s bag off of the ground and for a moment she was afraid he was going to leave with it. However, he walked over to Kawakami and handed her back her bag.
“I believe this is yours ma’am.” He said to her before running out the front door and swinging off.
“T-thanks.” Kawakami said softly to the figure’s retreating silhouette as he disappeared from sight. Maybe the universe didn’t hate her as much as she thought.
When the school day started later that morning, Ren’s homeroom was in chaos. Students were talking loudly amongst one another, sitting on desks, and throwing things across the classroom. Ren honestly wasn’t sure how he was the one the school was keeping an eye on when right now he was the only one doing what was expected of a good student.
Ann turned to him from the seat in front of him with her phone out. “Did you see what’s blowing up all over social media this morning?”
“Uh, no I was busy this morning.”
“Clearly.” Ann showed Ren what was on her screen. A blurry image of him in costume swinging through the streets and a much clearer image of the burglar from the bank hanging from the ceiling in his webbing.
“Holy shit that was fast! It hasn’t even been an hour!”
Ann leaned towards Ren and lowered her voice. “What was it like? Stopping those robbers, I mean.”
Ren whispered back to her. “It was crazy, my heart was beating like crazy and they tried to shoot me and it was just, just crazy, all of it.” He couldn’t hide his excitement over getting to tell what being a superhero was like.
“They shot at you?! Are you okay?” Ann unintentionally raised her voice in concern.
“Shh!” Ren tried to calm Ann down. “Yeah, they didn’t hit me or anything, so yeah I’m fine.”
Ann didn’t seem to take comfort in that, but before she could say anything, Ms. Kawakami entered the room.
“Hello class, I apologize for my tardiness.” She set her bag on her desk and began the lesson. “Now if you would all pull out your homework from last night, Mishima please go around the class and collect them.”
“Yes ma’am!” Mishima stood up and began taking everyone’s homework off of their desks, Ren wasn’t sure why, but he seemed different today, more upbeat and excitable. He was glad to see the younger boy in a better mood, he’d had it rough on Kamoshida’s volleyball team and if Ren recalled correctly, Kamoshida was specifically out to get him during the attack.
When class eventually concluded, Mishima came up to Ren and Ann as they were collecting their things. “Did you guys see!? There’s a new Spider-Man! He stopped a bank robbery this morning!”
“Oh? Sounds like a badass.” Ren turned to Ann and smirked.
“Sounds like he’s an idiot who wants attention.” Ann said back aggressively.
The two began bickering and Mishima, seeing the awkward situation he created, stepped back and left unnoticed.
When the school day came to a close and day turned to night, Ren found himself in Dr. Takemi’s clinic with his clothes off once again.
“Oh Doc, wait, stop, I’m not ready! O-oh my god!”
“Oh quit your whining, it’s already in. You’d think you’d be used to it now, this our fourth time already.”
“Yeah I know, it feels like you’re sucking me dry! Pretty soon I’m not gonna have any left!”
“People get their blood taken all the time, it's not nearly as big a deal as you make it out to be.”
When Ren was brought into her clinic after the battle with Electro, he had to make a deal with the doctor. In exchange for keeping his secret, Ren had to come in for a checkup twice a week and let her study his ‘unique physiology’ (No that is not an innuendo.)
“I think you’ve got enough of it Doc. Pretty soon you’ll have more of my blood than I do!”
“Your biology is still changing so it’s important that I take samples on a regular basis.” The punk rock doctor held up the, now full, syringe and placed it on the table next to her. “Just think, there are secrets hidden in your DNA that can change the world and save millions of lives!” She placed a cotton ball over the site the needle pierced.
Ren was surprised to see the passion that the woman held for her job, Ren would have pegged her as being laid back in her work. But it seemed to him that there was much more to this woman than met the eye and she saw him as the key to curing countless illnesses. The problem with being seen as a key though, is that you get treated as an object. This doctor’s bedside manner was horrible and she made no attempts to ease Ren’s pain.
“That’s great Doc, but I like to take a bit more of a proactive role in saving lives.” Ren pulled his shirt back on as he prepared to leave for the day. He was exhausted and felt ready to pass out.
Takemi sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna get killed out there if you keep this up.” When she looked at Ren, he thought he saw a flash of genuine concern for his safety.
“And how many others will die if I don’t? This city needs a Spider-Man and it looks like I’m all they’ve got.” As Ren stepped out the door of the clinic, he checked his phone. There was a new message from Detective Shirogane.
“Need to talk to you. New case, calls for your ‘talents.’”
[28]
“Look I don’t have the money ready yet, there have been some problems with shipping the product overseas… No! No! Of course I’m telling the truth! It takes a lot of effort to move such a high amount under the radar… Look I’m afraid I just can’t get you the money at this time! Hello? Hello?! Oh god.”
Kunikazu Okumura stood in his large luxurious living room in the middle of the night talking over the phone with an important ‘investor.’ When the man on the other end hung up suddenly, Okumura knew that there would be trouble. One doesn’t piss off this man without paying a price.
He stared out of his large window overlooking the city and contemplated his next move. Surely there had to be something he could do to make amends. However, in his contemplation, Okumura failed to notice the large flying object outside until it was too late.
The wall sized window exploded inwards as a figure with enormous wings smashed through the glass and grabbed the man in one of its giant birdlike talons. With its target retrieved, the invader flew even higher into the air carrying the screaming passenger. When they reached a high enough altitude, the flying figure came to a hover and turned its head towards Okumura, its face couldn’t be seen behind the pilot helmet it wore. As its head blocked out the moon from view the only other source of light being its two glowing eyes under the dark lenses.
“Kingpin wants what you owe him.” A distorted robotic voice sounded over the howling winds and whirring blades of the wings.
“I-I told him I can’t pay right now! I simply don’t have it!” Okumura shouted to make his voice heard over the surrounding sounds.
The masked invader didn’t appreciate this answer and without saying a word, released its victim from its talons. Okumura plummeted, screaming as he plummeted to the city below. Before he could fall too far, his leg was grabbed by a metallic talon and he came to a stop. Okumura’s glasses slipped from his face and continued the fall to the streets below.
“If you do not agree to make the payment tonight, I will not attempt to catch you a second time.” The voice of his kidnapper shook Okumura to his core.
“OKAY! OKAY! I’LL FIND A WAY! I’LL PAY HIM I SWEAR! I’LL PAY HIM BY TONIGHT!” When Okumura finally conceded to their demands, the bird thing flew him back to his home and tossed him through the shattered window.
“You have 5 hours.” Its glowing green eyes stared directly at him before it flew off into the night without another word.
Unknown to Kunikazu Okumura, his daughter, Haru, had seen her father be carried back in by the masked intruder. “Father!” She ran up to her father, lying on the floor with shards of glass in his face. “What happened? Are you alright?”
Her father managed to stand up with her help. “I’m fine Haru.” He brushed off the glass on his suit. “Now go to bed. I have some calls to make.”
“Father you can’t be serious! We need to call the police! There was an intruder in our home, he hurt you!”
“FORGET WHAT YOU SAW! IT DOESN’T CONCERN YOU!”
“But Father-”
“GO TO BED HARU!”
Haru was shocked at her father’s reaction. Never before had he raised his voice like this, he was like a different person. Kunikazu Okumura was once a kind and gentle man, but when he started his company and began making more money, his greed corrupted him. But right now, the man she once knew was completely gone. With tears in her eyes, she ran to her room and slammed the door shut.
Kunikazu let out a sigh. He didn’t enjoy speaking to his daughter like that, but it was necessary to keep her safe. He picked up his phone off the ground and began making calls, it didn’t matter if he had to drain his offshore accounts or take out short term loans, he needed the money by tonight.
The next morning, Naoto Shirogane walked through the incredibly busy police station with her coffee in hand. Things had been this way ever since Spider-Man’s death, and all of the work was starting to get to her. She’d been up late the night before, she was still piecing together who was behind the Shibuya attack, who had the amount of power and resources to free Adachi from his maximum security cell and plant high power explosives all across the city? More importantly, who had the motive? What were their end goals? These thoughts and more kept running through the Detective Queen’s mind when she saw a young girl with short fluffy brown hair speaking with the officer at the front desk.
Normally, Naoto wouldn’t take much notice of this girl. People came in to report crimes all the time after all. However, the desperation and fear on this girl’s face made Naoto take notice, especially when she thought she heard the word ‘bird-man’ come from the girl’s mouth.
The officer at the desk had a skeptical look on his face. When Naoto listened closer she heard what the man responded with.
“Young lady, do you know how many reports we get daily regarding weird shit like you’ve described? We’re stretched thin as it is. If you want us to do something about this we’re gonna need evidence, do you have any photos of this alleged bird-man?”
“N-no, but he smashed through our living room window! If you come and see I can show you!”
“You said your name was Haru Okumura right? Daughter of Kunikazu Okumura?” The officer at the front desk typed on his computer. “We got a report last night from your father, apparently high winds that night caused the glass to shatter. He said you came down from your room a bit after that, you were probably just asleep and heard the noise and imagined the worst.” The officer was very dismissive to the young girl’s plea. “Now why don’t you hurry on to school, you’re probably running late.”
The girl, Haru, tried to speak more, assuring the officer that she knew what she saw. The man at the desk however, was already on the phone and ignoring her. Haru left the station furious and Naoto followed after her subtly.
When they were a good distance away from the station, Naoto approached the girl from behind, tapping her shoulder. She turned, frightened, but ready to defend herself.
“Sorry about frightening you. I’m Detective Naoto Shirogane, I heard what you were saying earlier in the station and I wanted to ask you more about it.”
“R-really?! You’ll listen?” Haru wiped tears from her eyes. It must’ve been incredibly frustrating for her to be ignored like that.
“I will, please tell me more about this ‘bird-man.’ Did you get a good look at him? Describe his appearance.”
“W-well, I only saw him briefly.” Haru looked bashful. “But what I saw, it terrified me. His eyes were two glowing green dots hidden under a helmet. He had wings, but they looked mechanical, I think they had propellers in them? The only other thing I saw were his legs, they were like a bird’s, only metallic and big enough to grab a person.” Haru looked scared, remembering something she would rather not. “That’s all I know. Please tell me you believe me! I think my father is in danger!”
Naoto gave the girl a comforting smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I believe you, and don’t worry, I’m going to make sure that both you and your father are safe and that this ‘bird-man’ is brought to justice.”
The young girl gave her an enormous hug in response. “Thank you so much!”
Naoto awkwardly looked around with a blush on her face, embarrassed at the interaction with a complete stranger. She patted the young girl on the back. “Y-you’re uh, you’re welcome.” She coughed and Haru ended the embrace. “Now hurry up and get to school. I’m sure you’ve got exams and whatnot.”
The girl gave her a huge smile and went on her way to catch the nearest train. When the high schooler disappeared from sight, Naoto began doing what she usually did, analyzing. The man that Haru had described was one that Naoto was familiar with. She didn’t know his identity, however Yu had had an encounter with him some years ago, he called him the Vulture. Their battle had been brief and ended with the Vulture evading capture and going underground. She hadn’t heard about him since, but now it seemed that with Spider-Man off the board, old threats were coming out of the shadows.
As Naoto went on her phone, she saw that she had received several texts with links attached. Upon opening one of the links, she was brought to a social media page with a couple of blurry images and most notably, the headline read, “Bank robbery thwarted. Is there a new Spider-Man???”