Web of Insanity

As night fell upon Faraway Town, a mysterious figure lurked in the shadows. Swiftly maneuvering across the town, she had a mission-no, a heist-in mind.

She was who the news called “The Shadow Thief of Faraway” or “The Temptress of the Night Sky”, but most called her Black Cat.

And tonight, her heist was a little more…unusual, to say it lightly. 

Rumors of people going into the hospital basement, the place that shady company rented out for genetic engineering…and not coming out.

People talking about some two-legged rhino in the woods.

All centered on one man: Dr. Curt Conners, chief geneticist at Crimson Pharmaceutical, a company that might be a front for A.I.M.

Well, maybe terrorists are a lot different than a simple bank heist, but a score like this would help anyone hurt by these psychos. 

Plus, the money she could get selling some of this stuff wouldn't hurt. 

Pulling her outfit’s hood over her head and pushing back her glasses, she got to work on prying the vent’s cover off of the damned thing.

She dropped down the chute, making sure to land just right, not a single sound was made as her feet hit the metal surface. 

Smirking to herself, she slowly got down on fours and started to crawl across the horizontal ground of the vent, going across room to room, ignoring idle scientist chatter. 

Suddenly, she stopped. A red glow, telltale signs of an old security measure.

“Ugh, laser grid. Well, good thing every thief’s got something to take out security.”

With a silent laugh, she tapped a small electrical device to the side of the vent, which quickly shorted out the grid.

Soon enough, she found herself at the end of the vents, and quickly slipped out into the shadows of the laboratory.

Simple guards and scientists were easier to deal with than cameras or laser grids. Just sticking to the shadows kept her safe as she made her way into another vent and toward the prize: the lab’s stash of serums.

And then she saw it. The room was dark, but she could see the container of glass tubes, each one marked with whatever animal provided the samples. 

“Jackpot.” Opening the vent cover, she dropped down and landed perfectly into the room. 

Almost perfectly, as in there laid one last trap: a room-wide genetic scanner that, if anyone in there didn’t match their employee database…triggered an alarm.

“Shit!” She quickly smashed open the glass container and swiped the tubes, holding half a dozen with her left hand, the other half within her small sling bag. 

“Shoulda added better pockets…not the time though!” She said to herself, making a break for it as the sound of security getting on the move echoed through the lab.

Hopping up, she clambers back into the vent, only for her to jump back down as a moving wall of lasers nearly touches her. 

“Ok, so there goes plan b. How the hell do I get out now?!”

“You don’t, scumbag.” A voice says. Clearly some security guard who thinks he’s hot shit.

Turning around, the thief was met with around twenty guards, all armed to the damn teeth. No amount of trickery or martial arts would be enough for that.

Nervously, she looked down at her haul, the vial marked with a cat’s face almost staring back into her own soul.

“If it means I get out alive…but what if…ah, screw it, last ditch!” She says, panickedly popping the cork on the vial and downing the serum.

The second she did, she felt her insides start to burn. She gagged, held back from throwing up her dinner she had earlier. 

It was revolting, it was even painful. What was even in that thing?!

But the pain was soon replaced with a new feeling. Being nearly overwhelmed by her own senses clocking into overdrive.

“Alright, scumbag. Put your damn hands up or you’ll be somewhere FAR worse than any jail cell.”

The thief didn't respond. Instead, she instantly leaped at the guards, slamming one against the wall rapidly. 

"Open fire!" The guards quickly opened fire, right as the thief jumped just out of the way, the bullets riddling the guard. 

“Heh, a gal could get used to this! It’s been fun, but this cat’s gotta pounce!” She said, rushing out of the room and into the halls. She was so fast, so swift! It was amazing. Even with the flashing red alarm lights, she could see so clearly. Just ahead, she spotted the nearest window. She ran faster and-

A powerful knock from her right sent her flying through a wall. 

Scrambling to her feet, she groaned. 

“Ghh, the hell?!”

She looked up and she barely believed her eyes as what seemed like a massive green creature in a torn up lab coat growled at her. 

"YOU'RE STEALING MY WORK. HAND IT OVER, NOW." The creature spoke, its voice hoarse and raspy, its long tongue slithering with every word. 

“So, the rumors were right. Here’s hopin’ I don’t end up like you.” She said, attempting to retrieve something from her bag.

"BELIEVE ME, YOU'LL WISH YOU DID." The creature replies, running right at the thief, every step rumbling the ground.

She barely managed to dodge out of the way, the monster’s fist smashing right into the wall, a massive dent where it had been hit. 

She held back a gasp of shock and fear. "Well then, aren't you a tough one." She continued digging through her bag. 

“Aaaand there it is. Hey ugly, look at this!” She shouted, pulling a round object from her bag and hurling it towards her enemy.

In an instant, the room was filled with a blinding light, and when it finally dimmed back down…

The thief was long gone.

The creature stood there in silence for a moment, before giving out a massive roar in rage, then proceeding to swing its tail to destroy the entire room. 

His work, gone! By a pathetic little shadow thief! 

No, he couldn't let this go. He had to do something. 

…if you want something, you do it yourself, don't you? 

Staring at the open window at the end of the hallway, he ran and jumped out himself. 

The armed guards just looked on in confusion. 

"...so, what do we, uh, put on the report for this?"

Aubrey was just about to go to sleep when she heard it. A familiar loud knocking at her door.

Opening it, she saw a certain someone she hadn’t expected.

“Kim? The hell’re ya doin up now?”

“Long story short…I need somewhere else to crash right now. Dad’s arguing with mom…again, and it’s so loud I can’t even sleep.” 

Aubrey frowns. "Oh, well, I mean…uhm…sure. My room’s kind of a mess though." 

Kim shrugs. "Can't be that bad." 

Aubrey opens the door wider so Kim can come in, the two of them climbing the ladder up to Aubrey's room. 

It's only then Kim sees what "mess" means. 

"So… it's that bad, huh?" 

Besides the comics and magazines scattered everywhere, the Spaceboy poster that was usually on Aubrey's wall had fallen off, and she apparently hadn’t bothered to put it back up. 

Not only that, a splintered wooden chair was lying in the back corner of the area. 

"Wha…what happened?"

“Chair was falling apart anyway. Gimme a sec, I think I’ve got an air mattress around here somewhere.”

“How’d you-“

“Stole it from Hero last year.”

Aubrey scrounges around for a bit as Kim looks around. "Is it because of…what were their names…Mari and…Sunny?" 

Aubrey pauses for a moment, then gives a very obviously fake laugh. "Haha, uhm, no, haven't thought about them for a while, just… neglected the cleaning for a bit, that's it." 

“Yeah, sure. Not gonna press on it now though, just need some rest.”

"Sure, here it is." Aubrey laid out the mattress for Kim down on the floor. "Have a good night." 

With that, the two of them shut their eyes and let the night take them. What they weren’t prepared for, however, was what awaited them at dawn.

“Ugh, damn bed’s gettin’ worse and worse.” Aubrey said, trying to straighten her back out. The things a partially splintered bed frame does to you.

“…damn, been too long since I had a full night’s rest. Mornin, Aubs.”

“Mornin, Kim-“ Aubrey started saying, before she noticed something.

Was it just her being up early, or did Kim have cat ears? And was that a tail?

“You ok, Aubs? What’s with the thirteen yard stare?”

Aubrey blinked. Nope, it wasn't just a hallucination. Probably. 

Maybe she was still tired. Or dreaming. 

“Seriously, you alright? You’re lookin at me like I’ve got two heads or something.”

“Uhhh…mirror.”

“What about it?” Kim responded, turning towards the cracked mirror behind her…only to notice the same thing Aubrey did.

She blinked. Then she frowned. Then she blinked again. Then her face turned into one of fear. 

"U-uh…okay, uh…w-what…this, uhm, does this…this can't be real." 

Reaching up to touch them, Kim discovered two things.

First, the ears were incredibly sensitive, with a feeling similar to a sudden electric shock suddenly coursing through her.

Second…they were real.

“…Hey Aubs, ya might wanna cover your ears.”

“Huh?” Aubrey wondered, already covering her ears.

Her question was answered with a bloodcurdling scream. 

Then it stopped. 

A loud banging noise from downstairs signified Aubrey's mom's annoyance. 

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, I’M TRYNA SLEEP!” She yelled, her voice slightly muffled by the closed hatch that led to Aubrey’s room, soon followed by snoring.

“Ok Kim, think. What could’ve caused this?!” Kim thought to herself. “Couldn’t be Terrigen Mist, that cloud’s been gone for a while. Couldn’t be a dormant meta gene, there’s no mutants in my entire family. What could’ve caused-“

And then it clicked.

“The serum. Of course it was the serum.”

"I think uhm…" Aubrey speaks up and hesitates. "I think…you should see a doctor." 

Kim looks at her as though she had made the most absurd statement ever. "...a doctor?" 

"...yeah, the nearest one is…I think a bus ride away, it's not-" 

"No Aubrey I- I don't think this is like a thing a doctor can fix." 

"How would you know? Are you a doctor?" 

Kim groans. Well, for any reasonable person, the doctor would be the smart choice, wouldn't it? And if she wanted to keep that from Aubrey…

"...Fine! Fine, let's go to the doctor, but I'm keeping my hood up. And not like a hospital, like a clinic. "

“Y’know, I can tell you’re hidin’ something. If this is…I dunno, that mist thing-“

“No, no, it’s fiiine!”

Aubrey wasn’t convinced. Kim was clearly hiding something, but how could she get her to tell-

Oh. That would work.

“The hell’re you lookin for?”

“Just something I borrowed from Sunny before he left.” Aubrey replies, pulling out…a laser pointer.

Kim just scoffs. "Aubrey, I'm still a sane human being right now. I'm not falling for that…cheap laser stuff. I'm not a cat." 

"You've got the ears." 

"Yeah… but, like, that doesn't make me a cat! I've just got the ears!" 

Aubrey groaned and flicked on the laser pointer, and Kim stared at the red dot.

“…”

After a moment of awkward silence, Kim sort of threw herself toward the dot. 

"There! I hope you're happy!" 

“Huh, guess that worked.”

“Still…not…hiding…anything!” Kim said in between attempts to grab the moving dot.

"Yeah yeah. I don't actually know what I was planning to achieve here, but I guess I'll just tire you out until you tell me." 

"Look! We can just…go to the doctor, get this all out of the way and- STOP MOVING IT!" 

Aubrey shrugs. "Well, I don't want it to shine in your eyes, that'd be bad." 

“Sh-shut up! There’s a decent clinic just outside of town, we can go there and call it a damn day!”

“We could…or I could try one other thing.”

“Huh?”

Aubrey turns off the laser point and heads down the ladder, soon returning with a small plastic grocery bag.

“What now, a ball of yarn?”

“Nope.” Aubrey said, retrieving the bag’s contents.

A single cucumber, the bane of any cat’s existence.

"...I…I don't…" Kim just looks at it blankly. "What does that…I don't hate cucumbers, Aubrey." 

Aubrey turned back and forth between the cucumber and Kim. "But you're a cat." 

"Aubs, I'm not a cat, like, I've been trying to tell you that for the past 3 minutes." 

“And you’re clearly lying about something.” Aubrey said, throwing the cucumber at Kim’s feet.

"And I don't have an obligation to tell you! Why are you so concerned about this?" 

"You grew cat ears overnight, I have every right to be concerned!" 

“I’m fine!”

No, she wasn’t. Out of nowhere, her mind had one thing going through it: fear.

Turns out, Aubrey was right. Cats (for some inexplicable reason) are utterly terrified of cucumbers.

Kim instantly backed up against the wall. "LOOK, LET'S JUST, LET'S JUST GO TO A CLINIC! ALRIGHT?" 

Aubrey blinked. "Not until you tell me what's going on." 

"WELL, GET READY TO SPEND THE ENTIRE DAY HERE, BECAUSE I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU SHIT!" 

Aubrey frowned. Then she thought for a few moments, then she groaned. 

"Fine, doctor first, then I'll torture you for answers later." 

She picked up the cucumber and Kim sighed in relief. "Thank you…wait no, no thank you, you got me in this damn position!" 

Aubrey just laughed it off. 

"Alright, this is the nearest clinic there is! Uh, you have insurance right?" 

"Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure I do, my parents signed me up for some so I have the details and stuff." Kim looks up, keeping her hood up to make sure no one could see the large cat ears on her head. 

"Uh…Aubs…I'm gonna just…stay outside for a bit." She turned to point at a small alley a few feet away. "I'll just stand there, I don't wanna like, risk people seeing my…stuff." 

“…can you just tell me what’s going on?! I know for a damned fact that if I suddenly woke up with…I dunno, bunny ears, you’d be begging for an answer!” 

"Well, Aubrey, that would negate the need for secrets! I keep a lot of secrets, like how I prefer budget yogurt over ice cream." 

"...do you actually?" 

"Who cares?! Just…can you help me get a number and call me when it's our turn?" 

Aubrey groaned. 

“Fine, fine. But after this, you’re telling me everything!”

Kim nods before heading over to the alleyway. As soon as she was sure no one was in sight, she pulled down the hood and reached for her ears. 

Ugh, these were real. Like cat ears. Cat ears combined with the other human ears on the side of her head. It was ridiculous, it was almost slightly gross. Same with the tail she’d been disguising as a weird belt.

Kim liked cats, she was happy with the name "Black Cat" for a reason. She never really got one, but she fed the strays from time to time, and liked playing with them whenever she could. 

But…this? It was…too far, even for her. She closed her eyes for a moment to think. 

Just further down the alley, two men spotted a lone girl in a blue hoodie, wearing some sort of cat outfit. 

"Charles! Look! That's a cat person, wearing a cat outfit!" 

"Well, uh, Bernard, I'm pretty sure those are growin’ out of er, but yeah, I see er."

"Let's mug er." 

"...Bernard, she's got cat ears, and a tail, growing out of her. I don't think we should be messing with the mutants, we ain't got superpowers Bernard." 

"...there's two of us, there's only one of 'er!" 

"Yeah but, Bernard, she's got like, superpowers." 

"...there's two of us! There's only one of' er!" 

"...Bernard!" 

"Charles!" 

“Are you deranged?! Da boss’ll have our heads if we don’t get back with the goods!“

“We already got the goods! Fisk’ll be fine waitin a lil longer!”

"Bernard, I dunno…I-"

"Charles!" Bernard leans in. 

"What are we, Charles?"

"...we're…we're muggers!" 

"AND WHAT DO WE DO?!" 

"WE MUG PEOPLE!" 

"SO…LET'S, GO, MUG EMMMM!" 

“You two know I can hear you, right? Besides, all I got on me is an empty wallet and a knuckle sandwich with your names on it.”

"Doesn't matter, give us all your gold or we'll mug yeah!" 

Kim stares. 

"...you two don't know what the word mugging means, dontcha?" 

"Of course we know what it means! We're muggers!" 

“Yeah, I heard that. And this is me not getting mugged!” Kim shouts, sliding between the two mooks and knocking ‘em both to the floor.

"...ow…how’d we lose, Charles? There was two of us, there's only one of er… " 

"It's cuz she had superpowers, Bernard…" 

"...there was two of us, there's only one of er…"

“Damn, you’re dumber than dirt! Oh, lookin like my appointment’s ready. Good luck on the mugging, morons.”

Kim approaches Aubrey at the entrance of the alleyway, who was staring at this whole scene in shock. 

Kim snatches the number from her hands.

"There…my big secret…happy?!" 

“That’s not what I meant. Besides, I’ve known you’ve been taking martial arts classes for…what, a year or two?”

"Oh for-" Kim groans even louder than she has for a long time. In one swift motion, she grabs Aubrey's wallet from her pocket and shows it off. "There! That explain anything?" 

"...you're a mugger?" 

"Pickpocket! The term is Pickpocket, and no! I am not a Pickpocketer!" 

“…I don’t…”

"I really like cats." 

And then everything clicked.

“…no goddamn way. YOU’RE-“

Before Aubrey could finish, Kim dragged her into the now empty alleyway.

“Yep. The Shadow Thief of Faraway, Black Cat.”

“…holy fuck.”

“Yep. Those morning candy heists were just to keep my wits sharp for the night. Bank heists, stealing from an armored truck…and something unusual.”

Aubrey pinched her nose and closed her eyes as she struggled to process everything. 

“Hard to believe, I know, but I’ve got something pretty damn important to ask you. Fun fact: I’m not the first thief to be called Black Cat. It’s a title, passed down from thief to thief along my family for generations…and now I’m needing to figure out who my successor’ll be.”

Aubrey opened her eyes and blinked. 

"Why? It's not like you're dying or anything." 

“Gonna be real damn hard getting past laser grids when my own brain’s against me.”

“Fair. W-wait…how about I be your successor? I’ve been needing something else to do…and I need some cash to fix my place up.”

Kim stared at her, as though she had said something completely absurd.

"...real talk, how much do you know about jumping over deadly lasers? Lock picking? Martial arts, acrobatics, basic engineering, explosives, manipulation?" 

“You taught me lock picking last year, I know some basic explosive stuff from a random Wikipedia search, and I’ve done some martial arts before.”

Kim pauses to think, pacing back and forth, every step filled with heavy consideration. 

“…it’s either this or I try to contact my cousin. Eh, this’ll do.”

With that, Kim pushes Aubrey away from the area. 

"What about the…appointment?" 

"Who cares?! If I really have something bad like cancer, I'll figure it out later, I’ve got nine lives… I think." 

And so, Kim and Aubrey fade into the distance. 

"...I don't understand, there was two of us…there was only one of 'er…" 

"...Bernard…we just heard…she was a super famous powerful shadow thief…and she had superpowers… "

"...but there was two of us…"

“Alright, so normally I’d have some elaborate-ish training setup, but not this time. So, I guess we’ll go with a good ol’ trial by fire.”

“Huh?”

Kim smiles as she lays out a blueprint of Faraway Bank.

“According to a few rumors, wealthy businessman Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin, has been siphoning cash from other people’s accounts to pay his goons. We’re gonna sneak into the bank tonight, and steal back the funds, then spread ‘em back to their original accounts…save for around a couple thousand we’ll keep for ourselves.”

Aubrey snaps her fingers. "Oh! So like, this is a uh, Robin Hood situation, right?" 

“More or less. Anyway, these guys haven’t updated the security measures in years, so just follow my lead and it’ll all be fine.”

"...so, uhm, we're breaking into a bank owned by the Kingpin, and then like, hacking into computers and spreading money through accounts and stuff?" 

“Shockingly, this place still uses physical cash. Dollar bills and everything. Don’t worry, we’ll be wearing gloves.”

"But how do we…return thousands of dollars to multiple people?" 

"...you put it into the boxes, Aubs, the cash boxes." 

"...oh no, yeah I knew that." 

"Did you really?" 

“Yeah, no. So, when’s the heist?”

“We strike at midnight. Guards change right at that moment, so we’ll be able to easily slip in.”

"Okay, this seems…simple enough. So, break in, take cash, put in boxes, then get out. No sound, no fuss, okay…first heist is a bank break-in." 

“Yep. I’ll get prepping the stuff we’ll need, including your gear. Plus some coffee…or whatever you’ll need to stay awake out there.”

“Gotcha. So…what’s the plan?” 

Kim looks at Aubrey with a massive frown and sighs.

"I just…everything we just talked about, that was…that was the plan- okay, you know what? Nevermind, just…follow my lead, okay?" 

“Gotcha!”

“Now, this is still gonna be a bit of a risk. Every time a new Black Cat’s been in training, it’s been played safe with an inaugural heist at the end. Just stick close and everything should be alright.” Kim says, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, ready? You just gotta put on some of your new gear and we're good to go." 

“Yeah, gotcha.”

After…longer than she would admit, Aubrey had her gear on.

"It's not…bad. But like, I'm not a big fan of the color." 

"...you're not a big fan of dark navy, but you…wanna be a shadow thief?" 

"Also, this thing is kinda tight, and itchy." 

"YEAH, WELL, when you take up the mantle you can make your own damn suits." Kim grumbled. 

As the clock struck midnight, the duo slipped across town toward the bank…

"Do you ever, like, regret your career decision?" 

The other guard working the shift with Jerry turns to him in confusion. 

"Whaddya mean?" 

"I-I mean…we work for a big criminal guy, and we're like…guarding a bank that siphons money off of people. I have a phd in computer engineering, I could totally be somewhere better." Jerry frowns as he looks at the rifle in his hand. "Instead I'm here, you know? We could totally both be doing something better than this. Like, you went to Theatre, didn't you." 

“You been drinking again, Jerry? This is what we have. Besides, shift’s changing. Cmon, let’s get something to eat. My treat, aight?”

"No Billy, this is like, a serious matter, you know? Like every time I try to talk about this… you brush it off and-" 

"Pack it up, numbskulls." Another pair of guards show up, ready to swap out. "Your shift’s over, move this talk elsewhere or I'm reporting the two of you for slacking on the job." 

“Understood.” Jerry says, holding back a groan, and passes the rifle in his arms. "You two have a fun morning." 

"What a buncha assholes." Billy says. 

"Yeah, fucking assholes. I have a phd in computer engineering." 

"We know, Jerry, we know."

The new guards stand in silence for a while until one speaks up. 

"So…uh…how's everything with your wife? She's getting better?" 

The other new guard sighs. "Uh, doctor said the cancer kind of spread to her blood, so it's like, really bad now." 

“...huh. Did you tell the kids?” 

"No they uh, they don't need to know yet, can't bring myself to tell them anyways."

"Oh. Hm. Well, uhm…hope everything gets better?" 

Instantly, the other guard breaks down into tears. 

“HOW IS ANYTHING GONNA GET BETTER?!”

Aubrey raises an eyebrow as she stares at the scene before her. 

"I thought these guys were hardened criminal gang members." 

“Nope. Some of ‘em are victims like us. Hell, I think I know that guy. Kingpin’s been taking cash from his account too, I’d bet.”

"Wow…that's harsh." 

"Yeah…anyways we need to knock both of ‘em out and take their keys." 

“Ain’t that a tone change.”

Silence.

“…you got a rock? Bet that’ll do it.”

“Really Aubs? A rock?”” 

"It'll work… I think. trust me. Here, uh, watch this." 

"AND I JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF, MY PSYCHIATRIST SAID IT'S A DESIRE TO FEEL CONTROL BUT I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING BUT LIKE I DON'T HAVE IT ANYMORE! I CAN'T STOP GOING TO THE FUCKING CASINOS O-OR THE BAR AND BETTING MY FUCKING MONEY AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING ANYMORE!"

"Hey, hey…listen." The guard approaches his colleague and puts a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know you're going through a tough time, and sometimes it can be hard when you're going through a lot of bad things and you don't know how to handle them all at the same time, but I want you to know that I care about you, and I wanna help you get through this tough time with your wife, your kids, and you. If you just need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"T-thanks…that means alot."

For a moment, the two guards smile in silence. 

Then a rock comes down from above and knocks one of them out. 

“THE HELL?!”

A second one came down and the two guards were out for the count. 

"Told you it would work." Aubrey said, jumping down from their hiding place and grabbing a keyring. 

“Huh…guess it did.” Kim muttered.

"Come on!" Aubrey sys, jingling the keys in her hands. "Time's-a-wastin, there's money to be made!" She unlocks the gate and the two slip on in. 

“Ok, so we just split the cash around the boxes, then yoink a couple thousand for ourselves?”

“That’s the plan.” Kim replies with a nod. "Just gotta get into the vault first." 

With that, the duo rushed ahead, ready to grab the cash.

"I gotta hack the terminal here to open the vault door. Just keep watch for a bit, there might be other security measures and guards here." Kim instructs Aubrey, before turning and typing away into the terminal. 

“No worries.”

For a second, Aubrey could’ve sworn she saw someone on the wall, but as quickly as she spotted it…they vanished. Shrugging, she went back to watching until Kim finished the hack.

“And that’s how it’s done!” Kim said, her tail stuck straight up in excitement. The vault door unlocked with a click and the two stepped in through the door. 

They quickly got to work locating Fisk’s account box, tossing his ill-gotten gains into barely filled boxes, leaving 10 '000 dollars for both of them at the end.

"How do we carry this out?" 

“I have my methods.”

Aubrey looks over. "Where have you been keeping that duffle bag?" 

“Had it this whole time. Don’t question it, let’s just grab our cash and get outta here.”

Kim and Aubrey begin to grab stacks of hundred dollar bills and stuff them into the bag. 

Soon enough, the bag was full and the two began working their way outside.

As the cool midnight breeze touched them, Kim suddenly pushed Aubrey down as a force from above launched at her. 

“Ya do know the bank’s closed, right?“ the figure remarked, landing in front of them.

"Yeah, it's called a 'break-in', moron!" Kim answered. 

“Well, guess I’ll show ya the door! Mi nombre es Tarantula, and I’ll be your superhero for the evening!”

“…seriously?”

“As serious as it gets, pendejo!”

Aubrey just stood there, dumbfounded. Who the hell was this costumed moron?!

“Ugh, we don’t have time for this! Kitt, those climbing gauntlets’re good for more than climbing!”

“Kitt? That’s my nickname?”

“NOT THE TIME!” Kim shouted, rushing towards their adversary. With a swift swing, the gauntlet’s spiked punch throws the attacker across the street. 

“Oof, shoulda seen that comin! Well, if you wanna dance…” Tarantula said, his hand crackling with crimson energy.

“Then I’ll lead!”

As he and Kim clashed, he kept building up energy, waiting for the right moment to deliver a knockout blow.

“Ugh, quit dodging! That’s my thing!”

“Cmon, chill out! Hey, what’s that behind ya?” 

"Yeah, nice try, but I'm not gonna-" In that instant, Kim got hit in the head with a rock. 

“Seriously?!”

In that moment of confusion, Tarantula struck, sending Kim hurtling across the darkened road.

“…that…all ya…got?”

“Damn, still standing! Seriously though, just turn yourselves in and I won’t do that again, aight?”

Just then, Aubrey saw…something. Some immense beast lurking behind their adversary…a beast intent on biting his head off.

“OI, BEHIND YOU!”

“Seriously, using my own trick? That’s not-“ he began saying, before he felt his spider-sense kick in.

One more moment and he’d have been monster chow, that much was certain.

“MY RESEARCH…HAND IT OVER…”

"Oh great…" Tarantula groans. "You're that lizard guy people have been talking about." 

“MY NAME…CONNERS…I…GRAAAAAH!”

Without warning, the lizard charged at all three of them.

“OKAY, HE’S GONE NUTS!” Kim shouted, frantically diving away from the beast’s shoulder.

“OI, CHILL!” Aubrey shouted.

Conners, however, only responded with a guttural roar before tearing a chunk out of the sidewalk and hurling it at her, which Aubrey barely dodged.

"Oh my FREAKING god!" Aubrey shouts. "I take it back, I really don't think I'm cut out for this crap!" 

“Too late now, Kitt! Ya made it this far, might as well go the damn distance!”

Reaching into her bag, Kim grabs an icey blue vial.

“Sub-Zero Serum. Swiped this from a weapons lab a few weeks back, should knock this asswipe out.”

“Wha-“

“Lizards are cold-blooded, right?” Kim smirked before trying to line up a throw.

"What does that even mean?!" Aubrey shouts as the vial is chucked right at the lizard, a cold blast enveloping the reptile as it screeches. 

“GIVE…RESEARCH…HELP…”

The beast slowed, but kept fighting.

"L-Look, we should really, really get out of here, now!" Aubrey says. "We can't- I can't deal with this guy, I already have the cash, so let's just go!" 

“And that’s why I have this. Close your eyes, Kitt!” Kim shouts, grabbing and hurling a small ball with a cat symbol on it.

In seconds, the orb burst into a blast of light, giving the two cat burglars the chance to…run the hell away.

Tarantula closes his eyes as the lights blind him, and when he opens them again, it was just him and the lizard standing before him. 

"Ugh, alright then." He takes a stance. "Bring it!" 

Aubrey feels her heart nearly burst out of her chest as they touchdown at the safe house. "I thought this was gonna be simple!" 

"Yeah, I only made it sound that way. Seems like now you know the actual severity of planning and robbing major banks. It's not easy to get a payday as big as this, is it? Still, the thrill’s nice, yeah?" 

Aubrey nearly wanted to scream. "The thrill?! We nearly got eaten alive by a massive lizard!" 

“Sorry, just used to crazy shit. Honestly, the only way I stay calm in times like this is pure goddamn adrenaline. But yeah, I didn’t expect either of those lunatics.”

"Well, I-I'm sorry but…I don't think I wanna do this anymore. You can uh, you can keep the money cause I..I really don't think- hell, I know I'm not cut out for this crap." 

Kim scoffs. "You don't think? We just robbed the Kingpin of the city, and you think now you can walk out on this?" 

"Yes!" Aubrey shouts. "There's the door, and I'm heading towards it!" 

“Yeah, no. Besides, you beat me out on how well the first heist went. All the training my ma gave me…still got arrested. No wounds, no handcuffs, you came out not dead! Besides…I’m betting you had other reasons for this.”

"Well, I'm…look, I thought this was gonna be a fun and simple thing and I guess I just underestimated how insane it was gonna be. Kim, you're my friend and I don't wanna say no but-" 

"But you can't. Not anymore. You already did it, you pulled it off. You can't just go home now. You should've thought of that before you agreed, no? You're gonna inherit the title." 

“…shit." Aubrey closes her eyes for a few moments and she thinks to herself. 

"I guess if…I really don't have a choice anymore…then…I'll…fine, I'll just go along with it.”

“That's the spirit! I'll make sure you learn what you need so you don't die, of course. First though…sun’s comin up, and we’re both gonna need something to eat.”

As Kim walks off with a smile on her face, Aubrey feels herself get sick to her stomach. 

She didn't want this, maybe she did earlier on, but now she's regretting it. 

“Don’t worry, we kept the hoods up and the gloves on. Even if Fisk sends someone after us, they won’t know who to get! But for now…let’s go, Kitt.”

Aubrey just stood there for a few moments. 

Kim turned around again and extended a hand. "What? You coming or what?" 

Aubrey looked at her friend for a few moments, then reluctantly, "Kitt" took her hand, the two walked off for food. 

“After all this…you’re helping me out with fixing my place.”

“Sure thing.”