-Friday, April 28th, 2019-
Oscorp Tower towered (Ha ha.) over the other buildings around it; a 100 story behemoth that seemed to nearly touch the sky. Running horizontally on the front side of the tower was the Oscorp logo, purple lights helping to illuminate it so it stood out at night. The whole building of metal and glass stood not only as a testament to Oscorp's money and power, but also to the ambition, vision, and perseverance of one Norman Osborn.
At least, that's what Thorax and Flash heard when they toured the building on that field trip where Flash got his powers.
Right now though, Flash was on the roof of a building across from Oscorp Tower, slipping on his new suit.
The Stealth Suit that Twilight had designed specifically for this mission.
-Wednesday, April 26th, 2019-
Flash looked over the suit Twilight had made. Unlike his usual red and blues with the web designs, this one was mostly black and white with a large black spider on the chest that had slightly longer legs.* "Okay. So how does this thing help me get into Oscorp?"
Twilight smirked, before pushing a button on the suit's right web shooter-
-and suddenly the suit's colors faded away, seeming to blend into the table itself. Flash's jaw dropped at this. "Okay, that is pretty cool."
"THAT is stealth tech I designed with some specific parts from Tony Stark. The suit is designed to make little to no noise when you move, hides your body heat from those pesky thermal sensors, and can even hide your scent if you ever have to sneak past attack dogs. And the cloaking device I built will bend light around you, rendering you almost completely invisible."
"Almost?"
"Just two small bugs with the cloaking device. You need to move a lot slower when you're using it, otherwise it won't be able to keep up and you'll start to show up as a human-shaped blur. Along with that, the cloaking field around you is very sensitive to water."
"Kinda like the cloaking devices used by the Predator. A bit of water and that thing'll start shooting off sparks before failing."
She nodded. "That's right. If I had more time than I could probably fix it."
"Sadly we don't have that," Thorax said from over at his computer. "Thanks to that one head scientist at the Research Center blabbing it out and Twilight overhearing it, we know that Friday night Norman Osborn has a business meeting and he'll be out from 8-11(give or take a few hours). Plus with that that suit's water weakness in mind, this Friday will be the last night before we get nailed with some nasty storm systems that the weather guys are saying is going to last until May 5th."
"So Friday's our best chance to pull this job," Flash said. "So what kinds of security am I going to have to sneak past?"
"Depends on which floors. As the you get higher the security gets a lot tighter, because apparently they keep some of the more important research on the higher floors. The first ten floors are going to be the easiest to get past, since it's just going to be the security cameras."
"So I just need to crawl slow. Am I going to have to do that for all one hundred floors?"
"Since they got cameras on the outside of every floor, yes."
Once he got the Stealth Suit on Spider-Man made his way to the tower, Web-Zipping between the tops of the lamp posts so as to avoid the cameras Oscorp had set up on them.
Dropping down into some nearby bushes that hid him from view Spider-Man activated the cloak, waiting until his body was completely invisible before moving out of the bushes and onto the wall.
He then began to slowly crawl his way up the tower, mentally counting the floors as he climbed.
"The 11th Floor is when things change. From that floor up to the top, along with security cameras they'll be adding Thermal Sensors. Fortunately, the Stealth Suit will hide you from those.
'The problem will be once you hit the 26th floor. From that floor up they added pressure sensors that are designed to go off if a pigeon flies into it. And if that happens, the whole building goes into lockdown and activates several Oscorp Security Drones armed with Stun Blasters and capture lines. The only way you'll be able to go up past that floor without triggering it is for me to hack into the security network module on the 25th floor."
"And how the hell are you supposed to do that," Flash asked. "We already established we can't hack into Oscorp's systems from our lair."
"I took care of that," Twilight replied, pulling out a small metal disk with a light on the back, attaching it to the back of the Stealth Suit's right hand. "This thing will lead you to the module. Blinks red when you're getting close, turns green when you're on top of it. Once it's green, Thorax will be able to hack into the module and disable it."
"Not disable. More like trick the system into thinking there's nothing wrong. I'll let you know when you're clear to continue climbing."
Following the blinking red light until it eventually turned green, Spider-Man held his right hand with the disc over the spot and waited until Thorax said "All clear dude. Don't forget-"
"-get the module on the 75th floor. I remember Thorax."
"76th floor adds a rather annoying bit of security. Motion Sensors."
"And unfortunately, the Stealth Suit won't be able to hide you from that. Not even Susan Storm can hide from motion sensors," Twilight said.
"So just like last time, you'll need to find and link me to the module so you can keep going."
As he waited while Thorax hacked into the module, Spider-Man asked "Is Osborn gone yet?"
"Cameras showed him leaving the building just a few minutes ago," Thorax replied. "And with that, I am in. You just got the last one, on the top floor."
Continuing his crawl, Spider-Man looked up and noticed the clouds rolling in. "Uh, guys? Skies aren't looking too good."
"I just checked the radar," Twilight said. "Looks like the storm's gonna be coming in a little early."
"Oh joy. How long do I have?"
"I'd say about half an hour."
Sighing as he kept climbing to the last module, Spider-Man said "Thorax, have our Exit Plan B ready in case we need it."
"Already on it."
"Good boy," he replied as he came upon the last module, just above the helipad attached to Norman's office.
"The last module will disable the cameras, thermal sensors, pressure sensors, motion sensors, and laser tripwires in the vents and Osborn's office."
"And it'll be smooth sailing from there," Flash asked.
Thorax winced. "Not quite."
Spider-Man carefully crawled through the vent, thankful that the Stealth Suit kept his movements quiet. Looking through the grates he eventually found Norman's computer.
Now came the hard part. Pulling out the cord from his left Web Shooter, he readied himself. "I'm in position."
"Okay," Thorax said calmly. "Program's ready. I've studied their patrol routes, you will have a window in five... four... three... two..."
"There's one little hiccup in this. Osborn has about ten security drones in his office that are active whenever he's not in his office. Anyone goes in who doesn't have clearance, they end up stunned and out cold until the next day. And sadly, I can't hack into them as they're not synced to the Module. The only way to do so by voice commands from Norman Osborn himself."
"So, how do I get into his computer without getting blasted?"
"They attack anyone that doesn't have clearance on sight, based on facial recognition I.D. And they only have standard cameras, no thermal or motion sensors. So the Stealth Suit will be able to hide you from them as long as you don't move too fast. So no running."
"So just drop down, cloak, and don't move too much while you're plugged in," Twilight stated. She then smirked. "So, be sure you go to the bathroom before you start the climb up the tower."
Flash rolled his eyes. "Cute. How long will it take for the program to upload?"
"Once it punches through his firewalls, I'd say about thirty seconds tops," Thorax replied.
"Okay then. And if this goes south, we're clear on Escape Plan B?"
"...one. GO!"
Fortunately, Spider-Man started moving the moment Thorax said "...one." His feet touched the floor and he activated the cloak, found the USB port and plugged the cord in. Osborn's screen lit up and a bar appeared, reading Program Uploading.
Nervously, Spider-Man looked around and saw the drones. They looked like those four rotor helicopter drones everyone was talking about on the news. The difference was they all had the Oscorp logo and had a small gun on the bottom. Also a red light over their camera, probably meaning they were armed and active. He stayed absolutely still, barely moving a muscle as two of them looked right at him for a few seconds, before turning and continuing on its patrol route.
Looking back at the computer he saw the bar was at 58% and rising. "Huh, guess you were right about your program," he whispered.
"Uh, dude. Got a problem," Thorax said.
"Oh, come on. That's not what I need right now."
"Osborn must've forgot his keys or something, because he just walked back into the lobby."
Silently cursing, Spider-Man looked at the bar and saw it was now at 72%. "Program's still running. How long until he gets here?"
"He has a personal high-speed elevator in the lobby," Twilight said. "I remember reading a maintenance report that got sent to the scientist I was working with because of a mix up. Once he gets in it he'll be up there in roughly fifteen seconds."
The bar was now at 90% and rapidly filling. "Come on, come on."
Finally the bar was filled, and Spider-Man unplugged it and turned off the monitor. He was about to Web-Zip up to the vent he came in through when he heard the elevator DING! Shit!
As Norman Osborn came into view, Spider-Man was very thankful the cloak was on as Osborn couldn't see him.
Nevertheless, he stayed absolutely still as Norman walked up to the desk,
"Remember Flash," Twilight whispered (even though they both doubted Osborn would hear her. After all the suit was designed to make no sound.) "move slowly."
Keeping his breathing steady, he slowly moved away from the desk, being sure to avoid the drones as he made his way to the door to the helipad, noting the large vent above said door. "Thorax," he whispered "please tell me you've got the code ready?"
"It's ready. Just say the word."
He was right under the vent, no drones looking his way and Osborn still over by his desk. "Word."
"If at any time you get caught and/or need to make a quick escape, kill the lights to the whole building so you can get out of there," Thorax replied. "Fortunately once we're hacked into that first module I'll have access to most of the internal systems. I can mess with the A/C, shut off their Wi-Fi, set off all of the alarms. Turning off their lights'll be easy."
"Let's just hope we don't have to use it before I get the program uploaded," Flash said. "Otherwise it'll all have been for nothing."
The moment he gave the word the lights in Osborn's office, and subsequently all of Oscorp Tower, shut off and plunged the interior and exterior of the tower into total darkness. This only lasted for roughly a minute but by that point Spider-Man had already snuck through the vent out to the helipad and swung away, putting as much distance between himself and Oscorp Tower as possible.
Once he was a few blocks away he stopped and looked back at the Tower, noticing no drones coming after him. "Thorax? What do we got?"
"Well Norman hasn't deployed any drones or reported any break-ins, so obviously he didn't see you. Hopefully he'll think the lights were just some glitch in the electrical system," Thorax replied.
"That's good. Did the program go through?"
"Oh yes. The program had already integrated itself into the system. Even with the 'glitch' we caused, it's still in there and linked to our computers."
"So we're in?"
"Yeah. I'm inputting my search program and parameters to find tech that was stolen throughout March. It's going to take about... one day."
"One day?"
"Considering we've got 100 floors worth of servers and countless gigabytes of data to sift through, that's not bad," Twilight stated.
At that moment, the rain started to fall. Feeling the drops landing on his suit, Spider-Man watched as blue sparks start to appear around him as the cloaking field started to fail. Eventually it failed completely, revealing the grey and white suit. "Looks like you weren't kidding about the cloak being sensitive to water."
"You know I don't joke about my tech."
"Right. Well, I'm on my way back. This suit was nice and all, but I miss my red and blue."
"Just run a systems check and make sure we're not going to get anymore mystery blackouts," Norman said over the phone to the Engineering Department. He let the guy on the other end talk for a bit before saying "Let me rephrase that: run the systems check and make sure we don't get anymore mystery blackouts, or you can look for a new job. Good night." Hanging up he sighed. "What the hell do I pay them for again?" His phone then buzzed and a text notification popped up.
It read: Deactivate the drones and security systems in your office. We need to talk.
Norman sighed. Normally he'd argue, but he checked his phone and saw that he still had a bit of time. So begrudgingly he texted back: Make it quick. I can't afford to miss this meeting.
Don't worry about that. The people you're meeting ran into some trouble. Apparently their reservation got pushed back an hour.
"Of course," he muttered. "Drones: Standby."
The lights on the drone's visors all turned blue as they flew to their charging stations. Pushing a button on his desk, the doors to the helipad slid open, revealing the familiar black cloak and silver armored form of Bishop. As she stepped into the office her cloak began to recede into her armor, which then broke apart and opened up to allow Abacus Cinch to walk out, still dressed in her usual business attire.
Watching this, Norman rolled his eyes. "I swear if Tony Stark ever knew that suit of yours existed he'd more than likely sue you."
"Well he doesn't. And hopefully he never will."
Sitting down and gesturing to an empty chair in front of his desk, Norman asked "So, what is so important that you just had to see me and interrupt a very important business meeting?"
Cinch's response was to pull a triangular device from her coat pocket, silver and purple just like the her armor. Flipping it over she revealed a screen that read 100%, along with several buttons. Cinch placed it on his desk and said "You kept your end of the bargain. I believe it's only fair that I keep mine."
Gingerly picking it up as if it would vanish into thin air, Norman asked "Is this-?"
"There should be more than enough there to save your son," Cinch replied. "What you choose to do with the rest is up to you. Just don't ever say I don't hold up my end of my deals."
Norman nodded, stowing the device away in his desk. He then looked back at Cinch and asked "So we're done?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. I have everything I need from you. My project is almost ready. I just need to wait a few weeks before I set the wheels into motion."
"Well, you'll forgive me if I don't pour you some champagne."
"It's fine. I don't drink anyway." Getting up from the chair she smiled and said "It's been a pleasure, Norman."
Not exactly what I would call it he mentally replied.
Once Cinch had put her armor back on and turned to leave, she said "Also, word of warning: should you ever decide to sell me out to the police, I took the liberty of downloading some... leverage, from your computers. Enough to make sure your plans to become mayor will never succeed. Keep that in mind if you suddenly grow a conscience." Seeing his simmering face brought a certain amount of joy to her as she turned and engaged her jet boosters, the vents in her boots and the back of her suit glowing purple as she flew out into the night.
Norman growled as the doors slid shut. "One day, Abacus. You will get what's coming to you. And I'm going to enjoy watching you burn." Picking up the device she gave him, his expression softened and he allowed himself to smile. "But right now, I have more pressing things to worry about."
As she flew to her lab, Cinch activated the comm in her armor to place a call.
Almost immediately she had her answer. "Octavius."
She smiled. "Hello Otto. My deal with Osborn is over and done with. He's a loose end now."
Had it been a video call, she would have probably seen him smile. "Well now, allow me to cut him off."
"Patience, doctor. Give him a few days with his son first. Let him think everything's going to be great. And then-"
"-I will personally remind Norman Osborn of all the lives he has destroyed. Including my own."
Looks like three villains are all waiting to get a good old spider man butt kicking! Flash better take them down soon!
Two words, invisible jet. Granted, it is odd that he hasn't built that kind of tech into his armor.
Whew! Well, that plan went off almost without a hitch, but it looks like there might be a few wrenches in the works.
Gave me flashbacks to the mission in the Marvel Spider-Man game where you sneak into the Oscorp tower in a similar way.
Love the suit. Now let's see what this all leads up to.
9701539
Invisible jet? Is he TRYING to get sued by the Distinguished Competition?
And, yeah, good points anyway (particularly concerning the wrenches in the works)
Great job on this latest chapter. REALLY good stuff with the stealth suit and the tricks Flash and his team used to get through Oscorp Security. Of course, even the best plans get their hiccups. It's how well one can improvise when those hiccups come up that matters. And, yeah, with all those villains still waiting in the wings, things are bound to get worse before they get better.
Anyway, great job on the characterizations, exchanges and future chapter set-up in all the right places.
And, for some reason, I can't help thinking of stuff not for this book but for further down the road.
Flash: I thought we were going to try to get away from the super-heroics for a couple weeks following the mess with Thanos and his crew.
Twilight: (packing her and Flash's "work gear") We are. But every time we have tried to take brief breaks from the heroics in the past, something has ALWAYS come up.
Flash: Yeah. I get it. Don't go LOOKING for trouble, but be prepared for if TROUBLE finds US, because it probably WILL.
Twilight: Exactly.
Flash: You know, I am thinking you've been hanging around AJ and Pinkie too long. But, I WILL acknowledge that you have a point.
or
Flash: Sometimes I wonder what I see in her.
Thorax: Well, she's cute, she's smart, she's nice, she already knows most of your biggest secrets and, well, in recent months, she has gotten MUCH better equipped to take care of herself.
Flash: I know all that, Thorax. I was just being rhetorical during a brief period of frustration.
Thorax: And I was being a smart-alec right back.
or
Twilight: Yeah. We are pretty much well aware of the existence of the multiverse, Mister Beck. One of our closest friends comes from another universe in fact.
Flash: And, all things considered, it DOES make sense considering that three of these monsters so closely resemble beefed up versions of bad guys we've encountered before who are currently in prison.
Quentin: Really?
Twilight: Yeah. Our universe has versions of the Sandman, Molten Man and Hydro Man too. However, as my dear friend has already pointed out, THEY are currently locked away in a super-maximum security super-villain prison. Plus, while our versions are certainly quite powerful, they have NOT YET been upgraded to "planet-wrecker" status.
Flash: Though, to be fair, they COULD reach that status if they went unchecked. It's just that this world has enough local heroes who are well equipped to keep them in check and are reasonably quick to take action.
Awesome, I’d call that break in a success, all close calls aside. I thought it was interesting how it flashbacked to the team planning the break in as it was actually happening. I’m not entirely sure if that follows the “unspoken plan guarantee” trope since it still worked, but who cares, all that matters is it worked.
You do make a good point about Tony never making any stealth armor in the MCU, I know he’s capable of making one since I’ve seen him use some in different media before (albeit usually with drawbacks).
I think that is how most people feel about her.
He actually HAS made a Stealth Suit in the comics. It was called The Big Time suit. Black with Neon Green Highlights that literally can turn invisible when he wanted to.
9701995
Oh, I have heard of the Big Time Suit but I only ever saw it in the PS4 game, so I never knew what it could do.
Good work with this chapter! The heist stuff in this chapter was fun to read, and I still get a kick out of the dynamic between Osborn and Cinch. I dunno why, I just find it amusing, I guess just for the fact that even Norman goddamned Osborn hates Abacus Cinch, and also for the mental image of Cinch with supervillain armor. XD
I heard the old-school Mission Impossible theme in my head while I read the chapter. Really well-done caper, here. Nice to see them being smart about this.
One thing I noted...
It looks like you repeated that boldfaced phrase.
9701513
Patience. As I said, his next villain is going to be bit, scaly.
9701539
I know, right? Then again Tony's always been more for a head-on approach rather than a tactical and quiet approach. At least, from what we've seen in the MCU.
9701639
That's partially what this is inspired by.
9701703
The next chapter is already in the works. But Cinch's ultimate endgame won't be revealed for some time.
9701785
Thank you.
Yeah, I still have Lizard, Doctor Octopus, the first round with Green Goblin, and Electro before I get to Cinch.
9701995
I was talking about Tony Stark, not Peter Parker. In the MCU he hasn't once built a suit with a cloaking device or any sort of stealth tech. But like I said to an earlier comment, he's always been more for head-on approaches as opposed to stealth.
9701820
All great heists or break-ins have hiccups. Just watch Ant-Man. What's important is how you adapt and overcome them.
9702372
Pretty much everyone hates Cinch. I'm just trying to write her in a way in my story that makes people hate her for the right reasons.
9702575
Fixed it.
And yeah, I had that theme going in my head too.
9702939
I think so too.
And also, thank you for the link! Huh, Rainbow Dash as a spider-hero... that's very interesting to consider. XD But yeah, definitely Iron Will would be a great contender for the WWE.
9702945
I can definitely understand your concerns. It's a very heavy subject to bring up, and if handled poorly can just be abysmal. I for one normally have a massive dislike of the trope when it comes to Sunset, given its usage in some really shitty fics that I dare not invoke here.
What? Oh dear...
Good point. And in any event, I remain invested for what will come next with this story!
9702928
Huh. That should be interesting. That villain is always a balancing act of tragedy and violence. Would help with making Flash's life harder.
9702953
Yeah, I've seen some bad fics like that. Most of them usually have something to do with Anon-A-Miss.
Don't worry, I won't be playing the evil parent trope. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 beat me to the punch.
Glad to have you on board.
9702966
Gah! You said that name! DX
All right, in all seriousness, glad that we're on similar wavelengths. And again, happy to be onboard with this as well. ;-)
9702964
My only concern is finding the right balance, since most of the villains I've wrote so far have been either hired muscle or revenge seekers. Writing a tragic figure is something I haven't really tackled before.
But I like a challenge, so here's hoping.
9702964
Wait. I can't remember where and when he said this, but I think ED mentioned something about Spike and turning scaly. OH GOOD GRAVY! I could be wrong, but I don't think I want to know either way.
9702986
Its not easy, but its needed in Spiderman. A big part of Spiderman is the constant struggle at all sides.
9703017
Yeah.
Yayyyy
An update
9702928
Indeed. Yeah, that is a respectable list of baddies to go through before we get to Cinch's endgame. And that's pretty much the point I was making when I said "things will get worse before they get better". Thanks for the confirmation.
9691963
So, fun fact, the first Raimi movie was my first major exposure to Spider-man (well, there was that old theme park ride in Universal Studios, but I don't think it counts), so for the longest time, I thought that Spidey's web-shooting power came with the spider bite. If Toon Disney hadn't been airing late night reruns of the old Spider-man cartoons back when I was in middle school and high school, I would have never realized that Spidey's web-shooters were supposed to be artificial.
9704248
No problem.
And spoiler, while Cinch has the longest presence of any of the villains in this story, Green Goblin will have the dubious honor of being the final boss for Book 1.
9691939
9691963
I actually like the Webb films better than the Raimi ones.
And I think I broke that particular trend by having Spider-Man's first supervillain be Shocker, who's suit is yellow rather than green.
9704430
To this day I never understood why they did that. The Web Shooters are as iconic as Captain America's shield. They're one of the first things people think of when someone says Spider-Man. So it baffles me why they went the organic web route.
9704655
9704430
My first experience with Spider-Man was from the first Raimi film too. Looking back on it I think that it was said they decided to give him organic webs instead of his usual web shooters because they thought it would be “more realistic” for his webs to be a part of his powers instead of him being able to design and create his own mechanical shooters, despite still being in high school and on a budget.
Ironically, shortly after the film was released the comics introduced a villain called The Queen for the main purpose of giving Spider-Man organic webs. The Queen’s first major storyline was a 6 issue long arc for Spectacular Spider-Man where she attempted to mutate Spider-Man and make him her mate, but it ended up going wrong and she enhanced his powers instead, including giving him organic webs. So Spidey ended up having organic webs in the comics until One More Day (because for some reason that also affected his powers).
9704604
Yeah. That definitely makes sense. :-D
9704960 I think the whole point of the web-shooters was to show how much of a genius Peter was, something raimi obviously missed. After all, it's one thing to make something amazing like that when you have unlimited time and resources (looking at you stark) but it's another thing to do it on a budget.
An idea for dialogue in a later book that I'm putting under spoilers because it contains spoilers to "Far From Home" as mentioned in both assorted TV Tropes pages AND Wikipedia
Flash: You were only telling the truth about ONE thing, Beck. You're NOTHING like Jack Pot.
Twilight: Yes, at least Jack Pot is mostly only in it for the money and, while not particularly cautious, he doesn't actively go out of his way to hurt the innocent either.
Flash: Though I WILL admit that you did a REALLY good job on the advanced robotics and holograms concerning your "Elementals" - especially making them look like beefed up versions of pre-existing villains to better sell the story of you AND them being from an alternate universe.
Twilight: And I will admit you ALSO did a convincing job feigning ignorance of the Sandman, Molten Man, Hydro-Man and Whirlwind to sell your story even better.
Flash: You were even smart enough to wait until any heroes powerful enough or experienced enough to pose a threat to your plan was otherwise occupied.
Twilight: However, we are on to your sick scheme now, Beck.
Flash: So, no. You are NOT Jack Pot. If anything, you are a third-rate Norman Osborn wannabe.
Quentin: Third-rate?! Wannabe?!
Twilight: I notice you aren't protesting anything else.
Quentin: Why should I? It's not like either one of you is going to be alive long enough to actually tell anyone. Or argue the accusations I will make that you two are - or rather were - conducting a rather vicious smear campaign out of pure and simple jealousy.
Flash: If I had a nickel for every time somebody made a threat like that, I would be richer than Mister Stark, Osborn and Fisk combined.
Sorry, I'm late commenting on this I was preoccupied with other things.
Anyway great chapter. And nice touch with the Future Foundation suit and the mention of Sue Storm. :)
9709073
It's cool dude.
And thank you.
9708549
Me personally, I'd go with something like this.
Flash: If I had a nickel for every time somebody told me that I'd own Oscorp, half of Stark Industries stock, and have my own luxury condo on the moon. With two floors devoted entirely to R&D.
9722877
Yeah. That sounds really good too.
9723452
Thanks. I try.
I just read the last origins chapter and I can't help but feel Flash should one day have a flashback to when Uncle Ben told him that quote. If there is, I'm hoping its the one we see in the Death of Spiderman.
9725784
Which one? You're going to have to be a bit more specific.
9726233 Go to minute 17:00
9726957
Wow.
Check your messages.
9727259 Come again?
9727292
Check your private messages.
9737369
uhhh...this is awkward, but...just watch TheRussianBadger's video on the newest Spiderman game Spicy Sarcastic Superjerk. You'll understand.