Officer Alan O’Neil flicked the lights and gave a short burst from the siren. The three men in the illegally parked van looked up from their cigarettes. He motioned for them to move along but they remained where they were, ignoring him.
“Fine, you get a ticket for being stupid!” he muttered as he grabbed his infringement pad and got out. Jones was going to chew him out for picking her up late but she’d understand.
“Okay gentlemen, can I see some ID please and one of you has to move the van as this is a clearway.” he said as he approached. “I was going to let you off with a warning but…”
“Typical police officer!” sneered the biggest one in a Russian type accent.
“Are you going to make my job harder?” asked O’Neil as his hand instinctively went to his radio. “Coz so far I’ve been nothing but…sir, you need to stay where you are?”
One of the others looked at him “You tell me to move van. I move van.”
O’Neil looked at the trio, something was off. Call it instinct but he wasn’t comfortable.
“Everyone hands up and step away from the van!” ordered O’Neil as he drew his gun. The trio looked at each other and then back at him.
“Do you wish me to move van yes?”
“Get away from the van, you stop moving!” O’Neil took a step back as two of them slowly moved in opposite directions as the one near the van kept distracting. The biggest one tore his shirt off to reveal some ugly tattoos on his chest and a gun tucked into his belt.
“GUN!” yelled O’Neil as he turned his focus on him and that was his mistake. From behind he was tackled to the ground and soon set upon by the three as they proceeded to beat him. O’Neil was good but he was outmatched and outnumbered as they stomped him into the pavement. The biggest one hauled him to his feet and put him in a sleeper hold, O’Neil kicked and choked as the pressure increased.
“This is what happens,” said the van driver “When you are being smart to Kingpin.”
“W-what?” wheezed O’Neil.
“Doesn’t matter, you’re dead soon.” He clicked his fingers and they bundled him down the alley.
**
The cabbie turned the taxi off the main street and down an alley. Edward couldn’t care less, his mind felt like a vacuum.
“Oh that’s not good!” said the cabbie as he screeched to a halt. Edward lurched forward and saw three men beating a police officer in the alley. The cabbie went to accelerate when the large man threw the officer to the floor and pulled a gun firing shots at the cab. The cabbie ducked as the windshield burst and he fled the cab. Edward peered at the scene from behind the headrest.
‘We can help!’
“No killing!” Edward said, the symbiote spreading across his skin like a wave.
**
O’Neil gasped for breath as the big Russians arm held his throat tight, his legs kicking in vain. He fumbled down to his belt for something to use; pepper spray, baton, gun, hell even car keys but he couldn’t as his survival instinct kicked in and he clawed at the arm to get himself some air.
The Russian lifted him higher “Check the cab.”
The other two marched towards the cab, guns drawn. Toxin slipped under the cab, dug his feet into the bitumen and stood up. The Russians stopped as the yellow cab was lifted into the air by the Spider-Man look-a-like.
“BoszheMoi!”
Saliva dripped off Toxin’s teeth as he glared at the thugs. “Let. Him. Go!”
The nearest pair drew guns and opened fire, Toxin simply using the cab as a shield as the bullets peppered the roof. He pressed forward and swung the car like a bat but failed to hit them. The thugs moved quickly, lost footing and fell as if hit.
“Did I get them?”
“I don’t think you did.”
He tossed the car back onto the main road and towered over the thugs who were too scared to move.
O’Neil felt the grip relax around his neck. He sucked in a quick breath and slammed his head backwards cracking the big Russian in the teeth with the back of his head. His body turned swiftly as he caught the Russian with a right hook, dropping him instantly.
‘That hurt,’ he said.
He shifted his focus to the other two thugs and gasped lightly when he saw them glued to the wall, covered with webbing. It reminded him of something out of a horror movie. He turned innocently, but his rescuer was nowhere in sight.
‘That’s all of them—’
“Jesus,” he shrieked as he saw Toxin clinging to the wall above him. “Be careful that doesn’t get you shot one day Spiderman.”
“Uh, I’m not Spi—”
“Just take the complement.”
“Sorry. Are you alright?”
“I’ll be okay,’ he said. ‘Thanks for the assist.”
“No problem. So who are these guys mister…?”
“O’Neil. And they’re Kingpin’s hitmen. ”
“Hitmen? Now I’m starting to think this is personal?”
“Me too,’ he said. “They must have known I was here. If it wasn’t for you I’d be dead. You saved my life, but who knows if I’ll be that lucky the next time.”
Toxin paused and became silent.
“Spiderman?”
“I’m thinking,” he said.
I’d rather not have this man die, he thought, especially after I just saved him. But I don’t want to create trouble for myself. What is more important?
“O’Neil?”
“Yes.”
“Point me in the direction of this Kingpin.”
**
“Another profitable day,” Wilson Fisk smiled as he slouched in his Jacuzzi, the water lapping at his girth. He stared directly out of the window across the city that he owned in one way or another. He scooped up a champagne flute and sipped, humming a rhythm-less tune as he sunk into the bubbles.
“Ahem,” a voice said. Fisk shot upright to see Toxin crouched on the edge of the Jacuzzi, leering at him.
“Spider-Man! You're trespassing!"
"Spider-Man? Who that?"
A tendril leapt from Toxin's hand and slivered into the Jacuzzi. Fisk jumped spasmodically as the snake-like tendril wrapped around his legs and dragged him underwater. He struggled as it restrained his arms, and then wrapped several time around his large body. He looked up through the water and could barely make out the figure.
Toxin quickly grew concerned about Fisk’s life and summoned the tendril back. It reeled in the sluggish body.
“Now where were we,” he said, grabbing the leg of Fisk and hurling his heavy body effortlessly out the tower. Fisk screamed and felt a hard tug on his body. He stopped falling as a thick strand of web was the only thing holding his weight. Toxin slid elegantly down the web, and stood on Fisk’s back.
“If you ever pull a stunt like that again like you did with O' Neil,” he said. “Next time, there won’t be a web.
“Oh and you might wanna call for help. The web disintegrates in an hour,” he yelled before vanishing.
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