THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE BASED OFF CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS THAT ARE THE PROPERTY OF MARVEL INC. AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, I THOUGHT OF THE STORY BUT THE WORLD IS THEIRS
(Continued from Marvel: Iron Age - Spider Interlude)
Well apparently Ferrum has taken notice of a new Spider-Man helping people throughout the twenty-one boroughs of New York City. I've even heard stories of Spider-Man helping people that I know he had nothing to do with. How do I know? Because I'm Spider-Man and I was in a class at the time of the saving. Specially since these other stories have a guy firing some kind of energy blast or something from his hands. Madame Web would have told me if there was another active Spider in the city....wouldn't she? Maybe she's assigned me some back-up, or maybe it's just people imagining things.
I guess this is what it's like being a legend, people creating their own stories about you. But I don't feel like I've done anything to warrant this. Sure putting on a Spider costume is brave in itself but I've only stolen some food and helped some people avoid Iron Soldier retribution. It's not like I've saved the city or anything...yet.
I'm on my way home from another robotics lab where I'm trying hard not to be the best in the class. Ferrum usually snaps up the top few students and offers them jobs they can't refuse to design the next generation of Iron armors. I really don't want Ferrum to take notice of me. Though my nanite suite prevents anyone from detecting that I have powers through a scan a mandatory company blood test would reveal everything.
Swinging from building to building is such a rush but I've got to keep my focus on my specialized spider-sense. It usually allows me to spot Iron Soldiers before they spot me and avoid them entirely. Today however there don't seem to be that many about, I get to take the most direct way home, which means more time to study for my physics test.
It occurs to me that things are a littler too quiet at the same time I sense something incoming fast. I release my webs and free fall turning to see what was trying to attack me. It's some kind of Iron Soldier, but different from any I've seen before, this one has wings that look razor sharp. It just narrowly avoids slicing me on them as I fall and twist. I fire another web-line just in time to swing in another direction causing the Iron Bird to have to loop around to track me.
"Whoa, what the heck are you? Some kind of Iron Sparrow?"
"I am the Steel Vulture. And I'm going to be getting any posting I want within Ferrum once I eliminate you Spider!"
Letting the razor winged dude fly right towards me again and leaping out of the way at just the right second. His hands seem to be razor sharp gauntlets as well but he still can't get close to me. It is faster than most Iron Soldiers but once it gets up to those speeds it clearly needs more time to turn around. So long as I keep dodging at the last second he shouldn't be able to get a bead on me.
"It's Spider-Man thank you! I didn't make a skin-tight outfit that shows every single pound of holiday weight I haven't shed yet to be called a genderless Spider."
The Steel Vulture seems to be getting frustrated with his swooping move not being effective and hovers in the air for a moment. His wings point at me and with a weird 'pew-pew' noise some of the feathers are fired in my direction as razor flechettes. I whip up a quick webbing shield to protect me as I leap up and on to a nearby wall but these feathers are sharp enough to pierce right through them.
~Mental note, do not let those things touch me.~
"So you work for Ferrum and think that by taking me in you'll get a promotion? Get to be the chairman's prime boot licker?"
"Once my Steel Vulture design is proven to be the most effective it will be the latest to go into mass-production and soon Vultures will be on every street in the country!"
I almost expect him to have a maniacal laugh when he talks, this guy is clearly unhinged. Running up the wall pushing my wall-crawling to it's limit with razor feathers impacting the steel and glass directly behind me. A little further up is a spotlight on the side of the building. I fire two web-lines into it as I run and yank myself up to it. The Vulture is still trying to hit me with razor feathers so when I toss the spotlight and clearly miss him he thinks he's got me. But I'm still attached to the spotlight with a web-line causing the spotlight to swing and smash the Vulture and causing him to lose altitude.
"You might want to work on your peripherals before you rush it into production Nickle Turkey."
"It's Iron Vulture!....I mean Steel Vulture."
The Vulture tries to get in close again and use his wings and claws to impale me but I leap over him at the last second and fire two web-lines on to his back. Unfortunately for me the webbing doesn't stick to the wings, it just slides right off.
"$#!%."
"I've coated the wings in a non-stick alloy wall-crawler. I came prepared for your methods."
The big metal turkey says as he turns around again. Speed, razor wings, non-stick wings, this guy does have my number....but did he say only the wings?
"Well aren't you just the smartest turkey in the air? Well why don't you just come and get me then?"
Goading the Vulture into one more pass. It's clear that he's a technician but has probably never been in a real fight in his life. He thinks his speed and sharp wings are enough to impale me. Well he's got another thing coming.
The Vulture takes the bait and flies straight at me again. He's probably expecting me to leap over him again like next time but an instant before he would hit me I drop to the ground and fire a web-line at his chest. As the Vulture veers up thinking that I would be leaping over him I attach the other end of the web-line to the ground.
As the Vulture arcs up and reaches the limit of my web-line he is forced in a trajectory that smacks him directly into the ground....hard. The man inside the armor is knocked out, to make the unit faster he must have reduced the armor strength. To make sure he doesn't come to quickly and come after me I web him to the ground...except for those wings, the webbing just doesn't want to stick to them.
"Better luck next time Cobalt Penguin."
I salute the unconscious form and fire a web-line to a far off building before swinging away.
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Ferrum Tech Research and Development, New York City
The three-dimensional holo footage cuts out when Vulture smacks into the ground. It comes back on line to see Spider-Man call him a penguin and swing away.
The lights in the meeting room come back on and none of the five remaining technicians want to look at the Project Manager.
Project Manager: "The fool thought that he could rush out with half a redesign and beat Spider-Man. I hope the rest of you put more thought into your attempts. Dismissed."
Assembled technicians: "Yes, sir Mr. Fisk."
The technicians file out of the room. Once they're gone Desmond Fisk the Project Manager talks to himself. Shaking his head in disapproval.
"Of all the concepts...the Vulture....really?"
(Continues in the next chapter: Marvel: Iron Age - Spider-Man vs ...... - Part 2)
Marvel: Iron Age - Spider-Man vs ...... - Part 1
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