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Marvel Mayhem: El Tarantula #2 - The Scorpion and the Toad
Written by Catalina McKay and Beta-Read by Wildvine and Impurest Cheese
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Officer Daniels rolled up the piece of paper on his desk and threw it directly at the back of Officer Star’s head, the projectile smacking her in the neck before falling on the floor. Turning in her office chair Star glared at Daniels before picking up the piece of paper and un-balling it to see the note he’d scrawled in thin spidery font.
“Well?” He asked as Officer Dawson walked past, a mobile phone clamped to his ear.
“No and stop asking.” Star said before balling the paper and throwing it back only for Daniels to throw the phone on the floor and grab the projectile in mid flight.
“Really this is what two of my best detectives give me on the location of El Tarantula.” Dawson spat, “A childish game.”
“Er who was on the phone?” Star asked nervously as Dawson thundered out of the room, Daniels and Star hurrying to keep up. “Oh don’t tell me it was him.”
“Yeah our resident arachnid called up, says he’s got our vigilante tied up in a warehouse just outside of Dallas.” Dawson answered. “Grab your gear and Star next time he tries something like that just ignore him.”
“Got it.” Star answered, “So do you think this guy’s telling the truth?”
“The Scorpion nah, the guy’s a thug that the mayor hired in hopes of crushing our spider problem. Apparently he has an excellent track record when it comes to that.” Dawson snorted, “Personally I’m hoping to send his ass back to the Raft, everyone knows he’s getting a second pay check from the Don of the Dead nobody is willing to do anything about it.” He added as he climbed into the Jeep Cherokee. “El Tarantula is almost preferable to scum like him.”
**
A few hours later the Jeep pulled to a stop outside an abandoned warehouse alongside a pair of blacked out Mercedes Benz. There tied to a post was a figure in head to toe black leather flanked by two men armed with assault rifles and dressed in combat armour, multiple lights blinking on their face masks as they locked onto Dawson as he got out of the car. Shooting them a dirty look Tex Dawson walked up to the post and was about to reach out and unmask the figure when a towering figure pushed the guards away and grabbed his errand hand in a massive pincer like claw.
“Mac Gargan, your lucky I don’t arrest your hybrid ass for the s<!t you pulled both here and back in New York!” Dawson spat as the Scorpion stepped into the light, forcing Dawson back.
“Hey I was a Thunderbolt back before they started trashing west coast cities.” The Scorpion grunted, “And I just did your job for you. A peek under the mask is free but if you want to claim the runt then you have to offer something of equal value to the Don.”
“Like what?” Dawson asked as Star and Daniels took up position behind the Cherokee.
“The Don wants all of Texas’s confiscated MGH supply, something about a project overseas. You deliver it to us by tomorrow and we hand the bug over to you. If you don’t well I’m sure we can find a mutually beneficial bargain for all involved.” Scorpion explained as Dawson looked over to the figure tied to the post.
“That’s a lot of big words Mac Gargan, “Dawson sneered, “and your criminal record stated that you’re an idiot. I think this is some kind of scam; that you’re trying to sell me a mule that you claim to be a well bread Arabian. A look is free right? Let’s take a peek at that pony.” He stated as he pushed past Scorpion and removed the mask from the figure only to be greeted with a deformed almost green face. “Speak son, say anything.” He ordered as he rested his hand on his holstered pistol.
“Grr Argh I’m the Tarantula?” The bound figure snarled only for Dawson to shake his head. “Oh like you could have done any better.” He stated before lashing out at Dawson with a long tongue, the blow knocking him to the floor before wiggling free as Star and Daniels opened fire, most of their bullets ricocheting off Scorpion’s armour. With a long low grunt Scorpion charged, the armoured villain body slamming into the Jeep and knocking Daniels flying with a claw swipe before turning to Star as she valiantly fired shot after shot at the villain’s head only to see the shots deflect off the chin and cheek armour.
“We were willing to offer you something Lawman.” The Scorpion snarled as Star backed away from him only for the second villain to spit a stream of toxic saliva over her, the liquid causing her skin to blister almost immediately. “But you called me stupid. You get to keep your lives today but soon you’ll have to make a choice; live and serve or die protecting the weak.”
“Not a choice.” Lawson groaned as he crawled towards Star, “Never a choice.”
“We’ll see.” The Scorpion chuckled as he plunged his stinger through Lawson’s hand. “And soon.”
**
DetectiveTex Lawson sat with his arm in a sling and his hand mummified in gauze. As the night’s casualties had gone he’d got off easy. Officer Victoria Star was in intensive care as the toxicologists tried to limit the poison’s effect to her body. Officer Drew Daniels was slightly in a better condition then Star but he still had a broken back and ripped tendons. Already Internal Affairs were crawling out of the woodwork trying to prove Dawson was dirty, that he had made a deal with his attackers so when the wall mounted phone rang he wasn’t surprised at who was on the other end.
“Detective Lawson are you in pain?” The voice of El Tarantula asked, “I could probably find a guy with extra meds if you are?"
“Your concern is touching!” Lawson growled, “Why are you calling me?”
“I want to know what you want me to do when I catch up with the Scorpion and the Toad.” Tarantula answered. “You and I aren’t friends but I don’t like it when criminals target cops like they did tonight.”
“You want orders?!” Lawson spat. “Take off your mask and become legit, join law enforcement or SHIELD or anybody. I’m tired of the bodies you leave behind and the crime scenes you contaminate.”
“If that’s your answer.” Tarantula sighed before throwing the mobile phone into the bin at the student union bar before turning back to her tablet, the screen logged into SHIELD’s 100 most wanted, the profiles of No 54 the Scorpion and No 87 the Toad sitting side by side. Flicking a few strands of hair from her eyes Maria Vasquez took a sip from the shot glass sitting next to her before minimizing the window and bringing up an online copy of the Aesop Fable; the Scorpion and the Toad before reading it under her breath.
“A scorpion and a toad meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the toad to carry him across on its back. The toad responds by asking how he would know the scorpion wouldn’t sting him with the scorpion answering, because if I do, I will die too. The toad was satisfied, and they set out, but midstream the scorpion stings his host. The toad feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown but has just enough time to ask why?"
“Because it’s my nature.” Maria stated as the scorpion and toad sunk under the stream’s surface. “They will be easy to divide and with the new super tensile adhesive I’ve been perfecting I should be able to keep them that way. This is my city and it’s time I sent a message to the super-human community that trespassing won’t be tolerated.”
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