Spider-Man of Earth 65

Aaron Davis' fingers flew over the keyboard of the laptop he'd pulled from a hidden compartment beneath the table. It was an old, reliable model, one that had seen its fair share of emergency late-night sessions and was now their sole link to crucial information. The muffled bass thumps of the party outside seeped through the walls, blending awkwardly with the fake moaning audio playing on a loop. Maria, Aaron, and Felix sat at the table. Yelena perched on the corner of the table, eyes darting between the screen and the entrance, her body radiating an alert, cat-like energy. 

'My Spider-Sense should be capable of detecting anyone that comes nearby,' Felix thought. SHIELD agents or undercover NYPD officers were stationed somewhere outside and about to force their way here. Still, right here, right now, in this room insulated by noise and cloaked in Aaron's careful subterfuge, they could at least speak without immediate consequence.

"Alright," Aaron muttered, breaking the silence. The screen lit up with a secure NYPD interface. His jaw clenched as he bypassed a few security protocols, entering credentials. Maybe an old friend of his? A deep exhale marked Aaron's relief when the autopsy files appeared on screen. The room collectively held its breath as he clicked open the first file: Alistair Smythe. The medical examiner's report was clinical, objective, but that only made the details more chilling.

"Cause of death: exsanguination from gunshot wound to the abdomen. Additional injuries: extensive bruising around the neck consistent with manual strangulation, blunt force trauma to the forehead indicating a significant impact." Aaron's eyes narrowed as he scrolled down, voice becoming quieter. "There's a note here... bruising suggests the possibility of a struggle."

"Choke marks…?" Yelena muttered under her breath. 

'So everything I saw. Alright, good. No tampering so far.' 

"Eleanor Bishop next," Aaron said, navigating back to the list and selecting her name. A moment later, the details filled the screen. Maria leaned in, the tension visibly tightening her posture.

"Cause of death: penetrating stab wound to the heart. Toxicology report: presence of benzodiazepines and other sedatives," Aaron read. The pause that followed was deafening. "This part is, well, conclusive," he said, pointing at the screen. "Her fingerprints were found on the silencer used on Alistair, and Alistair's fingerprints were found on the knife that killed Eleanor."

Yelena's brow furrowed, the lines on her forehead deepening. "So it looks like they killed each other? That's what they want it to look like?"

"That is what it looks like," Aaron stated.

Maria interjected, "Except the head wound. How did they inflict that on each other? And why drug Eleanor before stabbing her?"

"The argument would be that she took drugs before killing him, hence why it's so spontaneous. At least when you first glance at it." Felix glanced at Maria. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Maria?"

"Mm. It's too clean, too orchestrated. Whoever did this wanted the police to piece it together neatly, make them think they had a double homicide that was also a murder-suicide. But it's that little bit of doubt—the forehead wound, the drugs—that screams third party."

"Wait a second," Yelena said, snapping her fingers as if she'd just recalled something vital and leapt off the table to round behind the three. "Felix, you're sure it was Kate you saw on that camera?"

Felix nodded solemnly. "Absolutely. The footage wasn't great, but it was her face, no question."

"Double check the footage. Could be faked." 

"Already checking." 

The video footage popped up. There was no denying it. Yelena's breath hitched. Kate Bishop, Yelena's friend, carrying her mother, holding her up by the shoulder. The black ponytail and the face profile—it was her. Not nervous, not angry, simply stoic and staring ahead as she entered the massive entrance of the mansion.

Felix swallowed.

"It really is her…" Yelena murmured. "Is she stupid? Carrying a dead body and not wearing a mask or anything…"

"Yelena…" Maria warned.

"Ugh, I'm not saying she should have done it but that Kate should know better. Kate is experienced but not stupid. No way she'd make the stupid mistake of letting a camera see her this openly." Yelena leaned over, hands gripping Maria's chair. "This doesn't feel right."

"The left hand side is a bit messed up."

"Like someone was trying to delete the footage and failed," Felix said.

"Another perfect puzzle piece," Maria murmured. 

Aaron then squinted. "Is Eleanor dead here? Doesn't look it."

"No, she's alive," Maria said. "She's breathing, look. Looks like the drugs were placed a little before this."

"Hm. And it's only a piece of footage too…"

Suspicious. That was what Aaron implied. It was ten agonizing minutes of clicking, scrolling, and squinting at the screen.

"It's legit," Aaron confirmed, slumping back in his chair. "No sign of any edits. The left side is damaged but to be honest, that just makes it more authentic. The timestamp puts her at the front entrance at 4:08 pm, carrying Eleanor into the mansion. All the other cameras around the estate went dark right before that. This was the only one that caught anything."

"Convenient," Felix remarked. The randomness of a single functional camera in a sea of malfunctioning ones was too precise to be coincidence.

Maria exhaled sharply. "The crime scene, initially seeming obvious but ultimately a ruse once they see the damaged camera footage. Kate is missing too. The NYPD will target her, no doubt about it."

"Yet SHIELD is watching me," Felix said. "I guess they're not as easily fooled."

"Who's running this investigation?" Yelena asked, breaking the silence. Her eyes bore into Aaron, who quickly checked the case file.

"Officially? Officer Benjamin Grimm," he said. "Ah, Ben. Rookie back when I was around. Big guy with a big heart."

"Nick Fury was the man who interrogated me. Maybe this is just vibes but he looked to be the unofficial leader of the investigation." 

Nick Fury. The name hung in the room like smoke from a gunshot. Maria's eyes widened—a rare slip for her. She sank into the nearest chair, and for the first time since Felix had known her, she looked rattled.

"Nick Fury," Maria repeated, as if the words were an incantation. "That changes everything. He's the best. You did great calling for this emergency. If he's involved, it's going to be nearly impossible to make any moves without him knowing." She stopped and then said, "We should all go radio silent."

"Huh?"

"No more investigations or meetings to find Kate," Maria said. "It's too risky."

"Risky? Seriously? Now of all times? Look, there's a good chance we might find Kate—"

"And what if she did murder her mother and Alistair? You don't know the truth?"

"Exactly. We don't know and we should know. What the hell happened between her getting kidnapped and the death of her mother?"

Maria frowned but didn't answer. The hesitation was enough to make Felix's jaw clench. At the same time, he managed to calm himself. With Maria, use logic and logic alone.

"Put aside sentimentality," Felix said. "If Kate gets caught, we all might get caught. Right now, she's a ticking bomb. You think it's better for SHIELD to get to her or us?"

"I agree with the guy," Aaron said. "I wouldn't want the NYPD catching her either. Some detectives can sometimes be too sure when it comes to murders and they end up doing nasty shit. Yelena said she was an amateur; she could break."

Yelena inhaled through her nose. She couldn't disagree. Kate was capable and wet behind the ears. If someone smacked her around for a couple days, her mental state could break. 

"You're right but she's stupidly naive and dumb." Yelena wore a wistful smile. "I know I'm being sentimental here but…I don't think she did it."

"And now, all logic goes out the window," Maria murmured. 

The room fell into silence, punctuated only by the soft, looping sound of the fake audio in the background. Felix leaned against the wall, staring at a crack in the plaster as if it held answers.

"Then who?" Maria asked, breaking the silence.

Yelena's expression turned inward, as if she were trying to solve a puzzle only she could see. "This…was done too well," she said at last. Her eyes flickered with something that Felix recognized as fear—a rare, unsettling sight.

Aaron stared her and tilted his head. "So?"

"Mind if I…?" She didn't finish as she reached for the screen, enlarging the section of Alistair's autopsy that detailed the choke marks around his neck. Not the words but the images. The images. Seeing them made Felix wince. Seeing them made Yelena almost gasp.

"It's the same. These choke marks... Clint Barton had them too. When he was attacked."

"Clint Barton…?"

"I told you, didn't I? A while ago, Kate's mentor, Clint Barton, was arrested for nearly beating his wife and killing their unborn baby. The baby, the wife, and Clint himself had these choke marks. Same position, same veins affected, everything was the same. It's…it's apart of a specific style of martials. One-of-a-king. The mark of a friend I knew." Yelena shuddered. "OCD, that was why it was incorporated. When she kills, if the body remains, t-the choke marks are all that are left of the body."

"Who?" Felix asked. "Who is it?"

"Her name…was Natasha Romanoff." 

This was the "friend" Yelena had been searching for—the one who killed Clint Barton's child, who nearly killed Bobbi Morse.

And they were back.

The urgent ping from Aaron's laptop shattered the tension. Felix's eyes shot to the screen. On the monitor, grainy surveillance footage from a hidden camera outside the penthouse entrance showed a group of three women and one man in the elevator. They were almost to the penthouse. 

Suddenly, his Spider-Sense struck with a vision of the future. In approximately two minutes, someone was going to come here. Aaron's cameras seemed to approve of that potential future. 

"Shit! SHIELD is coming." Yelena seemed more on edge than ever. 

"Calm down. We didn't invite them but that doesn't mean they're SHIELD."

Aaron's fingers danced over the keyboard, enhancing the image. "Nope, it's them. So those masks and hoods? They're hiding their ear pieces. Luckily, I've gotten so used to these government shitheads that my cameras can ping their little head pieces."

In other words, his cameras could scan and determine SHIELD's frequencies. "Nice going," Felix said. "Wait, isn't that…?"

"The claw chick from the Sanctum! Ah, fuck, she might recognize us!"

"No," Maria interjected. "If Wolverine was here, maybe, but Shadowcat can't sniff us out."

"Huh? Sniff us out—?"

Questions had to be held back. The elevator doors opened. They were in. They were here. Aaron cursed to himself, shut the laptop, and ran over to put it back in the secret compartment in the back. Felix closed his eyes and sensed them with his Spider-Sense. It was so weak. He could only vaguely guess that they were getting closer. And leading the group, unmistakably with her long black hair pulled back into a high ponytail and eyes sharp enough to cut steel, was Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, known as Shadowcat. Only she would have the audacity to show up in a black bikini and an overconfident smirk. She was fit for the party and fit to the fight if need be.

The room exploded into motion. Felix didn't even have time to process before Maria grabbed him by the waistband of his pants, yanking them down to his knees. His dick had never been so nervous and unexcited. He stumbled but caught himself, eyes going wide as Maria's face loomed close, the warmth of her breath brushing against his skin. 

"Sorry," Maria whispered, just before pressing her lips to his in a forceful, unconvincing kiss that smelled faintly of cherry chapstick and pure desperation. Instinctively, he grabbed her ass while she jerked him off. 

Slowly, they walked in front of the table. 

Meanwhile, Aaron and Yelena went to the floor and twisted into a tangle of limbs. Obscured behind the table, Yelena started making exaggerated, breathy sounds that would've made a soap opera star blush. Aaron, face scrunched in horror, did his best to join in, though his attempt sounded more like he was gargling marbles. He was groping her butt and was probably making out with her. Probably, Felix couldn't tell with the haze of the mystery and SHIELD and his dick being touched. 

The doorknob turned, and the soft creak of the door opening made Felix's heart stop mid-thump. He caught a glimpse of Shadowcat stepping inside. Even with her beach-ready outfit, there was something unsettling about her posture—the way she stood with one hand on her hip, the other flexing idly like she was considering which tendons to slice first. Her dark eyes swept the room, taking in every detail in a heartbeat. 

Aaron and Yelena who were furiously making out underneath a table.

Felix and Maria who were very busy with each other.

There wasn't much to do unless you wanted to join in. Maria broke the kiss, saliva connecting, and turned to the SHIELD agent. She winked. "Want to join?"

Agent Shadowcat glanced at Felix's dick, cackled, and pivoted on her heel, the door closing behind her with a solid thud. 

Felix could hear her voice behind the door.

"Sir, he's getting jerked off. Want me to keep observing or what? …uh-huh. Okay, got it." 

The agent was staying and on-guard, it seemed. A beat passed and Yelena played loud, moaning noises from her phone. 

Felix and Maria parted amicably. Yelena hopped from Aaron gracefully. "Good work, team."

Aaron got up, groaning, "You could have at least warned me before pushing." He rubbed the back of his head then looked at Felix. It was hard not to see the huge half-hard member. Aaron grimaced. "God dammit." Seeing it on camera was one thing. But in person? When it was visibly half-erect and that big? All a man could say to seeing a big dick like that was sigh. and close his eyes. "I really wish I didn't have to see your big ass dick in person, man."

"Oh, uh, sorry. That was Maria." Felix stood, fumbling with his pants and boxers, the fabric sticking to his clammy skin as he yanked them back up. Took a lot of shoving until his schlong was completely gone.

Aaron side-eyed the bulge that was too obvious to hide. "Man..."

Being hung was clearly the stuff of dreams.

Maria, flushed but composed, wiped the corner of her mouth.

Yelena put her phone on the table, audio blazing, and sauntered over to lock the door. "The agent saw us once so I think they got the message. We got lucky. But I don't think this will rule you out as a suspect, Felix."

"I've never had SHIELD agents here," Aaron said, sighing. "You better not mess up, man. They get you, they might get me."

"And you don't think they're already discreetly searching the place?" Maria said.

Aaron smirked. "They won't find shit. I told you, didn't I? I have stashes all over the city. Here, well, all they'll find are highly-powered laptops."

As for the data inside, it was all connected, accessible through facial features (courtesy of a piece of tech Aaron stole from Stark), and deleteable with a button. So they were safe here. There was nothing to suspect. 

"That just leaves you, Felix. Yelena and I will not get caught. We have been trained. You, not so much," Maria stated.

The stakes had just doubled. If SHIELD suspicion became high enough, it wouldn't take long for them to act on that suspicion. He'd be detained, questioned, and whatever chance they had at finding Kate would be buried under red tape and bureaucracy.

"Which means," Yelena said, crossing her arms, "the three of us will need to move and investigate. Quietly."

"There is an off-chance you'll get interrogated and thrown into a prison anyway," Maria said.

Felix blinked "What?" 

"They'll do it to intimidate you if they're getting desperate. SHIELD is a shadow government organization, it holds a lot of influence. Sometimes bad influence." Maria closed and opened her eyes. "We need a plan. Something, anything, for tomorrow. Where to go, who to go to, potential suspects, and avenues of finding Kate."

"We can't check out the obvious places like Kate's apartments. SHIELD is probably crawling with it," Yelena said. "So…maybe places they might not immediately go to like her favourite archery range." A small pause. "I'll go visit Clint Barton too. He might know something that we don't about Kate or Natasha. Although..." She sucked in a breath. "That might be asking for too much."

Right. He saw the case profile. Clint wasn't exactly in a position to say what he wanted.

"I'll do some hacking. Keep an eye out on new evidence and where they're going," Aaron said.

"Actually, if you want to do more than that, I have, err, a bot that you can use," Felix said. "It's a a drone type thing. Its range is, well, the whole city."

"The whole city?" Aaron repeated, eyes wide. "Holy shit, really? That's…wow, that's nut. So I can stay at my computer and get this drone thing to fly and spy?"

"I'll get it to you by tomorrow afternoon," Felix said. "Oh, and Maria, is it possible for you to leak Alistair's death to my workplace? Liv was pretty clear that we hide Alistair's death till the investigation was complete. I won't be able to ask questions—not unless it's already leaked."

"And I have only tonight to do it…" Maria murmured, pursing her lips. "I have a couple contacts. I'll make it work. By tomorrow, Oscorp will know."

***

He left the party like a bumbling idiot, going home, sleeping it off, then getting ready for work. SHIELD did not suspect a thing so far other than his big dick and that he could go for hours. 

Felix leaned back against the worn seat of the taxi, eyes half-closed. The city looked softer at this hour, its rough edges smoothed by the morning light. But inside his head, the gears churned relentlessly, piecing together fragments of clues that seemed to swirl in a confusing mosaic.

'The killer of Alistair Smythe. The killer of Eleanor Bishop. The person who attacked Bobbi, my team leader. The worker who betrayed Oscorp by leaking our layout to Crossbones—it has to be this Natasha Romanoff.' 

Whoever she was, she likely took orders from someone above. Who?

"Rikers Island," Jefferson said. "Do you remember when I was stationed there? That was when I saw it. The biggest criminals in the world treated like kings. The Kingpin…he took care of the people that didn't snitch on him. Gave them everything. They lived better lives than me. They were happier than me. And I thought, 'Imagine if that was me. Imagine living like that—no matter what I did, no matter how bad I was, I was always happy. Always comfortable.'"

The Scorpion, Jefferson Davis, had taught him something: prison bars didn't strip power away from the influential. Whoever orchestrated these events had connections and reach that extended far beyond one person's influence.

Kingpin. Cindy Moon. Matt Murdock.

Three names that hovered in his mind, each with motives and means. But the true twist was the spy—the person inside Oscorp who had handed the keys to the kingdom over to Crossbones, setting off a chain of events that had ended with Reed taking a bullet. The deeper he delved into it, the clearer it became: the spy, the killer, the orchestrator of Clint Barton's downfall—they could all be the same person.

The connection was a gut feeling.

Nobody seemed to think it was the wrong one though. Even Maria who relied on pure logic. 

"We're here."

The taxi slowed to a stop in front of Oscorp Tower. Felix paid the driver and stepped out, the crisp morning air nipping at his cheeks. 

Inside the lobby, the familiar buzz of early-morning activity was already underway. Employees shuffled in with coffee cups in hand. He made his way to the front desk where Czarina, the tower's ever-radiant secretary, sat with a sly smile and bright red hair that seemed to catch the morning light like fire.

"Morning, Felix," Czarina said, standing and leaning over her desk. Her blouse dipped just enough to reveal a hint of lace, an effect that she was well aware would catch the attention of every man in the vicinity.

"Morning, Czarina," Felix replied, forcing a smile. He had to be careful, casual, yet observant. "Already working."

"You're early."

Felix chuckled, shaking his head. "Things are getting tough, that's all I'll say."

Czarina tilted her head, feigning curiosity. "Is that so? I did hear Kavita complaining."

"She's already here?"

"Mhm."

"Gotta go then."

With a smile, Felix moved past her and entered the elevator. The ride up was silent, but his thoughts were anything but. The first person he needed to see was Dr. Olivia Octavius. She was a SHIELD agent as well as Oscorp's head of research.

The doors opened to B3, and Felix stepped out into the cool, controlled environment of her office. She was typing away at her computer until Felix came in. 

"You're here early. Something wrong?" 

"Couldn't sleep," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "The Alistair news still has me on edge."

"I get it, I get it. Want me to do anything for you? In your insurance, you can get therapy."

"I just…" He sighed and feigned fear. "I want to know what happened to him, that's all. I…I'm sure you already know but…but…"

"You were there."

'So she does know.' 

"Mhm. I just…I'm scared."

"I know." She closed her eyes, nodding. "I know. I'm sorry for bringing you to work. But…I do need you. My advice? The best way to keep going is to keep being yourself. And if you're ever nervous and need help," Liv leaned forward with a big smile, "don't hesitate to ask. It doesn't matter what it is, I'll drop my stuff and help you."

'You're a SHIELD agent. Could you also be a spy for a criminal?' Felix faked a smile and thanked her with his words, though not with his mind. 'It's hard to tell but I don't think so. There's a reason I put her so low in my initial suspects. It doesn't line up well.' 

Down the elevator he went. Next suspect was Kavita Rao, who was huddled over a data set. She glanced up as he approached, her eyes lighting up behind her glasses.

"Morning, Felix," she said, her left hand moving to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "What's up?"

"Just checking in," Felix said, leaning casually on the back of a chair. "Did you leave on time yesterday?"

Kavita flashed with irritation. She turned, glaring, yet not at him. "You know what, Felix? You should be the one most pissed about all this. Reed died and I know you haven't forgotten. It pisses me that it doesn't piss you off! A fucking kid died and these clowns…" She breathed in and out and then shook her head. "God, it makes me so mad. They didn't even tell us why he died. He got shot in the head. Great. But why? What for? We deserved that much, don't we?"

Kavita jabbed a finger to his chest.

"You deserve that much, Felix."

Felix looked down and didn't say anything. All he could think was, 'She's definitely not the spy.' 

"Thanks." He left her to her data. If she was involved, she was a world-class actress. Next, he sought out Maya Hansen, who was sipping coffee at her workstation, eyes darting over chemical structures on her screen.

"Maya," he said, giving her a small nod.

"Felix," Maya replied without looking up. "Please tell me you have good news. I'm on my third cup of coffee, and I'm starting to wonder if my bloodstream is more caffeine than blood at this point."

He chuckled, folding his arms. "I wish I did. Just wanted to see how everyone's holding up after, you know, everything."

Her eyes met his, sharp and focused. "After Alistair, you mean? Yeah, I heard. It's disturbing, but we keep going, don't we?"

"Yeah," Felix said, studying her. He recalled precisely what he already knew of her. Two PhDs, one in bioengineering and another in systems biology. Minor facial scar beneath her right eye. Worked for Stark Industries before she joined Oscorp. Her record was squeaky clean. Nothing special about it. That was a long, long time ago during his initial search for the spy. 

He wasn't able to glean much at home since he was pretending to be wasted. So if something happened between now and then, Felix wouldn't know. So out of everyone, Maya was probably the one he knew the least of. 

"You think all companies are like this?" 

If he knew the least about her, then perhaps that should change.

"My dad used to work for Stark Industries," Felix said, "Maybe it's just my nostalgia tinted glasses but I don't think it was ever this crazy."

"Oh no." Maya clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Trust me, with Stark, it isn't murder but everything else."

"Oh? You worked for him?"

"Worked for him?" Maya scoffed. "I was his college classmate. The dude was a dumb, smart playboy. Always trying to get into my pants. I didn't let him, of course. I'm a one and done gal. It's marriage or it's nothing."

"I see, I see. I guess we both have something in common. I'm not much of a Stark fan either."

"Good. Trust me, those eccentric billionaire types are more obnoxious than they seem. Seriously, trust me." 

"I'll keep that in mind," Felix replied, smiling. "See you later?"

"Come back soon. I need you to check something for me in a couple minutes."

"Sure."

He mentally filed Maya under, 'possible but unlikely' and kept moving.

Bobbi Morse was next, their team leader. Felix didn't manage a one-on-one conversation until his lunch break. He found her in the cafeteria, sipping on a green smoothie with an expression that said she'd rather be anywhere else.

'Choked and abused by her husband, choked by Mr. Negative at the Empire State Building…' 

Yelena was going to visit Clint Barton in prison. Not only was he the closest person to Kate but he also encountered Natasha Romanoff himself. If there was anyone that could shed some light on this situation, it would be Clint Barton. 

"Felix, something wrong?"

His ex-wife sat across from him.

Felix sat down and sighed. "Yeah. Can I…I admit something, team leader?" A nod from her. Felix forced a sad smile. "The whole Alistair situation's been on my mind. Especially after Reed and his murder and, well…"

Bobbi took a long sip of her smoothie. "...this place has a way of keeping you up at night. I don't blame you. Do you plan to take time off?"

Felix sighed again. "I don't know. I just…I don't know."

Bobbi met his gaze and shrugged. "I'm here. So are you. Try to push through, my friend."

Before he could press further, two women plopped onto the seats next to Bobbi. Felix regularly saw Bobbi hanging out with them: Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. Jane looked tired but composed, while Darcy had the kind of chaotic energy that came with juggling too many tasks.

"Hey, Felix!" Darcy said, waving enthusiastically. "Didn't expect you here with all the whispering. Are we having a secret meeting? Should I bring snacks?"

Jane rolled her eyes, giving Felix a small smile. "Ignore her. She's been living on vending machine food and caffeine for days."

"Ah, I was just checking in. Heard about Alistair. Wanted to see how everyone's holding up."

Jane nodded, a frown creasing her forehead. "We're managing, but it's... unsettling. After that factory explosion, I considered quitting."

"What made you stay?"

"Me," Darcy added. "By the way, are you hearing the rumour mill today? Some people were saying someone else died with Alistair. It was like a double-kill or something."

"...who'd you hear that from?" Felix asked.

"Oh, you know, the rumour mill," Darcy said with a shrug. "I like to eavesdrop. Sue me."

Right, right. Maria did her job. Everybody knew of the murder, and yet, Felix felt he hadn't gotten any closer. So many employees, so many people…

He knew this wasn't going to be easy. The spy was clever and had avoided detection for over half a year now. Maybe longer.

So think: who could the spy be?