Perhaps he should go with the "You Stole My Work and Now I'm Pissed"
routine. It seemed to be the best route.
Without warning, his spider sense blared throughout his skull. A
sensation of imminent danger slammed into him, bringing him up short and
setting all his senses on high alert as adrenaline began pouring into his
blood. Something very bad was about to happen very soon.
Almost on their own, Gosunkugi's eyes locked on a black Mercedes
from which three men dressed in equally dark suits emerged. Gosunkugi stood
on the fairly empty sidewalk, watching them take up positions up ahead. His
spider sense kept blasting away about a threat, and fingered them as the
source. So, it looked like his shadow was about to make its move.
Nabiki knew that Gosunkugi had started trailing her, she had caught
a glimpse of him for an instant in the reflection on a window she passed by.
He was probably going to give her the "You Stole My Work and Now I'm Pissed"
routine, to which she would reply that she stole nothing, and then maneuver
him into telling her about his connection to Spiderman. From there, she
would cut herself into the deal, Spiderman does the work, Gosunkugi gets the
snaps, and Nabiki gets a modest eighty percent of the profits. It couldn't miss!
The sight of the three men exiting the Mercedes up ahead didn't
register as a threat, Nabiki was concentrating on getting around behind
Gosunkugi and setting her plan into motion. Those pictures that he had
dropped had been solid gold, filling her coffers quite nicely. If he could
get more like that....
Her train of thought derailed when she felt the cold tip of a knife
poke her just under her ribcage. Nabiki stiffened in fear and surprise as a
harsh male voice whispered for her to come along quietly.
Nabiki's eyes darted frantically left and right, seeking aid from
anyone at all. The people on the sidewalk paid no attention to her as the
men changed her course toward the waiting black sedan. From they way they
hung about her, there was no way anyone would see the knife. She felt the
fear and frustration well up inside as she realized that nobody knew that
she was being kidnapped right there in front of them. For once, she wished
that she walked home with Ranma and Akane instead of by herself. A little of
that martial arts stuff would be really good right then, and would easily be
worth the price of their constant arguing.
She slid into the leather interior of the Mercedes, the others
following suit, and the car sped off to who knew where.
Oh, not good, not good! Gosunkugi couldn't believe his eyes as he
watched them abduct Nabiki right out in the open. It went down smooth as
glass, with nobody else the wiser. As the car drove off into the distance,
his spider sense faded, meaning that the threat was over and more
importantly nobody was watching him.
Vanishing into the alley, he chanced one last look around just to
make sure he didn't have an unwelcome audience. Satisfied that he was indeed
alone he leapt up, hands and feet making contact with the brick surface of
the building before him.
Gosunkugi easily scrambled up the side of the building, the pavement
growing farther and farther behind as he climbed. After what felt like an
hour, which was only little more than six seconds, he reached the roof and
began removing his uniform.
The jacket and shirt came off first, revealing the blue sleeveless
sweater beneath. His pants and shoes came next, exposing the red material of
his costume. Hurriedly balling up his school clothes, he pulled the final
touches from his bag, donning the mask and gloves as quickly as he could.
Time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to waste even a second.
Once his uniform was in the bag, which he then affixed to the side
of the building with a thick web, Gosunkugi leapt into space in pursuit of
the car. He fired a web across the street to another building, a story or so
taller than the one he just left. On feeling the line connect, he stuck his
legs out perpendicular to his torso and let his momentum carry him forward.
C'mon, c'mon, Gosunkugi thought as he soared through the air, where
the hell are you? The black sedan had already vanished into the river of
automobiles pulsing through Tokyo's streets in the time he spent changing
into his costume. They could be anywhere by now! First off, he had to find
her. Then he could worry about what to do next.
=====================================
"Mr. Leung," the driver of the car said into his phone as he
maneuvered the car through traffic, "Phase one was successful."
"Excellent," came Leung's voice over the connection. "Which did you
get?"
"The girl, sir," the driver replied, sparing her a glance in his
rearview mirror. Her hands had been bound behind her, a black cloth wrapped
over her eyes and a wide piece of silver duct tape over her lips.
"Outstanding," Leung replied, genuine praise in his voice. The
driver smiled himself, winning the favor of Mr. Leung definitely had its
rewards. "Implement phase two."
"Immediately, sir," the driver said, ending the conversation and
placing the phone back in its cradle. "We begin phase two," he said curtly,
steering the car toward the east.
======================================
Night fell over Nerima, blanketing the city in its inky darkness.
Lights flickered to life as the sun retreated below the western horizon,
illuminating the numerous walkways and windows. Neon signs cast their garish
glow into the mix, advertising things from beer to books.
Above the garish scene, Gosunkugi swung back toward his apartment,
frustration and fear filling his conscious mind. Where had that car gone? He
had spent hours scouring the city, and hadn't found a trace of it. Gosunkugi
had no idea that there were so many black imports in Japan. It was like
looking for a needle in a haystack out there.
Finally realizing that mindless searching would get him nowhere, he
had elected to return home and think things through. Maybe he had missed
something over the past several hours, something he already knew but hadn't
managed to see yet. It wasn't much of a plan, but it beat running around
like a rat in a maze.
Home sweet home popped up from out of the darkness, Gosunkugi
releasing his webline and flying across open space to land gracefully on the
wall. Crawling to the window, he pulled it open and slid inside his bedroom.
Out of habit, Gosunkugi activated the monitor of his computer. It
wasn't exactly state-of-the-art, but it got the job done. Reaching into one
of hs dresser drawers, he pulled out a sixpack of candy bars and ate one
right away. For some reason, his appetite had picked up dramatically after
gaining his powers. He wondered if that meant anything was wrong as he dove
right into a second one.
Sitting down in front of his computer, Gousnkugi's gaze fell on his
mailer program, which he had left running earlier that morning. At the
bottom of his In box was a blinking message, from someone calling himself
Anonymous. Gosunkugi nearly passed it over until he saw the lone word in the
subject line, Spiderman.
A cold, tingling feeling settled over him as he double-clicked on
the message. The new window popped open, revealing a short and to the point
message:
Gosunkugi,
We have Nabiki. If you want to see her alive again, send Spiderman
to the following address:
He read the address, instantly recognizing it as being in the
industrial area of Tokyo, an old warehouse not too far away from the bay.
Another line below the address stated that he had until one a.m. to deliver
Spiderman, or the next time anyone ever saw Nabiki again would be face-down
in a canal.
Why not come after me? he thought as he looked at the return
address. It turned out to be a dead end, the address being a web-based email
account that had probably been deleted right after sending the message.
Shutting off his computer, Gosunkugi crawled out of the lone window to his
bedroom and swung off into the night after closing it behind him.
What was their plan, though? They obviously wanted Spiderman, and
intended to use Nabiki to get Gosunkugi to deliver him, but why Nabiki? Why
not just come after him directly and force him to lead them to Spiderman?
Maybe that was their plan at first, he thought as the epiphany
struck him, that would explain the tail my spider sense had been picking up
lately. But that still didn't answer the question of Nabiki's involvement.
The only thing he could think of was...
Those pictures! Of course! Nabiki had gotten hold of the pics from
the warehouse, and published them under her own name no less. Those weren't
just shots of Spiderman, they were shots of him busting up a major crime.
Unintentionally, but there it was. They probably thought that SHE took the
pictures, not knowing he had and that she stole them.
In place of the usual exhilaration he got from webslinging, a cold
lump of anxiety settled in his gut. One part of him deigned this as Nabiki's
fault, and voted to leave her to face the consequences. Another part of him
considered Nabiki's kidnapping his fault for not destroying the pictures.
Regardless of who shouldered the blame, however, was the certainty that she
was in terrible danger and he had to do something.
=============================================
Now where am I? Nabiki thought as she listened intently for any
clues. The area was deathly silent, and had been since being brought in and
her abductors left. The blindfold was still over her eyes, and the strip of
tape, which had been changed along with a rag stuffed in her mouth beneath
it, still rendered her mute.
She had been placed in a standing position, long coils of what flet
like chain wrapped around both her and the beam she stood against. No doubt
about it, her chances of escape were roughly equal to those of a snowball in
hell smoking a cigarette and roasting a marshmallow.
Footsteps began to echo in the darkness, suggesting that wherever
she was had to be a large, almost cavernous space. She couldn't tell very
much with the blindfold, and the gag made asking whoever had joined her
quite problematic.
"Well," a male voice said. His Japanese was decent, thought the
strange accent obscured some of his words. "I don't think we need this anymore."
Something pulled the blindfold off of her head. Nabiki blinked her
eyes in the dim light several times, attempting to regain focus. After a few
seconds, her vision cleared and her heart nearly stopped.
Before her stood a man wearing green armor with yellow boots,
gauntlets, and a breastplate. From his back, though, came four undulating
metal tentacles that waved about in the air. A muffled scream came through
her gag, her eyes widening with terror.
"Now, now," the man said, "there's no reason for fear. I want
nothing from you."
Nabiki, however, didn't quite believe that. There she was, chained
to a pillar in the middle of a dark place, alone with a strange man with
four extra arms, and he said she had nothing to fear?
=======================================
Hikaru Gosunkugi landed softly on the roof of the hulking structure.
The address had been that of an old warehouse, surprisingly still in use. He
didn't stop to wonder just what was kept there, he had more important things
on his mind.
Making his way over to a raised skylight, Gosunkugi pried the pane
of glass open silently and crawled inside. The light was dim, but more than
enough to see by. Several barrels and wooden crates lined the walls and
floor, three rows of support pillars running across the width of the
building. He found Nabiki chained to the middle pillar of the first row, a
man standing in front of her.
What the hell? Either he needed glasses, or that guy had four metal
tentacles coming out of his back. Gosunkugi was briefly reminded of a few
hentai mangas, which he quickly pushed from his mind. He didn't need
perverted thoughts right then.
He quickly affixed his camera high up on the wall and set the timer.
May as well get some good shots. Crawling farther along the wall, he noticed
the wide strip of duct tape across Nabiki's mouth. He actualy liked her
better that way...
----------------------------------------------------
"Where is Spiderman?" Doctor Octopus asked impatiently. He was a
busy man, he had experiments to run and test data to analyze. He didn't have
time to waste babysitting some bound girl while waiting for some dork in a
costume!
"Right here!" came a voice from out of the darkness. Octavius felt
something connect with two of his tentacles and a force pulling him
backward. Caught by surprise, his feet left the floor as he flew through the
air, coming to a hard landing on his back.
"You impudent worm!" he shouted, "You dare attack me? I'll teach you
to respect Doctor Octopus!"
"Respect?" the voice asked mockingly as the speaker came into view
on the floor, "You want respect with a name like Doc Ock?"
Doctor Octopus glared at his enemy, anger boiling his blood. If this
little twit thought he could just come in and take him down, he was sorely
mistaken!
------------------------------------------------------------
He doesn't look so tough, Gosunkugi thought as Doc Ock regained his
feet. The four tentacles on his back looked rather short to be of any use to
him. He'd just whop this guy, untie Nabiki, and go home.
Without warning, the top two tentacles streaked toward him at
breakneck speed. Spider sense blaring, he barely managed to leap out of the
way.
Shoulda known, he groused as he dodged another swipe from one of the
tentacles. Then another, and another...
------------------------------------------------------
Nabiki watched the battle unfold, unable to quite believe what she
was seeing. Spiderman kept dodging Doctor Octopus' rapid-fire strikes,
ducking, bobbing, and leaping clear of each tentacle with amazing speed and
agility. He could give Ranma a lesson or two in evasive tactics.
As the two went at it hammer and tongs, Nabiki began to wonder just
who was inside that red and blue costume. His voice seemed strangely
familiar, as though she'd heard it a few times before, but for the life of
her she couldn't place it. Was it someone she knew?
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm gettin' nowhere like this! Gosunkugi thought as he evaded yet
another strike. At the rate Doc Ock kept swinging, he didn't have a chance
of getting close, not head on, anyway. He had to immobilize at least some of
those arms!
First, though, he had to get out of their range. With a backwards
leap, Gosunkugi affixed himself to one of the warehouse's walls and
clambered up its surface. Maybe if he could get high enough...
He barely managed to avoid the double-tentacle strike that
demolished the small catwalk just above him. Siezing the opportunity, he
fired two thick strands of webbing at the metal appendages, binding
thoroughly with the silken substance.
"Curse you!" Doc Ock bellowed as he retracted the two webbed-up
tentacles. Before Gosunkugi could react, Doc Ock had managed to rip the two
tentacles free of their sticky cocoon and began attacking in earnest once again.
"Don't you ever quit?!" Gosunkugi shouted in frustration as he
dodged yet another strike.
"Never!" Doc Ock shouted in reply. Gosunkugi leapt off of the wall,
twisting to avoid what would have been a crushing blow. However, he left
himself open for another, which landed on his back not even a second later.
The pain seemed to rattle every bone in his body as he slammed into
the concrete floor. Spider sense blaring again, he rolled to the left to
dodge a tentacle strike that left a large dent in the floor.
All right, freak, Gosunkugi thought, Time to get serious!
------------------------------------------------------------
Across town, Leung sat in his office watching the battle with a
tumbler of prime scotch in his left hand. A large monitor, recessed beneath
a wall panel when not in use, displayed the action in crystal clarity, the
sounds piping in from several strategically placed and well-hidden speakers.
"Words do not describe, eh Fixer?" he said to Wu Long, who was
sitting in a chair beside him. Long simply nodded mutely in agreement.
Leung had heard Wu Long's account of Spiderman's agility, but
actually seeing it for himself really brought it home. The man was almost
untouchable.
He was beginning to doubt Octavius' ability to defeat him when
finally a vicious blow to the back sent the Spiderman tumbling to the
ground. A smile crossed his lips before Spiderman rolled away from another
shot and regained his feet as though the tentacle had never connected.
Spiderman was much stronger than he had first anticipated.
----------------------------------------------------------
"You think that's going to help you?" Octavius bellowed as Spiderman
disappeared into the shadowed rafters above. The little moron was obviously
trying to get out of the range of his tentacles, a ploy that was easily
countered.
Planting two tentacles on the floor, he used them to lift himself up
into the darkness above. The shadows, along with his dark glasses, conspired
to hide his prey, but that didin't matter. Spiderman wouldn't have as much
room to move in the cluttered rafters.
"Come out, Spiderman," Octavius cooed, "I promise I won't hurt you.
Much."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Just a little more, Gosunkugi thought as Doc Ock walked on his
bottom two tentacles away from his position. He had come up in an attempt to
get the drop on the Doc, and his chance was almost there. Finally, he fired
a web onto the ceiling
His feet slammed into Doc Ock's back, sending him tumbling forward
out of control. "Careful what you wish for, Doc," Gosunkugi said as he
affixed himself to another rafter, "You might get it!" Two more webs shot
out of his spinarettes, each one wrapping around one of the tentacles
holding the Doc in the air. With a mighty heave, he sntached Doc Ock's
support out from under him.
With a shout of surprise and anger, Doc Ock hit the floor face
first. Not wasting a moment, Gosunkugi covered the Doc's prone form with
sticky webbing, adhereing him to the floor.
"Score one for the Spiderman!" he shouted triumphantly as he leapt
to the floor. Now, to get Nabiki...
The sound of webbing being torn asunder turned him back around to
face the Doc. Gosunkugi's anger rose as he watched his adversary break free.
It was time to take this guy down, NOW!
With a yell, Gosunkugi charged Doc Ock, who was still gaining his
feet. His fists slammed into Doc Ock's stomach and chest, striking wildly at
any available surface.
He felt something metallic coil around his chest, squeezing him like
a python as it lifted him away. Doc Ock rose to his feet, an enraged scowl
on his face as he hoisted Gosunkugi into the air.
"You miserable worm," he snarled as his tentacle constricted tighter
and tighter, "I'll crush the life out of you! Then," casting a menacing
glare at Nabiki as he passed by, "I'll send her to join you in hell!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Nabiki felt her stomach knot in fear at Doctor Octopus' words.
Spiderman, her only chance at going home alive, was being crushed before her
eyes.
Come on! she mentally screamed, Fight! Get me out of here!
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ahhh..." Leung intoned as he watched Octavius crush the life out of
Spiderman, "Success." His faith in Otto Octavius's abilities appeared to
have been justified.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Can't.... breathe... Hikaru Gosunkugi's lungs burned for air as the
metal appendage gripped tighter. He could feel his ribs begin to buckle and
crack under the pressure. He couldn't take much more. If he lost, he and
Nabiki would die. He couldn't let Akane down like that.
Desperate, Gosunkugi managed to raise his arm just enough to fire a
splotch of web across Doc Ock's face. Caught completely by surprise, he
began to frantically claw at the sticky substance covering his face.
C'mon! Drop me! Gosunkugi silently pleaded. The pressure on his
ribcage lessened slightly, then relaxed completely. Gosunkugi slipped to the
floor and immediately had to dodge Doc Ock's wildly flailing tentacles.
Somersaulting out of range, he realized that he had to draw the
six-armed lunatic away from Nabiki or else he would end up hurting her, if
not killing her.
"Hey! Over here!" Doc Ock stumbled blindly toward him, tentacles
lancing out in a desperate attempt to nail him. Gosunkugi easily evaded the
attacks, many of them flying wild shatter boxes and crates.
Large drums were scattered here and there on the warehouse floor,
filled with what could have been anything. A stray tentacle slammed into one
of those drums, splitting it open and releasing a strong-smelling fluid onto
the floor. Gosunkugi moved back further, realizing that he was almost at the
wall. Two more drums were shredded, spilling more of the same substance.
Finally, Octavius managed to rip the webbing off of his face. Almost
at the same time, he sent a tentacle sweeping in from the left. Gosunkugi
leapt clear as the tentacle ripped through the wall and the large cable
above the fusebox affixed to it.
Several fat blue sparks flew from the severed cable, landing on the
liquid from the eviscerated drums. Doctor Octopus barely managed to get out
of the way of the flames that raced across the floor, thick acrid smoke
billowing up into the air.
The flames spread quickly, engulfing boxes and crates. A thin line
of fire ran up the length of the cable that stretched into the shadowed
ceiling as lightbulbs began to explode.
Okay, time to go! Gosunkugi thought as he ran toward Nabiki. Before
he could close the distance, however, his spider sense flared. Leaping
upward, the tentacle narrowly missed him as it sliced the air.
"What're you doing?" Gosunkugi shouted, "We gotta get out of here!"
"Correction, Spiderman," the Doc replied, "I have to get out of
here! You just have to fry!"
"I don't have time for this!" Gosunkugi fired two webs at Doc Ock's
top two tentacles. Once they hit, he turned and pulled with every ounce of
strength he possessed. He felt Dock Ock leave the ground as his adversary
flew in a ballistic arc toward the large roll-up door at the front of the
warehouse.