"Haven't we met before? - Gwen asked, realising how stupid she sounded in the current situation.
August's expression didn't change. He ran his eyes over the girl's petite figure, and then looked away. For a while he watched the bandits' futile attempts to get out of the sticky web.
"Did you think that by putting a mask on your face you could hide your identity? - August answered the question in a calm voice.
"So...? - Small goosebumps ran through Gwen's body. She unconsciously squirmed in front of the man's face, waiting for his answer.
"I recognise you, Gwen," Augustus interrupted the girl in a half-whisper, leaning slightly towards her.Due to the shock of revealing her identity and the unexpected closeness of the handsome man, Stacy's heart beat rapidly. She took a couple of steps back and turned half sideways.
"You won't tell anyone about this, will you? - Gwen asked hopefully.
Her fearful behaviour in front of August was understandable. She had only recently become a hero and had not yet had time to gain experience. There was still a certain adolescent fearfulness and insecurity in her. The man standing in front of her had authority, beauty, money and had close ties with a famous multi-billionaire. Unconsciously Gwen compared herself to him and from that she lost any resistance.
"For me, the information received is of no value. You can be calm, I will not tell anyone anything.
Stacy exhaled in relief. Somehow she believed August's words. Maybe the events at the mill had contributed to that. When he'd pulled her out of the dark basement, literally saving her from imminent death, or was it his good looks? Most likely the two factors came together. Gwen instinctively trusted him.
"Did you call the police? - Stacey asked, calming down. Breaking the silence between them.
"Yes.
"Then I'll wait, I need to make sure these criminals get theirs, - Gwen threatened the lying bandits with her finger.
In fact, apprehending criminals she never waited for the police. Fleeing the scene almost immediately after helping them. Before she left, Stacey would twist the criminals into a cocoon of spider webs and pin them to the walls so the bandits had no chance of getting out. The police would drive up to a call made by a victim of a failed crime, free the criminals from the web and take them to a detention centre.
This was the first time she decided to stay with a rescued victim. Although Augustus in this case could only be called a "victim" with a stretch. Gwen remembered well how his blow had knocked the sturdy door to the meatpacking plant's basement off its hinges. That was enough force to kill a man with a single blow. So if Stacy hadn't made it in time, the victims would probably be the car thieves she'd caught, but not August.
"If you're gonna stay, get in the car. We'll wait at least ten minutes for the police. - The man took the smart keys out of his pocket and opened the car with a push of a button.
Gwen stepped from foot to foot. It began to occur to her that going completely at August's mercy was wrong. One should show one's character, one's strong side, and refuse the offer. But the still inexperienced Gwen didn't last long, a couple of minutes to be exact. As a car enthusiast, she could not keep her desires in check and not get into the cabin of the Bugatti.
Awkwardly opening the door, feeling her own defeat inside, Spider-Girl sat down in the vacant passenger seat. Once inside, she cast an awkward glance at the man sitting next to her. Augustus paid no attention to her. He was in a desperate correspondence with Anita, the very phrase "desperate correspondence" that best suited his messenger communication with Stark.
Seeing the man's disinterest in her, Gwen unconsciously pressed her lips together for some reason. She's Spider-Girl, a superheroine gaining huge popularity online and he's found out her secret! Shouldn't he at least ask her about her superpowers or her reasons for becoming a hero? Why doesn't he show any attention to her!
Crinkling her eyebrows beneath her mask, Gwen turned away from Augustus. Her attention finally focused on the interior of the car. Luxury and expensiveness emanated from every detail of the car, filling Stacy's eyes with a sense of beauty. She had only seen the interior of such cars before from the screen of her phone, but now she could enjoy it in person.
In the interior of the car, what caught the girl's attention most was the dashboard, ergonomically fitting into the overall interior. Gwen had the urge to touch the panel, which she did. Catching August's attention.
Her gut told the girl that she was now being watched closely. Glancing at the owner of the car, Gwen jerked her hand away sharply. In general, in her opinion, the fact that she now touched the dashboard, without the permission of the owner of the car, looked indecent.
"Do you like the car? - Putting aside the switched off phone, August asked interestedly.
A struggle began inside Gwen. She wanted to lie and make up some excuse not to look too stupid in front of the man, but on the other hand, she did not want to lie to him, it was wrong.
"Yeah," Gwen forced herself out. Honesty managed to win out inside her after all.
"Do you want to drive?
"No, no, I'm fine here! - Gwen protested, waving her arms nervously. She wanted to say yes to August's question, but she had already made a fool of herself in front of him. She didn't want to embarrass herself further.
"The police were delayed today. They usually arrive within ten minutes," August switched on his phone and checked the time. - Do you want my advice?
Gwen nodded her head awkwardly.- Change some of your personality traits. All it takes is a small change and people won't recognise you. A wig, a limp, a hoarseness, the options are endless, as long as it's conspicuous.
Stacy listened to August in silence, memorising his words. Once back home, she would be sure to work on the changes. Her biggest fear was that her superhero identity would be found out by her father, who for some reason disliked her alter ego.
To the loud wail of sirens, the police arrived. Gwen managed to get out of the car and hide in the rooftops without being seen by the police. A couple of female police officers, who were already used to Spider-Girl's shenanigans, pulled the hijackers off the walls and handcuffed them and put them in the car. After talking to August for a while and giving him a couple of documents to sign, they drove off quietly.
...
August arrived at work that morning. He picked up the finished level two access card and the black chemical defence kit. The black kit had a slightly different material compared to the yellow one. It made the black suit feel much more durable.
Norma had done her best. A separate room had been assigned to him and Deadpool. Their duties were to provide force support in emergency situations. Roughly speaking, until the complex was attacked, they would stay in this room, passing their working hours.
The Anvilians were less fortunate. They were assigned to guard the upper part of the complex. The part without the labs. They were issued level three access cards and weapons with walkie-talkies. They didn't need chemical defence suits, there was no chance of getting infected by any escaped crap from the labs in the upper part of the complex. Their duties included patrolling the area. They didn't have the same privileges as August and Deadpool.
Wade had his feet up on the table, reading a comic book. August sat next to the newspaper. There was no mobile network inside the lab, but they needed a way to pass the time.
"It's sad," Deadpool pushed the comic book away from his face. - We need to do something to lighten up this dreary atmosphere.
"What do you suggest? - August put the paper aside.
"Let's go to the canteen for a hearty meal! - Wade waved his map.
"We'll have lunch in half an hour, then we'll go.
...
"Fuck, I thought I was gonna die in there from the heat! - Jessica kicked the tin can.
"It's all right, we were lucky to work for Bonnie," June lit a cigarette. - 'If it wasn't for her, we'd be going for a long haul.
While the two failed car thieves were catching their breath after the lock-up, a black Ford pulled up beside them. The driver's window rolled down, revealing a scarred woman's face.
"Get in the car, the boss wants to see you.
"Shit, we're gonna get some of Bonnie's shit now. Fucking spider-girl, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be fucked up! - June cursed, getting into the back seats with Jessica.
The car took the two girls to the Bronx, to the richest part of the Bronx. There was a three-storey mansion fenced in. The driver of the Ford drove through the open gate and stopped right in front of the entrance to the house.
"Come on out, we've arrived.
Jessica and June were starting to get a little nervous. They had been to their boss's house once, the man who covered them at a good rate of interest. But that was only once, and that was on another man's case, and they were just going for company.
"Welcome to my humble home, - the driver led the two car thieves into the kitchen. There at the table sat a large black woman with a smoothly shaven head. She was busy eating.
"Hello Mistress Boni," Jessica and June bowed deeply.
"'Get to the point, tell us what happened.
Bonnie Smart was a big authority in the Bronx, she had formed her first gang when she was still in high school. With her great physical strength and analytical mind, she rose quickly through the criminal ranks. By the time she was forty-five, she had made a decent fortune.
Eating roast turkey, Bonnie listened attentively to the story of the two girls. In her eyes, Jessica and June were just trash, street hooligans with nothing to offer. Smart didn't usually work with them. Jessica and June were put into the gang by a good friend of Bonnie's.
"Oh, I see, that spider lady's at it again. Well, I guess it's time to show this loose heroine who's the power in the Bronx and Brooklyn, - wiping her hands with a napkin, Bonnie took out her phone and dialled a number. - Run the police database on the kid the spider rescued. Find out where he lives and say hello. His burnt-out car would be enough for starters.
Dropping the call and putting the phone aside, Smart stared at the two girls in front of her.
"'What about you... Diana, take them down to the basement and teach them a good lesson. Just don't make it lethal," the disfigured woman nodded.
"No boss, please don't!
"Shut up or I'll shoot you," the ex-driver threatened as she approached the pair of car thieves.
At gunpoint Jessica and June went down to the basement of the mansion, from where loud female screams could be heard a couple of minutes later. Bonnie sitting in the kitchen listened to them and calmly finished her turkey.Appeared on the streets of New York, the spider girl is not the first time she sends Smart people behind bars. Bonnie's authority in the criminal world suffers from the spider girl's actions. And she has recently and so shaky position, on the streets increased chaos, a lot of newly formed small groups of the Bronx tried to win a place under the sun. Perhaps in the foreseeable future a large Bronx gang would be formed from the union of all the small groups, and Boni would have to do something about it. He couldn't give up now. That's why Bonnie didn't swallow another prank from the spider woman.
It is just necessary to show the heroine what happens to the people she rescued. A young boy as a victim would be the perfect example.
...
Gwen's snow-white cheeks flushed with a blush.
She stood half sideways in front of the rostering mirror and stared at her reflection. In her hands she clutched the silicone pads. She had taken August's words seriously and had spent several days thinking about her image under the costume.
"Why exactly did I want to change this? - Gwen mumbled thoughtfully as she took off her T-shirt and unhooked her bra. - According to the instructions, these inserts should be carefully inserted into the centre of the cup... it seemed to work, now I need to try to put it on....
As she fastened the bra, Gwen felt the cup liners touching the tips of her breasts, robbing her of her previous comfort.
"It would take some getting used to the new sensations.
Stacy turned back to the mirror and aghast. Her breasts had added volume! The culprits were the silicone pads she had bought on the internet.
"Now I have breasts just like Hera's... I'll have to see how I look in a costume!
...
"... His burnt car will be enough for starters," Boni's voice from the phone fell silent. There was a stifling silence in the room, mixed with cigar smoke.
"Madam! I didn't know he was your man! - lying on the floor with broken legs and arms, Boni screamed pitifully. The once majestic image of the Bronx authority figure had been completely destroyed.
"Yeah, you didn't know that," Vanessa took a drag on her cigar. - But even when you did, you tried to deceive me.
"It was a misunderstanding, Mistress, a common misunderstanding! - squirming like a worm on the floor, Smart howled.
"I gave you the opportunity to back down and proudly accept your mistake. You wouldn't have lost anything if you had the courage to admit it to me. Do you know why your arms and legs are broken now? - Vanessa pointed her cigar at Bonnie. - They're broken because of your lies. I hate being lied to.
"I'll get better, I'll get better...! - Smart screamed relentlessly, feeling death coming. Vanessa's face didn't flinch from her screams. It was as if it were a porcelain mask.
"Pick her up and take her to the wharf at berth seven.
A couple of women, following Fisk's order, silently dragged Boney away. No one would see her again. Pier seven was in the business of disposing of waste, or rather corpses. A dead man would be loaded into a barrel, filled with cement, and later dumped in Lower Bay. They'll do the same to Smart, only no one will kill her before disposing of her.
"Madam, I have news for you," Sara continued after Vanessa nodded quietly. - A couple of months ago, the Japanese Yashida clan moved to New York. The Yun clan and the Soprano family have already clashed with them. There's been fatalities and injuries.
"So the Yashida family's decided to cut me out of the loop? It's foolish of them.
"Should we mobilise our forces in the ports? - Sarah asked, holding the tablet in her hands.
"As long as we don't need to, the Yun clan and the Sopranos should be able to handle it. And if they can't handle it, then they will come to me for help, and I will... help them.
...
Flying like the wind through the whistling bullets, Yukio moved forward. In her hands was a bloody katana. Every ten steps she swung it, ending another life.
"Die you Japanese bitch! - The black-haired girl clamped down on Yukio with the machine gun.
With a sharp jerk she moved out of the firing zone, using the rock as cover, the Japanese waited until the machine gunner ran out of ammunition. Hearing the long-awaited click, Yukio ran out to meet the reloading machine-gunner and decapitated her with a swing of her sword.
While shooting with the Japanese, Christine noticed a truck pulling up, and a new wave of enemies jumped out. Figuring in her mind that some African diamond deal wasn't worth the deaths of ten men, Christine ordered them to retreat, and stayed behind to cover them. She was the best marksman in the army and was confident that she could fight back the Japanese with a machine gun. And everything went well at first. The Japanese could not squeeze through the narrow forest gap where the machine gun was working. Until a Japanese woman appeared with a katana.
Yukio was able to calmly cross the distance separating her and Christina and deliver a fatal blow. At the last moment the Italian reacted and instead of decapitation, the sword went into her stomach and cut it open.
"Si scopre che non fa così male - whispered Cristina losing consciousness.
***
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