Chapter 8: Foolin' 1/2

Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.

It's time for the follow up to that cliffhanger where Spider-Man must face the full might of the Marauder. And the title is odd, because we went from one of the 'rawest' rock songs to perhaps the most famous 'glam metal' band, Def Leppard. Truthfully, this is far from my favorite song by this group, but it does fit.

Enough blabbing, let's get to why y'all are here.

Power Without Question – Chapter 8: Foolin'

Is anybody out there, anybody there

Does anybody wonder, anybody care

Oh, I just gotta to know

If you're really there and you really care

'Cause baby I'm not

Foolin'

Peter had been out patrolling when he heard reports of a gun battle on the police channels nearby. When he arrived, to say he had been shocked to see the Marauder walk into an office alongside his girlfriend would have been an understatement. "…time to get the hell out of dodge" he heard a filtered voice say as the wallcrawler walked into the doorway and fired off a burst of webbing. Ignoring the shocked look on MJs face and focusing solely on the blue x shaped visor glaring at him.

"Not so fast pal" he said, unable to come up with a better quip as he took his first good look at the Marauder as the Gunfighter stood over the desk with a knife in hand. The first thing that stood out was that his 'costume' didn't look like one. Every bit of it looked combat tested and functional. He looked to be carrying enough ammo to deal with a small army, though the eye-patch wearing skull emblem over his heart with 'SRS MARAUDER CORPS' written underneath betrayed his allegiance. The Pistol front and center on his chest, axe on his left leg, and two long guns poking over his back meant this guy was packing enough firepower to give the Punisher a run for his money.

Most intriguing was a glow of blue along his arms and legs as he ripped the knife out of the computer, ignoring the webbing in the process. "Took you long enough Spider" said the Marauder, voice still filtered but cold as ice, "but didn't you know that were on the same side? Both masked menaces. Read that in the Bugle" he remarked wryly.

The corner of Peter's eye registered that MJ was simultaneously gaping and glaring at him, but right now he was focused on Manhattan's Most Wanted. "What are you? Forty? Who even reads newspapers anymore?" quipped the wallcrawler, now taking even more care to ignore the redhead. With is free hand, the Marauder ripped the remaining webbing off and sheathed his knife.

The armored vigilante merely shrugged in response. "That all you got? I was expecting better" he admitted. "Regardless, I'm walking out of here, the only question is if we do this the easy way" he said as he raised his fists, which crackled with lightning. "Or the hard way." Before Peter could respond, the Marauder came at him as Parker got ready. Only for the Marauder to throw himself at the wall and run along it as the strange pack on his lower back spit out licks of blue flame before he tossed something at Spider Man. Parker's spider sense blared as the grenade came at him and he dove away as it impacted the ground.

Even with his advanced warning, he wasn't fast enough to beat the contact fuse on the ordinance. The shock caused all his muscles to seize up as he struggled to move. Peter strained to move his neck around and see the vigilante, but couldn't find him anywhere. His sixth sense buzzed again and he then heard a crack behind him and was able to turn just in time to catch a trio of punches before he was kicked back. He fired a webline at the Marauder and pulled himself back, planting both feet against the man's armor and could hear the wind get knocked out of him. He raised his webshooters and loosed off a burst of webs as the Marauder dove away behind the desk and Mary Jane screamed something. Jumping up onto the desk he looked down to see the Marauder's still form, holding a rifle as he fired more webs only for them to pass through and splat on the floor uselessly. Before he could process that, his Spider sense blared with such intensity it almost hurt, his head snapping up just in time to see the Marauder appear out of thin air and slam his boot into the side of his face, sending him flying into a wall as he fell to the ground in a heap.

Before he could recover, his spider sense throbbed just as he felt something bury itself in his leg before he was whipped around and thrown into the opposite wall. Despite still seeing stars, his ears heard a loud 'pop – hiss' as he opened his eyes to see smoke all around him. The next thing he felt was a barrage of pain from head to toe as bolts of lightning arced around him. He could feel the bolts singe his skin through his suit as his muscles did what they wanted, not what he commanded them to do through the excruciating pain.

But the smoke soon faded, and the pain subsided, leaving only a dull ache. "Ow" he groaned as he rested his head back against the wall. A second later, when he recovered, he saw the Marauder was gone. He shook his head as MJ helped him to his feet. "Are…are you alright MJ?" he asked.

"I was fine" she huffed, "Until you showed up and caused the subject of a future interview to flee. I've been working on this story for weeks and was just now making headway!" she shouted suddenly. "Maybe if I'm lucky he won't connect us" she said.

Before Peter could respond, MJ's cellphone buzzed and she pulled it out, her frown turning to a scowl as she tossed the cell to him and he read the message. "You're not that lucky Ms. Watson" he read aloud, his mask concealing the frown on his face. "MJ, what is going on here!?" he demanded as he began to follow the redhead.

The journalist rounded on him. "I can't tell you that" she responded. "Just trust me."

"With a killer!" he shouted back in shock. "How many people has he killed MJ! He can't be trusted!"

As soon as he said that, he knew he had fucked up, the glare that the redhead was giving him was not a pleasant one. "I'm not asking you to trust him, I'm asking you to trust me." Before Parker could respond, the sound of Police Sirens could be heard in the distance. "I need to go" she said as she turned and stomped off.

"Well done Parker" he chastised before making good his own escape.

The next morning, Cooper was going through the contents of the latest package from Griffin. In it were even more guns, but these were 'regular' firearms, similar to ones he had back 'home.' The first one was a Warsport Industries LVOA-C, a souped up AR-15, he had put god knows how many rounds through with his father with various ARs. This was the rifle he had learned to shoot with, the older Cooper putting Matt through numerous drills and exercises, the same ones SWAT used.

The rifle brought back the moments Matt enjoyed most. The mix of father son bonding, smell of cordite, and seeing himself improve to the point he was matching the scores of those on the force were memories he still cherished. It was one of the few times he went all out, focused solely on his objective, it was mind clearing, cathartic even. Even better, the skills had kept him alive on Typhon. And on there focus wasn't just something he wanted to do, it was something that he absolutely had to do if he wanted to survive.

After the LVOA-C was a M1911 target pistol, another of his favorites. The big American classic had been his go to in two-gun shooting. The Springfield armory model was disassembled and laid out neatly on the table in pieces. The newly modified hair trigger fresh off the mill.

Of course, this hadn't distracted him from the fact that he had tangled with Spiderman. "Not like I wasn't on enough people's shitlists" he muttered as he began to put the weapon back together. The Police, Kingpin, and now the Wallcrawler were all probably looking for his head. Part of him felt bad, he had grown to like Peter Parker, the guy had been nothing but decent and kind to him since they had met. He had attacked him like any other His phone began to ring with the ironic choice of the 90's Spiderman cartoon theme and he quirked an eyebrow at the caller ID. "Speak of the devil" muttered the Texan as he accepted the call. "What's up Parker?"

"Hey Coop" said Peter, "Not much, I just got the day off and MJs busy at work, you want to hang out some? How long have you been stuck in that shop of yours anyway?" asked the scientist.

"Point" conceded Cooper readily, "I haven't been out much since we met up at the Club, though I would appreciate if we did anything else."

There was a small laugh on the other end of the line. "I figured as much. Did you have something specific in mind?"

Cooper looked down at the reassembled target pistol and the cardboard box full of ammunition. 'Tricky bitch' he thought as the corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. "Actually, I do…"

Peter looked down at his phone again and read the time for the third time in as many minutes. Cooper had said he would come pick him up in half an hour, and that time was rapidly approaching. Of course, he hadn't disclosed exactly they would be doing, but Peter was weary nonetheless.

He was still suspicious of the Texan, ever since it seemed that the Marauder and Black Cat had worked together, on the same night she had disappeared along with Matthew. Don't rush to conclusions Parker he mentally chastised, he could have just left on his own, not like he was having much fun anyway.

His attention then became focused on an approaching car, the bright blue standing out form the sea of yellow taxi's that filled the street. The car then cut across traffic and shot forwards before coming to a halt. "Hey man, sorry I'm late" shouted Matt from the driver's seat of the BMW, the passenger side window rolled down as Peter opened the door.

"It's cool" replied Parker nonchalantly as he slid into the bolstered seat and closed the door. As soon as he fastened the seatbelt he was pressed into the seat as Cooper gunned the engine, deftly working the wheel and paddles as he threw the car into traffic. "So uh, what exactly are we going to do?"

The Texan motioned his head to the back seat, "figured I'd do something I haven't in a long time" he said as Parker craned his head to look back. "Just finished the work on them, figured we could test them out" explained the Texan as the New Yorker realized what he was looking at.

There was a rifle and pistol case, as well as a few other bags, sitting on the back seat of the M3, causing Parker to purse his lips. "I actually found a range where we could do a bit of shooting. You ever shot a proper gun before?" Parker shook his head, sure been on the receiving end enough times he thought. "Figured, well trust me, it's fun" assured the driver as he continued to carve his way through the streets.

"You shoot a lot?" asked Parker, noting the slight hesitation before Cooper nodded in reply. "When was the last time you did this?"

"Six months ago" answered Matthew, "with my dad, haven't been since. Might be a bit rusty, so don't make too much fun of me" he replied with a forced smile. The Texan then had a curious look on his face. "I have a question, if you don't mind" said Cooper. Peter nodded, somewhat curious, "I was wondering about Felecia, what can you tell me about her?"

Peter's mind went back to a few days ago, the two meeting at the club and disappearing only for the Black Cat and Marauder to work together later that night. "Fel is a handful. Her mother is one of the big movers and shakers in the city, throwing her money and influence around and has been trying to groom Felicia to follow in her footsteps" explained Peter, recalling what little of the Black Cat's private life the thief had divulged.

Cooper grunted in acknowledgement as he downshifted, the car shot forwards in response. "I'll admit we didn't get very far, just talked and I got her number" he explained as he focused on getting through the heavy traffic. "But I can imagine she doesn't exactly see herself doing that" he said dryly.

"You have no idea" answered Parker, gritting his teeth as tail of the car gave out during a turn. "She's got an adventurous streak for sure" Peter said, stopping himself short of letting something slip about one of her favorite nighttime activities. Though that did remind him of his suspicions. "What happened after you got her number?" he asked, trying to see if his friend was the killing vigilante.

Matthew shrugged as he slowed for a red light. "She got a message and had to go. Seemed interested though" he said hopefully. "Was going to give her a call after this" he drawled casually, though Peter could see where this was going. "Wanted to know what I'm getting into."

The webhead understood, he still cared about the burglar, even if they weren't seeing each other anymore. "She's…challenging, at least for me" he admitted, still sour about his failure to keep her on the right side of the law. "Maybe you'll have better luck." Parker still had hope that Hardy could straighten her life out and use her skills for good, maybe Cooper would crack the enigma. Not desiring to press the issue, Peter sat back and tried to relax, while Cooper seemed determined to not let him, the M3 being driven in the kind of way that would have gotten attention from Spider Man if he had been on patrol.

The two continued in silence until they arrived at the indoor range. Cooper parked the car and passed a pair of range bags to the lab tech before grabbing the rifle and pistol cases and led him inside. After he paid for some range time, the pair donned their eye and ear protection, Peter not questioning why he was given both ear plugs and over-ear headphones. The two men then went underground to the ventilated range with about a dozen different stations and Cooper led Parker to the spot that the pair had been given and set the weapons down. "So how does this work?" asked Peter as he looked at the large pistol Matt pulled out.

"Figured I'd let you go first" replied the Texan as he inserted a magazine and chambered the first round. "Keep the gun pointed down range, steady hands, firm grip, but if you hold too tight the recoil will hurt you and you could drop the gun. Since I don't want the gun to get damaged, don't do that."

He then gave an ironic grin as he set the weapon down and stepped back. Peter then slowly walked up and picked up the gun, hesitating as he slowly brought it up. It felt…wrong to do it, to use a lethal weapon. You're not killing anyone Peter, just shooting some paper he reminded himself as he brought it up and closed his left eye, taking careful aim at the target 10 yards down range.

Adjusting his grip, he let out a breath, and squeezed the trigger. *Click.* Peter turned back towards Cooper with a questioning look. The Texan looked amused, "safety's on" he provided as Parker saw the lever on the side of the weapon and flicked it off. Peter took aim once again and slowly pulled the trigger. The weapon went off sooner than expected, the report echoed around the space as the gun jumped up in his hands and he fought his reflex to drop it successfully.

"You hit paper at least" said Cooper mirthfully, Peter having to fight back a scowl as he saw the neat hole punched at the very edge of the target, only half on the black silhouette of a man. "You flinched in anticipation of the shot. The gun ain't pointed at you man, you got nothing to worry about" assured Cooper in a laid back drawl.

Parker nodded and took aim again, holding the gun tighter as he pulled the trigger and felt it kick back into his hand. He looked and saw the shot was closer to center, but was on the opposite side of the target. No wonder I never get hit, this is hard he thought, unable to fathom hitting a fast-moving target at any sort of range. He fired again, and again, and again, each round getting closer to the center. By the time he fired the last round, it was only three inches from the bullseye. Parker smiled as he put the weapon down, and turned to the Texan who came up and removed the spent magazine and brought the target to the station and took it down. "Not too bad, you definitely got better as you went on" complimented Matt with an approving nod.

Peter felt his ego swell slightly, "think you can do any better?" he challenged as Cooper put a fresh target up and sent it down range.

"Let's find out, might be a bit rusty" replied the Texan with a smirk as he inserted a fresh magazine and dropped the slide. Peter stepped back to give him some space and waited as Matt slowly took aim. After a tense silence the Texan set to work as he tensed his finger on the trigger before all hell broke loose. The seven shots came out so quickly that it sounded more like one continuous bout of rolling thunder than individual rounds. Cooper then made a show of blowing the wisp of smoke away from the muzzle and setting the weapon down. "Nice to see that hair trigger work came out alright" he said with a smile as he brought the target in.

Peter stared in awe at the results. "I don't think you're rusty at all" he said in shock, all seven rounds were within the targets head, kill shots. "Where'd you learn how to shoot again?"

"My old man" replied Cooper as he set up a new target for Peter and put in a fresh magazine, "San Antonio SWAT for 15 years, used to spend every Saturday at the range, do this for hours" he said with a tinge of remorse as he went glassy eyed at the memory for a second before snapping out of it. "Your turn, we got 200 rounds between the two guns to get through. You game?"

Parker was almost looking forward to getting back at it, "yeah" he answered with a smile as he picked up the hefty handgun and took aim once again.

Cooper sat strumming on the Guitar that had been given to him by the Black Cat while considering his next course of action. It had been good to cut loose with Parker the previous day, even if his proficiency with both rifle and pistol did little to dissuade the Wallcralwer's suspicions.

The Pilot was conflicted, he liked Parker, it was hard not to. He was a rare breed, a genuinely good guy who always meant well. No ulterior motives, no agendas, nothing, he always tried to do what he thought was right. Cooper thought he didn't make as much of a difference as most thought but couldn't fault his intentions.

The previous night had been a quiet recon run, he hadn't even bothered taking a car, figuring he wouldn't need to disappear if he didn't get into any shootouts. The plan had gone off without a hitch, with a Longbow and Alternator, he took a look see and found a common thread.

All of the addresses were home to condemned buildings that served as gang hideouts. All seven of them. The Marauder had watched armed thugs come in and out, a good few trucks transporting weapons and ammunition had shown up too at a few of the locations. The buildings had been marked and noted, but not engaged, none of them fit the mold of a command center or something that would crush Cinderblock before it got underway.

The pilot's fingers danced nimbly across the neck, the recognizable opening lick of Thunderstruck filling the space. "Your proficiency with that instrument has improved considerably pilot" alerted BT, the sudden interruption causing Cooper to completely miss the next set of notes and screw up the tune.

"You were saying?" remarked the Pilot dryly as he set the Gibson aside. The guitar had served as an alternative outlet to vent his frustration and focus on something other than figuring out how Cinderblock would come together. With as little as 24 hours until it began, the SRS pilot's nerves were starting to fray.

Before he could go back to tearing his hair out, BT's eye flickered again before the machine spoke. "You have an incoming call from Ms. Hardy Pilot."

"Patch her in BT" responded Cooper as he got to his feet and heard a click to indicate the call had been accepted. "Felicia, miss me already?"