The Rise of Omega

With the departure of the sun into the horizon, darkness reigned supreme over the many scrapers that comprised New York City. Streets were polluted with cars and vehicles of all kinds, a heavy traffic jam only adding to all the commotion. Civilians roamed every nook and cranny, shops and stores were open and gleaming with lights. This city truly awakened at night, the time of day when life thrived without pause.

Ironically, this was New York in its most peaceful of times. Sure crime was evergoing --like always-- but so long as there were no super villains in sight, then well, it made for a survivable circumstance. Thugs could only rob so many places in one night; guns could only kill so many people. Life in New York was good, life in New York was great.

A quarter past midnight, another crime was committed. Unlike those that persisted with virtually every passing second of the day, this one was a most peculiar case. For it was not a bank robbery, nor an infiltration of a jewelry store. Quite on the contrary, this was an attack done on one of New York's most populous hospitals, where lives were already in jeopardy to begin with.

In the brim of the night, a single entity sprung from a window on an upper level floor, shattering glass en route his escape. His hair black and styled into spikes atop his head, his skin dark and his face covered from his nose down by a loose cloth. His choice of attire appeared in the form of a gi, netted patterns overstretching his arms and legs. A scarf was wrapped around his neck, and as he landed safely upon the roof of another building, it bellowed behind him like a cloak.

While not known to most, this man was none other than Akahoshi, Japanese for "red star". While there was nothing superhuman about him, his latent talent had seen him become one of Scarlet Web's most formidable enemies. He was a master assassin, a ninja so skilled in ninjutsu and the arts of stealth that a record of him simply did not exist in the police's books.

Seemingly with something rather important in tow, he made his escape into the night, garnering his abilities as an elite acrobat to leap from building to building.

"Yeah, I know right. Another ten-page paper. It's like that's the only teaching strategy he has... Oh yeah. I got it done... Yeah, they're pretty easy to hammer out, that's why no one complains... Yeah... Okay. I'll be home soon... Love you too, Uncle Matt... Yep, I'll lock the door.... Night."

Thomas hung up the call and shoved his phone back into his backpack. He hated fibbing to Uncle Matt. He'd gotten that paper done a long time ago.

Tossing the backpack back over his shoulder, he looked out from his roof top purchase. Things had been really slow last night. He'd stopped a purse snatcher and helped a drunk guy get a cab. It seemed like his couple of blocks were just slow tonight.

Not that that was a bad thing. Less crime was good, but the boredom was hard to handle and at this rate, Tom worried that he'd never really improve.

Well, guess I'll call it a night... Maybe Uncle Matt made meatloaf. I'll see if I ca- Oh hello.

A figure caught his eye darting across the rooftops. That either meant another good guy or someone up to no good. Either way, it was worth checking out.

Thomas leapt off the balcony and swung lazily over to the figure until he had generally matched his speed. On closer inspection, the guy had a seriously crazy get up going on.

"Hey, hey buddy!" Tom called out between swings. "Cosplay convention is the other way, dude! You lost?"

Cosplay convention? Oh boy, Tom was setting himself up for this one.

Akahoshi stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the webslinger. He had met the original so many times in the past that even upon his first glance alone he was able to make out the clear differences between the two. This wasn't Scarlet Web. No, this was most certainly not her. One thing was notably missing here. Though Akahoshi despised having that woman ruin his schemes, there was one thing he enjoyed about getting to see her. And that was her jiggly rack.

There was no rack on this guy. No rack, all whack. He met Thomas with a stern gaze.

"Cosplay convention?" His eyes ran over Thomas' form countless times. He shook his head. "I wouldn't dare trouble myself with something so meaningless. Especially not when someone so pathetic as you is planning on entering. I've seen how this works already, oh so many times; you'll take center stage with your cheap imitation of Scarlet Web, and in doing so you will not fail in capturing the hearts of the crowd. You'll most definitely win that costume competition so why even bother joining!?"

Another webslinger... Akahoshi more than anyone else found this to be a very, very interesting predicament. Through the many times the original Scarlet Web had matched him in battle, he had become nothing short of amazed by her abilities. Seeing Thomas there now awakened the inner boy within him and curiosity plagued his heart. Oh, he just had to see this!

Okay, sorta missed the punch line on that one dude. Tom landed on the side of a brick building opposite the rooftop runner. "It was just a joke, dude. Calm down... Though, thanks for the compliment, I guess?"

He still wasn't sure whether to trust the mysterious masked man. He'd never seen him around before, and Tom was pretty sure he'd at least heard of most of the heroes around here.

"So, uh, what are you doing up here? Getting some fresh air?"

Akahoshi quirked a brow. Wait a second, did this guy not know who he was? Akahoshi couldn't help but feel somehow offended. Then again, this was his own doing. Yes, of course it was. He was so very gifted in stealth that he remained undetected from even the likes of the police! Haha! What a guy!

Coughing into his hand to relieve himself of his inner monologue, in which he was praising himself relentlessly, Akahoshi considered the alternative of simply lying to Thomas. That would certainly be the easiest route here, and the one with the least bit of trouble. All he had to do was convince this guy that he too was a hero and fewp! He'd be on his way back home with his precious medical equipment.

That was, by all means, the smartest move to make in this situation. But Akahoshi in this moment was more curious than he was smart. He wanted nothing more than to test out Thomas' abilities and compare them to Scarlet Web's own. He wanted nothing more than to test out Thomas' abilities and compare them to...-

"Aha! I recognize you. You're that weird 'Spider Monkey' guy everyone's been talking about, aren't you?" He stood erect and pointed his index finger at Thomas proudly. "How could you even think to criticize my taste in fashion when you identify with a name like that? Baka!"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not here to get any 'fresh air'..." He crossed his arms, digging his hands into the opposite sleeves of his gi. "I'm a freaking villain, you dumbass!" Jutting his arms to the side, Akahoshi flung several rapidly spinning shuriken toward Thomas.

Oh come on, not this again...

"Alright, no. Listen. We have got to get something straight here. I am not nor will I ever be Spider Monkey. Not my name, not my style. Look!"

He turned and gestured at his butt.

"Do you SEE a TAIL? No! Tails being one of the key distinguishing features separating humans and primates, I am definitely not-"

A tingle in the back of his skull.

What?

His body moved on instinct, twisting at the last second. Thunkthunkthunk! He looked down and saw five throwing stars lodged into the brick below.

Okay. Definitely not a good guy.

"Listen, pal!" Thomas pounced off the wall and fell below the lip of the roof occupied by the guy now 100% labeled "Bad Dude ™" He hit the building with a web and swing down, building momentum until he popped up the other side, hoping to plow his heels into the asshole's chin.

"No one goes for the tush and gets away with it!"

Thomas' foot connected with Akahoshi's chin, sending the ninja reeling backward. However he recovered swiftly and propelled himself to safety through a number of well executed cartwheels, landing on his feet some ways ahead of the spider. Blood spewed from a minor cut on his lip. Akahoshi wiped it with his hand and grinned.

"Not bad. Not bad at all!" He gestured with the same hand, inching for Thomas to come forth. "Come, show me more!"

Something was definitely up with this guy, Tom could feel it. He figured it would probably be best to try and wrap this up quick. What if this lunatic had some sort of pain absorbing power or something. Was that why he was goading him on?

Well, he wasn't going to give in that easy. Old even tempered Thomas Teller. Snapping up his wrists, he zipped two sticky globs of webbing towards Mr. Miagi, hoping to stick him to the wall.

"What are you, some sort of half-cocked masochist? Lucky for you, sir, I am no Dorian Grey."

I need to talk to this guy, see if he's up to something. Just gotta catch him.

The highly observant Akahoshi who instantly identified the alterations that existed between Thomas and Scarlet Web put his mind to work yet again. This time around enabling him to spot the differences between Scarlet Web's webbing and that of Thomas' own. By comparison, he was somehow disappointed in the display that Thomas had offered him. His streams of webbing appeared far less... organic. They were fake! Much like... much like his own.(edited)
"Hah! Who are you kidding with those things?" A ninja always had another trick up his sleeves. And apparently, so did Thomas.

Akahoshi rolled up his sleeves, unveiling steel canisters that were strapped to his forearms. He quite literally intercepted Thomas' webs with his own, countering the attack with minor difficulty. "What a shame. I could never use this against the real Scarlet Web! She'd just run me dry until I was out of webbing. But you're a different story, aren't you? Your webbing is limited, much like my own!"

Digging into the pouches at his waist, the ninja unsheathed a pair of sai, a type of three pronged kunai knife the likes of which most stellar assassins nowadays didn't even employ. And then something incredible took place. Something that made Akahoshi appear far less human than he actually was. He began to shuffle his feet in place, without budging an inch from his current position. He tapped the ground beneath his feet several times, and in the next instant, he vanished.

Gone. Disappeared, straight into thin air. With a flicker of his cloak, he appeared behind Thomas, and having battled Scarlet Web countless times, he knew just how to combat his spider-senses. Though his stealth didn't allow him to vanish from his spider-senses, his speed allowed him to act quicker than it could work, or at the very least, just as quickly. This was the primary reason Scarlet Web had such a hard time fighting this guy; she was overly reliant on her spider-sense, and they didn't work so great on a ninja of Akahoshi's caliber.

Appearing at Thomas' flank, Akahoshi attempted to shove his foot against the boy's back, so that he would fall flat on his face. Afterwards he planned to just stand there and wait for his opponent to stand up, however odd. It was almost like he had no intention of really harming him.

"Oh come on! That's no fair! I'm calling foul. Where's the official?"

How was he allowed to have web shooters too? Next thing, the guy was going to start wall crawling and making corny one-liners with reckless abandon. That was Tom's thing! This guy needed to get some boundaries. As Thomas was trying to come up with a plan for what to do next, something really freaky started to happen. Without warning, the rooftop ninja just went poof. Gone like the wind.

Oh crap. Oh crap oh crap. Okay, that is definitely cheating. Where did he-

Tom's got that buzzing feeling but he was nowhere near quick enough to react. He ended up tumbling over on his ass and was sure that he was about to feel some major pain, but then there was nothing. He looked over his shoulder and the ninja was just... Standing there.

The hell... "Okay, so what the hell is this, Bruce Lee, if that even is your real name. You just getting a jolly out of kicking me around or is this more like foreplay for you. Because seriously, that movie did not depict a loving, consenting relationship between two adults. It was unhealthy, and gave people a really bad impression of what love in that form looks like."

While Thomas was rambling, he tried his best to line up a shot at the stranger's legs. When he thought he had it, he took it, sending a line of webbing towards his feet.

"Cut your endless yipper yapper at once! I didn't come here to listen to your idiotic banter." Despite his protest, Akahoshi simply remained in position, refusing to make a move until he was satisfied with what he was seeing. And so his legs were latched onto successfully while he stood there and just took whatever was coming his way.

"Okay, so you got me. Now what, kid?

Tom looked up at the ninja. Then back at the web. Then back to the ninja.

"Oh."

He hadn't actually expected the webbing to hit him.

Okay, uh, new plan...

As quick as he could, Tom thrust his free hand in the other direction and shot out a web, latching onto a nearby building. Then, with a yank he hoped to send the two of them careening off the building and into freefall. After that... Well, he'd figure that out when "after that" became "up next". He knew when he was being toyed with.

This guy's got spades over me, and we both know it. Does he just want to see what I do? I feel like I just got into the ring with Mike Tyson without any gloves. The only thing I can do is break the rules and try to break out some kickboxing or something!

And fall he did, the ensuing breeze ripping through Akahoshi's wild hair as he tore through the night sky. He directed his head rather calmly in Thomas' direction, his brow quirked as if wondering what was next.

"Come on! Hit me already. I want to see what you're made of!"

Just what was this monkey planning to do? Akahoshi's blood boiled with excitement.

Okay. Falling. He's getting antsy. This is going somewhere... I think.

Wherever it was going, it was certainly going down. And fast! As they hurtled towards the ground, Tom shot out another web, nailing the masked shinobi square in the chest. The costumed kid gave the man a tug and sent the two of them hurtling towards each other. He balled up his fist and reeled back. Okay Tom, let's give this a whirl!

He threw his fist forward as if to land a punch, but his hand caught the man's shoulder. The then zipped out a glob of webbing, then another, and another, and another, and another, as fast as he could. Soon, he had wrapped the both of them together in a sort of half cocoon, their heads and lower halves free, but their torsos and arms bound together.

"Whoo. Alright. This relationship is progressing fast. I usually don't kiss on the first date, but this is all so sudden and I feel so close to you. Like there's some connection between us.

"I guess what I'm saying is, do you think the two of us can survive a fall from this height, because I'm not sure, but I guess it's your move if you want to find out!" He looked down. They had another few seconds tops.

He'd heard of Scarlet surviving worse. But then again, he definitely wasn't her.

He hoped he wasn't as big an idiot as he thought he was.

A front lotus? A powerful maneuver, the likes of a seismic toss that harmed one's opponent at the expense of the user's own well being. Not necessarily what Akahoshi wanted to see out of the webslinger, but he was impressed at the boy's bravery all the same. He was stuck, about as stuck as a bug. But even in this desperate situation, he popped a grin.

"Nice move. I can't feel my arms at all, so I won't be able to shoot a web to stop us from falling. But am I really worth killing at the cost of your own life?" His eyes beamed down at the concrete pavement welcoming them. They were drawing closer by the second. "I guess it's a little too late for that, isn't it!? I'll see you in hell!"

Death seemed inevitable. And then came yet another webslinger swinging on by. Akahoshi's eyes widened. There was no mistaking that rack.

"So you've come at last!" he beamed proudly as Scarlet Web took them out of the air and into her arms, gliding through the sky. "Reinforcements! Wow, I forgot what a big deal I am!"

She landed safely onto the sidewalk, swooping past a truck that could've splattered them all in one fell swoop. From her palm dripped a potent acid, which bled through the numerous ropes of web Tom had prepared, freeing the both of them. With Scarlet Web's arrival, Akahoshi had to be more careful. There was no time to mess around any longer.
With another stutter of his foot --even from his lain out position on the ground-- he garnered his illusive "flash step", vanishing and reappearing a few feet away from the spider duo. "He's a friend of yours after all, I take it? Good to know."

Scarlet Web was on her knee, right beside the idiot that was willing to kill himself. She sent a punch reeling to the boy's gut. "What were you thinking?" She knocked on the sidewalk. "This is solid concrete. Diving into that headfirst might spare your life on a good day, but there's no escaping the kind of brain damage you'd suffer otherwise. Don't do something so stupid ever again." Was she scolding him? Just when did she become his mother?
She stood to her feet, facing Akahoshi. "Come, I'll be your opponent."

There was one thing that was stilling bothering her, though. Had she not been conveniently swinging around nearby, then there's no way she'd have known about the trouble occurring on the other side of the city. If only there was a way to improve upon her spider-sense...

Akahoshi shook his head. "Yeah, no thanks. I've seen this story before. I'm not cut out to take on the both of you. Besides, there's no more need. I've just about seen everything I set out for. May we meet again, beloved."

A smoke ball dropped from his sleeve and fell unto the ground, covering the area in a deep smog. Scarlet Web shielded her face so as not to inhale any of it.