In The Web Of Gotham

Catch Me

Some mooks from Two-Face's gang smashed a window to a laundromat, rushing inside and taking a sledgehammer to the walls. Taking straps of money out of the drywall and stucco. They were tossing duffle bags full of cash into the trunk of their car.

"Come on! Move it! The boss is gettin' antsy!" The main thug ordered as he moved more money into the car. The boss was caught off guard when the roof of his car is suddenly caved in by something landing hard and fast. The other gangsters took out their weapons and aimed at the top of the car. A figure flipped down from the car, red and blue suit that looks like it's made entirely out of metal.

"Who are you?!" The black suited gangster asked in shock. The figure said nothing as he took a few steps towards them. The gangster all opened fire, the figure deftly avoiding the bullets and letting the shots virtually vaporize their own leader. He readjusts his form and keeps walking with the same calm swagger that he had when he arrived. He shot a spray of webbing down the barrel of one of their shotguns, rendering it useless. He also shot a strand of webbing that yanks the shotgun out of that mobster's hands.

The figure grabbed the shotgun and swings it like a bat, clubbing another mobster's leg with the shotgun. Smashing the boomstick over another's head as he ran into the alleyway to draw their attention, webbing down the already immobilized gangsters. He grabbed a trashcan lid and holds it like a shield, as one of the still standing mobsters rounded the corner with a pistol as the figure throws the lid like a frisbee. Ringing the mobster on the forehead with it before grappling the mobster on the chest with two webs. As he wrapped the webs around one of his legs and catches the trash can lid. He yanks his leg back and flings the mobster towards him.

He swings with a backhand with the trash can lid in hand, knocking the mobster flat on his back unconscious. The remaining two mobsters rounded the corner with their thompsons aimed down the alley, before the sound of a metallic object embedding itself into the wall behind the figure caught all of their attention. A small sharpened piece of metal, in the intricately carved shape of a bat. The mobsters knew what that metal bat meant and immediately ran away. He heard the sound of the cape flapping and immediately hit a button in the head of the spider.

"So. You're the Spider-Man?" Batman asked as he landed.

"Is that what people are calling me?" The figure now known as Spider-Man asked, pitched down and augmented by a voice changer.

"You seem to have some knowledge about the Spider motif," Batman said, gesturing to the webs on the mobsters.

"I have the powers. Might as well own the look. Couldn't think of a name though. Thanks for helping out with that one, Batman," Spider-Man said.

"What's your end game?" Batman asked. Spider-Man leapt up onto a wall, pantomiming like he's sitting on a chair.

"Same as yours. Help the good guys catch the bad guys," Spider-Man said with a nonchalant shrug.

"How long have you operated?" Batman asked again.

"Little under a month," Spider-Man answered again. Batman walked around Spider-Man, neither breaking eye contact with each other. As if in a state where one of them could attack the other, and they're both waiting for the first chink in the mental armor.

"Why use the payphone to contact the police?" Batman asked.

"Because I'm not you, Batman. I'm not someone who has God knows how many direct lines of contact with the police," Spider-Man explained.

"So you waste the police's time with fake phone calls?" Batman asked further.

"How else am I supposed to do it? I don't exactly have a spotlight to shine in the sky when I'm needed," Spider-Man said in a somewhat joking manner.

"You're going to have to come with me to the GCPD. To answer for your unlawful operations," Batman warned. He tried to reach st Spider-Man, before Spider-Man did a full gymnastic reverse walkover further up the building.

"I'm sorry Batman. I'm afraid I have to gainsay," Spider-Man denied.

"I know this angle. I've played this game with Catwoman too many times. It isn't going to end well for you," Batman warned, the glowing eyes narrowing.

"I know. However, is Catwoman able to walk up a building like a person walks your everyday sidewalk?" Spider-Man said, standing up completely upright on the wall. He sprints up the building, Batman firing the grappling hook to immediately meet Spider-Man on the roof.

"She can't walk up walls. With how fast she is, she might as well be able to walk up walls," Batman said.

"I see what you mean. Counterargument though..." Spider-Man said before swinging a kick into the armored cowl. It didn't hurt Batman, but it did give enough of a window for Spider-Man to start making a getaway. He sneakily pressed the central button on the spider's body to make his suit black and green.

"Oracle, do you have visual on Spider-Man?" Batman radioed in to Barbara.

"Briefly, but he turned invisible. Do you still have visual?" Barbara replied.

"His suit turned black and green. Might be some sort of visual disorders that affects camera equipment," Batman replied as he gave chase, using his grapnel to close the gap between him and Spider-Man. Spider-Man rolled and flipped and bounded from building to building, while Batman used his cape to glide over Spider-Man to give him no room to try and escape. Spider-Man, realizing that the rooftops aren't giving him much of a tactical advantage drops down into the alley.

"Ground work won't change anything," Batman said as he dived down while Spider-Man ran through the streets. He stopped under what seems like a bridge as he got cornered by the Batmobile that's being remotely controlled by Batman.

"Well. Looks like you've already lost the chase," Batman said as he approached.

"Or...did I make you think I was caught?" Spider-Man proposed. Turning towards Batman with his hands up.

"Why would you fake being caught?" Batman asked.

"You could say that you've been....railroaded," Spider-Man joked and as if right on schedule, a train passed over. Spider-Man shot a web onto the side of the train as he got carried along the train. Climbing up it to lay on top of the train.

"He got away," Batman remarked to Oracle.

"You sound calm," Oracle said in a cautionary tone.

"I just learned quite a bit about Spider-Man. Which will be better in the long run,"Batman said as he hopped into the Batmobile.

"What did you learn about him?" Oracle asked in confusion.

"He's a trickster who's resourceful," Batman replied as he drove in the Batmobile. As Spider-Man jumped off the train and landed on a window of an apartment building and crawled inside of it, walking along the ceiling as he takes his mask off.

"You were right. He is intimidating in person," Peter said as he flipped down from the ceiling and landed on his feet. He crouched down and started petting a cat that walked up to him.

"Was it the suit that got to you? Or the voice?" A woman asked him, coming out of the shower wrapped in a towel and drying her hair with another towel.

"It was the fact that he was able to keep up with me with barely any effort," Peter told the lady.

"Oh yeah, he's very good at chasing. He's been chasing me for a few years. Don't worry though, you'll be able to run circles around him eventually," The woman said, tossing rhe towel used on her hair into the bathroom.

"If you say so, Selina. I'm glad I have a sister like you," Peter said.

"Don't worry about a thing Peter. I wouldn't let anything happen to my little brother," Selina Kyle said.