The Spectacular Spider-Men: The Great Web

CHAPTER-5: The Black Cat Strikes!

ARUSH KUMAR'S POV:
June 2nd, 2015

The next day, we arrived at the Museum of Natural History well before closing time, blending in with the last of the day's visitors. The grand halls and echoing corridors were filled with ancient artifacts, fossils, and treasures from around the world. We split up, each taking a different section of the museum to keep watch.

As the last of the visitors trickled out and the museum closed its doors, the silence was palpable. We regrouped near the hall where the inscribed tablet was on display. The stone artifact sat in a glass case, its ancient symbols illuminated by soft lights.

"I'll take the high ground," Ritvik said, pointing to the balconies that overlooked the hall. "If she comes from above, I'll spot her."

"I'll cover the main entrance," Zain added. "If she tries to sneak in, she'll have to get past me."

Agrim and I nodded, taking positions near the exhibit itself. "Stay sharp," Agrim said. "She's good, and she'll be expecting resistance."

Minutes turned into hours as we waited in the dimly lit museum. The only sounds were the occasional creak of the old building and the distant hum of city traffic. Just when I started to wonder if we were wrong about her target, a faint noise caught my attention.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered to Agrim, who nodded, his eyes scanning the shadows.

A figure moved silently through the darkness, her silhouette barely visible. It was Felicia, clad in her sleek, black catsuit. She moved with the grace of a predator, her eyes fixed on the tablet.

"She's here," I breathed into the comms. "Everyone, get ready."

Felicia approached the glass case, her movements fluid and precise. As she reached for her tools to disable the alarm, we sprang into action.

"Not so fast, Felicia!" I called out, leaping from my hiding spot.

"Impressive, spiders." She spun around with a smirk. "I was expecting you guys..."

"Huh?"

She quickly dropped a smoke bomb, which obstructed our vision as she retreated to the shadows.

"Why am I not surprised?!"

"Aww~ Is our relationship getting predictable? Let me see what I can do to bring the excitement back."

"We know what you're up to, Felicia!" Zain shouted. "I honestly expected better–"

"What am I supposed to do, work retail?!" she shouted back, clearly frustrated. "Besides~ You don't meet hot guys in skintight spider costumes selling shoes."

"You could've hooked up with us–" Zain said, but immediately realized what he said.

"Ayo, what?" I mumbled.

"I mean–! Worked with us... Take down bad guys instead of being one."

"It's in my nature to break rules, Spider." She said, still moving in the shadows. "You should try it sometime. You might like getting a little naughty~"

"Yeah, but working to get revenge on the Kingpin? You're better than that." I said.

"Oh, you have no idea how good I am~" she said before darting out of a corner and slashing me in the chest.

My spider-sense wasn't fast enough?!

The fight was on. Felicia was fast and agile, her acrobatic skills making her a challenging opponent. She darted and weaved, evading our attacks with ease. But we had the advantage of numbers and coordination.