The Bat in the Spider's Web

The Bat in the Spider's Web Chapter 1

In an office room, behind a desk sits a large man in a white suit. He leans back in his cushioned chair and brings out a silver lighter up to the tip of a thick Cuban cigar clutched tightly between his lips. His name is Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. He is one of the world's most dangerous mob bosses. Slowly, Kingpin pulls the cigar out of his mouth and exhales a large gray puff of smoke. His dark eyes shoot across the desk, to where one of his lieutenants stands straight up, shaking slightly from fear. "I don't understand. I gave you a simple job. I even told you how important it was that those shipments arrive on time and without damage." Kingpin asks in an eerily calm voice. There was no trace of anger, yet that only added to the fear felt by the lieutenant. "Sir, it wasn't my fault! It was Spider-Man!" The lieutenant pleads. The fear is stamped on his face, unable to be hidden or held back any longer. "I tried, I really tried, but Spider-Man ruined everything!" Kingpin takes a long drag on the cigar, before slowly exhaling and putting it out in a large glass ashtray on his desk. He stands up and walks around the room, his hands folded behind his back. "The Spider-Man problem will soon be a thing of the past... But as for you..." Kingpin begins to reach under his white jacket and the lieutenant flinches, but before anything else could happen, the intercom on Kingpin's desk begins to buzz. The crime lord pauses and calmly walks over to the intercom, his finger pressing down against one of the buttons. "Yes, what is it? I'm in the middle of a meeting." "Sir, Roman Sionis is here to see you." Kingpin pauses for a moment. "Of course. Send him up immediately." Without even looking back at the cowering lieutenant, Kingpin pulls a heavy revolver from beneath his coat and shoots the man in the chest.

The doors at the far end of the room open and a man in a white suit walks in. What makes this man stand out is that the fact that he is wearing a mask that looks like a skull that is black in color. He is Roman Sionis, but he also goes by the name Black Mask. He notices the dying criminal on the floor, clutching his side and moaning loudly. Sionis simply walks over the man and adjusts his suit. "It's a real shame to get such a nice rug soaked in blood." Sionis says, noticing the expensive foreign rug beneath the dying man. Kingpin nods inattentively. "A small price to pay. My apologies for making such a mess before our meeting, but sometimes you have to teach a lesson to show the price of failure." Sionis walks over and takes a seat. "I understand completely. I have the same problem back in Gotham." "Yes, I've heard." Kingpin snaps his fingers and two of his men enter the room, bringing a silver tray containing an arch bottle of scotch and two smaller glasses, as well as a container of ice. As one man sat the tray down between the two crime bosses, the other picks up his now dead colleague. With the help of the first man, the two carry the corpse out and close the door behind them.

"Were you able to find suitable candidates for the plan?" Kingpin asks, as he pours himself a full glass. "I was. The three of them are extremely dangerous, and they'll be more than happy to squash that bug for you." Sionis explains as he drops a few ice cubes into his glass and then fills it only halfway with alcoholic brew. A smile crosses Kingpin's face as he leans back in his chair. "Good." "I am curious," Sionis speaks up after a long sip of his scotch. "From what I hear, there was already a Sinister Six once before. What makes you think this time will be any different?" Kingpin nods thoughtfully while strumming his chin with one of his fingers. "It's true that this was tried before and Spider-Man managed to survive... But that time, all six of the foes were ones he had fought many times before. He knew how to beat them." "I see... So that's why you came to me." Sionis laughs, sitting his empty glass down on the silver tray. "Three of Gotham's finest criminals, all of whom would be a new challenge. Spider-Man will have no idea how to fight them... But they will know exactly how to fight him thanks to the three local criminals. Not a bad plan, Fisk." A toothy grin appears on Kingpin's face. "Of course, Roman. I thought of everything... And once Spider-Man has been eliminated, I can once again control New York without some so-called 'superhero' getting in the way and I'll be able to spread the good fortune back to your enterprises." "It's a win-win." Sionis laughs. "And who knows, if this goes well, maybe I'll have to send this new Sinister Six to eliminate my bat problem." Kingpin pours another shot of scotch into Sionis's empty glass and then raises his own. "To the end of our problems!" Sionis clicks his glass into Kingpin's and then the two drink, each feeling confident that they would finally see an end to the problems that had plagued them for so long.