NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Catalyst
Chapter 10:Catalyst
New York City, New York.
Volume 1: Origin
A bell sounded overhead, signaling that the school day had begun. The students leaped from their seats and began the start of the busy school week. The week would begin with the announcement of midterms, as well as the homecoming festivities.
Despite the dread of his classmates, Cole had been looking through countless reports and data streams on his phone, unperturbed by their anxiety.
Bloomberg was his daily read as he had taken most of the physical cash he had repurposed and began to manipulate the stock market. His casual smile on his face made some of the few girls who started noticing his handsome features as of late swoon in admiration at his good looks.
Flash Thompson's eyes narrowed as his lackeys and teammates continued hushed conversations, unbeknownst of the storm that was brewing in the mind of the bully. Flash frowned, and his lips peeled back in a silent snarl when the cheerleader he was buttering up eyes continued to drift over to Cole’s location.
"Mr. York, I would like to speak with you after class today." said the bespectacled science teacher as he entered the classroom.
In response to Mr. Hardmon's question, Cole replied that he agreed, sincerely smiling as he understood what the teacher wanted from him.
The teacher nodded and began to write on the board as students streamed into the classroom in hushed murmurs of excitement and awe, each pointing and directing others to their phones. As he observed this, Cole didn't have social media accounts, something he would rectify soon; his Jeremy York mask wasn't as complete as he thought; he needed to blend in more and be more sociable.
“Hey Jeremy, how was your weekend?” Peter Parker asked. He was in a good mood that day, and he wore an air of optimism about him. In the past, the two of them would usually sit next to each other, or Peter would sit near him; it didn't matter to him; it was Spiderman, after all.
“Had late assignments and homework I had to finish,” was his reply. “You know I have been trying my best to catch up to the rest of the class as much as possible."
“It’s amazing how you’ve turned everything around in such a short time. How much credit are you getting? Is it a full credit or a partial credit?”
“Thank you very much, man. There is some partial credit, but most of it is full credit," Cole said.
"That's great, bro. I'm glad to hear that. "I am glad you are taking your future seriously," Peter said as he leaned back in his chair and massaged the back of his neck with his fingers.
"Have you seen the news?" he asked. With a forward lean, he looked at me.
He did. I mean, who hasn't? The news of the sightings of metahumans and mutants had gained a lot of attention recently; something was brewing over the country, and he wasn't the only one to notice it; it was as if floodgates had been opened and the blockade against the dissemination of information related to supernatural phenomena had been lifted
“I have,” I admitted. “Are you speaking about the local hero? There has been an ever-growing fan base for Spider-Man.
As soon as Peter heard that his moniker was mentioned, he smiled.
Taking a deep breath, I sighed. I was wondering how it was that people hadn't figured him out by now. It was different now; he was slightly taller, he had grown in presence, you couldn't miss him when he entered a room, and there was an extra aura around him.
The smile on my face was reciprocated in kind. "Spider-man stopped a bank robbery that was going on. What is your opinion of Spider-Man?” Cole asked Peter Parker to get his opinion on the superhero.
The answer is a resounding yes, man! I think he is pretty badass. You're not a fan, are you? There was an excited look on his face as he looked around the classroom. I think everyone is.” Parker expressed his opinion.
Cole grabbed his book from his backpack and opened it. As he raised his cell phone, the headline was displayed on the screen. It has been reported that masked menaces cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money in repair and maintenance.
As the tardy bell rang, drowning out the murmurs of the students in the room, I said, "Not everyone," as the teacher began to introduce his lesson.
“You must be in tune with the other one,” Peter said, his demeanor shifting. In the eyes of the law, he is a killer, regardless of what happened; heroes do not kill; they are not judge, jury, and executioner."
In response to Peter's change, Cole's eyebrows began to raise. He didn't want to get into a debate with the hero, so he shook his head and looked at Peter with a pitiful expression.
Besides, I am not the best person to discuss morality with; I think there's still a lot more to do in this area, and many more people should be doing something about it. His actions have a more significant impact than anyone else's; apprehending rapists, killers, and predators who prey on the weak and defenseless is excellent, but the justice system seriously needs reform. I believe that locking up these people, as well as others, will make them worse, and in this unfair world, that is not an option.
A snort came from Parker's mouth. I hear what you're saying, bro. There is nothing heroic about killing a killer; killing a killer only makes you a killer in the end. It is important to note that a system is in place to ensure those individuals are held accountable for their crimes; decision-making should never be placed in a limited number of influential and powerful hands."
I nodded at him, but I could see where this was going. The same conversation was happening all around the city and possibly the country. I suppose Spiderman and the Red Hood would never see eye to eye, but Peter and Jeremy could be friends.
“Who told the Media that Hood was a hero?” Cole retorted.
As far as I know, vigilantism remains an illegal act. Spiderman activities aren’t welcomed, just like the other two. Additionally, the city has already amended its ordinance to add masked individuals to the list of prohibited individuals. If caught, they will face judgment, and it won’t be a fine either, jail time, and I’m sure Spiderman won’t be detained in Rikers.” I pushed out; I knew this came as a warning and a threat, as RAFT had already been commissioned and was sure to be filled with captured metahumans and supernatural creatures quickly.
Peter stared ahead, no doubt working through the difference between the two and the legality of what he was doing vs. the Hood. Cole diverted his eyes, his textbook opened to the lesson, and he mused over Peter’s point.
Today marks three weeks since the events of the Tombstone warehouse debacle. He has gained much knowledge about his new abilities and the limits set by the upgraded system. The Persona percentage growth was based on factors and concepts he didn’t wholly comprehend. Did it make a difference? In his opinion, he did not think so. The System wasn’t his enemy but a tool handed to him by fate. Furthermore, the recent upgrades meant there would be others in the future.
The mask he fostered remained solid; during the day he attended school, his failing grades were no more, so the injunction against him lessened; he soon came to the realization the Carmichaels didn’t like him succeeding, and they made it known; the I’m still expected him to peddle their drugs at school. Nevertheless, his concession was a part of his mask, albeit a temporary one; even though it was almost time for him to break the Carmichaels, there was one more card to be played, one which he already knew was in the matron's hand, and then it would be over.
The Carmichael brothers were beginning to become a problem for him. He was still expected to deal drugs for them, but he disposed of them instead and paid them outright. He didn’t expect the druggies to complain that they weren’t receiving the product. He miscalculated on that. They suspected him of running an operation and making money and wanted a more significant cut; oddly, they didn’t inform their lord mother of this.
He remained steadfast in his vengeance. During the nights, he wore the mask of the Red Hood, the no-holds-barred merciless superhuman that cleaned up the local neighborhoods. Under the darkness, he dismantled criminal gangs that were a front for The Hand. And all of that was beginning to pay off; he had disrupted thirty percent of the Tombstone gang operation, which caused the gang to take significant losses against the family and other organizations.
Red Hood left death and destruction In his wake. Once Dangerous blocks of lower New York were vacant, he lowered crime by approximately twenty percent. The ongoing expenditure on property damage soared. Cole had taken to military explosives, not wanting another crack dealer to move in on an empty trap house.
The Daily Bugle was beginning to write whole columns about the newest crimson avenger of New York. He should see if The System had the Daily Planet packed away and how The Bugle liked better competition. The thought made him chuckle.
He was the most feared devil in New York City. He was invariably one step ahead of the police. His raiding of drug dens, illegal sex shops, and counterfeit operations around lower New York City led to him acquiring hundreds of thousands of dollars, which greatly angered the task force, especially narcotics, who were becoming late on their expensive mortgages and other expensive habits; he even had bounties on his head, he welcomed all that wanted a go at him.
Iron Man was active. Tony Stark hadn’t stupidly exposed his identity. He was sure it was inevitable, knowing the billionaire playboy's reputation and obsessive need for admiration.
Special Agent Knight’s intervention undoubtedly saved the American government from a possible prolonged war with the Middle East. With Stark’s technological advancements and powerful suit, he nearly single-handedly destroyed most insurgents and terrorists in the Middle East and Africa.
‘Obadiah Stane must be extremely angered at Tony Stark’s survival and stance on not being a war proliferator.’ Cole wanted to warn Stark but refrained; if by chance Tony was able to track him down with his vast technological might, he would be exposed too early, and the current him wasn’t ready to leave the street behind one day, one day soon, he would be amongst those few that traverse the stars and parlay with otherworldly beings and so-called gods.
He took a seat into the third period. He responded to an encrypted email from the Broker. The Broker was an enigma to Cole. He was a man that sold information while taking payment in the form of sensitive information in turn. He didn’t trust the man or woman, and he was actively using the data and his System to pinpoint who exactly the person was.
Cole kept his eyes on Hammer Industries, A.I.M, and other organizations that would play pivotal roles soon. He is almost sure the mutant problem boiling behind the scenes will be exacerbated. He still hadn’t learned of Sublime, but he assumed the genocidal germ was around.
The most exciting information he obtained was that the American government had started its clandestine Weapon X program in the Canadian Alps.
He listened to the teacher, but he couldn’t help but wonder still what reality of marvel he was in; indeed, this wasn’t 616; there were too many things that pointed at another one, one he had never heard of which was possible, marvel would throw another universe at you whenever they wanted to change a character to fit some narrative or the time.