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For several precious seconds, time seemed to slow down. In an instant, you took in everything about the scene unfolding before you. Every single one of your teammates, aside from Terminal, was facing an enemy that specialized in grappling and non-lethal takedowns. Your AR goggles identified them one by one.

Slither. King Cobra. Anaconda. These agents were sent here to capture you.

Maybe you tripped one of the SIlvertongue’s wards, or the Serpent Society was just extra jumpy from the Deep One’s interference. Either way, they were here, and they were ready for you. You’d have to look into that later, but right now, you have a prisoner of your own to detain.

Reaching into one of your belt pouches, you pulled out a bright red, bumpy marble and loaded it into your Hidden Gun. The barrel widened and tightened around the newly detected ammo type, readjusting itself to fit the Pym Pebble perfectly. Waiting until both Matt and Anaconda were out of the way, you raised your wrist, aimed and fired!

A red streak traced a path between the barrel of your gun and the Silvertongue’s chest, ending in a brief, but brilliant flash of light that was roughly shaped like the silhouette of a young woman. Once the light faded, the smoking pebble rolled onto the ground, the Silvertongue nowhere to be seen.

For a moment, everyone stopped to stare at the thing, trying to figure out what had happened, what your intentions were, and whether you had been successful. To be completely honest, you didn’t really know if it worked. There weren’t any visible changes or markings that indicated a successful capture. You’d have to talk to Phin about that in the tech review. It’s super inconvenient from the user’s perspective.

Before anyone could react to the new situation, you snatched the pebble with a webline and stuffed it into a separate pouch in your utility belt.

“Catch!” Matt shouted.

And without looking, you grabbed the Silvertongue’s wand out of the air and tucked it into the back of your belt as if it were a loaded gun. Maybe you should consider it one.

The other snakes seemed to guess what you were doing, because Anaconda moved to intercept you with her grossly elongated limbs. They were as thick as tree trunks, but long as light poles in their current shape.

You deftly avoided her grasping claws by leaping above them and using a webline to pull yourself higher into the air. In the corner of your eye, you were just lucky enough to catch Matt punishing the muscular woman for her negligence during their fight.

You would have to trust them to take care of themselves while you delivered the package back to the mansion. Hopefully, your reinforcements would show up before theirs.

—-----

“Rintrah, I need a portal! Now!” you demanded over the comms. You could feel the Pym Pebble wriggling and shaking around in your pocket like a goddamn pokeball. Either the thing was malfunctioning, or the Silvertongue was fighting back hard.

(Cont.)

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“Just a moment!” the minotaur shouted back. “I’ll just need to pinpoint your location and…there! To your left.”

You glanced in that direction, and was relieved to find a portal of swirling, sparking energy. On the other side, you could see Madame Webb’s mansion in the distance. Teleporting directly inside the mansion was no longer possible with all the wards that they’d set up over the last few days. It was to make sure that the Silvertongue couldn’t just blink out if something went wrong.

Without hesitation, you launched yourself into the portal, transitioning from a mid-air somersault to a tuck and roll as thin air became solid ground. There was a brief, tingling sensation where your brain buzzed pleasantly, but you tried your best to ignore it.

Breaking into a full sprint, you cleared the distance between the portal and Madame Webb’s front door in record time, tearing across the front lawn of her estate like a bat out of hell. The door was already open, and you dove through before Julia shut it behind you.

“Were you followed?” she asked in a tone that was only slightly serious. You had a feeling that she just wanted to try saying that at least once.

“Probably not!” you shouted without turning back. Within seconds, you were already flying down the basement stairs and entering the dungeon where Nico and Rintrah waited. They, along with Louise, had done some serious renovations in the past few days. Ritual circles, runic symbols and pale candle wax covered nearly every inch of tile in the room, and there was an impromptu alchemist’s lab set up in the back right corner.

“I've got her.” you declared, pulling the wriggling marble out of your pocket.

Nico nodded. “Good. Set her down in the middle of the circle.” she said, pointing at the largest, most elaborate ritual circle in the entire room.

You did so quickly, stepping away from it as if it were a grenade about to go off. This was really happening. As soon as the effect of the Pym Pebble wore off, you’d have the Silvertongue trapped like a rat!

You were so excited that you’d nearly forgotten to send out the message to Hill. Hopefully, Pandora wouldn’t try to hijack your entire operation when she got here. You wondered absently whether she would arrive before Strange did. The Sorcerer Supreme’s response time was frankly disappointing, to say the least.

What will you do while you wait for the Pym Pebble’s effect to end?

>Wait patiently for it to awaken. You’ve got some serious questions to ask.
>Send out reinforcements to assist the others.(Danny/Luke/Valkyrie/Tigra)
>Head back out and fight off the Serpent Society before any more of them show up.
>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.
>Pull out the Silvertongue’s wand and experiment with it for a bit.
>Write-in.

>>5456166
>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.

>>5456166
Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.

Also, should we call WAND now that we have captured the Silvertongue? They can't try to shut down the plan since it's too late, so the best bet is to help us finish this.
Although they might try to simply take over and imprison it themselves instead of just killing the thing and freeing Cindy's voice.

>>5456180
Ah, I included that at the end of the update. Ben sent the message out as soon as he got a moment to breathe. Did you want to include something specific in the message, or were you thinking putting up a vote to change the plan?

>>5456166
>Send out reinforcements to assist the others.(Danny/Luke/Valkyrie/Tigra)
>Head back out and fight off the Serpent Society before any more of them show up.
I’m torn between pulling out or beating them down, but I’m leaning beating them down as quickly as possible with everyone we have available. While the mansion is better defended, they could launch an attack on it while people are containing the Silvertongue and disrupt something. The more we take out now, the less they can throw at us later.

>>5456194
We may as well mention the Serpent Society involvement. Maybe SHIELD or WAND have some items that can counter their members. We don’t know all of them either, and maybe they know someone who could ruin our day if they don’t protect against them early.

>>5456194
Well, I wanted to add something about the Serpent Society and the Silvertongue using magic. It seems it was not content just hiding it's existence.
But I was thinking of what we wrote last thread, if there's no need for a specific message than it's alright

>>5456166
>>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.
silvertongue could pop out any seconds. We likely don't have the time to do much else. At least we shouldn't think we can take the time.
>>Pull out the Silvertongue’s wand and put it in a magical strongbox
To be honest I'm surprised it even has a wand, but I don't know what wands do exactly, so it could be booby trapped against the wrong user. What I know is that it shouldn't be able to just grab the wand if it'd manage to break free.

>>5456166
>>Head back out and fight off the Serpent Society before any more of them show up.

>>5456166
>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.
>Pull out the Silvertongue’s wand and put it in a magical strongbox

>>5456166
>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.

>>5456172
>>5456178
>>5456220
>>5456226
>>5456286
>>5456289
>>5456311
>>5456418
>Coordinate with Rintrah to try and portal your allies out.
>Pull out the Silvertongue’s wand and put it in a magical strongbox
>Include information about the Serpent Society and the Silvertongue using magic during your fight

Taking these. Writing...

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Before you sent out the message, you remembered to include the new update about the Serpent Society’s involvement and the Silvertongue’s casual use of magic. You would’ve thought that it might try to deceive you by hiding its true nature. But maybe it could sense that you were already aware of what it was. Maybe it was too paranoid to even consider being taken prisoner by you and yours.

You’d have to worry about that later. Right now, you had to try and extract your team and bring them back here.

“Rintrah, let’s see if we can’t make another emergency portal.” you said, pulling out the Silvertongue’s wand. “And we should probably do something about this too.”

Rintrah’s eyes widened and his ears flapped as he stared between you and the arcane focus. “It had a wand? Most intriguing…” he muttered, reaching a hand out to accept it.

You placed it in his overly large hand, and he lifted it one inky black eye in order to observe the thing. “The craftsmanship is fine. 7 inches, carved from yew with flecks of bone and crystal embedded into it. Fascinating…!”

“We don’t have time for this, pal.” you urged him.

“Hm? Ah, yes! Quite right.” he said, admonishing himself with a quick bow of his head. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the wand into the air, where it stuck, as if it had landed into a pile of sand. Suddenly, the air around it crystallized and distorted, refracting light at odd angles and making it appear as if the wand were trapped within a transparent diamond.

“That should hold it.” Rintrah said, apparently satisfied with his work. “Now, let’s see if we can’t scry the location of our companions.”

“Can’t we just ask Julia to pinpoint their location for us?” you asked.

“Isn’t that what I said? Miss Carpenter is quite adept at it.”

“I don’t think that means what you think it means, but sure.” you conceded, before jogging towards the stairs.

“Would you like to assist us, Miss Minoru?” Rintrah called out.

But the young witch was currently pouring massive amounts of mana into one of the ritual circles, via her Staff.

“Busy.” she called back.

—--------

For the next couple of minutes, you and Julia did your very best to help the other three navigate their way to an open portal. Judging by their reports, Terminal was able to provide covering fire in order for them to escape, but was now the target of a speedster that was likely working with the Society.

You were confident that the assassin could take care of himself, and told the others not to worry. Aside from a mild injury that Louise had sustained in combat, they had made a rather clean getaway. Both Louise and Moon Knight had smoke grenades that they could deploy at a moment’s notice, and Matt didn’t need to see in order to traverse the urban environment.

(Cont.)

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With all that, they were able to dash through the portal without any members of the Serpent Society following them through. You’d have to thank Terminal for taking the heat and drawing the attention of that speedster. That would’ve been tricky to deal with.

You met the other three outside, somewhere around where you’d exited the portal on your way in, and led them back to the mansion. They were a little banged up, but not so badly hurt that they couldn’t continue with the operation.

But before you could get inside, Matt stopped you all and drew your attention to two figures approaching you from a ways away. One, a young man with an open shirt, white hair and an odd complexion stopped around the point where the last portal had been made. But the woman just kept walking. Her expression was one of barely suppressed rage, and you had to admit that it was almost enough to put a smile on your face.

Pandora Peters had wasted no time at all in storming over to check on the situation after receiving the message.

You told everyone else to go on ahead of you, but Matt seemed to want to linger, so you pretended not to notice how he was lagging behind the other two.

“Glad you could make it.” you tried, before Pandora cut you off with a wave of her hand.

“Go fuck yourself, Huntsman. I’m not in the mood.” she snapped. “Do you have the creature in custody?”

You nodded slowly. “That we do. Should be waking up any moment now.”

“Good. Take me to it.” she said, before brushing past you.

You walked alongside her.

What will you say?

>”This could’ve been avoided if you had just trusted me enough to let me help.”
>”Do I get a reward for doing your job for you, or is this gonna be another cover-up?”
>”No threats to wipe my memory or send me to another dimension? I’m shocked. You can’t be in that bad of a mood if you haven’t pulled your wand on me yet.”
>”Oh, come on! Lighten up! We caught it! There’s no way you can be pissed about someone else doing your dirty work.”
>”I have to admit, you got here a lot faster than I would’ve expected. Strange could learn a thing or two from you.”
>"Nothing to say about the Serpent Society or the Silvertongue using magic? I would think that either of those things would qualify as a 'big deal'."
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5456696
>”Do I get a reward for doing your job for you, or is this gonna be another cover-up?”
”Do I get a reward for doing your job for you, or is this gonna be another cover-up?”

what a bitch

>>5456696
>>”No threats to wipe my memory or send me to another dimension? I’m shocked. You can’t be in that bad of a mood if you haven’t pulled your wand on me yet.”

>>5456696
>”No threats to wipe my memory or send me to another dimension? I’m shocked. You can’t be in that bad of a mood if you haven’t pulled your wand on me yet.”
>”This could’ve been avoided if you had just trusted me enough to let me help.”

>>5456696
>”This could’ve been avoided if you had just trusted me enough to let me help.”

>>5456696
>”I have to admit, you got here a lot faster than I would’ve expected. Strange could learn a thing or two from you.”
>”I know you’re kicking yourself for not mind-wiling me earlier, but it wouldn’t have done anything. Other people knew enough that I’d start looking again.”
I get what she’s thinking. We’re literally endangering the nation right now, and she’s thinking that she could have done something earlier. But she couldn’t stop this forever, not without killing us.

After she refused to help, this is probably the best way it could have gone because going to her before now would have likely meant a mindwile. Then we’d eventually do this without knowing WAND exists, and she can’t say that’s better than getting a message while WAND can still assist.

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Time to lift

>>5456741
+1
Pandora has me mighty fuckin’ suspicious, boys. First she doesn’t want us after the silvertongue, now she’s pissed that we captured it? Something’s up. She might be serving the silvertongue or in its thrall. Let’s tread lightly.

>>5456701
>>5456702
>>5456706
>>5456736
>>5456741
>>5457230
>”No threats to wipe my memory or send me to another dimension? I’m shocked. You can’t be in that bad of a mood if you haven’t pulled your wand on me yet.”
>”I have to admit, you got here a lot faster than I would’ve expected. Strange could learn a thing or two from you.”
>”I know you’re kicking yourself for not mind-wiling me earlier, but it wouldn’t have done anything. Other people knew enough that I’d start looking again.

Taking these. Writing...

>>5457171
Big Spidercide vibes

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“No threats to wipe my memory or send me to another dimension? I’m shocked.” you said, feigning surprise as you picked up the pace to catch up with her. “You can’t be in that bad of a mood if you haven’t pulled your wand on me yet.”

She half turned her head to glare at you. “I definitely considered it,” she admitted. “But I think we both know that that train has left the station. Wiping your memory now wouldn’t help either of us.”

You breathed an internal sigh of relief before speaking again. “I have to admit, you got here a lot faster than I would’ve expected. Strange could learn a thing or two from you.”


“Funny how a guy who can manipulate time and space can’t keep his appointments.” Pandora replied, and you could swear that you spotted the slightest upward curl out of the corner of her lips. “If the Sorcerer Supreme paid more attention to his native realm, then we might live in a very different world. One where I don’t get roped into last minute plans that could possibly end in the erasure of the English language.”

“I know you’re kicking yourself for not mind-wiping me earlier, but it wouldn’t have done anything. Other people knew enough that I’d eventually start looking again.” you said plainly. “This could’ve been avoided if you’d just trusted me enough to let me help.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “It could have been ‘avoided’ if you weren’t so damned pig-headed.”

It was a struggle not to respond to that with another insult, but you did your very best to hold your tongue as the powerful magician entered Madame Webb’s mansion. She blinked hard several times after she’d stepped over the threshold and raised her head to glance at the ceiling and at the walls.

“Think you’ve got enough wards in here?” she asked, a note of clear sarcasm in her voice. “I take it back. Your preparations weren’t last minute. They’re downright compulsive.”

You led her past Julia and down into the basement stairs, where Louise, Nico and Rintrah stood waiting in one corner of the room. On the other side, you saw a petite woman standing in the middle of a complex ritual circle, her clothes covered in blood and dirt, her dark hair disheveled, and her arms bound by glowing, red chains.

Pandora eyed the creature with as much interest as a spectator at a museum exhibit. She didn’t seem terribly surprised or excited.

The Silvertongue’s eyes lit up when she saw Pandora, and she fruitlessly struggled against the chains in order to reach her. But you didn’t detect any anger in her body language. She almost seemed…relieved?

“Dora! You’ve got to get me out of here!” the girl said in a sweet voice. The fact that she was using Cindy’s to say these words only made you angrier. And…

Wait…

“Did…she just call you Dora?” you asked the Director of W.A.N.D.

(Cont.)

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She didn’t so much as glance at you, but you could tell that her agitation was building once more. Only this time, it was no longer being directed at you.

Pandora’s wand was in her hand in an instant, and she pointed its glowing tip at the prisoner.

“Is it true? That you’ve joined the Serpent Society this time?” she said coldly. There was disappointment in her tone, but it was greatly overshadowed by the malice that was wafting off of her.

The Silvertongue swallowed hard, no longer looking as excited as she had been a moment ago.

“I’m, uh…still technically an initiate, at this point in time.” she admitted with more than a little trepidation. “But it was only so that I could infiltrate their ranks in order to-!”

She didn’t get to finish whatever it was that she was about to say. Suddenly, her entire body lurched forward, and her veins began to glow a bright orange. And while you weren’t a doctor like your brother, you were sure that she had far too many than was strictly natural.

Pandora’s eyes began to glow a similar color, and the light at the end of her wand turned bright white. The Silvertongue opened its mouth to scream, but it was cut off by a bluish light that pulsed out of the orifices on its face. You had no actual idea what was happening, but whatever it was, it seemed to be causing the Silvertongue unbearable pain.

Like a frog swallowing a supernova, the Silvertongue was lit up from within, and a dull hum was beginning to fill the room. For a while, you were frozen in place by the bizarre spectacle, until Rintrah snapped you out of it with his booming voice.

“STOP!”

Pandora lowered her arm, and the light show ended abruptly. The Silvertongue was now breathing heavily, her body hanging limp in the magic chains’ cold grasp.

The room was deathly silent, save for the sound of the Silvertongue’s gasping. A single tear ran down Louise’s face, and she hurriedly wiped at it.

“That was…an Enochian spell, non…?” she asked cautiously.

Pandora nodded slightly.

Correctly interpreting your confusion, Nico translated for you.

“Enochian is the language of angels.” she explained. “I’ve never seen anyone able to cast their spells before, though…”

Rintrah shuddered involuntarily. You weren’t sure if he fully comprehended the concept of biblical spirit creatures, but he knew power when he saw it. And that’s exactly what this was. A display of raw power.

Finally, Pandora turned to address you, her face an unreadable mask. “What I’m about to tell you now stays in this room.” she declared, before glancing at everyone else in turn. “Is that clear?”

Everyone but you nodded quickly.

(Cont.)

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She nodded slowly, and let out a weary sigh. “There’s a reason that I refused to help you hunt her down,” she began, tilting her head towards the Silvertongue. “But it wasn’t because I was scared of her. I can handle her if I have to.”

The worst possible conclusions were beginning to form in your mind, and you were becoming painfully aware of the fact that she still had her wand out.

“The Silvertongue is something of a repository for dead and forbidden languages. She’s a living vault, and I need her to keep them locked up.”

“Wait wait wait. Hold on.” Nico interrupted. “You’re telling me that the two of you are…what, business partners?”

“She offers me a service, and I allow her to walk this earth.” Pandora clarified. “There are certain books, and certain spells that we would like to remain…’illegible’.”

Louise clenched her fists angrily and took a step towards Pandora. “How could you make a deal with such a horrid creature!? It is a dangerous and unpredictable monster that consumes languages and eradicates cultures!”

“Stereotype…” muttered a sweet, but ragged voice in the back of the basement.

Everyone turned to look at the Silvertongue as she dragged herself to her feet. “That’s a…vicious stereotype that was propagated by biased historians, monster hunters and religious holy-men in the times of yore.” she said, sounding much older than she actually looked. “We are not monsters. We are man-made homunculi, created for the sole purpose of storing information and preserving the culture of our forebears. The slanderous lies that were written in your tomes are a sign of their ignorance and fear of things that they barely understood.”

“But you did live up to your reputation.” you said, speaking for the first time in a while. Your head was becoming a jumbled mess, and it was all you could do to suppress the rage that was welling up within you. “You attacked a little girl and stole her voice, and you’ve been taking on new hosts all this time!”

The Silvertongue flinched back from your words. It was a strange sight. You were expecting this thing to be a lot more foreboding than it really was.

“I will admit,” she continued. “That was a lapse in judgment on my part. I really thought that was what my character would’ve done.”

“...Pardon?” Louise said.

You all looked between her and Pandora, who was now slowly reopening her eyes after having closed them briefly, and raised them to the ceiling as if she were beseeching a higher power for the strength and patience necessary to carry on this conversation.

(Cont.)

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The Silvertongue smiled weakly. “My character. Every time I take over a new host, I adopt a lifestyle that I think fits into the mold of the one they had before. At that very moment, I was playing the role of a Moon God cultist, and I sort of got swept up in the vampire coup that was going on.” she casually explained. “I had a choice between saving the girl and joining in on the attack. So…I helped her escape.”

You shook your head. “You…you what?”

The Silvertongue shrugged. “I helped her escape. It’s why the strongest of the vampires didn’t claim her life that night. Although, it certainly put me at odds with the vampire cultists. I had to ditch that body after that.”

“But…her voice.” you added, struggling to process this new development.

A look of understanding crossed the creature’s face, and she gave you a bashful smile. “I was…I was going to leave her alone, I swear!” she said with a slight giggle that sounded like the ringing of chimes. “But her voice was so delicate and beautiful…! I fell in love~. I just had to have it.”

There was a faint ringing in your ears, and you could feel your blood starting to boil over. It was all you could to avoid stepping into that magic circle and strangling her right then and there. You were right the first time. This thing was a fucking monster. And Pandora was protecting it!


Seemingly sensing your thoughts, Pandora stepped between the two of you and raised her hands in a placating gesture.

“I punished her thoroughly after that incident.” she said slowly.

“Not thoroughly enough. She went and joined the Serpent Society immediately afterwards!” you snarled.

“And she’ll be punished for that as well.” Pandora added, nodding apologetically. ”But the reason I can’t let you kill her is the same reason that I didn’t want you giving your girl her voice back.”

You took a step back, unsure of where she was going with this.

Pandora cleared throat before speaking again. “Killing the Silvertongue will release every forbidden language, culture and voice that it’s consumed over the years. This will cause worldwide chaos and panic that we are not prepared to handle right now. Alternatively, by extracting its venom and using it to concoct a potion for your girl to drink, she’ll eventually be able to get her voice back. But she’ll also gain knowledge of every forbidden language, practice and culture that we stored inside the Silvertongue.” she explained. “There’s no picking and choosing what she gets and what she doesn’t. She’ll get it all.”

And there it was. The real reason for why Pandora told you to “shove it” all those months ago. Your options were to either release a boat-load of forbidden knowledge into the world, or to give them all to a little girl that was just starting to figure her life out.

(Cont.)

“And if that happens,” Pandora continued. “I won’t be able to just leave the two of you alone. She’d have to be watched; monitored.”

The room was once again silent after that. What will you say/do?

>”Then we’ll find another way. We’ll bring Strange in on this, find some other magic person that might know an alternative to storing those forbidden languages.”
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
>”That’s why you didn’t tell me anything. You didn’t want me to have to make this choice.”
>”What’s so dangerous about these languages anyways?”
>”If that’s what it takes…then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll have to talk to her about it first, but I’d like to think that she’s way more reasonable than this thing.”
>”...Fine by me.” Snatch Pandora’s wand and signal the others to use everything at their disposal to destroy the Silvertongue.
>Punch Pandora.
>Point at the Silvertongue. “Hit it again. And make it hurt.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5457381
”...Fine by me.” Snatch Pandora’s wand and signal the others to use everything at their disposal to destroy the Silvertongue.

>>5457381
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
>”What’s so dangerous about these languages anyways?”
Let’s collect as much info as possible before we decide. We don’t want to end up at odds with SHIELD, or at least WAND.
Assuming we don’t stop to ask questions, though, I’d choose
>”If that’s what it takes…then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll have to talk to her about it first, but I’d like to think that she’s way more reasonable than this thing.”
There’s really no reason to murder it anymore, what with the venom option. Additionally, all this forbidden knowledge would only help her superhero career and she’d be monitored by SHIELD either way.

>>5457401
+1 for the info and options check

>>5457378
>Killing the Silvertongue will release every forbidden language, culture and voice that it’s consumed over the years. This will cause worldwide chaos and panic that we are not prepared to handle right now.
Would be bad for a future badass like Cindy to be the cause of this, indirectly or otherwise
>she’ll eventually be able to get her voice back. But she’ll also gain knowledge of every forbidden language, practice and culture that we stored inside the Silvertongue
And this fucks her up forever. I don't think there's a good option here other than simply dropping this and coping with it. We spent all that money and effort for nothing, basically. I blame Pandora for not simply telling us all this from the start, exactly like the shitty holier-than-thou hero type bitch she is. Now thanks to us treating this like a real monster takedown and going all in, we are now at odds with the Serpent Society too - and they know we're working with Matt and Louise and Moon Knight and Terminal (maybe?) and who knows who else? Shit, guys... we just wanted to help this girl that lost her parents to horrible vampires in a crazy cult offshoot of a saner moon cult. And now what will all our allies think, us having done all this work for nothing? Madame Webb's mansion got taken over for massive magic prep, and now it's not going to happen. We called in all these favors and big names, and nothing to show for it.

>>5457401
+1

>>5457414
Kinda figured this would happen when no one wanted to do my voice communicator for Cindy.

>>5457414
>>5457420
The situation is shitty for sure, but it's not entirely unsalvageable. It will require quite a bit of finesse to achieve a desirable result, however.

>>5457381
>”...Fine by me.” Snatch Pandora’s wand and signal the others to use everything at their disposal to destroy the Silvertongue.
>Punch Pandora.
Never involve SHIELD in anything ever again

>>5457420
What voice communicator? The tech one that we went to Phin to make and CIndy refused because it was unconfortale?

>>5457393
>>5457433
Killing it releases its languages to everyone who knew them. SHIELD may be a bunch of fucking glowies, but the people they fight are much worse. If we were to kill it we would unleash something far worse which, as >>5457414 said, would cause much bigger issues for Cindy that muteness.
Imagine if the people we re-empower use their languages to kill a bunch of people. Cindy would both hold herself responsible and loathe us for putting her in the position.

>>5457448
I know

>>5457433
Changing my vote to
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
>”What’s so dangerous about these languages anyways?”
>”Then we’ll find another way. We’ll bring Strange in on this, find some other magic person that might know an alternative to storing those forbidden languages.”
First go for full cope that she will refuse, and then
>”If that’s what it takes…then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll have to talk to her about it first, but I’d like to think that she’s way more reasonable than this thing.”
>>5457448
I had changed my vote anon, but then deleted it to change it again

>>5457450
Then why are you voting for it?

>>5457454
Why not?

>>5457456
Because it’s a bad idea with catastrophic consequences.

>>5457457
OK, my vote stands

>>5457381
>>”Then we’ll find another way. We’ll bring Strange in on this, find some other magic person that might know an alternative to storing those forbidden languages.”
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
OR make one, if that's what it takes

>>5457381
>>”...Fine by me.” Snatch Pandora’s wand and signal the others to use everything at their disposal to destroy the Silvertongue.

>>5457381
>>”That’s why you didn’t tell me anything. You didn’t want me to have to make this choice.”

>>5457381
>”Then we’ll find another way. We’ll bring Strange in on this, find some other magic person that might know an alternative to storing those forbidden languages.”
or
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
if she refuse's
>”...Fine by me.” Snatch Pandora’s wand and signal the others to use everything at their disposal to destroy the Silvertongue.

>>5457401
+1

>>5457381
>"Oh, how you monitored your toxic waste dump there to not notice it joined criminal organization. That's not even the threat you think it is."
>"That could be a pyramid scheme you feed more and more evil spells to until one day it takes off with them."
>"Okay, hold on, let me think."
>In mocking voice: "assume everyone involved wants the best for this planet."
>"You, poor misunderstood creature that's totally not evil by nature. Those bad people that wrote their propaganda about you and how to get voices back were surely mistaken, right? You can give that voice back without any ill effects on the original owner, can't you?"
>"Give me a reason why you shouldn't be imprisoned in the deepest darkest hole."

>>5457381
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”

>>5457551
>OR make one, if that's what it takes
I like this suggestion. We don’t even need it to be a full-fledged proper Silvertongue with all the bells and whistles. None of this "created for the sole purpose of storing information and preserving the culture of our forebears" bullshit. Just the bare minimum that can take Cindy’s voice and can be used to make a potion that can give it back to her… and then we snuff it the fuck out. And hope to God that Tzeentch doesn’t fuck us again on this one just because SORCERY

>>5457381
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
>The thing mentioned it was made. What does it take to make a lesser version?
>Point out she can’t sweep this under the rug until we have her voice. She knows we won’t let it go, and too many people have been pulled in to make us forget or kill us.
Backing the “we’ll make one” idea. She has to cave on assisting us while we’re still being reasonable, we’ve turned this into too big of a cluster for WAND to wipe this without a lot of dead bodies.

>>5457381
>Write-in

>"You protect this monster and show up here and tell me to fuck myself? Call me pigheaded?"
>"Cindy doesn't get to speak for the rest of her life and this freak is giggling like it might get grounded for staying out past curfew!"
>"Why isn't this thing in a fucking hole? Just look at it! It's laughing at you, and why not? You can't do shit to it."
>"I cannot believe you wanted me to think capturing it was some world ending event while you cut deals and let it run free with empty promises and emptier threats. It might as well eat the English language, you'd do fuck all about it."
>"Oh and now your 'thoroughly punished' Silvertongue got Serpent Society on my ass so thanks for nothing twice over."


>"It said it is a man-made homunculi. So let's make or find another one, that is not insane, and put the forbidden shit in it and execute this one." Or what >>5457921 said and create a knock off if that is too hard.

>>5457986
I like this write in but I'd like to remind everyone this thing saved Cindy, while it might have burned all that hypothetical goodwill stealing her voice it's not so much that it warrants a death sentence, in my opinion, at least now that we've done a significant effort at changing our ways of killing willy-nilly

>>5458015
How’s this for an alternate speech.
>”So, just to confirm I have this straight. This thing has you by the balls because it does a job you literally can’t replace.
>It stole Cindy’s voice? You tell me to can it. It decides to rape someone because that’s “in-character”? You mindwipe the chick. It decides to rip the language out of a town because hey, there was some screwy magic shit you sent it to deal with and some collateral damage happens? It gets off scot-fucking-free because it’s more valuable alive, sane, and whole then dead.
>So, now if I want to get Cindy’s voice back, I have to solve your fucking control problem as well. Fine. I accept. Your organization is clearly stretched to thin, and lucky for you I’m a contractor.
>We’ll take what you have on the slSilvertongue and how it’s made. If it was made before, we’ll make a knock-off version. Something that can take a voice back, followed by something that can either truly kill the languages or at least can be grown on-demand so you can fire them out of guns or some other bullshit.
>Payment discussions will come during and after delivery. And let me be clear, I am going to bend you over and fuck you just as easily as this creature has been, on the behalf of everyone here who is dealing with your bullshit so they get proper compensation of whatever form they want. And you’ll accept it because we both know that for all my threats, I’m just a contractor. Unlike the Silvertongue, you can walk away afterwards and ignore me unless I cause a problem or you have a job. And the world will be a safer place for it.
Acknowledging the shitty situation she’s in and the fact that WAND has many threats to deal with and can’t solve everything at once even if some of it compromises their own security, while taking advantage of it as a “fuck you” because a lot of people are angry at her.

>>5458109
Its a cool speech but big fucking words for a guy who just entered the capes world and has even less experience than that with magic related issues. If we can back up those words it's perfect, but that's a big IF and I'm not sure I'd bet with those odds.

>>5458130
Oh, we’re subcontracting the work like we’ve been doing up until now. The real heroes are Marc and the rest, we’re mostly a frontman in all of this. But just about everyone else here is a hero and probably willing to do it for cost or, god forbid, for free.

Can’t have that. We’re their agent, making sure they get proper payment for their work and taking our own pound of flesh as a management fee. If Pandora didn’t want to pay out the nose, she would have found a solution long ago in-house. And being an absolute skinflint is the least violent I can imagine Ben being given how bloodthirsty/angry some of the others here seem. Being a hardass about getting is good deal is something I imagine Ben has experience in given the circles he runs in too.

>>5457393
>>5457401
>>5457405
>>5457405
>>5457417
>>5457593
>>5457551
>>5457554
>>5457559
>>5457578
>>5457595
>>5457451
>>5457921
>>5457986
>>5457980
>”What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her.”
>OR make one, if that's what it takes
>”What’s so dangerous about these languages anyways?”
>”If that’s what it takes…then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll have to talk to her about it first, but I’d like to think that she’s way more reasonable than this thing.”

Taking these. Writing...

I posted this last update knowing that it would be one of the most controversial updates of my career. The reactions and discussions going on here have been interesting, for sure. I'm kind of glad that I let it sit overnight. I was planning on posting a second update that night, but something came up a few hours later.

And I know that a good chunk of this frustration comes from the fact that some players think that their time, efforts and money has been utterly wasted in this arc. But trust me, if you keep trying to play this from different angles, you'll be able to achieve some interesting results.

>>5458167
I get it, but the point still stands. I'd wager making a Silvertongue should be an endeavor of big magnitude based on how powerful the damn things seem to be, and having one handcrafted to fill our needs isn't exactly better. Nico and Rintrah are our only wizards and while talented, they are not exactly experts, so it's almost required that Pandora puts in some work. And then the contract angle doesn't quite match reality.
>>5458856
I actually quite liked it, it left me malding all night. It's like the whole Slip/Electro debacle, it's crushing in a way that helps the lessons and themes of our character.

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It was an actual, physical effort to rein in your anger and frustration from having been slapped in the face so damn thoroughly by W.A.N.D., S.H.I.E.L.D., and everyone else that was trying to take advantage of you. Was it so fucking wrong to want to save one little girl without having it get blown way the fuck out of proportion!?

Why did everyone have to make every single thing in your life so damn hard?

Breathe. Just…breathe. 7 seconds in, 9 seconds out. 7 seconds in, 9 seconds out.

When you were finally able to talk, you had to talk over the others, who were arguing with Pandora, and each other about ethics and possible solutions.

“What if we could find another Silvertongue? One that could extract Cindy’s voice and give it back to her?”

Pandora’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she looked as if she’d like nothing more than to follow your suggestion. “We’ve been trying. But these things are usually much better at hiding than this idiot.” she said, pointing a thumb at the imprisoned creature. “These things were meant to work in pairs when they were created. Having just one puts us at a disadvantage.”

“Well,” you shrugged. “Why don’t we just…make one?”

The room fell dead silent. Even the Silvertongue herself had stopped to stare at you incredulously.

Pandora spluttered. “W-what?”

“These things were originally made by other people, right? We can just make another one.”

There was now muttering amongst your teammates as they consulted one another about the viability of such a plan. Rintrah was the first to speak up.

“That might work. With enough research, we might be able to recreate the formula that gave life to these creatures in the first place.” he thought aloud.

“It’s worth a shot.” Nico offered.

“I can only hope that they are more reasonable than the one we have currently.” Louise put in.

Pandora looked thoughtful, and to your surprise, slightly impressed. “It’s possible, but…there are a lot of ways that this can go wrong. Creating artificial life has never been easy in the field of alchemy. It’s way easier to transmute an already existing lifeform.” she said. “But…I have to admit that it’s a better plan than what we’ve been going on up until now. I think it’s worth exploring as a possibility.”

The others exchanged encouraging glances with one another. They were trying to be cautiously hopeful. And to be entirely honest, you were doing the same underneath that mask of yours.

“What’s so dangerous about these languages anyways?” you asked.

(Cont.)

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Pandora’s expression darkened. “We’re talking languages that can be used to command armies of the dead and undead. Books that make the Necronomicon look like the Book of Mormon. Spells that can bind godlike beings. This is all shit that shouldn’t exist.” she explained. “Hell, I petition Hill to let me erase Latin every year, but the nerds and scholars all collectively shit themselves whenever I bring it up. At least then we’d be able to erase the Necronomicon.”

“But…Latin is incredibly useful for the banishing of demons!” Louise argued. Rintrah seemed to agree as well.

Pandora gave you a look so as if to say, “See what I mean?”.

“If we can’t make a Silvertongue ourselves,” you continued. “Then I’ll consider transferring the knowledge to the kid. I’ll have to talk to her about it first, I’d like to think that she’d be way more reasonable than this thing.” you declared, pointing at the Silvertongue. Its eyes were wide now, and you could see a clear note of panic in them. You got the distinct feeling that it had never truly considered itself to be expendable or replaceable up until this very moment. You were hoping to change that.

Pandora nodded slowly. “I don’t know anything about this girl, but I have a feeling that you’re right. We’ll exhaust all of our other options before it has to come to that, however.”

Nico scoffed at her. “Don’t act like you care. You knew about this the whole time, and you just decided to stick your head in the sand and let other people suffer for your bullshit agendas.”

Pandora’s gaze turned cold all of a sudden, and you could feel the air in the room literally dropping several degrees. “I don’t like any of this! If I had the option of slapping on a cape, kissing a baby and saving the day with a heartwarming message, believe me, I would.” she said, her frustration from earlier mounting again. “You should all know better than anyone. There are horrible things lurking in the dark, watching and waiting for a chance to uproot everything we’ve built here. And no matter what people say, or how they look at me, I will always choose to be scarier than whatever the fuck it is that’s lurking in the dark. Because that’s what people need. A boogeyman on their side.”

You were about to respond, but a translucent figure floated into your field of view before you could. It was an astral projection of Madame Web.

“Huntsman, I would like you to come up here and see me. There is something that I need to show you.” she said.

You nodded silently. The others seemed not to notice, but you could see Pandora glancing at you out of the corner of her eye every now and again. You quickly excused yourself from the conversation and left them to argue with the tattooed woman for a while until you came back.

(Cont.)

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Daredevil, Tigra and Moon Knight met you at the door, concern clear on their faces. Apparently, they had heard all the shouting, and felt the vibrations from Pandora’s strange spell. You reassured them that nothing terrible had happened, outside of the terrible revelation that the Silvertongue was appreciating more than a little diplomatic immunity at the moment, but you decided to leave that part out for the time being. It was such a demoralizing, crushing fact that you couldn’t bear to share its weight with any other person that you truly cared about.

Instead, you continued up the stairs to meet Madame Webb in her study. There, you found her staring intently at the ceiling.

“What’s up? What’d you have to show me?” you asked, trying to control your tone to avoid letting any of the frustration and bitterness seep into your voice.

Madame Webb distractedly pointed at a bony finger corner of the ceiling without looking away from it. You strained your eyes to figure out what she was looking at, and you almost couldn’t believe your eyes when you saw it.

Several spiders were working hard to weave a web in the corner of the room, coordinating their efforts to spell out a series of letters that were actually legible!

“What the fuck…?”

“My eyes aren’t what they used to be.” Madame Webb whispered, a slight smile on her face. “Be a dear and shine your light up there so that you can read it to me.” she requested.

You did so, hoping that it wouldn’t somehow scare the spiders away. The bright light illuminated that corner of the room, casting a shadow from their web onto the wall in thin, clear letters.

“Bring a sample. Let us help.”

There was also an address at the bottom.

“What is this?” you asked her.

“I can feel them. The Spider Totems!” she said in a mystified voice. “I think that they are somehow listening to us from where they are. Maybe these spiders are their little spies. I'm not entirely sure, but its possible that they are trying to make contact with us.”

You stared at the message and the address for a few seconds longer, your shock and curiosity managing to overwhelm your grief and anger.

“Does this mean anything to you?” Cassandra asked.

“It…just might.” you said absently. Not only were these totems aware of the situation, but they wanted to help. Either that, or this was just bait for their big trap. Who knows how long they’ve been invading your and everyone else’s privacy. They could have potentially dangerous knowledge about you, your allies, and your family.

But…even then, it sounded like they wanted you to bring a DNA sample from the Silvertongue. Is it possible that they can help you create another SIlvertongue from that sample alone? The possibility was too enticing to pass up.

(Cont.)

“Sorry, I need to talk to the others about this.” you said, already moving towards the door. “I’ll come back later. Promise.”

—-----

When you returned to the basement, you were greeted by the sight of a slightly admonished Pandora. It was enough to give you pause.

“I’ve…recently been informed of the efforts that you went through in order to make this operation a success. I clearly underestimated the lengths that you’d go through for this girl.” she said, looking unused to the act of offering an apology. “If you and your allies would like to be compensated for your efforts, then I would see no issue with that. At the very least, it would be a proper reward for informing me of this idiot’s capture, instead of just killing her.”

Nico nodded approvingly, and you had a feeling that she gave the tattooed mage a stern talking-to after you left.

What will you say?

>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)
>”Stow you apologies. I’m tired of you and your people walking all over us. If you want goodwill and respect, you’ll have to work hard to earn them.”
>”Not so easy when you can’t just erase or alter someone’s memories, huh?”
>”That’s a start. What’d you have in mind?”
>”We’ll need a little more than that. How about you get the Serpent Society off of our backs?”
>”Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to actually hear you say the words.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5458863
I figured a bootleg Silvertoungue might be easier, but it really boils down to the specifics of growing one.

I’m okay with how things turned out for this vote though. We’re mostly focused on getting information to make the right call, which is really what I want. The write-in was trying to cater to the people who were more pissed at the situation in the best compromise I could make, it just wasn’t sufficient and that’s okay.

>>5458856
We did pull everyone together for a massive undertaking, successfully snatched the target, and built a good fortress. Plenty of introductions have been made here, and some people who hated each other for professional reasons (Lousie with vampires much?) have mellowed out some.

And if we show Cindy just how many people we pulled together all for her sake? She’s going to break down into tears. Did she even know as many people as we have in Webb’s mansion right now before she met us, let alone people who wanted to make her life a little better, let alone again how varied their professions and backgrounds are?

There’s definitely good things that happened. We just may need to settle for less than we actually wanted though, so that would still sting. Even awesome plans can fail because of incomplete info though, and it may not even be our fault! The most I can level that went wrong is that Pandora didn’t properly communicate with us out of… mistrust? It would have saved the misplaced effort, and we could have focused on getting Pandora a different solution so the Silvertongue isn’t too valuable to cut loose when it goes off-script like this.

I’m okay with this twist. It really, really sucks, but this is a hero/villain arc in itself. There was something we anons were invested in, and now we’re called out on the price of it at the climax. Now we have to decide on how far to go now that all the pieces are finally on the table.

I’ve also kinda talked myself to wanting to show Cindy the mansion. She probably deserves to talk with the Silvertongue at the minimum, and we can introduce her to everyone in the foyer to bolster her for the conversation she’ll have with the Silvertongue.

>>5458945
>>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)
Is this sensible? Not exactly, but meeting more Spider-People is alluring in a way I can't help but take the shot

>>5458945
>>5458945
Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

>>5458863
Glad to hear it! I think this is the most dram that Ben's had to face in a while. Just another symptom of being a Spider-Man.

>>5458949
It was an impressive write-in, though. And you're right. There are some definite upsides to the amount of work you put into buildings connections, putting together a team, and making the Webb mansion a veritable fortress, inside and out. Not even Pandora could teleport in an out as she pleased. It was why she had to arrive at the edge of the teleportation ward's range. And it hit her like a brick when she actually entered the mansion and got a better sense for the flow of magic within it. It'd be really interesting to see Cindy's reaction to all of this.

>>5458945
>”Keep being the bigger person for a moment.”
>”The next time any of us are involved with with one your operations like this, level the important shit with us. We’re not a secret government organization, but this should show none of us are chucklefucks either. We were working towards the wrong goal for too long and that’s on you as a person for stonewalling me early and on you again as WAND director for letting us get this far.”
>I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)
>”While I can’t directly vouch for the spider god, I can vouch for everyone here and that Madame Webb wouldn’t have brought this to my attention if she didn’t believe it had good intentions.”
>”I’ve already done a lot of networking for everyone here due to the scale the of what we’re doing. Let me introduce you to a god. Should be useful for your line of work.”

>>5458945
>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

>>5458945
>”Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to actually hear you say the words.”
>"So what are you actually sorry for? Because it sounded like you think I'm mad that you underestimated me and that I had to spend some money and favors."
>"You could be sorry for stonewalling a lot of good people who could have spent their time hunting other things?"
>"Or are you sorry that you let your pet shit on other peoples living room carpet and then you lied about it and let others clean up your mess."

Whether she spologizes or not, continue
>"Anyway, the Serpent Society. I don't want them coming after my friends who helped me and now might have targets on their back because of it. They are your mess to clean up, so that's not even what'd make us even."
>"As for what you can do for me, I don't need monetary compensation, but I'll let you owe me. Favor economy. A big one too."
>"And the Silvertongue, I'll get a DNA sample to further it to some of my people who are not here at the moment."

>>5458945
>”Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to actually hear you say the words.”
>”We’ll need a little more than that. How about you get the Serpent Society off of our backs?”
>”That’s a start. What’d you have in mind?”

>>5459062
Oh, and this too
>>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

>>5458945
>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

>>5458945
>”Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to actually hear you say the words.”
>”We’ll need a little more than that. How about you get the Serpent Society off of our backs?”
>”That’s a start. What’d you have in mind?”
>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

>>5458945
>Your "scarier than the monsters of the world" bit just spat on the goodwill and effort of a lot of amazing people; you’re gonna have to settle with them individually, and be grateful if any of them let you off scot free; I’m definitely advocating for all of them to gouge you for whatever they can, and not just in cash.
>I’ll check in with the rest of the group and get back to you on behalf of anyone that doesn’t want to step forward themselves
>And THEN we can talk about how you can cooperate on a potential lead I’ve got, though that still needs a bit of investigating first

>>5458945
I’ll switch from my vote of >>5458969 to backing >>5459670. She’s accepted she’s wrong, so I feel it’s mostly important to leverage something additional out of her more while she’s feeling chastised. I advocated looping everyone into WAND a bit more since it’s tackling the biggest problem this operation had, but turning it over to everyone individually is also good and reasonable given how varied our group is.

>>5458956
>>5458958
>>5458979
>>5459001
>>5459062
>>5459066
>>5459149
>>5459298
>>5459670
>>5459866
>”Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to actually hear you say the words.”
>”We’ll need a little more than that. How about you get the Serpent Society off of our backs?”
>Your "scarier than the monsters of the world" bit just spat on the goodwill and effort of a lot of amazing people; you’re gonna have to settle with them individually, and be grateful if any of them let you off scot free; I’m definitely advocating for all of them to gouge you for whatever they can, and not just in cash.
>I’ll check in with the rest of the group and get back to you on behalf of anyone that doesn’t want to step forward themselves
>And THEN we can talk about how you can cooperate on a potential lead I’ve got, though that still needs a bit of investigating first
>”Forget that for a second. I think I might have a way to solve this.”(Agree to meet the Spider Totems with the Silvertongue’s DNA)

Taking these. Writing...

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“Yeah, that wasn’t a real apology. I want to hear you actually say the words.” you demanded.

Pandora’s eyes scanned the room, and she sighed before briefly hunching her shoulders. She looked incredibly awkward at this very moment.

“Fine. I...apologize for my behavior earlier.” she said. And you got the distinct impression that it took some effort on her part to admit that she was wrong. It probably didn’t happen often in her organization.

Louise raised an eyebrow as if to say, “That’s it?”, and glanced at the others in turn. You could tell that she and Nico were enjoying this. They didn’t have the best impression of Pandora before today, seeing as how she refused to help, and even threatened you for pursuing the matter. And her blowup and revelation tonight didn’t make things any better for her. The tattooed mage’s reputation was in the toilet, and it was up to her to drag it back out and polish it up a bit.

“We’ll need a little more than that. How about you get the Serpent Society off our backs?” you suggested.

Pandora didn’t seem terribly shocked by this request. “Some memory alteration will be required. They won’t remember the involvement of you and your team, but I can’t arrest them right away.” she explained. “I’ll leave them be for a few days, implant some shady memories of their new member, and frame the arrest as a sting operation with the Silvertongue acting as a dirty traitor. That should cover up our tracks nicely.”

The ease with which she concocted a government cover-up was a little disconcerting, but you were secretly glad that she was on your side this time. She would basically make it so that you and the Serpent Society never ran into each other. If you don’t have your memories secretly altered after tonight, then your team will be the only ones who remember your encounter.

You glanced at the others and exchanged conspiratory nods with them, just to piss Pandora off a bit. “That’s a start. Your whole ‘ I’m scarier than the monsters lurking in the dark’ bit just spat all over the goodwill and effort of a lot of amazing people; you’re gonna have to settle with them individually.” you proclaimed. Pandora was nodding occasionally and waiting patiently for you to finish, but you could tell that she was unused to being talked to this way. At least, she was unused to being talked to like this without an immediate retaliation or rebuttal prepared.

“And be grateful if any of them let you off scott free. I’m definitely advocating for all of them to gouge you for whatever they can, and not just in cash.” you continued. “I’ll check in with the rest of the group and get back to you on behalf of anyone that doesn’t want to step forward themselves. And THEN we can talk about how you can cooperate on a potential lead I’ve got. Though, that still needs to be investigated.”

(Cont.)

Upon hearing that last statement, Pandora no longer looked like she was straining her patience.

“You have a lead.” she said, more as a statement than a question.

You nodded. “I think I might have a way to solve this, but I need to meet with some people first.”

It was risky to meet up with the other Spider-Totems without doing more research. Especially since they seemed to know more about you than you were entirely comfortable with. But you couldn’t afford to be picky right now.

If this worked out, then you might just be able to salvage this entire operation. You just had a few things to hash out before then.

>When will you be leaving for this meeting?(ASAP/Tomorrow/Wait for them to contact you again)
>Who will you be taking with you to this meeting?(You’ll be going alone/Write-in.)
>What will you name this little group of yours?(The Order of the Web/The New Defenders/You’ll think of one later/Write-in.)
>What will you do with the Silvertongue?(Keep her restrained here/Allow Pandora to take her back for the time being)
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5459955
> ASAP
> You’ll be going alone
> You’ll think of one later
> Keep her restrained here

>>5459955
>Tomorrow
Give everyone sometime to breath
>Who will you be taking with you to this meeting?
Can we ask Webb for help? Don't try to guilt trip her or anything, but she is the one that knows the most about this kind of thing.
Marc and Matt know Cindy, so I think they deserve to be in this meeting since it kind of determines her future.
Also maybe Ridrah? His magic is connected a bit to this weave, he could be useful
>The Order of the Web
I sounds too good to pass up
>Allow Pandora to take her back for the time being
We already abuse enough of Webb's hospitality and good will

>>5459955
>>When will you be leaving for this meeting?(ASAP)
>Who will you be taking with you to this meeting?(Pandora)
Times' wastin', and this is a huge intel leak so might as well bring her in case shit goes south.
>What will you name this little group of yours?(Midnight Crew)
We started it in the Midnight Mission so I dunno, I like it
>What will you do with the Silvertongue?(Keep her restrained here)
She's our bargaining chip, not that I expect Dora to get cold feet but just in case...

>>5459965
Support

>>5459955
>You'll meet with the Spider Totems tomorrow. You need to get Webb's house back in some semblance of order first.
>You'll take Flint with you. There's nobody you'd want more backing you up in a scrap.
>You'll name this rag-tag group THE ORDER OF THE WEB. Seems fitting since the whole plan centered around Webb's house.
>Let Pandora take the Silvertongue into custody for the time being. She can earn some trust back by keeping it under lock and key.
>"Alright! Who's helping me clean the place? I'm not scraping enchanted candle wax off the floor by myself!"

>>5459955
>When will you be leaving for this meeting?
ASAP, no sense in waiting and giving anyone else time to move on us.
>Who will you be taking with you to this meeting?
Marc and Matt since they know Cindy. Madame Webb in spirit, she has issues looking at them directly until she’s met them if I remember right. We’ll be the bridge. Ask Webb and Nico if Nico wants to join since she’s associated with Madame Webb.
Everyone else can stay here to keep things locked down. Except maybe Pandora, I’m okay with her coming along but don’t have strong feelings either way.
>What will you name this little group of yours?
Order of the Cat. Really be an asshole to anyone trying to investigate us.
>What will you do with the Silvertongue?
Here. It’s currently a fortress, and the Silvertongue may try to escape now that it realizes its position is threatened. It’s not particularly smart, but its impulsiveness is the reason we’re in this mess.

>>5459965
>>5460005
>>5459969
>>5459971
>>5460027
>>5460068
So far we've decided on:
>When will you be leaving for this meeting?(ASAP)
>What will you do with the Silvertongue?(Keep her restrained here)

The only votes we have that could use tiebreakers are:
>Who will you be taking with you to this meeting?(Go alone//Marc//Matt//Madame Webb//Pandora)
>What will you name this little group of yours?(You'll think of one later//The Order of the Web)

Although, the naming options isn't as important, and can just be set aside for later. I mostly wanted to know who you'll be bringing so I can include them in the next update.

>>5461026
Alone and order of the web

>>5461026
>>5461033
>Alone and order of the web

Gotcha. Writing...

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“I think it would be best to meet them right away too.” you decided. “And I’ll be going alone on this one.”

Nico and Rintrah looked at you with bewildered expressions, but the other two seemed to have an understanding of the importance of scoping things out on your own.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nico asked. “What if it’s a trap?”

You waved her off. “I’ve got a sixth sense for that sort of thing. If something smells fishy, I’ll leave right away and let you guys know.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for a portal if you find yourself in a pinch.” Rintrah advised.

You nodded at the Green Giant, before turning to Pandora. “Are you cool with letting us keep the Silvertongue here? This mansion’s pretty much a fortress already, and I think most people would be hard pressed to get past our defenses.”

Pandora’s eyes traveled between and the Silvertongue, who was gazing up at the tattooed mage hopefully. But the only thing that the Director of WAND had to offer her was a look of pure and absolute disgust. Then, she panned her gaze across the room, looking at everyone else in turn.

Finally, the woman nodded. “Sure. So long as you don’t mind me popping in to check in on her every now and again.”

The Silvertongue’s expression was one of absolute despair, and for a brief moment, you thought you caught a glimpse of something shiny and reflective in her mouth.

“Just be sure to get back to me if there are any new developments.” she said, before pulling out a silver bell from what seemed like thin air. “Ring this exactly three times if you want to get my attention. Oh, and…”

Pandora pulled out her wand once more, and you could see Nico’s shoulders visibly tense up. But instead of pointing it at any of you, she swept it around the room. Suddenly, the melted candle wax on the floor became liquefied and gathered into one spherical focal point above the wand.

Another flick of the wrist, and dark fabric was conjured up and rolling down from the walls. They looked like banners with rune inscribed symbols sewn into them.

A few more swishes and flicks, and the marking used for the ritual circles were being reworked, redrawn, and expanded in their complexity. Rintrah was looking on with open mouthed astonishment. The feat of magic was undoubtedly impressive, but the casualness with which she demonstrated it somehow made it seem that much more amazing.

You once again felt the burning desire to learn any sort of magic that could give you an edge over the competition. Maybe when you weren’t up to your neck in superhuman schemes, you could actually sit down and try and learn something. You’d need to find a teacher before then, though.

(Cont.)

File: Spoiler Image (306 KB, 1316x1920)

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“There. That should hold her for a while.” she said, stowing her wand away in its holster. “Be sure to check on your wards and refresh them every now and again. She might not be terribly smart, but she’s slippery when she needs to be. Must be a survival instinct.”

On that note, you turned to your new prisoner, stepped inside of the ritual circle, grabbed a lock of her hair and yanked it out violently. She let out a squeak and flinched slightly, and you took great delight in watching her try to inch away from you while the chains were keeping her held firmly in place.

“Just needed a DNA sample. Be back soon.”

—------

Seeing as how you were in a hurry, you weren’t able to call a meeting to discuss the specifics of your plan. So you gave them a very vague explanation of the situation, and left them with the same reassurances that you gave to Nico and Rintrah.

That also meant that you didn’t have any time to float your suggestion for a team name. “The Order of the Web” sounded fitting for a group that congregated around Madame Web’s mansion. You’ll be sure to bring it up when you get back. Everyone’s bound to love it!

At this very moment, however, you were swinging through the city, rushing to make it to the meetup point detailed in the spider web. You just had to hope that they were still there waiting for you. Without an ambush prepared, that is.

—-----

Once you arrived, you took a position on a nearby rooftop that offered a decent amount of cover. This way, if someone opened fire on you, then at least you wouldn’t be a sitting duck. After all, it was nearly impossible for you to be caught off-guard by most opponents.

But…what would it be like to fight someone that was as fast or strang as you? What if you were on the weaker end of the spectrum for a spider-themed vigilante? What if they were more experienced than you, or a straight up better fighter? You don’t think your ego would be able to take a blow like that tonight.

Your thoughts raced back and forth like this for almost half an hour, and they only got more invasive with each and every passing second. You were growing increasingly certain that this was either a trap or a trick, when you spotted something in the corner of your eye.

It was a tiny spider, just standing there on a nearby vent, staring at you purposefully with all eight of its eyes. You stared back, not having anything better to focus on at the moment. The little bug raised a leg, and you tilted your head to the side. The leg twitched slightly, but otherwise remained suspended in that very same position. You followed the direction in which its leg was outstretched, and what you saw nearly caused your heart to catch in your throat.

(Cont.)

File: Spoiler Image (25 KB, 471x530)

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A slender female figure in a white bodysuit, with patches of red fabric running down her chest and between her thighs was clinging to the side of a nearby building, watching you carefully. She wore black gloves and boots, and had a thin membrane of webbing lining the pits of her suit. But the most shocking features of the ensemble were the large, white lenses of her mask, and the high collar that hid her mouth from view.

You met eyes, neither of you willing to budge an inch. Despite the fact that this person was one of the ones that called you here, you got the distinct impression that they didn’t trust you. You took a strange comfort in knowing that the feeling was mutual.

Before either of you could do or say anything, you heard a strikingly familiar voice approaching you.

“You came alone. Good.” said a man wearing a dark blue and black hoodie, black sweatpants, and a mask that was almost identical to yours.

He was also similar to you in height and build. Your newfound spider-themed insecurities seemed to be almost entirely unfounded.

“That makes this easier.” he continued. “Got the sample we asked for?”

You carefully pulled out a ziplock with a tuft of hair lying at the bottom of the bag and waved it in front of him.

“Got it right here.” you said, trying to keep both him and his companion within line of sight. “How exactly do you plan to make use of this?”

The others remained silent for a long while, before the man in the hoodie reached up and yanked off his mask. The sudden movement and decision would’ve been shocking if it weren’t for the sheer amount of confusion that struck you upon gazing at the man’s face. It was your own.

He flashed you a smug grin. The very same one that you sported when you made a rather disarming comment to someone else.

“How much do you know about the cloning process?” he asked. Or…you asked?

You opened your mouth, and closed it again when you realized how dry it had become.

Your doppelganger looked to the other person expectantly, but she didn’t budge in the slightest. She still seemed to be glaring at you.

“Oh, come on. You promised that you’d do it too.” the other you complained.

“No, I didn’t.” she mumbled.

The other “you” gave the current “you” an apologetic nod. “Sorry about that. It’s nothing personal. She doesn’t trust a lot of people other than me. And even that’s not an entirely constant thing.” he said casually.

You had so many questions. Which will you ask?

>”How’d this happen!? How long have you been…well, you?”
>”You’ll excuse me if I’m not entirely accommodating, but I’ve had bad experiences with guys that use other people’s faces.”
>”How long have you been watching me?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”Do you...have a name?"
>Write-in.

>>5461231
>”You’ll excuse me if I’m not entirely accommodating, but I’ve had bad experiences with guys that use other people’s faces.”
>”How long have you been watching me?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”Do you...have a name?"

>>5461231
>>”How’d this happen!? How long have you been…well, you?”
>”Do you...have a name?"

>>5461231
>”You’ll excuse me if I’m not entirely accommodating, but I’ve had bad experiences with guys that use other people’s faces.”
>"And voices too. Identity theft seems to follow me around."
>”How long have you been watching me?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”Do you...have a name?"

>>5461284
The fuck and also support

>>5461251
>support

>so is she a version of me as well or is it just you?
>I've always wanted to know what I would look like as a girl.

>>5461231
>"I mean, I watched a Discovery Channel special about Dolly the Sheep once?"
>"Beyond that, I also happen to know there’s more than one way to fake being someone else. But assuming I believe your clone story…"
>”How’d this happen!? How long have you been…well, you?”
>”How long have you been watching me?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”…Do you have a name?"

>>5461284
+1

>>5461231
>>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>>”Do you...have a name?"

>>5461231
>How’d this happen!? How long have you been…well, you?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”Do you...have a name?"

>>5461251
>>5461274
>>5461284
>>5461290
>>5461341
>>5461406
>>5461410
>>5461799
>>5461860
>”You’ll excuse me if I’m not entirely accommodating, but I’ve had bad experiences with guys that use other people’s faces.”
>"And voices too. Identity theft seems to follow me around."
>”How long have you been watching me?”
>”Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?”
>”Do you...have a name?"

Taking these. Writing...

File: 8b4e4e5accda351c2d30b7d62(...).jpg (176 KB, 1080x1080)

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You frowned at him and stashed the baggie back into your belt pocket.

“You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not entirely accommodating, but I’ve had some bad experiences with guys that use other people’s faces.” you said, paying close attention to your spider sense. “And voices too. Identity theft seems to be a recurring theme in my life.”

The other you nodded his understanding, seemingly having expected this reaction. “Right. You think I’m Chameleon. I guess that makes sense.”

“Funny. I didn’t mention anything about the Chameleon.” you replied in a cold tone.

The other you just smiled knowingly. “But you’re thinking it. Don’t forget, I know you better than anyone else.”

“Oh, yeah? Prove it.”

The doppelganger took a step closer, and it was everything you could do to prevent yourself from instinctually backing away. You felt for your spider sense, searching for any trace of thinly veiled malice…but could find nothing. And when the man got close enough to whisper to you directly, he stopped and cupped a hand near your ear.

He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, and then risked a cautious glance back at the woman. She was gazing at both of you intently. The man leaned back, returned to his earlier position, and pulled out his phone.

Shortly afterwards, your private phone buzzed to alert you to a new message. You glanced between your phone screen to the strange man before you with a puzzled expression. It was a text that contained a slightly abbreviated account of the time that you and Cheryl Lewis snuck into a junkyard in the 10th grade, brought out a few beers and…oh…

You’ve…never told anyone about that. Not Vic, or Rich or even Flint.

You gave the grinning man a bewildered look. There was no way that he could know that. Unless he was a telepath, or a time traveler, or…you.

“Okay,” you decided. “Assuming that you’re telling the truth, how long have you been watching me?”

The man scratched his head and puffed out his cheeks. “I don’t know. Maybe…a couple of months?”

“MONTHS!?”

“Yeah. I saw you rob that bank, Benny boy. It was all over the news. The Daily Bugle couldn’t stop talking about you!”

You made a face. “You read that rag?”

The man shrugged. “Eh. Guilty pleasure. It’s funny sometimes.”

“Are there more of you, or are you two the only other ones?” you asked.

“No idea. As far as we know, we’re the only other ones in the city. If there are any others, then they’re laying real low.”

You nodded and awkwardly swung your arms back and forth for a moment, just to give yourself something to do while these two stared at you in anticipation. “Do you…have a name?”

(Cont.)

File: Spoiler Image (494 KB, 540x720)

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The man flashed you a small, but genuine smile. “I’ve been calling myself ‘Abel’ these days. It’s good to meet you. Or…me.” he said, gesturing to himself and to you in succession.

“Huh. Don’t run into a whole lot of Abel’s these days.”

“Nope. It’s not popular, so I just have people call me Abe.” he replied, pacing back and forth in a short line.

“People like who?”

“People like the guys and gals at ESU.” he said. “I’ve been going there for the past few months.”

“What for?” you asked.

Abel opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by a single, clear word from the Spider-Woman.

“Trouble.”

Abel quickly pulled his mask back on and joined you in looking around frantically. You couldn’t see or sense anything.

“That’s ‘W’. Her senses are crazy good. All six of them.” the other man briefly explained. “If she’s just picked it up, then that means we’ve still got some time.”

“No.” W said quickly. “Fast. Faster than before.”

Abel turned sharply to look at her.

“Wait, you mean-”

“Clankers.” W hissed.

Abel cursed and turned in the direction that W was facing. “Well, I guess you’re gonna learn about one of the reasons that I was laying low.”

And before you could ask, you saw a pale, rubbery tentacle slinking over the edge of the rooftop. Several more followed after, and they pulled up an oval shaped robot with a spherical head. In the middle of it, you thought you saw a camera of some sort.

“The hell is that?” you asked.

W jumped down next to you, her distrust from earlier clearly forgotten. “Bad.”

“Why don’t we just leave? These things can’t possibly keep up with us.” you offered.

Abel just shook his head. “Can’t risk leading them back to the school. And we’ve been away long enough.”

At this point, there were a handful of robots climbing up to surround you on all sides. They were all identical, and equally unnerving in the way their tentacles wriggled and squirmed.

“Great. I guess we’re really doing this.” you sighed.

One of them moved, and they were far faster than you would’ve liked. It scrabbled along the concrete, its tentacles slapping against the ground to push it further along. You were about to fire a web at it, but quickly found that that course of action was unnecessary.

A spear was now sticking out of the charging robot’s chest. Wires, fluid and gadgetry spilled out like intestines and you could see sparks flying out from where the spear had entered. The robot twitched, sputtered, and eventually slipped off the roof.

At the same time, every robot head swiveled to trace the trajectory of the thrown projectile. You all did the same. And for the second time tonight, you couldn’t believe your eyes.

(Cont.)

File: Spoiler Image (184 KB, 799x1228)

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Anastasia Kravinoff was standing on a nearby rooftop, next to a strangely dressed man who was very hairy, very shirtless and very muscular. His fashion sense was exotic to say the least, and you were certain that you’ve never seen the guy before. You would’ve remembered someone with an animal pelt draped over their back.

Usually, the sight of Ana would’ve filled you with excitement, but you were having extremely mixed feelings about this whole thing. Why was she with this guy? Why were they even here?


In those brief moments that felt like an eternity, her eyes found yours, and she gasped visibly. You could see the shock on her face clear as day, and the man beside her raised an eyebrow in concern.

But when the robots started moving again, so did time. Her face hardened, and you were forced to peel your eyes away from her. You couldn’t afford to get distracted.

“Took you long enough.” Abel said, sounding relieved at the sight of the other two jumping down to join your defensive circle.

“Trouble.” muttered W.

“No kidding.” Abel quipped.

“No. Trouble at home.” she amended.

“We’ll deal with that later. For right now, try to stay alive.”

What will you say/do?

>Use up the rest of your Web Bombs to tie up their legs.
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.
>Attach the pommel of your Vibranium Knife to a webline and fling it at your enemies.
>Get them to cluster up and fire your Resonance Amplifier at them.
>Bait them into chasing you and activate your Slip Component.
>”How do you all know each other?”
>”Hey Ana, are you in some sort of trouble? Why didn’t you tell me?”
>(Glance at the hairy man.)”Let me guess. Bitten by a radioactive tarantula?”
>"Love the furs! What do I have to shoot to get something like that?"
>”What are these things, and why are they after you?”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5461930
>”How do you all know each other?”
>”What are these things, and why are they after you?”

>>5461930
Aw fuck. Did Ana get us cloned so she could hunt us and not feel bad about it?

>>5462023
we did willingly provide her with genetic material

>>5461930
>”Hey Ana, are you in some sort of trouble? Why didn’t you tell me?”
>”How do you all know each other?”
>"Are you hunting in New York again?" point at the other two. "I thought you'd at least call me."
>"You must me Mr. Kravinoff. Ana and I only hunted Vampires and Pirates together, I didn't think we'd be at the meet the parents phase yet."
>Go to shake his hand. If he takes it, firm handshake.
If it's a hunt he wants we don't give it to him.
>"You know what I hunted today? Ancient supernatural being in collusion with a secret magical criminal organization. I even got the thing properly magically trapped in a basement somewhere where we're going to extract it's poison. Fun stuff like that."
>"Thing is... those guys would have helped me with that whole ordeal, so I'd kindly ask you to back off?"
>"If you're up for it I know of an organization with a menagerie of certifiable bad metahumans, right here in New York. All snake themed, if that sweetens the deal."

Kaine and Abel. Kino

>>5461930
>"Ana, please tell me that this guy isn't related to you and that we won't have to fight so I can protect Cindy."

>>5462100
Nevermind, I thought that that they were with the robots instead of fighting them
Changing to.
>”How do you all know each other?”
>”What are these things, and why are they after you?”
>"Love the furs! What do I have to shoot to get something like that?"

>>5461930
>Use up the rest of your Web Bombs to tie up their legs.
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.
Fight now, talk later.

>>5461930
>"Ana! Long time no see!"
>(To the man wearing the furs) "Name's Huntsman by the way. You can introduce yourself after we deal with these things."
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others

>>5462161
+1
To much fuckery going around. I just hope papa Kraven doesn't have his head inside his ass about hunting spider-people, because we're going to leave this fucker quadraplegic even if Ana it's going to be pissed

>>5462176
Would Ana even be mad even we somehow managed to beat her father? Honest to God that just sounds like everything she wants in a man.

Talking is all well and good, but I'll need some more actions for the next update.

>>5462062
Thanks. I personally thought that it was a bit clever.

>>5462184
I think it'd really depend on the context surrounding the situation, but it would be pretty damn manly to show him up

>>5462196
>>5462161
>>5462168
>>5462176
So far, this vote seems to be winning:

>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.

>>5462201
I see as many "don't fight" votes than fight votes

>>5462206
That's why I'm trying to get voters to make a distinction between staying out of the fight and joining it. Maybe I should've added an option for it.

>>5462196
>but it would be pretty damn manly to show him up
Ok guys, you read it from the man himself

We gotta suplex that son of a bitch

>>5462207
I didn't see the other votes, but those few I stopped and see they we're more votes about talking to others. Right know we're all under attack, so I don't see how there's more "votes to not fight"

From how I see it we gotta defend ourselves from all this robots attacking us. Unless there was a vote option of taking distance of the rooftop, for me it's just taking the funny lines while fighting normally instead of using the webbombs or snatching the robots and throw them

>>5461930
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.

>>5462161
+1

>>5462118
I'll add this to since it needs a fight vote
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.
My ID will be diffrrent by the way.

>>5462221
>for me it's just taking the funny lines while fighting normally
And I thought the same thing

>>5462221
Yeah I was under the impression we'd just be slipping in a few quick lines before shit hits the fan, not having a whole conversation while being surrounded.

>>5461945
>>5462027
>>5462118
>>5462161
>>5462161
>>5462168
>>5462176
>>5462223
>>5462228
>>5462232
>”How do you all know each other?”
>”What are these things, and why are they after you?”
>Use up the rest of your Web Bombs to tie up their legs.
>Snag a robot and swing it around to hit the others.

Taking these for now. Gonne be away from the house for most of the day. Roll me 1d100+15, bo3! I'll update again as soon as I'm able.

Rolled 69 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>5462294

Rolled 56 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>5462294
Rollan

>>5462296
>First roll is a 69
Ben this is no time for that, jeez

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>5462294
Probably not topping 69 as a roll, but we still need three.

>>5462296
>>5462310
>>5462313
Passed out after I got home. Apologies for the delay. Taking these. Writing...

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>84

“So…how do you all know each other?” you asked.

“It’s a long story.” Abel answered distractedly. “But to make a long story short, the Kravinoff family is now indebted to the Chameleon, and the slippery bastard’s been working alongside the guy that cloned me and W.”

“Speak no more of this, spider.” the large man said in a demanding voice. He wasn’t fuming, but there was definitely an air of menace about him.

You reached into your belt pouches, pulled out every Web Bomb that you had on hand and tossed them out in every which direction. A series of rapid explosions behind and around you alerted you to the fact that your webs were now tangling up the robots’ tentacle-like limbs.

But you couldn’t stop to look around. Instead, you snagged the nearest robot with a webline, yanked it towards you with all your might and swung it over your head several times like a flail. Its wriggling tentacles were trailing directly behind it, pressed firmly against its body like a kid in a rapidly spinning carnival ride.

Once you felt like you’d achieved a decent amount of inertia with your spin, you began taking wider and wider swings until the robot collided with its nearest counterpart. The sound of scraping and crunching metal filled your ears as you flung the weaponized robot like a ragdoll. With each and every collision, bits and pieces flew off of it, until you were almost entirely certain that it was impossible to salvage the thing for anything remotely useful.

After you discarded the thing, you decided to take a look around. The Kravinoffs were dominating the field, using their superhuman physiques to perform seemingly impossible feats of strength, agility and coordination. Their movements were simultaneously elegant and savage; calculating and instinctive. Even you could tell that these two were used to fighting with their backs against the wall. They almost resemble pit fighters.

Abel, on the other hand, reminded you of how you fought before you’d received training from Callisto. It was strange seeing evidence of how much you’d progressed over the last few months, but the results were clear in the way that your clone moved. He wasn’t slower or physically weaker, but the way that he reacted to being accosted on all sides quickly told you that he wasn’t terribly used to the experience of fighting with very little breathing room.

But compared to W, he seemed to be moving in slow motion. The girl was FAST!

She reacted to attacks almost instantly, and seemed to have a much better sense for combat in general. You could tell that she was untrained, but her latent talent and potential was undeniable.

“What are these things, and why are they after you?” you asked, narrowly avoiding a cluster of tentacles that had been reaching towards you from one of your perceived blind spots.

(Cont.)

File: Kraven_the_Hunter_Portrait_Art.jpg (168 KB, 1024x1016)

168 KB JPG

“Not entirely sure, but they only seem to come for us when there’s more than one spider-themed meta in the same place.” Abel said. “Having all three of us in one place must’ve set them off somehow.”

You shoved your arm deep into a robot’s chest cavity and used an explosive mark to blast it apart. “How the hell are they tracking us?”

“Signal.” W said simply.

“What?”

Abel tore a robot’s head clean off and used it as a bludgeoning tool to smash another one to pieces. “The doc’s leading theory is that our spider sense resonates with a specific frequency or signal. The robots might be picking up on that signal and using it to track us.”

“We are experimenting with signal blockers for this very purpose.” Ana added, speaking for the first time since you met her tonight. “But everything we try seems to interfere with this ‘spider-sense’ of yours.”

So it messes with your spider sense, but it prevents these things from following you home? That’s a hell of a trade-off.

“Do all Americans converse this frequently during a hunt?” the older Kravinoff asked Ana.

“Perhaps it runs in the family, father.” she teased.

—------

The rest of the fight went relatively quickly, since the last few robots made a full retreat once it was clear that they had no chance of winning. You fired a spider tracer at one of their backs in the hopes of finding out where they come from, and prayed that it wouldn’t leave your range before coming to a full stop.

The five of you now stood silently amidst a field of robot corpses, exchanging looks and waiting for someone else to make the first move. The man standing next to Ana was apparently her father. The same father that sent her on a mission to scope out a “potential threat”

You were guessing that that threat had been the Chameleon all along. But why did “potential threat” suddenly transform into “close friend of the family”. Had Ana lied to you, or was she simply unaware of the situation as a whole. Perhaps her father didn’t trust her to handle things by herself, and put her on standby until he could arrive.

“Awful lot of nervous energy floating around here.” Abe finally said.

Ana’s father turned to face your clone. “The two of you will be returning with us.” he demanded. “Your creator will likely have words for you when you arrive.”

What will you say/do?

>”I’m coming with you. These ‘signal blockers’ of yours are still working, right?”
>”Does anyone want to tell me why you guys are palling around with a dangerous and untrustworthy Russian spy?”
>They don't have to go anywhere they don't want to."
>”Wouldn’t it be smarter for all the spider people here to split up for the time being?”
>Introduce yourself to Ana’s father.(Write-in.)
>Pull someone aside to speak with them privately.(Ana/Abel/W/Kraven)
>Write-in.

>>5463008
>>5463008
Take Kraven aside and ask him for permission to court his daughter

>>5463008
>”I’m coming with you. These ‘signal blockers’ of yours are still working, right?”
>”Does anyone want to tell me why you guys are palling around with a dangerous and untrustworthy Russian spy?”
>Pull someone aside to speak with them privately.(Abel) And ask him about his and W creator to know about their relationship, because is weird that for starters the guy cloned you.

>>5463069
+1

>>5463069
+1
>"I also want a fuller picture. Why would I be cloned, and why would clones of me with my memories, and I'd guess partially my personality stay with their clonmaster?"

>>5463069
+1

>>5463069
WAIT, I wanna add

>Look for some pieces of the robot, maybe there's a corporate marking in them or some clue. and make 100% sure that there's no tracker on them.

>>5463069
>>5463071
>>5463075
>>5463079
>”I’m coming with you. These ‘signal blockers’ of yours are still working, right?”
>”Does anyone want to tell me why you guys are palling around with a dangerous and untrustworthy Russian spy?”
>Pull someone aside to speak with them privately.(Abel) And ask him about his and W creator to know about their relationship, because is weird that for starters the guy cloned you.

Taking these. Writing...

>>5463087
They've studied these robots before. You can ask more about them when you get to where you're going.

File: Anastasia_Kravinoff_ 28Ea(...).jpg (179 KB, 487x760)

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You stepped forward and puffed your chest out a bit for this next part. “I’m coming with you. Those signal blockers of yours are still working, right?”

Ana’s dad grimaced and started to move towards you, but Ana gripped his bicep and forced him to a halt. The two shared a look, and the intense man backed off.

“Yes, they are still working.” Ana said, taking her eyes off of her father and letting them land on you. There was so much that you wanted to tell her; so much you wanted to ask. But now probably wasn’t the right time for any of it.

“Now, does anyone want to tell me why you guys are palling around with a dangerous and untrustworthy spy?” you asked.

Ana began to speak, but her father cut her off with a raised hand. “Anastasia, why do you feel the need to reveal family secrets to outsiders?”

Ana gave him a severe look. “If he comes with us, then he is going to find out anyway.” she said in a slightly hushed tone.

“We do not need to bring him with us.” countered Papa Kravinoff.

“The scientist will want to meet him. This is an opportunity for both of them.”

The large man grumbled something indecipherable, but didn’t interrupt any further.

“Several months ago, the Chameleon discovered the existence of a brilliant scientist that had progressed greatly in the research of cloning technology.” Ana began. “Not long after that, he informed my father of his location and gave him an offer that he could not refuse.”

Ana glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye, but he made no move to stop her.

“The revival of my grandfather, Nikolai Kravinoff, via the cloning process.”

So Ana’s dad sent her on a mission to hunt down and observe the Chameleon, but once he found the scientist and made his offer, the Kravinoffs’ mission changed entirely. Now, they’re probably protecting the slimy worm.

The implications of this new development weren’t lost on you, however. The Chameleon already knew your identity, and if the scientist used your DNA to create Abe, then he and the Kravinoffs probably have a good idea of what you look like already.

This whole secret identity thing was beginning to get out of control. You couldn’t trust the Chameleon or this mysterious scientist to not take advantage of their newfound knowledge. But you couldn’t exactly ask the family of hunters to step off and let you take care of them. This was obviously a family matter, and they would both want to see it through to the end.

“And who exactly is this mysterious scientist?” you said.

“Miles Warren.”

You turned to see Abe standing right next to you with his arms folded over his chest.

“Gwen’s old chemistry teacher!?” you blurted out, without entirely meaning to.

Abe nodded. “He’s a bit of a sick puppy, but I still think he should be able to help you with your dilemma.”

(Cont.)

File: eff.jpg (110 KB, 1200x1132)

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This guy wants you to hand over the DNA of a dangerous magical creature to a weirdo like Miles Warren? Who knows what he might do with it?

But then again…this was probably your only other option. You couldn’t afford to disregard the idea entirely.

You shook your head to clear it, and grabbed Abel by the arm. W reacted immediately and almost made to pounce on you for laying a hand on him, but your clone called her off with a raised hand.

“Let’s talk somewhere more private.” you said.

“Fine by me.” Abel casually replied. This guy just didn’t register on your spider sense. You could feel him the same way that you could feel a nearby wall or statue. Was it because he shared so much of your DNA and thought patterns?

You’d have to talk to Madame Webb about that later. For now, you needed answers.

—-----

Ana’s dad didn’t look like he was entirely comfortable with you dragging Abel away either, but Ana managed to keep a leash on both him and W. You were grateful for that. She still seemed to be on your side, you thought.

“So…Miles Warren.” you began.

Abel nodded. ”Yup.”

“Why the hell are you two staying with him? I get that you’re being chased around by killer robots, but you don’t need that nutjob to protect you.” you argued.

Abe’s eyes narrowed and he took a step towards you. “You don’t think I would’ve left if I could have!? Me and W are stuck with him for now.” he exclaimed, and you could actually feel his rage hit you like a physical force.

You took an involuntary step back, and Abel seemed to notice this. He took a few moments to calm himself down and shook his head. “Sorry. Lost my cool for a second there.”

“The hell was that…?”

“Side effect of the spider DNA that my DNA was spliced with. I can sense people’s emotions and project my own. Had a lot of trouble controlling it when I first woke up.” he explained, sounding genuinely apologetic. “I know it sounds kinda lame, but it really does come in handy sometimes. Lets me read people and influence their emotions to a certain degree.”

“So Warren has the other spiders!?”

“The one he used on me died during the experiment, but I think he still has one or two lying around.” Abel said. “I think he and the Chameleon found out about the Oscorp project and stole their own.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why you’re staying with them, and why you haven’t put the Chameleon’s head into a vice.”

Abel sighed deeply. “The cloning process is still flawed. Me and W need regular treatments in order to avoid cellular degradation. He showed us a slideshow on it. Wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“So he’s holding you hostage?”

“Pretty much.” Abel answered. “Until we can be sure that we don’t need him anymore. Me and W are stuck.”

(Cont.)

What will you say?

>”That still doesn’t explain why you’ve never tried to contact me or my friends until now.”
>”I’ll figure something out to get you guys out of this. I promise.”
>”What else did that spider give you?”
>”What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?”
>”Do the Kravnoffs know who we are too?”
>”What have you been up to this whole time? If you’ve got my DNA, then I doubt you’re a big fan of sitting still.”
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>'Why does W have a proper costume, but you don't?"
>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”
>”From what you’ve seen, do you think it’d be a good idea to try and get bitten by a different spider?”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5463137
>”What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?”
>”What have you been up to this whole time? If you’ve got my DNA, then I doubt you’re a big fan of sitting still.”
>”Do the Kravnoffs know who we are too?”
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”
>”From what you’ve seen, do you think it’d be a good idea to try and get bitten by a different spider?”

>Write-in: I might know some scaly and ugly guy that's reformed and is a really important scientist. Maybe his past research could help you with that whole DNA thing, I might just need some DNA of both of you and bring it to him

>>5463137
>”What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?”
>'Why does W have a proper costume, but you don't?"
>”Do the Kravnoffs know who we are too?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”
>”I’ll figure something out to get you guys out of this. I promise.”
Fuck, Warren knows our bullshit
>>5463142
You don't have to use vague referencing on Abe dude, he knows.

>>5463145
>You don't have to use vague referencing on Abe dude, he knows.
The Kravnoffs are basically meta-humans with all those rituals and shit that makes them fast and strong, surely they have a nice ear. If Kraven is somehow more aligned to Miles/Chamaleon to snitch on us and they surely have a enhanced ear, if they focus they will surely listen.

So, we either be vague right here right now, or we plant our feets, adress Kraven, and try to persuade him into crossing Chamaleon to capture him, know if he has something that he's making Miles work for Him, and then kill Chamaleon and now we have Miles in our control

>>5463137
I’ll spitball some questions for him. Let him say if I’m offtrack with them.
>”So you’re the control case I take it? Clone someone who already has spider powers, then see if they get the same abilities? I don’t have emotion powers, but I do have built-in explosives.”
>”Was W a clone of someone else, or did they get ‘creative’ with one of us to see how much things would change?”
>”How did you know about the thing you texted? A clone doesn’t get memories unless some hoodoo voodoo bullshit is involved.
>”I’ll figure something out to get you guys out of this. I promise.”
>”There’s someone else going through a similar issue, but they’re with SHIELD. If you’re willing to trade one overlord for another, I can explain your situation to them. The people I know haven’t complained about them much, so they’re probably better.”
>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>”Why would Chameleon help him in the first place? Seems like he’s engineering his own competition.

>>5463137
>"So...Abel? Does that make me Cain? Was that Warren's idea?"
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”

>>5463147
It would kind of defeat the purpose of getting away from them if they could somehow hear us anyways, and knowing who Connors is doesn't somehow incriminate us or anything.

>>5463158
>and knowing who Connors is doesn't somehow incriminate us or anything.
You might be right, but the point that Connors is an alternative and the way so our clones arent held by Miles it's still dangerous for Chamaleon

My tought process in the matter is like this

Kraven hear our conversation > Tells Chamaleon that we might find a cure for the Clones > Chamaleon thread is that Miles wont resurrect Ana's Grandfather if we find the Clones cure > Kraven can't make Miles work for him because Chamaleon has him grab by the balls to a level that Kraven can't do shit > Kraven is sent to either kill us or Connors or Papa Nikolai won't be a special guest for this Christmas

>>5463167
But you are still saying that you might find a cure for the clones which doesn't change your hypothetical scenario whether you namedrop Connors or not. You are paranoid about the wrong things.

>>5463169
>You are paranoid about the wrong things.
The part where you call me paranoid is on point, but honestly I can't think on what exactly we should be paranoid (Aside from Chamaleon surely knowing about all of our family, maybe Miles and by extention any other villian that the bastard of Chamaleon told them or will tell in the future.)

>>5463173
>I can't think on what exactly we should be paranoid
Me neither but there probably is something, we'll just figure it out once it comes to bite our ass.

>>5463137
>”So you’re the control case I take it? Clone someone who already has spider powers, then see if they get the same abilities? I don’t have emotion powers, but I do have built-in explosives.”
>”How did you know about the thing you texted? A clone doesn’t get memories unless some hoodoo voodoo bullshit is involved."
>”Was W a clone of someone else, or did they get ‘creative’ with one of us to see how much things would change? And what memories did she get?”
>'Why does W have a proper costume, but you don't?"
>”What have you (and W if she's confirmed our clone) been up to this whole time? If you’ve got my DNA, then I doubt you’re a big fan of sitting still.”
>”Do the Kravnoffs know who we are too?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”
>"So...Abel? Does that make me Cain? Was that Warren's idea?"
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>”Why would Chameleon help him in the first place? Seems like he’s engineering his own competition."
>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
From cloning cases, to W, to Kravinoff identity knowledge, to Ana, to the C&A nicknames we got, to Warren, to Chameleon. Bit long-winded, and a rooftop with the two Kravinoffs and the potential girl-clone right there waiting for us is not the best time or place for a willing infodump - but damnit, we need answers! My personal view is we clutch the fuck out of Dr. Connors and not slip him to ANYBODY. We blurted out Gwen's name, so they already know we know Gwen Stacy is connected to Miles Warren. We did talk to Miles Warren last thread https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5412960/. Maybe when we meet Miles personally again with this new info, we can bring up how Gwen was also a victim? Play to his concern and humanity, maybe see where that goes in our favor?

>>5463173
>>5463174
>>5463155
>>5463157
What do you guys think? Are any of these questions too much, or not worth asking right now? We might not get a chance to do so later, and we're pressed for time in-story.

>>5463180
Yeah, I'm not sure we are not getting interrupted in the middle of the conversation, that's a lot of questions.
Also them knowing about us knowing about Gwen doesn't exactly matter? Chameleon knew, Warren knew, Ana and Kraven knowing is kind of the least of our concerns.
Also, I have the slightest feeling that W is Gwen's clone.

>>5463137
>”What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?”

>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?

>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”

>”Do the Kravnoffs know who we are too?”

>>5463137
>”What have you been up to this whole time? If you’ve got my DNA, then I doubt you’re a big fan of sitting still."
>”I’ll figure something out to get you guys out of this. I promise.”
>”What else did that spider give you?”
I now have a feeling W is a clone of Web

should we bring up that cloning imperfection with Kraven?
I don't think he'd be too keen on his daddy being then held hostage with stabilizers. so get him on our side when he realizes he's being baited and might be victim to a whole different kind of hunter...
I hate the situation.
chuck Warren to SHIELD,
arrest Chameleon,
have Pandora alter some minds, she owes us,
have Warren continue to make his stuff, potentially reverse engineering
no word of who it is that needs the stabilizers. I want to keep our personal clones a private matter

>>5463210
Ayo, I like this

>>5463210
I'd wager Kraven is inquisitive enough to have figured that out by now, or at least Ana should know given that she's the closest thing to a familiar face Abe's had for a while.
While the idea besting our problems yet again with the Maria Hill Hotline is tempting, it's not so much if it puts us at odds with the kravens

>>5463137
I’m willing to drop all the Chameleon questions I asked in my vote (>>5463155) per >>5463180, who points out we have too many.

>>5463180
Important thing to note about Gwen is that we never told anyone about her being with SHIELD, so we should keep quiet on that.

>>5463183
Now that you mention it, I agree about W being Gwen’s clone. She’s no the original G, but the next best thing in Miles’ eyes. If he’s really the creep we think he is, cloning is a “safe” way to “get” her.

>>5463210
I’d generally back this. We want buy-in from Miles and W, but if they agree to trust us then we can pull our strings. Besides, we’d need the cloning tech to clone the Silvertongue anyway, so we want to pull as much firepower into this as possible.

>>5463137
>What else did that spider give you?”
”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
>”From what you’ve seen, do you think it’d be a good idea to try and get bitten by a different spider?”

>>5463211
>>5463214
>>5463221
the flaw here is that I described a desirable(?) outcome, we still need to work to get there
I was phoneposting and didn't have the proper opportunity to read any other write-in so far

Ask him if he's a perfect clone, dick measuring contest.

>>5463243
Oh, agreed. Right now we’re just asking questions. But long-term, I’m in your camp of “this is government-level shit, put the government to work” and we’ll adapt to pull Kraven et. al. on our side as the opportunity arises.

I’m sure there’s going to be a conflict where Ana’s father would rather deal with Chameleon rather than have SHIELD holding the keys to Nikolai. Or maybe SHIELD wouldn’t bring him back.

In that event, I’ll still back SHIELD and tell Ana’s dad to step off. We’re doing something for our kid, while he’s trying to resurrect the past. Only one of us has the right mindset for how “leaving a legacy” works. We’ll need to work on Ana so we don’t have to fight her.

>>5463142
>>5463145
>>5463155
>>5463157
>>5463199
>>5463202
>>5463240
>>5463180
>”What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?”
>”Do the Kravinoffs know who we are too?”
>”Why would Miles clone us in the first place?”
>”I’m guessing the Chameleon got a hold of our DNA when we first bumped into him. Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”
>”I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”
>”From what you’ve seen, do you think it’d be a good idea to try and get bitten by a different spider?”

Taking these. It took me a little while to find the most common questions. Writing...

File: 5QN9y00VedrIBVDcFBw049sNG(...).jpg (125 KB, 1280x1722)

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“What’s W’s deal? Is she a clone of me too?” you said in a hushed tone.

Abe raised a finger to his lips, pulled out a cheap smartphone and shot you another text.

“She’s a prototype clone of Gwen Stacy. Warren wanted to see what would happen if he made one without any prior memories uploaded into their brain. No proper education either. She’s a blank slate.”

“Oh, man…”

“And do you want to know the most fucked up part? I don’t think Warren got what he wanted out of her. Without her memories, she’s basically an entirely different person. She’s not ‘his Gwen’.” Abe wrote. “But she can’t help but think of him like a dad. It’s another part of the reason I want to leave so bad. I need to get W away from him before he fucks her up any more than he already has.”

That was a lot to take in. Gwen was totally wrong about her favorite teacher. Warren’s a massive creep, and he tried to clone himself a girlfriend.

“Why would Miles even clone us in the first place?” you said aloud, so as not to arouse suspicion.

“I think it was more coincidental than anything.” Abe admitted. “From what I understand, the Chameleon had one of your hairs stuck to his jacket from when the two of you bumped into each other, and Warren decided to use it in an experiment. I wasn’t meant to be anything more than a guinea pig, but when I woke up and started crawling up walls, they’d put two and two together.”

You cursed under your breath. Of course. A genetic specialist would easily be able to find out that something wasn’t right with your DNA just by examining it for a few minutes.

“Are there any other clones running around somewhere?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But I do know that the doc has got a couple of ‘special projects’ lined up after he’s done messing around with Nikolai’s DNA.”

You nodded absently, struggling to wrap your head around the implications of this. If Warren could get his hands on another metahuman’s DNA, he could potentially create an army for himself. That’d be catastrophic for the city–-or maybe even the entire country!

You returned to typing out your questions just in case any of the others were listening in.

“Do the Kravinoffs know who we are?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they did. Everyone could see my face before I woke up, and it took me a while to make a decent mask.”

So at the very least, they’d probably know what you look like. You didn’t like this situation one bit. Then, an inappropriate thought crept into your mind, and you couldn’t resist sharing it with your clone brother immediately.

“I hope you haven’t made any moves on Ana while I wasn’t around to stop it.”

(Cont.)

File: spider-man-into-the-spide(...).gif (694 KB, 498x208)

694 KB GIF

Abe put away his phone and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah, that would’ve been too weird. She acknowledges the fact that I’m my own person, so she treats me differently.” he explained. “Plus, she’s probably the closest thing that I’ve had to a friend while I’ve been there, and I don’t want to ruin that.”

You nodded approvingly, before pausing to narrow your eyes at him. “But you still remember everything that she and I-”

“Yeah, I do.” Abe interrupted with an amused chuckle. “Every second of it. Sex feels amazing when you and your partner are on an emotional high, by the way. I’d say we really missed out on something by not taking part in the college experience.”

Great. Your clone is getting laid more often than you. That’d normally be flattering on any other night, but you couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“I’m detecting frustration with a hint of jealousy.” he casually mentioned.

That was going to get annoying real fast.

“And now it’s just anger.” he said, trying not to laugh. “I’m just messing with you. Try to relax.”

It was a widely known fact that telling someone to relax or calm down when they were angry only served to worsen their mood. But instead of fanning the flames, you could actually feel a calming sensation washing over you, quenching your indignant rage before it had a chance to really blossom into anything significant.

Was this that emotional influence thing that he was talking about?

“Right.” you muttered, shaking your head a bit to clear it.

“Got any other questions for me?” Abe asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Yeah. You know how Warren’s been experimenting with the mutant spiders?”

“Yeah…?” Abe answered apprehensively.

“Do you think it’d be a good idea to try and get bitten by a different spider?”

“What? You mean like, after the first time?”

You nodded.

Abe tilted his head from side to side in contemplation. “Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. My DNA’s too fucked up for me to even consider messing with it any more.” he said with a shrug. “As for you, I can’t really say. No one’s ever tried it, and the results could be pretty unpredictable. I’d take it up with an expert.”

You opened your mouth to inquire further on the matter, but the sound of rustling fabric from behind alerted you to the presence of another person. It was Ana’s dad, and he was sternly glaring at both of you.

“We are leaving. Too much time has been wasted already.”

“We’ll be right behind you.” Abe offered.

“No. You will be in the front. All three of you.” he said, glancing between the two of you and pointing a thumb back at W.

(Cont.)

You and Abe exchanged a look, but neither of you fought the man on the issue. It looked like you really were going to meet the man that cloned you without permission.

What was going through your mind at this very moment?

>You couldn’t let S.H.I.E.L.D. or W.A.N.D. know about any of this. They’d definitely try to take all of his research for themselves.
>If you wanted to get rid of the Chameleon, then you'd either have to take care of him discreetly, or find a way to turn Warren against him.
>You had to play this carefully. If anything went wrong, and Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.
>You had to find a way to discreetly contact Pandora again. Her memory wiping ability might come in handy.
>If you really did end up taking down Warren and the Chameleon, W would need a new home and a new guardian.
>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.
>At some point, you’d have to see about getting Ana’s dad to warm up to you.
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

So I said he was creep from the start. What would have happened if we ousted him back then?

>>5463999
>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.
>At some point, you’d have to see about getting Ana’s dad to warm up to you.

>>5464040
You didn't have any evidence back then. At least, nothing beyond a "bad feeling".

>>5464081
We could have pushed it though!

>>5464085
How would Ben have done that without using a meta-knowledge exploit? This is Maximum Spider Quest, not Maximum Deadpool Quest. He had no personal beef with Warren at the time, and he had no reason to feel that overprotective over Gwen. It would be a different thing if the guy was setting off Ben's spider-sense to an unusually high degree, but that wasn't the case.

Besides, it wouldn't have been that easy to uncover his plans just like that. Unless you just decided to pop him on the spot.

>>5464085
Although, I will say that investigating him back then might have at least revealed that Anastasia was watching over him. That could've thrown my plans off quite a bit.

>>5463999
>If you wanted to get rid of the Chameleon, then you'd either have to take care of him discreetly, or find a way to turn Warren against him.
>You had to play this carefully. If anything went wrong, and Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.
>You had to find a way to discreetly contact Pandora again. Her memory wiping ability might come in handy.

>>5463999
>>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.
Damn, keeping a secret identity is kinda hard with all this comic book shenanigans

>>5463999
>You had to play this carefully. If anything went wrong, and Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.
>You had to find a way to discreetly contact Pandora again. Her memory wiping ability might come in handy.
>If you really did end up taking down Warren and the Chameleon, W would need a new home and a new guardian.
>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.

>>5463999
>You had to find a way to discreetly contact Pandora again. Her memory wiping ability might come in handy.
>If you really did end up taking down Warren and the Chameleon, W would need a new home and a new guardian.
>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.
I have no problems with involving SHIELD and WAND, foisting the research on them doesn’t negatively impact us unless you’re considering the opportunity cost of selling it to the highest bidder. I’m not since this is wrapped up in a personal mission so we’re not doing this for money.

I’d rather not be W’s guardian, people aren’t Pokémon to collect. But it’s a fair thought.

And while I don’t want to go against Ana, I definitely give zero shits about upsetting her dad. I’ll still try and help him, but getting with her to smooth things over, whether we make a deal her dad doesn’t like or not, is more important to me.

>>5463999
>If you really did end up taking down Warren and the Chameleon, W would need a new home and a new guardian.

>You had to play this carefully. If anything went wrong, and Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.

>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.

>>5464043
>>5464109
>>5464189
>>5464197
>>5464204
>>5464313
>You had to play this carefully. If anything went wrong, and Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.
>You had to find a way to discreetly contact Pandora again. Her memory wiping ability might come in handy.
>If you really did end up taking down Warren and the Chameleon, W would need a new home and a new guardian.
>You really needed to get a word alone with Ana sometime soon. You had a lot of catching up to do.

Taking these. Apologies for the delay. I was wiped out form work, so I took a nap before updating. Writing now...

File: 469ef1e3130141f32172606a6(...).jpg (185 KB, 844x821)

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You were going to have to play this carefully. If anything went wrong and for some reason, Warren was unable to finish cloning Ana’s grandpa, the Kravinoffs would never forgive you.

You could deal with Ana’s dad hating you, but the woman herself held a special place in your heart. You really didn’t want to have to fight her if you somehow pissed her off enough to warrant a physical clash. Since you were supposed to be offering the Silvertongue’s DNA to him, you’d have to wait a while anyway. That would probably be enough time for the Kravinoff clone to be finished. After all that, your options will open up a bit more.

You should probably contact Pandora sometime soon. Her memory wiping ability should come in handy at some point. And since this entire thing is intrinsically linked to the Silvertongue, she shouldn’t have any issues intervening on your behalf. Plus, it’s comforting to know that she’s probably 10 times more powerful than whatever Warren and the Chameleon can throw at you.

And then there was the thing with W.

You glanced at the unfriendly clone several times during your trip to Warren’s secret lab. She’d need a new home after all this was over. You just didn’t think that you’d be able to provide her with what she needed.

You’ll have to put some thought into that over the next few days. Too much to deal with right now. Like how badly you needed a word alone with Ana. Both of you have been pretty busy with your own shit, and you couldn’t possibly imagine discussing your relationship status when there was all this heavy shit hanging over your head. What with the Silvertongue, the clones, and the potential security breach of having two people you hate learning your secret identity.

You’ll deal with it all in due time. But before anything else happens, you'll have to try and persuade Warren to clone your specimen.

—--------

As soon as you entered the campus for ESU, you learned firsthand what it felt like to have your spider-sense “blocked”. All at once, you were cut off from whatever it was that let you perceive your surroundings to an extrasensory degree. It made you feel raw and naked, like an infant out in the middle of a blizzard. It had been so long since you mutated into whatever you were now that you’d forgotten what it felt like to be one.

Abe seemed to understand exactly what it was that you were feeling, and gave you a reassuring pat on the back to help you along. W looked the most uncomfortable with the transition, but with her sensitivity, that made a lot of sense.

Once you were all certain that no one was around to see you at this time of night, the Kravinoffs took the lead in your formation. They led you all to an old research building that didn’t look like it got a whole lot of use these days. It was smaller than the others, and a bit out of the way.

(Cont.)

File: 8047980-giant-size_amazin(...).jpg (695 KB, 1259x1920)

695 KB JPG

Upon entering, you couldn’t help but relate the narrow halls, checkered floors and outdated labs with your earliest impression of Midtown High. You couldn’t see how anyone could possibly set up a cloning facility here.

After a few minutes, both Kravinoffs turned into an empty classroom and walked towards the back of the room. There, leaning against the wall, was a bookcase that would best be described as an antique. But when Kraven walked up to it and pulled a series of books back, the entire thing sank down, and shifted to the right, revealing a set of stairs leading down to some basement level.

The older Kravinoff grunted and gestured for you and the others to head down first. You cast a wary glance at Ana, who gave you a reassuring nod. Her presence here was a comfort, at the very least. If shit hit the fan, you’d know that she wouldn’t go straight for the jugular.

Abe went down first, with you in the middle and W in the back. You were almost certain that W only did this so that she could get a better view of you, just in case you decided to do something untoward to your clone brother. Not having her spider-sense must be making her more nervous than usual.

You descended the dark, narrow stairway in silence, painfully aware of the flashing lights and bits of conversation growing ever so closer. The heavy smell of chemicals and oxidizing metal hit you halfway down, and you instinctively waved a hand in front of your face to waft them away from your nose.

Someone must have heard you coming down, because a voice rang out clear as day, waiting for you at the end of the stairs. It was a voice that you were not at all familiar with. It was hoarse and thick with a Russian accent.

“Sergei. Are you back already? I swear, those two are more trouble than they’re wor-”

He cut himself off upon seeing Abe, and the person tailing behind him. And for the first time, you got a good, long look at the one that you suspected was the “Chameleon.

He wore a smooth, gray mask with exposed eyeholes and a slender hole for his mouth. The thing was so tight that it made it appear as if his nose and ears were flattened. You had no idea how he could breathe with that thing on.

He was dressed in a slightly crumpled, navy three-piece suit with a red tie, a white shirt and black gloves.

His eyes narrowed, and then widened as he quickly reached for what you knew to be a sidearm.

You were about to do the same, but Sergei’s booming voice interrupted your focus during those few, crucial moments.

“Lower your weapon, Dmitri! This one is here to see the scientist.” he declared.

The Chameleon watched with clear mistrust as Sergei strode into the room. The others stayed by your side for various reasons.

“Are you out of your mind, Kraven!?” the Chameleon spat. “What were you thinking bringing him down here? And at this stage of the operation! He’ll ruin everything!”

(Cont.)

“He would have come looking even if we hadn’t brought him.” Ana spoke up. “Or do you think he would have just gone home after learning about the other two.”

The Chameleon sucked his teeth, but didn’t bother to lower his weapon.

What will you say/do?

>”Hey there, Dmitri. Been looking for you. It sure was nice of your friends to show me where you’ve been hiding.”
>”Go on. I dare you. Everyone here except you can move faster than you can pull that trigger.”
>”Relax. I’m only here to make a proposition to your business partner.”
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5465461
>>”Go on. I dare you. Everyone here except you can move faster than you can pull that trigger.”

>>5465461
>”Hey there, Dmitri. Been looking for you. It sure was nice of your friends to show me where you’ve been hiding.”
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”
>"Just be glad you are cloning Ana's grandfather, otherwise I would give you face a free makeover."

>>5465461
>”Relax. I’m only here to make a proposition to your business partner.”
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”
Would it be possible to get a portable Signal Blocker? I imagine there's gonna be more than a few foes who can turn off or completely bypass our Spider Senses in the future, so having a way to train in the absence of them would be essential.

>>5465461
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. But being the super spy that you are, you should know like I do that you need to work with your enemies some days.”
>”Relax. I’m only here to make a proposition to your business partner.”
Keep the pressure low. We’re not here to make waves. Yet.

>>5465470
Typhoid Mary already did that to us, so you don’t need to imagine it. It’d probably require some serious training effort if we wanted to be good without it since most of our real fights wouldn’t have that restriction. Might still be worth it in case someone can outright feed false signals to our spider sense, turning it into an actual detriment. I think Typhoid Mary just bypassed it by the end of the fight.

>>5465461
>”Relax. I’m only here to make a proposition to your business partner.”
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”

>"Hey there, Dimitri. Last we met, both of us did some things that you're going to regret. But right now playing nice is in my own best self-interest."
>"So I'd suggest you do so as well."

>>5465470
>>5465481
I'd like one for training too

>>5465461
>”Hey there, Dmitri. Been looking for you. It sure was nice of your friends to show me where you’ve been hiding.”
>”Go on. I dare you. Everyone here except you can move faster than you can pull that trigger.”
>"By the way, we're going to have a long and exhausting conversation sometime in the future, but for the moment, I need to see someone"
>Confidently stride into the room following Sergei, stop right on the side of Chamaleon and look at him dead in the eyes. When someone tell us to keep walking just pat his shoulder like nothing happened and follow Kraven.

>>5465467
>>5465469
>>5465470
>>5466028
>>5465473
>>5465852
>>5466087
>”Hey there, Dmitri. Been looking for you. It sure was nice of your friends to show me where you’ve been hiding.”
>”Don’t worry, Dmitri. We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”

Taking these. Writing...

>>5465470
>>5465481
>>5466028
I suppose you could ask Warren about it's design when you go to talk to him.

File: actor-miles-warren-jackal(...).jpg (91 KB, 426x600)

91 KB JPG

“Hey there, ‘Dmitri’. Been looking for you.” you said in an obviously overly friendly tone. “It sure was nice of your friends to show me where you’ve been hiding.”

“A horrible mistake on their part, I’m sure.” he said through gritted teeth. The Russian spy was clearly stressed out by this unexpected development. “One I aim to rectify in the near future.”

You stepped forward and to the side, making sure to remain far enough away that the Chameleon wouldn’t feel threatened enough to fire. Your suit was lightly armored, and could probably take a shot or two before your life was in any real danger. You were more worried about the clones and Miles Warren. If a firefight broke out, there was a decent chance that any one of them could get hit, and you don’t want their blood on your hands. Especially because you desperately need Warren’s help.

“Don’t worry, ‘Dmitri’.” you continued, putting extra emphasis on his name. “We’ll settle up one of these days. You can count on that.”

And on that ominous, but threatening note, you stepped past the Chameleon and didn’t so much as spare a glance back at him. You didn’t honestly think that he’d shoot. Not when there were this many people that might fold him in half for doing so.

Putting the encounter out of your mind for now, you tried focusing on your surroundings. Everywhere you looked, you saw cold, polished metal that cast back distorted reflections of its surroundings. The strange material made up the floor you walked on, the ceiling above, and the walls on either side of you. Various beakers, stacks of papers and strange tools covered the tables and lined the lab’s shelves. It was surprisingly messy, considering how spotless the floor itself was.

The hallways were more spacious than you’d expected for a secret underground lab, with each door either leading into an entirely different lab or a multipurpose storage closet.

Sergei said nothing the entire time, but you could practically see the tension on his rippling back muscles. The hunter was prepared and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice, and you weren’t willing to find out whether Ana would come to your rescue if you got into a fight with her father while at a disadvantage.

Finally, you were led into a large room where multiple capsule shaped pods lined the walls and lay diagonally against both walls. Some capsules were filled with fluids and were, as a result, too murky to see what was squirming around on the inside. Some were more clear, but you couldn’t recognize the facial features of the people that were being cloned as test subjects.

In the middle of the room, you saw the familiar face of Professor Miles Warren, dressed in a slightly stained lab coat, a gray dress shirt, dark blue dress pants and a red tie. His hair was somewhat disheveled from what you remembered, and his mustache was noticeably uncombed.

(Cont.)

You were able to observe all of this without him even noticing either of your presences. He was completely absorbed in his work, muttering something to himself like a man who was used to making complex equations with nothing but his own brain.

“You have a guest.” Sergei boldly proclaimed, knocking the base of his spear against the metal floor, and creating a resonating echo.

Miles looked up sharply and squinted at Sergei and you in turn. His eyes widened when he realized what it was that he was looking at.

“Oh! It’s you…!” he said, a smile creeping onto his face. “You magnificent specimen, you. I only wish I could have thanked you properly when we first met. I had no idea that you were-”

You put up a hand to stop him from blabbering on any further about your secret identity. The professor was in the middle of tentatively rising from his chair. You then reached for the sample that you procured from the Silvertongue.

How will you present this offer to Miles Warren?

>”I’ve got a bit of a challenge for you, doc. Ever tried to clone a magic creature before?”
>”I’ll pay you whatever you want if you can clone something from this DNA sample. No questions asked.”
>”Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.”
>”I hear that you’re in the business of cloning spider DNA these days. I’ve got another bug for you to try out.”
>Write-in.

Pastebins:

Character Sheet:
https://pastebin.com/1ZihFYSV

Equipment and Gear:
https://pastebin.com/WAhveFAd

Contacts:
https://pastebin.com/WdcFXD2s

10 Commandments of the Desperados:
https://pastebin.com/Qpr2jVPE

Costumes:
https://pastebin.com/5Jie54X2

>>5466536
Huh. He thinks… we’re kinda a friend/savior for his work? Well. Let’s be nice then.
>Well, glad I could play a part. From what I’ve seen, you’re doing good work.
>Mind taking a look at cloning this? I’ve got reasons for wanting another one of these and some people who would be very pleased to thank you as well if it works out well.
Does he have an ego? A desire to be recognized for his work? I’d assume so since he’s a professor. Play it up. Have him brag and lecture at us so we get more info.

>>5466536
Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.” the sample though gets destroyed after this. I will make sure of it

>>5466536
>”Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.”

>>5466536
>”I hear that you’re in the business of cloning spider DNA these days. I’ve got another bug for you to try out.”

>>5466536
>”Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.”
>"And we'll be having a talk about Gwen right after."

>>5466536
>”Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.”
>"And we'll be having a talk about Gwen right after."

>>5466536
>”Seeing as how you cloned my DNA without my permission, I’d say that you owe me one, Warren. If you can clone something from this sample, then I’ll consider us even.”

>>5466536
>”I’ve got a bit of a challenge for you, doc. Ever tried to clone a magic creature before?”

>>5466536
>>5466555
Guess I’ll switch to
>”I hear that you’re in the business of cloning spider DNA these days. I’ve got another bug for you to try out
I’d rather not bring up Gwen. We know it’ll just piss him off, and we’re tossing him towards SHIELD anyway so why bother? Gwen will set him straight once W has debriefed SHIELD on why Miles made her.

I'm not sure we should trust Miles for this stuff of the Silvertongue. After all, he's going to create another one of those (Or even something new and worse than that), and in the book said that they shouldn't reproduce at all cost.

I'm already imagining how things are going to go to shit, with Miles putting the memories of the original Silvertongue in this one and fuck everyone up, or maybe he doesn't give it memories and still someone is attacked with his ability or something.

The only way I see things could go right is if we already bring Pandora and WAND into the mix to keep an eye over Miles so he doesn't give the Silvertongue ability to some other clone, or in case the experiment is done, there's enough magical wards so everyone is ok from losing their voices or even the ability to speak again.

>>5467255
the book wasnt honest about the true purpose of the Silvertongues, and we don't have to tell Warren what they actually do.

>>5467255
>>5467258
The part in which we don’t tell him what they do is honestly the troublesome part. He won’t take any precautions unless we tell him, but telling him means he could use it for his own ends instead.

It’s why I tried to puff up his gratitude. We definitely need to pull in the team and WAND, but we also need to keep him on a leash until they’re ready. I think being on his good side would work better than taking a hard line with him because he’s already dealing with Chameleon and Sergei. He’s probably used to flipping the hard line back around and succeeding at it since they’re seemingly beholden to him.

I wonder if we can get a message out to Webb? She mentioned being unable to see some of the other totems, which is probably due to this anti-Spider Sense field. But she should know our last location, so we could leave a message there.

Or we could be ballsy and call someone directly (probably Webb), let them know that yeah, we found someone who can solve the issue we ran into with cloning. Their results speak for themselves, literally. Keep talking as though we’re a middleman, and drop in whatever we can to indicate that they should be prepared to storm the place.

If we go out to talk with Ana, we could trace a perimeter around the spot our spider sense dies so they can triangulate the intended target more easily.