"Stay on your knees, bitch!" One of the Maggia men slapped a woman hard across the face, sent her to the floor, and pointed his gun at her with a smile.
"Do not make me use you as an example of what happens when people do not follow orders."
"P-please no," an elderly woman moaned, forced onto her knees when a man hit her across the back with the butt of his shotgun.
Maggia soldiers held the bank's civilians in place while simultaneously running operations at multiple other locations.
"Calm down," one of them said. "We will not hurt you. Well... Not much."
Crash.
The men jumped when the window shattered and a black metal object hit the floor.
"What the hell is a b-...."
The cylindrical object moved and smoke filled the room instantly.
"What the...."
"Ahh!"
"Bobby? What's...."
"Mmph?! Mmmm!"
"Bobby?! Rob?! What the hell is happening?!"
The leader moved his weapon from side to side desperately through the smoke. He could not see anything.
"I smell fear," a cold voice said, directly at his ear.
His eyes opened. Horror followed when he looked down and saw the blade of a sword protruding from his chest.
Spider-Man gripped the sword, kicked the man forward, and pulled the blade free from his body.
Before the smoke finished clearing, he shook the blade clean and folded it back into its cube.
The leader lay dead at his feet.
As the smoke thinned, the blood spreading out from the body became visible to the hostages and to the remaining soldiers, neither of whom responded in the same way.
The sword had been his primary design project alongside the suit. He had always been a significant fan of katanas.
The blade was constructed from a composite of several metals with two integrated mechanisms.
The first induced plasma, producing cuts that were precise and automatically cauterized, similar to Wasabi's weapons from Big Hero 6.
He had chosen not to use that function tonight. The second mechanism was modeled after the system Blade used with his own sword, making the weapon operable only by him specifically.
"Yuri," he said over the police radio channel. "Situation is under control here."
"Understood," Yuri said. "C-team is on its way to escort the civilians. B-team linked up with Wolverine and is heading to the theater to finish the sweep.
Trish reported that Daredevil is in trouble. His team can barely contain the rats at Foley Square. You should head there."
"Loud and clear."
He ended the communication and crossed to the elderly woman, helped her to her feet, and dusted off her bag before handing it back to her.
"There you go."
"We already handled the five in the vault," an officer said, emerging from the back with a hand pressed to his bloody nose. "The bastard gave me a solid beating."
"I can see that."
"Hahaha! Jefferson, escort the lady outside." He laughed at the deadpan response and turned to another officer.
"Yes."
"Thank you!" The elderly woman, who bore a coincidental resemblance to someone he knew, looked at him with genuine emotion. "You saved us. You are a hero."
"Ma'am, I am not a...." He stopped. He tried to find the right words and could not produce them. He nodded instead.
"You are a hero," the officer in charge said, knocking his fist lightly against Spider-Man's chest. "Do not deny yourself the credit."
"If there are true heroes," Spider-Man said, stepping back and turning toward the vault exit, "then I am certainly not one. I would give them a bad name."
"Ah." The officer sighed and signaled to his men to remove the body. "I am sure many would disagree with that assessment."
Spider-Man watched from the top of a bank bench as the officers helped civilians into vans and others were escorted toward hospitals.
"Cortana. Make sure there is no physical evidence that could trace back to me."
"Working on it. But I cannot stop witnesses from talking."
"Let them talk. Just make sure there is nothing to support their claims."
"Understood."
"Thanks, sweetheart. You are a lifesaver." He jumped off the building and began moving. "Keep an eye on Daredevil."
"Thanks, handsome," she said, and the HUD populated with a live feed of Daredevil in combat with multiple opponents.
His movements were still technically sound but the power and precision behind them had diminished noticeably. "At this rate he is going to be killed if you do not intervene."
"He is a tough son of a bitch. He is not going down." He was already heading toward Foley Square.
"I advise against using the sword, blades, or the gun in combat from this point. The media has eyes on this area."
"Damn scavengers," he said, and nodded anyway. "Then it will be pure 616 style."
He arrived at Foley Square just as Daredevil went down and a crowbar was coming toward him.
"Surprise, motherfucker!"
He threw two webs to the sides, used the momentum and connected both feet with the crowbar-wielder's face, sending him several meters.
He spun in the landing, activated the arm-mounted blades to stop a stab, delivered a powerful strike to the groin of the man holding the blade, turned and kicked him in the head, and left him unconscious.
"Sorry I am late," he said, extending a hand.
Daredevil took it and let himself be pulled upright.
"No, you arrive just-...."
"To save your damned ass."
"Do not be so cocky about it."
"Haha. Can you still fight?" He watched a wave of Maggia approaching.
"Ah." Daredevil turned his shoulder and raised his arms. "Let us find out, shall we?"
"I hope you are patient because this is going to take a while." He moved. "Your right!"
He feinted left, spun on his heels, and punched the nearest approaching man hard in the head, sending him down.
"Boo-Yah!"
He blocked a punch with his left forearm and drove a heavy blow into the man's stomach, breaking ribs, then flipped over and connected a kick to those same ribs, sending him flat.
A man tried to kick him in the face from behind and Spider-Man grabbed the leg before it arrived, used his strength to lift the man and throw him to the ground, and stomped hard on his head before moving on.
A man tried to punch him in the face.
Blocked.
Another punch at the ribs.
Blocked with the elbow of his right arm.
He jabbed with enough force to launch the man upward slightly, then webbed him before he landed and pulled him back.
When he was close he hit him in the jaw hard enough to dislocate it and knock him out simultaneously.
"These bastards keep coming!" Daredevil called.
Spider-Man nodded. "These sons of bitches are like Agent Smith."
He looked around, grabbed a crowbar from the ground, and threw it to Daredevil. "Take this and beat them. Imagine you are the Joker and there are hundreds of Jason Todds in front of you."
Daredevil caught it, looked at him for exactly two seconds at the reference, ignored it, and ran into the crowd with it.
"Tell me what hurts more! A or B! Right side up or wrong side up! HAHAHAHA!!!!"
....