Chapter 93: Of Tablets and Fetch Quests (Patreon)

“I told you I don’t know anything,” a blonde woman said, her voice trembling. “He never gave me any tablet.”

She was Shocker’s ex-girlfriend, Lana. “Please, you’ve got to believe me,” she begged.

The nearly seven-foot-tall, heavily muscled man in front of her scoffed. He was Michael Marko, a.k.a. Man Mountain Marko, an enforcer for the Manfredi Family and a loyal lieutenant of its leader, Silvio Manfredi, a.k.a. Silvermane.

After Shocker stole the clay tablet from the cops, Spider-Man found and defeated him. The cops arrested Shocker, but the tablet wasn’t with him.

“We know Shocker stashed that hunk of stone here,” Man Mountain Marko growled. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Just tell us where it is, and we’ll leave.”

“No, I-I... I don’t know,” Lana stammered.

Man Mountain Marko looked at his men and nodded. They immediately scattered through Lana’s apartment.

“No! Where are you going? Stop!” Lana shouted, trying to stop them, but they ignored her. “No, you can’t do this! I’ll call the cops!” She grabbed one of the men as he headed toward her bedroom, but he roughly shoved her away. With a startled cry, she fell to the floor.

The Maggia men tore through her belongings, tossing things aside as they searched for the tablet, but found nothing.

“No, please don’t do this,” Lana pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Man Mountain Marko crouched to her eye level and said in a low voice, “You can stop all this very easily. Just hand me the tablet, and we’ll leave. You can pretend this was all just a bad dream.”

Lana’s gaze wavered. “B-but what if Herman finds out? Who knows what he’d do to me?”

“You’re worried about him?” Man Mountain Marko asked incredulously. He let out a dark laugh. “You should worry about what we’ll do to you if you don’t hand over that tablet. Shocker’s tucked away in prison. Who knows when he’ll get out? Right now, you should be worried about me.”

He stood and walked over to a wooden chair. Grabbing it with both hands, he pulled its sides apart. The chair tore in half.

Lana’s face paled, her eyes widening as she began to tremble.

But he didn’t stop there. He pulled a painting off the wall and snapped its wooden frame in half. The frame snapped loudly, and Lana began trembling even harder. But his show of strength didn’t seem to be the only thing frightening her. Her gaze darted between him and another painting on the wall. She desperately hoped he wouldn’t notice it.

Man Mountain Marko pulled the second painting off the wall. Lana closed her eyes in resignation.

“Look at that,” Man Mountain Marko said, smiling. “A cozy little safe behind the painting.”

He grabbed the handle and ripped the safe door off its hinges. As expected, the tablet was inside. A large stack of cash sat beside it. He ignored the cash and took only what he had come for—the tablet.

“Let’s go,” he said and left the apartment.

His men followed, though unlike Marko, they had no intention of leaving the cash behind. They grinned at Lana, emptied the safe, and followed him out.

—

At the same time, while Man Mountain Marko recovered the tablet, the Kingpin’s lieutenant, Louis Wilson, sat brooding in a cell at a police precinct elsewhere in the city. He was furious with Kingpin. His boss had bailed himself out but left Louis to rot in jail because he needed someone to take the blame.

“Look alive, Wilson,” a cop said, opening the cell door. “Someone bailed you out.”

“Never thought you’d be worth that much to anyone,” the cop added with a smirk.

Louis brightened. “Kingpin came for me after all. I knew I was too valuable just to write off.”

“Guess again,” the cop said, laughing. “It wasn’t the Kingpin.”

Louis frowned. “But then… who?”

The cop led Louis to a man smoking a cigar. A hat covered his brown hair, and a neatly trimmed beard framed his face. He wore a red windbreaker with a fur collar. He was noticeably shorter than the average man, yet his presence seemed to dwarf everyone else in the precinct.

“The name’s Caesar Cicero,” the man said calmly. He barely spared Louis another glance. “Get your things and follow me. I haven’t got all day.”

As Louis completed the formalities, the cop who had released him leaned closer. “If you go with that guy, I’ve got a feeling you’ll be back here pretty soon. You sure you don’t wanna think this over?”

Louis glanced at Caesar and hesitated before turning back to sign the paper. “I just want to get out of here. I don’t care about the rest.”

Louis followed Caesar out of the precinct.

Once they were outside, Louis finally broke the silence. “Caesar ‘Big C’ Cicero. The Manfredi family’s lawyer and one of Silvermane’s top men.” He swallowed. “Why would someone like you bail me out?”

Caesar didn’t bother replying and continued toward his car.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” Louis muttered.

Two men waited beside the car, dressed almost entirely in black—hats, windbreakers, ties, trousers, and dress shoes. Only their shirts were white.

One of them opened the rear door for Caesar and closed it once he was inside.

The second man opened the opposite rear door. His expression remained blank as he watched Louis's every move. Louis’s heart hammered in his chest. Uneasily, he stepped into the car and awkwardly thanked the Maggia man for holding the door. The man wordlessly closed the door.

Both Maggia men climbed into the front, and the car pulled away from the precinct.

Once they were some distance from the precinct, Caesar finally spoke.

“Listen carefully. I don’t like repeating myself,” Caesar said in a low voice. “We know it was you who advised the Kingpin to acquire the tablet. And you’ve done considerable research on it.”

“The tablet?” Louis asked. “But I don’t have it.”

“We know,” Caesar said. “But soon it’ll be ours. Then someone will have to tell us the secret it’s hiding. And that’s where you come in.”

“But... I don’t know the secret,” Louis said.

“Well, that’s just too bad,” Caesar said calmly, taking a slow drag from his cigar.

He paused.  

“For you.”

A hidden safehouse

“Here is the man who can help you decipher the tablet,” Caesar said.

“You... You’re Silvermane,” Louis stammered, his eyes widening as his face paled. “One of the legendary leaders of the Maggia.”

“And you’re but a worthless pawn of Fisk,” said the man seated in a luxurious leather chair across a wide mahogany table.

He wore a three-piece gray suit and a blue checked shirt. He looked at least eighty. His hair was almost completely white. Deep wrinkles covered his face, neck, and hands. He looked like an old man nearing the end of his life. Yet the presence he exuded made it clear why he still led the Manfredi family despite his age. He was Silvio “Silvermane” Manfredi.

Silvio shifted his gaze to Caesar. “Once again, you acted without my orders.”

He paused. “Once again, you seek to prove yourself more worthy of leadership than the aging Silvermane.”

He took a long drag from his cigarette. “Perhaps you are… Perhaps you are.”

He closed his eyes. “I am old. I am tired. But this I tell you, Caesar...”

He opened his eyes, his sharp gaze boring into Caesar. “So long as I live, it is I who lead and you who follow.”

Caesar’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching. “Then why aren’t you using your position properly? That piece of stone has changed hands again and again, yet only now we’re going after it. What’s the point of the Manfredi family having a seat at the High Table if you refuse to use the power that comes with it? We could’ve acted earlier. We could’ve taken the tablet from the Kingpin himself. But you waited until it was practically undefended. Why?”

Beside Caesar, Louis’s eyes widened. He had clearly heard something he wasn’t supposed to know, but neither man paid him any attention.

Silvio’s gaze narrowed. “Do not provoke me, Caesar,” he said in a low voice. “I’m old, but the power’s still mine.”

“I know what I am doing. As for using the High Table’s resources?” He scoffed. “What would you know? If any of those hyenas found out what secret the tablet is hiding, none of them would give a damn about the High Table’s rules. It could start a war—or, in the worst-case scenario, turn into eleven seats against one.”

He snorted. “Using Continental assassins was out of the question. Even our own resources had to be used sparingly.”

He waved his hand. “Now get out of my sight, Caesar.”

Caesar’s expression hardened at the blatant dismissal, but he turned to leave. Yet as Caesar walked away, his anger gradually faded into a thoughtful frown.

Once Caesar left the room, Louis swallowed nervously. “W-what about me?”

“Since you’re already here, you might as well stay,” Silvio said lightly. “The tablet is on its way. We’ll study it together.”

Louis nodded, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Just then, the door opened, and Marko walked in.

“Boss, I’ve brought the tablet,” Marko said, walking to the table and setting the tablet down.

“You’ve done well, Marko,” Silvio said. “I knew you wouldn’t fail me.”

Marko grinned. “But boss, what’s so special about this hunk of stone?”

Silvio smiled. “If I tell you, then it won’t be a secret. Be patient. You’ll know soon enough.”

Louis looked surprised. “You know its secret?”

Silvio didn’t bother replying. Instead, he passed the tablet to Louis. “You can study it until the person I actually wanted arrives. Once he does, you can assist him.”

Louis picked up a magnifying glass from the table and began studying the tablet.

“What do these strange scratches mean?” Marko asked, looking at the tablet.

“These are ancient hieroglyphs that no one has managed to translate,” Louis answered without taking his eyes off the tablet.

A while later, someone knocked. The door opened, and two men entered, dragging in a man still wearing a white lab coat.

One of them was Caesar.

“You wanted him,” Caesar said. “I called a few boys down south and had them put Dr. Connors on the first flight to New York. I figured the sooner he got here, the better.”

Silvio smiled faintly. “Caesar, once again you prove yourself more decisive than the aging Silvermane, eh, my friend?”

“I prove nothing except my loyalty to the Maggia,” Caesar said.

“The Maggia!” Curt exclaimed. “What do you want from me?”

Marko released Curt, who walked toward the table, one empty sleeve of his lab coat hanging loosely at his side.

“Look,” he said. “I’m just a dime-a-dozen research scientist from the Everglades. I don’t know what you’re after, but you’ve grabbed the wrong man.”

“You underestimate yourself, Dr. Connors,” Silvio said. “You’re just the man we need.”

“But you can’t keep me here,” Curt said. His eyes darted around the room. “I-it isn’t safe.”

Silvio raised an eyebrow. “Really? And why isn’t it safe, Dr. Connors?”

“I-I can’t answer that,” Curt said, averting his eyes.

Finally, Marko lost his patience. He grabbed Curt by the collar and hauled him off the floor until his feet dangled in the air.

“You better do what Silvermane wants, you understand?” Marko growled.

“Stop... you don’t understand the danger,” Curt said, struggling to speak. “You have no idea what could happen.”

“I don’t care about your excuses,” Marko said. “And if you don’t care what happens to you, remember—we also ‘invited’ your wife and kid to keep you company.”

Curt’s expression changed instantly at the mention of his wife and son.

“So if Silvermane wants you to translate that tablet of his...” Marko pulled Curt higher until they were eye to eye. “You better start translating.”

“Calm down, Marko,” Silvio said. “Don’t harm him. The Maggia still has a use for him.”

Marko gave Curt one final threatening look and dropped him to the floor.

“Marko, follow me with our two guests,” Silvio said and left the room.

Marko gave Louis and Curt a warning look. They quickly followed Silvio, with Marko walking behind them.

Caesar made no move to follow them. He had already pushed the old man enough for one day. With nothing more required of him, he left the building.

Silvio eventually stopped outside another door. “Marko, stay here.”

Marko remained outside while Silvio led Curt and Louis into the room and closed the door behind them.

Inside was a fully equipped laboratory Silvio had prepared specifically for Curt.

“Connors, you have full access to this laboratory,” Silvio said. “I’ll leave my other guest with you to assist you. You have twenty-four hours to uncover whatever secret this ancient tablet holds about the mystery of life.”

He paused, then added in a low voice, “And the Maggia doesn’t tolerate failure.”

“But, Silvermane,” Louis stammered. “That’s not enough time. Many people have tried to translate it before, and none of them succeeded. Translating it in twenty-four hours is impossible.”

“With each passing minute, my heart grows weak,” Silvio said. “Who knows how long I have to live.”

He looked Louis directly in the eyes. “I must have what I seek, and I must have it soon.”

His eyes narrowed. “And remember, if I die before you finish, you will not live to gloat.”

Louis trembled at the naked threat.

“We understand, Silvermane,” Louis said, his voice trembling.

“Quiet,” Curt said suddenly. “I think I know why no one has been able to translate it.”

Silvio and Louis frowned as they turned to Curt, who was already studying the tablet under a microscope.

They walked over, but neither disturbed him.

Curt finally looked up ten minutes later and sighed. Beads of sweat covered his forehead.

“What did you find, Connors?” Silvio asked.

“The reason the tablet has remained a mystery for so long is that everyone treated it purely as a language problem. It isn’t.” Curt massaged his slightly aching forehead. “The symbols describe biological processes. Without understanding the biology behind them, translating the words alone would be useless.”

“As I expected, you were the right man for the job, Dr. Connors,” Silvio said with a smile. “Your task is already half-done; now you just need to decipher the formula and create the serum.”

His smile disappeared. “At my age, every minute—every second—is of vital importance. So you’d better not keep me waiting.”

He turned around and walked towards the door. He paused, hand on the doorknob.

“Remember, Connors. Twenty-four hours.”

Silvio opened the door and left the lab.

—

Santo Rico

An open-top 4x4 rumbled along a narrow track through the forest. Tall trees crowded around it, soft light filtering through the leaves.

“I have regenerative immortality, and somehow I'm still doing fetch quests,” Wendy said. She was sitting in the back of the vehicle, leaning forward between the front seats.

Kara glanced back from the passenger seat. “Well, fetch quests are one of the services offered by our Agency.”

Kara and Jessica chuckled.

It had been a month since they’d met Wendy. At first, Kara and Jessica had been taken aback by just how weird—

“Hey!” Wendy exclaimed. “Who are you calling weird?”

Kara and Jessica looked at each other, confused.

—she was. By now, they were used to both her odd behavior and her strange vocabulary.

“No one’s calling you weird, Wendy,” Jessica said, shaking her head with amusement. Her hands remained steady on the wheel as she carefully navigated the narrow track.

“One of the voices in my head just called me weird,” Wendy complained.

“I’m sure they’re just pulling your leg,” Kara said soothingly, as if calming a child.

“Whatever,” Wendy said, pouting.

“By the way, haven’t we passed this place before?” Wendy asked.

“Really?” Jessica said, looking around.

“Now that you mention it,” Kara said, her gaze fixed on a tree. “This cacao tree seems familiar.”

Wendy and Kara slowly turned to Jessica.

“Are we driving in circles?” Kara asked with a straight face.

Jessica stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “Maybe.”

“Why don’t you just fly up and see if you can spot our destination?” Wendy suggested.

“Do I have to?” Jessica asked reluctantly. “I feel airsick when I fly.”

Wendy and Kara stared at her blankly.

“Fine,” Jessica said, sighing in defeat.

She stopped the vehicle and climbed out. After stretching her legs, she gave a couple of light hops. With one final jump, she shot upward until she was above the treetops. She scanned the horizon and spotted a few Mayan pyramids in the distance.

As she descended, she spotted a man in the distance, also looking toward the pyramids. He wore yellow and blue and had massive white feathery wings on his back.

She landed beside the vehicle.

“You found it?” Kara asked.

“Yep,” Jessica answered. “And that’s not all. Looks like we’ve got some competition.”

“Who is it?” Wendy asked with interest. “You recognize anyone?”

Jessica glanced toward where she had seen the winged man. “X-Men.”

The three drove for some time toward the pyramids. But they soon reached a point where the trail was too narrow for the vehicle. In the end, they had no choice but to cover the rest of the way on foot.

“You know, three women walking through a suspiciously quiet forest is usually how somebody ends up on a missing-person poster,” Wendy said, hacking through the undergrowth with her machete.

“You watch too many horror movies,” Jessica deadpanned.

Kara glanced at the trees around them. “It’s pretty quiet,” she said, her brows furrowing.

“See?” Wendy pointed her machete at Kara. “She gets it.”

“What?” Kara looked at Wendy, confused. Then she shook her head. “Not that. Listen. The forest is too quiet.”

Jessica finally noticed it too and began scanning the forest warily.

Wendy, however, seemed completely unconcerned. She continued forward. “All I’m saying is, if we find a cabin out here, nobody touches anything in the basement.”

At that moment, a shadow dropped from the canopy above and lunged at them. Wendy, despite looking the most careless, reacted first. She stepped aside and parried the jaguar’s swipe with her machete.

The jaguar roared in pain and anger as its paw bled. But the wound wasn’t deep. As soon as it landed on the forest floor, it backed slowly into the bushes for cover. Its gaze remained fixed on them as it prowled sideways, preparing to pounce again.

“Finally, a random encounter,” Wendy said, stepping toward the jaguar. “I was starting to think the devs forgot to script them.”

“Wait,” Kara said, putting a hand on Wendy’s shoulder.

Wendy looked back at her questioningly.

“I wanna try something,” Kara said.

The jaguar took advantage of Wendy turning away and prepared to lunge. Before it could attack, its body suddenly stiffened. A moment later, the ferocity vanished from its eyes. It let out a soft cry as it walked toward them.

Wendy and Jessica watched it warily, while Kara smiled.

“No need to worry now,” Kara said.

Wendy and Jessica stared for a moment before realization dawned.

“Did you...?” Jessica asked, surprised.

“I did,” Kara said, smirking. “I’ve wanted to try that for a long time. I finally got the chance.”

The jaguar walked over and rubbed against Kara’s leg like an oversized house cat.

“Aww,” Wendy exclaimed. She crouched and immediately started petting the jaguar.

Jessica watched it warily for another second before giving in. She crouched beside Wendy and started petting it as well. The ferocious wild beast endured their enthusiasm in silence.

“Let me try one more thing,” Kara said as the other two stood up reluctantly.

She closed her eyes and spread her pheromones far and wide. Soon, they heard a rustling sound as a harpy eagle flew toward them and landed on Kara’s shoulder. Under Kara’s influence, it carefully kept its talons from digging into her shoulder. Then the bushes beside them rustled, and a black caiman emerged.

Wendy yelped at the sight of the four-meter-long caiman.

“Damn, girl,” Wendy said, impressed. “When did you unlock the Beastmaster class?”

Kara looked at the three animals gathered around her. Controlling them with her pheromones was nothing new. But since her upgrade a month ago, something else had been beneath that control—a connection she hadn't properly tested yet.

She focused on it.

Her vision shifted. She found herself staring at her own legs from somewhere near the ground—the jaguar’s perspective. Her vision shifted again, dropping even closer to the ground. This time, she was seeing through the caiman’s eyes. Her vision shifted once more, now looking down from slightly above her own eye level. She was seeing through the eagle.

She didn’t stop there. She pushed deeper into the network and suddenly felt as though she were no longer in her own body. She was now controlling the eagle as it soared into the sky. She—or rather, the eagle—circled once overhead before landing on her own body's shoulder. Finally, Kara returned to her own body.

She found Jessica staring at her with an annoyed expression.

“You could control birds, and you still made me fly,” Jessica complained.  

Kara blinked. “I found that out thirty seconds ago.”

“Still counts.”

*********************

[Author’s Notes]

Wendy arguing with the narrator is going to become a problem, isn't it?

Also, Jessica has officially discovered the worst part of Kara getting new powers: realizing she flew for nothing.