Thick as Thieves Ch. 19 (Marvel) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Cameron wants to find another way.

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“… No.”

Felicia frowns at his response.

“No? What do you mean ‘No’?”

Tonight might be the night that never ends and have gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but Cameron can safely say he’s entirely clear-eyed as he looks at Felicia.

“I’m not going to let Fisk boss me around, even for the sake of taking him down. I’m not going to ever work for the man who would happily hold a gun to my brother’s head. We’ll take him down without me having to do Fisk’s dirty work. The rest of your idea was still sound… we need to attack the Kingpin’s foundations. We need to make him fall from the top of his ivory tower.”

Mm… how very principled of you, my Champion~

In his head Lady Loki seems pleased. Though Cameron suspects it’s more because she wants to keep his subordination all to herself rather than because she’s particularly proud of him for standing by his principles.

Ah. You already know me so well…

Felicia, meanwhile, scowls and crosses her arms over her chest. On the one hand, she looks a bit moved by his explanation. On the other hand, she’s a little petulant that he’d shot down the back half of her idea.

“And how do you expect us to tear down the Kingpin without having someone on the inside, exactly?”

That was a good question, Cameron had to admit. And so he turns to the other woman in the room, looking over at Gwen who jolts at suddenly having his attention.

“Gwen? How were you planning to go about taking down Fisk and his organization exactly? After all, that was why you were at the party right?”

Gwen… bites her lower lip, squirming a bit under Cameron’s piercing gaze.

“Um… kind of? I was at Fisk’s party hunting a lot of different fish, you know? Trying to get a lay of the land and maybe get some dirt on several criminals I could eventually track down another day. That sort of thing. Fisk was… well, I was told not to try and mess with him this early…”

Felicia snorts derisively, even as Cameron looks at Gwen in dismay. Seeing this, Gwen quickly waves her hands about.

“B-But don’t let that stop you from doing things my way! If we do this the right way, it’s entirely possible! We just need to get Fisk arrested and then dismantle his organization and Brandon will totally be safe!”

Felicia lets out a cutting laugh.

“Not even Spider-Man has managed that, Ghostie. You’re biting off more than you can chew, thinking you can just go beat up Fisk and turn him over to the authorities. Better, more experienced heroes than you have tried that… it doesn’t work.”

Gwen grits her teeth, crossing her arms over her chest now in response.

“Your negativity isn’t helpful you know. Just because Cameron doesn’t like your idea doesn’t mean you have to shit all over mine without contributing anything meaningful.”

Felicia narrows her eyes.

“You want meaningful? Fine, here’s something meaningful… if we really want to take Fisk down, we have to find a way to wrap a noose around his big fat neck without him knowing about it.”

When Gwen opens her mouth to protest, Felicia raises a hand to stop her.

“And no, I don’t mean a literal noose Ghostie, do try and keep up. I’m talking about the metaphorical kind of noose. A noose made of all of his middle management. If you wanted to take Fisk down with the American Legal System, as corrupt, bloated, and slow moving as it is, you would need to take down all of his middle management at the exact same time. You would need the RICO case to end all RICO cases.”

Felicia sits back and shrugs.

“Only, nobody has ever managed that before because Fisk is smart enough to keep everything separated and above board. You’re not going to get him for something like tax evasion… the most you might manage is getting one of his lawyers sent to prison for things they did on his behalf.

Gwen frowns, looking contemplative. Meanwhile, Cameron… Cameron has an idea.

“So we don’t take him down for the things he’s done but managed to pawn off onto others. We take him and all of his goons down for things they haven’t done.”

Both Felicia and Gwen look at him, brows furrowing in confusion as Gwen makes a curious noise in the back of her throat.

“… Haven’t done?”

Cameron just nods, smiling as he warms up to the idea more and more.

“It’s simple… we invent crimes that tie Fisk and his entire organization together in one massive conspiracy. No compartmentalization, no partitioning… everyone in the Kingpin’s Empire focused on one massive illegal task that will make even the Federal Agencies sit up and take notice. And once they’re shining a spotlight on Fisk for that, they’ll wind up seeing everything else, all of the actual illegal stuff he and his ‘middle management’ are up to, and they’ll come down like a sack of bricks.”

Felicia tilts her head to the side, humming in thought.

“I mean… it could work, I suppose. It’s much riskier than you infiltrating his organization and taking it down from the inside though, Cameron. You’re talking about throwing everything we have at stitching up Wilson Fisk of all people for a crime he didn’t commit. If they find us out, we’re in serious trouble. The frame job doesn’t just have to be perfect… it has to avoid leading back to you or me in any way.”

Cameron nods, recognizing full well just how risky this all was. Of course, Gwen has a different problem with it altogether.

“Are we really sure this is the best way? Taking down criminals for the crimes they’ve actually committed is one thing. But taking down criminals for crimes we’re faking and pinning on them… that just feels wrong.”

Felicia chuckles while Cameron gives Gwen a distinctly unimpressed look.

“Gwen, you’re standing in front of two professional thieves lecturing us on what ‘feels’ wrong or not. You offered your help… but I’ll take your non-interference as well if that’s all you can give me.”

Of course, what’s left unspoken is that Gwen could turn on him altogether here. Her interference against him would be game ending for any plans him and Felicia can come up with. But that would mean abandoning him again. It would mean betraying him and leaving Brandon to the nonexistent mercy of the Kingpin.

“N-No, I… I want to help. I offered to help and I will. Just… just let me know where you need me.”

Cameron nods before sharing a glance with Felicia.

“… We will. For now, I think this is where we end things for the evening. Nothing is happening tonight.”

Felicia nods her agreement while Gwen looks between the two of them, scowling a bit.

“Aren’t you worried that Fisk will find out about his stolen furniture and artwork and come after you? Do you not have to return all of that tonight somehow?”

Cameron arches a brow. Had Gwen really thought that he would go back to Fisk’s party with her so they could sneak in and pull a reverse heist? No, as much as he knew he wouldn’t be able to sell any of the things he’d stolen from Fisk tonight, at least not for a good long while… that didn’t mean he was returning them.

“The physical illusions that I replaced each stolen item with will last upwards of two weeks. That won’t be an issue.”

Gwen bites her lower lip and its immediately obvious that she wants to ask for more information about his sudden magic. To be fair, she’s pretty much one of the only people aside from Felicia and apparently Fisk who knows he went through a bit of a power upgrade recently. But only Felicia knows exactly how and why he’s suddenly got magic and its clear Gwen wants to ask.

… But she holds her tongue. With a sigh, she nods and starts to step towards the door.

"Alright then, let’s get out of here, Cameron.”

Only, after a few steps she pauses and looks back at him, confused by why he’s not moving. Cameron looks right back at her just as confused.

“Gwen… I live here.”

His childhood friend’s eyes widen and dart to Felicia, who is back to lounging across her couch, looking every bit the smug cat as she smirks at Gwen as if to say ‘oh yes, I’ve already won’.

“You… you live here? With her?”

Cameron isn’t an idiot, obviously. But he pretends to be a bit of one as he furrows his brow in confusion and shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Yeah? I mean, she’s been training me for the past six months Gwen. It was easier for me to just move into her guest bedroom than it would have been to keep my old shitty apartment on the opposite side of the city.”

Gwen’s eyes continue to move back and forth between him and Felicia for a moment longer. She looks like she wants to say something… but in the end once again thinks better of it.

“O-Okay. Well… I’ll, um, I’ll see you again soon? Can we meet up tomorrow, maybe?”

Cameron gives Gwen an amused look.

“Let’s exchange numbers, Gwen. We’ll find a time that works for both our schedules.”

Even as noncommittal as that is, Gwen latches onto the idea like she’s grasping for any lifeline she can find.

“Yes! Numbers! Definitely!”

And so Cameron once again finds himself adding the phone number of one Gwen Stacy to his new phone… and giving her his number in turn. After a quick text exchange to ensure they have it right, Gwen finally departs though not without a lingering glance at him over her shoulder.

Once she’s gone, Cameron just sighs and flops back onto the couch next to Felicia, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief at how this night had flip flopped on him. Silence reigns for a long moment before Felicia makes an amused noise in the back of her throat.

“You know she’s still carrying quite the torch for you, right?”

Cameron gives Felicia an incredulous look.

“Seriously?”

Eyes dancing in amusement, Felicia nods.

“Oh yes. Very much so.”

No, that wasn’t what he’d meant. Of course he knew Gwen was still carrying a torch for him; he wasn’t a complete moron. Cameron opens his mouth to say as much but before he can, Felicia places a finger against his lips, cutting him off. She then tilts her head for a second consideringly before grinning.

“Alright. She’s probably out of hearing range by now.”

Cameron blinks before remembering that Gwen, as Ghost-Spider, does in fact have enhanced physical traits… including her senses. Huh, he hadn’t thought about that. He focuses on his own slightly enhanced hearing but he can’t detect anyone aside from him and Felicia at least.

Looking him dead in the eye, Felicia arches a brow.

“If this plan of yours doesn’t work out the way you want it to, what will you do?”

He understands immediately what she’s implying. And frankly… there’s only one option if this all doesn’t work out.

“If we can’t take down Fisk without being caught, if we can’t take him down before he tries to threaten Brandon… than we’ll just have to distract Gwen somehow so we can kill him.”

He doesn’t stutter or stammer or hesitate over his words. Internally, the idea of murder obviously doesn’t sit right with Cameron. And yet… if its to protect his brother, he does think he could kill. In fact, he’s certain of it. He would do anything for Brandon… including killing the Kingpin of New York.

Felicia doesn’t grin or so much as smile at his declaration, but she does give him a satisfied nod.

“Good. I like your conviction, Cameron. Now all that’s left is to decide how exactly you’re going to go about handling Fisk’s security if you want to pull this off. After all, from what Ghostie said they already have your number despite your illusions. StarkTech, she mentioned. Nasty stuff, especially at the extreme high end which of course Fisk can afford.”

StarkTech. Ugh, that was going to be a problem. Though just as Cameron is thinking that, Lady Loki manifests herself in the living room with them and raises a brow.

“Hm, I don’t see how it could be. No primitive Midgardian technology should be capable of dealing with my illusions.”

Felicia arches a brow.

“Well, it managed to see through his disguise, didn’t it?”

But the goddess just shakes her head.

“Only because my Champion is just starting to grasp the barest possibilities of the powers I’ve given him. Tonight he took another step down the path when I helped him create exacting replicas of each item he stole. Those replicas will not be found out until they start to fade in the coming weeks. In a similar fashion… I can show him how to disguise himself with more accuracy. In fact, invisibility itself is more than doable so that he is not seen at all.”

Cameron perks up at that. That’s right, he’d used invisibility to get himself home that night at the Met. Of course, Felicia immediately points out the flaw in that technique.

“What about cameras that see on different spectrums or even detect heat signatures?”

Lady Loki pauses and tilts her head to the side.

“… You Midgardians have recording devices capable of doing such things?”

Felicia smirks and crosses her arms over her chest again.

“We Midgardians are capable of a lot of things. You shouldn’t underestimate us.”

Cameron’s patron considers this for a moment before finally nodding.

“Then it would seem we have some testing to do beforehand. That said, it should be entirely possible to create a form of invisibility that hides my Champion from every type of Midgardian detection. It will just take more effort, in the end. And quite a lot of training.”

Well… if it let him sneak into Fisk’s holdings without being detected and without having to do some convoluted infiltration of the Kingpin’s organization… Cameron was willing to put in the time and effort. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the same amount of time that Felicia had had when turning him into a consummate professional thief. They’d have to move-

Cameron blinks as his phone suddenly chimes, letting him know he has a new message. When he looks down and sees its from Gwen, Cameron suddenly has a bad feeling about having given her his phone number.

… Surely she wasn’t going to blow up his phone nonstop, right? Surely she’d keep things chill… right?

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sdi1bp6Yef9NEN-j2JqhFsfnKPRFGcBgZkPitpH5F4U/edit?tab=t.0