Spider-Man 2099 #21
Parlor Games
This story takes place between Spider-Man 2099 #14 and 15...
Moving through downtown, Spider-Man ignores the pain in his chest as he enters a condemned building. Inside there is a trio of women in leather outfits armed with wrist-mounted weapons. They have been hunting Spider-Man and have just regrouped and are now getting ready to move into for the kill. Slipping away, the masked hero crawls into an abandoned building where he checks his wounded chest. Stopping to rest, he thinks about the circumstances that led to this moment.
One Hour Earlier:
Spider-Man was hanging out above a donut place overhearing the radio transmissions from a member of the Public Eye. After stealing the officer's donuts and coffee he overhears a report about a disturbance in the Bayside/Riverdale district. However, the officer decides to do nothing because the area has not renewed its neighborhood security cover. Spider-Man decides to go and check out what the Public Eye is deciding to ignore. There, a group called the Maryjanes, a trio of women named Dita, Jena, and Marly are hunting a man named Harvinder Mann. Mann was a viral engineer until technological advances forced him out of work. Spider-Man arrives just as they finish slaughtering the man.[1] The women see the masked hero arriving and decide to face him. Spider-Man is furious that they murdered a man in cold blood. These young women are unphased by this and are spoiling for a fight.[2] When the hero lunges forward, Dita blasts him with her wrist-mounted weapons. That's when Spider-Man learns that they are black carders, a segment of society that is so wealthy they can pretty much do anything they want, even get away with murder. The hero takes a good kick in the chest and is forced to run when all three women open fire upon him.
Now:
The trio of women begins tracking Spider-Man in the dark building. The trio divides up, giving Spider-Man the advantage by means of divide and conquer. Taking off his mask and bearing his fangs, Miguel frightens the first of the Maryjanes, Marly. He quickly knocks her out and disarms her, leaving her two allies left. The hero goes after Jena next, who he tricks with a decoy of himself made out of webbing. When she attacks the webbing, Spider-Man gets the drop on her and webs Jena up as well.
Dita hears the sound of the fight and tries to ambush Spider-Man, but he is able to dodge her attacks. When she chases after him, she steps on some rotten floorboards. They break under her weight and Dita falls into the waters below, where she is seemingly swept away by the current. In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man disarms the surviving women and frees them from his webbing. The hero tells them that they are going to walk home. Since this is dangerous territory, the Maryjanes beg Spider-Man not to leave them. In response, he snaps their Black Cards in half and dumps them down a storm drain before swinging away.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man
Continuity Notes
Spider-Man recognizes this part of Downtown as the area where he fought the Vulture. That happened in Spider-Man 2099 #8.
The Maryjanes recall seeing video footage of Spider-Man's fight with the Specialist. That happened in Spider-Man 2099 #4-5.
